Here’s an under-reported feature of iOS 7: you can finally zoom in while video recording now. It seems like it could get a little choppy, as you have to pinch to zoom while already recording video but from the looks of the video above shot by 9to5Mac, the results are pretty seamless.
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Coming in just after a Russian site managed to review the device, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S4 zoom. Combining a fully featured Android 4.2.2 Galaxy phone (basically a Galaxy S4 Mini) with a 16MP point-and-shoot, it brings a 10x optical zoom lens to bear — the first phone to do so. On the phone side, it sports a 4.3-inch qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD slot) and a 1.9MP front facing camera. The camera includes optical image stabilization and a Xenon flash, along with a special “Zoom Ring.” That ring surrounds the camera, and when twisted (even while on a call) it can launch in-call photo sharing, or go straight to other camera modes. Extra software features are also on hand to advantage of the combo device’s capabilities including Photo Suggest that shows great pics taken by others in the area, Smart Mode auto settings and more.
President and CEO JK Shin is pleased by the union, calling it “truly the best of both worlds, without compromise,” for people who want to capture high quality images and share them, but don’t want to carry two devices. We’re told it will arrive in the UK this summer but have not been able to confirm a pricetag, while its early Russian reviewers mentioned a July release and local pricing of around $618, converted. Intrigued, horrified, or just want to compare it to Nokia’s latest efforts? A press release, pictures and detailed spec sheet await you below.
Update: Samsung indicates to us that the Galaxy S4 zoom will come to the US and the rest of Europe as well, at some point in Q4.
Gallery: Galaxy S4 Zoom
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
If previous leaks had us fairly convinced Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Zoom cameraphone was a real device, this latest one has us certain. A Russian website has published what can only be described as a full review of the Zoom, before it’s even been made official. The main camera hosts a 16-megapixel sensor and is capable of 10x optical zoom, performed by rotating a ring that runs around the lens; this ring is also used to launch the camera mode. A piece of glass sits flush with the end of the lens for dust protection, and a xenon flash will give you extra light when you need it.
Inside, the Zoom is similar to the S4 Mini, running a dual-core 1.5GHz Exynos processor, 1.5GB of RAM and eight gigs of internal storage (naturally, there’s a microSD slot for boosting that). Facing you is a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) display showing Android 4.2.2 (with a TouchWiz coating, of course), a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, and powering the whole thing is a huge 2,330mAh removable battery. For connection and communication, you’ve got WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and the increasingly popular IR blaster, but it appears the Russian model doesn’t have an LTE radio. From the raft of sample pictures available, image quality looks pretty good on the whole. hi-tech.mail.ru reports that the Zoom is scheduled to launch in Russia in July at a cost of 19,990 rubles, or around $618 by conversion.
Update: Samsung’s gone and announced the thing, but it’s still worth heading to the source for all the hardware shots, sample pictures and first impressions. If you’re in a rush, we’ve put a profile shot of the cameraphone and our favorite sample image from the review after the break.
[Thanks, Max]
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Samsung
Source: hi-tech.mail.ru
Samsung is moving quickly to diversify its phone line, with variants of the S4 popping out of the woodwork left and right, including the Galaxy S4 Zoom, which features a rumored 10x optical zoom on its rear camera. Today the Galaxy S4 Active, a ruggedized, smaller version of the flagship S4 has hit the Bluetooth Special Interest Group for certification, which means it could be coming along shortly, too.
The S4 Active is supposedly a water- and dust-resistant phone designed for use with an active lifestyle, or in outdoor conditions where generally phones don’t fare very well. The S4 Active would compete head-to-head with Sony’s latest lineup of phones, including the Xperia ZR announced today, which is a smaller version of the Xperia Z with slightly less impressive specs. It’s submersible in water for up to 1.5 meters, however, which pits it against the Active’s rumored feature set.
Both the Active and the Zoom S4 variants remind me of how companies are diversifying in another crowded, near saturated market: point-and-shoot cameras. Manufacturers regularly highlight the long zoom and rugged versions of their devices, as these are areas where consumers feel they need more than what’s available to them on the smartphone devices they carry around every day.
Manufacturers like Sony and Samsung moving in this direction with their devices marks an attempt to broaden their lineup’s appeal vs. other similar competitors, but also encroaches on the territory of single-purpose devices like the camera. And the market is likely to get more crowded, not less, as Google has been teasing devices that can withstand harsh environmental forces coming from its Motorola acquisition, through executive statements.
