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iPhone mount converts an Apple Watch into a live viewfinder for selfies and vlogging

27 Nov

Apple’s iPhones have a front-facing camera for selfies and FaceTime, but the front camera’s performance and image quality pales in comparison to the rear cameras. For those wanting a high-quality selfie or to record video content of themselves, your options have long been to use the front-facing camera so you can see your phone’s display or to try your luck with the rear-facing camera and hope everything is framed properly. Ulanzi has a new product, the ST-09 Phone Tripod Mount for Apple Watch, designed to solve this exact problem.

By using a paired Apple Watch and the ST-09, you can mount your smartwatch to the ST-09 and clamp it onto your iPhone. With the accompanying Apple Watch app, your Watch’s face becomes a live viewfinder mounted to the back of your iPhone.

As Gizmodo says, it may ‘seem like a foolish use for the $ 200+ smartwatch strapped to your wrist. But as you think about it more, you realize the mount solves a problem that many amateur vloggers who rely on their smartphones for all of their productions needs run into: using the back camera to film yourself is all but impossible.’ The target audience is somewhat niche, perhaps, but the ST-09 is an inexpensive, simple solution. Provided you already have an Apple Watch, of course.

On the bottom of the mount is a tripod a 1/4″ hole for mounting a tripod. On the top of the mount is a cold shoe, which can be used for attaching a fill light, microphone or other accessories.

Ulanzi ST-09 product details. Image courtesy of Ulanzi. Click to enlarge.

If you’re worried about scratching your devices, Ulanzi states that the product features an anti-scratch silicone pad design for the Watch mount and the clamps which adjust to your phone. Speaking of which, the tension distance is 58-89mm, meaning it will fit most iPhones, including the latest iPhone 12 models. With respect to Apple Watch model compatibility, Ulanzi only mentions the Series 5, so Gizmodo observes that the ST-09 may only be compatible with the Series 5 and Series 6 Apple Watches.

The Ulanzi ST-09 can adjust from 58mm to 89mm in order to fit a variety of iPhones. Image courtesy of Ulanzi.

The problem Ulanzi is trying to solve has been tackled by different manufacturers over the years. Gizmodo recalls the DJI Osmo Action, an action camera with a front-facing camera. (You can check out our hands-on with the Osmo Action right here). GoPro followed suit shortly thereafter with the Hero9 action camera. Smartphone manufacturers, on the other hand, have not gone this route. Smartphone displays drain battery and a second display on the rear presents power, engineering and cost concerns.

The Ulanzi ST-09 can be ordered directly from Ulanzi for $ 19.95 USD. The accessory is current on sale from its regular price of $ 29.99.

(Via Gizmodo)

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Preset Brewery drag-and-drop tool converts Lightroom presets for Photoshop

27 Jan

An application for macOS 10.10+ called Preset Brewery makes it possible to convert Lightroom presets into Camera Raw presets for use in Photoshop by simply dragging and dropping them—it really doesn’t get any simpler than that.

Preset Brewery was recently updated to version 1.1, which adds support for exporting the presets directly into Camera Raw so that they’re immediately available; however, the option remains to save the converted presets into the folder where the Lightroom presets are located.

Preset Brewery was created by developer Adam Bardon, who tells Fstoppers that a future update will add support for batch processing presets. Unfortunately, the application is not available for Windows, but Mac users can purchase Preset Brewery through the company’s website for $ 7.90 USD.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Neural network converts Game Boy Camera images into color photos

21 Feb

We’ve seen a lot of research lately that uses neural networks to upsample low resolution images and the results have been impressive – even a little creepy. Google recently showcased a system that can turn a low resolution 8×8 input image into a 32×32 sample that’s remarkably close to the original image. Inspired by recent breakthroughs, research engineer Roland Meertens found another application for neural networks – one that’s highly relevant to our interests. He created an application that turns low-res, monochrome Game Boy Camera images into photorealistic color images.

Original images in the center, Game Boy-ified images on the left and image generated by neural network on the right

A network must be trained, and training means feeding it input images. To create a training data set, Meertens gave some ‘real life images’ a Game Boy Camera treatment by re-creating them in four shades of black. By comparing the Game Boy-ified images with the originals, the network is ‘taught’ how to convert the images to color. With the network trained and ready, Meertens began testing it on celebrity photos as well as images from the Game Boy Camera (including the game’s mysterious character at the top of the page).

Finally, Meertens uses the application on an image taken with the Game Boy Camera. Naturally, it should be a selfie, as it is here. If you have all of the necessary components, taking a photo with the Game Boy camera is easy. Getting it onto your computer is another story. Lacking a specialized cable, Meertens did his best to photograph the Game Boy screen. As a result the lighting is slightly uneven, which affects the output from the network, but the re-creation is still pretty darn cool. Our hats are off to him.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Google+ now converts DSLR panoramas into Photo Spheres

16 May

The Google Photo Sphere 360-degree panorama feature was introduced in November 2012. However, until now, viewing 360-degree panoramas not created with Google Camera or a compatible app was a slightly cumbersome process. Google has now changed that with an update to Google+. Learn more

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Drop-Leaf Desk: Small Side Table Converts into Work Surface

22 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

small space modular desk

Designed as carefully as it is hand-crafted, this Tablet Desk has a deceptively streamlined look that hides a series of modular features and space-saving strategies, all made with technology in mind.

small desk in context

If setting aside a whole room for a home office is simply not an option, this dual-purpose wooden desk and end table lets you put work aside with relative ease, then flip out extra surface area supported with magnetized wooden legs.

small desk magnet legs

small digital work surface

Both the original two-toned and the newer 2.0 version from UK design studio Bee9 combine efficient storage and work space with minimal materials. Each also has a small-as-possible physical footprint, all oriented toward digital-first and future-proof use cases.

small desk hidden cords

small desk tablet area

Modular panels and other moving components acknowledge that users will have wants and needs that cannot be universally anticipated, including ways to route cords (and places to keep them out of the way) and vertical surfaces against which to lean tablets or other devices.

The making-of video above shows the initial Tablet Design being carefully constructed – watching it reveals some of the subtle detailing and much of the behind-the-scenes effort required to integrate all of the necessary functionality.

small desk modular panels

small desk open design

From the designers: “Deceptively simple and endlessly adaptable, the Bee9 tablet desk is designed to redefine where you can put a desk. Frugal in its use of material and space, the desk [plus] side table makes optimum use of limited space.”