Hasta La Gadget!

Last week I wrote about Shuttr, the tiny Bluetooth remote control for smartphones that lets users take better self-portraits and group shots. But Shuttr can be used for more than just selfies. Other accessory developers have been experimenting with Shuttr to see how far it can extend a smartphone camera’s capabilities. For example, when Shuttr is combined with adapter Snapzoom and an optical scope, it creates an inexpensive and portable way to take clear, high-resolution macro and long-distance shots.

Snapzoom is a universal adapter for iPhone and Android devices that enables smartphones to take pictures through binoculars, telescopes and microscopes. Shuttr allows photographers to avoid camera shake and take better high-resolution photos with their Snapzoom/smartphone setup. The combo can be used for macro photography, give researchers an inexpensive and portable way to take microscopic photos or (on the other end of the scale) even capture detailed shots of the moon’s surface, including the one below by Snapzoom co-creator Daniel Fujikake.

“Even though I have a sturdy tripod the slightest shutter button touch can ruin the shot and the Shuttr helped me get my sharpest moon shots yet,” says Fujikake.

Snapzoom was created by Fujikake and his brother-in-law Mac Nguyen. The two live in Honolulu, Hawaii, and wanted to find a way to film their surfing sessions with wide-angle lens on their smartphones, but could not get close enough to capture good footage.

Then they figured out that using a pair of 10x binoculars as a telephoto lens with their smartphones magnified the image enough to fill the frames, with quality far better than the camera’s interpolated digital zoom. The Snapzoom was developed to work with almost every smartphone model, including Android, Windows and iOS devices (even with cases on) and most single and double eyepiece optical scopes.

Snapzoom was successfully funded on Kickstarter two months ago and is currently available for pre-order. The adapter’s pre-order price is $69.99 or $144.95 with a pair of 8×25 Nikon Trailblazer travel binoculars. Shuttr has also reached its funding goal, but its campaign is open until August 9. Both items are scheduled to ship in October.

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Snapzoom stole a lot of hearts at Engadget Expand, but it didn’t quite steal enough votes to win our Insert Coin contest. Now you can exact some justice, as the smartphone adapter for binoculars, telescopes and microscopes is up for grabs on Kickstarter to let you zoom in on the moon, bacteria or whatever else you can think of. So far it’s vacuumed up $15,000 toward its $55,000 goal, and while the early bird offer is sold out, backers can still grab one starting at $60, a hefty discount from the final $80 retail price. For $90, you’ll even get a basic 10×25 compact Bushnell travel binocular tossed in, so if you want to see what made our Insert Coin judges go zoom-crazy, hit the source or video after the jump.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras

Comments

Source: Snapzoom (Kickstarter)

One of five finalists in our first-annual Insert Coin: New Challengers competition, the Snapzoom is an adapter that lets you connect a smartphone to a telescope or a pair of binoculars for some long-range snapshots. We gave you a brief look at the product earlier in our contest, but we went hands-on with the Snapzoom ahead of Engadget Expand — with the San Francisco Bay serving as our test subject, no less.

The Snapzoom isn’t the only product of its kind, but it stands out for being universal. Though we tested the adapter with an iPhone 5, it will work with virtually every smartphone, thanks to adjustable clamps. Connecting the handset (in its case) to a set of binoculars was seamless: we just attached the device via the self-centering clamps and tightened it into place. It’s easy to get excited when the setup brings you up close and personal with Alcatraz, but Snapzoom basically assumes you have some stunning imagery to shoot. We’ll have to wait and see how our elite panel of Insert Coin judges thinks this contestant stacks up. In the meantime, check out the video demo past the break.

Filed under: Cameras, Peripherals

Comments