And another switch – I bought this OM-D E-M10II locally from Best Buy, not online from Amazon. Camelcamelcamel told me that my target Amazon price was reached and went even lower at $650. Wanting to actually see the smallish camera, I checked Best Buy and wow, it was in stock at $550!! So I switched and bought from Best Buy.

[box type=”info” style=”rounded”]Disclosure: I was loaned a Mio MiVue 388 from FUSH Enterprises to review. No strings attached other than just try it out and say what I thought about the product.[/box]

What is the Mio MiVue?

Simply, the Mio MiVue is a “dashcam,” or a video recorder mounted on the inside of a vehicle’s windshield. Forward facing, the MiVue records a wide angle view, and there’s not much more to it. As long as you’re driving, the MiVue is saving what’s happening in front of your car. You get it? No? Then let the Click Chick, Allison Young, explain it to you in her Midweek Lifestyle column.

Designed for Driving

Don’t think the MiVue is just any mounted video recorder. This isn’t a GoPro or smartphone mounted inside your car. The MiVue was designed for driving. It’s compact with a simple setup and intuitive controls. Initially, I thought the MiVue had a touchscreen but smartly, there are four hard buttons instead. Imagine trying to set controls on a GoPro or iPhone in a moving car. Just too dangerous, but the four hard buttons are a perfect balance of controls.

The MiVue was meant to be unobtrusive, not needing undue attention from you the driver. As soon as you start your car, the MiVue begins recording. The HD videos are clipped every five minutes, so you don’t have to scan through one gigantic video stream. Storage is provided by a micro SD card (up to 32 GB). When storage capacity is low, older video clips are recycled to make space for newer recordings (except for emergency recordings, see below). The MiVue’s rechargeable battery is charged from the ubiquitous cigarette lighter using the included long mini USB cable. GPS coordinates and motion sensor data is overlaid with the video, providing details of driving conditions. But you don’t have to know any of this, the MiVue is designed to take care of it all.

Mio MiVue in Action

Let’s take a look at the Mio MiVue 388 in action.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQjVoDqop2k]

Just a note about that simulated emergency recording at the 0:21 mark. I learned of the MiVue’s emergency recording feature when my MiVue accidentally dislodged after hitting a bump in the road. Any sudden motion (like a car collision) activates an emergency recording that is retained until explicitly deleted – a well thought-out feature.

Before the Future

Overall, the Mio MiVue 388 is a solid product, but before we get to the future, there are some things to address in the present.

More Retention. By default, the MiVue records videos at 1080p quality which makes for clear and crisp movies that are very large. Even with a 32-GB microSD card, less than one week of video can be retained. This is for typical to-and-from-work commutes. So if you need to retrieve a video clip, be prompt about it. It’d be better if at least one week’s worth of video could be retained.

No WiFi Streaming. To watch the recordings, you have the option of using the built-in screen, extracting the video from the SD card, or connecting an HDTV to the MiVue’s HDMI port. I kind of wish the MiVue included a streaming WiFi option similar to the GoPro where you can wirelessly stream the recorded video to another device’s (larger) screen. But this is a “nice to have” that will compromise battery life.

Dark 720p Video. To reduce file size, I scaled back video quality dropping to 720p (the only other available option). Oddly, the video recorded was very dark. I didn’t do extensive testing, so I’m purely guessing that some firmware tweaks are needed to improve light pickup in 720p mode.

Software and Installation. On the software side, Windows is apparently the supported platform with the software supplied on a mini CD. Now, here’s my personal dilemma. I run Mac OS X, not Windows. However, I have Parallels Desktop letting me run Windows virtually. But I also have a MacBook Air without an optical CD drive. I do have an external optical drive that’s slot loading. Mini CDs need tray-loading mechanisms, playing havoc with slot loaders. I managed to find a Windows machine with a tray-loading CD burner and transferred the MiVue software to a regularly sized CDR. A standard size CD fits in the MiVue box so I don’t see why even bother with a mini CD?

Then during the software installation, I got this error.

Searching Google yielded this first search result. The solution is to download the latest MiVue Manager software (which I could not previously find online), and as a bonus, there are download links for Windows and Mac OS X! Not all the features are currently available on the Mac version though, but in my testing, the Mac OS X version works just fine. You can see the GPS and sensor information overlaid on the recordings and can also save image stills and recorded videos.

