technology filter: Cameras

CES 2007: Cameras & Cam Gadgets

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 01:12:32 GMT

Okay, I'm not much of a camera buff as you can see by the pictures I've taken at the show. But they do have geek value, so I pay attention. Here's Oliver's digicam news for CES 2007:

Coolest thing wasn't even a camera, but a neato-cool-keen storage device called the Hyperdrive SPACE. This is an instant memory card and portable storage backup device, and it works GREAT. All they did was combine a small hard disk (100GB or 300GB), an 18-1 memory card reader and an LCD screen to control the thing. Take loads of pictures at CES 2007, for example, and you can quickly and easily transfer them to the HyperDrive without having to break out your PC. Let's you clear a memory card right quick and keep on shooting. Final upload to your photo workstation can be done via the HyperDrive's USB connection. Has more advanced features, like support for time stamping and four different ways to recharge the thing in a jam. Very slick and very portable. Also won a design award out here. Probably for the category "Now why didn't anyone think of that before?"

Next coolest gadget is called GorillaPod. This thing is semi-cheap and nifty. If you're into extreme sports, or you're trying to photograph yourself and someone who moves into awkward spaces like a kid or a pet, or maybe you're a pro who has to get that hard-to-reach shot, then GorillaPod is your new best friend. If you're looking at the photo, ignore the camera and look at the area I've highlighted in a red circle. That's the GorillaPod. It's a cool, twisty, attach-to-near-anything camera mount that comes in models for small cams, larger SLR cams like the one pictured and even full-motion cams. I liked it.

I stopped by the Modo booth, which was backed by National Geographic, who happens to be one of their primary distributors. Modo doesn't make cameras, but they make excellent portable tripods and really nice camera bags. The tripods collapse into something you can stuff in a backpack and also adjust for righties and lefties as well as still cameras or full-motion video cameras. The backpacks are waterproof, have excellent shock proofing and protection and have modular re-arrangeable innards (via velcro) so you can build customized inner pockets for your valuable cam gear. Nice stuff.

Now onto the cameras. I've already posted on the wrist-strap camera. That was nifty enough to catch my eye. Then I dropped into Mustek's booth and found these cams by accident. Mustek used to make a portable media player (PMP) that was competing with the iPod and the rest. Mustek lost that fight and the PMP is no more. Mustek is looking into new porduct vistas, and cameras seems to be it. They're specializing in full-motion/still cam hybrids and the new high end is the DV 12M, which is a pretty flexible platform capable of 12 megapixel resolution for still photos and a whopping 640x480 for 30fps full-motion video. Also has good battery life, multiple memory card options and an image stabilizer. Definitely worth consideration if you're in the digital camcorder market. And the 12M is just the new high end. Mustek has a full line of lower-end camcorders that won't be so pricey.

Last cam entry is just about a vendor I didn't know about. In my head the name Akai has always meant stereos, TVs and speakers. Well, it still means those things, but it also means cameras--a full line of consumer-grade digital still cams and full-motion camcorders. The specs aren't as sexy as the Mustek DV 12M, but they're fine for most of us mortals and Akai prices them right. They're also not here yet. Right now, Akai's cameras are sold only overseas, so if you hit the web link I've supplied you won't see the cams. Have to hunt for those via the Global Link. The reps said they should be here before the summer.

Posted by Oliver

Sanyo Xacti Cam come to the US

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 20:26:43 GMT

Brian is the lab director of ANCL out there at the University of Hawaii. A year or so ago, he walked into a Japanese import store out there and got his hands on an early version of this camera that wasn't officially released in the US.

Well, the latest version of the Sanyo Xacti CA-6 is here and it's still darn cool. You hold it much like a power drill or a gun. Point it, check that the auto-focus works and then snap away at a 6 megapixel resolution. The thing can also record MPEG 4 full-motion video, and also has a 5x optical zoom and a 12x digital zoom. It's even water resistant--though I wouldn't take it SCUBA diving.

Available at some point in August for a reported price tag around $400.

(via Ubergizmo)

Amazing Photo Gallery of Mexico City

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:53:23 GMT

A helicopter pilot who has worked over Mexico City for quite some time, posted a collection of exceptional photographs he's taken over the years. Some of these are shocking, others are beautiful. Worth the slideshow.

(via Digg)

CNet Article on Digi-Cam Future

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 14:09:17 GMT

CNet pubbed this article on what's coming down the pike for digital cameras. Pretty good read, and not just for those looking to buy a camera in the next few weeks. The article shows that this coming month is going to be introducing digital cameras with enough mega-pixels to make the entire mega-pixel question obsolete.

Talk About Mega Pixel

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 16:20:33 GMT

Now that's a lot of pixels: Swedish company Hasselblad (no, not Hasselhof; he's what they luv in Germany) has announced the world's first 39 megapixel camera, the H2D-39. Wonder what would happen if I tried to load an image that size under Digital Image Pro. Probably smoke my notebook.

Oh yeah, if you want one, you need a spare $30K. Maybe a re-fi on the house?

(via TechieDiva)

CES/DesignTechnica: Sanyo Fisher does new cams

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:33:40 GMT

Loads of new camera stuff at CES; in fact, more than I can cover on my own, so click over to DesignTechnica for their solid profile on the new offerings from Sanyo Fisher, including the handheld HD cam in the pic.

