Woodbury, NY—Photo Industry Reporter is proud to announce our editors’ 2013 picks for the 7th Annual Rudy Awards. The awards are named for the irrepressible Rudolph (Rudy) Maschke, who teamed up with his longtime buddy, Ed Wagner, to found Photo Industry Reporter 20 years ago.
Our criteria for selecting a Rudy Award winner include ingenuity, practicality and marketability, but we also look for items that possess an indefinable and scintillating offbeat quality. Following, in random order, are this year’s winners.
Sirui T-OX Compact Tripods
Distributed by Argraph, the Sirui T-0X tripods feature an ultracompact size (11.8 inches when folded), rugged construction (the T-005X holds 8.8 pounds and the T-025X 13.2 pounds), an extended height of 54.5 inches and a trendy look. In addition to basic black, the T-005X comes in red and blue. The tripod kits have a center column that can be removed, allowing users to place the ball head directly on the spider and converting it into a tabletop tripod. When the legs are set to the widest angle, the tripod gets as low as 3.9 inches from the ground. The T-0X kit comes with a Sirui C-10X ball head with an Arca-compatible quick-release plate and a soft carry case. For added convenience, the belt clip on the bottom of the tripod can hold a weight bag for added stability. argraph.com
Replay XD1080 Video Action Cam
The 1.1×3.6-inch Replay XD1080 POV action cam doesn’t have a steep learning curve. Simple on/off and start/stop make it easy to operate: turn it on and press record to start; the built-in LED and vibration feedback tell the user it’s ready to go. The camera body is water resistant with a double O-ring sealed lens bezel, rear cap and top push buttons, and its anodized aluminum frame is tough enough to handle rain, snow, sand and mud.
The Replay XD1080 can be mounted practically anywhere due to its small form factor and all-round shape; two mounts come in the box, with options on how to deploy them. There’s an HDMI output (cable included) for viewing footage on a TV or monitor, and users can record and stream Full HD 1080 video simultaneously through the built-in HDMI out connector, or just stream video straight to an external HD recorder or transmitter. A 4GB microSD card comes with the camera (it supports up to a 32GB card). $299.99. replayxd.com
Swivl
Originally developed to turn an iPhone into a “personal cameraman,” the Swivl tracks movement via a sensor so the iPhone can shoot smooth panning video. The new Swivl now works with any tripod-mountable pocket videocam or point-and-shoot camera less than six ounces. It mounts onto most standard tripods, and the device tilts up and down and rotates 360º, tracking the subject via a supercompact 3-in-1 sensor.
The triple duty gadget acts as a motion sensor, a digital microphone and a remote for fine-tuned Swivl control. Users can control a camera’s functions remotely from an iPhone or iPad, and they can control the action of turning left, up, right, down and other functions via a USB connection to the camera. The company notes that one of their major targets for the Swivl are those in photography or video production who are looking for hands-free robotic motion; for example, when running a couple of camera setups or shooting time-lapse photography or nature photography. $179. swivl.com
Seagate Backup Plus
Seagate introduced SuperSpeed USB 3.0 into its Backup Plus external storage drive for Mac. In addition to supporting USB 2.0 ports, Backup Plus Portable for Mac and Backup Plus Desktop for Mac now feature the USB 3.0 interface, allowing users to back up more than 10 times faster. The drives work interchangeably with Windows and Apple computers, with features to protect, share and save nearly every aspect of one’s digital life. Their Seagate Dashboard software delivers a quick path to save and share personal photos and videos to and from Facebook and Flickr.
Plus Seagate’s Universal Storage Module standard enables consumers to add the newest Mac/PC connection capabilities to their drives, even if these technologies are not available at the time of purchase. Backup Plus Portable drives come in 500GB versions for $109.99 and 1TB for $129.99. Backup Plus Desktop drives retail in 2TB versions for $129.99 and 3TB for $179.99. seagate.com
iStabilizer Dolly
For iPhones as well as point-and-shoot and compact system cameras, the Dolly is essentially a miniaturized version of a director shooting cinematic panning scenes with a motion picture camera on a track. The flexible roller is geared for tracking shots, time-lapse shooting and capturing travel video, among other photo applications. Its large wheels provide smooth movement, and an 11-inch adjustable arm allows for unique angles.
