Sony has added three new pocket-sized cameras to their Cyber-Shot line.  All three will have the new “high-resolution ‘Exmor R’ CMOS sensor and an improved BIONZ™ image processor that together boost low light performance and enhance auto-focus speeds, among other benefits.”  The DSC-TX200V (top left, cost about $500) will have an 18.2MP Exmor R sensor and 3.3-inch (8.3cm) Xtra Fine™ Tru-Black OLED wide touchscreen, and it can take full HD video or take 13 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”.  The DSC-WX70 (top right, cost about $230) has a 16.2MP Exmor sensor and a 3.0″ 921k dot LCD touchscreen; it also can take full HD video or record 12MP-equivalent still images and video with Dual-Record.  The DSC-WX50 (bottom; not all colors shown will be available in US, cost about $200) will have a 16.2MP Exmor with a 2.7″ LCD screen.  It also can take full HD video or 12MP-equivalent still images and video with Dual-Record.  These cameras will be available in March.  Read more about these new Sony Cyber-Shot cameras in the full news release.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera

Sony Introduces Three New Cyber-Shot Models originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 2, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

Coming in June from Liquid Image is a new POV Action Camera. The Ego measures 1.6 x 1.2 x 2.5 inches,  has a 136° wide angle and an LCD preview screen.  Capable of 1080p footage at 30 fps and 12MP stills, the camera comes standard with wireless remote and uses microSDHC up to 32GB. Controls have been pared down to only 2 buttons. It also has the added function of being able to stream real time video or stills via wifi and an included smartphone app.  Priced at $150.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Camera

Liquid Image Ego – Stream your exploits, feed your ego originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 17, 2012 at 8:30 am.

Can’t think of the perfect gift for the photographer on your list this year? Here’s something that will allow them to extend their photography hobby into the bathroom. It’s a toilet paper cover in the shape of a film canister from Brando. The covers are available in Yellow, Red and Green, for $16.90. It’s definitely a conversation starter.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera

Photographers can now tinkle in style originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 14, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

I am an avid digital photographer, and I love to bring my DSLR with me where ever I go. I take great pictures that help me create memories that will last forever.  But I, like many of my photography-loving friends, hate carrying the added weight of my DSLR around my neck. I am also self-conscious as I feel that I have the dreaded “tourist look”, not to mention that the strap on my camera cuts into my neck causing significant discomfort over longer periods of an hour or more. Because of the “in-front” position of my DSLR the strap puts it right in front of me and I feel that my $500+ DSR with its protruding lens is in a precarious position waiting to be bumped into a preoccupied passerby. I have always tried to sling my DSLR under my arm, but to no avail, as the camera strap would not allow this kind of positioning. A company by the name of Sun-Sniper has solved my decade old problem by developing and delivering the Sniper-Strap. The company sent me the Sniper-Strap Pro to review.

The photos in this review can be clicked for a larger view.

The Sniper-Strap is truly a revolution in camera straps as it moves the weight and support of your favorite camera from around ones neck to ones shoulder, much in the same way a messenger bag does the same thing for your important computer and papers. The Sniper-Strap works by mounting an intuitive and proprietary strap connection to your Camera’s tripod mount, creating a sliding mechanism to support the camera – thereby eliminating your original camera strap all together and allowing you to support your camera on your shoulder. The Tripod mount has a soft piece of dense foam to protect your camera’s tripod mounting location from any damage due to connecting with the steel of the Genuine Bearing – a well designed piece. For those of us that regularly use a tripod with a shoe we are all to familiar with the shoe connection coming loose and I feared that this would be the case with the Sniper-Strap, but my fears were put to rest as no matter what I tried, the camera stayed firmly connected. The Sniper-Strap comes in several versions and the one that I received for the review is the Sniper- Strap Pro with a “Genuine Bearing” as Sun-Sniper calls it.

The Genuine Bearing is composed of a twist-able rotary connection to your camera supported by a set of stainless steel ball bearings.

This configuration enables one to “Quick-Draw”, as the company calls it, quickly reaching to one’s side, grab their camera, and start snapping pictures – just like what I assume it must be like to draw a handgun from a holster to shoot the bad guys in an old western movie or modern day police show.

I tried the Sniper-Strap on both my right and left shoulders and found the strap to be extremely comfortable. In fact, I hiked a trail with it and forgot that it was even there. I should point out at this point that I usually carry a mini camera backpack with a couple of lenses and my DSLR, but for this trip I went out on my hike only with the Sniper-Strap and I enjoyed not having 10 pounds of gear on my back. I carry a Nikon DSLR with a 15-200 lens to shoot my pictures. While not the heaviest of DSLRs on the market, it is still a couple of pounds with the lens. To make it virtually disappear from my load while hiking is a welcome capability of the Sniper-Strap. The strap is adjustable to meet the needs of any size individual.

The comfortable top part of the strap, the “Shock Absorber” as the company calls it, can be easily removed thanks to some simple Velcro closures in the strap. The strap itself is extremely durable as I tried to “throw” it around on my hikes and it easily held up to the light torture that I doled out. The strap on the Sniper-Strap Pro has an embedded piece of steel braided cabling in it to protect it from being stolen by a robber with a knife that tries to slash the strap and run off with your expensive camera. I did not try this in my testing, but given the look of the cable, I am sure it would hold up to a thief with a knife as it would take more than a knife to cut through the cable – can you say “cable cutters with big teeth”?

The company needs some “marketing” help as they have named every possible feature of the Sniper-Strap with names, that while inventive, can be somewhat confusing for the regular photographer.  I highly suggest sticking with plain old English, or other regular form of translated language for features and benefits – trying to name everything adds up to nothing from a market perception perspective – you spend all of your time and money promoting terms instead of the value of the term in plain English.  Anyone for a ‘Cutter-Crasher”?

