The Arsenal
Jan 17, 2019 11:43:26 #
Interestingly many camera brands are offering some of this same functionality internally now or through apps by bluetooth and wifi. The slowness of getting any real numbers of these arsenals to the general marketplace has hurt them greatly. I considered one, but the handwriting is on the wall for more affordable solutions for the same control. Overpriced and overdue IMHO. Cheers
Jan 17, 2019 13:42:19 #
Out of curiosity, I checked it out via Google search and the site I found indicates that over $14.5 US has been raised for this item. With that kind of pre-sale investment/backing, the price should be significantly lower in my mind. Also as rmalarz said, "Soon it'll get to the point that one will put one of these on their camera, put the camera on their AI robot and send it out to take pictures while they sit at home watching a game on the telly and sipping a beer. Then, declare themselves a photographer." I think I'll stay with my current equipment and trust my judgment and the camera's meter. With an AI device, it just wouldn't be my photographs.
Jan 17, 2019 13:55:36 #
Jan 17, 2019 14:41:49 #
foxfirerodandgun
Loc: Stony Creek, VA
Maybe to the tune of the cars that drive themselves. It may be an interesting "toy" for some, but not for people who want to learn the aspects of real photography. Just my 2¢.
Jan 17, 2019 14:49:21 #
jr388 wrote:
Has any body bought one or had a chance to use this?
I have not bought one, and never will. I like to be the photographer most of the time. If I want to do it automatically, I just use my phone.
Jan 17, 2019 18:11:12 #
Man, what a great bunch of comments there are in this thread. I think people like me will be Arsenal customers when the word gets out, people with physical limitations due to health or aging or both, or people also like me who got badly frostbitten hands and feet earlier in life and experiences severe pain being out in the cold for more than a very few minutes. Arsenal reopens a photography opportunity for me that would be long gone without it. I think they have a smart product that can be an advantage to me now, and also think they have a smart business model. They're heavily funded up front, have created a good demand without speculative manufacturing, get paid up front and don't produce their product until they're paid for, have no warehousing overhead, have the best, most feature rich of selectable features of all the competition in their class, have a waiting list, and only produce what has been pre-sold. They might sell more if they weren't doing it this way but they're assured of not losing money due to too much overhead and lack of sales, no small matter of concern to a new startup business. On DPReview there are some of the same kind of comments as are in this thread but generally I can't find any evidence that the company is in trouble and they do have a waiting list of people who have paid in advance. Looks like one hell of a deal to me, a lifetime entrepreneur. Incidentally, looks like they started shipping mid to late summer of 2018 and I'm unable to google up very much negative about the product or the company. Of course, there'll always be some. The company has an extensive Facebook page and there are several Facebook "groups" dedicated to it.
Although not leaving much to the imagination, Arsenal allows me to drive a few minutes, hours even, up into the Rockies, in sub-freezing, often below zero, weather, snow everywhere, sit in my warm car, heater running, with my camera on a 360 degree remote control motorized tripod head with the tripod stuck out in several feet of snow, avoiding the pain associated with frostbite, arthritis, and other aches and pains and the ravages of being nearly a fifty year diabetic, and sitting in a warm place operating every desired aspect of my camera manually from up to 100 feet away, and more, on my tablet or phone, just as though I had the camera in my hands, shooting nature shots, landscapes, panos, wildlife at watering holes, and way more, and have the shots partially post processed, hdr, focus stacked, etc., into images ready for my final touch, on the fly. That allows me to spend less time sitting at my computer, which is not only not good for me, but also not nearly as pleasant as sitting in my car in the mountains on a beautiful crisp sunshiny day doing something I love and being rewarded with some very visually pleasant souvenirs while enjoying all the creature comforts of home.
I can stay as long as I choose with a full tank of gas. I have room with no strain for all the extra equipment I want to take along, can listen to a little smooth jazz, with ready access to a thermos of coffee, an ice chest with food and water, no problem. When ready, I pull my camera in my vehicle and head home. I see no merit in sacrificing those experiences just like I see absolutely no merit in the argument against using Arsenal that I see in most of the comments in this thread just so I can lay claim to all the empty unjustifiable reasons not to do it since it gives me extra-human capability at 82 that I wouldn't have had at 30 and it opens up a whole different genre of photography for me, i.e., beautiful snow covered winter scenes and magnificent critters like deer, elk, moose, birds, etc. With little to lose and only a pleasant time to gain, it would to seem to me to beat the hell out of being in a nursing home in Florida sitting around blowing smoke up people's butt about what a great photographer I was back when because I only ever shot in manual and never touched a gadget like Arsenal and topping it off by telling about all the good times I had hiking back in them woods while channeling Ansel Adams. Choose your own poison, boys and girls. I just thought I'd toss in a little representation for those of us who have no stodgy reason not to try something new. Happy shooting everyone!
