Usually when I take my SLR somewhere, I plan on shooting a large number of shots with short intervals between shots. For convenience and security reasons, I usually hang my 40D around my neck using the included strap. However, this presents a few problems. First, this solution does not lend itself to quick shooting. There is time lost to bring it up from your waist to your eyes. I also wear belts with metal buckles which usually means when I “drop” the camera, it hits against something hard and that can’t be good for the LCD screen.

I was turned to Jim Garavuso’s invention, the Camdapter by some very convincing photography forum posts. A mechanical design engineer with 18 years of experience, Jim created the Camdapter to solve a personal problem but quickly learned that fellow photographers need a solution as well. The Camdapter is made from hard anodized aluminum and your choice of top grain leathers. It cleverly uses one of your neck strap mounts as well as creating a secondary mount on the bottom using an adapter plate attached to the tripod mount on your camera. The strap is fully adjustable and allows you to securely hold the camera with one hand. I run my Camdapter a bit loose so I am still able to access the thumb controls fully. Once you put one on, you’ll quickly learn the subtle movements of your hand that loosen or tighten the strap. As a bonus, if you still wanted to wear your neck strap, you could still attach it, giving you both options. There are multiple adapters which assure the setup is still tripod mountable regardless of whichever setup you may be running. The cost of the set is completely reasonable, in my opinion, and is a small fraction of the cost of the host and glass setup many of us are running.

Loving the Leica M8 Special Edition White Version Camera, only 275 available and it comes with a 28mm Elmarit-M ASPH lens, a white edition strap and an E39 UV/IR filter. $8,500 from Dale Photo & Digital. Yes please. More info over at Hypebeast.

Absolutely fantastic stop motion video entitled ‘The PEN story‘ dedicated to the comeback and 50th anniversary of the Olympus PEN (it’s a camera, silly). For this 3 minute clip 60,000 pictures were shot, 9,600 prints developed, and 1,800 pictures shot again. Check it out. Via CLDFX

Hypebeast has the scoop (via Leica Rumors) on a Safari Edition of their flagship compact point and shoot D-Lux 4. This special version comes in a green anodized aluminum body with a heavy duty water-resistant bag. Very bad ass and ready to snap shots of wild animals on the reserve. I’ve been switching between my own Leica and Ricoh GR II lately, but have been spending a bit more time with the Leica for the ease of use and back pocket fashion. Pre-order for (a whopping) $1300 here.

The first rule of Lomography: take your camera everywhere you go. Common sense dictates you should have your lomographic instrument of choice snugly stowed within arm’s reach in case of a photographic emergency. Lomography.com has solved your toting troubles with their new and improved TPE Sidekick bag. The update of this comely carrying case has increased resistance to both water and wear and tear compared to the original. It’s features two compartments; the smaller is ideal for your snapper, while the larger area is for storing big items like your laptop. If you’ve been haphazardly swinging your camera around or cramming it in your pocket, we recommend picking one of these babies up.  More pics after the jump.

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Let’s say you always go to a certain coffee shop, where a certain cute waiter/waitress does his/her afternoon shift. You spend your entire time there hunched behind your laptop, but sneak occasional peeks over the screen. Suddenly you see this hobbling creature come in, so short no one can see him, and as he quietly puts his hand in the almost-full tip jar, you pull out your handy dandy snazzy Secret Book Camera that’s been lying next to you, waiting to be opened, and photograph him in the middle of the robbery. He runs out without anyone noticing, and when the baristas hear the sound of coins hitting the bottom of an empty jar, they realize what happened and freak out. You dash to your home photo lab, develop the 110 film, bring it back to the coffee shop, and stand there beaming while everyone cheers for you in slow-mo and your crush gives you the recognition you’ve been waiting for. This, dear readers, is the type of story this Book Camera will tell. All with happy endings.

Since the mass proliferation of digital photography, Japan has a seen a backlash among the youth who now embrace the unconventional medium of film with the fun and casual approach known as Lomography. Japan’s Superheadz is ensuring that antiques and Polaroid resells are not the only way to rock snapshots and experiment with film. Their Blackbird, Fly shoots square pictures on 35mm and costs less than a $100, allowing enthusiasts to take part in this movement without breaking the bank. The Blackbird, Fly will be out soon. Details at superheadz.com or here if you can’t read Japanese.

