iriver's Framee-M digiframe: only tolerable for Mickey enthusiasts

Man, it's amazing the difference a single letter makes. Take the Framee-L, for example -- a stately, classically styled digital photo frame that would do practically any coffee table proud. Now have a gander at the almost frightening Framee-M (above). iriver has evidently coerced Disney to afford it the luxury of producing this here digiframe, which -- sad to say -- looks downright shoddy from here. The unit will be made available in both Mickey and Minnie flavors, with each housing 1GB of internal storage space, a 3.5-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, SDHC expansion slot, a built-in clock and a multimedia player for good measure. It's taking Japan by storm as we speak for ?9,999 ($111).
[Via: DAPReview ] [Tag: digiframe, digital photo frame, DigitalPhotoFrame, Disney, Framee-M, iriver, Japan, photo frame, PhotoFrame ]

Canon EOS 5D Mark II review roundup

This one's been a long time coming, but we wanted to make absolutely sure you had quite enough reading material to make the most informed decision on this incredibly expensive (albeit quite valuable, as you'll soon find out) DSLR. Reviews the web over shout practically the same thing: the EOS 5D Mark II is astounding. In most every important area, the device simply excelled. Image quality was remarkable, the 1080p video capture was stellar (though the lack of Auto Focus was a legitimate knock against it) and low-light performance was simply awesome. Hailed as a respectable upgrade from the original 5D, it was found to strike "a great balance between resolution, quality and performance," and most outlets found it worthwhile even if you're not interested in capturing video. Frankly, we can't even begin to scratch the surface of all the nuances here, but we'll certainly point you in the right directions to get all the knowledge you need.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: 5d, 5D Mark II, 5dMarkIi, camera, canon, DSLR, EOS 5d Mark II, Eos5dMarkIi, review, review roundup, reviewed, ReviewRoundup ]

Canon acknowledges, doesn't fix black dot and band problems on 5D Mark II

It's been released, unboxed, and adored by many. But, like other eagerly anticipated bodies from Canon, the 5D Mark II hasn't been entirely trouble-free for the early adopters. The company is at least stepping forward and confirming that the new model's two most commonly reported problems do indeed exist -- but isn't going so far as to fix them just yet. The first issue is called the "Black dot" phenomenon, where bright point light sources (like streetlights at a distance) result in a grouping of dark pixels immediately to their right, as seen above. The second issue is ugly vertical banding, apparently appearing only in sRAW1 mode. Canon has no advice on the first problem, but says you can avoid the other one simply by not shooting in sRAW1. Surely millions of photogs are wondering why they didn't think of that.
[Via: Digital Photography Review ] [Tag: 5d mark ii, 5dMarkIi, banding, black dot, BlackDot, canon, canon eos 5d mark ii, CanonEos5dMarkIi, dslr, eos 5d mark ii, Eos5dMarkIi, mark ii, MarkIi, problem ]

Polaroid files for chapter 11 bankruptcy, again

Polaroid may have defeated Kodak in the instant camera business, but it can't beat a sagging economy. Polaroid (or Polaroid Corp to be precise) just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in 7 years. Of course, the new Polaroid Corporation is really just a holding company for the Polaroid name -- a brand that has been thoroughly diluted by its application to sub-standard TVs, vile portable DVD players, and gimmicky PoGo digital cameras. Polaroid says, "We expect to continue our operations as normal during the reorganization and are planning for new product launches in 2009." That a threat?

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: bankruptcy, chapter 11, Chapter11, polaroid ]

Pentax K2000 to come in Limited Edition black-and-white cookie style

Pentax's K2000's already gotten itself some... shall we say "glowing" reviews, but news that the DSLR will now come in a Limited Edition white is like icing on a super delicious cake. The camera will be exactly the same as its old-fangled black predecessor, and will come with custom white-and-black 18-55mm and 50-200mm lenses. Considering the real lack of color in the DSLR category, some people should be pretty stoked when it goes on sale in February. An exact price wasn't released, but the black K2000 runs about $800.
[Via: CNET ] [Tag: dslr, k2000, limited edition, LimitedEdition, pentax ]

Dell Inspiron Mini 12 gets more netbook-y with Ubuntu, XP options

Dell's Inspiron Mini 12 was already blurring the lines between netbooks and traditional laptop when it was shipping with Vista and Vista only, but it looks like Dell is intent on breaking down the walls between the two categories, with it now offering both Ubuntu and Windows XP on the, er... system. Expectedly, there's no changes to be found on the hardware side of things, and you can get either of the new operating systems installed on both the 1.33GHz and 1.6GHz models, the former of which now starts at $499 with Ubuntu pre-installed. And, yes, you can still get Vista if you like -- at no extra cost, no less.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: dell, dell mini 12, DellMini12, inspiron mini 12, InspironMini12, mini 12, Mini12, ubuntu, windows xp, WindowsXp, xp ]

