GRK BLOG/ZINE

Photojojo shows you how to make your own 3D camera for less than $15 and enter the fabulous world of the 3rd Dimension, all need just two disposable cameras and some duct tape.

(more…)

“A DSMC is a camera that shoots stills and motion. Configure that camera any way you want. Select a brain. Configure your body.” Red may have just changed the digital imaging game with the new Scarlet and EPIC cameras, which include options for full-frame 35mm size sensors. The Scarlet is available in 4.9MP, 13.8MP and 24MP. The EPIC is available in 13.8MP, 24MP, 65MP and 261MP. Here’s the big one though - they are available in Nikon and Canon mounts. And even you can select the other add-on includes a 1080p monitoring, flash storage, frames, mounts and more. [ link ]

The Leica M8.2 ($6,213) is a small, but significant overhaul of the company’s successful M8 rig. It features an ultra scratch-resistance sapphire crystal LCD display, redefined bright frames in the viewfinder, an easy
to use snapshot mode for those who don’t want to bother with all the manual settings and metal blade focal plane shutter that makes it sound more like a film camera. If a camera could get you chicks, this would
be it, too bad you’ll have to sell an organ and/or your first born to afford one.

This is the latest 14.7-megapixel camera from Canon, the SD990 IS Digital Camera. The Canon SD990 comes with a 2.5-inch LCD with the firm’s new Quick Shot Modes for faster shutter speeds. You can choose from silver, black, and red. It will be available in October 2008 for $399.

[via TechFresh]

The new G-series Canon camera, the PowerShot G10 Camera($500; October 2008) including a long-anticipated 28 mm wide-angle lens with 5x optical zoom, 14.7 megapixels and 3.0-inch LCD screen. The more high pixel from 12.1MP to 14.7MP, and with the features, the DIGIC 4 image processor - Servo AF, which is a form of continuous focus tracking for moving subjects. By pressing the shutter button half-way, the camera can track subject movement up to the instant of exposure, resulting in sharper photographs. [ link ]

Funky 16mm camera maker Ikonoskop, has annouced a digital cinema camera called the A-cam dII(EUR 6,950; about $12,000; Pre-order). A-cam dII is the only camera providing totally uncompressed images in RAW format. It means: Let the camera do the capturing and let the computer do the necessary processing. It can recording in 1920 x 1080 pixels HD-cam, and stores those frames as individual 12-bit RAW, DNG or TIFF files. The camera uses proprietary 80GB memory cartridges that can record at 240MB/second and have the capacity to store about 12 minutes of footage, audio and metadata. It features
Super-16 sensor (slightly wider than Scarlet’s)
1920×1080
1-60 fps
Shoots uncompressed DNG or TIFF
?6,950 (about US$12,000) with battery, 9mm f/1.5 lens and 80GB Memory Cartridge
See its shape, it looks weird.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 coming soon, this November 2008. It is the world’s first camera to use the Micro Four Thirds standard and it is also the world’s smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens camera, weighing in at approximately 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

“Based on the new Micro Four Thirds System standard, the LUMIX G1 eliminates the internal mirror structure that defines digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, thus reducing the size and weight by nearly half. With the mirror-less system, the G1’s flange back, which is the distance between the mount and the image sensor, has been reduced from 40 mm — as specified in the Four Thirds System — to approximately 20 mm.”

G1 features a 3-inch flip-out LCD, contrast Autofocus, a 12-megapixel Live MOS sensor, and a full complement of manual, semimanual, automatic, and semiautomatic shooting capabilities.

More pictures after the break.

(more…)

Casio is rolling out an exciting ‘make-up’ feature in its new Exilim Zoom Z300 and Z250 cameras that is bound to be a big hit with the beauty obsessed consumers. The feature offers built in automatic photoshopping “makeup function to beautifully capture people’s faces.” No need to use photoshop anymore, simply set the make-up level (from 0 to 12) and you are ready to be on the cover of a magazine.

So what can you expect from using this function? Thanks to a processor dedicated to image processing (in addition to the standard processor), you will be able to instantly make the skin tone look softer and smoother, cover wrinkles and have an assortment of photoshopic functions applied, resulting in skin that looks “clearer, younger and more natural in the pictures.”

Casio believes that this make-up function will be so popular that they added a dedicated button to the EX-Z300 to easily acess this function.

Both the Exilim Zoom EX-Z300 (10.1 Megapixels) and the EX-Z250 (9.1 Megapixels) are launching on August 29.

The much-rumored and even more longed-for update to the Nikon D80 has arrived. Or will, in a couple of weeks. The Nikon D90 doesn’t replace the popular D80, which moves down Nikon’s dSLR product line,
and unsurprisingly, provides some significant enhancements over that 2-year-old model. Most notably, the D90 is the first digital SLR to support movie capture.

Though its movie-capture specs aren’t too shabby–24fps 1280×720 motion JPEG and support for VR optical image-stabilization if the lens has it–D-Movie still doesn’t match the best of the snapshot-camera movie modes.   READ MORE

Another leaked image has appeared in the web? Hello photographers, you guys are pro in this, so is this leaked image a real one or it’s just a photoshopped image? Alright, this is the second leak already, the first leak was on last December. Check out the spec on the first leak.

