November 14, 2011

Nikon is developing an X100-esque hybrid viewfinder for DSLR cameras. A recently published patent filing by the company describes and shows a DSLR with a viewfinder that can switch between optical and electronic modes. The purpose appears to be for providing the photographer with an optimal view of the scene -- if the scene is too bright for the photographer (e.g. the camera is pointed towards the sun), then the camera switches to an electronic view that provides the user with a view that's …

On 11/11/11, Gerald Donovan aimed his Canon 5D Mark II and 14mm f/2.8 at Downtown Dubai and set it to shoot one photograph every 30 seconds. He left it there for 24 hours, and then took the 2880 photographs and turned them into this beautiful time-lapse showing the passing of a day. What's neat is that the reflection of the sun and moon can be seen going up and down the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

For his wedding, designer Matt Frank built this photo booth that looks like a giant Lomo camera. It comprises a Mac running Photo Booth, a monitor for reviewing photos, halogen lighting, and a hacked Easy Button that acts as a shutter release. Frank writes, …

The Fader has published an interview with Instagram founder Kevin Systrom that reveals how Systrom first got into photography, and how the service's now-ubiquitous filters came about: …

Using a filter is a great way to protect your lens from damage, but if you accidentally drop your camera and smash the filter, there's a good chance you won't be able to remove the filter from your lens' threads. Here's a quick video that shows how you can remove a stuck filter -- all you need is a strong pair of pliers.

"Airframe", designed by Korean designer James Kim, is a picture frame shaped like an airplane window.

Here's another cool example of what's possible when you combine creativity with an insane amount of dedication: animator Jonathan Chong spent hundreds of hours creating this stop motion video for the song "Against The Grain" by the Australian band Hudson. He animated everything by hand, and captured 5125 individual photographs of 920 pencils for the three-minute long finished product.

The art world was abuzz last week after Andreas Gursky's photograph Rhein II sold at auction for a ground-breaking $4.3 million. The print may be Plexiglas-mounted, signed, and gigantic (it's nearly 12 feet wide), but the price had many people scratching their heads. Thankfully, there has been no shortage of articles written since to explain things to uncultured folk who don't understand the astronomical prices paid for fine art.

Photographer Nick Veasey created this amazing X-ray image of a Nikon photographer for the Focus on Imaging 2010 catalog cover. It's a composite, with the image of the camera itself requiring 12 separate X-rays.

Kaufmann’s Posographe is an intricate pocket-sized mechanical calculator invented back in the 1920s. Measuring 13x8cm and filled with tiny scribblings, the device allowed photographers to approximate the exposure values they needed by simply sliding around six small pointers.

Haven't found a small camera case that's stylish enough for your taste? Matt over at Wood&Faulk has written up a tutorial on how you can make your own protective camera wrap using some heavy wool fabric and a leather or canvas strap: …

Between August and October of this year, the crew onboard the International Space Station used a Nikon D3S (at high ISOs) to capture photographs of Earth as they zipped around it at 17,000mph. Michael Konig then took the footage and compiled it into this eye-popping time-lapse video showing what our planet looks like from up there.