如何選一款合意的自拍杆

WE simply can’t see enough of ourselves, or so it would seem from today’s selfie craze.

人們對自己可謂百看不厭，至少從眼下的自拍熱來看是的。

Twitter declared 2014 the year of the selfie, and 2015 is shaping up as the year selfie gear for smartphones goes mainstream, with items as diverse as selfie-shooting tools and novel ways to display those images — even burned onto a piece of breakfast toast.

過去的2014年被Twitter封爲“自拍年”，如今2015年正進一步見證着智能手機自拍裝置的崛起，從簡單的自拍工具到新穎的照片呈現方式——甚至可以把照片烤到早餐麪包上。

Out in front, by more than an arm’s length, is the selfie stick.

其中最前衛的當屬比手臂還長的自拍杆。

Many of us saw President Obama wielding one in a recent video. And news accounts have told of museums and some sports venues banning their use, for fear something or someone will get poked.

我們很多人看過奧巴馬總統在最近的視頻中揮舞着自拍杆的畫面，也聽過某些博物館和體育館因爲擔心物品或人被戳到而禁用了自拍杆的新聞。

Despite all the buzz and ridicule these devices have prompted, the monopod for smartphones is not all that easy to find in stores in the United States.

儘管自拍杆成了話題焦點，要想在紐約的商店裏找到一個智能手機的支架卻並沒那麼容易。

They are easy to find online, however, with the two most common varieties selling for $50 or far less. But a word of warning: The consensus of online customer reviews is that the cheapest models — some selling for under $10 — are flimsy.

但在網上，要買它們就容易得多了，最常見的兩款標價50美元（約合310元人民幣）甚至便宜得多。但這裏要提醒的是：用戶評論一致顯示最便宜的，也就是那些售價還不足10美元（約合62元人民幣）的產品十分劣質。

Today’s selfie sticks are patterned along the same basic design of one patented 30 years ago that allowed photographers to take self-portraits at a distance with cheap point-and-shoot film cameras.

如今的自拍杆基本沿用了30年前攝影師們在一定距離開外拍自己肖像的裝置的設計，那個時候還只能用便宜的傻瓜膠片相機拍攝。

They range from simple poles that hold the phone securely while the phone’s timer clicks the shutter, to sticks with built-in Bluetooth triggers in the handle that allow the holder to point and shoot at will.

這些自拍杆種類各異。從只具備簡單的固定手機作用，要依靠手機倒計時裝置觸發快門的；到手柄自帶藍牙觸發器，能隨意控制拍攝的。

There are also selfie sticks that hark back to the 1980s, with a cable from the hand-held end to the shutter control.

還有一些自拍杆讓人感覺重新回到20世紀80年代，手柄端和快門控制器之間連着一條線。

The Looq 2G for iPhone and Android is one example of that variety. Its trigger is built into the grip, controlling the camera shutter through a cable that plugs into the phone’s earphone jack.

這種有線自拍杆的代表產品是同時適用於安卓手機與iPhone的Looq 2G。它的觸發器安裝在手柄上，能通過一條插入耳機孔的線來控制快門。

With a list price of $45, it requires the download of a free app that also comes with filters.

這款產品標價45美元（約合279元人民幣），使用時需要下載一款免費、內置濾鏡的配套應用。

An app-free version for iPhone only, the Looq S, is listed for $25 on the company’s website. The poles on both models adjust from 5.5 inches to 24 inches and weigh just under four ounces.

Looq S不需要下載配套應用，但僅適用於iPhone系統。它在公司官網標價25美元（約合155元人民幣）。以上兩款產品的杆長均可調節，最短爲5.5英寸（約合14釐米），最長達24英寸（約合61釐米），重量尚不足4盎司（約合113克）。

Ipow and Noot are two other examples of wired sticks. Both telescope out to more than three feet and cost about $15.

Ipow和Noot兩款也是有線自拍杆。兩款杆身都可伸長至3英尺（約合1米）以上，價格在15美元（約合93元）上下。

The makers of these selfie sticks say they offer a distinct advantage: There are no Bluetooth-matching problems between it and the phone and no risk of interference with other devices.

有線自拍杆的製作者稱這些產品有着獨特的優勢：從不會發生藍牙連接或干擾其他設備的問題。

For wireless fanciers there are also plenty of choices.

無線自拍杆的青睞者們也有豐富的產品羣可以選擇。

The Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro, for one, has a built-in Bluetooth remote shutter control. It works with Apple and Android phones.

Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro就是其中之一，它內置了能與蘋果和安卓手機配對的藍牙快門遙控器。

Walmart was selling it for $18 online recently, discounted from the $30 list price.

這款自拍杆原價30美元（約合186元人民幣），最近在沃爾瑪網上超市打折，僅售18美元（約合112元人民幣）。

Another choice is the CamKix, which gets generally good reviews for its durability, extends to 40 inches and sells for around $25.

CamKix也是可選產品之一。用戶評論說這款自拍杆堅實耐用，可伸長至40英寸（約合102釐米），售價25美元（約合155元人民幣）上下。

Whether the stick you buy is wired or wireless, think about what you will carry it in. And try to keep movement to a minimum: A tiny wrist movement is amplified into a blurry photo when you put a camera on a long stick. That is why some people prefer a simple stick without any sort of built-in trigger. They can then either rely on the phone’s shutter timer, or use a wireless remote shutter button held in the other hand.

不管你買的是有線還是無線的，都要明白你用它是來架什麼的，所以動作要儘可能小：當你把相機放在長杆的另一頭時，哪怕手腕再微小的抖動都會被放大成模糊的照片。因此，很多人更青睞簡簡單單沒有內置快門按鍵的款式，要麼靠手機的倒計時裝置，要麼用另一隻手拿着無線遙控器。

Plastic remotes selling for $10 and under are easy to come by online. They typically have a range of up to 30 feet and do not require an app to work with most iPhones, iPads or Android devices. Most have a changeable button battery.

網上很容易就能買到10美元（約合62元人民幣）以下的塑料遙控器。通常來說，它們的有效範圍可達30英尺（約合9米），並且不需要在iPhone、iPad和安卓設備上下載配套的應用。而且絕大多數款式可更換鈕釦電池。

There are some higher-end options as well. The JoyGeek Ultrathin Wireless Remote Control Camera Shutter Release is made of zinc alloy and waterproof. It supports iOS 7 and Android 4.4 and above, and is 4.2 millimeters thin.

也有高端一些的遙控器。如JoyGeek Ultrathin 無線相機快門遙控器，這一產品厚度僅4.2毫米，由鋅合金製成，具備防水功能，支持iOS7、安卓4.4及以上系統，。

Unlike the cheaper models with changeable button batteries, this remote has an internal battery with an advertised two-year life.

與廉價可更換電池的遙控器不同，這款設備靠內置電池供電，其廣告稱使用壽命長達兩年。

Amazon lists it at $70 but discounts are available.

該產品在亞馬遜上標價70美元（約合434元），但會有折扣。

What article about selfies would be complete without at least a mention of what to do with them. Sure, you could share them on Instagram or Facebook. That would be ... predictable.

既然是關於自拍的文章，那怎麼能不討論照片的用處？你當然可以把它們分享到Instagram或Facebook上，但這實在……沒什麼新意。

Then there’s the Selfie Toaster — a device that converts those self-portraits, or any picture, really, into an image on toasted bread.

於是自拍烤麪包機便應運而生了——這是一種可以把自拍照或其他任何圖片烤到麪包上的設備。

The Vermont Novelty Toaster Corporation, which started out offering toasters that transferred images of Jesus and a peace sign onto browned bread, saw its sales shoot up 1,000 percent since it began offering the Selfie Toaster last May, said Galen Dively, owner and chief executive. The appliances are now in Hammacher Schlemmer and soon to be in Bed Bath & Beyond, he said.

Vermont Novelty烤麪包機公司靠着能烤出帶有耶穌和和平符號麪包的麪包機起家，並於去年五月推出自拍烤麪包機。此後，他們產品的銷量就瘋漲了10倍，公司持有者及首席執行官伽林·戴夫利(Galen Dively)說。他同時稱這些產品現在在Hammacher Schlemmer有售，很快將入駐Bed Bath & Beyond。

Twenty-five dollars buys the toaster. It costs $45 more for the company to custom-make sheet metal plate stencils out of the photos customers submit, Mr. Dively said.

自拍烤麪包機機身只需25美元（約合155元人民幣）。根據顧客提供的照片製作金屬模具板需45美元（約合279元人民幣），戴夫利說。

The plates work like a negative, with the open parts allowing the heat to darken the bread. The most workable pictures are those with good lighting that haven’t been run through any filters, he said. Discounts are offered for customers who order more than one plate.

這些模具板的工作原理和照片底片類似，透光部分能通過更多熱量來烤焦麪包。用光線適宜且沒加濾鏡的照片做出的模具板效果最佳，他說。製作多張模具板的客戶還可以享受折扣。