January 2013

Google Patent Shows Multiple LED Flash Units on Back of Smartphone

The "flash units" found on the backs of smartphones may be getting more powerful, but the general idea has largely remained the same: use a powerful LED light that can illuminate a scene when you need a little extra light. The power output doesn't really stack up to the flashes found on compact cameras, but Google has one solution for making the flash a bit brighter.

In a recently published patent, the company outlines the idea of placing multiple LED flashes on smartphones, perhaps in a ring around the camera unit.

Pentax Unveils a Cheap Body Cap Lens of Its Own for Its Q System

Olympus isn't the only camera company toying around with the concept of cheap body cap lenses. At the CP+ show in Japan, Pentax took the wraps off a body cap lens of its own for its Q system line of mirrorless cameras. Officially called the "Mount Cap Lens," the accessory is a pint-sized hyper-focal lens that will reportedly produce toy-camera-style photographs.

Monsters: Photographs of People Making Silhouettes in a Museum

In December 2012, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City featured an interactive art installation by Philip Worthington called "Shadow Monsters". The exhibit was created using a computer, a camera, two projectors, a light box, and some clever software. When visitors stepped in front of the light box, their shadows were magically transformed into creatures that were brought to life through sound and animation.

Photographer Joseph O. Holmes saw the unique exhibition as a photo project opportunity. However, instead of photographing the resulting monsters, he decided to turn the camera on the participants themselves, capturing their monster-making activities as a series of silhouettes.

A Personal Darkroom Built Inside a New Backyard Shed

A number of years ago, England-based photographer Dave Miller wanted an at-home darkroom, but didn't have the luxury of converting a spare room in his house into one. He did, however, have a nice garden area that wasn't being used, so he decided to upgrade the grassy area with a shed -- a darkroom shed.

Twitter and Dropbox Each Add New Photo Sharing Features

Twitter and Dropbox aren't really known as premier destinations for sharing photographs online, but both companies are taking steps toward changing that. Both companies unveiled new features today that are geared toward making photo sharing and viewing through their respective services an easier and more enjoyable experience.

A 360-Degree Panoramic Photo Captured from the Tallest Building on Earth

Have you always wanted to see what the world looks like from the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest manmade structure in the world? Dubai, UAE-based photographer Gerald Donovan was recently given the opportunity of shooting a photograph from the peak of the massive skyscraper. Not just any ol' photograph, mind you, but an immersive 360-degree panorama that makes you feel like you're actually there!

Pentax Announces Special Edition Q10 Designed for Evangelion Anime Fans

It seems camera companies are trying to target Japanese anime fans these days. In September 2011, we wrote about how Leica had teamed up with the designer of Gundam (not to be confused with Gangnam) for a limited edition mech-themed V-LUX 30 digital camera.

Now Pentax, the king of bizarre special edition cameras, has forged an anime partnership of its own. The company has announced a limited edition line of Q10 mirrorless cameras that carry Neon Genesis Evangelion branding and colors.

Nikon Unleashes Seven New Compacts, Sets Sights on Wi-Fi and GPS

Nikon just overhauled its entire compact/superzoom lineup, so we thought we'd give it a go at a broad overview. New camera models are the Coolpix P520, L820, AW110, S9500, S9400, S5200, and S31; and all of them are trying to compete with your smartphone by offering a mix and match of great zoom, Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS.

A Lens-Shaped Humidifier For Those Dry Winter Months

After all of those serious news reports and lens announcements, we thought it would be fun to share something on the whimsical side. You've seen camera lens mugs, now we give you a lens-shaped humidifier that'll keep the dry skin away over the next few months.

Nikon’s 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR Monster Officially Released

Professional photographers have a choice to make: buy a car, put a down payment on a house, or buy Nikon's new 800mm f/5.6 FL ED VR behemoth. Obviously the last one, right? Well, maybe not, but still, this thing is impressive.

It was announced as "in development" way back in July, we got to see one in action at the Olympics in August, and now it's finally here -- and it was kind enough to come attached to a $17,900 price tag.

500px Reappears in the App Store With a 17+ Rating and a New ‘Report’ Button

Last week, Apple unexpectedly booted 500px's photo sharing app from the iTunes App Store. At the time, Apple said that the issue was the app's ability to search for photos featuring artistic nudity. Since then, reports have also stated that Apple received complaints of child pornography in the App, leading 500px to launch an ultimately unsuccessful search for these images.

Whatever the issue was, it seems it has been fixed to Apple's specifications. The app is now back in the iOS app store and available to download.

Foodspotting Bought Up by OpenTable for a Cool $10M in Cash

Over the past three years, Foodspotting has made a name for itself by using user-generated pictures to help you find the tastiest dish in the vicinity. And even though we've seen an anti-photo movement in upscale restaurants recently, the app clearly still has a lot to offer. We say clearly because reservation company OpenTable just agreed to buy the company for $10M in cash.

