If that tax refund is burning a hole in your pocket, B&H Photo can help you with double savings on Canon camera gear. Save $20 – $320 instantly on select lenses and speedlites. Check out the deals here (affliate link).

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Photography

Canon Double Instant Savings at B&H originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 7, 2012 at 8:07 am.

PENTAX has announced the K-01, the first mirrorless digital camera that can use 25+ million PENTAX K-mount lenses without an adapter. The K-01 features 16MP, a 3″ LCD, HD 1080p Video, anti-shake, an ISO Range from 100 to 25600, In-Camera HDR and Focus Peaking Modes. It has a machined aluminum frame and offers a popup flash as well as a hotshoe for external flashes. It’s available in Black, White and Yellow and is priced at $749 for just the body, or $899 with an included 40mm lens. You can pre-order from B&H Photo (affiliate link).

I’ve been thinking about upgrading from my Canon G11. Maybe this is the one I should consider…

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Photography

PENTAX K-01 – First mirrorless camera that can use SLR lenses without an adapter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 2, 2012 at 12:37 pm.

Sony has added three new pocket-sized cameras to their Cyber-Shot line.  All three will have the new “high-resolution ‘Exmor R’ CMOS sensor and an improved BIONZ™ image processor that together boost low light performance and enhance auto-focus speeds, among other benefits.”  The DSC-TX200V (top left, cost about $500) will have an 18.2MP Exmor R sensor and 3.3-inch (8.3cm) Xtra Fine™ Tru-Black OLED wide touchscreen, and it can take full HD video or take 13 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”.  The DSC-WX70 (top right, cost about $230) has a 16.2MP Exmor sensor and a 3.0″ 921k dot LCD touchscreen; it also can take full HD video or record 12MP-equivalent still images and video with Dual-Record.  The DSC-WX50 (bottom; not all colors shown will be available in US, cost about $200) will have a 16.2MP Exmor with a 2.7″ LCD screen.  It also can take full HD video or 12MP-equivalent still images and video with Dual-Record.  These cameras will be available in March.  Read more about these new Sony Cyber-Shot cameras in the full news release.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera

Sony Introduces Three New Cyber-Shot Models originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 2, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

Gone are the days of snapping a picture and having it shoot out of the camera already printed and ready for sharing.  Digital cameras are great for snapping pictures, but you’ll have to wait until you have access to a computer to email them if you want to share them.  The new SC1630 Smart Camera Powered by Android from Polaroid gives you a digital camera with instant photo-sharing capabilities.  The SC1630 has a 16MP CCD sensor and 3X optical zoom, up to 32GB of storage with a microSD card, and a 3.2″ widescreen LCD touchscreen display.  There are 18 pre-defined scene modes to help you capture the perfect picture.  The camera has automatic face and smile detection, geo-tagging, color-correction, and cropping.  Smart features arrange the photos into albums by date, location, and people.  Because the camera is Android-powered, you’ll be able to instantly share your photos whenever you have a WiFi connection.  You can also connect to the Android Market with the Polaroid SC1630, so you’ll be able to choose from the 400,000 apps there to expand the function of your camera.  Polaroid hasn’t yet announced the price or availability of the SC1630.

Filed in categories: Android related, Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Digital Camera, Polaroid

Polaroid SC1630 Android-Powered Camera originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 1, 2012 at 1:00 pm.

Coming in June from Liquid Image is a new POV Action Camera. The Ego measures 1.6 x 1.2 x 2.5 inches,  has a 136° wide angle and an LCD preview screen.  Capable of 1080p footage at 30 fps and 12MP stills, the camera comes standard with wireless remote and uses microSDHC up to 32GB. Controls have been pared down to only 2 buttons. It also has the added function of being able to stream real time video or stills via wifi and an included smartphone app.  Priced at $150.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Camera

Liquid Image Ego – Stream your exploits, feed your ego originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 17, 2012 at 8:30 am.

I’d never heard of Kata Bags before they offered a review sample of their new MiniBee-120 PL Backpack for DSLR cameras and gear.  Turns out they are a member of the Vitech Group, to which Manfrotto also belongs.  Manfrotto serves as the US distributor of Kata Bags, and it is also a maker of camera gear.  I own one of the Manfrotto tripods.  They make good gear, so I knew Kata Bags would also be quality gear.  I’ve been looking for a bag big enough to hold two cameras, a few lenses, and some other accessories, and I wanted something that wouldn’t break my back.  I was happy to give the MiniBee a try.

Many of the photos can be clicked for an enlarged view.

Kata Bags describes the MiniBee-120 PL as “a professional, multi-featured, on-board backpack, designed to provide the best carrying, storage and working solutions for a DSLR”.  I can’t find any information about the fabric used for the bag, but it might be ripstop nylon.  The bag is black with red accents.  There’s a Kata logo on the front top.

The bag measures 18.3″ tall X 12.6″ wide X 11″ deep, and it weighs 4.5 pounds when empty.  It should meet the carry-on requirements of most airlines.

Hidden inside is an aluminum skeleton that gives the bag a stable structure, helps distribute the weight, and protects the contents.  The metal frame is aided by other structural pieces in the back of the bag to protect your spine and in the front flap to protect your camera and lenses.

You can see the “Gecko Harness” in the above picture.  Kata Bags say they developed the Gecko Harness System “to provide outstanding ergonomic compatibility and a perfect fit to your back and body. The innovative 3D injection design and micro hatched texture secure the harness on your back at the right angle to allow a better shooting experience.”  The shoulder straps have a thick, flexible, molded EVA foam padding that encompasses the thin webbing used for the shoulder straps.  The padding is very comfortable and cushions your shoulders.  They stay in place well.  There’s a lot of extra strap, so you can adjust the bag to fit your shoulders.

The MiniBee also has a couple of locking straps that fits across your chest to hold the shoulder straps in place.  That bag isn’t going anywhere until you want it to.

The MiniBee-120 is loaded with pockets.  In the above picture, you see three pockets.  Along the side is a zippered, gusseted pocket that can hold a wallet, phone, or similarly-sized item.  The gusset will keep things from accidentally falling out.  Along the top of the bag, you’ll see a zipper that opens up to hold a netbook or up to a 13″ laptop, a tablet computer, papers, or the like.  There’s also an open pocket at the very back labeled with a laptop icon.  This icon apparently indicates this bag can also hold a laptop, but this open pocket – although the right size to hold a 13″ MacBook Pro – is not for a laptop, but for using a rolling trolley.  We’ll give those two pockets a closer look later.

The back of the bag is cushioned with an Aeriform foam (made of EVA and EPE).  The orange stripe down the middle of the back seems to be a location for one of the aluminum straps that protect your spine.  It’s impossible to see in the picture, but the orange stripe has the Kata Bags website printed on it in gold lettering.

You’ll also notice a strap that crosses the bag horizontally just above the orange stripe (bottom photo).  This strap is used to attach the bag to the InserTrolley from Kata Bags.  It’s a rolling trolley for when you don’t want to wear the bag, and it’s an optional purchase.  I did find the strap fit on the extensible handle on my rolling suitcase, but the MiniBee was too tall and extended above the top of my suitcase’s handle.  The padded sleeve marked with the laptop icon is to be used in conjunction with the InserTrolley.

