Gizmodo Australia » lens

Nyko’s Zoom Lens For The DSi Just Seems Like Overkill

Danny Allen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:56:32 +0000

Not to sound phallic, but things keep growing bigger on the DSi. Nintendo confirmed the new 4.2-inch screen DSi LL earlier today, and now Nyko’s 8x optical Zoom Case is finally getting pushed out the door.

What we didn’t know before was the price…it’ll be $US25. But, uh…the DSi only has a 0.3MP camera, so this still just seems silly to me. [Nyko via Kotaku]

Microscope dSLR Lens Captures Both The Beautiful And The Ugly

Mark Wilson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:10:00 +0000

I thought this photo was of pollen. It’s not. Really, those are the protrusions on a starfish at 66x magnification, captured on a dSLR.

Nikon rumours reviewed the Nikon-compatible Fabre Photo EX DSLR Stereoscopic Microscope, a $US1600 lens that pwns macro photography pretty hard.

Here’s a video they captured of a millipede. So gross, but we can’t look away.

Two points Nikon rumours makes: Integrated LEDs sound handy for illuminating the small subjects, but they tend to create a harsh reflection on surfaces. And, yes, the microscope lens is every bit as “fun” as you’d imagine.

Lots more test shots over at: [Nikon Rumors]

Bokeh Filter Turns Blurry Lights Into Distinct Shapes

Dan Nosowitz — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Bokeh, which is the out-of-focus light distortion in the background of a photo, is more and more seen as an aesthetic element of photography. This lens brings it more attention by shaping those blurs into stars, hearts and more.

The Bokeh Filter is a physical lens that attaches to any mainstream DSLR and blocks out small pieces of light to create the desired patterns. Changing the cool blurry streetlights behind your ladyfriend into hearts? Cheesetastic. But used subtly (that would mean using no shapes that are also found in a box of Lucky Charms), this could bring a really cool element to some photos. And hell, if you’re going for outright cheese, might as well do it naturally and not in the edit room, right? [Bokeh Filter via Geekologie]

Make A Mobile Phone Macro Lens From An Old DVD Player

Jason Chen — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:41:27 +0000

Here’s a potentially cheap, but ugly, way to make a macro lens for your mobile phone camera. Step 1: take your DVD player apart.

You’ll want to use the lens in there, along with some kind of cardboard holder, and mount it onto your mobile phone camera. It won’t be pretty, but the shots that come out will (provided everything you’re shooting from now on is within an inch of your camera). [Flickr via DIY Photography via MAKE]

How To: Make A Fisheye DSLR Lens For $US16

Dan Nosowitz — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Over at Instructables, user Banjomaster shows how to make a fisheye lens for his Nikon D90 for just $US16, with the help of one of those wide-angle doorway peephole lenses.
It looks like a pretty simple mod, both in materials required and construction method: It only needs a couple pieces of particle board, the aforementioned peephole lens, the spare lens shield that came with his camera, and of course some duct tape. The only possible caveat: The replacement wide-angle lens is significantly smaller than the camera’s lens, so there’s a circle around all of the shots. On the other hand, it’s sort of cool; it makes everything look like you shot it through a hotel door. Check it out, we’re sure it can be modified for other makes and models of DSLR. [Instructables]

DIY Macro Lens From Old Binoculars

Jason Chen — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:20:00 +0000

Tired of peeping at your neighbours? Combine the lenses from your old pair of binoculars with a bit of electrical tape and you’ve got yourself a cheap DIY macro lens.

Is this as good as a real macro lens? Of course not. But this costs a few bucks for the tape whereas the real lens costs hundreds to thousands of dollars. Check the video to see how to do it. [Lifehacker]

The Things You Have To Do For Money—and A Good Photo

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:40:00 +0000

“OK, I’m ready for everything! EVERYSINGLETHING!”

Dark Roasted Blend has a nice collection of strange photos of professional and amateur photographers ridiculously trying to get that elusive Perfect Shot.

Check the rest of the series here. [Flickr via Dark Roasted Blend]

Pentax Leaks Affordable New K-m DSLR

Gizmodo US Edition — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000

There’ve been lots of rumours floating around about Pentax’s Photokina lineup, and it looks like the German Pentax site leaked some images and details about the K-m, an entry-level DSLR. Specs are a little bit sketchy, but it’s using the same 10.2MP Sony sensor as the K200D, and retains the 2.7-inch screen and the sad lack of Live View. But the iso gets a boost to 3200 and the fps to 3.5, and the pricing seems extremely competitive, at only 500 euro for the 1-lens kit and 600 for the 2-lens kit. The K line has been solid so far, so we’ll be watching out for it at Photokina. [1001 via Crunchgear]

Zoom Lens Coffee Mug Helps Keep Photographers Caffeinated

Sean Fallon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:20:00 +0000

It takes a lot for a coffee cup to impress me. Hell, if no cups were available I would probably have the barista pour coffee into my cupped hands. Still, it is hard not to be taken aback by the nerdy coolness of this zoom lens design. Unfortunately, the cup is only a concept at this point, and making one for yourself could prove to be an expensive little project. But I would be the first in line to buy one if someone produced a version at a reasonable price. [yok2008 via Coolbuzz via Shiny Shiny via Dvice]