RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘this..’

This is why Google’s impressive object removal tool was never released

19 May

At its 2018 I/O developer conference Google presented a number of improvements to its Photos app, but there was no talk about an exciting feature that was demoed the previous year: an object removal tool that automatically removes obstructions like fences, window panes from your photos.

The feature caused quite a buzz when it was demoed in early 2017, and people have been waiting on it ever since… so why has it disappeared? The answer is simpler than you might think. According to an interview with the Google Photos team on XDA, object removal was simply de-prioritized in the development queue, giving way to other AI-powered features in Google Lens.

In the interview, Google team members said that the technology exists and could be deployed, but that Google prioritizes products based on what is most important for people, and other machine learning applications were prioritized over object removal. This means the technology might eventually be implemented into Google Photos or another Google app if the company changes its mind (and development queue), but we probably should not hold our breath.

When it was first demoed, object removal looked impressive and exceedingly useful. As you can see in the video above, the feature was shown as 100 percent automatic, without the need for any manual editing. Sure, professional photographers might want a bit more control over their cloning, but the vast majority of Google Photos users probably don’t know what the Clone Stamp tool or Content Aware Fill even is.

If you’ve been waiting for object removal to finally make an appearance on your smartphone, knowing the source code is still stored on some hard drive at Google HQ might not be much of a consolation… but least we know the reason why it has never been released.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on This is why Google’s impressive object removal tool was never released

Posted in Uncategorized

 

This 12K NYC flyover video was captured with three 8K RED Weapon Monstro VV cameras

19 May

LA-based director and cinematographer Phil Holland of PHFX recently joined forces with Gotham Film Works to create something out-of-this-world. Using the first Shotover K1 Hammerhead Aerial Camera Array, Holland shot a flyover of New York City using not one, not two, but three 8K RED Weapon Monstro VistaVision cameras.

The result, once processed, is a 100MP motion picture made up of images “with a sensor size of approximately 645 medium format film.” Put another way, the 12K by 8K footage above is 48.5 times the resolution of 1080p.

Holland explains how the rig was used and the footage captured in a short behind the scenes blog post, where he also shared some BTS images that he is kindly allowing us to repost for you here:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_6193312206″,”galleryId”:”6193312206″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Holland’s BTS post covers camera and lens selection, before moving on to explain what it takes to rig something like this up.

“On a technical level there’s a lot that needs to happen in terms of proper spacing, finding the zero parallax point, lens selection, determining your overlap, rigging, payload balancing, etc.” writes Holland. “Every RED Weapon 8K VV Monstro has a JETPACK SDI Module attached to sync genlock, provide power, control the camera, etc. This is actually one of the first times I’ve ever seen this bad boy used to maximum intent. WIthout this module something like this would be very difficult to pull off.”

All of this allowed Holland to control the rig from a single “brain” and create “a quality stitch with pixel and frame accuracy.”

Check out the final video up top to see the stunning results for yourself, and then head over to Holland’s blog for even more details about how this beautiful creation was captured.

All photographs ©Phil Holland/PHFX and used with permission.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on This 12K NYC flyover video was captured with three 8K RED Weapon Monstro VV cameras

Posted in Uncategorized

 

This 7.3-gigapixel panorama ‘timelapse’ of London is made from 6,240 D850 pictures

18 May

Photographer Henry Stuart has created a 24-hour panoramic timelapse image of London that combines 6,240 raw photographs to form a picture that contains over 7 billion pixels.

Captured through a Nikon D850 and AF-S Nikkor 300mm F2.8 lens using a robotic mount by Nikon-owned robotics company Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), the 155° view presents the city in an incredible amount of detail, with Nikon claiming that you can read signs up to 5 miles away from where the image was captured.

The full frame
A fully zoomed-in frame from the center of the picture above

The Twenty Four Hour London project was taken on by Visualise—a company of virtual reality filmmakers—in partnership with Nikon UK and MRMC. The camera was supported and moved by MRMC’s Ulti-Head robotic camera mount, which allowed Stuart to repeat the exact shooting position—to pixel level, according to the release —for 260 shots per hour over the course of the 24-hour sequence.

