3D, 3D Tech

Lenovo Mirage Camera With Daydream VR180 Review 

This is a very nice set up – its a Daydream VR viewer but it can also be used to shoot VR 3D.

The “nauseous” problem this reviewer experienced is because he had no understanding 3D shooting.

“Tempted by the small size of the Mirage, I had often treated it like a point-and-shoot camera, and recorded quick and short clips everywhere, sometimes even while walking around. Wearing a headset, most of these clips were dizzying and uncomfortable. What’s more, the 3D effect was often barely noticeable, especially when filming anything further away.”

Well duh!

He liked the 3D stills but found that his 3D video was sickening. That’s because he shot numerous short clips and did not understand the concept of a 3D viewing box or the viewing plane. Consequently, he is almost certainly pushing the viewing plane forward and backward very rapidly, causing eye strain and ill feelings. That’s his problem, not the device’s problem.

In fact, I am thinking of buying one of these soon.

Source: Lenovo Mirage Camera With Daydream VR180 Review – Variety

Drones, UAVs

New UK drone restrictions start today #Drones #Quadcopters

  • Camera drones must stay at least 150 feet away from people
  • All drones weighing more than 250g must be registered with the government
  • All drone pilots must pass a drone safety test before allowed to fly
  • Drone pilots must use “safety apps” to plan their flights

“Recreational drone users must:

  • Always keep the drone within sight
  • Keep 500 ft away from crowds and/or built up areas, if your drone is equipped with a camera
  • Stay 150 ft away from people and buildings, if your drone is equipped with a camera
  • Avoid flying over or 150 ft near to open areas with more than 1,000 people present
  • Adhere to local council’s rules about drone flights in the area

The regulations set to become law

  • Drones must fly below an altitude of 400ft
  • Drones must not fly within 1 km of any airport’s boundaries
  • Drones weighing over 250g will need to be formally registered with the CAA
  • Drone pilots must be able to present their registration documents if requested to do so by the police.
  • Drone pilots will be required to take a drone safety test before they’re allowed to fly
  • Drone users will be told to use apps to plan their flights, to make sure that they are not entering unsafe or no-fly zones”

Source DailyPost

Elsewhere, I see people now posting videos on Youtube with modified control systems that use 4G LTE modems to extend the range of their model aircraft. And flying them up to 25 miles. All of which is clearly and obviously illegal.

Such actions, which are now occurring in the U.S. are literally begging the FAA to establish strict regulations over use of model aircraft and the eventual licensing of all model aircraft pilots. It will take just one incident – and instantly the FAA will ground all model aircraft nationwide until strict new regulations are developed and in force.

This is literally what these reckless model pilots are asking for.

(Note – I am an RC model aircraft enthusiast, belong to the AMA and my local model aircraft club. I am pointing out the obvious way that many new enthusiasts are wrecking the hobby in their disdain for common sense rules we have now.)

Business, Cameras

Nikon discontinues Nikon 1 product line, abandons Nikon 1 consumers

Nikon discontinues entire Nikon 1 line, including cameras and lenses. Consumers who bought into Nikon’s 1″ sensor system stuck with a dead end lens system.

As seen in this chart, the camera line de facto existed for about 4 years, from its introduction in September 2011 to its last new camera introduction in late 2015:

Source: Has Nikon Shuttered Its 1 Series Line of Mirrorless Cameras?

After 2015, they milked money from their customers before abandoning them.

Nikon executives repeatedly said during the past 3 years that the Nikon 1 line was not dead. And then in July 2018, they killed it, abandoning users who had invested in the Nikon 1 lens systems.

Many of the Nikon 1 lenses had a design defect – they used a very tiny nylon gear to control the lens aperture. Over a fairly short time frame, these gears began to dry out, crack and break, resulting in the aperture being set to the maximum closed position – and rendering the lens unusable.

Some private parties set up shop to fix the lenses (notably MYDC in Taiwan) by replacing the damaged gears with a tiny brass gear that will not break. Nikon screwed up with the cheap nylon gears, ultimately leading to all of their lenses eventually failing. Rather than address it, they killed the entire product line and said to the customers “Hah hah – sucks to be you! And oh, we no longer support or repair any Nikon 1 products!”

I owned several Nikon 1 cameras and lenses. I’ve had 2 of the lenses repaired by MYDC and am using some other DX lenses with an adapter. Otherwise, my Nikon 1 system would now be useless.

This impacted me and I will not again buy a Nikon product. At NAB, I spoke with every camera manufacturer except Olympus. I mentioned that someone needed to produce a camera body with a software development kit. All – except Nikon – were interested in the idea.

The Nikon rep told me with a straight face that Nikon would never allow third party products to potentially damage the Nikon brand name.

I could hardly contain my laughter – you mean like how the iPhone was ruined by third party app developers? Hah hah!

That exchange told me Nikon management are dimwits. Since then their revenue plummeted and it was not because of third parties harming the Nikon brand – it was because Nikon shot its brand in the foot.

Guide to 3D and Drones

Coldstreams 3D and Drones