Engineer Amos Dudley has merge an age-old craft with cutting-edge technology and created the world’s first fully 3D printed, interchangeable lens camera. He’s sharing the design files on Pinshape so those with 3d printers can also create the camera.

Details of how the camera was made from concept to creation are here SLO 3D printed Camera

Meyer Optik are bringing back the 80 year old Primoplan 58mm f/1.9 using Kickstarter funding. The funding has already exceeded the original 50k dollar goal by over 4x!

The lens, developed by Meyer Optik’s engineer Paul Schaefter, and originally screw thread, has the unusual ability to create different bokeh effects and is being offered in the following modern camera mounts: Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Fuji X, Micro 4/3, M42, Leica M and Pentax K.

Full details of the lens and the Kickstarter campaign here:  Bring back the Fabulous Wonder Bokeh Lens: Primoplan 58 f1.9

An interesting and under used  filters in the Cokin range is the Incolor 061. It’s part of the spot color range, and unlike many of the other colour spot filters this one is very practical and can be used in different ways for different effects. The spot filters with colour can sometime look quite poor if not used well, whereas this one can be adjusted to give a soft focus style effect or a lovely white vignette. This makes it perfect for wedding photography or portraits.

The filter is available in Cokin’s A and P series and has a small hole in the centre.  When placed in front of the camera lens the hole either appears small or large, hard edged or soft edged, depending on the lens focal length and aperture used.

To get a large soft edge you should take photos using a longer focal length (around 50-80mm is fine with this filter) and use a wider aperture. If you want a more pronounced circle, use a wider lens and a smaller aperture.

The texture on the filter can be made to look white/grey or neutral depending on how parallel it is to the ccd/film…and if light is reflecting on the rear surface.

You could focus lock on the filter so the subject through the hole is blurred and the filter texture sharp. This makes interesting creative shots.

A longer lens and wider aperture was used here. Notice how soft the edge is and how neutral the filtered area is.

Here the filter was adjusted so the spot was on the face. You can do this if the filter is hand held in front of the camera. The filter was held further away and angled so light reflected on it.

Here’s the filter being used to it’s best. Good choice of aperture and focal length gives a lovely diffused vignette.

Another version with a slightly more defined effect. Using the filter like this is great for wedding photography and romantic portraits.

You can buy the filter here: Cokin A series 061 Spot In color Filter

Occasionally I will write about interesting gadgets to help improve photography…today I introduce the Gorillapod.

A camera support is an essential piece of kit to prevent camera shake, which would result in blurred photos. Tripods ( a large stand with three legs) are common among enthusiast photographers, but they are bulky and often heavy. So manufacturers produce small alternatives, in the form of miniature tripods, pods, clamps, beanbags, spikes etc.

The Gorillapod from Joby is a unique version of a mini tripod. Yes it has three legs and can be used in the conventional tripod way , but the Gorillapod has a unique leg design made of several stacked ball joints that bend, allowing total flexibility.

The design made from a gripping type of plastic means it’s not only good on a bench or table, but also on uneven surfaces and, thanks to the bendy legs, it can also be wrapped around a table leg, or tree branch to provide support in many versatile ways.

The one I’ve illustrated here is the compact model. It weighs just 45 grams so you’d hardly know you have it with you.  It will support a compact digital camera or phone, but not an SLR. Joby also make larger versions for SLRs.

Check out other camera supports here