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ShiftCam is a 6 in 1 dual lens case for the iPhone 7 Plus

Do you consider yourself an iPhoneographer? You’re not alone if you do. By itself, the iPhone 7 Plus has a great camera, but is there a way to make it and your photos even better? The people behind the successful Kickstarter campaign for the ShiftCam Camera Lens Case think so.

What is a ShiftCam? It’s a specially designed case for the iPhone 7 Plus that features a set of sliding lenses that add telephoto, wide-angle, fisheye and macro capabilities to the built in camera.

The lenses are built right into the case so you don’t have to remember to carry clip-on style lenses with you when you are traveling.

The ShiftCam also offers a hand strap and a built-in grip to give your iPhone a true pocket camera feel. Check out the video below to see how the ShiftCam works.

Do you want a ShiftCam case for your own iPhone 7 Plus? It’s priced at $59.00 through shiftcam.com. You can also check out their Kickstarter campaign page for extra info.

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ShiftCam is a 6 in 1 dual lens case for the iPhone 7 Plus originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 26, 2017 at 10:00 am.

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AirSelfie is a pocket-sized drone designed to take your picture from the air


Taking a selfie by holding your phone at arm’s length is usually fine if you’re only taking a snap of yourself or at most another person. But when you try to squeeze more people into the frame or want to see the background too, a camera at the end of your arm just won’t cut it. Neither will a 3-foot long selfie stick. Is there a better alternative? The folds at AirSelfie think so.

AirSelfie is a small smartphone-sized drone whose sole purpose is to take pictures of you as quickly and easily as possible.

This drone is made of lightweight anodized aluminum and features a flat design for easy launching and landing and a 5-megapixel camera with 4GB of storage for images.

It’s powered by a rechargeable battery that provides 3 minutes of flight time and it communicates with your phone via 2.4Ghz WiFi.

AirSelfi comes with a smartphone charging case that provides up to 20 charges in the field.

The AirSelfie drone will be shipping in July and is currently available for pre-order on airselfiecamera.com with a limited time special discount of $279.13 for the drone without the charging case and on Amazon for $329.00 with the charging case and free shipping.

The fine folks at AirSelfie will be sending me a drone to review, so stay tuned for some Gadgeteer selfies very soon!

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AirSelfie is a pocket-sized drone designed to take your picture from the air originally appeared on on June 25, 2017 at 10:00 am.

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Miggo Pictar Plus iPhone camera grip review


I fashion myself as somewhat of an amateur photographer. I’ve been fascinated with photography ever since I took Mr. Bunton’s “Intro to Photography” class way back in the ninth grade. And like a lot of people I love taking photos with my iPhone. Apple forever changed the way we take photographs when they introduced the first iPhone 10 years ago. With each iteration, the iPhones camera gets better and better. It takes amazing photos, but taking them has always presented different issues. The fact is the iPhone isn’t a camera, it’s a phone, and holding it with one hand to take a photo can be tricky. And if you want to use a tripod you have to buy special cases and or mounts made specifically for the iPhone. Miggo has changed all of that with the Pictar and Pictar Plus. Pictar is a camera grip that claims to turn your iPhone into a DSLR camera. Since I love taking pictures with my iPhone both recreationally and for my product reviews for the-gadgeteer, I jumped at the chance to review the Pictar Plus. Does it really turn the iPhone into a DSLR camera? Let’s take some photos and find out.

I don’t usually start off a review by talking about the product’s packaging, but when I received the Pictar Plus from Miggo I was really impressed. I thought to myself “Wow if they put this much thought and innovation into the packaging I can’t wait to try out the actual product”. The box opens like a book (the front flap is held closed by a magnet) and the Pictar Plus is displayed behind a plastic window. The box itself is covered with lots of information about the Pictar Plus. A real nice presentation that I thought was worthy of a mention.

Inside the box, you get the Pictar Plus, wrist strap, neck strap, neoprene padded carrying case and Users Manual.

The Pictar comes with a CR1/2AA battery already installed. To activate the battery, first, open the battery compartment by pushing in the release catch and removing the battery cover. Then pull out and discard the pull tab at the bottom of the battery. This will then allow the battery to connect fully with Pictar. Then click the battery cover back in place. According to Miggo, the battery should last up to 6 months with normal use.

