Category: Imaging

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Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

CAMpanion lets you mount your smartphone screen right behind the GoPro

The small size of the GoPro camera makes it perfect for shooting extreme sports activity. But its diminutive size also can make it difficult to use for shooting everyday subjects and activity where a steady hand is required.

The CAMpanion is a solution to that issue, offering a new mounting system enabling all GoPro models to be attached to any smartphone or tablet. In addition to making sure that every shot is perfectly framed, the mounting system also makes it more comfortable for the user to shoot. Attaching the GoPro to a smartphone or tablet also adds features including lighting via the mobile device’s flashlight app. The accessory holds promise, offering a simple but handy solution for the surging number of GoPro users.

Users can mount the GoPro in less than a second by just snapping the camera onto the CAMpanion mounting plate. The accessory will ship in May and cost $40. Its makers set a goal of raising $28,000 by March 28 through Kickstarter.

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Automotive Connected Objects Imaging Safety

CarVi driving assistant lets you keep more eyes on the road

editors-choiceMany folks have been tempted by the high-tech safety features in newer cars, but wish there was a way to get them into their existing vehicles economically.

That is the goal of the makers of CarVi, a small, circular black driving assistance device that attaches easily via a bracket onto the windshield of just about any car. The device adds an extra set of eyes, monitoring a driver’s position in a lane and the location of the car in front of it. CarVi warns drivers if they are too close to the car in front, and if it senses any potential trouble will issue audible and visual warnings.

The device comes equipped with a camera capturing 720p HD video that CarVi analyzes in real time. Owners can set it to record 40-second to one-minute video onto a memory card whenever certain events occur, such as tailgating incidents. The user can then transfer that video to an Android or iOS smartphone for viewing later. Alternatively, CarVi can function as a full-time recorder if the driver desires. CarVi can also provide suggestions via the accompanying app on how to improve driver skills after the car is turned off. CarVi will cost $299 when it ships in August. Its makers are hoping to raise $100,000 by March 20.

The device holds some promise, especially for elderly drivers and the parents of new drivers. But similar products, such as Truvolo and Zubie, have already offered the same kind of functionality with varying degrees of success. While the warnings could indeed help drivers avoid accidents, it remains to be seen if many drivers will actually be willing to hear tips about how to improve their driving once they turn the engine off.

 

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Imaging

LensRacks holds camera, lens, flashes and more; makes life easier for photographers

Any photographer knows that changing lenses quickly can be an important part of getting the best shot. One can’t be fumbling around with camera bags and costly equipment, or else they’ll miss a great photograph. However, there isn’t a great way to keep the camera’s accessories organized.

patent-claimedFor lenses, flashes, monitors, cameras and more comes LensRacks. This product is modular and customizable, using rails to hold camera accessories in place. To use, place lens holders, flash holders, camera adapters and more in between the rails. The lenses and other accessories easily twist on and off. This way, all the accessories needed are quickly and easily accessible to the photographer. LensRacks is currently only compatible with Canon and Nikon products. Backers can pay $49 for the triple rail kit with estimated delivery in August of this year.

There are plenty of products out there aimed at keeping lens caps safe—like the Hack x Tack—but few that focus on larger accessories. While perhaps a little bulky to tote around, LensRacks is still great for any photographer who has a long day of picture-taking ahead of them. Its customizable and modular design make it especially appealing.

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Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

Snapsme enables your smartphone camera to snap photos of you

While at a party, it would be nice if a smartphone camera could be set up to automatically take photos. That would allow for more mingling at the party without having to worry about snapping any photos manually.

Snapsme allows for exactly that. It consists of an iOS and Android app, as well as a rotating docking station. Users just have to set the number of pictures they want taken and for how long they want it to operate. The dock allows users to fully adjust application shooting to all environments and circumstances. Backers who pay $49 will get the docking station when it ships in May. That’s $20 off the expected retail price. Snapsme’s maker is also fielding a limited edition Lego version of the dock at $99. Its Belgium-based maker is hoping to raise $10,000 on Indiegogo.

