PDN - March 2012

TECH

NEW TECHNOLOGIES, PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES AND CREATIVE APPLICATIONS
OBJECTS OF DESIRE
Technology specialist DAN HAVLIK selects his favorite products and gadgets for March.
If you have a product you want to tell Dan Havlik about, please contact him at dhavlik@pdnonline.com

Gizmon iCA

Don’t let your eyes fool you. This is not a camera in the conventional sense.

It’s actually an elaborately designed camera case for the iPhone, maybe the most elaborately designed case we’ve seen yet.

Created by a Japanese
company called Adplus, the Gizmon iCA is more than just another polycarbonate
shell to protect your precious Apple product (though it does do that). As you’ll
notice from the photo, it transforms your iPhone 4/4s into a simulated rangefinder
camera, complete with two mock lenses that
attach to the front with miniature mirrors
for framing self-portraits. There’s also a
conversion lens mount over the iPhone’s
actual lens if you want to add an optional

Cost: $65
Further information:
www.gizmon.com

lens modifier to the case. There are seven in the works including a fisheye, a tele and a macro lens.

Other features of the Gizmon iCA include a shutter button that fits over the iPhone’s volume button and can be used to snap a picture; an optical viewfinder; a micro hot shoe; and an attachable tripod stand.

While our instincts may say, “Hey, why don’t you just buy a real camera, poseur?” we can’t help but be impressed with the attention to detail in the Gizmon iCA down to the two strap holes that let you wear your camera, er, phone around your neck.

Cam Crate

Here’s a rugged, weatherproof camera case that can take a licking and keep you clicking. Called Cam Crate—a Kickstarter project at the time of this writing—this hard shell case for DSLRs is waterproof, mud-proof, crush-proof, drop-proof and it will even float. According to Cam Crate designer Matthew Geyster, the case is life-proof too, as in it comes with a lifetime guarantee. ( We’ll hold him to it!)

Cam Crate’s exterior is made of a tough, plastic composite material while its interior has over an inch of padded foam to swaddle and protect your camera. It’s designed to fit a full-size DSLR with a telephoto lens attached but without a battery grip. (A larger, battery-grip version is coming at a later date.)

Just tuck your camera into the crate, seal it by closing the “quick action” door and you can head off into a rain forest for a day of photographing wildlife. If an angry bear steals your Cam Crate, tosses it in a puddle and urinates on it, never fear: Your camera will be protected. ( We advise you to wipe off the case before you pick it up, of course.)

Though there are a lot of strong, waterproof crates for protecting gear when you travel—Pelican cases come to mind—Cam Crate’s small size and low profile make it uniquely portable. Hang one over your shoulder and you’re ready to hike the Appalachian Trail. (And we don’t mean that metaphorically.) Just be careful of the bears.