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Crashing this 80-megapixel drone camera is a $60K mistake
Phase One has debuted what it's calling "the world's smallest" 80-megapixel medium format camera. The Phase One iXU 180 weighs just two pounds and its body is barely bigger than the Schneider-Kreuznach lense it's attached to. That means the entire rig is light enough to fit aboard the gyroscopes of most commercially available quadcopters and ultralight UAVs. What's more, the IR-capable iXU 180 can be employed as either a standalone device akin to a GoPro or as part of a multi-camera array.
Lens-free microscope lets almost anyone spot cancer
High-powered microscopes are useful for spotting cancer and other diseases in cells, but they're expensive and complicated. Your local physicians probably won't have a microscope on hand, and you'll probably need at least some skill to use one. However, UCLA scientists have developed a lens-free microscope that could put this tissue scanning power in the hands of many more people. The device creates a holograph-like image of your sample using a CCD or CMOS sensor (like that from your camera) to detect shadow patterns cast by a light source, and reconstructs them in software to present what you'd actually see. The result is a microscope that's just as effective as its conventional optical brethren, but should also be much cheaper and simpler.
Sharp's night vision camera records color even in total darkness
Say goodbye to the days of monochrome night vision footage, folks. Sharp recently unveiled an infrared security camera that captures color 720p video, even in absolute darkness. The trick is an imaging sensor that uses near-infrared for illumination; unlike virtually every other competitor, this camera doesn't have to resort to conventional lights (and thus give itself away) to get a vivid picture. It's based on tech we've seen before, developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (check out some video from a 2011 demo embedded after the break.) The device will likely be limited to corporate and government customers when it goes on sale in late November, but it could have a big impact on your safety. Building managers will soon have an easier time identifying intruders, not just spotting them -- while the technology might not stop a break-in, it should increase the chances of catching thieves before they strike again.
Time Machines: Say 01100011 01101000 01100101 01100101 01110011 01100101!
Welcome to Time Machines, where we offer up a selection of mechanical oddities, milestone gadgets and unique inventions to test out your tech-history skills. Today the world can easily be captured in 1s and 0s for our viewing pleasure. The hardware behind this capability all started as a DIY lab project in 1974 to test out some new gear, and the result was a Frankenstein-like device that would eventually lead to world-changing advances in photographic technology. Head on past the break for the full story.
Panasonic shows micro color splitters that double up image sensor acuity
Panasonic has developed a new type of imaging sensor that gets more photons where they need to be by foregoing the use of conventional CMOS debayering filters. Those can reduce sensor effectiveness by blocking 50 to 70 percent of the light, so researchers developed "micro color splitters" to do the job instead, which can separate hues microscopically using refraction. They did it by taking advantage of wave optic principals to create a new type of electronic "deflector" that can analyze and separate light wave frequencies much faster than previous methods. There's almost no loss of light during the process, and such devices can be made using conventional semiconductor fabricating techniques, too. There's no timetable for commercializing the tech, but Panasonic holds 21 domestic and 16 overseas patents on it -- meaning it's likely not just a science project.
The mysteries of the CCD revealed (video)
Sure, we've explained to you why sensor size matters in a digital camera, but maybe you need to take it back a bit. Maybe, you're not entirely sure how those sensors work in the first place. Well, Bill Hammack, better known as The Engineer Guy, is here to help. After breaking down LCDs and hard drives for your amusement and education, Bill has turned his attention to the CCD. The charge-coupled device is the heart and soul of many a digital camera, turning incoming photons into a charge that the impressively complex processor inside can convert into an image. What makes the CCD so impressive is it's rather ingenious solutions to problems such as interference (no wires, just a shift register) and color reproduction (pixel-sized filters and a hue-flattening algorithm). For more, check out the video after the break.
Sharp readying 1/2.3-inch, 20.2-megapixel CCD destined for noisy point-and-shoots
As you probably know, megapixels aren't everything. In fact, the more of them you cram into a smaller space, the noisier your images will be. So, you'll forgive us if we don't exactly shout from the mountain tops that Sharp has managed to stick a whopping 20.2 megapixels into a CCD only 1/2.3 inches in size. That does, however, give the RJ23G3BA0LT the highest pixel count in that size range. That's gotta count for something, right?
