Monday, 9 February 2026

Using a Steady Gimbal or In-Camera Stabilisation?


Using a Steady Gimbal or In-Camera Stabilisation? 

If you want smoother video, you’ve got two main tools in your kit:

a physical gimbal or in-camera stabilisation.
Both promise steady footage — but they behave very differently in the real world.

After years of filming science experiments, lessons, sailing, family life, and the occasional slightly chaotic slipway launch, here’s how they really compare.

What a gimbal does well

A gimbal physically isolates the camera from your movement using motors and sensors.

Pros

  • Ultra-smooth motion for walking shots

  • Perfect for reveals, tracking shots, and cinematic moves

  • Keeps horizons level even when you aren’t

Cons

  • Takes time to balance and set up

  • Extra kit to charge, carry, and protect

  • Can feel overkill for quick or spontaneous filming

A gimbal shines when:

  • You know you’ll be moving a lot

  • The shot is planned

  • You want that unmistakably “cinematic glide”

What in-camera stabilisation does well

In-camera stabilisation (IBIS, digital stabilisation, or a mix) works by compensating for small movements electronically or mechanically.

Pros

  • Always available — no setup

  • Perfect for quick shots and teaching demos

  • Much lighter and less intrusive

Cons

  • Can struggle with walking or running

  • Digital stabilisation may crop the image

  • Sudden movements can still look… sudden

In-camera stabilisation shines when:

  • Filming handheld explanations

  • Shooting in tight spaces

  • You need to react fast (students, boats, wildlife…)

The “floating head” problem

One thing gimbals can introduce is the slightly unnatural floating look.
For teaching videos, science demos, and anything where realism matters, this can feel distracting rather than helpful.

Sometimes a little natural movement actually feels more human — and more watchable.

The hybrid approach (the sweet spot)

In practice, the best results often come from combining both:

  • Use in-camera stabilisation as your default

  • Add a gimbal only when movement is the point of the shot

  • Keep shutter speed sensible to avoid jitter

  • Walk smoothly — stabilisation isn’t magic (yet)

This keeps filming fast, flexible, and sane.

So… which should you use?

  • Talking, teaching, explaining? In-camera stabilisation

  • Walking shots, tours, reveals? Gimbal

  • Small crew or solo filming? In-camera wins

  • Planned cinematic shots? Gimbal earns its keep

The best stabiliser is still good shooting technique — everything else just helps.

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Sunday, 8 February 2026

A close look at the Canon EOS C50

 


A close look at the Canon EOS C50

There’s a quiet sweet-spot in Canon’s cinema line-up, and the C50 sits right in it. Not flashy. Not huge. But extremely capable — especially if you’re filming education, experiments, sailing, interviews, or anything where reliability matters more than bragging rights.

Having spent years juggling DSLRs, mirrorless bodies, and workarounds in labs and small studios, the C50 feels like Canon saying: “Here — just get on with filming.”

🎥 What the Canon C50 gets right

Super 35 sensor (with cinema DNA)
The C50 uses a Super 35 sensor rather than full-frame. For many real-world shoots, that’s actually a win:

  • Easier depth of field control (less accidental blur)

  • Lenses behave more predictably

  • Better match to classic EF glass many of us already own

Dual Pixel Autofocus that actually behaves
Canon’s Dual Pixel AF remains the gold standard for:

  • Talking-head teaching videos

  • Demonstrations at a bench

  • Filming on boats where everything moves except the subject you want

Face tracking, eye AF, smooth transitions — all without hunting.

Internal 4K 10-bit recording
This is where the C50 quietly punches above its size:

  • 10-bit colour internally

  • Canon Log 2 / Log 3

  • Excellent highlight roll-off

For science experiments, white lab benches, sails against bright skies, or shiny apparatus — that extra colour depth really matters.

Built-in ND filters
If you’ve ever filmed outdoors and thought “why is everything suddenly overexposed?” — you’ll appreciate this instantly.
Smooth, physical ND filters = faster shooting, fewer compromises.

🔊 Audio & handling: built for grown-up filming

  • Proper XLR inputs (no dongles dangling off the side)

  • Solid top handle

  • Real buttons you can find without looking

  • Excellent battery life

This is a camera designed for working — not for menu diving.

⚖️ What it doesn’t try to be

The C50 isn’t chasing specs for YouTube thumbnails:

Instead, it’s stable, predictable, and produces footage that grades beautifully without drama.

