Posts in Digital Cameras
Could this be the end?
Damian Koh | May 26, 2006
Canon Inc. is considering laying off the development of new film cameras as it focuses resources on its digital camera business. This "consideration" comes after the exit of Konica Minolta from the camera and photo-finishing business with Nikon also pulling the plug on its analog cameras early this year.
At the time of writing, nothing is affirmative but Canon has told Reuters it will continue to produce and sell existing models before deciding on the viability of this business in the future while monitoring market demand.
A representative from Canon Asia-Pacific we spoke to said the company was in the midst of getting more details from Canon Inc.
Wave goodbye to weird names
Damian Koh | May 23, 2006
We're quite sure that if Pentax religiously follows the naming convention of its two new digital SLRs--the K100D and K110D--its future lineup would be so much more pronounceable. The K100D is also the company's first dSLR to feature a Shake Reduction system.
Both cameras offer 6.1-megapixel CCD, 11-point wide-frame autofocus, 2.5-inch 210k-pixel LCD, ISO sensitivity up to 3,200 and a top shutter speed of up to 1/4,000 second. However, the entry-level K110D won't sport the Shake Reduction system.
Similar to the defunct Konica Minolta's Anti-shake system, Pentax has adopted the CCD-shift mechanism where the image sensor oscillates vertically and horizontally using magnetic force to compensate for hand shake. Sony's upcoming dSLR, the Alpha, will also utilize such image stabilization properties.
Pentax has also announced a new limited-edition
smc Pentax DA 21mm F3.2 AL interchangeable wide-angle lens. At the time of writing, we had no indication whether these dSLRs and lens would be available in the region.
Fighting the fps war
Damian Koh | May 19, 2006
Dust from the resolution war between manufacturers has barely settled and now another storm is brewing. Could that be a competition of which camera has the most frames-per-second rate?
According to Michael Kanellos from CNET News.com, Micron Technology is coming out with an imaging chip for compact digicams that will allow users to fire away 10 8-megapixel shots a second, or 30 2-megapixel pictures a second.
However, this 8-megapixel chip won't see the light of day until the first half of 2007; and it'll be some time before competition appears. In addition to a high-speed burst rate, this new chip is also capable of capturing video in 720p format--the entry-level version of high definition.
What we'd really like to see is the employment of this chip on digital SLRs.
It's all about the math
Damian Koh | May 05, 2006
We're really getting tired of all the math but an interesting thought came up when it was reported that Michael Cohen, a scientist at Microsoft Research, tried this summer to create a photo with 10 billion pixels. Do we even have 10 billion hairs on our body?
It's a little hard to swallow, but according to Cohen, you'll need at least 1,000 10-megapixel frames to form a 10-gigapixel picture. We're speculating these images would be used for commercial purposes which require Internet mapping and high-resolution photography services. Otherwise, the end picture aims at providing the user with a more familiar angle view compared with rooftop shots taken by satellites.
"The technique involves taking several hundred pictures with a standard digital camera, stitching the photos together and then compensating for changes in the position of the sun, the movement of clouds and other environmental factors during the time it took to take all of the photos", wrote Michael Kanellos from CNET News.com
You can even go one step further by weaving several gigapixel shots captured from different angles to create a three-dimensional photograph. Move aside, Google Earth.
Now before you decide to plonk the cash for Casio's 10.1-megapixel Exilim EX-Z1000, you may also want to know that pictures are taken with the camera mounted on a motorized rig and a computer controls the angle of the rig and the shooter.
Microsoft pictures a 10-gigapixel photo.
Ever wonder how a fly views the world?
Damian Koh | May 02, 2006
Well, soon you'll have the answer. Bioengineering Professor Luke Lee and his team from the University of California in Berkeley have created the "first hemispherical, three-dimensional optical system to integrate arrays of tiny lenses with self-aligned, self-written waveguides, or light-conducting channels". My, that was a mouthful.
Basically, the team of bioengineers (which also includes Ki-Hun Jeong and Jaeyoun Kim) modeled the compound eyes of insects and, with the help of tiny lenses, use these to capture a wider field of vision--wider than a fish-eye lens according to the news release.
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Ultraman, 1966. Credit: Japan Hero |
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Kudos to the team at UC Berkeley--we just hope that Ultraman won't be prowling the streets anytime soon.
Housefly a model for new wide-angle lens.
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