Although not leaving much to the imagination, Arsenal allows me to drive a few minutes, hours even, up into the Rockies, in sub-freezing, often below zero, weather, snow everywhere, sit in my warm car, heater running, with my camera on a 360 degree remote control motorized tripod head with the tripod stuck out in several feet of snow, avoiding the pain associated with frostbite, arthritis, and other aches and pains and the ravages of being nearly a fifty year diabetic, and sitting in a warm place operating every desired aspect of my camera manually from up to 100 feet away, and more, on my tablet or phone, just as though I had the camera in my hands, shooting nature shots, landscapes, panos, wildlife at watering holes, and way more, and have the shots partially post processed, hdr, focus stacked, etc., into images ready for my final touch, on the fly. That allows me to spend less time sitting at my computer, which is not only not good for me, but also not nearly as pleasant as sitting in my car in the mountains on a beautiful crisp sunshiny day doing something I love and being rewarded with some very visually pleasant souvenirs while enjoying all the creature comforts of home.
I can stay as long as I choose with a full tank of gas. I have room with no strain for all the extra equipment I want to take along, can listen to a little smooth jazz, with ready access to a thermos of coffee, an ice chest with food and water, no problem. When ready, I pull my camera in my vehicle and head home. I see no merit in sacrificing those experiences just like I see absolutely no merit in the argument against using Arsenal that I see in most of the comments in this thread just so I can lay claim to all the empty unjustifiable reasons not to do it since it gives me extra-human capability at 82 that I wouldn't have had at 30 and it opens up a whole different genre of photography for me, i.e., beautiful snow covered winter scenes and magnificent critters like deer, elk, moose, birds, etc. With little to lose and only a pleasant time to gain, it would to seem to me to beat the hell out of being in a nursing home in Florida sitting around blowing smoke up people's butt about what a great photographer I was back when because I only ever shot in manual and never touched a gadget like Arsenal and topping it off by telling about all the good times I had hiking back in them woods while channeling Ansel Adams. Choose your own poison, boys and girls. I just thought I'd toss in a little representation for those of us who have no stodgy reason not to try something new. Happy shooting everyone!
Jan 17, 2019 19:09:46 #
By the way, I don't mind if you gentlemen ignore and fail to acknowledge my comments. It happens a lot but I gotta tell you, ignoring me is not going to fix what's going on with some of you.
Jan 17, 2019 20:09:05 #
On second thought, before this blows up and gets out of hand, let me explain what I meant by my last comment. Some of you, whether you realize it or not, because of your vast experience are leaders in
uhh and there may be a lot of lessor experienced members whose photography might benefit in the short term and help them advance in their imagination and understanding of the vastness of possibilities that
are at their disposal. Discourse among those who might be interested has been shut down in this thread by your poor example of how to greet new products with an open mind and attempt to have an intelligent discussion of the subject and explore how and who a new product might be a good thing for but after all
the negative dissing comments by some of the respected leaders in the group, there's little chance that anyone in their right mind would dare to say anything positive about it because of the perceived criticism that would stick to them and this subject might never be discussed again which could deprive some of using the product to their own disadvantage.
Discouraging a reasonable discussion of a reasonable subject just shouldn't happen just because your skill level and interests causes you to not find a new product that you have no desire for, experience with, or have even read very much about worthwhile enough to not prejudice a discussion that others less experienced and perhaps therefore more timid about expressing their interest in without fear of ridicule but especially when the ridicule precedes any further discussion. That's intimidation of the highest order in my humble opinion, shouldn't be tolerated, and will always get the attention of the other members, some of whom hopefully will speak up in protest to your actions as I have here. It won't go unnoticed. I like a good joke as well as anyone but it's no joke when your ill conceived words deter others from getting to participate in the discussion when it might benefit them.
