Hasta La Gadget!

Olympus‘ snazzy E-P5 camera has been the source of a couple leaks today, with it first having its specs leaked by an unnamed source to the folks over at 43rumors, only for that to be followed up by leaked images on Mobile 01. Word has it that the camera will be officially announced in early May, although the source wasn’t clear on when exactly, and nothing has been stated by Olympus.

According to the various leaks and sources, the Olympus E-P5 will be offered to consumers in three varieties: black, white, and silver. The cameras will feature 17mm, 45mm, and 75mm offerings, and a shutter speed as fast as 1/8000th of a second. In addition, the specs are pointing at some improved features over the previous E-M5 digital camera.

Image stabilization is said to be new and improved, offering 5-axis stabilization with an IS-Auto mode, which allows for improved stabilization over the E-M5, as well as better auto focus and all-around clearer photographs. Under the hood, users will find a TruePic VI engine for image processing, as well as the E-M5′s 16-megapixel image sensor.

There is said to be focus peaking and a 5-frames-per-second shooting burst mode for rapid image capture. The display, which you can see in the gallery below, is on a hinge and can be tilted. And a feature that is beloved by many, the E-P5 is also said to offer integrated Wi-Fi for easy image transfer, possibly as well as remote display viewing and remote control of the device. Word has it we’ll be hearing something official on May 9th or 10th.

[via 4/3 Rumors]

Olympus E-P5 digital camera shown in leaked images and specs is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Fujifilm‘s JZ-series features long-zoom compact digital cameras, of which the FinePix JZ700 is the latest addition, featuring an 8x optical zoom and a wide-angle lens. These features are accompanied by several others you’d fine in many modern digital cameras, such as full HD recording and a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor. One of the camera’s main selling points is its thin body, which measures in at 18.9mm thick.

While the camera has fairly standard features, it does offer optical image stabilization, which is a welcomed feature in any camera, especially compacts, which usually offer digital stabilization instead and are especially prone to image shake when recording video. And while the previous JZ-series cameras utilized a CCD camera sensor, the latest model uses a CMOS sensor that is said to provide better low-light captures.

There’s a burst mode for capturing rapidly-moving subjects, such as events during sports games or active child who have trouble posing for an image. The continuous shooting mode has a maximum of 8 images per burst, shooting at a rate of up to 8-frames-per-second when taken at full resolution. Dropping the resolution down will speed up the burst rate by a tenth of a second, which isn’t much but might be a sliver long enough to catch that once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Videos can be recorded in 1080p HD at 30 frames-per-second, with the announcement also mentioning a 200fps recording mode without additional details. Presumably, users will need to drop the recording resolution very low to use the slow-mo mode. There are filters for photos, such as Toy Camera and Miniature. Such effects can be previewed on the 2.7-inch LCD display before snapping the picture.

[via Fujifilm]

Fujifilm FinePix JZ700 long-zoom camera features 1080p recording and 14MP sensor is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Ruben van der Vleuten is a self-described Industrial and Interaction designer who says he wants to improve lives with product development. One day he wondered what happens to mail once it leaves its owner’s hands and goes off into parcel land: who handles it and what does it go through? To answer these pressing questions, he decided to see for himself first-hand using a carefully-taped box and hidden camera.

The process he used to do this was fairly simple for those technically-inclined, utilizing Arduino, the open-source platform/board often used by hobbyists. He created the hidden camera himself, using the Arduino board and a timer circuit. The end result is a fun look at a package’s journey from his hands to the post office and back again, which you can watch in the video below.

While he didn’t provide too many details about how be created the hardware, he did publish a few pictures of the setup, including the camera/circuit by itself, in the box, and finally the box all wrapped up and reinforced with duct tape. He doesn’t mention how long the journey was, but we’re guessing it was probably longer than a single day, which adds up to quite a bit of recording time.

To avoid hours on end of video, he created the timer circuit to record 3 seconds’ worth of video every 60 seconds, changing that setting when the box began moving for longer video recordings – thusly, only short glimpses when the box was sitting unattended, but longer recordings when the action was happening. Looking for the camera in the box pictures? It’s hidden in the middle of the “B” in “Ruben.”

[via Ruben van der Vleuten]

Man uses hidden camera to chronicle a package’s journey is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Kodak has been attempting to sell many of its businesses in hopes of paying creditors back and emerging from bankruptcy. Today, it has entered into agreements to sell one of its businesses, its Document Imaging business, to Brother Industries, one of the leading global manufacturers of fax machines, sewing machines, as well as laser, label, and multi-function printers, for the price of $210 million.

By purchasing Kodak’s Digital Imaging business, Brother will also assume the deferred service revenue liability of the business, which equals $67 million. The deal will not close until the court approves it however. The deal has to comply with regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. While the court is still in the process of analyzing the deal, Kodak will be allowed to seek out a better offer for its Digital Imaging business from other buyers, or through a court-approved auction. If all goes well, the deal should close in June.

Kodak’s Digital Imaging business will compliment Brother’s current offering of products and services. Brother will receive a portfolio of scanners, and image capture software and services. All of the products will enhance Brother’s appeal to enterprise users. Dolores Kruchten, the President of Document Imaging for Kodak, says,

“We are pleased that under this agreement with Brother, Document Imaging will continue to strengthen its position as a leader of information capture and management solutions for enterprise customers. Our valued customers will receive the highest quality product, world-class customer service and reseller support that have been the hallmarks of our business.”

Alongside its Document Imaging business, Kodak also hopes to sell its other businesses before the second half of this year. Earlier this year, the courts approved the sale of Kodak’s patents to many major companies, including Google, Apple, and Microsoft, for the grand total of $527 million. Eastman Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in January 2012, and it hopes to emerge from bankruptcy this year.

Kodak reaches deal to sell Document Imaging business to Brother Industries is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Panasonic has introduced the latest addition to its GF-series, the Lumix GF6 with Wi-Fi connectivity. This 16-megapixel camera features a mirrorless and single-lens design, and is aimed at those who want to take high-quality, low-noise shots in a wide variety of situations. We have a gallery of the camera, as well as a run-down of its specs, after the jump.

The GF6 with Wi-Fi features a Live MOS Sensor and a Venus Engine, offering ISO up to 25,600. Images come in sharp via the Light Speed AF system, which offers tracking and full-time auto focus for video recording. There’s also low-light auto focus, and when combined with a start-up shooting time of 0.5 seconds, photographers can use this device to shoot in fast-paced environments.

There are several different functions and modes, including Stop Motion Animation, Creative Panorama, and Self-Shot, as well as 19 photo effects with different filters for the Instagram-lover in you. There’s Clear Retouch for in-camera editing to remove blemishes and other unwanted parts of an image. There’s also the standard P/A/S/M modes, including for video recording, which goes up to full 1080p HD.

Once taken, an image can be easily transferred to a smartphone or tablet via Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity and Panasonic’s Image App, which is available for both Android and iOS. In addition, photos can be taken and videos can be recorded remotely using a mobile device, which works as an external monitor and remote shutter. Focusing, zoom, and device settings can all be controlled from the device as well.

[via DPReview]

Panasonic announces Lumix GF6 with Wi-Fi and NFC is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.