Hasta La Gadget!

Polaroid may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of adventure-friendly video cams — Contour and GoPro own that space, with Sony now making a heavy push of its own — but the insta-film maker turned camera manufacturer now has a rugged lineup of its own. First off the assembly line is the XS7, a $69 cam that packs a waterproof housing (rated to 10 meters), 720p video capture and a 2-inch touchscreen. This model is as entry level as they come, and Polaroid reps said to expect to see it in stores like Toys ‘R’ Us. If you’re slightly more serious about image quality, you might opt for the XS20, which packs a “professional” CMOS sensor, 720p shooting, a waterproof housing (20 meters) and a battery that’s rated for up to 3 hours of use. It also includes a fixed lens with a 120-degree viewing angle that’s surrounded by eight LCDs, for shooting in the dark. Finally, The XS100 is what you might consider to be Polaroid’s flagship, with support for 1080p video, an adjustable frame rate, a 170-degree lens, an orientation sensor for auto rotation and a $200 price tag. All three cameras use microSD cards, but the XS100 also includes 32MB of internal storage, letting you store a small collection of 5-megapixel stills.

The sports-shooting trio may not blow you away spec-wise, and we also weren’t floored by the design, but they weren’t created to lead the market from a performance perspective — Polaroid is playing up the cost angle here, and we don’t blame them. Based on our quick test of the XS7, image quality was passable, but you’re not going to want to use it for close-up shots as we did here. Even with the underwater housing removed, frames were either under or overexposed, generally unsharp and audio wasn’t terribly clear. It’s worth noting that we played with a pre-production sample, that’ll run you just shy of $70 when it does hit stores. That said, if quality is key and you don’t mind dropping a few hundred bucks, you’ll probably be happier with a more established model. Because we’re at a photo show and Polaroid was generous enough to let us take the XS7 for a spin, we figured there’s no better way to demonstrate this camera’s capabilities by using it to film our hands-on — you’ll find that video tour just past the break.

Continue reading Polaroid XS7, XS20 and XS100 Sports Cameras run $69 and up, we snap away at Photokina (sample video)

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Polaroid XS7, XS20 and XS100 Sports Cameras run $69 and up, we snap away at Photokina (sample video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Lumix GH1 was at its launch a game changer, sure this Micro-Four Thirds mirrorless shooter was not perfect, and photos were not that amazing in bad conditions, but its full HD Video mode has breath-taking, and if like I did you tweaked the GH1 firmware to unleash its real potential you have here my friends a cheap and amazing full HD Camera. The GH2 came with its enhancement, but today’s upgrade from Panasonic with its GH3 is a gift from god!
First of all the GH3 comes with a nice …

The Getac Z710 Android-powered tablet offers you the flexibility to work in nearly any environment. The rugged tablet adopts Getac’s LumiBond technology that combines a glove-friendly touchscreen display with a Gorilla Glass screen, a capacitive touch sensor, and an LED backlit panel. The Getac Z710 supports MIL-STD 810G / IP65 specs, which means it is able to survive a drop of up to 6 feet, dust- and water-resistance. The gadget also has a wide range of operating temperatures from -4°F to 122°F. Additional specs include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, a front-facing camera, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a barcode scanner, an RFID reader and a fast SiRFstarIV GPS chipset. The standard version of Getac Z710 retails for $1,499, while the 3G version is priced at $1,799. [technabob]

Wearable sports camera company Contour has revealed its latest model, the Contour+2, complete with Full HD video recording and integrated GPS. The waterproof camera – which can survive up to 60m dips into the blue stuff – mounts onto bikes, helmets, cars, or other hardware, and can use a smartphone as a remote control for framing and starting recording.

The familiar barrel shape is still present, toughened to make sure dust, bumps or drops aren’t an issue, while physical controls remain straightforward. There’s no power button, just an “Instant On-Record” switch on top – slide that over, and recording begins.

Up to 120fps footage is possible, albeit only in 480p mode, or you can opt for higher resolution with 1080p support. The lens rotates 270-degrees for easier mounting, and there’s an external microphone input. Settings include white balance, contrast, sharpness, exposure, and metering.

In the box there’s a 4GB microSD card, though you can obviously slot in a larger one for more recording time; alternatively, the camera will squirt out HD video via its mini-HDMI port. Pricing is $399.99.

Contour+2 packs rugged 1080p and smartphone remote app is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Olympus tackle the more affordable side of its rugged camera lineup, which makes its latest entry feel overdue. The Stylus TG-625 Tough effectively replaces the TG-620 by adding something that’s been commonplace in the camera world: an autofocus illuminator light to improve focusing at night or, more likely with this camera, when it’s plunged 16 feet underwater. Outside of a new double-lock system, though, you’re looking at the hardware that has defined most of Olympus’ rugged line this year, including a 12-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, a 28-140mm equivalent lens, 1080p movie making and a 3-inch LCD. The Japanese should get the TG-625 the soonest, on August 31st. There’s no word on whether or not there’s an upgrade on the way for the US, although we can picture it slotting into the American lineup without much trouble.

Continue reading Olympus Stylus TG-625 Tough adds AF light for tricky shots in rough situations

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Olympus Stylus TG-625 Tough adds AF light for tricky shots in rough situations originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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