Like the Rovio, WowWee's Spyball is a Wi-Fi-enabled spycam robot. But it transforms from sorta conspicuous ball to spycam for surreptitious shots. You can connect ad-hoc via Wi-Fi or over the internet.
The Spyball? spy-cam is a remote controlled, Wi-Fi enabled, transforming robotic ball that introduces an element of play to telepresence functionality. Affordable, easy-to-use, and rechargeable, the Spyball spy-cam captures video and still images and is equipped with sleek wheels for fast, smooth mobility and 360-degree turns. Transforming from ball to camera and back again, the Spyball spy-cam moves with stealth and in disguise ? perfect for spying on siblings or peeking into the kitchen. There is no need to access the Internet to see what the Spyball spycam sees ? users can make an Ad hoc connection via any Wi-Fi-enabled device including a PC, laptop, video game console or even a cell phone. The included USB cable allows users to configure a simple home network setup process that will allow the Spyball spycam to be controlled from any remote location via the Internet.
About WowWee WowWee, an Optimal Group company, is a leading designer, developer, marketer and distributor of innovative hi-tech consumer robotic and entertainment products. The WowWee group of companies maintains operations in Hong Kong, Carlsbad, California; Brussels, Belgium; and Montreal, Quebec.
For more information, please visit the Company's web site at www.wowwee.com.
Whether your camera is brand new or an aging holdover, you want to accessorize it, but you don't want to pay. By now, you know the Dealzmodo Hack drill: Paying is for suckers.
For decades, photographers have engineered little tricks to get the most out of their cameras, and most of them have carried just fine over the digital divide. Here are a few, with some newer additions collected by our friends at Lifehacker.
Build your own stabilizer out of string Shooting long exposures without something to prop your camera on is a pain in the ass, not to mention a blurry mess. So is carrying a tripod. This video shows how to build a pretty effective foot-looping camera stabilizer out of some string, a bolt and a washer. The results are surprisingly good.
Build your own L-bracket, for serious stability, vertical mounting If you're doing portrait photography, or have a dumpy old tripod that can't accommodate vertically oriented cameras, you can build a sturdy L-bracket for about $30. It's a bit more involved than the piece-o-string stabilizer, but it's also a lot better, and much cheaper than something you'd pick up at Wolf.
The "David Pogue Special": Use a lamp as a tripod To round out the camera-steadying tools, here's what I call the David Pogue Special, and it's great: Many lampshade mounts share a diameter and thread size with the tripod mount screw on the bottom of your camcorder, point-and-shoot or DSLR, providing quick and dirty stabilization in a bind.
Scrounge up household flash diffusers Shooting with flash indoors is often necessary, but can wash out your subjects, making them look sheet-white, greasy and demon-eyed. With a diffuser, the light is softened and the photos are dramatically improved. Commercial flash hoods and diffusers cost money, but aren't much more effective than what you can make yourself. A coffee filter held in front of a flash, a translucent film canister with a notch cut into it, a simple piece of A4 paper or even a piece of matte Scotch tape over the flash lens will measurably improve your drunk party photography.
Calibrate color temperature with free flooring samples Shooting a piece of paper, gray notecard or painted wall can give you OK white balance calibration, but this guy has a better idea: snag some free floor laminate samples and built a proper calibration board.
Make flash deflection umbrellas from actual umbrellas If you really want to go pro-hobo, you can repurpose old umbrellas into flash-directing photography umbrellas. After all, there are always plenty lying around. Here's how you do it. If you're feeling lazy, you can even get away with just an old sheet and some tape.
Build still-life photography studio for free(ish) Ever wonder how that creepy old photographer got such a soft, vivid, dreamy picture of you and your prom date all those years ago? This is how. The project doesn't call for much more than large pieces of paper and tape—relying on indirect sunlight for the adequate lighting—but the results are impressive. It is just a small-scale testbed though, so you'll be limited to shooting Lego models, action figures and the like, but what else were you going to shoot anyway?
Snap magazine-style portraits, beautiful macros with a homemade ringlight Flickr user jedrek has written out a detailed how-to guide for converting your external flash into a ringlighting rig, mostly using kitchen wares. If you've never heard of ringlighting, have a look at this. The technique is usually reserved for professional photographers, because real ringflashes are comically expensive. This one costs a few bucks.
Foam-fit an old bag to hold your gear If you're packing a DSLR with lenses and accessories, carrying a full-fledged camera bag is usually ideal, but they're expensive and tend to draw attention to your cargo. With some foam, cardboard and a ratty old military-surplus bag, you can put together a stylish, stealthy and highly-functional camera bag that won't make you feel like a snap-happy father of four.
Dealzmodo Hacks are intended to help you sustain your crippling gadget addiction through tighter times. If you come across any on your own that are particularly useful, send it to our tips line (Subject: Dealzmodo Hack). Check back every other Thursday for free DIY tricks to breathe new life into hardware that you already own.
Are these people out of their spanking-loving, English-disciplined, bloody psycho minds? Judging from these news, yes they are: Schools in Britain are now installing CCTV and microphones in classrooms for four-year-old kids.
According to the Daily Mail, schools have installed new cameras to watch and listen to "pupils as young as four". Apparently, the authorities are worried that the aforementioned pupils can disrupt lessons when the teacher's back is turned, and they want the cameras to identify them.
Coincidentally, Shadow Children's Minister Tim Loughton is chairman of Classwatch, the company installing those surveillance systems. Nor surprisingly, teachers and human rights organizations are up in arms against the technology but, quite frankly, who cares about CCTV in classrooms when the bloody things are basically installed all over the place in the United Kingdom?
Here's a list of the very best gear we've seen this year. It's more bragger's guide than buyer's guide—if you have any of this, you can officially tell your friends to suck on it.
The year winds to an end and every product worth a damn has already hit store shelves—there's not going to be any new shiny coolness until next month's CES. We were lucky enough to have a look at most of the best gear out there, and we've passed judgment on all that we saw. Here's a complete list of great products, yanked from our first looks, reviews, and epic Battlemodos:
It's Christmas, and we're betting that at least some of you received new digital cameras (be they point-and-shoots or DSLRs). And if you're a photography n00b, we've got a few tips to help.
Turn On Burst Mode It's harder to capture candid shots on point-and-shoots (let's call em PASs) than DSLRs, but in either format you should turn on "burst mode" or "continuous shooting." This allows you to keep the camera taking shots as fast as it can by holding down the shutter button. Even the greatest photographers don't predict magical moments down to the millisecond—they let their camera do it for them. And with today's cheap and gigantic SD cards, you can afford to waste plenty of shots to get the best.
Control the Color Temperature Yourself Auto White Balance (AWB) does a good job on most cameras. But you know who can do a better job? You. Backing up for a moment, since every color has its own relative "temperature" that's measured in degrees Kelvin, even the orangey glow of an incandescent bulb or the relatively bluish hue of the sun's light can screw with your photos. Your brain factors it out when you're looking around, but it's important to notice whether the light falling on your scene is more yellow or blue, and to compensate. Your camera uses auto white balance to get around this cacophony of color, but it's not always right. On some cameras, you can actually use "manual white balance" (MWB), shooting a white patch, such as a piece of paper, in order to say "THIS IS WHITE." That's the most accurate way, though the simpler way found on most cameras is to manually select the best white balance by choosing the tiny icon that identifies your light source: a sun for direct sunlight, a cloud for cloudy, a round bulb for incandescent, a rectangular bulb for fluorescent, etc.
Keep ISO to 400 on PASs, 800-1600 on Low-End dSLRs ISO, a carryover term from the days of film, essentially signals the sensitivity of the imaging sensor to light. A higher number means grainier (noisier) but better defined shots in low light; a lower number means smoother shots in decent light. Most cameras will crank this number in medium to low light situations so that it can capture a shot without blurring, but you will get a grainy image. This may just be a rule of thumb based on the cameras I've used, but for optimally crisp shots, don't let the ISO exceed 400 on your PAS or 1600 on your DSLR. (In some older DSLR models, you probably shouldn't exceed 800.) Use Diffuse Flash, Or Just Turn it Off Any way you cut it, flash is a problem. When used instead of ambient light, it pulls the color and texture from skin, turns eyes red (a phenomenon caused when the flash is too close to your lens, which it is in most cameras) and often erases the background ambiance from your shot. A few things you can do will help tame flash: 1. Check your manual for minimum and maximum flash distances—probably around 6 to 12 feet away—and stay in those constraints. 2. Diffuse the flash. A classic trick for DSLR owners is to put a cigarette carton on large flash attachments, but in the absence of a large flash—and a cigarette carton—try taping some kind of translucent paper over your flash. 3. Turn it off. Even a grainier high-ISO shot is better than a washed-out flash explosion. If you use a tripod, you can get nice low light shots without resorting to flash or upping the ISO. Most cameras now have a flashless "night mode" to automate this process.
