Keepin’ it real fake: Likea Leica, only not

Of all the KIRFs in all the world, this might be one of the laziest. Sure, aesthetically it does a fine job of aping the Leica rangefinder it takes as its “inspiration,” but the Likea camera goes downhill very quickly when you move in a little closer. The first thing you’ll notice is that, instead of the finely engineered Leica body, this thing is made out of, well, cardboard. Then you find out that the pinhole element isn’t provided in the box and you’re faced with the impossible judgment of deciding whether the need for a pinhole element or its omission is the worse offense. Ah well, what do you expect for 20 bucks? Just go buy some film and let your imagination fill the (vast) gap between the Likea and the real stuff.

Keepin’ it real fake: Likea Leica, only not originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon planning “new concept” mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with enhanced video modes

The past year has seen both Sony and Samsung unveil tiny interchangeable lens cameras designed to compete with the Micro Four Thirds units from Panasonic and Olympus, and now Nikon’s getting in the game as well — company president Makoto Kimura told Bloomberg Nikon will introduce a “new concept” mirrorless cameras with enhanced video functions as early as this year. (That sort of sounds like the Canon G11 competitor with DSLR tech Nikon was hinting at earlier this year, but we can’t tell if they’re the same.) Kimura says that Nikon is “intensively” focused on developing the new mirrorless product as part of a plan to increase SLR revenue — Nikon’s goal is to increase interchangeable lens camera sales a whopping 80 percent over the next three years. That’s ambitious, but if Nikon can produce a tiny shooter with some of the D3S‘s low-light capabilities and the ability to accept even a subset of its modern family of lenses, we don’t think it’s out of the question. We’ll see what happens.

Nikon planning “new concept” mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with enhanced video modes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mamiya churns out 33 megapixel RZ33 digital camera: yours for $18k

It’s sort of affordable by Mamiya standards, but the $17,990 asking price affixed to the outfit’s new RZ33 large-sensor digital camera kit is still apt to detract all but the most professional of professionals. Boasting a 33 megapixel CCD sensor, CompactFlash support and a promise to produce mind-blowing images, this beast-of-a-digicam is said to offer “cable-free digital operation [that’s] just as smooth and trouble-free as shooting with film.” As you’d expect, it’s fully compatible with all RZ system lenses, viewfinders and (most) accessories, and you’ll also find rack and pinion bellows focusing, inbuilt vertical-horizontal rotation and an optional interchangeable power winder. Hit the source link for the nitty-gritty, but only if you’ve got the cheddar to cover the biggest impulse buy of your life.

Mamiya churns out 33 megapixel RZ33 digital camera: yours for $18k originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Concept Case Adds Camera to iPad

The iPad clearly needs a camera. Maybe not the fancy 5-megapixel, hi-def-shooting camera in the iPhone 4 – after all, who wants to hold a big slab up to snap photos? – but something for grabbing basic images would make Apple’s tablet way more useful.

Unless you want to wait for v2.0 next year, a case would be the only way to add a camera, and that’s just how Chet Rosales has managed it with his iPad Cam-Case. The concept case has an ugly fat strip up the side which has a camera at its top. This camera flips in its mount to fire forward or back, depending on whether you are videoconferencing or just snapping pictures.

Just think for a moment how useful this would be. Apart from Skype (sometime the only time I still wake my MacBook at weekends is to chat to my parents) and the usual quick snapshots, the big-screen iPad is perfect for augmented-reality applications, scanning and organizing business receipts (I still didn’t do my expenses from this year’s CES. Maybe with this I would have) and general photocopy duties: Being able to snap pictures of, say, your mom’s best brownie recipe and read it back full sized would be great (and fattening).

Chet’s cam-case is a concept, but we see no reason why such a thing couldn’t work: Apple lets add-on GPS units talk to apps as if they were built-in, so why not this? Clean up that design and I’d buy one right away.

iPad Cam-Case Product Design & 3-D Renders [Coroflot via Yanko and Laorosa]

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Panasonic FZ35 and Canon SX20 IS superzoom cameras shoot it out in group test, rise to the top

The DP Review gang (motto: “blood in / blood out”) has just done another one of its world famous superzoom group camera tests, and the results are guaranteed to frighten and enlighten you. Both the Panasonic FZ35 and Canon SX20 IS were singled out for boffo kudos (that’s right — boffo kudos). Apparently they’re “the most refined models in this test,” with lenses deemed “sharp across the zoom range,” and kickass quality images and HD video. Of course, each of these bad boys has its own character, with the Canon feeling more like an entry-level DSLR to the reviewer, even with “by far the best viewfinder in this test.” Panny’s entry, on the other hand, gets points for portability and an intuitive user interface. Besides those two guys, there are a half dozen or so other cameras in the test. How did your favorite hold up? Hit the source link to check it out for your own self.

