#Camera

-“Would you like to review the Zeiss DTI 3/35? Zeiss brand new and first-ever thermal spotting camera?”

Viridian Weapon Technologies has been in the weapon-mounted laser business for just shy of a decade and a half. In that time they’ve expanded their product lines to offer numerous other gun accessories as well, including a laser-integrated AR hand stop, holsters, and more. They’re also currently poised for additional future innovations based on a burgeoning partnership with gunsmithing tool shop Real Avid. Other than their lasers, one of Viridian’s products that has been gaining in popularity lately is their FACT weapon-mounted camera. Given the challenges faced by modern law enforcement agencies, as well as the transparency and oversight demanded by the taxpaying public in many communities, this technology makes sense for many departments. Now with the following August 31st press release, Viridian has announced that the Nye County Sheriff’s Department has opted to get on board with the FACT as well. The release reads:

Designed to help on-the-wing shotgun hunters and sporting clay shooters, the SHOTKAM is a video camera with a feature set not yet available from other weapon-mounted camera makers. Most impressively, if it works as designed, is the reticle alignment system that attempts to show shooters how far the target should be lead. Intertia activation, high video quality, a barrel mount system and built in wifi also top the list of features.

Taser International has renamed themselves Axon. The Scottsdale, Arizona company, which has a monopoly on “projectile conductive energy devices” used by law enforcement worldwide, has decided to switch focus from arming law enforcement to monitoring them with their Axon line of Body Cameras and their Evidence.com subscription service for law enforcement organizations.

iVUE is an eyewear company that produces sunglasses that have an integrated camera system in the bridge of the frame and can record 1080p footage at the press of a button. The company has been around for several years now and customer videos using their products have been on Youtube in that time as well. Although I’m singling out iVUE because they are the only eyewear camera product that has seen extensive usage in the shooting sports, there are a multitude of eyewear products out there that can do the same, if not a better job of capturing what appears to be the best “First Person” angle footage we have seen. Previously this sort of footage is reserved to helmet cameras such as the Contour, GoPro head kits, and even body cameras as worn by many Law Enforcement officers these days. All of these are good pieces of kit, but sometimes they don’t get that true first person footage that we are constantly striving for, to see pretty much what that person was seeing while they were taking the footage.

SIDEKICK is a GoPro camera mount, which directly mounts on Picatinny rails. It is compatible with GoPro HERO and HERO5 Session cameras. It is made of aircraft grade aluminum and is very lightweight. With the camera installed the assembly weighs only 4.3oz.

Trail cameras have become very popular with hunters for scouting potential hunting areas. I would imagine that most people have seen some of the photos online of monster bucks, bear and other critters that these cameras have captured when no humans are around.

The Seek Compact XR is a miniature thermal imager that attaches to a mobile phone. Only a few years ago purchasing a thermal imager was far outside the budget of hobbyist. Today with devices like the Seek, they are easily affordable. By using the screen, processing power and controls provided by a mobile phone, the imaging module can be purchased for just $210. The model I am reviewing, the Extended Range version, retails for $299.

Caldwell Shooting Supplies has come out with a long range target camera system, labeled as the Ballistic Precision LR. Essentially it is a camera system that you set up, facing your target downrange, and is connected to a receiver that you set up at your shooting position. It broadcasts the footage via Wi Fi to the receiver, that is then broadcasted to an app on your smart phone or tablet. It allows real time footage of the target, recording, in addition to being able to save images, or send the footage/pictures to someone else. The distances it can be set up are up to a mile in length, and it runs for 6 hours, and is waterproof. The entire system is going for $499.99.

Not content to let GoPro continue to dominate the action-camera market, Midland has upped its game with its latest release including Wi-Fi to allow the user to start and stop footage. Further, with the appropriate new application on your phone, you can view, review, and edit footage in real-time.

For those among us who hunt – myself included – the new game camera accessory from Stealth Cam just might give us a leg up tracking game in the coming seasons. Game cameras are an important part of a successful hunt, not only giving you the ability to track the whereabouts and habits of game but also allowing for glimpses of what’s out there – that 12-point buck you’d just love to harvest – and letting you know just what’s on your property. One problem cropping up now and then is the issue of where to put your game cam, because when there’s no good spot to mount it, you may find yourself unable to position your cameras in ideal locations. Enter Stealth Cam’s Cam Stick, the monopod that enables you to place your game cam wherever you want regardless of terrain.

248 Shooter has reviewed the Bullseye Camera System, a wireless camera that can connect to a PC, phone or tablet and show you, and record, your shots. He writes …

As an alternative to the GoPro Sportsman Mount, Choate Machine & Tool has made their own GoPro mount. It is machined aluminum. It uses a simple steel barrel mount to attach the GoPro mount to a barrel or magazine tube.

Tactical-Life posted this up, Taser has a small POV camera that is targeted for Law Enforcement.

Since leaving Google in mid-2012, I’ve been searching for firearms stuff that overlaps with technology. While at SHOT Show earlier this year, I was walking down the aisle on my way to the next booth on my list, when all of a sudden a guy literally jumped in front of me and said “hey, have you seen this?!” There was a computer on the table, and that combined with the guy’s excitement got me interested enough to stop and take a short break from a full day of walking the convention floor.