Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 604

EyeModule 2

I received a check from some relatives for my birthday, and I'm trying to decide what to buy with the dough. It's almost enough for an EyeModule 2, and I was looking for feedback from folks who own one.

I already own an EyeModule "classic" and never use it. I loved the concept, and used it quite a bit when I first got it, but the photo quality is so poor I got tired of it.

I have a Prism, if that matters. Thanks in advance for letting me know the good, bad and indifferent about this thing.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 19

EM2

I never owned an EM1, but played with one and thought it was cool, but not cool enough. I recently bought an EM2 to use with my Prism, and I love it. I take all the pix at 640x480 and with a bit of practice and working within the limitations of the device, I get some pretty good pictures.

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

Yeah, baby, yeah!

I evangelize about the EM2 every chance I get. It's a wonderful feeling to have a camera on your person at all times. I leave mine in the Prism 24/7, since the best pictures are the ones you don't plan. And being able to show people the picture you just took makes big impression, almost like when the Polaroid SX-70 hit the scene. But you also have the opportunity to show friends the rest of the EM pictures you took.

Naturally, the resolution could be better: 640 x 480 is nothing to write home about. But it's servicable for most snapshots for viewing on the Prism or emailing to people. Each day, I reduce one of my pictures to 150 x 112 and use it as my avatar on VC (incidentally, I do very little Photoshopping to the images -- in most cases, none). I've emailed a few pictures to eyebrowse to include with the site's general collection. When those are posted, I'll send all the pictures I've used as avatars on VC, but as 320 x 240 images.

One feature I've found myself using, which I didn't think I would, is the video clip feature. Doing 5-second Quicktime loops has applications I never thought of. Up until now, I've always dismissed the need for video playback on a PDA as useless. Now that I actually make the videos with the Eyemodule, I've learned something. I shot a video loop of a DJ spinning records, and everyone loves it. What's important is that you're capturing a representative behavior, so five seconds is actually more useful than it sounds. I think of the loops as "motion portraits" rather than "videos." The only drawback is that each 5-second clip take 1MB of memory, so if you want to use this feature extensively, get a flash module or a MemPlug.

Low-lighting conditions aren't ideal, but since you can preview the image on the screen, you'll know instantly whether you can take the picture or not. If you're shooting indoors in the evening, and the room is lit with 60-watt bulbs, the results tend to be rather grainy (or else have visible lines), but 100-watt lighting is usually adequate. Since I like going for shots that other trained photographers wouldn't, I try to compose in ways that make the most of existing light, even backlight.

Because the EM doesn't have a flash, it doesn't handle high-contrast scenes very well, so you have to compose with maintaining minimal backlight in mind. The wide-angle lens, ostensibly 28mm, isn't my favorite length; I'd prefer a 50mm lens. The shorter the lens, the farther away the objects will appear, so you have to get in closer to compensate (I can never take pictures of seagulls with scaring them away before I get a chance to hit the shutter). So sometimes I have to fight with the EM to get a decent composition, but I've learned to adapt to its limitations. There's an unavoidable learning curve, but once you get over it, you're rewarded 100 times over.

Overall, I can say without hesitation that the EM2 is the best $200 I've ever spent. By the end of the first day, I took to the EM like a duck to water, and my brain's still buzzing with ideas for things I can do with it once I get the MemPlug.

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Eye of Gameboy

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 347

I knew about the low-light issue when I bought it, but I must say that I am still disappointed with it's performance. A regular camera takes better pictures under the same lighting condigitions. I don't understand why the EM2 should be that much different. If they could come out with something that had a Flash and better image handling then it might be worth it.

All in all, it's a cool thing to have, but I would not spend $200 on it again. Maybe $150 or less, but not $200.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

creole wrote:
A regular camera takes better pictures under the same lighting condigitions.

I'll always prefer the quality of a regular camera to a digital camera, especially one without a flash, but the decisive factors for me are: not needing to buy film; portability (my EM remains inside the Prism, and goes wherever the Prism goes); and no developing or scanning. Going from film to digital cameras has been as liberating as going from typewriters to word processors.

If they could come out with something that had a Flash and better image handling then it might be worth it.

A flash would add bulk to the module and take a huge bite out of the Visor's battery. I'd like to see an attachable flash with it's own rechargable battery that's triggered from the cradle connector.

I've done years of available light photography with regular cameras, so I have a kind of "damn the torpedoes" attitude toward getting decent shots in non-ideal settings. But it does take compromise and practice.

Maybe $150 or less, but not $200.

Now that you mention it, through a couple of happy accidents, I paid $130 plus tax, not $200 like I said. But if I had to do it all over again, I'd drop the $200 in a heartbeat.

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Eye of Gameboy

Last edited by Gameboy70 on 06-25-2001 at 11:19 PM

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 347

ok ok, I wasn't downing it. I also leave mine in all the time as it IS really cool to see peoples faces when you show them a picture you just took of them with your "Palm Pilot".

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Hoboken, NJ, 07030
Posts: 105

This is the kind of picture that you really can't get with anything but an EM2. Note that this guy did NOT read the owners manual to find out where to put the jack while changing tires.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Posts: 33

I haven't been here in a while, but I'm glad to see EM topics come up now and then! Obviously, I love the Eyemodule2 (I too have a Prism). The EM2 is a permanent resident of my Visor (except when I need to do a backup!), and even though I've had it a few months, I still use it at least once or twice a week...

True, a $79 el cheapo digicam - the kinds they give away for signing up for magazine subscriptions these days - might take equal or better pictures, image-quality wise. But for me the EM2 is all about form factor. As the previous post suggests, an EM2 can snap shots you'd never get with a regular camera - it's less conspicuous, as using it looks no different than a geek using his PDA. I have a high megapixel Casio digital camera, but I use it less often, because it's inconvenient, and damn intrusive. I keep a personal journal online, and my entries of day-to-day life (boring as they are) are enhanced with the EM2, which can nab simple and sweet pictures of street corners, restaurant meetings, class lectures...

(And don't get me wrong, in some ways, an EM2 can be very practical, and I've seen it used in business applications. For me, though, it's just great fun.)

Certainly having something cool to show off is a big part of it, but for me only at first. I haven't found myself doing a 'demo' to a gawking crowd for a while. And I think I've used the movie mode twice, ever. I have yet to really start playing with the other utilities folks have dreamed up.

The IDEO gang are clearly gadget nuts. Although I know no one will be completely satisfied with anything, I personally love the attention paid to little things - whether built-in to the software, or in allowing third-party hacks to do even neater things.

I run an eyemodule gallery and mailing list (which should be linked if my .sig is still on file!) - I invite you to check it out. Folks are doing some neat things with this gadget, and to all of them at least, it was worth every penny.

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 268

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 268

VTL, if you "never use" the EM1, you'll probably "never use" the EM2 either. EM2 isn't that much better (at least not $200 better) than the EM1. Save your money for something else.