V2 Godrevy Lighthouse from the air, St Ives Bay Cornwall, Mavic Air Aerial Video Colour graded @jamesb72

jamesb72 Godrevy Lighthouse was built in 1858–1859 on Godrevy Island in St Ives Bay, Cornwall. Standing approximately 300 metres (980 ft) off Godrevy Head, it marks the Stones reef, which has been a hazard to shipping for centuries.

This was my first proper video flight with Mavic Air, so there is a fair bit of jerky tilt and movement, but some nice shots. I wanted to fly out to lighthouse to take stills of the far side which has a stunning cliff face, so took some video on way out and back to make this.

I wasn't happy with the first edit, video straight from Mavic Air was quite dark and grey, so I've been playing with colour grading in Vegas Home Studio 14 platinum.

Using 'Brightness and Contrast' with 'Color Corrector' and 'Color Curves' Video Fx (3 in series), initially increasing contrast in brightness and contrast tool, then increasing top/decreasing bottom in color curves, then playing with color corrector mid first staying close to centre but towards green side, and lows a bit less in same direction, highs a bit more in same direction.

I started trying to make the grass greener, but this then made the sea a bit too green, so I've juggled a bit less green/more blue between shots. I could go back and forth for hours, so stopped when I figured I wasn't improving it much more.

Anyway, hope this is interesting comparison, there is a half and half version showing the before/after (on my 1st draft so this final is slightly tweaked).

I will make the original unlisted in a day or two so this isn't duplicated so links:

Original ungraded version: youtube.com/watch?v=fte8ZwGN1FA

Splitscreen grading comparison: youtube.com/watch?v=Y7MUmnkgNU4

updated 8 years ago

V2 Godrevy Lighthouse from the air, St Ives Bay Cornwall, Mavic Air Aerial Video Colour graded

jamesb72 2018-09-08 | Godrevy Lighthouse was built in 1858–1859 on Godrevy Island in St Ives Bay, Cornwall. Standing approximately 300 metres (980 ft) off Godrevy Head, it marks the Stones reef, which has been a hazard to shipping for centuries.

This was my first proper video flight with Mavic Air, so there is a fair bit of jerky tilt and movement, but some nice shots. I wanted to fly out to lighthouse to take stills of the far side which has a stunning cliff face, so took some video on way out and back to make this.

I wasn't happy with the first edit, video straight from Mavic Air was quite dark and grey, so I've been playing with colour grading in Vegas Home Studio 14 platinum.

Using 'Brightness and Contrast' with 'Color Corrector' and 'Color Curves' Video Fx (3 in series), initially increasing contrast in brightness and contrast tool, then increasing top/decreasing bottom in color curves, then playing with color corrector mid first staying close to centre but towards green side, and lows a bit less in same direction, highs a bit more in same direction.

I started trying to make the grass greener, but this then made the sea a bit too green, so I've juggled a bit less green/more blue between shots. I could go back and forth for hours, so stopped when I figured I wasn't improving it much more.

Anyway, hope this is interesting comparison, there is a half and half version showing the before/after (on my 1st draft so this final is slightly tweaked).

I will make the original unlisted in a day or two so this isn't duplicated so links:

Original ungraded version: youtube.com/watch?v=fte8ZwGN1FA

Splitscreen grading comparison: youtube.com/watch?v=Y7MUmnkgNU4

Lidl Mistral Stand Up Paddleboard SUP 402049 Harry Bo Review

jamesb72 2022-07-16 | Harry wanted to review this Lidl SUP, which we bought for £199 with our own money, and looks good for the price.

Centerparcs Aqua Jetting Longleat June21 Aqua Scooters

jamesb72 2022-03-02 | Harry enjoyed the Aqua Jetting at Centerparcs last year, only just got round to uploading it.

Petzl Noctilight does it fit Swift RL? Zikkina, Zipka, Actik Core, Reacktik plus fitting check?

jamesb72 2020-08-24 | Jimzon asked a question on my Swift RL video where I mentioned the Swift RL doesn't fit in the Noctilight case/lantern when Petzl website says it does.

I made this quick video to explain why I don't feel the Noctilight fits the headtorches Petzl claim on website, to be honest it only really fits the Zikkina and Actik properly IMHO, and its very overpriced I feel - would be fine for a fiver, but Amazon has this for £16 today which is way too much.

Hope this is useful

Removing tight battery hatch on Reich CWC Caravan Weight Control

jamesb72 2020-08-04 | Jeff asked about this, as the battery hatch is incredibly tight, so hope this is useful to others.

Lidl Electric Scooter quick review by HarryBo - £149 Doc Green ESA 800 E-Scooter

jamesb72 2020-03-31 | This Doc Green ESA 800 E-Scooter from Lidl looked a bargain for £149 so Harry has tried it out, and is a big fan.

Plus points:
1. Goes 15mph on level ground with adult, or up hills with kids - performance is good for adults, excellent for kids.
2. Easy to ride with nice throttle and regen braking controls on handlebar
3. Battery lasts over an hour of kids riding round and round, takes 3hrs to charge
4. Standard mode 11mph limited speed, sport mode 15mph (+/- button to switch)

Negatives:
1. Only legal to use on private land currently
2. Really not suitable for kids unsupervised and without proper safety gear on

For the price, this is really good value and great fun, battery warranty is 6 months, scooter warranty is 2 years in manual (Lidl brochure I'm sure said 3 years ?)

Thanks to Arvacon, there are some extra features, cruise control and throttle from zero (you normally have to push start before throttle is active) . Details in this video: youtu.be/xw-A6duv_e8

Lidl E-Scooter ESA 800 Doc Green Electric Scooter

Specs from user manual
250w rear wheel motor
36V 4.8Ah Lithium Ion battery with Sanyo cells
Charging time 3 hours
Range Max 8miles
Max load 100Kg
Max speed 15mph (Sport mode)
Weight 10.8Kg

Hope this is useful.

