Hasta La Gadget!

Adapters to fit Canon’s EF lenses on Micro Four Thirds and NEX camera bodies most definitely aren’t new. Without any electronic link, though, that Lumix GX1 or NEX-F3 owner has had to focus by hand, sometimes without any aperture control — what year is it, 1930? Kipon wants to make sure you’ll never have to stoop to that level again through a pair of new adapters that keep the electronic controls working. As always with these parts, there’s likely to be catches: we don’t know the prices and ship dates, for one, and lens conversion can still hurt the autofocus speed. Even so, anyone who’s been hoarding (or simply envious of) Canon glass now doesn’t have to eye an EOS-M just to get a mirrorless camera with the lens adapter they crave.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals

Kipon preps Canon EF lens adapters for Micro Four Thirds, NEX cameras with electronic control originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As cool as the Lytro camera’s post-picture taking focusing technology is, it’s hard to overlook some of the product’s shortcomings — not the least of which is the fact that the company only offered a Mac solution when the device launched earlier this year. Lytro has finally addressed that oversight, with the release of a desktop application for Windows. To use it, your system will need to be running Windows 7 with 2GB of RAM and at least an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (you can find the full list of minimum specs in the source link below). To celebrate the launch, Lytro’s offering up free shipping on camera orders this week. Also new are the Lytro tripod mount and USB wall charger accessories.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Lytro finally rolls out Windows desktop software, celebrates with free shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon has long been a leader in the world of DSLRs, but when it comes to smaller sized shooters, Canon had largely concentrated on commercially viable consumer and prosumer class digital cameras, not really treading on the mirrorless camera technology known as Micro Four Thirds which has been around for some years now. The mirrorless camera comes close to a DSLR in terms of image quality, and yet is far less bulkier in terms of size, not to mention allowing you to change a fair number of lenses (a market which is growing), making it a favorite secondary camera to many.

Well, Canon has finally decided to dip their toes into this particular market, by offering the Canon EOS M digital camera which is said to deliver exceptional EOS Full HD video quality with continuous autofocus, not to mention having it accompanied by a notable and expansive range of lenses.

Inspired by EOS technology, the EOS M will be able to leverage on the company’s core technologies, while distilling them down in order to deliver outstanding video capture capabilities without sacrificing image quality when it comes to still shots. Whenever you want to capture still images, the EOS M camera’s 18-megapixel APS-C-sized CMOS image sensor is more than capable of delivering a shallow depth of field, in addition to incredible low-light image quality and a wide dynamic range which is more than capable of capturing rich gradation and detail.

This is the latest member of the EOS family, where both videographers and photographers alike regardless of their level of professionalism and interest, will be able to play nice with a couple of lenses that were specially designed for Canon’s new camera format – namely the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens and the optional EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. Not only that, you are also able to make full use of your Canon EF and EF-S lenses courtesy of the optional Mount Adapter EF-EOS M.

Press Release

[ Canon EOS M digital camera enters into the mirrorless territory copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nokia has completed its acquisition of the tech and team from imaging specialists Scalado, promising the next generation of camera functionality in future Nokia smartphones. The deal, announced back in June, sees Scalado’s technologies, developers and intellectual property; however, the company will continue to supply software under existing deals, such as to RIM for the composite photo system in BlackBerry 10.

Exactly what the next step for the Scalado team at Nokia might be is unconfirmed; Nokia is playing those cards close to its chest. On the company’s official blog, software management VP Samuli Hanninen suggests that “imaging is about to go through another major revolution” and that extra context could be the next stage in its development.

“One example is the way phones can enrich photos with contextual data” he said. “It can know the who, what, where and when behind every picture and use that intelligently.” Such a strategy would tie into Stephen Elop’s claims last week that Nokia aims to be the “where” company, doubling-down on location-based services.

Meanwhile, Hanninen teases at Lytro-style focus control, allowing users to change the composition of the frame even after it has been captured. ”We’re talking about ‘recapturing’ moments” he explains. “Your photos can contain so much information that you can go back and make new pictures that are completely different, in non-destructive ways – maybe focused on the sunset that was behind your girlfriend’s shoulder in the original.”

Nokia finalizes Scalado grab; teases Lytro-style camera magic is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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There have been plenty of false alarms in recent months, but Canon’s first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (ILC) is finally here — in fact, we’re holding it in our hands. The EOS M is clearly reminiscent of a point-and-shoot, such as the company’s high-end PowerShot S100. Sure, Canon could have added some of the dedicated controls that its professional user base would demand, but photojournalists aren’t the target here, for a few reasons. Canon’s primary motivation, at least from an official perspective, was to create a camera that serves to bridge the gap between pocketable compacts and full-size DSLRs with a simple user interface designed to educate, not intimidate. Also key, however, was avoiding cannibalization of the company’s low-end and mid-range Digital SLR models, which clearly still have a place in the lineup one tier above this ILC.

Consumers willing to sacrifice hardware controls for a touchscreen-driven UI won’t be missing out on much else — functionally, the EOS M is a near-clone of Rebel T4i with the same 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5 processor and 3-inch touchscreen. Even the advanced two-stage focusing system has made its way from the T4i, which utilizes both phase-difference and contrast AF in order to achieve focus more efficiently when capturing video. The housing design and lens mount are unlike any other that Canon has produced, however, combining features from other models without completely eliminating the need for a DSLR, or a compact for that matter. If you can get by without granular controls, you’ll do just fine here — the design really is spectacular. With an $800 price tag, the EOS M falls within the upper tier of the mirrorless category, and it remains to be seen whether it will be an obvious pick when it finally hits stores in October, a month after competitors tease their own products at the massive Photokina expo in Germany. How does it fare today? You’ll find our impressions just past the break.

Continue reading Canon EOS M mirrorless camera hands-on (video)

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon EOS M mirrorless camera hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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