Installing my iPhone into Pictar was easy. After taking it out of its case (you can use Pictar with some very slim-fitting silicone bumper cases) I slid it into the spring loaded bottom of the Pictar, with the back of the phone facing in. Then pressed down until the top of the iPhone clicked into place. Removing it was just as easy.

Before you can use Pictar you have to download their free app from the app store. The app is really the brains of the whole operation. Pictar’s Camera app unlocks key features that are inaccessible on iPhone’s native camera app. It connects with the iPhone using a high-frequency dual tone that is inaudible to the human ear. When used, each dial and button emit a unique tone that is detected by the app generating a corresponding action. This also significantly increases the battery life when compared to Bluetooth connectivity. The app itself is easy to use. The first time you launch it there is a short tutorial that prompts you to use each different dial and button, showing in real time what function each performs. The app has nine different built-in modes, Auto, Sports, Macro, Shutter priority, ISO priority, Manual, Selfie, Movie, and Filter. A note about the Filter mode. There are 38 different filters that can be applied before taking a picture which is really cool. However, only 2 of them are free to use. If you want to use any of the other 36 you have to purchase them. Separately each is a $1, or you can buy the bundle for $10. All things considered, that’s not bad, but it would have been nice to include more than 2 free filters. Clicking on the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the Home screen allows you to change and customize lots of settings. There are five main icons at the top right of the settings screen. The question mark icon takes you to the Tutorial / User Guide menu, the Pictar icon to the customization of buttons menu, the Gear icon to Sound, Geotagging, Purchase Restore and Reset menu, the Camera icon to the camera settings menu and the X returns you to normal camera operation.

Much like a DSLR camera, Pictar Plus offers five external control buttons. This allows you to easily change settings and take pictures with one hand. No more tapping your iPhone’s screen to set focus, exposure, etc.

The Smart wheel allows you to choose between Pictar Plus’s 9 different modes. The Exposure compensation wheel allows you to control brightness levels even before shooting. And just like with an advanced camera, the exposure compensation wheel changes the exposure in steps of 1/3 aperture, and the clear display appears at the bottom of the iPhone screen. The Shutter release has two functions. A half-press locks focus and exposure for easy tracking of a moving object and a full-press for immediate shutter release. The shutter button also allows you to take pictures while wearing gloves during the cold weather. The Zoom Ring allows you to zoom in on a subject without having to touch the screen to pinch-and-zoom. It also doubles as a Selfie button. Clicking the Zoom ring will switch between the iPhone’s front and back camera for easy “selfie” shots. The Virtual Wheel is located on the right side of the Camera app screen and allows you to control different modes such as Flash modes, Shutter speed, ISO and more – simply by using your thumb.

The dials can all be reprogrammed to do different things. For example, you can have the Zoom Ring control the flash, white balance, etc. In that case, zoom in and out would be done by “pinching” the iPhone’s screen, like before. All of this can be done in the settings menu I mentioned earlier.

The Pictar Plus also comes with wrist and neck straps. This is nice because if you’re like me you’ve dropped your iPhone more than once trying to get that perfect shot. Once you attach the connector to the Pictar Plus you can easily change between the two straps with just a snap.

There’s also a nice neoprene padded carrying case for the Pictar Plus. It comes with the added feature of a small metal carabiner that can be attached to a bag or belt loop.

Just like a real camera, Pictar has a standard 1/4” thread tripod socket on the bottom. This is ideal to attach a tripod or other stabilization device and is great for selfies or night time shots, that require long exposure times where the camera needs to be steady.

The top of the Pictar has a standard-size cold shoe mount to allow you to attach many full-size camera accessories, such as LED lights or microphones. I also like that the iPhone’s lens is open when attached to Pictar, giving you the ability to attach most ‘clip on lenses’.

