By Andrew Liszewski
I still don’t want one on my DSLR, but on a P&S digital camera an articulated LCD display can make framing and taking photos from a low or high angle considerably easier than just blindly snapping away. The same would be great for the iPhone, except that an articulating display just isn’t going to happen. So the Hipoflex is a clever compromise. It’s a small plastic accessory that clips on to the corners of your iPhone, positioning an angled mirror next to the camera lens. So when taking a photo in either portrait or landscape mode, you can hold your iPhone in a more natural position. Not up to your face like with a P&S digital camera.
The Hipoflex also doubles as a stand of course, but I think I’d prefer if the mirrored panel was adjustable, so that when not in use it can at least be folded back against the iPhone. In its current state you have to remove it before slipping the phone back in your pocket, which is a minor inconvenience. Optimistically the creators of the Hipoflex, Clément and Navid, are hoping to sell it for ~$20. But there are a few obstacles ahead of them. They also have to develop an accompanying camera app since the use of a mirror results in images being flipped. And unfortunately their Kickstarter goal of raising $12,500 ended a few days ago with the project getting no where near the required amount of funding. But it’s not like Kickstarter is the only way for a product to come to market, so hopefully the Hipoflex still has a chance.
And if you were wondering where the name Hipoflex came from. It’s a combination of being able to shoot photos from hip-level, and the fact that using a mirror in front of the lens is a standard feature of reflex cameras.
[ Hipoflex ] VIA [ Gear Diary ]