iPhone Lens Dial

The iPhone 4s’ camera is top notch, at least for a smartphone.  However, there are some pretty obvious drawbacks, such as the tiny lens that doesn’t offer more than one field of view.  Unless of course you have the iPhone Lens Dial.

Unlike the olloclip, which slips on and off the corner of the iPhone, this lens getup adheres to Apple’s handset using an aluminum case that wraps both the front and back.  It sports three lenses: Wide Angle, Fisheye, and Telephoto.  The first two lenses really need no explanation, where as you should probably know that the telephoto lens provides a 1.5x optical zoom over the standard iPhone lens.  To access each lens, you simply rotate the dial where upon they’ll lock into place covering the iPhone’s standard lens.

By now you’ve probably noticed that there are some drawbacks to this lens system.  First off, it’s expensive costing $249.99.  Second, the case adds a ton of bulk to the iPhone and nearly triples the weight of the iPhone despite it being crafted from aircraft grade aluminum.

Source :

photojojo.com

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Panasonic Lumix GX1 Pocket DSLR

A 16 megapixel MOS live sensor and up to 14 interchangeable lenses are just two of many, many features that the LUMIX GX1 has to offer, Panasonic’s latest and greatest pocket DLSR camera.  While it embodies much of the same features as the GF1, GF2 and GF3, the GX1 is better suited for an all around photographer that demands customizability, but also the easy of use from a point and shoot.

The body of the GX1 is crafted from aluminium chassis resulting in a weight of just 413 grams.  You’ll be able to choose from two finishes: Gunmetal Grey and Raven Black, but both sound equally attractive, so no going wrong there.  In addition to a 16 megapixel sensor, Panasonic has reduced the auto focus time to just .9 seconds, which the company says is the fastest “ among Compact System Cameras”.  Burst mode lets you capture up to 20 frames per second and you can also record full HD video, though when the ISO is cranked 12,800 you can expect some of those capabilities to be reduced.

Much like the GF3, the GX1 includes a 3-inch touchscreen allowing to touch to focus and activate the shutter.  A hot shoe makes room for an angle adjustable viewfinder and since there is a built-in flash you can have both mounted at the same time unlike some other cameras in the same class.    There is of course face detection, an auto scene mode as well as auto mode.  Panasonic has also added two macro touchscreen button as well as two macro buttons for engaging your favorite options in a moment’s notice.  And what kind of camera would the GX1 be if it couldn’t capture 3D photos, though you’ll need to invest in a special digital lens, though we’d rather opt for the all new pancake sized 14-42mm X Zoom lens.

The GX1 with their  H-FS014042 lens will launch mid-December for about $800, though you can buy the body for $100 less.  Sometime in January they’ll kick out a version that includes the H-PS14042.

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Sony Cybershot T110

 

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T110 is a very powerful compact (3.5 by 2 by 0.6-inch) camera. I have not owned a point and shoot in some years and was impressed by the versatility of this nearly palm sized device. However, it also became apparent that the diminutive size might be better suited for people with much smaller hands than mine. I found myself fumbling with it while turning it over and trying to search through the menu. Regardless, the T110 comes packed with quality, including a 16.1MP CCD sensor, a 25-100mm wide-angle lens, a 3.0” touch screen panel and 720p HD videos. This feature rich camera is actually the less expensive of Sony’s point and shoot offerings.

A Sweet Design

This sleek Cyber-shot comes in silver, black, red, pink and violet. I reviewed the violet option, which would not be my color choice but was nonetheless an attractive look. Its curved corners and finely contoured design makes it a visually appealing and modern camera. Three of the four buttons along the top sit flush with the surface, with the zoom toggle only sticking up a bit from the curve of the camera. Aside from the zoom and shutter button there is also an on/off button and a forward arrow button that serves several purposes, including turning the camera on and switching from shooting mode to image review mode. Three-quarters of the front features a reflective casing that you can quickly and easily slide down to turn on the camera and reveal the lens. However, I wonder how long that panel will last with repeated up and down sliding.

Nearly the entire button-less back of the T110 is the 3.0” Clear Photo LCD touch screen. The screen sits behind a glass pane with a black border around it, creating a nifty display depth illusion. However, keep in mind that only 2.5” of the screen is used for the image capture space, which may not be large enough for some. The screen offers an average 230k-dot resolution with a different aspect ratio (16:9) than the Cyber-shot’s sensor (4:3). This reality coupled with the shrunken 2.5” display screen means the images are a tad squashed in viewing mode.

