DigitalCameras -- Engadget

DigitalCameras posts

Big Shot camera kit could help turn your kid on to the dark world of the teardown

by Laura June posted Nov 11th 2009 at 1:36PM

Pardon us while we freely admit that we have literally no idea what's going on inside a camera -- whether it's digital or those quaint film-based ones you hear about from your grandma. Luckily, our own kids might not have to suffer as we have: a group at the Computer Vision Laboratory at Columbia University have designed and built a prototype digital camera that should demystify the devices. The Big Shot digital camera kit, if / when it hits the market, will be a box of all the necessary parts for kids to be able to build their own simple, candy-colored digital camera. While the Big Shot is still in prototype testing phase, we really hope this gadget (and more like it) makes it to the market sometime soon.

[Via Make]

Digital camera inventor Steve Sasson collects honorary PhD, Economist award

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 29th 2009 at 7:04AM

If there's one thing we know about geeks, it's that they hate having nothing to do. Bill Gates has filled his spare time collecting knighthoods and Harvard degrees, and Steve Sasson -- inventor of the first, and assuredly biggest, digital camera -- is now following in his distinguished footsteps. Sasson perfected a microwave oven-sized 0.01 megapixel prototype while working for Kodak way back in 1975, and has now been awarded an honorary PhD for his troubles from the University of Rochester. The man, the geek, and the legend (all the same person) will be in London later today receiving further recognition, in the form of The Economist's Innovation Award, which commends the "seismic disruption" his invention caused in the field of consumer photography. Funny, nobody gives us any awards for being disruptive.

Read - University of Rochester honorary doctorate
Read - The Economist Innovation Award

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj torn asunder, L-shaped projector module examined

by Laura June posted Oct 7th 2009 at 4:08AM

ifixit's gotten ahold of Nikon's new camera - projector hybrid, the Coolpix S1000pj, and done what they do... meaning they've ripped it apart. Okay, they slowly and carefully disassembled it while painstakingly photographing the proceedings. Most interesting to us, of course, is the Nikon developed, L-shaped projector we just heard about that makes the whole set up possible, and we have to say that the internal layout of the S1000pj is terribly impressive to behold. There's another shot (and video!) after the break -- but hit the read link for the entire, time consuming project in all its tedious glory!

Continue reading Nikon Coolpix S1000pj torn asunder, L-shaped projector module examined

Sony Alpha 500 DSLR gets a hands-on

by Laura June posted Aug 27th 2009 at 8:24PM

Sony's announcement of the three Alpha line cameras just came today -- but we're already seeing plenty of them. Pocket Lint's got a fairly extensive hands-on with the Alpha 500, which boasts an Exmor CMOS 12.3-megapixel sensor, an ISO range of up to 12,800, with a four frames per second continuous shooting. It also packs an HDR shooting mode, and an HDMI output. The Alpha 500 will be out in October, and it will run you $750. There's one more shot after the break -- hit the read link for the full set.

Continue reading Sony Alpha 500 DSLR gets a hands-on

More Sony Alpha 500, 850 info leaked?

by Laura June posted Aug 25th 2009 at 10:28AM

We've already seen plenty of leaked info on Sony's upcoming Alpha DSLR -- the 850 (including what is presumably its user manual). Well, now the German site DigitalKamera's got some more info on it, as well as the a500. First up, the a850 will boast a 24.6 megapixel sensor, a 35mm CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100 to 6400, and will be capable of shooting 3 frames per second, with a 3-inch, VGA display. The a500 -- about which a lot less info has been previously leaked -- will have a 12.3-megapixel sensor, an up 12800 ISO, with two live view modes (quick autofocus and direct view). There is still absolutely no official word on either of these bad boys, though we're hearing September -- so maybe we'll catch a glimpse of them at IFA -- we'll keep our eyes peeled until then. There's a shot of the a500 after the break.

[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]

Continue reading More Sony Alpha 500, 850 info leaked?

Engadget Labs: The best point-and-shoot camera for under $400

by Tim Stevens posted May 19th 2009 at 1:30PM

The summer looms, and so too does the summer vacation season. Despite the economy there are visions of great trips brewing in the backs of peoples' minds, visions that will soon turn into (hopefully) great memories -- and (hopefully) great pictures. Some folks wouldn't dream of going on those trips without an SLR slung 'round their neck or hanging at the hip, but then there are plenty of others who'd much prefer something a little more pocketable. Even for aspiring photographers there are times when lugging around five pounds of glass just isn't going to work.

There are dozens and dozens of cameras intended for casual shooters all the time or serious shooters some of the time, with models suitable for pockets of every shape and size -- and for wallets of equally varying dimensions. So, let's take a look at some of this summer's greatest, and see which comes out ahead, shall we?

