Since we wrote about CineSkates last week, the tripod-on-wheels project has already raised nearly $200,000 in preorders — not bad considering the goal was only $20,000. Today, Emm over at CheesyCam just announced something similar: the Pico Dolly. It’s a tiny portable dolly system for your video-capable camera that lets you capture smooth tracking shots without the hassle of big and expensive equipment. Unlike CineSkates, they’re already shipping — $65 will buy you the dolly itself, and $90 gets you the dolly and an 11-inch friction arm.
CineSkates are new patent-pending wheels that attach to JOBY’s GorillaPod Focus tripod, allowing you to capture fluid, stabilized video with your DSLR without bulky or expensive equipment. Read more…
When Matthew Harrison (aka The Leica Guy) got married recently, he was given the awesome gift of a f/.95 Noctilux ring:
As is tradition, the bride and groom exchanged gifts prior to the wedding. While Matthew purchased Emily the watch that she had always wanted. Emily commissioned a custom ring for Matthew’s shooting hand (as opposed to for his wedding band). This one of a kind band has the depth of field scale from his favorite lens, the .95 Noctilux. On the sides, the ring features both Matthew’s name and The Leica Guy moniker on one side, and the Lens information including name, filter size, and serial number on the other. [#]
You can find the website of the jeweler who made the ring here. Read more…
Now here’s a camera accessory you don’t see every day: over in Japan there’s an artisan named Takuya Okamoto who handcrafts unique camera straps out of crocodile hide. The straps cost a whopping $1400 apiece.
Pose is a camera case that doubles as a simple stand. Designed to replace the little bean bags or mini-tripods that many people carry around separately, Pose has an attachment mount built in, and can either be propped up by itself on flat surfaces or wrapped around poles and curved surfaces. The $24 accessory is available for pre-order over at quirky, and will be manufactured if at least 1,000 people join in.
If you’re a professional photographer taking your camera into extreme environments, the cheap plastic body cap that comes with your DSLR might not cut it. That’s where LockCircle comes in — it’s a solid billett aluminum body cap designed to seal your camera from the elements while providing a special grip for removal even if you’re wearing thick gloves. They’re available for Canon EF mount cameras in silver, titanium, and black, and will soon be available for Nikon’s F mount as well.
You’ll need a thick wallet in addition to your thick gloves though: unlike the plastic caps, which sell for a couple bucks on eBay, LockCircle caps will cost you $99 each.
Photographer Dana Neibert made this unique iPad case using an old 8×10 film holder. It doesn’t look like the most comfortable way to carry your iPad around, but it’s a pretty creative idea.
Image credit: Photograph by Dana Neibert and used with permission
If you find ordinary camera bags too boring, then check out these custom-fit bags for DSLR cameras. Each “Pixbag” is made specifically for a certain DSLR model, ensuring a snug fit in addition to the one-of-a-kind design. It looks like the bag is only available to people living in Europe, but if that’s where you are, you can pick one up for about €50 over on DaWanda (the Etsy of Europe).
Yes, it looks like some kind of futuristic spaceship fuel cell, but it’s actually the Alpinist camera case by BetaShell. As you might remember, BetaShell sells a line of lens cases that guard against extreme environments, and the Alpinist offers the same kind of protection for people looking to bring compact cameras into extreme environments (rock climbing or extreme skiing, for example). They’re made out of aircraft-grade aluminum, and come in a few different sizes priced between $60 and $120 over on the BetaShell website.
DSLR Solutions has a new follow focus kit that allows you to keep track of focus points without being bulky or expensive. The $60 kit is basically a clamp, a velcro strap, and some metal markers that attach to the strap. Attaching the markers allows you to bounce between focus points, or keep track of a number of points if you have multiple subjects. We’ve featured a number of DIY follow focus solutions here in the past, but using a velcro strap and markers is something we haven’t seen before. Read more…