Centerparcs Longleat Rapids - Start to finish - Family Gopro video

jamesb72 2020-03-07 | Handheld with Gopro Hero7 - shows how good the stabilisation is.

Rapids are great fun at Centerparcs, still my favourite part of the pool area.

February 2020.

Music Stardrive from Youtube archive.

New Plastic UK £20 note melts in microwave!

jamesb72 2020-03-03 | PLEASE DON'T TRY THIS - but please share video - I need to get lots of views to make burning money worthwhile !

The new plastic twenty pound UK notes are made of tallow polymer, so I wanted to see how this is affected by vinegar and microwave, as you can see this is not a good idea, so please don't try this !!

Petzl Swift RL How to remove replace swap rechargable battery

jamesb72 2020-01-05 | Someone asked for a video showing how to remove or swap the battery on Swift RL, so here it is.

You do have to press quite hard when tilting torch up to click out of the groove, so I would suggest not doing this when torch is cold as plastic might be more brittle, I did this in normal indoor temperature and it was fine.

Petzl Swift RL new flagship compact headtorch compared with previous Reactik+

jamesb72 2020-01-03 | When I saw Petzl had replaced flagship Petzl Reactik+ all singing reactive lighting and bluetooth headtorch this the new Swift RL I got it for Christmas to compare.

Both torches have the excellent reactive lighting feature, the Reactik+ with bluetooth and multiple buttons was overly complex, so the back to basics Swift RL is brighter and simpler.

I do feel Swift RL is overpriced in comparison with the Reactik+ which understandably required bluetooth and smartphone Apps development, so to strip off most of the features but charge same or more price seems steep to me!

Hope this is useful info as always.

New 2019 Petzl Zipka 300 Lumen headtorch - comparison with 2017 200 lumen version

jamesb72 2020-01-03 | I only recently noticed that Petzl have uprated the Zipka to 300 lumens, from the previous 200 lumens, so wanted to compare the new 2019 version with my previous 2017 model.

The new 300 lumen 2019 Zipka is noticably brighter with a nicer beam spread and 'warmer/yellow' light colour, so definitely better.

Video shows the differences, and an idea of the beam difference, as best I can show on camera.

Lidl Crivit £10 USB rechargable LED Head torch with light sensor vs £100 Petzl Reactik+

jamesb72 2019-08-11 | Quick video comparing the £9.99 Crivit head torch from Lidl with the £99 Petzl Reactik+

The Lidl Crivit headtorch is fantastic for the money, but not quite as good as the Reactik+ thankfully for me ;)

Lidl specs 200 lumen brightness, range 60M, lighting time approx 2.5-3 hours (at 100%) 1800mah USB rechargable battery, IP44 splashproof RRP £9.99 - (also has a emergency whistle in the headstrap buckle)

Petzl specs 300 lumen brightness, range 110M lighting time 2.5 hrs (at 300lm) 1800mah USB rechargable battery IPX4 splashproof - RRP £99 (has twin LEDs one wide, one narrow)

Hope this is useful.

Flowrider cornwall - family gopro video

jamesb72 2019-06-23 | We went to the Flowrider surf simulator in Cornwall and took some gopro video, it was great fun.

Lidl Parkside Cordless Lawn Mower quick review by HarryBo PRMA 40-Li A1 A2

jamesb72 2019-06-16 | NOTE June 2020 - Lidl have a new version of this the PRMA 40-Li A2 sold for £99 without batteries/charger - it looks almost identical, the only difference is control panel now has a LED to show ECO or Auto mode.

Original video June 2019
This Parkside Cordless Lawnmower from Lidl looked a bargain for £149 so Harry has tried it out.

Plus points:
1. powerful enough for a normal garden and can handle longer grass without slowing down.
2. Very light and easy to push
3. Comes with two batteries and dual charger - should be enough for normal gardens

Negatives:
1. Grass box is fiddly to clip round wire frame
2. the plastic flap on grass box doesn't sit neatly, so grass collects under it - I suspect it would work better with this flap just cut off
3. Adjusting handle height/angle is fiddly as the side clips don't neatly spring open

Overall for the price this works well, we have a petrol mower and this is much lighter/easier to start and push around, so I think it will be our normal mower, and seems to handle longer grass without slowing/bogging down which was my concern.

Not sure on run time, it did our small back and front gardens easily in about 20 minutes and battery still showing two bars, I suspect it would run 40mins at least.

Its nice that you can use these batteries with the other Lidl/Parkside X20 tools - I bought the cordless drill/driver for £20 which can share the batteries - hope they get the strimmer back in stock as would be nice to have the set.

Cheap and easy remote probe damp meter for Motorhome or Caravan under £25

jamesb72 2019-05-06 | We've had a small damp area in our van, and original dealer struggled to resolve, so bought a cheap £5 damp meter to check our motorhome regularly, but its awkward to read in corners and cupboards, so I wanted something better.

There are some very expensive motorhome damp meters around, but I found this cheap meter with long probes for under £25 which is easy to cut the probes down to make a really handy damp meter for motorhome or caravan.

I bought this on ebay from hong kong which came in just over a week, but they are similar prices on amazon, and if you want UK postage for a few pounds more there are ebay UK sellers.

Hope this is useful info, when checking your van check round windows/apertures, and along the edges/seams of walls and ceiling, normal readings vary depending on weather etc so anything under around 15% is probably fine, you are looking for any area's which have higher readings than the average, and those will need looking at.

