Hasta La Gadget!

Whether you’re diving for sunken treasure or just exploring the great expanses of your kiddie pool, waterproof cameras are great. But, swimming freestyle is a little difficult when you’re lugging around pounds of photographic equipment. Enter the Chobi Cam WP: a device that is about the same size as cigarette lighter and, when enclosed in its GoPro-style case, is waterproof to 20 meters. It can record VGA footage to microSD, take JPEG photos, and even capture mono audio — which we figure will sound something like “gurgle gurgle gurgle.” It’s available today for 12,800 yen — about $140, which is a bit dear if you ask us, so don’t let it get washed away.

Waterproof Chobi Cam WP camcorder is world’s smallest way to record the great unknown originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you live in a constant (and expensive) state of being way ahead of the curve, you’re already pining to get yourself a 3D camcorder and, as we reported last week, Aiptek’s i2 will do your budget the least harm. Now we have word that formal release for the US happens in August and it’ll be cheaper here than expected: $200. For that you get a device that can record 720p video in stereo and play it back on the integrated parallax barrier 3D LCD, which our intrepid reporter Andy Yang said looks awful thanks to a very small sweet spot that must be perfectly positioned in relation to your eye holes. Thankfully, things should look much better when piped out over HDMI to that 3D HDTV of yours — first in the neighborhood, of course.

Aiptek’s 3D i2 camcorder now up for pre-sale, cheaper than expected originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember the Sony Video 8? No? Well, let’s recap: it was 1985, and the company releases the CCD-M8 camcorder, capturing life on 8-millimeter cassettes at just under 2.2 pounds. “Back in my day” references notwithstanding, Sony is now celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Handycam line, from that progenitor recorder all the way up to today’s SD card-equipped lineup. All the festivities and a pretty detailed trip down memory lane can be found via the source link, or if you’re looking for something infinitely more cornball, Sony’s produced a “commemorative movie” of sorts in honor of the anniversary — that’s after the break.

Continue reading Sony Handycam celebrates 25th birthday, can now film itself renting a car

Sony Handycam celebrates 25th birthday, can now film itself renting a car originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like Sony’s new NEX3 and NEX5 compact cameras with APC-C-sized sensors? Then check out this tease for a Sony camcorder. The AVCHD shooter will feature the same Exmor APC HD CMOS sensor and E Mount interchangeable lenses. Better yet, it’ll also work with A Mount lenses built for Sony’s existing Alpha DSLRs. Coming this fall, that’s when.

Continue reading Sony teases high-end camcorder with Exmor APC HD sensor and interchangeable lenses (video)

Sony teases high-end camcorder with Exmor APC HD sensor and interchangeable lenses (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 03:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well what do we have here? We’ve just been handed a picture of what we’re told is Sony’s EX3 prototype 3D camera, with changeable lenses and a penchant for capturing life in the third dimension. That’s unfortunately all we really know at this point, but if this two-eyed beaut does go to market (and we hear that it most certainly will), it looks like Panasonic’s 3D camcorder will have some healthy competition. And hey, we’re all for having more options.

Update: A trusted source just chimed in with some specs, and it’s looking like Sony’s basically just crammed the guts of two PMW-EX3 studio cams into a single shell for this prototype. That’s not a bad thing: behind those proprietary hot-swappable lens cartridges are the same two three half-inch CMOS eyeballs that stream 4:2:0 MPEG-2 video at 1080p to SxS memory cards at 35Mbps per eye, or send uncompressed 4:4:4 footage over a new pair of HD-SDI outputs. Our source was pretty excited about how close together those eyes were, too — he whispered something about an industry-first 1.5-inch interocular distance, before vanishing into the darkness without a word on price or availability.

Update 2: The EX3 has three CMOS chips, not two. [Thanks, The Advanced Kind]

Sony EX3 prototype 3D camcorder spotted, destined for retail channels? (update: we’ve got specs) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 May 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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