Gallery: Engadget compact cam summer shootout

Continue reading Engadget Labs: The best point-and-shoot camera for under $400

Sony's CyberShot DSC-HX1 camera gets official, coming March for $500

by Ross Miller posted Mar 2nd 2009 at 8:51PM

Sony has finally shown its cards for PMA this year, and that Ten of Clubs up its sleeve looks to be the CyberShot DSC-HX1 we heard about last week. According to the presser, it's the company's first digital camera with sweep panorama technology for up to 224-degree horizontal and 154-degree vertical panorama shots with the push of a button. It's also sporting a 20x optical zoom, 1/2.4-inch Exmor CMOS sensor for 10 frames per second at 9.1 megapixel resolution, a Sony G lens and 1080p HD movie recording. Look for it this March for around five Benjamins.

Ask Engadget: Best digital camera for the price?

by Paul Miller posted Aug 2nd 2007 at 5:57PM

Now that we got Lenny's wireless TV situation sorted last week on Ask Engadget, let's turn our attention to cameras. And of course, don't be shy about sending in your questions to ask at engadget dawt com, because life is too short to listen to your Uncle Ted's unsolicited tech advice. This one's a little vague, but it sounds to us like Ebzy here would like to take pictures of stuff, with, um, something.

"I'd like to know what are the best price vs. performance cameras out there. It would be particularly helpful if people could suggest what they think are the best cameras in each price range and category, (including DSLR). The type of memory the card takes is not an issue. Although a good UI is worthy of mention."

Alright, so that's a little broad, but if you've got a favorite shooter in your bag, be sure to shout it out in the comments.

Ricoh Caplio GX100 reviewed

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jun 21st 2007 at 1:20AM

The chaps over at PhotograhyBLOG have an extensive (as in six pages) review of the handsome Ricoh Caplio GX100 that we told you about in March. Opinions from the experts concerning this 10 megapixel camera seem largely favorable, with high marks for design, features and ease-of-use, and only a few minor quibbles in the image-quality department. They seemed particularly excited about the Caplio's use of a RAW storage format, which the competition has apparently been moving away from. But hey, it's your $700, so if you really want to know all the details, follow the link to the full review.

Kodak's new EasyShare C613 and C763 keep it slim and cheap

by Paul Miller posted Mar 7th 2007 at 4:30PM

Kodak's hitting all the budget-friendly sweet spots today. Alongside those "fancy" Z712 IS and Z885 shooters, these new C613 and C763 (pictured) EasyShare cameras are positively barebones, with $120 and $180 pricetags, respectively. Luckily, Kodak didn't do away with specs entirely: the C613 sports a 6.2 megapixel CCD and 3X zoom, while the C763 bumps it up to 7.1 megapixels. The screens are particularly impressive for the prices, at 2.4-inch and 2.5-inches. ISO, in about the 800 range, naturally isn't as notable as that of the Z series we saw earlier, and there's no optical image stabilization to keep your pics blur-free, but the combination of low price, small size and beefy megapixels should garner this pair a bit of success when they drop in April. Peep the C613 after the break.

Read - C613
Read - C763

Continue reading Kodak's new EasyShare C613 and C763 keep it slim and cheap

GE slaps its brand onto a line of... digital cameras?

by Paul Miller posted Feb 13th 2007 at 1:29PM

We're so used to GE staying above the fray -- at least for the most part -- with it's snazzy medical imaging devices and non-stick plastics, that it's rather odd to see them really going head to head with the likes of Canon, HP and Sony in the consumer digicam space. No word on the use of non-stick plastics in the development of these things, but it looks like GE is playing it pretty safe for the moment. Its lineup, which will be announced in March and available mid-April, will range from 7 megapixel shooters with 2.5-inch LCDs on up to 12 megapixel cameras with 3-inches of screen. The cameras will be designed, manufactured and distributed exclusively by General Imaging, a new player on the scene formed of former "photo industry veterans" including CEO Hiroshi Komiya, a former president of Olympus. Apparently all of the cameras will include image stabilization, high ISO and panoramic stitching as a standard feature, and there will be a photo printer joining the ranks as well. Otherwise we're in the dark besides that concept render up above, but it seems like we'll be hearing a good bit more about these down the road, 'cause according to Rene Buhay, lead of sales: "Our aim is to be Number 1 in all aspects – quality, technology, performance and value – and these cameras will do that."

