It slips over the camera, and the bottom edge can be sealed or left open to accommodate a tripod.
The cape comes in sizes to fit most video cameras, ranging in price from $149 to $189. It's available from Mid-City Camera, 1316 Walnut St. in Philadelphia, or by mail from Helix in Chicago, phone 800-334-3549.
Other item's in today's gadget grab bag:
SHORTWAVE RADIO. Traveling abroad, a shortwave is often the fastest way to find out what in the world is going on. One of the latest is Grundig's ''Traveler II" radio. Its diminutive, 13-ounce frame is packed with features.
Among them are five shortwave bands for reaching the BBC or Voice of America, plus AM and FM bands, all of which can be heard either on a 2-inch speaker or by earphones.
A digital display window offers the time in any time zone you might be traveling in. There's also a sleep timer that turns off the radio as you fall asleep to music or the late news.
The Traveler II is available for $99 at electronic shops or through Magellan's travel catalogue at 800-962-4943.
MAPS, MAPS, MAPS. The mapmakers at National Geographic are working overtime to keep up with the global shifts of late. They're still holding off on the latest changes in what was once Yugoslavia, but the current batch of maps does reflect the realignments in the former Soviet Union.
The maps come in two basic sizes, roughly 2 1/2-by-3 1/2 feet and 4-by-6 feet. The smaller ones are $7.95, the larger, $12.95, plus shipping and handling. To place an order by credit card or to inquire, call National Geographic at 800-638-4077.
TWIST HATS. Give 'em a twist and these 6-inch disks pop open to become cotton sun hats 18 inches wide with a 5-inch brim, enough to keep nose, neck and ears well within the shadows. The hats, which come in white and red or white and black, store in a zippered pouch until you're ready for them to guard against the sun.
They come packaged with an Ultraviolet Sensometer, a credit-card-size card that, when exposed to the sun, reveals the current intensity of damaging ultraviolet rays and provides a hint to what power of sunscreen you should be using.
A pair of the hats and one Ultraviolet Sensometer cost $23.95, shipping included, from Traveler's Checklist, 335 Cornwall Bridge Rd., Sharon, Conn. 06069; phone 203-364-0144 for credit card orders.
HOTEL DOOR ALARM. Feeling secure is sometimes hard when you're in a strange city, but a hotel-door warning alarm can provide an added degree of comfort.
The doorstop alarm is a simply designed, lightweight device in the shape of a doorstop. When you go to bed - or to take a shower, if you're at the Bates Motel - you place the alarm at the base of the door. If the door is pushed open against the doorstop, it triggers a shrill siren.
At 7 inches long and weighing 7 ounces, it's available for $7.85 plus handling from Magellan's travel catalogue at 800-962-4943.
DOG CAR HARNESS. Everybody's heard a story about a dog that leaped from the car at a stoplight or jumped out after a squirrel while the car was tooling along.
"Stay, Spot" takes on a new meaning with a dog car harness that attaches to the seat belt. Made of soft nylon webbing with a foam-padded chest strap, the harness is adjustable and allows the dog enough room to sit, lie down or stick its nose out the window.
The harness comes in medium and large sizes, with medium suited to beagles and cocker spaniels, while the large fits German shepherds and the like.
The harness is $12.95 plus $3 shipping and handling, from Markline, 800-933-2540.
