Your smart phone camera may be about to become a more valuable tool

[Nth Degree]

I have read where people have made their own microscopes for their phone, but it looks like it is going to be much easier.



From my local news website:



"If you talk to any serious photographer, they’ll likely tell you it’s the lenses that really make a difference when taking a good photo. So in 2013, there will be no shortage of add on lenses for your mobile device.



Polaroid is set to offer cases for i-devices that have a slot on them for easily snapping on lenses.



"We have a fisheye, a 6x telephoto and a 9x zoom telephoto lens that also transforms into a 60x microscope lens," Eric Sasson from Polaroid said."

 

[Jean-Claude]

Neat concept. I would love to be able to show clients on a microscopic level what is going on with their paint.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

This has definite value in inspection/documentation/informing clients about the condition of their vehicle's finish. Glad to see the idea catching on in a more mainstream engineered solution.



http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/141873-how-hi-res-digital-inspection-scope-budget.html

 

[Dan]

I have read where people have made their own microscopes for their phone, but it looks like it is going to be much easier.



From my local news website:



"If you talk to any serious photographer, they’ll likely tell you it’s the lenses that really make a difference when taking a good photo. So in 2013, there will be no shortage of add on lenses for your mobile device.



Polaroid is set to offer cases for i-devices that have a slot on them for easily snapping on lenses.



"We have a fisheye, a 6x telephoto and a 9x zoom telephoto lens that also transforms into a 60x microscope lens," Eric Sasson from Polaroid said."

While lenses certainly do contribute the majority to overall image sharpness, I wouldn't trust anything coming from the zombie Polaroid corporation. Not that they were a company know for quality anything, but they bit the dust in 2008/2009 and the name was snapped up for re-use.



For those of you with DSLRs, they are dozens of books/sites on macro photography that will get you infinitely better results.

 

[teksmabrep]

While lenses certainly do contribute the majority to overall image sharpness, I wouldn't trust anything coming from the zombie Polaroid corporation. Not that they were a company know for quality anything, but they bit the dust in 2008/2009 and the name was snapped up for re-use.



For those of you with DSLRs, they are dozens of books/sites on macro photography that will get you infinitely better results.

I agree



Signature Blue Auto Care - New York

 

[Jean-Claude]

I'm gonna step out on a limb(not really tho) and say macro shots are not going to offer anywhere near the level of magnification/inspection.

 

[Ben@3D]

These things do look kinda ridiculous on a cell phone.

 

[Dan]

I'm gonna step out on a limb(not really tho) and say macro shots are not going to offer anywhere near the level of magnification/inspection.

vs what, a $20 smartphone accessory? A regular macro lens will give you 1:1, and for most that's going to be the size of an APS-C sensor which is 25x17mm. A standard HD screen is ~2MP, so you if you conservatively zoom in 50% on a 26" screen, you are effectively getting 20x magnification. I guess it all depends on what you are trying to show.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

vs what, a $20 smartphone accessory? A regular macro lens will give you 1:1, and for most that's going to be the size of an APS-C sensor which is 25x17mm. A standard HD screen is ~2MP, so you if you conservatively zoom in 50% on a 26" screen, you are effectively getting 20x magnification. I guess it all depends on what you are trying to show.

Look at what I posted above, Dan... no way you'd get that level of magnification and detail from a macro shot with a DSLR. The ability to quickly and easily inspect finish defects and share the information with customers and clients is where a smartphone/tablet based solution makes perfect sense.

 

[Dan]

Look at what I posted above, Dan... no way you'd get that level of magnification and detail from a macro shot with a DSLR. The ability to quickly and easily inspect finish defects and share the information with customers and clients is where a smartphone/tablet based solution makes perfect sense.

I agree that there is certainly a big level of convenience when using a smartphone camera, I'm guilty of it everyday, even though I carry a nice quality P&S in my bag, I still end up using the smartphone too much. Some of that hassle can be mitigated with a Eye-Fi SD card. I do wonder what sort of defects you'll be pointing out to customers on a regular basis, as well as how much of a PITA that thing is to be to carry around.



Have you ever shot any defects with a true macro lens? I have to admit I haven't shot any with my SLR and a true Macro, but I have shot other stuff like plants and bugs. Its amazing at the level of detail I get. I don't have any sort of reference for the size of your shots either, so can't really compare. But I do know in playing with "budget" microscopes that anything pushing past 10x starts getting pretty soft and forget about anything over 25x unless you have a fat wallet. If you haven't taken any macro shots with a DSLR, I'm game for doing it.

 

[Thomas Dekany]

R u carrying an RX100?

I agree that there is certainly a big level of convenience when using a smartphone camera, I'm guilty of it everyday, even though I carry a nice quality P&S in my bag, I still end up using the smartphone too much. Some of that hassle can be mitigated with a Eye-Fi SD card. I do wonder what sort of defects you'll be pointing out to customers on a regular basis, as well as how much of a PITA that thing is to be to carry around.



Have you ever shot any defects with a true macro lens? I have to admit I haven't shot any with my SLR and a true Macro, but I have shot other stuff like plants and bugs. Its amazing at the level of detail I get. I don't have any sort of reference for the size of your shots either, so can't really compare. But I do know in playing with "budget" microscopes that anything pushing past 10x starts getting pretty soft and forget about anything over 25x unless you have a fat wallet. If you haven't taken any macro shots with a DSLR, I'm game for doing it.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

I agree that there is certainly a big level of convenience when using a smartphone camera, I'm guilty of it everyday, even though I carry a nice quality P&S in my bag, I still end up using the smartphone too much. Some of that hassle can be mitigated with a Eye-Fi SD card. I do wonder what sort of defects you'll be pointing out to customers on a regular basis, as well as how much of a PITA that thing is to be to carry around.



Have you ever shot any defects with a true macro lens? I have to admit I haven't shot any with my SLR and a true Macro, but I have shot other stuff like plants and bugs. Its amazing at the level of detail I get. I don't have any sort of reference for the size of your shots either, so can't really compare. But I do know in playing with "budget" microscopes that anything pushing past 10x starts getting pretty soft and forget about anything over 25x unless you have a fat wallet. If you haven't taken any macro shots with a DSLR, I'm game for doing it.

I haven't used a "macro lens" per se, but I have played with converters that turn regular zoom and prime lenses into macro lenses. I find it very difficult to get usable shots and even when I do, they take forever to frame, focus and dial in the lighting (macro shots = full manual settings). They're just not the right tool for the job in this case IMHO.

 

[Jean-Claude]

I had a proper mobile microscope in mind. Something with a proper optical magnification(50x or more) and then digital beyond that. Something far better than a macro shot on a dslr.

vs what, a $20 smartphone accessory? A regular macro lens will give you 1:1, and for most that's going to be the size of an APS-C sensor which is 25x17mm. A standard HD screen is ~2MP, so you if you conservatively zoom in 50% on a 26" screen, you are effectively getting 20x magnification. I guess it all depends on what you are trying to show.

 

[Scottwax]

Best thing about smart phones is being able to share your work instantly on facebook, twitter and instagram. Social media is a great way to get the word out!