All Things Joey
Focusing on all of my efforts around the art of making videos and social media. Camera, lens, and equipment reviews. I also share tutorials on anything I have learned over the years.
I recently watched a video on Sony Alpha Universe about mounting cameras inside your car and thought “that would be cool”.
I went out and purchased a SmallRig suction mount for my car window and started testing it for shaking, stability, and any other problems.
During one of my tests, my wife questioned if having the camera on the window was legal… and come to find out… it wasn’t. And it isn’t legal in 43 other states.
So I had to find an alternative. Check out my testing!
Sony announced the arrival of the ZV-E1 vlogging camera at the end of March and enthusiasts are excited. Featuring the same full frame sensor as the FX3 and the A7S3, the device should have fantastic image quality.
Couple that with a nex-gen AI chip to help with focus and subject detection and this camera really could be a game changer.
I purchased the Sony 35MM F1.8 (Full Frame) in the summer of 2021. Since that time, this lens has become my absolute favorite workhorse. I did a review when I first got the lens, but I did not do it justice. Here are my thoughts after a year of use.
The bokeh, the sharpness, and the simple design make this lens a joy to use.
I dusted off my 9-year-old Sony A5100 and set it up as a webcam.
While the process was fairly simple, I did run into a few minor issues and decided to make a video to help you avoid those same problems.
Finding a new purpose for this great little camera instead of it sitting in a drawer makes me very happy.
Additional Webcam Items:
My YouTube thumbnail game was terrible. After watching several videos on how to improve my site, I realized I needed a better method to make thumbnails.
I found a site called Canva and I am very impressed. The site makes thumbnail generation much easier than the other tools I have been using (like GIMP).
Canva is free, but there are several premium services you need to pay for. I share some other tools and tips to make due with what is available for free with Canva, but I do recommend the premium service, it makes workflow so much easier.
Tools Referenced:
I have been using the original PGYTECH MantisPod Pro for several months and liked the flexibility and ease of going vertical, but I felt that it was a little… structurally unsound for bigger cameras.
After buying the small PGYTECH remote for the Sony ZV-1, I learned about the MantisPod V2 which features a spot to house the remote. The combination reminded me of the Sony vlogger tripod (GPVPT2BT) but the MantisPod is cheaper and does more things.
This video compares the differences between version 1 and version 2 and why V2 is perfect for the ZV-1. It also highlights how this tripod fits perfectly in my 3L man-purse.