Thursday, December 31, 2015
Light is a new silicon valley startup that’s focused on the holy grail of photography. A camera the size of a smartphone, that takes photos the quality of a 52-megapixel DSLR, zooms optically between 35 and 150mm, shoots great images in low light, and lets you select focus and depth of field after you shoot.
It sounds like more than one camera can handle – and that’s because it’s actually 16 cameras in one. The Light camera squeezes in 16 tiny smartphone-type cameras, each with its own inexpensive small lens at focal lengths between 35 and 150 mm. When you take a shot, up to 10 of these cameras fire at once, focusing on different points and taking different exposure levels.
After you shoot, the output of those 10 cameras is combined in an imaging algorithm, creating a much larger photo than an individual small sensor could handle, and a wider dynamic range than your typical smartphone sensor could produce by itself. Since the image also contains multiple focusing points, you can select what you want in and out of focus, and choose a depth of field up to an f/1.2 equivalent after you shoot.
Output is JPG, TIFF or RAW DNG, and while there’s no facility yet for a hot-shoe or remote flash, you do get a dual-tone LED flash on the back. You can shoot video, but in doing so you chop the image down to a single lens, and lose the composite quality. Pricing is set at US$1,699 – or $1,299 if you pre-order now with a $199 deposit – and delivery is promised for late US summer 2016.
The thinking is to produce something as pocket-portable as a smartphone that can deliver pro-level camera quality – and it's a compelling argument. But one of the reasons a good smartphone camera is so handy is that you don't even have to think to bring it along with you. It's there. The L16 might be pocket-sized, but as a single-function device you're still going to have to remember to bring your camera along with you.
It’ll take some hands-on experience for us to wrap our heads around this one –smartphone cameras are getting better every day, but to claim you can combine 10 of them and get an image to rival a decent DSLR with quality glass … that’s a big call.
The image processing involved in combining shots from different focal length lenses boggles the mind. How do you correct for the distance compression between a zoom lens and a wide so the images even line up? Presumably there's some very clever people working on this jigger, so we're keen to see how they've solved these problems – particularly while making it a seamless and simple process for the shooter.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Monday, December 28, 2015
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Friday, December 25, 2015
For anyone who ventures deep into the great outdoors, it's possible that a real life-or-death survival situation could occur. A new product called the KODIAK is a wristband designed for people who may be faced with such a situation, as it comes with the tools needed to fish and start a fire.
A similar product called the Flint and Steel has a similar design philosophy, but the KODIAK comes with a couple of extra features that will most certainly come in handy.
A similar product called the Flint and Steel has a similar design philosophy, but the KODIAK comes with a couple of extra features that will most certainly come in handy.
The KODIAK includes four basic survival tools – the flint, the tinder, the fish hook, and the braided fishing line. Each of these is contained within the Paracord braid, which is commonly used on most survival bracelets of this sort.
Most Paracord braids can be used for fishing, as the nylon material inside will do the job, but fishing generally requires a hook, which is why the creators tucked one within the bracelet for easy access. While it will obviously not function as well as a fishing pole, in a critical situation, the ability to catch fish can mean the difference between eating and starving.
The tinder is also tucked within the braid, so it can be pulled out and used to start a fire at any time. The plastic buckle that holds the wristband together is made to function as a flint, which will provide the spark required to make the timber go up in flames.
Outdoor Elements, the creator of the KODIAK, tested the product extensively in actual outdoor situations before launching the product on Kickstarter. The company wanted to make sure that if someone were actually stranded with the product, they would be able to catch fish and start a fire. Based on the Kickstarter pitch video, (which you will find at the bottom of this post), the testing appears to be a success.
The wristband is in the middle of its funding period on Kickstarter. As of this writing, the product has claimed a little over US$18,000 of its $52,250 goal. The minimum pledge required to grab a KODIAK is currently $30, but that is only available for a limited time. After that, the required pledge will go up to $35.
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