Digital Camera Reviews and Guides
All of the best cameras and lenses, including reviews and guides to all the latest photography gear.
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Samsung's TL320 digital camera gets hands-on treatment
We've been keeping our eyes peeled for the snappy, handsome Samsung TL320 ever since we first spied it. Well, now it's on hand at PMA 2009, and the fine folks at Pocket-Lint have gotten some time alone with the 12.2 megapixel digicam, and we have to say -- it's looking pretty sweet. If you'd forgotten, this baby boasts 5x optical zoom, a 3-inch HVGA AMOLED display, 720p video recording, an HDMI output, dual image stabilization, plus some really awesome twin analog gauges for checking out memory capacity and battery life. The TL320 is expected to be available in May of this year for about $380. Check out another shot after the break, and hit the read link for a full set.
Goodbye, FireWire 400
As Macworld notes, this is it for the ol' Firewire 400. With the introduction of the new Mac mini the other day and the refresh of the Mac Pro and iMac lines, the old version of Firewire is left only on the white MacBook. It's evolution at its finest, and our good friend Nilay Patel over at Engadget put together this perfect video showing just how hard it is to say goodbye to yesterday.As I said on the Talkcast a long time ago when this was first hinted at, it's not a huge loss in my eyes. This is an outdated standard, and if you've got anything sitting around that absolutely requires a FireWire 400 port (and you've already upgraded completely to a computer that doesn't have one), then it's time for an upgrade. Those happen, you know -- there's a reason they're not selling Polaroid film any more. Besides, FW800 ports can easily drive your FW400 gear with a $8 cable.Nostalgia, however, is a powerful force. So it's with a damp hankerchief and wet eyes that some of us will bid farewell to FireWire 400. Long live FireWire 800!
Sony's CyberShot DSC-HX1 camera gets official, coming March for $500
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.
Pentax bridge digital camera image leaked ahead of PMA?
It appears the folks at Colorfoto.de have erred in our favor. In an article for the Olympus E-620, a seemingly random image has popped up of a currently unknown Pentax digital camera. What makes it especially interesting is the appearance of an EVF / LCD option -- which so far the company has not use for any of their models. It also bears a striking resemblance to a DSLR-esque "bridge" camera, which would make it Penny's first in that category. Looks like we've got another reason to anticipate next week's PMA.[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]
Ask TUAW: Recovering pictures, updating Facebook, iPhone battery life and more
Once again, it's time for another edition of Ask TUAW: the place where we try to answer all of your Mac and Apple-related questions. This week we're taking questions about recovering pictures from corrupted compact flash cards, Twitter for the iPhone, extending iPhone battery life and more.As always, we welcome your suggestions for this week and questions for next time. Please leave your contributions in the comments for this post. When asking questions, please include which Mac and which version of OS X you're running. If you don't specify, we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac. Okay, let's get to it!Nick F. asks:I've got some pictures I need to recover from a corrupted Compact Flash card. What's the best, preferably free, software to do it on my Mac?This is one of those questions that can get frustrating if you're a Mac user. On the Windows side, there are a few good (and free) pieces of software that can help you accomplish this task. For the Mac, you're choices are mostly limited to pay applications -- at least if you want good results. Fortunately, these pay applications are very good.For my money, the piece of software that works best when you want to recover pictures from a bad CF or SD card is Klix ($29.95) from Joesoft. I've used it quite a bit with clients, and on my own bad cards, and each time it performed flawlessly, recovering every lost picture from the card. Other alternatives for the Mac include CardRaider ($19.95), PhotoRescue ($29.00) and Data Rescue II ($99.00). I realize that $29.95 for a piece of software might seem like a lot to some people. But if the software is easy to use and works as advertised, I think it's a worthwhile investment in the long run. Besides, it would cost far more to go back and take those vacation pictures you lost on the card again when you could buy Klix and recover them from your bad card instead. Given that, a program like Klix is actually a bargain.If you've got Windows running on your Mac (either through Boot Camp or virtualization) and you've had good luck with one of the tools from the other side of the fence, let us know in the comments.
