SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — Down on the show floor, I ran into podcaster Tim Chaten, who was using an iPod touch to record video.
Chaten had his iPod touch mounted in a home-made camera rig, complete with an external microphone.
It looks like a pretty good setup for shooting quick and easy videos.
Here’s how he put it together:
Chaten had three goals for his iPod touch video setup:
- Good sound quality, especially in noisy places.
- Able to hold it far enough away to get two people into the shot
- Portable and sturdy
Chaten uses an external mic, which needs an extension cord and headphone adapter. To hold the iPod touch at arm’s length, he uses a flexible case/stand from Thought Out Company called the NAJA King Form. It has a flex-arm that allows Chaten to hold the iPod touch at arm’s length when interviewing someone with the forward-facing camera. That way he can see what’s recording. No need for a camera operator!
He also uses the rear-facing camera for interviews, as in the photo above.
Here’s his equipment list:
- iPod touch – $229 to $399
- Any XLR microphone (Chaten was using a $30 Shure C606-WD, which is currently unavailable. Any XLR mic will work fine)
- iPhone XLR microphone and 1/8 inch headphone adapter – this $23.50 adapter allows the microphone to be plugged into the headphone socket.
- XLR cable – female to male – a $5 extension cable for the microphone
- NAJA King Form – this $41.99 flexible iPod stand and case allows the iPod touch to be held far enough away to get two people into the shot
The kit cost around $120 (not including the iPod). To extend battery life, he’s thinking of investing in a Mophie JuicePack battery pack. Chaten uses it to produce podcasts for his The Possibilities Production Network.
He has more info here: Turn An iPod Touch Or iPhone 4 Into A Mobile Interview Kit
