Okay guys, I saw the following video a few weeks ago and thought "Dang! That would be sweet to have in my house! Too bad I am fresh out of college and still paying for the wife's school and could never afford something this cool. 
"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lML77YMGelU
As some of you know, I have a SIRT (review of that here) and I dry fire practice with it regularly. I wasn't really looking for anything like this, mostly because I didn't know it existed. The program in the video seems to use a computer with a camera to see where your shots hit and make the targets react. The whole set up in the video probably costs one billion majillion dollars which is a little more than I make in a lifetime so its not going to happen.
Enter iDryfire Laser Target System, an app for the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch (if it has a camera). The app costs $12.99 in the iTunes app store. That is pretty steep for me, but since it was from the same guys who made the program in the video above (iMarksman), I figured I'd try it. I mean, it costs less than a meal at the local Applebee's so I just didn't eat dinner that night.
I'm too poor to have one of those fancy iPads, so this review is using my iPhone 4S.
The app starts up and has this home screen:
When you hit start it opens your camera and your point your camera at any target on your wall. When you have the target where you want it in your camera you can hit start at the top left. If the target area is too bright it won't let you start so I had to turn off the overhead light and just have other lights in the room on. When the lighting was right I was able to start and the app counted down from three.
When the count down is over the app beeps (unless you have your phone on vibrate) and a timer starts. When the app notices a change in lighting on the screen (from the SIRT) it stops and takes a screen shot of the shot placement. The screen looks like this:
You then have the option to save the shot (unfortunately it does not save showing your time ). The save screens look like this (this is from the same shot):
You can then hit start and start again.
The app can help you train to speed up your draw and first shot time and improve on your shot placement.
If you know the size of your target and the distance you are shooting from it you can calculate the simulated distance on full size targets.
This is a target I shot from a simulated 18 yards (54 feet) from an AIWB holster with no concealment. Best head shot time and best a zone time:
(photo edited with another app)
The app can also show you if you are jerking the trigger or doing a solid press to the rear. This is an example I made the other day with the app to show this feature:
(photo edited with another app)
Also, if you practice with a weapons mounted light and you turn it on it will blind the camera and activate the screen shot
Overall Impressions:
Cons:
Kinda pricey for an app, at almost $13.00
Only records the first shot
Start delay is set at 3 seconds and gets predictable
Lighting has to be just right for the app to work
Distance the camera has to be to the target can have you running all the way across the room a lot in order to practice longer ranges
"Save" feature doesn't save times
Pros:
Immediate feedback on where your sights were when you pressed the trigger
Immediate feedback on trigger control (jerking or not)
Ability to screen shot and save time with target to keep records of best times
iMarksman has mentioned releasing it for android and then doing an update with more features (possibly for more $$ though )
Cheap practice (at the prices of today I'm saving at least $.30 every time I pull the trigger, not to mention range fees, gas to get there, timer apps, targets, etc)
Overall I am happy that I went hungry for a night and bought this app. I think it is, and will continue to be, an asset to my training in this liberal hippy town that has no public range
With some sort of attached camera lens and a tripod you are supposed to be able to set up your phone across the room and still be able to see the target with the camera. I decided I was too poor to afford that and too hungry to skip another meal so I didn't get any of that stuff and instead had caviar delivered to my pent house and ate it while drinking Glenn Levitt 12 year
EDIT:
Not my video, but a good walk through of how to use the app:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RcHHPXojPyc
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lML77YMGelU
As some of you know, I have a SIRT (review of that here) and I dry fire practice with it regularly. I wasn't really looking for anything like this, mostly because I didn't know it existed. The program in the video seems to use a computer with a camera to see where your shots hit and make the targets react. The whole set up in the video probably costs one billion majillion dollars which is a little more than I make in a lifetime so its not going to happen.
Enter iDryfire Laser Target System, an app for the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch (if it has a camera). The app costs $12.99 in the iTunes app store. That is pretty steep for me, but since it was from the same guys who made the program in the video above (iMarksman), I figured I'd try it. I mean, it costs less than a meal at the local Applebee's so I just didn't eat dinner that night.
I'm too poor to have one of those fancy iPads, so this review is using my iPhone 4S.
The app starts up and has this home screen:
When you hit start it opens your camera and your point your camera at any target on your wall. When you have the target where you want it in your camera you can hit start at the top left. If the target area is too bright it won't let you start so I had to turn off the overhead light and just have other lights in the room on. When the lighting was right I was able to start and the app counted down from three.
When the count down is over the app beeps (unless you have your phone on vibrate) and a timer starts. When the app notices a change in lighting on the screen (from the SIRT) it stops and takes a screen shot of the shot placement. The screen looks like this:
You then have the option to save the shot (unfortunately it does not save showing your time
). The save screens look like this (this is from the same shot):
You can then hit start and start again.
The app can help you train to speed up your draw and first shot time and improve on your shot placement.
If you know the size of your target and the distance you are shooting from it you can calculate the simulated distance on full size targets.
This is a target I shot from a simulated 18 yards (54 feet) from an AIWB holster with no concealment. Best head shot time and best a zone time:
The app can also show you if you are jerking the trigger or doing a solid press to the rear. This is an example I made the other day with the app to show this feature:
Also, if you practice with a weapons mounted light and you turn it on it will blind the camera and activate the screen shot
Overall Impressions:
Cons:
Kinda pricey for an app, at almost $13.00
Only records the first shot
Start delay is set at 3 seconds and gets predictable
Lighting has to be just right for the app to work
Distance the camera has to be to the target can have you running all the way across the room a lot in order to practice longer ranges
"Save" feature doesn't save times
Pros:
Immediate feedback on where your sights were when you pressed the trigger
Immediate feedback on trigger control (jerking or not)
Ability to screen shot and save time with target to keep records of best times
iMarksman has mentioned releasing it for android and then doing an update with more features (possibly for more $$ though
)Cheap practice (at the prices of today I'm saving at least $.30 every time I pull the trigger, not to mention range fees, gas to get there, timer apps, targets, etc)
Overall I am happy that I went hungry for a night and bought this app. I think it is, and will continue to be, an asset to my training in this liberal hippy town that has no public range
With some sort of attached camera lens and a tripod you are supposed to be able to set up your phone across the room and still be able to see the target with the camera. I decided I was too poor to afford that and too hungry to skip another meal so I didn't get any of that stuff and instead had caviar delivered to my pent house and ate it while drinking Glenn Levitt 12 year
EDIT:
Not my video, but a good walk through of how to use the app:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RcHHPXojPyc
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