Digital Cameras Reviews

Archive for July, 2009

According to a “well connected source” in the Wired camp, the iPod mills in China are hard at work as we speak, churning out next-gen iPod Touch models with integrated cameras and microphones. This certainly jibes well with the tips we’ve received regarding both this device and a cam-equipped nano — although we’re still skeptical about the rumored OLED iPods. The article goes on to suggest that once you add a mic to the mix, all you need is a MiFi and the Skype application for “the iPhone experience” on Verizon’s (or Sprint’s) network. Seems like an awful lot to go through just to avoid AT&T, but we suppose that it’s good to have options.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Next-gen iPod touch rumored to get camera, microphone, fairy dust coating originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Details are a bit light on this one, but the Planet 5D blog has received an email from the director of photography on 24, who himself received an email from the DP of Dollhouse, who passed on a video of a Canon 5D Mark II helmet mount built by the folks at Panavision. The rig was apparently designed specifically for use in fight scenes and other instances where a very close camera point-of-view is beneficial, and of course for “parachute drops and the like.” The story also goes that the mount might have actually been used on Iron Man, although that’s yet to be confirmed. Hit up the read link below to check out the video for yourself, although it unfortunately doesn’t actually include any sample footage taken with the rig.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon 5D Mark II helmet mount attracts Hollywood’s attention originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Olympus did its darnedest to drum up hype for the recently unveiled E-P1 Micro Four Thirds shooter, and while we already shared our two pennies on the thing, we figured it prudent to round up the best of the best from elsewhere on the web to give you a fuller picture. The long and short of it is this: the E-P1 is universally praised in terms of image quality, with the only real knock in that department going to higher-than-likable noise levels in low-light scenarios. Still, a camera is about more than just the output, and reviewers were quick to lament the dearth of an integrated viewfinder and flash. Furthermore, critics panned the camera for being slow to focus, oftentimes requiring well over half a second to finally settle and snap a shot. That said, we couldn’t find anyone who wasn’t won over by the image quality, but we’d make darn sure those other nuisances won’t frustrate you to no end before falling for the cute factor.

Read – PhotographyBLOG
Read – DigiCamReview
Read – photocrati
Read – PhotographyPress
Read – OutbackPhoto
Read – CNET
Read – Steves Digicams

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Olympus E-P1 review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

People who are seriously after HDR output tend to pony up the dough for a big and chunky DSLR, knowing they’ll get the highest quality possible. But if you’re short on cash, here’s a homebrewed mod that combines a gutted Polaroid x530 Foveon shooter with a Viliv to produce HDR-like imagery on the cheap. Essentially, the Viliv does all the processing and control work, while the el cheapo camera is used for its ability to save to raw format. You could instead pick up a compact Ricoh CX1 and save yourself a lot of trouble, but where’s the fun and tinkering in that? The homemade hardware might not be pretty to look at, but make your way past the break to see if the results are worth the effort.

[Via Hack a Day]

Continue reading HDR imaging for the cheap and gifted

Filed under: Digital Cameras

HDR imaging for the cheap and gifted originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The latest addition to the Olympus Mju (Stylus in the US) family of ruggedized cameras is the Tough-6010, which claims to be waterproof up to (or is it down to) 3 m (10 ft), freezeproof to -10°C (14°F), and capable of withstanding drops from 1.5 m (5 ft). It retains the TAP Control Mode from its elder sibling, which lets users access various functions by tapping the camera’s top and sides. If you’re going to be snorkeling on Greenland’s north coast, there is perhaps no other camera for you — but if you care about actual camera specs, this is a 12-megapixel shooter, equipped with 3.6x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, dual image stabilization, ISO sensitivity up to 1600, and storage handled by your choice of xd-Picture Card or MicroSD. Should you be leaving for Greenland soon, fret not, as the UK will be getting the 6010 this month for £299, with Europe and the US probably not too far behind.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Olympus Mju Tough-6010 seeks clumsy photographer to grow old with originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’ve fondled Nikon’s D5000 SLR, stacked it against the competition, and read no shortage of reviews. In general everyone seems to love the camera, but there’s apparently one, big, nagging problem: the durned thing won’t always turn on. That’s obviously a no-nonsense sort of glitch and thankfully Nikon isn’t beating around the bush when it comes to addressing it, posting a service advisory today and pledging to follow up next week with a full list of affected serial numbers. If you’re unlucky enough to be mentioned you’ll sadly need to part with your hot new body and let Nikon tear it open, but the company will at least cover shipping to and fro. That’s something, right?

