The veil has already been lifted on Fujifilm’s new semi-pro interchangeable-lens compact thanks to a French magazine with an itchy printer finger, but here at CES, the camera has just been made official and all the gaps in our information have been filled.
Check out the official confirmation and some new specs inside. → Read More
The last iteration of Canon’s compact rangefinder-esque series of cameras, the G12, wasn’t particularly compelling to me. It barely stood up to its opposite number at Nikon, on paper at least, and the superb S95 seemed like a better deal to most people who opted to go Canon at that price. Today they’ve unveiled the G1X, however, which addresses most of the sticking points of the previous device, though it also raises the price considerably. → Read More
We just wrote up Fujifilm’s CES lineup of normal point-and-shoots, and I noted that there was no sign of the interchangeable-lens X-series camera we saw leaked in prototype form a while back. I expected it to show at CES proper, but it seems that Fuji didn’t want to spoil the surprise by putting the news out early.
Luckily for us, someone else did! French photo magazine Réponses Photo has gone to press with an article on the new camera, called the X-Pro1, and a few sweet new lenses. → Read More
The compulsion in camera makers to release a dozen or more cameras at a time is understandable, I guess. Get ‘em all out of the way so the PR company isn’t always worrying about this or that release date, embargo time, or what have you. But for your humble blogger, it is something of a trial.
In this case Fujifilm has revealed their CES lineup of point-and-shoots, and there are no less than 19 of them. And that’s not counting the rumored X1 interchangeable-lens camera we are also expecting. Let’s take a little sample of Fuji’s offering. There’s nothing groundbreaking, just so you know, but if you’re in the market for a point and shoot, take a quick look.
If you’d like more complete specs and the whole lineup, go to Fuji’s CES page; these are just our highlights. → Read More
Poor Kodak. At this point, they’re just along for the ride. The last few years have been rough on them, and they’ve made a few big decisions that haven’t panned out. I must admit that while my unsolicited advice to them was sound, it probably would have to have been put in place a decade ago for them to have avoided the current state of things. As it is, the WSJ has word that they are planning to file Chapter 11 and do a court-supervised auction of their many digital imaging patents.
It’s sad, but the truth is that while Kodak is very much still a valuable company, it’s simply not a viable business any more. Their efforts to change the business they’re in came too late — and now they’re in the business of going under. → Read More
Upstart digital cinema company RED, which has been the bane of many established camera companies for several years now, has filed suit against Arri, a leading camera manufacturer. They allege that Arri employed one Michael Bravin, a former employee of camera kit maker Band Pro, who hacked the email account of his former employee and stole confidential information relating to RED — and astroturfed for Arri on the official forums to boot. They also take exception to some claims Arri made in advertising disparaging RED’s cameras. → Read More
Photo organization service (and TechCrunch Disrupt finalist) Everpix has just launched into public beta, bringing with it a number of changes to its backend infrastructure, web interface and its desktop software.
The service, for those unaware, automatically organizes and combines all your photos, whether they’re stored on your computer or in the cloud. It then combines them into an online photo gallery where groups of photos are laid out into attractive albums called “Moments.” → Read More
Flickr has just pushed out an update to its iPhone app, easing the batch upload process and making some UI tweaks. It will surely be welcomed by the many Flickr users who use iPhones, but Flickr’s continual reticence to develop for new platforms remains a problem. It took them more than a year to produce a native iPhone app, about the same for Android. We’re coming up on the two-year mark for the iPad — isn’t it about time?
Let’s hope so. It’s a big opportunity, and with rumors of a high-resolution iPad around the corner with the chops to do Photoshops, Flickr should be straining at the bit. → Read More
The last few times I’ve brought my camera out into the wilderness, I’ve had a few fears regarding its safety. Sure, a foam case will prevent the lens from getting scratched and so on, but what it is mauled by a bear, or we are attacked by werewolves? Most hard cases, like those from Pelican, are reliable but bulky, designed for air travel with multiple lenses, but not hiking or climbing and quick access.
This Kickstarter project, the Cam Crate, hopes to make a simple hardened case for your full-size SLR and its attached lens. → Read More
In most consumer cameras, an SD card is used for image storage. But it wasn’t so long ago that CompactFlash (CF) cards were the standard for anything better than a point-and-shoot. Many cameras still use the format, despite the higher capacity and lower price of SD, but such models have grown fewer and further between as CF’s lead on speed has narrowed.
The CompactFlash Association isn’t going to take it lying down, though: they’ve just produced a new format, called XQD, with a new form factor and interface. → Read More
Here’s an odd little quirk of the modern age you’re not likely to see again soon. South of Holborn in London (many nice bookstores in the area), there’s a tube station that has been out of use for decades. Aldwych (previously Strand) station has been preserved as an historical landmark and used in a number of films and shows. Just recently it was opened up to the public for tours: £20 for entry, doubtless an interesting spectacle popular among both tourists and locals.
