Fujifilm launches new superzoom compacts

 

Fujifilm has launched two new superzoom compact cameras boasting up to 20x optical zoom capability in a slim body.
The first camera, the F770EXR features a 16 million pixel EXR-CMOS sensor coupled with a 20x zoom lens.
In addition, it also includes enhanced GPS functionality in a pocket sized body.

The EXR-CMOS sensor within the camera has been enhanced, with EXR Auto automatically optimising settings according to scene types and which has now been expanded to offer 103 different shooting patterns to push the camera's low-light capabilities.

Samsung unveils DV300F "2View" camera

Samsung has introduced a new compact camera to sit in its "2 View" range of dual screen models.
The DV300F features both a rear screen and a front 1.5 inch LCD display. It is also the first model to feature Wi-Fi technology, allowing photographers to email images or upload them to social media sites.
Another benefit of wi-fi connectivity is the ability to wireless connect to a home computer for instant transfer of images.
Other specs on board the DV300F include a 16 million pixel sensor, 5x optical zoom and 25mm wide-angle lens.

Don't just snap a picture: Capture a moment with Stilla

There’s something magical about the limitations of photography. An amateur takes a picture, but a photographer captures a moment.
Apps like Instagram have the ability to change the mood of a photograph. They saturate the colors and recreate the timelessness of analog film, elevating nostalgia. But sometimes there are still things that can’t always be captured by a photograph or a video clip — at least not by an amateur like myself.
Stilla, an iPhone/iPad app by Maybe It’s The Lighting, feels like an entirely new way to capture your moments. With Stilla you take not one, but 2 or 3 pictures that intersect in an overlaid 3D space, and the result is something that falls into a gray area; somehow in-between art and a causal picture with friends. Maybe It’s The Lighting delicately explains:
To every image there is a second one, outside the frame. A detail maybe, someone next to you or the sky above. Stilla is a camera for this second look. Of any given moment, you take two, three or more pictures. For every image, Stilla will then remember the direction you were looking at.
The result is delicate, like a memory, spatial but not as rigid as a panorama. It’s more like holding a picture in your hand again. And when you start turning it, the light will change and one image will blend into another.
The app has particularly interesting export options. You can either capture a still while viewing your image, export all the photos used, or mail your Stilla in 3D, which I can only guess to be some sort of retro hologram. Stilla is a mere $1.99 and well worth the price for anyone interested in the future of photography.

Trillion frames per sec camera developed

MIT has developed a camera that can record single beams of light travelling through objects at a massive trillion frames per second.
The camera has 500 sensors, which are all timed down to picosecond (or one trillonth of a second to you and me) accuracy. Illuminating the subject multiple times with a laser pulse, shoot many hundreds od images each time recording a different area. The images are then stitched together to form one single video file. It is about 40 billion times faster than a UK television camera.
Because direct recording of light is impossible, and as the camera is only capable of capturing 1.71 picoseconds of footage at a time, the camera must repeat the process to assemble a complete file.
ProcessesThe team behind the camera claimed that the technology could be used to understand ultrafast processes and described it as "femto-photography."
It takes around an hour to create enough shots to make a final video, which represents only a fraction of a second of real time. One example of the technology in action showed a pule of light, less than a millimetre long, travelling through a bottle at a rate of half a millimetre per frame.
As well as helping scientists to understand light, MIT claims that there could also be practical applications, including use in medical imaging.

Olympus preparing 'revolutionary' camera

A spokesperson from Olympus Japan has confirmed that the firm is working on a new compact system camera to be released next year.

The new camera is said to be a mirrorless model with special emphasis on the viewfinder. The current line-up of Olympus PEN models don't have built-in viewfinders, but they are available to buy as optional extras.

In the interview, Olympus Manager Mr Ogawa described the new camera's viewfinder as "epoch-making" and it will be announced soon.

Electronic viewfinder

It's not yet known whether the viewfinder will be electronic or hybrid, as seen on Fuji models, but Ogawa acknowledged that while electronic viewfinders have several advantages, such as framing, magnification and easy focusing, that people miss the feeling of traditional optical finders.

Ogawa also confirmed that the camera will be different from the Sony NEX-7, the recently announced compact system camera from Sony which features an excellent electronic viewfinder.

Although it is expected to be different from the current line-up of Olympus PEN micro four thirds line-up, it's also expected to be compatible with the system.

More features and specifications are yet to be revealed, but according to to a translation on the 43rumors site, Mr Ogawa said "All I can say is, when you look through the viewfinder, you'll understand..."

Nikon D4 available from January 2012?

Reports are suggesting that a new Nikon DSLR, the D4, is likely to start shipping at the end of January 2012.
According to a post on NikonRumors, information suggests that the new camera will be ready for order and pick up at the end of January, meaning it would be available before Canon's EOS 1DX which was announced earlier in the year, but is only expected to be available in February next year.
January sees the PMA at CES 2012 show, a large electronics show based in Las Vegas, which could be the perfect opportunity for Nikon to unveil its latest camera.
Specifications The Nikon D4 has been anticipated for some time, with speculation around features building for several months. One thing that is repeatedly rumoured is a 36 million pixel "tweaked" Sony full-frame sensor.
It's not yet known whether the D4 will be split into two lines, as the D3 was split into the D3s and D3x, or whether the camera will be a replacement for both models, in the same vein as Canon's 1DX merging the 1D Mark IV and 1Ds Mark III lines.
It's also a possibility that the D4 won't be the D4 at all. The number four is unlucky in Japan, sounding close to the word for "death". Other manufacturers have skipped the number altogether in the past, so it'll be interesting to see whether Nikon follows suit.