focal length

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  • Brett Putman / Engadget

    How to pick a lens for your mirrorless camera in 2019

    by 
    Steve Dent
    Steve Dent
    04.15.2019

    When buying a mirrorless camera, there's an equally crucial side question: What lenses do I need for this thing? The glass you place in front of that sensor plays a key role in how your photos or videos look and what kind of shooting you can do. It's a complex decision too. You need to consider factors like sharpness, distortion, speed, prime or zoom and, most important, price. In this guide, I'll touch on all that and look at some of the best lenses for Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras.

  • Ricoh unveils waterproof, dirt-resistant PX camera for outdoorsy photographers

    by 
    Amar Toor
    Amar Toor
    06.09.2011

    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%

  • Coaster-sized origami-optics lens boosts focal length, shrinks photog egos

    by 
    Tim Stevens
    Tim Stevens
    09.04.2008

    Sports photogs aren't compensating for something by swinging gigantic, monopod-mounted lenses; they need the focal length. Focusing and zooming on outfielders usually means glass far from the camera body, but not so when using so-called "origami optics," flat lenses being researched at UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering that use internal reflection to achieve long focal lengths. Only the outer ring actually captures the image, while the others bounce it around before depositing light onto the film or sensor. The military is sponsoring this research, wanting better eyes on its UAVs, and we're hoping for improved optics in our gadgets -- though we were equally jazzed about liquid lenses, and those haven't exactly revolutionized mobile photography yet. A snooze-inducing Engineering TV clip after the break explains it all in more detail, so don't click on until you've had your morning cuppa -- or two.