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Rotor Concept HPQ-1 quadcopter eyes-on (video)
We're here at the PhotoPlus show in New York, and as usual, the stranger products are being showcased on the outskirts of the show. A company called Rotor Concept out of Southern California was showing off the HPQ-1, a quadcopter designed to lug around your digital camera.The copter itself is surprisingly quiet and steady, the latter of which is no doubt helped out by the presence of four propellers and advanced stabilization system (put the controller down and it will automatically hold its position). The HPQ-1 can hold payloads of up to 12 ounces, so users can use standard digital cameras to live stream events or a pair of smaller shooters to capture arial 3D clips. According to the company, SWAT teams are looking into using the product for surveillance. The other recommended usage? Weddings, of course. The copter can reach a max altitude of 2,000 feet and has a theoretical maximum flight radius of up to a mile. It's available now for an MSRP of $899. Peep a quick video after the break. Terrence O'Brien contributed to this report. %Gallery-137708%
DXG-5F9V makes home video memories a 1080p HD affair, 3D glasses not required
Who said all the 3D perks had to be reserved for Hollywood? DXG's making the home video fun a virtual en vivo experience with the release of its 3D and 2D camcorder, set to hit the company's online store today. For $299, you're getting a 5 megapixel still camera and glasses-free, 1080p HD video recording at 30fps, viewable on either the handheld's autostereoscopic 3.2-inch LCD display or the flatscreen of your choosing via an included HDMI cable. The DXG-5F9V only ships with 128MB of storage inbuilt, so if you're aiming to immortalize your Jackass-worthy shenanigans, you'll want to secure a 32GB SD card for additional capacity. With the holidays fast approaching, this might be your best bet to relive those looks of disappointment on Christmas morning. Official presser after the break.
Camera or camcorder? JVC's hybrid GC-PX10 wants to be both
This curiously shaped fellow, with its long-barreled lens attached to a svelte body, might look familiar. It's JVC's GC-PX10, the camcorder that's also a camera. Or the camera that's also a camcorder. We're not quite sure, but here's what we do know: it'll shoot 1080p video at 60 fps, writing to SDXC or 32GB of internal memory. And it can also capture 8.3-megapixel stills at 60 fps without dropping out of video mode. If you've got the time and the inclination, you can switch into still-shooting mode, giving you full 12-megapixel pictures at 30 fps for two seconds. Exhausted by the possibilities yet? But wait, there's more. If slow motion's your game, you can fire away in 640 x 360 resolution -- at 300 fps -- for up to 2 hours. Now how much would you pay for such a plethora of pictorial options? Well, JVC's asking $900 when this ships later in October, so you've got some time to think about it.
Toshiba Camileo x416, x400 and x200 get pricing, availability, lots of zoom
Looks like some of those Toshiba camcorders that we first caught wind of back in Berlin at IFA are hitting our neck of the woods. The Camileo x400 and x200 are now available in the States, for $299 and $279, respectively. The company will also be offering up a higher-end x416 on October 10th for $319. All three camcorders shoot 1080p video and feature a similar barrel-shaped design with a three-inch swiveling touchscreen LCD. The x416 and x400 feature similar specs, with 23x optical zoom, 120x digital zoom, on-screen video trimming and expandable memory. The x416, however, will also have 16GB of storage built-in. The x200, naturally, will have more modest specs, like a relatively paltry 12x optical zoom. Press info after the break.
Canon plans Hollywood event, ready to roll out the red carpet on November 3rd
Oh, what's this, Canon? You want your turn in the spotlight as well? Well, we suppose a hint of an announcement is better than a non-announcement, so bring it on! The imaging company just sent us word of a presumably star-studded SoCal event on November 3rd, giving its cameras a chance to walk the red carpet in a rather surprising Hollywood role reversal. We're not sure exactly what Canon plans to unveil that night -- a new mirrorless camera, or perhaps some fancy pants camcorder, destined for Hollywood's elite? But assuming the company isn't crying wolf, we'll be there with a live report from the red carpet.
