SISAREA » Camera

Fujifilm shoots out five new cameras: F300EXR, Z800EXR, Z80, JX280 and S2800HD

Richard Lai — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:23:00 +0000

What you just heard was the sound of five new FinePix cameras popping out of Fujifilm's doors. Yippie! If all goes well, we'll be seeing these SDHC-loving / xD-hating babies from late August. Let's start working through the list: the 12 megapixel, 720p-video (24fps) F300EXR boasts auto-focus speeds that are "as good as" DSLRs, all thanks to the camera's hybrid auto-focus system -- a combination of Contrast AF (as used on most compacts) and Phase Detection AF (as found on most DSLRs). Other goodies include a wide 15x (24-360mm equivalent) "low noise" zoom lens, 3-inch high contrast 460k-dot LCD on the back, ISO settings up to a staggering 12,800, face detection and recognition (the latter lets you store optimum exposure and focus settings for up to eight faces), 360˚ panorama shooting mode, HDMI output, and image stabilization on the second-gen Super CCD EXR sensor. The price? You'll have to cough up $329.95 for this bad boy.

Read on for the rest of the family.

Continue reading Fujifilm shoots out five new cameras: F300EXR, Z800EXR, Z80, JX280 and S2800HD

Fujifilm shoots out five new cameras: F300EXR, Z800EXR, Z80, JX280 and S2800HD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Akihabara News | Email this | Comments

Samsung ST100 and ST600 cams take DualView screens to the high end

Nilay Patel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Cellphones with front-facing cameras might be all the rage right now, but Samsung continues to lead the field of cameras with front-facing screens -- it's bringing its total count of DualView cameras to six with the new flagship ST100 (pictured) and ST600. In addition to sharing a new larger 1.8-inch front screen, both cams feature the same 14.2 megapixel sensor with ISO 3200 sensitivity, a 3.5-inch rear display, and a new "jump shot" mode that uses the front screen to cue a group of people to jump and then fires off three quick snaps to capture the action. Adorable, we know. You're also getting 720p video recording, a gesture-driven touchscreen interface, and smart face recognition that can recognize up to six manually chosen people and 14 automatically registered people. The big difference between the two is the lens -- the $329 ST600 sports a protruding 5x wide angle optical zoom lens, while the $349 ST100 slims things down with a new 5x internal optical zoom. No exact word on ship dates yet, but you'll be able to pick both of these up in a variety of metallic colors when they do hit -- joy. PR after the break.

Gallery: Samsung ST100 DualView camera

Gallery: Samsung ST600 DualView camera

Continue reading Samsung ST100 and ST600 cams take DualView screens to the high end

Samsung ST100 and ST600 cams take DualView screens to the high end originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Canon developing smaller DSLRs to compete with mirrorless cameras?

Richard Lai — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:11:00 +0000

Ever since we heard that Nikon was joining the league of mirrorless cameras, the whole world's been waiting for its arch rival to make the next move in the battle of smaller prosumer cameras. Today, Canon finally gave away some hints about which camp it'll side with -- probably just sticking with traditional DSLRs, but smaller. Canon's Masaya Maeda didn't share any specific details, but here's how he dodged Reuters' inquiry: "It's not a question of whether or not you have a mirror. There is a consumer need for good-quality cameras to be made smaller. We will meet this need." And to add some icing to that bland statement, Maeda reinforced that it wouldn't be a challenge for his company to retain a mirror (hence a viewfinder, which is essential for obtaining better results and higher shooting rates) in a smaller design, and that they've made very small SLR cameras before (likely in reference to the film era). Whatever happens, here's hoping that Canon's new toy won't be any bigger than the much-loved G11.

Canon developing smaller DSLRs to compete with mirrorless cameras? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista | Reuters | Email this | Comments

Panasonic Lumix LX5 outed by tech support page, improvements are black and white

Sean Hollister — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:07:00 +0000

Panasonic may be pushing Micro Four Thirds tech these days, but that doesn't mean it's forgotten about the pocketable high-end -- in fact, full spec sheets and pictures have just leaked from the company's technical support website, detailing the unannounced latest in the Lumix LX lineup. The 10.1 megapixel DMC-LX5 doesn't have any revolutionary new features, sadly, but it certainly brings the 2008 LX3 predecessor up to spec in nearly every way, with a longer 3.8x optical zoom lens by Leica, 12,800 ISO mixed-pixel sensitivity and a familiar-sounding AVCHD Lite 720p video recording mode. Slightly heavier due to a larger 1250mAh battery, the camera supports SDXC memory cards this time round, has an anti-glare coating on the 3-inch LCD and thankfully replaces those bulky breakout component cables with a mini-HDMI out. There's also an optional electronic viewfinder and a jog dial on the back, but we don't want to ruin all your fun unearthing these gems; peruse the specs yourself at our source link.