There’s a grab handle on the top of the bag, as you can see in the top picture.

This side of the bag has another grab handle, and there’s a large pocket near the bottom that’s made of a quick-drying material and is designed to carry a water bottle.

You’ll also see three zipper heads with semi-circular orange pulls; there’s actually a fourth pull not shown in this picture.  These pulls are designed so you can open just the top half of the main compartment, just the bottom, or the entire main compartment.

The back of the bag has a zippered pocket that extends to the bottom of the bag.  You can carry a laptop, netbook, tablet computer, magazines, papers, or the like in this pocket.  The yellow bar extending out the the right side of this pocket is a removable, padded divider.  You can use it to “shorten” the depth of the pocket if your device doesn’t require that much depth.

The interior of the MiniBee is lined with bright yellow fabric.  This is a very nice feature that makes finding things inside the bag much easier.  Small black accessories don’t disappear into the depths of black-lined pockets in the MiniBee-120 PL.

This zippered pocket on the front of the bag can hold your cellphone, wallet, some pens, and other things you need to have quick access to.

The front flap also has aluminum stiffening, as you can tell by the curved shape you can see in the top picture.  There’s also a zipper pocket on the front that contains another of the stiffeners.  I’ve partially pulled it out so you can see the structure.  There’s also a strip of narrow webbing inside this pocket, under the stiffener.  You can attach accessories to that strap or to many of the other attachment points sewn into the exterior of the bag.

The main compartment is filled with Aeriform dividers that are covered in a fleece fabric.  Two vertical dividers form a pocket to hold a DSLR with a 70-200mm lense installed.  Kata Bags says it will not fit a camera with a grip.  It can also be used with video cameras.  The vertical dividers have Velcro on the ends that grip the fleece fabrics.  You can adjust the attachment points to give the camera compartment a bit more width.  There’s one horizontal divider inside the camera compartment.

There are two side compartments with three horizontal dividers each.  Kata Bags says you can fit 6-8 more lenses, flashes, and other accessories inside these pockets.  One compartment has a see-through mesh, zippered top to keep your gear from falling out of these pockets.

The strap sticking out of the bag is made of webbing, like used for other straps on this bag.  It has Velcro tabs on the ends, and it can be moved to secure your camera into place.

Some accessories are included with the MiniBee.  The above photos show the Elements Cover that protects your bag and equipment from rain when installed as shown in the top picture.  The cover has a pull string that cinches it tightly around the bag.

When you install the Elements Cover with the silver side out, it reflects the sun away from your equipment on hot days.

The strap and pocket shown here can be attached to the various loops on the exterior.  Slide two legs of your tripod into the pocket, and you’ll be able to take it along.  Another picture in the documentation that came with the MiniBee showed the strap also being used as a tripod carrier.  It seemed to be attached to the strap hidden under the reinforcement strip inside the front zipper pocket on the front flap.

Here’s the MiniBee-120 PL loaded up with my camera gear.  In the top row, I have the (left to right) Elements Cover, two lenses in felt bags, and the battery charger and a filter case.  My Nikon D3100 is stowed on the left side of the camera compartment.  I’m using the Nikon D5100 to take the picture, but its holster case fits handily into the right end of the camera compartment.  I should be able to carry both my cameras in this bag.  The bottom row with the zipper cover has an empty pocket, two flash units, and another empty pocket.  I can fit small things like my camera remotes and extra batteries into the empty pockets.

I also have a bunch of camera cables and booklets that I’ll probably carry in the zipper pocket intended for a computer.

The MiniBee-120 PL is heavy when loaded up with all this equipment.  The backpack design spreads the weight across both shoulders and my back, so it’s easier to carry than my other bag with a single shoulder strap.  I haven’t tried carrying it for hours on my back, though.  (Hey, that’s what my husband is for – to carry the heavy loads! )

My daughter, Rachel is modelling the Kata Bag for us in this picture.  She’s only 5’2″, but she’s not overwhelmed by the size of this bag.  It’s very compact, especially when you consider everything that I fit in there.  She said the padded straps were comfortable, and the weight of the bag was negligible when compared to the bag full of notebooks and textbooks she lugs around every day.

The Kata Bags MiniBee-120 PL is a great camera bag for anyone who needs to carry around a lot of equipment with their DSLR.  It’s relatively small, but you can pack a lot of camera equipment inside and still have room for a laptop and/or tablet computer, too.  The size of the bag doesn’t overwhelm, and the careful attention to padding and metal reinforcement makes the bag surprisingly comfortable to carry.  It’s an expensive bag, but I’m betting what you’ll carry inside is much more expensive.  The MiniBee-120 PL is a ~$220 guardian for your equipment.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Backpack, Camera bag

Kata Bags MiniBee-120 PL Backpack for DSLR Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 9, 2012 at 1:44 pm.

The Sling Pack for DSLR Cameras from Incase is big enough for a DSLR and a couple of lenses, so you can take just what you need for a day trip.  The bag is 10.5″ x 16″ x 6.5″.  It’s constructed of water-resistant nylon, and it has a side zipper opening for access to the organized storage space inside.  The inside is padded and has dividers to keep your equipment from banging together.  The bag has interior and exterior zippered and mesh pockets to hold small accessories.  It’s a sling bag, so it has a single shoulder strap; there’s also a grab handle.  It’s $79.95 at Incase.

Filed in categories: Bags, Backpacks, Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera bag

Incase Sling Pack for DSLR Cameras originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 5, 2012 at 8:34 am.

Whether you are an amateur auteur or just the designated home videographer, you don’t want camera shake ruining your videos.  This Camera Table Dolly from Photojojo works with still cameras and video cameras, and it comes with an adapter for smartphones, too.  You can use it as a stationary tripod, or the smooth-rolling wheels let you create panning effects, 360-degree panoramic shots, or simply follow along with the action.  The base is made of industrial-grade aluminum for strength.  The friction arm adjusts to various angles, so you can shoot straight up or down, high or low, or anywhere in between.  It weighs 1.5 pounds, so you can take it along in your camera gear.  It’s $90.00 in the Photojojo store.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera accessory

A Compact, Affordable Dolly for Pro-Style Video Panning originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 2, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

The Kogeto Dot lens works with your iPhone 4 or 4S’s camera and their own free Looker app to capture 360-degree panoramic video.  The Dot uses Kogeto’s iCONIC lens and their “unique catadioptric optical system is fully AR-coated for excellent color fidelity in all environments.”  The Dot attaches to your camera with either a black, red, pink, or green mount.  The Dot is compatible with iPhone 4 and 4S.  It’s $79.00.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Cell phone camera lens, Panorama

Capture 360-degree Panoramic Video with Your iPhone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 26, 2011 at 10:39 am.

So……..what does a 46 year young man do when he’s given  a Drift Innovations HD Action Extreme Sports camera to review?  You know the ones, you’ve seen the videos of the guys in the California X Games  doing motorcycle or skateboard jumps and flips, or the guys skydiving or…….

Well the mind might be willing but these days the body ain’t….

How am I going to test this one ??????

