Samsung upstages Sony with f/1.4-equipped EX2F point-and-shoot for $549

Samsung upstages Sony with f14equipped EX2F pointandshoot

Samsung’s been flaunting its WiFi-equipped Smart cameras throughout the last year, but with a generally significant tradeoff in image quality, we haven’t been terribly impressed. The EX2F, however, is a model we’re finally eager to get our hands on. This 12.4-megapixel CMOS shooter packs an f/1.4-2.7 lens — quite a feat for any point-and-shoot — along with a full-size hot shoe, dual image stabilization, a top ISO setting of 12,800 (extended), a 24-79mm 3.3x lens and a 3-inch swivel VGA-resolution AMOLED display. That’s in addition to the full manual shooting mode, RAW option, 1080/30p HD video capture and the standard plethora of WiFi options, including Remote Viewfinder and Auto Backup. Accessory add-ons include an optical viewfinder, external mic and a secondary flash (a smaller pop-up model is built-in, and retracts when not in use). There’s no hint of pricing or availability, but with that industry-leading f/1.4 lens, pro-level features and AMOLED display, we’re certain that the EX2F won’t come cheap. Full PR is after the break.

Update: It appears that the EX2F includes a 1/1.7-inch sensor, compared to the significantly larger 1-inch sensor on the Sony RX100. Samsung has also confirmed that the camera will be priced at $549, and is scheduled to hit stores in August.

Continue reading Samsung upstages Sony with f/1.4-equipped EX2F point-and-shoot for $549

Samsung upstages Sony with f/1.4-equipped EX2F point-and-shoot for $549 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC GC-XA1 ADIXXION Camcorder for Rugged, Outdoorsy Types

If you live life to the extreme, and want to document it, then you need to check out the new JVC GC-XA1 ADIXXION camcorder. It has a bunch of features, and the ruggedness of this device will let you take it with you anywhere. And you can look really cool if you wear it with goggles, like this guy:

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The GC-XA1 ADDIXION weighs 4.48 oz, is waterproof to 16.4 feet, shockproof to resist a fall from 6.5 feet, dustproof and freeze-proof. It has Wi-Fi connectivity, a 1.5-inch LCD monitor, image stabilization, full HD at 1920 ×1080 at 30p and 1280 × 720 at 60p. Video is stored in MP4 format, allowing you to quickly watch it on a smartphone of laptop.

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It comes with a goggle mount, flexible mount, and two lens protection covers. It will be available later this summer for $349.95 (USD).

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Clearly JVC has seen the popularity of the GoPro line of cameras and is taking aim with this model.

[via Ubergizmo]


Samsung EX2F offers WiFi, F1.4, Full HD and more

Samsung has outed its latest wirelessly-enabled camera, the EX2F, packing a 12.4-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS and a 3-inch AMOLED display. The EX2F uses an F1.4 lens, which Samsung claims is the brightest in any compact camera, and can record 1080/30p Full HD video as well as capturing stills simultaneously.

As for the wireless, that’s courtesy of WiFi and can be used to automatically upload images to a PC, to cloud backup, or to online galleries such as Facebook or Picasa. WiFi Direct is also onboard for point-to-point transfers, and Samsung’s Mobile Link app can be used on an Android smartphone as a remote viewfinder, trigging shots while away from the EX2F itself.

The 3-inch AMOLED display swivels for easier positioning, and the body of the compact camera is made of metal like a DSLR rather than the traditional plastic-chassis you’d commonly find on a pocket-cam. Some DSLR-style settings have been carried over too, including RAW capture, full manual modes (along with aperture and shutter priority modes) and dual image stabilization.

A 3.3x optical zoom, ISO 80 to 3200 (12800 extended) and HDMI connectivity round out the main specs, plus there’s an optional optical viewfinder attachment, external microphone and flash. Samsung is yet to confirm pricing and availability.

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Samsung EX2F offers WiFi, F1.4, Full HD and more is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Next season NFL will release All-22 game tape, relax blackout rules and start doubleheaders later

Next season NFL will release All22 game tape, relax blackout rules and start later

Even in the offseason we’re still football crazy, and some news has leaked out that will adjust how we watch the NFL. Most recently, the Wall Street Journal reports the league has officially relaxed local blackout requirements, which reduces the chance broadcasts are turned off in a team’s home area if they don’t sell enough tickets. The new rules passed by team owners allow for local broadcasts even with ticket sales at just 85 percent, and while each team can set its own minimum, if it sells more tickets it will have to share more of the revenue with other clubs. Plans to get more fans in the stadium include free WiFi, plus mobile apps (those may cost) with game highlights and the ability to listen in on the sound from field level.

Another change affects doubleheaders, as Fox and CBS will now start their second game ten minutes later than last year at 4:25 PM ET, hopefully avoiding interference with the end of earlier games. Finally, the league has revealed its NFL Game Rewind online replay package (available on Android and iOS tablets for the first time this year) will expand to offer previously restricted angles with its coaches Film feature. Now fans can see the game tape coaches use to evaluate their teams with the “eye in the sky” All-22 view that shows all of the players and end zone cameras. We’ll see if a different viewpoint makes callers into sports talk radio any more knowledgeable about the game, but that seems doubtful.

[Thanks, @RobZuber]

Continue reading Next season NFL will release All-22 game tape, relax blackout rules and start doubleheaders later

Next season NFL will release All-22 game tape, relax blackout rules and start doubleheaders later originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 08:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWall Street Journal, NFL Game Rewind  | Email this | Comments

Canon confirms PowerShot S100 lens error, offers free repair for affected cams

Canon confirms PowerShot S100 lens error, offers free repair for affected cams

Select PowerShot S100 cameras are encountering a lens error, Canon confirmed on its Product Advisories page. An undisclosed number of the high-end point-and-shoots have had issues with a “disconnected part inside the camera,” which causes the optic to malfunction. Canon suggests that the issue may be connected with exposure to heat or humidity, but regardless of the cause, the company is offering free repairs, even for out-of-warranty cameras — assuming the issue is caused by this specific part. Qualifying S100s should have a serial number that begins with any number ranging from 29 though 41 (29xxxxxxxxxx, for example), and this specific offer only covers residents of the US and Puerto Rico, though owners in other countries should be able to reach out to their local support centers for assistance. You’ll find the full advisory at the source link below.

Canon confirms PowerShot S100 lens error, offers free repair for affected cams originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceCanon USA  | Email this | Comments

First DSLR 4K video from prototype Canon EOS-1D C reportedly emerges

First 4K video from the Canon EOS1D C reportedly emerges, underwhelms

If you’ve been wondering what kind of eye candy Canon’s EOS-1D C is capable of, you might be in luck. The crew over at EOSHD have apparently snagged some 4K sample footage from an early prototype of the unreleased, professional-grade DSLR. The clip looks slick to us, albeit lacking in the scenery department. Even so, EOSHD comments that while a “massive step up for image quality compared to all previous DSLRs” the video footage isn’t as sharp as stills from the 1D X (the 1D C’s less-endowed sibling) and “not near what true 4K should look like.” (Of course, anyone looking for true 4K is advised to step up to Sony’s $70k F65 CineAlta, so we guess you get what you pay for). You can check out the minute-long clip, unfortunately scaled to a Vimeo-friendly 1,920 x 1,080, after the break. If your discerning eye demands the raw footage, however, why not grab the few seconds available at the source link and let us know your thoughts? That’s what the comments are for, after all.

Continue reading First DSLR 4K video from prototype Canon EOS-1D C reportedly emerges

First DSLR 4K video from prototype Canon EOS-1D C reportedly emerges originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEOSHD  | Email this | Comments

Iris camera concept reinvents blink detection

General camera use may well have been heavily cannibalized by cellphone cameras, but that hasn’t stopped innovative concepts from attempting to rework the way we shoot photos. Iris, by designer Mimi Zou, is just one such unusual approach: rather than anything so mundane as a button to fire off a frame, Iris watches the user just as keenly as it does their subject, activating the shutter-release when they blink.

Now, we’ve seen blink-detection on the other side of the camera, making sure the subjects don’t have their eyes closed when the photo is captured, but Iris’ approach relies on the photographer controlling things with their own eye movements. A blink grabs a picture, while widening or narrowing the eye controls the zoom.

Meanwhile, biometric face recognition systems would identify whoever was in-shot, tagging them automatically. That may sound far-fetched, but Canon already offers point-and-shoots that can spot up to twelve people they’ve been trained to recognize.

Zou envisages both local and WiFi-connected storage being used, though there’s nothing to say that the camera will automatically spot whether you’re suffering from allergies and decide you don’t actually want to fire off fifty shots in rapid succession. As always with these concepts, don’t go looking for them on shelves any time soon, though this is something we’d imagine smartphones with front-facing cameras could actually be coaxed into doing relatively easily with the right app.

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[via DesignTaxi]


Iris camera concept reinvents blink detection is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Polaroid Z2300 instant digital camera

Polaroid has just announced their latest instant digital camera, the Polaroid Z2300. Of course, we do know that Polaroid has long been the name in terms of instant photos, and here we are with their latest interpretation of the instant digital camera – which is the Z2300. Just how does the Z2300 work? For starters, it will rely on the tried and tested integrated printer with ZINK Technology, allowing users to instantly capture, edit and take less than 60 seconds to print full color, 2″ by 3” prints. Not only that, it is also a snap for you to upload images to any social media platform with the Z2300, where everything required to do all that has been mentioned has been crammed into a form factor which is extremely compact.

The camera will come in white and black shades, where it is a 10-megapixel shooter that is accompanied by a decent 3” LCD display, which is a snap to frame and review images, while letting you shoot video in just about any setting. You can choose to print your images with the iconic Polaroid Classic Border Logo, or opt to have it go full bleed. The ZINK prints are all smudge-proof, thanks to a water-resistant coating.

Polaroid President Scott W. Hardy, said, “Polaroid invented instant photography, and for the past 75 years the brand has been synonymous with instant gratification, ease-of-use and fun. The Z2300 represents the next step in the evolution of that proud tradition and it was designed to fully integrate the classic Polaroid instant photography experience into today’s digital, social world. Portability, creative expression and the ability to share your most memorable moments in digital or print form all come standard in the Polaroid Z2300 camera’s compact body.”

Polaroid has priced the Polaroid Z2300 instant digital camera at $159.99, where you ought to have it accompanied by 50-sheet packs of 2″ x 3” Premium ZINK Paper that goes for $24.99, and those who opt for 30-sheet packs will fork out less at $14.99.

[ Polaroid Z2300 instant digital camera copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


Flickr brings in Nokia map data for precise geotagged photos, Instagram shots just got eerily accurate

Flickr brings in Nokia map data for extraprecise geotagged photos, Instagram shots just got eerily accurate

Open Street Map has been helping Flickr display geotagged shots for some time. That crowdsourced map data has led to more than a few photos being located in a gray blob, however, which is why Yahoo just struck a deal to put Nokia maps into as many nooks and crevices of the world as possible. The addition will make sure that Instagram photo tour of Africa is often accurate down to the street corner, not to mention give a slightly Finland-tinged look to the maps themselves. Open Street Map isn’t going away, but it’s now being used only for those areas where regular coverage is spotty or non-existent. The images already apply to any existing and upcoming uploads — there will be no question that self-portrait was taken in Tanzania.

Flickr brings in Nokia map data for precise geotagged photos, Instagram shots just got eerily accurate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceFlickr Blog  | Email this | Comments

Point Grey unveils world’s smallest 4K USB 3.0 camera

Point Grey, makers of industrial digital cameras, has released a new model in its Flea3 USB 3.0 camera lineup that supports 4K resolution and is being touted as the world’s smallest 4K camera. It uses the bandwidth capabilities of USB 3.0 to deliver 4096 x 2160 pixel resolution color images at 21 frames per second. All this is stuffed into a tiny ice-cube sized package.

This Flea3 USB 3.0 camera, model FL3-U3-88S2C-C, features a high quality 8.8-megapixel, 4K2K sensor. It is Sony’s new IMX121 sensor with “Exmor R” back-illuminated CMOS architecture that offers high sensitivity and dynamic range for sharp color images.

The camera measures only 29mm x 29mm x 30mm or about 1-inch cubed. The small size makes the camera especially suitable for fitting in tight spaces such as in common industrial imaging, such as automatic optical inspection, ophthalmology, interactive multimedia, and broadcasting.

The USB 3.0 connector guarantees delivery of critical image data through USB 3.0 bulk transfers of 5Gb/s and also delivers power so that no other external power sources or cables are needed. The Flea3 FL3-U3-88S2C-C is priced at $945 and is available now from Point Grey.

[via Engadget]


Point Grey unveils world’s smallest 4K USB 3.0 camera is written by Rue Liu & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.