Sun Sniper is so proud and sure of their Sniper-Strap that they offer a $500 insurance policy to anyone who uses their camera and has it stolen by a thief with a knife. This is a welcome addition as many travelers and tourists are fearful of carrying around their expensive DSLR only to be met with a thief on the streets of a big city. Not sure if the steel strap would help if the knife is directed at the individual carrying the camera and hearing the words “Hand over your money, jewelry, watch, and that camera!”, but it is a step in the right direction.

I usually talk about the packaging of the products that I review (see top picture), and the Sniper-Pro packaging is a little on the basic cardboard side as it is packaged to be hung at a retailer location next to the rest of the camera straps and accessories. The packaging is a little confusing to open as I expected to open it from the top or bottom, but it actually opened up from the side. The packaging could have used some “Open Here” directions as I usually like to avoid ripping the packaging to get at the product – never know if you will rip up an important piece of instructions, or the product itself.

Since I take a good deal of action photography on the move at my kids sporting events, hiking, and touring locations I enjoy the quick draw capabilities and the comfort of the Sniper-Strap and would recommend it for those professional photographers that wear their cameras for long periods and need quick access to their cameras; such as event and sport photographers. As well, avid hobby photographers should take a look at the Sniper-Strap as it will change the way that they use their cameras.

Sun-Sniper straps are available in a variety of configurations from about $60 to over $200 for a harness that supports three cameras.  At these prices, one has to think long and hard about paying over 10% of your camera’s value for a strap, unless you are a professional photographer or an avid hobby photographer.

The company is based in Europe.  They ship directly to many countries, but they have a list of distributors for other countries.  Check this list of distributors (near bottom of page) to determine which is the correct one for you, or you can buy the full family of Sun Sniper products from from Amazon.com

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, Camera strap

Sun-Sniper Sniper-Strap Pro Camera Strap Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 1, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

The Glif from Studio Neat is a handy little gadget for iPhone 4/4S owners that are aspiring photographers and videographers. It allows you to attach your iPhone to any standard tripod and also doubles as an easily adjustable stand. Let me show you how it works.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

The Glif is made of semi flexible recyclable rubberized plastic that has been molded specifically for the iPhone 4/4S.

There’s a trough to hold the iPhone securely.

And a 1/4″-­20 threaded socket so that you can attach it to a tripod.

Your caseless iPhone is held in place in either portrait…

or landscape orientation as seen here. I have a protector on both sides of my iPhone and it still works with the Glif.

Here we see the Glif attached to the top of a tripod.

It’s very handy to be able to use a tripod with your iPhone. I have been using my phone to take short product demo videos and have found the Glif to be the perfect thing to allow me to shoot video easier when it’s attached to a tripod.

When you’re not using the Glif with a tripod, it doubles as a stand that can be used in portrait orientation as long as you keep the Glif as low as possible. Placing it higher up on the iPhone’s side will cause it to tip over to one side.

The stand works best with the phone in landscape orientation as seen above.

The Glif is a simple product that is very useful. It’s made well enough that it should last longer than you’ll probably own your iPhone. It’s handy to keep in your gear bag to use as a stand and for those times when a tripod will help you get that perfect shot or capture video.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, iPhone 4

Studio Neat Glif iPhone 4/4S Tripod Mount and Stand Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 24, 2011 at 11:00 am.

I often say how much I like the iPhone 4′s camera. It takes very good pictures considering that it has a 5 megapixel fixed lens. It’s no DSLR, but I find that I take many more pictures than I ever have before, mainly due to the fact that it’s always in my pocket or gear bag. I must not be the only one, because there are quite a few photography accessories that have been designed specifically for the iPhone. The one I’m going to show you today is the Pixeet Panorama iPhone Lens Kit.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

Package Contents

Pixeet fisheye lens
Protective lens caps
Drawstring pouch
Silicone iPhone case
Stick on steel lens attachment rings
Lanyard

The Pixeet fisheye lens looks pretty professional for an iPhone accessory. The case is made of aluminum and the lens is made of optical glass.

The base of the lens is magnetic.

To attach it to your iPhone, you can use the included silicone case / skin, that has a metal ring over the phone’s lens.

The lens magnetically sticks to the ring, holding it in place.

If you don’t want to use the case and aren’t squeamish about sticking an adhesive ring to your phone, you can use the one included in the package. There’s even a notch in the ring for the LED flash.

Once you’ve attached the lens to your iPhone, the next step is to download the free Pixeet app.

The Pixeet interface is pretty simple to understand. Just click the New Panorama button to get started.

You can then decide if you want to create a 180 or 360 degree panorama. The 180 degree panorama only requires one image, while the 360 requires 4.

To take a 180 degree panorama, you hold the phone in landscape orientation. If you forget, the Pixeet interface will remind you with the green / red orientation indicator (see image above). Line up your shot and press the onscreen shutter button. That’s all there is to it.

Here’s a shot without the Pixeet lens.

And here’s a shot with the lens attached using the iPhone’s normal camera app. Notice how it looks circular and sorta of warped? That’s where the lens gets the name “fisheye”.

Here’s another example without the lens…

And with the lens.

Here’s a completed 180 degree panorama:

Pretty cool right? 360 degree panorama’s are even better… except that they require 4 images instead of 1.

To capture a 360 degree panorama, you have to hold the phone in portrait orientation and rotate a quarter turn for each shot.

The app will indicate which way to rotate and will help you line up your shots. It’s not difficult to take the 4 shots, but if you’re in a public place taking them, it might make you feel a little weird twirling around.

Here’s an example of a 360 degree panorama:

Your panoramas can be viewed through the app’s interface, or you can sync then to a free account on the Pixeet website.

The free account allows you to upload up to 50 panoramas per month. Pro accounts have no limit, higher resolution and commercial features so that you can add your own branding and audio to the panoramas. The price for the pro account is $19.90 per month or $199.9o per year. That yearly price will also get you a free upgrade to iPhone 5 hardware. That’s a lot of money for the pro account, but I can see realtors opting to pay it so that they can create virtual tours of homes.

I was a little apprehensive of the fact that there didn’t seem to be a way to archive the panoramas off the Pixeet website. However, with a little digging, I found that you can download the images that can probably be loaded into other software to recreate the panoramas if needed.

The Pixeet fisheye lens is a fun accessory to have for your iPhone. It’s not extremely expensive and offers some unique photographic options.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, iPhone, Photography

Pixeet Panorama iPhone Fisheye Lens Kit Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 3, 2011 at 5:56 pm.

I’m a big fan of the iPhone’s camera. All things considered, it takes really good shots. But I’m all for making it even better, so I was happy to take a look at the Wide & Macro Lens Set from Focalprice when they offered to send one for review.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

Package Contents

Wide angle / macro lens
Lens cover
2 stick on magnetic rings
Metal lens cover

The lens in this set has two parts that unscrew. The smaller lens is the for macro shots and the larger one is for wide angle shots.

The lens has a magnetic mount and comes with two stick on metal rings that can be attached to your phone. Although Focalprice sells this set as an iPhone lens set, it can be used with any phone that has a flat back and the ability to stick on the metal ring.

I didn’t end up sticking the metal ring on my iPhone 4 to do this review. Why? Check out the image above. The metal ring is just sitting on the back of the iPhone…

If I were actually to stick it on, you can see that the ring covers the LED flash. Oops… this is probably a deal breaker for most people. I know it would be for me.

I was still able to review this lens because by chance, I am reviewing another lens and it happens to come with a special case that has a built in magnetic ring… I know that won’t be any help if you buy this particular product, but here are some sample images to show what it can do…

Wide Angle

Here’s a shot of my car (it needs a bath!) without the lens attached to my phone.

And here is my car using the wide angle lens. I took both pictures from the same distance.

Macro

Picture of tree bark taken without the lens attached.

Close up on the same bark with the macro lens.

Image of a penny taken without the lens.

Same penny with the macro lens.

The wide angle shots that this lens can capture aren’t as impressive as the macro shots. I’ll admit that I took only a few wide angle shots while conducting my review. I focused mostly on macro shots. It’s funny that I said “focused”… because with the macro lens attached, you can’t really use the iPhone’s built in tap focus feature. You have to actually move the whole phone closer your subject till it comes in focus on the phone’s display. This is kind of hard to do and almost impossible if you’re trying to take a macro shot of a moving object like a flower slightly swaying in the breeze.

This lens set is fun to play with, but that’s about the extent of it. Yes, it can take really good macro shots if you have a steady hand, but the metal ring attachment issue if you’re using this phone with an iPhone 4 makes it an accessory that you’ll probably not purchase in the first place.

Filed in categories: Android related, Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, iPhone, Smartphone

Focalprice Wide & Macro Lens Set for iPhone Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 26, 2011 at 4:31 pm.

The Brinno GardenWatchCam is a weather resistant, time lapse camera that will help you capture cool video of activities that regular snapshot photography can’t easily do. Imagine capturing a flower blooming, a house being constructed, the autumn leaves changing colors. You can do that with the GardenWatchCam. Let’s take a look.

Package Contents

GardenWatchCam
2GB USB Flash Drive
4 AA Batteries
Mounting Stake
Setup Software
User Manual
Warranty Card

The GardenWatchCam looks sort of like a large webcam. It’s made of a hard plastic, with a Green color that will blend in well outdoors. On the front of the camera are 3 status LEDs, the Lens and a power button. The lens rotates to select two capture settings: Macro and Standard. The Macro setting will focus from 19 inches away and the Standard setting focuses 2.6 feet and beyond.

The LEDs alert you to low battery and memory. It also will blink every 15 seconds to indicate that the camera is powered on.

The GardenWatchCam is powered by 4 AA batteries that are thankfully included with the package. One set of batteries will last for up to 6 months when set to take one image every hour.

Image capture frequency is set by rotating the dial between the batteries. As you can see, you can choose between 7 different time settings. The first 6 settings and are chosen simply by opening up the camera and turning the switch to the desired time (ranging from 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 24 hours).

The custom setting can be set to take shots between 5 seconds to 12 hours (the default custom setting is set to 20 seconds). To change the setting you have to run the application on the included CD. Unfortunately, you’ll need a Windows PC to do this. There’s no Mac compatible app yet. This app also is needed to set the date and time for the captured videos.

Your videos are stored on a USB stick. Included with the camera is a 2GB stick. The camera supports up to an 8GB stick.

To start using the camera, install the batteries, choose the image frequency, insert the USB stick and put on the back cover.

Then you can either screw the camera onto a tripod or use the included mounting hardware.

You can use 1 or all 3 stakes depending on how high you need to position the camera.

The GardenWatchCam is weather resistant and has been designed to withstand a driving rain, morning dew or high noon heat. There’s no info on the Brinno site to indicate if the camera can withstand extreme cold temperatures too.

The camera is definitely simple to setup. Just place it where you want to capture the action and power it on. The only issue I have with it is that there’s no viewfinder or LCD display, so you don’t really know if you’re pointing the lens in the exact perfect spot. You either have to eyeball it or let the camera capture a couple images, remove the USB stick and go check the captured video on your computer to see if it’s pointed correctly. Once it is, you can leave it running as long as you like.

In my first test, I set the camera lens to Macro mode and set it to take an image every 30 minutes for a couple days. Videos are captured in AVI format (1280 x 1024 resolution). Here’s the result of my first test:

I was trying to capture the flower bud at the top center of the picture, but the weather was too dreary and rainy, so it didn’t bloom. You’ll notice some parts of the video that are black. The camera is supposed to not take photos when it is too dark out, but as you can see it did anyway.

My 2nd test was shot indoors on a tripod. It’s of me cleaning Gadgeteer HQ. The camera lens was set on Standard focus and it captured a picture every minute:

The GardenWatchCam is really fun and easy to use. I hope that Brinno will consider adding a Mac compatible app to allow the custom time and date settings.

I am excited to think of various ways to use this camera and am going to set it up outside pointing to my woods line so that I can have it capture the leaves turning colors for Fall. I’ll probably leave it running for a month or longer and will add that video to this review when it’s complete. What would you capture with the GardenWatchCam?

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Outdoor Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, Photography

Brinno GardenWatchCam Time Lapse Camera Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 13, 2011 at 5:00 pm.

Pentax has just announced the Pentax Q 12.4MP camera. This little (very little) guy has a footprint of only 3.9 x 2.3 x 1.2in and supports interchangeable special Q lenses that include a wide, telephoto, zoom and fisheye. It also features a 3 inch LCD viewfinder, shake reduction, 1080p video capture, HDMI out. It comes in Black or White and has a price of $799.95 for a kit that apparently does NOT include a lens. It’s currently available for pre-order with no mention of a shipping date. It looks cute as a button, but that price is pretty ouchy. What do you guys think? Is it drool worthy?

[via Likecool]

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera, Photography

Pentax Q – world’s smallest interchangeable lens camera originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 19, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Digital cameras are great.  They’re convenient, fun, and are becoming idiot-proof.  Then the Fuji X100 came into my life and I realized just how lazy and dependent on technology I’ve been when taking snapshots.  How did this happen?

I have a love-hate thing with digital cameras.  First, the technology keeps advancing that lures me into feature-lust.  Second, I can’t seem to find a camera with controls that I like.  Either the buttons don’t feel right, or you have models with all touchscreen controls.  I’m not sure I like that either.  I like knobs and levers.  I don’t want a camera that’s too big, either, or I’ll be less likely to bring it out on a day trip.  The list goes on. Let’s just say I’m picky.

Recently, I was snapping photos with my most recent digital camera, which came equipped with over a dozen or more “intelligent” presets, and I came to the realization that there had to be something better than this, without having to resort to a full-sized digital SLR I didn’t want to carry around.  Sure there are other compact micro 4/3rds cameras out there, but I just wasn’t interested.  Was I doomed to pocket “point and shoots” forever?

Well, enter the Fuji X100.  I wasn’t even thinking of buying a new camera until I saw this- and fell in love.  Has the handsome good looks of an old-fashioned rangefinder style camera with the modern guts of a modern digital camera… and wasn’t a gigantic as a digital SLR.

First things first.  This isn’t cheap.  At $1199 list price, most people would buy a really good digital SLR and call me foolish.  I’ve also owned less expensive “not SLR” cameras like the Canon G9 and G10, plus the Sony NEX-5, but neither felt quite the same as this.

Really short list of specs:

• 12.3 MP
• APS-C sensor (what you’d find in typical digital SLR cameras, way bigger than ordinary point and shoots)
• Focal length f=23mm (equiv. to 35mm on a 35mm camera)
• Full apeture: F2
• ISO 200-6400 standard sensitivity, 100-12800 extended
• Shutter speed: up to 1/4000
• Movie: 1280 x 720 at 24fps, stereo (10 min max length)
• 126.5 (W) mm x 74.4 (H) mm x 53.9 (D) mm / 5.0in. (W) x 2.9in. (H) x 2.1 in. (D) (Minimum thickness: 31.0mm / 1.2in.)

Click here to read full specs

The X100 is superbly built.  Even the lens cap is a solid, one-piece metal thing with a thin foam lining to keep it snug when attached (and I’ll probably lose it by next month).  It’s got a beautiful array of knobs and levers where you want them, and buttons on the back like any other digital camera.

Lovely, lovely knobs!

That little lever toggles between optical and electronic viewfinder modes in the eyepiece. Focus assist LED is right next to it. Tiny hole to the left is one of the stereo microphones.

No, you can't change the lens, but I like it that way.

One serious metal lens cap.

A thin liner keeps the lens cap snug.

USB and HDMI ports

Focus modes: Manual, autofocus, and continuous autofocus

Looks like a digital camera from back here

SD card slot and battery compartment

Using the X100, I noticed right away that this isn’t the same as using the crazy, feature-filled pre-programmed digital cameras of today.  There are no presets for “action”, “pets” or “aquarium”.  There’s not even face detection, which you’d think would be standard in this price range.

I recalled the days before cameras were so automated.  I could feel the cobwebs being blown away as my rusty photography skills were reawakened.  I guess I really did get lazy!

You still get the standard PSAM modes (Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual).  Leave both shutter and aperture knobs on the red “A” and you’re in full Program mode.  Dial in your own shutter speed with aperture on “A”, and you’re in Shutter Priority, and so on.

See that little black “Fn” button?  It’s F’n great!  You can program it to your own custom function, like ISO, ND filter, etc.  Assigning a function is easy, too:  Just press and hold the Fn button and it’ll bring you straight to the customize menu.

