Posts

Google Pixel 4 – Astrophotography

/in /by

We recently attended a one off urban astrophotography event hosted by Google. All to highlight Google Pixel 4 Astrophotography! We headed up to The Shard and headed out to “The View” and took some incredible shots. The iconic London building even shut off all of the lights for us! They turned off the lights for one hour to allow us to all get closer to the stars and capture the constellations.

Google partnered with the Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG) for the event, which was very impressive! Astronomer Tom Kerss stopped by to talk about the cosmos and the history of astrophotography. With Google Pixel 4’s Night Sight, a brand new feature which allows us to see into space and capture the Milky Way. Consequently bringing astrophotography to everyone!

In London

New research shows that over a quarter of Londoners (26.7%) said they lived in a city where they can’t see the stars but wish they could! The percentage was higher than any other city in the UK!

Google worked alongside a fantastic team of social experts to look at 3o,000 UK instagram posts. Of which were related to things stars. For example the #NightSky hashtag. Therefore they were able to find out which of the most popular images were from what parts of the capital. As a result Google were able to identify which where the top 10 London locations for Night Sky photography!

Top 10 most popular Night Sky locations in London: 

  1. Tower Bridge
  2. The Shard
  3. The London Eye
  4. The Royal Observatory Greenwich
  5. South Bank
  6. St Paul’s Cathedral
  7. London Bridge
  8. Sky Garden
  9. The 02 Greenwich
  10. Millennium Bridge

So where have you been and are you going to take a look at the night sky tonight?

“Our research has shown that over 10% of Londoners can’t remember the last time they looked at the night sky. We want to inspire people to spend more time looking up at the stars. With enhanced Night Sight on the new Pixel 4, anyone can take incredible pictures of the galaxy – and where better to demonstrate this than in the UK’s tallest building, The Shard.” – Nick Clark, Product Manager for Google Pixel 4

“With so many people living in urban areas it may seem like our connection to the night sky is lost, but even in the glow of London lights the brightest stars, planets and the Moon can still be seen with the naked eye. These days we take photos of everything and it’s incredible that we can now capture the stars using just the smartphone technology in our pockets.”  – Tom Kerss, Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich

Google Pixel 4 Astrophotography – Photos

So, keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour by signing up to our newsletter by clicking here!

Also, let us know what you think of the show by clicking here!

Click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see more amazing ways to kill time!

While you’re there, follow us on Twitch by clicking here!

Mavic Mini – A Vloggers Dream!

/in /by

 

DJI Introducing Mavic Mini

This is a MUST for all filmmakers! DJI Mavic Mini!

Posted by How To Kill an Hour on Thursday, 31 October 2019

 

DJI have released their latest drone. However, this time it’s small. Very small. The foldable Mavic Mini is the lightest and smallest model that DJI have released. It weights 249g and comes with a whole host of features. That makes flying drones and aerial photography fun and accessible for everyone. The size of the Mavic Mini too doesn’t require FAA registration either!

Mavic Mini has a range of 2.5miles (4km) and has a flight time of 30mins. GPS recievers and downward visual sensors allow for precise hovering and stable flying. It has 2.7k video and 30fps which is a higher resolution than the Mavic Spark (1080p)!.

However, it doesn’t have obstacle avoidance or quickshots (pre-programmed flight photography). The Mavic Mini is designed for simple every day use, fun, quick set up and go. Not your high end filmmakers. Think of this one for your vlogging arsenal.

You can get the Mavic Mini in 2 different options.

One option, a standard option, comes with the Mavic Mini, remote controller, one batter, extra propellers and accessories for $399.

The Fly More Combo comes with all the things available in the standard but with a 360 degree propeller cage, 2-way charging hub, 3 batteries, 3 sets of extra propellers and a carrying case. All that for $499.

Available on November 11th by clicking here!

(Engadget)

Keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour by signing up to our newsletter by clicking here!

Let us know what you think of the show by clicking here!

Click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see more amazing ways to kill time!

Follow us on Twitch by clicking here!

One Plus 6!!

/in /by

One Plus have today announced a brand new phone – the One Plus 6!