We ended up going to another dealer to get our initial damp sorted which they located in about 30 seconds, and fixed in a few days, and have had a couple more area's resealed since, both were completed in a couple of days with exterior resealing only and the inside dries out over the next few months, so if you keep on top of readings, then its nothing to worry much about.

Hope this is useful info.

Petzl Reactik+ Headtorch likes and dislikes - why put bluetooth on a headtorch ?

jamesb72 2019-02-10 | I like headtorches a bit too much, my current favourite is the Petzl Zipka (available with headband as the Tikka), but ever since I saw this Reactik+ released with its £100 RRP and bluetooth/Smartphone App I couldn't resist finding out what is so special to spend this much on a headtorch.

Having tried it the bluetooth is a gimmick, and way too complicated and the app is unusable on Android, and not great on Apple but being able to customise profiles is nice, and Reactik+ is brighter at 300lumens compared with the non-Bluetooth Reactik at 220 lumens and only about £12 cheaper, so I went for the top model, just so I didn't end up buying both ;)

If I could only have one headtorch though, it would still be a Zipka+Core for compactness/value, but if I could have 3 I'd definitely have a Reactik or Reactik+ as one of them ;) (Sadly I have 12 working headtorches I can find, probably a couple more hidden somewhere, so this is not a realistic scenario for me ;)

Thanks for watching, and please comment below how many headtorches you have, and what your favourite is!

My favourite budget headtorch - Petzl Zipka/Tikka vs Tinmiu smart sensor

jamesb72 2019-02-09 | I like headtorches a bit too much, my current favourite is the Petzl Zipka (available with headband as the Tikka), and I've now had three generations of the Zipka, but I saw this Tinmiu rechargable headtorch with smart sensor on ebay for £12.99 (today its on Amazon for £9.99 so even cheaper), so wanted to compare my current favourite with it.

Having compared the new Zipka with Tinmiu, the Zipka is slightly brighter, but after an hour the Tinmiu retained 81% of its brightness (compared with Zipka 30% on AAA, or 50% on the £23 Core rechargable battery), that along with the smart sensor makes the Tinmiu a great budget option for £12.99 its too good to miss.

I bought the Tinmiu on ebay, but suggest you search "Tinmiu smart sensor" and find best price in your country on the day you plan to buy, as I don't have any links to any particular sellers or sites.

Thanks for watching.

Petzl Core Rechargable battery comparison with AAAs for Headtorch Zipka Tikka etc

jamesb72 2019-02-09 | I like headtorches a bit too much, my current favourite is the Petzl Zipka (available with headband as the Tikka), but as the Petzl Core Rechargable battery is more expensive than this headtorch, I was never sure if it was worth the money.

Having compared these, the Core is slightly brighter than fresh AAA's, but after an hour retains 50% brightness, compared with 30% for AAA's, and you can plug in and recharge easily, rather than either starting with used AAA or changing them before they have run out.

For me I think this makes the Core a good upgrade, however for only about £10 more than Zipka+Core you can get the Reactik rechargable which is brighter, and has the light sensitive mode so that complicates things a bit more ;)

Blue Anchor Cod Classic - Kayak fishing competition Aerial video clips

jamesb72 2018-12-29 | Thanks to organisers and entrants to the Blue Anchor Cod Classic for their co-operation in this video, was a lovely day for it, and glad to hear there was a worthy winner Adrian with a 2lb 7.5oz Codling !

Please feel free to use any of the video if useful for promo video etc for future years.

Thanks
James.

Gentle Mavic Air aerial video with Bottle Rockets ;)

jamesb72 2018-12-28 | Had a lovely day with friends, so flew Mavic Air, and Harry played with bottle rockets, so quick edit of both.

How to update Firmware Viltrox EF-EOS M2 Speedbooster for Canon EF-M - v1.4 fixes focus parking

jamesb72 2018-12-12 | Update Viltrox have v1.4 firmware on their website (underneath the old version look for line 2 EF-EOS M2 1.4): http://www.viltrox.com/en/index.php?m=index&a=content&cid=119

I bought the Viltrox EF-EOS M2 Speedbooster (with my own money as always, I never accept free stuff to review) so I can use my Canon M5 as a 'full frame lite' with EF lenses. First impressions are good, other than I noticed the nifty fifty Canon 50mm 1.8 STM lens no longer autoparks focus when camera is switched off !

I emailed Viltrox last night to ask about this, and they replied immediately with 1.4 firmware which fixes this, so wanted to quickly show how easy it is to update firmware and this fixes the focus autopark issue with Canon 50mm lens.

I did ask about the battery drain issue when camera is off, and they think firmware may help with that also. My M5 body doesn't drain battery with any of my lenses (EF28/50/85/24-105F4L) so this doesn't effect me thankfully.

Please comment below with any questions or feedback, I will do my best to answer as always.

Thanks for watching my video.

Auto Focus Lens Mount Adapter Ring 0.71X Focal Lenth Multiplier USB Upgrade for Canon EF Series Lens to EOS EF-M Mirrorless Camera for Canon EOS M5 M6 M50 M1 M2 M3

Discontinued Sony MDR-J10 - comparing 4 alternatives around £10 - hook style over ear headphones

jamesb72 2018-11-21 | I have used Sony MDR-J10 hook earphones for walking/commuting for about 8 years, going through 3-4 pairs, they are discontinued so looked around for equivalent hook style earphones around £10 and compared these.

Sony MDR-AS210 (aka MDR-AS200 internationally) seem to be Sony's replacement model but as they come are very awkward to fit and I found extremely uncomfortable as they dig in behind my ears, but are easily fixed by cutting the bottom half of the rubber loop - they still stay on when walking, but probably not suitable for sports/jogging. For smaller ears the overear loop this may not be an issue, but for me they are unbearably uncomfortable without this mod. The sound is noticably louder than the others, which is an advantage with small mp3/ipods which don't provide a lot of volume, and the balance of sound is good (not too bassy or tinny).

