New camera rig built of a gun stock lets you literally shoot your photographs

Originally published at: New camera rig built of a gun stock lets you literally shoot your photographs | Boing Boing

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So revolutionary that the KGB already used it three quarters of a century ago


https://www.cryptomuseum.com/covert/camera/sniper/index.htm

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Yeah, not a new idea in any way.

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How much weight does that rig add to the camera? It looks pretty hefty.

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Does this somehow make for a more stable photography platform?

Weird

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First thought: What’s wrong with a monopod?

Second thought: Yeah, taking that out in public’s not going to have you surrounded in minutes by firearms officers toting Heckler & Koch MP5s at all!

ETA: The Indiegogo pics and video have been tweaked to stop it looking like a weapon. This Petapixel article rather better shows the ‘looks like a bullpup with a camera on the top’ problem.

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They do advertise “add excitement and ritual to every moment”; I suppose that a visit from particularly twitchy cops would validate that claim; though I’m a bit worried about the customer who takes the notion that ‘excitement and ritual’ means ‘butt stock and picatinny rails’; because that seems like an unhealthy rabbit hole to be exploring.

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:thinking: Why am I having a flashback from Northern Exposure? “Love’s Labour Mislaid” was a classic!

Doctor En Alaska GIF by Filmin

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Stabilising it against your shoulder will definitely make it more stable than handheld. That’s why rifles have that form factor in the first place after all.

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I’ve long wanted to see Northern Exposure again, but I’m concerned it won’t have aged well. I’ve also heard that it has missing and altered episodes these days due to music licensing issues :frowning:

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I love it when others write my comments for me.

Bolex were not far behind (mid 50s).
Gunstock1
Gunstock2

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Étienne-Jules Marey’s “chronophotographic gun,” ca. 1882

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What a lovely GIF.

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Like this?

Northern Exposure did that many years ago

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Do you know whose idea having it shown off by someone dressed like a member of the Rockstar Games special death squad was?

Did the indiegogo page originally have a significantly different flavor; or is there an early review unit or two floating around?

The below exchange about the removal of the foregrip from the indiegogo pictures suggests that it was the vendor that scrubbed the original pitch under pressure; but it’s a little cryptic. Apparently the authoritative information has been moved to an invite-only facebook group, and off the funding platform, which muddies the water a trifle.

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I’ve heard that as well, about the music licensing issues. I don’t know about whether it’s aged well or not. You sent me down a rabbit hole, though. Most of the cast is still alive, and still acting. The only major cast member who has died is Peg Phillips, who played Ruth Anne. Barry Corbin is not only still acting, he was in Killers of the Flower Moon. I might suggest a reunion show, but I know Janine Turner has gone a bit towards right wing political activism, so I don’t know.

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Agreed. Here’s a piece on what some of the actors have done since then.

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And greatly increase your chances of just being summarily shot in any conflict zone (i.e. the entire USA).

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I think the biggest flaw to modern eyes would be that the main cast is extremely white and incomers from other US states and from Canada, and that of the two main characters who are native american, one (Marilyn) wasn’t originally written as a main character at all. Elaine Miles, in fact, only came along to auditions to accompany her mother, who was trying for the Marilyn part.

The bits that might have raised eyebrows at the time like the gay b&b owners and the age difference between Shelly and Holling were treated quite progressively imho.

The version I have has the original licensed music so it can be found as it was intended to be seen.

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Especially if you’ve taking pictures of ugly things with a lot of recoil. /s