ReviewedByPhil

Buy it at Amazon: Ezapor 100 Inch Foldable Indoor/Outdoor Movie Projector Screen [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Ezapor 100 Inch Tripod Mounted Retractable Projection Screen [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: A basic pull up screen, easy to setup, clear images, construction is lightweight.

This projector screen is large and measures 94" long and consists of a tripod and the self-retracting screen. It weighs 25 lbs and has a handle with which you can carry it. The unit I received may have been a refurbished/returned unit as the cosmetic condition wasn't pristine. There were a couple of spots of black spray paint meant to hide some scratches and a few dents on the metal housing that didn't impact the functionality but perhaps speaks to the overall durability of the construction, which is not super heavy-duty.

The tripod can be removed from the screen for setup and opening the tripod and screen only takes a few minutes. The feet of the tripod do not locked in the closed position, but I didn't find that this was a problem as long as the tripod was locked to the screen during storage. The screen takes a little effort to pull initially to unroll it, but it slides smoothly in and out of the metal housing. The tallest height for the screen is 92" from the floor to the top, although it can be lowered about 1-2 feet if necessary. The screen itself isn't super flat when fully open and mine appeared to have slightly more tension in the lower corners results in some mild waves from the center of the top down to each corner. The very sides of the screen also tend to roll inward a little, but this affects mostly the outer black border which helps eliminate slight over-projection of the viewing area. The screen is a fairly fragile element. The material can pick up stain, scratches, and indentations you you have to be very careful if it gets dirty and that nothing gets on the screen before you roll it up and put it away. You want to keep the white portion of the screen as clean as possible without using any harsh chemicals. The paint used for the screen smells strongly of spray paint when you first open it so you may want to air it out when you first receive the screen.

Fortunately, the cosmetic defects to the outer housing and the wrinkles on the screen didn't show up when projecting an image on the screen. Even the waves in the screen only created a slight darkened band that you wouldn't know was there unless you were looking for it. Once I got the projector image up on the screen in a darkened room, you couldn't really see these issues. To fill the screen I have my 720p projector about 14-15 feet from it at shoulder level. The screen itself provides a nice clean white background for the projection image which doesn't distort the image colors and has no light bleed from the back which is painted black. Functionally, the screen worked pretty well. One thing to consider is that the screen just hangs from a single point on top, and it is easily distorted or sways if it's bumped or moved around. Even though it is advertised for "outdoor use," I would say it performs best indoors where the wind won't blow the screen around. I also don't think the tripod would be able to stand up to a big gust of wind catching the screen like a sail and that it could potentially fall over in windy conditions. Other than that it works for its intended purpose and would be great for a movie night, party slideshow, or office presentation.

Buy it at Amazon: Ezapor 100 Inch Tripod Mounted Retractable Projection Screen [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Gongpon Mini Digital Handheld Video Camcorder HDV-G13 [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Low-res entry-level quality for novice or beginner, temper your expectations .

With this camcorder, you get the camera, a padded soft carrying case with belt loop on the back, a battery, headphone jack to RCA cable, miniUSB charging cable, power adapter, lens cap, remote control, and an instruction manual. The camera is pretty small and fits in the palm of your hand. It measures 5"L x 2"W and 2" tall and weighs 10.25 oz. The camera comes with a strap, pad and lens cap. The lens has a 24 MP sensor and two infrared LED lights for night vision. The battery and SD card are inserted in the bottom under a latched door. A memory card is not included with the camera, and it has no on-board storage. Note that when the battery is removed, the clock and date settings will reset, and you'll have to re-enter the date and time if you want accurate date/time stamps for your photos and video. There's also a ¼" mounting hole on the bottom of the camera for tripod mounting.

On the back, behind a rubber door are the AV output and microUSB port for charging. The record button is easy to press with your thumb when holding the camera with your right hand. On top you have the zoom control and shutter button for photo mode which are accessing using your index finger. Towards the front is the stereo microphone for audio capture, and there is no option for using an external microphone.

The LCD monitor rotates 270 degrees and locks in at every 90 degrees. The Camera will turn on/off automatically when the LCD is opened or closed. Pressing the menu key will bring up different options for the mode you're in, though some of these settings persist over both modes anyway. When recording during the day, outdoors the image quality of the video is somewhat grainy and lacks detail/deep color saturation giving everything a slightly faded look. There are occasional dropped frames which manifest as a flash of black or white. The quality is on par with old VHS tapes or flip phone generation cell phone cameras. Fast motion tends to be blurry and the zooming increments in hard "jumps" though it locks in at 2 distances: 9x and 18x zoom. From any distance the microphone sounds muffled and quiet, with the clearest sound only when the subject is within a couple feet from the camera. When filming in 1080p the footage is noticeably more choppy than 720p/480p because the frame rate is only 15 frames per second, whereas it's 30fps in the other modes. At 15 fps, the footage looks like stop motion and because there's motion blur when you move the camera, any increase in detail level from the increased resolution is canceled out by frame blending and choppiness.