Current Uses and the Future

While the dashcam has caught on in some parts of the world, it isn’t globally popular. Sure a dashcam is cool for lifestreaming purposes to show yet another aspect of your day. You could probably make some fun time lapse videos of your commute or capture random tidbits that happen out of the blue (when’s the last time you saw a marching band going down the street with cars driving by?). Of course, in Hawaii, there’s always that gorgeous scenery you wish you could capture and take with you. Heck, if I were a driving instructor, I would record every student’s first time out on the road and present them with their video at the end of their instruction. But typically, the dashcam has been used to record evidence of vehicular mishaps, usually intentionally caused by others for insurance shenanigans. So other than self-protection, why should an in-car camera be part of the automotive accessory’s future? Because it’s already happening.

Rear mounted cameras that assist while reversing have been popular for years, and more recently, self parking vehicles use cameras to guide their parking maneuvers. Now look at the recently announced Tesla Dual Motor Model S with Autopilot. Along with radar and sensors, the Dual Motor Model S has a forward looking camera to provide a safer driving experience. Safer is good, and maybe one day, self driving cars will be a reality (or maybe not).

Take this a few years out. Of course privacy concerns are a big issue, but just imagine if all these in-car cameras could be tapped into collectively when needed. A vast search grid could be created wherever there’s a vehicle. An Amber Alert for missing children would have more eyes on the lookout. With recorded videos, unsolved crimes could get new leads.

We are already witnessing the gradual proliferation of in-car cameras. Why not be part of this future with the Mio MiVue?

Where to Get a MiVue

In Hawaii, contact FUSH Enterprises for information on how to get your own Mio MiVue.

• Phone: 808-227-9975
• Email: fushenterprises@gmail.com

Other MiVue 388 Reviews

• Mio MiVue 388 Drive Recorder review (TrustedReview)
• Your last line of on-road defence (TechRadar)
• On The Road To Test The Mio MiVue 388 Dash Cam (Midweek)

More Mio MiVue Media

Russian greetings

At first, I wasn’t sold. Why would I need an action camera like the GoPro HERO3+? I already have a DSLR, the always-handy iPhone, and even a digital camcorder. Do I really need one more camera?

The answer is simply yes. Use one, and you’ll understand why. First off, it’s tiny and light so carrying it is not a problem. The waterproof housing increases the bulk for the tradeoff of the rugged versatility. Now take the GoPro to the beach, to the pool, into the water, and a whole new world of video and photography is available to you. The pictures and videos are shockingly clear and crisp. Sure, due to the wide angle view of the GoPro lens, you get that fisheye effect, but the GoPro software can compensate if you want.

But never mind that, play with the angles, get a different point of view, capture various perspectives. Have fun with it. That’s the appeal of the GoPro.

There are three versions available – white, silver, and black. The white is the basic model, the silver is mid-level, and black is the best. Recently the silver and black were upgraded to the 3+ version while the white stayed at a non-plussed 3. Oh and the Wifi remote access and control of a GoPro is an eye opener. Use your iPhone to configure and control the GoPro, and even better, download pictures and video from the GoPro to your iPhone over Wifi.

While GoPro Hero prices are fixed everywhere, you can find deals on older GoPro models. For example, Costco (online and in stores) is selling the previous GoPro Hero 3 Silver (no plus) for $239.99 (yes, $10 more in Hawaii).

Once you get a GoPro, go practice your underwater selfie. Capturing a good one is harder than you think.

Now available to pre-order from Amazon, Canon’s new 200-400mm f/4L lens. Features image stabilization, USM for fast autofocusing, and a built-in extender that takes the lens to 280-560mm at f/5.6.

So the price is quite steep, but this is a heck of a lens!

I’m thinking of going back to a traditional camcorder to capture videos more easily than using a DSLR and more capable than my iPhone 4. After some quick research, this Sony HDR PJ260V camcorder caught my eye. For starters, this camcorder comes with a built-in projector! You know how kids like to see pictures right after you’ve snapped them with a digital camera? Same philosophy here. Instead of connecting the camcorder to a TV or computer to view freshly captured footage, you can view them on a wall or any flat surface. I thought this small projector would be more of a gimmick, but most of reviews state that the projector is usable (but keep your lofty expectations in check).