Let’s talk about that viewfinder.  This is no ordinary viewfinder.  It’s an optical viewfinder (OVF) and electronic viewfinder (EVF).  EVF is straightforward:  What you see on the main, rear LCD shows up in the tiny viewfinder.  The X100 has a nifty eye sensor (like the ear sensor on an iPhone) that detects your face close by, and toggles the main LCD off as you peek through the viewfinder.  (This is user-adjustable if you want to keep things simple).

Eyepiece view of the Electronic Viewfinder

The OVF is a different matter.  Yes, you’re looking out the glass, into the “real world”, but the X100 overlays shooting information, like a fighter pilot’s heads-up display.  See the two focus points in the middle?  The centered one is solid, the off-center one is dashed.  When focusing on close-up objects, the focus point ends up being closer to the off-centered one due to parallax.  When you lock on to focus, a green square appears on or between the two rectangles, indicating the true focus point.  And, the white border around the image also shifts to adjust for parallax.

Optical hybrid viewfinder. The overlay is a digital heads-up display, not painted on.

The main LCD is bright and very crisp 2.8-inch, 460,000 dot display.  There are many customizations to what you can display, but my favorite has to be the electronic level.  I’ve ruined many photos by not watching my horizon and being off-kilter like a vintage Batman episode.  The lines turn green when you’re level.

The main LCD. Horizontal line in the middle indicates image is level.

White and blue lines indicate image is not level

Another interesting feature is the “film” selection.  Besides black and white, sepia, and other filtered modes, you can choose between three “film” presets that simulate Fuji’s Provia, Velvia, and Astia films.  Provia (“Standard”) is the all-purpose film, Velvia (“Vivid”) gives a more vivid look as the preset suggests, and Astia (“Soft”) gives softer color and contrast.

Film simulation samples

This is picture of a chair in my office.  The easiest thing you’ll notice is the blacker blacks and slightly brighter colors on the pillow in the Velvia setting.

Provia (standard) setting

Velvia (vivid) setting

Astia (soft) setting

Same thing for these toy cars.  With the Velvia setting, the green cars are almost fluorescent, and you can barely see the stripes on the side of the black car.

Provia (standard) setting

Velvia (vivid) setting

Astia (soft) setting

Quirky?

The X100 is not without it’s quirks, though.  For one, I find the menu button difficult to press.  It’s not small, but it seems flush to the four-way jog dial, so I have to be careful not to make accidental presses.

It looks easy to press, but the Menu button can be tricky.

The battery can actually be inserted the wrong way quite easily.  I got around this by noticing the battery has an arrow printed on the outside, and that there’s a arrow icon printed on the inside of the battery compartment.

Just follow the arrows and you'll be fine.

The autofocus/read-write LED is located exactly where you’d put your thumb.  Not so hot.

Under thumb? Very dumb!

As for manually focusing, forget it.  It’s a “focus by wire” setup and there’s no focusing confirmation, like a split prism window or something.

Actual Use:

Without the idiot-proof camera presets, I was more or less forced to think before shooting- as I should have been all along.  What kind of effect am I going for?  Do I have enough light?  That kind of thing.  But this is a good thing!  Now, when I get a “bad” shot, I blame it on myself and not the camera.

Compared to other point and shoots, the X100 works well in low light where I wouldn’t dream of taking pictures with a point and shoot.  This is no surprise, considering the CMOS sensor is way bigger (APS-C) vs. the rinky-dink sensors of most compact cameras.

Yes, there’s no zoom, and there’s no way to change the lens.  You’re stuck with what it came with.  And, I couldn’t be happier.  I’m one of those people who doesn’t like zoom lenses, but that’s just me.

I’ve read reviews that say the camera is slow to startup, read and write.  I made sure I used the fastest memory card I could find (this one from Sandisk, a UHS-1 card) and I made sure I formatted it in the camera.  No complaints in actual use.

Here are some samples taken on the first week I owned the X100.  I’m still getting the feel of things, but I’m happy with the results.  Click each image for full size.

Joey's new favorite number is 3. He's also letting you know he's 5 years old.

At f2, details are a little soft but very pleasant. The Velvia setting makes the colors a little brighter. Those are my blue, penguin-print pants I'm wearing.

Taken in an underground garage with no flash. Note the raindrops on the front bumper.

Same parking garage, no flash, just crummy ambient light.

Some friends on my desktop.

Yes I have Christmas lights in my office.

My office building. You may recognize it from a Mythbusters episode where Adam tries to scale the windows with a suction cup rig.

Closing Thoughts:

OK OK I admit.  I was initially drawn to the X100 for it’s good looks.  But the more reviews I read about it, the more excited I got and I’m not disappointed.  No fancy auto-everything presets, but if you take the time to learn the camera and understand (or dust off from memory) the fundamentals of photography, the X100 will reward you with great photos.  And in my case, if the shots are bad, it’s entirely operator error!

Are there better cameras that cost less than the $1199 price tag?  I’m sure there are.  But there aren’t many that can match the sturdy build, good looks, and great performance in such a package smaller than a digital SLR.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, Photography

Fuji X100 Digital Camera Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 15, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Lytro wants to change the way we take photos by introducing the concept of ‘living-pictures’. A ‘living-picture’ is a picture that the viewer can change the focus of it (check out the sample images on Lytro’s site). Lytro uses a technology based on (4D) light-field photography, which capture not only the amount of light at each pixel, but also how much light arrives along each ray. In order to capture the additional data, it uses more pixels, which means lower picture resolution. The innovation behind Lytho technology is in the ability to capture the ‘living-pictures’ in a single shot on a similar form-factor camera. Another advantage of the technology is the ability to shoot a 3D images from a single lens using a single shot. Lytro CEO Ren Ng said that he expects to see the first Lytho camera in the market by the end of the year, but no additional details are available at this point.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera

Shoot Now, Focus Later – Lytro is Working on Multi-Focus Cameras originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 30, 2011 at 10:00 am.