In dark conditions, you'll need to activate night mode to see anything. The infrared light makes the images appear in black and white but you'll be able to see in the dark up to 6-8 feet away, even in pitch black conditions. Overall, the camera captures video at a fairly low resolution. If you want slightly better image quality, I recommend the next version up, the HDV-G5. This camera would only be suitable as an inexpensive fun camera for kids to toy around with. It's not going to produce super smooth or clear video at any resolution, and it doesn't capture fast scenes well. The night vision is kind of fun though.

Buy it at Amazon: Gongpon Mini Digital Handheld Video Camcorder HDV-G13 [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Comica CVM-VS08 Mobile Phone Shotgun Mic [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Louder more focused sound, but adds background static; wind screens may intrude in video footage.

Buy it at Amazon: Zhiyun Smooth-Q 3-axis Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Lightweight, fluid motion, easy to handle and operate, great for those on a budget.

The gimbal comes in a semi-rigid clamshell carrying case that you can wear with a 5' adjustable shoulder strap; included is a flat microUSB cable for charging and an instruction manual. The gimbal is made mostly from plastic that is lightweight yet seems fairly durable, considering. The gimbal uses a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery rather than removable batteries, eschewing the need for a charger. Instead, it charges simply using a microUSB port on the side and that'll last up to 12 hours of use on a single charge. You can also use its battery as a mobile power pack via the full size USB output port on the front of the handle near the base. On the handle facing you where your thumb sits are some on-board controls. There's a 4-directional joystick for controlling pan, tilt, and roll, a zoom slider, mode button, and shutter/record/power button. All the buttons are easily accessible using your thumb and the handle is curved and ergonomic for a comfortable hold despite lacking any sort of rubber grip padding. There are also two indicator LEDs for battery life and status. On the bottom of the handle is a ¼" mounting hole for standard tripods and mounting systems.

The tension mount that holds your phone expands to accommodate phones with width of 3.25" and action cameras like the GoPro that are mounted in a special adapter (sold separately). My phone is on the large side with a 5.5" screen size and I found that with the case on it was a really tight fit and the thickness prevent the phone w/case from seating properly into the rubber grips. For most smartphones I think you'll find they'll fit a little better out of a case. The max payload for this gimbal is 200 grams or about 7 oz so consider this when deciding to add other accessories like a clip-on microphone or lens adapters.

The gimbal requires minimal balancing with a single thumb screw to control rotational level which can be accomplished in a few seconds. The grip mount itself slides up and down to a small degree which will also help with tilt and maybe even charging port/headphone access, but if the grip sits too far to either side, it will interfere with the tilt axis mobility.

When powering on the gimbal, it defaults into Pan-Follow mode which allows the camera to follow the movement of the gimbal when turning left/right but locks the tilt and roll axes. In this mode the joystick adjusts the tilt. The second mode is locked mode which freezes the motion of all three axes so that the camera is always pointing in the same direction. The joystick in this mode controls tilt and the pan. The third mode is Follow mode and the camera will pan and tilt based on the motion/direction of the gimbal. The joystick here controls the roll. Finally, triple clicking the mode button spins it around so the camera is facing you for selfie mode. The gimbal works in both upright mode and upside down orientation, although on some phones the video may appear upside-down.

There are some limitations to the tilt and roll compensations. While the pan lock allows you to turn the handle 360 degrees on end without a problem. The roll axis can only handle up to about +/-30° and the tilt axis -135° to +185° before it hits a safety stop. The other thing to know when using it is that you'll need to carry your weight differently when moving around with the gimbal since up/down, back and forth, and side-to-side motion are not accounted for by the gimbals' motors. There's still the potential for shakiness if you run with the gimbal but practicing moving fluidly with soft steps and flowing movements helps stabilize your footage even further.

While the plastic doesn't feel very high end and is more susceptible to damage than a full metal construction, it is remarkably lightweight weighing only 1.5 lb even with the max payload. This makes it more usable over long sessions by reducing fatigue and allows it to be very travel friendly. Zhiyun has two mobile apps available to control the gimbal over Bluetooth though from what I can tell they both cover the same features using different interfaces. The ZY Play and ZhiYun Assistant apps lets you manipulate the controls on your phone's screen or a separate device rather than using the controls on the handle. You'll also be able to better fine tune the transition speed of each axis for directional and joystick control. This is also a "face tracking" feature that lets you highlight a face for the camera to follow. This face tracking is not perfect but works most of the time.