Pine-scented ASUS F6V laptop gets unboxed, smelled

We're not ones to just abruptly stick our nostrils in someone's business, but we couldn't help but drift over when waltzing by PC Authority's most recent unboxing. The smell we caught was of pine, and given that it's a pine-scented ASUS F6V that's being unwrapped, we suppose that all adds up. On the real, testers took note of an "unmistakable wafting scent of a pine forest, floating on the summer breeze and carrying away their troubles" as they cracked the seal on the carefree machine. For those curious, the scent was far from overbearing, though it was strong enough to separate itself from, um, non-smelly alternatives. Sadly, critics also mentioned that the odor had "almost entirely disappeared" after it had sat out in the open for a few hours, and at last check, there's no way to recharge or refill these things. Ah well, pack a few Christmas Tree Air Fresheners™ and you'll never know the difference.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: ASUS, f6v, fragrance, FV6, odor, pine, scent, smell, unbox, unboxed ]

LightSpeed binoculars transmit video and audio via Infrared

It's not often that tremendous advancements are made in the realm of binoculars, but these LightSpeed specs are something special. Aimed primarily at military / surveillance uses, this device is able to transmit video and audio via Infrared, theoretically enabling rooftop spies on opposite buildings to communicate. Furthermore, this method of communication is undetectable and untraceable. No mention of just how expensive these are, but suffice it to say, you aren't apt to see these on shelves of Toys R Us and the like.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: binoculars, Infrared, Infrared LED, InfraredLed, LED, LightSpeed, military, spies, spy, Volfson ]

Sony's SR1 High Definition Cameras Can't Hack It In Microgravity [Cameras]

Matt, the guy who literally jigged his way around the world, discovered the hard way that space tourists will be unable to lug Sony SR1 HD cameras into orbit because microgravity won't let them. Poor Matt found out the hard way. After plunking down $3,500 for a ticket on a Zero G vomit comet plane ride, he tried to film his low gravity jig no less than 15 times before giving up. The brand new camera camera just would not record. Why? Well, it had nothing to do with the cameraman and everything to do with zero gravity (actually, microgravity). Because an object in microgravity is actually falling towards the Earth, the camera's hard drive drop-protection kept kicking in, rendering the expensive device useless. The solution was to buy another ticket and another HD camera, this time with a flash drive. The result is below at around the 3:50 mark (alternatively, you can head to YouTube and watch the entire video again in HD—it's better that way).
Now, obviously, NASA astronauts and probes have HD cameras that work just fine in orbit around the Earth and elsewhere in the solar system, so this little anecdote is meant more for the uber rich space tourists. Leave your non-flash camera rigs at home. [Pogue]


[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ] [Tag: ]

Kairen's DF24B: the tiny digital frame for your tiny digital photos

If you're the sort who laughs at those DSLR-lugging amateurs, deriding their attempts to stay current as the megapixel wars rage on, this may be the digital photo frame for you. It's called the DF24B from Kairen, and is the perfect way to show off those crummy, pixelated shots accumulating on your flip-phone with its vertically-oriented (like most mobile pics) 2.4-inch, 320 x 240 LCD and 2MB of internal storage. Yes, that's megabytes, enough to store 27 thoroughly compressed images according to the manufacturer. Why it has any storage at all is a bit of a mystery, though, since the thing requires a USB connection for power, meaning it might as well just suck those photos straight from your hard drive (unless you're rocking a dedicated USB charger). No formal price has been set, but it's expected to release this month for around ?6,800, or about $75. That puts it about $5 shy of MIMO's 7-inch mini-display, which is a much smarter buy -- unless you're afraid to blow those pics up any larger.
[Via: Impress ] [Tag: DF24B, digital photo frame, DigitalPhotoFrame, frame, kairen, kairen df24b, KairenDf24b, mini frame, MiniFrame, photo frame, PhotoFrame, usb ]

Scallop Imaging wide-angle security cams look to the sea for inspiration

We're not too sure what's up with New England-based institutions and inspiration from the depths, but the two seem to have some kind of intrinsic connection. The latest company to prove such a wacky assertion true is Boston's own Scallop Imaging, a Tenebraex subsidiary that has developed a "low-cost" security camera that sees 180 degrees of view without fisheye distortion or the lag present in pan-and-tilt alternatives. Additionally, the multi-eyed cam automatically stitches and downsamples images, and can capture a new 7-megapixel still to transmit over Ethernet "every second or two." It's small enough to be placed into a light socket-sized hole, and it's powered by the same Ethernet cable that links it into a building's surveillance system. Of course, the fun won't stop there, as the outfit is already looking at automotive applications of the Digital Window, including "distortion-free backup cameras for the rear ends" of vehicles.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: boston, cctv, Digital Window, DigitalWindow, Imaging, Scallop, Scallop Imaging, ScallopImaging, security, security camera, security cameras, SecurityCamera, SecurityCameras, sensor, sensors, surveillance, Tenebraex ]