Skullcandy Chops Flex earphones are soft rubber and have a Microphone for mobile phone use so are also very comfortable, but sound is a bit tinny, but are more secure so for jogging/sports would be better than the modified AS210s.

Philips SHS3201 are hard plastic hook over style, so quick to put on, but I found less comfortable over time, especially under a hat, the sound is quite basey/boomy also which I'm not a fan of, but again for sports they are secure and if you don't wear a hat over them comfort is OK.

Prices were from ebay Nov2018, so I always suggest searching for best price in your country at the time as prices change wildly.

Hope this is useful, as always please comment with any questions and I will do my best to reply.

Cheap DIY Camera Kite for Gopro around £30/$50 - fun way to take KAP pics or video from above

jamesb72 2018-11-18 | I did a review of the flexifoil camera kite setup (youtube.com/watch?v=BpWd9FThxo0) and felt the electronic gimbal was uneccessary and didn't like that camera could only point in a fixed position either side of line, so felt this could be done more simply and cheaply another way. The flexifoil kite/bag/reel are beautiful quality so this isn't bashing but for someone to give this a go this is a really cheap and easy way to try Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) or video.

A big thanks to Jim for help/advice and inspiration see his video youtube.com/watch?v=U_g7o6iJVyo

You can find these items cheap on ebay/amazon etc, but links are just the ones I used, so always check for best price in your country:

1.5-2.5M single line parafoil kite will easily lift camera righ in 5-7mph wind or higher - mine was 1.5M from ebay for £14.99 if you search ebay "single line (foil, parafoil) kite" there are several types, just check the dimensions as you need 1.5M square or larger. I'm using is 175CM x 85CM 'galaxy' kite which is still on ebay. I tried to convert a 2 line kite to single line but it was not successful so you need to choose a single line kite.

Fuzzy tail I'm using a CIM Fuzzy tail for £9.99 kiteworld.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000004.pl?WD=fuzzy&PN=CIM_Fuzzy_Tail%2ehtml#SID=159
which has clip/loop on each end, but a cheap ebay search "kite tail rainbow 10" is under £2 and with slits cut in and extra hook sewn on other end works fine.

The CIM 18cm round reel for £2.99 works well kiteworld.co.uk/acatalog/CIM-Ring-Spool-180cm.html#SID=171

Line I'd recommend braided (not twisted) line, I'm using 500ft of 200lb braided line from Emma's Kits on ebay, but 120Lb line should be plenty strong enough - search ebay '500ft kite line' seller I used is emmaxiao - be aware there is a 60M/200ft altitude limit for kites in the UK set by the CAA but obviously kites don't fly straight up, so more than 200ft of line is OK.

Camera mount, I much prefer picavet style mount to the selfie stick pendulum, as its easier to clip on/off line and more stable, the 3D printed plans are:
thingiverse.com/thing:2367626

I used 22m curtain screw eyes from wilco, and a gopro tripod mount with a 1" 1/4 BNC bolt to mount this.

Instructions on how to string the line on picavet mount:
http://www.brooxes.com/newsite/Downloads/Picavet.pdf

Clips search ebay 'longline fishing clips' 6cm size 10 for £2.62 delivered, just bend the tips out slightly with pliers to grip the line firmly.

Any gopro extension arm will work, the helmet type are cheapest (search ebay "gopro extension arm helmet").

The electronic rotating base was £16 from ebay search "puluz 360 head remote", it comes with the gopro mount for camera side, to attach this to gopro mount on Picavet/selfie stick you just need a tripod screw to gopro adapter ebay search "gopro screw mount adapter" - I got 2 for 99p and they are useful to have for lots of things.

I use Gopro Hero7 camera which has nice stabilisation for video but any wifi action camera will work fine (loads on amazon etc from £40 upwards), or a non-wifi camera you can just set to take photo every 2 or 5 seconds, or start video and let kite go up and see what you get. The nice thing about the Gopro Hero5/6/7 is they have linear mode which takes out the fisheye effect which makes it much easier to crop/straighten photos without any odd bending due to fisheye lens.

I strongly recommend you have a helper (or 2 for first attempts), once you have tried this with help then tethering the kite to a bench or railing should be possible on your own, but its easier (and more fun) with someone else.

Making a tether/handle out of paracord (again cheap on ebay search "paracord 550" its 99p for 25ft available in many colours and really useful to have)

Other options/things I tried are:

Selfie stick with tripod thread in bottom, I used Puluz PU55 £3.72 posted from banggood:
banggood.com/PULUZ-PU55-Extendable-Handheld-Selfie-Stick-Monopod-for-Action-Sport-Camera-p-1198861.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

1/4 Inch D-ring for camera
banggood.com/14-Inch-Long-Quick-Release-Plate-Stainless-Steel-D-Ring-Screw-For-Tripod-Camera-p-986255.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

A rubber tap washer as safety ring, you could use a piece of plastic or cardboard just as a ridge to stop string sliding out.

Loop knot to tie selfie stick to kite string: youtube.com/watch?v=iirCwYONnIY

This is also an option where you might need a PFCO or awkward permission for a quadcopter flight, kites generally are flyable in many more places, the only restrictions are 60M/200ft altitude limit, but this is the kite height not line length (as kite won't fly straight up), so just something to be aware of.

Hope this is useful info, any questions please ask below.

Gopro Hero7 Timewarp test - My typical day x30 hyperlapse

jamesb72 2018-10-17 | Timewarp test with Gopro Hero7 Black - mostly at x30, but tweaked a bit in editing.

I do like the hyperlapse effect and it works really well straight from camera, when I've done hyperlapse before its been a lot of processing time and results were no better than this !