Toshiba announces Camileo Clip, X200 and X400 camcorders
Not surprisingly, Toshiba is covering all the bases at IFA today, with it now also announcing its latest batch of camcorders. That includes the Camileo Clip pictured above (which actually has a clip 'round back for hands-free shooting), as well as the more traditional Camileo X200 and X400, all three of which record 1080p video and rely exclusively on SD cards for storage. The X200 and X400 also, of course, steps things up quite a bit in terms of features, the standout ones being a 12x optical zoom on the X200 and a 23x zoom on the X400. Still no word on prices for any of them, but Toshiba says they'll be available sometime in the fourth quarter of this year (in Europe, at least). Hit the PR after the break for the complete list of specs.
Panasonic shows off twin-lens 3D camera prototype, announces HDC-Z10000 3D camcorder
We're here in Berlin, covering IFA 2011, and Panasonic's getting things started by showing off a concept camera, its first with a twin-lens capable of shooting 3D stills and video. Alas, the company's press release is light on technical info, though it does reveal the system's built on dual 4x lenses with "thin, folded" optics. Hopefully, we'll see this thing in person while we're in town and learn a bit more. In similar news, the company also announced the HDC-Z10000 (pictured), its first 2D / 3D camcorder with an integrated twin-lens. The camcorder records 1080p / 1080i AVCHD 3D video, has dual CMOS sensors with a combined resolution of 13.1MP and a glasses-less 3.5-inch LCD. It's also capable of 3D macros as close as 17.8 inches -- a record for twin-lens 3D camcorders, according to Panasonic. As the company's been known to do, though, it's holding off on revealing any details about pricing or availability, so it looks like we'll have to save that for a rainy day. Full PR after the break.
Sony NEX-FS100 review
We've been uncommonly keen to get our hands on the Sony NEX-FS100 ever since we first heard about it back in March. You see, this is no ordinary camcorder. Its spec sheet reads like a liturgy of filmmakers' prayers: a large Super 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor, interchangeable lenses, XLR inputs and proper, professional controls. Sure, it comes with a $6,600 price tag to match, but it also heralds a trend that should ultimately benefit pros and ordinary gadget denizens alike: the arrival of big, bold DSLR-style optics within dedicated camcorders. How do these optics effect the quality of the NEX-FS100's footage? Plant yourself somewhere comfortable and click past the break to find out. %Gallery-129298%
Sony debuts the Handycam NEX-VG20
Add another model to the gadget deluge that was last night's Sony camera announcements. The electronics giant debuted the NEX-VG20, the followup to the admittedly snazzy NEX-VG10. The new interchangeable lens camcorder does full HD video and can capture 16 megapixel stills (including RAW support). The Handycam also rocks a three-inch LCD that can be rotated 270 degrees and a mic that supports stereo and 5.1 channel surround recordings. The camcorder will hit stores in November for $2,199 with an SEL18-200 F3.5-6.3 E-mount lens and $1,599 for just the body.
Samsung W200 waterproof / rugged 1080p camcorder review
Samsung slid its 'multi-proof' W200 pocket cam out a couple of months back, and we've spent the past few weeks testing it out in a place that's no stranger to water (read: the Big Island of Hawaii). Hailed as a waterproof and shockproof 1080p pocket camcorder, it most resembles a ruggedized version of Cisco's now-deceased Flip HD, and it's definitely a heck of a lot more petite than Canon's PowerShot D10 -- a waterproof P&S that we reviewed back in June of '09. Aside from putting high-def recording capabilities in the palm of your pruney hand, the W200's other key selling point is the trifecta of digits to the left of the decimal. At just $150 on the street, it's certainly classifiable as a bargain in the category, but does it deliver results worthy of laud? Read on for our take! %Gallery-130996%
Vision Research's Phantom v1210 and v1610 do slow motion in style (video)
No matter how fast that piece of Jell-O landed on the floor, you'll be able to review the journey in all its slow motion glory with the newly announced Phantom v1610 and v1210 cameras. Vision Research is calling the latest entries in the Phantom line the "world's fastest one megapixel digital high-speed cameras." The v1210 is capable of capturing 12,000 fps to 16,000 fps, with its higher end buddy the v1610 capturing between 650,000 fps and one million fps, if you sacrifice resolution. Shooting 1280 x 800 widescreen images (at regular speed), the v1210 boasts 12GB, 24GB, or 48GB of segmented memory, while the v1610 can hold 24GB, 48GB, or 96GB of segmented memory. Other features include an image-based auto-trigger, ethernet port, SMPTE & IRIG timecode, genlock, 28 micron pixel size, 12-bit depth pixel depth standard, and an HD-SDI output. No word on pricing, but if you have a budget like NFL Films, let the epic sports montages and Truffle Shuffling commence. Check out some slow motion footage captured on the Phantom HD Gold after the break. Update: pricing starts around a cool $100,000.
