When was the last time you put premium gas in your rental car? Or washed a rental car for that matter? Or were careful with a U-haul truck? You weren’t. Because it’s not yours, and that is the pattern we see some times with our gear at BorrowLenses.com. More »
Just when we thought ancient wooden boxes were all the rage among camera collectors, a compact beauty has shattered our theories — this 1923 Leica 0-series just sold at auction for €1,320,000, or about 1.89 million in US money. Curiously enough, the exact same auction house reportedly sold the exact same camera four years ago: No. 107, the first Leica to be exported, allegedly for a patent application inspection in New York. In 2007, it fetched a relatively paltry €336,000, which was apparently still a world record for Leica cameras at the time. Quite the return on that investment, no? Find more pictures and details at the links below.
1923 Leica 0-series becomes world’s most expensive camera, fetches $1.89 million at auction originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 May 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hasselblad’s new 50MP camera shakes its sensor to capture 200MP images
Hasselblad’s new H4D-200MS takes 200 megapixel images, which result in massive 600MB files. So big are these images that Hasselblad recommends you hook the camera up to a hard drive instead of using a memory card. The camera itself “only” has a 50MB sensor, though, so how does it do this magic?
To record these ultra hi-res images, the H4D-200MS actually moves its sensor, taking six individual shots and combining the results. It’s like making a panorama, only the photos line up way better because neither the camera nor the lens moves.
When taking the shot, the camera snaps six different exposures, moving the sensor 1.5 pixels at a time. This not only allows big images, it also gives better color information. Normally a camera has different colored pixels next to each other and it kind of averages out the various brightnesses of these pixels to guess both color and brightness. But because the Hasselblad moves its pixels around, each pixel site is recorded by a red, a green and a blue pixel. This should give great color accuracy, just like Sigma’s Foveon chips.
The downside is that this process takes 30 seconds to complete, so you’ll not only have to lock the thing down on a tripod, you’ll have to tell all your assistants to hold their breath.
You can also shift down a gear and shoot single 50MP images, as well as a four-shot version combo.
Care to take a guess at the price? Nope, try doubling that. That’s closer. The H4D-200MS will cost you $45,000. And if you have a crappy old HD-50MS lying around, you can pay Hasselblad $10,000 to upgrade it for you.
H4D-200MS product page [Hasselblad via DP Review]
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Sigma's SD1 probably costs more than your car
Sigma’s flagship SLR, the SD1, has finally gotten a price and launch date. The 45-megapixel camera will go on sale in June 2011, and will cost a rather dizzying $9,700.
So what do you get for that money? It’s mostly about the sensor, which is either 15MP or 45MP depending on how you count the pixels. Sigma uses Foveon sensors, which stack red, green and blue pixels on top of each other instead of arranging them in patterns on a flat plane. This gives accurate color info for each pixel site. Other (usually Bayer-patterned) sensors use complex demosaicing algorithms to interpolate (or guess) what color the pixels should be.
The other result of this stacking is that the 45 million pixels give an image with the same dimensions you’d get from a regular 15MP sensor. Another surprise is that this is a cropped APS-C sensor, not a full-frame one. This will make any 35mm lenses longer by 1.5x.
One look at Sigma’s sample images, though, shows why people will buy this thing. It is effectively a medium-format camera with the size of a chunky 35mm SLR. Of course, Sigma has picked the best to put in its gallery, but the sharpness, color gradation and overall feel of the pictures is silky smooth.
And that’s just as well, as the other specs for the body are pedestrian to say the least. The ISO only reaches 6,400, there are 11 AF points and the rear screen only has 460,000 dots (even today’s high-end compacts have 900,000 dot screens). The SD1 certainly isn’t for you or me, but there might just be some studio photographers out there with their credit cards at the ready.
SD1 sample images [Sigma]
SD1 product page [Sigma]
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The Great Picture team turns an aircraft hangar into a giant pinhole camera
This is the world’s largest camera. You won’t be using it to take holidays snaps or to send pictures of your dinner up to Instagram, and you won’t be able to carry the resulting photograph in your wallet. In fact the massive photo — of a dull scene of a scrubby Californian land — is rather unimpressive save for its size. What this giant camera is about is numbers. Big, big numbers.
The Great Picture was carried out back in 2006 as part of the ongoing Legacy Project, and turned an airplane hangar in Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California into a pinhole camera. The camera measured 13.71 x 48.76 x 24.38 meters (45 x 160 x 80 feet) and produced a photograph of 9.62 x 33.83 meters (31.6 x 111 feet). And that’s just getting started.
How do you turn a drafty, cavernous hangar into a light-tight box? With lots of hands. Six artists used 24,000 square feet of black plastic sheeting, 1,300 gallons of foam gap filler and 1.52 miles of black tape to seal out the light, and spray 40 cans of black paint around to cut out reflections.
The “film” was a giant sheet of muslin hand-painted with 80 liters of Rockland Liquid Light emulsion. This was done under safelights (the film was black and white).
Finally, a quarter-inch pinhole was punched into the wall, 15 feet from the floor, and the film was exposed for 35 minutes.
This is the result of two months of hard work
Then the development began. A swimming pool sized developing tray was filled with 600 gallons of developer, and the the image was fixed with 1,200 gallons of fixer. Rinsing, the final stage before drying the print, was done with fire hoses hooked up to a pair of hydrants sending through 750 gallons a minute.