FeiyuTech WG2 Gimbal rolling - Can Hero7 Hypersmooth fix it ??

jamesb72 2018-10-13 | The FeiyuTech WG2 gimbal rolls badly when moved sideways, so hoped Hero7 hypersmooth stabilisation might be a fix for it ???

WG2 is on latest firmware (I checked today with app)
Hero7 1080/30 L with hypersmooth on

Sunrise over the castle on the hill - early morning Hero7 Timewarp and Mavic Air test video

jamesb72 2018-10-01 | Early start this morning hoping for nice sunrise, but it was cloudy so other than a nice bit of early flaring which only lasted a few minutes, it was a damp squib. Still did some timewarp and video as we were there anyway.

The hill stands at a strategic location overlooking the point where the River Tone and the old course of the River Cary join the River Parrett. Although there is some evidence of Roman visitation, the first fortification of the site was the construction of a Norman motte. It has been called King Alfred's Fort, however there is no proof of use by Alfred the Great. A medieval church was built on the hill in the 15th century. The current ruined church on top of the hill was built in 1793.

Gopro Hero7 Timewarp test - Evies high speed car wash - Family Gopro hyperlapse video

jamesb72 2018-09-29 | I picked up Gopro Hero7 I bought today, which has built in timewarp timelapse/hyperlapse function, so wanted to try it out, and Evie asked if she could wash the car (no, really she did!).

This was all shot on Hero7 Black with internal microphone.

Thanks Evie for washing car, I did let her keep the money I promise ;)

Hero7 Black Timewarp settings 1080 in 10x (Timewarp is wide only), video is as it came out of camera (no editing tweaks other than slight cropping), the timewarp hyperlapse works really well.

H.264 also fine, edited on old Windows 7 PC with Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum, music is Gemini Robot from youtube archive.

Flexifoil Camera Kite Kit Review - good for Kite Enthusiasts, not so useful for Aerial Video

jamesb72 2018-09-09 | I saw this Flexifoil Camera kite Kit advertised on facebook so was interested to try it as I like quadcopter aerial photography and kites, so it seemed a good match.

It wasn't clear from facebook or Amazon listings, but downloading the manual I could see this comes with a single axis brushless gimbal (a Wewow Sport X1 rebranded Flexifoil), so I figured that would give smooth video from a kite which sounded like fun.

I couldn't find any reviews on youtube, and my original plan was to use this for aerial video and stills where its not safe, legal or practical to fly a camera quadcopter drone, such as national trust monuments etc, but having tried this I realised this is aimed at kite enthusiasts who on the right day can get some aerial photos around the flying area, not to take photos of a specific feature or object which is what I was hoping for.

Hope this doesn't come across as overly negative, this is a real quality package, the kite, reel etc are all really nicely made, my issues with it are that you can't point the camera where you choose, only two fixed positions either side of the lines which will always point downwind, and that its unusable for video - which I mistakenly assumed as it had a stabilising brushless gimbal it would be useful for.

Thanks to Harry for camera work and Richard for kite assistance/expertise.

Hope this is useful, any questions please comment below as always, and I will try to answer.

Godrevy Lighthouse from the air, St Ives Bay Cornwall, Mavic Air Aerial Video

jamesb72 2018-09-01 | Please watch updated version here: youtube.com/watch?v=80BD47GdNNo

Godrevy Lighthouse was built in 1858–1859 on Godrevy Island in St Ives Bay, Cornwall. Standing approximately 300 metres (980 ft) off Godrevy Head, it marks the Stones reef, which has been a hazard to shipping for centuries.

This was my first proper video flight with Mavic Air, so there is a fair bit of jerky tilt and movement, but some nice shots. I wanted to fly out to lighthouse to take stills of the far side which has a stunning cliff face, so took some video on way out and back to make this.

DJI Mavic Air Leg Extensions 3 way review - PGYTech vs cheap hard plastic and rubber leg extensions

jamesb72 2018-08-12 | I ordered a few different leg extensions to compare, as usual some are awful, so hope this is useful.

PGYTech are definitely the best, and I've been using them happily, they are much better quality with rubber tips, so worth the money.

The rubber legs are unusable, so don't waste money on them.

The hard plastic AR/BR type, the fronts are far too hard to remove, but the rears are pretty good, but buying both sets seems pointless, so I would probably stick with PGY Tech.

I always suggest you search for best price in your country when you're looking, but people always ask for links so here is one:

banggood.com/PGYTECH-Extended-Landing-Gear-Legs-Heighten-Landing-Feet-Bracket-For-DJI-Mavic-Air-RC-Quadcopter-p-1275088.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

Thanks for watching.

Discharging DJI smart battery if you cant fly Mavic Air, Spark, Mavic 2 Pro Zoom etc

jamesb72 2018-08-06 | The DJI Mavic Air Smart lipo batterys have a self-discharge feature, after 10 days (on other DJI quads you can adjust this in settings from 3-10 days) they will generate heat to run themselves down, but personally I'd rather not wait 10 days, and also if they are in my storage bag I'm not happy with them getting hot, so this is how I discharge them using a Mavic Air B6 charge lead from ebay and my ISDT 80w discharger.

You can search ebay for "DJI MAVIC B6 CHARGING CABLE' there is also a Spark version if you search "DJI SPARK B6 CHARGING CABLE" - for Spark I would try 4Amps initially and check battery comes off cool before increasing, I'd aim for discharge time to match flight time, as discharge is only half capacity this will ensure no issues.

Mavic 2 batteries can do the exact same thing, set the discharger to 4S and use the Mavic 2 connector (search ebay Mavic 2 B6 charging cable)

DJI Spark is 3S lipo you would just need to get the Spark version of charging cable if you search ebay for 'DJI SPARK B6 CHARGING CABLE' you can find them there.

