Nikon rumor mill spins tales of manual superzooms this February and EVIL in April

Remember that patent for a manual-and-electronically-zooming Nikon lens? The rumor mill thinks it knows where it belongs: in Nikon’s unannounced CoolPix P500, an update to the company’s already-ludicrously-lengthy P100 that adds a 36x optical magnifying glass and bumps the backside-illuminated sensor to a full 12 megapixels of resolution. That camera will reportedly bow in February, but April is when Nikon will allegedly bring out the big guns — the EVIL, market-molding monster of a mirrorless camera it’s been teasing since last summer. Hit up our source links for all the scuttlebutt you need.

Nikon rumor mill spins tales of manual superzooms this February and EVIL in April originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pentax K-7 and K-x firmware upgrades pack SDXC compatibility

Last November Pentax’s mid-range front runner, the K-5 DSLR, got an upgrade, now the K-7 and K-x are following suit. New firmware updates for both cameras tout SDXC card compatibility, increasing memory, but failing to follow through on speed — Pentax notes transfer rates won’t hit UHS. Despite the company’s Japanese website listing the K-7 as a discontinued product, the camera also gets increased video editing functions in playback mode, as well as improved image sharpening settings. Now, follow the source links below, and let Pentax upgrade you.

Pentax K-7 and K-x firmware upgrades pack SDXC compatibility originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Revolution Will Be Instagrammed [AppOfTheDay]

Twitter officially arrived when Captain Sullenberger sent US Airways flight 1549 splashing down into the Hudson. Instagram’s moment was last week, when forty-nine states—fully ninety-eight percent of American states—were doused with snow. More »

Sony outs CLM-V55 video monitor for interchangeable lens cameras

To take John McEnroe’s famous quote badly out of context, you cannot be serious about video recording without giving your devices a nice big display for videographers to monitor their recordings through. Sony’s clearly in agreement and has today revealed the CLM-V55, a 5-inch clip-on unit for its interchangeable lens cameras, that provides WVGA resolution, tilt / swivel adjustments, and color peaking plus pixel magnification to make sure focus is just how you like it. The primary beneficiaries of this would be those delightful A33 and A55 siblings, which strive to combine the fast autofocus of a camcorder with the image quality of a DSLR, along with the NEX-VG10, an all-out camcorder that can nonetheless exchange its lenses and even exploit Alpha-mount glass via an adapter. You can see it outfitted with the V55 after the break, right next to the full press release. Launch is expected in March at an as yet unannounced price.

Continue reading Sony outs CLM-V55 video monitor for interchangeable lens cameras

Sony outs CLM-V55 video monitor for interchangeable lens cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aiptek Pocket Camcorder Shoots 1080p 3D video

aiptek 3d.jpg

More over Flip. This upcoming pocket camcorder from Taiwanese manufacturer Aiptek is capable of shooting 3D video at 1080p at 30 frames a second. The i2P is the company’s second 3D pocket camcorder–it follows the i2, which maxes out at 720p.
The camera has a 2.4 inch viewing panel, which can be viewed in 3D, with the aid of glasses. The i2- also shoots still. It will be available in the coming months for $199, pushing the price of its 730p predecessor, currently priced at $199, down $20.

Polaroid 300: A Return to Simpler Things

polaroid 300.jpg

I was blogging from the Polaroid booth in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas convention center for a while today, because the company was so kind as to provide us tired bloggers with a few couches to sit on. I was seated next to two women who were shooting showgoers with the new Polaroid 300. Everyone seemed genuinely baffled at the notion that the camera they were holding wasn’t digital.
Film cameras in this day and age? Yep. The Polaroid is an honest-to-goodness throwback to the instant film cameras that helped the company capture the imagination of the public. The camera takes shots roughly the size of business cards. Once taken, it takes about a moment for them to develop.
The 300 has four image settings and an automatic flash. You can pick one up now for about $90–not bad, but as always, the film is where they get you. It’s about $10 for a back of 10 images.

Digitize Your Film Simply

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I always look forward to checking out what Crowsley has to offer at CES. The company has a great old-fashioned design aesthetic and, like me, a love of old media formats, like vinyl. In addition to the standard audio products, the company was showcasing this very cool device.
The Memograph scans 35mm slides and negatives with a 5MP scanner. The 2.4-inch screen gives you a glimpse of the images as you scan them, so you don’t need a PC. Once scanned, the images are saved as JPEGs.
The Memograph has built-in color balance and auto exposure. Scanned images are saved to an SD card–you can take it from there, right? There’s also a TV out, if you’d like to view the shots on a larger screen.
The device is available now for $149. There’s also a larger version for $50 more.

A Fancy Lens for Your Flip

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Okay, it’s not quite the overkill of the iPhone video rig we just showed you, but I kind get the sense that this thing defeats the purpose of the Flip. If you’re looking to get more pro-level shots out of your pocket camcorder, however, Bower has you covered.
The company designed this 0.45x wide angle lens with the Flip in mind. It works with the Flip Ultra,Ultra HD, Mino, Mino HD, and Slide HD. The lens attaches magnetically to the camera. 

Kodak Launches Two Pocket Camcorders

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Now they’re no tablets, but it seems we’re destined to see a whole slew of of pocket camcorders this CES. Kodak fired the first shot today with two Flip competitors–the Kodak Playfull, and the Playsport Zx5 (sensing a bit of a theme with these names).
The Kodak Playfull is a skinny, compact camcorder, measuring 0.7 inches thick. It offers 1080p video at 30 frames a second or 720p at 60 frames. It can also capture 5MP stills. There’s a 1.5-inch display on the thing that auto adjusts to the light in the room. Built-in software lets you add effects to the video directly on the camera. The camera also has an SD slot for expanded memory.
The Playsport Zx5, meanwhile, is an update to the rugged Zx3. The camera is waterproof up to 10 feet and is booth shockproof and dustproof–so you can get the thing dirty. It shoots 1080p video at 30 frames a second or 720p at 60 frames, features a 2-inch LCD, and has an SD card slot.
The Playfull and Playsport will both be available in the spring, for $149.95 and $179.95, respectively. 

Sony’s CES camera lineup leaked, including Bloggie 3D upgrade?

If Photo Rumors‘ recent scoop is legit, it looks like what could be Sony‘s entire CES 2011 camera lineup has leaked. While the site doesn’t have access to full specs or photos of actual devices, it does have a list of models with some key features. Highlights include three new Bloggie video cameras: the Bloggie MHS-FS1 which will supposedly be a 5.1 megapixel affair with 4x digital zoom, up to two hours of HD video with a 2.7-inch LCD and 4GB of internal memory. Another Bloggie model, enticingly named the Bloggie 3D MHS-FS3 adds — you guessed it — 3D to the mix. The rest of the list comprises eleven different Cybershot models of various shapes and sizes. We’ll know soon enough if these cameras are the real deal, and we’ll get you a first look at them as fast as our hands can shoot photos. Until then, hit up the source link to peruse the entire, tantalizing text.

Sony’s CES camera lineup leaked, including Bloggie 3D upgrade? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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