Good lord, sir. There are so many lawsuits about that you can’t swing a cat without hitting a lawyer. IBM is suing Papermaster, Papermaster is suing IBM, Apple and Psystar are suing each other, the US is suing LCD makers, Spansion is suing Samsung, and god knows what else just from the last couple weeks has escaped my memory. And now Kodak is getting in on the feeding frenzy, and is suing Samsung and LG for undisclosed damages, saying their mobile phone cameras infringe on Kodak patents in some way. It’s a bit fuzzy right now, but I’d guess that Kodak pretty much has any sensor-related stuff locked down. Without knowing any of the details, I’m guessing LG and Samsung are going to cough up. → Read More
I’m loving Kodak lately. They’re rocking the sensors, they’re introducing new Super 8 film(spotted here), what’s next? Their own social network? Actually, to be honest, I don’t really understand this latest move. It makes a lot less sense than a new color still film, which is still relatively well-used. Super 8 is pretty rare to find, and although its low cost means anyone can try, editing is a pain. Unless you like cutting film and taping it together, you’re going to have to get a digital conversion to edit anyway, unlike easy-to-print still shots. So any benefits you get from shooting film are negated or at least dampened by that process. Still, for people still shooting and editing 8mm in the old school style, this is pretty awesome. [via Retro Thing] → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/f852d79a/ The Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS is a 10.1 megapixel camera with 12x optical zoom and image stabilization. It also records video at 1280×720. The Good This camera is really, really light. It’s surprisingly light. You could easily forget that this thing was in your pocket. It’s got a fast start up time, which means you’re less likely to miss those impromptu shots. The auto focus is fairly fast, and certainly adequate for most casual users. It’s got your standard assortment of scene modes (fireworks, museum, beach, kids, snow, etc). In auto mode, you can select from 10, 8.9, 7.5 and 5.0 megapixels at a 4:3 aspect ratio. In PSAM modes, you can select 10 (4:3), 8.9 (3:2), 7.5 (16:9), 5.0 (4:3), 3.1 (4:3), 2.2 (3:2), 2.1 (16.9), and 1.2 (4:3) to allow you to select the best resolution and aspect ratio for the intended use. Also in PSAM modes you can control the compression of the JPEGs between Fine (little compression), Standard, and Basic (lots of compression). For example, the same shot taken with all three settings produces files 4.1, 2.8, and 2.1 megabytes in size. In auto mode, you don’t get to select the compression at all — and it looks like it uses Basic compression, because the files are surprisingly small. → Read More
Kodak’s really on it. In addition to creating some of the best digital camera sensors on the market, they are now also putting out the film with the finest grain on earth, in addition to it having extremely high contrast and color saturation. Very nice. Although the film in my fridge is nice big-grained T-Max 400, something like this might still be useful for fashion photographers and nature buffs who like to print stuff real big. Like side-of-building big. I’m not actually at that stage in my photography career yet, but it never hurts to be prepared. [via Retro Thing] → Read More
This is interesting. I really had no idea that Kodak was the sensor provider for both Leica and Hasselblad, whose near-medium-format professional DSLRs have been the talk of the town lately. Good for Kodak! I like it when companies are behind the scenes and don’t steal the thunder — companies like IBM and Broadcom that make the hardware that makes the hardware. I wonder then if Kodak is in Red’s sights as well? They have said they are going to take on Canon and Nikon, but with the idea being that their sensor is far better, that also puts Kodak in the kill zone. → Read More
Kodak will be showing off a fancy OLED photo frame in Germany next week. I bet it’ll look really nice. I also bet it’ll be prohibitively expensive for most people. Yep, there we go — it’ll cost $999. I hope you have some really good looking friends and family. If you have beautiful acquaintances and deep pockets, here’s what you’ll get: a super thin 7.6-inch screen with 180-degree viewing angle and 30,000:1 contrast ratio, Wi-Fi connection for streaming photos from Flickr and/or FrameChannel, 2GB of memory, 16:9 aspect ratio at 800×480 resolution, video playback, and support for multiple memory card formats. It’ll be available from Kodak.com in November. Look for the frame if you’re at the Photokina show in Germany next week. → Read More
With so much attention going to such a small product, it was only a matter of time before the big boys would want a piece of the burgeoning pocket video camera market. The first major company to weigh in with a potential Flip Video challenger was somewhat unexpected though. Instead of Sony, Panasonic, JVC etc., venerable point-and-shoot camera manufacturer Kodak announced this summer that it would introduce the Zi6 pocket video camera ($179) in early Fall. Though the Zi6 seems to be part of an overall strategy by Kodak to prove that it’s no longer a stodgy, old film-based company but an energetic, multi-media, digital imaging company, the message to Flip Video was clear. Watch your ass, buster. Big Yellow is coming after you. Read more… Guest Writer Dan Havlik is Editor of DemystifyingDigital.com. For more product news and reviews, visit DemystifyingDigital.com. → Read More
The field of tiny camcorders is going to blow up. Things like the Flip Mino are going to take over whether we like it or not (we don’t), because they’re so dang convenient. No bells, no whistles, just push-button controls and super-easy connectivity and YouTube uploading. Well, Kodak is announcing a new tiny camcorder called the Zi6, which sounds more capable than the popular but somewhat underpowered Flip. It shoots 720p at 60fps to an SD card or the internal memory. It can also be plugged right into a compatible HDTV and you can navigate your pictures, videos and so on directly from the device. It comes in black and pink, and costs $180. Update: We’ll have one to review soon. Can’t wait to get my paws on it and compare it with my old DV cam. → Read More
It was Kodak that made the first digital camera in the year before I was born. It was cobbled together out of spare parts in the Kodak labs and was less than .01 megapixels in resolution. It was the size of a toaster and it took 23 seconds to record a black and white image to a cassette tape. That’s all so retro cool. It was “portable”, but nobody at Kodak likely thought it as a good idea, seeing as the company’s bread and butter was selling analog film. But still, just look at the thing! → Read More
Remember way back in October I told you about a handful of Motorola phones that everyone thought were fake? Well, it looks like the X PIXL is real and Kodak is supplying the optics for the Motorola ZN5 as it’s being called now. The 5-megapixel Xenon flash handset looks mighty fine, but I’m not fond of the new keyboards that Motorola is putting on their devices like the ROKR and Z9. → Read More
[photopress:kodak.jpg,full,left]Kodak’s dropped a trio of new digital photo frames that lack the usual controls or remote control that most frames come with. Instead the frames have a multitouch-like “Quick Touch Border”, allowing for gesture-based input to browse or display photos. It’s a cool idea. The M820 and M1020 are 8- and 10-inch frames, respectively, featuring built-in speakers for MP3 playback and multi-card reading card slots for loading images into its 128mb internal memory. It also has a USB port for loading straight for the computer or even a thumbdrive. The P720 features a 7-inch screen with no internal memory; instead a secondary SD card slot takes the place, meaning it can hold as much as you’d like it to, up to 2GB. It’s slick, and made to be mounted on walls. Their all available now, with the P720 retailing for about $120, the M820 for $180, and the M1020 for about $230. → Read More
[photopress:102_0223.JPG,full,pp_image] Kodak announced a number of entry- to mid-level point and shoots at CES and the Z1085 IS is one of the higher-end monsters. It is just now shipping and I got the chance to sit down with some Kodak folks to discuss what makes this model better than the rest. Basically, the camera performs considerably more post-processing on the pictures than competitors. We tested it a few times in backlit scenes and the effects were sometimes startling. For example, this shot of PHa was taken against a window. What initially appeared to be a fairly dark, blown out scene was instantly modified by the on-board software to a rather nice shot of a young blogger in the wild. Expect a full review coming up but right now this model has a 10-megapixel sensor, 5X optical zoom, HD video recording, and it costs $249.95 online. Hit the jump for a nicely repaired backlit photo. This was taken in auto mode without editing. [photopress:102_0225.JPG,thumb,pp_image][photopress:102_0227.JPG,thumb,pp_image][photopress:102_0222.JPG,thumb,pp_image] → Read More
Digital has almost completely replaced film in the casual set and is making inroads among professionals and artists, but that doesn’t mean film is being completely forgotten. Kodak and Vivitar have not forgotten their roots, and are creating a new film camera aimed at universities teaching “traditional photography.” They say it’ll be similar to the V3000. I’m not sure I like how they refer to film photography as something of a folk tradition (I’ve still got a Canon FT and some T-Max 400 in the fridge), but I’m glad they’re keeping the fire. Kodak SLR Brings Film Back Into the Picture [Photography Bay] → Read More
[photopress:ELTV_Front_s.jpg,full,center]The one thing I’ve had against digital photo frames is that they’re showy. They have to be backlit, which makes them stand out, and looks odd. OLEDs promise to make more realistic looking photo frames, and this cute little 3-inch model from Kodak is one of the first out of the chute. At only 8mm wide, the ELiTe Vision KTEL-30W has a 3-inch OLED screen that’s self luminous and produces photo-real, natural-looking colors. And it’s battery powered, meaning it’s made to be portable. And it’s got a 1Seg TV tuner built in. If you’re in a 1Seg-having country, this is a neat little portable. 3 inches wide organic EL one-segment TV Kodak ELiTe Vision KTEL-30W Product Overview [Kaga] → Read More
There are already some phones that take some decent, high-megapixel pictures; Sony-Ericsson comes to mind as a company at the forefront of mobile phone cams. Kodak’s new sensor is a 1.4 micron-per-pixel CMOS, which saves space over the 1.75 micron-per-pixel sensors that are common now but keeps the photo quality. For tiny cameras like these, however, I think megapixels are the least of their problems. Bad lenses, weak lighting and useless image processors are more to blame for the generally poor quality of mobile shots, but it’s always nice to have those extra pixels. Kodak says sensor boosts camera power in phones [Yahoo! News] → Read More
Today at PMA, Kodak 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. The Z1012IS will be available sometime in the first half of this year for $300. Press Release → Read More
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