Luxi Light Meter For The iPhone

Photographers know that light is one of the most important aspects in taking great shots and many use a light meter to make sure they get most accurately exposed photo. The problem with this is that Light Meters are expensive and difficult to use and many times they may not be on you when you need it. Enter the Luxi Light Meter for the iPhone, a portable and easy to use device that clips onto the rear camera of your phone. When used with the free app, it can help you determine the best settings for your DSLR camera and is just as accurate as more expensive Light Meters available on the market. Accessories like this are what make the iPhone so versatile and for $19 this is something that any photographer, amateur or serious, should not pass up. 

Take Macro Shots Using A Rubber Band Macro Lens With Any Smartphone

 

Like macro photography and happen to be using a smartphone with a decent enough camera? iPhoneography is booming with the recent bump in pixels on the iPhone 4S and many great adapter lenses available like the olloclip to help spice your composition up a bit. Photojojo's Macro Cell Lens Band is looking to replace the olloclip with its versatility and easy on-off, rubber band good charms. It apparently works with slim cases as well, so triple the charm! The Macro Cell Lens is a sturdy rubber band with a macro lens built into it promising sharp focus, details and best off all its compatible with almost any smartphone.

This searchable lens band is unsurprisingly iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 compatible by the looks of it. Hit the link above for some action shots. In any case, it'll cost you just $15 and comes stretched conveniently on a plastic card for wallet storage. 

CineSkates Turn Your GorillaPod Into A Versatile Camera Slider

If you thought your Joby GorillaPod tripod was cool enough on its own, wait until you put some sleek wheels on it! Videographers who use DSLRs will love the CineSkates by Cinetics. These are essentially skateboard wheels that securely attach to the bottom of your GorillaPod's flexible tentacles and turn your camera into one mean, flexible camera sliding shooting machine. This is probably one of the most useful inventions since Joby itself created the Gorillapod. The only downside to the CineSkates is the price. You'll have to purchase a GorillaPod Focus tripod that we just so happen to have reviewed, with a ball head mount if you haven't already in order to use the CineSkates. Once you've got all the ingredients, you'll be able to shoot some incredibly smooth cinematic video with a portable package. Here are some of the examples:

• Arcing shots that rotate around objects
• Sliding shots that push or pull the subject into focus 
• Rolling shots that glide over the subject
• Time-lapse shots that move the camera slowly and smoothly
• Panning shots that scan a wide area
• "Worm's eye view" shots that slide just above the floor

$150 will score you a pair of CineSkates if you pre-order them, they'll retail for $200 once the Kickstarter project is finished. If you don't have a GorillaPod Focus, you can drop $275 on the complete CineSkates system that includes the Focus tripod with a BallHead X. The amount of interest has been tremendous with Cinetics reaching their funding goal of $20,000 in just one day. Check out the video below of the CineSkates in action!

Packlight Packs A Bright, Flexible Punch

Who doesn't love LEDs? I sure do. That bright white illumination is so attractive I feel like a fly that's attracted to that electric blue light of death. Simply put, the Packlight is a flexible light strip that you can bend and shape to light up various objects and where you need a bright light most. The possibilities are pretty much endless with the Packlight, using it for photography and video purposes comes to mind. This isn't just another LED strip, the Packlight packs 45 bright LEDs in a waterproof, silicone constructed strip that can bend and hold its shape, and even magnetically attach to metal surfaces thanks to the built-in strong neodymium magnet ends.

Other features like multiple brightness modes, built-in USB rechargeable battery and hanging river holes makes this the perfect light source for anything that comes your way. The Packlight is one sweet gadget to have around, and it can be pre-ordered in black or red for $45 over at Kickstarter.

HoodCap Flower Is The Ultimate DSLR Lens Hood Cap

What a genius idea this is. This DSLR lens hood is called the HoodCap Flower, and for good reason. You might say it blooms open into a usable lens hood and closes into a lens cap right there on your lens. If you're like me, I've long forgot about using a lens cap in my daily use just because of how inconvenient it has become for me. I do however, always have my lens hood on. Something like the HoodCap Flower combines the best of both worlds into a single lens attachment you can simply rotate to transform it into a lens hood or a lens cap. Sadly, this isn't yet a real product, just a concept for the time being. I seriously want one now!

This Is How Geeky Photographers Take Self Portraits (Video)

This is exactly the way you should take a self portrait if you're a geeky photog. At least this is how the guys over at 2D Photography do it. I just hope those lenses weren't damaged in the making.