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Nikon addresses major D5000 glitch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

With Panasonic recently announcing a 240GB camcorder, Canon has deemed this a good time to juice up the storage on its own product line with a pair of updated models. Both the HF 21 and the new flagship HF S11 double their predecessors‘ integrated memory to 64GB, with the latter also adding in a new night shooting mode and more advanced image stabilization to the mix. The expanded storage will allow up to five and a half hours of recording at the top quality settings, which pales in comparison to the 30+ hours you can get from Panasonic’s HDD-equipped beast. Other major specs, like the DIGIC DV III image processor, Full HD CMOS sensors, AVCHD format and SDHC expandability, have been left untouched. You can expect Japanese availability in early August, with the US and Europe probably joining in on the fun just as soon as the territory-specific VIXIA and Legria labels have been slapped on.

[Via Camcorder Info]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon HF S11 and HF 21 AVCHD camcorders flash more memory in Japanese debut originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Looking to put together a really complete bag of camera gear? Then you might want to give some consideration to Electrophysics’ new AstroScope 9350EOS-FF, which will add some night vision capabilities to the full-frame Canon DSLR of your choice. As you can see above, the module fits between the lens and camera body, and thankfully maintains all the necessary electrical connections and doesn’t impede on all-important features like image stabilization. The module itself will also give you some variable gain control to adapt to different lighting situations and reduce noise, and it supposedly eliminates any vignetting of images, which can be a bit of a problem with other night vision rigs. No word on a price just yet, but it looks like it should be rolling out to dealers now.

[Thanks, Zoltan]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

AstroScope 9350EOS-FF adds night vision to your Canon DSLR originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

It’s been a while since we’ve seen any major updates for Ricoh’s 500SE camera, but if you’re in the mood, here’s a heads up: the company has just announced its new SE-2 GPS module. Designed by EKA Technologies, Inc., this bad boy sports a new helix antenna, which should provide better reception and accuracy, and smaller fix times. Available in two flavors, the SE-2g (GPS only) has an MSRP of $169, while the SE-2c offers GPS and a 3-axis compass for direction information for an MSRP of $399. And if that weren’t enough, the company has just announced new firmware for the camera that enhances its ability to store field data and embed it into images for GIS mapping applications. The new firmware also allows up to three attributes as well as GPS position, azimuth, and UTC (satellite time) to be imprinted directly onto images as they are captured. Pretty awesome, right? Full PR available after the break.

Continue reading Ricoh announces new GPS unit, new firmware for 500SE camera

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Ricoh announces new GPS unit, new firmware for 500SE camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’ve already had a look at Samsung’s most interesting camcorder introduction of the day (that’d be the HMX-U10), but those looking for a more conventional alternative may take interest in one of these two. The SMX-K40 and SMX-K45 both take a different approach to capturing clips by logging them at 720 x 480 and offering users “HD upscaling” to the HDTV via HDMI. Both devices also boast a 65x optical zoom for those undercover escapades in voyeurism, while the Optical Image Stabilizer keeps things relatively shake-free. The primary difference between the two is the storage options; the K40 requires that you bring your own SD or SDHC card, while the K45 is equipped with a 32GB SSD. Both units sport 2.7-inch LCDs, USB charging and upload-to-YouTube functionality, and they’ll each ship this August for $329.99 and $499.99, respectively. The full release is after the break.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Samsung goes bargain hunting with SMX-K40 and SMX-K45 camcorders originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments