Zoom creep is what happens when gravity causes your lens to zoom in or out due to it being pointed up or down. While it’s not really an issue when you’re shooting hand-held, it can cause problems if you’re trying to keep the zoom fixed while the camera’s on a tripod. A trick to combat this is to use rubber bands to keep the zoom ring still, but now there’s a fancier solution to this problem: the Lens Band. It’s a gel bracelet-style band that’s wrapped around the zoom ring when not needed. When you want to freeze the zoom, simply slide half of the band over the lens body.
They’re available in a variety of colors and sizes to fit most lenses, and cost $5 each from the Lens Band website.
Lens Band (via Pixiq)
Today, we’re excited to introduce our new Camera Stickers: cute little stickers based on the awesome pixel illustrations of designer Billy Brown. The stickers are printed on durable and tear-proof PVC plastic. 91 stickers per sheet, and 3 sheets — 273 stickers total — cost just $5 with free shipping within the US! You can buy them over in our store.
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There hasn’t been much activity in the PetaPixel Store since we launched the Leica Look-Alike skins in September 2010, but today that changes — we’re pleased to announce the new Polaroid Picture Frame and Mirror! It’s an awesome picture frame for your desk that looks just like Polaroid 600 instant film, and when there isn’t a photo inside it doubles as a mirror.
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Editor’s note: This is the second interview we’ve done with Haje. The first was back in 2010 regarding his blog Photocritic.org
Haje Jan Kamps is the entrepreneur behind the Triggertrap and the blogger behind Photocritic.org.
PetaPixel: Can you tell quickly describe the Triggertrap for people who haven’t heard of it yet?
Haje Jan Kamps: Triggertrap is an universal camera trigger. It’s “universal”, because it’s designed to connect just about any trigger source to nearly any camera. Right now, we’re supporting more than a hundred camera models, but we’re adding new cameras to our Supported Cameras list all the time.
The device has a sound and light sensor built in, and it can do linear and non-linear time-lapses. I’m most excited about the auxiliary port, though, which enables users to connect nearly anything they want to the device. One reader suggested connecting it to the final buzzer they use at basketball games, to take a photo of the state of play just when the buzzer sounds — what a great idea!
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If you love the fact that IKEA furniture is cheap and easy to put together, but hate the fact that it’s always so plain and minimalistic, then Mykea might be the solution for you. Aside from selling pre-made decals, they also allow you to create your own custom decals from your photographs, turning your furniture into a mini-space to display your work. Price depends on the furniture, with a single panel coffee table decal starting at €12.5 (~$16.5).
Mykea: Create Your Cover (via Photojojo)
iPhoneography (i.e. iPhone photography) is exploding in popularity, and undoubtedly many people jumping into the craze will want to share their work in a non-digital way in addition to broadcasting their photos on the Interwebs. The Boo Box by hatchcraft is a handmade bamboo frame designed specifically for iPhone photographs. It’s available in three different colors (light, mixed, and dark) and costs $20 from the hatchcraft store.
By the way, hatchcraft was started by Shane Rich, the guy who created the “Million Dollar Homepage of Photography” that we featured at the beginning of the year.
I don’t know about you, but if it weren’t for the protective case on my smartphone, it would have probably needed to be replaced a long time ago. If cell phones have protective skins and cases, why shouldn’t cameras? Camera Armor is a protective case that’s custom designed for each separate DSLR model, and is available for both Canon and Nikon bodies — and a few others as well.
In addition to the silicon body skin, the system also includes protection for your lens, LCD screen, and other individual components of your kit. The cost of this protection is $40, which is pretty cheap compared to some of the novelty items we’ve featured here.
Camera Armor (via Doobybrain)
You know how you can never manage to frame people properly when taking self-portraits of you and your friends? What? You’ve been getting along just fine? Well, if you do suddenly find yourself with self-portrait ineptitude and randomly feel like spending some dough, you can buy a “Mirror, Mirror on the Camera“, a “cool self-adhesive self-portrait mirror you stick on your camera or cell phone” meant for helping you frame self-portraits better.
The graphic above describes the product well. It turns your camera into a cheapo Samsung TL210 and helps you stop chopping the heads of your subjects. You can pick one up for $8 over at Brightscreen, or save some money and go with a DIY version.
Mirror, Mirror (via Steve’s Digicams)
The LoopIt is a new camera sling by Luma designed to be smaller, lighter, and more affordable than the Luma Loop. Both slings use a lanyard and connector that slide along the camera strap and connect to cameras via any available strap mount point. The push-to-release swivels are manufactured at the same factory that invented the swivel used by the US military, with tolerances that supposedly exceed the ones used in combat.
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These pastel baby box cameras are perfect for any party where photography enthusiasts are present. Etsy seller girliepains is selling a PDF with templates and instructions on making them in 7 different colors for $4 through her store.
Anyone know of anything similar available for free?
(via KEH Camera Blog)