Panasonic Lumix LX5 outed by tech support page, improvements are black and white originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink 43 Rumors | Panasonic (1), (2) | Email this | Comments

Sony Alpha A390 and A290 DSLRs hands-on

Richard Lai — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:53:00 +0000

While Sony may have its pricey NEX-VG10 camcorder sucking up the limelight at yesterday's showcase, let's not forget the electronic giant's more humble photographic devices. Just a few steps away we stumbled upon these near-identical Alpha A390 and A290 entry-level DSLRs, with the former donning a tilting LCD and live view capability to live up to its bigger price tag. We can't comment on picture quality due to the lack of sample shots, but we were certainly impressed by both cameras' build quality -- kudos to Sony for the much improved grip, and we also liked the firm chassis (plus its various knobs and flaps) that didn't feel cheap despite sounding hollow. On a similar note, the 2.7-inch LCD looked sharp and served us well for all purposes, although we didn't get to test it outdoor. What really bewildered us was the lens continuously auto-focusing while the camera remained stationary -- that couldn't be good for the battery, and we'd like to see how battery life fares in upcoming reviews. Anyhow, enjoy our hands-on photos.

Gallery: Sony Alpha A390 and A290 DSLRs hands-on

Sony Alpha A390 and A290 DSLRs hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Sigma’s mysterious SD15 DSLR finally ships to US, gets unboxed enthusiastically

Darren Murph — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:55:00 +0000

We've all waited close to two years for this day to come, and now that it has, just a single question remains: "Does your credit card have the space?" Sigma's SD15 -- which is outfitted with a 14 megapixel Foveon X3 sensor, 3-inch LCD, True II processor, an ISO range from 50 to 3,200 extended) and support for SD / SDHC cards -- is now available to order on American soil. Better still, both B&H Photo and Adorama show the beast as "in stock" for just under a grand ($989, if we're counting), and the fine folks over at Akihabara News have managed to wrangle one for a glorious unboxing. Dig into those links below if you're hungry for more, but don't blame us if you come away a fair bit poorer.

Sigma's mysterious SD15 DSLR finally ships to US, gets unboxed enthusiastically originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Akihabara News, B&H Photo, Adorama | Email this | Comments

OtterBox ’shops camera hole onto iPad case, presumably for fun and profit

Chris Ziegler — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 19:17:00 +0000

Well played, OtterBox -- you've got your inbound link. Here are some other attention-grabbing ideas we might recommend:

A "Verizon-compatible" iPhone case
"iPod nano touch" screen protectors
A housing for "Apple TV (late 2010)" boxes
An iPhone 4 bumper that costs less than thirty frickin' dollars

[Thanks, Galen]

OtterBox 'shops camera hole onto iPad case, presumably for fun and profit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | OtterBox | Email this | Comments

Switched On: Photography is dead, long live photos

Ross Rubin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 00:15:00 +0000

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Portraying the digital still camera as an endangered species has been a popular pastime for years in the cellphone industry, and with the high-resolution stills and high-definition video capabilities of the latest round of smartphones, the argument is more convincing than ever when applied to the casual snapshot. But this week at the World Expo in Shanghai, Canon -- a name synonymous with high-quality photography -- offered a vision of a device that not only supersedes the digital still camera, but will likely eliminate photography as we know it.

With an estimated arrival date two decades in the future, the Canon Wonder Camera concept device has an incredible focal length from macro to 500mm with a single, integrated lens. It boasts massive (unspecified) storage, ultra-high (also unspecified) resolution, multiple facial recognition capabilities beyond that available today, and the ability to keep everything viewable in focus at the same time. But perhaps the most radical thing about this camera is that it's really a camcorder. Rather than take individual stills, Wonder Camera owners would simply have their pick of perfectly crisp photos as frames grabbed from video.

Continue reading Switched On: Photography is dead, long live photos

Switched On: Photography is dead, long live photos originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Keepin’ it real fake: Likea Leica, only not

Vlad Savov — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:22:00 +0000

Of all the KIRFs in all the world, this might be one of the laziest. Sure, aesthetically it does a fine job of aping the Leica rangefinder it takes as its "inspiration," but the Likea camera goes downhill very quickly when you move in a little closer. The first thing you'll notice is that, instead of the finely engineered Leica body, this thing is made out of, well, cardboard. Then you find out that the pinhole element isn't provided in the box and you're faced with the impossible judgment of deciding whether the need for a pinhole element or its omission is the worse offense. Ah well, what do you expect for 20 bucks? Just go buy some film and let your imagination fill the (vast) gap between the Likea and the real stuff.

Keepin' it real fake: Likea Leica, only not originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Leica Rumors | Likea Camera | Email this | Comments

Nikon planning “new concept” mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with enhanced video modes

Nilay Patel — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:45:00 +0000

The past year has seen both Sony and Samsung unveil tiny interchangeable lens cameras designed to compete with the Micro Four Thirds units from Panasonic and Olympus, and now Nikon's getting in the game as well -- company president Makoto Kimura told Bloomberg Nikon will introduce a "new concept" mirrorless cameras with enhanced video functions as early as this year. (That sort of sounds like the Canon G11 competitor with DSLR tech Nikon was hinting at earlier this year, but we can't tell if they're the same.) Kimura says that Nikon is "intensively" focused on developing the new mirrorless product as part of a plan to increase SLR revenue -- Nikon's goal is to increase interchangeable lens camera sales a whopping 80 percent over the next three years. That's ambitious, but if Nikon can produce a tiny shooter with some of the D3S's low-light capabilities and the ability to accept even a subset of its modern family of lenses, we don't think it's out of the question. We'll see what happens.

Nikon planning "new concept" mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with enhanced video modes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashgear | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments