Hasta La Gadget!

Nokia has confessed to faking the eye-catching PureView demo video for the freshly announced Lumia 920, admitting it manufactured the stabilization demo but insisting the real thing is just as capable. The “floating lens” 8-megapixel camera on the new Windows Phone 8 flagship was billed as a ground-breaking advance in mobile photography, but closer examination of Nokia’s initial demo footage raised doubts as to its authenticity. Now, Nokia has released a second video, showing exactly what PureView OIS on the Lumia 920 is able to do.

“In an effort to demonstrate the benefits of optical image stabilization (which eliminates blurry images and improves pictures shot in low light conditions), we produced a video that simulates what we will be able to deliver with OIS. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but we should have posted a disclaimer stating this was a representation of OIS only. This was not shot with a Lumia 920. At least, not yet. We apologize for the confusion we created” Nokia statement

According to Nokia, the error was one of giddy confusion rather than an actual intent to mislead would-be Lumia 920 buyers, but it’s another black mark in the score column for what turned out to be a mixed event in NYC yesterday. Although the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 were widely received as decent hardware, the absence of any pricing or specific availability information – beyond both phones launching “later in the year” – left Nokia looking unprepared.

Meanwhile, over-enthusiastic video pimping isn’t the only crime Nokia is accused of. Former Helsinki resident Youssef Sarhan took issue with the stills in Nokia’s original PureView video as well, arguing that the defractions around the bright light sources in the photos are simply impossible to capture with the Lumia 920′s f/2.0 camera.

He points to the expansive defractions around street lighting in the PureView promo (on the left in the image below) versus the more diffuse defractions seen in a sample shot from a Lumia 920 prototype that Nokia itself shared (click for larger version):

Nokia has released the following video – shown as part of its presentation yesterday – demonstrating the PureView OIS system at work on an actual Lumia 920 prototype device. It certainly looks good, though we’ll wait until we can review the WP8 smartphone before we pass any broader judgement.

Nokia admits PureView Lumia 920 video fake (but OIS does work) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Retro shutterbugs rejoice! Fujifilm has outed its latest interchangeable lens compact camera, and if your life is buoyed by knurled dials and classic aluminum style, the X-E1 may be the model for you. Packing a custom 16.3-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor and compatible with Fujifilm’s X-Mount lens system from the X-Pro1 rangefinder, the Fujifilm X-E1 comes in at 30-percent smaller than its chunky sibling while still, the company insists, producing stills and video that can rival full-frame DSLRs.

Stills are captured with an ISO range of 100 – 25600, and Fujifilm has implemented a special color filter array that does without the typical optical low pass filter while still ridding shots of moiré and false colors. The distance between the sensor and the lens mount has been shaved away, too, down to just 17.7mm.

Video, meanwhile, is recorded at up to 1920 x 1080 Full HD, at 24fps, and there’s an external stereo microphone input and support for the integrated Monochrome and Film Simulation modes. Photography can also use a multiple exposures mode, shooting two images at once while showing them both for review.

On the back, there’s a 2.36m dot OLED viewfinder and a 2.8-inch 460k dot LCD for framing and reviewing shots. The X-E1 also gets a pop-up flash and a battery good for 350 shots on a charge, while the whole camera weighs in at 12.35oz.

As for lenses, there are two which Fujifilm is pushing: the new XF14mm (21mm) F2.8 single focal length lens and XF18mm-55mm (27-84mm) F2.8-4 lens. The former is an ultra-wide angle lens with particular strengths in low-light photography, while the latter is the same bokeh-happy model with optical image stabilization we’ve seen before.

The Fujifilm X-E1 will go on sale in November, priced at $999.95 for the body only. It will be offered as a kit with the XF18mm-55mm lens for $1,399.95, while that lens alone will be $699.95. The new XF14mm lens will be $899.95 alone.

Fujifilm X-E1 mirrorless compact gets official is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung recently added some serious smarts to its point-and-shoot lineup with the Galaxy Camera, which — if you’re so inclined — can also double as a personal communicator and multimedia player. As we discovered during our hands-on with the device, however, its bulky size could deter many who might’ve hoped to carry it at all times. A patent just granted to Samsung might change all that, however, which describes a camera that also acts as a multimedia player, only with one curious difference: the PMP unit is detachable. Naturally, this component houses the display and its own separate storage, but also contains the multimedia module that’s necessary for the camera to record movies. Samsung applied for this patent back in 2007, which suggests this particular setup may never see the light of day. Then again, if such a split personality camera ever appears, there’s a good chance that it’ll carry the Samsung name.

Filed under: Cameras, Portable Audio/Video

Samsung’s split personality patent conjures up a camera with detachable media player originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wearable sports camera company Contour has revealed its latest model, the Contour+2, complete with Full HD video recording and integrated GPS. The waterproof camera – which can survive up to 60m dips into the blue stuff – mounts onto bikes, helmets, cars, or other hardware, and can use a smartphone as a remote control for framing and starting recording.

The familiar barrel shape is still present, toughened to make sure dust, bumps or drops aren’t an issue, while physical controls remain straightforward. There’s no power button, just an “Instant On-Record” switch on top – slide that over, and recording begins.

Up to 120fps footage is possible, albeit only in 480p mode, or you can opt for higher resolution with 1080p support. The lens rotates 270-degrees for easier mounting, and there’s an external microphone input. Settings include white balance, contrast, sharpness, exposure, and metering.

In the box there’s a 4GB microSD card, though you can obviously slot in a larger one for more recording time; alternatively, the camera will squirt out HD video via its mini-HDMI port. Pricing is $399.99.

Contour+2 packs rugged 1080p and smartphone remote app is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

WiFi in a camera. No matter the practicality or the cost of adding wireless functionality, it’s become a must for high-end point-and-shoots, and if they don’t pack it now, they soon will. But access hasn’t become as prolific as protocol prophets once preached — we’re at the mercy of pay gates, passwords and bandwidth limitations, even today. Our smartphones, on the other hand, are always connected. There’s no need to fuss with hexadecimals or other cryptic keys — assuming we haven’t crossed an international border, getting online is as convenient as taking a breath. As the world’s most prolific smartphone maker, Samsung is very much invested in cellular. Sure, there were gasps from the crowd at last week’s Unpacked, but built-in 4G makes perfect sense, and while WiFi and a Micro SIM may make the Galaxy Camera an instant winner, it’s Android that completes the package, as the glue that cements this latest category’s promise. Samsung may be the pioneer, but should other manufacturers be scrambling to shift roadmaps, ready to embrace this new digital direction? Tap past the break for our take.

Continue reading Editorial: Android cameras — could Samsung’s Galaxy gamble save the point-and-shoot industry?

Filed under: Cameras, Mobile

Editorial: Android cameras — could Samsung’s Galaxy gamble save the point-and-shoot industry? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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