Life in Walnut Creek, Lafayette and surrounding areas

I have had a week now to play around with my new iPhone 3Gs.  There are way too many features to mention so this blog is strictly limited to the video feature...which was one of the main reasons I purchased it.  I was an original iPhone user so the set-up (iTunes) and transition went fairly smooth.  

I have been a video enthusiast for awhile and like to do my own property, video tours.  My purpose to upgrade to the 3Gs was to have an 'all-in-one' device so I wouldn't have to lug around a bunch of equipment.  I thought for awhile on buying one of the HD flip phones, but held off waiting to see what this iPhone could do.  I'm pleased to report that I'm VERY happy with it!  Now it's not something the professional videographers would use to shoot home tours with, but I think it does a very good job for intermediate users like myself.  

Pros:  

• Good quality and much crisper on close-ups versus shooting at a range
• All-in-One device so less equipment to haul around
• Allows for editing...but only at the beginning and ending of the clip.  If plan to produce a video with multiple clips, you'll need to transfer the movie files to your computer and editing program.  You could email them to yourself, but it compresses the video before sending if you do that.
• Longer recording time than the 40 second limit my Olympus camera provided me
• Auto focus (tap the screen where you want the camera to auto focus on.  Does a good job if you have contrasting lights)
• Shoots well in low light situations (the video below was shot indoors at a bar)
• Audio works well as long as you're close to the camera
• Publishing:  Easy to send to your YouTube account or email...all from the camera feature on the phone.

Cons:

• No pause and resume button.  You can't put multiple clips together unless you use outside editing software.
• No tripod slot so you need something to brace the phone against or have steady hands to avoid the 'Blair Witch' effect.
• Transferring clips to the computer:  No directions so had to figure this one out on my own.  The video files (mov) are recognized as photos since it's within the camera feature of the phone.  For Windows, I had to go to 'explorer', open the correct drive then drag the video files to my desktop.  In Mac, I had to go to iPhoto to find them (it did not recognize a separate USB drive on my desktop).  From iPhoto, I could then drag and drop the video files to where I wanted them.
• Battery:  Shooting video does take a toll on the battery level.  Good news is that once you plug the phone in to charge it, it charges quickly.
• Audio:  This is asking too much, but would be nice to have a microphone jack for recording.