Gadgets and just Gadgets

Polaroid gets killed by digital films

One of the unfortunate aspects of the so-called digital revolution is that older, analog technologies get left behind. With digital cameras, Polaroid photos are being replaced. Digitals are more instant, and usually look better, though there’s something about the primary colors and blurry edges of a Polaroid that will always rule.The Concorde company that pioneered instant photography is getting out of the film business to focus on digital imaging.

Polaroid says it will close its two remaining film manufacturing plants in Massachusetts. The facilities in Norwood and Waltham employed about 150 people and made large-format film for commercial use.

Polaroid has already halted the production of instant cameras. Chief Operating Officer Tom Beaudoin told The Boston Globe the company will focus on digital photography equipment and flat-panel TVs.

The Concord-based company will retain about 150 administrative workers in Massachusetts.

In its heyday, Polaroid employed some 15,000 people in the state. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2001 as the advent of digital technology dampened demand for instant photography.

Tags: polaroid, concord, film, camera, digital

JVC presents GR-D870 and GR-D850 miniDV camcorder line

A new JVC miniDV camcorder line offers portability and shooting flexibility, with two new compact and feature-laden models. The compact design of the new JVC GR-D870 and GR-D850 belies a rich set of powerful features, such as a Konica Minolta lens with 35x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch 16:9 widescreen LCD monitor with automatic backlight control for easy viewing, even on a bright, sunny day.

For low-light shooting there is also the built-in Auto Illumi-Light LED. The GR-D870 provides a new level of versatility with Dual Recording and Live Slow features. With Dual Recording, users don’t have to choose between shooting still images or video: still pictures can be taken while shooting video.

Meanwhile, Live Slow - a feature unique to JVC - combines slow-motion video with live audio, a feature that is perfect for sports and other fast-moving action. Both models come with an array of features to enhance ease-of-use and ensure top quality footage. The Stick Control on the LCD makes navigating menus and settings a one-finger operation, while the Data Battery lets the user know how much recording time remains. Other standard features include Multi-Language On-Screen to switch the on-screen display language, a dedicated Auto Button to instantly switch between auto and manual modes, and Power-Linked Operation, which switches the camcorder on as soon as the LCD monitor is opened.

Nothing to get excited about but the GR-D870 can be purchased immediately for a nickel under $250, while the GR-D850 will run you $20 less.

Tags: JVC, camcorder, miniDV, JVC GR-D870, GR-D850, camera, recorder

Sony XDV-D500Source

Sony’s new ¥38,000 (about $355) XDV-D500 features a 3-inch, 432 x 240 pixel resolution display with 160-degree viewing angle, 500:1 contrast, and a battery capable of about 8-hours of TV reception.

It can even record up to 10 hours of scheduled programming to 2GB of internal memory. The itty bittier XDV-G200 brings a 2-inch LCD to the show, AM/FM radio too, then ditches the EPG and recording function. This is Japan mind you, so these sets receive digital 1Seg TV — in other words you can kiss your import fantasies goodbye.

Sony’s 3.0 type / 432 × 240 dot low temperature polysilicon TFT LCD panel adopted for the 160-degree viewing angle, contrast ratio of 500:1 or more to achieve. ” Color reproduction is more than 74 percent, reflecting higher property for the minimum visibility in outdoor” Holds said.

EPG also display subtitles view and respond to, and one-segment program recording functions. Destination 2 GB of internal memory capacity is a maximum of 10 hours / 100 recording.

Tags: sony, XDV-D500, D-500, camera, digital camera

Hitachi’s Smart CCTV Camera

Whatever your opinion of the ever-increasing number of surveillance cameras pointed at us, their proliferation creates a tricky logistical problem for those doing the watching – how do we make sense of the information overload of so much video?

Hitachi has come up with an answer that uses artificial intelligence to analyze what the CCTV cameras are seeing and prioritize just a handful for close human inspection.

The system takes feeds from up to 100 online cameras and passes them to a personal computer for image processing and a central server for the meatier task of searching through video archives for comparable footage.

Together, they pull out the four most important video streams and display those on a monitor at high resolution, while the remainders appear as thumbnails.

Face-recognition software is employed to see if known troublemakers appear in live video, while behavior-analysis software looks out for likely problems, such as loitering, erratic movements and unusual noise levels.

Best of all is the data load, which is kept down to around 70Mbps by selecting just four main streams. Other 100-camera systems typically consume 10 times the bandwidth and cost much more than the ¥10 million ($95,000) Hitachi is asking for.
[tags]
Hitachi, Smart CCTV Camera, CCTV, camera, CCTV camera, surveillance, [/tags]

Smartparts SP8PRT digital photo frame that prints

We all know that digital photo frames these days do not just display photos, they are more than capable of playing both video and audio as well. So what should there be left to take out on the market ,in this domain, in order to surprise the buyers?

Smartparts aims to go one up on the rest of the competition with its SP8PRT digital photo frame that is the first of its kind in the world, being equipped with an integrated photo printer. The entire printer has been incorporated into the frame’s body, concealed behind the SP8PRT’s LCD display so that the bulk can’t be seen from the front.( you can see this in the picture) You get a one dye sublimation color cartridge with ink and paper per purchase, saving you the hassle of hooking up your digital camera to a separate photo printer.

So there are stll many things to add to a plain and simple photoframe. I wonder whether this will sell like hot cakes once it hits the market…

Tags: photo, frame, photoframe, digital photoframe, SP8PRT, smartpart

Sunex SuperFisheye 5.6 mm with circular capture

Sometimes 14mm isn’t wide enough. Granted, a 15mm is too wide for birdies but definitely not enough for panorama freaks with crop-factor DSLR. If 5.6mm is wide enough for you, Sunex just launched a SuperFisheye at PMA 2008. With popular cropped-FOV DSLRs like the Rebel XT and Nikon D40, you lose a lot of those precious millimeters so there’s definitely a market for something like this. 5.6mm is insanity though — and as you can see, it covers a lot of real estate.

