Review of the Eagle Eye

 

From the title, you might think that I participate in extreme sports. Hah, this is far-from-the-truth. Instead, the title is to let you know that there’s a camera that is rugged enough to be used by enthusiasts that do in fact participate in extreme sports.

Let’s move on. In a few days, I’ll be off to the Sierra Nevadas for some easy and leisurely Spring skiing.

In the past, I’ve always lugged a camera around to capture the action. This year, I’ve decided that I would try a different tact.

My goal was to find a small camera that lets me easily record the action. I wanted one that lets me move around “hands-free” like a skier instead of a photographer. So I did a little online research and decided to pick up an Eagle Eye HD sports camera. The Eagle Eye is a compact video/still camera that comes with a bundle of accessories. There’s both a 110 volt and an automobile adapter for recharging the battery in-camera; a second lithium battery; two adapters for mounting on different size straps; another adapter for mounting on handlebars; several adhesive cushions for mounting on a helmet; a USB cable and a mini-HDMI cable.
The Eagle Eye doesn’t look like a conventional camera. It’s shaped like an oversized mobile phone from ten years ago. The outside case is completely rubber coated, making it less likely to injury should it take a fall. On its face is a small 1-1/2″ LCD for and menu buttons for entering camera settings. The LCD is tiny but is a welcome feature since it lets you review your photos and videos in the field.
The menu functions are similar to most point-and-shoot cameras: set video resolution; white balance; contrast; exposure compensation; power-saving features; format the SD card; internal clock.
On top are two buttons that each have two functions. Left: when held down for two seconds, powers the camera on/off the camera; otherwise is the shutter release for still photos. Right: when held down for two seconds, puts the camera into review mode; otherwise is the shutter release for videos.
To make it less susceptible to water damage, the back cover is securely held is place with a tight fitting lock. You’ll have to use a bit of pressure to open the interior compartment. Inside is the lithium ion battery and slot for a standard SD or SDHC card. There are also two connectors: one a USB cable and the other a mini HDMI cable.
Here, I’ve used one of the included mounts to attach the camera to my ski goggles. Given that it weighs only 6 ounces or so, it is comfortable to wear and is not obtrusive.
I took a few stills and videos to make sure that it was working. Without further testing, I don’t think you’ll want to use this for taking those all-important wedding photos. Here’s a still taken indoors which I’d rate as just “acceptable”.
However, I am more impressed with the test HD video video. The resolution is a full 1920 x 1080 pixels. The faces are totally in focus and the action smooth.

 

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My experience with Eagle Eye HD so far is based on an hour or so of becoming familiar with its use.

I’ll complete the review of this camera after I return from my ski trip. I hope to have the results in ten days or so. As already mentioned, since I’m not an extreme sportsman, I may have my two expert-skiing sons help with the review.

 

Coincidentally, I purchased the Eagle Eye from Stuntcams.com. They are located in Grand Rapids only a few miles from our offices where Mike gave me the run-down on this camera. It sells for $249. Stuntcams.com also sells many other sports cameras.

 

Please note that Stay Focused has no connection to Stuntcams.com.

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

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Shooting Birds

Certainly one of the reasons that I enjoy the profession so much is that there are so many types of photography to choose from: architectural, wedding, journalism, nature, portrait, fine art, and the list goes on.

And like many other photographers, I often jump from one type of photography to another when the job calls for it or when I feel the need to “escape” to a totally different subject.

Each type of photography utilizes different skills.

For example, portrait photography is most successful when the subject can comfortably relate to the photographer who then combines creative posing and technical lighting to record a likeness of that subject.

A food photographer may use many tricks to enhance the appearance of a gourmet dish – with sprays, glue or gels, perhaps. These are skills that make the food look good; you probably wouldn’t want to eat the food after the photo session.

Having participated in many of the types of photography over the past 40+ years, I have learned that some types of photography require a higher level of skill than others.

From my experience, “photography degree of difficulty” varies from snapshots and event photography at the low end to wedding photography at the high end. And somewhere near the high end is wildlife photography. For the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to improve my wildlife skill level.

Birds are among the most nervous types of animals to photograph. Approach a bird perched on a branch and he’ll quickly fly away. Consequently, most of my photos of birds are from quite a distance using a long telephoto lens. On my last outing, I snapped several bird photos which drew complimentary comments from several viewers. While I’d like to think that the photos were the result of my great skills as a nature photographer, in this case it’s not true. Last week, I was doing a little winter hiking in Bryce Canyon NP and stumbled upon this colorful Stellar’s jay. This photo was taken with long telephoto lens from about 50 feet away. I hesitated to approach the jay any closer for fear that he’d take off.

Surprisingly, the jay flew closer to me. In fact, he ended up landing on a tree branch that was only 20 feet from where I was standing. I can only surmise that in the cold wintery weather he was acting differently than he would if I encountered him in warmer weather. My telephoto lens has two settings: one to accommodate close focusing (2 meters) and one for more distant focusing (8 meters). So as not to disturb the bird, I very slowly changed the lens setting for close focusing and snapped. Bingo. Here’s the closeup that I ended up with of the Stellar’s jay. I can definitely say that this photo was more a matter of luck than skill. Anyway, for me this photograph is a definite keeper.

As a counterpoint, here’s a less lucky encounter that I had about an hour before. As I was hiking along the hard packed, snow covered trail that descended into one of the canyons, I heard a screech overhead. I gazed upwards and saw a large, majestic set of wings in the sky. I hurriedly changed lenses to my long telephoto and looked up again. But during the minute that I spent changing lenses, the predator had climbed higher and farther away.

I quickly snapped a half dozen photos before the eagle was out of range. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as lucky here. The photo is blurred owing to the distance and my rushed attempt.

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So this time out, luck played a role in my capturing the Stellar’s jay. But I wasn’t as lucky with the golden eagle.

Still, I know that unless I’m out there hiking the trails and observing my surroundings that luck won’t have a chance to take hold. Each time I’m out enjoying nature I’m hoping that for that lucky catch.
Take enough photos and luck will come your way too. It’s a promise.

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

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Having been involved with Flight Simulation software over the years, I’ve been taking pictures of aircraft for some time now. My collection includes thousands of aircraft photos and one of my favorite group are the pictures of Air Force One that I’ve captured.

Air Force One is the huge Boeing 747 that flies the President of the United States to various places around the world. It’s easily recognizable by its distinctive blue and while colors.
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