Build Quality

As previously mentioned, this camera is very small and at 4.3 ounces was barely noticeable in my pocket. It also seems to be built for compactness and style, not durability. Within three days of receiving the camera there was already a scratch on the touch screen. I would not be a happy paying customer, especially considering how vital the screen is to the camera’s functionality. I could not put the camera through drop testing but the outer casing does look sturdy enough to withstand at least a few drops. However, the touch screen’s durability is suspect. For instance, how would the screen handle being smacked against a hard surface or worse, which is bound to happen?

Menu UI

In comparison to the latest touch screen phones, the DSC-T110 is worlds apart, but in camera land it holds its own, and then some. The screen responded quickly to my touch, although there can be a split second delay when switching between screens. The UI is intuitive; with the big screen icons lined up along the right and left side of the screen. There is a detailed help section that outlines every feature of the camera and each screen has a question mark icon you can click on to reveal brief related descriptions. However, switching between shooting modes is not the most efficient, as it takes more time than I would like when needing to quickly shoot something.

Shooting Options and Features

There are five shooting modes: the default Intelligent Auto, Sweep Panorama, Movie Mode, Program Auto, which allows you to tinker with the settings during shooting and Scene Selection, which has 13 different scene options. The average user will likely stick with Auto mode for most still images, but may use some of the scene options for various situations, such as Soft Skin, Landscape, Twilight, Pet, Beach or Hi-Speed Shutter. The Sweep Panorama is a nice feature that does not require a perfectly steady hand to produce non-blurry images. This shooting mode has both standard and wide options up to 248 degrees. Choose the direction you want to take the panorama and then push and hold down the shutter button until you have swept the entire length of the shot, which is indicated with arrows on the screen.

If you need to take multiple pictures quickly then use the Burst feature, which allows up to three successive shots without the flash. There is also a useful Face Detection feature that when left to auto will find the face in the photo. This feature also has a child or adult priority option, or you can switch it to only happen when you touch the screen. In Auto shooting mode, you can always touch the screen to focus on a certain area of the shot.

Camera Lens

While the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 4x optical zoom lens takes quality pictures, there are other point and shoot cameras on the market with a bit wider zooms. The f3.5-6.3 aperture lens is decent but not top of the line for a shooter. Low light conditions will not produce the highest quality shots with this camera either.

Battery Life and Memory Card Compatibility

The battery life hovered around two hours for continuous use. However, if you are going to be using the camera sporadically the battery will likely last days or weeks. A full battery charge took about four hours. Also, be careful not to force the battery into the slot or you might break the plastic latch that holds it in place. For still images the camera takes Memory Stick Duo, SD, SDHC and SDXC. The Memory Stick PRO Duo can be used for movies.

Performance

From power up to shooting a photo the T110 takes around 3 seconds, a tad too slow for my taste. Even worse, the time between each shot is a long 3 seconds plus, with the photo barely flashing on the screen and leaving no time to look at it. The shutter lag is a not so inspiring 0.6 seconds.

Photos are generally very crisp, even applying the 4x zoom. The built in image stabilization gyro sensor certainly helps to avoid blurry images as well. However, as mentioned before, low light, specifically indoors at night is not the best situation for producing good images. The flash does help in these situations but it is not powerful enough to light up more than what the camera is focusing on. See the sample images below shot in a variety of modes and situations.

The hi-def 720p30 video shot by the T110 looks amazing for such a small point-and-shoot camera. You can zoom in silently while recording, which is a rarity among these types of pocket cameras. Videos are .MOV files that can be easily posted online or edited in your favorite video editor.

Connectivity

Connectivity stinks for this Sony Cyber-shot due to its proprietary port and cable. There are no mini-USB or HDMI ports, which come standard on many of today’s digital cameras. However, you can put your chosen memory card into a card reader, or connect the USB end of the Sony cable into your computer for uploading.

Conclusion

There are few touch screen shooters that have as many features for such a low price. It’s the ideal camera for a family vacation, quick photos while on the go or even short videos. For aesthetics, simplicity, variety and day-to-day use you can’t beat this nifty point-and-shoot camera.

Bottom Line: Connectivity issues, low light situations and slower shooting times withstanding, this camera produces impressive images and will serve you well for years to come.

