owle bubo
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Ducati creates a short film with the iPhone 4
I have to eat my words -- despite my belief before launch that an iPhone 4 wouldn't be hard to find without a preorder, I'm still waiting to get the chance to buy one. But I got to play with another one last night (that screen!), and just like every other time I've had a chance to use it, I've been very impressed by the back camera. Both stills and HD video look really amazing when taken with that thing. Here's another example: the Ducati motorcycle team filmed the entire commercial above on eight different iPhone 4s over a period of four days -- watching it in HD shows off just what this camera is capable of. They did use the Owle Bubo, which explains some of the better shots a little bit. And you can also see that slight shudder so common to low-end HD cameras, especially when the camera pans quickly or tries to capture fast motion. But especially without color correction, the images still look terrific for a camera on your phone. The audio is great as well, but I'm not convinced they did that with only a phone. The final video was edited together in Adobe Premiere, just because "there were enough unknowns" without trying to use iMovie on iPhone for the first time. Update: Looks like it's part of a contest -- if you've ever wanted to try and make a film and you've got an iPhone 4, get to it! Thanks to Zenas and Jeff for sending this one in.
TUAW TV Live: Macworld 2010 post-Expo show, OWLE bubo, and more
Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends! Today on TUAW TV Live we'll be talking about Macworld Expo 2010, the OWLE bubo, camera apps for the iPhone, and any other topics that happen to hit host Steve Sande's fancy. Some of the camera apps that we'll be discussing include Lo-Mob, ColorSplash, CinemaFX, FocalLab, and Project365. All of these apps are in your friendly neighborhood App Store and should only make a slight dent in your wallet. The video and chat tools are on the next page -- just click the Read More link below to get in on the fun.
TUAW TV Live: more on the aftermath of Macworld Expo at 5 PM ET
It's Wednesday, which means that we'll have an episode of TUAW TV Live streaming your way later today. This is our first live video since Macworld Expo, where TUAW bloggers of all shapes, sizes, and abilities took to the airwaves to give you the scoop on every topic imaginable. We'll be back at 5 PM ET (2 PM PT) with an hour full of fun discussion. We'll have a demo of the OWLE Bubo that was mocked by TUAW commenters, yet praised and photographed repeatedly by showgoers at Macworld Expo. I'll also demonstrate and discuss a growing toolbox of iPhone photography apps that I've been using over the last few months for my 2010 Project 365. There's always time for questions and discussion in the chat room, and we look forward to hearing what you have to say about this year's Macworld event. See you at 5 PM ET, here at TUAW.com!
Hands-on with the OWLE bubo: Better photos and video from your iPhone (Updated)
A while back, we had a product announcement about the OWLE bubo (US$129.95). That bizarre name is actually a play on words: OWLE stands for "Optical Widget for Life Enhancement" (the company's name) and bubo is the genus for American horned owls and old world eagle owls. The device, if you have an imagination, even looks like a cartoonist's idea of a horned owl. So, now that we've got the name all figured out, what the heck is an OWLE bubo? You could call it the ultimate iPhone case for photographers, and you'd be pretty darned close. The current bubo is a sleek, machined piece of aluminum that is designed to be held with both hands for better stability when shooting photos or video with the iPhone. The bubo does a great job of making it easier to shoot video, but that's just scraping the surface of the feature set. bubo also has a 37mm .45x wide-angle/macro combo lens that is awesome for doing close-ups of objects, taking crowd or landscape photos, or doing interviews. In fact, it's this last use case that finally convinced me to purchase a bubo. Since TUAW is going to be doing a lot of video and other photography at Macworld Expo during the this week, I want to see if I can make my iPhone 3GS my primary tool for capturing imagery since I'd prefer to pack light. The lens accommodates screw-in filters at a standard 49mm size, so UV haze or polarizing filters can be added to further improve image quality. Update: The OWLE bubo has been completely redesigned with a composite case and new name, and now works with the iPhone 4 and 4S. You can take a look at the Phocus for iPhone 4/4S here. Please note that the OWLE bubo is no longer available but is replaced by the Phocus.
