The crowds were massive, and the mood was full of energy today as Gizmon released the much anticipated iCa 5 for the iPhone 5!

The worlds most innovative iPhone case, the Gizmon iCa is now available for the iPhone 5! With a 50% increase in strength, the unique polycarbonate case is better then ever- including 5 new amazing features.

First, there are two new metal screws on the top of the case that lock the iCa to your iPhone, and make for very easy assembly and disassembly. A new soft foam layer is incorporated into the inside of the case to protect that wonderful iPhone 5. Third, a redesigned lens opening reduces flare from the flash unit, and if that wasn’t enough, the case ships with a second interchangeable section that allows for the fitting of any of the accessory lenses. The case itself is now slightly thicker then the iPhone, for added protection of your iPhone Screen. And finally, the case comes complete with a screen protector, home button sticker and a cloth for easy cleaning.

The iCa has stood alone in the iPhone photography market since it’s introduction, but now even more features have been added to truly transform your iPhone into a working rangefinder camera. No longer do you have to stumble for the shutter button on the screen, a working shutter button is built into the top of the case. Simply click and your image is captured. Ever have trouble seeing the screen in daylight? Use the built in viewfinder on top of the case- just like a real camera!

The iCa moves above simply an iPhone case to become a true fashion statement. Leather cases with adjustable straps come in four great colors. Black, Brown, Red and Green to change with your mood or outfit. Don’t fumble for your iPhone in your pants pocket- display it in style around your neck or shoulder.

The fun and functionality doesn’t stop there. 5 accessory lenses create a full range of  amazing effects for your iPhone Photography. Fisheye, Polarizing, Center Focus, Cross Screen (starburst) and the 3 image mirage filter give the you the power to go far beyond simple iPhone photography. The available remote shutter, shaped like a 35mm film cartridge makes self portraits a breeze!

All accessories are sold separately, please check the iCa iPhone section for details.

The iCa 5 is available in the Classic Silver with Black grips and also the 'Military' in all Matte Black.

Here are some images of the New iCa 5.

The iCa 5 shown with the new and improved side panel. The new, larger opening allows the flash to achieve it's full power.

Here, the iCa 5 is shown with it's 'Lens' side panel. All of the accessories lenses screw directly into the case. Both side panels are included with every iCa 5, and take only a few seconds to change. 

Gripping images of the African Savanah can be a little difficult with a Holga. Looking to sneak up on those Zebras? Get that shot off quickly, by the time you wind to the next frame the’ll be long gone. The easy fix? Head to your local Zoo. Lots of animals there, and they aren’t really going anywhere.

We took a trip to America’s oldest Zoo, The Philadelphia Zoo. It’s so old that it’s opening was delayed by that pesky Civil War we had a few hundred years ago. It finally opened in 1874, and you could see 1,000 animals for a quarter. Today there are probably a few less animals, but that quarter has been raised to $18 due to inflation. And you won’t want for a snack either… the 42 acres have about 30 places to eat, each one conveniently located a few feet from the one before it.

I can’t say that I am the biggest fan of caging animals. Do we really need to see that African Snake all the way over here? He just looks pissed that he’s stuck in a plastic tree with little kids poking at him. I understand the need to protect endangered species, but there must be a better way then putting them behind a fence and having tourists yell at them.

Take the Gorillas. They are probably the coolest bunch of jailed animals there. Watching them interact with the tourists is amazing.. they have an absolute sense of what you are doing there, and what you are looking for. They parade around, and when let in for their feeding time, just sit there and stare at you, eating their lettuce. To get inside they climb up a small set of stairs to a platform, and then if the door is open, walk into the indoor part of their area. If the door is open…

The door was shut as we stood against the 3/4 inch lexan peering over the little staircase. Up came a full grown Silverback Gorilla, hungry for his salad. I’ve never really thought about how strong lexan is, but judging by his size and the fact that a baby Silverback can easily rip your arm off, I hoped somebody had thought this through.

And as I stood, nose against the glass, The Gorilla calmly sat down with his ass pointed directly toward us. See- they do know exactly what to do for the crowd. After a few minutes of gorilla butt view, he suddenly turned and put his face directly in front of mine, which made me and the girl standing next to me jump about a foot back. Satisfied, he turned back around and returned to a relaxing afternoon of giving us the pressed ham.

Around another path were some quite amazing Cheetas… rolling around and playing with each other just like our cats do at home. It’s incredible just how close you can get to them, and just how close they can get to you. Sure, there is an electric fence, which they no doubt are quite aware of, but every single time the big Male walked by you knew what he was thinking. “How the hell can I get just a few more feet of air and grab one of those snot nosed kids?”

Mountain Lions, Tigers, Rhinos and more awaited as we walked from exhibit to exhibit. The Philly Zoo is well laid out and pretty kid friendly. Maybe a little too much so. The Baltimore Aquarium has evenings that are Adults only, which I think is a great way to get a relaxing quiet tour. Philly should pick up on that idea.

The Zoo afternoon led to an early evening walk through the stores of Manayunk, and a nice late lunch at le bus. If you are in the area, do stop in and check out their baked goods, very nice indeed.

It's winter here in the Northern Hemisphere and that means it can get really cold. If you love photography as much as I do you're not going to let the bitter cold stop you from shooting. With the prevalence of digital photography tips and procedures for shooting film in cold weather are not as common as they were a decade or so ago. So let this blog post be a refresher or an introduction to shooting film in cold weather. Before heading out into winter conditions make sure you have proper clothing, footwear, gloves and headgear. In extremely cold weather frostbite can happen in a matter of minutes or less according to the Noaa.gov.

KOLA filers may be one of the simplest accessories to come out in the last year, but they have become one of our fastest selling and most talked about add-on for ToyCam photography. Essentially just translucent plastic chips in Eight different colors, they hang from a handy keychain and are small enough to toss in your pocket. They can be placed over the lens to colorize an image, or put in front of your flash to pop some color light onto your subject. We’ve gotten quite a few emails asking for real world examples of the color kit, so this weekend while we were testing some new films, we took a break and shot all eight gels on the same subject.

Here are some Ikea-ish instructions that come with the set:

You’ll notice that even on a pretty bright day, you will lose about a stop of light with the darker gels. These images were shot on Memories 200 asa color film (and shot at 200 asa with an LC-A RL) All images were processed at the same time and taken within a few seconds of each other. In each of these images, the color gel was placed flat against the front of the LC-A.

Have a look below as we go through the pack and see how each color effects the images. Looking to pick a set up? They are now on sale at FourCornerStore.com with a special price of $10.00

Base shot : no filter. LC-A RL using 200asa film.

Light Yellow

Yellow

Orange

Red

Violet

Dark Blue

Light Blue

Green

Disclaimer: this story has an unhappy ending.

Since I started in with toy cameras people have gone out of their way to dig up old relics and hand them over. It’s like, “Oh, you enjoy using crappy film cameras? Boy do I have a treat for you!” I’ve been given everything from a dusty Smena to an original Diana. Aside from taking over all available shelf space, the cameras often turn out some nice shots.

But not all old cameras are immediately ready to rock. I was stumped when a friend gave me an Argus 75 that uses 620 film. 620 isn’t made anymore and it’s slightly but critically different from the ubiquitous 120 film.

I learned I could respool 620 onto 120, but my darkroom fieldtrips are sporadic and I just never got around to buying a changing bag.

Then one day I was hanging out with the SF Toy Camera Meetup group (which, incidentally, is hosting a 620 workshop at Photoworks SF this week…) over at Bill McClaren’s studio in Oakland. When Bill heard my dilemma he offered a brilliantly simple solution…

120 film (on the right) has a flange around the ends of the spool, which is made of plastic. 620 spools are metal, slightly smaller in diameter, and also employ smaller holes. Thankfully, the film itself is functionally identical.

The holes aren’t so important (a 620 camera can almost always turn a 120 spool), but the flange will prevent 120 spools from fitting in 620 cameras.

What’s a retro-camera-phile to do? Just get yourself some toenail clippers and start trimming!

Snip the flange off both ends and you’re set! Just load the film and shoot away. The numbers on the paper backing will line up perfectly. I was able to use trimmed plastic 120 spools on the take-up side as well (all cameras are different, and I can’t guarantee this will work in every one). If you do use a metal 620 spool for the take-up, be sure to tell your lab you want it back after processing — they’re in rare supply these days!

Here are two shots I took on 120 film with my 620 Argus Seventy-Five:

I mentioned an unhappy ending… Unfortunately we’re out of time today! So please stay tuned for next week’s post covering the tragic true story of my septuagenarian Argus 75’s epic high-altitude demise, ensuing rescue attempts, and the poor crippled camera’s bittersweet fate.

Ian Tuttle is a photographer, writer, and MBA student in San Francisco, California, USA. His website is: ituttle.com.