Want to add expensive DOF (depth of field) to your cheap (Flip) camera? Don't waste hundreds of dollars on an expensive DOF adapter. If you're willing to sacrifice some ease of use, I'll show you how to do it for a few bucks.
Equipment:
Hose Clamps: $2.90
Furniture "Bumpers": $2.97
2 Magnifying Glass Lenses: $2.98
3 Stainless Steel Corner Braces: $2.99
In order to create depth of field, all you really need are two magnifying glass lenses (aka "diopters"). That's it. You could buy a "DOF adapter" that "vibrates" (why, exactly?) for $300 ... or you could spend $11.84 to build your own. The only difference is that while a professional adapter will give you the ability to change DOF while shooting, building your own usually won't.
As with all optical media, you'll get better visuals with better lenses. Go with real glass, not crap plastic magnifiers. Larger lenses of higher quality can be placed farther away from the camera to adjust the DOF. Choose between x2, x4, x10, etc. magnifiers for different effects. And if you can, cannibalize an SLR lens for really high quality optics (the outermost lens is usually what you're looking for).
Using the lenses can be tricky. I constructed a non-moving armature to hold my lenses in place in front of the camera. Hose clamps surround the lenses (with soft furniture bumpers to keep the clamps from getting too tight). You might want to create an armature that holds lenses on rails for easy adjustment. Take a look at the photos below.
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