For education, sailing videos, documentaries, and small-crew productions — that’s exactly what you want.

🎯 Who the Canon C50 is really for

  • Teachers filming experiments or lessons

  • Solo creators who need autofocus they can trust

  • Small studios upgrading from DSLRs

  • Anyone fed up with overheating, rigging, or fragile mirrorless setups

If your work values clarity, consistency, and colour accuracy, the C50 makes a lot of sense.

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Saturday, 7 February 2026

Fixing a Laptop with Software Problems


 

Fixing a Laptop with Software Problems

When Reformatting the Hard Disk Is (Sadly) the Right Answer

There comes a point in the life of every laptop where something just isn’t right.

It’s slow.
Updates fail.
Programs crash for no obvious reason.
Strange error messages appear… then disappear again.

You can try patching it up:

  • uninstalling and reinstalling software

  • running repair tools

  • cleaning startup programs

  • scanning for malware

Sometimes that works.
And sometimes… it really doesn’t.

That’s when reformatting the hard disk and starting again becomes the most sensible option.

Why software problems creep in

Modern operating systems are remarkably resilient, but over years of use they accumulate baggage:

  • half-removed programs

  • corrupted updates

  • conflicting drivers

  • old background services nobody remembers installing

For students’ laptops in particular, I often see:

  • multiple versions of the same software

  • failed exam-board installs

  • half-working antivirus tools fighting each other

Eventually, performance and reliability suffer.

Reformatting: the nuclear option (but not a reckless one)

Reformatting the drive wipes everything and installs a clean operating system.

That sounds drastic — but done properly, it’s often:

  • faster than endless troubleshooting

  • more reliable than piecemeal fixes

  • better for learning, because the machine behaves predictably again

The key is preparation.

Step 1: Back up everything

Before touching the disk:

  • documents

  • coursework

  • photos

  • browser bookmarks

  • licence keys

If it isn’t backed up, assume it’s gone.

I always recommend two copies:
one external drive, one cloud-based.

Step 2: Reinstall the operating system

A fresh install:

  • removes hidden corruption

  • resets drivers

  • clears startup clutter

Windows, macOS, and Linux all handle this well now — provided you start from official recovery tools or installation media.

Step 3: Reinstall only what you actually need

This is where many people go wrong.

Don’t reinstall everything you ever used.
Install:

  • essential software

  • exam or course-specific tools

  • one browser (at first!)

The result is a noticeably faster, calmer system.

Step 4: Restore files — selectively

Bring back documents and projects, but avoid copying old system folders wholesale.
This prevents reintroducing the very problems you’ve just removed.

The result

A laptop that:

  • boots quickly

  • behaves predictably

  • doesn’t fight the user at every click

For students, that means less tech stress and more focus on learning.
For anyone else, it means the machine feels new again — without buying new hardware.

Sometimes, starting over really is the cleanest fix.

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Friday, 6 February 2026

New inventions that have quietly made filming video much easier

 


New inventions that have quietly made filming video much easier

If you last upgraded your filming setup five or ten years ago, you’d be forgiven for thinking video production is still fiddly, expensive, and crew-heavy.

In reality, a wave of small, clever inventions over the past few years has quietly transformed how easy it is to film good video — especially for educators, solo creators, and small teams.

This isn’t about cinema rigs or Hollywood toys. These are the tools that genuinely remove friction.

1. AI autofocus and subject tracking that actually works

Modern cameras now lock onto faces, eyes, animals, and objects and stay locked — even if the subject turns away, walks across frame, or moves unpredictably.

This single change has:

For educators filming experiments, demonstrations, or explanations, this is one of the biggest quality-of-life upgrades ever.

2. Tiny wireless microphones that just work

Wireless audio used to mean bulky belt packs, fragile cables, and endless interference.

Now we have clip-on transmitters with:

They’ve made:

  • Classroom filming

  • Outdoor recording

  • Sailing and practical demos

…vastly simpler and far more reliable.

Good sound used to be hard. Now it’s almost unfairly easy.

3. Motorised gimbals and built-in stabilisation

Between in-body image stabilisation and compact motorised gimbals, shaky footage is no longer inevitable.

This has unlocked:

  • Smooth walk-and-talk explanations

  • Handheld filming in tight spaces

  • Usable footage on boats, in labs, or on the move

You can now film shots that previously needed tracks, dollies, or a second pair of hands.