Cam-wielding RC car used to investigate roadside bomb, saves lives in Afghanistan
The US military spends billions of dollars each year beefing up wartime tech, but a low-budget hacked RC car recently served as an unlikely hero, saving six soliders' lives in Afghanistan. The home-built rig, which included a wireless security camera mounted on a Traxxas Stampede remote-controlled truck, cost about $500 when it was built in 2007. Since then, Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Fessenden has used it to locate roadside bombs, until it tripped a detonation sensor during a patrol last month, in turn saving Fessenden and fellow troops from coming head-to-head with 500 pounds of explosives. Unfortunately the RC cam didn't survive the attack, so Ernie, the solider's brother who built the first model, is currently working on a replacement. Sure, a half-grand may seem like a laughable sum compared to the Pentagon's annual budget, but if the proven gadget gets enough attention, perhaps Chinese-made toys will play a role in entertaining our kids, and protecting our troops.
DollyCam app lets you stabilize iPhone 4 videos, we go hands-on (video)
Apple's iPhone 4 can serve as a great little camcorder when you're in a bind, but it's never been our go-to cam for video shoots. Not only is its small sensor not best suited for high-quality HD shooting, but the smartphone form factor can be awkward to hold, resulting in shakier than normal footage. A new app called DollyCam, which also supports iPad 2, helps soften the blow of the latter, letting you successfully stabilize videos -- with a few drawbacks. We took our iPhone 4 out to test a watermarked free version of the app in New York City, shooting a scene first with the phone's native app, and then with DollyCam. It won't replace a hardware solution like the Steadicam Smoothee, but it's significantly cheaper and more convenient. The only major issues we noticed were related to softened sound capture of all things (pay close attention in the video past the break), and the fact that the app can't process in real-time, so a minute-long video clip will need about five minutes to process. The app does crop your footage slightly, as can be expected. You'll also need to remain in the app as it's processing, though you can also stabilize videos later, after completing your shoot. Overall, it's an acceptable solution, especially considering the $2.99 price tag. Jump past the break to see original and stabilized clips, and browse through the gallery below for a quick look at the interface.%Gallery-130039% [Thanks, Jon]
RED EPIC scores a Canon EOS mount, Laforet gets some extraordinary footage (video)
We've seen some mind-blowing footage from RED's EPIC, as one might expect from a $39,500 camera with a 5K sensor and up to 120 fps video capture (at 4K). But video shooter and all-around photo wiz Vincent Laforet got to take an exclusive early look at the company's new Canon EOS mount, which pairs the EPIC-M with Canon's enormous collection of top-quality glass, including the 600mm f/4 L lens Laforet used for his shoot at Mono Lake in California. That lens, used with a 2x Canon teleconverter and the RED's multiplication factor, yields a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 3400mm, which as you'll see in the video below, enabled some pretty incredible video captures. RED has yet to officially announce availability for the Canon EOS mount, but has shared that it will cost $2,000 (pennies compared to the EPIC's $58,000 kit price), and will be constructed of titanium -- tasked with the critical responsibility of reducing movement during those extended-lens shoots. Jump past the break for Laforet's sample video, or check out his blog post at the source link for the full rundown.%Gallery-130053%
Vivitar rolls out 690 HD camcorder: waterproof, 720p, $60
Vivitar may have bad-mouthed newfangled digital cameras last year, but that hasn't stopped it from selling them. The company's latest is the 690 HD, a compact, Flip-like camcorder that records 720p video and is rated for use up to ten feet underwater. You'll also get an SD card slot for storage and a 2-inch LCD 'round back, but you'll have to make do without other niceties like an optical zoom or HDMI port -- compromises that shouldn't be too hard to take considering the $60 price tag.