JVC's new Everio camcorders feature HDD and microSDHC recording, YouTube

It looks like JVC has added a pair of dual hard drive / microSDHC cameras to its Everio lineup. Currently available in Japan, both the GZ-MG840 (60GB) and GZ-MG860 (120GB) count among their features 720 x 480 wide format image capture, 42x optical zoom, image stabilization and the seemingly ubiquitous YouTube mode. Shooting at DVD quality, the 120GB model can hold over 28 hours of MPEG-2 footage, or just shy of 2 hours on an 8GB microSDHC card. Available in blue, red, or silver, the cameras are not yet slated for Stateside release, but the GZ-MG880 has been seen going for ?75,000 ($816), while the GZ-MG840 can be yours for about ?70,000 ($761).

[Via: Electronista ] [Tag: camcorder, gz-mg840, gz-mg880, jvc, JVC GZ-MG840, JVC GZ-MG880, JvcGz-mg840, JvcGz-mg880, microsdhc ]

Olympus Mju Tough cameras are tougher, mjuier

If you need a pocketable digi-cam that works in all the extremes you do -- from the aquatic expanse of water jogging class to the frigid wastelands at the ski lodge's heated terrace -- you traditionally haven't had many choices. Olympus is the biggest player with its SW series of non-flimsy Mju cameras (µ if you dig special chars), and is now extending and re-branding that line to reinforce its durable nature, completely dropping "SW" and instead going for the rather more apt label of "Tough," as in Mju Tough and Stylus Tough (monikers already applied to the lineup elsewhere on this hostile planet). The series will include options at varying levels of durability, with the lightweight ones handling shock and submersion, and the more hardcore models adding the ability to work in freezing temperatures and survive some crushing action. They sound perfect for capturing your next expedition to the park on a cold, rainy day, but sadly there's no mention of improving the one aspect that's been lacking in these cameras: picture quality. We'll see how well they fare in that department when the new models drop in January.
[Via: PhotographyBLOG ] [Tag: mju, olympus, olympus mju, olympus sw, olympus tough, OlympusMju, OlympusSw, OlympusTough, sw, tough ]

Nexto ND-2725 video backup: has Sean Penn met his match?

It looks like NextoDI is back with another storage device aimed at the hot-to-trot paparazzi set. Like the last offering we saw from the company, the ND-2725 sports a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive (up to 200GB) and supports just about every other memory card out there. Additionally, data can be backed up via USB and FireWire, including SxS and P2 cards from Sony and Panasonic camcorders, respectively. The company bills this guy as the "world's fastest backup device," and while we wonder about that, at a max speed of 32MB/s, it's certainly no slouch. Besides, you can't put a premium on data integrity -- you wouldn't want a loused backup to come between you and all those National Enquirer greenbacks, would you?
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: esata, image storage, ImageStorage, nd-2725, nexto, nexto nd-2725, nextodi, NextoNd-2725, sata, storage, video storage, VideoStorage ]

JingPeng E1181 shoddyphone harbors totally excellent detachable spy camera

We don't want to judge a book by its cover, but JingPeng's China-bound E1181 doesn't really scream quality. Still, there's some pretty great stuff here, like a 3-inch stylus-based touchscreen, number buttons, and an incredibly great detachable wireless digital camera. The 2 megapixel spy cam can transmit a continuous stream of images to the phone over some unspecified RF technology from up to 30 feet away, and hooks back into the phone for charging. Espionage opportunities abound, and we think it goes without saying that we want every single phone on earth to harbor such detachable wonderment.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: detachable camera, DetachableCamera, e1181, jingpeng, spy, spy camera, SpyCamera, wireless camera, WirelessCamera ]

eStarling's ImpactV digiframe does video, WiFi, handstands

It usually takes a lot to get us stoked on a digiframe -- after all, there are so many, and they all pretty much do the exact same thing. That said, the new ImpactV from eStarling doesn't seem so shabby. Of course, we've seen some of these features on prior models (such as an 8-inch display, WiFi, the ability to email pictures to the frame, photo scheduling, and RSS feeds), but DVD quality video playback (up to 4 minutes), a custom iPhone app, Photobucket and YouTube search, and Facebook support are all very interesting. Retailing for $199, the PR we received may be stretching things a bit when they call it "an exciting evolution in furniture," but that's OK. They've probably never seen the RoboStool.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: digiframe, digital photo frame, digital picture frame, DigitalPhotoFrame, DigitalPictureFrame, estarling, furniture, ImpactV, wifi, wifi frame, WifiFrame ]

