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Nikon is streaming online photography courses for free this month
You might not be able to go out and shoot photos because of the coronavirus lockdown, but at least you can buff up your skills. Nikon USA is offering 10 classes from the its online school for free during the month of April. "Nikon's mission has always been to empower creators," the company wrote. "In these uncertain times, we can do that by helping creators stay inspired, engaged and growing."
Wyze security cameras can now double as work-from-home webcams
Group video chat software like Zoom, Skype and Google Duo let people connect and work during the coronavirus lockdown, but what if you don't have a webcam? Wyze has unveiled a new option by letting you transform your Wyze Cam v2 or Wyze Pan security cameras into webcams, as spotted by Zatz Not Funny.
Polaroid's new $99 instant camera uses autofocus to change modes
More than a year after Polaroid Originals gave us the OneStep+, it's ready to share another old-school, analogy camera: the Polaroid Now. This time around, Polaroid Originals has traded the dual lenses for a new autofocus lens, and it has stripped away some of the connectivity features, like those that made remote selfies possible.
Home Depot's $179 Nest Hub Max deal is even better than Google's
If you're going to be spending a lot of time at home in the coming weeks, chances are you'll be looking for activities to help pass the time -- video calls, cooking inspiration, that sort of thing. The sort of things, in fact, that a smart display would be helpful for, and it just so happens that Home Depot is currently offering a decent discount on the Google Nest Hub Max. The website has it on offer for $179, which is about $20 cheaper than we've seen anywhere else (Google itself has the device on sale, but has reduced the price to only $199 from the usual $229). Buy Google Nest Hub Max on Home Depot - $179
Fujifilm X100V review: The best compact street photography camera
Over the last year, Fujifilm has toppled its APS-C rival Sony with some of the best mirrorless cameras out there, including the X-T3 and X-Pro3. Now, it's focusing on its ultra-popular compact street photography series with the launch of the X100V. Fuijfilm is throwing all its latest tech at this model, adding a new higher-resolution 26.1-megapixel sensor and faster X-Processor 4 borrowed from the X-Pro3. It also comes with a new sharper lens, an updated hybrid OLED EVF and a higher-resolution tilting rear display. It even has solid video specs, borrowing many 4K features from the compact mirrorless X-T30. In short, it's a complete technological overhaul. Combined with Fujifilm's street photography savoir faire and a very high price tag, I'm expecting a lot from the X100V. Now, does it deliver?
The tech-laden Tokyo Olympics have been postponed
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has finally accepted that the summer games in Tokyo can't go ahead. Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, asked Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, for a delay on the phone earlier today. The coronavirus pandemic meant it was simply impossible to ensure the safety of athletes, organizers and attendees during the event. "I proposed to postpone for about a year and president Bach responded with 100 percent agreement," Abe told reporters after the call. The games are now expected to take place in summer 2021, around the same time as the rescheduled Euro 2020 soccer tournament. Curiously, they will still be called the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. "In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community," the IOC said in a statement.
Samsung's latest storage chip will make flagship smartphones faster
Samsung has started mass production on 512GB storage chips based on the new eUFS 3.1 standard. These are the chips already being used in the company's Galaxy S20 lineup, so it won't be long before we see them turning up in models from other brands, too. And it's big news because it means smartphones are about to get very noticeably faster.
Canon confirms that its 8K EOS R5 camera is not 'a fantasy'
I had no reason to doubt that Canon's upcoming EOS R5 camera would feature 8K video and up to 20 fps shooting speeds, but apparently some folks were skeptical. That's why the company has issued an unusual press release in Australia that aims to "shut down speculation that some of its revolutionary specifications are 'a fantasy,'" it wrote. Canon also revealed a few more details about how the autofocus and 8K video will work.
DJI's Osmo Pocket gimbal camera drops to $279 at Amazon
Now might be a good time to buy if you're eager to record super-stable video for your vlog. Amazon is selling DJI's Osmo Pocket gimbal camera for $279 with a 32GB microSD card included -- a steep drop from the $399 you'd officially pay for just the camera, and still a bargain over the usual discounts. That makes it a far more tempting prospect whether you want to record 4K, 60FPS video with the Osmo Pocket by itself or intend to use it as a gimbal for your Android phone or iPhone.
How to buy a compact camera in 2020
If you want better photos than a smartphone can deliver but also don't want a bulky DSLR or mirrorless camera, you may need a compact camera in your life. Good models have much bigger sensors, optics and image processors than your phone, so the photos you take are going to be sharper and richer. Once you get the hang of your camera, it'll be much easier to use, too, becoming an extension of your hands and eyes. The question, though, is which one do you need? There is a wide variety of models out there with different sized sensors, fixed, zoom and superzoom lenses and lots of manual controls (or not). So, choosing a compact camera is a very personal decision based on your needs, skill level and other factors, and that's where we come in. In this guide, we're going to lay out the different features available on each brand and model to help you choose just the right one.
