Sep 05
Ever take a handheld photo that you thought was amazing, only to see it larger and realize that you totally blew it by shaking the tiniest bit? Well, you can limit these mistakes using a simple rule. More »
Aug 28
Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Eking out more power from solar cells is an ongoing challenge for scientists, and now architect André Broessel has developed a spherical glass energy generator that’s said to improve efficiency by 35 percent. Acting as a lens, the rig’s large water-filled orb concentrates diffused daylight or moonlight onto a solar cell with the help of optical tracking to harvest electricity. In certain configurations, the apparatus can be used for solar thermal energy generation and even water heating. In addition to the oversized globe, Broessel has cooked up a mobile version of the contraption for domestic use and an array of much smaller ball lenses with dual-axis tracking that offers 40 percent efficiency. These devices aren’t the first venture into concentrated photovoltaics, but they are likely among the most visually impressive. If the Barcelona-based architect’s vision of the future comes true, you’ll be seeing these marbles incorporated into buildings and serving as standalone units. Hit the source links below for the picture spread of prototypes and renders.
Filed under: Alt
Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 27
Paper-Thin, Distortion-Free Lenses Could Make Pint-Sized Pro Cameras Possible [Guts]
Posted in: Today's Chili
Using an ultrathin wafer of silicon and gold to focus lightwaves, researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have created a revolutionary new kind of camera lens that completely eliminates the image distortion created by traditional glass lenses. It could not only pave the way for lighter cameras that are still as capable as today’s swappable lens models, but even cameraphones that snap images as impressive as a DSLR. More »
Aug 26
Solar panels are a great way to generate sustainable electricity. They’re not as great at looking pretty. This spherical-lens solar energy generator designed by André Broessel, on the other hand, is strikingly sleek. More »
Aug 24
Harvard makes distortion-free lens from gold and silicon, aims for the perfect image (or signal)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Imaging has been defined by glass lenses for centuries, and even fiber optics haven’t entirely escaped the material’s clutch. Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences might have just found a way to buck those old (and not-so-old) traditions. A new 60-nanometer thick silicon lens, layered with legions of gold nanoantennas, can catch and refocus light without the distortion or other artifacts that come with having to use the thick, curved pieces of glass we’re used to — it’s so accurate that it nearly challenges the laws of diffraction. The lens isn’t trapped to bending one slice of the light spectrum, either. It can range from near-infrared to terahertz ranges, suiting it both to photography and to shuttling data. We don’t know what obstacles might be in the way to production, which leads us to think that we won’t be finding a gold-and-silicon lens attached to a camera or inside a network connection anytime soon. If the technology holds up under scrutiny, though, it could ultimtately spare us from the big, complicated optics we often need to get just the right shot.
Harvard makes distortion-free lens from gold and silicon, aims for the perfect image (or signal) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Phys.org | Harvard University | Email this | Comments
Aug 24
Insert Coin: Quikdraw targets lens fumblers and multiple camera packers (video)
Posted in: Today's ChiliIn Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.
Carrying an extra camera body just to avoid scrambling for another lens seems a bit silly, no? Quikdraw wants to run that convoluted method out of town with a holster system that lets you carry Canon or Nikon lenses on your belt and change them in around five seconds. The holder start in a locked vertical position, and to attach a lens you just bayonet it into place, securing the glass and allowing the holder to be lowered. To liberate that fresh prime, you tilt it up and give it a twist, freeing it and locking the carrier in the “ready” position at the same time. Admittedly, packing a gaggle of lenses around your waist may brand you as an overzealous camera geek, but we suspect that those in the market for such a product would hardly care about that. So far, the company has wrangled around $40k towards its $100,000 goal — if you want to ante up $75 to get one in an EOS or F-mount, draw a bead on the source below.
Continue reading Insert Coin: Quikdraw targets lens fumblers and multiple camera packers (video)
Filed under: Cameras
Insert Coin: Quikdraw targets lens fumblers and multiple camera packers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jul 25
Point and shoot cameras typically feature built-in lens caps that automatically snap shut when the camera is powered down. But larger cameras don’t, which is what inspired the creation of the X-Cap. It attaches to a camera lens like a removable cap, but features an opening that automatically opens and closes when the lens is extended or retracted. More »
Jul 24
Kipon preps Canon EF lens adapters for Micro Four Thirds, NEX cameras with electronic control
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Adapters to fit Canon’s EF lenses on Micro Four Thirds and NEX camera bodies most definitely aren’t new. Without any electronic link, though, that Lumix GX1 or NEX-F3 owner has had to focus by hand, sometimes without any aperture control — what year is it, 1930? Kipon wants to make sure you’ll never have to stoop to that level again through a pair of new adapters that keep the electronic controls working. As always with these parts, there’s likely to be catches: we don’t know the prices and ship dates, for one, and lens conversion can still hurt the autofocus speed. Even so, anyone who’s been hoarding (or simply envious of) Canon glass now doesn’t have to eye an EOS-M just to get a mirrorless camera with the lens adapter they crave.
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals
Kipon preps Canon EF lens adapters for Micro Four Thirds, NEX cameras with electronic control originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jul 24
Sony’s New SAL55300 zoom lens is an all-purpose telephoto lens for Sony’s line of A-Mount cameras. It zooms considerably further than the existing 200mm SAL55200 for just $100 more. For a $300 lens, 5.5 times magnification is impressive zoom. As for other specs, the lens opens all the way up to f/4.5 when it’s zoomed out or to f/5.6 when it’s zoomed in. The lens will mount directly onto both Sony’s DSLRs and its recent, excellent SLT cameras. To get it onto NEX cameras like the awesome F3 you’ll need to use an adapter. This budget beast will be available in September. [Sony] More »
Jul 24
Adapter Lets Canon EF Lenses Play Nice with Micro Four Thirds (and Sony NEX Cameras) [Photography]
Posted in: Today's Chili
If you’re not blown away by the selection of lenses available for your Sony NEX or Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera, Kipon has just announced its own adapter that lets photographers use older Canon EF mount lenses, complete with electronic aperture control. More »
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