This Sunex SuperFisheye 5.6mm F5.6 circular fish eye lens has an angle of view of 185° in all directions, provides enough overlap and allows stitching software to realize a 360° immersing image with only two shots. It is exclusively designed for digital SLR for Canon APS-C and Nikon DX format DSLR Cameras to produce a full circular image within the frame.Still, if you’re trying to get the circle effect, you’re putting your subject in the area with the craziest distortion. You can use a (probably expensive) Photoshop filter to flatten the image, and it looks like it’s corrected a little strangely, but it works.

The lens kits costs about $799 including the Dewarper DSLR Photoshop compatible plug-in filter for correcting or optimizing distortions that also works with other fish eye glasses like Peleng 8mm, Canon 15mm or Sigma 8mm.

Tags: Sunex SuperFisheye, 5.6 mm, circular capture , PMA 2008, photoshop, Dewarper DSLR , camera

Kodak Announces New 10-Megapixel High Zoom Digital Camera Source

Kodak recently announced the Easyshare Z1012IS, which is a 10-megapixel, 12x optical zoom wonder with OIS. It also has a lightning fast click-to-capture speed that’s best in class at 0.14 seconds with aufo-focus accuracy. ISO can be cranked up to 3200 for those fast action, low light situations. Kodak’s latest slew of cameras have smart capture technology that automatically identify the scene and adjusts the settings accordingly.

“With the newest addition to the EasyShare family, Kodak is making it even easier for consumers to capture life’s high performance memories,” said Pierre Schaeffer, chief marketing officer, Kodak’s Consumer Digital Imaging Group. “The smart technology found on the KODAK EASYSHARE Z1012 IS enables consumers to capture life’s most important moments and seamlessly bring their pictures to life on vivid prints, HD displays and wireless picture frames.”

The Z1012IS will be available sometime in the first half of this year for $300.

Tags: kodak, 10 MP, camera, easyshare, Z1012, digital camera, easyshare Z1012IS

Rick Sammon Outdoors Lighting Kit Source

Professional Photographer Rick Sammon has teamed up with Westcott to create a new kit for outdoor photographers - the Rick Sammon On-Location Lighting Kit and Tote.Ideal for creative outdoor photographers, this kit makes it easy for anyone to turn snapshots into great shots. 

Included in the Rick Sammon On-Location Lighting Kit and Tote is one 30” diffuser, one 30” Sunlight/Silver Illuminator reflector, one Micro ApolloTM and a carry tote.  The diffusion panel is a 1-stop diffuser, used to soften harsh sunlight.  To bounce sunlight onto a subject’s face for dramatic lighting, fill in shadows or add catch light to the eyes, the Sunlight/Silver reflector can be used.  Westcott’s Micro ApolloTM attaches to any accessory flash with Velcro® for diffusing the light, resulting in softer portraits.  The lightweight carry tote is 12” in diameter and includes three interior pockets to separate lighting accessories.

“With my camera and zoom lens on one shoulder, and my tote, packed with the reflectors/diffusers, Micro Apollo Light Modifier, my flash and extra batteries, on the other, I am good to go – and I go a lot of places in search of interesting subjects,” says Rick Sammon.  the price is $119.90.

Tags: photograph kit, Rick Sammon, Lighting Kit, photo, camera

Pentax to announce a PMA?Source

We don’t know yet what to think about the rumours about Pentax announcing a PMA, but one thing is for sure, Pentax is focusing on DSLRs this year and that’s coming straight from the horse’s mouth. Head of Japanese sales for Pentax, Hitoshi Sasaki, was recently quoted:

We will keep focusing on DSLR as we did last year,” Sasaki said. “The segment will demand not only the cameras but also interchangeable lenses and accessories, contributing much to the expansion of sales and profits. The lens line will further be enriched this year. In the “Optio” series compact cameras, we will review the lineup where models under ¥30,000 (US$270) are the mainstream to upgrade overall lineup. The approach may be made in terms of product development and sales strategy.

So will the K200D jump up to 10-megapixels or how about live preview on the K20D? Looks like the Optio’s will be getting a refresh as well.

Tags: Pentax, PMA, K0D, K200D, DLR, Hitoshi Sasaki, lense, cameraPentax to announce a PMA?

The PowerShot SD430 is Canon’s first wireless digital compact camera. Bringing PowerShot style and performance to the wireless age, the camera’s Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b) support offers users a new level of flexibility and convenience in digital photography.

The PowerShot SD430 supports several innovative features, including automatic wireless image transfer and wireless control of camera shooting functions from a PC. It comes supplied with the Wireless Printer Adapter (WA-1E) for out-of-the-box wireless direct printing to any Canon PictBridge-compatible printer.

Could be a mistake, but you better jump on it before this deal runs out. Amazon is offering the 5-megapixel Canon Powershot SD430 with Wi-Fi and 3x optical zoom for only $150. The retail price is $500 so you’re saving a lot of money on this one. You also get a 12-month photo calendar from Shutterfly if you purchase before the 15th.

Technical Details

• Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b) compatibility for wireless image transfer and control of camera functions from a PC
• Features 5.0-megapixel CCD sensor, compact 3x optical zoom, and ultra-high refractive index aspherical (UA) lens
• Processes prints up to A3 size
• Includes a software suite featuring Canon’s ZoomBrowser EX 5.5 (Windows) and ImageBrowser 5.5 (Mac); PhotoRecord 2.2, PhotoStitch, and PhotoStudio
• Designed with a sleek silver finish and stylish blue LED