Many of you have submitted comments in support of continuing film camera production. In response, I have created a line of Keep Film Alive merchandise. The list includes: Keep Film Alive…
Three more digital cameras from Acer
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Since they don’t release these products in the US, you might not know that Acer’s got quite the little digital camera business going on overseas, and now they’ve announced three more new models to join the 8.28 megapixel CP 8660 we spotted earlier. If you were hoping for some of the retro styling or compelling features we saw on the CP-8660, though, you’ll probably be disappointed, as there’s not much noteworthy about the 5.05 megapixel CE 5430 and 6.36 megapixel CE 6430 point-and-shoots or the 5.05 megapixel CL 5300 (pictured), other than the fact that this latter model seems to be Acer’s first foray into ultracompacts. Both new members of the CE line feature those standard 3x optical zooms that have become so tiresome along with 2.36-inch TFT LCDs (no viewfinder here), while the 5300 sports a 2.0-inch LCD and seemingly no optical zoom. Rounding out the ho-hum specs for all three devices are a USB 1.1 connection, SD slot, PictBridge support, and that old standby, QVGA video capture (thankfully it’s at least 30fps), although so far pricing remains a mystery. Keep reading to check out the two new CE models, although we should warn you that they look like a thousand other cameras you’ve seen before…
Read- CL 5300
Read- CE 5430
Read- CE 6430
CE 5430
CE 6430
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Kodak adds P712 to top of EasyShare line
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Without as much worry for raw megapixels this time around, Kodak is bringing out their new EasyShare P712 7.1 megapixel camera with 12x zoom and high-speed capturing to tempt the semi-prosumer crowd. With a suggested retail price of $499, the shooter strikes quite the bargain for its price range, with 12x optical zoom, optical image stabilisation, speedy auto-focus and a 0.07 click-to-capture rate. Kodak has also included a 2.5-inch LCD and a hot shoe, along with 30 fps VGA video capture and RAW support. The P712 should be shipping worldwide this July.
[Via DP Review; thanks Justin]
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Filed under: Digital Cameras
We first peeped Fujifilm’s compact FinePix V10 at CES earlier this year, but if you’ve been wondering how it actually performs, the folks at Lets Go Digital have got your fix in the form of an in-depth review. The camera itself is a 5 megapixel number, with a 3.4x optical zoom, and a large 3-inch LCD taking up pretty much all of the real estate on the rear side of the device. Also notable is the high ISO settings (up to 1600), which is rarely seen in a camera of this class. Lets Go Digital really didn’t find much negative to say about the camera, giving it high marks for its great lens, fast start-up speed, good color rendition, and general user-friendliness — they even dug the camera’s built-in games. Sticker price is still $349, but it looks like most retailers are selling it for closer to the $300 mark — although the orange model here seems a bit harder to come by. Why, we don’t exactly know; we’re assuming it’s probably not due to demand.