You may remember my post way back when about the Rolleiflex MiniDigi when I mentioned that I was on the lookout for the perfect pocket camera. Well, up until yesterday, I hadn’t actually acted on that. I waffled back and forth for quite a while because the camera I really wanted, the Ricoh GR Digital was a wee bit out of my price range. I’ve lusted after a GRD since reading a write-up on it in JPG Magazine about six months ago. It’s basically described as just about everything I want in a pocketable digicam: full manual control, small and inconspicuous, and it takes very unique images that have been compared to the Holga.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Ricoh released the newest version of this cult-followed camera, the GRD II. Having stumbled into a little gift money — and besides, what are the holidays if you don’t spend a little on yourself too? — I decided maybe it was time to bite the bullet. I read, scoured reviews, compared shots, looked at prices, etcetera, figuring I’d end up with the newer GRD II. But after reading enough reviews that said the GRD II lacked that “something special” found in the original GRD, I took advantage of the sale prices on the older model. So, my new baby is on the way; be on the lookout for some new shots in a couple of weeks.

Oh, and feel free to let us in on what you’re treating yourself to this year…

Retro camera overlords Lomo have re-released the cult 1960s Diana camera from Hong Kong, keeping all the glorious hallmark characteristics that, to this day, get amateur and pro photographers alike clamoring for the nostalgic- and romantically-fuzzy photos it produces. Lomo’s Diana+ still maintains the plastic lens, simple two-shutter and three aperture settings plus manual focus of its progenitor. But the new version now allows for a removable lens, a choice between two image formats, an “endless panorama feature” and a special aperture for pinhole pictures. Just like the Holga, this camera encourages happy accidents, and it ain’t a bad-looking camera either, in true-to-original Tiffany blue and black. An eBay check revealed more than a dozen of the old-school ones up in hot bidding war, but if you get the Lomo option, for $75 they’ll throw in 20 rolls of AGFA film with the camera.

While most of us can only be satisfied with the latest advancements in digital photography, there seems to be those who like to keep one foot tucked safely in the past. A few companies have recognized a need to meld the familiarity of the old with modern technology. Zink’s integrated digital camera and printer should immediately conjure up images of a Polaroid camera — you can take a picture, and have a hard copy almost instantly — however, that’s where the similarities end. The camera is 7 megapixels, with a respectable 3x optical zoom; a 2” color display helps you frame and review shots and a SD card means portability and easy expandability. The downsides are the proprietary paper and non-removable battery. Zink is a contraction for Zero Ink, if you were curious; instead of ink, the printer uses temperature and pressure on polymer paper. It’s slated for shipping in late 2007, but we’ll be on the lookout for a preview and get back to you with the verdict.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been scouring the internet looking for the perfect pocket-sized camera that can go with me everywhere as a supplement to my trusty Digital Rebel — preferably something with some personality, to boot. I haven’t settled on a camera yet, but in my searches I stumbled across the Rollei Rolleiflex MiniDigi (try saying that one five times fast). If you’re familiar with with the Rollei name at all, it’s probably from their 1920’s twin lens reflex Rolleiflex camera which has maintained its popularity, even into today’s photography world.

To keep up with today’s digital age, Rollei has introduced a pocket-sized reproduction of the original Rolleiflex called the MiniDigi. The MiniDigi maintains a construction that’s faithful to the original design, complete with twin lenses up front (the top one is purely for aesthetics) and a hand crank that has to be turned to reset the shutter for the next shot. Add into the mix a 3MP sensor that shoots in a square format (the original Rolleiflex shot 6cm x 6cm medium format film) and a minuscule size of 4.9cm x 7.3cm x 4.5cm, and you’ve got what might just be the perfect pocket camera for grabbing street shots.

Images from the MiniDigi apparently have a vein of unpredictability, much like the venerable Holga toy camera. A user over on the Fred Miranda board described the images for me: “Sometimes they look like normal 3 MP digital images. Other times they have flare, distortion, color shifts or other inexplicable weirdness.” Check some out for yourself at the Flickr MiniDigi group.