And just outside, a sign reading: “Due to their combination of high-quality sensor and high resolution, digital SLR cameras are unfortunately not permitted inside the station.” How delightfully absurd! → Read More
Finally? Yes, that’s what the users of the Toronto-based photography community 500px will be saying today, as the service publicly launches its long-awaited Lightroom publisher plugin. Although often pitched as a Flickr alternative (ahem), 500px is actually targeted more towards professional photographers and those who make a living off selling their photos, than is towards the mainstream consumer user base who needs a place to archive hundreds of baby photos and vacation pics.
And that’s why the Lightroom plugin is such a big deal.
→ Read More
An original Polaroid SX70 camera would be a dream for many an analog photography lover. But not only are they difficult to find in good condidion, they’re also maddeningly expensive when they show up. Today is no exception, but they’re rare enough that to find 50 restored cameras ready for sale is an event worth shouting from the rooftops.
These SX70s have been restored by The Impossible Project, which if you have been following along for the last few years, has taken it upon themselves to manufacture Polaroid film cartridges and fix up some of the old cameras. They show up in small batches on Impossible’s site and others, but quickly sell out. And starting on December 5th there will be 50 available for purchase at boutique design site colette (caution: autoplaying music). → Read More
It’s a good day for all you Android lovers out there, because today you’re getting a killer app from iOS land: 360 Panorama. The app is from Occipital, the 2008 TechStars grad, also makers of the (now eBay-owned) barcode scanner Red Laser.
This is the first real-time panoramic photo capture app for Android, as the others on the Android Market require manual capture of separate photos followed by stitching. With 360 Panorama, you just move the device around to capture the image. → Read More
Fujifilm’s retro-styled X100 threw the photography world into a loop with its combination of retro styling, serious photo chops, and the actually innovative “hybrid viewfinder.” I had my issues with it, but it still hits me right in my retro-bone, and I look forward to the future installments in the X-line. Which brings us to today’s news.
Pictures have leaked of the LX, supposedly Fuji’s upcoming mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, or at least of an incomplete prototype. And I’m happy to say that it’s as premium as they said it would be. → Read More
Kodak, which has been struggling to make enough money to keep the lights on next year, has sold its image sensor business. The buyer is holdings firm Platinum Equity, which is also picking up a large R&D and manufacturing facility in Rochester. Kodak will continue to have access to (and presumably operate) the facility and staff, but who will ultimately end up with this piece isn’t clear.
The price was not disclosed, but I would guess it’s probably somewhere around $100-$200 million, based on the scale of the purchase and the company’s year end estimates and necessities. The details of the deal are also obscure, and will likely come out in a press release during the next week. → Read More
Panasonic was one of the first strong competitors in the micro four-thirds camera arena, and we’ve been waiting on the next iteration of the G-series cameras for months. They’ve finally announced the GX1, aimed much more at enthusiasts than the simplified GF2 and GF3. Panasonic also announced a 3D-oriented point and shoot, which to be honest doesn’t look so hot.
The GX1 seems to improve on every aspect of its predecessors, and seems to me a strong response to Olympus’ assault on Panasonic’s territory. The new 16-megapixel sensor is apparently the same as in their G3, and the body has brought back some more “pro” features. → Read More
Cinema tech isn’t a big focus on TechCrunch, but with Canon it makes sense, especially when that cinema tech represents a major overlap with consumer gear. The Cinema EOS line introduced last night is just that, and I’ve just had the chance to get my hands on the new C300 digital cinema camera (and a little quality time with the new 1D-X as well). I also got to put a few questions to Chuck Westfall, from Canon’s R&D department. → Read More
For more than three years, upstart camera maker RED has been teasing the Scarlet, a compact camera in the same class as their more powerful, but bulkier, RED One and Epic cameras. We actually saw one at CES this year, but they’ve completely redone the design and capabilities. They were going to publish all this information on their website, but they’re apparently under attack so we’re doing this live.
It used to do 3K and have a fixed 8x zoom. Now it’s essentially the same type of camera as the Epic (that is to say, a sort of chunky “brain” onto which you can fix lenses and so on), just for a much lower price. → Read More
For the past week, I’ve been testing the alpha version of the Everpix service, which aims to automatically centralize and organize all your digital photos, both online and off. I’m happy to report that, so far, it works as advertised.
In case you missed it, Everpix, a creation of ex-Apple engineers, was one of this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt finalists. Using a small utility that runs on your computer, Everpix lets you connect to your local photo stores, online services like Facebook, Flickr, Picasa and Instagram, and even to the photos sent to you in Gmail. → Read More
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