Dave is looking to get his daughter a Polaroid type camera for Christmas. Leo says the Polaroid Pic is very popular and prints small business sized photos. The trick may be finding film, but instant cameras are coming back, so that may not be an issue. The film isn't cheap, however. Kids think they're fun. Leo says they're a great idea for teenagers.
This week's gadget from Dickie D is the Panono Camera. It's a ball with 36 3MP cameras embedded in it and you toss it up in the air and it takes a picture when it reaches the apogee of the arc. It costs $1999.00. It turns out that the units are very difficult to produce and it sounded like they were almost hand making them. When you throw it in the air, be sure you catch it, because they break if they hit the ground hard! That could be why they now sell a special selfie stick, so you can just hold it over your head. That adds another $50 the cost.
Ian wants to know how safe VPNs are. Leo says that VPNs will create an encrypted tunnel for the internet, but only to the VPN network you use. Sooner or later the data still has to run out into the public internet. And you have to trust that VPN company with your sensitive data.
Paul is looking for an HD security camera, where he could save and then edit the videos. Leo says the Google Nest cameras are good for that. They are very high resolution, but they use a lot of bandwidth upstream - 1 Mbps per camera. That could kill his internet in some cases. He may also have to pay for offline recording. He'll be able to download the video and edit it, though. That's probably the easiest way. Otherwise he'd have to wire the cameras to his computer and capture it directly.
Scott lives in a retirement community and they are creating a community TV station. He has a huge budget to buy equipment. Leo says that he doesn't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on equipment anymore. Leo uses consumer grade Canon VIXIA camcorders that cost $300, and tripods should only cost a few hundred.
Brett makes jewelry and sells it online. She needs a good camera to take pictures of her products. Leo says that any point and shoot would work, even a modern camera phone. There are guides on how to photograph an object that will improve her sales. It should be shot with a photo softbox using lights and a diffuser. Leo likes the Canon ELPH for a camera though.
Check out Brett's website at Petsadelic.com.
Scott's daughter wants a camera with a flip out screen so she can look at the viewfinder image while she's recording for her YouTube channel. A lot of camcorders do that. Some DSLRs do it, but they may not go all the way around.
John needs a camera that will take better video in low light. Leo says that smartphones aren't really known for having good low light performance, but they are getting better. A camera will perform a lot better, especially if it has a larger chip. Full frame 35mm are the best in low light, but it's also a lens speed issue. The lower the f-stop rating, the faster the lens.
Mark needs to buy a camera for his daughter for her video production class in high school. Leo doesn't recommend a camcorder much anymore, though. The budget is $500. Leo says that any camera can take great videos now.
Super Bowl 50 will have 75% more cameras than last year, and the cameras will be unusual. There will be the pylon cameras that have been used during the regular season this year. It gives you a worms-eye-view of action. It'll be shot with 5K cameras as well, but it won't be broadcast in 5K or even 4K. They also will be using 36 360 degree cameras, so they'll be able to look at a play from every angle. The pylon cameras themselves are even 2K, and that's the lowest resolution they're using.
