After lengthy discussions we have agreed on the production of 10 optical modules to the specifications of HiLO Lens. These will be our final(hopefully!) prototypes. The discussions were somewhat complicated reaching agreement on the acceptance criteria for optical quality. We agreed on a Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), which will no doubt be the subject of a [...]
Read MoreCategory Archives of : Behind the scenes
Chinese New Year
Feb 02, 2012Having lived in France I should be used to vacations. Along with the 35 hour work week the French average around 37 days vacation ! Discussions with a potential optics manufacturer in China were put on pause last week. For the Chinese New Year celebrations they have pretty much shut down. The celebrations last one [...]
Read MoreInc’ing in the USA
Jan 29, 2012Some time ago I mentioned a desire to try crowdfunding the first production run of HiLO Lens. Our preference was for the Kickstarter platform because they have a number of successful iPhone related projects. After looking into Kickstarter I learnt that you need to have an Amazon Payments account to be able to receive funds [...]
Read MoreWhen HiLO Lens beats a tripod
Jan 21, 2012There is some contradiction in using an iPhone with a tripod. The iPhone is with you all the time and slips into your pocket comfortably. But even the smallest tripods won’t fit in a pocket. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the iPhone, as a camera, is that you have it with you all the time. [...]
Read MoreIterative design
Jan 19, 2012Product design is relatively new for me. If you believe Malcolm Gladwell then my chances of doing a great job are slim. Gladwell wrote Outliers and proposed the 10,000 Hour Rule which states you need to put in at least 10,000 hours in a field before getting a great result. The book is well worth a [...]
Read MoreDisco sheep
Jan 18, 2012Arif’s talent for drawing cool characters begs to be on display. I believe Arif is using his iPhone to take candid shots of our sheep. If you understand the connection between sheep and HiLO Lens then I am all ears.
Read MoreNo 1. on Google
Jan 15, 2012It is always good to celebrate - even the small stuff. The HiLO Lens website is no. 1 on Google when searching “HiLO Lens”. The advantage of a strange name We had to beat off some intense competition from a t-shirt designer in Germany and a personal YouTube channel. Googling for “right angle lens for [...]
Read MoreMirroring without a mirror
Jan 06, 2012When the concept for HiLO Lens (a right angle lens) first came up, the obvious solution was to use a mirror. Simple solutions are often best. A mirror angled at 45 degrees redirects the camera through a right angle. But we quickly ran into problems.
Read MoreWhat is taking so long ? !!
Dec 31, 2011It is the end of the year and I have the inevitable desire to think about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. The HiLO Lens concept emerged in mid 2011. It needs some diverse technical skills : iPhone app design, optical system design, mechanical design. I’ve been fortunate to find great [...]
Read MoreThe HiLO Lens App
Dec 29, 2011HiLO Lens combines a right angle lens and an iPhone app. You may be wondering why we need an app, you may know why. In either case please read on… In relation to Street Photography. When using the iPhone for Street Photography HiLO Lens allows the iPhone to be held comfortably at hip level while viewing [...]
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