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Shooting Guide
Troubleshooting
Technical Specifications
15
Framing:
The
ThumbCam
has a fixed lens (a vari-focal lens would, simply, not fit) – so the
size of subjects in your shots depends only on how close to the subject you hold
the camera.
• Typically, about 3 feet (1m) is about right if filming a shot of someone’s face
– this way, their face will occupy approximate half the vertical space in frame.
• To get a whole person in frame (assuming they’re approximately six feet tall)
then you’ll need to be about 10ft (3m) away from them.
Focus:
• The
ThumbCam
has a fixed focus lens, which means you’ll never need to
adjust focus.
• The wide angled fixed lens will achieve focus within approximately 30cm (1½
ft) from the lens, varying slightly depending on the amount of available light.
It will hold focus to infinity.
• Basically, keep everything more than two feet from the lens, and you’ll have
no worries!
Exposure:
The
ThumbCam
will adjust exposure automatically, varying its gain setting
autonomously, reacting to the amount of available light. There are a couple of
things to bear in mind, however:
• Shooting a dark subject in front of a bright background can cause the auto-
exposure feature of the
ThumbCam
to become confused, and drop the
exposure down so that the background is correctly exposed whilst the subject
becomes a silhouette. Avoid brightly lit backgrounds, unless you want this
effect.
• To decrease exposure, the
ThumbCam
shortens its electronic shutter speed,
thus exposing each frame for a shorter time. This means that you’ll get better
high-speed photographic performance in bright light – useful for shooting fast
events, like sports.
• On the other hand, in low-light, each frame needs to be exposed longer to get
enough light into the (very small) lens. This can be effect can be minor (such as
shooting in a shopping mall or a stadium under lights) or particularly serious
(in situations such as shooting under a street lamp).
• The image quality, depth of field and exposure range will all improve
dramatically as more light is available.
Tips & Tricks:
Photography is an art - there is no right or wrong way to shoot.
Practise really does make perfect - or, at least, better. The best way to get better
results is just to keep using the
ThumbCam
. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be wasting
film; just clean off the micro SD card now and then, and you’ll be set!
Problem:
I’ve recorded videos, but the micro SD card seems to be blank.
Solution:
Chances are that this problem is caused by turning the
ThumbCam
off
before the video files have been properly saved to the micro SD card. Always use
the Rec/Pause button to stop recordings and waiting until the red LED has gone
out before turning the
ThumbCam
off.
Problem:
The
ThumbCam
won’t turn on.
Solution:
The most likely culprit is the battery. Check out the instructions on page
4 regarding charging the battery. Try completely charging the battery. When doing
so, avoid using a USB hub - some USB hubs will not provide a full 5V to attached
devices and thus will not charge the battery properly. You can also charge the
ThumbCam
from a stand-alone USB charger.
Problem:
My videos and pictures seem blurry.
Solution:
If the lens becomes dirty, this can cause the
ThumbCam
’s videos to be
distorted, soft and blurred. Clean the lens using a dedicated lens cleaning cloth
and lens cleaning solution (typically a type of cleaning alcohol).
Problem:
My videos seem too shaky.
Solutions:
As a general rule, this usually indicates that the mount you’ve used
for the camera (or arm, if you’re shooting hand-held) needs to be more stable.
Generally, this will occur if you use the lanyard or belt/pocket clip whilst recording
video, and are moving or travelling in a vehicle which is moving. Generally, you’ll
achieve the best results holding the
ThumbCam
with both hands in front of you,
resting your elbows on your torso. That way, your body and both arms form a kind
of rudimentary tripod, greatly steadying your videos.
Video
Video Format
AVI
Resolution
720 x 480
Video Size
Variable
(avg. > 10,000kbps)
Audio
Microphone
Yes (built in)
Audio Range
3m (typical)
Recording
Recording Mode
Manual /
Voice Activated
Frame Rate
30fps
Storage Type
Micro SD card
Storage Capacity
Up to 8GB
Storage Time
10min/GB
General
Battery Type
Rechargeable
Lithium-Ion
Record Time per Charge
60 mins
Charging Method
USB
Dimensions
2.2” x 0.8” x 0.8”
50mm x 30mm x 30mm