Phantom 4 and pro use 4S lipo so ebay search "B6 charger Phantom 4" will find the adapter cable.

Inspire batteries are larger 6S so the same approach will work, but ideally you need a higher power discharger, there is a SkyRC 200W discharger BD200 around £75 which looks suitable, battery connector I think is same as Phantom 3 so a Phantom 3 cable should work.

I advise people to search for cheapest price for a discharger in your country/at the time, and don't recommend any specific supplier, but people always ask for a link, so I bought my ISDT discharger from Banggood and have been really happy with it:

ISDT FD-100 Smart Discharger
banggood.com/ISDT-FD-100-80W-6A-Smart-Control-Discharger-for-2S-8S-Lipo-Battery-p-1145999.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

If you want more info on this ISDT100 discharger, I reviewed it in a previous video here:

youtube.com/watch?v=l3Jar3fdBOw

As usual, I bought and paid for this with my own money, so this is just my personal opinion for my specific use. Hope this is useful, please comment with any questions, like, share and subscribe.

Combine Harvester Unloading from above - Mavic Air video

jamesb72 2018-08-05 | Visiting family in Cambridgeshire, a combine was running in the field behind their garden, so took some Mavic Air video.

Best carry case for DJI Mavic Air - Four cases from RLSOCO, Smatree, DJI and ebay comparison

jamesb72 2018-07-29 | I'm quite fussy about cases, as I want to carry Mavic Air around in as small as case as possible, while keeping it well protected.

Looking around for a case, I couldn't really see any which ticked all the boxes for me, so to compare I ordered 3 plus I had the original DJI Fly More case (which is just weird).

The RLSOCO case I paid £32.99 I feel is the best all round, it has moulded foam liner which fits everything snugly, a square general purpose section which can take chargers OR prop guards or both, and best feature is the foam flap with lots of storage pockets in back, perfect for spare props, cables, USB adaptor, documents etc etc.

The cheap ebay case is also good, its by far the cheapest, and could easily be tweaked with some extra foam and trimming to work really well, and its a good bit smaller for just what you need to fly.

The Smatree case is just not a good enough fit and was the most expensive here.

DJI bag baffles me, as the flaps/pockets look very well designed, but it just doesn't work as a carry case with the weird side/kangaroo pouch, and the mavic isn't well protected, if only it was a fraction bigger and the mavic would fit inside its hard pouch it comes in it would be really useful !

Hope this is useful info.

DJI Tello + GameSir controller likes and dislikes - who should buy one ?

jamesb72 2018-07-28 | I got the Tello a couple of months ago as a birthday present to myself, so wanted to do a quick review with likes dislikes.

I like the quality, decent battery size, and GameSir T1D controller, the VPS position hold works really well inside or outside in light wind.

I don't like the price (especially UK price £99 just for Tello, it should at least come with the USB charger thrown in), and no onboard storage, so video/stills are recorded on your smartphone - which makes smooth video impossible.

If the price was better OR if it had onboard storage for video it would be near perfect !

Still I do think worth getting if your planning a DJI Mavic/Phantom as your first quadcopter, this would be a good first step to practice inside, learn the controls and get a feel for the kind of aerial video or stills you're interested in and whether you want to invest in something bigger.

It also weighs 89g ready to fly, so is well under the 250g threshold which requires any kind of registration or licencing, so i can see that is also a plus point.

There was an issue with Android app not recording video/stills, this is due to permissions prompt disapearing too quicly as the app starts, so the fix is to go into settings-Application Manager-Tello and under App Permissions check all 4 are enabled !

Hope this is useful, as always thanks for watching and please comment with any questions and I will do my best to answer.

This is my own review of items I bought and paid for with my own money as a normal customer, I don't accept free stuff to review, as would rather be completely honest and only review things I'm genuinely interested in !

DJI Tello VPS Position Hold test using Dyson desk fan

jamesb72 2018-07-28 | The DJI Tello has VPS Visual Position sensors so like a computer mouse it can tell when its moving and counteract to hold its position without any GPS. This works pretty well in light wind outside, so wanted to show this using a Dyson desk fan (the wifes!).

Hope this is useful.

Mavic Air test flight - Hay Bailing, Somerset UK

jamesb72 2018-07-26 | Took Mavic Air down to flying field for some test flights when I realised there was a hay bailer running in the next field.

I know everyone is filming combines and hay bailers at the moment, but I think they look great from above, so nice to get some footage.

Hand catch at the end works really well with landing protection turned off.

I will do a Mavic Air case comparison in next couple of weeks, I got a few different cases to compare, so will pick my favourite.

DJI Tello Blowing out birthday cake candles

jamesb72 2018-06-04 | It was my birthday a few weeks ago, so figured it would be worth trying to blow out candles with DJI Tello quadcopter - it worked better than I expected !

I do plan to do a video on Tello so anything you want to know please comment below and I will include this.

Hovercraft departing Ryde on Isle of Wight to return to Southsea

jamesb72 2018-04-22 | We took the Hovertravel hovercraft over to Isle of Wight, so quick video of the hovercraft departing Ryde back to Southsea.

Griffon 12000TD Hovercraft reg GH2161 Island Flyer

Journey takes about 10 minutes on the hovercraft which is a really fun experience.

Three Cheap EF to EF-M lens adaptors Andoer. Meike and Kooka for Canon Mirrorless M5/M6/M50 etc

jamesb72 2018-03-25 | Sorry for update so quickly, but I ended up buying an Andoer adaptor so wanted to include this in comparison.

The original Canon EF to EF-M adaptors are incredibly expensive, so I wanted to look at the cheap generic versions to compare, I bought these on ebay, Meike MK-C-AF4, Kooka KK-EM01A, and after I had refund for the Kooka version, I saw Andoer Auto Mount Adapter EF-EOSM cheap from a UK seller, so bought that to add to original comparison, hence this update video.

