Tag: camera
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 263 – Thrifty Fifty
Just in time for taking photos at dark Halloween events, my new low light lens arrived. It’s a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, often dubbed the “thrifty fifty,” due to its size and relatively inexpensive price. I bought it on recommendation and after reading plenty of glowing reviews and I plan on using it quite a bit for night photography. But not for this photo, which was taken with my iPhone.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 75 – Ricky’s got a brand new bag
After seeing me purchase and destroy too many bags holding all my media equipment (multiple cameras, audio recorder, microphones, etc.), Michelle bought me a heavy-duty camera bag to use. It’s a Tamrac Velocity 6x and it looks like a winner. There’s plenty of room in the main compartment for my main HD video camera, Go Pro HD Hero, Nikon S8000 point-and-shoot, and Zoom H2 recorder, and a couple other pouches to hold tapes, lenses, memory cards, microphones, and other goodies. Plus I can add on side compartments if I ever need more space.
And it’s made of strong nylon, so hopefully I won’t destroy this one too.
Tweet365 Adventures in 2011: Day 29 – Film is the new digital as retro-tech returns
What happens when state-of-the-art technology becomes commonplace? Its predecessor becomes “cool” again.
I was in Urban Outfitters today, one of many stores I visited in search of a new belt (eventually found at Target). While there, I spotted an unusual display filled with imported cameras. It was stocked with film cameras.
A few years ago, the hot items in the camera world were all digital. Everyone sought out the one with the most megapixels or biggest LCD screen. But now everyone almost always carries a high-quality camera, thanks to smart phones. And when everyone is used to something, it loses its “cool” factor. That’s when retro technology steps in.
It appears that the cool kids now look to film as something that existed before their time; it’s something to experiment with. I watched as an 11 or 12 year old girl told her mom how “cool” these film cameras are. Next to them are racks of 8mm and 35mm film.
It’s all happened before. CDs, and now MP3s, are the most common method of obtaining music, so kids turn to vinyl records as something “new,” even if it’s really generations old. Radio broadcasts are back in the form of podcasts. 1980s video games are resold as downloads on today’s “next-gen” consoles. If decades-old fashions can return (just look at the abundance of fedoras in stores and on celebrities’ heads), why not old technology too?
Of course, film is a bit different. It still needs to be developed and I’m not sure kids who grew up on high-speed Internet connections are willing to wait for that. But I suppose that’s why iPhone apps like instagram are popular, offering that retro look without the retro speed.
TweetBionic False Eye Includes Camera and Red LED – Sarah Connor Beware
From newscientist.com:
TweetCanadian filmmaker Rob Spence damaged his right eye in a childhood accident and was later given a prosthetic replacement. Like any other false eye, it was designed to be purely an aesthetic replacement, but he realised that the vacant bit of face real estate could be put to better use in his art.
Now Spence is attempting to build a wireless video camera into his synthetic eye, turning himself into a self-proclaimed “Eyeborg”.
The camera will record anything and anyone that enters Spence’s field of vision and relay the footage back to a computer. That video will provide a unique perspective on the way video surveillance is becoming more popular in western societies, he told New Scientist.
This week, Spence and engineer Kosta Grammatis have succeeded in placing a working red LED in Spence’s eye (see image, above right), giving him a look not dissimilar from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg in The Terminator.
Although this is a diversion from the main goal, it is the first time the team has fitted a working electronic device, complete with power source, into the eye socket, says Spence.
An LED may even be fitted alongside the camera in the final Eyeborg prosthetic if the battery can spare enough power, he adds. Apart from the aesthetic value, it could provide lighting in dark conditions.
TUESDAY TECH: Manfrotto Modopocket mini-tripod
The Modopocket, made by the popular Italian tripod and lighting stand maker Manfrotto, is one of the best tiny tripods I’ve ever used, though it does have a couple of drawbacks. It’s extremely lightweight and easy to use. The two legs (around two inches wide) simply flip out to be placed onto any surface. Four rounded rubber corners allow for a fairly secure grip onto any surface. It attaches to any standard camera tripod mount via one red screw.
Unlike other tiny tripods that I’ve tried, the Modopocket is sturdy. I’m not afraid of the tripod collapsing or my camera falling over when using this product. It only enables a camera to sit around 1.5 inches off of a surface, so it’s really designed just to stabilize a shot. The two legs are able to be angled to point the camera at the subject being shot.
Manfrotto has included several small details that really show that they’ve put thought into this product’s design. The metal from which the Modopocket is made is very hard, but lightweight, so you can’t bend or break it, but it’s also not going to weigh your camera or bag down while you have it with you.
The Modopocket also completely collapses, making it only one quarter of an inch tall. Since it has a built-in threaded hole on the bottom, a standard tripod can be attached to the camera without even removing the Modopocket, which lets users conveniently always leave it on a camera.
When open, a tiny strong cord keeps the two legs within 2 inches of each other at all times, regardless of the angle. This smart addition prevents the legs from collapsing outward under the weight of the camera.
The biggest downside I’ve found to the Modopocket is its inability to allow for portrait shots. Since it is so tiny, it’s only possible to set it up horizontally with the tripod mount on the base of a camera. While a camera can be mounted onto it in any orientation, giving plenty of tilt adjustment, it’s impossible to fully rotate the camera 90 degrees while attached to the unit to take a portrait shot.
Securing the Modopocket to a camera requires a screwdriver, coin, or other hard flat surface, so you may find yourself hunting for something the first time you attach it. Of course, one you’ve attached it, there’s really no reason to ever remove it.
At around $30, the Modopocket is a wonderful resource for any photographer (still or video) to have in their bag of tricks. It’s quick to set up on any nearby surface. Simply flip out the legs and any camera instantly has added stability and the ability to be angled in a number of directions to get the best shot.
I received the Modopocket for Christmas from my wife, though I’ve been told it was quite a hunt to find one. It is listed on Amazon.com but unavailable at the time of writing this. In fact, it seems to be unavailable just about everywhere in the United States. My wife ended up buying it from the United Kingdom. It’s lightweight enough where overseas shipping wasn’t expensive.
You can find out more information about the Modopocket from Manfrotto’s Web site.
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