The Drift HD is a splash-proof, dust-proof, weatherproof, and dunk-proof camera primarily aimed at the “Extreme Sports” market.  Clipped to a vehicle, a helmet, or a board, the concept is to record quirky angle type videos that give a sense of action that normal recording equipment can’t give.  It’s small size and weight means that it can be used in situations again where traditional recording equipment isn’t appropriate to use.

The unit itself comes standard with a good collection of accessories. Clockwise from top left: Goggle/Strap mount, the HD camera itself, alternative back with rubber doors for USB and microphone, RF remote, curve mount, flat mount, middle: universal clip (+ USB cable not shown) .  The review unit also came with an 8GB microSD card, which isn’t standard, and the unit will take up to a 32GB card . Class 4 or higher is recommended for video, and there’s no internal memory.

The camera’s small and aerodynamic (important when you’re going fast and aerodynamics are important), weighs in at 119.91g (4.23 oz) and measures 104.14 X 50.00 X 33.00 mm (4.10 X 1.97 X1.30 in).  One of the things that differentiates this camera from other action POV cameras is the integrated 1.5″ Colour LCD screen which can be used to change settings, frame videos and pictures, and playback your captures.  With the other offerings, the colour LCD is generally an optional extra, so there’s no way to see your video instantly onsite without  additional AV equipment like a notebook/tablet being available. The green/red/blue LED next to the play/select button indicates various states (e.g recording, charging).

On the bottom side, there’s not a lot except for the ratcheted standard tripod thumb screw receptacle (1/4″, 1/4-20) . So the camera can be placed onto a standard tripod for photos or filming, if required.

Supplied with the unit is a universal clip that screws into the tripod hole and has a ratchet mechanism so that the camera can be manipulated and held into any position. This then allows the camera to be fitted into a number of different mounting options.

The mounting assembly works the same with all the supplied holders and for various optional ones you can purchase, like a suction cup mount or a gun mount. The flat and curved mounts (supplied) use 3M double-sided tape to be permanently fixed. The goggle/strap mount shown above is the one I used the most with the supplied velcro strap during the review period.  Using the strap you can attach the camera to bike helmets, poles and all manner of things.

Above you can see the three modes supported with the camera

Video supported options:

• 1080P, 720p, SD options
• 30, 25 frames per second ( + 50 and 60 in 720, +90 in SD )
• Exposure compensation ( +/- 2.0 )
• Indoor/Outdoor mode

Camera supported options:

• Exposure compensation  ( +/- 2.0 )
• Indoor/Outdoor mode
• Action/Still mode
• Inside ( optional ) waterproof case mode

Continuous supported mode:

• Exposure compensation
• 2/3/5/10/30 sec exposure delay
• Indoor/Outdoor mode
• Action/Still mode
• Inside waterproof case mode

Here’s the back of the unit, with the “open” port backing on it. The backing screws on using the small thumbscrew in the middle. This back obviously reduces  the water resistance integrity, but makes it easier than having to unscrew the back every time you want access to the USB port. The camera itself is only rated as “water-resistant”, not waterproof,  but it’s splash-proof, dust-proof, weatherproof, and dunk-proof.  The standard back has no port opening plugs and would be more water-resistant than the one above. A 3-metre waterproof pouch and a fully-waterproof-to-30-metres hard case are available as optional accessories.

Once you’ve removed the back cover you have full access to the ports (note the rubber boot around the edges that increase the water resistance when the backing is screwed in) :

• External Microphone
•  Micro HDMI
•  Mini USB
•  Micro SD slot
•  Battery

One thing to note is that there’s no key guide mechanism on the battery pack system. Not reading the quick start manual, I initially put in the battery upside down. The quickstart manual (come on, hands up! Who here actually reads the quickstart manual? ) does indicate which way the brand sticker should go. The unit is powered by a 3.7V, 1100 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Charging is easy as it’s done via the mini-USB port.  Battery life is quoted at around 4 hours.  Drift also offers an external battery pack to extend your battery life (though the right generic external pack would most likely do the job as well since it just connects via mini-USB ).

Once your camera is  connected and turned on , your desktop/notebook will appear as a new drive which makes it easy to get your videos off the camera and start editing.

One of the other unique features on the Drift in it’s market is the rotatable lens.  This means that the camera can be mounted at all sorts of  positions, and you can then rotate the lens to get a straight and level image.  With a 170° view you get a pretty wide field of view (so you don’t miss that off to the side action).  You do get some distortion, but with a lens that wide you’d expect that.   The lens will actually rotate a full 300°. Combining the rotating lens and the ratcheted clip mount, the camera can be made to perform at all sorts of weird angles.

The unit also has a 4X digital zoom, something that normally I turn off as soon as I receive a camera

The lens  itself doesn’t have any real protection, and I’ve taken to carrying it around in a Timbuk2 On the Go Shed Pouch.  The front lens is available as a spare part and can be replaced by removing the 4 hex screws (seen in the picture above) should you have the misfortune of breaking or damaging your lens during your extreme action.

For sound, the Drift has an internal microphone mounted on the side of the unit.  To keep it’s water resistance, the microphone has a thin layer of rubber over the top of it.  This does limit the quality and pickup range of the microphone, and if audio’s important to you, then for better audio quality it would be worth investing in an external microphone.

For starting or stopping recording (in any mode), the remote control is supplied as standard.  At  52X40X13 mm (2.05X1.58x.51 in), it’s nice and big, which is handy for quickly being able to find and hit the buttons , especially if you had gloves on.  The unit comes with mounts for connecting to a strap to put on your wrist or other appropriate, easy-to-find place.  Being RF based, you don’t need line of sight to the camera, and the range is rated at 5 metres.  You can also pair a single remote to pair with a number of cameras for simultaneous and synchronised on/off .  The camera will beep when you start or stop recording, and the only issue that I found was that there appeared to be some delay between hitting the button and the start/stop operation happening. Nothing too major, but something to keep in the back of your mind.

Once I got the item all fired up the next thing I decided I should do is to check if there was any updated firmware available for the unit.  It turned out that this camera was 2 …yes 2 firmware updates behind, however looking at the dates on the firmware page, this unit had those updates only over the last 3 months.  Nice to see a company that’s producing consistent firmware that improves the performance of their products. To upgrade you just copy the firmware to the micro-SD, get into the menu system and hit the firmware option which will upgrade it for you.

I then had a quick look at the support section of their website.  There’s a heap of online video tutorials, again very useful to go through to learn the basics of using the camera.  That being said, the operation of the unit is pretty straight forward and intuitive. The site also has sample videos from all those extreme sports to give you an idea what you can do with it.

The unit is capable of taking 9 MP still shots.  This is the view from my top balcony with the camera set to outdoor mode. There is distortion of straight lines  but you’d expect that from such a  wide lens.  Colours are fairly accurate, if not a bit dull.  If you look at the picture full-size however (click on the above image), you’ll see that the photo quality isn’t overly good.  There’s a lot of pixelation and blurring.  This camera certainly isn’t going to give you the sort of quality picture that you can blow up past about a standard 6X4″ print.

One thing to note is that because the camera has a side mounted LCD, it’s a bit weird taking photos as you have to stand at 90 degrees to your subject. Using it like a range finder (looking down on the LCD) helps in camera mode a bit, but only if you’re taking pictures in portrait.

