Gearfuse

OK, so I’ve had a nice DSLR for a few years, as well as some point-and-shoot cameras. The problem is, I hardly ever bring them out for shoots since you need to bring a tripod and tripods suck. They’re cumbersome; a real pain in the ass to carry. Luckily, there’s a product for ten bucks that isn’t a concept and is usable almost anywhere. It’s this Bottle Cap Tripod. It fits almost any standard water or soda bottle, so your leftover Dasani bottle from work is a go. This way, you can get a good, clean shot no matter the location. I’ll be picking up one this weekend for sure.

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The Dude doesn’t like the fucking Eagles, man, but he sure does love to bowl. “Capture” the feel of The Big Lebowski with this DSLR bag from Acme Made. At $40, it’s one of the most inexpensive camera bags available and it clearly would put you on The Jesus’ good side. Though there’s not a lot of room for lenses and extra crap like card readers and cables, it’s still a great bargain.

Just remember what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass.

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So I grabbed the DSLR and a FedEx box and went crazy. Here’s a bunch of pics of the new Sidekick, as well as the new Sidekick being compared to a Sidekick LX for scale. Enjoy!

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Since purchasing a DSLR last year, my major problem hasn’t been related to having a good time, but rather endlessly worrying if my camera will be lost, stolen or broken. I haven’t had a chance to use the Eye-Fi wireless SD card yet, but I’ve heard plenty of good things. Now I have another reason to pick one up: security.

Seems the Eye-Fi software will let you know what happened to your camera if it gets within range of an open WiFi network. Talk about an added bonus! However, Eye-Fi just so happened to lock on to an open WiFi network that matched the owner’s details and thus an upload was performed. What if that didn’t happen? Would Eye-Fi still save your digicam? Only one way to find out…

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DSLR’s can be tricky when you’re trying to get those ultra-tight macro shots, especially without a detachable viewfinder, since your body has the tendancy to cast a shadow on your subject. If you don’t have the right lenses, you might as well be using a point and shoot. While a wide assortment of point and shoots take macro shots pretty well on their own, the Marumi LED Macro Ring allows you to shine a little light on your super small shots.

With DSLR’s, the trouble with having the wrong lens is that you can’t focus properly without a special flash to brighten up the macro subject. This LED Macro Ring snaps right on to your tripod and camera, shining 8 LED’s to illuminate the lenses sensor. It’s a pretty cool (if not slightly overpriced) tool for $126. — Andrew Dobrow

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Although not yet formally announced, the follow up to the Olympus E-1 is being codenamed P-1. Teasing us as they always do, here is some photos of the upcoming Olympus release. This thing looks solid as a rock and all of the knobs and buttons lead us to believe a feature full DSLR on the rise.

The LCD screen can be flipped out and swiveled which means that there might be an integrated live view function, which while cutting down on missed shots, will also mean a lessoning of screen size. Regardless, the Olympus P-1 is looking like a monster.

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Those who switch from normal digital cameras to dSLR have taken live-view LCDs for granted, a lot of them have even expressed disappointment having realized that almost all dSLR in the market do not have live-view LCDs, you would need to poke into the view-finder in order to know what you’re framing. Olympus has released 1 or 2 dSLRs with live-view LCDs, however the result was not the best according to various professional review sites.

The problem is not about simply buying the Olympus camera, but the hassle to change all your lenses and flashlights to a different brand. Korean company Seculine has been selling the live-view LCDs that can be attach to almost all dSLRs in the market, now they came back with an upgrade- the Zig View S2 which improves a lot upon the older version. The 2″ 230,000 pixels LCD will display the live image caught by the CCD attached to the viewfinder on your dSLR (comparing to the older Zig View which used CMOS), so you don’t have to peep through the hole anymore, you will also have a lot more flexibility when it comes to shooting angle.

Thanks to the double hinges, the LCD can flip 180 degrees vertically (up, down) and 315 degrees horizontally (left, right). The battery can last up to 2 hours non top per charge. Dimensions are 67×21x110mm (85g). The Zig View S2 will be retailed in March for 540USD. More shots after the jump.

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It’s one of the sacrifices that must be made to be a full convert to the DSLR ways: losing the live LCD preview. Using a DSLR means looking through the viewfinder, unless you are so talented that you can perfectly place your subjects in the right frame without even looking at a preview. If that is you, then you don’t have to worry about this little gadget, but if you are one of the many who have trouble with that tiny viewfinder, take a look at this. The Zigview S2 attaches onto your DSLR’s viewfinder and uses its own sensor to then display the image onto a fully rotateable 2.5″ LCD screen. Because of the full rotation allowed, this LCD is perfect for those Hail Mary shots where you need to get above that crowd to get the perfect shot. Another nice feature, the S2 includes a cable shutter release so that you don’t have to push that button. This allows you to reduce the amount of vibration the camera has, and your shots will be clearer because of it. For around $450, this device is definitely not for everyone. But if you have the cash and hate that damn viewfinder enough, you might be willing to give the Zigview S2 a try. — Nik Gomez

Zigview S2 [via OhGizmo!]

No one can deny that camera phone quality leaves something to be desired. There’s nothing more embarrassing then having a photo-op taken with a 1.5 MP camera. People have been beat up for less. For the relatively inexpensive price of $19, you can get this Telephoto lens which adds a 6x zoom to your camera’s quality. Sure, it might be bulky and ugly. And of course most DSLR’s released today would probably take up the same amount of space. But you gotta give them an A+ for effort. At least for a minimal price you can have pictures that at least equal the quality of the lowest line of digital cameras. — Andrew Dobrow

Mobile Phone Telescope [via Popgadget]

Why must Olympus flaunt the size of the E-400 in our faces, teasing us with the tantalizing vision of a functional and very mini DSLR? Compared to the rather obese E-500, this camera is a mini-machine of madness and mayhem (add your word starting with “m” here). With an increased resolution from the E-500, and the amazingly geeky and useful new edition of an anti-dust system, the very first of it’s class, Olympus has now placed it’s self among the competition of bigger companies. The verdict is in from reviewers across “teh internets”, and the verdict is straight across the board: This camera is one kick-ass piece of equipment.

Critics have commented on the E-400’s excellent photo quality and it’s ease of use. The addition of an auto mode to a DSLR is sure to draw more beginner towards this camera rather then a manually operated one (damn n00bz! ROFL ROFL). The consensus says that the E-400 excels in every area a DSLR should excel at, leaving us gear heads one bad-ass edition to our camera collection. One piece of criticism offered (because no gadget can be truly perfect) is that some photography pro’s might shun the camera off for its high price tag, even though the high quality lens is said to be a good value for the price. — Andrew Dobrow

Olympus E-400 review roundup [Engadget]