Hasta La Gadget!

Sony’s Alpha series DSLR cameras are almost notorious for how often they leak, and as is custom with an introductory assertion like that, we’ve got another one to show you. The company’s Hong Kong support site has an instruction manual available to download for an as-of-then unknown iteration, the α850. The gang at Dyxum forums have gone through it more thoroughly than we have so far, and the Initial reaction is that it’s similar to the α900 but with only three FPS, a smaller viewfinder, and still no video (unlike its competition). We’ve assembled some highlights from the guide, including full specs, in the gallery below. Hit up the read link to grab the full manual for yourself, but just a word of caution, even though the PDF’s only 3.54MB in size, the download has proven to be rather painfully slow.

[Via Dyxum forums; thanks, Doug]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sony Alpha 850 DSLR manual pops up on Hong Kong support site originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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 Adam, who is finally looking to make the leap into the money pit known as “the DSLR world.”

“I’m pretty much a complete noob when it comes to camera stuff. My wife loves to take pictures, though. So much so that she literally wore out her first point and shoot camera, and the Kodak Z712 I bought for her less than two years ago is starting to act up as well. To compound the matter, we are expecting our first born sometime next year. I fear the Kodak just isn’t going to cut it any longer. What would be the best starter DSLR to get? She hates missing photo opportunities due to camera ‘lag’ so speed would definitely be at the top of the list. Photo quality and features would be next. Price should be no more than $800 or so. Also, I’m not interested in video capabilities as I would probably get a dedicated device for that.”

Aw, we’ve got love for the noobs, Adam! With Nikon’s D3000 just announced, we figured this was about as good a time as any to get an updated list of responses for this always-popular inquiry. Be sure to let him know if your entry-level DSLR is doing you right, and feel free to drop those congrats / condolences on the kid while you’re at it.

Filed under: Ask Engadget, Digital Cameras

Ask Engadget: Best starter DSLR? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Had enough Kodak this fine morning? No? Good. Just hours after showcasing its newest 1080p pocket camcorder, the aforesaid firm is hitting us up with a few more new pieces to digest. First up is the EasyShare Z950, a modest megazoom-in-a-P&S-body that packs a 10x optical zoom, 12 megapixel sensor and a $279.99 price tag. Next, we’ve got the totally ho hum EasyShare M381, which also offers a dozen megapixels alongside a 3-inch rear LCD, 5x zoomer, easy upload to Facebook / YouTube, face detection, a variety of lovely hues and an MSRP of $179.99. The last cam is the M341, which steps down to a 3x optical zoom and a smaller 2.7-inch LCD for $149. Closing things out is the EasyShare D830 (£119.99; $196) and D1030 (£169.99; $279) digital photo frames, which check in at 8- and 10-inches respectively (in terms of display size) and tout interchangeable face plates, 512MB of internal memory, a Quick Touch border, memory card reader and a USB port. Everything here should ship in the US and UK by September, though those hungry for additional details are welcome to tap that read link.

[Via DigitalCameraInfo]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Kodak debuts EasyShare Z950, M381 and M341 digicams originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Need more evidence that camera-equipped iPod Touch and iPod Nano units are in production? Cult of Mac’s Leander Kahney has posted images of dozens of iPod cases produced in China, which appear to be designed for the next-generation Touch and Nano devices. Yes, they contain camera holes, corroborating previous rumor reports that the iPod Touch and Nano would gain cameras. Check out Cult of Mac’s gallery and your skepticism will gradually fade into non-existence.

See Also:

• Rumor Repeat: iPod Nano to Gain a Camera
• Rumor: iPods Nano and Touch to Gain Cameras
• Apple Preparing iPod Touch With Camera, Microphone: Source …

Photo: Cult of Mac

According to a “well connected source” in the Wired camp, the iPod mills in China are hard at work as we speak, churning out next-gen iPod Touch models with integrated cameras and microphones. This certainly jibes well with the tips we’ve received regarding both this device and a cam-equipped nano — although we’re still skeptical about the rumored OLED iPods. The article goes on to suggest that once you add a mic to the mix, all you need is a MiFi and the Skype application for “the iPhone experience” on Verizon’s (or Sprint’s) network. Seems like an awful lot to go through just to avoid AT&T, but we suppose that it’s good to have options.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Next-gen iPod touch rumored to get camera, microphone, fairy dust coating originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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