Hasta La Gadget!

The Contour+2 rugged sports action camera has gone up for sale, a $399.99 accessory for immortalizing your extreme sports moments. Snatching Full HD 1080p video through a wide-angle lens, the Contour+2 works with the freshly-updated Contour Connect App for iOS, which now operates as a remote control over a Bluetooth connection with the camera.

Normally, triggering recording on the Contour+2 is a simple matter of pulling back the large switch on the top of the barrel. However, if you want finer control, including the ability to adjust HD video resolution, lighting, and audio sensitivity, in addition to stopping and starting recording, the app makes all that easy.

The eventual footage can be recorded at up to 120fps, although you only get those framerates in 480p mode. There’s an external microphone input, and everything is recorded to a bundled 4GB microSD card (which you can optionally swap out for something larger) with playback via mini-HDMI connection.

Contour has also boosted its Contour Storyteller app, for when you’ve offloaded your videos. They can now show improved GPS data, including speed, elevation, and distance travelled during video playback.

The Contour+2 is available now, including from Apple stores in the US. You can download the free Contour Connect app from the App Store [iTunes link]. At present, the Android version of the app doesn’t support the Contour+2.

Contour+2 on sale now: iPhone app update adds Bluetooth remote control is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Esoteric camera company Hasselblad may not be ready to launch its “ultimate luxury” mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to shout about the new Lunar from the rooftops. Revealed today and set to hit the market early in 2013, the curvaceous camera is expected to use an APS-C 24.3-megapixel sensor with 25-point AF and Full HD video recording, sourced from Sony’s NEX-7.

There’s also the promise of a 3-inch HD display and an OLED viewfinder – Hasselblad says the latter will be “revolutionary” though it’s not entirely clear why – along with ISO 100-16,000, 0.02s shutter release, and 10fps burst shooting. Twin flash options, external microphone support, the choice of auto or manual settings in video recording, and various smart modes including face recognition are all promised.

The company has been apparently playing with wooden mockups to get the grip right, but the final Luna camera itself will use a far broader – and more esoteric – range of materials. Carbon fiber, titanium, wood, leather, gold, and other precious metals are all tipped for inclusion, and there’ll be support for custom grips and other detailing.

The Lunar will support both E-mount and A-mount lenses, and is expected to arrive on the market in Q1 2013, priced at around €5,000 ($6,533).

Hasselblad Lunar promises otherworldly photos for $6.5k is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The bar’s pretty high when your company is behind the first camera in space. Hasselblad’s looking to build on that theme with its new Lunar mirrorless, which according to the company “revives the timeless charm” of 1957’s 500c — and if nothing else, the camera’s got a curvy, space age body, built out of high grade aluminum with either a carbon fiber (available in black, silver or titanium colors) or wood (beech, olive, pear or mahogany) grip.

Inside, you’ll get a Bionz processor and an APS-C 24.3 megapixel sensor. The Lunar has a 10 frames per second burst mode, full HD recording and sports a 100 to 16000 ISO range. On the rear, you’ll find a swiveling three-inch display. All of that’s packed into a body that weighs roughly a pound.

Update: While we didn’t quite realize it at first, the layout of the camera and its specs are clearly that of a rehashed NEX-7. As SonyAlphaRumors points out, the shooter accepts Sony’s e-mount lenses and is part of new partnership between the two photography giants — looks like we’re soon to have even more Sony cameras re-purposed as Hasselblad’s, similar to Leica and Panasonic. While the NEX-7 itself will run you roughly $1,100 to 1,200k (body-only vs. with a kit lens), SAR has the Lunar pegged at $5,000 Euro (about $6,530, or six NEX-7s). That’s almost $1k more than Leica’s utilitarian M-E and about as much as an M9 for, those keeping count — but hey, at least the lunar can shoot video, right?

Joe Pollicino contributed to this post.

Filed under: Cameras

Hasselblad announces Lunar mirrorless camera, fancies up Sony’s NEX-7 for 5,000 euros originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don’t have the $6,500 to spare to pick up a Leica M9? You might consider the freshly announced M-E, which carries a similar feature set and a slightly more palatable $5,450 price tag. The camera includes the same 18-megapixel sensor as the M9, but drops relatively minor features like a built-in USB port (you’ll need to pop out your SD card to download pics). It’s nearly identical to the pricier model, with a low-res (230k-dot) 2.5-inch LCD and an ISO range of 160-2500. Unlike the “new M,” announced alongside the M-E, the latter model does not offer live-view functionality, so you’ll only be using the LCD to make settings adjustments and for reviewing images, anyway. Shot framing will be handled with the 0.68x viewfinder, positioned at the top left of the camera.

Aesthetically, you might find the M-E to be a bit more pleasing, with a muted gray/black color scheme — we found it to be quite nice during out hands-on at Photokina. The camera itself looks like an M9 with a hint of Michael Graves-esque simplicity — there’s a silver shutter speed dial up top, with soft numbering and positions that range from bulb to 1/4000 second. There’s also a matching power toggle/shutter release, along with the standard suite of playback and ISO controls on the rear. As we mentioned, the 2.5-inch display offers a bit lower resolution than what we’d like to see, making it less than ideal for verifying image sharpness, for example, so if the LCD marks high on your list of priorities, you’ll probably do best to wait for the “new M” (M10) to hit early next year. Otherwise, the M-E appears to be a capable camera, but M9 owners should hang tight — there’s not much to see here. The M-E is available for purchase now, for about $5,450 (or €4,800 in Europe), and you can sneak a peek in our gallery below, and the hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Leica M-E is a $5,450 M9 with new color scheme, minor feature exclusions (hands-on video)

Filed under: Cameras

Leica M-E is a $5,450 M9 with new color scheme, minor feature exclusions (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure the XF1’s nice to look at, but the real star of Fujifilm’s 2012 Photokina lineup has to be the X-E1. The X-Pro1’s little sibling offers up most of the functionality of its bigger, pricier brother — save for its inclusion just an electronic viewfinder — into a body that’s roughly a third smaller. That said, this is hardly a compact mirrorless — the X-E1’s still got a bit of girth and weight to it, compared to some of the smaller entries in the field. Still, it feels nice in the hand and isn’t likely to weigh down your shooting — particularly for those accustom to using a larger DSLR. It’s also worth pointing out, right off the bat, that the retro-styled interchangeable lens camera is significantly cheaper, running you $700 less than the X-Pro-1.

Flip the camera over and you get a 2.8-inch 460k-dot LCD. Just above the display is a devoted button that will pop up the retractable flash directly above. The X-E1 will be hitting stores in April, carrying a $1,000 price tag. Buy a kit with a lens and you’ll still come in $300 under the X-Pro1’s $1,700 price tag, making for a full-featured and great looking little mirrorless for a lot less money.

Filed under: Cameras

Fujifilm X-E1 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 05:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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