There are tons of wireless camera controllers out there that allow you to change your camera's settings from the comfort of your own smartphone, but engineer Ryan Stout aims to take these kinds of devices to the next level.
Meet Arsenal, the "world's first intelligent assistant for DSLR and mirrorless cameras." This interesting little device not only allows you to control your camera wirelessly through an app on your phone, but its advanced machine learning algorithms actually help you capture better images. It does this through its "settings asssistant AI," which can optimize your camera settings based on your shooting conditions (18 different factors), as well as the millions of high-quality photos it has been trained to compare your shot with using the same algorithm used in self driving cars.
Clearly there's something about this device that has gotten the photo/film community in a serious tizzy. With four days left in it's Kickstarter campaign, Arsenal has raised over $1.7 million.
Arsenal also uses photo stacking to make your images look better. By combining multiple shots and merging them together, Arsenal will produce a final image that addresses any issues, whether it's poor focus or bad lighting. Essentially, Arsenal's photo stacking will give you more dynamic range and sharper, deeper focus, artificial though it may be.
If you don't like the way Arsenal has optimized your shot, you can always manually adjust your settings via the app. Furthermore, you can use your smartphone or tablet as a monitor through its Live View feature, and can actually see what your shot will look like before you capture it.
Hardware Specs
- Powerful ARM processor
- Weighs 2 ounces (57 grams)
- Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi-enabled
- Up to 100-foot wireless range
- 6-hour battery life
- Charge while in use (with any USB-compatible battery pack, not included)
- Works with Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fuji
- Price: $150
Though using Arsenal may not be very sensible for those making short and feature length films, I could see this device being useful for timelapse photographers, travel filmmakers, and anyone who consistently has to deal with challenging shooting environments.
Arsenal's Kickstarter campaign ends in just a few days and will begin shipping at the end of 2017. Head on over to the Arsenal website to learn more.
Source: Arsenal
