The Top 10 Coolest Photography Gear On KickStarter

KickStarter is a website that allows inventors to promote their projects using images, video presentation and descriptions for everyone to see and generate funding. When a project is fully funded, it is brought to market and begins shipping. The number of photography-related products is incredibly high, ranging from unique iPhone lens attachments to versatile camera stabilizers and more! Here are our top 10 favorite KickStarter photography projects:

1. AirTracks: Inflatable All-Terrain Camera Slider by Tom Baker The ability to shoot amazing cinematic videos is now in everyone's reach! Created by Tom Baker, AirTracks is an inflatable slider system that gives you a practical way of always having a slider available to use for soft and fluid video movements. Its purpose is to replace heavy metal sliders, so you can easily take it with you everywhere you go – it shrinks it down to the size of a water bottle! And you can also use it with an iPhone. The ability to shoot amazing cinematic videos is now in everyone's reach! Here is a video presentation of the product and you can find out more about AirTrack on their KickStarter page. This project has exceeded its pledge goal of $20,000 by raising so far $26,610 – the project is still open for 22 more days.

2. HiLO Lens for iPhone & iPad by Mark Hampton If you love taking pictures with your iOS device, then you'll want to have this new invention! Created by New Zealand-based engineer Mark Hampton, HiLO Lens is the first right-angle detachable lens for iPhone & iPad that allows you to take creative photos with your device in a flat position.

The great thing about it is that it redirects the camera – just like a flip screen, helping you shoot in difficult positions – shooting above a crowd, photographing pets and children down on the floor and more! Watch the video presentation here and see it in action! As they say it, any surface becomes a tripod! Find out more about the HiLO Lens on their KickStarter page and website. This project is still open for funding – their pledge is $27,500 and so far they've raised $16,214 (still have 23 days to go).

3. Stow-Away Lens Cap Holder for your SLR camera! by Preston Turk US-based photographer Preston Turk created a unique way to store your cap lens while shooting. Stow-Away lens Cap is a cool accessory for your camera that serves various lens cap sizes (52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm and 72mm). You can easily screw the device into the tripod mount with a thumb screw and you can attach the caps by just pushing them into the right-sized ridge. A quick note: you won't be able to use the tripod and the cap holder at the same time. Check out their KickStarter page and watch a presentation video. This project is still open for funding – their pledge is $8,000 and so far they've raised $6,256 (still 7 days to go).

4. Memoto Lifelogging Camera by Memoto Memoto is a stamp-size camera that automatically takes 5-megapixel snapshots every 30 seconds – as you go. You just clip it on and as long as you wear it, Memoto is constantly snapping shots. The camera has no buttons – the app easily manages your shots with information about the time and place of the capture. Then, the shots are organized on a timeline that highlights about 30 keyframes per day – each representing a moment. You can select a moment to play it in a stop-motion video of all the pictures within that moment. At the end of the day, you upload your shots to Memoto’s cloud servers and access them using an iPhone or Android app. This project is still open for funding – their pledge is $50,000 and so far they've raised $ $324,040. Find out more on their KickStarter page and website. You can also watch a video presentation.

5. CineSkates Camera Sliders by Cinetics Developed as a MIT lab project by Justin Jensen, CineSkates are a set of three wheels that attach to Joby’s GorillaPod Focus tripod, allowing you to create fluid, stabilized videos with your camera without bulky or expensive gear.

Now you can produce videos that have previously been extremely hard to accomplish and only with heavy and expensive gear. CineSkates allows you to capture the smooth fluid shots and pans that are done by professionals using highly expensive equipment. CineSkates is especially useful for wedding videos, product demos, real estate presentations corporate campaigns and more. Check out their KickStarter page and website for more information.

6. CineMoco ● Motor Control for your Camera by Cinetics CineMoco is a small motor-controlled dolly and slider developed by Cinetics that allows you to take great videos and time-spanning images. The idea is simple: you place the camera on the dolly, set the motor to move it slowly past the scene and either take multiple shots, or one continuous video. You can also use the CineMoco along with the CineSkates to capture cool panning images using the motorized dolly. The software that controls CineMoco is open-source and Cinetics invites photographers and videographers to write their own scripts for the dolly and create a library of pre-programmed movement shots. Take a look at the presentation video and also visit their website and KickStarter page for more exciting information.

7. Bird Photo Booth - Experience nature like never before by Bryson Lovett Created by bird photo enthusiast Bryson Lovett and inspired by the Polaroid Land Camera from the 1950s, the Bird Photo Booth is an innovative bird feeder that allows you to observe birds like never before. You can easily setup the booth by putting your iPhone, iPod Touch or GoPro camera inside and then walk away from the booth and watch a live stream on an iPhone, iPad, or other device using a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity. Photographs can be snapped remotely by connecting your iPhone to an iPad that runs a remote camera app. When you want to snap a picture of a bird that you like, simply press the button on the app and you're done! Here you can watch a video presentation and make sure to check their KickStarter page and website for more details. Another video presentation is available here.

8. EZ-Steady- iPhone, DSLR, GoPro Camera Stabilizer by Kyle Hart

Created by inventor Kyle Hart, the EZ-Steady Camera Stabilizer is a small but clever DSRL stabilization system that helps you create professional videos using the camera that smoothly runs around the scene. The concept is simple – the hand-held device eliminates camera shake and gives your videos a sense of flying. Typically, when you move with the camera in your hand you are sending some of the body's vibrations on to the camera. This stabilizing system detaches the camera from your using a gimbal. The camera remains vertical at all times by having attached a set of weights around the frame of the stabilizer that creates balance for the camera. Once the camera is stabilized you can freely walk or even run around taking it by the handle – the camera remains fixed on the gimbal, unable to capture your body's movement or shaking. Check out the presentation video and also visit their website and KickStarter page for more interesting facts.

9. Astro: Time-Lapse + Motion Control by Oscar Ramírez Created by Oscar Ramírez, the Astro Time Lapse Motion Controller allows you to add a little more creativity to your images and videos by creating great time-lapsed panning. The Astro will be placed under your camera and allow you to control both the duration and range of movement from 0 to 360 degrees. Astro is compatible with Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Pentax, Minolta and just about any camera with a remote input. Astro connects to your camera using a cable and runs on 2 AA batteries. Go watch the video presentation and also check out their KickStarter page for more cool details.

10. Lens/Focus Shifter - Lens Mounted Follow Focus by Daniel Bauen + Microfacturing The Lens/Focus Shifter has been developed by Daniel Bauen + Microfacturing and its purpose is to improve manual focus when taking photographs. The arrow on the Shifter ensures smooth transition between focus points. The Shifter and Focus Marker Board attach easily to any lens with diameter between 56mm – 98mm. Attach the Shifter by sliding it onto the lens focus ring and hold it in place by tightening the ball end. The Focus Marker attaches to the lens with a rubber band and has elastic feet to stop it from slipping. Here you can watch a video presentation and also visit their KickStarter page and website for more details.

Final Thoughts As you can see, there are a lot of great ideas out there and with some help from you and other photography enthusiasts, some of these will come to life. What projects would you be most interested in to purchase for your photo and video productions? Go over to KickStarter and back the projects that you liked most!