Video
Next up is a guide for the filmmakers and video nuts, those who spend time thinking of scenes at 25fps, picturing life in motion and imagining a scene from the director’s chair.
GoPro Hero 4 Black
Price: $649
If there’s someone in your gift buying list that takes to the surf, snow, or anything else that involves action of some kind, there’s a good chance they’ve wanted a GoPro to document their exploits at one point in time.
This year’s flagship “Black” edition of the GoPro ups the ante with Ultra HD 4K video capture, and more than with 15 frames per second, making it a camera capable of providing footage for the few UHD TVs out there. There’s also more slow motion support in the camera, better WiFi, and yup, still a water-proof case included.
And if you don’t need 4K, you can save a few quid and grab a touchscreen version in the GoPro Hero 4 Silver for $549.
GoPro Dog Mount
Price: $80
One of the funniest ideas we tried this year was mounting a GoPro to a JackChi (Jack Russell and Chihuahua mix), providing some crazy video that let the pups get in on the film-making fun. If you or someone you know has a dog, is a filmmaker, and has a GoPro this is a top little gadget to let them take a furry step into film.
Parrot Bebop
Price: $700
There’s only so much height a regular camera gives you, and yet there’s so much of the world to explore and take photos of.
That’s probably where a drone can help, and this year, Parrot’s AR Drone quad-copter gets a camera in the Bebop, taking advantage of a Full HD video camera in a 14 megapixel stills shooter, capable of shooting a 180 degree field of view. Support is also there for a headset, so if you have one of those, you can imagine yourself flying, just make sure to sit down when you’re doing it, otherwise you might fall over.
Panasonic GH4
Price: $1999
Panasonic has been in the camera business for long enough, and this year’s flagship effort has really grabbed attention with support for shooting 4K, wireless support to smartphones and tablets, a multi-angle LCD with a touchscreen, and controls that make the camera feel like a solid piece of kit.
