It’s become quite a thing for people to attach various objects to the bottom of helium balloons and send them miles and miles above the surface of the earth. We’ve seen LG do this with its G2 smartphone, sending the device into the stratosphere. To celebrate a new smartphone app called the TOP Fruit Hub, […]
Sigma is a company that makes aftermarket lenses for DSLR cameras and just about every manufacturer out there. The company also makes a number of other accessories such as flashes and lots more. Sigma has announced pricing and availability information for its latest lens, the 24-105 mm F4 DG OS HSM art lens. The new […]
When you have a company that goes by the name of “Pyle Audio”, you would think that they would concentrate a whole lot on audio products only, without branching out to other products. Well, we have news for you – Pyle Audio has just announced that they are rolling out the new Hi-Speed HD Camera/Camcorder (aka PSCHD60 if model numbers are your cup of tea), where this would be the perfect companion for action sports enthusiasts who want to make sure that every single hairpin turn is recorded for posterity. Apart from that, it also lets one share their hi-resolution photos and videos with both family and friends. The Hi-Speed HD Camera/Camcorder from Pyle will arrive in black, blue, grey, red and silver shades for $99.99 a pop if you are interested.
Pyle Audio ensures that every single action-packed detail is captured, where this is made possible thanks to a 12-megapixel sensor, where it will arrive complete with CMOS image sensor technology. Capable of recording video at 120 frames-per-second, this camera/camcorder will also be able to produce hi-speed, high-quality videos that are fit for any video production.
Other features of the Pyle Audio Hi-Speed HD Camera include 4X zoom and an invertible screen display, where it will be via a 2.5” LCD touchscreen display. The camera itself can also be operated remotely via a Wi-Fi remote control, letting you shoot photos as well as record videos sans wires.
Apart from that, this highly versatile Hi-Speed Camera/Camcorder will also arrive with a range of accessories, where among them include a waterproof case, multiple mounts and clips, which would pave the way for this compact camera to be mounted to bike handlebars, armbands, helmets, and snorkel masks, among others. Boasting a two-hour Lithium rechargeable battery, the included USB or car charging cables would ensure that you are always ready to meet any action-packed adventure head on.
Press Release
[ Pyle Audio introduces a new Hi-Speed HD Camera copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
If you like the look of tilt-shift and low-fidelity images, you should probably have a camera that looks the part. I’ve been playing around with one particular camera that fits both bills – creative lo-fi images and retro style.
The Bonzart Ampel Dual Lens camera is an unusual little camera that looks like an old-school twin-lens reflex camera, but in this case, each lens is being used to feed a five-megapixel digital image sensor. The top lens offers normal images, while the lower lens offers an optical tilt-shift effect.
The camera even has a clever pop open viewfinder like old cameras, which conceals a small 2″ LCD screen inside. This top-down position for viewing images while shooting takes a little getting used to, but is actually kind of fun once you do. As an added bonus, the pop-up sides around the viewfinder keep glare off of the LCD.
In terms of storage, the camera accepts standard SD memory cards, and gets its power from three inexpensive AA batteries. Controls for switching between effect and shooting modes are located on side of the camera, while the shutter and lens select buttons are on front. Menu controls for changing resolution, exposure, date/time and other settings are located on back.
So how about image quality? Well, I won’t say that the Bonzart Ampel can compete with today’s better digital cameras, but that’s not what it’s designed for. It’s designed to allow photographers to explore their creativity in the capture of artful, lo-fi imagery – and it does that well. Check out some sample images I shot below:
As you can see, it performs quite well in daylight conditions, and the tilt-shift effect is spot on.
Without any focus controls at all, it even captures pretty impressive macro images, complete with unplanned depth of field effects.
The camera also offers digital effect modes for vivid color, black and white, sepia tone, and something called “REF”, which seems like a washed out Fuji film style. While you could achieve many of these effects in post-production with image editors, it’s kind of fun to see them in real time on the LCD, and without need to boot up Photoshop.
In addition to still imagery, the Bonzart Ampel can shoot video in resolutions from 320×240 up to 720×480 at 30fps. It also offers a 1280×720 HD mode, but the frame rate is extremely poor at that resolution. Suffice it to say, this isn’t really designed for HD videography. Still, it’s kind of neat to be able to shoot SD video through a tilt-shift lens.
