Photography

Bubo camcorder rig makes the most of iPhone4 video

Bubo camcorder rig makes the most of iPhone4 video
OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
View 26 Images
Wide angle lens
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Wide angle lens
Two handed recording for stable shooting
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Two handed recording for stable shooting
h00t!
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h00t!
Adds thickness to increase stability
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Adds thickness to increase stability
Easy to changeover lens
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Easy to changeover lens
h00t! Stable recording rig with a quality lens and a VeriCorder highly sensitive mic
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h00t! Stable recording rig with a quality lens and a VeriCorder highly sensitive mic
Side views, access to dock connector and headphone jack
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Side views, access to dock connector and headphone jack
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Tripod mount for even more added stability
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Tripod mount for even more added stability
Front and back
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Front and back
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Inside the retail box
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Inside the retail box
Owle shell
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Owle shell
Wide angle shooting
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Wide angle shooting
High quality macro detail
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High quality macro detail
The macro lens
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The macro lens
Little boom mic
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Little boom mic
Record more top, bottom and sides
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Record more top, bottom and sides
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Side-by-side comparison of iPhone vid capture with and without the Bubo
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Side-by-side comparison of iPhone vid capture with and without the Bubo
OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
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OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
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OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
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OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
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OWLE Bubo for iPhone 4
View gallery - 26 images

We've seen optical add-ons for the iPhone before, but the OWLE Bubo takes a slightly more holistic approach to giving the smartphone's video capture capabilities a boost. The Bubo is a hand-held video rig carved out of a block of billet aluminum that provides handgrips for increased stability, multiple tripod mounting points, a sensitive microphone and a wide angle glass lens.

The Bubo's handgrips help keep the iPhone steady while its weight, at just over a pound, enhances stability during long pans. There are also four tripod mounts and access to the dock connector and headphone jack.

The 0.45x wide-angle/macro combination lens doubles the iPhone's field of view and adds contrast and extra detail. The rig is threaded to accommodate any 3rd party lenses (37mm) and filters (49mm) and the macro lens allows close shooting.

Side-by-side comparison of iPhone vid capture with and without the Bubo
Side-by-side comparison of iPhone vid capture with and without the Bubo

Side-by-side comparison of iPhone vid capture with and without the Bubo

The adjustable VeriCorder microphone points out of the front of the Bubo like a mini boom mic, so the accidental blocking of the mic during filming should become a thing of the past. There is also a cold shoe accessory mount for shotgun mics, video lights and other accessories.

And yes, calls are possible when the phone is in the rig, though holding a Bubo to your ear may look a little weird.

Inside the retail box there is also a soft pouch for the lens, a polishing cloth, lens cap and a silicone iPhone case that holds the iPhone snugly inside the rig. The iPhone 4 and iPod Touch versions retail for US$169, the iPhone 3GS version $159.

The following OWLE video shows a side-by-side comparison of the iPhone with and without the Bubo:

View gallery - 26 images
2 comments
2 comments
Tom Phoghat Sobieski
It sounds interesting \" The rig is threaded to accommodate any 3rd party lenses (37mm) and filters (49mm) and the macro lens allows close shooting.\" The 3rd party lenses is what tweaks my interest the most. OTOH, it sort of negate the portablity of an iPhone.
Terotech
Bubo......An unfortunate choice of name if one discounts the owl meaning!