Samsung is already working to fix the Galaxy S20 cameras
Samsung's Galaxy S20 is not even on the market yet, but reviewers from publications including PC Mag have already experienced bugs with the cameras. Samsung has now responded, saying that it's working on a fix. "The Galaxy S20 features a groundbreaking, advanced camera system," Samsung told The Verge. "We are constantly working to optimize performance to deliver the best experience for consumers. As part of this ongoing effort, we are working on a future update to improve the camera experience."
Fujifilm's new flagship X-T4 camera has in-body stabilization
It was always going to be hard for Fujifilm to follow a well-reviewed camera like like the X-T3, especially when rumor sites have been creating unrealistic expectations. However, the X-T4 has finally arrived officially and on paper, it doesn't disappoint. While it uses the same 26.1-megapixel sensor as the X-T3, it now packs a feature that model was sorely missing: five-axis in-body stabilization (IBIS).
Fujifilm's slimmer Instax Mini 11 features automatic exposure
It's been a while since we heard anything from Fujifilm's Instax arm, but three years after the launch of the colorful, selfie-friendly Mini 9, its successor has arrived. The Instax Mini 11 (it's not clear why they jumped the 10) offers up the same fun instant-photography experience, but with a few notable improvements.
Canon's EOS Rebel T8i reaffirms its commitment to DSLRs
Canon just unveiled its most powerful mirrorless camera yet, but it isn't quite done with DSLRs. The company also announced the EOS Rebel T8i (the EOS 850D in Europe), a camera with very slight improvements over the Rebel T7i. While it packs a sensor with the same resolution as before, it can now shoot a bit quicker at up to 7 fps thanks to the new Digic 8 processor.
Canon's powerhouse EOS R5 will be its first mirrorless camera with 8K video
Canon is fixing everything critics didn't like about the EOS R -- and then some -- by annnouncing the development of new full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R5. To start with, it will shoot up to 8K video and downsample 8K to create crisp 4K video, strongly addressing complaints about the limited 4K video capabilities of the $1,800 EOS R.
Amazon is undercutting Facebook's own Portal sale
Ahead of Valentine's Day, Facebook is discounting its Portal products by $30 each -- and it's added $50 discounts for bulk-buying into the mix, too. While this isn't quite as good a deal as Facebook's previous Black Friday offering, the 'buy one, get one reduced for someone close to you' deal could well be appealing. Not one to be outdone, though, Amazon has gone one better and is right now not only matching these discounts, but beating them on most of the Portal models and including the $50 bulk-buy discount to boot.
Nikon's D6 flagship DSLR camera arrives in April for $6,500
Nikon has officially unveiled its professional D6 DSLR and revealed the price and release date, after first teasing the camera in September. As expected, the emphasis is on speed and autofocus accuracy, though it falls short of its primary rival, Canon's 1DX Mark III, in terms of video.
Olympus E-M1 III review: Fast, but way behind flagship camera rivals
Amid the excitement of so many new and interesting camera models, one company has been left out of the discussion: Olympus. Unlike its main rival, Panasonic, it has stuck to the Micro Four Thirds sensor and not jumped on the full-frame bandwagon. And while it released the larger, more professionally oriented E-M1X camera, it didn't represent a major upgrade on the 2016 E-M1 Mark II model. Now, Olympus finally has a genuine successor. Like the E-M1X, the E-M1 Mark III promises even more speed and top-notch in-body stabilization, this time all packed into a much smaller and even more rugged body. Disappointingly, though, it has the same 20.4-megapixel sensor as before, and for an $1,800 camera, it's lagging behind rivals from Sony, Panasonic and Fujifilm in certain features. On top of that, Olympus has had a tough time financially of late. I'm in Costa Rica with the E-M1 Mark III, and I'm going to find out if Olympus is doing enough to survive.
Sony lets anyone create remote controls for its cameras
Sony's mirrorless cameras are usually well-regarded, but their support for remote control? Not so much. You've usually had to rely on Sony's own software, making the cameras non-starters for portrait and sports photographers who may need (or just prefer) third-party options to capture images from afar. The company is loosening up, at least. It just released a toolkit, the Camera Remote SDK, that allows any developer to create remote controls for Sony's Alpha camera line. The kit is limited to handling still shots, but should let software and hardware display live previews, change settings and of course take pictures.
Samsung's Galaxy S20 cameras: AI tools and gimmicky zooms
Samsung just announced its next-generation Galaxy S20 phones, and as you'd expect, the cameras are a highly anticipated part of that. Samsung didn't disappoint, unveiling photo features for its three new devices (the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra) that go far beyond the S10. While there's plenty to talk about, the key phrase today is "Space Zoom" and to a lesser extent, AI.