Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
TriggerTrap is an iPhone/iPad app that works in conjunction with a special camera connection cable to trigger DSLRs in a variety of different ways. There are 12 different triggering modes, including two different flavors of timelapse, distance-lapse, motion detection, sound, magnetism and vibration sensors, and a facial recognition sensor. [Read more…]
The ToughTech Duo from CRU-Dataport is a portable and robust little RAID hard drive. It has connectivity options for FireWire 800, eSATA and USB 2.0. The drive is bus powered over FireWire 800. [Read more…]
It looks like the full specs for the Sony NEX-F3 and A37 entry-level cameras are now out in the wild with a release date of May 17, courtesy of SonyAlphaRumors. Leaked images vis Yangcanggih. Check out the spec lists below.
One thing that doesn’t jive with the specs and the leaked images is the MP4 codec listed in the NEX-F3 specs. The images clearly showed the AVCHD logo on the camera body. Likewise, a 1080/24p and 1080/60i frame rate suggests an AVCHD 1.0 codec. If anything, I think the MP4 codec would be for a 720p option (like the NEX-C3) – although, the NEX-F3 appears to offer full 1080p HD video capture in addition to a possible 720p MP4 mode…
With the recent NEX models sporting the AVCHD 2.0 codec, it looks like Sony will differentiate the video capabilities on entry-level models by sticking with a max 30fps frame rate at full 1920 x 1080 resolution via the AVCHD 1.0 codec. This should make the NEX-F3 a perfect consumer camera with great 1080p video. And, if you want to get your overcranked footage on for smooth slo-mo, you’ll need to step up to the NEX-5N or higher.
The A37 looks to be very competent as well for an entry-level shooter. Frankly though, unless you have to have the phase-detection AF system of the SLT models, I would suggest most people to choose the NEX-F3 as an entry-level go-to camera over the A37.
I’ll have more concrete thoughts on these models once they are officially announced and I get my hands on them.
Stay tuned.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has designed a 3.2 BILLION pixel camera that it hopes to build in order to “capture the widest, fastest and deepest view of the night sky ever observed.” The above rendering of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) shows just how big this 3 ton camera will be next to a person. [Read more…]
It’s time for our weekly break from the gear for a few minutes so we can enjoy another round of reader photos from the Photography Bay Flickr Group.
Check out the rest of the photos below. [Read more…]
Planet5D picked up the below video (crafted by Jeff Farmer) in Apple Motion using a 3D composite of 4 still images of clouds captured with a Canon Rebel T2i.
This is a great little technique that’s doable with basic 3D compositing skills in Motion or After Effects, or any other editor that gives you access to z-space adjustments. The great thing about working with still images in 3D composites is the ability to reframe the massive images for delivery at 1920 x 1080 resolution. The T2i delivers a 5K still image, so there’s a lot of room to work with or only to use a portion of the image for no loss of quality in an HD video.
If you are interested to learn more about this kind of work, there’s a great tutorial on some very basic 3D compositing at VideoCopilot.net.
Sony Alpha Rumors just published the above image of the upcoming Sony NEX-F3, which is due to replace the excellent Sony NEX-C3.
The new Sony NEX-F3 will sport a 16.1MP image sensor and is rumored to include a 180-degree tilting LCD, along with a built-in flash. The presence of the AVCHD logo on the above image also suggest 1080p capture (hopefully, it will be AVCHD 2.0 for 60p like the NEX-5N).
The naming scheme is curious given the Sony PMW-F3, which is a PL mount cinema camera and commonly referred to as simply the “F3”. Likewise, the potential spec-sheet further suggests that the NEX-F3 may outshine the (also excellent) NEX-5N, in which case we can probably expect a summer 2012 replacement for it as well.
For now, the Sony NEX-F3 is rumored to launch in May 2012, alongside the Sony A37, an entry-level DSLR-ish camera with Sony’s translucent mirror technology.
You can expect to hear a lot more about this camera in the coming weeks. So, stay tuned.
Hot on the heels of a Nikon D400 rumor, Nikon Rumors is at it again with new rumors of a cheaper full-frame model, dubbed the Nikon D600, which would serve in a complementary role the D800 (and perhaps replace the now-lower-priced D700) . Rumored specifications include a 24MP CMOS sensor, no internal AF motor (akin to entry-level APS-C cameras), and a price point around $1500.
Other rumored specs include:
The camera is alleged to make an appearance before Photokina 2012.
Stay tuned for the latest.
Adobe Labs just dropped Lightroom 4.1 Release Candidate 2. This is the first time I recall Adobe issuing a second release candidate for a particular update version, which is likely due to bugs reported in the first Release Candidate for 4.1 as noted below.
This update corrects issues reported from the initial Lightroom 4.0 release and Lightroom 4.1 Release Candidate. The Lightroom team would like to thank all of the customers who helped track down the details of these issues. This update also allows Lightroom to support HDR files and provide new controls to correct for color fringing. This update also adds raw file format support for a number of cameras, including Canon EOS 60Da, Olympus OM-D E-M5, Samsung NX1000 and Sony Alpha NEX-VG20.
Remember, this is a release candidate, which means it has been pretty well tested and Adobe thinks it is ready for full release; however, it’s recommended that you keep production work to a prior version until the official releases drop. Given some of the problems with the 4.0 release, this release candidate may be a necessary upgrade for some users. Expect the full version update to come soon though. Release candidates mean that the final versions are just around the corner.
GoPro announced some pretty exciting stuff for the POV market at NAB 2012. A new firmware upgrade for the GoPro HERO2 called Protune adds 24p and 35Mbps data rate to the HERO2. In partnership with Technicolor, the new Protune update adds the ability to shoot with a flat Cinestyle developed by Technicolor.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNVcRLMo4Nw&w=640&h=360]More details in the press release below.
[Read more…]