Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:00AM - By Chris Weiss
Want to point and laugh at those knocking on your door while ducking behind the couch and keeping still? Of course, we all do. But who has time to set up a complex home security system? Now, anyone does.
The Swann Digital Guardian ADW-400 is a plug-and-play video camera that plays on your TV. You simply mount the camera in a spot that you’d like to watch, connect the receiver to the television with RCA cables, set the two to the same channel and, voila, your home is wired for tip-top security.
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Friday, October 2, 2009 10:00AM - By Chris Weiss
It seems like no matter how many megapixels that are on the camera you own, there’s always some new camera out there that will make your jaw drop wide open in envy. In the latest instance, it’s the new medium format DSLRs unveiled by Mamiya. The DM56 and the DM33 are professional-level cameras likely well out of the average Joe’s price range. As should be clear by the model names, the DM56 includes a 56 MP sensor and the DM 33’s sensor is 33MP.
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Thursday, October 1, 2009 10:00AM - By Jared Newman
Fujifilm’s Real 3D W1 camera doesn’t throw the term “3D” around lightly. It actually creates three-dimensional still and video images, and prints them out on special paper. Here’s how it works: The camera has two sensors and two lenses, and Fujifilm’s Real Photo 3D processor combines them into a single image. On the back of the camera, a special monitor controls the direction of light sending different images into each eye, so you can preview the 3D stills without special glasses. Special paper basically mimics this concept, laying the image onto a “lenticular sheet” that creates a different angle of view for each eye.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009 1:01PM - By Chris Weiss
VholdR’s 720p ContourHD wearable action cam was all the rage in the market a few months back. Then GoPro unveiled its 1080p HD Helmet Hero about two months ago, and the ContourHD no longer looked like the premier choice for shooting your action video–especially since the HD Helmet Hero dropped in at the same $300 (or at least it will when it hits shelves next month). Well, predictably enough, VholdR is back with its very own 1080p version and, of course, some mandatory promo action footage showing off its new cam’s talents. While GoPro holds onto the claim of “world’s first true 1080p wearable cam”, VholdR is claiming the smallest, and its cylindrical design is certainly more streamlined than the boxy HD Helmet Hero. The ContourHD 1080p will retail for $330. So now you have a variety of options to capture stunning action footage on your next big backcountry adventure. [via Crunch Gear]
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 11:00AM - By Chris Weiss
RED, purveyor of all types of exotic, professional-level camera equipment, has recently teased some new accessories with images on a RED forum board. The accessories are due for release next month and include the RED Bomb Electronic View Finder, the EPIC and Scarlet Camera bodies, and the REDmote, which will provide the user wireless control of the EPIC and Scarlet cameras. Also included in the teaser are the REDVolt hot-swappable battery pack, the RED Pro I/O connections portal for lights, audio, cameras and power sources, the RED Mini LCD, and the REDGunner shoulder mount. The Pro I/O includes a variety of connection options including HDMI out, HD-SDI out, two channels of Balanced Mic Audio in, + 48v Phantom power, headphone out, Power in, RS-242, Genlock/GPIO and CompactFlash slot. No pricing information was announced, though you can expect costs to run a few bills more than your Canon PowerShot. [via Electronista]
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Monday, September 28, 2009 11:30AM - By Chris Weiss
Hasselblad cameras aren’t the cameras of choice to snap casual candids at the weekend house party, but if you’re a serious photographer looking for an uncompromising set-up, these new upgrades for its H system camera line are certainly a good choice. The most exciting upgrade of the H4D cameras is True Focus–a true off-center autofocus system that uses a yaw rate sensor to detect and compensate for horizontal and vertical movement away from the focus. Automatic adjustment is available for image qualities such as color and vignetting. The camera can connect to a computer via FireWire to bypass internal storage, and features newly-upgraded version of Hasselblad’s Phocus software that will run faster. Here’s where we get to the average-cameramen-need-not-apply portion of the show: the 50MP H4D-50 will run $29,299 and be available in January while the 60MP H4D-60 will be available in November for $42,486. [via Slippery Brick]
Thursday, September 17, 2009 10:00AM - By Jared Newman
Someone blew up Pentax’s spot by releasing everything we want to know about the Pentax K-x camera. It’s an entry-level DSLR, with a 12.4-megapixel sensor, a 2.7-inch LCD screen and 720p, 24 frames per secondHD video, compatible with any Pentax 35mm lens. For your photos, there’s face detection auto focus on up to 16 faces, auto picture and scene modes, creative processing and filters, 4.7 fps burst mode and HDR image capture that blends 3 images into one. ISO ranges from 100 to 12800 and autofocus uses 11 points. Anything else? Why, yes. The K-x runs on AA batteries, of all things. Let’s hope pricing and availability comes with the official announcement.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 3:26PM - By Chris Weiss
Canon 7D Review Roundup – Canon today announced its new EOS 7D camera, a DSLR with 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, dual Digic 4 processors, continuous shooting at 8 frames per second and full HD video. Rather than continue on giving you a breakdown of Canon’s press release and spec sheet, we’ve hit the Web and found a number of insightful reviews. DSLR experts from the top blogs have weighed in on the new camera, in some cases getting their hands on it for field testing. If you’re in the market, or just curious how this new Canon stacks up, check out some of these excellent reviews before it hits market at the end of the month.
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Thursday, August 27, 2009 12:50PM - By Chris Weiss
Sony has made the A850, A550 and A500 DSLRs official today. The A850 has the same 24.6 MP sensor as the A900, albeit with less features and a price tag cut by around $1,000. The A550 and A500 feature 14.2 and 12.3 megapixel sensors respectively and get tilt-out LCD displays, with the A550 receiving a higher-resolution version. Surprisingly, none of the new cameras have video recording capability. Pricing is set around $2,000 for the A850, $950 for the A550 ($1050 with kit lens) and $750 for the A500 ($850 with kit lens). [via Engadget]
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