Samsung intros 12 megapixel duo: TL320 and HZ15W
What's this, Samsung? Announcing a few new cameras each week until PMA hits us when we least expect it? Just days after the firm expanded its less than enthralling SL lineup comes two new 12 megapixelers. The TL320 is the same one we spotted earlier at Amazon, though some of those specs were -- shall we say, preliminary. The official specs sheets lists a 12.2 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 3-inch HVGA AMOLED display, 720p movie recording, HDMI output, dual image stabilization and twin analog gauges for checking out memory capacity and battery life. As for the ZH15W, that one checks in with a dozen megapixels even, a 10x optical zoom, a 3-inch LCD monitor, 720p movie mode and most of the same features as the aforementioned cousin. Both shooters should be available this May for $379.99 and $329.99, respectively, and you can catch the full release after the break.%Gallery-45521%
App makes time lapse photography easy for iPhone
iPhone TimeLapse Test from digitalurban on Vimeo. Here's a fun application. TimeLapse [App Store link] uses your iPhone's camera to take photos at regular intervals. You can have one photo snapped as infrequently as every 24 hours, or as often as every 10 seconds, which is about as fast as it can snap and store a photo. After you've collected all of your photos (I told it to stop after 300), you can easily dump them into iMovie or QuickTime Pro and make a simple time lapse movie. Neat! You can set a delay before it takes a shot, which means you can also use TimeLapse as a timer to allow the photographer to get in the frame. Additionally, it could work as a rudimentary surveillance camera. While it's running, a display lists when it started, the time of the last picture taken and the approximate time of when it will stop. Here are a couple of things I learned while briefly playing with it this afternoon. First, mute your iPhone before beginning or you'll have to hear the camera's "capture" noise over and over again, which is kind of annoying. Also, enable Airplane Mode or an incoming call will interrupt your photoshoot. For $0.99US, TimeLapse is fun. [Via Digital Urban]
LP960 UAV flies around, shoots high def photographs, video of its journey
We've seen drones that do all kinds of things, but this one is on the special side. Lehman Aviation's just debuted its LP960 UAV -- a winged flyer that's just over three feet long, weighing under two pounds. The bot is equipped with a 10 megapixel camera, and its job is to zoom around snapping high resolution aeriel photographs and video of the area, while being controlled remotely. The man on the ground pulling the strings can also see what it looks like up above, making adjustments to the flight path accordingly. Check the video ater the break for a demo of the bird, and some examples of its work -- plus a stunning, moody soundtrack to boot. Oh, and if you were wondering, the LP 960 is priced at around $17,000.[Via Engadget Spanish]
One iPhone in a very large crowd
In traditional photography, the time elapsed between the shutter snap and the careful, loupe & light table examination of the captured images for some unexpected surprise or Cartier-Bresson's "decisive moment" might be days or weeks. With photographer David Bergman's massive panorama of Tuesday's presidential inauguration, the challenge wasn't in waiting for the darkroom process to complete (although the Gigapan software did crank away on his MacBook Pro for over six hours to generate the 1,474 megapixel, 2 gigabyte master file); it was combing through the enormous image to discover those moments Bergman didn't even know he had photographed. Several commenters on Bergman's blog have already found themselves or family members in the crowd. One moment that Bergman did discover quickly: a prominent attendee of the inauguration, 'bow-syncing' cellist Yo-Yo Ma, was caught in the panorama making an image of his own, using a familiar-looking smartphone. See the video zoom below for the context of Ma's snapshot in the larger image. As digital imaging has replaced film photography for newsgathering and journalism, there have been counterexamples of newsworthy images that would have long been deleted except for the fact that they were shot on film instead of on memory cards. In this case, the image of Yo-Yo Ma and his phone wouldn't have been preserved, except that it was captured by chance and 'mined' out of the massive, frozen decisive moment. Image & zoom video used with permission of the photographer; all rights reserved.
Olympus E-30 DSLR reviewed: distinctly different, but that's a good thing
Olympus' E-30 just recently began to hit store shelves after being announced last November, and the shutterbugs at DigitalCameraReview have taken the liberty of critiquing it for all prospective buyers to see. The cam maintained the quirkiness that tends make an Olympus, well, an Olympus, but when it came down to actual performance, the DSLR didn't disappoint... much, anyway. It should be noted that it couldn't hold a candle to the D90 at ISO 3,200, so low-light fiends may want to look elsewhere. That aside, critics were more than pleased with the copious amount of features, the top-shelf focusing speed and the remarkable build quality. If it were priced a few hundies lower, it'd almost be a no-brainer, but with an asking price of around $1,300 at present time, it'll be hard to sway the eyes of those already focusing on another shooter. Have a look at the read link for a few sample shot comparisons and the full writeup.