So the iPhone 4 is becoming quite popular as a camera.  Canopy appears to have seen this coming.  Check out their Kapok case for the iPhone 4.  It protects your iPhone while also adding several features that are handy for those who may use their iPhone as a camera a bit more often.  Made from a plastic core with soft touch coating, it also includes an embedded metal insert to give rigidity for an integrated tripod mount.  Features dual, two-stage buttons that perform functions based on application (SDK available).  A camera tools application is available from iTunes that allows you to control the camera’s functions like a point and shoot.  Also includes a mini-USB input port for sync + charge and a mini-USB to USB cable.  Available in 5 colors, $69.99 each.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Camera, iPhone Case

Kapok case gives camera features to your iPhone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 20, 2011 at 8:00 am.

At least one source is claiming that the iPhone 4 is poised to become the most popular camera on the photo site Flickr.  Think about it.  We bring our mobile phones everywhere, and these days they virtually all have a camera.  And these cameras are capable of producing photos that range from decent to excellent quality.  The adage, “The best camera is the one you have with you” seems to ring true here.  While the “point-and-shoot” camera certainly isn’t dead by any means, this trend may mean its days are numbered.  And with Apple having recently unveiled new camera features in its upcoming iOS 5, this trend is likely to continue.  For me, I know that I shoot a lot more quick photos with my iPhone 3GS, mostly because I always have it with me.  What say ye, fellow Gadgeteers?  Do you find yourself using your iPhone (or other phone) more often than your point-and-shoot camera?

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Camera, iPhone

Will the iPhone kill the point-and-shoot camera? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 17, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Yesterday, Jackie sent me a link to Photojojo and I’ve been browsing all their cool products like this super cute mini DSLR. It’s a 1/6 scale model that includes 3 lenses that can be attached to the camera. How neat is that? The whole set is $28. I’m really tempted to buy one for myself. It would be my first DSLR camera. Too bad it’s just a model and can’t take actual pix

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera, Spotlight Gadgets, toys

Tiny Camera Models originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 2, 2011 at 10:30 am.

Camera Armor is a light weight elastomeric silicone skin for your high dollar DSLR camera and lenses. These skins provide shock and scratch protection to the camera body and LCD. The lens armor includes a lens hood and impact bumper that fits lenses in the 50-85mm range. Also included is a lens cap leash. Mainly available for Canon and Nikon cameras, Camera Armor skins are priced at $39.99.

[Via The Awesomer]

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera, Spotlight Gadgets

Protect your DSLR with Camera Armor originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2010 at 9:00 am.

Do you worry about your property, pets, kids, parents, etc. when you’re not physically with them? How would you like an extremely easy to setup security camera system that can show you a live view anytime you like from a PC or Mac browser, or from your iPhone and iPad? If that sounds good, wait till you hear about the other features that the Dropcam Echo Wi-Fi Security Camera can offer.

Last month Jeanne and I took a vacation to Sanibel Island, Florida. It was a wonderfully relaxing vacation and I highly recommend the location. But you know how it is while you’re away from home, you sometimes wonder if everything is ok and wish you could ‘see’ inside your house. The Dropcam Echo allowed me to do just that from over a 1000 miles away.

Package Contents

Dropcam Echo camera
AC adapter
Ethernet cable
C-clamp
Mounting screws
Instruction sheet

Dropcam offers two cameras solutions, both of which use the popular Axis brand of IP cameras. These are small plastic housed cameras that offer 320 x 240 resolution, 30 frames per second, and 1 lux. The Dropcam Echo will even capture audio as well as video.

The camera sits on a swivel base that you can lock down with the included C clamp. Or you can even fasten the camera to a wall with the included screws.

On the back of the camera is an Ethernet port, reset switch, status LEDs and the power port.

Setting up the camera is a snap. Probably the easiest such setup I’ve experienced. Using the included Ethernet cable, you plug the camera into your router and then visit a special webpage on the dropcam site to set up your camera. All you have to do is type in the supplied code to activate the camera. Once activated, you can unplug the Ethernet cable and go wireless. Simple!

Using Dropcam’s portal, you can view your camera(s) via your web browser. You’ll see and hear a live view. One caveat is that the browser has to be able to use Flash. Yeah, you probably think that leaves out the iPhone and the iPad right?

Wrong There’s a free Dropcam app that you can use to view your cameras. It works great on the iPhone and iPad, although there’s not an HD (full screen) version yet for the iPad. You have to view it in the mini mode or magnify it by pixel doubling. This is actually how I was able to view the camera while I was in Florida last month. It gave me a piece of mind to be able to check in at anytime I liked, just to see my house.

I like that you can see a thumbnail view of the sound and motion events that were captured (if you subscribe to the Plus or Pro plans).

And you can watch a live view of your cameras with audio.

The iPhone app is nice, but viewing on a real browser does give you more options depending on which service plan you opt for. So let’s talk about that subject really quick. Out of the box, you get a 14 day free trial of the Plus plan. The Plus plan is priced at $8.95 per month and it gives you 7 days of DVR access. That means that you can scroll through the time line to watch captured video…

…and listen to captured audio. Motion events are designated with Yellow dots and audio events by Blue triangles. In addition, you can download screenshots or video clips to archive the footage permanently.

