Hasta La Gadget!

Our early info on this diminutive shooter only indicated it’d be waterproof, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see some further optimizations thrown in for use in less hospitable environments. You’ll be able to go down to 10 feet under water with the TX5, drop it from a 5-foot height, or explore the tundra at temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 Celsius) without the camera throwing in the towel. So Sony claims anyhow. Other features include a now confirmed 10fps burst mode, a 10.2 megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, 4x optical zoom plus optical image stabilization, and a 3-inch touchscreen on the back. The one thing that doesn’t make the transition from rumor to reality is the reputed 1080p movie mode — the TX5 makes do with a still desirable 720p video recording. Sony’s also kicking out the DSC-H55 (pictured after the break) today, which will have the same video mode, but adds a 10x optical zoom and a thicker, non-weatherproofed body. Both cams will happily write to Class 4 and above SDHC cards when they debut this April, priced at $350 for the TX5 and $250 for the H55.

Continue reading Sony’s DSC-TX5 is waterproof, freeze-proof, dust-proof, and headed for retail this April

Sony’s DSC-TX5 is waterproof, freeze-proof, dust-proof, and headed for retail this April originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When researchers at the University of Oxford needed to precisely sync high-speed video with high resolution stills, they had a hell of a time finding an off-the-shelf solution that worked with any degree of accuracy. Instead, the crazy kids hacked together a home cinema projector and a consumer-level digicam to split every frame of video captured by the camera into sixteen frames (albeit with lower resolution). Once that goes down, the frames can either be played in succession for up to 400 fps video, or assembled into one high-res still image. Although originally designed for research purposes — to capture images of cells or the human heart in action, for instance — the team is betting that the tech has applications ranging from CCTV to sports photography. For more info, check out the video after the break. [Warning: source link requires subscription]

Continue reading Digicam hack simultaneously captures stills and high speed video on the cheap

Digicam hack simultaneously captures stills and high speed video on the cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In case you haven’t noticed, Mobile World Congress is upon us, and you can bet that Samsung is here in a big way. The outfit is kicking things off with a couple of low-key releases: the S5K4E2 and S5K5CA CMOS image sensors. The former is a 5 megapixel chip that utilizes Samsung’s own Enhanced Energy Steering technology and can capture video at up to 15 frames per second. We’re told that it’s also pretty darn good at reducing noise, and better still, it can slip into some of the slimmest and smallest handsets this world has ever seen. Moving on, there’s the S5K5CA SoC imager, a 3 megapixel chip that combines both the image signal processor (ISP) with the CMOS image sensor. As the story goes, this one’s some 25 percent smaller than prior 3 megapixel chips and the 720p video capture capabilities aren’t too shabby, either. Both slabs are expected to hit mass production later this year, so go ahead and get ready to break the bad news to your existing cameraphone now. It’s better this way, we promise.

New Samsung chips bring HD image sensors to slimmer, smarter mobiles originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ricoh’s CX2 seemed to impress a-many reviewer when it launched last autumn, so it’s sort of odd to see the camera’s successor hitting the market so soon after. The appropriately named CX3 recent sat down on the test bench over at Photography BLOG, and while critics were quick to point out how appreciative they were of the extras (a 720p movie mode, namely), they couldn’t help but notice what a small step forward this was from the prior model. In fact, they found little to no good reason for existing CX2 owners to upgrade, though they did deem the image quality to be “excellent” and noted that newcomers shouldn’t hesitate to give this one a whirl. Still, we were disappointed to hear that the low-light performance was underwhelming despite promises that it had been improved, and for $400, you’ve got a lot of other options in the point-and-shoot realm.

Ricoh CX3 reviewed, just marginally better than CX2 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that smattering of Lumix compacts that Panasonic outed at the tail end of last month? Four of the five just got pricing details handed out, and all four are expected to be in stores in the middle of next month. The Lumix DMC-TS2 — which is the most rugged of the bunch — will list for $399.95, while the DMC-ZS7 and DMC-ZS5 will go for $399.95 and $299.95, respectively. The DMC-ZR3 and its 8x optical zoomer will also sell for a nickel under $300, while the DMC-FX66 remains stuck in the land of mystery and mystique. Hit up the source link if you need specifics on each, cool?

Panasonic prices Lumix DMC-TS2, DMC-ZS5, DMC-ZS7 and DMC-ZR3 cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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