cool

This Cheap Projector Lens Creates the Most Intense Swirly Bokeh

Photographer, YouTuber, and weird lens connoisseur Mathieu Stern recently made one of his coolest finds yet. It's the Carl Zeiss 105mm f/1.9 Kipronar T, a cinema projector lens he describes as "one of the most amazing swirly bokeh lenses I ever tested"... and yet it only cost him $25.

Scientist Captures ‘The Fastest Front Flipping Insect’ in Super Slow Motion

Dr. Adrian Smith—a scientist who is perhaps best known for his educational videos on YouTube—has released another fascinating super slow motion video highlighting a tiny little insect you've probably never heard of. They're commonly called jumping plant lice, and they're "the fastest front-flipping insect" on the planet.

Luna Display for Windows Turns Your iPad Into a Graphics Display for PC

Astro HQ, the creators of Astropad and Luna Display, have just revealed plans to create Luna Display for Windows. This little hardware dongle, when paired with the Luna App on iPad, will be able to turn your iPad into a wireless, high-quality secondary display and graphics tablet for any PC.

This AI Can Transform Regular Footage Into Slow Motion with No Artifacts

Earlier this year, researchers from two universities and Google published a new AI-powered technique they developed called "Depth-Aware Video Frame Interpolation" or DAIN, and it's simply mind-blowing. The tech can interpolate a 30fps video all the way to 120fps or even 480fps with almost no visible artifacts.

Astronaut and Photographer Team Up on First-of-Its-Kind Photo Book

Photographer Roland Miller and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli recently teamed up in a first-of-its-kind collaboration between an Earth-bound artist and a ISS-bound astronaut, to create a one-of-a-kind photo book that will appeal to space nerds and photography lovers alike.

Watch: Strong Winds Create ‘Reverse Waterfalls’ in Australia

Did you know there's such a thing as a "reverse waterfall"? Perhaps more appropriately called a water rise, the phenomenon is caused when extremely high winds batter a cliff face, and it happened over the weekend at Royal National Park just outside Sydney, Australia.

This Sunset ‘Levitation’ Photo Was Captured in a Single Shot

Believe it or not, the "levitation" photo above isn't a multi-shot composite. Some lighting equipment was removed from the edge of the frame, but the main image of the woman "floating" above the water is actually a single exposure. It simply took some patience to capture it just right in-camera.

Restoring and Using One of the Rarest Cameras on the Planet

Arizona-based journalist and photographer Jim Headley recently set out on a "mission" to shoot an ultra-rare Japanese twin lens reflex camera called the Taroflex. Only 10 of these cameras are thought to still exist, and Headley is the proud owner of a fully-functioning copy in "excellent condition."

How and Why You SHOULD Blow Out Your Highlights Sometimes

Our friend Pye Jirsa over at SLR Lounge has put together a great portrait photography tutorial that explains when and why you SHOULD blow out your highlights sometimes. It might seem obvious to seasoned shooters, but a balanced exposure is not always the right choice.

World Barista Champion Goes All Out Developing His Photos with Coffee

Specialty coffee guru James Hoffmann recently embarked on a journey many photographers have already been on: developing photos using coffee. But if you think a former World Barista Champion settled for some Instant Nescafe as his main ingredient, think again. Hoffmann went all out.

Turning an Old BMW M5 Into a Camera Car that Can Shoot at 130MPH

The folks over at Valkyr Productions have spent the last decade trying to create the "perfect" rig for capturing car-to-car footage at high speeds. This is the story of how they turned an old BMW M5 into the ultimate chase car, capable of capturing smooth footage at speeds of over 130MPH.

This LEGO Olympus OM-1 Camera Could Become an Official LEGO Set

Architecture student David Hensel loves both photography and LEGOs, and he recently brought these dual passions together to create a LEGO version of the classic Olympus OM-1 that's been gaining a lot of traction on the LEGO Ideas website. If all goes well, it could even become a real LEGO product.

Hypercentric Optics: This Camera Lens Can See Behind Objects

Engineer and YouTuber Ben Krasnow over at Applied Science has put together a fascinating little optical demonstration that explains the physics behind 'hypercentric' optics and how they allow you to see around and behind objects. He even shows you how to build your own.

How to Build a DIY ‘Pixelstick’ for About $22

You might have heard of the Pixelstick. “Nothing compares” is one of their tag lines. And this is true... at least price-wise. I have always wanted one to at least try out some light painting with it, but the Pixelstick retails for €400 here in Germany and $349 in the United States.

Using AI to Colorize and Upscale a 109-Year-Old Video of New York City to 4K and 60fps

After the success of his last attempt at using AI to upscale a classic short film to 4K and 60fps, YouTuber Denis Shiryaev decided to take this experiment one step further. He took this well-known film of New York City in 1911, and used publicly available neural networks to upscale it to 4K, increase the frame rate to 60fps, and colorize the video.

Astronaut Shoots Spacewalk Selfies with a Nikon D5

This past weekend, NASA astronaut and physiologist Jessica Meir one-upped everybody else's #SelfieSunday posts when she uploaded two spacewalk selfies taken outside the International Space Station (ISS) with a special Nikon D5.

Apple Patents iMac Design Made from a Single Piece of Curved Glass

The design of the iMac hasn't changed much since the aluminum unibody version was announced in 2009. They slimmed down the design in 2012, and added a retina display in 2015, and that's about it... but that definitely doesn't mean Apple isn't innovating behind the scenes.

This is What it Looks Like When You Spin a GoPro at 1800rpm

25-year old YouTuber Mr. Michal of the Czech Republic recently took his GoPro for a spin... literally. He strapped his GoPro to a lathe, centered the camera, and captured a dizzying set of shots while it spun at everything from 14 all the way up to 1800rpm.

Pixelmator’s New ML Super Resolution Feature is a Real Life ‘Enhance!’ Tool

Pixelmator Pro just released a new tool called "ML Super Resolution": a machine-learning-powered feature that "makes it possible to increase the resolution of images while keeping them stunningly sharp and detailed." In other words, the real-world equivalent of all those movies where someone yells "Enhance!" at their computer screen.