Insert Coin: Prosthetic eye digital camera (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Nobody with binocular vision would consider replacing a functional natural eye with a digital camera. But Tanya Vlach's vision is monocular, after losing one of her eyes in a car accident. A matching ocular prosthesis gives the San Francisco native a normal appearance, but it's unable to provide vision -- in its current state, at least. Vlach turned to Kickstarter for donations that would allow her to install a unique, waterproof in-eye camera, theoretically capable of transmitting 720p HD video wirelessly to a mobile app, and zooming and capturing still images using a blink-activated sensor. Features also on the wish list: facial recognition, a dilating pupil that changes based on light, infrared / UV capture, and geotagging, just to name a few. The embedded camera obviously can't replace a natural eye, but it certainly brings more life to an otherwise useless cosmetic shell. Vlach needs to raise $15,000 by August 3rd in order to achieve her funding goal and commission an engineer to design the new optic. Donations of less than $5,000 will be rewarded with a variety of small-ticket items, while a pledge greater than that amount will net the donor their very own "souvenir eye camera" -- whatever that means. You can jump past the break for a video explanation from Tanya, who may very well be on her way to being the first human to use a digital pseudo-bionic eye.
AMP camera records 1080p HDR video, you probably can't have one
We've already seen cameras that let you pretend you live in a radioactive apocalypse shoot HDR video, combining overexposed and underexposed images into one surreal composite. But so far, that kind of dystopian trippiness has been relegated to experiments and rigs using two lenses. But here we have AMP, a portable-enough five-pound camera that splits the light into three sensors, giving it a range of 17.5 stops to "reveal reality" in our drab, incomplete lives. The single-lens camera shoots 1080p video at 24fps or 30fps, records raw, uncompressed data to an SSD, and works with Nikon F-Mount-compatible lenses. To give you some perspective on the amount of sheer storage required, AMP promises a 256GB SSD can hold 30-plus minutes of footage, with 24fps video consuming less space than the 30 fps variety. It'll be available later this summer for some unknown sum, but not as a mass-produced product. Rather, it'll end up in the hands of a select few prosumers who add themselves to a waiting list. Assuming you won't be one of the chosen, you can get your fill of reality in a pair of demo videos after the break.
Sony tears down Bloggie 3D, iFixit helps (video)
We all knew it would come to this, right? Tech corporations have apparently taken a cue from the blogosphere and started tearing down their own devices for all the world to see. Sony's in-house gadget site SGNL opened up the company's Bloggie 3D pocket camcorder, thankfully enlisting the supervision of Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. But while he does seem genuinely intrigued at taking apart and explaining the way the 3D camera works, there's not much in the way of the depth we've come to expect from the site, and Sony manages to make the whole thing a not-so-subtle plug for a newish device. Now who wants to buy a disassembled camcorder? I hear Sony's selling one cheap.
Toshiba's Camileo P100 and B10 continue their world tour, arrive stateside
We're pretty sure that most of the attention Toshiba receives today will center around the handful of laptops it unveiled this morning (particularly this handsome devil). But the outfit also managed to slip in some camcorder news -- those Camileo P100 and B10 models it announced for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East are now on sale in the US. If you recall, both camcorders shoot 1080p video and snap 16 megapixel stills, though the pistol-shaped P100 adds 5X optical zoom -- still an uncommon spec for pocket cam. The P100 is available now for $180, while the Flip-inspired B10 can be had for $120. PR after the break.
Panasonic's new suite of colorful camcorders hits stores this July, gets priced right now
When Panasonic introduced us to its Skittles-like array of candy-coated camcorders, they gave us a taste of the little things, but left us hanging on price and availability. Well, if you've been slobbering over the specs since February, you can sate your appetite soon, because the HM-TA20, HM-TA2, HX-WA10, HX-DC10, and HX-DC1 will hit stores starting in early July. The Flip-style, 1080p HM-TA20 rings in at $200, while its less rugged little brother, the HM-TA2, will run you $170. The upright and rugged HX-WA10 will do 1080p video and 16-megapixel stills for $350, and you'll drop $280 on the HX-DC10 for the same functionality without the weather-proofing. For the same look at an even lower price, you can shoot 14-megapixel stills on the HX-DC1 for $200. Hungry for more? Full PR awaits you after the break.