The Nikon Coolpix P6000 is here, a 13.5-megapixel digital camera that boasts a 4x wide-angle optical Zoom-Nikkor glass lens, a 2.7-inch LCD and optical viewfinder, and a built-in GPS unit to records the location of the photo taken. Here are some highlight features of it:

• 13.5-megapixel resolution for stunning prints as large as 20 x 30 inches
• 4x wide-angle optical Zoom-Nikkor glass lens; Optical VR Image Stabilization
• 2.7-inch high-resolution LCD and optical viewfinder
• my Picturetown with Wired LAN; automatically upload pictures to Nikon’s my Picturetown
• Captures images to SD/SDHC cards

The Nikon Coolpix P6000 is available for $500.

Pro photographers take thousands of pictures, filling up their flash memory cards quickly. Giving them a solid platform on which to quickly dump and view all those pics are the 80GB Epson P-6000 and its 160GB brother, the P-7000. Once the photo files are securely transferred to one of these viewers, shooters can re-format their flash cards and fill them up again, or rest assured that all their work is backed up safely while they start in on another flash card.

Hey, this could be a convenient thing to have around. Who wants to lug around a laptop for offloading all those pics, anyway? Even if you’re not a pro photographer, this could be indispensable on a vacation where you just want to get a away from that laptop, and it lets you transfer the shots to its onboard disk at a rate Epson says is 35% faster than previous models.

Best of all, its 4-inch 640×480 screen is fed with Epson’s Photo Fine Premia tech, which can display colors that are more vivid and complete than ever. That should satisfy even the most color-sensive and finicky photog. Too bad these viewers are so dang expensive, at $599 for the P-6000 and $799 for the P-7000.

Via Epson

Today Sony announced the Cyber-shot DSC-T700 and DSC-T77 digital Camera. The 10-megapixel T77 camera is Sony’s thinnest model at less than 5/8 of an inch with a 3-inch, 16 x 9 touch panel LCD screen. It features updated intelligent scene recognition technology, Smile Shutter and face detection technologies with child and adult priority, as well as high sensitivity shooting (up to ISO 3200), eleven scene modes, and in-camera image management.
The T700 model earns extra points as a ‘photo album in your pocket’ It has all the features of the T77 unit plus 4GB of internal memory that can store nearly 1,000 full-resolution or 40,000 VGA-quality photos; a 3.5-inch, wide touch panel Xtra Fine LCD screen for photo-like viewing (210 pixel-per-inch resolution) with high contrast and wide-angle viewing; and a thin profile (slightly more than 5/8 of an inch) so it can easily slip into a pocket or purse. T77 will be available in brown, green, pink, black and silver in late September for about $300. The new DSC-T700 cameras ships at the same time in red, champagne gold, pink, dark gray and silver for about $400.
[ Read ] - Sony News

Polaroid Pins.

One of the blessings of an SLR can also be a curse: having to choose which lenses to carry, which means finding the right balance between weight and bulk, and having the focal lengths you need.

The Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 G IF ED lens offers Nikon shooters a satisfying single-lens solution. It is compatible with all Nikon DX digital SLRs including the D300, D60, and D40.

Read the full review here.

Update the Nikon D700 news, Nikon D700 DSLR on sale now! D700 features with Nikon’s original 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, 51-point AF system with 3D Focus Tracking and
two Live View shooting modes, Base ISO range from 200-6400. At the Amazon, $2,900 for the body only. Nikon has scene recognition which relies 1,005-pixel RGB light sensor for use in auto exposure, auto white
balance and autofocus calculations. Other features 0.12-second start-up speed, 5fps continuous shooting; Capture images to CF I/II cards and 3-inch VGA color.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Camera($500) designed for easy, creative shooting, and high-performance in low-light conditions. It features a F2.0 24mm LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON lens, 10.1 megapixels and an ultra-sensitive 1/1.63-inch CCD, 3-inch LCD screen. The DMC-LX3 to record at up to ISO 3200 at full resolution and even up to ISO 6400 when using high sensitivity mode. You can change the focus modes between manual focus. It has full manual control for more advanced photography, it also includes Panasonic’s Intelligent auto mode(iA), AF(auto focus), Face Detection, Red-eye, Tracking. And it can record High Definition (HD) video in 1280 x 720p at 24fps. The DMC-LX3 will be available in silver and black in August 2008.

Hehe, well, I just wanted to share this lovely Photoshopped image - a true cameraphone.

cameraphone.jpg [intomobile.com]

Panasonic announced its new Lumix DMC-FX150 digital camera. The new Lumix F150 features a 14.7 Megapixel image sensor, and a LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens with 3.6x optical zoom and 28mm wide angle.

The compact FX150 offers also iA mode that delivers Intelligent Exposure for helps prevents photos from being under- or over-exposed; the MEGA O.I.S. image stabilizer; the Intelligent ISO, digital red-eye reduction, Face Detection and Qucik AF.

It can also capture 1280 x 720p videos at 24fps. It should accept SD and SDHC cards. To be launched in August, the FX150 is available in silver and black for $399.95.

[Panasonic]

Sigma APO 200-500 F/2.8

Image: Sigma

Perhaps the most “sensible” of the items presented in this list, this is nevertheless one of the heftiest tele zoom lenses for SLR cameras around. While the zoom range of 200-500mm is nothing new or exciting, it’s the maximum aperture of an incredible f/2.8 throughout the focal range that makes this such a special lens.

While a lot of tele lenses have a distinct cannon barrel look, Sigma have apparently done all they can to enhance that trait, giving the lens a leafy green finish. The end result is an extremely fast tele zoom lens that could easily be confused with a surface-to-air missile launcher.

» www.sigmaphoto.com

(more…)