A neat introduction from the folks behind wordpress is the end of year summary from the jetpack plugin. The report is a nice HTML5 mock up with fireworks representing each post from the year with a couple of nice statistics. My report can be viewed here!
There are three methods for capturing 360 degree images – using an application from the app store that allows the user to stitch together a scene (Photosynth, 360 and Panoramic) or using either the GoPano Micro or the Dot 360.
However, there’s yet another entrant to the market place which was announced on the Christmas edition of the Gadget Show is the BubbleScope.
The examples on the website are pretty much the same as you’d get from the GoPano Micro and Dot 360, although the static image is a feature you don’t get with the other two!
Priced at £50 plus another £15 for the case it will be in the same price range of the two existing solutions.
Every now and then it’s good to do something different. It’s December and the 25th is rapidly approaching where most people are either still attending christmas parties, stressing about presents, preparing to travel home for christmas or just sick of the whole prescribed experience (mostly the shopping and cookery programmes).
So, what can you do to either lessen the effects or avoid them completely? Well, the first is to avoid the commercial radio and tv channels and minimise the time you spend in the larger shopping areas – i.e West End or the Westfield hell holes. Safer areas are the usual markets and artisan areas (Borough and Spitalfield markets) which, although have Christmas trees for sale, remain largely unchanged.
Secondly is to plan what you’re going to do on Christmas day – I’ve already confirmed that one of London’s best curry houses is open. Tayyabs, the bastion of simply excellent Pakistani food, will be open as usual over the Christmas period. In addition, the Narrow pub will also be open most of the day (pending any unforeseen disaster!!)
Now that you’ve planned the avoidance procedures, food and drink – why not get out and about. The streets will be quiet so if you’re into walking, photography or architecture then as long as the weather behaves then it’s a great time to get out.
More and more people are taking their cameras on dive trips these days given the fact that the entry cost is quickly dropping. Whether they choose a point and shoot, DSLR or Video Camera the big question is which case to buy – normally driven by a combination of cost and planned usage. However, given the improvements in the mobile phone world – i.e. the iPhone 4s – people are wondering why there aren’t more cases around for the iPhone.
For recreational diving where the majority of divers observe the 30m limit, so the design challenges aren’t too great and surprise, surprise there’s a kickstarter.com project to come to the rescue. The as yet unnamed product is a custom underwater housing rated down to 100′ in salt water for the iPhone 4 & 4s.
While there are a couple of impressive videos of great white sharks (reminds me of a trip to Gansbaai years ago) but it’s missing out on the details of how the camera is operated. There is a mechanical button which I’m guessing activates the volume up button to start and stop recording, but no information on whether or not you have access to the touch screen.
One of the most important features of an underwater camera is the ability to set the white balance manually. Although apps such as Filmic Pro have a white balance feature, it will require access to the touch screen. The iPhone 4s’ fixed aperture and low light performance may make it suitable for the shallower dives (18m etc) but will inevitably need additional lights when you go deeper – adding to the cost.
In summary, if you’ve spent your money on an iPhone and are willing to risk it while you go diving (I’ve seen so many cameras lost while diving and being a technical diver, found a couple!) then the additional outlay of £260 (kick-starter prices only) then it might be a good solution.
At this time of year, the moon is normally visible to the east in the late afternoon sky (n.b. I’m in the northern hemisphere). At the time of writing this post the moon should rise at 13:05 -according to the Pocket Universe app for the iPhone, which leaves plenty of time to capture an image.
It’s quite an impressive site and as long as the skies are clear you should be able to get a good picture using a telephoto lens and DSLR with a remote shutter release. To capture the image above I used my Canon 7D, the Canon EF 100-400mm Zoom, Canon 2x extender
With the gifting season rapidly approaching, here’s a list of what I consider to be must have accessories to complement your Canon EOS 7D
mobislyderis the world’s first portable camera slider designed specifically for a broad range of small video-enabled devices such as iPhones, smart phones, compact cameras and small D-SLR cameras.
I’ve built a custom slider using the same components from Igus for my Canon 7D but the mobislyder looks a little more portable (given it’s only 35cm long). Stylish and compact, mobislyder adds controlled flowing movements to your production, letting you create a variety of shots in an effortless and elegantly simple way. mobislyder comes with 5 different mounts so there are numerous ways to attach it to your device.
I’ve already mentioned that if you want a to take a steady shot with your iPhone, you’re best using a Glif and Tripod combo – especially if you’re shooting a video. But as with iOS 5 and applications such as Camera+ popularising the use of the volume button, Lifehacker recently pointed out that you can use the volume button on iPhone compatible headphones.
This is a great little tip, especially if you’re using an application like SlowShutter. Although it does have the self timer capability, I find it better to be able to trigger the shutter when I want, and not have to guess the interval.
Camera+ is by far the best app for the iPhone for taking pictures, editing and adding effects. The features which make Camera+ stand out the most are the independent focus and exposure locks, which is sadly missing in the native camera and video app.
Browsing the extensive video app section in the App Store reveals a number of contenders, namely FiLMiC Pro and Almost DSLR. While sharing the key features of independent exposure and focus lock, FiLMic Pro stands out as it supports the native HD resolution of the iPhone 4s where as Almost DSLR only supports 720p (perhaps an enhancement is on the way).
Whilst the FiLMiC Pro app gives you that added control over exposure and focus, don’t forget to use your glif and tripod to capture those steady images. The other features provided by the app are:
Insert Coin: Twine connects your whole world to the internet — Engadget.
Maybe you want to get a tweet when your laundry’s done, or get an email when the basement floods while you’re on vacation. Even if you’re good with electronics and programming, these are involved projects.
Twine is a 2.5-inch square box with a WiFi module, thermometer and accelerometer — stick in two AAA batteries and it should last for “months.” To get started after taking one home, introduce it to your network and fire up Spool, the web app that controls the units.
Transferring data from the Canon 7D to the iPad seems to be a troublesome activity for most of the people I speak to – or when they approach me in coffee bars once they’ve noticed me with my iPad plugged into the Canon reviewing recently shot footage. Transferring movies from the iPad not only gives you a larger viewing monitor (unless you have an external monitor) but also allows you to make a decision wether or not to re-shoot the video before leaving the location.
So, what are the options to transfer the data? The most common way is to use the camera connection kit. It’s the simplest of all the methods requiring only the CCK and a USB lead but is quite slow. A new way is to use one of the new iPad to CF card readers – popularised by the great people over at Photojojo.