Tamron Announces Development of Its Very First Micro Four Thirds Lens

It's a big day for lens announcements, and we're not even done yet. Sigma showed MFT and E-mount some love, and now it's Tamron's turn to make mirrorless owners happy. Earlier today, the company officially announced development of its first ever Micro Four Thirds lens: the 14-150mm F/3.5-5.8 Di III VC.

Sigma Announces 4 New Lenses, Shows MFT and E-Mount Some Love

Sigma is making camera lovers happy today with the announcement of four new lenses. Well, actually it's one new lens and three new versions of old lenses, but it's good news all the same. All of the new lenses are part of Sigma's sleek ART product line, and were announced today at the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2013 in Japan.

Anti-Photography Glasses Prevent Facial Recognition from Doing Its Thing

Professor Isao Echizen from Tokyo's National Institute of Informatics seems to think that photography and facial tagging are infringing a bit too eagerly on your privacy. So, in a bid to avoid being surveyed (perhaps by the all-seeing eye of the ARGUS-IS) he's designed a pair of anti-photography glasses.

JewelGram Turns Your Instagram Snaps Into Stylish Bling

We've seen Instagram photography on "jewelry" before, but nothing like this. JewelGram is the Kickstarter baby of engineer Gianpiero Riva and jewelry designer Michele Marzotto, and if they get fully funded, we may start seeing high quality Instagram rings and pendents all over the place.

The Light That Shines: Showing Cancer Patients They’re Beautiful with Photos

Jill Conley was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31. Only six months into her marriage, she and her husband had to go through the horrors of chemo, radiation, a double mastectomy and a problematic reconstruction before she finally entered remission. Now 35, she has been diagnosed with incurable stage 4 bone cancer.

Groundbreaking Digital Camera Prototype Nearly Thrown Away as Trash

It's ironic to the point of being tragic to think that one of the pioneers of digital camera technology was Kodak. Now bankrupt and licensing off their brand to mysterious companies, it's easy to forget that it was Kodak that hit many of the initial milestones where digital imaging is concerned.

Photo Essay: The Final Week of Capitol Hill 60 Minute Photo in Seattle

Capitol Hill 60 Minute Photo closed its doors at the end of last year. Given the transformation photography has gone through over the past decade, it hardly came as a surprise. At its core, the success, survival, and eventual demise of 60 Minute Photo is just another familiar story of a business fighting against the moving current of technology. It’s closure, however, reveals something important, something personal. It represents a shift in how we create and preserve our memories and a deepening of the divide between customer and proprietor.

ARGUS-IS: A 1.8 Gigapixel Drone Camera That Sees Everything and Then Some

What do you get when you combine 368 5MP cellphone cameras into a mosaic and add some other super-secret parts? You get the DARPA-funded Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (or ARGUS-IS), and this puppy can see your house from, well, wherever it darn well pleases.

Altogether, ARGUS-IS is a 1.8 Gigapixel drone-mounted surveillance system that took 30 months and $18.5M to become a reality. The video above is a clip from a new PBS documentary titled "Rise of the Drones". It offers a fascinating peek at what the drone cam is capable of.

Everything You Wanted To Know About The New Lomography Belair X 6-12 But Were Afraid To Ask

My first roll processed and scanned from my new Lomography BelAir X 6-12 puts me in the position to share some notes about the camera that you won’t find elsewhere.

The Lomography BelAir X 6-12 is a new folding medium format camera. It can take pictures in three formats: 6×6, 6×9 and 6×12. Apart from the folding mechanism, the camera is made of plastic. Even the two included wide angle lenses (wide and really wide) are plastic. Each lens comes with its own viewfinder. They are 58mm and 90mm.

Twitter Launches Transparency Website, Shares Copyright Infringement Stats

Today is Data Privacy Day, and all of the major social websites have come out to play. Facebook is launching an "Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer" form, Google explained its approach to government requests for information in a blog post, and Twitter launched an entire website dedicated to transparency in all things data privacy related.

How to Turn Your Satchel Bag into a DIY Camera Bag

Turning a retro satchel bag into a real photographer's bag is quite easy. All you need is an old camera bag (e.g. a LowePro one) with velcro inserts, scissors, super glue, sticky velcro stripes and, of course, time.

Scientists Store Digital Photograph on Tiny Speck of DNA

Could memory cards and hard drives one day store massive numbers of digital photographs on DNA rather than chips and platters? Possibly, and scientists are trying to make that happen.

Last year, we reported that a group of researchers had successfully stored 700 terabytes of data on a single gram of DNA. The data being stored that time was a book written by one of the geneticists. Now, a new research effort has succeeded in storing something that's a bit more relevant to this blog: a photograph.