Hasta La Gadget!

Remember that one-inch Chobi Cam One spotted in Japan earlier this year? Well, its tiny self has now reappeared on US shores, ready to be lost in a sofa or coat pocket near you. Unimaginatively titled “The World’s Smallest Camera,” it’s priced at $99.95 and packs a petite, two megapixel autofocus sensor capable of recording VGA video. Resembling a Lego Man’s DSLR, storage is done on a microSD card, though you’re more likely to run out of battery juice than space — the battery will give a maximum of 30 minutes use from one hour’s charge. “The world’s smallest” are words we hear a lot at Engadget, and we’re inclined to agree with CNET that JTT’s previous camera, the Chobi Cam, is actually smaller by volume. The Chobi Cam One arrived with extra detachable lenses, but there’s no word yet on whether these add-ons will appear in Hammacher Sclemmer’s online store — not that we really want to be lugging around a whole bunch of tiny lenses with us.

Continue reading Two megapixel mini-camera measures in at under a cubic inch, weighs under an ounce

Two megapixel mini-camera measures in at under a cubic inch, weighs under an ounce originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon’s high-end PowerShot S-series is a mighty special breed, so we’ve been rather excited about the company’s new S100, which we were told to expect in November with a $430 sticker price. Now it looks like the S95 successor may slip out of the warehouse a month earlier than promised, with Amazon estimating ship dates as early as October 3rd. In an industry where delays are much more prevalent than quiet early releases, this is certainly welcome news for the highly anticipated pocket cam, which packs a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and f/2.0 (variable) zoom lens. Shipping estimates are always subject to change, so don’t count on any miracles until that FedEx tracking number hits your inbox.

[Thanks, Don]

Canon S100 gets early October estimate from Amazon, likely to ship ahead of November release originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s imaging wing has been on a roll lately, with the brilliant NEX-7 and equally impressive Alpha A77 DSLR simply blowing us away with brand new features and excellent image quality. But these $2,000 digital binoculars? Yeah, we’re not so sure. We went hands-on with a pre-production sample of the 3D binocs, which replace the traditional optical finders with a pair of high-res LCD EVFs. But when you consider that high-end binoculars are a joy to use because of their excellent optical viewfinders, swapping in an electronic version puts the DEV-3 ($1,400) and DEV-5 ($2,000) in a completely new category — if an excellent (and traditional) viewing experience is what you’re after, these “cost-competitive” optics really won’t hit the spot. Jump past the break for our impressions.

Continue reading Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars hands-on (video)

Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, we’ve got a pair of Canon point-and-shoots to show you. The S100 is the successor to the highly regarded S95, while the SX40 HS takes on the super-zoom market with its 35x lens. Both cameras use the company’s new DIGIC 5 image processor, which brings high-speed burst shooting and 1080p video to the party. The S100 features improved low-light performance thanks to its f/2.0 lens and new, larger 12.1 megapixel CMOS censor (gone is the CCD of yore). It also has a GPS receiver for embedding location data in your photos. The SX40, more or less, slaps the new processor and sensor into last year’s somewhat disappointing SX30 IS. Hopefully, those internal upgrades will solve some of the SX line’s problems with image quality and noise. Both cameras will cost $430, with the S100 set to ship in early November and the SX 40 HS in late September. Check out the gallery below as well as the PR after the break.

Continue reading Canon unveils PowerShot S100 and SX40 HS high-end point-and-shoots

Canon unveils PowerShot S100 and SX40 HS high-end point-and-shoots originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We really like Fujifilm’s X100 — it’s a solidly-built camera, with an APS-C sensor, f/2 lens, and a rather unique hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder. But the X100 carries a $1,400 sticker price, and that 23mm lens — as sharp as it may be — is permanently fixed to the mount. That’s why we were rather exited when Fuji announced its X10 earlier this week. Would this be a much more capable (and affordable) replacement for the X100? Turns out it’s not — well, not exactly — though this latest model is certainly a better fit for the consumer market. We had a chance to go hands-on with an early prototype on display at the company’s IFA booth, and while some features (notably the pop-up flash) weren’t yet functional, we’re told it’s a rather accurate representation of what we’ll see when the X10 hits stores in late October, priced within the €499-599 range (about $715-860).

The first thing you’ll notice with the X10 is that, well, there’s nary a power button in sight. Instead, you’ll rotate the 28-112mm f/2-2.8 manual zoom lens to fire it up. There’s also no aperture ring, unlike its more powerful sibling, and manual focus is handled electronically, instead of directly on the lens. Upon closer inspection, you’ll find that the X100’s slick hybrid viewfinder has been replaced with a strictly electronic one. And what about image quality? We weren’t able to take away any sample pics, but with a much smaller 2/3-inch sensor, we haven’t a doubt that images won’t look nearly as good as those shot with Fuji’s better-equipped model. To compensate for that, the camera’s EXR mode can bump the resolution down from 12 megapixels to six, in turn capturing higher quality images in low light. We’re looking forward to checking out a production version sometime this fall, but in the meantime, thumb through the images below, or jump past the break for a video overview.

Continue reading Fujifilm X10 hands-on (video)

Fujifilm X10 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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