Once processed and stitched together, the resulting image allows viewers to pick the time of day and to zoom into the image to see the details of distant buildings—and even people relaxing inside their apartments!

The concept was a commission for Lenstore, a UK vision-care company, to promote eye health. To see the full 7 gigapixel ‘timelapse’ for yourself, and explore London in all its glory, head over to the 24 Hour London website.

Press Release

World’s first 24-hour Gigapixel time-lapse panorama, captured with the Nikon D850 and MRMC’s robotic Ulti-Head

24 Hour London is a unique collaboration between Lenstore, Nikon, Visualise and the Nikon-owned robotics company MRMC. Together they have created the biggest ever time-lapse of London’s skyline, taken from the roof of Canary Wharf’s One Canada Square.

In total, over 6,240 photos were taken across a 155-degree view over 24 hours, and subsequently stitched together to create an incredibly detailed panorama, and the first gigapixel timelapse of London. This level of detail was achieved by combining a Nikon D850 and AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8 lens with MRMC’s robotic Ulti-Head to precisely repeat the same pattern of detailed photos 260 times an hour for 24 hours. The finished product allows you to see London change colours across the hours, from sunrise to sunset, with all the shades the capital has to offer in between.

Commenting on the collaboration, Jeremy Gilbert, Marketing Director for Nikon Northern Europe said:

We’re thrilled to be involved with this unique project. The Nikon D850 captured London in incredible detail in challenging conditions. Finding the best combination of camera, lens and precise motion-control was essential for this project and we are proud to have been integral to its success.

The project was shot by Henry Stuart from Visualise, he had the following to say:

Shooting gigapixel photos is hard – we have been shooting them for the Olympics, the World Cup, for events and places all around the globe. Each panorama is so large it needs specially built computers to process it. In this case, we had to build a special server system and network all of the workstations in our studio to the content so that we could stitch five of the photos at a time.

To capture a photo like this you need a really capable camera – we used the Nikon D850. It has this beautiful big sensor and captures a huge range of light and dark (large dynamic range). This is so important when shooting panoramas where one part of the image is bright, such as towards the sun, and another is dark such as over the Thames. We shot everything on the camera’s ‘RAW’ setting, which keeps loads of extra information in the shots that you would usually lose.

The 24 Hour London ‘Gigalapse’

  • The image is 7.3 Gigapixels (7,300 Megapixels or 7bn pixels), which is over 1000x more powerful than the camera on an iPhone X.
  • The Nikon D850 and Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8 lens combination delivered phenomenal detail – you can even read signs which are up to 5 miles away in the photo!
  • The robotic motion control technology using the MRMC Ulti-Head used to create the pinpoint accuracy of images, leading to every single pixel of every point in the panorama being the exact same position as the photos 24 hours earlier.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on This 7.3-gigapixel panorama ‘timelapse’ of London is made from 6,240 D850 pictures

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Sigma’s 70mm F2.8 DG Macro Art lens costs $570, ships this month

12 May

Back in February, Sigma introduced the first Macro lens to join the company’s high-end line of “Art” series lenses: the Sigma 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO Art. And today, after keeping us in the dark for a few months, the company has finally revealed the lens’ pricing and availability.

According to Sigma, you’ll be able to pick up the new lens in Canon EF mount starting at the end of this month for a suggested retail price of $ 570. Additionally, the Sigma mount is expected to ship in June, and the Sony E-Mount version “will be announced later.”

As we mentioned above, this 70mm F2.8 is the first macro lens to join Sigma’s “Global Vision Art Line,” a lineup of lenses touted for its exceptional optical quality (usually at a very reasonable price). The new MACRO Art is said to deliver “stunning resolution and incredible clarity, while at the same time offering extremely smooth autofocus performance for a weightier, high-performance lens.”

In order to achieve this “extremely smooth” AF performance, Sigma has equipped the lens with an extending, floating, two-group focusing mechanism that the company says “minimizes aberration at all focal lengths,” whether you’re shooting at 1:10, 1:5, or the maximum magnification ratio of 1:1. Additionally, a new focus-by-wire system paired with a newly-developed “coreless DC motor” promises precise focusing—a must for macro shooters.

To learn more about this lens, head over to the Sigma website.

Press Release

Sigma Announces Pricing & Availability for Its 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO Art Lens

Ronkonkoma, NY – May 11, 2018 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading still photo and cinema lens, camera, flash and accessory manufacturer, today announced that its 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO Art, the first prime macro lens to be adorned with the Art badge, will be available in Canon mount in the end of May for $ 569.00 USD through authorized US retailers. The Sigma mount model is expected to ship in June. The release of the Sony E-Mount version will be announced later.

The First Macro Lens in the Sigma Global Vision Art Line

Elevating the legendary Sigma 70mm F2.8 EX DG to the Art line, the brand new Sigma 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO Art prioritizes optical performance that defines the Sigma Art line, delivering stunning resolution and incredible clarity, while at the same time offering extremely smooth autofocus performance for a weightier, high-performance lens.

To achieve optimal results at every shooting distance, the lens features an extending, floating, two-group focus mechanism, which minimizes aberration at all focal lengths. In addition, the lens’ optical elements design increases resolution at close shooting distances, allowing for a razor-sharp in-focus area contrasted with a bokeh area free of color streaking.

Other feature highlights include focus-by-wire system featuring newly developed coreless DC motor for comfortable and precise focusing typically required for macro photography; compatibility of the Canon mount lens with the Canon Lens Aberration Correction function; and compatibility with Sigma Electronic Flash Macro EM-140 DG and Sigma Teleconverters.

Full technical specifications can be found on the Sigma website at: https://www.sigmaphoto.com/70mm-f2-8-dg-macro-a.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Sigma’s 70mm F2.8 DG Macro Art lens costs $570, ships this month

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Video: This DIY ‘$10,000 selfie stick’ holds a cinema camera and boom mic

04 May

Filmmaker, photographer, and self-professed coffee addict Peter McKinnon has created his own rendition of the infamous selfie stick… on steroids. Meet the $ 10,000 Selfie Stick. This fun, gimmicky DIY creation is McKinnon’s upgrade from the much-maligned (and for a time ubiquitous) pole used to hold a smartphone for self-portrait purposes.

In his video of the project, McKinnon heads to the local hardware store where he purchases bolts and other hardware, as well as a pair of goalie sticks for hockey. The sticks are combined together using tape, and the bolts are used to mount a $ 6,000 cinema camera and $ 400 boom mic (and three Canadian flags) onto the sticks.

The end result? A massive, heavy “selfie stick” that outshines anything you can get off the shelf, but has absolutely no practical use.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Video: This DIY ‘$10,000 selfie stick’ holds a cinema camera and boom mic

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony

02 May

Throughout the internet, there are quite a few photographers trading in their DSLRs for shiny new mirrorless cameras. I never thought I’d join the crew switching from Canon to Sony, telling myself that it’s not the bells and whistles of brand new cameras that define a photographer’s abilities. That all changed when I took the plunge and ordered a Sony A7RIII.

After having it for about a month, I’ve fallen head over heels in love with this camera and use it almost as much as my Canon DSLRs. However, I’m not giving up on Canon yet. In this article, I’ll shed some light on why I’m straddling the Canon-Sony lines, and how my experience with Sony has been so far.

My History of Cameras

I’ll start off by admitting that I’ve never been much of a camera brand loyalist, to begin with. My first digital camera (I never shot film) was a Nikon D40. I played in the Nikon world for several years, eventually ending up with a Nikon D700, and host of accompanying Nikkor lenses.