Continuous mode had interesting possibilities, but there was no construction work or festivals being set up around my area, so here’s…..extreme table tennis

The camera was set to indoor with 10 sec bursts (and I just realized was set at still mode rather than action) . The camera is actually set up on the umpire’s chair which is probably less than about 1 metre (3 feet) away from the table. You can see the crazy wide-angle on the camera that takes in the whole table (and more).  Again the pictures don’t look too bad in this size, but the originals are fairly pixelated.

But the prime market for this sort of camera isn’t photos, it’s extreme video shots.  So I thought I’d do the obligatory car driving video. Strapped it to the door handle of my car and off I went for a bit of a spin. Note I can’t get the following embedded clips to default to HD, so if you want to view the full HD experience please view on youtube in 1080p.

The picture is really clear in fact if you look really closely you can even see the cobwebs on my side mirror Colours are good, though there is a bit of white blow out as I go into the tunnel and it goes from a bright to dark to bright environment. Road and wind noise is pretty bad as the microphone was pointing down towards the road surface.  The remote control was really useful to turn it on and off and minimise final editing.

Trouble is, I’m no Stig and that all looked pretty boring on review. So what’s my next extreme sport for the weekend…….gardening  Yep, sorry folks, you ain’t going to get too many videos of me screaming my way out of a helicopter while skydiving, or doing flips on my motocross bike………….

Because the camera’s so small, light and ruggedised, the options for where you can mount it really is open to your imagination.  You can place it where you’d never consider using your “standard” digital camera.  Using the supplied goggle mount and Velcro strap, I present to you extreme spade-cam. Using the rotatable lens and the ratchet, I was able to straighten and square up the view.

The movie above is raw, straight out of the camera. Videos are recorded in .MOV format at up to 30fps in 1080p (up to 90fps in SD) . 60 fps can be used to do slow motion footage in 720p and SD as well.  For file size the 34 seconds of car video above is about 65MB in size, while my 37 secs of extreme spading is around 52MB. Video quality is good and the wide-angle really does add a different perspective to things.

As mentioned above, the internal microphone isn’t that good. The microphone was on the left of the camera/spade and at one time the wife was yelling something to me from the right, but in the video you can’t hear it. In addition, if you listen carefully, you can only  just hear my reply to her.

Seeing the POV camera , the 13 year old decided to take it out to “the jumps” and do a bit of recording.  The camera was attached to the top of his helmet using the ratchet and rotatable lens to frame the video.  The above was just trimmed in Arcsoft Showbiz and resaved in .MOV format. Sound is much better on this video clip compared to the previous ones, perhaps just because of the distance between the sound and the microphone. The remote was wrapped around his wrist , so it was easy for him to stop and start the camera without having to take his hands off the bar for too long.

One criticism is that it would appear that bright areas like the sky tend to look overexposed and “blown out” in the video at times. Like the car video above however, it’s where you go from bright to dark so to be expected. It may be possible to compensate for the “blow out” a bit with the exposure compensation setting.

I’m not entirely sure  what effect changing the settings do on the camera, and a quick search didn’t find any answers. Does the still/action, indoor/outdoor settings change the “shutter” speed or change the “ISO” speed or change the Kelvin setting? I suppose it doesn’t really matter for the market it’s aimed at, but I for one would be interested to know.

All in all, I’m not sure that I was the correct person to fully review this item. Maybe the job should have gone to a (much) younger Gadgeteer in their prime for extreme sports.  That being said, I have done a tandem skydive jump in the last 3 years and only really just got rid of my motorbike (though not a motocross and I know the wheels have ever left the ground ). Pity I didn’t have this camera a few years ago.

I really love the camera because of the unique views of the world that you can get.  I want to connect it to the end of the paddle of my wave ski, connect it to the forks of my mate’s motorbike (and I’ll take the bike for a spin ), to the headstock of a guitar, to the end of my fork while eating dinner.  I will get round to this when time permits.

It’s certainly not an everyday camera.  The still quality just isn’t good enough and the quirky wide-angle isn’t something that you’d want to record family snaps or videos in. And as mentioned above, the viewfinder on the side makes it hard to frame photos or video.  I suspect that this will be doing the rounds of some of my friends and my kid’s friends for them to use when they’re out an about doing “silly” things.

If however you’re into extreme sports and want those POV shots you often see on the TV or internet, or if you’re  a bit of a budding movie maker and like to find those weird and different angles, the Drift HD is a great performer. Its small size and light weight, coupled with the rotating lens, ruggedised construction and various mounting options, lets you get those shots you couldn’t get with your normal video camera.

If my extreme gardening videos got you going, hop on over to the Drift Innovation website for some much more sedate flying, BMX, motor sports, mountain biking, skateboarding, snow and other assorted videos.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Outdoor Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Digital Camera

Drift HD POV Action Camera Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 25, 2011 at 12:59 pm.

Lytro has up for preorder their Light Field Camera.

“Unlike a conventional camera that captures a single plane of light, the Lytro camera captures the entire light field, which is all the light traveling in every direction in every point in space. Since you’ll capture the color, intensity, and direction of all the light, you can experience the first major light field capability – focusing after the fact. Focus and re-focus, anywhere in the picture. You can refocus your pictures at anytime, after the fact. And focusing after the fact, means no auto-focus motor. No auto-focus motor means no shutter delay. ”

The camera comes with an 8 X optical zoom at a constant f/2 aperture to allow for maximum light across the focal range and focusing is done in post processing via software. At this point the software is only Mac compatible however a Windows version is in development.

The only controls on the camera itself are a “shutter” release and a swipe bar for the optical zoom.  The unit has a touchscreen that allows you to view and focus and refocus your pictures on the internal screen like you would on your workstation.

Is this truly the “idiot-proof” camera that will eliminate blurry photos for ever?

Available for preorder in  3 colours in 8 and 16GB variants from $399 and $499 the cameras will ship in early 2012.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Digital Camera

Lytro Light Field Camera originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 19, 2011 at 9:30 am.

Sakar and Disney have introduced the Sakar Disney iPad Camera.  This 7MP camera is designed with children in mind, but adults might like it, too.  This simple camera takes still photos only; it has a 1.5″ preview screen and a 4X digital zoom.  There’s no internal memory, but it comes with a 32GB microSD card.  With the built-in rechargeable battery, you’ll be able to roam around taking pictures.  There’s also a built-in 30-pin Apple connector, so you can connect the camera to your iPad and transfer over your pictures. You can also use it while connected to the iPad – so it’s a way to add a camera to the original iPad and perhaps replace the iPad 2′s cameras with something better.  There’s even a free photo-editing app in the iTune’s store.  The Disney iPad Camera is available with a Mickey, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, Tinkerbell, or Phineas and Ferb design at  B&H Photo and Video for $59.95

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Digital Camera, iPad accessory

Sakar Disney iPad Camera originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 19, 2011 at 8:21 am.

If you have a smartphone, you probably have or have seen additional photo apps to alter the state of your pictures.  With Lomo and vintage-style photos being such a craze, HolgaDirect has put out the SLFT-IP4 case and filter mount compatible with the iPhone 4 and 4S that will aid the amateur hipster photographer without the addition of specialized or restrictive apps.  The mount provides 9 different filters including RGB color filters, double to quadruple image splits, and a macro lens.  The lens wheel is designed like an old-school rotary phone and just snaps onto the back of the iPhone.

