We were recently able to pose a few questions to Ren Ng, founder and CEO of Lytro, and the person upon whose research the whole product is based. Their camera, which allows the shooter to set the focus after taking the shot, among other things, is launching soon. But there is still much to learn about it, as the company has been fairly close-mouthed about the its specs and capabilities. → Read More
It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about Lytro (other than nearly grabbing a Crunchie (I voted for them)), the camera where you shoot now and focus later. And the latest news comes not from the company itself, but from the FCC, which just today published the internal photos from its investigation of the device.
Like reading about chips and sensors? Click on. → Read More
Olympus is building on its significant micro four-thirds IP (i.e. mirrorless cameras with the M4/3 sensor size) with a premium offering with a stylized, retro look. The OM-D EM-5, digital successor to the long-running OM series of film cameras, has a look straight out of the 70s but specs that should satisfy enthusiast photographers looking for a compact but powerful system.
Their PEN series of… → Read More
A return to form for Panasonic, and a M4/3 camera that photographers won’t be suspicious of. Its weaknesses are largely the weaknesses of its class of camera, but beyond those it’s solid, comfortable, and fairly powerful. Not recommended for fidgety and manual focusers, but most shooters will be able to have a lot of fun with it.
Read on for our full review. → Read More
Well, that’s the end of that dream for me. I was really looking forward to owning one of these lovely little cameras, but Fujifilm has just gone and priced it right out of my range. Amazon has put up its pre-order pages for the camera and its lenses, and the earlier rumors were true: the camera sells for $1700 body-only, and the lenses aren’t cheap, either: $600 for the 18mm and 35mm, and $650 for… → Read More
In the market for a new point and shoot? Didn’t think so. Why don’t you take a gander at the new Sony shooters anyway? → Read More
A couple years back, I got to take part in the production of a music video being shot locally on a RED and filmed partially on board a custom helicopter build. It was interesting watching the operator and director work using the rig, but I was struck by how very specialized the copter was. Built from scratch by AerialPan Imaging, it was far from a personalized or affordable solution.
A new… → Read More
Sony has announced a new line of image sensors that will, in all likelihood, end up in dozens of smartphone models. The improvement is not in megapixels, which have more or less hit a ceiling, but in the actual layout of the light-sensitive wells that make up the pixels in the image.
The new sensors have, in addition to the usual red, green, and blue-filtered pixels, an unfiltered pixel element… → Read More
A newly released iPhone app called AntiCrop proclaims to the be the first application that allows you to “un-crop” your photos. What that means is that the app is able to extend the edges of your photos by using an intelligent content filling tool that duplicates the background, making your picture bigger than it was before. You’re not cropping the photo – you’re “un-cropping” it. And it’s a… → Read More
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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → Read More
Comparing Leica and Kodak is an interesting exercise. While they’re not the same by any stretch of the imagination, both rode the wave of photography throughout the 20th century and, come the age of digital imaging, both stumbled. Kodak is starting to leverage its IP and Leica has found a new prosperity in its high-end digitals.
But Kodak is still in its crisis period and Leica appears to be… → Read More
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