In 2012, I traded in my Nikon gear for the Canon 5D Mark III and 6D, intending to dive into the video and filmmaking world. While that Canon has hardly been utilized for video, it has built my entire professional photography portfolio in the past 6 years. I haven’t bought a full-frame camera since then.

Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony

In 2015, I embarked on a month-long backpacking trip to Asia, which sparked my purchase of a Sony a6300. This dipped my toes into the Sony world, and although it took a lot of adjusting, I quickly fell in love with my little mirrorless camera.

It was much smaller than my DSLRs, image quality was on par, 4K video quality was exceptional, and the extra features such as face detect, eye autofocus, focus peaking, and more felt sci-fi compared to my Canons.

Fast forward to this year, when I’ve ramped up video production and am making as many videos as I am photos, and it just made sense to upgrade to the full-frame Sony A7RIII.

Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony - forest scene

What I Love About Sony Cameras

Eye Autofocus

You’ll never have another excuse for taking an out-of-focus portrait again when using a Sony camera. Their eye autofocus is fast, accurate, and very hard to live without once you’ve gotten used to it. Pair it with face detection, and you have the perfect camera for photographing anything with people in the scene.

A Truly Silent Shutter

When I first started shooting with the Sony a6300, I marveled at the silent shutter mode that helps you shoot candid shots much more stealthily. Canon has a Silent Shooting mode that is definitely quieter than normal, but hardly without noise. Sony silent shutters are truly silent, which can be very important while shooting in live performance venues or in areas where the extra noise is frowned upon.

Canon to Sony - Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony

Canon versus Sony side by side.

The Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

Like most mirrorless cameras, the Sony A7rIII comes with an electronic viewfinder. Compared to DSLRs that use optical viewfinders (OVF) unless you’re shooting via live view, an EVF gives you a real-time preview of the image you’re capturing.

Generally speaking, I love the EVF for crafting and composing better images in-camera, but I do wish for the option to switch between EVF and OVF. This especially comes into play when photographing concerts with heavy LED lighting that can almost wash out the EVF and make it difficult to compose images.

Sony PlayMemories App

It’s far from perfect, but the Sony PlayMemories app and its ability to quickly transfer images from the camera to a smartphone via a QR code is genius. This approach is much easier and reliable than Canon’s Wi-Fi transfer system.

Sony also used to include PlayMemories apps that could be installed in-camera, such as a time-lapse feature. For unknown reasons, Sony removed these apps from the Sony A7rIII and A7III. Hopefully, they are restored in a future firmware update as these apps were incredibly handy.

Sony-Wifi QR code - Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony

The Camera Can be Powered Internally via USB

The ability to charge my camera by simply plugging it into a wall or external battery pack has been a lifesaver. This is handy not only if you happen to forget your external battery charger, but also for powering your camera through any extra-long photo (like time-lapse) or video sessions.

What I Miss from Canon Cameras

Ability to Shoot Smaller RAW Files

A feature I use quite frequently on my Canon cameras is the ability to shoot smaller RAW file sizes (M-RAW, S-RAW). This gives you all of the advantages of a RAW file but in a smaller file size.

Unfortunately, this is a feature that Sony cameras don’t offer. It would be especially helpful to have on the Sony A7RIII, whose uncompressed RAW files are 81.9 MB apiece. The only way to decrease this size is to shoot compressed RAW files (about 41.0 MB each) or shoot in JPG.

Needless to say, I’ve purchased two more external hard drives since I started shooting with the A7rIII.

Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony - night scene

Straightforward Features and Settings

Sony cameras, like Adobe Photoshop, are jam-packed with features. This can be either a blessing or a burden when you’re just trying to take a simple photo or video. More often than not, I find myself fumbling around with Sony’s menus and settings just to snap a quick photo.

Yes, you can customize buttons and menus to your liking. But it can get confusing when you have to choose between six focus modes and six focus areas at any given moment. In comparison, cameras like Canon DSLRs and even Fujifilm mirrorless cameras seem much simpler to operate.

