Tag: video

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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 Video

The Parrot teleprompter for DSLRs helps your yap stay on track

Anyone trying to produce quality video is well aware of the difficulties behind editing hours of content down to that single morsel that will still flow well. The main culprit behind it all is simply forgetting lines, something easily solved with a teleprompter. Unfortunately, most are prohibitively expensive and therefore lock a large segment of individuals out of even thinking about the purchase.

It’s a shame that’s the case, because a teleprompter can dramatically increase the quality of video production almost instantly. Inventor Brigham Arce thought the same and created The Parrot teleprompter for DSLR and mirrorless cameras. The product is a essentially a shrunken down teleprompter that uses a smartphone to help display text. It’s acrylic beam splitter mirror offers 70% light transmission and allows users to still read what they need to while the camera sees nothing. The Parrot and a lens adapter can both be purchased for $100. The product is expected to be shipped in May 2015 provided the campaign reaches its $30,000 goal.

Any product that can drastically reduce the price a lot of folks in the field would like to have but can’t afford will be a sure-fire hit. The product has a wide target market ranging from bloggers to video professionals, and its compatibility with most major smartphones negates the necessity for other expenses. And when users are done, they can use the Lumera to instantly share what they’ve created before they’ve dismantled the entire set-up.

Categories
Connected Objects Displays

Ovoid HomePod projects entertainment onto wall

Entertainment and technology are evolving hand in hand, and yet the common experience tends to continue to revolve around a stationary rectangle (or curved rectangle), placed or mounted within the home in various rooms.

The HomePod by KEECKER is the newest way to enjoy multimedia entertainment. KEECKER is a projector that can broadcast any music, TV, game, or Internet content using full-room audio and project visuals onto any surface, indoor or outdoor. Additionally, KEECKER is remote controlled through its smartphone app and can drive to meet users wherever they might be. With Wi-Fi, a terabyte of storage, an Android OS, a panoramic camera, and 90 degrees of movement on its projector, KEECKER is flexible enough to handle any media task.

Additionally, KEECKER can be used to monitor multiple aspects of the home, driving around as a mobile security camera, and using sensors to track motion, noise, temperature, humidity, air quaility, and light. All of these combine to make KEECKER useful in ways beyond entertainment, though it still excels at that. KEECKER needs $100,000 for production and testing costs. The unit costs backers $2,490 and will be available in May 2015.

Consumers may have a hard time grasping exactly what a HomePod entails, but know that KEECKER is essentially somewhere between R2-D2 and DJ Roomba. The wealth of features and possibilities for this device are exciting, but the sticker shock of the price can be a wet blanket for that hype. It’s a very well thought-out device and one that’s capable of replacing several home electronics along with entertaining the dog, but dedicated A/V snobs may find the fidelity lacking.

Categories
Arts Imaging

Kula lets your camera produce 3-D images

From movie theaters to handheld gaming consoles, 3-D photos and videos are a great way to create stunning viewing experiences, but so few people have access to the technology to create this content.

Kula is a new modification for SLR cameras and smartphones to open up the world of 3-D photography to everyone. The Kula Deeper is a lens attachment for SLR cameras that can take 3-D photography, while the Kula Bebe attaches right onto the phone’s lens for easy 3-D photos.

Using high precision mirrors, Kula takes a normal picture and captures it from two perspectives that can be combined to create a three dimensional image or video. The Kula system is flexible and works with any existing 3-D viewing technology, from the classic red and cyan anaglyph glasses and eye-crossing stereograms to 3-D TVs and Oculus Rift. Icelandic inventor Iris Olafsdottir has set Kula’s fundraising goal at 233,626 DKK (~ $40,000 USD), and buyers can get the Bebe adapter for 205 DKK (~$35 USD) beginning in March.

Kula is an affordable, easy to use way to create 3-D images to share with friends and family. The sheer number of ways Kula’s 3-D can be viewed makes it great for sharing and compatibility.

Categories
Imaging

Elephant Steady is a smart, affordable smartphone video stabilizer

Amateur movie makers around the world have learned that while a smartphone may be a great tool to have on hand in terms of video quality and convenience, the shaky, unprofessional shots can be distracting. Quality video requires a stabilizer, and a stabilizer should have some personality.

Elephant Steady was a project that received funding on Kickstarter and Campfire, but developer Adplus was disappointed that the stretch goal to offermultiple colors was unmet, so they’ve taken to Indiegogo to offer five new colors.

With a variety of different colors available, backers are able to vote for their favorites, and the five colors that receive the most votes will be created for distribution and sent out to backers. Adplus is asking to supplement their original campaign with $10,000 to customize colors. Backers can get their Elephant Steady for $79 to ship out in February 2015.

