Cameras and Imaging
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The European Extremely Large Telescope
December 13, 2006 The current generation of 4 to 10-m telescopes has an incredible wealth of knowledge about our Universe, with the discovery of hundreds of extra-solar systems and the study of far away galaxies, whose light comes almost from the very first epoch in the Universe when stars and galaxies started to form. Even more breathtaking is the recent evidence that nearly all the content of our Universe is made of dark matter, whose nature is as yet unknown, and dark energy, the very existence of which is presently not understood. These discoveries pose many new questions that future generations of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) could answer. The combination of unprecedented acuity and light gathering power will provide unique images of objects at all scales, from those in our own solar system and exoplanetary systems to the very first points of light in our Universe. Moreover, detailed spectral analysis will reveal invaluable information on their nature, motions and characteristics. The first ELT moved a step closer this week when ESO's governing body decided to proceed with a EUR 57 million study for a European Extremely Large Telescope. If all goes to plan, the construction of a 40m diameter optical/infrared telescope will start in three years time, and when finished will revolutionise ground-based astronomy. The chosen design is based on a revolutionary concept specially developed for a telescope of this size. (read more...)
Fujifilm introduces FinePix S5 Pro
December 11, 2006 Fujifilm has announced the full specifications, availability and retail price for the FinePix S5 Pro. Announced in development at Photokina 2006, the FinePix S5 Pro is scheduled for nationwide market availability February 2007 at a price of US$2000. The FinePix S5 Pro carries a number of features that will appeal to wedding, portrait and studio photographers. One is an expanded dynamic range from the double pixel technology (6.17 million S-pixels and 6.17 million R-pixels) of the camera’s Super CCD SR Pro sensor that is approximately 400% wider than that of a CCD working on a single-pixel design. In addition, the FinePix S5 Pro goes a step further by coupling the new Super CCD SR Pro sensor with Fujifilm’s new RP Processor Pro for smoother tonality from brightest light to the darkest shadows. An ISO equivalent sensitivity of 3200 is also available on the FinePix S5 Pro, thanks to the RP Processor Pro technology. (read more...)
Nikon's DS-Qi1 Digital Camera offers high speed and sensitivity for seamless live cell research
December 8, 2006 Nikon has released first details of its new DS-Qi1 Monochrome Digital Camera, an ultra high-quality scientific grade digital camera specifically designed for fluorescence applications and an excellent choice for high speed and high sensitivity applications in quantitative fluorescence imaging. The DS-Qi1 represents Nikon's new flagship camera in the DS camera lineup. The camera is a monochrome CCD designed specifically for fluorescence applications and features a 1.3-megapixel CCD that accurately captures microstructures at a high resolution of 1280x1024 pixels. The camera accelerates frame rates beyond previous models and improves resolution, expands dynamic range, and reduces noise by using Nikon's proprietary imaging technology. (read more...)
Hitachi's world first hybrid DVD/HDD camcorder
December 4, 2006 After inventing the DVD camcorder in 1999, Hitachi have another world first under their belt with the release of their hybrid DVD/HDD camcorders. Their catch cry is "Shoot for hours, edit in minutes, share in seconds" and unlike some Franken-gadgets that tack on functionality without rhyme or reason, the multiple storage mediums included here make infinite sense - utilising the upsides, and negating the downsides of devices that use one or the other. (read more...)
Drive-through Cargo and Vehicle Screening System
November 28, 2006 We’re all familiar with the x-ray machines encountered in airports, but it may be of interest to see the scale such machines are being developed on, and the sophistication now available for contraband detection in vehicles. American Science and Engineering’s newly-announced second generation Z Portal, is a high-throughput, drive-through cargo and vehicle screening system with multi-view Z Backscatter imaging to detect stowaways, explosives, and other contraband. The Z Portal produces images from three sides of the object under examination — for left, right, and top-down screening of the cargo. (read more...)