Snapsme’s concept is very similar to the Sony Party-shot rotating sock from a few years back that worked in conjunction with a camera from the manufacturer. But Snapsme doesn’t seem quite as sturdy. Snapsme holds some promise if it works as well as its maker claims. It’s likely, however, that at least some of the shots that it takes will be lousy unless everybody photographed is sitting down and not much higher than the tabletop where the docking station and smartphone are placed.

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Imaging

Axsy T-Set leaves photographers all set for camera motion control

Camera motion control accessories are often costly and clunky, relying on knobs and buttons to work. The Axsy T-Set from London-based Axsy is an affordable alternative that combines three devices in one and works in conjunction with a mobile app that lets users control their cameras via touch input on their smartphones.

The product will work with nearly any digital camera on the market. Axsy enables the user to control video, time lapse and stop motion effects. The Triaxis-set is made up of the Centric, Slide and three Spin smart motors. The Centric device, along with the Android and iOS app, serves as the brains of the product and uses a radio mesh network. It gets connected to a camera via USB or a standard shutter release cable. The T-Set’s Spin smart motor accessory and Slide work hand-in-hand to enable sliding, panning and tilting motions. The standard length of the Slide’s rails are 1 meter, but it’s extendable to any length with Axsy’s 50-cm extension rails.

Backers who pledge $230 will get one when it ships in July. Axsy is hoping to raise £35,000 (~$53,000) on Kickstarter.

The product seems promising and should prove appealing to many photographers. It compares favorably to more traditional camera accessories such as the Axis360 from Cinetics and costs much less.

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Imaging

Sidekick GoPro light attaches to camera, sheds some light on cool activities

Everyone knows that the best way to get adventure shot is with a GoPro. GoPros come in many shapes and sizes with different attachments making it possible to videotape or photograph any cool activity. Going bungee jumping? Attach that camera to your helmet. Rock climbing? Have it sitting on your shoulder for a cool view.

Any photographer knows that a photograph or video is only as good as its light. That’s why Sidekick was invented. This product is a companion light for the GoPro and provides a powerful 600 lumen flood beam to get a great shot. It mounts right next to the camera and is compatible with all current GoPro mounts. Sidekick has a rechargeable lithium battery with a run time of up to four hours and is waterproof down to 60 meters under water.

Backerjack has seen many products that have piggybacked off of the GoPro series’ success. Sidekick is one such product, but is quite useful and well-designed. It’s light weight and ease of use differentiate it from similar products, like the Triclops, and make it just the thing for any extreme backer. This product is looking to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter. One will cost backers $80 for delivery in March 2015.

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Imaging Interviews Wearables

The Backerjack Interview: Narrative’s Oskar Kalmaru on the evolving wearable camera

Raising over half a million dollars as Memoto, the Narrative Clip has been a pioneer in the field of wearable cameras. Originally marketing a life-logging device, the company has seen its cameras embraced for more diverse scenarios. Backerjack caught up with Narrative CMO and co-founder Oskar Kalmaru to discuss what the company has learned from the first Clip. Kalmaru also discussed some of the cool features of the Clip 2, which will include better image quality, better connectivity and 3D-printable mounts, but take a pass on Kickstarter.

Backerjack: It’s been about a year since the Narrative Clip shipped. What have you been hearing from your customers?

Kalmaru: It’s a really nice feeling to be able to go from being a Kickstarter project where everything is just pre-everything – pre-users, pre-product —  to having an actual product out with actual users actually using it and seeing that it does work. It does help people to live in the moment and capture things as they happen and relax in the moment and still get photos out of it People use it in 52 countries now and have been using it for travel, taking pictures of their families, photographing weddings.

Backerjack: From those use cases, it sounds like people are using it more situationally rather than wearing it all day every day and sorting through the photos. When I tried the product, I was pleased with the picture quality but it makes you realize you’re not doing the most exciting stuff every day.

Kalmaru: It’s a camera that’s great for life-logging if that’s what you want to do. But if it isn’t, it’s great for a lot of other things, too. And as with most wearables, what we’re seeing now is that they aren’t necessarily meant to be used all the time. There are a few wearables that are used all the time — maybe your watch, maybe your glasses. You use the camera in situations where it would make sense. It could be having dinner with friends, spending time hiking with your family. It could be doing things that are maybe out of the ordinary or you want to be able to do those activities and stay in the moment and still capture it.

