Apple has just announced its new iPhone 4S, and the new camera found on the phone is pretty impressive. It packs an 8MP (3264×2448) CMOS sensor that’s backside-illuminated, allowing it to gather 73% more light and capture images 33% faster. The lens is now an f/2.4 lens that contains 5 separate elements, which provide 30% more sharpness. Snapping a first shot now takes 1.1 seconds, and subsequent shots require only an addition .5 seconds each.
In terms of video, the iPhone 4S records 1080p HD video with image stabilization and noise reduction. The company is saying that the phone will be the best still and video camera many customers have ever owned.
If you’re a Flickr loyalist that hasn’t jumped ship for competing services, Flickr is rewarding you with a couple new tools for sharing your photos. Today the company announced an official app for Android and a new photo-sharing feature called Photo Sessions. Read more…
Nikon’s long-awaited mirrorless camera system has arrived. Today Nikon announced the new J1 and V1 mirrorless cameras and four new Nikon “1 System” lenses. The two cameras have nearly identical specs: a 10.1 megapixel CX-format (13.2mmx8.8mm) CMOS sensor with 2.7x crop factor, a 3-inch LCD screen, 10fps shooting, 1080/30p HD video recording, 1200fps slow-motion recording at 320×120, simultaneous video/still capture, 73-point hybrid autofocus, and 12-bit RAW files. Read more…
Canon sent out this teaser yesterday stating that it’s going to be making some kind of game-changing announcement on November 3rd. Since the location is Hollywood, it seems more likely that it’ll be some kind of camera for filmmaking rather than a mirrorless camera. Filmmaker Philip Bloom thinks it’ll be an EF and PL mount camcorder with a Super 35mm sensor (possibly offering 4K resolution).
While we’re on the topic of Canon announcements, TechRadar wonders whether Canon is planning to discontinue the Canon G series after the company unveiled the powerful PowerShot S100 yesterday. Perhaps the line will be replaced with a mirrorless camera series?
Today Canon unveiled its new high-end PowerShot S100 compact camera, successor to the popular S95. The S100 uses Canon’s new DIGIC 5 image processor and packs a CMOS sensor (1/1.7″) instead a CCD one. It shoots 12 megapixel images with a 24-120mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.0 lens, can capture RAW files, has a max ISO of 6400, includes GPS functionality, and has a 3-inch LCD screen. The camera is very similar to Canon’s high-end G series (the sensor size is the same), except the S series has a smaller body and leaves out an optical viewfinder. It’ll hit store shelves in early November at a price of $430.
Things aren’t look very bright in the world of film. Citing plummeting consumer demand for silver halide films, Fujifilm has announced that they’re cutting a number of films in the lineup in order to ensure that production of films — presumably the more popular ones — will continue. They’ve already stopped producing the discontinued films, so you might want to grab some rolls and freeze them before they become extinct… Read more…
Adobe announced a new cloud-based photo storage and sharing service today called Carousel, which will let you store all your photos at a central location, making it easy to view, share, and edit them — using a Lightroom/ACR-based engine — on any device you own. It’ll only be available for Apple users in the beginning (e.g. Macs, iPhone, iPad), but Android and Windows versions are in the works. The service will cost $9.99/month or $99/year, and the free apps will be released later this month.
Samsung’s DualView feature adds a small LCD screen to the front of compact cameras for self-portraits, but why use a small screen when you can use the screen on the back? Announced today, the company’s new MultiView MV800 camera has a large 3-inch touchscreen on the back that can flip up 180-degrees, letting narcissists users view it from the front (or above, or below). No word on when it will be released, but the 16MP camera will be priced at $280 when it is. Read more…
Samsung has announced its new mirrorless NX200, a year after introducing the NX100. The flat and smooth body has been replaced with a more ergonomic design, which the company reportedly describes as “retro modern”. Inside, you’ll find a powerful 20.3 megapixel APS-C sensor, which shoots 7fps in burst mode, records 1080p30 HD video, and boasts an ISO range of 100-12800. There’s no viewfinder, but on the back you’ll find a large 3-inch display. Read more…
After countless (and perhaps intentional?) leaks, the not-so-secret Fujifilm FinePix X10 has finally become official. Like the X100, the X10 boasts a sleek retro design and a 12-megapixel sensor — though the X10 uses a much smaller 2/3-inch sensor rather than APS-C. Instead of a fixed 35mm equivalent lens, the X10 packs a versatile 28-112mm equivalent f/2-2.8 manual lens. Other features include RAW capture, an optical viewfinder, a 2.8-inch LCD screen, a pop-up flash, ISO that goes up to 12800, 1080p HD video, a blazing 10fps burst mode (7fps on max res), and a hot shoe. Read more…