Sensor Recognizes Format Of Digital Image
November 28, 2006 Seimens has developed a tiny new opto-mechanical sensor that recognizes if it is tilted vertically or horizontally. As a result, a digital camera fitted with this sensor could, for example, “know” if a picture is being taken in portrait or landscape format. When equipped with the appropriate software, the camera would immediately store the images with the correct orientation so that the user would not need to tilt his or her camera to view the pictures. In addition, users would no longer have to spend lots of time rotating images on the monitor after the pictures have been transferred to the computer. The new orientation sensor was developed by the Siemens subsidiary Osram Opto Semiconductors, which recently presented it at the Electronica trade fair in Munich. The sensor is especially designed for use in mobile devices such as cell phones, MP3 players and digital cameras. This may not seem like a big deal for everybody, but we only have a certain number of minutes on the planet, and every minute wasted turning a pic around the right way is another experience you miss out on. (read more...)
The Digital Security Guard detects uninvited guests
November 15, 2006 Siemens has developed a video surveillance system known as Sistore that automatically identifies intruders and tracks them via cameras. As the research magazine Pictures of the Future reports in its latest issue, Sistore CX EDS digitizes the images recorded by video cameras in real-time, and then uses a special algorithm to search them for suspicious movements. If it discovers an intruder, the system from Siemens Building Technologies will then trigger an alarm in the security control center, and automatically begin tracking the person in question with other available cameras. (read more...)
The VuPOD Real Estate Immersion Room
November 13, 2006 Anyone who has ever spent the weekend driving in endless circles attending “open for inspection” realty will understand the appeal of the newly announced VuPOD Real Estate immersion room. With the VuPOD immersion room, home shoppers are “surrounded by a 360-degree image projected on the walls around them”, so they can quickly view numerous prospective homes and sort out those worth actually visiting, cutting out all the travel time. Announced this week, the VuPOD will be available for everyone to see some time next year but if it does what is claimed, it will be a fantastic tool for the cash-rich-time poor home buyer and a killer app for those realtors who invest in the technology. The publicity claims it is “nothing like the virtual tours on the market today” and it wouldn’t want to be because in the main, they don’t have sufficient resolution/detail to do the job. The success of this project will depend on the quality of the VR and the playback device and the price (to the realtor) and maybe, just maybe, they’ll get the price/convenience factor just right and have a massive hit. We must admit to being quite bullish about the prospects of this one, because although we think that using a Trimersion HMD or almost any other HMD with something like the VirtuSphere would offer a more realistic immersive environment, the system appears to use eight hi-res rear projectors to achieve its realism and could be very good indeed - see image library. Similarly, we’re prepared to suspend disbelief despite some of the the claims having a distinctly over-the-top-salesspeak ring to them, such as VuPOD Co-Inventor Sean Lee’s statement, “Buyers can literally be teleported to prospective properties.” Unless there’s been a significant breakthrough we’re not aware of, that’s err … not true. (read more...)
Now a GorillaPod for zoom lens SLRs
November 8, 2006 The world’s most influential gadget media has been raving about the Joby since it was released early this year, and now comes the news that the serious photographers amongst us have been waiting for. Firstly, the GorillaPod is a mini-tripod with flexible legs designed to grip, twist and bend around anything handy – railings, rocks, branches, poles etcetera. The ball-and-socket joints rotate 360 degrees and it is a very handy addition to a full-size tripod, can do lots of things that said traditional tripod cannot do, and being light and small, almost completely replaces said tripod with much less hassle. Then came the Gorillapod SLR – same as the original tripod except it could hold the extra weight of a full SLR camera. Now comes the announcement that counts - the Gorillapod SLR Zoom can handle all of the above plus a zoom lens - 3 kilograms in total weight - all pointed in exactly the right direction whilst weighing in at a diminutive 241 grams (8.5 oz). (read more...)
Canon’s PIXMA MP960 – copier, scanner and seven ink tanks for lab-quality photo prints
October 27, 2006 It’s not all that long ago that printing colour photography in the home required a dedicated room with a truckload of gear and chemicals – clearly the domain of the well-heeled prosumer. We had cause to reflect just how far things had come in the last decade when we saw Canon’s new flagship PIXMA MP960 Photo All-In-One – it prints seven colours (six colours for lab-quality photos and one pigment black for razor sharp documents) at 9600dpi and can print a borderless 4 x 6-inch photo lab quality photo in roughly 35 seconds. But wait, there’s more – it also offers copier and scanning capabilities. Not only does it scan flat sheets at 4800 dpi, it comes with a Film Adaptor Unit that scans up to 12 negatives and eight mounted slides at a time and it also prints on CD/DVDs. As a copier it can copy 30 b/w pages per minute and 22 pages per minute in four, whoops, seven colours. Use it with a Canon digital SLR, and you get what they call the Canon-to-Canon Direct Advantage and print directly from the camera to the printer without the need for a PC. It’ll even print a contact sheet with up to 35 images all directly from the camera controls without a PC. The price? US$400 (read more...)
Photo synchronisation across all platforms
October 17, 2006 One of the problems of having several different digital devices is the hassle of backing up, sharing, accessing and synching digital content when there are several different repositories. It was bad enough with contact lists and regular work files to start with but the number of digital images entering our lives in several different ways is making it even harder. One of the more interesting new software announcements of recent times was synchronization specialist Sharpcast’s new way to back up, share, access and sync digital photos. Sharpcast Photos includes free desktop photo software that works automatically with the web to perform all of the tedious tasks associated with digital photo management all on its own. (read more...)
Simple, pocket-sized US$130 digital camcorder
October 17, 2006 A sure sign that user-generated video content and sharing on the Internet is headed for serious mainstream status is the news that a US$130 Digital Point & Shoot Camcorder will become available in the first week of November at retailers nationwide for just. Through the company's new relationships with Google Video and Grouper Networks, the Pure Digital Point & Shoot Camcorder will sharing home videos online to a new level of simplicity and convenience for the user. The camcorder has built-in software that enables users to connect directly to video sharing web sites, paving the way for everyone from moms to teens to share video easily - privately or publicly - on this popular new breed of sites. (read more...)
Roundshot D3 produces 470 Megapixel 360 degree Panoramic images
October 11, 2006 Swiss company Seitz Phototechnik is pushing the boundaries of digital photography with its new D3 scan technology, making it possible to create a digital 360° panorama in only two seconds and with very high image quality. The new rotating Roundshot D3 digital camera with its D3 digital back is equipped with a high-speed scanning sensor developed specifically for photography. The D3 scan back reads at 300 MB per second, more than 100x faster than existing scan backs. This results in a very broad ISO/ASA range (equivalent) of 500 to 10,000, which makes this camera the perfect instrument for virtually all light situations. Combined with the vertical resolution of 7,500 pixels, an 80mm medium format lens creates, for example, a total image resolution of 470 million pixels – uncompressed, each such image would be 2.7GB. Or you can go even further by shifting the scan back by a total of 50mm and achieve a vertical resolution of 13,500 pixels (110mm) using distortion-free stitching. Combining the resolution, speed and sensitivity, it is possible, for the first time, to create lively digital images that are a pleasure for the eye of the professional. No limits for high definition photography! Medium or large format lenses from Schneider, Rodenstock, Hasselblad and Pentax 67 can be used with the new camera and in keeping with the bigger-is-better theme, the colour screen is the biggest known to photography at 640x480 pixels and allows perfect preview, editing, zooming and image control. (read more...)
Sony's HVR-V1U HDV Pro Camcorder, 1080 Filmmakers Ogle Its 24p-ness
September 22, 2006 Sony's HVR-V1U HDV camcorder was shown at a special event in New York earlier this week and reviewers are suggesting it will immediately be devoured by mid-level video production pros and filmmakers. This is the higher-end, CMOS-totin' big brother to Sony's HDR-FX7 with the 24p frame rate coveted by filmmakers because it's the same rate that film has used for decades. It gives footage that sought-after, special look, and now it's available in a 1080p resolution. There’s an optional hard disk that attaches where the shotgun mic usually resides. Sony calls this a "hybrid recording system," where you can shoot your master and archive at the same time. Full story here. (read more...)
