Today, Canon Japan’s Image Communication Products head Masaya Maeda said that Canon is working on a smaller version SLR to be released in the near future. In an interview with Reuters, Maeda said the idea behind the small SLR is that it could compete with Nikon’s future mirrorless system and other existing EVIL systems that are inherently more compact than most current mid-level DSLRs.

Maeda did not reveal whether the new Canon camera would include a mirror, but he suggested that the company has their focus elsewhere. Maeda said:

It’s not a question of whether or not you have a mirror. There is a consumer need for good-quality cameras to be made smaller … We will meet this need.

Still, Maeda did not commit to a solid answer about internal mirrors, though he suggested that there may be more ways to reduce the size of SLRs without removing the mirror.

Reuters cited an analyst, Kazumasa Kubota of Okasan Securities, who believes Canon may be wisest in sticking to traditional SLR designs. Kubota added, “Looking directly at something through a viewfinder is different from seeing it indirectly via semiconductors.”

What do you think? Is Canon on the right track, or are they missing the next gravy train?

(via Reuters)

Finally, a photo accessory for ladies that isn’t just frills. The new BlackRapid Camera RS-W1, is designed specifically to fit women. Sure, it has some embellishments on the strap padding, but it retains all the function of the traditional R-Strap, plus some strategic curves for comfort and fit. The strap will begin shipping later this month for $59 from BlackRapid. Read more…

Earlier today, Dallas Morning News photo editor Guy Reynolds noticed a strange relationship between two Getty images of golfer Matt Bettencourt at the Reno-Tahoe Open golf tournament. One photo featured a tight image of the golfer holding up his ball, victorious, after the 11th hole. The other image, vertical, shows the golfer in the same position, but with another person standing in the background, possibly the golfer’s caddy. Initially, Reynolds assumed the photograph was taken by two different photographers, from different angles. However, upon further inspection, Reynolds realized the photo was taken by the same photographer, Marc Feldman, and it appeared that the tighter image was actually altered to omit the second person. Read more…

Here’s a really imaginative short film called AT-AT day afternoon, created by Canadian filmmaker Patrick Boivin. Boivin took a vintage Star Wars Walker toy and transformed it into man’s best friend. The film was created using a blend of stop-motion animation, puppetry, and clever household green screens that aren’t always green. Boivin, who is self-trained in filmmaking and effects, said in an interview that he shoots primarily with a Canon 5D Mark II.

Check out the behind-the-scenes video below. Read more…

This contraption is essentially a glorified egg timer with a tripod screw designed to allow for easy 360 degree time lapse images. The Camalapse, designed by video gear rental and retailer Camarush, slowly rotates in a full circle. If paired with a camera’s time-lapse feature, it can allow for pretty seamless, panning 360 degree time-lapse over an hour. You can also stitch resulting time-lapse photos together to make a 360 degree panoramic.

Read more…

Here’s a really great way to turn photos from a novelty camera into something of practical use — make the photos into mini magnetic dry erase boards! Photojojo has some nifty ideas and instructions for turning Polaroid or Instax prints into colorful refrigerator magnets, a perpetual photo calendar, reusable magnetic reminder notes, and more.

(via Photojojo)

It’s almost a given for new Canon DSLRs to have an HD video recording mode, but older Canons can also capture HD video with the open source software EOS Camera Movie Record. The program allows you to shoot HD 720p video with any Canon EOS camera that has LiveView capabilities. The software runs off of your computer and captures HD video from the LiveView of a tethered camera.

Photographer Peter Arboine has an article up at DIY Photography about how he uses the software to shoot video with a Canon 40D.

Obviously, the fact that your camera has to remain tethered limits use of this video feature largely to studio use, but it’s a neat workaround for Canon owners. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the Canon program has been in the works for over a year, there’s still no Nikon equivalent.

While this isn’t exactly photo-related, a good number of our readers own iPhones and might appreciate this cheeky Taiwanese news rendition of the iPhone 4 “antennagate” situation that has been dominating tech news this past week. The animation was made by Next Media Animation, a company dedicated to making “the most dramatic” animations about current events and news.

Photoshelter hosted this truly inspirational talk with photographer Tim Mantoani. It runs a bit long, but it’s definitely worth a watch. Mantoani shares about what truly motivates and inspires him in photography, as well as the experiences photography yields. Most importantly, Mantoani talks about envisioning your dream photo and how to go about capturing it.

The photographer is a cancer survivor, and his experience has influenced his approach to photography. Mantoani has also been working on a fascinating project, Behind Photographs, in which he takes portraits of iconic photographers holding prints of their work. You can view some of Mantoani’s projects and other work on his website.

For a cover shoot of a men’s magazine, it’s no surprise if liberties are taken in post-production. Generous Photoshopping is pretty much a given in any fashion or modeling photo. But here’s a bit of a surprise: it may not be the culprit for Lindsay Lohan’s disappearing belly button!

Boing Boing reader Nicole noticed in the latest issue of GQ Germany, LiLo’s belly button seemed to migrate in different photos, and it was nowhere to be seen on the cover.

However, as it turns out, Lohan was actually just outfitted with a high-waist. Alongside the article, GQ Germany includes a short behind-the-scenes film  by Ellen von Unwerth, showing Lohan doing various poses.  While on the sand, she’s wearing a high-waist swimsuit that covered her bellybutton altogether. Towards the end, you see Lohan posing for the final cover photo, and the photographer is shooting downward at her.

Still, this isn’t to say that the photo isn’t Photoshopped. It’s likely that Lohan’s belly button looks like it should be somewhere it isn’t because of the camera angle, or perhaps she had a digital tummy trim that threw off the “normal” proportions of her body.

However, in another image, things start to get a little strange: Lohan’s belly button is oddly high, especially in comparison with the cover shoot. This could also be attributed to foreshortening or distortion from the camera angle and the fact that she’s now wearing a low-rise bottom.

Photoshop blunder or not, low-rise or high-waisted (no pun intended), at the end of it all, we have to ask — did we really just stare at LiLo’s belly button for the better part of a half-hour? Yes, yes we (okay, I) did.

(via Boing Boing)