I've also seen these on amazon and am sure you can find them in other sellers across the world

The cheaper adaptors have a little play between lens and adapter (not body and adapter which were both really solid), the Kooka has so much play the AF contacts are intermittent, but the Meike and Andoer worked fine with several lens both EF and EF-S I tested.

Andoer is an exact copy of the Canon version, metal bodied and has registration marks for EF/EF-S on face and side, and EF-M mark on end so I prefer it, however the Meike adaptor works perfectly, and for a smaller EosM body which you use a tripod often, the moulded tripod mount is less obtrusive on the Meike adapter, than the Andoer removable tripod mounting block.

Original video is here youtube.com/watch?v=ZY372bbdlxo

Hope this is useful.

Virb 360 Video test gokart, scooter and bike Garmin Virb 360 Take2

jamesb72 2018-01-26 | I saw a good deal on Virb 360 on Amazon for £461 (normally £646), but when I started using it the 360 video quality I wasn't happy with and editing was quite awkward, also the camera had a fault where it intermittently wouldn't recognise SD card - reinserting card resolved, but it was really annoying so I returned it for refund.

This was test video at the time.

First test with Garmin Virb 360 light was fading but wanted to grab a few test shots as camera arrived today. This is 2nd attempt to edit, as I discovered you cannot copy video files to PC and then edit, you have to import into Virb edit from card to pickup Gmetrix files which are needed for stabilisation as well as data overlays.

Handheld on a selfie stick
Gokart was clipped onto frame with a plastic extension which wobbled a lot
Bike shot was on a gopro headstrap with a straight extension to raise camera up above head level so rear view not obscured too much

Edited in virb edit software.

Stabilisation applied in Virb edit software but doesn't look to have worked too well on shakey bits maybe due to low light?

Stabilsation modes are follow for the moving clips, stabilised only for handheld, and no stabilisation for tripod (it made the video wobble?).

I don't feel the hassle of 360 is worth it as quality is so grainy/fuzzy, as you are stretching 4k video round the full 360deg it views more like 360p which is well below what we are used to, so its a not from me I'm afraid and i've returned camera for refund.

I'm still really not sure 360 video has much future, other than for overcapture style use, where you film 360 but then select your preferred view/angles when editing to render out as a standard 1080 video, for now the quality to do this just wasn't quite there.

Relaxing sounds of Ladram Bay waves lapping on shingle beach

jamesb72 2017-11-15 | Ladram Bay waves lapping on pebble beach Saturday 19th Sept 2015.

ISDT FD-100 Lipo discharger review vs lightbulbs - RC Lipo discharging

jamesb72 2017-10-14 | Discharging lipos has been a longstanding hassle, I've been using light bulb rigs which do the job but are not very convenient so saw this ISDT FD-100 smart discharger and thought it was worth a look, so I pre-ordered it.

As usual, I bought and paid for this with my own money, so this is just my personal opinion for my specific use.

I advise people to search for cheapest price in your country/at the time, and don't recommend any specific supplier, but people always ask for a link, so I bought mine from Banggood:

ISDT FD-100 Smart Discharger
banggood.com/ISDT-FD-100-80W-6A-Smart-Control-Discharger-for-2S-8S-Lipo-Battery-p-1145999.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

Lipo checker I use is this type:
banggood.com/CellMeter-7-Battery-Capacity-Checker-LiPo-LiFe-Li-ion-NiMH-NiCd-p-85223.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

If you wanted to monitor individual cells during discharge, these lipo checkers have an adjustable trigger voltage and will beep loudly when lowest cell drops below that - you can put a piece of sticky tape over the horns to reduce volume for indoor use:
banggood.com/2-x-2-in-1-Lipo-Battery-Low-Voltage-Tester-1S-8S-Buzzer-Alarm-p-973987.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

Hope this is useful, please comment with any questions, like, share and subscribe.

Thanks.

FeiyuTech WG2 vs DJI Osmo long boring spoken comparison review

jamesb72 2017-10-04 | I wanted to compare the Feiyu Tech WG2 gimbal for Hero5 or other action camera's, with DJI Osmo, as I was hoping WG2 would replace Osmo for me, which turned into a long rambling video, so I've put a shorter comparison of shots up seperately which is probably more interesting to most people.

I don't recommend specific sellers, as I suggest you search for best price in your country, but people always ask for links, I got the WG2 from Banggood, and my Osmo came from ebay used, as my preferred DJI dealer were out of stock, and it saved £100 on new price and was in perfect condition.

WG2 waterproof Gimbal:
banggood.com/Feiyu-WG2-Waterproof-360-Degree-3-Axis-Gimbal-Camera-Stabilizer-FPV-For-GoPro-433-YI-4K-SJCAM-AEE-p-1162473.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

WG2 Smart remote control
banggood.com/Feiyu-Tech-Smart-Remote-Control-for-Camera-Gimbal-SPG-SeriesG5MG-v2MG-Lite-p-1158297.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

Hope this is useful, please comment with any questions, like, share and subscribe.

Thanks.

FeiyuTech WG2 rolling problem with Hero5 vs DJI Osmo gimbal side by side video comparison

jamesb72 2017-10-01 | Quick comparison of the Feiyu-tech WG2 with Gopro Hero5 Black against the DJI Osmo with side by side shots comparison, really shows the rolling side to side issue with WG2.

