A lot has been happening at Swimclips over the last few months, so I thought I would post an update.
As most of you know, while the concept behind Swimclips and the back-end clip-cutting and editing technology is now solid and proven, the issue I have been struggling with since the beginning has been the cameras.
Unfortunately, no camera out there today is designed for an application like Swimclips. By its nature, Swimclips requires certain features of cameras that just don’t exist today, including:
- The ability to record constantly for 5-10 hours at a time without fail with no external power source required
- Each camera time-synced to within 1 frame (1/30 second) for the entire time recording
- Small and nimble enough to be unobtrusive and maneuverable both above water and under water
I have gone through 5 generations of camera technology since I started Swimclips, and have found fundamental problems with each generation that ended up being dealbreakers.
But – there’s good news! I finally bit the bullet last Spring and decided that for this to really work, I needed to design my own camera system. It has taken several months (and cost more than I like to think about), but the good news is that I finally have a camera system that works perfectly for Swimclips. I have an early prototype in hand now that I have been testing – recording 12+ hours of footage each day for two straight days – all on battery power.
I have 12 cameras on order now – I expect to receive them in the coming week. After some testing, I will be ready to do some real-world testing at a swim meet!
Thank you again for all of your support over the last year as I pursued this project. I am now quite confident that you’ll be seeing more from Swimclips in the coming weeks!
Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions. See you at the pool soon!
