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LG's 48-inch gaming OLED TV arrives in June for $1,499
If your idea of sticking it out at home involves catching up on games and movies, LG might have some good news. The company has started rolling out its 2020 OLED TVs, complete with US pricing and release dates for the collection. The highlight for many may be the smallest of the bunch -- the gaming-oriented 48-inch model in the CX series will arrive in June for $1,499. That might be more expensive than you were expecting, but it could hit the sweet spot if you either intend it as a gaming PC monitor or just want something better-suited to a small space.
Nikon's latest high-speed mirrorless cameras come to the US
After a (thankfully brief) wait, Nikon's super-speedy J4 mirrorless camera is coming to the US -- and it's bringing along a low-cost counterpart, the S2. You should see the J4 arrive later this month for $650 with a standard 10-30mm zoom lens, or about $50 more than the outgoing J3. It'll also be available in an $850 kit with a more flexible 10-100mm lens, and a $1,050 bundle is on tap if you want both the 10-30mm glass and a long-range 30-110mm telephoto lens. As you'd expect, the hardware hasn't changed in the few weeks since Nikon first unveiled the J4. You're still getting the new 18.4-megapixel sensor and Expeed 4A image processor that, combined, let you pump out photos at a steady 20 frames per second with advanced autofocusing (171 contrast detection points and 105 phase detection points). You'll also enjoy relative luxuries such as a touchscreen and WiFi photo sharing.
Nikon's J4 mirrorless camera has more megapixels, 20fps burst speed
Good things happen when you cram a fast image processor into a small camera body, as Nikon has shown with its new mid-range 1 model, the J4. With the latest Expeed 4A imaging engine, the CX-sensor camera can now pump out 20 images per second in burst mode with continuous AF, which Nikon claims is the world's fastest (along with the pricey new V3). That's also a big bump over last year's J3, and most other specs have also improved: there's now 18.4 instead of 14.2-megapixels, 1080/60p video in lieu of 1080/60i (with 120fps at 720p), a 105 point PD/171 point contrast AF, a new touchscreen and built-in WiFi. One change photographers may not like is the use of MicroSD memory cards instead of industry standard SD cards, but at least the J4 is slightly smaller and lighter than the J3. It'll come in black, white, silver and orange (with an optional underwater housing) but there's no word on when, where or for how much. As a rough starting point, though, last year's model was $600 with the 10-30mm kit lens.
Nikon 1 V2 mirrorless camera hands-on! (video)
If you followed the launch of Nikon's J2 interchangeable-lens compact recently, then waking up to today's announcement of a higher-specced V2 probably won't come as a huge surprise. Nevertheless, whereas the J2 was frustratingly incremental compared to the J1, the V2 will likely represent a more significant upgrade when it lands on shelves at the end of November. For a start, the magnesium alloy camera has been bestowed with a sizable grip, which makes a vast difference to its ergonomics -- it feels much more secure and manageable in the hand, without hurting the small and lightweight appeal of this form factor. Nikon has found room for a pop-up flash too, which is certainly nice to have. The mode dial has moved to the top of the camera and now includes the four main shooting modes (P/S/A/M) -- a change which, in one fell swoop, helps the entire remainder of the control system to become more intuitive and accessible. A new processing engine allows the camera to shoot 15 fps with continuous focus (versus 10 fps with the V1), with Nikon claiming that AF speed has been improved as well. And as for the bad news? It's waiting for you after the break.
Aptina unveils 1-inch sensor with 1080p video at 120FPS, we suspect Nikon wants 1
Part suppliers sometimes telegraph their customers' plans months in advance: when you're the only provider for a key piece of technology, it's not hard for others to read the tea leaves. Aptina might have just given us one such peek into the future by unveiling its 1-inch AR1011HS camera sensor this week. As the Nikon 1 series is one of the few current, mainstream camera lines to use Aptina's 1-inch sensors, it's quite possible that we're looking at a template for one or more of Nikon's tiny interchangeable-lens shooters. The 10-megapixel CMOS sensor and low-light sensitivity aren't surprises. We're more interested in the wild levels of video capture support -- the AR1011HS can record 1080p footage at 120 frames per second, oversample movies at that resolution or scale up to quad HD. There's no guarantee any or all of the features will make the cut, especially given a dearth of 4K TVs, but it's not hard to imagine Nikon playing to the 1's high-speed strengths with an even quicker upgrade. Mass production starts in the first quarter of 2013, and while neither Aptina nor Nikon has confirmed any plans, Aptina's emphasis on top-tier companies in the "performance-oriented" mirrorless camera world leaves few other choices for a partnership.
