The speed of the Moon, how fast does it move?

The Moon appears to move very fast across the sky, but at what speed is it travelling?

All is not what meets the eye, this video might explain why.

Disclaimer: not remotely scientific or accurate but some may find it interesting.


Novoflex MagicBall 60mm tripod head review. Unique, is it the best ball head? Tripod hack included.

The Novoflex MagicBall tripod head is certainly unique but can it do the job? Is this possibly the way all ball heads should be made?

In this review I take a hands on look at the Novoflex MagicBall 60mm head AKA “The big one”.

Also, don’t miss the tripod hack that I use regularly, especially with a long lens.


Young Cormorant. Panasonic S1 and Sigma 150-600mm Sports Lens

Spotted this young cormorant perched on a floating “island” in the middle of a small lake in Essex. A proud beautiful bird who honoured me by displaying his open wings and making the clip even better.

This is the first time I have seen a cormorant in the wild and I’m grateful that the Sigma lens had enough reach for this shot.

I usually shoot in manual focus mode but the movement of the island was unpredictable so for the first time I used constant autofocus with bird recognition. The S1 {mounted on a tripod} stayed pretty much on target with just a couple of very minor hiccups, which all in all wasn’t bad considering the flowing water that sparkled all around the subject. As said manual focus would have been difficult so I’m grateful to have the shot.


A couple of hours in Southend-on-Sea with the Panasonic S1 and Sigma 150-600mm Sports Lens

Paid a quick visit to Southend-on-Sea during an unseasonably warm (19C) few days in march 2022. The sun heated ground rising through the cooler air caused a lot of heat haze. The visible distance out to sea was also affected which can be seen in the shots of the mile long pier for which Southend is famous.

Shot with the Panasonic S1 and the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens. All shots were using a fixed tripod but the appearance of sometimes significant movement and distortion was introduced by the rising warm air which in turn causes softening of the image.

The main challenge with shooting video with a long lens is the weather conditions. Heat haze and the wind have ruined many shots for me. Overcast days without wind is the ideal shooting conditions.


Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 450 AW II backpack used for the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 Sports DG DN OS

I had trouble choosing a carry case for the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 Sports DG DN OS as I was unsure of actual sizes.

As it turns out the Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 450 AW II backpack accommodates the lens well and the case is comfortable to wear.

I thought it may be of interest to others who may specifically have this lens. There are plenty of reviews about this backpack if you want more info on it’s other attributes.


Making the most of a bad clip. Please choose the grade you like.

I shot this lion footage recently in 6K Photo mode on the Panasonic G9 using the Olympus 40-150mm f2.8 pro lens. This V-LOG L clip doesn’t have much going for it but I only had one chance to capture what I could and ideally I would have got closer and been behind the fence instead of in front of it. Apparently the zoo have rules about this kind of thing, shame.

Is the clip usable and does colour grading help, you tell me, I look forward to your comments.


Test: Amazon Basics 72mm Polarising Filter CPL. An experiment in artificial voices.

A test of the Amazon Basics 72mm CPL polarising filter, which produces unexpected results!

As an experiment this is the first video that we have created from new completely with artificial voices. Your feedback is welcome!


Throw away your microphone! Artificial voices, any good?

I signed up to a new service recently because I was impressed by the voices that can be generated by this text-to-voice software. I intend to use the voices for some short upcoming videos as I am currently selling my house and moving so all my equipment is all over the place and my time is limited.

What do you think? Can these voices actually work for a video of this nature, maybe just in small doses, or do you hate them?

I created this video about lens hoods at the end part of 2020: https://youtu.be/xVKZ8vBdMeM In this current video I have replaced my voice with the artificially generated voices as a test, and for some feedback.

If you are interested in this online software the details are here: https://speechelo.com/first video that we have created from new completely with artificial voices. Your feedback is welcome!


King of the swingers, locked and loaded. Comedy. Viewer discretion advised!

Cute capuchin monkey is not bashful and seems to be enjoying his day!

Contains monkey nudity, view at your discretion. If this one doesn’t go viral I’m giving up! 😉

Original footage available to licence at:

http://stockvideomedia.com/2021/07/09/a-brown-capuchin-monkey-is-clearly-quite-aroused-close-up/


Ring-Tailed Lemurs. Beautiful creatures and my favourite Primate! (Panasonic G9)

A few minutes in which we share some wonderful time in the company of ring-tailed lemurs. An incredibly intelligent social animal and very cute with it!

To add to the cuteness factor there is lots of footage of young pups, one of which takes a liking to my tripod.

Shot with the Panasonic G9 camera and Olympus 40-150 F2.8 Pro Lens. Captured in Panasonic V-LOG L.