Charlie White2013-03-28 02:00:32 UTCYou might scoff at someone shooting video with an iPad, but what if it were an iPad mini, wearing this sleek double-handled iOgrapher mount? It accommodates different lenses, makes it easier to hold your iPad mini steady, and if that's not rock-solid enough, it lets you mount it on a tripod.
This Kickstarter project was created by high-school media arts teacher Dave Basulto of South Pasadena, Calif. He was looking for a low-cost way to give his students the ability to shoot and edit video, take stills and stream video live on the cheap.
Enter the iPad mini, the $319 tablet that can do all these things. Unlike the iPad, it's not so bulky that it would be unwieldy while shooting in the field, but its 7.9-inch screen is large enough to give a videographer a relatively enormous viewfinder with which to compose shots.
The iPad mini is a "good enough" production platform for many applications.
The iPad mini is a "good enough" production platform for many applications. Its rear-facing camera can take 5-megapixel photos and 1080p video recordings. It's not half bad at shooting video and taking pictures. It could serve students well as a shooting, editing and even a distribution device.
The problem: Basulto's students were coming back with shaky video when they shot with their iPads and iPad minis without the benefit of this mount/case. Sure, the iPad mini has video stabilization capability, but that wasn't enough to keep the video steady enough.
When Basulto designed the first iOgrapher Mini Mount, he had it fabricated on a 3D printer. He now has a working prototype, equipped with most of the features professional camera mounts employ. That includes three accessory shoes where you can attach lighting and audio gear, a properly positioned place to mount interchangeable lenses, and a standard tripod mount that you can even use for a portable dolly.
The company told Mashable that if if the product meets its Kickstarter funding deadline, it plans to sell wide angle, telephoto and fisheye lenses that fit the iOgrapher, as well as lighting and sound accessories.
Ever the instructor. Basulto wants to teach you how to use iOgrapher, so he's creating a series of video tutorials to explain the finer points of using his versatile tool.
He tells us he's already created prototypes of this product in other sizes as well — to accommodate the standard iPad 2, the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S — but we're thinking none of those are as well-suited as the iPad mini for a field-shooting setup. It's right in the middle of the Goldilocks zone — not too big, and not too small.
Basulto's Kickstarter project has raised $2,665 so far out of its $15,000 goal, with 16 days left until the deadline. He hopes to release the product this June, which he enthusiastically says is "just in time for summer sports, movie-making, parties and everything else you want to capture and share!" He plans to sell the device for $49.
Here's a suggestion: Wait a few months for the rumored iPad mini with Retina display, which will give you a more accurate view of how well you've focused your shots.
Do you think the iOgrapher iPad mini mount will be a viable product? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Here's Basulto's video describing the iOgrapher:
Photos courtesy Flickr, Dave Basulto
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