Consistent Colors

Many photographers are quick to criticize the colors of Sony cameras, claiming that Canon has a much better color science. I tend to agree with the critics.

In general, photos taken with both my Sony a6300 and A7RIII have pretty good colors. But occasionally (usually when shooting indoors with artificial lighting), both cameras process colors oddly. This can usually be corrected in post-production, but compared to my Canon DSLRs that nail colors almost every time in a variety of conditions, this can be frustrating.

Why I’m Not Leaving Canon Just Yet

Canon gear - Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony

Even though I own two Sony cameras, I’m not fully giving up on Canon just yet. Here’s why.

Sony Lenses Aren’t Cheap

Across the board, Sony lenses tend to be several hundred dollars more expensive than their Canon equivalents. Even if I traded in or sold all of my Canon gear, it would take a significant investment to buy into the Sony G-Master line of lenses.

My compromise in the meantime has been a mixed bag. I sold half of my Canon lenses (mostly prime lenses that I never used anyway), purchased a few mid-range, all-purpose Sony lenses (i.e. the 24-105mm f/4), and invested in a Metabones V adapter (more on that below).

My Remaining Canon Gear is Hard to Sell

I’ve historically been very hard on my Canon DSLRs, and both show significant wear and tear. Trade-in and resell values for both of my DSLRs and remaining Canon lenses aren’t great. How many people do you see switching to Canon these days? In the meantime, I’m inclined to keep and use my Canon gear for now and wait and see what happens. After all…

A Canon Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera is Coming Soon

Photography news sites are abuzz that both Canon and Nikon may soon release full-frame mirrorless cameras. It’s hard to say how good these cameras will be, and if they will use EF and EF-S lenses, or a whole new lens mount. But I’m hanging on to the hope that Canon can get its act together and compete in the mirrorless world.

canon and sony cameras side by side - Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony

Canon body on the left, Sony body right.

Two Things Worth Mentioning

Sony Batteries Have Improved Greatly

Mirrorless cameras have long been criticized for poor battery life. This is certainly true for my a6300, which usually lasts for about 350-400 shots per battery.

However, Sony introduced the brand new NP-FZ100 battery to both the Sony A9, A7rIII and the A7III. More robust in build, this battery powers your camera for up to 530-650 shots or a little under 2 hours of video recording time.

In practice, I find that these new batteries last much longer and are almost on par with Canon DSLR batteries.

Sony-Canon Lens Mount Adapter Works – Sort of

Metabones V Adapter - Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony

There are several lens adapters which will let you mount Canon lenses to Sony cameras. The most popular adapters are the Sigma MC-11 Mount Converter ($ 199.00) and the Metabones V adapter ($ 399.00).

I’ve been using the Metabones V adapter to put my Canon lenses on the A7rIII and a6300. The adapter works most of the time with fast and accurate autofocus, and even eye autofocus works extremely well.

However, there are moments when my camera will simply freeze right after focusing on an object. This is easily corrected by simply switching the camera off and back on, but it seems to be a problem with the adapter. So far, this is the only real problem I’ve seen while using a lens adapter.

Canon lenses that work on my Sony cameras with the Metabones V adapter:

  • Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 II
  • Canon 24-70m f/2.8 II
  • Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 II
  • Canon 50mm f/1.8
  • Canon 35mm f/1.4
  • Canon 85mm f/1.8
  • Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro

In Conclusion

Canon to Sony

As a photographer charging into the world of videography, it made sense to start shifting away from Canon into the realm of Sony. Since getting the Sony A7rIII, I’ve seen a huge uptick in the quality of my videos and photos. However, I’m also hoping that Canon will soon release a competitive mirrorless camera that meets the video and photo needs of today’s creatives.

Have you made the switch to mirrorless cameras yet? If so which brand and model did you decide on and why? What’s your take?