4. One-person multi-camera control systems

Live switching used to be broadcast-only territory.

Now, compact video switchers let a single person:

  • Control multiple cameras

  • Add graphics and captions

  • Switch views mid-lesson

  • Record or stream at the same time

For online teaching and demonstrations, this turns a home or lab into a proper mini TV studio — without a production crew.

5. Pocket 360° cameras that never miss the shot

360° cameras have quietly solved a problem many of us didn’t know we had:

You don’t need to aim them.

You film everything, then choose the angle later.

They’re brilliant for:

  • Experiments where you don’t know what will happen

  • Sailing and outdoor filming

  • B-roll capture

  • Tight or awkward spaces

They’ve become the ultimate “insurance camera.”

6. Intelligent LED lighting that’s cool, quiet, and controllable

Modern LED lights now offer:

  • Flicker-free output

  • Adjustable colour temperature

  • Battery power

  • App or remote control

  • Cool operation (no roasting the presenter)

This matters enormously for:

  • Long teaching sessions

  • Small rooms

  • Filming near equipment or experiments

  • Keeping students and presenters comfortable

Lighting is no longer something you dread setting up.

7. Software that fixes problems after the fact

Post-production has been transformed by smart software:

  • Automatic captions

  • Speech cleanup

  • Colour matching between cameras

  • Background noise removal

  • Auto-reframing for different platforms

This has reduced editing time dramatically and made repurposing content across platforms far easier.

The real change isn’t quality — it’s confidence

The biggest impact of these inventions isn’t technical.

It’s psychological.

When filming becomes:

  • Less fragile

  • Less setup-heavy

  • Less likely to fail

People film more often, explain ideas more clearly, and are far more willing to experiment.

That’s why video has become such a powerful teaching and communication tool — not because it’s flashy, but because it’s finally forgiving.

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Thursday, 5 February 2026

Filming at Home with the Family Ideas, Angles, and Making the Ordinary Interesting

 


Filming at Home with the Family

Ideas, Angles, and Making the Ordinary Interesting

Filming at home with the family is one of the most powerful (and most under-used) storytelling tools we have. There’s no studio hire, no perfect lighting, no rehearsed lines — just real people doing real things. And that’s exactly why it works.

Whether you’re making educational videos, sailing vlogs, music practice clips, or behind-the-scenes content, home filming lets your audience feel like they’re there with you.

The trick isn’t better cameras.
It’s better angles — both visually and creatively.

📐 1. The “Observer” Angle

Camera slightly back, slightly off-centre

Instead of filming into the action, try filming around it:

  • Over a shoulder

  • From the corner of the room

  • Through a doorway

This gives a fly-on-the-wall feel and works beautifully for:

  • Explaining homework or experiments

  • Music practice

  • Planning a sailing session

  • Family discussions around a table

👉 Feels natural, not staged.

🪑 2. Eye-Level = Honest

Sit the camera where a person would sit

Tripods at eye level create instant trust.
This is perfect for:

If it feels like a conversation, people stay watching.

👨‍👩‍👧 3. Parallel Action

Film beside someone, not facing them

Great for:

  • Cooking

  • Building or fixing things

  • Setting up sailing kit

  • Science prep

You talk while doing, which:

  • Reduces self-consciousness

  • Keeps energy flowing

  • Feels far more authentic than a talking head

🎬 4. Cutaways Are Your Secret Weapon

Even at home.

Quick clips of:

  • Hands tying knots

  • Someone concentrating

  • A notebook filling up

  • A sail bag being opened

  • A student’s scribbled diagram

These give you:

  • Editing flexibility

  • Visual interest

  • A professional feel — without being “slick”

⏱️ 5. Time-Lapse the Boring Bits

Homework. Practice. Prep. Cleaning kit. Setting up experiments.

Time-lapse turns:

  • 20 minutes → 5 seconds

  • Boring → oddly satisfying

And it’s brilliant for showing effort without dragging.

😄 6. Leave the Imperfections In

The best home footage often includes:

  • Laughter

  • Interruptions

  • A wrong answer

  • A “wait… that didn’t work” moment

These moments:

  • Build trust

  • Make learning relatable

  • Show process, not perfection

Polish later. Capture honesty first.

🏡 7. Use the House as a Storytelling Tool

Your home already tells a story:

You don’t need a studio backdrop — you already live in one.

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