Carry a Pocket Tripod Ultimately, if you want to take good shots in dark environments, you need to allow light to hit your camera's imaging sensor for a longer period of time. And the only way to keep your shots sharp in this scenarios is to stabilize your camera. Though even cheap cameras boast image stabilizers of all kinds, a $7 pocket tripod trumps all that marketing speak, allowing you to use a solid surface to set up the camera and then angle it to your liking. If you don't have a tripod, try resting your camera on the side of a table, or up on a (preferably empty) water glass.
Protect Your Images From Lens Flare In any situation where sunlight or some other bright light source is hitting your lens indirectly (not associated with your subject), you may lose part of your image to stray light. Sometimes this looks cool, of course, but not always. The best and most common solution is a lens hood. The second best solution (and the one that works for PASs) is your hand, a piece of paper, anything, between that light source and your lens.
Exhale, Then Shoot ISOs and tripods aside, maybe the best tip I've ever gotten to taking great shots was to exhale, then take the picture. Right after you exhale, the tension is released from your body, and you'll find yourself, for a brief moment, at your stillest and most relaxed. In low light especially, it could be the difference between getting a clear shot and getting a blurry one.
Use Sepia Filter Whenever Humanly Possible Sepia is well known for making your lousy photography "deep." Helllllooo precious moments! (OK, I sort of despise sepia because it's been so overused, but that's just me. It can be beautiful, of course.) For DSLR Owners...Shoot in RAW, Shoot in RAW, Shoot in RAW There are many advantages to the average DSLR camera, but the best, by far, unequivocally, is RAW shooting. If you save your pictures as JPEGs, they can be beautiful, but they've been compressed and packaged into a product. If you save in RAW, you have a picture, but you also have the cold clay that shaped it. RAW is the data pulled right off the imaging sensor of your camera, before it gets run through a bunch of optimizer and compression algorithms. This data allows for a complete do-over on many aspects of the picture, like color temperature. In other cases, it allows a lot of room for fudging, as with exposure. You'll need software that can handle RAW images—most cameras come with something proprietary, but Photoshop can also manage RAW from the major camera brands. Just don't be scared by it. It's why you're holding that shiny new DSLR you have no idea how to use.
And Your Own... I realize this list will seem too obvious to some, but the goal is to help those who didn't know much to start with. Since we have more than our share of incredible photographers among our readership, I'd encourage any of you with pro tips to please offer them up in comments.
Tilt-shift photography, the popular but fashionable method of making big objects look like tiny models, is now on the iPhone. That's good for pretty much everyone who isn't planning their innovative tilt-shift art show.
The application is aptly called TiltShift. It costs $2, and while it doesn't use traditional tilt-shift lenses, the software adds some blur filters to create the illusion. The user selects the part of the image to be in focus/tiny, and the software feathers the surrounding area appropriately.
We're not sure that TiltShift's simple, even if effective filters are worth $2 to us, but the free clone app that's surely just days away will be a fantastic way to kill 10 minutes. [TiltShift via Wired]
Pop Photo is one of the first to pop out a full review of Canon's wunderkamera, the 5D Mark II, and says that it "does live up to its billing" and is "a virtual steal."
The image quality, thankfully, is as good as we'd been led to believe, delivering the huge megapixel count of Sony's A900 and matches the clean images of Nikon's D700, both scoring 2.0 in Pop Photo's noise test at ISO 6400. In other words, "Such high resolution and ISOs will change your photography." Video footage is "beautiful" (though we already knew that).
The bad? The most crippling issue is that its autofocus system is sloooow, lagging way behind the D700 and A900, and it's even worse in low light. Pop Photo also encountered the notorious black botches plaguing some of the camera's shots with blown-out highlights, but they suspect it'll be fixed with a firmware update.
Their bottom line is that "it's a wow" and "low-light image quality is almost life-changing." Even if you already own a 5D, you gain on almost every front, so it's a "perhaps irresistible" upgrade. Be sure to check out the full review: [Pop Photo]
Nikon just announced the D3x, and popped out the D700 a little bit ago, so next to be updated is the D300, right? Here are the first round of supposed specs for the D400.
Nikon Rumors got these specs as anonymous tip—anonymous comment, actually—so the standard caveats apply, BUT they do look fairly plausible, and fall in line with what Nikon's been up to lately. The most significant update is the addition of the rumored 1080p 24fps video recording, a whack back at Canon's 5D Mark II, whose video capabilities have blown us away again and again. Of course, we'll have to wait and see how good it actually looks. (Here's why DSLR video is finally happening, if you're curious.)
The rest is fairly expectable with a mix of current Nikon features and new specs—14.8MP DX sensor, but I'm hoping it'll be more D700-like in the noise department—and $2000 seems about right as the price tag, though $1800 would be more aggressive.
* New 14.8 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor effective 14.3 megapixel * Self-cleaning sensor unit (low-pass filter vibration) * ISO 100 - 6400 (with boost up to ISO 25600 and down to ISO 50) * 14-bit A/D conversion * Movie capture at up to 1080p 24 fps with stereo sound * Nikon EXPEED Plus image processor 30% faster than previous EXPEED image processor * Super fast operation (power-up 13 ms, shutter lag 40 ms, black-out 90 ms) * Kevlar / carbon fibre composite shutter with 200,000 exposure durability * Multi-CAM3500DX Auto Focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage) * Auto-focus tracking by color (using information from 1005-pixel AE sensor) * Auto-focus calibration (fine-tuning) now available (fixed body or up to 20 separate lens settings) * Vignetting control in-camera * Automatic chromatic aberration correction * Custom image parameters now support brightness as well as contrast * Seven frames per second continuous shooting (nine frames per second with battery pack) * 3.0? 922,000 pixel LCD monitor * Live View with either phase detect (mirror up/down) or contrast-detect AF, face detection * ?Active D-Lighting? (adjusts metering as well as applying D-Lighting curve) * Detailed ?Control Panel? type display on LCD monitor, changes color in darkness * Buttons sealed against moisture * Same ultra-fast startup and shutter lag as D700 * Scene Recognition System (uses AE sensor, AF sensor) * Picture Control image parameter presets * UDMA compatible single CF card slot * Virtual horizon indicates if camera is level (like an aircraft cockpit display) * Extensive in-camera retouching * HDMI HD video output * Magnesium alloy body with connections and buttons sealed against moisture
Comparing Nikon's $8000 24.5MP D3x to Sony's $3000 24.6MP a900 is bit of an apples and oranges comparison, even though both mega image sensors are in fact made by Sony.
For one, the D3x is intended as a studio camera (though it really is a just a D3 with a different sensor), not so much a cheaper pro like the a900, which seemed to deliver less-than-stellar images to boot. So megapixels ain't everything. Even so, $8000 is a whole lotta cash, especially when you consider what Canon gives you for just $2700, if you can actually get your hands on one. [Crave]
Novoflex has answered our wishes for the Micro Four Thirds system: a ?150 ($192) adapter will now mate Leica M-mount lenses?some of the best glass ever made?with cameras like the Panasonic Lumix G1.
If you may recall from our G1 review, the camera's DSLR form-factor pretty much nullified all of the potential of the Micro Four Thirds system to offer an entirely new class of compact, digital rangefinder-like cameras with interchangeable lenses. With an M-mount adapter, you can use 50 years' worth of classic lenses made by Leica, Zeiss and others with a Micro Four Thirds digital. Now if Olympus would just get around to making the rangefinder concept they teased us with back in September a reality.
And while you may be better off capturing all that beautiful Leica light on film rather than Micro Four Thirds's sub-APS-C sensor, it's always nice to have options. [Amateur Photographer via Gadget Lab Photo: Enixii (Flickr)]
The Gadget: The Uncle Milton Pet's Eye View cam is a low-res interval-timed camera designed to clip to the collar of a dog or cat, under the assumption your pet's life has some vaguely interesting non-eating/sleeping/pooing component.
The Price: $40
The Verdict: It's only as good as your pet's social life, but I actually recommend it for outdoor critters and social city beasts.
As a fan of National Geographic's Crittercam, I was excited when Uncle Milton sent over the pet's eye view camera. NG of course attached their cameras to penguins, whales and lions; attaching this product to our domestic lion, Wade Bob Rothman, wouldn't be the same thing for many reasons:
• It's a still cam—no video—so the footage is limited. • Though it seems to have pretty high ISO, the camera's no good when there's no light. No IR or specialized low-light mode here. • The box boasts that memory stores "over 40 photos," not enough for any self-respecting nature documentary. • Though Wade is the butchier of our two felines, and put up with the device well enough—his sister Wynona would not have tolerated it—the thing really is sized wrong for cats, best for medium to large dogs. • As a home-bound, neutered male, Wade is the opposite of adventurous, and his personal snapshots reflect this.
The camera has two buttons, a red/green LED and a two-digit LCD indicator on the back. When I had charged up the camera via USB port, I set the camera to take a picture every 5 minutes. (I could have also chosen 1 minute and 15 minutes.) I clipped it to Wade's collar, loosening it only a tad. He had one spell where he really tried to get it off, then suddenly was cool with it, and wore it for several hours without any problems.
The results—of which I have uploaded only the most exciting excerpts—were underwhelming:
What I learned in this brief review, however, is that a) the pet didn't seem to mind the thing nearly as much as I would have thought, and b) if he was more active, and prone to prowling around the neighborhood, it might be fun. Again, it might be too big to put on a cat who's used to shimmying up fences, rooting around garbage pails and slashing other cats with a vengeance, but I actually think this would be very cool for dogs. Besides, as a lightweight automatic timelapse novelty camera, it has other uses, like say, when you're setting up a gallery designed to bring joy to readers, New Yorkers and tots who otherwise might not get toys for Christmas. Sure is cheaper than a D700! [Uncle Milton]
There are a lot of $200-$300 point and shoots on the market right now, and there's no way the test display at Best Buy is going to tell you which to buy. How is elbowing other shoppers while analyzing your hasty snapshots on a 3-inch, low-rez screen going to help you make an informed buying decision?
Instead, I put six of the most popular point-and-shoots on the market through some major testing. Then I decided on the one that you should buy without the hedging BS.
Meet our competitors
Each of these compact point and shoots features optical image stabilization and is priced around $250:
The shots inside were captured under diffused sunlight in full auto mode at max (10MP) resolution. I won't say that it wasn't an extreme disappointment that only one camera, the Kodak, was able to shoot with proper white balance in this situation and offer us colors as they really look (you'll have to trust me on this one). The other cameras compensated poorly, possibly metering the diffused light as tungsten light, and producing a fairly cold image because of it.
Other than the color, you can't make out much from the wide shots. But if you blow the images up to their native resolution, there are huge differences. Even in the web-compressed images here, it's obvious that Canon captures the most detail:
It's basically a tie between Sony and Kodak for second place. Here's what Kodak looks like:
And then there's a pretty hard drop in quality. Panasonic comes in a solid last place here:
You can fix the color by manually choosing a smarter white balance (color temperature), or adjusting the balance in post. But you can't get the texture of those cookies back. Big win for Canon here.
Motion Photography
It's no secret that many point-and-shoots are horrible for capturing the spontaneity of a child or pet, in part due to focus lag and often an additional wait before the shot is actually taken. While DSLRs are the best solution, I wanted to see if any point-and-shoots could rise to the challenge of capturing some action.
So I put them to the test on a Chicago side street where cars get up to 15-20mph. After repeat testing on each model, once again, we had a clear winner. Trouble is, it's Panasonic, loser of the resolution match! Panasonic features more shooting settings than any of its competitors, so my guess is that they spent a lot of time on optimizing at least this particular preset optimization.
The remainder of the competition was fairly close, and I can't say that even the Panasonic model will capture any incredible sports action photography. But I will say that the Nikon and Samsung seemed to lag more than the others from button press to shot acquisition. They both tended to have the blurriest shots as well. Here's a typical result of the Nikon:
Video
Like high-speed photography, point-and-shoots aren't fundamentally designed for video. But then again, since they all shoot video, people have begun using them more frequently than they ever used their bigger, more specialized camcorders, so a test was necessary.
After playing some billiards, I found Canon's image, though not technically the highest resolution, to be the best. A point as well to its realistic sound capture of ball on ball action.
Second place goes to Kodak. Even though you can make out a great deal of grain on the table's felt surface, it also captures a relatively sharp, pleasantly contrasty image when you examine each ball.
Last place? This title is, once again, reserved for Panasonic. For some reason, the camera interpreted the red table as some sort of blurry pastel. And the sound was a like a fast food drive-through speaker.
Flash
We've all been there. It's late. A friend is in town. Your cameraphone can't hope to capture a shot in your drunken stupor, especially as you're hanging out in a smokey bar. I'd loved to have recreated this scene precisely in its brilliance, but instead I opted to take pictures of my cat with the lights low.
It's an unfair challenge for a small-lensed, small-chipped camera to capture a decent picture in low light, even with flash as a crutch, but the Sony did as well as I could have hoped, illuminating my subject and her background alike, lacking the hotspots of most flash photography.
The other cameras were predictably mediocre, but the absolute worst at handling flash had to be the Nikon. Not only did it give my cat a washed-out glow, but it didn't even consider properly exposing that obnoxious pile of boxes behind her. The shame.
Weird Features and Gimmicks
None of these items should probably determine your buying decision, but I wanted to mention a few of the more...interesting features of the cameras. The Samsung TL9 has a set of snazzy analog dials on top that display battery life and remaining memory like a car's dash—plus it plays music and movies. The Panasonic has categorized an Intelligent Auto Mode that gives a lazy but informed user a nice way to tell the camera, "hey, you may need to boost the ISO," without messing with any other controls or gimmicky menus. The Nikon will warn you if a subject's eyes are closed. The Canon has ditched the standard up, down, left, right menu dial for a spinning ring...that's bold, if not always intuitive. And Sony will shoot in 16x9 or stretch images to that ratio for quick HDTV slideshows. Plus, smile/face detectors are everywhere. How did we ever take pictures before boxes enclosed a loved one's face?
So What Should You Buy?
After all my testing, I'd recommend the Canon SD790. Sure, it didn't win every category, but it won the one that counts most—detail. It came first in the video category. And it never ever fell flat on its face.
Maybe this conclusion sounds a little too clinical to you. If so, let me say that there are less tangible elements I appreciate about the Canon SD790: It includes the best built battery charger and it is the only model tested to sync with a computer via mini USB (as opposed to some annoying proprietary cable or dock). On top of those, it always seems quick to capture a shot after I pressed for the shutter, though it's still not nearly as responsive as my prosumer DSLR. The one thing I'd ask for in this camera is a more powerful zoom lens (something you can get in the Canon line for a few bucks more).
If you know an extreme technophobe, you might tell them about the Kodak M1093. It offers the simplest shooting experience with one button to choose a photo mode, one button for flash toggling and one button to actually take a picture. Digital cameras don't get simpler than that, and I have to admit, as the cheapest model in this roundup ($200), with the least techie brand name, it performs better than I expected—though it does have a propensity to bump the ISO, producing some unwanted noise.
But as for the Sony W170, while it does feature the widest angle lens with 5x of zoom, it's clunky in the hand and rarely brilliant in quality. As for the Nikon S560, it takes mediocre shots. The Panasonic FS20 is inconsistent—bordering on horrendous much of the time—and features a small screen and a dated interface. Meanwhile, the Samsung TL9 just completely fails to impress me.
So go ahead, pick up the Canon. It seems the company's overwhelming market share is well deserved. Or don't. I won't lose sleep or anything. Just don't come crying to me when all your pictures look like crap.
