Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy S4 Zoom, bulking out its Galaxy S 4 flagship with a 16-megapixel sensor, a 10x optical zoom, and a Xenon flash. The new smartphone-camera hybrid is part of the Korean company’s mission to make “an industry-leading smartphone, and a high-end compact camera” in one device, which started with the
Leica had teased that June 11th would see the Mini M added to its lineup, and now it’s made good on its promise. Now known as the X Vario, the compact cam crams a 16.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor inside an aluminum and magnesium body bound in leather trim. As for glass, the shooter packs a fixed Vario Elmar 18-46mm zoom lens (or 28-70mm in 35mm format), paired with an aperture range of f/3.5-6.4 and ISO of 100-12,500. The camera also packs a 3-inch 920k-dot LCD, and can capture 1080p and 720p video at 30fps. The X Vario is already available at Leica stores and vendors, but those angling to sling one of these on their shoulder will have to extract a princely $2,850 from their bank accounts. If you’re happy to window shop, head to the source for a closer look.
Filed under: Cameras
Via: Hypebeast
Source: Leica
At the June 8 match between the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever, the WNBA introduced a new camera that put viewers incredibly close to the action on court. Made by Broadcast Sports Inc., the “ref cam” is a small camera that takes video from the referee’s perspective. Referee Lamont Simpson got first dibs on the wearable camera. I’m sure his whistle was highly insecure that day.
Here’s some of the shots that the camera took in its debut appearance:
And here’s a bonus clip from ESPN, showing Simpson calling a technical foul: Edit: ESPN made the YouTube video private. Sorry guys. Simpson said that he found it awkward at first. He said that he had to keep on adjusting the headset the entire first half because it moved around when he became sweaty. But he also said that he got used to it by the second half. Simpson can’t get too attached to it just yet though, because for now the ESPN and the WNBA will decide when the ref cam will be used. They should make pro golfers wear these so we can all tune in for some in-your-face walks in beautiful parks.
[via Bleacher Report & ESPN]
Sony is releasing 2 new Handycam models for serious sports or outdoor activities. The models are dustproof, shockproof, 10m waterproof and -10℃ low-temperature resistant.
Release date is June 21.
They feature the CMOS image sensor “Exmor R”, image processor “BIONZ”, high-performance “G lens”, and “Optical image stabilizer (active mode)”.
“HDR-GWP88V”
(Pictures 1-2)
It has a slim body that weights only 210g. It also has a cool “Projector” function, so you can project movies you recorded on a screen or wall and enjoy watching them without having to connect the unit to a PC or TV. If you set “HDR-GWP88V” 5m away from the wall or screen, it will project to a 100 inch screen. If the distance is closer than 5m, it is capable of projecting to a well-lighted wall or area. It incorporates a stand to keep the body positioned when it’s used as a projector.
The interesting “Omakase Auto” function distinguishes between 99 different scenes including under-water mode and takes clear bright movies. Other good functions include “Smile Shutter” that detects smiles and catches the moment that the subject is smiling, and “Photo Simultaneous Record” that takes photos while taking a movie.
Estimated price: 60,000 yen
Color: black
“HDR-GW66V”
(Pictures 3-7)
The body is lighter than “HDR-GWP88V”: 188g. And just like “HDR-GWP88V”, “HDR-GW66V” has useful functions to help your filming such as “Omakase Auto”, “Smile Shutter” and “Photo Simultaneous Record”.
Estimated price: 45,000 yen
Colors: white and blue
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.
The problem with capturing panoramic stills with your phone is that you need to keep a steady motion when panning around, but we all know that only a robot can perform such feat perfectly. That’s why this little BubblePod caught our attention. The device is essentially a mini clockwork turntable so no battery is required — just wind it up, slip an iOS, Android or BB10 device into the silicone grip, fire up the BubblePix app and hit the BubblePod’s release button for a steady 40-second rewind.
The sample panoramic shots (or “bubbles”) we saw have almost no visible stitching, and the app can simultaneously record an audio clip to capture the atmosphere as well. Better yet, in addition to its rubberized base, the BubblePod is also built with a universal tripod mount plus a wine bottle insert mount!
This Kickstarter project will offer a unit if you pledge a minimum of £15 (about $23) for the limited early bird offer or £20 (about $31) later on, plus £5 (about $8) to ship outside the UK. Do check out the demo video after the break, and feel free to grab yourself a BubblePod before funding ends on July 9th.
Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile
Source: Kickstarter
There are many uses for infrared cameras, one of them being to monitor plant health. Most people who are looking to get one have been held back not by limited availability but by the market prices of these cameras.
Aiming to make them more affordable are the folks behind the Infragram project that’s currently up for funding on Kickstarter.
The Infragram camera was initially developed by Public Lab to monitor the effects of the BP oil spill, but now they’re offering it to anyone who wants a cheaper way to study plants or monitor plant health. If you’re the DIY type, then you can pledge $10(USD) to get the Filter Pack which provides you with a filter and instructions on how to convert a webcam or camera that you already own into an infrared one.
There’s also the Infragram Webcam (at $35) and the Infragram Point and Shoot (at $95) if you want something that you can use out of the box.
The images you shoot using the filter will be uploaded and processed by a site to be set up by Public Lab. A minimum resolution for the point and shoot is 2 megapixels, but that may change with the number of backers that the project gets.
You can find more information or make a pledge to support the Infragram project on Kickstarter.
[via C|NET]
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from William, who wants to make sure his new whip fits into all of the small spaces. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“I’ve recently bought a new car and would like to install a reversing camera. Is it possible to install one that’ll relay to my Android tablet rather than buying a dedicated display? Many thanks!”
Well William, we were originally a little bit skeptical but we did find reports of at least one device that might solve your problem. Valeo produces the Wireless Vue, a WiFi reversing camera that hooks up to smartphones and tablets. So far, so good, right? Well, unfortunately while the product’s said to exist, we’ve not been able to find it available for sale either in the US or Thailand, where William is from. As such, this week’s Ask Engadget is a two-pronged encounter. Have any of you wonderful people seen a Valeo Wireless Vue on sale, and if not, is there anything else that can do the job?
Filed under: Cameras
Rumor of a Galaxy Camera reboot called the GALAXY S 4 Zoom have been around for weeks now, with the device seemingly appearing in subtle ways both in May and this month. Now an image said to be of the handset has appeared over at SamMobile, showing a somewhat bulky Galaxy smartphone face with a
With the next Samsung device event coming up quick – June 20th, that is, a selection of devices have been appearing: smartphones to notebooks to cameras. Today’s appearance is by a device code-named EK-GN120 and suggested to be known in the market as the Samsung Galaxy Camera II (aka Samsung Galaxy Camera 2). This device
Don’t get your hopes up, because the leaked video after the break is one of the most deliberately constrained pieces of camerawork it’s possible to imagine. It avoids showing anything except the mechanical shutter release on the back of a phone that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Nokia EOS photos we covered yesterday, and in fact it comes from @ViziLeaks, who was one of the sources of those images. And, well, that’s pretty much all there is to say about it, except that it adds a further bit of weight to the notion that we might see a new version of the PureView 808 camera (which also had a mechanical shutter) on a Nokia Windows Phone sometime soon.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Nokia
Via: The Verge
Source: @ViziLeaks (Tweet deleted), ViziLeaks blog
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