Monday, 27 April 2015

Who invented the selfie stick?

The smartphone is now the number one device for almost everyone people to take a quick photographs of themselves or a group. Normally one person in the group would have to hold the camera to a photo but quite recently this has change with the selfie stick!

Group selfie
Group selfie photo

With the selfie stick, an indivdual won't have to be excluded from a group photo or use the timer feature on a camera. The selfie stick can be extended to add distance from the camera and the people getting their photo taking. A button is also included with the stick that can be connected with a smartphone using bluetooth, the user can use to take as much photos as they want with a press of the button.

The gadget can be bought easily and cheaply from online store such as ebay and amazon.

Selfie stick with smartphone attached
Current selfie sticks
But who is responsible for inventing the selfie stick? An American claimed he was responible for coming up with the idea for a attachable camera stick in 2002 but it was actually much earlier the selfie stick was first invented in Japan.

In 1983, a Japanese camera company called Minolta released the Minolta Disc - 7 camera that was years ahead of its time. The inventor, Hiroshi Ueda said the idea behind the gadget was " I didn't need to rely on anyone else to take a photo - I could take a picture of myself whenever and wherever I liked," says Ueda.


Original selfie stick
Minolta Disc - 7 (Original selfie stick)

Original selfie stick manual
Minolta Disc - 7 Manual

When the original selfie stick, the Minolta Disc - 7 was released in 1983. It was not a commercial success and did not sell as well as expected. It was disappointment for Ueda who still keeps his invention with him at all times as pocket camera, "I use it all the time. Even 30 years ago, when the product stopped selling, I always, always carried a pocket camera and extender stick with me."

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

New Phantom 3 Drone flys with 4K Video Cam

DJI, the worlds best selling drone-maker have unveiled a new camera equipped model that is able to shoot aerial footage in 4k quality.

Phantom 3 Drone
Phantom 3 Drone
The ultra high definition format is four times the resolution of 1080p HD which allows video -makers to zoom in and crop the Phantom 3 professional's footage easily without degrading its quality.

It also has an app that controls the camera equipped machines to allow live video streams to YouTube. This can be useful for journalists to show live streams of major events around the world.


Sales have increased over the years for drones from hobbyists to businesses all interested in its latest gadget by DJI.

The new Phantom will come in two different version, an Advanced edition priced at $999 and a Professional version priced at $1,259. The professional version comes with the camera that can shoot 4k quality while the slightly cheaper advanced version shoots in 1080p.

The high quality video shooting ability is the main selling point but the the Phantom 3 also includes the DJI's Lightbridge technology feature that allows the operator to see what the drone sees live and in HD, within a mile range. Both drones also use a three-axis gimbal to stabilize the camera and provide super-smooth video.