Overall, the gimbal is a pretty nice stabilization solution is you prefer filming with your smartphone or action camera. It's lightweight, easy-to-use after a bit of practice, and budget-friendly.

Buy it at Amazon: Zhiyun Smooth-Q 3-axis Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Aputure AL-M9 Mini LED Camera Light [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Small, lightweight, and portable, bright for its size, nice fill/hair light

You'll receive the light, a microUSB charging cable, a cold shoe mount, a neoprene carrying case, instruction manual, and three gels: an orange CTO, a blue CTB, and soft white filter. The gels are pretty basic, a few squares of plastic sheeting but they work.

The light itself is thin and compact measuring 3.25"W x 2"L x 0.5"D and weighs 2oz. It has a magnetic milk diffuser that sticks to the front and cuts down on the glare from the 9 LEDs in the light (3 x 3 rows/columns). On the right side you have the microUSB charging port, brightness adjustment controls and on/off switch for the light. On top is a status LED for charging/power. The light has 10 brightness levels from the very brightest to the dimmest setting (10% increments). The included cold shoe mount is easy to attach to the light and grips it securely. You can also attach it to a tripod use the 1/4"-20 threaded hole rather than your camera's hot shoe. On a full charge, the light lasts over 1.5 hrs of use at maximum brightness, but it takes several hours to charge.

The relatively focused area of illumination makes this light great for subject lighting when used within 3 feet or so. It doesn't throw the light very far though, so it's not great for use as a key. It's got a 5500K light temperature and is a clean, white daylight. You can add any of the gels under the magnetic filter to change the color temperature of the light for a different effect or to compensate the light when selecting custom white balance.

Overall, this light is a pretty useful tool adding lightning to your shoots for both photo and video. It's compact and performs pretty well for its size.

Buy it at Amazon: Aputure AL-M9 Mini LED Camera Light [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Pixel MC-50 Shotgun Camera Microphone [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Focus, amplified subject audio, good from a distance up to 10 ft, some noise towards the floor

The shotgun mic comes with a drawstring carrying bag and a set of instructions. It measures 8" long and sits 3" above your camera's hot shoe on a rubber shock mount. The mic has a 12" cable with TRS plug for a standard camera stereo audio input jack. On the bottom of the shock mount is a ¼" thread screw hole for mounting to a tripod and a foot and thumbscrew for mounting via a hot or cold shoe. The microphone requires 2 AA batteries which are not included. There are two switches on the side of the unit. The first is for power on and low cut mode. The other switch changes the gain from 0 to +/- 10dB.

Overall, the shotgun mic does a pretty nice job focusing in on the subject it's pointed at. When filming from a distance of 6-10' away from a speaker it picks up their voice better than the on-board mic on the DSLR for sure and reduces, though doesn't eliminate noise and ambient sound from other directions. The +10 dB gain is nice for boosting the range of the mic, though this adds a lot of ambient noise. There's always a bit of noise toward the noise floor (even at -10 dB) but generally that can be scrubbed in post or you can use low cut mode; however, this tends to make voices sound a bit boxy.

Buy it at Amazon: Pixel MC-50 Shotgun Camera Microphone [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Crenova XPE680 720p LED Projector [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Great video quality, bright, nice saturation, loud fan but decent audio w/hookup for sound system.

The projector comes with a remote control, 6 ft power cable, 40" RCA input cable, 5 ft gold-plated flat HDMI cable, two spare fuses, 4 mounting screws, an instruction manual, 1" tilt foot, and microfiber cleaning cloth. The projector is mid-size weighing 5.5 lbs and measures 13"W x 9.5"L x 4.5"H. On the front of the projector is the 2.75" lens which has a silicone rubber lens protector. To its right is an IR receiver for the remote control. there's another IR receiver on top along with the power button, navigation keys and OK button, menu key, and source selector, additional functions are on the remote only. The remote requires 2 AAA batteries which are not included. There are a variety of inputs: two USB ports (also can be used for power), RCA audio out ports, RCA/component input ports, TV coaxial, VGA, and two HDMI inputs. There's no headphone jack and the unit does not support Bluetooth, so if you need to hookup an external speaker, it must be able to accept RCA audio input or you can use a converter.

On the bottom are four rubber feet and a small threaded hole for the tilt foot; the tilt foot cannot sit flush with the feet on the unit even when fully screwed in. If you want to ceiling mount the unit, you'll have to remove the four rubber feet to reveal threaded holes underneath for use with a universal bracket. Note however, that there is no 1/4" or 3/8" mounting hole for tripod mounting, and you'll need an additional platform adapter for use with a tripod.

