Cameras and Imaging
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Fujifilm announce 12-megapixel compact digital camera
July 27, 2007 Just when it looked like the headlong rush towards more MegaPixels had slowed down in favor of greater optical zoom capabilities in the compact camera arena, Fujifilm has announced the upcoming release of the F50fd - a compact unit that boasts a staggering 12 MegaPixel image resolution and crams in a raft of cutting edge features including Dual Image Stabilization, enhanced Face Detection and improved automated flash capabilities that include a two shot flash mode which takes two shots in quick succession in low light - one with flash one without - to ensure optimum results with minimum effort and takes full advantage of its extremely sensitive ISO levels of up to 6400 (1600 at full resolution). The F50fd is among four new additions to the FinePix F series due for release in September and will retail for around US$300 - compare this to the more than $10K outlay required to purchase a 1.3 megapixel camera like the Kodak DCS-100 in the early 1990's and it's clear just how very far the industry has come in less than two decades. (read more...)
New Casio EXILIM digital cameras tailored for YouTube capture
July 19, 2007 Casio's latest EXILIM Digital Camera release is embracing the widespread penetration of the Youtube phenomenon by including YouTube capture mode software for recording, storing and uploading video. Following a trend already apparent in recent product releases from Apple and LG, the new EX-S880 and EX-Z77 facilitate multiple movie uploads directly to YouTube and other video sharing web sites as well as adding optimization for eBay photos and enhanced blur reduction and face recognition capacity. (read more...)
Focus Firestore FS-100 records HD video streams in the field
July 16, 2007 Slowly but ever-so-surely, leading edge digital tools are democratising the motion picture industry. The tools used by Peter Jackson, James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola and other big screen directors are becoming available to the common man. First Panasonic's HVX200 P2 Handheld Camera-recorder put the first cost-effective highest def tool in place and now the tiny portable Focus Firestore FS-100 takes it one step further by recording DV/DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50 or DVCPRO HD video streams via FireWire while in the field. The FS-100 offers real-time back-up to the HVX202’s P2 cards and extends the overall recording duration by 100 minutes. Considering that 16GB flash cards hold just 15 minutes at the highest resolution, the FS-100 is a significant enabling technology regardless of its bargain-basement US$2,000 price tag. Hi definition video production is now affordable and set to thrive in the world of the one-man-shooter. (read more...)
Cool displays: the transparent rear-projection screen
June 12, 2007 Totally transparent projection screens can now become part of interior architecture with the invention of a rear projection screen that looks simply like a piece of glass when it's not in use, producing crystal clear images that appear to be floating in the air. The CristalLine glass and acrylic screens come in flat sheets that can be cut, bent, folded and shaped to produce unique projection media that will no doubt be popular in retail, corporate and trade show applications, not to mention the awesome stage effects they could help create. (read more...)
Canon's hand-held $100 direct photo printer - lab quality in under a minute
July 4, 2007 Digital photography has opened a lot of doors in terms of photo sharing and the distribution of digital images - but people still love printed photos they can hold in their hand or stick in a scrapbook - but while printing technology has reached an excellent standard, it hasn't always been very convenient. Canon's SELPHY compact photo printer aims to address this - it's a full lab-color 4" x 6" photo printer that prints straight from a camera or memory card, and is small enough to take to parties with you. Its dye-sublimation printing process is similar to what your local photo processing shop uses. Consider it the polaroid camera of the digital age. (read more...)
The NUR Expedio Revolution mega-sized Inkjet printer
July 4, 2007 A new mega-sized inkjet printer went on show at SHANGHAI AD & Sign 2007 in China yesterday when NUR Macroprinters showed its advanced NUR Expedio Revolution which prints images up to five meters (16.6ft) wide, enabling it to print billboards in a single pass. Apart from its impressive size, the Expedio Revolution offers unsurpassed printing speed at 300 sq.m (3,200 sq.ft) per hour and can be configured for high quality double-sided printing at 90 sq.m /hr. But wait, there’s more – so that it doesn’t sit idle when there are no billboards to print, it’s capable of multi-roll printing on three rolls simultaneously allowing users to print different files on each roll, reducing costly substrate waste. As there’s effectively no limit to the length of each print, this baby can print an image 5 meters tall and 60 metres long - in an hour. Just the thing for gift wrapping houses. (read more...)
