Olympus PEN E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds Prematurely Available
It was bound to happen–digital cameras would be redesigned as digital devices, rather than optical devices with digital components press-ganged into service. The new Micro Four Thirds standard, created by Olympus and Kodak does just that for digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLR), not only blurring the feature line between point-and-shoots and DSLRs, but also allowing for interchangeable ‘smart’ lenses. Pretty neat.
And Olympus’s new PEN E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds camera, promised for March, is now available to eager adopters. The PEN E-PL1 has a 12.3 megapixel high speed MOS sensor, with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and the TruePic V Image processor. It saves images in JPEG and RAW (12-bit lossless compression) formats, in images up to 4032 x 3024 pixels. It can record video in 1280 x 720 HD, and 640 x 480 SD (with file size limited to 2GB). Images are stored to an SD or SDHC card.
Other features include high speed auto focus, image stabilization, shutter speeds from 2 to 1/2000 second (and a bulb option). The LCD is 2.7-inches and 230,000 pixels. (No optical viewfinder.) Flash is built-in. There’s also a full complement of auto features, and for the serious amateur manual control.
Amazon says it has the slate blue and champagne gold versions in stock. If you want the black it looks like you’ll have to wait. Price is $599.99, which includes a 14-42mm f/3.5-4.6 Zuiko digital zoom lens.
Image Credit: Engadget
Sony Plans to Produce 3D Cameras for the Average Joe
It’s little more than talk, but interesting talk to be sure. According to Digital Photography Review, Sony is hot on the idea of 3D digital cameras.
Word of this comes straight from Masashi ‘Tiger’ Imamura, the president of Sony’s Personal Imaging and Sound Business Group. He says that Sony is indeed interested in 3D imaging, following Hollywood’s recent push for 3D movies, and Fujifilm’s new 3D still camera, the FinePix Real 3D W1.
There’s little other information about Sony’s plans, other than their 3D efforts will be aimed at the consumer end of the market. No idea on when such a camera will appear, or how much it will cost.
Image Credit: Engadget
Olympus’ SP-800UZ 30x Superzoom Comes with all the Fixin’s
The tweener world between point-and-shoot and DSLRs gets more interesting all the time. Just when you think 20x zooms, advanced focusing, image stabilization, and lots of megapixels pretty much max out the potential for these cameras, along comes Nikon, Canon, or Olympus to prove you wrong. Case in point, Olympus’ SP-800UZ which comes with a 30x “superzoom”, 14 megapixels, and 720p video.
The SP-800UZ, which is the fourth installment in the SP series, has a 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor with 14 megapixels, giving a maximum resolution of 4288 x 3216. Image ratio is 4:3, but it will also shoot in 16:9. ISO rating is from 64 to 3200, with options for 6400 and 10000 with “boost”. Shutter speeds range from 1/4 second to 1/2000 second, but the shutter can be kept open as long as 4 seconds in Night mode. Wide open the lens is 28mm, and 840mm when fully extended (30x)–and that’s without the 5x digital zoom.
The SP-800UZ uses TruePic™ III Image Processor and saves images as JPEGs (movies as MP4s). Sorry, no RAW. Images are stored to either the 2GB of internal memory or an SD/SDHC card. And, as is the trend in this range, there’s no optical viewfinder. Instead, you have to rely on the 3-inch LCD.
There are 27 shooting modes, four “Magic Filters”, and a panorama mode, which should keep most amateurs busy. Manual control is also available. It also has auto focus, dual image stabilization, face detection, and automatic noise reduction. Flash is built-in. 720p video (1280 x 720) is available at 24fps. You can also capture video at 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 at 30fps or 15fps.
The SP-800UZ isn’t pocket-sized, but it is smaller, and cheaper, than the next step up. The SP-800UZ is currently on pre-order, with a suggested retail price of $349.99.
Image Credit: Olympus
Canon Rolls Out Four New PowerShots to Ship End of February
There’s a camera show right around the corner, PMA 2010, and while Canon isn’t going be attending, that’s not stopping them from participating in the ritual release of pre-show product announcements. For the end of February, Canon’s planning on releasing four new point-and-shoot PowerShots: the SX210 IS, SD3500 IS, SD1400 IS, and SD1300 IS.