The Plus plan also allows for email alerts at for captured audio and / or motion events. The emails contain a snapshot as well as the date / time of the event. There’s also a Pro plan that is $24.95 per month. The only difference between it and the Pro plan is the 30 days of captured video instead of 7 days.

If you don’t want another monthly subscription fee, you can opt for the Basic plan. It doesn’t cost anything and gives you live viewing on the web and through the iPhone app. You don’t get the DVR feature or email alerts though…

Settings can be modified to turn on / off email notifications for audio and motion events. You can also share your cameras with your friends so that they can also login to view them.

If you’re a subscriber of the Plus or Pro plan, you can save video clips in 5 – 15 minute chunks. Here’s an example:

Dropcam Video Capture Example

I’ve had good luck with this camera. I’ve experimented with moving the camera to different locations inside my home and haven’t had any problems with it capturing video via WiFi. Just for your info, my router is located in my basement and I generally keep the camera on the main level. It’s also important to note that the cameras are meant for indoor use and aren’t weather resistant.

So far I’ve only ran into one technical issue; I am unable to view my camera via Internet Explorer v8 under Windows 7 on the laptop at my day job. It will show a connection failed message in the live view window. I think this is a problem with the firewall and the policies of my company though and not the fault of Dropcam.

If I could be granted one wish it would be a way to host the camera on my own computer to be able to get around the monthly service plan fees. But other than that, I have really enjoyed reviewing the Dropcam Echo and would recommend it as an easy to setup solution for remotely monitoring your property or loved ones.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, Security

Dropcam Echo Wi-Fi Security Camera Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 5, 2010 at 12:03 pm.

The Time lapse PlantCam by Wingscapes allows you to watch your plants grow in fast-forward. The PlantCam is rugged and weatherproof, and automatically takes photos and videos at set time intervals. It then stitches the photos together to create a video showing in minutes or seconds what usually can’t be seen with the naked eye. The result is a seamless movie of your plants growing! Records data to internal memory (16MB) or a memory card (optional). You can also get creative and use the Timelapse PlantCam to create movies of parties, construction, weather or other events! Available online for $79.95.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear

Tagged: Camera, Plants, Spotlight Gadgets

Watch it Grow originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 30, 2010 at 7:00 am.

If you own an SLR camera, chances are that it’s Black and chances are, you also own a strap for it that is also Black. Are we noticing a trend here? Shall I be so bold as to say what we’re all thinking? B-O-R-I-N-G! Capturing Couture offers a wide variety of camera straps for both men and women that will allow you to stand out or just show a little style. Prices range from $29-$49.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera, Photography, Spotlight Gadgets

Capturing Couture Doesn’t Believe in Boring Camera Straps originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 18, 2010 at 8:00 am.

I don’t buy my phone based on the camera, but there is a lot of truth to the adage that the best camera you have is the one that is with you. The cameras keep getting better and better with each generation of phone. The camera in the Droid X is an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flashes and the ability to record 720p HD. It is certainly not going to replace my DSLR, but it is quite capable.

The Hardware

I love the fact that the phone comes with a capture button on top (when held sideways). It is the red button in this shot:

As mentioned, the camera is capable of 8 megapixels. You may be surprised that your first batch of pictures are 6mp. This is because the default is to take pictures in a 16:9 format that not only fills the display of the phone, but also a widescreen TV. You can set the phone to 6, 8, 5, 3 or 2 MP.

If you have read any of my reviews in the past, or know a little something about digital photography, you know the mp count is not that great of an indicator of quality. Unfortunately the more pixels you squeeze on a sensor of a given size, the smaller the area to react to light and the worse it performs in low-light.

This performs pretty well, however, and includes dual LEDs to help out. Here are some shots at a restaurant. Click to see the full size:

And this:

Outside in plenty of light, it really shines. Here is an example of the mounted police:

And a shot of a garden:

Camera Features

The camera has quite a few features. You can choose a Scene to optimize for your shooting circumstance including:

• Auto
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Sport
• Night Portrait
• Sunset
• Macro
• Steady Shot

You can also choose to apply effects like:

• Normal
• Black and White
• Negative
• Sepia
• Solarize
• Red Tint
• Green Tint
• Blue Tint

What is more interesting to me are the Picture Modes. You have:

• Single shot
• Panorama assist
• Self portrait
• Multi-shot

Panorama assist is a very slick feature. When selected you get to choose the direction of the pan; up, down, left, or right.

After you line up the first part of the shot you hit the camera button once and slowly pan. The camera lets you know where you are in the pan, and when it takes each shot. The panorama can include up to 6 shots (you can press the shutter again to end the capture). Here was a small pan:

Here is a larger one of 5 frames. I wish the day had been a little clearer. You can kind of see some shading at the four borders, but still pretty nice job.

Video

The phone supports HD Video. The quality is quite nice. i took a few samples (some that were in ridiculous conditions, that it did not do well in). This is definitely a good light feature. Here is the Youtube of a short video outside:

When the beach ball comes in frame, the camera did adjust the lighting change a little bit. I was very impressed by the quality of the video. I am not going to get rid of my Webbie or Canon HV20 for it, but still, this is in a phone.

Conclusion

This is not an in-depth analysis of the capabilities of the camera, but I liked it. For a camera in a phone, this is one of the best I have used.

Filed in categories: Android related, Miscellaneous, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, droid, droid x, mototola, verizon, Video

Motorola Droid X: The Camera originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 11, 2010 at 4:52 pm.

Back in March, Panasonic announced two new cameras – the Lumix G2 and G10.

The latest additions will both feature a 12.1 megapixel sensor, a three-inch LCD touchscreen and will both be capable of recording HD video in 1280 x 720p at 30 fps.  They will also come packing an interchangeable 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 lens, plus a  host of other glorious, techy features!