The four-wheeled Dolly will accommodate all iPhones (with protective cases on), and does so with a universal cradle that can fit most other smartphones or mobile devices, like an iPod Touch. When the cradle is taken off, users can screw in a point-and-shoot camera, a mirrorless CSC or even a DSLR to capture images or footage. $59.95. istabilizer.com
Cokin Pure Harmonie Photo Filters
Pure Harmonie photo filters, distributed by OmegaBrandess, boast a thickness of just 3.3mm for the multicoated anti-UV (UV MC), 4.5mm for the circular polarizer (C PL) and 9.5mm for the variable density neutral gray (ND X) filters. Nearly invisible when mounted on a lens, they are compatible with all lens caps and are multicoated with EverClear 5 Coating technology to withstand most conditions, plus their ultra-shallow profile prevents vignetting.
The Anti-UV filters protect the lens from dust or scratches; Pure Harmonie UV MC filters are made of resistant glass with a high light transmission level, and they prevent lens flare. Circular polarizer filters reduce reflections from nonmetallic surfaces (windows, water), increase density within the sky or foliage and emphasize details. The ND X filters reduce the quantity of light that reaches the camera’s sensor and allow users to decrease the shutter speed to achieve motion blur or reduce the depth of field in bright conditions; users can select the intensity from ND2 (1 f-stop) to ND400 (8+ f-stops) by rotating the front ring. $45–$215. omegabrandess.com
MindShift Gear Rotation180º
MindShift Gear, formed by a group of professional photographers and product designers who support the conservation of natural resources, developed rotation180° technology that targets outdoor professionals and enthusiasts who need quick access to gear. Their first product is the rotation180° professional, a photo backpack featuring an integrated waist pack that rotates out of the lower section to the front of the body, allowing full access to gear. It has four ways to carry a tripod, five outer pockets, one for a full-size hydration bladder and an optional insert to carry additional gear.
“Utilizing the rotation180° technology, the integrated waist pack rotates to the front of the body and offers rapid access to the contents without having to stop, take off the pack, sling it over one shoulder, or set it on the ground,” said cofounder Doug Murdoch. mindshiftgear.com
Polaroid 112 Bulb LED Light Bar
Compact and portable, this light features 112 cool-running LEDs for even, natural lighting. The light’s flicker-free, consistent illumination is geared for shooting portraits and macro work. It has a built-in adjustable dimmer, and removable barn doors provide various lighting possibilities. The 5,600K daylight balanced light bar attaches to any camera with a hot shoe, and the panel of 112 LED bulbs runs for up to eight hours using AA batteries. It also features three integrated accessory points for stacking additional light bars for a wall of light. $79.95. polaroid.com
Galvanized Metal Art
Photo retailers are seeing the possibilities of printing on various substrates. Gaby Mullinax, of Fullerton Photographics, calls this Metal Art. Mullinax has found success by stacking one piece of metal on top of a larger sublimated metal background to create a beautiful metal product that showcases a customer’s image on top of a “designer background.” The retailer uses surfaces beyond aluminum that enhance the sublimated metal images—like galvanized steel and acrylic—all at big margins. When it comes to pricing, Mullinax notes, “With metal art, there’s no price resistance because no one has any idea what it should cost. . . . They can’t compare it to anything because they’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Fullerton Photo has built a collection of standard-size background pieces of various surfaces, and to offer custom metal photo art, they use a 30-inch metal/steel cutter, a 12-inch metal cutter, metal punches and corner rounders. The process is simple: they use the customer’s digital file or scan the photo, or invitation, etc., cut a custom piece of metal to the precise size, sublimate the image and chose a background from the store’s collection to float it on. Metal photo art with two pieces of metal for a total size of 5×10 inches retails for $65. fullertonphoto.com