I said previously that Samsung is essentially preparing a phone for every feature to compete with any unique advantage its rivals may try, and the S4 Active is definitely that. But these variant devices also have the potential to act as advance market research for tech that can be adopted back into a flagship device: if any is particularly successful, it provides a roadmap for Samsung about what will draw customers to the S5 or beyond.
The S4 Active getting its Bluetooth certification means it’s likely to get a consumer reveal before too long, so we should see exactly how far Samsung has taken the rugged phone concept soon.
After opening a lot of eyes with its 30mm, F1.4 DC HSM lens, Sigma‘s just thrown another curve at the photo community with a feat that the major players haven’t managed so far: a zoom lens with a fixed, sub f/2.0 aperture. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM that launched today for Canon APS-C cameras flew under everybody’s radar and flaunts over double the light-gathering powers of the priciest zooms, which typically top out at f/2.8 — except for Olympus’ $2,300 14-35mm f/2.0 Four Thirds model. The extra third of a stop over that model may not seem like much, but the company said it needed to “solve a variety of technical challenges” to build it in order to minimize distortion and aberration. Sigma’s also promising fast autofocus via a hypersonic motor (with full-time manual override) and rubber-coated brass construction. There’s no pricing or availability yet, but don’t expect it to be cheap (think $2k plus) — after all, it’s the only game in town for now.
Filed under: Cameras
Via: Sony Alpha Rumors
Source: Sigma
Today, Nikon out three new COOLPIX digital cameras with high-power zoom lenses with the S9500, P520 and L820. The COOLPIX P520 sports a 42x zoom lens and the versatility needed for advanced performance, while the 22x zoom COOLPIX S9500 combines impressive range with an ultra-slim, pocketable package. Both feature Wi-Fi connectivity1 that allows users to send images and videos from their camera directly to a compatible smart device through the Wireless Mobile Adapter Utility application1, ideal …
Earlier at CES, we got our hands on the Rode iXY 30-pin stereo microphone iPhone add-on that left our Lightning users a bit sad. Cheer up! The folks over at Zoom got us over to their booth to take a peek at the company’s new iQ5 professional stereo microphone. The iQ5 is a different beast than its aforementioned competition in that it works in conjunction with native iOS applications. What this means is that you can use it while recording video on your iOS device. The microphone itself rotates for this specific purpose, allowing for both horizontal and vertical audio recording in raw, 90- and 120-degree field positions. The recording resolution is capped at a respectable 16-bit/44.1kHz — though slightly less than we were hoping.
We didn’t get a chance to actually hear an audio sample from the iQ5, but we’re pretty confident it’ll sound better than the standard mic equipped on any of the supported devices. The Zoom iQ5 lacks a bit in customization department as well as build quality — we’re generally not fans of the cheap plastic construction, which is unlike most other Zoom products. The spec sheet certainly leaves us wanting, but it’s a start in the right direction for current-gen iOS devices. The iQ5 will set you back $100 and will start shipping Q2 of this year — until then check out the gallery to hold you over.
Gallery: Zoom iQ5 stereo microphone hands-on
Filed under: Peripherals
The iPhone 5’s capable of capturing really impressive video with its 8MP camera but the accompanying sound quality isn’t all that great. But with this new add-on mic from Zoom, your iPhone 5 videos will finally have the audio they deserve. More »
Even point-and-shoot and cellphone shooters have double-digital megapixels nowadays, and Google+ is now letting you take advantage of all that resolution. It’s brought photo pan and zooming capabilities, meaning that if you’ve uploaded a decently large photo, all that users in your circle or community will need to do is click it to bring up the lightbox, where they can proceed to explore all of an image’s nooks and crannys. Since Google+ now supports full-sized Android photo backups, that’ll give vacationers or artists a new way to let others discover their handiwork — or other surprises. Hit the source to see how it works.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Google+
In December, Fujifilm will release a 99x zoom lens that also achieves a wide-angle focal length of 8.4 mm, the top specification for a broadcast telephoto lens.
For this lens, Fujifilm has upgraded its optical shake compensation, to further increase the precision of correction for camera shake, which tends to occur at long focal lengths.
“This lens has an extremely wide working range, from 8.4 mm to 832 mm. It’s ideal for not just sports like baseball, but also activities such as …
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