Digital Cameras

September 16, 2005: One of the true innovations of the recent IFA Consumer Electronics Fair in Berlin was shown on the Grundig stand: three-dimensional (3D) real-time television, recorded and broadcast live, in colour and without glasses. Grundig, Newsight (formerly Opticality/X3D Technologies) and 3D Image Processing (3D IP) have succeeded in capturing live video and streaming it through an autostereoscopic 3D display system in real time whereas prior 3D content had been limited to post-production material.  Read More

September 15, 2005 Creative Labs new webcam that was announced yesterday features some pretty advanced technology for its meagre US$150 price tag. The webcam offers a combination of motorized pan and tilt and a ViewPlus 76-degree wide-angle lens, Smart Face Tracking, and the webcam quietly and smoothly follows user movements during video instant messaging. The webcams automatic pan and tilt feature gives users the freedom of movement during video instant messaging with friends, family or business colleagues, automatically following users' natural movements during conversations, so they don't have to continually make manual adjustments to stay centered in the field of view. Users can also select Smart Face Tracking so it can follow the movements of one person, or disable it to include the whole group.  Read More

September 14, 2005 Constituting the very latest in stereoscopic 3D technology is the SD1710 from Planar Systems. Designed to address imaging applications in geospatial intelligence and photogrammetry where geoscientists, cartographers, engineers, image analysts and environmental planners need 3D viewing to discern depth in the imagery and interpret spatial details, the SD1710 features crisp stereo imaging, comfortable viewing and dual use as a standard 2D monitor. Planar's SD1710 provides a new dimension of digital image quality and user comfort for those who need to accurately map terrain, monitor erosion, design mass transit systems, identify boundaries, plan missions and investigate habitats.  Read More

September 9, 2005 Sony intends to create a new benchmark in digital photography with the introduction of its high-end Cyber-shot DSC-R1 camera. Moving further in the direction it began with the popular 505, 707, 727 and 828 series of high end cameras, the integrated lens digital still camera progression has finally reached professional grade with a10.3-megapixel image sensor and the flexibility of live preview while shooting. With its ultra-wide (24mm - 120mm) Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T zoom lens and free-angle, two-inch LCD, the Cyber-shot R1 offers professional imaging performance to mainstream consumers.  Read More

September 3, 2005 The forthcoming launch of DeathToHollywood.com represents an inevitable twist in the distribution of low-cost independent movies that cannot hope to achieve widespread distribution through conventional cinemas. DeathToHollywood.com is a free website which functions as an online movie theatre providing free, high quality, independent feature films with the express permission of the producers. It serves to highlight the works of independent film makers by providing easy access to their work. DeathToHollywood’s Pam Paton explains the rationale behind the new service, why the company believes the time is right for the new service to propser thanks to a new era of low cost digital video productionand high speed internet access combined with increasing public media literacy.  Read More

September 3, 2005 The world’s digital camera compnies are certainly pushing the edge of the envelope with their innovative new designs to enable cameras to become better, and smaller at the same time, and there’s no better example of this than Nikon’s newly announced Coolpix S4. The camera features an incredible 10x optical zoom, six megapixels of resolution, a 2.5" LCD and an innovative design allowing the camera to fit into a shirt pocket. The powerful optical zoom combined with the innovative body design of the camera gives digital photographers unprecedented freedom and creativity with the ability to take pictures from a wide range of angles such as from the hip, self portraits and even from overhead.  Read More

September 2, 2005 Nikon is redefining the digital camera shooting experience with the announcement of two new revolutionary Wi-Fi enabled models. The Coolpix P1 and P2 are the world's first built-in Wi-Fi-enabled digital cameras to hit the marketplace. These groundbreaking cameras allow consumers to immediately transmit images wirelessly directly to a computer or to any PictBridge-enabled printer equipped with the optional Nikon Wireless Printer Adapter (PD-10), for wireless printing.  Read More

August 31, 2005 We like ruggedised electronics, and we like this one in particular as it’ll help the world to participate more fully in X-sports adventure. Samsung's new ruggedised Sports Miniket VP-X110L is a new variant in the range combining a camcorder, digital camera and MP3 player. Most importantly, the Sports Miniket has been developed with an external camera and a set of mountings, specifically so it would be ideal for recording all manner of outdoor activities from adrenaline-charged action sports through, well … almost anything. The Sports Miniket’s external camera module can be mounted on a helmet, on an arm via the arm-band or any stable surface. If there’s a drawback, it’s that the digital still image camera is a hopelessly inadequate 800 x 600 pixels – incredibly lame from a company that produces 7 mpx camera phones.  Read More

August 30, 2005 Hasselblad’s large format cameras have been synonymous with the highest calibre of professional photography for many decades in the silver halide world of photography, but has set a firm course towards excellence in the digital world. A year after the launch of the Hasselblad H1, the Swedish company is building on the success of the H1 with the newly developed H2 cross platform camera and the H2D fully-integrated digital camera. Both the cameras include a series of brand new features, and are fully compatible with Hasselblad’s existing H system lenses. New products in the Ixpress digital back line include the Ixpress CF and Ixpress CFH, bringing new levels of flexibility to specialist professional photographers. All four new Hasselblad products offer photographic professionals the quality of medium format image capture, combined with the ‘point-and-shoot’ ease of use, portability and flexibility more often associated with smaller format DSLR technology. The H2 and H2D cameras deliver improved mobility, quality, and workflow. Brand new camera features include a highly advanced image approval and selection tool, called Instant Approval Architecture providing a swift and easy way to select and classify images.  Read More