Adapter weds Leica lenses to Micro Four Thirds cameras -- for real, Heidi

The German outfit Novoflex has just announced an adapter that will allow you to mount Leica lenses onto your Micro Four Thirds system cameras. Due out this month at €149 (about $193), the mount is one in a planned series, with adapters for Leica R, Nikon, Contax / Yashica, Olympus OM, Pentax and Minolta MD lenses expected in February. Of course, the only MFT camera out there is Panasonic's Lumix G1, but with a new Olympus on the horizon and more sure to follow, this is certainly good news for all of you budget-conscious photographers out there.
[Via: Wired ] [Tag: Contax, Leica, Lumix G1, LumixG1, micro four thirds, MicroFourThirds, Minolta, nikon, Novoflex, Olympus, yashica ]

Blurry pics of T-Mobile branded Samsung "Memoir" cameraphone emerge

We love nothing better than a good blurry photo around here to add a little dose of vague confusion to the rumor mill. These two artistically hazy snaps are purported to be of a US-bound T-Mobile Samsung Behold-style phone with an 8-megapixel camera. Tmo News is also reporting that it's going to run on Touchwiz, the same UI as the Behold, and that it's called the Memoir. We don't have any other details for now, but we'll let you know as soon as we see a fuzzy scan of a semi-redacted press release.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: 8 megapixel, 8Megapixel, behold, cameraphone, leak, leaked photos, LeakedPhotos, memoir, rumor, samsung, tmobile ]

Hands-on shots of Creative's Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder

Creative's recently unleashed Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder isn't dramatically different (design wise, anyway) than its predecessor, but it's obviously what's tucked inside that counts. Still, we have to admire the subtle but meaningful updates that Creative has applied here, and while beauty will strike everyone differently, we personally like the direction the Vado HD has taken. For a few more looks, saunter on down to the read link.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: 720p, 720p camcorder, 720pCamcorder, camcorder, creative, flip, flip video, FlipVideo, hands-on, pocket camcorder, PocketCamcorder, vado, vado hd, VadoHd ]

Nikon D3x DSLR preview roundup

You've heard the rumours and the tales of hacked firmware, and you've seen the glamor shots -- and now that the Nikon D3x has hit the streets, we've got some significant previewage for you to check out. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive -- as you would expect from a 24.5-megapixel, $8,000 camera. Trusted Reviews was impressed not only by the quality of the pictures and the bright, clear viewfinder, but by the overall build of the camera as well, stating that it felt "extremely well-balanced in the hand even with heavy lenses. And ... the D3x's controls were surprisingly easy to operate and use, with everything laid out very intuitively." CNET pointed out that the camera "shares similar dimensions with its sibling, the D3, so this means accessories produced for the latter can be used on the new camera." One omission that the review pointed out was the Nikon's inability to capture 1080p full HD video, making Canon's EOS 5D Mark II your only option if that's what you're after. But don't take our word for it -- check out the reviews below for more info.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: d3x, dslr, nikon, nikon d3x, NikonD3x, review, review roundup, ReviewRoundup, roundup ]

Leica introducing special edition M8.2, D-Lux 4, C-Lux 3 cameras

It's just been a few months since Leica rolled out its standard issue M8.2, D-Lux 4, and C-Lux 3 digital cameras, but it looks like the company is already set to enter the special edition fray, with new, somewhat "limited" versions of each apparently set to roll out over the next few weeks. That includes two special edition versions of the M8.2, one with a Hammertone finish and one with a "green safari" finish, as well as a limited titanium edition of the D-Lux 4 that also comes with a presumably pricey leather case (it'll run $1,400). Slightly less limited is the Zadig & Voltaire-designed C-Lux 3 pictured at right, which is apparently the first of the lot to become available and, at just €670 (or just under $850), one of the cheapest.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: c-lux 3, C-lux3, d-lux 4, D-lux4, leica, m8.2 ]

Nikon's geotagging GP-1 dongle now available

When we asked how you'd change Nikon's 720p-recording D90 DSLR, many of you globe-trotting photogs let out wistful sighs, gazed at the brightest star, and wished with all your might for automatic geotagging of photos. like some trickster genie, Nikon is granting your wishes, but we're not sure the GP-1 GPS add-on is exactly what you had in mind. It slots into the hot-shoe on most cameras (clipping onto the strap for a few) and uses an unwieldy looking cable to connect to the body of your D200, D3, D700, D90, D300, or D3X. We can't say that we're particularly fond of the device's means of indicating status, either: red blinky light = no satellites; green blinky = three satellites; green solid = four satellites or more. C'mon Nikon, for $240 you couldn't integrate that cable into a hand strap and put more than two LEDs up in there?