I really loved using the Pictar Plus. It turned taking pictures with my iPhone into a more camera-like experience. It’s really light weight coming in at .17 lbs. so it doesn’t add any extra weight to the iPhone. I like how it’s designed to be held and operated with one hand. And the non-slip grip and wrist strap gave me a real sense of security. I took Pictar Plus along with me while walking my dog and took some photographs using some of the different functions and modes. I was very impressed with how much easier the Pictar Plus made taking photographs. I took a selfie with my dog Zoey and liked being able to switch cameras from back to front simply by pressing the Zoom Ring.

Using the Action Mode I took pictures of the flags that were flying above the local High School football field. It was really windy, but with the Action Mode I was able to capture the flags with no blur, and the images came out sharp and clear. With the Zoom Ring, I was even able to get a close up of Old Glory.

Miggo even provides a link to a Mobile Photography Workshop that has videos on how to use Pictar to capture better pictures in different scenarios. Definitely worth checking out before using Pictar. I look forward to using these tips on my next photography adventure with the Pictar Plus.

Does the Pictar Plus turn your iPhone into a DSLR camera? I might not go that far, but it’s pretty darn close. All and all I think it’s a great product. It makes taking photographs with your iPhone fun and easy, whether you’re an amateur like me or a seasoned photographer. And with all of the Pictar Camera apps built-in features, the photo possibilities are endless. I know it got me excited about taking pictures with my iPhone and I’m sure it will do the same for you.

Pictar comes in 2 models, Pictar, for iPhone sizes, 4s / 5 / 5s / 6 / 6s / SE and 7 and, Pictar Plus, for iPhone, 6 Plus / 6s Plus and 7 Plus. They’re priced at $99.99 and $109.99 respectively.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Miggo. Please visit their website for more info, or Amazon to purchase.

 

Product Information

Price: $109.99
Manufacturer: Miggo
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Easy to use
  • Can operate with one hand
  • Lightweight
  • Wrist and neck straps
  • Multiple modes and settings
  • Neoprene carrying case
Cons:
  • Not enough included free filters in Camera app

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Miggo Pictar Plus iPhone camera grip review originally appeared on on June 23, 2017 at 8:46 am.

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It’s National Seflie Day, so go take another picture of yourself


Established in 2014, National Selfie Day is observed in the United States and abroad every June 21 as a celebration for people who likes to take pictures of themselves.

According to CyberLink, the makers of the photo editing app PhotoDirector, and third-party polling agency YouGov, they have released some interesting selfie findings:

62 percent of US adults and two-thirds of millennials claim to take at least three selfies, at times even more than 25, before deciding which one they want to share with others.

I guess I’m not typical because I’ve only taken one selfie (so far) today. But if I was addicted to taking pictures of myself, I’d definitely invest in some selfie gear to help you take the best shots you can.

Be sure to check out CyberLink’s PhotoDirector Mobile app which available on both iOS and Android.

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It’s National Seflie Day, so go take another picture of yourself originally appeared on on June 21, 2017 at 10:33 am.

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Photolemur photo editing software review


We are in the middle of a popular photo explosion, in case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past decade. Not since the introduction of the Brownie camera in 1900 has there been such interest in photography by the general public. For $1 (about $30 in today’s money), normal everyday people could make this new thing called a “snapshot” and share it with friends. Today, with no processing and printing needed, this happens instantly, rather than in a few days when the roll is finished, sent off, and returned. With this amazing power comes tools to make our photos even better than the smart lens systems and photo software built into our cameras already does. I was offered a copy of a program called Photolemur that is able to clean up rough camera shots and bring out the data that is there.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

I came to photography late in life. When my Lovely Bride and I went on one of our first real vacations sans-kids in 2001 to the Berkshires, I bought a Kodak DC3400 Zoom. It inspired me to walk around with a camera, and soon I was moving up to better and better hardware, learning all the little bits of info I could about lenses, fstops, aperture, depth-of-field, bokeh, filters (the glass kind, not the software kind), and photo-editing software. Much of the hardware we use today automates much of that manual adjustment into a half-press on the shutter or a tap on the touch screen to activate auto-exposure and autofocus. The framing and composition of the photo still takes a good eye, or, at least, an attention to the craft. But the post-processing is still a maze of adjustments and exposure curves. I can do it if I have a particular shot that I want to go deeper with than the simple “enhance” button on most software, but Photolemur takes this to a new level.
The app itself brings up a single window with the directions: “Drop photo here or Import.” The “Import” button just pulls up a file picker dialog box.
Once you drag/drop or import an image, some type of software magic happens, and soon, your image shows up with a “Before/After” bar that you can drag from left to right to see all the changes that the software will do. There’s a button on the right lower corner that lets you export (rename, move to other drives, etc.)