World’s longest telephoto lens – 1700mm f/4
September 14, 2006 One of the displays worth visiting at Photokina when it opens in Cologne on September 26 will be the Carl Zeiss stand where the optical specialist will be showing the world’s largest telephoto lens. Developed for long distance wildlife photography, the supertele lens is purpose-built for the Hasselblad 203 FE and provides 21x magnification. At 1700 mm focal length and a speed of f/4 this lens put requirements on optical glas, lens assembly and quality assurance methods, never before encountered in photo lens manufacture. Hand-holding the lens is not an option, no matter how big you are – it weighs in at 256 kg and required Carl Zeiss to develop totally new ways of operating a telephoto lens, including servo controlled aiming and focusing. (read more...)
Panoptic C-Thru 3D Video Surveillance System
August 31, 2006 Panoptic’s proposed C-Thru 3D Video Surveillance System could be loosely described as a formalised, scalable implementation of Superman’s X-ray vision. The system enables one or more surveillance agents, using a single high resolution, auto-stereoscopic display, to remotely monitor the security situation of an arbitrarily large number of locations at-a-glance. Agents can see, hear and transport their focused viewpoint through walls, floors and ceilings, zooming into a specific location to monitor it at a level so acute that it seems beyond the levels of even science fiction. Designed to enable both wholistic site-wide and granular-level security, the system is ideal for monitoring airports, shipping ports, transit sites and other ports-of-entry, hotels, casinos, shopping malls, campuses, military bases, large buildings and building complexes, offering total situational awareness at a glance. (read more...)
Canon to replace EOS350D with new 10.1 MPX EOS400D
August 25, 2006 It was only a matter of time before Canon refreshed its best selling 8 MPX EOS350D thanks to the recent announcements of Sony’s 10.2 MPX Alpha A100 and Nikon’s 10.2 MPX D80 and so it came to pass that yesterday it announced the new EOS 400D complete with 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, simpler operation and a Self Cleaning Sensor Unit. The 400D will be available in both black and silver in early September, with different bundles available in different markets. In the UK, it will be sold for UKP650, about UKP40 more than the 350D it replaces, and will also be available bundled with an 18-55mm lens for UKP720. All the details of the new 400D currently known are available here and there’s an excellent hands-on overview of the 400 here. (read more...)
FinePix S9100 faux dSLR
August 25, 2006 Fujifilm has announced the successor to the FinePix S9000 in the form of the FinePix S9100. Looking for all the world like an dSLR (it’s not), it will nonetheless compete with entry level dSLRs when it ships in September, based on its US$599 price, 10.7x (equivalent 28mm – 300mm) Fujinon optical zoom lens, 9.0 MPX CCD sensor and high light sensitivities (ISO 80-1600). (read more...)
Samsung 3 inch VGA LCD screen to improve digital camera display
August 14, 2006 Samsung, the world's largest provider of thin-film transistor, liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels, has announced that it has developed the first three-inch LCD panel with VGA (640 x 480 pixels) resolution that directly meets industry interface standards for digital still cameras. The new LCD panel will make viewing digital pictures distinctly more impressive on camera screens, personal multi-media players and other products requiring high-image resolution and low-power consumption. Samsung will exhibit the new device at IMID 2006, which opens on August 23. (read more...)
Nikon's new 10.2 MPX D80 Digital SLR to sell for US$1000
August 10, 2006 The digital prosumer camera market went from red hot to white hot yesterday when Nikon announced the 10.2-megapixel D80, a replacement for its 6.1-megapixel D70s. The D80 will represent remarkable value when it hits shelves next month for an estimated selling price of US$1000 for the body only and US$1300 for the body and an 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S IF-ED DX Nikkor Lens. Many of its features have been taken straight from professional cameras in the Nikon range, with many of the attributes of the D200at half the price. It can shoot at speeds of up to 3 frames per second, for up to 100 consecutive shots (in JPEG Normal mode), powers up in only 0.18 seconds and captures a picture with an imperceptible shutter lag time of just 80 milliseconds (0.08 seconds). A new 11-area auto- focus system (from the D200) detects focus with superb precision and can even track a moving subject across the frame, shifting focus instantly and automatically to any of the 11 auto-focus points that detect the subject. (read more...)