[Via: Gadget Lab ] [Tag: d200, d3, d300, d3x, d700, d90, geotagging, gp-1, gps, nikon, nikon gp-1, nikon gps, NikonGp-1, NikonGps ]

Nikon's D3X DSLR hits the scene in official fashion

After a quick outting in its own mag, Nikon has gone and gotten all officially official on the D3X. The big boy DSLR sports a bone-crushing 24.5-megapixel CMOS FX format sensor, full resolution shooting at 5 FPS, ISO from 100-1600 (expandable to 50-6400), TIFF, JPEG or NEF (RAW) file formats up to 138MB, and a newly updated EXPEED image processing system. The top-tier digicam won't come super cheap, hitting shelves at $7,999.95 -- but if you need something like this, money probably isn't much of an issue. The camera goes on sale this December, so you might want to get the piggy banks out. Check the gallery below for a full look at the magic. [Via: Engadget ] [Tag: breaking news, BreakingNews, d3x, dslr, nikon ]

3 photo sharing sites for your new shutterbug - Holiday Gift Guide

If you know someone on your gift list is getting a camera or is a new shutterbug, you might want to consider getting them a "pro" photo sharing account where they can upload all their new photos. This is a nice gift for several reasons: 1. A pro account is a must have since most free accounts have a storage limit that the average photographer will easily exceed. 2. Pro accounts are ad free. 3. Pro accounts have more features and allow the upload of larger file sizes. 4. As the giver of the account, it stands to reason you might be given access to your shutterbug's photostream, although, it's equally possible you might not.
Here are my top picks for investing in a pro account. (Many thanks to our readers for enthusiastically recommending Smugmug).
Flickr - $24.95 per year. And they make it super easy to gift.

• Unlimited photo uploads (20MB per photo).
• Unlimited video uploads (90 seconds max).
• Unlimited storage.
• Unlimited bandwidth.
• Unlimited photosets.
• Archiving of high-resolution original images.
• The ability to replace a photo.
• Post any of your photos or videos in up to 60 group pools.

Photobucket - $39.95 per year

• Up to 10 GB of space for images and video clips.
• Unmetered bandwidth
• High resolution images – Up to 5MB or 2240 x 1680 pixels per image.
• Up to 10 minutes video play length.
• Custom URLs for up to 100 albums.
• Up to 100 images per slideshow.
• SWF file support.

Smugmug - plans start at $39.95

• Unlimited storage.
• Unlimited bandwidth.
• Choose themes.
• Display geotagged photos on google Maps.
• Ability to moderate, enable or disable comments.
• Galleries that auto size to fit any display.
• Friends and family editing.
• Disable downloading, viewing larger sizes.
• Make selected photos/galleries private.

A word of caution if you are considering a photo sharing account for a child - get the child's parents' approval first. Although there are privacy controls at most services, many parents are understandably cautious about their kids uploading and sharing photos online.
[Via: Download Squad ] [Tag: flickr, hgg, photo sharing, photobucket, PhotoSharing, pro account features flickr, pro account features photobucket, pro account features smugbug, ProAccountFeaturesFlickr, ProAccountFeaturesPhotobucket, ProAccountFeaturesSmugbug, smugbug, smugmug ]

Nikon outs D3x in own Pro magazine

Uh, oops. Sorry Nikon but your D3x is now even less of a mystery. According to your own Pro magazine, the D3x will sport an FX-format, 24.5 megapixel sensor shooting 5fps at full resolution or 7fps at a reduced 10 megapixels. Nikon made a few other tweaks including an extended ISO 50-6400 range but the body design, AF, metering, and main functions remain the same as the D3. The only thing we need now is a price and confirmed release date. Back to you Nikon. One more shot detailing the features after the break, full details beyond the read link.

[Via: dpreview forums ] [Tag: breaking news, BreakingNews, d3x, fx, nikon ]

Creative's $200 Vado HD pocket camcorder ready for pre-order

We've seen these Amazon "leaks" time and again. So while the December 7th date for the Vado HD might be an educated guess, the details including that $200 price tag certainly look real enough. The display still measures 2-inches, but the beefier 3.3 x 7.9 x 6.3-inch solid state camcorder now brings 8GB of storage for up to 2 hours of 720p MPEG-4 recordings -- 8 hours at VGA quality. It also ships with an HDMI cable for instant playback to your like-equipped television. Otherwise, slot the cam into your PC's (XP and Vista, only) USB port to instantly share your works to YouTube and others with the help of the cam's built-in Vado Central Software. With this, the Kodak Zi6, and Flip Mino HD, there certainly won't be any shortage of pocket HD cameras of suspect-tweener quality to choose from this holiday season.
[Via: epiZENter ] [Tag: amazon, camcorder, creative, pocket camcorder, PocketCamcorder, vado hd, VadoHd ]