The post Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony appeared first on Digital Photography School.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Why This Pro is (sort of) Switching from Canon to Sony

Posted in Photography

 

This AI-powered chatbot scores your Instagram photos on color, emotion, and more

28 Apr

Do you ever wonder just how ‘Instagram-worthy’ your latest photo is? If so, you might want to check out this chatbot. The team at BBC Tomorrow’s World have built a chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to tell you just how much potential your photo has in terms of attracting likes and comments.

The free Messenger is available for Facebook Messenger and ties directly into your Instagram account. After you’ve granted it permission to access your Instagram content, it’ll ask you to upload the next photo you plan on posting. Once it’s been uploaded, the Tomorrow’s World chatbot will take roughly five to ten minutes to analyze the image, taking into account the colors, composition, and even landmarks that may be in the image.

As it crunches the pixels—which can take upwards of fifteen minutes—the chatbot provides little nuggets of information on how you can make the most of Instagram. For example, it let us know that blue is a popular color on Instagram, due to its ability to ‘evoke feelings of serenity and calmness.’ It also informed us that ‘breakfast’ is the most popular hashtag on Instagram… which was news to us.

Once your image analysis is complete, you’ll get a notification and be shown a video that breaks down multiple components of your photos, scoring each section along the way. It grades the image based on color, the emotions the bot believes the snap will evoke, any landmarks that might be in the image, features within the image, and your Instagram following as a whole.

To test the chatbot, we used an image from the Lamborghini Huracan camera car article yesterday. It scored a +94. Not bad considering it received zeroes in emotions and landmarks.

Would we replace the judgement of our own two eyes with this chatbot to curate our Instagram feed? No chance. But it’s still fun to take it for a spin and see what the BBC’s ‘artificial intelligence algorithm’ thinks of various images we throw at it.

To take the BBC Tomorrow’s World for a spin, head on over to the chatbot’s page and get it installed.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on This AI-powered chatbot scores your Instagram photos on color, emotion, and more

Posted in Uncategorized

 

This rare 14 karat gold ring doubles as a spy camera

27 Apr

If you love unusual cameras and happen to have $ 20,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you’ll definitely want to pop over to eBay and check out this fascinating gold ring/spy camera. That’s right. The ornate 14-karat solid gold ring you see above is actually a camera in disguise.

Spotted on eBay by The Phoblographer, the ring is believed to be one of only two in existence, and stands out for the fact that it’s made of solid gold. The other known model, which was sold by Christie’s auctions in 1991 to a jewelry collector for $ 25,000, was merely gold-plated.

According to the seller, the previous owner of this subminiature spy camera was a gentleman who goes by the name Mr. Shibata—a Japanese camera collector. As for who actually made the ring, no one seems to know. Its origins remain a mystery. Here’s a closer look at this extremely unusual ring:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_2889485776″,”galleryId”:”2889485776″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

The ring weighs approximately 44 grams and has a ‘585’ stamp on the inside, certifying it as a solid gold piece. The ornate hand-engraved details appear impressively sharp for its age and, aside from a few scuffs, it looks to be in good condition.

As for the camera tucked away inside, the seller notes that it still functions. It features a variable aperture, a guillotine shutter, clean optics, and uses 8mm film wrapped around a custom film holder as its medium. The ring includes the film holder and a matching 14-karat solid gold cover to help it blend in—although you’ll have to source your own film.

Screenshot of the eBay listing, with a Buy It Now price of just under $ 20,000 USD.

Considering the gold-plated version of this ring sold for roughly $ 5,000 more than this version is priced at, it could be considered a bargain. That said, the lack of history on who created it and where it came from might hurt its resale value if you were considering “flipping” it for a profit through an official auction house.

Regardless, if you find this piece fascinating and have money to spare, or even if you simply want to find out more information, head on over to the eBay listing.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on This rare 14 karat gold ring doubles as a spy camera

Posted in Uncategorized

 

This Lamborghini is ‘the world’s fastest purpose-built camera car’

25 Apr

A post shared by Nathan Garofalos (@nathangarofalos) on

If you like fast cars and expensive camera gear, look no further. What you see above is a Lamborghini Huracan with a $ 500,000 dollar camera gimbal attached to the front—a machine its creators have dubbed “the world’s fastest purpose-built camera car.”