Jim Jannard has announced a price reduction on their Scarlet and EPIC cameras, their latest modular systems for still and motion photography. Plus, now there are multiple trade-in upgrade paths:
1. Keep your RED ONE and shoot great images. Get continual free firmware upgrades.
2. Keep your RED ONE and upgrade your sensor to Mysterium-X for $4,500.
3. Trade your RED ONE in, and receive $17,500 credit, towards the purchase of an EPIC-X S35 Private Reserve package, which is only available to RED ONE customers.
4. Trade your RED ONE in, and receive $17,500 credit, towards the purchase of an EPIC FF35 Pro Cinema "Brain".
5. Trade your RED ONE in, and receive $17,500 credit, towards the purchase of an EPIC 645 Pro "Brain".
6. Trade your RED ONE in, and receive $17,500 credit, towards the purchase of an EPIC 617 Pro "Brain".
7. Keep your RED ONE and purchase a Scarlet System (one time only) with a 12% discount.
Remember that, if you have a Red One, a) you can only use one upgrade per camera?once you use it, the serial number is done; and b) we hate you.
While they won't do much to salvage that fancy camera, Elecom is trusting that some of us will benefit from their waterproof SDHC cards.
In 4GB and 8GB sizes, the quick Class 6 (6MB/sec) memory cards promise to get wet without losing a whole vacation's worth of shots. (Or, for those who already use waterproof cameras, it could just be another level of protection.) There's no price at this time, but look for the Elecom cards on the international market this month. Importing on this piece of gear won't cause you any compatibility issues. [Elecom via Akihabara News]
The rumors pointed pretty firmly to it, and then some leaked specs detailed what it'd be like, but now Nikon's new pro-level D3X DSLR has arrived officially. Touting it as a 24-megapixel "Digital Masterpiece," with exceptionally low noise sensor, 5fps full-frame shooting speed and with file sizes of 138MB, Nikon's saying the camera's available now for an estimated selling price of $8,000 for the body only. Full press release below.
MELVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 30, 2008) ? Nikon Inc. today announced the D3X, an FX-format digital SLR featuring extreme 24.5-megapixel resolution and superb low-noise capabilities, which provides professional photographers with commercial-quality image performance in a familiar and extraordinarily versatile D-SLR form factor. In conjunction with the groundbreaking Nikon FX-format D3, the D3X tops off a collection of flagship level, rugged, professional caliber digital single lens reflex cameras engineered to excel in all types of professional photographic disciplines from photojournalism and sideline sports, to commercial in-studio applications.
The foundation of the enhanced performance of the D3X is its FX-format, 24.5-megapixel (6048 x 4032) CMOS sensor providing commercial, high fashion, fine art and landscape photographers with the extreme resolution, dynamic range, color depth, detail and sharpness that clients demand. Whether creating catalogs, magazine covers, billboards or gallery prints, the large 5.49-micron pixel size and high signal to noise ratio produces vibrant images with breathtaking image fidelity while reducing lost highlights and shadows, and ensuring smoother tone reproduction with minimized noise. With full resolution shooting speeds of up to five frames-per-second (fps), and 14-bit files, that when processed are approximately 138 MB, the D3X offers today's photographic artists an extreme level of performance and versatility ready for demanding assignments in the studio or on location.
?In 2007, the 12.1-megapixel FX-format D3 delivered groundbreaking digital SLR image quality, coupled with incomparable high ISO, low noise performance and high-speed handling. In doing so, the D3 broke photographic barriers, enabling photographers to work in ways never before possible,? said Edward Fasano, general manager for Marketing, SLR Systems Products at Nikon Inc. ?Now, the new 24.5-megapixel FX-format D3X D-SLR provides the extreme resolution and high dynamic range capabilities needed to meet the extraordinary needs of photographic disciplines such as high fashion, commercial advertising and fine art. The D3X delivers this remarkable capability while fitting seamlessly within the Nikon system, taking full advantage of Nikon?s world-renowned collection of NIKKOR lenses and Speedlights.?
Image Quality Takes Center Stage To re-emphasize the importance of image quality above all else, the D3X delivers an incredible level of digital SLR performance to provide photographers with extremely high resolution, exceptional dynamic range, phenomenal total gradation and outstanding color reproduction. Image files can be recorded as TIFF, JPEG or NEF (RAW) formats in either 12- or 14-bit compressed or uncompressed formats, and recorded to UDMA compatible CompactFlash? cards for optimum speed. Photographers can save image files directly to the dual card slots as overflow, backup, or as separate file formats to different cards. Building on the D3X's flexibility, users have the creative option to shoot in the 5:4 crop mode with 20.4-megapixel resolution, the ideal format for creating 8 x 10-inch portraits. While using DX-format lenses, faster continuous shooting of up to seven frames per second can be achieved at a resolution of 10.5 megapixels.
The exceptionally low noise of the D3X is essential to any professional commercial application, and it provides photographers with an ISO range of 100 to 1600, expandable to 50 (Lo-1) and 6400 (Hi-2). The ultra smooth tones and lack of grain at ISO 1600 as well as at low sensitivity settings result in smooth, natural skin tones and exacting detail that, before the D3X, required larger and far costlier studio-bound camera systems.
Advanced Technologies, Meticulously Executed In a commercial setting or on location, imaging professionals need high performance in both speed and processing. The Nikon D3X can shoot at up to five fps at full resolution or up to seven fps in DX crop mode, allowing photographers to catch the split-second difference in a model?s expression or capture all of the action in a sequence. Just like the D3, the D3X achieves a start-up time of a mere 0.12 seconds and a shutter release time lag of 0.04 seconds.
The D3X?s speed, as well as high levels of performance, leverages Nikon core technologies including a newly enhanced EXPEED? Image Processing System, specially designed for the D3X to provide superior image quality, faster processing speeds and lower power consumption. This advanced system is able to achieve extremely precise color reproduction for a broad spectrum of hues, in addition to vivid saturation and smooth gradation. What?s more, Nikon?s advanced noise processing function is engineered to minimize noise at all sensitivities and operate seamlessly without interfering with other image color parameters.
The D3X also features Nikon?s exclusive Scene Recognition System, which continuously analyzes information from the 1,005-pixel RGB light sensor, to further refine auto exposure, auto white balance and autofocus calculations. This results in flattering portraits and awe-inspiring landscapes that portray accurate color and fine details. Nikon's exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II helps ensure accurate exposures, even in the most challenging lighting conditions. Instantly evaluating each scene before capture, input data from the system's sensor is automatically referenced against an internal database of more than 30,000 images derived from actual photographs to calculate correct exposure values. Active D-Lighting, used in combination with 3D Matrix Metering II, helps to determines proper exposure, and creates realistic contrast while compensating for lost shadows and highlights. Prior to shooting, users can choose from Extra High, High, Normal, Low or Off settings, as well as an Auto mode.
Additionally, the D3X features Nikon?s exclusive Multi-CAM 3500FX focus module, with 51 AF points, 15 cross type sensors and 36 horizontal sensors that easily track and lock onto moving subjects, delivering the same fast and accurate AF performance that helped make the D3 immediately successful. Users can select any of the AF points, making it easy to consistently attain accurate focus right on a subject?s eyes, frame after frame. Additionally, three AF-area modes ? Single point, Dynamic-area AF and Auto-area AF ? are available to maximize the use of the 51 focus points by selecting the most suitable one to match subject conditions. AF is also available in one of two Live View modes optimized for the studio, including a phase detection handheld mode and a tripod mode. This feature allows the user to zoom in up to 27x on the LCD screen to ensure critical focus. While in Live View, the graphic indication of a virtual horizon is also available, making it easier than ever to confirm camera orientation.
To further ensure each photographer's ability to balance their personal style, Nikon?s Picture Control System enables users to adjust their images to pre-set parameters such as Standard, Neutral, Vivid and Monochrome that apply tweaks to image sharpening, tone compensation, brightness, overall tone and saturation. Photographers have creative control over these image parameters with the use of up to nine available customizable presets.
Synchronizing Both Form and Function Engineered for real-world functionality, the D3X retains a rugged shell with moisture, dust and shock resistance that has become a hallmark of flagship Nikon D-SLRs, while preserving the usability and ergonomics that allow the camera to remain an extension of the photographer?s vision. Attention to detail goes so far as to include a self-diagnostic shutter system that is tested to exceed 300,000 cycles for maximum durability and longevity. The camera?s body also maintains the resilient magnesium alloy construction and form factor of the D3, promoting consistent Nikon system synergy.
A bright and accurate viewfinder offers 100 percent coverage with 0.7x magnification. The body also houses Nikon?s acclaimed 3.0-inch super density LCD screen, now relied upon by so many photographers. The high-resolution 920,000-dot screen is viewable at wide angles up to 170 degrees, and will allow photographers to quickly zoom in to confirm critical focus. Users can also output the video signal to an external display via HDMI to allow client viewing. Thanks to incredibly efficient internal circuitry, the D3X can capture up to 4400* shots per single charge of the camera?s Lithium ion battery.
System Strength Withstands the Test of Time The D3X is fully compatible with Nikon?s Creative Lighting System (CLS) to give photographers a mobile lighting solution that is easy to manage. To further enhance mobility, the D3X is compatible with Nikon?s GP-1 GPS receiver to gather information such as latitude, longitude, altitude and date of shooting. Photographers can easily shoot tethered via USB, or use the WT-4a wireless transmitter to send images wirelessly when speed and mobility are essential. D3X users will also enjoy the system strength of more than 50 genuine NIKKOR lenses that provide outstanding sharpness and high resolution across a broad range of focal lengths.
Price and Availability The Nikon D3X will be available at Nikon Authorized Professional Dealers starting December 2008, and will be available for an estimated selling price of $7999.95.**
* Based on CIPA Standards ** Estimated selling price listed is only an estimate. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.
Greg Parker is a professor of electronics at Southampton University. He's also a wizard. Like his co-author Noel Carboni. Real wizards, capable of obtaining some images that rival the best of Hubble's and giant Earth-based telescopes using less than $15,000 in equipment and more patience than any money in the world could buy. Their magic: A refrigerated CCD chip, a rotating dome, and some smart post processing in Photoshop.
These images will be part of Star Vistas, a book that will be published next year and will collect all their photos of space, taken since they met online four years ago. The two alien Peeping Toms started to collaborate online in 2004. Noel?a Photoshop wizard with an astronomy inclination?helped Greg post-process his images of M33, which is a member of our local group of galaxies along with Andromeda (M31, who they also got in their book) and our very own Milky Way.
Greg uses a 28 cm Celestron NExtar 11 GPS reflecting telescope with Hyperstar lens, an optical assembly that attaches to the telescope secondary mirror, turning it from a slow f10 to an ultrafast f2 astrograph. This system is not designed for the human eye, so he got a matching Starlight Xpress SXV-H9C one-shot color CCD camera.
To increase the performance of the camera, he had to get rid of the noise in the sensor, which is produced by heat during long exposure times. This is achieved by installing a solid-state refrigeration system, which lowers the temperature of the CCD to 55º F less than the ambient temperature.
In addition to this, there is a last ingredient in the recipe: Parker moves the dome in his observatory by hand ever half hour, to adjust to the rotation of the Earth, which results in a moving sky.
The long rumored, medium-format-friendly D3x is profiled in detail in an upcoming issue of Nikon Pro, and Nikon Rumors published the pages themselves and a rundown of details, including 5fps 24.5-megapixel shooting, 51-point autofocus and a 922,000-dot LCD screen for Live View. Here's the basic spec rundown:
• World?s highes-res SLR with Live View • 51-point MultiCAM3500FX autofocus system • Scene Recognition System • Expeed 16-bit processing to handle detail on the 75MB image files • 3-inch, 922,000-dot LCD • 35.9mm x 24mm FX format sensor (If you can't think in metric, that's 1.4" x 0.94") • Weather-resistant magnesium body • Designed for medium-format shooting • ISO range of 100-1600 with a Lo1 (equivalent to ISO 50) with boosts up to ISO 6400 • 24.5-megapixel shooting at up to 5fps; cropped 10-megapixel shooting at up to 7fps • 12ms start-up time; 41ms shutter-release lag time • Writes files to dual CF slots at 35MB/s • USB 2.0, HDMI and AV-out jacks, with 10-pin terminal for GPS and other accessories • Same lithium-ion battery as D3
Believe it or not, there's even more data over on Nikon Rumors, plus some very interesting pictures, so go have a look. [Nikon Rumors]
We've been telling you all of the deals you shouldn't miss for Black Friday, plus how to survive while getting exactly what you want. Well, Electronic House goes in the other direction, pointing out seven Black Friday "deals" you should avoid because you can get the same (or better) deal right now somewhere else. Topping the list are the Canon SD1100IS digital camera at Sears, which is currently cheaper at Amazon, and the Sharp LC-52SB55U HDTV at Circuit City, which is $200 cheaper at Best Buy as we speak. [Electronic House Image: Getty]
Besides the firmware for the long-rumored 24-megapixel full-frame DSLR popping up way back in April, Nikon's scheduled several worldwide events for Dec. 1, a bunch of accessories makers have had products "designed" for a D3x, and topping the list, the D3 itself has gotten cheap, coming down to about $4200. Plus, some retailers are saying couldn't place D3 orders anymore. Or maybe this is all crap and Nikon is just going to reveal they've replaced Rudolph's nose with a 24MP camera for live Santa vision. [Nikon Rumors]
The Financiapocalypse can't stop Christmas, but it can sure as hell suck some of the joy out of it. At the very least, it's probably making you reconsider just how much you wanna spend on toys for yourself and others this holiday season. You're probably looking to cut corners here and there, on dollar-store Christmas lights, iPod knockoffs and the like. That's all fine and dandy, but we've made a list of things you can't afford to cheap out on, because doing so will bite you in the ass later. Still, since we like you, we're also sharing how to save a bit of money in the process, so the whole not-cheaping-out thing doesn't hurt as much.
Graphics Cards
When you're configuring a laptop online, you get a ton of options unless it's a Mac (ooooo burn). Anyway, the popular wisdom is that juicing the processor is always the best way to allocate your dollars to boost performance, since more megahertz is more betterer, right? Wrong. Take this Dell Studio configuration here. Spending $75 on the discrete ATI Mobility Radeon is a way better buy than $50 200MHz upgrade to the processor.
The performance difference those couple hundred megahertz buys you is negligible, while a discrete graphics card from ATI or Nvidia will deliver serious performance benefits over Intel's integrated graphics crap. This is especially true if you do even light 3D gaming, HD video playback or anything else mildly graphically intensive like running Vista's Aero interface (oooo another burn). Also, if you plan to keep a laptop for more than two years, buying the graphics card makes it more future-proof, since Windows 7—and many resource-intensive apps—will grab hold of graphics cards for extra computing muscle, too.
Memory
Memory (aka RAM) is another place to sock your computing dollars instead of blindly bumping up the megahertz. Adding RAM almost always gives your computer a more noticeable performance boost for the same price (especially if you're going from like 1GB to 3GB), allowing you to multitask more and run crazier programs without dragging your computer down. And really, you shouldn't even try to run Windows Vista on anything less than 2GB. (If you can get 4GB and run Vista 64-bit, that's really magical.)
There is a trick to this, however. You don't buy the extra RAM as part of the computer configuration process, since your computer maker of choice will charge you by the arse-hairs for it. Instead, if you're comfortable doing an at-home installation, buy a laptop with the lowest amount of RAM, then buy it separately from Newegg, who even has a helpful tool to pick the right RAM that won't blow up your computer. Crunch the numbers first, of course, but chances are, in big RAM jumps, you will save money.
Another memory tip for those taking the not-as-hard-as-it-sounds cost-cutting step of building their own desktop PC: DDR2 memory is significantly cheaper than DDR3 memory ($60 vs. $120), and at equivalent speeds, the performance difference isn't very noticeable. Your best bet—following our not-skimping guidelines—is to get twice as much DDR2 memory for the same price.