Engadget Primed: Camera metering explained
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com. Is learning how to meter with your camera really necessary? With all the intelligent models out today, who needs it, right? Well, you may, depending on the type of killer photography you hope to produce. When it comes to the person behind the camera, there are a few types of photographers. First, there's the photog who just wants to snap away, not terribly concerned about how their photos turn out -- or, at the very least, not interested in knowing how to alter the camera. If this describes you, that's fine -- the latest-and-greatest compact cameras may be your cup of tea. But then there's the amateur shooter who desires a better understanding of how their cameras determine exposure, and if you fit into this category, this piece should be right up your alley.Metering is not a subject you can easily master, let alone explain entirely in an article of this length, but we can give you an idea of how it all works. I consistently see the faces of my workshop students glaze over as I wax rhapsodic about the wonders of metering, but I also notice wry smiles from time to time, which shows me the wheels are turning -- they begin to realize all the things they can do if only they can conquer this aspect of photography. However, comprehension and applied mastery are two separate balls of wax. Putting what you learn to practice is the start, and you can improve over a number of months, but true metering control in any situation requires years of practice.So for our 2012 pre-apocalyptic installment of Primed, we'll break down the world of camera metering, giving you a bit of history, dissecting the main components, describing what your camera wants to do and telling you what the future may hold. By the end, you'll have a better understanding of this vital photographic topic... either that or you'll be in a nice deep sleep.Note: Check out our recent Primed articles on aperture and image sensors to add to your metering knowledge.
Engadget Primed: Why your camera's sensor size matters
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com. The first thing I look for when purchasing a camera is something most aren't even aware of. It's not the brand name or the quality of the lens, the touch screen technology or the LCD screen size, and not the array of functions it offers or shooting presets available – it's the size of the image sensor. As a 20-year pro photographer who's captured over a million images during my career, I'm the guy who admires the parts of the engine instead of falling in love with the flashy exterior or high-end sound system. The image sensor is where the rubber meets the photosensitive diodes. In writing my first installment for Primed, I'll give a few definitions to clear things up a bit when it comes to a camera's image sensors and size, explain in detail the parts of a sensor, how it alters the photos (or video) you capture, where it came from, and why it's important to consider its size – I'll cover the meat and bones, get to the heart of the matter, the nub, the crux, the nuts and bolts, get down to the brass tacks, all while exhausting our thesaurus. Let's dive in, shall we?
Ricoh unveils waterproof, dirt-resistant PX camera for outdoorsy photographers
Just a few months after releasing its outdoorsy, G700 point and shoot, Ricoh has taken the wraps off yet another rugged digital camera -- the waterproof, shockproof and dust-resistant PX. This small warrior packs a 16-megapixel CCD sensor along with a 5x optical wide zoom lens and is capable of booting up in just 1.4 seconds. The device also supports subject-tracking and face-priority auto-focus features, in addition to a host of shooting modes, including toy camera, soft-focus and high-contrast black and white, among others. Most alluring, however, is its resilience. According to Ricoh, the PX can survive drops from an altitude of up to five feet, remains waterproof at depths of about ten feet, and is impermeable to dust, sand and dirt. There's also a 2.7-inch, scratch-resistant LCD on its backside, meaning you won't have to worry about casually tossing it in your backpack as you make your way along the trail. More flamboyant hikers, meanwhile, can add their own personal touch to the PX by wrapping it in a protective silicon sleeve, available in five, vibrant colors. If you're interested, you can grab a PX of your own when it hits stores later this month, for $300 AUD (about $317). You can check out some sample images from Digital Photography Review by hitting the link below, or flip through some pics of the PX in the gallery below. There's also a full PR waiting for you, after the break. %Gallery-125925%
Willard Boyle, man who revolutionized digital imaging, dies at 86
We have some sad news to share with you today: Willard Boyle, the man who created the imaging technology behind everything from digital cameras to barcode scanners, has died at the age of 86. In 2009, Boyle shared a Nobel Prize in physics for inventing the CCD, which allowed people to capture images in digital format for the first time. It all began way back in 1969, when Boyle and his future co-Laureate, George E. Smith, started laying the groundwork for the CCD while working at Bell Laboratories. Building off of Einstein's photoelectric effect, the two eventually came up with a way to locate and quantify the electrons that are knocked out of orbit every time light strikes silicon. Boyle and Smith used this technology to create their own digital camera in 1970, as well as a TV camera in 1975. Prior to his groundbreaking invention, Boyle spent two years working for NASA's Apollo program and helped develop both the ruby laser and the semiconductor injection laser. The last three decades of Boyle's life were spent in Wallace, Canada, where he grew up and, on May 7th, passed away after battling kidney disease. He's survived by his wife, three children and an indelible legacy.