Video: Sanyo's collection of new "dual cameras" handled, critiqued
Sanyo announced a plethora of "dual camera" models (camcorders with still capture aspirations) just yesterday, and Geek.com's Chris Gampat was lucky enough to get a little hands on time with the lot, choosing three favorites: the VPC-FH1, VPC-HD2000, and VPC-WH1. The first two are similar in terms of specs, both capturing 1080p video at 60fps and 8 megapixel stills at 12fps through a 10x optical zoom. They differ only in form factor, the VPC-FH1 offering a traditional style and the VPC-HD2000 coming with a pistol grip. Then there's the more daring VPCP-WH1, waterproof down to 10 feet and coming in a "look at me, sailor" yellow, but only shooting 720p video at 30fps and 2 megapixel stills. However, its 30x optical zoom is perfect for spotting Piping Plovers, and the 3.5 hour battery life means this thing can probably survive longer underwater than you. Videos of these three are below, and surely one them fits your lifestyle, so make a little room this spring, won't you? Read - Hands-on: Sanyo VPC-FH1 and VPC-HD2000Read - Hands-on: Sanyo VPC-WH1 waterproof camcorder
5-in-1 multi-function MP3 player could use a plug from Billy Mays
In theory, we can't really harsh on a diminutive little gizmo that can play back MP3s, record voice notes, capture live video, snap a few stills and double as a card reader in a pinch, but there's just something about this thing that screams infomercial. As for specs, it's got 2GB of built-in memory, a microSD expansion slot, USB 2.0 connectivity, a rechargeable Li-ion and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Unfortunately, the thing's selling for an almost astronomical $60 before shipping, which definitely pushes it into "won't ever sell without Billy Mays' endorsement" territory. Seriously, check the vid after the jump if you think you're immune to coercion.
President Obama's official portrait: the first ever taken with a digital camera
You're now gazing at President Barack Obama's just-released official portrait -- the first of a U.S. president ever taken with a digital camera. That means we can peek at the EXIF data -- this fine specimen of portraiture was snapped with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II on January 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm with no flash, using a 105mm lens stopped to f/10 at a 1/125 exposure, with an ISO of 100 by newly crowned official White House photographer Pete Souza. Nice work, Souza -- but we think it could use a few lens flares.[Thanks, Penny]
Unified UI previews the future of Samsung hardware
If Samsung devices are your preferred flavor, get very familiar with the interface pictured above. Eased in amongst product announcements during today's CES keynote is the news that all their devices -- camcorders, HDTVs, digital cameras, PMPs and all -- will be sharing this style going forward. Seeming to follow the example set by Sony's XMB, and hopefully adding momentum to a trend others will continue, the idea is that users pick it up on one device, and can carry that experience to future purchases without a sharp learning curve. As much as we enjoy figuring out where the contrast setting is for the 20th time, early adopters have more than enough options to memorize. Of course, unified doesn't mean static, and this interface should be plenty customizable. Word is that consumers' first look at the new UI is via Samsung's new digital camera lineup, but other details are few and far between.
Google releases Picasa 3 for Mac
iPhoto haters rejoice! Google recently released their popular photo management and editing program, Picasa, for Mac OS X. In my early testing, it didn't crash or seem sluggish, but like many Google offerings, this version still bears the "Beta" designation.Picasa integrates nicely with Google's online photo-hosting service, Picasa Web Albums, by allowing album syncing, uploading, and access control. Album syncing allows you to change a photo (by retouching, changing the caption, cropping, etc.) and have the changed photo appear in seconds on your web album. Your iPhoto library can be viewed in Picasa in "read-only" form. If you want to make edits to photos in your iPhoto library, you'll have to let Picasa make a copy of the photo and then edit it. Picasa also lets you upload photos to Blogger, create videos of your photos, and create a collage. It's nice to have a solid option aside from iPhoto to manage our photo collections locally and on the web. Picasa is a free 17MB download.