Camera Lenses
The secret about DSLRs that Nikon and Canon don't wanna tell you in the middle of their arms race is that what really matters is the glass—the lens. A Canon 20D—or hell, an XT—with an awesome lens will take better pictures than a 40D with a crummy lens every single time. Besides, if you really want to maximize your DSLR's potential, you're going to need to expand beyond the kit lens that came in the box. It's literally like getting new glasses after a decade of avoiding the eye doctor. Unfortunately, like glasses, camera lenses are one of those things where price really does tend to be commensurate with quality. Don't expect fire sales.
Don't go crappy, instead go used. A used or refurbished lens is always cheaper than a brand new one. Of course, you should always buy from a reputable retailer with a good warranty and return policy, in case there's something wonky with it. (That applies for new lenses too, really.) Here's a list of places to buy used Canon glass. With older lenses, there might be a few caveats like the lack of autofocus, but as Charlie at Gadget Lab notes in his account of using some more "antique" Nikon glass, the experience with those limitations can actually be rewarding, and help you learn about more photography in the process. (And isn't learning why you got a DSLR in the first place?)
If the used route frightens you, another approach is to go with a cheaper camera, and spend the extra money on quality glass. And guess what? Just because a new camera model pops out every six to nine months, it doesn't magically make the older models take less excellent pictures.
Portable GPS Navigation Devices
What? The GPS navigation in your phone isn't enough? Okay, it probably isn't if you actually get behind a wheel to go places. There are lots of GPS navigation devices, and some of them look pretty good for pretty cheap. We're gonna get real specific with our advice here: Get a Garmin Nuvi. Every. Time.
We've road-tested pretty much every navigation device out there, from the smartest cellular connected machines to the dumbest WinCE systems falling off the truck from China, and time and again, we come back to the Nuvi. That's not to say you have to spend $200 more on a navigator. Maybe you could track down last year's top models that are now on sale. The maps wouldn't have changed that much in 12 months. Regardless, even if the Garmin is $25 or $50 more than the TomTom or Magellan on the shelf next to it, get the Garmin. The product will last longer and be more simple to use, resulting in your happiness and the happiness of the people stuck in the car with you. It's worth the extra scratch.
Headphones
Like liquor, strippers and accountants, when it comes to headphones, you get what you pay for. In this dimension there's no such thing as good $2 headphones. You might tolerate them because you know don't any better (or you are simply a knowing masochist) but I guarantee you, they sound like the Tin Man's rusty ass.
You may recall that our amazing, extensive no-BS headphones battlemodo breaks down the best and the worst in every price category worth considering, and is a great place to start. The trend of the piece, you might notice, is that you can't go wrong with Shures, which don't cost as much as some audiophile earphones, but generally have list prices starting at $100. Good news, my favorites for the money, Shure's E2c sound-isolating headphones, now can be had for $60 easy, or as low as $40 on sale. Some people prefer those to their current replacement the SE110 (the E2c's are slightly bassier), that list for $100 but sell for $75 at Amazon at the moment. I know that a few editors at Gizmodo prefer the SE110s, but either way, the "hundred dollar" headphones stomp the cheap-skate models.
That's the real point: The extra $40 for a good pair of headphones delivers such a fantastical world of difference—especially to those commuters and workout buffs who spend a decent amount of time wearing them—that it is very much worth the extra cash. The only "catch" is that you will finally hear how bad your MP3s sound if you ripped them at a super-low bitrate. MP3s under 192Kbps might need to be re-ripped, since you will hear actually, at long last, hear the compression.
Your Turn
Alright, that's five from us. Surely you guys have got advice on other gear and accessories you should never skimp on. If so, though, you better be prepared to share ways to buy them cheaper than list price. Retail is for suckers! Come on, let's hear from you in the comments.
Nikon's just come up with news about what kind of deal you can get on some of its cameras on Black Friday. There's a $50 discount on the 10-megapixel Coolpix S550 (down to $150) and $100 off the 18x zoom P80, making it $300. But the D60 gets an even bigger chunk off with a $125 discount to $575. Sure there're a few conditions, like the D60 has to come in the DSLR kit with a system case and DVD from an authorized dealer, but since Nikon's not a retailer itself that's still not bad. Check out the Nikon link for more details and more discounts on other cameras and lenses. [Nikon]
Good news camera fans, two months after launching and exploding our eyes with its delicious full HD video, the 5D Mark II is finally shipping out of Canon's distribution centers to dealers. Tomorrow. Price is supposed to be $2699, but depending on scarcity (the demand is going to be massive), you could pay a bit more. All indications are that it'll be so worth it, though. [Rob Galbraith - Thanks Chris!]
Whether it's wishful thinking, educated guessing or true leakage is unclear, but the photo nerds are now abuzz about a Nikon D400 follow-up to the D300 we love so much, which would have D90-like video capability that could potentially rival Canon's 1080p-shootin' EOS 5D Mark II. If that was all gibberish to you, don't think on it a moment further. But if what you just read gave you a feeling down in the nether regions that you'd prefer not to discuss, go check out Photography Bay for the full rumor rundown. [Photography Bay]
We'll have a lot more than the 1983 Apple Phone prototype at the upcoming Gizmodo Gallery. Perhaps you were interested in getting a good look at the famous Red One camera? That's good, because we sorta know a guy.
The Red One camera was never really interested in capturing HD video (1920x1080). Instead, the system's Super 35mm-sized Mysterium sensor captures footage at 4K (3626x2664) in precious RAW format. The camera starts at only $17,000, but once you get it fully loaded, the system can approach $80,000. Sound like a lot of money? It is. But seeing as it doesn't require purchasing or developing costly film and it still manages to nip the heels of 35mm quality, the Red One represents the democratization of an ever-opening Hollywood system.
The Red One will be at Gizmodo Gallery this December 4th-7th, in NYC.
Gizmodo Gallery Reader Meetup The reader meetup takes place across the street from the Gallery, at a place called The Annex (not to be confused with REED ANNEX where the gallery is hosted.) The address is 152 Orchard Street and we'll be there at 9 PM SHARP on Friday December 5th.
The Gadget: The Casio EX-FH20 camera, bargain brother to the popular EX-F1. It features 1000 fps slow-mo video, a 40 fps burst mode for still shooting and a 9.1-megapixel sensor, as well as good ol' 720p at regular speeds, all for just over half the price of the original slow-mo star.
The Price: $600
The Verdict: Casio did a great job of bringing the power of the EX-F1 down to a beginner's level for the EX-FH20. The functions on the new camera are more streamlined than its bulkier predecessor: missing are the dedicated shooting mode switch dial, the multi-use focus/zoom ring and separate buttons for video and still capture from the F1. But on the other hand, the FH20 bests the F1 in a couple places, with its 9.1MP sensor and 20X optical zoom, compared to 6MP and 12X in the original. The on-board video editor is still there and simple to use for cutting down lengthy slow-mo clips. And whaddya know, it takes decent (albeit more point-and-shoot than DSLR quality) pictures too, as seen in the gallery below.
But we know what you really want to see: how the slow motion video compares to the original exploding Mentos-capturing beast. As seen in the clip above, it does the job much like the original. You give up some video frames when opting for the budget cam—it records 210, 420 and 1000 fps instead of 300, 600 and 1200 fps—but that's not a huge difference. And while 1000 fps video shrinks is at a paltry resolution of 224x56 pixels—even measlier than the original—it doesn't get as dark as the F1's output tended to, so you'll have slightly more clarity in the crazy slow but still mostly novelty setting.
It also shoots other types of video well. The 30 fps-210 fps "She Walked in the Room" mode is still there, and is a fun way to make otherwise typical activities look extremely epic. Also, 720p HD video is crisp and clean, and doesn't have the nasty "jello effect" when panning that cheaper camcorders designed specifically for this purpose often suffer from.
If you choose an FH20 over the F1, you sacrifice more than just not-as-slow-mo video. Without separate buttons for video and stills, you lose the ability to capture images while you record video, a great feature in the last model and the hardest thing to lose. Also gone is ultra-fast 60 fps LED strobe flash option, but it can still fire off 5 fps with the standard flash firing (vs. the F1's 7 fps). Most of the other features remain, though slightly dialed down: 40fps high-speed burst shooting (with resolution dropped to 7MP) instead of 60fps on the F1, and smaller sizes for slow-mo video as mentioned earlier. And you better bring some rechargeable batteries—gone is the rechargeable Li-ion, and this camera eats four AAs like they were a delicious piece of cake. But with the steep discount over the F1 and the more direct, easier to use interface, for those who mostly want to shoot slow-mo video while taking a few pictures on the side it's not a hard sacrifice to make. [Casio]
What you gain with the EX-FH20 over the EX-F1: • 9.1MP camera sensor over 6MP • 20X optical zoom over 12X • Easier interface for beginners • $400 in your pocket (vs. the EX-F1's $1000 price tag)
What you lose: • Slow-motion video size and frames (EX-FH20 records in 210, 420 and 1000fps at 480×360 224×168 and 224×56 respectively—EX-F1 records in 300, 600 and 1200fps) • Taking still shots while shooting HD video • 60fps LED flash strobe mode • 20 fps of burst still shooting (down to 40 fps compared to 60 before)
Once again, if you can't get Giz's slow-mo song du jour out of your head, here's the Amazon MP3 link. [Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap]
And if you're still humming the song made famous by the Harlem Globetrotters, here's an Amazon MP3 link to that too. [Sweet Georgia Brown by Brother Bones]
Forensic specialists can now pinpoint the exact make and model of a camera simply by analyzing the pixels in digital photos. This technique would be useful in the future for tracking down criminals, such as kidnappers who've leaked photos of their hostages to the media. Read on to find out how it works.
When a digital camera captures a photo, the camera creates each pixel using a charge-coupled device—a microchip that is made up of millions of capacitors that get electrical charges depending on how intense the lighting is in a certain spot. Each of these capacitors has a lens and a color filter that creates one single pixel from a mosaic made up of red, green and blue filters.
The colors and brightness levels that we can physically see in our digital pictures are created by a demosaicing software, which is custom built for every camera model due to each camera's individual specs and subtle differences. Because of this, a certain camera model will generate distinct pixels—and unique relationships between its neighboring pixels—which can pinpoint the exact make and model of the camera.
Knowing this information could greatly help forensics teams since each digital camera has a shelf life of about 18 months, which would significantly narrow the pool of where and when it was sold. Although it is not perfect, early tests have shown this technique has proven to be 90 percent accurate, which is still an A in my book! [New Scientist via Slashdot]
Companies that aren't Canon or Nikon have it rough in the digital camera market?particularly outside the cheap point-and-shoot area. Some band together for strength in numbers, creating cooperative standards like Panasonic, Olympus and Leica's new Micro Four Thirds system?a spec for smaller cameras with digital viewfinders like a compact, but interchangeable lenses, manual controls and higher performance like a DSLR. We tested Panasonic's 13-megapixel Lumix G1, paying close attention to the fact that it's the first contender in a totally new camera category and?like that other G1, the Android smartphone?it sets the stage for what's to come.
There is a single photo that you should think long and hard about before deciding whether to plunk down $800 for the G1. And oddly enough, it wasn't even shot with the camera itself. Want to see it?
Yeah, there it is?the G1 posing next to my Canon Rebel XT. As you can see, for all practical purposes, they are the same size and shape. The G1 is smaller by a hair, but unless you're carrying both at the exact same time, it's a difference you would never, ever think about. This seemingly small fact completely undermines the system's potential to set itself apart from the big boys' entry-level DSLRs, which are the G1's direct competitors whether Panasonic likes it or not. The G1 fails to deliver on Micro Four Thirds' potential to produce cameras with small, unique form factors?those Leica-style "digital rangefinders" we pined for when the system was announced?that could be very worthy of your consideration. For now, an entry level Canon or Nikon DSLR is a better bet, coming in with humongous lens and accessory systems and lower price tags.
The thing is, a Micro Four Thirds camera doesn't have to look like a conventional DSLR. There is no pentaprism, which allows for a direct through-the-lens viewfinder in a DSLR and is responsible for the traditional bulge up top. There is no long legacy of lenses and hardware that dictate how the camera body should be formed. But there the G1 is, with its faux prism bulge and totally traditional DSLR shape.
Panasonic apparently chose this route to drive home the fact that the G1 is a serious camera, not just a gussied-up point-and-shoot. I guess that makes some logical sense for a minute, but for people who buy an $800 camera based on more criteria than just the way the body looks (read: most), it will probably prove to be a fatal mistake. Which is too bad, because when form factor is ruled out, Micro Four Thirds' unique characteristics show a lot of potential for greatness. Let's look at those.
Live Viewfinder
When you look through the G1's viewfinder, you see a digital image of the sensor's live view output. Generally this is a really terrible way to compose a photograph, but the G1's is actually really usable. It's not jerky at all in good light (it does tend to slow down in low-light, though), and it's sharp, bright and clear for focusing thanks to a resolution of 1,440,000 dots. It's the best digital viewfinder I've ever used personally.
For auto focus, the G1 uses a 23-area contrast-based system, again because there is no mirror to reflect light to a dedicated AF sensor found in most DSLRs (contrast detection is also occasionally used by DSLRs when they're in live view or video capture mode). It tended to work well in good light and in bad. Manual focus is also possible, but a zoomed-in view PIP-style?like many DSLRs have?would have been nice.
There is a dedicated button for switching between the digital viewfinder and the LCD, which you can swivel out from the camera's back. There's a sensor next to the viewfinder that automatically switches between the two depending on where your face is.
The Sensor
Micro Four Thirds (like the Four Thirds true-DSLR system that came before it) gets its name from the 4:3 aspect ratio of its 13-megapixel "Live MOS" sensor. The sensor is basically a hybrid compact/DSLR type?the 4:3 aspect ratio is more common in compacts (although you can set the aspect ratio to the more traditional DSLR standard 3:2 easily), but the sensor's physical size is more on par with the APS-C sensors found in low-end DSLRs. That's a good thing, because a bigger sensor always equals less noise at high ISO sensitivities, more control over limited depth of field, and better image quality all around. That's why the prospect of a truly compact camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor is so exciting.
As you can see, though, with the lens removed the sensor is directly exposed to the elements. If you have an industrial grade clean room in your house, I would advise changing lenses in there. Dust spots on your sensor are the worst.
Interchangeable Lenses
Right now there are only two Micro Four Thirds lenses: The 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 kit lens and a 45-200mm/F4.0-5.6 telephoto zoom. Thankfully, you can mate the G1 with the larger selection of standard Four Thirds lenses via an adapter (which includes some nice high-end Leica glass). Here you see a Lumix/Leica 14-40mm mounted.
Controls
Controls and menus are generally well thought out. There's a bunch of flexibility built in here?from the customizable ISO intervals (full or 1/3 stop) to the handy Quick Menu?which lets you access just about all of the basic shooting functions from within the viewfinder without diving into a menu.
Mad props for the clickable main scroll wheel. I don't know if this is standard on Panasonic's other performance cameras, but it's incredibly helpful?a single press cycles between controlling the aperture or shutter speed (depending on your mode) to setting a quick exposure compensation or going between shutter and aperture in full manual mode, all with a single wheel. Nice.
I can easily live with the annoyances noted above, balanced as they are by the niceties I also mentioned. However, the G1 does have three drawbacks that, when considered with the baffling form factor decision, are dealbreakers:
ISO Noise
Noise levels are not great. Here you can see a progression of shots from ISO 100 to ISO 3200. As you can see, ISO 3200 is pretty useless:
And here, a quick and dirty crop comparison with a Rebel XT (which is three generations old, keep in mind) at ISO 1600 (the XT's max). Even my three-year-old Rebel does better at ISO 1600. The Micro Four Thirds sensor is large, but it's still smaller than APS-C and not as adept at handling noise as Canon or Nikon sensors, which get trickle-down sensor tech from noise-busting high-end cameras.
No Video
This makes absolutely no sense: The G1 does not have a video capture mode, even though all the challenges of recording video on a DSLR are completely non-existent here. Panasonic has said that its future Micro Four Thirds cams will have HD video. This is precisely where the system has a natural leg-up on entry-level DSLRs and it's a shame?perhaps a fatal omission?that the G1 couldn't take part.
Cost
Panasonic G1 with 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens: $799
Canon EOS Rebel XSi with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens: $669
As long as that's the competitive landscape, the G1 has no chance.