Features

The One Plus 6 features an all glass all design and has a 6.28 inch fill Optic AMOLED 19:9 display. This is the largest ever screen that One Plus have put on a phone. Providing users with as much screen real estate as possible! Designing the navigation bar so that it can be replaced by gesture controls. It has an incredible immersive viewing experience, yet retaining a similar form factor to the ever popular One Plus 5T.

Glass

One plus have used some of the toughest glass available in it’s phone’s too: Cornering Gorilla Glass 5, on both the front and the back of the phone. Creating sligh curves to create an uninterrupted look and feel! This is due to Gorilla glass’s strength and malleability! That’s not all, due to an all glass design the One Plus 6 is able to transfer radio waves at an ever faster rate! providing users with up to 1 gigabit of download speed!

Furthermore the One Plus 6 takes use of Qualcomm technology and is the fastest phone the company have ever made! Which makes streaming high end HD quality content to playing immensely powerful and graphic hungry games a breeze!

All that computing power will take it’s toll on the phone’s battery. However, fear not, as One Plus have a trick up their sleeve that you will love. The One Plus 6 can charge a full days power in just half an hour!

Camera

The One Plus 6 has a dual camera system, a 16MP camera which is the main. It is supported by a second 20MP camera, which has a f/1.7 aperture. The main 16MP camera has been bolstered by a 19% larger sensor and OIS. Therefore creating oustanding performance in a range of lighting situations. The advanced HDR feature has improved too! The One Plus’ High Dynamic Range algorithm brings out the shadows and enhances lighting in photos taken.

There is also a portrait mode that will be available on both the One Plus 6’s front camera as well as the rear. Using AI, the front camera applies a depth of field, or bokeh affect to selfies. Which can be stylised too with circles, hearts and stars.

Not forgetting the introducion of Slow Motion mode too, the One Plus 6’s camera can capture high definition video with incredible detail!

Design

One Plus have gone into incredible detail with their designs. The Mirror Black and Midnight Black versions have an embedded thin layer of film under the glass to creates a sense of depth as light and shadow move on the device. While a jagged texture was added to the Midnight Black to create a subtle S-shaped line when the phone is reflected in light, much like the Silk White limited edition version of the One Plus 6 which uses pearl powder to create a subtle shimmering effect.

OS

The One Plus 6 uses Oxygen OS, an Android OS that is refined, faster and cleaner, reflecting the look of the One Plus 6. Consequently the One Plus 6’s Oxygen OS is much more customizable than other Android experiences, allowing a user to make their phone more personable than ever!

Please see a gallery of the One Plus 6 below:

The One Plus 6 comes in various memory sizes and available from May 22nd in North America and Europe! Simply head over to oneplus.com! The sizes available are 64gb, 128gb and 256gb! Prices start from £469, while the limited edition Silk White version will be available from June 5th.

Keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour by signing up to our newsletter! Simply click here to get a dose of How To Kill An Hour in your inbox each week!

ALTA PRO 2+ 263AB100

The best tripod: ALTA PRO 2+ 263AB100?!

/in /by

ALTA PRO 2+ 263AB100 – One of the best tripods around?

We’ve been using the ALTA PRO 2+ 263AB100 for some time now and we think that it is one of the best tripods that we have used!

Vanguard have created a strong and sturdy tripod that won’t fall over when you’re using it! Nor will it’s legs snap off! You can feel confident putting your pride and joy atop of this wonderful tripod! (As long as it weighs less than 7KG as that’s the load limit of the Alta Pro 2 +) The tripod doesn’t just feel wonderful to hold and use, it looks incredible too! Presented in a stunning anthracite grey, you will stand out amongst the crowd.

Features

The Alta Pro 2+ has a middle column, which does a lot more than just raise the height of the tripod! This nifty little feature has a multiangle feature, as well as the ability to fold 180 degrees sideways, (which helps us to get the birds eye view for our YouTube Channel!) perfect for getting into tight angles or wide shots! The legs also are able to spread incredibly wide and still remain sturdy and steady. Perfect for getting just the right shot!

What we like is the fact that this tripod is not only easy to set up, but the fact that it can move from a normal tripod setup to a landscape (all the way lowered and almost flat) setup in a really quick time! Less than a minute we were able to do it in!

Make sure you pick the “2+” and not the “2” as the “2+” has the multi angle middle strut!

Check out the gallery below to see photos of the Alta Pro 2+ in action!

To listen to the guys chatting about this on the podcast please click here!

Keep up to date on the latest tech news and anything that we’re doing by signing up to our newsletter! All you go to do is click here!

Sony RX100 Mk III

Sony RX100 Mk III – A super camera for beginners

/in /by

Gadgets Jon stopped by recently to give his tips on photography and cameras. He shared what he thought is the best camera for beginners looking to make the upgrade from their smartphone. The camera he chose was the Sony RX100 Mk III.

The Sony RX100 Mk III is a POWERFUL camera for it’s size, boasting a huge 20 megapixels! In such as small device is beyond impressive. It also has a lens that is capable of shooting very wide! (24-70mm) As well bringing more in for photographers to get a hold of in their scene. With an aperture of F1.8 to 2.8 allowing macro capabilities and an electronic viewfinder, it will not be long before users are finding their feet and wanting to leave the smartphone behind!

Furthermore the introduction of an electronic viewfinder allows creators to hold the camera steadily and accurately compose a shot at a very quick pace! Something with the use of screens has eliminated and damaged the beauty of a physical viewfinder! Yet it also has one! Futhermore it’s flippable so it’s perfect for all the vloggers out there, so just flip up the screen and see what your shooting behind you!

The Sony RX 100 Mk III has really good low light capabilities too, so no more noisey dark photos taken from your smartphone! The camera is built in a steady and rock solid aluminium frame giving a very premium finish. That even high end camera’s will be jealous of!

Consequently for all those that like to share their photos on the big screen there is Wifi and NFC built in. Allowing a user to easily share their creations to NFC-compatible televisions and Android phones.

Listen to the guys chatting about this with Gadgets Jon please click here!

 

Purchase the Sony RX 100 Mk III please click here!

GoPro Fusion

The Palm-Sized Fusion 360 Camera Is Like Using Six GoPros!

/in , /by

The moment that we have all been waiting for.. GoPro have made a palm-sized 360 camera and they say that it is like using 6 GoPro’s at once! (How good is that?!)

The palm-sized shooter, which was initially unveiled in April, is the company’s first consumer 360-degree camera. It can take photos in 8K resolution and uses two spherical lenses to capture 360-degree material.

Design wise, the camera is coated in a rubber grip to ensure you don’t drop it, and comes with a little carry case to keep it safe.

Details on the Fusion are still sparse and GoPro hasn’t unveiled a price, but rival devices tend to retail for between $250 — $350.

More details to come soon!

 

DJI Spark

DJI Spark

/in , /by

DJI Spark is a mini drone that features all of DJI’s previous products signature technologies, including: intelligent flight control options, a mechanical gimbal and a camera that takes spectacular images with great quality!

Other special features include:

  • Quick Launch – This is where the Spark recognises your face (FaceAware), lifts off from the palm of your hand, takes off and hovers in the air.
  • Simple Control – Take amazing photos by controlling the Spark with only a gesture of the hand! You are the controller!
  • Create With Ease – This feature allows you to create cinematic aerial videos with intuitive controls and Intelligent Flight Modes.
  • Edit and Share – Editing and then sharing your pictures or videos on social media is made simple! The DJI GO 4 app features automatic editing templates and a selection of filters. Quickly edit and then share!

To buy a DJI Drone click here!

 

Apple Store flying drones!

/in , /by

If you visit an Apple store in the not too distant future you may see the Hover Passport Drone flying around!

Apple have signed a deal with ZeroZero Robotics to exclusively sell their drone for $100 dollars cheaper than their own site for $500 dollars, for which you will receive (one drone, two batteries, a charger, an adapter, and a carry bag)

It has face /body tracking, orbit mode where it circles around you, a 360-degree “Spin” for panoramic video shots & protected propellers, too!

Apple Stores in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., China, and Hong Kong are kicking off the demonstrations with other stores expected to follow suit not long after.

To buy your own Passport Hover Drone please click here!

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!