The $200 price tag has me still debating on whether to grab one of these little guys, but I have a feeling I may cave pretty soon. If anyone has either a MiniDigi or a Ricoh GR Digital (another camera I’m considering), please fill me in on your thoughts!

–Danny Nathan

In a classically A+B = Cha-ching! moment, the latest way to exploit thirteen year olds and their flailing parents has been discovered:

A) Digital cameras see a broader spectrum of light than the human eye; B) The “camera-phone generation” is taking poorly lit bathroom-mirror pictures of themselves and putting them on myspace. Dude. If we visualize the specific sensitivity differences between biological and silicon based imaging apparatus, we could use our proprietary patent-pending projection systems designed to exploit the effect of these broader light spectrums- that’s like making things show up in pictures that are invisible in real life! Oh, SNAP!

First beyond-concept use of this technology: tee-shirts that get extra special when the flash goes off. Like glow-in-the-dark, but glow-in-the-flash.

It has potential. On the other hand; you’re photogenic or you’re not. Now, get this to work on people’s faces…

Via Gizmodo

The world is all around us but traditional cameras only capture what is directly in front of our eyes. For most people, this is no more than a slight annoyance. We use the panorama feature on our digital camera which lets us take in a little more of the view than usual (and takes a little more time than usual), and occasionally we come across a professionally made 360 degree image like the ones on Google Streets or this shot of the Divinity School at Oxford. These images are great—and helpful—but most people are fine with leaving them to the professionals.

But Tom Lawton is not most people. He’s the inventor of the BubbleScope, a hand held 360 degree camera aimed at bringing panoramic photography to the point-and-shoot crowd as well as the professional photographer. The BubbleScope looks like a white light saber and it allows anyone to capture 360×140 degrees of reality with just the push of a button—as Tom says on his frantic and eloquent introduction to the Bubble Scope, “shoot the whole thing in a single moment.” The BubbleScope isn’t available for purchase yet, but look for it to hit stores soon. Meanwhile, learn more about it on the highly informative BubbleScope website, and you can see what it can do at Tom’s blog, which is chock full of his 360 degree photography. As Tom says, “the world we live in is far too big” for conventional photography. He might be right, but there wasn’t anything we could do about it—until now.

–Dan Steckenberg

I wish I was the kind of girl who babied her electronics. However, as it stands I have yet to buy even a computer case for my Mac- I just (oh no, lecture approaching…) throw it in to whatever bag is coming with me and out we go. This is dumb; if I killed any of my electronics my life would be jumbled in seconds- and if (uh, when) it happens, it’s going to be entirely my fault. Basically, I need some training in the area of electronic appreciation/safety awareness before it’s too late, and I think I’m going to start with one of ACME’s beautiful and compact camera cases. ACME is already well-known for their fun and expertly made laptop sleeves and bags (ooh, I need one of those too), and it looks like their standards were once again set high in the development of this Traveler case, which holds a camera ( 4.15″ x 2.25″ x 1.15″ or smaller), extra battery, memory card, USB cable, and manual. That’s a lot of room for day-to-day transportation (unless you’re a purse-the-size-of-Texas girl), but the cases are just about perfect for weekend trips or bigger adventures. ACME’s site also stocks a smaller version, the “Solo”, with just enough room for a camera. I think that one could be for me.

Lizz Kannenberg! Congratulations Lizz, for being the lucky winner of our ‘Name this Rockstar, Win a Pentax W20‘ contest. Lizz was one of our many readers who correctly guessed Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips to be the pink-boot-wearing, frizzy-haired rockstar with his back to our ACL photographer. Thanks to a combination of mad music knowledge and luck, Lizz will be receiving a party proof Pentax Optio W20 digital camera. Good thing too, because it appears that Lizz likes to be VERY close to the party–at least that is the way it appears from this photo she sent us–Lizz giving the ol’ fist pump to Wayne as he gets in his notorious bubble before The Flaming Lips’ ACL set. We are going to get a lot more of these contest/drawings going at JoshSpear.com, so stay tuned–you never know when we will lace you up with some new gear!