Hasta La Gadget!

Panasonic’s forthcoming mirror-less multimedia wonder has been given a release date. Yep, the Lumix GH3, with its ‘unlimited recording time’ and magnesium alloy build, will arrive in the Land of the Rising Sun just over a month from now. While the Japanese press release doesn’t specify pricing, you can expect this Lumix to arrive in body-only and two lens kit variants, one with a 12-35mm f/2.8 zoom lens, and another with a f/4.0 – 5.8 rig. Behind those optic options (not to mention the ability to capture 72Mbps 60p video), you’ll be getting a 16-megapixel sensor, splash-proof shell and a flip-out OLED touchscreen alongside a 614K-dot viewfinder. If that leaked video sample piqued your interest, check out the full spec rundown at the source below.

Filed under: Cameras

Panasonic Lumix GH3 launches on December 13th, but pricing remains a mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon is going full steam ahead in the Mirrorless market and just a year after its first Nikon 1 V1, the Japanese company announced today the new and improved 1 V2! With a design drastically different from the 1 V1, the V2 comes however with a full set of improvements including but not only a new 14.2Mpix Expeed 3A image sensor that will let you shoot amazing slow motion videos at 1200fps but also still pictures at 15fps for 45 continuous frames! The V2 is also capable to shoot 1080 60i and 30p …

If you followed the launch of Nikon’s J2 interchangeable-lens compact recently, then waking up to today’s announcement of a higher-specced V2 probably won’t come as a huge surprise. Nevertheless, whereas the J2 was frustratingly incremental compared to the J1, the V2 will likely represent a more significant upgrade when it lands on shelves at the end of November. For a start, the magnesium alloy camera has been bestowed with a sizable grip, which makes a vast difference to its ergonomics — it feels much more secure and manageable in the hand, without hurting the small and lightweight appeal of this form factor. Nikon has found room for a pop-up flash too, which is certainly nice to have. The mode dial has moved to the top of the camera and now includes the four main shooting modes (P/S/A/M) — a change which, in one fell swoop, helps the entire remainder of the control system to become more intuitive and accessible. A new processing engine allows the camera to shoot 15 fps with continuous focus (versus 10 fps with the V1), with Nikon claiming that AF speed has been improved as well. And as for the bad news? It’s waiting for you after the break.

Continue reading Nikon 1 V2 mirrorless camera hands-on! (video)

Filed under: Cameras

Nikon 1 V2 mirrorless camera hands-on! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Proud owners of that sleek and relatively powerful Mark III will be happy to know Canon has just announced a firmware update for its flagship 5D model. The Japanese camera maker is touting this upcoming release as one that will bring clean HDMI-out support to the EOS shooter, which should be great for folks who would like to monitor their recordings in real time. Additionally, Canon’s improved the Mark III’s AF functionalities yet again; this time out by enabling the unit’s auto focus system to adequately adjust to the type of lens that it is paired with. Unfortunately, it looks like users will have to wait a little while to install the new firmware, as the company won’t be making it available until April of next year — at which point it can be grabbed from the soon-to-be bookmarked source link below.

Filed under: Cameras, Software, Canon

Canon’s upcoming 5D Mark III firmware update brings uncompressed HDMI output support, enhanced AF functionality originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re one of the more daring (or foolhardy) photographers out there, you’ve tried camera tossing: hurling your camera into the air in the hopes that a timed shot will catch either a unique perspective or an artistic spin. Nikon might not want to stop those shooters from throwing caution to the wind, but its recently published Japanese patent would at least keep those throws to a minimum. Cameras based on the patent could use a built-in accelerometer not just for timing the shot, but to brace for a fall by covering the lens and retracting its barrel on the way down. In theory, the photographer gets a perfect aerial portrait without all the guesswork and a minimum of damage. Call us skeptical that we’ll ever see the patent reach a shipping product, though — even if it was limited to rugged cameras, a mode built almost exclusively around voiding the warranty probably wouldn’t sit well with Nikon’s accountants.

[Image credit: Zoli B, Flickr]

Filed under: Cameras, Nikon

Nikon patent would perfect the art of camera tossing, protect us from our folly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 04:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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