Canon EOS 5D Mark II spotted for sale in the wilds of Shanghai

It looks like that hint at a release date we got earlier this summer turned out to be right -- well, within a few weeks anyway. It's November and Canon's new 21 megapixel shooter, the EOS 5D Mark II, is now available. But, for the moment at least, it looks like you need to be a resident of China to pick up one for the local equivalent of $2,900 for the kit minus the lens (no word on what the full kit's going for). The picture above was taken at a Shanghai retailer, and while this particular hand model might prefer that you consider the A900 instead, those of you with duffels full of Canon glass would be well advised to get those credit card balances raised; this hot DSLR is sure to be dropping elsewhere in the world within the next few weeks.
[Via: 1001 Noisy Cameras ] [Tag: canon, canon eos 5d mark ii, canon eos 5d mkii, CanonEos5dMarkIi, CanonEos5dMkii, dslr, eos 5d markii, eos 5d mkii, Eos5dMarkii, Eos5dMkii, in the wild, InTheWild, slr ]

Aptina producing cellphone image sensor that shoots HD video

It sounds like your camera phone's video capabilities may get exponentially more awesome in the near future. Aptina -- a division of Micron that manufactures one out of every three sensors for mobile phone cameras -- has announced the high resolution 5 megapixel MT9P013. There are better sensors out there already, but this one will also be able to record 720p HD video at 60 frames per second, and 5-megapixel video at 15fps. The sensor is going into production in January of 2009, according to Aptina, so it shouldn't be too long before we start seeing much better quality amateur films out there in the world.

[Via: SlashGear ] [Tag: aptina, camera, camera phone, camera phones, CameraPhone, cameraphones, mt9p013, sensor, sensors ]

Creative Vado HD pocket camcorder makes a few cameo appearances

Creative's Vado pocket cam hasn't been nearly as popular as the various Flips or the Kodak Zi6, but it looks like the company is taking another shot at it -- hot on the heels of the Flip Mino HD's introduction, we're seeing hints that a Vado HD is on the way as well. All we know so far is the S$299 (US$195) pricetag printed in Creative's Singapore holiday catalog, but the short HD videos posted by a user named "Vado" on Vimeo look nice enough. Check 'em after the break -- hopefully we'll find out more soon.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: creative, hd, pocket camcorder, PocketCamcorder, vado, vado hd, vado pocket video cam, VadoHd, VadoPocketVideoCam ]

Casio's EX-FH20 reviewed: perfect for YouTube slow-mo junkies, nobody else

The key to any good pseudo-educational show featuring demonstrations that typically result in explosions (i.e. Mythbusters) is super-duper slow-mo sequences that expand those fleeting instants of incredibly expensive pyrotechnical glory into multiple minutes of time wasted between commercial breaks. If you're looking to record your own similar antics, amateur-style, Casio's time-stretching shooter the EX-FH20 is for you, delivering decent image quality and a bevy of burst and slow-mo modes that will capture 7 megapixel stills at 40 fps and 1000 fps video at 224 x 56. However, if that sounds rather gimmicky to you, according to PhotographyBLOG's full review there's really nothing noteworthy about the machine which, at $600, is out-paced and under-cut by other, similar SLR-lite options like Canon's PowerShot SX10. 'Nuff said.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: casio, casio ex-fh20, casio fh20, CasioEx-fh20, CasioFh20, ex-fh20, reviewed, slow motion, slow-mo, SlowMotion ]

Skyla Memoir Digital Photo Frame Has In-Built Photo Scanner [Photo Frames]

Looks like digital photo frames are beginning to move from nice-to-haves to actually quite useful: Skyla's Memoir photo frame has an in-built 600dpi scanner so it'll digitize your hardcopy photo archive for you. It's got a 1GB memory, apparently good for about 200 4 x 6-inch prints (the maximum size the scanner can take). Plus it's a respectable 800 x 600-pixel 4:3 ratio screen, and has two USB ports so you can sync the frame to your PC and plug in flash drives and the like. Not too shabby at all for $220 when it comes out in December. [Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ] [Tag: ]

RED's Digital Still and Motion Camera System now official

After a morning of drip-fed images, RED just went official with its DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) System. The system starts with your choice of the professional Scarlet or "master professional" EPIC brains which can then be bunged into about 2,251,799,813,685,248 possible camera configurations, RED only half-jokingly chides. The brains are built upon Mysterium-X and Mysterium Monstro sensors which start at 2/3-inch and end at a whopping 6x17-cm -- when a new sensor comes out you just upgrade the brain. Scarlet will launch in 4 choices ranging from $2,500 (and possibly less) to $12,000 with a variety of lens mounts (yes, Canon and Nikon) capable of shooting 3K @120fps on up to 6K @30fps. Epic will offer similar mounts with capabilities spanning 5K @100fps ($28k) to 9K @50fps ($45k) -- a 28K system hitting 25fps is expected in 2010 for $55k. Still image resolutions will range from 4.9 megapixels to a freakish 261 megapixels. The first Scarlet systems could come as early as Spring of 2009 while EPIC should arrive by summer. Of course, the brain is just the beginning of the costs. RED also introduced a 3D camera today in true, "one more thing" fashion. See all the details in the gallery below, 3D camera after the break.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: breaking news, BreakingNews, dsmc, epic, monstro, mysterium, mysterium monstro, mysterium x, mysterium-x, MysteriumMonstro, MysteriumX, red, red digital cinema, RedDigitalCinema, scarlet ]