[Via PhotographyBlog]

Canon beefs up its line of budget PowerShot cams

by Paul Miller posted Jan 18th 2007 at 2:11PM

Canon's really loving on the budget set, with them ZR and DC camcorders it released a couple weeks ago, and now a trio of PowerShots that go ultra-easy on the pocket book. The new A-series cams include the PowerShot A550 and A460, which go for $200 and $150, and sport 7.1 megapixel and 5.0 megapixel CCDs, respectively. The new cameras, which should be available mid-February, feature 2-inch LCDs, 4x optical zoom lenses and the fancy DIGIC II image processor for speedier performance and less battery drain. Both cameras are SDHC compatible, feature AiAF "smart" autofocus, and the A550 can pull off 30 fps VGA video, but that's about all that's going on here -- no image stabilization for this kind of mula. Canon's also introducing an A450 model to certain markets, which mirrors the A460 other than an inexplicable 3.2x optical zoom. More reasonably, Canon is also tossing a pair of AA batteries and a 16MB MMC card into each box, so you or the technophobe buddy of yours you end up buying one of these for should be able to start shooting right away. Peep the other two cameras after the break.

[Via LetsGoDigital]

Continue reading Canon beefs up its line of budget PowerShot cams

BenQ announces dangerously-slim 7.2 megapixel X720

by Evan Blass posted Oct 16th 2006 at 2:55PM

Just last month we saw BenQ bust out a super-slim 7 megapixel shooter called the E720, which at just 19.5 millimeters thick, was one of the trimmest cameras at this resolution level -- even beating out waifs like Casio's Exilim EX-Z700 and Sony's Cybershot DSC-T50. Well if you thought that the E720 was as thin as they come, think again, because old BenQ has managed to shave off almost five full millimeters with its brand new 7.2 megapixel X720 (we're pretty sure the "x" stands for "xtra breakable"). Besides being almost as thin as a credit card (not really), this award-winning ultracompact boasts a pretty impressive set of features, including a maximum ISO of 4000 (no word on noise at that level, however), 2.5-inch LCD, and Super Shake-Free image stabilization. Less impressive is the familiar 3x optical zoom, although you're still getting 30fps VGA video with sound, and they even managed to cram a regular SD slot into that tiny 120-gram body. Unfortunately BenQ's press release was so eager to tout the benefits of this "perfect blender of pleasure and work" that it neglected to mention pricing or availability, but this model may be snazzy enough to warrant a separate post when we catch wind of those deets, so keep your eye out.

Three new cookie-cutter ultracompacts from Rollei

by Evan Blass posted Sep 21st 2006 at 10:37PM

Usually when manufacturers unleash several new cameras upon us, it takes awhile to weed through the specs in order to spot their differences and identify the features that consumers will find most compelling, but as luck would have it, Rollei's da-series of unremarkable shooters tend to completely lack innovation from generation to generation. Such is the case with three new so-called "Prego" models from the once-esteemed brand -- the 10 megapixel da1325, 7 megapixel da7325, and 5 megapixel da5325 -- which besides sporting different resolutions, are exactly the same in every single way (making our job a lot easier). When it comes to Rollei these days, when you've seen one you've seen them all, so these 128-gram ultracompacts' features should come as no surprise whatsoever: you're getting a 2.5-inch LCD (no viewfinder, of course), 3x optical zoom, maximum ISO of 400, 30fps VGA video with sound, maximum shutter speed of 1/2000 of a second, and video out for showing off your imaging skillz on a bigger screen. We have a feeling that the interest in these cams is slim to none, but just in case this write-up has somehow piqued your interest, all three will be available next month for €149 ($189), €199 ($252), and €249 ($315), depending on resolution. Keep reading to peep the two lower end models -- though once again, there's nothing here that you haven't seen before...

Read- da1325
Read- da7325
Read- da5325

Continue reading Three new cookie-cutter ultracompacts from Rollei

BenQ's ultraportable, 7 megapixel DC E720

by Evan Blass posted Sep 1st 2006 at 10:30AM

Tsk, tsk, BenQ. You know how we like to round up all your cookie-cutter cameras into one post, so we're a little disappointed that you didn't tell us about your new DC E720 at the same time you announced the other three new members of your consumer lineup yesterday. No matter, we're still committed to bringing our readers all that is new and exciting in the world of digital photography, even if the 7 megapixel E720 doesn't really stand out from the crowd in any discernible manner. With this model, you're basically getting a slimmed down version of the C740 -- they both sport a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 30fps VGA video mode, and SD card support -- but at only 130 grams and 19.5 millimeters thick, the E720 definitely takes home the "most pocketable" award. No word so far on pricing and availability for this model, but judging from the sparse, negative reaction that yesterday's releases got, we highly doubt that many of you will be seeking this one out, anyway.