Snaky tripod holds your lens steady

The problem most photographers encounter when they attach a long lens to a dSLR camera body is that it often tends to tilt downward due to uneven weight distribution. Therefore, using a tripod may be a better idea.

But if you find off-the-shelf tripods bulky, perhaps the Optera 460 may be more suitable for you. This device is interesting because the legs are non-extendable and one of them is much longer than the rest. By bending the longer extension at different angles, you can use it to support longer lenses and prevent the camera and lens from tipping over.

This idea may sound simple, but the Optera 460 doesn't come cheap. Retailing at US$69.99, it is available from Trek-Tech's Web site. But considering how much your camera and lens equipment costs, it's a small price to pay for a peace of mind.

Camera + balloon = pictures of space

While astronomers peep into their million-dollar telescopes to get a glimpse of outer space, a latex balloon, a digital camera and four Spanish teenagers can do the same for just US$79.

According to news site Telegraph, the quartet used a latex balloon filled with helium and inflated it to about 2m across. This was to provide the necessary lift to carry a Nikon digital camera and some homemade sensor equipment.

The setup managed to rise more than 30km into the sky, which is pretty near the edge of outer space. The camera then clicked a few shots before the balloon deflated and the equipment landed back safely on Earth.

Google Earth may cost millions, but these four youngsters proved they can achieve similar results at a much lower cost.

I'm a pixel-peeping Tom

I have a confession: I am a pixel peeper. That is, I zoom in to 100 percent of a digital image file on the computer to scrutinize it. You may think it's normal to check for sharpness and noise in the shot, but in reality it is not necessary since I hardly print photographs bigger than 4R size. At 4 x 6 inches, the flaws in the picture probably won't be noticeable to the naked eye. Don't get me wrong. Pixel peeping is not a bad thing if you're shooting for clients and they demand the best image quality. For the average consumers, they usually send their media cards containing their snaps straight to the digital lab for printing, and without even checking what they've shot. If you pixel peep, tell us why do you do it and, does it make any difference for your photo prints?

Miniature camera for a Lilliputian

We've seen some pretty tiny cameras in our line of work, but this has to be the smallest shooter ever. Japanese candy-maker Glico has been shrinking everyday objects such as sewing machines and vehicles into diminutive sizes to package as gifts in its sweets, and this Nikon F SLR miniature was released in 2002.

According to a collector's blog, the small shooter was created to be an exact replica of the actual SLR, with a removable prism and interchangeable lenses. A mini blower brush and flash bulb are also included in the box. Talk about miniaturization.

However, the Glico-issued camera model is a non-working unit, and even if it does snap pictures, there isn't any film small enough to be used with the camera. This is an extremely rare collectors' item and we haven't been able to find it on eBay or other online auction sites. We are guessing the kids probably ate it up together with the sweets.

Could this be Nikon's rugged point-and-shoot?

While Canon, Panasonic and Fujifilm have introduced their tough snappers, at the recent Photo Marketing Association (PMA) tradeshow held in Las Vegas, Nikon was, well, quiet.

Maybe designer Camillo Vanacore is a Nikon fan. Not wanting to see his favorite brand lag behind rivals, he designed a rugged point-and-shoot for the Japanese company. But what separates his concept from other robust cameras is the aesthetics. Vanacore's design is sleek, and he has even conceived the button layout for Nikon if it decides to make a hardy point-and-shoot.

Considering how this design has made a splash on the Web, we'd not be surprised if the Japanese company decides to hire Vanacore to design its future cameras.

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

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