Annual Best Products of the Year

The best consumer video production products of 2008, selected by the editors of Videomaker.

So another year has come and gone, and it has brought a number of products through our doors. Many were good. Some were, um, not as good. We've culled it down, argued about it and narrowed it down to these, the Best Products of the Year, as selected by the editors of Videomaker. A caveat: Since many manufacturers work from an 18-month product release, and any cycle of new video products may be three months old or longer by the time our reviews hit the newsstands, we judged our Top Pick choices by those products that passed through the Videomaker doors within the 2008 year. ... More

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Learn more about Videomaker Events...

• Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 Video Editing Software
  It's interesting that editing software of all levels has gained features unimaginable even a couple of years ago, while becoming easier to use at the same time. This is the case with Corel VideoStudio Pro X2. For a lot of quick editing jobs, there's really not much this program can't do... more
  
• Lens Adaptor Review Redrock Micro M2 35mm Lens Adaptor
  One of the main tools of the cinematographer's art for controlling image properties is depth of field (DOF). Briefly stated, the depth of field is the area in the frame that is in acceptably sharp focus. Knowing how to manipulate this field helps the cinematographer call attention to certain aspects of the image. For example, if your subject is in front of a crowded parking lot, you may want to arrange the depth of field so that she is in sharp focus and the cars behind her are blurry, so the eye won't be distracted by the busy background and will naturally be drawn to the subject... more
  
• iBUYPOWER Video Pro Editing Workstation
  The best way we've found to think of iBUYPOWER's Video Pro system is as a well-primed canvas that is ready to accept the paint of your video projects. It's the first 64-bit Windows Vista-based system (this one happens to run Home Premium) to cross our threshold, and it's definitely a quick machine... more
  
• Manfrotto 585 Modosteady 3-in-1 Camera Stabilization System
  "The size of camcorders has been shrinking since their inception," writes Videomaker Publisher/Editor, Matthew York, in this month's editor's column, and along with that smaller size come big support issues... more
  
• Adobe Premiere Elements 7 Video Editing Software
  Most beginner editors want to jump right in and start cutting up some video as soon as they can. It's not always that easy. User-friendly operation can be hard to come by when we want to make a professional-looking product. Adobe has made the crossover a reality with a very easy-to-use advanced yet uncomplicated editing program known as Premiere Elements 7... more
  

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Videomaker is putting together its 2009 content and event schedule, and this is your chance to get the Videomaker you want for next year. Tell us about what you like, what you hate, and what you want more of. Completing this survey is more powerful than a nasty letter to the editor and an angry subscription cancellation combined!

This survey really does influence all of our decisions for the upcoming year, and the results are our "go-to" document in designing new event offerings, article topics, and equipment we review. So let us know your opinions about Videomaker, and take a hand in shaping the direction of the magazine and web site for 2009.

Click here to take our 2008 Editorial Survey