One caveat with this camera is that it’s pretty much useless in low-light conditions. It captures great daylight images, but even in dimly-lit indoor rooms this is the sort of result I got, even when playing with the manual exposure controls:
For those of you who like to use Instagram, the camera also has a built-in 1:1 proportion mode, so you can capture ready-cropped images for upload to the service (or for square picture frames).
Overall, this quirky little camera really grew on me, and I think it’s a fun addition to any photographer’s bag of tricks. If you keep in mind that it’s designed for creative imagery and not for precision, you’ll be much happier with the surprising and serendipitous results it produces.
The Bonzart Ampel Dual Lens camera is available from AC Gears for $180(USD).
Pyle has been producing audio gear for a number of years. Audio isn’t all the company is about though, it also has a line of ruggedized action cameras. The company has unveiled a new action camera called the Hi-Speed HD is able to record video in full HD resolution.
The Hi-Speed camera can capture video at 30, 60 or 120fps, so I suppose that makes it a “high speed” camera – though just barely. It supports video resolutions up to 1080p, though at only 30fps. Resolution drops to 720p for 60fps video, and 480p for 120fps. The camera has a 12-megapixel sensor and can shoot still photos with a time-lapse mode.
Images are stored to microSD cards up to 32 GB in capacity. The camera also has a 2.4-inch touchscreen on the rear, four times digital zoom, and a mini-HDMI output. Another cool feature of the camera is that it ships with a Wi-Fi remote control. That remote control allows the user to turn the camera on and off remotely.
Power for the camera comes from an internal rechargeable battery good for over two hours of recording per charge. The camera uses CMOS image sensor technology and ships with a USB cable and car charger. The camera also comes with splash proof case and various mounting clips. Des[ote what the Pyle website says, retail price for the camera is a surprisingly low $99.99. Pyle offers the camera in black, blue, gray, red, or silver. This might be the perfect camera for someone who really wants a GoPro, but can’t afford the $300 and up price. Though without one in hand to review, I can’t speak for its image or video quality.
Ricoh’s Theta 360-degree camera has hit shelves, offering an unusual way to capture a full panorama in a single snap. The double-lensed camera, which was launched at IFA 2013 last month, is a slender stick rather than the more traditional rectangular form-factor, and can be remotely controlled via an iOS device. Alternatively there’s a single […]
The oncoming collection of BWV (body worn video) cameras coming from VIEVU may remind you of Narrative Clip – aka the cameras formerly known as Memoto. But here as the VIEVU team announces a partnership with Motorola Solutions, they push forth a small form-factor, highly secure camera made for security organizations, police, and law enforcement […]
There’s a collection of one of a kind devices appearing this month designed by Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design Jony Ive, each of them designed for an upcoming Product (RED) charity auction set for November. This auction will hold some rather fine objects designed entirely or in part by Ive including a Steinway & […]
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 could end up eight times more sensitive to light than the current Galaxy S 4 flagship, with the South Korean company working on a new 13-megapixel camera module with optical image stabilization for 2014. The new CMOS matches the 13-megapixel resolution of the current Galaxy S 4, but adds in OIS versus […]
Insects, contrary to popular belief, are not that different from humans. Studies show that our buggy friends suffer from one of the human world’s most common emotional ailments: the friendzone. So, with that perspective, we look at these beautiful macro photos of bug BFFs.
Also note that many of these bugs were friendzoned by nature, as different species cannot reproduce with each other – this is, by definition, the reproductive barrier that defines a “species.” Permanent, unavoidable, natural friendzone.
This picture really speaks a thousand words: it seems to be the perfect friendship dynamic! The best friendship since Shaggy and Scooby, rivaled only by Timon and Pumbaa. Praying Mantis and Snail probably wouldn’t make a splash at the box office, but it would surely leave a trail of slime on our hearts!
Nature’s version of two friends stopping to get a drink out of a water fountain. On a related note, I never understood how snails can survive on both land and water. Are there just different types of snails? do snails have gills? The only logical conclusion: snails are robots.
It seems that snails (and the occasional frog) are actually just the forest’s form of free public transportation. Talk about a long commute.
These pictures were all taken by Nordin Seruyan, who lives in an area that is heavily-populated by giant snails, and he did an awesome job capturing the essence of nature’s symbiotic relationships in these photos!
Head on over to the Nordin Seruyan Photography page on Facebook and give this man your like! My feelings would be appropriately represented by the Give That Man a Cookie meme.
If you’re as into bugs as I am, you’ll want to head on over to look at these Solar Powered Robotic Bugs and these incredible Steampunk Bug creations!
[via Incredible Things]
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