Official RED Scarlet and EPIC pics are sure to induce drool [Updated with OMG]

While the announcement isn't scheduled for another 7 hours and change, RED's Jim Jannard is whipping his fanbase into a frenzy with a steady stream of fragmented pictures. The one above looking every bit the 5D Mark II-killer we've been expecting. Jim's even dropping facts about Scarlet and EPIC being "completely modular and upgradeable in every way." What's more, he's offering hope to RED ONE owners who might feel cheated by today's introduction of Scarlet and EPIC. After all, he did promise to make "Obsolescence Obsolete" with his modular approach to camera building. So in addition to a TBD upgrade price for RED ONE owners to make the jump to a Mysterium-X sensor, owners will also have the option of trading in their cams for a $17,500 value towards the purchase of "any EPIC" (there's more than one?) or keep the RED ONE and receive a 12% credit on a Scarlet system. Nice... expensive, but nice. Check the gallery for all the images including one that looks like a telephoto lens for a RED DSLR.
P.S. Jim confirmed that, "Scarlet and RED EPIC are part of the same DSMC system." While you may not know what DSMC stands for, we're pretty sure that Canon and Nikon are well aware that DSMC means Digital Still & Motion Camera.
Update: Three-pound Scarlet and four-pound EPIC Mysterium-based "brains" capable of shooting 3K and 5K video, respectively, pictured after the break -- choose the brain then build a system around it. What look to be final (and complete!) product shots added to the gallery.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: breaking news, BreakingNews, epic, jim jannard, JimJannard, mysterium, mysterium x, mysterium-x, MysteriumX, red, red digital cinema, RedDigitalCinema, scarlet ]

Target gift card for the holidays multitasks as adorable digital camera

Okay, we don't know who came up with this idea, but we have to give them some credit for innovation, not to mention (in our opinion) some pretty attractive design sense. Yes, Target's new gift card gimmick this holiday season is that it doubles as a cute, disposable digital camera. The little device runs on two AAA batteries, has a self-timer, and is packaged with a USB cord, driver disc, instruction manual and a voucher for 40 free prints from Target. The camera itself is a 1.2-megapixel affair with 8MB of memory on-board, which means it can store about 50 images. Now, we know this just a ploy to get us to buy Target gift cards, but we're kind of smitten with this little thing. Oh, and: Bah! Humbug!
[Via: Coolest Gadgets ] [Tag: disposable, gift, gift card, gift ideas, GiftCard, GiftIdeas, gifts, target ]

Sigma acquires Feveon, maker of the X3 image sensor

Foveon (developer of the X3 image sensor for digital cameras) has just announced that they have been acquired by Sigma, the Tokyo-based camera and lens company. According to the press release, Foveon -- whose image sensors are already being used in Sigma's entire digital camera line -- will remain in San Jose, continuing to "evolve and improve the X3 sensor technology." Congratulations, you crazy kids! And best of luck to you. We mean it.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: camera, digital camera, DigitalCamera, dslr, foveon, foveon x3, FoveonX3, image sensor, ImageSensor, sigma, x3 ]

RED teases again with exposed ports

We've less than a week before RED announces something special on November 13th, but it's not letting you creep any closer to that magical day without two more teases (one after the break) beforehand. As it's already done on a number of occasions, RED's Jim Jannard has posted up a new duo of teasers of the purported DSMC (Digital Still & Motion Camera) DSLR, this time showing off a number of ports that you're surely anxious to slip your connectors into. Oh please, get your mind out of the gutter.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: camera, DSLR, DSMC, Epic, RED, Scarlet, tease, teaser, XLR ]

Mcor launches Matrix 3D printer, only asks for your paper and glue

We wouldn't go so far as to say that 3D printers are growing tired, but we are growing short on patience waiting for a commercial version that the average joe / jane can afford. Thankfully, Mcor is up to the challenge, recently delivering its Matrix to the UK and gearing up to bring it to other parts of the world in 2009. Put simply, this carving creature uses traditional A4 paper and PVA glue to create objects like the ones you see above. Throw in a nice, sharp blade and a little bit of computational prowess, and you've got yourself one wicked 3D printer with running costs "up to 40 times less" than competitors.
[Via: SlashGear ] [Tag: 3D, 3d printer, 3dPrinter, Matrix, Mcor, printer ]