New FinePix S3 Pro UVIR Digital SLR photographs in the Ultraviolet and Infrared Spectrums
August 10, 2006 Fujifilm has broken new ground by releasing a digital SLR camera capable of taking photographs in the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light spectrums. The FinePix S3 Pro UVIR has been designed for use in the science, medical and fine art disciplines, with its most intriguing applications coming in the field of law enforcement investigation. Law enforcement agencies have used UV and IR photography for years to uncover evidence not easily seen by the human eye, such as gun shot residue and blood stains, as well as to recover altered, burned or obliterated writing. IR photography is also used in nighttime surveillance. The FinePix S3 Pro UVIR will also attract a lot of interest from the technical-scientific community, plus fine arts, portrait, and wedding photographers. Legendary photographers such as Minor White and Ansel Adams brought IR imaging into the art world with their stunning American landscapes, and used IR as a way of creating unique and beautiful images that set them apart from others in their field. Many of today's top portrait and wedding photographers have made IR photography an essential part of the services they offer to their clients. Priced at US$1800, Fujifilm's FinePix S3 Pro UVIR will be available beginning September 2006. (read more...)
Kodak announces 5X Zoom Easyshare C875 Digital Camera
August 8, 2006 The compact digital camera market continues to heat up with the announcement that KODAK will bring a new Easyshare C875 Zoom Digital Camera to market later this month. Though it doesn’t quite match the 10x optical zoom of the US$350 Panasonic DMC-TZ1S, it does come with a 5X all glass SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH optical zoom lens and spits out 8.0 MPX images (compared to the Panasonic’s 5MPX), not to mention all that really easy-to-use Kodak EasyShare functionality. Official US and UK pricing hasn’t been announced yet but the Australian price has been officially announced at AUD$399, which brings it in at a tad over US$300, making it highly competitive. (read more...)
Day/Night Internet camera servers offer 24-Hour surveillance for SMEs
August 7, 2006 Video surveillance was once a costly business and solely the domain of robust, well-funded businesses but the march of progress continues to lower costs of almost everything dealing in zeroes and ones and we recently marvelled at the US$300 wireless Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) IP camera from Linksys. Now TRENDnet has unveiled the US$400 wired (TV-IP301) and US$500 wireless (TV-IP301W) Advanced Day/Night Internet Camera Servers. Equipped with an infrared (IR) lens and built-in microphone, the new products facilitate remote security monitoring 24 hours a day for small businesses via the Internet. (read more...)
X-Loupe turns your Canon IXUS into a digital microscope
August 6, 2006 We love technologies that enable new techniques, help lots of people and generally add massive value while costing very little, and you can tick all those boxes for the X-Loupe. The X-Loupe is an attachment for Canon IXUS compact cameras that transforms the camera into a 150X handheld, lightweight, digital microscopic capable of 5MPX photography. The X-Loupe weighs only 300 grams, works in still or video mode, comes with its own dimmable LED lens ring so that you can illuminate your subject perfectly, has a Japanese-made Lithium Ion battery that’s good for four hours or 150 shots and has all the preview, TV-connectivity of the IXUS. Accordingly, we can think of hundreds of applications where the X-Loupe can be used - education, medical, documenting medical conditions, industrial process, quality control, archaeology, authentication, research ad infinitum. Sold as a bundle on-line, the Canon IXUS 65 camera and X-Loupe PRO comes with three lens (60X, 100X and 150X) for US$1849 retail and the company is seeking international distributors. Extensive image library. (read more...)
Autonomous miniature smart lens mimics human eye
August 5, 2006 Scientists at UW-Madison have developed a “smart” miniature man-made lens that can alter its shape and focal length in much the same way as the eye of an insect. There are no mechanical or electrical components in the liquid microlenses which incorporate hydrogels that respond to physical, chemical or biological stimuli and actuate lens function akin to the way muscles control the eye. The lens is a breakthrough and could lead to low cost microsystems for many applications. (read more...)
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