Three of the four are updates to existing models, with the SD3500 the only new entrant. All of the cameras will have 14 megapixel resolution and HD (720p) video, except the SD1300 which will have 12 megapixels and VGA video. LCD viewfinders range in size from 2.7-inches (SD1300) to 3.5 inches (SD3500), with the SD3500 and SD1400 having touchscreens. (None of the cameras will have an optical viewfinder.) All are powered by a lithium ion rechargeable battery and support SD/SDHC memory cards.
An interesting addition to the SX210 and SD3500 is support for Eye-Fi, which packages storage and Wi-Fi. With Eye-Fi a user can upload images straight from camera to a computer or the Internet with a wireless connection. It also allows for WPS geotagging of images.
Prices range from $200 for the SD1300, up to $350 for the SX210.
Image Credit: Canon
Canon’s New EOS 7D: Bigger, Faster, Smarter, Stronger
Canon fired the latest salvo in the hotter-than-ever digital SLR wars this week, introducing its new EOS 7D. The $1699 (body-only) EOS 7D includes some now-familiar features, such as APS-C image sensor size (1.6x crop factor), 3-inch LCD with Live View, and Full HD Video.
The $1699 (body-only) EOS 7D includes some now-familiar features, such as the APS-C image sensor size (1.6x crop factor), 3-inch LCD with Live View, and Full HD Video. Here’s what’s new and different.
Bigger - The EOS 7D cranks up the size of several subsystems, including
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18MP image sensor
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Two DIGIC 4 image processors for faster image processing and better low-light performance
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ISO expandable to 12,800
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100% viewfinder coverage
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19-point autofocus
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63 zone dual-layer metering that uses AF and color information for better exposure and image quality
Faster - Shoot faster with the EOS 7D, thanks to
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8 fps burst shooting (up to 126 large JPEG or up to 15 RAW; requires Ultra DMA Compact Flash Card)
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1080HD video mode now offers frame rates up to 30 fps and includes adjustable frame rates for all supported video resolutions
Smarter - The EOS 7D provides a smarter viewfinder and AF system for better information and composition
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New toggleable LCD overlay for better framing and focusing even in total darkness
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New Spot AF mode for focusing on tiny areas of a scene
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AF Point expansion (borrowed from the EOS 1D series) automatically shifts to adjacent focus points if the selected manual focus point loses focus
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Improved automatic AF point selection and Zone AF
Stronger - The EOS 7D is designed to stand up to protracted use:
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Magnesium body with dust and weather resistant features
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Shutter rated for up to 150,000 cycles
Lens Options, Accessories and More Information
The EOS 7D will also be bundled with Canon’s 28-135mm EF IS lens, which provides framing comparable to a 45-215mm lens on a full-frame 35mm camera. The kit will sell for an estimated $1,899.
Wide-angle fans will want to consider Canon’s new 15-85mm EF-S IS (24-135 35mm equivalent) and 18-135mm EF-S IS (28-215mm 35mm equivalent) lenses.
Canon’s new optional WFT-E5A Wireless File Transmitter ($699.99) provides a variety of storage and backup options for the EOS 7D, including the ability to record to a USB external hard disk and an Ultra DMA Compact Flash card inside the camera at the same time, and it also supports geotagging through Bluetooth. Learn more about the EOS 7D and WFT-E5A here.
Learn more about the EOS 7D’s new AF features here.
Are you excited about the new features in the 7D? Wishing it had a different mix of goodies? Click Comment and sound off.
Photo courtesy Canon USA.
Eye-Fi Cards Jump to 4GB, Now Upload Videos
If you’re any kind of fan of adding WiFi to your digital camera, you may want to check out Eye-Fi’s latest cards, which will double the previous storage cap and add support for uploading videos.
The new versions are the 4GB Explore Video, which will run you $100 and the 4GB Share Video, for only $80. The Explore will automatically geotag photos and videos for you, and offers hotspot access at over 10,000 locations. The Share loses the ability to geotag, and only allows users to send photos and videos to the Web and your home computer.
These new cards are available today. If you’re not looking for all of the fancy frills and are happy with the 2GB space limit, you get the old cards for only $50.
Image Credit: Eye-Fi
HP May Give You Greenbacks for Going Green
Need a good reason to "go green" by recycling your old electronics? How about getting some green (money, that is) for your old desktop or laptop computers, digital cameras, monitors, PDAs, smartphones, inkjet or laser printers, table PCs, or workstations? HP has teamed up with Market Velocity, Inc. to offer the HP Consumer Buyback and Planet Partners Recycling Program. Whether you think you’re sitting on a potential gold mine of old stuff or are looking for a painless way to get worthless digital junk out of your office, give it a try.
Here’s how it works:
- Select the type of item you want to recycle
- Select the manufacturer; even though this is an HP-sponsored program, you can select from dozens of manufacturers or ALL OTHERS if your vendor isn’t listed or if it’s a "white-box" device
- Select the model number
- Select the condition; choose Excellent, Good, or Poor, and if you’re not sure how to grade your stuff, check the bottom of the page for help
- Enter the quantity
- Enter your zip code
- Select whether or not you want premium shipping; shipping charges are deducted from your item’s unit value and are reflected in your quote.
- Click Generate Quote to continue.
Depending upon what you’re wanting to dispose of, you might see a quote, an offer to recycle the item (if it has no resale value), or if you’re recycling a computer, the option to modify the listed configuration. Choose this option if you’ve upgraded memory, the hard disk, or if your system has a different processor than the default listed. Click Modify Configuration to make changes, and Accept Configuration when you’re ready to get your quote.
The quote price assumes that you’ll haul your obsolete gizmos off to the nearest FedEx location for return, but for another $10, they’ll come to you.
If you’re wanting to turn your obsolete gadgets into some cash, HP’s program isn’t the only game in town; see our coverage of Gazelle.com for another option. Whether your old computers and electronics are worth money or are just taking up space, though, don’t throw them away; both services offer ways to recycle or donate them and keep them out of the landfill.
Hasselblad Readies Awesome 60 Megapixel Camera for 2009
Hasselblad can already boast bringing the first digital camera to market outfitted with Kodak’s wicked 50 megapixel sensor, but the flagship H3DII-50 won’t have much time to sail the high MP seas by its lonesome. Hasselblad CEO Christian Poulsen promises a 60MP version will debut in April 2009.
Of course, digital photographers know that it isn’t necessarily the size of the megapixel that counts, but how you use it. Even still, 60MP sounds pretty damn awesome. That will give the H3DII-60 a 94 percent full frame coverage, and Poulsen wants to make clear that "although we hear the phrase ‘full frame’ being used quite frequently, no manufacturer has yet achieved true medium full frame."
Not that it needs any reaffirming, but the new 60MP DSLR won’t come cheap. Expect to pay a smidge over $27,000 for the bragging rights.
Image Credit: Haselblad (H3DII-50 shown)
Nikon’s New SLR is the First to Shoot Video
Point-n-shoot digital cameras have had the ability to shoot video for quite some time, but the same feature has been noticeably absent among digital SLR (DSLR) cameras. Adding insult to injury, even low end DSLRs typically cost more than high end digital cameras, yet if owners of the latter want to take videos, it meant spending even more money on a camcorder.
Nikon looks to change that trend with the release of its latest digital single-lens reflex camera, the D90, which is the company is billing as the first SLR with video capability. Nikon made it possible to record video by using a faster frame rate and a different way of processing the images.
"The big plus is that you can now shoot video with a great lens," says Steve Heiner, Nikon’s senior technical manager.
The D90 will be capable of recording both high definition and standard video clips, but the new functionality won’t come cheap. Expect to pay around $1,300 for the D90 with lens when it becomes available in stores next month.
Image Credit: Nikon
New Camera for the Blind Looks Outta Sight
There are all kinds of gadgets and gizmos and for the visually impaired, and thanks to designer Chueh Lee at Samsung China, those who can’t see might soon be able to take pictures. The Touch Sight camera doesn’t come with an LCD, instead displaying snapshots as a three-dimensional image by embossing the surface of a built-in Braille display.
"Touch Sight is a revolutionary digital camera designed for visually impaired people," said Lee. "Simpe features make it easy to use, including a unique feature which records sound for three seconds after pressing the shutter button. The user can then use the sound as a reference when reviewing and managing the photos."
Visually impaired photographers are advised to hold the camera up against their forehead, similar to having a third eye, as the best way to stabilize and aim the camera. Once the pictures are snapped, the touchable photos are saved to the camera and the ones worth sharing can be uploaded for other Touch Sight camera owners to download and feel.
Kudos to Lee for one of the grooviest gadgets we’ve seen recent times.
Image Credit: Yankodesign.com