Ferrari Visio sports-binoculars
June 29, 2007 They may have been around for almost 400 years, but rarely have binoculars looked quite this slick. Developed via a recently announced licensing agreement between Ferrari and William Optics, the Ferrari Visio 8x25 binoculars borrow more from the F1 racing team than the famous Prancing Horse logo - they include a real carbon fiber plate which, as well as looking the part, adds to their lightweight construction. (read more...)
Panasonic's HVX: pro-level HD digital video camera under $6000
June 28, 2007 Panasonic's AG-HVX200 digital video camera exploded onto the pro-sumer scene 12 months ago, cramming the features and high definition picture quality of a $100,000 movie camera into a US$5,995 package with some key advantages of its own. A truly ground-breaking product, the HVX featured variable frame rates between 24 and 60 frames per second for true slow motion, 4 channel audio, multiple resolutions and formats, and a solid-state P2 flash memory system to replace tape and disc recording and revolutionize the editing process. Enthusiastically received by TV producers, film schools and independent filmmakers worldwide, HVX units have also been snapped up by Oscar-brandishing directors like Peter Jackson, James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola. Gizmag takes a look at what makes this camera so special, and some accessories that take the Panasonic HVX well into pro video territory. (read more...)
Dynamic Bandwidth Manager delivers 50 Percent more VOD without extra bandwidth
June 21, 2007 RGB Networks is showing a very efficient new Dynamic Bandwidth Manager (DBM) at Cable-Tec Expo which enables cable television operators to deliver up to 50 percent more video-on-demand (VOD) programming without increasing bandwidth or impacting picture quality. (read more...)
High Definition camcorder breakthrough from Sony
June 21, 2007 New benchmarks in portability and storage capacity mark the latest High-Definition (HD) camcorder line-up from Sony. The palm-sized CX7K is the world's lightest and most compact HD Handycam to date and the first to record high definition videos to Memory Stick media. The only slightly bulkier hard disk drive based Handycam SR Series now offers an unprecedented 100GB of storage space – enough to record 38 hours of 1080i HD content. Significant improvements have also been made to navigation via the on-board touch-screen including an impressive “Face Index” search feature that uses facial recognition technology to quickly pinpoint images of people within a scene without having to scroll through the entire recording. (read more...)
New Kodak image sensor technology could redefine digital image capture
June 16, 2007 Kodak has announced a groundbreaking advancement in image sensor technology that provides a 2x to 4x increase in sensitivity to light (from one to two photographic stops) compared to current sensor designs. Kodak’s new technology also enables faster shutter speeds (to reduce motion blur when imaging moving subjects), as well as the design of smaller pixels (leading to higher resolutions in a given optical format) while retaining performance. The first Kodak sensor to use this technology is expected to be available for sampling in the first quarter of 2008. (read more...)
New generation camera phones: smaller, cheaper, better
June 13, 2007 A key part of the accelerating convergence of mobile technologies is the constant struggle to miniaturize functional units while constantly improving their quality and reducing cost of manufacture. Tessera has scored big on all three points with their OptiML wafer level camera manufacture technology - their new modules are half the size of current mobile phone camera units, 30% cheaper to manufacture, and capable of supporting the high resolutions we expect from digital cameras. The company has also made some impressive aquisitions to sort out the traditional focus and zoom issues we've had on camera phones. (read more...)
The RoadRecorder 6000 PRO Mobile DVR
May 11, 2007 The RoadRecorder 6000 PRO mobile digital video recorder (MDVR) recently caught our eye due to its quite remarkable capability to make mass transit much safer. Designed for school buses, trams and other transit conveyances, it records at 300 frames per second on up to 10 cameras and features 10 channels of digitized synchronous audio input, wireless connectivity, a streamlined data management solution, and triple the storage capacity of previous models in the Safety Vision range of MDVRs. The recorded data is hence available for real-time or subsequent viewing by authorized personnel, first responders, and other officials in the event of onboard incident, accident, or claim. The network even enables a “look in” capability – the transmission of live video from cameras installed on networked buses to laptops in police officers’ networked vehicles. (read more...)
The Miro 3 High-Speed Digital Camera - making the invisible visible
May 11, 2007 Vision Research showed off a very special new camera at the recent NAB in Las Vegas, and SAE World Congress in Detroit - the first in a new line of Phantom high-speed digital cameras. The Phantom Miro line is a compact, light-weight, rugged family of cameras targeted at industrial applications ranging from biometric research to automotive crash testing. Rated to survive 100g acceleration this rugged camera can take 512x512 images at up to 2200 frames-per-second (fps). Reduce the resolution to 32 x 32 and achieve frame rates greater than 95,000 fps. With an ISO rating of 4800 (monochrome, saturation-based ISO 12232), the camera has the light sensitivity for the most demanding applications. With shutter speeds as low as 2 microseconds, the user can freeze objects in motion, eliminate blur, and bring out the image detail needed for successful motion analysis. The camera accepts any standard 1" C-mount lens. See a movie of what it can do here. (read more...)
Flip video camcorder uploads your movies straight to YouTube.
May 10, 2007 We love to see consumer products that are redesigned to reflect the way the market is using them. With the advent of ubiquitous broadband and the huge popularity of video sharing sites, many people, particularly youngsters, want to upload their home videos to YouTube pretty much as soon as they've yelled "cut." Pure Digital has run with this idea with its new Flip video camera - an inexpensive, self-contained, simple camcorder that plugs straight into a USB port so you can upload your videos straight to YouTube. (read more...)
Turn your mobile phone into a video controller with an advanced video pack from Swann
April 25, 2007 The Advanced Video Pack from Swann enables you to stream video live from a camera to your mobile phone. It will even alert you via SMS when its cameras detect motion. While many would use this system for home or business security, it may also be used as a baby monitor, or even just for a bit of fun. (read more...)
Step inside your 2-D photographs with Fotowoosh
April 18, 2007 This ingenious company has worked out how to map distance, perspective and depth onto a two-dimensional photograph, and use it to create a stunning 3-D world. Exploring your photos in 3-D makes them somehow feel like video game levels. Incredible stuff, and very moving. (read more...)
Apple announces Final Cut Studio 2 and Final Cut Server
April 16, 2007 Apple today took the wraps off Final Cut Studio 2, a significant upgrade to the company’s video production suite that delivers new creative tools designed expressly for editors. Final Cut Studio 2 includes Final Cut Pro 6, which introduces Apple’s ProRes 422 format for uncompressed HD quality at SD file sizes and support for mixed video formats and frame rates in a single Timeline; Motion 3 featuring an intuitive 3D environment, paint and new behaviors; Soundtrack Pro 2 with dozens of innovative tools for multitrack editing, surround mixing and conforming sound to picture; Compressor 3 delivering powerful batch encoding for multiple formats with a single click; and DVD Studio Pro 4.2 for SD and HD DVD authoring. Apple also introduced Final Cut Server, a powerful new server application that works seamlessly with Final Cut Studio 2 to provide media asset management and workflow automation for post production and broadcast professionals. (read more...)
Zoom wars - Olympus unveils 18X zoom at PMA
March 12, 2007 Now that we seemingly have more than enough megapixels, the digital camera manufacturers appear to have started a magnification war, with Olympus exhibiting its 18x optical zoom SP-550 UZ (Ultra Zoom) at this week’s PMA show and Sony showing its 15x optical zoom, Cyber-shot H7 and the H9 models. Indeed, down at the ultracompact end of the range, Casio crammed a 7X zoom into its Exilim EX-V7 – that’s a 7X optical zoom inside a camera just one inch thick. Extrapolate those figures back to the days of 35mm SLR photography and you’ll have cause to ponder just how far things might go in the longer term. For the miniscule Exilim, that’s the equivalent of a 35mm-266mm zoom lens in 35mm terms, and several different anti-shake technologies are employed, including a mechanical CCD-shift image stabiliser. It’s the Olympus SP-550 UZ that blows us away though – its focal length spans an amazing 28mm-504mm (in 35mm terms) and it employs double protection against camera shake with Dual Image Stabilization, combining high ISO values with a CCD-based mechanical image stabiliser, where a built-in gyro sensor detects camera movement and adjusts the CCD accordingly. On top of that, the 7.1 megapixel SP-550 UZ offers the highest burst rate (15 frames per second) of any compact digital camera., shoots 640x480 video at 30fps and hits the streets this month at US$500. (read more...)
Sony’s New 15X Cybershot H9 and H7 Cameras
March 12, 2007 Responding to the growing demand for super zoom digital cameras, Sony showed its new 8-megapixel DSC-H9 and DSC-H7 models at PMA, with both cameras featuring powerful Carl Zeiss 15x optical zoom lenses, Sony’s new advanced sports shooting mode and high-definition outputs so they easily connect to a HDTV for spectacular reproduction. The advanced sports shooting mode combines high shutter speed shooting and intelligent continuous auto-focusing. The cameras can quickly focus on fast-moving subjects by predicting where those subjects will be in the frame. This predictive technology also helps to reduce shutter lag, the time it takes for the camera to focus and shoot. (read more...)
ViviCam 6200w waterproof camera
March 12, 2007 Vivitar’s new US$230 ViviCam 6200w could become a landmark product in the evolution of the digital camera – it is the first waterproof camera to be marketed directly at the consumer. We see it as the digital camera growing up – what’s the point in having a digital camera if it’s so delicate that you regularly need to leave it behind rather than risk its demise. Now there’s a cost-effective way of ensuring your camera can handle the effects of salt, sand, dust and dirt. Not surprisingly, there’s no optical zoom, but it offers six megapixel resolution and it can capture underwater images to a depth of 10 metres. (read more...)
Sony debuts its first wireless Digital Camera
March 9, 2007 Sony today introduced a 6-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-G1 digital camera with the ability to send photos wirelessly to other Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled devices, such as another camera or a PC. Sony’s director of marketing for digital cameras Phil Lubell called the announcement "a step towards realizing a platform for networked photo communication. We will continue to explore the possibilities for networked digital imaging as broadband Internet becomes more pervasive in American homes." The new model’s camera-to-camera wireless capability makes it possible to send your friends a photo at the push of a button. It's also possible for up to four camera users to send each other photos in real time. With a DLNA-compatible PC, storing and sharing photos becomes simplified through wireless image transfer from the camera to the PC. (read more...)
Canon’s TX1 PowerShot – 7.1 MPX, 10x optical zoom, Image Stabilizer and VGA movies at 30 fps
February 22, 2007 Canon has announced the latest state-of-the-art compact digital still and video camera - the 7.1 megapixel PowerShot TX1 offers 10x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer and can shoot VGA (640 x 480 pixels) movies at 30 fps (in a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio) and can capture high-resolution still images while recording movies, helping to ensure that milestone memories are preserved for picture frames, photo albums and e-mail sharing as well as for video viewing. The TX1 features an enhanced Canon DiG!C III image processor with innovative technology including in-camera red-eye correction and improved Face Detection with Flash Exposure. The enhanced DiG!C III processor enables in-camera red-eye correction with the touch of a button. Available next month, the US$500 TX1 is the size of a deck of playing cards, making it ideal as a permanent companion. (read more...)
Canon to release of The World's Fastest Digital SLR
February 22, 2007 Canon is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its top-selling EOS single lens reflex camera system by announcing the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR, the world's fastest digital SLR camera. At 10 frames per second, the 10.1 megapixel EOS-1D Mark III digital SLR can fire huge motor-driven bursts of 110 Large JPEGs or 30 RAW files because it employs the new Dual DIGIC III image processor engine, providing enough computational horsepower to do parallel processing at a rate unmatched by any other digital SLR. The all-new 10.1 megapixel, APS-H size CMOS sensor is the most light-sensitive and innovative sensor that Canon has developed to date. It features a new microlens array and a more efficient pixel structure for ultra-low noise, resulting in exceptional image quality and an amazing ISO range of 100 to 3200 with extensions to ISO 50 and a highly usable ISO 6400. Scheduled for initial U.S. shipments in Spring, the estimated selling price of the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR will be similar to that of its predecessor, the EOS-1D Mark II N Digital SLR. A ready to shoot EOS-1D Mk III weighs in at only 1,335g (225g lighter than its predecessor, including battery). (read more...)
World's smallest and lightest High-Def Digital Video Camera takes 7.1-Megapixel still images too
January 11, 2007 Packed with performance upgrades including a new 7.38-megapixel CCD image sensor that dramatically improves low-light sensitivity, the new SANYO Xacti HD2 is the world's smallest and lightest high-definition digital video camera. The SANYO Xacti HD2 will be available in March for around US$700, combining the functionality of a 720p high-definition digital camcorder and 7.1-megapixel digital still camera into one ergonomic, pocket-sized device. (read more...)
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