Pros:

• Very stylish and compact with multiple camera color options
• Takes sharp images, even using the 4x zoom
• HD videos are impressive, especially using the zoom feature while recording
• Simple and functional user interface with receptive touch screen

Cons:

• Poor low light shooting
• Takes too much time between each photo
• Connectivity choices are dismal

You can buy the Sony Cybershot T110 from Amazon for about $164.

2:43 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Lytro Camera: You Gotta See It

Well jump into the tech in a sec, but for now you should know that the Lytro camera allows you to capture a photo which can be refocused to almost any plane of field long after the image has been recorded.  This is demonstrated on Lytro’s website, where you can click and point, as well as zoom, onto a variety of images.  The effect is for lack of a better words jaw dropping.  You can also checkout a sample image just below.

So how does it accomplish this amazing feat?  The Lytro, unlike conventional cameras, which snap a single plane of light, captures the entire field of light.  That is to say it can record “all the light traveling in every direction in every point in space.”  Amazing doesn’t even begin to do it justice.

According to Lytro, the very first light fields were first captured in a lab at Standford university.  They used a room full of cameras and a supercomputer to boot.  Now, 15 years later, the same effect can be acheived using a handheld camera that boasts an 8x optical zoom, and an f/2 aperture lens that is constant across the entire zoom range.  And let’s not forget about the Light Field Sensor, the integral part of the camera that records the color, intensity and vector direction of the rays of light.  This last bit of info is lost in conventional cameras.

The Lytro camera, which comes in two capacities, can be purchased today for $399 (8GB) or $499 (16GB).  The 8GB model allows for up to 350 pictures, while the 16GB model turns math and logic on its head by storing up 750 images.

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Pentax Optio WG-1 with GPS Review: A Camera Built for Life

There is no dearth of cameras out there that are “waterproof to xx feet/meters” – hell, I can look in my camera bag right now and see three others.  What the Optio WG-1 offers though is a lot more than that.  Measuring in at 2.3 inches by 4.5 inches by 1.1 inches and weighing in at a low 5.9 ounces, the Pentax Optio WG-1 claims to be waterproof to 33 feet, dust-proof, cold-proof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, shock-proof from falls up to 4.9 feet, and crush-proof for up to 220 pounds of pressure – that’s a lot of “proofs” for such a small package to have.  So how well does the Optio WG-1 hold up – does it measure up to the claims it sets forth, or does it get crushed under the weight of it’s own promises?

I did my best to prove the claims that Pentax set forth on this camera – I submerged it in a pool (while only four feet and not the 33 feet it can withstand, I felt it did the trick), and while I was really worried, it held up beautifully.  The only caveat (and really this should be common sense) is that you need to make sure the outside of the camera is dry before you open the battery compartment or the HDMI/PC AV port.  If you don’t, you’ll inevitably get water inside the camera through no fault of the hardware.

The shock-proof claim was easy enough to test – I just dropped it from an average carrying height onto a variety of surfaces.  Wood, carpet, concrete, brick, and blacktop were all used to see if I could get this little guy to show even the smallest hint of damage, but the WG-1 prevailed unscathed.  To test the claim of being crush-proof, I took it to the gym and stacked 220 pounds of weights on it – again the camera handled the weight with no issue at all.  As it’s not winter yet (and I didn’t feel like screwing with my freezer), I surrounded the camera with some ice water to see how cold-proof it was; as expected, the claims made weren’t false.

So this little guy stood up to all my attempts to prove the guarantees set forth by Pentax false, and threw it back into my face.  How then did it’s pictures look?  With the 14 MP it brings to the table, the pictures didn’t look bad at all.  It also has a good 5x zoom (and a typical garbage digital zoom) – even when zoomed all the way on the optical zoom, the pictures still look really good:

 

In the pictures above, the first is with no zoom, the second is with the 5x optical, and the third is max digital zoom.  As you can see, the image clarity is pretty good for the no zoom and 5x optical – better than I would normally expect for such a rugged camera.  Since I was sent the model with GPS on it, I could have easily put a geo tag on those pictures showing where I was, but I didn’t have that option set up for that photo trip.  You see, one of the biggest issues with this camera is navigating the menus.  In order to keep everything sealed up, Pentax put minimal buttons on the back, leaving most of the function in menus.  While it’s not hard to work them, it is tedious.  Sometimes something you want is buried, and unless you know right where to look it’s a pain in the ass game of click this, look, back out, and repeat.

