The Padcaster + Lenscaster: A Kit To Mount Your SLR Lens On An iPad

You think the Photojojo iPhone SLR lens mount case was weirdly cool? There’s a kit that does just that on an iPad.

The kit is made up of two contraptions the Padcaster and the Lenscaster which were made by Manhattan Edit Workshop founder Josh Apter. Well, it’s actually three things three, if you’re splitting hairs.

Let me explain. The Padcaster is a special case made by Mr. Apter to mount the iPad on a tripod. It is made up of two things, the metal case plus an insert which holds the iPad. The case is made out of aluminum and the insert is made of urethane. The aluminum case has threaded holes all round it so that you can mount the iPad on a tripod. Additionally, you can also use the aluminum case of the Padcaster as a DSLR cage.

Josh Apter demonstrating the Padcaster and the Lenscaster to Engadget.

Now, if you can mount the Padcaster (with an iPad inserted into it) and have extra threaded holes on the side, you can theoretically add other contraptions to the setup, right? That’s exactly how the Lenscaster works.

It is a mount for SLR lenses which you can screw onto the extra holes on the Padcaster making the Padcaster + Lenscaster setup a kit to mount your SLR lenses on your iPad and your iPad to you trusty tripod. Add a microphone to that and you have a kit which shoots 1080o video while having the ability to edit the video and broadcast it (post it online, etc).

As for pricing, the Padcaster is “about $200” Mr Apter has told Engadget while the Lenscaster is $60.

Here’s a sample video shot using the Padcaster + Lenscaster kit on an iPad with a Cinevate 35mm adapter, Carl Zeiss 85mm f1.4 lens, Sennheiser MKH-60 mic, and Manfrotto 561BHDV-1 tripod.

Sources: Engadget and Manhattan Edit Workshop