Digital Cameras

Shooting video while you're riding a motorcycle, steering a jet ski, or skiing down the slopes of your favorite mountain isn't exactly easy, especially if you're trying to shoot that video with your smartphone. Optrix is aiming to make that process a little simpler by creating the Optrix HD, a rugged water-proof case for the iPhone and iPod touch that can be mounted on your helmet, bike, or anything else to shoot video while you're literally on the move. Read More

Although it might sound like an oxymoron, the newly unveiled SCUBA-2 camera housed at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, is the world’s largest submillimeter camera. Submillimeter refers not to the physical size of the new camera itself, but to the submillimeter waveband between the far-infrared and microwave wavebands that the telescope observes. Being far more sensitive and powerful than its predecessor, SCUBA-2 will be able to map areas of the sky faster than ever before and provide information about the early life of stars, planets and galaxies. Read More

When most of us want to steady a camera for a long exposure or telephoto shot, we look for something that will accept the camera’s weight, such as a tripod or a handy flat horizontal surface. The pocket-sized SteadePod, however, uses what could almost be considered the opposite approach – it requires the user to pull up on the camera, the upward tension serving to stabilize their shot. Read More

With the launch of the Steady Stand 200, Modahaus has brought its range of tabletop photo studios dangerously close to impulse buy territory. Though compatible with most compact cameras and smartphones, this is a product aimed squarely at iPhone owners, joining a growing number of products capitalizing on the improved photographic credentials of recent iPhone models. But what is it? Essentially it's a stand that allows you take product photos on a plain background from above, lending snaps a convincing studio veneer - judging by the sample images, at least. Read More

What with the huge sensitivity range of modern digital cameras, and the strong likelihood of finding a built-in flash on most models, it might be a logical assumption that the days of producing separate flash units are numbered. In the right hands though, a powerful flash can add something very special to a subject or scene - even when there's already ample background lighting. Nikon camera owners can now look forward to a new flagship Speedlight flash unit arriving just in time to help light up festive office parties - the Nikon Speedlight SB-910. Read More

I have to admit to occasionally doing something that’s perhaps a little dorky. If I’m listening to particularly moody music, I’ll sometimes close one eye, then simulate a tracking shot or a crane shot from a movie, by slowly moving my head past the items on my desk. Yeah, I look pretty dumb doing it, but the continuous change in perspective created by such a simple move really has a way of making even the most mundane scenes look ... poetic? Profound? Good videographers realize how powerful such shots can be, which is why some of them put their DSLRs or prosumer-level camcorders on camera sliding mechanisms like the Glidetrack. Now, users of smartphone cameras and pocket camcorders can get in on the smooth-tracking action, with Glidetrack’s compact new mobislyder. Read More

A new member will shortly take its place alongside the X10 retro compact and the FinePix X100 in Fujifilm's premium X Series cameras. The X-S1 bridges the gap between compact point-and-shoot cameras and digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) models - featuring a relatively large sensor, 26x superzoom lens, built-in flash and the ability to record full high definition movies. Read More

Back in the days before digital cameras and printers, many do-it-yourselfers liked to develop and print their own photos. While those days of darkrooms, chemicals and papers haven't completely given over to CMOS sensors and printers just yet, nuts and bolts photographers still have to work a bit harder to get their hands dirty, so to speak. Now, camera gadget site Photojojo offers one way to stay "retro," by offering a very affordable build-it-yourself twin lens camera kit that shoots honest to gosh 35mm film. Best of all, even though it looks like a toy, its plastic lens actually captures fairly decent (read "lo-fi dreamy") photos. The small amount of vignetting and lens flare is thrown in for free! Read More

There are numerous retro iPhone cases on the market, and most of them have no useful features except for helping you to stand out from the crowd. Holga, however, has introduced an iPhone case that not only adds some vintage flair to your smartphone, but also allows for photographic experimentation with nine built-in special effects filters. Read More