Name: Hanwha UDCM301
Category: scuba gear / underwater camera
Price: JPY12,800
Release date in Japan: August 8, 2008

Why do divers get this cool head-mounted camera, while we land people have to hold our cams the regular way? Hmm, I suppose it's because divers are already wearing head gear, and we normally aren't. Plus, our hands are usually available for things like photography, while they need their hands free for stuff like swimming and fending off sharks and making that funny I'm-out-of-air sign.

So we'll let the divers have this one. What exactly is it? A spiffy-looking, silicone and tempered-glass scuba mask with a 3-megapixel camera built into the brow, waterproof at depths up to 5 meters. In addition to 2048x1536 JPEG snaps (minimum shooting distance: 50cm), the camera will record 640x480 MotionJPEG video at 15fps. Those image specs won't impress National Geographic, but sound fine for casual scuba shooting.

Nice extras include regular or rechargeable AAA batteries as the power supply, so you don't need to worry about charging proprietary batteries, and a mini USB 1.1 port, so you don't need to remember to take a memory card reader on that beach vacation. There's a built-in 16MB memory, plus a slot for MicroSD cards up to 2GB, which should hold well over an hour of video (though topped-off rechargeable batteries will last through only about 30 minutes of video).

How do you use the camera? At the top of the mask is a control for mode switching and a shutter release, so you will need to keep a hand free to shoot. Crosshairs printed on the lenses act as viewfinders for aiming your forehead. Behind the camera is a small LCD panel showing battery status, shot counter, and shooting mode, plus LED lights indicating current shooting activity; it's all visible with a glance upward.

The UDCM301 is a limited model available only online, says seller Hanwha Japan, so move fast if you want to try what looks to be a really convenient gadget for underwater photography.  

More info: http://www.hanwha-japan.com/products/udcm301/ (Japanese)
Purchase: https://item.rakuten.co.jp/hanwha/10000048/

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