The filter kit is available in black, blue, red, silver, and white case colors through HolgaDirect for $24.95.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: camera filter, iphone camera

Vintage-fun with the Holga iPhone Filter Wheel originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 14, 2011 at 10:00 am.

As an amateur photographer, I always like carrying around my DSLR camera everywhere I go.  At first I used the strap that came with the camera, but that wasn’t comfortable and the strap always got in the way when I lifted the camera up.  Then I changed to a sling type strap, but I didn’t like the camera swinging around the hip area since it felt like it was going to swing into something.  That’s when I saw a Kickstarter project for the Capture Camera Clip System made by Peak Design.

The Capture Camera Clip System came in a nice small box.  The only instructions are the ones located at the back of the box.  They’re simple instructions, and anyone should be able to figure out how to use the Capture.

The Capture is made up of aluminum.  It feels heavier than it looks, but it’s extremely sturdy and will definitely last a lifetime.

The Capture is made up of 2 pieces: the base unit and the Arca-Swiss camera plate.

The Arca-Swiss camera plate has a solid build to it.  On top is a plastic layer to protect your camera from getting scratched by the plate.  The bottom has a standard tripod mount hole.

On either side of the Capture are clamping bolts with the Peak Design logo on it.

Loosen one bolt and the Capture swings open.

Next you just have to attach it to your backpack or belt and tighten the bolt.  It’s a secure hold so you won’t have to worry if it will slip out.

The Arca-Swiss plate sticks out from my Sony NEX-5 camera but shouldn’t on full sized DSLR cameras.

It’s easy to operate the Capture.  Just slide the Arca-Swiss plate into the base unit and it clips in place.  To take it out, just push the red quick release button and slide out the camera.  If you want extra security then just tighten the twist lock and the camera won’t slide out if you accidentally push the quick release button.

I really enjoy the Capture Camera Clip System since it keeps the camera closer to the body.  It’s extremely easy to slide out the camera for a quick photo and slide it back in again.  The first time I used it was at the 2011 Comic Con at the Javits Center in New York, and I was approached by 7 media/press people asking about it.  I gladly gave them a demo, and all of them fell in love with the product.  It’s priced at $79.99 direct from Peak Designs, and I highly recommend it for any photographers out there.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Camera mount

Capture Camera Clip System Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 11, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Photojojo stretches the capability of your camera phone with the Macro Cell Lens Band .  The simple sturdy band with built-in macro lens works with any mobile phone.  When not in use it can be worn around the wrist for instant access.  Maybe they’ll release a tele- and wide-angle as well?  It’s currently out of stock, but it sells for $15.00

Filed in categories: Android related, Blackberry related, Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Cell phone camera lens

Macro Cell Lens Band – Stretches the Imagination originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 9, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

This past spring I decided to purchase a waterproof camera and was pleasantly surprised to find they’ve come a long way since the disposables with the plastic housings.  Every top manufacturer had at least one camera in their rugged line with features such as being waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof–but Nikon was mysteriously absent.  Five months later, the AW100 Coolpix camera was released, and it proved to be worth the wait.

The AW100 features a 5x Zoom NIKKOR ED glass lens and 16mp CMOS sensor allowing it to capture low-light and fast moving action in both still and HD video (1080p) shooting modes.  The specs for this camera blow away all the others in its category–it’s waterproof to 33 feet, capable of shooting in temperatures down to 14°F, and is able to withstand a drop of 5 feet.  And since this is an adventuring camera, there is a built-in GPS and compass for both viewing your path and geo-tagging your shots.  It has a 3″ LCD screen, but no touch screen features.  Instead, expecting a user with gloved hands, it has an Action control that when activated will respond to shakes of the camera to navigate through the menus.  There are a variety of preset shooting modes for most environments including Snow, Underwater, Night, Sports, and Pet Portraits–as well as a neat little smile detector which will automatically fire off a shot once the subject smiles.

I bought this camera day of release and so far it has withstood a trip to the Florida theme parks, the beach, and an intense journey through Tough Mudder.

The Nikon AW100 comes in orange, black, and blue and will set you back about $380 through Nikon.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: coolpix, Nikon, waterproof camera

Nikon AW100 Coolpix – A Rugged Camera for an Active Lifestyle originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 30, 2011 at 9:00 am.

A smarter strap....

I hate to sound like Andy Rooney but have you ever noticed those bulky camera straps that hang around your neck?  They’re supposed to hold your camera and supposed to allow you to port your camera about and it’s supposed to be easy.  Have you ever noticed how heavy and bulky wearing your camera around your neck gets?  LensLoop  has. And they have the answer to the clunky, bulky camera issue.

My husband is an amateur photographer.  He has a Canon Digital SLR with a  Sigma 18-200 mm as his main  lens (whatever THAT means), he subscribes to the photography magazines, he joins clubs and pretty much takes a lot of pictures of our dog.

He used to carry his camera bag around with him but found it cumbersome (or rather I found it cumbersome to carry for him) to have to put it down everytime he wanted to take a picture of something…usually a bee or hummingbird buzzing around some flower while working on this “depth of field” shots.

Ok, so anyway.  Whenever he wore his camera on a strap, it’s always the Around the Neck In Front type of strap and with the kind of lens he’s got on it (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know there are longer lenses out there…) he’d knock it against this or that and it’s just clumsy.

LensLoop  is an across the chest camera strap that fits the way a messenger bag does…it slings across the chest, under one arm and allows the wearer to keep the camera at hip angle instead of against the abdomen.

Vadim Gordin is the creator of LensLoop and like most items of convenience, LensLoop was conceived out of necessity.  Wanting to go hiking and backpacking and needing a sturdy camera strap, Gordin got fed up with the limited but pricey selection of camera straps in camera stores and made his own:  from the seatbelt webbing he cut out of an old Chevy in a junkyard.   He tweaked and tinkered and eventually created the LensLoop camera strap.  It’s wider than most camera straps, and because of its width, fits more comfortably across the body and and makes it easier to carry, cart around and to get a picture, then sling back and go on.  It’s not hanging around your neck…it’s slung across your body.

Fits across the body.

This way, wherever you are, you are not a slave to your bulky camera bag, you’re not knocking your lens against anything in your way and you don’t have the weight and bulk of the camera hanging about your neck. Digital or not, cameras have not gotten any lighter in weight.

LensLoop straps are still made from industrial webbing which makes them ridiculously strong.   Let’s face it, no one is going to rip off your camera.  A. Because it’s not a thin, skinny strap, and B. Because it’s not hanging on your arm because you’re tired of hanging it about your neck.

Good luck to anyone trying to get a camera attached to a LensLoop off of its owner.  Not happening.

My husband is the tester for this LensLoop and he gives it mostly a thumbs up.  He would like to see more fasteners to the strap for lens caps, a flash case and be able to mount the camera to a monopod/tripod while still attached to the strap.  Fascinated by the SunSniper camera strap, my husband also mentioned that he really liked the padded shoulder attachment that SunSniper has but LensLoop does not. But those were really his only gripes.  He loves the LensLoop.

Easy to carry, easy to access.

At $35.00, LensLoop is competitively priced against other camera straps.  Like Vadim Gordin, I’ve seen badly manufactured camera straps for ridiculous prices.  This is a sweet piece of equipment to have for your camera and to give as a Christmas gift to the camera enthusiast on your list.  Trust me…at first he or she will look a it and go…oh… a camera strap… then try it on and go…”This rocks!!!”

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Gear, Reviews

Tagged: camera straps

LensLoop Camera Strap Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 22, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Belkin’s LiveAction Camera Grip is an accessory attachment that you slide over your iPhone’s dock connector.  It features a camera grip similar to the ones on DSLR cameras.  It has 2 buttons, one for taking photos and another for videos.  The camera shutter button is a fast shutter button for those quick snapshots of your kids running around.  Good thinking on Belkin’s part is to make this accessory case-compatible as well.  It requires Belkin’s own LiveAction App for the Camera Grip to work.  It’s priced at $49.99, direct from Belkin.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: dock connector accessory, iPhone accessory

Make your iPhone feel like a DSLR originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 17, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

Can’t think of the perfect gift for the photographer on your list this year? Here’s something that will allow them to extend their photography hobby into the bathroom. It’s a toilet paper cover in the shape of a film canister from Brando. The covers are available in Yellow, Red and Green, for $16.90. It’s definitely a conversation starter.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera

Photographers can now tinkle in style originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 14, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Recently, photography has been picking up popularity in both the amateur and professional sectors.  As an amateur photographer, I always love to carry my Sony NEX-5 DSLR around with me when I go out exploring NYC or traveling.  I wanted a bag that can protect my camera, lens, and accessories and also have room for some other things.  The Discovery Large Photo/Laptop Daypack from Tenba looked perfect for me.

Tenba’s Discovery Large Photo/Laptop Daypack came in two colors – Black/Gray or Sage/Khaki.  I got the Black/Gray one to review.  My first reaction to the Discovery was that it was extremely light at 2.6 lb.  The Discovery has a water repellant nylon exterior, but it also comes with a  WeatherWrap cover for extra protection.

Outside Dimensions: 12.3W x 18H x 10.5D in.
Inside Dimensions: 9.5W x 8H x 8.5D in.
Laptop Compartment: 10W x 14.8H x 1D in. – Fits most laptops up to 15 inches

The Discovery comes with standard chest and waist straps.  It feels very comfortable to wear.  Also there’s plenty of loops for accessories on the strap.

On both sides are compression straps to secure and stabilize the load.  There’s also a large elasticized pocket on each side for water bottles or other accessories.

There’s a small zipper pocket in the front for small items like your cell phone or wallet.  Personally, I won’t put anything valuable in here.  I always worry about pickpockets and this pocket seems like such an easy target.

The main camera pocket is large.  It will fit 2 DSLR bodies along with 4-6 lenses or flash.  It’s extremely padded and I won’t worry at all if I dropped my bag.  The padding is all secured with Velcro, and the pieces are easily reconfigurable.

The top compartment flap opens outward to give full access.

On the back wall of the top compartment are 4 pockets, 2 pen slots and a clip for your keys.  Personally, I wish they offered small zippered pockets on both sides of the top compartment for accessories like batteries or memory cards.

There’s a medium sized mesh pocket and ID card holder located on the flap of the top compartment.  Tenba also included a WeatherWrap inside the mesh pocket.

The WeatherWrap covers the front completely and partially covers the back.  It’s secured by 2 snap-on buttons.  With the WeatherWrap on and secured by the snap-on buttons, there’s no way in to the Discovery while you’re wearing it.

On the back side is a padded zippered pocket for either a 15” laptop or a hydration pack like a CamelBak.  Personally, I think it’s a really tight fit for a laptop to go in there; it was compressing my MacBook a bit too much for my liking.

There’s a elastic flap that you can snake the hydration tube through.

The back is nicely padded and extremely comfortable.

I wore the Tenba Discovery Daypack in three different scenarios:

1)  Business trip – I used the Discovery as a carry-on for the plane ride out to Los Angeles.  It fit my MacBook, DSLR, snacks, water bottle, a small notebook, pens and cell phone.  It went through the X-ray machine without TSA asking me to remove the laptop.  It worked great as a carry-on bag for when you’re planning to bring a DSLR on your trips.

2)  Day trip in NYC – The Discovery was useful in protecting my DSLR while exploring the city.  It was extremely comfortable to wear it throughout the day.  Did some light shopping but not everything fits in the top compartment because of the limited height.

3)  Comic Con – Spent a day at the Comic Convention and it felt great wearing the Discovery.  It protected my DSLR and a netbook that I took with me.  The top compartment held my light jacket and a few items that I got there.

The Tenba Discovery costs $139.95 direct.  It’s a really comfortable daypack and totally protects the DSLR.  I would highly recommend this for any photographer.

Filed in categories: Bags, Backpacks, Digital Cameras and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Backpack, Camera bag

Tenba Discovery Large Photo/Laptop Daypack Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 14, 2011 at 11:00 am.

While the GoPro Hero  has been the defacto go to wearable camera for extreme sport photographers, Swann has just released an alternative in their Freestyle HD.

Specifications  include:

• Detachable LCD viewer
• 3 X Digital Zoom
• Waterproof up to 65′
• 1080 HD Video at 30 fps
• 8 MP still in single-shot or rapid fire
• Wireless remote

It comes with standard with multiple mounting options and accessories.

Slightly cheaper than the GoPro Hero2 @ $279.99 RRP, check out the Swann website for retailers

Press release below the break.

Swann Releases Swann Freestyle HD – 1080p High Definition Wearable Video Camera with LCD Viewer

7 Nov 2011

Santa Fe Springs, Calif. – Swann, a global leader in security monitoring solutions, proudly debuts its first high definition wearable video camera with a detachable LCD viewer: Swann Freestyle HD. Whether capturing 1080p video with up to 3x digital zoom or snapping JPEG images with its 8MP camera, Swann Freestyle HD lets you capture stunning hands-free video and share it with the world.

Housed in a sturdy case that is waterproof up to 65′, Swann Freestyle HD can be worn on the body or mounted to bikes, cars, helmets, skateboards and more via a range of included interchangeable mounts and brackets. In addition, the Swann Freestyle HD can be used as a standard point & shoot camera, featuring both single shot and rapid fire picture taking. Video is shot in stunning professional-grade 1080p HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), boasting 30 fps, 3x digital zoom and stereo audio. Swann has also included a wireless remote control that lets users operate the camera while it’s mounted and out of arms reach.

Real-time viewing is made possible by the detachable 1.5″ LCD screen, so you immediately see if you’ve captured the shot. Swann Freestyle HD also allows you to watch your footage afterwards on an HDTV via an HDMI cable or you can transfer your recording to the computer via a MicroSD card or the included USB cable for editing or sharing on social media networks. The Lithium-ion battery is also rechargeable via USB, giving users up to 2.5 hours of recording time per charge.

“The immense popularity of action sports and online video sharing helped make our earlier model, the Swann SportsCam™, a huge success, but now we’ve taken our customer’s feedback and greatly improved upon that design,” remarked Guy Pithie, Swann VP of Sales. “Swann Freestyle HD boasts an impressive feature set, including a LCD viewing screen, full 1080p recording and a dual function camera and video recorder. These features paired with the rugged dependability our customers have come to expect from Swann products make the Swann Freestyle HD what we believe to be one of the best sports action video cameras on the market.”

Accessories Included

-Freestyle HD Wearable Video Camera
-LCD Screen
-Waterproof Case
-Remote Control
-Carry Pouch
-Helmet Mounting Bracket
-Universal L Shaped Mounting Bracket
-Universal Low Profile Mounting Bracket
-Connector Tray Bracket Accessory
-2 Flat Adhesive Mounting Pad
-Curved Adhesive Mounting Pad
-AV Out Cable
-USB Cable
-Power Adapter
-Instructions Manual & CD

Swann’s Freestyle HD has a MSRP of $279.99 and is available for purchase at BestBuy.com, Tiger Direct, Fry’s, London Drugs or visit Swann.com for a full list of retailers.

For more information on Swann’s Freestyle HD, please contact PR Representative Brian Metcalf at (305) 576-1171 x11 or at brianmetcalf@maxborgesagency.com or go to www.swann.com.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Digital Camera, Outdoor Gear

Swann Freestyle Wearable HD Video Camera – Heads Up originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 8, 2011 at 9:00 am.

I am an avid digital photographer, and I love to bring my DSLR with me where ever I go. I take great pictures that help me create memories that will last forever.  But I, like many of my photography-loving friends, hate carrying the added weight of my DSLR around my neck. I am also self-conscious as I feel that I have the dreaded “tourist look”, not to mention that the strap on my camera cuts into my neck causing significant discomfort over longer periods of an hour or more. Because of the “in-front” position of my DSLR the strap puts it right in front of me and I feel that my $500+ DSR with its protruding lens is in a precarious position waiting to be bumped into a preoccupied passerby. I have always tried to sling my DSLR under my arm, but to no avail, as the camera strap would not allow this kind of positioning. A company by the name of Sun-Sniper has solved my decade old problem by developing and delivering the Sniper-Strap. The company sent me the Sniper-Strap Pro to review.

The photos in this review can be clicked for a larger view.

The Sniper-Strap is truly a revolution in camera straps as it moves the weight and support of your favorite camera from around ones neck to ones shoulder, much in the same way a messenger bag does the same thing for your important computer and papers. The Sniper-Strap works by mounting an intuitive and proprietary strap connection to your Camera’s tripod mount, creating a sliding mechanism to support the camera – thereby eliminating your original camera strap all together and allowing you to support your camera on your shoulder. The Tripod mount has a soft piece of dense foam to protect your camera’s tripod mounting location from any damage due to connecting with the steel of the Genuine Bearing – a well designed piece. For those of us that regularly use a tripod with a shoe we are all to familiar with the shoe connection coming loose and I feared that this would be the case with the Sniper-Strap, but my fears were put to rest as no matter what I tried, the camera stayed firmly connected. The Sniper-Strap comes in several versions and the one that I received for the review is the Sniper- Strap Pro with a “Genuine Bearing” as Sun-Sniper calls it.

The Genuine Bearing is composed of a twist-able rotary connection to your camera supported by a set of stainless steel ball bearings.

This configuration enables one to “Quick-Draw”, as the company calls it, quickly reaching to one’s side, grab their camera, and start snapping pictures – just like what I assume it must be like to draw a handgun from a holster to shoot the bad guys in an old western movie or modern day police show.

I tried the Sniper-Strap on both my right and left shoulders and found the strap to be extremely comfortable. In fact, I hiked a trail with it and forgot that it was even there. I should point out at this point that I usually carry a mini camera backpack with a couple of lenses and my DSLR, but for this trip I went out on my hike only with the Sniper-Strap and I enjoyed not having 10 pounds of gear on my back. I carry a Nikon DSLR with a 15-200 lens to shoot my pictures. While not the heaviest of DSLRs on the market, it is still a couple of pounds with the lens. To make it virtually disappear from my load while hiking is a welcome capability of the Sniper-Strap. The strap is adjustable to meet the needs of any size individual.

The comfortable top part of the strap, the “Shock Absorber” as the company calls it, can be easily removed thanks to some simple Velcro closures in the strap. The strap itself is extremely durable as I tried to “throw” it around on my hikes and it easily held up to the light torture that I doled out. The strap on the Sniper-Strap Pro has an embedded piece of steel braided cabling in it to protect it from being stolen by a robber with a knife that tries to slash the strap and run off with your expensive camera. I did not try this in my testing, but given the look of the cable, I am sure it would hold up to a thief with a knife as it would take more than a knife to cut through the cable – can you say “cable cutters with big teeth”?

The company needs some “marketing” help as they have named every possible feature of the Sniper-Strap with names, that while inventive, can be somewhat confusing for the regular photographer.  I highly suggest sticking with plain old English, or other regular form of translated language for features and benefits – trying to name everything adds up to nothing from a market perception perspective – you spend all of your time and money promoting terms instead of the value of the term in plain English.  Anyone for a ‘Cutter-Crasher”?

Sun Sniper is so proud and sure of their Sniper-Strap that they offer a $500 insurance policy to anyone who uses their camera and has it stolen by a thief with a knife. This is a welcome addition as many travelers and tourists are fearful of carrying around their expensive DSLR only to be met with a thief on the streets of a big city. Not sure if the steel strap would help if the knife is directed at the individual carrying the camera and hearing the words “Hand over your money, jewelry, watch, and that camera!”, but it is a step in the right direction.

I usually talk about the packaging of the products that I review (see top picture), and the Sniper-Pro packaging is a little on the basic cardboard side as it is packaged to be hung at a retailer location next to the rest of the camera straps and accessories. The packaging is a little confusing to open as I expected to open it from the top or bottom, but it actually opened up from the side. The packaging could have used some “Open Here” directions as I usually like to avoid ripping the packaging to get at the product – never know if you will rip up an important piece of instructions, or the product itself.

Since I take a good deal of action photography on the move at my kids sporting events, hiking, and touring locations I enjoy the quick draw capabilities and the comfort of the Sniper-Strap and would recommend it for those professional photographers that wear their cameras for long periods and need quick access to their cameras; such as event and sport photographers. As well, avid hobby photographers should take a look at the Sniper-Strap as it will change the way that they use their cameras.

Sun-Sniper straps are available in a variety of configurations from about $60 to over $200 for a harness that supports three cameras.  At these prices, one has to think long and hard about paying over 10% of your camera’s value for a strap, unless you are a professional photographer or an avid hobby photographer.

The company is based in Europe.  They ship directly to many countries, but they have a list of distributors for other countries.  Check this list of distributors (near bottom of page) to determine which is the correct one for you, or you can buy the full family of Sun Sniper products from from Amazon.com

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, Camera strap

Sun-Sniper Sniper-Strap Pro Camera Strap Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 1, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

GoPro has just announced its new HD Hero2 camera.  Twice as powerful as the original Hero, it now supports 1080p HD video and 11 megapixel photos.  It has a newly designed 170º wide angle lens and is capable of snapping 10 photos per second.   The GoPros are the camera of choice for adventurers and extreme sports fanatics due to their ruggedness and unique mounting systems.  Also announced was their Wi-Fi Remote and Wi-Fi BacPac  giving the ability to remotely control up to 50 GoPro cameras and allowing live streaming of videos and photos to the web.

