Gone are the days when you have to pay the price of lugging a heavy digital camera with its tripod everywhere in favor of capturing precious moments via high resolution images. The utter epitome of DLSR photography just started to fit smack in the palm of your hand, literally. It’s not really just stretching one’s luck, since it’s a true blue, functioning tiny DSLR camera from Japan:
By far, we are now presented with the tiniest DSLR camera on earth. Thank not your fickle lucky zodiac stars (I still have not gotten over the fact that zodiacs can change in 3000 years), but Japanese retail company JTT for helping this feat come about (the Japanese have been fairly and excellently consistent in yielding tiny cameras, but this is by far their smallest best):
I find this gizmo fairly interesting since it totally debunks the general stereotype of DSLR cameras having to be hitched on a tripod or requiring a bulky protective bag. This surely needs a lot of loving care in lieu of its innate fragility, but at least it does not take up too much space to do so. All twelve grams of it can still surely keep you in tiptop, moment-capturing action. It is hard to imagine how the inner machinations of something as complex as a camera can work in something as small as 12 grams, but it does.
Small in size, but the features are not too bad. Understandably, this is still not completely at par with the bigger DSLR counterparts that most hardcore photographers will still go for. Its resolution for videos is 640 x 480 with 30 frames per second. And an even better still resolution can be found with 1600 x 1200.
It can be easily connected to a Windows PC via USB, although Mac users might find it a bummer that there are no Mac options for this particular thingamajig. I am surely looking forward to seeing improved versions that have more versatile compatibility with the Mac. That is really something they can work on so that the tiny Japanese charmer can reach a wider range of users.
The selling price is pretty neat at a price of $121, considering that there are also options to get three extra lenses (at $30-60 price range) to make your Chobi Cam One experience more versatile. Albeit the small size and limited range when compared to larger DSLR models, it is still something you can play around with as a genuine photography enthusiast. These extra lenses are magnetically attached and fairly easy to tinker with.
Storage is also not much of a problem since it makes use of 32GB micro SD HC memory cards. It does not have a lot of extra features on top of those mentioned above, but it does come with a wide lens converter to compensate for its inflexibility in some other aspects.
Overall precise dimensions of Chobi Cam one are 2.5×2.5×2.6cm. Although photography enthusiasts may still have divided opinions on this tiny gizmo because of its limited features, the spy gadget aficionados will surely be more than happy to welcome this ultra-subtle picture and video taker with open arms.
January 24th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
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