Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'

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Slow-Mo Binoculars
For bird watchers
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This would be a set of binoculars that worked kind of like a Tivo. In slow-motion mode they would tape what you're looking at and show it to you slowly. There would have to be logic built into it the software that could spot what was moving and discreetly show you which direction to move the binoculars in so you'd capture the image you wanted to see while watching the slowed down picture (maybe an arrow in the upper left or righthand corner of the picture would do the trick). This might also be useful for watching boxing matches at the arena where sometimes the fists fly so fast you don't get to see their effect as more than a blur.

longshot9999, Mar 31 2006

mini Oddie for the UK, bless him. http://www.bbc.co.u...dbritain/minioddie/
[po, Apr 01 2006]

The first step... http://www.binocula...era_Binoculars.html
[fridge duck, Apr 05 2006]

[link]






       I like. But you might need to work out the "logic" aspect. Otherwise it is a WIBNI. In my opinion.

blissmiss, Mar 31 2006
  

       How about picture in picture so you can follow the real-time action periferally.   

       //For bird watchers// other, less tasteful pass-times too, I'll wager.

Dub, Apr 01 2006
  

       Did you get this idea from the 4th Harry Potter book???

craziness, Apr 01 2006
  

       craziness - No. Never read it. Why, was it in there?

longshot9999, Apr 01 2006
  

       As a hobbyist gizmo this seems do-able to a degree. Lots of digital cameras today have built in movie capture mode to a reasonably good frame rate*, definition and storage capacity and are often no larger than a pack of cards. Seems possible that such technology (or better) could be incorporated into a pair of handheld binos without turning them into a brick.   

       Let the camera gubbbins continually store footage to memory card (user defined settings for what to do when full). Press a button to view the last n seconds in slow-mo.   

       Movement tracking. I imagine that figuring out in which approximate direction a darker blob (bird) moved against a lighter background (sky) could be done reasonably quickly and easily to allow a tracking guide (frame rate permitting), but I agree that it could prove much trickier for dull blob against dull background (bird/landscape) - e.g. you move the binos while watching a bird fly past a bush - has the bird moved left or the bush moved right according to the AI?   

       * although thinking further, is 30/60 fps good enough for decent slo-mo on flying birds?

boysparks, Apr 05 2006
  
      
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