Created by Incline Dynamic Outlet (IDO), a California-based company that usually specializes in aerial camera rigs, the so-called Huracam was built over the course of ‘many months.’

The frame for this elaborate setup is a $ 200,000 Lamborghini Huracan. Attached to the inside of the hood of said Huracan is a half-a-million dollar camera gimbal setup created by Gyro-Stabilized Systems (GSS) and fabricated to fit the vehicle by IDO. Inside the gimbal is a RED Helium 8K camera with the option to mount multiple lenses—a fittingly expensive camera for an unbelievably expensive camera car.

If you’re wondering how IDO was able to mount the gimbal inside the hood of the Lamborghini, it’s because the Huracan is a mid-engine vehicle. This means the massive 610-horsepower V10 engine sits towards the rear of the car, centered behind the driver and passenger seats, effectively turning the hood of the car into a trunk.

Unmodified, the Lamborghini Huracan has a zero-to-60 speed of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of more than 200 miles per hour. We don’t have the specs on how well it performs with the massive camera attached to the front, but it’s safe to say there’s a slight sacrifice in speed and acceleration.

Below is a gallery of Instagram posts showing off the Huracam in all its glory:

A post shared by The Huracam (@thehuracam) on

A post shared by The Huracam (@thehuracam) on

A post shared by The Huracam (@thehuracam) on

A post shared by The Huracam (@thehuracam) on

A post shared by The Huracam (@thehuracam) on

A post shared by ArmedBandit Media (@armedbandit) on

A post shared by Trevor Thompson (@trevorfromwherever) on

There’s no video captured with the 8K setup yet, but the first snippets shouldn’t be too far away. The team has already partnered up with Sharp Electronics for the first project with the Huracam.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on This Lamborghini is ‘the world’s fastest purpose-built camera car’

Posted in Uncategorized

 

This hacked Polaroid camera prints your photos onto thermal paper

24 Apr

If you enjoy DIY projects and don’t mind diving deep into programming, soldering, and otherwise hacking apart old cameras, this weekend project is right up your alley. Meet the thermal paper Polaroid.

Created by tinkerer Mitxela, this Frankenstein of a camera takes the shell of a Polaroid Sonar Autofocus 5000 and crams a webcam, thermal printer and Raspberry Pi Zero computer inside. The result is a digital instant camera that immediately prints your photographs onto thermal paper—the type of paper receipts are printed on.

The project isn’t for the faint of heart. It involves a good bit of cutting, soldering, wiring and programming, as meticulously detailed in Mitxela’s step-by-step guide on how he built the thing. The entire process was filled with a healthy bit of trial and error, but when all was said and done, it worked. And not barely worked… flawlessly worked, as though that’s how the Polaroid camera was designed to operate all along.

As explained in the above video, the camera uses a three-dollar webcam as the eye, catching the scene through the lens of the Polaroid. When the shutter of the Polaroid is pressed, a screenshot from the webcam is captured and processed by the Raspberry Pi Zero before being sent off to the thermal printer. As it prints, the paper is fed through the same area a normal Polaroid print would be expelled from.

The amount of work that went into the project is evident in how clean the camera looks even after all of the hacking, soldering and glueing. From the outside, the camera still looks almost identical to how it did when Mitxela started. Everything is packed inside the frame of the original Polaroid Sonar—it can even be booted up externally through the clever positioning of the serial port. which is hidden beneath where flash bars are placed when shooting with instant film.

To see the entire process and dozens of photos from throughout the building process, head on over to Mitxela’s site and check it out. And if you’re brave enough to take on this project yourself, be sure to share your results with us.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on This hacked Polaroid camera prints your photos onto thermal paper

Posted in Uncategorized

 
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »