tech.nocr.at » lens

3D Video With One Camera

Frank — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:57:54 +0000

3D video has really started to make a strong comeback. I remember being a kid when the paper glasses with red and blue lenses were all the rage. Technology has changed a lot since then. The cost of creating 3D videos is so expensive that it prohibits the aspiring film maker from considering the option, but if you happen to have a CNC machine that you can access your on your way to brining that dream to life.

Gabriel, the crafty hacker, is using a SketchUp to plot the camera paths, a plugin to export those paths and automatically adjust them for perspective and a CNC machine to preform all of the movement. You take a pass at something for the left eye then the CNC machine takes a second pass at a different perspective for the right eye.

Simple eh, well it does have it’s drawbacks like the inability to shoot anything that’s moving. Although this isn’t the perfect setup, it does show you how creative some people can be. Maybe this would be perfect for stop motion 3D. Check out the two videos after the break. The first is the actually 3D video and the second shows a behind the scene on how the whole rig works.

[Link to 3D with CNC]

3D Video With One Camera originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/28. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Duplicate Keys From An Image

Frank — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:48:10 +0000

Think your keys are safe on your desk? Think again. Computer programmers at UC San Diego have created some software that can pose a serious threat. Dubbed “Sneakey”, it can analyze an image (not even a good one) of a key from almost any angle and create an exact replica. In the picture above, the team successfully reproduced a key using an image that was shot with a telephoto lens from 200 feet away.

“You only need to click a few control points in the image of the key and the ‘Sneakey’ program does the rest,” programmer Benjamin Laxton told a UCSD reporter, “It normalizes the key’s size and position so that each pixel then corresponds to a known distance. From this information the height of each of the key cuts can easily be computed and likewise the bitting code can be extracted.”

What can you do to protect yourself? Apparently not much. Keep your keys in your pocket at all times and you should be safe.

Duplicate Keys From An Image originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/11/06. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DIY: Pringles Can Macro Tube

Frank — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:10:47 +0000

Most photo buffs know they key to get a great shot of something up close is to use a macro lens. Unfortunately not every one has big bucks to spend on a piece of glass to achieve this. This is why the Pringles can macro tube hack is perfect for those on a tight budget. The Photocritic blog has a great how to on building your own macro tube so you can take seriously crisp shots of tiny things.

So, you like the idea of doing macro photography, but you think you can’t afford it? Think again – with less than £1 worth of equipment, a little bit of sweat and tears (and blood, if you, like me, are a bit on the clumsy side), and you can build yourself a surprisingly good macro lens. Don’t believe me? Well, have a look at the article, and think again!

[Link to building a Pringles macro tube]

DIY: Pringles Can Macro Tube originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/08. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Add On Lenses For Your Phone

Frank — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:29:46 +0000

Imagine this, your walking down the street and you see Britney Spears doing some crazy and outrageous think (I know it’s hard to imagine Britney Spears doing anything stupid). You know if had a picture of this incident tabloids would pay you thousands, but all you have is your lonely cell phone with it’s built in camera that takes horrible pictures. Well if you had the Mobile Phone Telescope for your phone you’d be able to take those pictures and laugh all the way to the bank.

I know, the likelihood of that ever happening is slim to none, plus who cares about Britney Spears anyways. The Mobile Phone Telescope is a tiny add on lens that attaches to your Motorola cell phone that allows you to compensate for the short comings of the built in lens. It won’t turn you into Ansel Adams but it will help.

Coming in at $19, i’ve spent more than that on stupider gadgets.

Add On Lenses For Your Phone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/15. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Cheap Photo Studio Lighting

Frank — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:47:10 +0000

I’ve always been a sucker for anything with a lens. Between shooting Digital Underground.tv and my amateur (and i mean amateur) photography hobby trying to get good at both costs both time and money. I can’t help you with the time factor, but this is a great money saver.

Lighting is always the get to any good shot. Professional lighting kits can easily cost you $1000′s and to boot most of us just can’t transform our houses or apartments into the photography studio of our dreams. So, what can you do about it? How about moving some furnature around when you need it (as a matter of fact, we completely empty out my living room when we shoot the show) and dig up some seriously cheap lights.

The guys at diyphotography.net have a great article on how to build a decent 3 light setup for about $100. They have some snaps of people where they used their cheap lights, and take it from me, they look great.

[Via DIYLife]

Cheap Photo Studio Lighting originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/14. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Worlds Smallest 1080p Camcorder – Sanyo DMX-HD1000

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

It’s amazing how quickly technology moves, I remember not to long ago lunging a massive JVC camcorder that recorded stuff on VHS tapes, now Sanyo has introduced the worlds smallest 1080p camcorder, the DMX-HD1000. Recording video at 1080p at 60 fps it is using the magic of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 encoding to make it all happen, the DMX-HD100 fits perfectly in your hand. It’s got a nice 10x optical zoom lens, a fold-out 2.7 inch viewfinder, and a nice clean design to it. The only downside to this unit is that it records on to a 8GB SHDC memory card, and recording at 1080p it will only give you about 80 minutes of video.

It will hit the shelves in Japan sometime this September and will retail for about $1000 USD. Expect to see it in North America in either late 07 or early 08.

Worlds Smallest 1080p Camcorder – Sanyo DMX-HD1000 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Red One: Out the door this Friday

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

The much-anticipated Red One video camera will begin to ship the initial 25 units this Friday. They cost a cool $17,000 each, but with an 11.4 megapixel sensor and the ability to capture up to 60 fps, double that of high end HD camcorders, $17,000 isn’t that bad a deal.

The modular based design works in its favor as well, enabling users to add different rigs, lenses, and other accessories according to your needs – allowing you to capture images in a lower quality. Currently, directors such as Peter Jackson and Steven Soderbergh are already using it.

If you want to purchase one for us to use on Digital Underground.tv, please feel free to do so.

Red One: Out the door this Friday originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.