Lens caps are often cast aside in favor of lens hoods, but what if you could have both in one accessory? That’s what the Hoocap does. It’s not as fancy as the blooming lens hood concept we featured a year ago, but it seems pretty well thought out. Extend the cap/hood out from your camera, and the two “curtains” open up, allowing the camera to “see” and blocking errant light from causing flares. Close it, twist it, and push it into your lens, and it locks into its closed position for protecting your glass. Read more…
Apple’s iPhone and iOS get a lot of media attention, but Google’s Android OS is the world’s most popular smartphone operating system by a long shot. Given this fact, it makes sense to at least target both markets if you’re releasing something that’s intended to be widely used. Triggertrap understands this, and today released the Android version of its mobile camera triggering app.
The app is designed to be used with the company’s Mobile Dongle, which has also been refreshed. In fact, the new Android app requires the new Dongle, while iPhone users can use either version. Read more…
For those of you who need to snap eye-level photographs of giraffes: Taiwanese gear manufacturer Fishbone has launched a crazy new tripod that literally reaches new heights of image stabilization. Called the Tree-pod, the tripod is designed for capturing photos or videos from way up off the ground. Dan Chung of DSLR News Shooter writes,
The device, otherwise know as the Zhezhi tripod, can reach 3.3m high, weighs about 13 kg and folds to about 90 cm long. It is aluminium alloy in construction and costs a cool $6000 US. In order to position and level the tripod head you can scale the Tree-pod in a similar way to a telegraph pole. Not sure I would trust it myself, but if heights are your thing then maybe it’s worth it.
3.3m is roughly 10.8 feet. The Tree-pod has attachable rungs that allow you to climb up it as if it were a ladder. Uses for it could include getting closer to the moon if your telephoto lens doesn’t have enough reach, and cleaning your home’s gutters when not doing photography.
Need to bounce your flash but don’t have a suitable wall nearby? Bounce-Wall is a new lighting accessory that puts a large card to the side of your camera, providing a bounce surface wherever you need it. David Hobby over at Strobist got to play around with one, and writes,
Here is the thing: very few people will feel ambivalent about this thing. You’ll either love it or your’ll hate it.
A lot of people just won’t get this thing. But I suspect event and wedding shooters (i.e., for shooting during the reception. etc.) will flock to it.
[...] It’s a run-and-gun mod, rather than something for finely crafting light. Think big bounce card (but up and over about 18 inches) and you’ll be close. And it’s completely self-contained, and thus what every camera-topped fongsphere user should probably have on instead when they are working outside with no walls or ceilings. (I see those guys, and a reeeeally want to walk up and say something. But I have learned to just shut up and watch.)
Created by California Sunbounce, the Bounce-Wall will be launched at Photokina later this month. Head on over to Strobist for a closer look at this unique camera add-on.
Big bulky cameras can be pretty intimidating when they’re used to photograph young children. For a cheap and simple way to make yours a little more child-friendly, consider using a PEZ candy dispenser as a fun, attention-grabbing hotshoe accessory. Read more…
How’s this for a strange camera accessory: the Paparazzo Light is a lighting attachment for iPhones that mimics the look of vintage press camera flashes (yes, the kind the original Lightsaber was made from). The light comes from a 300 Lumen LED that’s powered by two dedicated CR 123 batteries, and three modes offer different brightness settings for photos and videos. Read more…
LCD viewfinders are popular tool among DSLR filmmakers for shooting in sunlight and ensuring tack-sharp focusing, but have you considered using one for still photography?
In this video, Portland-based photographer Jimmy Hickey explains some of the strengths and weaknesses of using one for photography. The main pros: you see exactly how the resulting images will look as you’re shooting them, and magnification makes focusing easier. The cons: battery drain and added bulkiness.
Etsy shop Tyndall’s Polymerclay sells earphone jack accessories shaped like tiny DSLRs. The plugs are based on popular camera models (e.g. Canon 5D, Nikon D90, Nikon D3), and are created from polymer clay for the body and resin for the lens. Read more…
HandiZoom is a new camera accessory that adds a special grip to your DSLR that allows you to hold and use it like a camcorder. The device adds ENG-style zoom controls by connecting directly with the zoom ring on your camera lens. Videographers who’ve transitioned to DSLR shooting may feel much more at home with their hand around an ergonomic grip and a zoom rocker under their fingertips. Read more…
Photographer Allen Mowery has a step-by-step tutorial on how to build a useful DIY flash mounting accessory using a ratcheting hand clamp and standard 1/4-inch threaded screw. It’s a cheap DIY version of the Super Clamp or Nasty Clamp, and can help you place your flash in places that are inaccessible to light stands or traditional equipment.
