“The best camera is the one you have”.
This was a statement I’ve heard over and over, most often from the crew over on Macbreak Weekly. This was an illustration of the idea that when you find that moment you want to capture, the one that is on you at the time, and increasingly the one that was always on you, was your cell phone.
We have grown accustom to this as iPhones and Android phones increased the megapixels and quality of what we could do on a mobile “do everything” device many of us practically live on.
But what if we had something more result available?
In my three weeks of Google Glass so far, I’ve settled into that access being even more immediate.
To get the idea, I’ve been trying to wear it pretty much nonstop, figure out best uses as I go along. As we filmed for our upcoming documentary in Michigan, I found myself trying to get some candid shots of conversation with our subject out and about. Usually started with a “hey, just ignore that I have a camera over here.” I’m kicking myself for not thinking of just flipping on my Glass video recording when I was presented with something.
So I made sure to have it on hand when I got to go film my first wedding shoot (for family, so I’m not expecting this to be an ongoing thing). There were times where I had maybe put the camera down between major things happening at the reception, or before I had actually gotten my camera out like when I ran into the groomsmen pouring out of the van. Or grabbing a quick clip of the photo booth outside the main hall setup. Maybe I thought I caught all I thought of the wedding party jamming to Gungnam Style, when the groom jumps in. Bam. Got it.
I’ve also seen use when driving. As I’ve been saying, it’s nearly nonexistent and off to the side when I’m driving. Often I just leave it there and don’t even have my Mifi on. But think of the case of those dashboard cams in Russia that caught the meteor. What if I come across something on the road. A quick button press and I completely caught that Tiki Car I cam across on I-95.
It’s what makes the difference between even pulling your phone out. After this, it feels like a struggle leaving it off, or having to charge it, and NOT have that immediate access to the camera or tweets. It’s a leave it and forget it device when used day to day. But we’ll talk day to day later…
What do you think? How important is it in certain scenarios to have that access? Does this change the game in any way?