The Elephant Steady itself seems like a handy stabilizer for iPhones, with a solid construction, and anyone who missed out on the first campaign should check this out. Starting a new campaign to fund an unmet stretch goal might not yield the most positive results however, especially for something as superficial as new colors.

Categories
Imaging

Joey lets you capture video in the round

With high definition and video cameras in the pockets of the majority of people around the world, it’s a wonder that the way video is recorded and how people interact with it has gone largely unchanged.

Kogeto, developers of the successful Dot lens for the iPhone 4 that allowed full 360-degree panoramic video, are now presenting the Joey, a stand-alone video camera that captures the same kind of video in a much crisper resolution. With no color distortion or seams like other full-panoramic cameras, the Joey takes shockingly crisp video that viewers can rotate or spin to their heart’s content, making no two views alike and offering a much more immersive viewing experience. Kogeto needs $40,000 to begin the manufacturing of Joey. Joey will start changing video capture in December for backers who pledge $850.

Joey offers an exciting development for both movie makers and viewers, turning film-making into a more interactive and user-defined experience. As if that wasn’t enough, the video Joey takes looks as sharp as technology will allow right now, with 4K resolution. Filmmakers both amateur and professional should be putting this device on their Christmas list.

Categories
Imaging

GoKnuckles is is a GoPro stabilizer that packs a punch

The GoPro changed the quality and capabilities of what a person could do on their own in terms of shooting video, and its effects are felt not just in the footage, but in the accessories that followed.

GoKnuckles are a new kind of handheld mount for the GoPro HERO camera, designed to be visually appealing as well as functional. Using a rubberized plastic and resembling brass knuckles, GoKnuckles are worn over the fingers so that by making a fist, the camera is leveled off and can get the ideal action shot while still keeping hands free to do or hold anything. GoWorx wants to raise $4,500 to make GoKnuckles a reality. Backers can get a set of GoKnuckles in November in either blue or orange for $15, more than 10% off the final retail price.

This is a product that certain has a sense of style to it, and the ability to still have open hands is a great add-on, but the limitations as far as how close the camera sits compared to other similar products makes this far from being the only mount someone would need.

Categories
Imaging

fps1000 keeps the price low for the super slow-mo pro

If you haven’t yet seen the YouTube video of a shark shooting out of water as it goes after its prey, you should — it’s a beaut. But that piece of fantastic videography wouldn’t have been possible without the wonders of high-speed imaging, something that would be more widespread if it weren’t for the complex setups and intense memory demands of the equipment necessary to capture it. Just a 1 second video at VGA resolution and 1,000 fps requires an incredible 400 MBytes of very high speed memory  — and that’s just on the lower end of things!

Compelled to find a more accessible solution, inventor Graham Rowan labored to create the fps1000, a super portable camera capable of taking videos of between 75fps and 18,000fps. The camera also features a touch screen LCD screen along with the standard C mount so that a wide variety of lenses can be equipped. There are three different versions of the fps1000: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Their prices range from £349 to £999, which may still seem pricey but is much better than comparable setups. With the campaign having blown past it’s funding goal of £20,000, many seem to agree.

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Chargers/Batteries Imaging

Jolt wirelessly charges your GoPro camera

There’s nothing like being able to share an adventure with friends and family. And when the excursions are considered to be extreme in nature, sometimes they prefer to live vicariously through the one taking the adventure through video.

Jolt offers a way to make sure that each visual story told through GoPro is always captured with a fully charged and ready to go camera. The Jolt system is made up of two parts: Jolt transmitter pad and jolt battery. The pad gets plugged into a standard outlet. Then replace the GoPro battery with a Jolt battery, place on the pad, and GoPro wirelessly charges. The pad is big enough to support charging two cameras or a camera and battery.

Though Jolt is only compatible with GoPro® Hero3 or Hero3+ or Hero4, this seems like a product that will be appreciated by GoPro users. For $89, backers get one Jolt pad and two Jolt batteries with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries Lighting Music Tech Accessories

Vox puts a pyramid of desk tools at your fingertips

In a world where humans are expected to multitask, it only seems fair that there are gadgets available that allow for gadgets to multitask as well.

Vox makes multitasking more effective in our fast paced world. Oh, let tech lovers count the ways! Six ways, to be exact. These include a rechargeable LED desk lamp, USB and laptop charger, Bluetooth speakers, video recording camera, classical clock, smartphone, and tablet dock. At the touch of a button, answer the phone while using a charging laptop, enjoying Bluetooth, and driving the caller crazy. It’s the ultimate multitasking experience with each side of the pyramid having its own unique multitask enhancing purpose!

The fun is available to those who own iPhone 6/6+, as well as owners of Apple, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, LG, Asus, Acer, and Fujitsu laptops. Early bird backers who want the six-feature premium version product can get theirs for $95 with an expected delivery of December 2014.