Conclusion
I am optimistic about Micro Four Thirds, but there's just no reason anyone should buy a G1. Less money could get you a real DSLR that is, for all practical purposes, the same size. The G1's digital viewfinder is excellent, but it's no comparison to looking at the real world as you shoot. Factor in the G1's relatively poor high-ISO performance and tiny lens selection and it's a no brainer.
All is not lost for Micro Four Thirds. Remember Sigma's DP-1, the super-compact, rangefinder-looking point-and-shoot that packed a DSLR-sized sensor and manual controls? Micro Four Thirds could add to that paradigm a great electronic viewfinder and a system of interchangeable lenses. How about a Leica M-looking body with a few interchangeable prime (not zoom) lenses? What about using tons of legacy Leica lenses via a rumored M-mount adapter, in addition to the Leica (non-Micro) Four Thirds lenses that already exist? Sign me up for that any day. There is hope that a remedy is coming soon, as Olympus, Panasonic's partner in this endeavor, will unveil its Micro Four Thirds camera early next year. For now, though, it's back to the drawing board for Panasonic, and back to DSLRs for me.
Test Shots
All full-resolution shots straight from the camera with no cropping or processing.
Your face has worked out so far, but in the age of exploding laptop batteries and botched nose jobs, we can all use a spare. ThatsMyFace is a service that will create anything from a life-sized mask ($200) to a full 3D sculpture of your head ($2,000) with just two 2D images from you.
The service appears to first 3Dize your pictures by hand, then use 3D printing technology for the physical production model. At least in this clip, the result is scarily realistic, even if a bit dead looking. Then again, with the lights turned low enough, it may be just enough to test whether or not your spouse would cheat on you for Josh Hartnett. (Saving you the money, we'll just let you know that the answer is yes...be they your wife or husband.) [ThatsMyFace via TechCrunch]
There's really nothing wrong with the semi-perfect Eye-Fi, other than maybe that we could use more than a piddly 2GB of SD storage when we're away from our Wi-Fi network. To celebrate keeping the doors open for a year, Eye-Fi has announced the Eye-Fi Anniversary Edition card. It's a limited edition version of their classic Eye-Fi, doubled in size (features like geotagging can be purchased at an additional cost). You can pick up the Anniversary Edition at Costco for $100 or on their site for $130. We'll let you decide if that Costco card is worth it or not. [Eye-Fi]
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Whether your camera is brand new or an aging holdover, you want to accessorize it, but you don't want to pay. By now, you know the Dealzmodo Hack drill: Paying is for suckers.
Build your own stabilizer out of string
Build your own L-bracket, for serious stability, vertical mounting
The "David Pogue Special": Use a lamp as a tripod
Scrounge up household flash diffusers
Calibrate color temperature with free flooring samples
Make flash deflection umbrellas from actual umbrellas
Build still-life photography studio for free(ish)
Snap magazine-style portraits, beautiful macros with a homemade ringlight
Foam-fit an old bag to hold your gear
Are these people out of their spanking-loving, English-disciplined, bloody psycho minds? Judging from these news, yes they are: Schools in Britain are now installing CCTV and microphones in classrooms for four-year-old kids.
It's Christmas, and we're betting that at least some of you received new digital cameras (be they point-and-shoots or DSLRs). And if you're a photography n00b, we've got a few tips to help.
Your camera uses auto white balance to get around this cacophony of color, but it's not always right. On some cameras, you can actually use "manual white balance" (MWB), shooting a white patch, such as a piece of paper, in order to say "THIS IS WHITE." That's the most accurate way, though the simpler way found on most cameras is to manually select the best white balance by choosing the tiny icon that identifies your light source: a sun for direct sunlight, a cloud for cloudy, a round bulb for incandescent, a rectangular bulb for fluorescent, etc.
Use Diffuse Flash, Or Just Turn it Off
1. Check your manual for minimum and maximum flash distances—probably around 6 to 12 feet away—and stay in those constraints.
For DSLR Owners...Shoot in RAW, Shoot in RAW, Shoot in RAW
RAW is the data pulled right off the imaging sensor of your camera, before it gets run through a bunch of optimizer and compression algorithms. This data allows for a complete do-over on many aspects of the picture, like color temperature. In other cases, it allows a lot of room for fudging, as with exposure. You'll need software that can handle RAW images—most cameras come with something proprietary, but Photoshop can also manage RAW from the major camera brands. Just don't be scared by it. It's why you're holding that shiny new DSLR you have no idea how to use.
Tilt-shift photography, the popular but fashionable method of making 
Pop Photo is one of the first to 
Nikon just announced the D3x, and popped out the D700 a little bit ago, so next to be updated is the D300, right? Here are 
Novoflex has answered our wishes for the Micro Four Thirds system: a ?150 ($192) adapter will now mate Leica M-mount lenses?some of the best glass ever made?with cameras like the 
The Gadget: The Uncle Milton Pet's Eye View cam is a low-res interval-timed camera designed to clip to the collar of a dog or cat, under the assumption your pet's life has some vaguely interesting non-eating/sleeping/pooing component.
None of these items should probably determine your buying decision, but I wanted to mention a few of the more...interesting features of the cameras. The Samsung TL9 has a set of snazzy analog dials on top that display battery life and remaining memory like a car's dash—plus it plays music and movies. The Panasonic has categorized an Intelligent Auto Mode that gives a lazy but informed user a nice way to tell the camera, "hey, you may need to boost the ISO," without messing with any other controls or gimmicky menus. The Nikon will warn you if a subject's eyes are closed. The Canon has ditched the standard up, down, left, right menu dial for a spinning ring...that's bold, if not always intuitive. And Sony will shoot in 16x9 or stretch images to that ratio for quick HDTV slideshows. Plus, smile/face detectors are everywhere. How did we ever take pictures before boxes enclosed a loved one's face?
Jim Jannard has announced a price reduction on their Scarlet and EPIC cameras, their latest 
While they won't do much to salvage that fancy camera, Elecom is trusting that some of us will benefit from their waterproof SDHC cards.
The 
Greg Parker is a professor of electronics at Southampton University. He's also a wizard. Like his co-author Noel Carboni. Real wizards, capable of obtaining some images that rival the 
The 
We've been telling you all of the 
The trail of evidence pointing to 
Graphics Cards
Memory
Camera Lenses
Portable GPS Navigation Devices
Headphones
Nikon's just come up with news about what kind of deal you can get on some of its cameras on 
Good news camera fans, two months 
Whether it's wishful thinking, educated guessing or true leakage is unclear, but the photo nerds are now abuzz about a Nikon D400 follow-up to the 
We'll have a lot more than the 
The Gadget: The 
Forensic specialists can now pinpoint the exact make and model of a camera simply by analyzing the pixels in digital photos. This technique would be useful in the future for tracking down criminals, such as kidnappers who've leaked photos of their hostages to the media. Read on to find out how it works.
Companies that aren't Canon or Nikon have it rough in the digital camera market?particularly outside the cheap point-and-shoot area. Some band together for strength in numbers, creating cooperative standards like Panasonic, Olympus and Leica's new Micro Four Thirds system?a spec for smaller cameras with digital viewfinders like a compact, but interchangeable lenses, manual controls and higher performance like a DSLR. We tested Panasonic's 13-megapixel Lumix G1, paying close attention to the fact that it's the first contender in a totally new camera category and?like that other G1, the Android smartphone?it sets the stage for what's to come.
When you look through the G1's viewfinder, you see a digital image of the sensor's live view output. Generally this is a really terrible way to compose a photograph, but the G1's is actually really usable. It's not jerky at all in good light (it does tend to slow down in low-light, though), and it's sharp, bright and clear for focusing thanks to a resolution of 1,440,000 dots. It's the best digital viewfinder I've ever used personally.
Right now there are only two Micro Four Thirds lenses: The 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 kit lens and a 45-200mm/F4.0-5.6 telephoto zoom. Thankfully, you can mate the G1 with the larger selection of standard Four Thirds lenses via an adapter (which includes some nice high-end Leica glass). Here you see a Lumix/Leica 14-40mm mounted.
There's really nothing wrong with the