If you don't care anything about a new product unless you know it to be somehow defective or a clear rip off and not just because it doesn't fit into your philosophical approach to photography don't you think it would be a little more respectful of others if you just held your criticism of the product rather than paint anyone who might like it with a "scarlet letter."
uhh and there may be a lot of lessor experienced members whose photography might benefit in the short term and help them advance in their imagination and understanding of the vastness of possibilities that
are at their disposal. Discourse among those who might be interested has been shut down in this thread by your poor example of how to greet new products with an open mind and attempt to have an intelligent discussion of the subject and explore how and who a new product might be a good thing for but after all
the negative dissing comments by some of the respected leaders in the group, there's little chance that anyone in their right mind would dare to say anything positive about it because of the perceived criticism that would stick to them and this subject might never be discussed again which could deprive some of using the product to their own disadvantage.
Discouraging a reasonable discussion of a reasonable subject just shouldn't happen just because your skill level and interests causes you to not find a new product that you have no desire for, experience with, or have even read very much about worthwhile enough to not prejudice a discussion that others less experienced and perhaps therefore more timid about expressing their interest in without fear of ridicule but especially when the ridicule precedes any further discussion. That's intimidation of the highest order in my humble opinion, shouldn't be tolerated, and will always get the attention of the other members, some of whom hopefully will speak up in protest to your actions as I have here. It won't go unnoticed. I like a good joke as well as anyone but it's no joke when your ill conceived words deter others from getting to participate in the discussion when it might benefit them.
If you don't care anything about a new product unless you know it to be somehow defective or a clear rip off and not just because it doesn't fit into your philosophical approach to photography don't you think it would be a little more respectful of others if you just held your criticism of the product rather than paint anyone who might like it with a "scarlet letter."
Jan 17, 2019 20:34:52 #
I had posted this a while ago.
I know that I bought one. Took so long to get that I almost cancelled my order loads of times. When I finally got it, I wish I hadn’t. Never used it. Sits new in a box on my counter. Not sure why I bought it. Never bothered to learn how to use it. Not sure it works. Does it take the art of knowing your craft out of photography? Cameras have programmed auto modes, which I never use, so why would I want this and what was I thinking? I should check Ebay to see what they are selling for.
I know that I bought one. Took so long to get that I almost cancelled my order loads of times. When I finally got it, I wish I hadn’t. Never used it. Sits new in a box on my counter. Not sure why I bought it. Never bothered to learn how to use it. Not sure it works. Does it take the art of knowing your craft out of photography? Cameras have programmed auto modes, which I never use, so why would I want this and what was I thinking? I should check Ebay to see what they are selling for.
Jan 17, 2019 20:48:47 #
Robertl594 wrote:
I had posted this a while ago. br br I know that... (show quote)
It doesn't rob you of anything if you know "anything." It can help you do things easier if you already know how to do them and in some cases it can expand the capability of your camera beyond what the manufacturer built into your camera and that you cannot make your camera do no matter how much you know and can do.
I get your complaint about getting it but since you have it, you could try it - you might like it.
Jan 17, 2019 21:21:00 #
The wait you experienced is the nature of the beast with kickstarter preorders and it's up to each individual to know that and agree to the clearly stated rules and only preorder if you willing to be jacked around if things don't go as it was originally projected because "stuff happens." It's risky. Some things fold and never hit the market and people get screwed out of their money. It's a gamble and I've been burned once myself. While it's a crap shoot, the vast majority pays off.
Jan 17, 2019 22:03:40 #
Will it work for any digital SLR or only certain ones? Nothing I found gives that information. Unless it is buried on the ordering information and one must provide make and model of camera it is to be used with, how dies one decide they could attach it to their camera?
Jan 17, 2019 23:57:57 #
PhotogHobbyist wrote:
Will it work for any digital SLR or only certain ones? Nothing I found gives that information. Unless it is buried on the ordering information and one must provide make and model of camera it is to be used with, how dies one decide they could attach it to their camera?
Their website has the current list which they say will expand as soon as the kickstarter campaign ends. https://witharsenal.com/supported-cameras
Pentax isn't on the list at present
Jan 18, 2019 08:27:49 #
gessman wrote:
It doesn't rob you of anything if you know "anything." It can help you do things easier if you already know how to do them and in some cases it can expand the capability of your camera beyond what the manufacturer built into your camera and that you cannot make your camera do no matter how much you know and can do.
I get your complaint about getting it but since you have it, you could try it - you might like it.
I get your complaint about getting it but since you have it, you could try it - you might like it.
I agree. I am not against using tools that enhance. Maybe I should try it. I would also be happy to sell it.
Jan 18, 2019 13:04:48 #
jr388 wrote:
Has any body bought one or had a chance to use this?
If anyone's looking for some other comments on the Arsenal, there are a couple of Arsenal user groups on Facebook. Interesting comments from many folks that succumbed to the GAS and got one.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.