If you look at the front of the camera, you’ll notice five little clear circles surrounding the lens – that’s a really neat feature of this camera.  They call it “digital microscope” mode, and all five circles light up in order for you to have perfect illumination on a macro picture.  It’s great for highlighting little details – like a certain part of a flower, or a small insect.  Since this is meant to be an outdoor camera, I imagine that this would really come in handy at certain times.  Another problem though (and since this is an outdoor camera), it that if you want to take a picture, you need to make sure you get it right the first time.  The recycle time on the Optio WG-1 is painfully slow, taking over three and a half seconds for you to take a second picture.

The Optio WG-1 also records video, but the video is only 720p at either 15 or 30 frames per second – it’s not great, but it would be good enough for some underwater videos of fish and what not.  When I tried the video feature, it looked clear enough for a pass, but it’s definitely not HD.  The lens on the WG-1 is better than other cameras of this type, and it shows in the raw data – for instance, you can push the camera to ISO 1600, and have almost no noticeable grain or noise.  The LCD screen (2.7 inches, 230K-dot display) is also well lit, enabling you to use it even in direct sunlight.

All in all, the Pentax Optio WG-1 with GPS is a nice camera if you need one that is super rugged – the price might be a bit high for the performance and features though.  If you do need something that can withstand most of the situations you’ll face in life and price is no option, you really can’t go wrong here.  While other rugged cameras might have a faster recycle speed, or a better zoom – there’s always a tradeoff weather it be even higher cost, less features, or something else.

I give the Pentax Optio WG-1 with GPS a final score of four stars out of five.

Pros:

• Can easily handle most anything life throws at it and keep snapping pics like nothing happened
• The LCD screen is great because you can use it in all lighting, even full sun
• The lens is incredibly good for this type of camera and works great no matter what ISO you use

Cons:

• The recycle time is extremely slow, which makes taking repeat pictures almost an impossibility
• Menus are tiresome to deal with
• The video feature is OK at best – nothing spectacular

You can grab a Pentax Optio WG-1 with GPS of your own from Amazon for $302.67

3:27 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Samsung MV800 Dual View Camera

Samsung’s dual-view cameras have been on the market for a few years now.  

The initial batch incorporated a single sensor with two screens.  On the back was a full sized LCD that included the camera’s menu options, while the forward facing screen was half the size and simply displayed the camera’s shot.  The forward facing LCD screen could also be used to display images to entertain babies, though the thought of clowns makes us shiver with fear.

Today, Sammy unveiled the MV800.  It builds upon the dual-view line of cameras, but removes the front facing LCD and replaces it with a 3-inch wide flip-out touchscreen display that can be literally be flipped up and shown to those looking into the camera’s lens.  A 16 megapixel sensor ensures high res photos and HD video capture, all of which is complemented by a 5x optical zoom and dual image stabilization.

Samsung says that their Smart Touch 3.0 UI promises intuitive operation, but we’ll gladly reserve judgement until we get our mits on a review unit.  But that’s the least of its features, since the MV800 incorporates a Live Panorama function that is supposedly is as easy as holding down the shutter button; and a 3D mode, though it doesn’t incorporate a second sensor or lens, so it’s achieved by merging two images together that are close in proxmixity.

There is also Picture-in-Picture function that lets users place a pic within a pic, a Magic Frame feature that includes 12 background templates, a Smart Filter that lets you add 14 artistic effects, including the newly added Water Paint for a stylish watercolor finish or the Cartoon capability.  A photo manipulation tool called Funny Face is also part of this point and shoot’s arsenal, allowing you to bend, stretch and manipulate portraits just by tapping or dragging the image with your fingertip.

Those challenged with postering up for a photo might find some relief using the Pose Guide function, which advises users how to best get into position with line drawings on the LCD screen.  If that isn’t enough, aspiring photogs can edit photos on the fly or simply use the Beauty Shot feature that automatically edits out any imperfections in the shot.

Lastly, the MV800 can assist the aspiring movie maker.  A story board mode allows the auteur inside you to place images in any sequence you see fit, and an unnamed mode which captures 2 additional photos at a varied zoom level.

We haven’t got word on a price or launch date, but we’d the MV800 to arrive in the next 30 days.

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