If you’re shopping for a new lens of some sort, you’ve come to just the right place. Here’s ThePhoblographer’s list of the best lenses you can get your hands on without breaking the bank. More »
Just in case you were concerned that the 3D revolution hadn’t yet taken over the scientific research field, EPFL is here to convince you that all is well. Researchers from a pair of EPFL laboratories have recently invented a fly-inspired dome camera that’s not only loaded down with cameras to snag views from (nearly) all angles, but also equipped with an output algorithm that constructs a bona fide 3D image. The trickeration lies within the hardware platform, which calculates depth on each camera image and then reconstructs a 3D visual based on how far away things truly are. That’s a far more sophisticated approach than the stereoscopic one used on existing 3D televisions, as the depth would (theoretically) change as your angle of view changed. There’s an outstanding patent application on the approach, and if the world at large latches on, we could see this thing used for “video surveillance, movie making, and creating backgrounds for video games.” Among other things, of course. A demonstrative vid awaits you just after the break.
Continue reading EPFL’s fly-inspired 3D camera takes omnipresence to the third dimension (video)
EPFL’s fly-inspired 3D camera takes omnipresence to the third dimension (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Taking an underwater self-portrait isn’t the easiest thing in the world — even if you’re fond of robot DIY — but this concept camera won a Red Dot award for capturing more than typically meets the eye. The UNDERABOVE floats like a buoy thanks to a pair of watertight ballast compartments, takes images with twin cameras above and below, then stitches the result into a turquoise vertical panorama viewable on the inbuilt LCD screen. If and when this device actually gets produced (and gains some serious image stabilization) the worlds of fish and man will never be the same.
Twin camera concept floats in water, unites sea and sky originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Thinking of grabbing Looxcie’s remarkable Bluetooth-based Borg-cam as a $200 stocking stuffer this year? Hold on a twirl, and make sure you’re paying for the one that actually plays nice with your mark’s favorite smartphone. You see, the company had to make a hardware modification this week to the original Looxcie to make it compatible with iOS devices, and while that’s complete now, you’ll want to buy the new Looxcie LX1 if your giftee owns an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Otherwise, you’ll be buying a device that’s Android-exclusive for the very same price. Got an Android phone to begin with? We expect the seething anger of Looxcie early adopters will soon afford you some deep discounts on the now-inferior original. PR after the break.
Continue reading Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot
Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Remember when your parents told you they had eyes in the back of their heads, and part of you wanted to believe? Well, NYU professor and artist Wafaa Bilal recently had that done, though it’s not as permanent as we’d hoped — it’s a removable dealie, affixed to a titanium plate implanted in the back of his skull. The resulting lifecast gets piped to to a satchel at his side, which will be used in his art project The 3rd I at the Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art on December 30th… but you should be able to get a sneak peek at the images at his website in just a little over a week. No word on whether he’ll also hook up the whole kit to some sweet LCD goggles. Here’s hoping. Video after the break.
Continue reading NYU prof sticks camera on the back of his head, just as promised (video)
NYU prof sticks camera on the back of his head, just as promised (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
At this point, there’s essentially nothing that we don’t already know about the Nexus S… except when it’ll be officially revealed, of course. But up until now, we haven’t had a good look at what exactly the impending smartphone’s camera sensor could do. Thanks to an unsuspecting Picasa stream, we’re now being treated to a handful of images captured by a Samsung GT-I9020 — or in other terms, a Nexus S. Better still, someone uploaded a brief video clip of its HD motion capturing abilities, and that’s embedded just past the break (horizontal and portrait versions, to boot). Have a peek yourself and see if you’re impressed.
[Thanks, Anonymous]
Continue reading Nexus S shows off its camera, video recording abilities
Nexus S shows off its camera, video recording abilities originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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After we reviewed the DropCam Echo a few weeks back and found ourselves generally unimpressed, we received an e-mail from someone at D-Link saying something to the effect of: “Dude, you have to try out our thing, because our thing is totally better than their thing and costs a heck of a lot less too.” We took them up on that offer and, while unfortunately D-Link’s thing has a much less catchy name, DCS-930L Wireless N Camera hardly rolling off the tongue, the sub-$100 device does indeed live up to its billing — for the most part.
Continue reading D-Link DCS-930L Wireless N Network Camera review
D-Link DCS-930L Wireless N Network Camera review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Do not adjust your browsers, that really is a Pentax product adorned with a generous helping of the three primary colors and a mech‘s head attached to its flash hotshoe. Why? In response to customer demand, of course. It’d seem people were so enamored with the way the K-x got abused restyled that they wanted more of that Korejanai magic, and Pentax is kindly obliging them with a limited run of 100 “robotized” K-r sets. The internal specs are unchanged from the original, but you do get a new 35mm prime lens with a wide F2.4 aperture to play with. Pre-orders costing ¥99,800 ($1,187) will start on December 24th for a delivery in early January. Yup, just in time for you to be the coolest blogger at CES.
Pentax K-r receives a rainbow paintjob, 35mm prime lens for limited edition kit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Every new parent needs a baby monitor, but many offer static-y images or distance limitations. WiFi Baby 3G has come along, however, promising to solve all that. You can use this monitor to stream interference-free video and audio to a Windows or Mac PC, an iPhone, or an iPad. The device is both a camera and computer: it creates a password-protected wireless Internet connection to any compatible device on the home network.
WiFi Baby promises a simple setup. With a few adjustments it will also allow for viewing outside of the user’s home network. This means is can also be used as a nanny cam or security cam. There are no monthly fees for remote access. The cam offers night vision, motion detection, and an on-screen clock to assure parents that they’re watching a current video stream. It sells for $279 from the company site.
You’ve seen so many Kinect hacks by now that you probably think you know them all — but wait, have you seen one that makes you look like Predator when he’s busy predatorizing the populace? Or one that lets you reenact your favorite Metal Gear Solid scenes with Snake’s camo turned on? Yup, a Japanese coder by the name of Takayuki Fukatsu has exploited the versatile openFrameworks to give Kinect a mode where it tracks your movement and position, but turns the dull details of your visage into an almost perfectly transparent outline. Of course, you’re not actually transparent, it looks to be just the system skinning an image of the background onto the contours of your body in real time, but man, it sure is cool to look at. You can do so for yourself with the video after the break.
Continue reading Kinect now offers a stealth mode, courtesy of optical camouflage hack (video)
Kinect now offers a stealth mode, courtesy of optical camouflage hack (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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