Tag: imaging

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Fishing Imaging

GoFish Cam captures undersea exploits with sharks and trout

Fishing is one of the few sports where the person participating in it can’t even see most of what’s happening right before and during the most crucial part of the action.

patent-claimedGoFish Cam is a patent-pending underwater action camera that was designed to solve that issue. The wireless, 1080p HD color video camera gets attached to the user’s fishing line and captures the action in conjunction with an app for Android and iOS mobile devices. If the line snaps, the camera was designed to slowly float to the top of the water because it has almost neutral buoyancy underwater,. The camera is also equipped with infrared lights for night vision, a 170-degree wide-angle lens and built-in microphone. GoFish Cam will ship in February 2016 at $169.99, but early Kickstarter backers can buy one at reduced pricing that starts at $115. Its makers set a Kickstarter goal of raising $55,000 by Sept. 1.

Fishermen have ever been shy about sharing their big catches That could drive significant interest for GoFish Cam for those who don’t want to jury rig their own solution. But capturing underwater video can require a fair amount of light, which could make it challenging for those adventures to compete with pristine GoPro video.

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Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

Lumenati CS1 transforms iPhone’s form factor into that of a Super 8 camera

A growing number of smartphone enclosures are being introduced via crowdfunding sites that promise to improve the photo capabilities of the phones’ cameras.

patent-claimedThe Lumenati CS1 follows the recent IndieVice and olloclip Studio. But the CS1 offers a unique twist, mimicking the form factor of an old Super 8 camera. Users can opt to filter video taken with the camera like an old Super 8 movie or shoot in HD with the aid of optical quality lenses. The device also lets users add filters after they shoot and change them on the fly.

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Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

IndieVice overcomes smartphone cameras’ vices to provide improved photos

Smartphones continue to be the de facto camera for most people. But the photos taken with them still tend to lack the artistry of higher-end cameras, even with the vastly improved cameras that are featured on the best new smartphones.

patent-claimedIndieVice is an attachment that promises to transform the cameras on any smartphone into a pro-grade camera for taking still images and video. It will also work with a GoPro camera, but requires an adapter kit. IndieVice uses Bluetooth to allow (digital) zoom in/out with the touch of a button. It was also designed so users can easily add on virtually any additional camera equipment, including lighting devices and tripods.

The IndieVice Pro model has an adaptable universal lens adapter that allows users to change professional lenses quickly. The Pro model will cost about $171 with a Bluetooth remote and ships in March 2016. Its maker has set a Kickstarter goal of raising $40,853 by July 29.

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Imaging

4K Sphericam 2 invites creators to have a ball capturing VR

The recent explosion of interest in virtual reality poses a problem that’s long been associated with new media: a dearth of content.The original Sphericam 360-degree video camera sought to answer that call a few years ag. It received more than three times its Kickstarter funding goal in 2012, raising more than $34,000.

Sphericam 2 is an enhanced, 4K version of the spherical video camera that also taps into growing interest in the VR device market. Its six image sensors and lenses can shoot video of anything surrounding the user. That video gets automatically stitched together and can be viewed on VR headsets including the Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard, as well as tablets or smartphones.

Sphericam 2 can also take still photos with resolution of about 4100 x 2150. It will ship with a protective carrying case at $1,499 in December. Its maker set a more ambitious Kickstarter goal of raising $150,000 by July 30 this time around.

The Sperhicam 2 is clearly a tool for pros or amateurs with generous budgets, but the potential market for it will probably get much larger as more VR headsets reach the consumer market. Some customers may also be reluctant to buy a device, for now, whose image quality is hard to fully appreciate from an online campaign video.

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Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

olloclip Studio case creates a photo accessory rig for your iPhone

How far can one take smartphone imaging? Each of the many accessories that are available to improve the standard output of their integrated cameras compromises their portability either with more stuff to manage or by making for an awkward group of phone appendages that must often be treated gingerly.

olloclip is familiar with this scenario. The company that created a Kickstarter stir in 2013 with a series of smartphone lenses. It has since come out with a new version for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus that includes a small holster to encourage taking the accessories along. Paving the way for much more than lens add-ons, though, the olloclip Studio “mobile photography system” begins with the rare protective case that can accommodate the olloclip lenses and a grip for steading the iPhone.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Oko tries to reverse the digital picture frame no-go

The digital picture frame category was once hugely popular, but has sunk into a funk in recent years as photo sharing has gone mobile.

The makers of Oko are hoping to drum up renewed interest in the category by offering new features and focusing on social network interactivity. For example, Oko will let users follow hashtags and enable the device to display the best pictures and videos that are uploaded on social media networks. Features planned for the near future include voice control and, in a future version of Oko, cloud storage.

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Imaging

New Petzval 58 lens is out to ring in more bokeh fans

The company Lomography ran a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013 for a modern, 85mm version of the old Petzval camera lens that was known for its swirly blur effect known as bokeh. Lomography reinvented the lens as the New Petzval 85 Portrait Lens for Nikon F and Canon EF Mount analog and DSLR cameras.

patent-claimedLomography has now created the New Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens that it says offers more control over the bokeh effect and a more standard, 58mm focal length. The lens features a new bokeh control ring that allows the user to determine how pronounced the bokeh effect will be in each photo. The lens will start shipping to early bird backers in December and will cost non-early-bird backers $750 for a brass lens and $850 for a black lens when they ship in early 2016. Lomography set a Kickstarter goal of raising $100,000 by June 26.

The lens should appeal to the very niche photographer audience it’s aimed at. Minor drawbacks include the fact that the lens can’t be used with both Canon EF and Nikon F cameras because each lens is equipped with either a Canon or Nikon mount and will only work directly with one.

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Imaging

Agua will help your camera make it through the rain

There are many weatherproof camera cases on the market. But it can be hard to quickly get a camera out of most of them, which means photographers could easily miss an important shot.

Agua is a weatherproof case that will protect cameras from a storm, but it’s been designed so that users can quickly pull it out and take a photo. There is no need for a separate camera strap because the camera gets attached to the bag via a quick-release buckle that allows the user to just pull it out of the bag to take a shot, but also protects the camera from falling. The bag is also padded on the inside, so users don’t need to keep the cap on the camera, allowing it to be ready for use at any time. There is also a special pocket for a lens cap to make sure that it doesn’t get lost.

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Imaging

SnapPal’s out to be a photographer’s best friend

There are many camera triggers on the market that are used to help photographers create time lapse photography. Some of them allow users to add their own sensor to a device, while others can also enable motion control or water drop photography. But it’s difficult to find one product that can do all of those and other functions, which means photographers who want all that functionality must buy different devices from different vendors at a potentially large cost.

SnapPal is a camera trigger that was designed to perform multiple functions and can be used for high-speed photography, time lapse, motion control, and water drop photography, according to its Kickstarter campaign. Other capabilities include bulb mode, allowing the user to increase or decrease exposure by varying the shutter’s opening time while performing time lapse. SnapPal comes with an infrared remote control, so there is no need for a smartphone app to control it as there is with the CamsFormer triggering system. The device costs $99 and will ship in August. Its maker set a campaign goal of raising $10,500 by July 9.

One drawback is that the remote looks a bit clunky. Some photographers will likely prefer to use a smartphone app. SnapPal also won’t work with every camera on the market. It does, however, apparently support many models, including most Canon and Nikon digital single-lens reflex cameras, Pentax K series cameras, Panasonic GH series cameras, and the A7R, A7S, A57, A58, NEX-3NL, NEX6, A65 and A77 from Sony, according to SnapPal’s maker.

 

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Imaging

Valo could have value for photographers needing flexible lighting

Getting the right amount of light is a frequent challenge for digital photographers, whether they are shooting still images or video.

The makers of Valo set out to solve that challenge by developing a programmable, modular LED flash for photography and video lighting. Photographers can use it as a flash or as a constant light source. It can be used as a main light, a hair light, a fill light or a background light. The open-source device is ready to use out of the box and features a micro-controller, and upgradeable firmware. Valo costs $189 and will ship in December. Its makers are hoping to raise $55,000 via Indiegogo by June 28.

Valo offers multiple lighting solutions in one affordable device, so it should come in handy for many photographers. One of the things that sets it apart is that the photographer can combine multiple units together to create a larger unit without wires, using the product’s internal magnets. Its wire-free nature extends to charging as each unit comes with its own internal battery and charges by USB. That may result in having to charge multiple units , but could take less time than charging a larger unit.