Gizmodo: zoom lens

BlackBerry Bold, Storm No Longer Lack A Gratuitous Zoom Lens Attachment

John Herrman — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

Brando, never one to miss an opportunity to attach a thing to another unlikely thing, has expanded its mobile phone zoom lens line to include models for the BlackBerry Bold and Storm.

The lenses provide a 6x zoom range, which to make a comparison in the optimistic spirit of this project, is roughly equivalent to a 220mm lens on a 35mm camera. Neat! But it's still a BlackBerry cellphone camera. The lens is affixed to your handset with a special back cover, and will only set you back $17. [BerryReview via Ubergizmo]

Nikon's Fabre Photo EX DSLR Stereoscopic Microscope Blows Things Up

Andi Wang — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:38:13 EST

This super crazy looking gadget is Nikon's new stereoscopic microscope that can be attached to your Nikon DSLR for some serious close-up photos. Don't have a DSLR? You can also attach this to some point-and-shoots.

After mounting it to the back of your Nikon DSLR, you can take detailed photos with a magnification of 20x on the FX camera models, 45x on the DX ones, and 66x with additional accessories. The Fabre Photo EX will be available for purchase starting February 20, and will cost you about $1,600 for both the microscope and the DSLR mount. [Boing Boing]

Canon Lens Completely Disassembled (Result: A Lot of Rings)

John Herrman — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:20:00 EDT

Zoom lenses are by no means a rarity, but it's not often that someone chooses to sacrifice one to the internet. FredMiranda forum member sbv20 found himself with a useless Canon 17-85mm lens after the aperture became stuck, so he did what any good gadget freak would: he tore it apart. He documented the process with a fantastic series of photos which demonstrate that even the boring lenses found dangling from necks at any tourist destination are obscenely complicated.

To add a bit or strangeness to the whole thing, have a look at the picture taken with the lens before it gave up:
It's a ridiculously apropos snap of a dynamic art installation at the Arab-Islamic museum in Paris. The installation evidently passes outside light through a giant wall of adjustable apertures, which to a DSLR might look a little like some kind of bizarre out-of-body experience. [FredMiranda - Thanks, Sam!]

Zoom Lens Coffee Mug Helps Keep Photographers Caffeinated

Sean Fallon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:20:00 EDT

It takes a lot for a coffee cup to impress me. Hell, if no cups were available I would probably have the barista pour coffee into my cupped hands. Still, it is hard not to be taken aback by the nerdy coolness of this zoom lens design. Unfortunately, the cup is only a concept at this point, and making one for yourself could prove to be an expensive little project. But I would be the first in line to buy one if someone produced a version at a reasonable price. [yok2008 via Coolbuzz via Shiny Shiny via Dvice]

iPhone's Telescopic Zoom Lens Comes With a Case

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:50:41 EST

Now that manufacturers are creating add-on lenses for cellphone cameras—similar to the one we saw at CES—they need to step up their game to attract your attention. This iPhone telescopic lens from Brando does just that, adding a nifty protective case to go along with the lens. The good news is that it does seem to zoom in a crapload (see photo after jump), but unless that lens unscrews from the body, there's no way you can call the iPhone "pocketable". [Brando]

Camera Phone Zoom Lens Cell Phone Strap

LISA KATAYAMA — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:55:36 EST

Don't take any more of those shitty cell phone camera shots that make people look like grainy ants. This 12mm zoom lens cell phone strap is easy to carry around and subtle enough that you can still sneak pics of hot girls walking by—except they'll look bigger and more real.

–Lisa Katayama

A Zoom Lens For Your Camera Phone [TokyoMango]