That’s it. You either like the transformed photo or you don’t. I choose some of my first photos to show here, since they were taken with a very old camera, by a newbie photographer, and just to revisit some nostalgia on my part. I’ve got a few of these framed around the house, and have even sold prints of one.

The round stone barn above is from a Shaker Village in Western MA. Note the vibrancy of the grass and the better definition of the stones on the After side. I like the improvement here. But full sun with large blocks of color is pretty easy. Let’s walk inside.

The back stairs out of the kitchen were behind a partially closed door. The wood grain attracted me, as did the light. I like how Photolemur brightened the wood without losing the crispness of that grain. The newel post on the left was helped immensely, but it’s easier to see the difference in the floor.

Bright sun again, and, being one of the first dozen or so shots I had taken, I really over-exposed that middle post. But I caught the dragonfly sitting on it, and that was my goal. The green of the background flowers of this “After” shot is too artificial to me. Those leaves are soft and fuzzy, and the software makes them out to be slicker.

A few months after this, my job sent me to New York City to lead a software launch. (This was August of 2001 – before 9/11.) This was the view outside my room.

That building on the right that is split shows how well the software pulls the details out of the shadows. I’m happy with this improvement. (This is from the New Yorker hotel looking out across 8th Avenue if I recall correctly. If I stuck my head out the window and looked right, I could see Madison Square Gardens.)

We went up to Times Square and walked around after dinner. Three guys with an iguana passed by on Broadway as my group was standing on the curb, and I fired off a shot. Photolemur really helps pull out colors here. (It was about midnight, with loads of neon, motion, and shadows.) Check out that look on the driver’s face. I never saw that before.

Further down the block, things were a little quieter, and I captured this charcoal artist at work. The software over-compensates in this shot, to me. The roadway and even the artist’s arm have a bit of a green cast.

Next night, I walked over to Rockefeller Plaza, as one does. It was late summer, so the ice rink was replaced with a restaurant and dance floor.

This shot from behind the iconic statue of Prometheus has a few better highlights, but the background detail is far improved. There is another band member to the left of the trumpet player, and those little globs floating above Prometheus’ left hand are cymbals from a drum set. You can see them clearly in the After shot!

So, as you can see, Photolemur can pull some amazing data out of what may be a pretty decent shot to start with. It combines color saturation, brightness, and contrast based on how it’s algorithm interprets your photo subject. Sometimes it’s spot on, but sometimes, it goes a little overboard.

If you’re not “into” photography, or just want to run through a batch of photos, you may really like having a simple drag and drop solution to processing your pics. If you’ve spent a lot of time learning Photoshop, Aperture, LightRoom, or The GIMP, or even Graphic Convertor, you may feel you can do as good or almost as good a job as this. With the subscription pricing, you could sign up for a month or so after a vacation, run through your photos, then unsub. At $36 a year, it’s still cheap by the standards of normal boxed software, even if it is a one-trick pony. If you’ve migrated to iOS or Android for more of your photo and post-processing, moving it over to an actual computer just to tweak details may be more than you care to do.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Photolemur. Please their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: Sold as a subscription. Currently $4/month billed monthly, or $3/month billed annually.
Manufacturer: Photolemur
Requirements:
  • Mac or Windows, a supported camera (most are supported), and photos over 800×600 pixels.
Pros:
  • Great automatic processing of almost any image!
  • No twiddly settings to learn!
  • Simple yes/no processing!
Cons:
  • If you don't like what it does, there's no way to only go part-way.
  • Sometimes, lighting can play tricks on the algorithm.

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Photolemur photo editing software review originally appeared on on May 25, 2017 at 9:02 am.

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