If you have a bookshelf at a suitable height and distance from a flat wall that's also close to an outlet, you won't need an extension cord. Otherwise, it can be tricky to get the placement of the projector in your specific room just right. I prefer to use a tripod whenever possible, so I plan on getting a laptop platform that will fit the projector on top. When set about 11' from the wall, the projected image has about a 9' diagonal. The 2800 lumen brightness doesn't show up that well in a brightly lit room, so this won't end up being your everyday TV projector. When I dim the lights it's a bit better, but the projector is best viewed in pitch dark conditions (no windows or ambient light). The image is somewhat brighter when the projector is closer to the screen, but the image will be smaller, of course. When used with a Chromecast hooked up to the HDMI port, I was able to power the device using one of the USB ports to stream internet video. While the projector doesn't have WiFi capability, the HDMI and other input methods worked fine. Note that while it accepts input resolutions up to 1080p HD, the native output resolution is 1280 x 720p so it's still HD but higher quality video will be downscaled. The screen can be set to 16:9 ratio for widescreen movies and switch to 4:3 ratio for TV broadcasts. The color saturation and contrast is pretty good but the larger the projection, the more visible pixels are and the fainter the colors and brightness look.

The fan is quite loud on this unit, but I was actually impressed with the built-in stereo speakers because it was pretty loud as well. However, in order to drown out the fan noise, you have to turn the volume way up and the sound started to distort around the mid 50s (of 100 levels). For this reason I recommend using the RCA audio out with an external speaker like a soundbar or surround sound system. Unfortunately, without a headphone port nor Bluetooth capability, it's not directly compatible with most Bluetooth speakers.

Overall, this projector does a much better job at projecting photos and video than smaller mini LED projectors (1500-2000 lumens). It has pretty decent color, brightness, sound, and saturation, although you'll still need pretty dark conditions when using it. I highly recommend using an external speaker to drown out its loud fan. But it's definitely more than suitable for movie night or gaming. In a pinch you can show work presentations as text is fairly easy to read when the projection has an 80" or less diagonal (depends on text size and font type).

Buy it at Amazon: Crenova XPE680 720p LED Projector [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Crenova XPE470 LED Mini Projector [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Budget projector that displays SD quality, fun for movie night with the kids or a slideshow.

You'll receive the projector, remote control, 5 ft power cable, 5 ft flat gold plated HDMI cable, RCA input cable, 1" tilt foot, and an instruction manual. The projector is small and lightweight, weighing 2.25 lbs. It measures 8"W x 6"L x 3"H. The lens is 2" in diameter and comes with a rubber lens cap. The inputs for this unit are full size SD card, HDMI, VGA, RCA/AV with the included adapter and USB 2.0. There is also audio out for headphones or an external speaker, which I highly recommend you use because the on-board sound is quiet and the internal fan is loud. On the back near the bottom is the keystone dial for adjusting screen pitch if the top/bottom of your screen aren't in focus at the same time. There are controls on top of the unit but the remote has additional functions like volume, play/pause, fast forward and rewind. The remote requires 2 AAA batteries which are not included. On the bottom of the unit is a small screw hole for the tilt foot and a 1/4" screw hole for standard tripod mounting which is really convenient for placing and adjusting the projector or mounting it.

My tilt foot had a flaw where the plastic affixing the screw portion to the foot crept into the threads which prevented me from screwing it in all the way flush with the unit. This prevents me from accessing shallower angles which is slightly inconvenient but not a deal breaker since I mostly use the tripod mount anyway. The power cable on this unit is a bit short so I usually need to run an extension cord. The 1200 lumens is brighter than I expected as I have other projectors with this spec that are much dimmer during the day but distance matters too; the farther from the wall the dimmer the image. You still need very dark conditions to see the screen well, but in sufficiently dark conditions you can read text like subtitles without a problem.

While the projector doesn't have WiFi capability, the HDMI and other input methods worked fine. Note that while it accepts input resolutions up to 1080p HD, the native output resolution is 800 x 480p so higher quality video will be downscaled. At larger screen sizes (60 inch diagonal or more) the pixels will be visible. Even when set at 100 the max volume, the sound is somewhat quiet because it competes with the loud internal fan. It can also sound somewhat boxy. The sound can be improved greatly by using and external speaker connected to the audio out headphone port. In general, the contrast and color saturation were accurate to the source footage, though at times were washed out, and I had to make manual adjustments. Still, this is a budget level projector, and I wasn't expecting quality better than an old CRT TV. This projector makes it easy to have movie night at home or outdoors and show slideshows at parties.

Buy it at Amazon: Crenova XPE470 LED Mini Projector [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Apeman M4 Mini Wireless Pico Projector [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Good clarity/color saturation, but limited uses, slow WiFi streaming, no audio out, low brightness.