[Via DP Blog]
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Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Image Samples Gallery
DPreview has posted a gallery of sample images taken with Sony’s new kid on the DSLR block, the Alpha DSLR-A100. So shutterbugs eyeing on this baby, what are you waiting for? Get pixel-peeping now! Tags: Sony, DSLR, Alpha, A100, Camera, Photography
Mustek announces DV536 super gadget
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Portable Audio, Portable Video
How much would you pay for a music- and video-playing gadget that could also take 10 megapixel still photos with a 10x zoom, capture 30fps VGA movies, record your whimsical musings, function as a digital card reader, and even encode footage directly from your TV or DVD player? $1000? How about $750? Surely you’d shell out at least $500 for such an amazing product. Well you’ll be shocked to learn that Mustek is practically giving away all this and more for under $200 with its new DV536 Digital Camcorder-PVR. Too good to be true, you say? Well, yes and no; you really do get all of those functions in this new super gadget, but the list of caveats is rather long: the 2.4-inch screen isn’t the best for watching flicks, that 10 megapixel resolution is really achieved through interpolation from a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor, and the 10x zoom we mentioned is of the digital variety, as no optical zoom is included. Plus, there’s no way to schedule recordings and you’re only getting 32MB of internal memory, meaning that you’ll need a pretty big SD card if you want to store all those movies, photos, video clips, and songs you’ll be loading this up with. Still, $200 isn’t too bad for all the features you’re getting here, even if none of them hold a candle to dedicated devices performing the same tasks. [Warning: PDF link]
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Filed under: Digital Cameras
Don’t expect to see one of these in a commercial DSLR anytime soon (especially now that Mamiya has left the game), but a division of DALSA Semiconductor has successfully manufactured and delivered a 111 megapixel image sensor that’s only been topped on these pages by the 500 megapixel monster inside Fermilab’s Dark Energy Camera. Putting even the highest-resolution bacteria-based cam to shame, the new 4-inch-square CCD features an array of 10,560 x 10,560 pixels, and was developed in conjunction with Semiconductor Technology Associates to aid the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Astrometry Department in precisely determining the position and motion of celestial objects. While you probably can’t afford to hire DALSA to build another one of these just for you, there’s at least one option on the market that will give you the hundred-plus megapixel bragging rights you seek without breaking the bank: Better Light’s 144 megapixel E-HS medium format backing, which, while technically only capturing 48 megapixels per color (and taking at least 66 seconds to do so), should still be enough to impress even your EOS 1Ds Mark II-sporting friends.
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L.A. County testing unmanned surveillance drones
Filed under: Digital Cameras, GPS, Robots
We knew that something like this was coming sooner or later, and now the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has officially begun testing what will likely be the first unmanned aerial surveillance vehicle to be deployed domestically in an urban environment. Called SkySeers, these three-pound, six-foot wide drones will initially be used on an as-needed basis to replace helicopters in searching for criminal suspects or lost children and hikers, according to Commander Sid Heal, as the $25,000 to $35,000 upfront cost of each plane will quickly be recouped by the $1,200 saved for every extra hour a copter can stay grounded. Since each of the foldable, GPS-guided SkySeers — which are equipped with remote-controlled thermal and pan-tilt cams — can only stay aloft for a maximum of sixty minutes, it’s not yet feasible to use them as round-the-clock watchdogs, but privacy groups are concerned that eventually the sky could be filled with drones ripe for all kinds of abuse. Still, unless you’re involved in some shady activities, a few more cameras peering down from the sky shouldn’t bother you much more than the bevy of ATMs, security cams, and cameraphones already capturing your every move from the moment you step out of the house in the morning.
[Via The Independent, pic courtesy of Octatron]
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D-Link launches 3G Securicam DCS-2120 wireless internet camera
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Wireless
D-Link’s got a new weapon for anyone looking to keep an eye on burglars and other unwanted trespassers on their premises, the Securicam DCS-2120, a wireless security camera with 3G mobile video support. So now you’ll be able to obsessively peep what’s going on at your home or business from just about anywhere (with 3G service, that is) via your 3G-equipped phone or PDA. And if that’s not enough for ya, the camera also has its own CPU and web server, which’ll throw up a live feed that you can access from any web browser, as well as built-in 802.11g for additional networking options, including using multiple cameras. The specs for the camera itself are otherwise pretty standard, with a 640 x 480 resolution capturing video at “up to” 30 frames per second. D-Link’s press release says the camera will launch in the U.K. sometime in July for 179.97, but it looks like it’s already on sale over here for about $300 US.
[Via Tech Digest]
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Top 5 Portable Digital Photo Storage Devices
It’s that time of year when many of us start traveling, shooting dozens of photos, and then get stuck with one major dilemma – where do I store all these…
Casio Exilim EX-Z1000, The First 10-Megapixel Compact Camera
Finally, compacts have reached the double-digit megapixel stage. Casio’s latest compact the Exilim EX-Z1000 packs a whooping 10-megapixel in a slim 92 x 58.4 x 22.4mm, 139g package. The camera also features Anti-Shake DSP for reducing handshake-blur, 3x optical zoom (38-114mm equiv), f/2.8-5.4 aperture and a ISO 3200 High Sensitivity BEST SHOT mode that [...]
Fisher-Price Music Player and Digital Camera for Kids
Who doesn’t love gadgets in this age of iPods and digital photography? Which is exactly the reason why you are here, right? Now your kids can enjoy the same kind of gadgetry love too, thanks to Fisher-Price. The Fisher-Price FP3 Music Player and the Fisher-Price Digital Camera are made for kids, built to withstand the [...]
Pentax K100D with Shake Reduction, and K110D DSLR Cameras
Non-pro photographers looking to go into DSLR will be happy to hear that Pentax has announced their new K100D and K110D DSLR cameras. These two entry-level DSLR are identical, except that K100D features the very useful Shake Reduction technology. Until now, Konica Minolta 5D and 7D are the only DSLRs that sports Anti-Shake technology built right [...]
Ricoh’s six megapixel Caplio RR660 point-and-shoot
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Aren’t economies of scale just the best? For example, the same $235 that’ll buy you Ricoh’s six megapixel Caplio RR630 point-and-shoot camera today will soon get you its upcoming replacement which adds almost half an inch to the display but still manages to drop about 20 vital grams from the overall weight. When it ships next month, the 130-gram RR660 will offer the same resolution (actually, it’s .01 megapixels lower, but close enough) and 3x zoom as the RR630, along with a 2.4-inch TFT-LCD, 16MB of internal memory (supported by an SD slot), and the usual assortment of pre-programmed scene settings for hassle-free snapshots. Doesn’t sound too bad, but it still seems like you’re getting a better deal from other six megapixel models like the Canon A540 or Nikon Coolpix L2. — we’ll wait until we see a review or two to pass final judgement, though.
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Casio introduces 7.2 megapixel Exilim EX-Z70
Filed under: Digital Cameras
So Casio’s just announced that it’s taking the six megapixel Exilim EX-Z60 and bumping the resolution up to 7.2 megapixels in a new model whose name you can probably guess, while at the same time managing to make it just a little more pocket-friendly by shaving a few millimeters off the depth. Besides those extra million or so pixels, though, the Exilim EX-Z70’s specs remain nearly identical to its sibling’s, so the 2.5-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, and digital image stabilization will come as little surprise. Retailing for around $425, a black version of this 118-gram point-and-shooter will be available at the beginning of July, while a silver edition will hit the streets about a month later. Keep reading to get a view from the back, though if you’re familiar with Z60, you’ll have seen it all before…
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Panasonic releases its DMC-L1 DSLR
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Always looking to one-up its long-standing Japanese rival, Panasonic has gone and beaten Sony’s first digital SLR — the Alpha A100 — to market with its own premiere DSLR — the DMC-L1 — which just became available today. As you’ll probably recall, this 7.5 megapixel “Live MOS”-equipped shooter was developed in conjunction with Olympus, thus including that live preview 2.5-inch LCD that got us so jazzed up about the E-330, and ships with an optically-stabilized 14-50-millimeter Leica D Vario-Elmarit lens. And at $1,999, the Panasonic had better throw in a few extras if it wants to remain competitive, because the Sony, while not arriving with a lens in the box, will sport a higher-resolution 10.3 megapixel sensor at half the price of the L1.
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World s Small Camera. So Tiny That It s Swallowable.
OmniVision Technologies has developed a breakthrough camera chip that is only 1/18-inch in size. That makes it the world’s smallest camera thus far, as the closest thing in the market right now is merely a 1/12-inch. The entire of this OV6920 camera chip measures only 2.1mm by 2.3mm! It is meant for usage in the medical [...]