It’s an amazing feat, although its a shame that the photo had to be of a nearby control tower and runways. Still, I guess getting a cute dog on a skateboard to stand still for half an hour is even harder than building a three-story camera.
The Great Picture product page [Legacy Project via Petapixel]
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In an age where TV makers and the like are constantly outdoing one another with new “world’s largest” claims, it’s refreshing to discover that something so analog—a pinhole camera’s photo—is still the world’s largest, five years on. More »
Sure you can do neat things like unlock your iPhone using facial recognition, but the Air Force has far grander visions for the tech. Specifically it wants a camera that can identify and track possible insurgents at a significant distance (though it’s unclear how far we’re talking about here) using only a few seconds of footage. It’s turned to Photon-X Inc. to develop a sensor that combines spacial measurements, infrared and visible light to create a “bio-signature” that maps not only static facial features but muscle movements that are unique to each individual. The technology could also be used in targeting systems to identify enemy vehicles and integrated into robots to help them navigate and identify objects… or threatening meatbags. The Air Force even foresees law enforcement, banks, and private security firms using the cams to monitor customers and watch for suspicious activity. Similar tools have been created that use software to analyze video feeds, but they can’t match the accuracy or range of this “behaviormetric” system. Normally, this is where we’d make some snide reference to Skynet or Big Brother but, honestly, we’re too creeped out for jokes.
Creepy new Air Force camera can identify and track you from far, far away originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Photojojo describes its ONA Any Bag as “a zillion camera bags for less than the price of one.” That’s not far off. I have been testing one for a few weeks now have found that — with the exception of one big flaw which you may or may not care about — it’s almost my ideal camera bag.
The Any Bag is a camera-holding insert which fits into any other bag, hence its name. You get one big central section (with a Velcro divider) and pockets on all four outer sides. The back pocket runs the full length, the front pocket is divided into two, and each end has a single pouch. The lid of the bag is a flap that secures with two magnetic closures, and there is a small leather strap on each end to lift the bag out. The Any Bag is made of waxed canvas which will fend off splashes.
First, the flaw. It’s the lid. The magnetic disks on the body and the flap refuse to line up easily. To close the lid properly, you’ll need to put in some work to get them to stick together. In practice, the bag is always inside another so this doesn’t really matter, and the flap overlaps enough to keep dust out anyway. I don’t really care, but I thought you should know.
The soft bag can be squeezed-in pretty much anywhere, and is particularly useful inside carry-on luggage. It adds minimal weight (300 grams or 11 ounces on my kitchen scale) and bulk, and squishes to fit the space available (the official measurements are 10.5 x 7 x4 inches, which seems about right).
I have been using it inside the bag pictured above, a Rickshaw messenger bag (in Performance Tweed, if you’re asking). I can carry a Panasonic GF1 (not pictured, for obvious reasons), a lens, a small flash and spare filters and batteries. You could also use the pockets for keys or a cellphone. It fits this bag perfectly, and unlike carrying the bits wrapped in individual cases, the Any Bag keeps stuff together and leaves space for other gear (in this case, an iPad naked but for a Smart Cover).
You could fit a big SLR in there, too, but obviously there’s less room for extras. A D700 and a spare lens fits fine.
I like the bag a lot, and somehow, despite weighing more, it feels like it takes up less space than my leather ever-ready case for the GF1, mostly because it doesn’t move around inside the messenger bag.
Best of all is the price. The Any Bag is $60, less than most regular bags. Recommended.
The ‘ONA’ Any Bag Camera Bag Insert [Photojojo]
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These days, the easiest way to learn what your camera does is to take it out and use it. Instant feedback shows you how different apertures affect depth-of-field, how faster and slower shutter speeds can freeze and blur the action, and how zooming your lens can affect more than just how big things are in your photos.
But back in the days of film, where a week could go by between tripping the shutter and seeing the results, something like the Camera Sim would have been invaluable. Even today, this SLR simulator is a great learning tool. It’s a Flash application that runs in your browser and lets you adjust everything that can affect the picture.
Drag to change the lighting from dull and overcast to bright sunshine, to change your distance from the subject, the aperture, shutter speed, ISO and the focal length of the lens. Choose aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual exposure modes, then press the shutter to take a picture.
Your snap is displayed complete with motion blur, exposure errors and even high-ISO sensor noise. A complete novice will still need some instruction, but once that’s done they can twiddle around and see which control affects what.
It’s a shame it uses Flash, as this is the perfect sim to have on the phone or tablet in your pocket. If there isn’t already an app for this — which would allow a beginner to check up on things in the field — somebody should write one already. As it is, the Camera Sim is free, with v2.0 on the way.
Camera Sim [Camera Sim]
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For professional photographers, every second counts when downloading images on a deadline — especially when you throw enormous HD video files into the mix. With the $50 Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader, photogs now have a fast transfer option to compliment their pricey high-capacity CF and UHS-I SDXC cards, theoretically enabling downloads at up to 500MB per second (though current cards max out at one-fifth of that). You’ll need to have a USB 3.0 port and high-speed flash to take advantage of faster transfers, though the reader is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and older cards — you’ll even be able to use that 32MB CF that came bundled with your DSLR. And what about appearance? Lexar Director of Marketing Jeff Cable sums it up: “It looks similar to our older card reader, the USB 2.0 reader, except that it says USB 3.0 right here on the front.” Bam!
Lexar dual-slot CF / SD reader packs USB 3.0, downloads cards six times faster (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 04:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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