Available for $299.99  in 3 starter packs( Outdoor, Motorsports, Surf ) from GoPro’s online store and selected retailers.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Digital Camera

Go Pro Hero 2 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 28, 2011 at 9:00 am.

The tripod is one of the great accessories for your camera for rock steady photos, low light/night shots, and also to get yourself in the picture.  The problem is even a miniature tripod is a pain to carry around with you and dig out and attach when you need it.  The Tiltpod hopes to alleviate this issue. Consisting of a rounded stainless steel pivot point and a grippy, magnetic base that holds to  inclined surfaces like  wood and metal, the pivot is either inserted into the normal tripod screw hole on your camera or stuck on if the screw would block the battery/memory door. The base measures  2.125 x 1.5 x 0.25 inches and can be attached via a lanyard to your camera so it’s always available.  Connecting the two via the high strength magnet allows the camera to be tilted and adjusted quickly even on uneven surfaces.

It’s only designed to work with compact cameras, and I’d be a little wary about putting the magnetic base near your wallet and credit cards.

Available from Amazon for $14.95 (currently with free shipping on two or more).

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: digital camera stand, Tripod

Tiltpod Camera Support – Not a tripod originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 26, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

A Mixbook collects your photos and lets you share them with others.

Mixtapes (or mixCDs, if you’re of the younger generation that didn’t have to use tape), those custom-designed soundtracks of your life from high school and before, were ubiquitous. If you liked someone, or wanted to celebrate a special memory or event, you’d make a mixtape to play in the background. We still do similar things through custom play lists on iTunes, Rdio, or Spotify, or tweaked stations on Pandora. In many areas, there are also groups of ladies (mostly) who enjoy clipping, pasting, and constructing scrapbooks of various events. There are special scissors that pink the edges of special background papers, stickers, and other items that fill the aisles of craft stores across the country. Imagine a mashup of these two things, and you have Mixbook personalized printed photo books. Mixbook is a service, basically,  that takes this scrapbooking ability online. With the proliferation of high quality cameras, we can now edit, crop, and manipulate photos. No longer do we need to clip, paste, and bind memories – we can do it digitally.  The folks at MixBook asked the Gadgeteer team to try out their service, and I was selected to delve into it.

I’ve been taking pictures digitally for over ten years. About eight years ago, I was introduced to flickr.com (years before it was acquired by Yahoo) and was a pro user for several years. I have probably 70 GB of photos on my hard drive, plus CDs and hard drives with archived photos. Some were taken with an early Kodak point and shoot, some with  prosumer units of moderate ability, and many were taken with a Canon Digital Rebel or a Nikon D40x  or D90. I’ve had various other card-deck-sized point-and-shoot units and taken some nice shots with a few of them as well. The longer I carry cameras around, however, the more convinced I become that, as Chase Jarvis says, “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” But, no matter which camera you use, sharing the moments of your life is an important part of capturing those photos.

Remembering - I parked near this cemetery for eight years. The best camera is the one that's with you.

Mixbook’s website allows you to upload your pictures, choose backgrounds, add decorations, and layout pages, then order books to be sent to yourself or anyone else. There are several sizes and binding types available – hard-bound, soft cover, and wire-bound. You make this choice, and start adding pages to your book. You have total control over how pages are laid out, and there are templates for various numbers of photos on each page which make this process easier and give you good ideas to start from. Changing the template is simple, but you cannot save an edited template for use on other pages. Dragging your photos over from the thumbnail-sized gallery is quick and easy. You can have large background photos, various smaller shots floating over them, and turn photos at different angles, all in an intuitive interface that, unfortunately, is built in Adobe Flash. (This means you can only edit your books on a computer that has Flash installed. Tablet performance is horrid or non-functional.) Since I’m only using Flash in Chrome, this meant I could only edit my book from home, rather than on the devices I carry with me on a daily basis. Hopefully, this will improve in time. That said, upload was painless, with several streams allowed at a time. I don’t think I had a single issue uploading, and I pushed out some large files, usually in groups of 5-10 at a time.

MixBook Flash fail - I'll be so glad when plug-ins are no longer in use.

Once edited and finished, ordering a book is a simple process. When you click the order button, the system quickly calculates how many pages your book is, and what the cost will be. If this is not to your liking, you can remove or add pages and re-calculate your order without a problem. You can also give gift certificates in the form of redemption codes, which is a simple thing to use. This would be a fantastic gift for someone who has just been on an epic journey, like a semester abroad or an anniversary trip, to allow them to preserve and share the occasion. (Even with a coupon code for the full amount, however, you’ll still need to enter a credit card for the final shipment. This is just for verification of identity and shipping, however, and is not kept on file, according to their help desk.) I contacted support and asked several questions, and got great service on each occasion, with timely follow-up and accurate answers.

A two-page, full bleed photo layout. Registration (matching across the pages) is very difficult, and done flawlessly.

The product I was delivered was quite impressive. I opened it when I got home (late because of work – everyone was asleep) and enjoyed looking through it and remembering taking each photo. I left it on the dining room table, and the next morning, after the Lovely Bride had left for work, I stumbled out to make some tea. There was a note on top of my book with a single word in huge letters: “WOW!” I think that says a lot. She had spent all of breakfast going through it, remembering which photos we’d taken together, and seeing the ones for the first time that I’d taken on business trips, and had almost been late for work! And that’s the goal with such a product: share your photos with friends so that they can relive or learn of your experiences.

Quibbles are few. The Flash thing goes without saying, but this legacy program is quite ingrained on today’s web. With new technologies being released, and with tablets and other devices becoming more prevalent on today’s internet, I’m sure this will improve over time. Regarding the final book, as a former printing artist, I noticed a few things. Several full-bleed pages (where the photo was designed to go off the edge of the page) were cut short, and a white border showed. While my wife never noticed, I knew and was a bit irritated that there was a flaw.

White border on a full bleed photo. On the cover, yet. Arrghhh!

I’ve never seen that on any of the books I’ve ordered through iPhoto or Snapfish. Also, although the packaging was secure and tight, there was nothing to protect the book from the rough cardboard packaging. One of the premium touches in an iPhoto book is a slipcover and sleeve, all enclosed in protective wrap. If you’re sending this as a gift, the out-of-box experience is quite dull. With the pricing nearly identical, this feels a bit plain for such a nice finished product.

Vanity tags - custom printing on the binding gives your Mixbook that final professional touch.

All in all, the experience and the product received was quite good. The clarity of the photos as printed, the quality of the binding, and the selection and speed of upload were all perfection. If you have photos languishing in your digital “shoebox in the closet,” you should put one together and share it with someone you care about. Isn’t that why you took those photos in the first place?

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Do-It-Yourself, Reviews

Tagged: Photo album printing, photo gifts, Photo keepsake

Mixbook Personalized Printed Photo Books Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 25, 2011 at 11:00 am.