Arsenal 2: Camera assistant and photo editor that uses AI to take perfect pictures

If you are obsessed with getting a perfect photo, then Ryan Stout has a tool that helps you capture better photos using your DSLR or Mirrorless Camera. Ryan is a software developer and photographer who wanted something that would allow him to focus on the composition without having to worry about the details. Back in 2017, Arsenal was the first Artificial Intelligence powered photography assistance that sold more than 100,000 units. Now, Ryan Stout has come back to Kickstarter with the next generation, the Arsenal 2.

How Arsenal works

There is a lot that goes into creating a great photo, you need good composition, subject, lighting, and atmosphere, but you also need to make sure that your camera has the right settings. If the camera is not setup properly, you are not going to be able to effectively capture the shot. The Arsenal tool handles the technical details of photography. With a single tap Arsenal 2’s AI determines the optimal settings for the scene you’re shooting. Arsenal 2 also has built-in sensors to analyze 22 different environmental factors to fine tune your camera’s settings for every shot. Arsenal connects to your camera over USB and you can control it and your camera using from any modern iOS or Android smartphone. Arsenal will support any iPhone or iPod Touch running iOS 12.0 or newer, and any Android phone running Oreo (8.0) or newer. You can also hold the power button down for 3 seconds to use Arsenal’s handheld mode.

Arsenal combines the advances in AI and computational photography to adjust settings for aperture, ISO, shutter to get the photo you want. The cameras also have an Auto mode but they only use lens length and amount of light to determine the right setting for the shot. Most professional photographers will advise you to take your camera off of auto mode because it does more harm than good. The Arsenal device holds 200,000 great looking photos onboard and arsenal uses its neural network to find similar photos to the scene you are shooting and figures out which settings need to be optimized by comparing to the settings used to take those similar photos. However, the day to day conditions are not always the same so Arsenal uses built-in sensors to analyze 22 different environmental factors to fine-tune the settings so that photos are sharp with low noise and color detail. Arsenal 2 also has a gyroscope and accelerometer built-in to know the camera movement during the exposure, so that the right shutter speed can be picked.

Features of Arsenal 2

In comparison to the first generation, the Arsenal 2 includes new features like Deep Color, Crowd Control, Panorama, and Night Assist. Arsenal 2 Standard is 300% faster than Arsenal 1, and Arsenal 2 Pro is 500% faster. It now has onboard Micro SD card slot for saving stacked images, timelapses, DeepColor photos. Arsenal 2 has upgraded hardware with new ARM processor that has improved in speed, reliability, and range with the new antenna configuration. Arsenal 2 Pro adds USB-C Connectors and weather resistance as well.

Arsenal 2 and Arsenal 2 Pro share all of the same software features. Arsenal 2 Pro has a USB-C connector allowing direct USB-C to USB-C connections between the camera and Arsenal (Pro also supports non USB-C cameras). Both Arsenal 2 and Arsenal 2 Pro are a significant performance advantage over Arsenal 1, but Pro brings an even faster processor, allowing for improved stacking speed, panorama stitching, and DeepColor processing. Arsenal 2 Pro has the added weather resistant design for more extreme conditions (especially where it might get splashed with salt water).

Hardware

• Connects to camera via Micro USB cable (included)
• Powerful ARM processor
• Weighs 2 ounces (57 grams)
• WiFi-enabled
• Up to 100-foot wireless range
• Battery life: approximately four to five hours with typical use
• Charge while in use (with any USB-compatible battery pack, not included)

Software

• Connects to most Canon, Fuji, Nikon and Sony DSLR and mirrorless cameras. See full list below.
• Works with any iOS 10.0+ or Android 7+ smartphone
• Smart assistant AI (Deep Color, Crowd Control, Panorama, and Night Assist)
• Manual Mode to adjust Shutter, Aperture, ISO, etc
• Timelapse Mode for advanced control

Deep Color uses a neural network to intelligently develop each photo. In the photography field, there is an expectation to take images in raw and then editing them later using your computer. This seems counter productive because even your smartphone camera is able automatically process your images to bring out better color and tone. The smartphone image processing technology hasn’t really made its way into the DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Most cameras give your about seven colour profiles to choose but they don’t really help you to create pleasing photos.

CrowdControl relies on moving objects having more variance than the background to eliminate moving objects from scenes. To remove objects, the background must be visible in at least 25% of the photos. CrowdControl lets you preview the final shot as shots are taken so you can press stop once everything is eliminated. However if the background isn’t visible enough in a certain area (for example someone never moves to reveal the background), CrowdControl will not be able to remove that object.

NightAssist is designed for wide field night photography (large landscapes shot with wide angle lenses, for example full Milky Way shots), not deepsky photography (close ups on planets or nebulae, etc.). Night photography pushes modern cameras to their limits just like the Google Pixel smartphones. Due to the earth’s rotation, cameras/lenses need to be able to capture enough light in a short (less than 30 seconds usually) amount of time. Longer shots will result in stars showing up as lines. Longer lenses usually need to let in more light to prevent stars from streaking (which will also negatively impact night focus). Therefore, NightAssit is not recommended to be used with Full Frame cameras with >50mm lens and Crop Sensor cameras with >35mm lens.

Cameras compatible with Arsenal 2

Arsenal 2 works with Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Fuji cameras. It is important to note that Fuji cameras do not support handheld mode. Panorama shooting uses live view to show a preview, so Cameras that lock the shutter button when live view is on require pressing the + button in the app to take each photo.

Pricing and Availability

Arsenal 2 is currently available as part of a crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter. It has already raised more than $3 Million (USD) from more than 16,000 backers with 12 more days to go in the campaign. With a pledge of $149, you can get Arsenal 2 Standard – Early Bird for $101 off the Retail Price ($250). For Arsenal 2 Pro, you will need a pledge of $219, which gives you $146 off the Retail Price ($365). Arsenal 2 will be ready to ship anywhere in the world starting in Jun 2021.

Source: Arsenal