Plus, as well as being used for capturing and autofocusing on a subject simply by touching the screen, the display on both cameras can also be used to change settings and browse through photos already stored on the camera by using slide gestures.  Nice touch!

Panasonic have said that both of these new models will now be available in May 2010 and will cost $799 for the G2 and $599 for the G10.

Source (Panasonic)

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera, Lumix, Spotlight Gadgets

New Panasonic Lumix cameras priced up and coming next month originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 21, 2010 at 8:15 am.

It’s not going to replace my Canon G11 anytime soon, but I think the iPhone 3GS’s built in camera does a pretty good job for quick snapshots. When I say pretty good, I’m talking image quality and not camera features. Let’s face it, the only features of the camera app are the shutter and video toggle buttons. Today I want to tell you about ProCamera which replaces the built in camera app and provides quite a few handy features.

The interface is easy to use and has tools located at the bottom of the display. The – and + buttons will zoom in and out on the image. You can also swipe your finger Left to Right anywhere on the screen to zoom in or Right to Left to zoom back out.  Holding your finger down on the image will focus in on that specific location.

As you can see from the images above, you can also choose from several different viewfinder types that include grids and levelers.

The best feature of ProCamera in my opinion is that you can tap anywhere on the viewfinder area of the screen to snap a picture. You can also tap the little camera button in the center of the tool bar and it will wait till the image is completely steady before snapping the picture. ProCamera also has a timer feature.

Once you have snapped an image, you can save it or delete it. Saving takes 5-7 seconds and you must wait for it to finish or the image will be gone. Not sure why saving takes so long when the built in camera app saves immediately. This is the most annoying issue with this app.

The user customizable settings allow you to turn zooming on and off as well as  change other settings.

You can also do some basic image manipulation. Brightness and contrast can be changed as well as converting the image to B/W or sepia. The only issue with using ProCamera to edit images is that you won’t see the outcome of a change in real time. Meaning that if you slide the brightness slider up or down, you will see the final change when you stop moving the slider, not as you move it. Other image editing apps show a live view, which I prefer.

The best thing about ProCamera is that you can tap anywhere on the screen to snap a pic. I would pay $99 just to have this feature all by itself. If ProCamera can fix the image saving speed issue and add a live view to their manipulation tools, I think this app would be worth $2.99 price tag. But as is, I will probably continue to use the built in camera app for the time being.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Camera, iPhone, Photography

ProCamera iPhone App Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 15, 2010 at 1:06 pm.

If you are a photography buff or just like to build things, check out the Plamodel build-your-own working 35mm camera with a 28mm lens.  You simply snap together the plastic parts in the DIY camera kit from Japanese design house SuperHeadz.  This could be a fun project for you to do with a younger child who’d like her own camera.  Unicahome has a plain black model for $17.00, or a “custom moriyama special edition cow model” with a picture of a cow on the body of the camera for $27.00.

Filed in categories: Do-It-Yourself, News

Tagged: Camera, DIY, Spotlight Gadgets

Build Your Own 35mm Camera originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 2, 2010 at 3:45 pm.

While it is called a “multimedia photo viewer”, think of the Epson P-7000 as a miniature quality control system for in-the-field photography.  If you’ve ever taken shots in a hard-to-reach location and tried to asses the quality of those shots in the field by squinting at your camera’s LCD screen, you can certainly appreciate the concept of the P-7000.

In fact Richard Wiese, during his trip to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, used the P-7000 to off-load photos of the climb and tune the results without having to lug around a laptop.  Since it can store about a gazillion photos, you can use this as a light-weight method to store and show proofs from different shoots.

The specs:

• 4-inch LCD
• 2.5” 160GB hard drive
• USB 2.0 interface
• Approx. 1.0 lb (with battery)
  5.9”W (150 mm) x 1.3”D (33.1 mm) x 3.5”H (88.7 mm)
• $799 (ouch!)

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera, Photography, Spotlight Gadgets

A Cool Tool for a Cool Job – Epson P-7000x originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 24, 2010 at 4:33 pm.

Every year during the holiday season, many religious organizations are targeted by vandals and pranksters who steal or deface outdoor holiday decorations such as Baby Jesus, Nativity Scenes, Santa, & Menorahs. This year BrickHouse Security is offering religious institutions their new Global Watchman, a motion-activated surveillance camera that snaps pictures and wirelessly transmits them to the Internet. This system instantly captures images when it detects motion, whether in light or complete darkness, and automatically sends the images as an alert to a PC or cell phone.

Religious institutions who would like to protect their Baby Jesus or Menorah this season should head over to http://blog.brickhousesecurity.com/baby-jesus-gps

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera, Security, Spotlight Gadgets

Brickhouse Security’s Global Watchman keeps baby Jesus safe originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 10, 2009 at 4:26 pm.

The Dash Cam Dually has two built-in 1.3 Mega Pixel cameras to capture the scene in front of your car AND what’s happening inside your car. Four Infrared LED’s illuminate the interior of the vehicle so you can even capture video at night. Video is recorded to the included 2GB SD card. Another really cool feature of this camera is the built-in G-Shock sensor that has five (5) level settings and can record multiple impact points in the event of an accident. The Dash Cam Dually will sense the drastic change in g-force, and automatically log the recordings. The camera even has a built-in GPS receiver that logs your exact location, speed, and direction. This camera can be purchased for $385.00 from SpyGadgets.com

Filed in categories: Car Gear, GPS, News

Tagged: Camera, Car, GPS, Spotlight Gadgets

Capture the action inside and outside your car – Dash Cam Dually originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 20, 2009 at 8:10 am.