Hasta La Gadget!

The Galaxy S 4 Zoom offers a point-and-shoot style camera attached to the body of a smartphone, but if you’re wanting something with robust camera sensor that can be removed when you don’t need it, you’re not going to find it sadly. However, it’s rumored that Sony will be releasing a camera lens attachment with the same specs as the RX100 II that was recently unveiled.

According to Sony Alpha Rumors, two anonymous sources say that Sony will be releasing such an accessory at some point in the future, and while it’s essentially a clip-on lens, it packs a 20.2-megapixel Exmor RS sensor with a Carl Zeiss lens that uses your smartphone’s display as a viewfinder.

This basically means that the attachment is its own camera, but it needs a few more functions in order to take photos, and this is where the smartphone comes in to offer a viewfinder and change around settings for taking optimal photos. The lens also has a built-in battery, WiFi, and NFC. We’re not sure exactly how it will communicate with your smartphone, but we’re guessing it’ll use one of these wireless protocols listed.

It’s unclear whether the camera attachment will only be compatible with Sony’s Android devices or if it’ll work with all smartphones using an adapter, but we’re guessing that Sony might keep it exclusive to Sony devices at least for a little while.

The attachment does seem a little far-fetched, but sources say that they’re pretty confident that Sony will release it soon. As for a price tag, that’s not yet discussed, but seeing as how the RX100 II costs $750 (with the lens most likely being a big part of the cost), we’re guessing the attachment won’t be cheap.

SOURCE: Sony Alpha Rumors

Sony RX100 II camera lens attachment tipped for smartphones is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Polaroid’s second chance has a price, and it’s $299. At that amount though, it’s hard to tell how much the novelty of instant-printing is worth in comparison to less kitschy and more capable options. What’s more, Socialmatic is confirmed to ship with Android. Just imagine what a sepia-tinged faded print will look like six months on.

[Thanks, Christian]

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Source: Socialmatic (Facebook)

The advanced imaging used to peer into the darkest corners of space has been adapted to help fight blindness. Using this tech, scientists have developed a prototype device that inspects the human retina for early signs of age-related sight loss. From deep space, to deeply within ourselves, man.

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Following its unveiling of a super long zoom earlier this evening, Panasonic has introduced a new compact digital camera, the LUMIX DMC-XS3. This camera brings with it a high-sensitivity 14.1-megapixel MOS Sensor, which improves image quality in addition to reducing noise levels. The camera is equipped with a wide-angle lens and several filter features.

The Lumix DMC-XS3 is designed to offer a slim profile, measuring in at its thinnest point at 14mm. Within this compact offering, users will find a 24mm to 120mm 5x optical zoom alongside a 10x Intelligent Zoom feature. Video recording comes in at 1920 x 1080 full HD video recording, with videos being saved in MP4 format.

In addition, the camera features a feature called iA, which stands for Intelligent Auto. With iA, Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection, and Intelligent Exposure are all fired up automatically, tweaking the settings as necessary based on the scene and other factors. The changes can be viewed, then, via the 2.7-inch Intelligent LCD, which offers 100-percent FoV.

Taking the iA setting a step further, it also has a mode called Handheld Night Shot, which layers several images together to create brighter, higher-quality images than what you’d get with a single shot. There’s also Beauty Retouch, Creative Control, Creative Retouch, and Creative Panorama, which offers many different filters and retouch options.

The filter effects include things like Impressive Art, Sepia, Low Key, High Key, Old Days, One Point Color, Miniature Effect, and more. The Beauty Retouch, meanwhile, has things like Smokey, Glamour, Cheerful, and Elegant. And rounding it out is the Aesthethic Retouch, which offers Clear Skin, Shine Removal, teeth whitening, and more. There’s no word on pricing or release date yet.

SOURCE: Panasonic

Panasonic DMC-XS3 digital camera unveiled with high-sensitivity MOS Sensor is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The 600mm zooming capabilities of Panasonic’s DMC-FZ200 superzoom not quite up to your telephoto needs? The company’s added a new sibling to its Lumix lineup as a followup to the FZ60, dubbed the FZ70. Also known as the Lumix FZ72 in the UK, it’s packed with a 16.1MP sensor and a 20mm lens that’s capable of 60x zoom (1200mm), besting both the FZ200 and FZ60 (24x zoom). That said, you’re looking at a variable aperture of F2.8-5.9 and HD video recording that tops out at 60FPS for 1080i and 720p resolutions. A powered optical image stabilizer is onboard to help you keep things steady for stills and movies, while built-in Dolby-certified microphones capture stereo sound. The FZ70’s Venus image engine lets burst-mode lovers shoot at 9FPS, although you’ll be capped at three photos per use. As you’d expect, creative filters and an intelligent auto mode are included and some of the existing Lumix tele-converters, flashes and filters can hookup with this camera. There’s no word on price or retail availability just yet, but zoom past the break for more details in the meantime.

Filed under: Cameras

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