Nikon 1 J1 review (video)
Pentax Q interchangeable lens camera review Samsung's NX200 camera: 20.3 megapixels, interchangeable lenses, full HD video Two megapixel mini-camera measures in at under a cubic inch, weighs under an ounce So, Nikon finally has a mirrorless camera, after what was quite possibly the most dramatic launch event the company has ever conducted. Sure, competing models from Panasonic, Olympus and Sony have already reached the second, or even third generation before Nikon lifted the veil on its J1, but did last month's long-awaited announcement bring us the ILC to rule all ILCs? Well, no, not at all. Nikon isn't targeting pros or even advanced amateur shooters with its latest addition to the interchangeable lens camera family. Instead, the company is marketing its J1 to soccer moms (and dads), fashion-conscious young folk, and casual shooters who want some of the versatility of a DSLR, but are willing to sacrifice excellent image quality for a more compact design. But what about the rest of us? Will Nikon one day reward our patience with a true class competitor? Perhaps, but that's definitely not what we have here. Nikon built the $650 J1 "from the ground up" -- a reference to its 10.1 megapixel, CX-size sensor with a 2.7x crop factor, along with a handful of quirky features that we probably won't use, but that some of you (or perhaps your family members) may love. Jump past the break to see what we really liked about the camera, and what left us rather unimpressed. And it you're dying to judge its performance for yourself, you can check out a handful of untouched images at the coverage link below the conclusion, along with a variety of sample videos spattered throughout.%Gallery-135514%
Nikon unveils V1 and J1 mirrorless cameras: 10.1MP CMOS, 1080p video, ships in October for $650+ (video)
Rumors of a Nikon mirrorless camera have been floating around the web since the middle of last year, and recent leaks have made us wonder not if the company would release a compact ILC -- only when such an announcement would be made. Well, we finally have our answer. We journeyed to a secret location in midtown Manhattan tonight, with nary a peep from Nikon about what to expect until just before the clock struck midnight -- and only after more than two hours of laptop-free house arrest and live Counting Crows. Only the rumored mirrorless cam seemed worthy of such unusual precautions, so we were relieved to discover that Nikon had managed to justify this late night adventure. The company has finally announced not one, but a pair of compact "1 System" mirrorless cameras, and it seems totally fine with putting the focus speed up against the self-proclaimed champ. Head on past the break for more details! %Gallery-134465%
Ricoh CX4 gets reviewed: slight improvement over the CX3
Well, it looks like Ricoh is still sticking to the if-it's-not-broke-don't-fix-it model with its CX series of cameras. Just as it found in its review of the CX3, Photography Blog says that the new CX4 model delivers some modest improvements over its predecessor, but likely not enough to warrant an upgrade -- or stand out from the competition, for that matter. The improvements this time around include some improved image stabilization, as well as a handful of new features like a multi-shot night landscape mode and subject-tracking AF, which both apparently work reasonably well. One of the other new changes also proved to be one of the camera's biggest drawbacks, however, as the reduced handgrip makes the CX4 harder to hold comfortably than earlier models. Hit up the source link below for the full review.
Sony's camera and camcorder lineup spotted at CES (video)
We swung by Sony's gloomy CES booth to check out their new camcorders and cameras for 2010. Fresh on the Handycam menu were the SDHC-loving CX and XR series camcorders (pictured above), and we saw some nice demos of their Optical SteadyShot (mesmerizing video after the break) and wide angle G lens. The tapeless AX2000 professional video camera was also present further down the table, sporting dual memory card slots. On the other table we encountered the Bloggie and the rest of the 2010 Cyber-shot lineup in several colors. Aww, what a sweet family. %Gallery-82133%
Toshiba updates its Qosmio and Dynabook offerings, elicits yawns, naps
Toshiba is getting back in the swing of things with a round of Summer updates for a bunch of laptops (at least in Japan). First up on the block is the Qosmio F40, the €1352, 15.4-inch model which now trades its HD DVD drive or a DVD multi option, sports a Core 2 Duo T8100 CPU atop a GN965 Express chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and HDMI outs. The company has also updated the Dynabook AX (€922), which now comes in a pink, white, or shiny black casing, with a Celeron 550 CPU on board, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, HDMI outs, and a Super Multi optical drive. The 15.4-inch, WXGA-screened TX gets an bump in the form of the Core 2 Duo T8100, plus 2GB of RAM, 200GB hard drive, and those HDMI / Super Multi drive fixin's, all for €1100. Finally, the smaller, 13.3-inch CX line sports the same CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, everything else that the other models have, and a totally awesome €1230 price tag.[Via Akihabara News]
Magellan introduces the MobileMapper CX pro GPS unit
GPS and mapping might be ubiquitous now, but all those cute little devices still need to get their data from somewhere, and Magellan's got the answer for the pro-level GIS user with their MobileMapper CX GPS. The WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled CX can interface with remote databases, connect to other units, and even browse the web, while the phone-inspired interface lets mapmakers and surveyors log data one-handed. The CX runs an open version of WinCE 5.0, which Magellan touts as being easy to develop for, and features SD expansion for those data-intensive field excursions. No word on pricing or availability, but we're certain the five of you who need this thing are already on the phone -- or driving to the nearest reseller in your crazy map-cars.
Game Center CX is TV for retro game nerds
Fuji TV's Game Center CX has everything: exclusive developer interviews, looks at early versions of some of our favorite games, and, every episode, one man giving his very best to play a classic game to completion. The first season of the show focused more on the interviews and features; from season 2 on, the focus of the show became the gaming-- suffering along with host Shinya Arino as he tries to play old games from start to finish. The games range from the classic (Metroid, Prince of Persia, Actraiser) to the classic-to-us (Kato-chan & Ken-chan) to the painful (Takeshi no Chousenjou, which seems to have been designed as a cynical joke against gamers). Of course, the show is edited to fit into its format, so you aren't stuck watching all twelve hours or however long it takes.Crunk Games's Ray Barnholt is our hero for compiling this exhaustive episode guide. He has profiled the personalities and written detailed descriptions of each episode, including who is interviewed, what is discussed, and, most importantly, a play-by-play of the game sessions. Reading his descriptions is almost as good as watching the actual show. Speaking of the actual show, he's provided links to Japanese fanpages, at least one of which has Youtube links.We're generally glad that the Virtual Console is raising awareness of old games in general. Now we're glad that the VC enables whole new generations to do what Arino is doing, and experience game history first hand, one complete game at a time.Would you watch this kind of thing if it were on American TV? How about a similar show in English on the web? We wouldn't mind some personal narrative or gameplay videos on the Wii, to add value to the VC experience.