My review/comparison video is here youtube.com/watch?v=JIAAtkayvT4

Settings are my usual ones (and closely matched)
WG2/Hero5 Linear 1080/30 with stabilisation on, Osmo 1080/30

I bought the WG2 a couple of months ago, hoping to replace DJI Osmo - it has good points like grab and go, waterproof and adjustable balance to fit camera's from Hero5 Black/Session to Git2 or Gopro3 clones, but has some annoyances, like the lack of metal T-mount, rolling when moved side to side, and not using USB-C charge lead. The DJI Osmo works well, but is bulky, and constant App and firmware updates are really annoying and awkward.

I bought and paid for these with my own money, so suggest you search for cheapest price in your country, but as people always ask for links I got mine from Banggood:

WG2 waterproof Gimbal:
banggood.com/Feiyu-WG2-Waterproof-360-Degree-3-Axis-Gimbal-Camera-Stabilizer-FPV-For-GoPro-433-YI-4K-SJCAM-AEE-p-1162473.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

WG2 Smart remote control
banggood.com/Feiyu-Tech-Smart-Remote-Control-for-Camera-Gimbal-SPG-SeriesG5MG-v2MG-Lite-p-1158297.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

Hope this is useful, please comment with any questions, like, share and subscribe.

Thanks.

Feiyu-Tech WG2 Likes and Dislikes - Hero5 Waterproof Wearable Gimbal

jamesb72 2017-09-30 | I bought the WG2 gimbal a couple of months ago, hoping to replace my DJI Osmo - it has good points like grab and go, waterproof and adjustable balance to fit camera's from Hero5 Black/Session to Git2 or Gopro3 clones, but has some annoyances, like the lack of metal T-mount, not using USB-C charge lead, and most significantly bad rolling action when moved side to side.

I bought these with my own money, so suggest you search for cheapest price in your country, but as people always ask for links I got mine from Banggood:

WG2 waterproof Gimbal:
banggood.com/Feiyu-WG2-Waterproof-360-Degree-3-Axis-Gimbal-Camera-Stabilizer-FPV-For-GoPro-433-YI-4K-SJCAM-AEE-p-1162473.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

Smart remote control
banggood.com/Feiyu-Tech-Smart-Remote-Control-for-Camera-Gimbal-SPG-SeriesG5MG-v2MG-Lite-p-1158297.html?p=MW2604548780201404KC

The selfie stick I really like is the Yunteng 188, I got mine from ebay but you can find them all over amazon etc.

The gopro mount I use in video is from ebay, if you search "gopro quick-release tripod adapter" and scroll down the type shown i video with thumbscrew/screwdriver socket are going for 99p posted.

Hope this is useful, please comment with any questions, like, share and subscribe.

Thanks.

Eachine EO12 Micro quadcopter battery problem, how to fix and test flights

jamesb72 2017-09-23 | I got these Eachine EO12's for me and Harry to mess about with, they were only cheap, but was still annoyed as the battery socket is recessed into the plastic frame so you cannot plug battery in far enough for it not to fall out, and as it fouls the battery mounting slot, you have to press battery in squashing wires so would stress/break the battery wires pretty quickly.

Not hard to fix with a dremel, but RTF shouldn't mean Ready To Fix imho - Harry was very excited to fly them so included some flying bits at end.

I would not recommend the EO12 to anyone, I paid £10 each with some points, but there are better options around for that price, that will work out of the box so I don't feel these are good value or a good choice.

Plastic UK ten pound note cut in two - rejoining with an iron - lifehack

jamesb72 2017-09-20 | Just in case you happen to accidentally cut up a new plastic ten pound note, a neat lifehack is to mend it with a household iron set to 2/Wool heat !

It is a bit wrinkled, but back in one piece and spendable which is the main thing !!

Please like and share !

Cornwall Scenic Flight Lands End to St Michaels Mount - Harrys first plane trip !

jamesb72 2017-08-27 | Had a lovely holiday in Cornwall, we've been trying to take the skybus scenic flight from lands end airport for last couple of years, every time we phone they are not running, so tried a 4th time and booked next day.

Weather was perfect, Harry's first ever flight and Evie has only flown on one holiday a few years ago, so great fun and lovely views.

Lovely to see Minack Theatre and Penzance Lido from the air, and lots of other places in between from a different angle, so highly recomended and staff were brilliant at airport.

Canon EF 50mm F1.8 STM - why is focusing SO NOISY ?

jamesb72 2017-06-26 | I have a few STM Lenses, and the silent autofocus is great for video, looking to swap my Sigma 50mm I got the Canon EF 50mm 1.8 STM but the focus is really noisy on Eos M5 body !

Canon website says of the 50mm 1.8 STM lens "The near-silent STM (Stepping Motor) technology focuses extremely quickly when shooting photos .....Creating high quality movies is easier with STM as it delivers steady and quiet continuous focusing, so your movies are smooth, and soundtracks only capture the surrounding sounds and not the noise of a focusing motor."

This seems to be total rubbish as focus noise is very loud, which I can't understand, as it makes it useless for video, which I thought was one of the main reasons for STM ?

Comparison both on M5 body EF 50mm F1.8 STM vs EF-S 18-135mm STM lens which focuses silently, so why is the 50 1.8 STM SO NOISY ??

Looking on youtube some people report this noise, others seem to think its really quiet do the lenses differ so much ??

It seems the lens noise does vary considerably depending on which body you are using, the newer/faster dual pixel autofocus seems especially noisy, so bear this in mind, and ideally if you can find a camera store which will let you test the 50mm STM lens on your body the noise may be acceptable for your needs.

Indoor flying E-Flite Hyper Taxi and MCPX Heli - Hero 5 session test

jamesb72 2017-03-25 | Quick video from indoor flying club evening.

Testing Hero 5 session on headstrap, Superview vs Linear modes (both 1080/30)

I think Linear works better but superview shows DX8 in view so both have merits, I'm not convinced the stabilisation works well in superview (not surprising as there is no spare 'space' at edge for compensation).