Film Still Rules Over Digital Cameras
A recent poll showed nearly 60 percent of respondents feel film is actually far superior to digital, and should not be discontinued by camera manufacturers. Nearly eight out of 10…
Casio’s Exilim EX-S600D with DivX
Filed under: Digital Cameras
The DivX conspiracy is continuing, and this time its Casio bringing a DivX capable product to “anywhere but the US.” Their new Exilim EX-S600D for Europe merely adds DivX to their already snazzy EX-S600 from earlier this year, but USA citizens are apparently too slow to figure out what to do with a good compression codec. All the other specs of this 6 megapixel shooter are still around, and the camera is as thin as ever. The S600D boasts an hour of recording time onto a 1GB card, and has the same “Past Movie” function of the S600 to start recording 5 seconds before you press the record button. No word on price, but we’re guessing it’ll be similar to the S600 — just, you know, in Europe.
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Sweet shots of Samsung’s SGH-A990
Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras
We were getting a little sick of hearing Samsung SGH-A990 whispers here and there (and FCC filing thrown in for good measure), which is why we’re rather thankful a little bird dropped off these sweet shots of Verizon’s forthcoming handset — one of the first Stateside (let alone from VZW) we’ve seen to feature a swiveling display. If our expectations are to be fulfilled, this hot little number won’t only have EV-DO, but will drop with a QVGA display, MicroSD, Bluetooth, and a fat 3.2 megapixel camera. Expect more details as we get ‘em, but for now click on to see some more shots of what may well be many a feature phone users’ next device.
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Sony Enters Digital SLR Market with Alpha Branding
It’s about time Sony enters the digital SLR (DSLR) realm. Following Sony’s recent buy-out of Konica-Minolta, the electronics giant has given the branding name of ‘Alpha’ (signified by the ‘alpha’ sign pictured on the right) to its DSLR line of cameras. This is perhaps a gesture to provide a sense of continuation from Konica-Minolta’s existing [...]
The CP-8660: Acer’s new flagship digital camera
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Chances are, if you walk up to the red carpet, or into the photo pit at the next U2 concert, sporting the new Acer 8660, the pros will die laughing behind their 1Ds Mark IIs and D2Hs, so we were a little surprised to see the word “professional” on the product page. Sure, the specs are fine, with an 8.28-megapixel sensor (maximum resolution 3320x 2496), big 2.8-inch TFT LCD, image stablization and 6x optical zoom, but any cam with 25MB of internal memory, which is only expandable to 1GB using an SD card probably isn’t going to cut it for the aspiring paparazzi. Other specs include an 8.5x completely useless digital zoom, 30 fps VGA video recording, 17 different shooting modes and a complete lack of bright red paint. No word on pricing, but the product page suggests it will be “competitive,” so your guess is as good as ours.
[Via Mobilewhack]
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Sony Alpha 100 DSLR Goes Official
And so the rumors were right, the Sony’s new digital SLR finally goes official on June 6, 2006 (triple 6s). And like most Sony cameras, this one is really looking good (at least on paper). Named Alpha 100, the camera will feature a whopping 10.2-megapixel APS-C size CCD sensor, anti-dust protection system and in-body Super SteadyShot [...]
Cardboard SLR Camera
Why spend hundreds, when you could make a SLR camera out of cardboards? Oh, because the wind might blow your camera away. But that’s not going to stop a certain anonymous shutterbug from spending hours building his/her very own cardboard SLR camera. Of course, the camera does not come with any fancy technology, and it uses a [...]
Canon Powershot S3 IS Reviewed
DPReview has come out with their in-depth review on Canon’s new Powershot S3 IS camera. Successor to the Canon Powershot S2 IS, the new gunmetal black S3 IS is surprisingly just a mere minor upgrade. Some of the new features include: ISO 80 – 800 (S2 IS: 50 – 400) 6-megapixels (S2 IS: 5-megapixels) 2.0-inch LCD display (S2 IS: [...]
Carnival of Digital Cameras & Photography #41
Carnival of Digital Cameras and Photography is a weekly round-up of all the latest news, trends, digital camera reviews, top blogs, photography tips and professional advice. This week, cehweidel of…