Panasonic FZ35 and Canon SX20 IS superzoom cameras shoot it out in group test, rise to the top originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon Wonder Camera Concept promises single-lens perfection (video)

You know all those precious lenses you’ve been stockpiling for your SLR since the 90s? They’re still safe for another couple of decades, but in round about 2030, you’re gonna be trashing all that glassware and buying yourself a Wonder Camera. Why would that be? Canon is pretty confident that by then it’ll have figured out how to do a single lens capable of going from macro shots all the way out to a 5000mm focal length. And yes, apparently it’s small enough to fit in a young girl’s hands. This non-interchangeable lens is backed by an all-touch interface (say sayonara to your knobs and dials), an extremely high-resolution sensor, and image stabilization so advanced as to make shooting at that unspeakably high zoom range a viable option. Finally, the whole lurid dream is topped off with video-only capture. Canon argues you won’t need to shoot stills when its video is capable of keeping everything in focus all the time — you’ll just pick out your favorite scene from the movie reel. Go past the break to see the highfaultin video demo.

Continue reading Canon Wonder Camera Concept promises single-lens perfection (video)

Canon Wonder Camera Concept promises single-lens perfection (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: best consumer / prosumer camcorder out now?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Chris, who just happened upon some cheddar and can’t wait to buy some sort of recording device. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’ve got $500 – $800 to spend for my company. We need a new consumer / prosumer camcorder. Wide open as far as what to expect, any ones that have really wowed you lately?”

Just how we like it, short and sweet. We know a few of you have managed to pick up a camcorder in preparation for summer vacation, so don’t be shy with the recommendations in comments below, cool? Cool.

Ask Engadget: best consumer / prosumer camcorder out now? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 23:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cisco suggests WiFi Flip Video camera by Christmas, wants to integrate products with Apple’s FaceTime

A rambling Computerworld report from Cisco’s Live! event is bringing us news of even more goodies, beyond the business and home tablets already revealed. In an interview with Marthin De Beer, Senior VP of Cisco’s Emerging Technologies Group, De Beer strongly hints at a WiFi enabled Flip Video camera by the end of 2010. While he didn’t say it in so many words, he did say, “We didn’t buy Flip to have it be only a video recorder,” adding, “I look forward to Christmas,” when asked about a possible timeline. That seems clear enough.

The conversation then gets muddied when De Beer begins discussing video as a “pervasive play” for Cisco, something that will “ultimately span across everything we do.” And in a bid to interoperate with all devices, including Apple’s new handset and certainly future iOS devices, De Beer said, “We would absolutely love to integrate with FaceTime.” When, is the question left unanswered. Until then Cisco plans to introduce a mobile Movi iPhone app to the App Store that ties back into Cisco’s Tandberg SIP-based video conferencing solution. Now, maybe it’s a stretch, but with Cisco slowly creeping into the consumer space, it’s hard not to take away a sense that it will be introducing software and devices interoperable with its Silicon Valley neighbor’s FaceTime solution in the not too distant future. Hit the source to read the interview in full.

Cisco suggests WiFi Flip Video camera by Christmas, wants to integrate products with Apple’s FaceTime originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujifilm’s durable, dunkable FinePix XP10 compact camera gets a review

Fujifilm's durable, dunkable FinePix XP10 compact camera gets a review

It’s always hard to justify spending extra for a waterproof camera that will do you good at the beach but deliver mediocre image quality everywhere else. Photography Blog has taken a look at Fujifilm’s new 12 megapixel FinePix XP10 waterproof shooter and, while it predictably falls short of DSLR-level quality (or even high-end compacts), it overall scores a very positive review thanks to its 5x zoom lens, 720p video recording, solid construction, and a “pleasingly compact” design that we think looks very funky (in a good way). The camera’s cause is also helped dramatically by an MSRP of £169.99, or $199.95, and we’re finding this thing available online for way less than that. For that kind of money this thing wouldn’t make a bad side-kick for your go-to camera, a sort of stunty stand-in for when the going gets tough… or perhaps just damp.

Fujifilm’s durable, dunkable FinePix XP10 compact camera gets a review originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shooting around with the Nikon D3S: the field review

Nikon’s D3S didn’t exactly emerge out of nowhere, but the DSLR’s boosted ISO ceiling of over 100,000 (102,400, if we’re being precise) has certainly shaken up the industry. Nikon claims that it’s set a new bar for low-light performance and raw speed in the crowded DSLR arena, and we were tickled pink when given the chance to see if this thing was worth its weight in gold. Now, the master photogs over at DP Review have already broken down the nitty-gritty details in an exhaustive 34 page critique, but for those just looking for a little insight — and perhaps a short answer to “should I buy this?” — we’ve got exactly what you’re looking for. Head on past the break for two distinct takes on Nikon’s most capable shooter yet — and some thoughts on how Nikon’s latest monster professional cam will radically change the consumer camera as well.

Continue reading Shooting around with the Nikon D3S: the field review

Shooting around with the Nikon D3S: the field review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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