DARPA's new Space Surveillance Telescope will keep our satellites safe from interstellar debris
What's that in the sky? A bird? A plane? Oh, it's just some junk floating around in space, posing major threats to our military's spy satellites. To help keep an eye on it, engineers at DARPA, MIT and the Air Force have unleashed a new $110 million telescope that's been in the works for nine years now. The new Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) is capable of delivering wide-angle views of the Earth's firmament thanks to a curved CCD. This allows for a massive 3.5m aperture and f/1.0 exposure settings, capturing more light in a day that your average scope can in a week. As part of the Air Force's Space Surveillance Network (SSN), the telescope's primary task will be to look out for any microsatellites, meteors or other alien droppings moving at the same speed at which the Earth rotates. The system developed its first images earlier this year and the Air Force may eventually place SSTs all over the world, creating a 360-degree surveillance blanket and going a long way toward keeping our spycraft warm, cozy, and safe from galactic hazards.
Olympus SZ-30MR shoots 1080p video and 16MP stills simultaneously; Tough TG-810 is 'crushproof'
Olympus just loosed a trio of compact cameras. Let's start big with the €329 SZ-30MR. According to Olympus, the 30MR packs a backlit CMOS sensor with 24x (25-600mm) optical zoom and Dual Engine TruePic III+ processing. It also lays claim to being the first to simultaneously record 1080p video while shooting 16 megapixel stills -- a feature Oly dubs, Multi Recording. The SZ-20 lacks the MR and dials back the zoom to 12.5x but costs a relatively modest €219. Olympus also announced a silver or black TG-810 compact for €299. First and foremost is the cam's claim for ruggedness: crushproof at a weight of 100kg (220 pounds); waterproof to 10 meters (32.8 feet); shockproof at a distance of 2 meters (6.56 feet); and freezeproof a temps to -10 degree celsius (14 degrees F). Otherwise, it boasts a 14 megapixel CCD sensor, a 5x (28-140mm) optical zoom, 720p movie mode, TAP control (for gloved use), GPS, and an electronic compass. All three cameras feature a 3-inch LCD; HDMI; high ISO and sensor-based mechanical image stabilization; smart panorama, 3D photo, pet detection, and beauty modes; and SDXC and Eye-Fi card compatibility. Look for them to hit retail in March.
Olympus SZ-10 and 3D VR-330 superzooms announced alongside entry-level VG-110
What's your preference for getting up close to the action? 18x wide 28-504mm or 12.5x super-wide 24-300mm optical zoom? If it's the former then Olympus just announced its $249.99 (ships in March) SZ-10 ultra-zoomer pictured above, with 14 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, 3-inch LCD, TruPic III+ image processing, and Eye-Fi Card support. Otherwise, Oly's new £159.99 3D VR-330 for Europe dials back the zoom to 12.5x and forgoes the newer image processing of the SZ-10 while boasting the same 14 megapixel sensor. Both cameras pack dual-image stabilization, 720p video capture, HDMI-out (with CEC support so that it works with your TV's existing remote control), and a dynamic "3D mode" that instructs you to pan and shoot a second image that will be combined into a .MPO file suitable for playback on a 3D display. The VR-330 is also available without the 3D mode as the $199.99 VR-320 which ships Stateside in February. Bringing up the rear is an entry-level $89.99 VG-110 with 12 megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD, 4x zoom, and VGA video. Look for it sometime later this month. Update: Press releases for all three are after the break. %Gallery-115911%
LG L-03C has 3x optical zoom, 12 megapixel CCD sensor, Xenon flash -- and it can make phone calls!
Dear Nokia and Samsung, please come to reception to collect your old and busted 12 megapixel cameraphones. The new king of the phonecamera heap, in appearance at least, has arrived in the shape of LG's L-03C. It comes with a retractable 3x optical zoom lens from Pentax, a 12 megapixel CCD sensor, a Xenon flash, and a 720p movie recording mode. The L-03C is also intentionally styled to remind users of the more timeless compact camera designs of the past (and present) and it's only by entering the NTT DoCoMo OS and hitting up the dialer that you discover that it's also a cellular phone to boot. In spite of its 3-inch display and 800 x 480 resolution, this is still strictly just a featurephone, but it's sure put in a lot of work to make sure one of those features stands out. Look out for it in Japan from this January.
Altek Leo, the 14 megapixel Android cameraphone, headed for Europe in 2011
Altek's wonderfully outlandish Android-based Leo smartphone, which sports a "real" 14 megapixel CCD with "real" 3x optical zoom and 720p video, was already slated for Q4 of this year in Asia, but Altek has recently announced the phone will also be launching Q1 2011 in Europe. On a slightly disconcerting note, Altek says it's still in search of "channel partners," so if you happen to know any channel / partner combos, push this little monster in their direction before 14 megapixels starts to sound old hat, would you?
Sony outsourcing some image sensor production to Fujitsu
Whoa. Sony sure didn't mention anything about this at its Photokina press conference last week, but then again, it's not the most glamorous announcement to make. According to Reuters, Sony is aiming to "outsource some production of image sensors used in digital cameras and mobile phones to Fujitsu," and as you'd expect, it's being done in a bid to shave costs and "cope with tough global competition." According to a Sony spokesperson, the company has been mulling this decision for awhile, but it's unclear if this will have any further impact in Sony's employment numbers. It's also unclear why "some" sensor production will remain internal -- we're guessing that newfangled Translucent Mirror technology may have convinced the firm to keep the DSLR lines a bit closer to the chest. It's bruited that Sony will begin subcontracting output to Fujitsu later in the year, and it could shift even more output if things go swimmingly. Funny enough, an eerily similar scenario hit Sony's LCD department back in early 2008. What's next? Subcontracting Walkman production to Apple?
Leaf Aptus-II 12 snaps 80 megapixels of awesome on the back of your pro shooter
You ever wonder how CSI sleuths can keep enhancing their images all the way until they see what brand sneakers the perp is wearing? Well, they probably had a pre-release version of one of these Aptus-II 12s from Leaf. This new digital back can fill a staggering 80 million pixels with imaging data, thanks to its 53.7mm x 40.3mm-sized CCD sensor. It comes strapped with a 3.5-inch touchscreen on the back, 80 to 800 ISO range, 1.5 0.6fps capture rate, and a mind-boggling 480MB max file size per image. Should you have the imaging gear to match up to such might, you'll want to know that the Aptus-II 12 is shipping now from Leaf Partners worldwide with a price tag just under €24,000 ($31,387), or you could grab the 12R version -- which features a rotating sensor allowing you to shoot portrait shots without having to turn your camera sideways -- for €31,995 ($41,850). That's actually pretty decent value for your money, considering you'd have had to spend the same amount on the Aptus-II 10 only six months ago -- and that only had a measly 56 megapixel sensor!
Samsung's 'tank-like,' AMOLED-screened TL500 compact camera reviewed
Another player has entered the high-end compact camera fold, and this time it looks like Samsung is in it to win it. The TL500 (aka EX1) is a 10 megapixel shooter with a larger than usual 1/1.7-inch CCD backing up a 24 - 72mm 3x zoom lens that will take you all the way down to F1.8. In the Photography Blog review, that lens earned the camera one of its few criticisms, starting very wide but not offering enough magnification on the other end of the scale. A lack of 720p video recording is another bummer, but other than those two it's basically all positive, with the build quality and controls earning high marks, and the resulting images (helped by full manual exposure controls) looking as good as you'd expect. The camera isn't particularly reasonable at $449, but it does at least deliver on everything it promises.
Samsung's EX1 / TL500 flagship compact articulates 'release' in Korean
It's out, Samsung's 10 megapixel EX1 (aka, TL500) with 3-inch articulating AMOLED display was just pushed out for retail in its Korean homeland. For 599,000KRW or about $400, you get a F1.8 24mm ultra-wide lens, 1/1.7-inch CCD, refined DRIMeIII imaging processor, dual image stabilization, and ISO 3200 max sensitivity (at full resolution) that should combine to deliver decent shots (for a compact) in low-light conditions without using a flash. As Samsung's flagship compact it also supports RAW with shutter‑priority, aperture‑priority and full-manual shooting modes. Unfortunately, H.264 video is limited to 640x480 pixels at 30fps. Fortunately, an optional optical viewfinder can be fitted to the hot shoe in case the AMOLED display fails to hold up under direct sunlight -- a very real possibility since there's no mention of Samsung's "Super AMOLED" anywhere in the press release. Can't wait to see the reviews on this pup.