Backerjack: When you launched, you had a competitor that was priced quite a bit higher. It looks like they’ve exited the hardware market so what do you take away from that? Do you think it was just the price point they were at? Or is it a setback for the category?

Kalmaru: I can’t really tell why they pulled out. We’re having a fantastic year. We have users from all over the world using it all the time. We raised another $8 million from Khosla Ventures in Menlo Park. Again, this is proving that this category is the future. Just look at the trends. The photo trend, that’s one megatrend. There are two billion photos uploaded every single day and you have the wearable trend next to that. People are getting more and more used to wearables devices. Combine those two and you have wearable cameras.

Continue reading “The Backerjack Interview: Narrative’s Oskar Kalmaru on the evolving wearable camera”

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Imaging

CamsFormer triggering system offers DSLRs more options, sensors, settings, everything

A DSLR in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing is a powerful tool that produces high quality shots. But no matter how talented a photographer is, there are just some things that are either incredibly difficult or just plain impossible to capture, such as high-speed events. A photographer’s creative impulses can be tempered by these drawbacks.

The CamsFormer triggering system addresses these weaknesses by attaching to a DSLR’s USB and cable release port and providing a combination camera remote, high-speed trigger, and motorized tilt and zoom. All this alongside CamsFormer’s variety of sensors allows photographers to set sound, light, or infra-red triggers that sets off up to two cameras and flashes from anywhere between microseconds to 32 seconds. A companion iOS app allows for wireless camera control, photo curation and upload. It even enables things like Infinity Mode where a camera can shoot infinitely despite whatever memory limitations it might have. This product offers options available anywhere since it generates its own Wi-Fi network as well.

For the CamsFormer, this is just the tip of the iceberg. It can even add video capability to cameras that don’t have it. The $189 early bird price is a steal, but the eventual retail price of $249 isn’t bad considering everything this product does. The $7,000 campaign is looking to ship the product by July 2015.

The CamsFormer is extremely impressive in that radically expands any camera’s capabilities, adding a dizzying array of customizable settings any amateur or serious photographer would love. The product is another in a long line in creative imaging solutions like the Panlight and MaxStone that do so much to make serious photography more approachable, fun, and wallet-friendly.

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Imaging

HanSnap attaches smartphone to hand for adventurous photography, phone safety

Wowing friends and family with those daredevil adventures is at least half the fun of adventure photography. Of course, it can bring plenty of laughs, too–especially if it’s the other guy making the blunder.

HanSnap offers a smartphone camera mount that is worn on the hand. It allows a person to film themselves or it can be flipped around and used for those adventurous moments that include the group. The hand mount can also be used in a hands-free fashion by attaching it to a stable object for filming a scene or activity in the area that includes everyone. The product works with iPhone 5 and 6, and Samsung Galaxy s4 and s5.

HanSnap certainly offers an alternative way to hold your camera, making taking photos without dropping the smartphone much easier. Adventurous backers may also want to check out the GoBall, Indiglo and Cinetics campaigns. This campaign seeks to raise $90,000. Early bird backers get one HanSnap for $50 with an expected delivery of May 2015.

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Imaging Tech Accessories

Foldio 2 mini photo studio gets great shots, even better than the original

The digital camera is slowly dying out as smartphone cameras become more and more powerful. Now, it’s possible to take great photographs with an Android or iPhone. However, nothing can replace the perfect photographing conditions of a professional studio.

The Foldio 2 is a portable set for taking photographs. When folded up, the Foldio 2 looks like a large flat folder with handle for ease of traveling. To set up, simply unfold and assemble using the accompanying magnets. Foldio 2 is made from lightweight white plastic. With bright LED lights, this little studio packs quite the punch and provides tons of light to make any subject pop.

The creators behind Foldio have found success on Kickstarter before with their original product, the Foldio. Now, they’ve improved upon the original design by making it twice the size. They’ve made up for portability by adding the above mentioned handle and have added an adapter for the lights so that they last twice as long.

The Foldio 2 is certainly an improvement on an already cool product. Amateur photographers have flooded social media sites, especially the popular Instagram, and this is a great product for just such a person. One will cost backers $65 by March 2015. Foldio 2 has already smashed its original $50,000 goal, raising over $350,000 on Kickstarter.