CES: HP's Cameras for Pudgy People Like Me

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 22:43:43 GMT

Costa found this at CES and posted it on Gearlog. I got a bunch of demos from HP, but never this. Seems HP's new lne of digital cameras will have a bunch of new software features built-in, including not only cropping and borders but also a slimming' feature. Hit this option and the camera automatically runs the photo through a filter that slims your head, gut and butt.

Probably still won't save women from crying when they see a pic of me in a bathing suit, but at least they won't need therapy afterwards.

Get the Right Camera Today

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 15:48:15 GMT

I blogged about high-end cameras a little while back, but for the rest of us mere mortals the compact digital camera is still the mainstay of the fond holiday memories market. Unfortunately, that's a pretty wide vista of choices, so if you waited till today before buying that memory saver to be used Sunday morning things might get a bit dicey.

Never fear. Click over to Tom's Hardware Guide, where they're running a compact digicam roundup. Not a winner takes all sort of thing, but a great snapshot (I slay me) of the digicam market. Read it before trundling out to Circuit City.

This Would Be A Cool Way to Film Your Holiday

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 19:22:04 GMT

Not radically new, but the price has finally gotten semi-realistic for the well-heeled geek. It's called Immersive Photography, and it basically allows you take still images or video clips with 360 degree coverage.

Load an image done this way onto, say a Web server, and your viewers can see an image as though they were standing at its center. An arrow controller allows them to look left, right up or down getting a full view of everything around the photographer at the time of shooting.

Used to be pretty pricey as I recall. But you can now get a basic kit for $1699, which is about the same as a high-end camcorder. This means the kids still won't get any presents, but you can get all their disappointed faces in a single shot and then gleefullly pan around it for the whole year.

Ipix Technology sells the required software and camera kits. And they've also got a nice little gallery of sample images here.

Don't Forget to Film the Holidays

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:44:31 GMT

I've been dinging Sony pretty hard of late. And deservedly so. But they still make some of the best cameras on the planet, especially when you get into the camcorder arena.

True to form, the company just released the HDR-HC1 MiniDV Camcorder. This may not be the world's first HD camcorder, but it is the world's smallest. The thing can do full HDTV-capable recordings, but it fits in the palm of your hand and weighs in at less than two pounds. This is what you want to use to chase the kids around on Christmas morning.

Of course, at about $1650, the kids may not have much under the tree that morning, but you'll be able to film their disappointed faces in crystal clear HD!

If you'd like to record the kids and maybe still have a little left over to buy the kids the Nick & Jessica Malibu Divorce ensemble, then check out the PV-GS250 from Panasonic. This is just sligtly more than half the price of the Sony at about $890, and as you might expect it can't do HDTV.

But it does do about everything else. First off, it's a hard disk-based recorder, does still and full-motion, has an image stabilizer and a 10x optical zoom. And though it can't do HDTV, it does do 3CCD, which is broadcast-quality color reproduction. Should be more then enougth for us mere mortals.

(from Gizmos for Geeks)

New WebCam Offers Alter Egos

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:18:19 GMT

Logitech's QuickCam Orbit made a big splash last year and quickly became the Webcam for people who knew Webcams. Now the company is reading its next rev, the $99 QuickCam Fusion. The resolution is an ample 1.3 megapixels and it comes with a wide-angle lens that offers 78 degrees of visibility. The coolest thing about the new Fusion is the Video Effects, which lets users "transform themselves into three-dimensional animated characters that mimic facial movements." (Unless you try the Keanu Reeves character, then there is no facial movement at all.)

Who Needs an HDTV Videocam?

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 15:18:08 GMT

David Pogue has a rave review of the Sony's new HDTV video camcorder, the HDR-HC1, up online today. For $1,750 bucks, it is pretty amazing to be able to capture HDTV video of the family BBQ. Even better, it is a great tool for wannabe film directors that can't spring for professional equipment. Still, the only way you can see the enhanced quality is to play it back on an HDTV-capable set. Too bad only 13 percent of U.S. homes have them.

Better Travel Photos Made Easy

Tue, 09 Aug 2005 15:42:07 GMT

Digital cameras let you take hundreds of shots without worrying about the cost of development, but that doesn't mean they will be any good. Fortunately, Photographer Dave Johnson is running a free clinic on travel photography. Before you head out on vacation, check out PC World's helpful tips for taking better photos. The tips are a little basic, but useful nonetheless.

Fujifilm Announces 9-Megapixel Cameras

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 18:14:17 GMT

Fujifilm will bring two, consumer-priced, nine-megapixel cameras, the FinePix S9000 and FinePix E900, to market this fall. The number of people that want nine megapizels of resolution is almost certainly greater than the number that need it, but for serious camera enthusiasts breaking the nine megapixel barrier is great news. In addition to more megapixels, the Finepix S9000 will feature a 10.7 optical zoom that runs from 28 mm to 300 mm. Best of all, it will have a street price of less than $700.

The cameras have gotten a lot of play online, but so far no one has had them in for serious testing. PC Magazine has more details and lots of pictures of the cameras themselves here.