Researchers tapping into nanotechnology for sharper images
A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow just came into all sorts of cash, and they'll be using it to advance imaging. If you're looking for specifics (and we're assuming you are), a £489,234 grant from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council will be used to study a certain phenomenon called surface plasmon resonance, "which is an effect exhibited by certain metals when light waves fall onto their surfaces." In short, the gurus behind the research are hoping to discover a method of "creating patterns or small nanostructures in the metal film on the CMOS, which should increase the sensitivity of the sensor and result in higher quality images." The bad news? The project is expected to last until 2012, which is like, forever from now.[Image courtesy of Photo]
Creaceed's HDR photography contest
Although many TUAW contests are limited to North American participants, here's a contest sponsored by a Belgian Mac development firm that is open to everybody! Creaceed's Hydra 1.6 software is a Leopard-only solution for creating HDR (High Dynamic Range) photographs. If you're not familiar with HDR photography, it's a way of creating photographs that are closer to what the human eye actually sees (view Flickr gallery). To do this, you take two or more photos of the same scene; some are overexposed, some underexposed, some are just right. For example, if you see a beautiful sunset with your own eyes, you can see details in both the sunset and the surrounding landscape. Since digital camera CCDs don't have the same dynamic range as your eyes, photos of the sunset usually show the landscape as being too dark. If you get the landscape "right", the sunset is washed out. Hydra takes those photographs, aligns them, and then performs some algorithmic magic to create HDR images that are perfectly exposed across the entire photograph. If you got a new digital camera for Christmas, give Hydra a try, and then enter your best HDR images into Creaceed's contest. Entry details can be found here -- good luck!
So you just got a digital camera -- now what?
If you're one of the lucky people who got a digital camera this Christmas, congratulations and welcome to the fun and exciting world of digital photography. But now that you have your shiny new camera and are holding it in your eager hands, what's next? Fortunately, I've been in your shoes and can offer the following tips to hopefully make your new camera easier to use and more fun to play with. Let me help get you started on the road to taking some great pictures. Memory Cards Digital pictures can be quite large when it comes to file sizes; modern cameras can chew up plenty of megabytes with each shot. Consequently, the meager capacity of the compact flash (CF) or secure digital (SD/SDHC) memory card that came with your camera just isn't going to do the trick for very long. So, one of the first things you are going to want is a larger card, or cards, to store your pictures. I tend to stick to memory cards from Sandisk or Lexar and opt for several medium-sized cards, such as 2GB, instead of just one big one. This way, in case disaster strikes and a memory card fails, which they sometimes do, all of your not-yet-downloaded pictures are not on just one card and are instead spread across several of them.
TiltShift brings miniature faking to the iPhone
If you're looking for a quick way to add that "miniature" effect to photos from your iPhone, TiltShift is for you. While not as powerful as using desktop image editing software, it can quickly doctor your images to give them that tilt-shifty look, or just apply a dreamy vignette around the edges. TiltShift comes with a library of photos to try, but you can also use photos from your iPhone or iPod touch's camera roll. If you have an iPhone, you can take a picture directly from the app. The app works in both portrait and landscape modes, which makes it easier to transform wider photos. Rotating the screen was a little strange -- it sometimes didn't recognize when my iPod touch was rotated, and I had to sort of jiggle it to make it rotate properly. The results are pretty good: It takes a fair bit of fiddling to get it just right, and a small screen size (and no zoom support) makes very detailed manipulation difficult. On the scale of "do you want it good, or do you want it fast," TiltShift definitely leans toward "fast." Nifty, nevertheless. TiltShift is $1.99, and is available in the App Store. %Gallery-39492%
Pano version 2.0: even more widescreen goodness
Pano, a panorama photo app for iPhone we reviewed back in October, has been updated to version 2.0. What's in the update of the $2.99 app (click opens iTunes) from Debacle Software? The ability to make panoramas of up to 6 individual pictures (version 1.0 maxed out at 4 pics) New stitching algorithms and color correction that resolve the dark bars that sometimes appeared at the "seams" between photos A new portrait mode Better memory management for more stability Reduced processing time when merging photos Pano 2.0 was supposed to ship with a new icon, but the icon police at Apple apparently had issues with the updated design. If you already own Pano, be sure to download the update to take advantage of the nifty new features. Debacle Software is hosting a panorama contest in the near future with lots of fabulous prizes, and featuring several TUAW bloggers as impartial and unbiased judges. Start taking those panorama shots soon!