Besides the built-in projector is the 30x optical zoom. While only beginning my research, most HD camcorders feature a 10x or 15x optical zoom. I pretty much discount digital zoom stats.

Everything else in this little camcorder sounds on the mark too. Good low light shooting, image stabilization, good audio pickup, external mic capable, touch screen, SD card expansion, a wind noise filter, and even GPS tagging of pictures and video – all for about $500.

So what’s stopping this no-brainer buy? Since I like my Canon digital cameras, I have an affinity to Canon products. But, I didn’t really care for the video quality of my old (and stolen) Canon ZR. I still remember being wowed by the video quality of an even older Sony camcorder I had way back in the day. So I’m open to getting Sony for video and sticking with Canon for stills.

The biggest hurdle? The funky format of the video files. Ever heard of the 1080-60p AVCHD format? I haven’t. For Mac users, you have to know that 1080-60p isn’t natively compatibile with iMovie ’11. So if you can’t edit the video from this camcorder on a Mac, what’s the use?

Well, fortunately, there are workarounds. You can always record in other, lesser-quality video formats that iMovie does understand. You can convert the video as described here using a variety of tools. ClipWrap, VoltaicHD, and Aunsoft’s MTS Converter for Mac seem to be mentioned a lot. There’s also Movist and Rewrap2m4v. If the video import can be overcome somewhat easily, then this camcorder looks like a solid purchase.

Oh, you may want to consider getting an SD card and a higher capacity battery (NP-FV70, but not the huge FV100).

That’s for the new Canon 5D MkIII DSLR camera that was officially announced today.

Would I know how to use all the power of this camera? Heck no, but I’ll sure take a lot of pictures with it.

Now this is a very unexpected Lightning Deal upcoming on Amazon. In less than 2 hours, the Canon 5D Mark II uber-DSLR camera will go on special. The deal price isn’t visible yet, but still I expect this special to be snatched up in minutes.

To get the price, you need to check out the Lightning Deals on Amazon..

Update: Did you get the deal? The waitlist is already active for the $1900 price tag (13% discount).

While the photographer’s actions and gear may be defendable, she definitely could have handled things differently. Meeting her client outside of Walmart where the pictures were developed? Maybe not so good an idea. Walmart may print great photos but just the fact of meeting her client outside of the big box retailer will give the wrong impression. Sure, print them, pick them up but deliver them elsewhere.

If you got 10 minutes to spare…

And if you want commentary about the accuracy and decency of the entire episode, read this. Thanks Dallas.

Buy the Easy Macro Cell Lens Band at the Photojojo Store!

You can get on the waitlist for the next expected shipment in January 2012.

Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens.

Okay, okay, this really isn’t a recommended gift, but I’d surely like one of these fantastic Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM lenses. So if you’re feeling really generous this year, gift one my way. That’ll guarantee put you on Santa’s Nice List. Otherwise, you’ll be on Santa’s Naughty List and get a lump of coal as a gift. We don’t want that to happen right?

iPhone 4S / Canon 5d MKII Side by Side Comparison from Robino Films on Vimeo.

Saw the C-Loop successfully funded on Kickstarter, and I had to get it. This camera strap mount is so intuitive, you have to wonder why it took so long.

You can learn more about the C-Loop from CustomSLR and order from Amazon.

The Flip is nice and easy to use, but… it isn’t the greatest thing either. It’s portable, and the video quality is good. But you really need to be within a few feet of the subject for good video, and even then, audio is not good. Compared to the video recording of the iPhone 4, I can see how the Flip became expendable. Instead of carrying a Flip and an iPhone, I’d prefer a single device, the iPhone, that has more functionality. That and I much prefer the audio quality of the iPhone recordings.

The moment of change for me was at the ArtSpree event. Granted this hula dancer started doing his thing adjacent to me, but after watching the captured HD video from the iPhone 4, I knew my Filp camera was no more.

Norm, you deserve me. Imagine the great pictures you can take with me. Buy me!

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

And get that sharp L-series lens you’ve been craving.