Living with the LG V10, part 1: Manual controls galore for video

I’m not sure about how some of you feel, but I absolutely LOVE the LG V10’s camera. Sure, the still shots it produces should be of no surprise, seeing that it takes very much after the LG G4 before it, but what’s more impressive is its video recording flexibility. Reaching just a little over a week now, I’ve been getting cozy with LG’s latest high-end smartphone, which of course, is competing in a heavily crowded field filled with some phenomenal stuff at the moment.

Why go with the LG V10?

Why go with the LG V10? Well, it’s partly because it’s one of few phones to offer an extensive set of options when it comes to recording video. Increasingly, we’re seeing more and more phones offering deep manual controls over on the still image side, but they’re largely absent on the video front – so it’s superb that LG has focused on this particular area. Videographers who are not exactly professionals, but could use some versatility out of their camcorders will find great joy in the LG V10, due to the advanced feature set it comes with.

Lots of manual control love

Nearly every aspect of the camera can be controlled, which is a rarity in itself, because at most, other phones only offer adjustment to the focus and exposure prior to recording the footage. The LG V10, on the other hand, not only allows us to modify those parameters before hitting the recording button, but also changing them on the fly. And that, folks, is a beautiful thing to have when your scenes can change rapidly without any notice.

What I find most useful in situations when lighting is insufficient is being able to adjust the ISO, which controls the light sensitivity. Yes, some amount of noise may become visible this way, but it's a means of getting brighter footage, and sometimes the trade-off is worth it. Another useful feature is the ability to adjust the focus on the fly. With this, you can achieve some slick focus/defocus kind of effects to spice up your videos.

Video editing has never been easier with CyberLink’s PowerDirector App

While the LG V10 is equipped to take footage and has the creative process locked down, there’s not a whole lot regarding the editing process. For that task, I’ve chosen to utilize CyberLink’s PowerDirector app for Android, which is a simple and straightforward video editing suite that’s based off its full-fledged editing software for the PC. It's an app you can get on any Android phone, actually, but it really works well to complement the V10's advanced video features.

Creating videos have never been easier using PowerDirector; mainly, we’re given the tools needed to quickly and effortlessly stitch and edit our videos – all from the LG V10. Being familiar with CyberLink’s PowerDirector software over on the PC side, using the mobile app doesn’t take all that much learning. In fact, I was able to produce the entire video below in less than an hour.

The app offers the basics, such as transition effects, text, cropping, and more, but it’s a linear editing tool, meaning there are no layers so the entire video needs to be created in one track, which is still a bit limiting.

Memories you’ll cherish

The LG V10 ushers in a new era for video recording, thanks to its advanced functionality. Not only do I find its comprehensive controls very useful, but I’m starting to fancy the idea of it replacing my traditional Panasonic Lumix GH3 for certain occasions. Don’t get me wrong, the dedicated camera has its advantages and superior qualities, especially when it’s paired with a killer lens, but the portability of the LG V10 is tough to overlook.

Anyway, please check out the video below that I shot exclusively with the LG V10, and then proceeded to use CyberLink’s PowerDirector app to edit and produce the final video. You might notice some issues with the audio recording in the section where I’m explaining the PowerDirector app, which is due to adjusting the mic’s direction to behind the phone – whereas with the rest of the footage where it’s set to the front of the camera. Oh well, seems like one can't have it all... yet.