Those jackasses over at Boing Boing Gadgets have done it again. Posted a rad picture with no description. Look, is this really a camera with a damn garden growing out of the lens? It seems entirely plausible. Then again, it could be Joel photoshopping his pubes into sprouts.
While I’m not quite sure why anyone would consider the iPhone as an acceptable camera, perhaps some of you would beg to differ. Consider picking up these three lenses from USB Fever that will add a little kick to your photos. There’s a fisheye lens, a wide-angle lens, and a telephoto lens that all attach to your iPhone’s camera magnetically. Cool idea; and the price is right. $17 for the wide-angle and telephoto and $20 for the fisheye lens. Not too shabby when compared with a real SLR camera lens.
Today, Sony announced its new breakthrough in cellphone cameras with a camera that’s as powerful, if not more, than my handheld Canon. It’s managed to shrink the size of the sensor down so much, that a 12.25-megapixel, 28mm equivalent CMOS camera can now fit within a cellphone.
On top of image quality and detail comparable to most point and shoot cameras, this newly developed lens will also be capable of shooting 1080p video at up to 27 frames per second. With video quality that superb, you’ll certainly need to upgrade that beat up Sandisk SD card of yours if you want to hold any video of decent length.
Fashionistas will go ga-ga for this Paul Smith 35mm camera. It features both a wide-angle fisheye barrel lens, allowing for some really creative shots. It also has a really nice built-in flash and the ability to shoot multiple exposures. The body has the signature Paul Smith stripe look, making this $150 purchase one for the books. Makes a perfect present for your artistic niece who’s just discovering what the Rule of Thirds is.
Here’s an easy way to not only make your giant camera lens more portable but also mask it from unsuspecting wildlife. LensCoats are custom lens covers that are available for a wide variety of lenses and extenders. It offers protection from bumps, jars and nicks, while also providing a thermal barrier which protects your equipment from becoming frozen in ice.
In addition to the camouflage design, the LensCoat is also available in black; just in case you don’t want to embarrass yourself during a more “suburban” shot. Prices can range from around $20 for the camera bag (shown on the left) to around $80 for multi-segmented lens covers (shown on the right). No doubt you’ll be photographing in harsh conditions at some point or another, so make sure you’re prepared.
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I bet you’re wondering what happened to the lens that was replaced with a Pringles can for that DIY project posted the other day. Turns out, that lens turned up on the Internet as a coffee mug.
Express your love of photography and caffeine simultaneously as you pour your daily Colombian coffee into this camera lens. Unfortunately, it’s just a concept and has yet to be realized but, now that you’ve seen it, perhaps you can make your own?
Your cellphone doesn’t quite have the power the PSP has, though it’s trying. The Seiko Epson Corp are pushing the future of cellphone software forward with their 3-D display for mobile phones. With about 500 PPI of resolution, this 3D display is a sight to see with no 3-D glasses needed:
“[It's] one of the world’s highest resolutions of direct-view-type displays that do not use projectors,” says Goro Hamagishi, general manager of the Display Development Center, Corporate Research & Development Div, Seiko Epson Corp.
This is done using a special lens called lenticular lens that, when placed over pixels, is possible to make different images be seen from different angles. Similar to the ‘real-time’ 3-D image rendering system, several cameras are used to shoot images from different angles. It is then that the 3-D image takes its true form. The company plans on commercializing this display within the next two years. Until then, you’ll have to hold yourself over with Doom RPG for your cellphone.
This type of technology is probably a good many years away, but what would it change in the world of photography? Imagine a camera featuring a huge array of sensors which use stereo photography to create a picture perfect depth-of-field, which you don’t need a forklift to carry around with you. This is what Stanford researchers have unveiled as a project in progress.
Of course, a technology such as this always raises more questions than it answers. How will the camera’s aperture adapt itself to the prospective of each individual lens? And most importantly, how will the photos ever be crystal clear with all of the sensors being in varying locations? Pretty damn cool though for a concept. — Andrew Dobrow
Sony cameras have had quite strong reactions from techies everywhere. As with many other Sony products, the proprietary MemoryStick is Sony’s media card of choice. Sony has released a new line of low to mid range cameras that range in price of $150-$200, a 7 megapixel sensor is quite a nice feature for that price. Coupled with the large LCDs that Sony puts on the back of their cameras (2 inch), these cameras seem pretty tempting. Another little fact about these cameras is that they take AA batteries instead of a proprietary battery as many manufacturers are switching to now. So the full line of cameras includes the S650, S700, W35, and W55. The W series takes the proprietary lithium ion batteries. Also, for you kids (or for you), the cameras come in multi-colored body styles. So whether you are looking for a new camera or not, newer and cheaper cameras are always nice. — Nik Gomez