Tomy xiao digital camera has built in Zink printer, the spirit of Polaroids

Like just about everyone else, we miss the Polaroid film format; maybe it's just nostalgia, but we enjoyed having something we could hold on to (and shake) after taking a picture. Polaroids may be dead, but the basic concept lives on -- remember Zink, that company whose technology prints digital photos on the spot without ink? It's joined forces with toy-maker Tomy to make the xiao TIP-521, a digital camera with a printer built in. The xiao has a modest five megapixel resolution, so we might wait and see how Polaroid's own Zink camera turns out, but in either case we're stoked the tactile experience is back.
[Via: Market Watch ] [Tag: digital camera, digitalcamera, polaroid, polaroids, portable printer, portableprinter, printer, to-521, tomy, xiao, xiao tip-521, xiaotip-521, zink, zink paper, zinkpaper ]

Canon announces XH A1S and XH G1S prosumer HD camcorders

Just in case the XL H1S and XL H1A weren't really your style, Canon's hoping to snag a fair chunk of your short-term savings with a new duo of prosumer HD camcorders. The HDV XH A1S and XH G1S both feature a 20x HD video lens, manual zoom / focus, three independent manual adjustment rings, an "unprecedented" range of image / color settings, 60i / 30F / 24F frame rate options, Instant AF focusing system, the DIGIC DV II proprietary digital signal processor, two built-in XLR terminals with separate audio-input sensitivity settings, line output level switching and support for optional HDD recording in the field. The XH G1S adds in HD-SDI / SD-SDI output, SMPTE timecode input / output, and genlock input, which are all features that probably won't be missed by greenies baffled by the mere mention of those inclusions. Get set for showtime next month as the pair sells for $3,999 and $6,999, respectively. [Via: Engadget ] [Tag: camcorder, canon, hd camcorder, HdCamcorder, HDV, prosumer, XH A1S, XH G1S, XhA1s, XhG1s ]

Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds Lumix DMC-G1 reviewed: only knock is the price

The question has been on your mind since we first got wind of this so-called "Micro Four Thirds" concept back in August: how will it stack up? Now that Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G1 is filtering out to the world, we're able to kick back and digest a mammoth review of this here camera thanks to the fine folks at Digital Camera Resource. Without going into dissertation-level detail in this space, we'll tell you that the biggest issue critics had with the G1 was its price. Not the image quality. Not the size. Just the price. In other words, Panny has delivered a superb camera that offers up "very good quality photos, an unmatched live view shooting experience and a nice collection of both automatic and manual controls." Deemed the first to "truly offer a point-and-shoot experience on an interchangeable lens camera," the DMC-G1 looks to be a real winner if you've got $800 to blow.
[Via: 1001 Noisy Cameras ] [Tag: DSLR, G1, live view, LiveView, lumix, Lumix DMC-G1, LumixDmc-g1, LumixlDMC-G1, micro four thirds, MicroFourThirds, Panasonic, review, reviewed ]

Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G1 ninja-ships to consumers

Panasonic had us fooled with that press release dating its micro Four Thirds camera, the Lumix DMC-G1, for mid-November. We're not sure what Panny was trying to pull, but when we took a gander at its online store today we discovered that the G1 has already started shipping. The price is $799.95 as expected, so your time has come if you've been dying to try this slim and sexy micro Four Thirds thing out -- though we might wait for a few reviews to drop to confirm that the performance matches the price.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: camera, digital camera, digitalcamera, dmc-g1, dslr, lumix, lumix dmc-g1, lumixdmc-g1, micro four thirds, microfourthirds, panasonic, shipping ]

Swarovski-coated webcam: because everything should be shiny

Vicious and Divine's Laplace webcam had it all... 2 megapixel photo and 1.3 megapixel video resolution, an integrated flash so that it could handle innumerable lighting situations, a folding mechanism that particularly suited it to mounting on laptops or flat panel monitors, plus that compact and sleek design. It was the jet-set of webcams, some might say, but it seemed to lack something -- some essential quality of life. Possibly a higher purpose? As it turns out, all it needed was to be absolutely, 100 percent covered -- bedazzled, if you dare -- in Swarovski crystals. The results are pretty... stunning. And not at all obscene. It comes in both black and clear crystal variations, and €49.99 (about $63) seems a small price to pay for something that's going to make you the envy of all of your friends -- but it seems to be available only in Europe. Your loss, rest-of-the-Earth!
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: laplace, luxury, swarovski, swarovski crystals, SwarovskiCrystals, vicious and divine, ViciousAndDivine, video chat, VideoChat, webcam, webcams ]