Hasta La Gadget!

You ever wonder how CSI sleuths can keep enhancing their images all the way until they see what brand sneakers the perp is wearing? Well, they probably had a pre-release version of one of these Aptus-II 12s from Leaf. This new digital back can fill a staggering 80 million pixels with imaging data, thanks to its 53.7mm x 40.3mm-sized CCD sensor. It comes strapped with a 3.5-inch touchscreen on the back, 80 to 800 ISO range, 1.5 0.6fps capture rate, and a mind-boggling 480MB max file size per image. Should you have the imaging gear to match up to such might, you’ll want to know that the Aptus-II 12 is shipping now from Leaf Partners worldwide with a price tag just under €24,000 ($31,387), or you could grab the 12R version — which features a rotating sensor allowing you to shoot portrait shots without having to turn your camera sideways — for €31,995 ($41,850). That’s actually pretty decent value for your money, considering you’d have had to spend the same amount on the Aptus-II 10 only six months ago — and that only had a measly 56 megapixel sensor!

Leaf Aptus-II 12 snaps 80 megapixels of awesome on the back of your pro shooter originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink dpreview  |  Leaf Photography  | Email this | Comments

This one slipped by us when it was introduced alongside the RS1000, but Pentax is once again highlighting the Optio RZ10 point and shoot here at Photokina. This cutesy compact touts a 14 megapixel sensor, a 10x optical zoomer, an upgraded Auto Picture mode (you know, for the newbies), a CCD-shift-type shake reduction mechanism, 720p HD movie mode, face detection, a pet mode for snagging better pictures of Fido and a 2.7-inch rear LCD. There’s also nine-point auto focus, an ISO range of 80 to 6400, inbuilt flash, 82.7MB of integrated storage, an SD / SDHC expansion slot and a rechargeable battery good for around 260 shots on a full charge. Pentax still isn’t talking dollars and cents, only noting that you’ll need to contact a dealer for more. At least you don’t need a liaison to decide on a favorite color below, right?

Continue reading Pentax Optio RZ10 point-and-shoot offers 10x optical zoom, plenty of color options

Pentax Optio RZ10 point-and-shoot offers 10x optical zoom, plenty of color options originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish  |  Pentax  | Email this | Comments

Photokina‘s kicking off in earnest today with a serious bang in the point-and-shoot realm; Casio just introduced the planet’s first camera with Hybrid GPS, which essentially enables it to geotag photos and videos where traditional cameras cannot. Yeah, indoors. The Exilim EX-H20G (shown above) also packs a 14.1 megapixel sensor, SD / SDHC / SDXC memory card slot, a 10x optical zoomer, an ISO range of 80 to 3200, 3-inch rear LCD, CCD-shift image stabilization, 720p movie mode and an HDMI output. Moreover, the company has throw in a world atlas with detailed maps of 140 cities around the world, and the rear screen can actually display a user’s current position on said map for kicks and giggles. It’ll hit shops this November for $349.99 (or €300 in Europe).

If that’s a bit too fanciful for you, the lower-end EX-Z16 might just fit the bill. Boasting a 2.7-inch rear LCD, VGA (640 x 480) movie mode, a 12.1 megapixel sensor, SD / SDHC card slot, a whopping 14.9MB of internal storage (um… okay?), CCD-shift image stabilization and an integrated YouTube capture mode, this dead-simple cam is designed to be about as hands-off as they come. According to the company, the only settings you have to adjust on the 2.7-inch panel are image size, flash and self timer — everything else sets itself accordingly. ‘Course, that won’t sit well with the tinkerers in the group, but you can sure brighten a newbie’s day by gifting ’em with one when it ships later this month at $99.99. More details are packed in after the break, should you find yourself thirsty for more.

Update: We snagged a quick hands-on with the EX-H20G, and while the images below don’t do it justice, the rear screen on this bad boy was something to gawk at. The map on there actually looked amazing, and while you’ll have a tough time prying Google Maps Navigation away from our paws, this is definitely a lovely inclusion for those who’d prefer to simply enjoy nearby attractions on a map without pulling out a smartphone (or encountering roaming charges while navigating abroad).

Continue reading Casio debuts Exilim EX-H20G (with Hybrid GPS) and EX-Z16 point-and-shoots

Casio debuts Exilim EX-H20G (with Hybrid GPS) and EX-Z16 point-and-shoots originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

It was almost exactly a year ago that we asked you how you’d change the Panasonic GH1, and the consensus response was that the camera’s biggest flaw was its stratospheric price. Well, Panasonic’s about to help you out there, as it seems a GH2 successor is all but assured to debut at this year’s Photokina exhibition, which is sure to put a little downward pressure on GH1 levies. The new shooter is rumored to be making mostly evolutionary upgrades, with 16 rather than 12 effective megapixels squeezed into its sensor, expanded ISO range up to 12,800, faster autofocus performance with the kit 14-140mm lens, 5fps burst shooting, and 1080/60i video recording at 24Mbps. Where things get interesting is the suggestion that the GH2 will be capable of 1080/60p, but that the AVCHD recording format — whose current spec doesn’t include 60 frames of 1080p goodness — is forcing it to store data in the 60i mode. That’d be a pretty sweet new addition if true and we’re inclined to believe it given the additional rumor of three processing cores inside the GH2. We’ll know how much of this is legit by the middle of next week, Photokina isn’t a place famed for keeping secrets — quite the opposite, actually.

Panasonic GH2 expected to have 16 megapixel sensor, maybe even 1080/60p video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 10:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  4/3 Rumors  | Email this | Comments

For just $13, you can have your own Leica camera. Petapixel will sell you a pair of stickers for your iPhone 4 which will turn it, magically, into a rangefinder camera worth many thousands of dollars. Or at least, it wil make it look like one.

For trademark-infringement reasons, the sticker set has no Leica logos, but it’s pretty clear from the big red dot that the Leica Look-Alike Skin for the iPhone 4 is inspired by the legendary German camera. There’s even a sticker for the front of the iPhone, although that might be taking things a little to far. The peel-off vinyl panels will also protect the phone from scratches, and may even fool the less perceptive that you’re a lot richer than you are. Available now.

Leica Look-Alike Skin for the iPhone 4 [Petapixel]

See Also:

• Likea: The Cardboard Fake Leica

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.