Where Google Glass counts photography as one of its abilities, with the display used at other times to show notifications, navigation directions, and other information, Olympus’ wearable would be much more focused. Rather than trading some clarity for transparency, as Glass has done, the Olympus eyepiece would use a moveable shutter which could selectively block out external light and so provide the sort of clear, virtual large-screen display necessary for accurately reviewing shots.

The camera section would use a vibration sensor, Olympus suggests in its filing, to decide whether it could trigger the eyepiece functionality. By having the display right in front of your eye, it suggests, blurry or fast movements from the camera could lead to discomfort if piped through to the display all the time.

Instead, it’s only when the camera is held still – as you would when framing a shot – that the display kicks into camera mode. By splitting the parts up, the camera itself could be lighter and more easily pocketed.

It also means greater flexibility in how photos can be framed, Olympus suggests. Shots could be taken from above the photographer’s head, or from below, or the side, while still allowing for a clear preview. Meanwhile multiple sequential shots – such as panning to shoot several images of a moving subject – could be taken by only moving the camera, allowing the photographer to stay still and more stable.

This isn’t the first time Olympus has flirted with wearable tech. Last year, the company revealed a more direct Google Glass competitor, the MEG4.0, a head-mounted computer which could be used as a remote display for a Bluetooth-tethered smartphone. Another recently published patent application, Egami reports, shows a more glasses-like headset with greater flexibility for adjustment than Google’s version, as well as a mounting point for a camera.

The “unconverged camera” approach is more specific than the MEG4.0, but arguably more applicable to Olympus’ core audience. Whether it will ever spawn a production model remains to be seen, however, though it’s entirely possible that a somewhat hacked-together version using something like the MEG4.0 or indeed Glass could be assembled using a head-mounted display as a remote screen for a wirelessly-enabled camera.

VIA: 43 Rumors

Back in February we learned that a Raspberry Pi camera module was coming to market that would be priced at about $25. If the idea of a small camera board for your projects is exciting, you’ll be thrilled to hear that the camera board is now shipping. The device can be purchased at multiple online retailers, including RS Components and others.

The camera module sells for $25 and has a five-megapixel CMOS image sensor by OmniVision. That CMOS sensor uses 1.4 micron backside illumination pixel architecture. The architecture allows the camera to deliver five-megapixel resolution still images and high rate HD resolution video capture capability.

When the camera module is used record to 720p resolution HD video, it can do so at 60p. The camera card add on connects to the Raspberry Pi via the existing camera connector and uses CSI for data and I2C for control. Users can record both 720p and 1080p at 30 frames per second in H264 format.

The small camera add-on board measures only 20 x 20 x 10 mm and has an integrated flat ribbon cable for connection. The camera will work with both the Raspberry Pi Model A or Model B boards. Depending on the version of the operating system you’re using on the board, you may have to upgrade to be able to use the camera add on.

SOURCE: RS Deliveries

The manufacturer has announced availability of a new nano wireless extender called the N150 Nano Easy-N-Range Extender. The networking adapter is model number TEW-713RE and it is designed to extend the wireless network easily. The goal of the product is to bring Wi-Fi coverage to areas of the home where wireless connectivity is poor.

This can be a very common issue in multistory homes or larger homes where some rooms simply can’t get a decent Wi-Fi signal to allow computers and game consoles to go online. To use the range extender, all you need to do is plug it into an outlet in an area of the home that still has at least two bars of network connectivity from the wireless router.

A button press on the range extender adapter automatically syncs security details with compatible wireless routers and the newly extended network is ready to go. The device will ship on the 20th for $44.99. Trendnet is also announced a new product in its popular cloud camera line called the TV-IP762IC Wireless HD Day/Night Cloud Camera.

The camera is designed to allow home or business owners to view security footage over the Internet. The device connects easily to a wireless network and features night vision allowing you to view what’s going on up to 16 feet away in complete darkness. The camera supports 720p HD resolution video and connects wirelessly to high-speed 802.11n wireless networks. The camera also supports streaming audio allowing you to hear what’s going on in the video and it features motion detection. The camera can record video to a memory card and it will ship this fall. Pricing for the camera is set at $149.

SOURCE: Trendnet

SOURCE: Trendnet

So not only are we testing the camera capabilities of these three devices, but you’ll also get an exclusive look at NVIDIA‘s Android game-console doubling as a remote as it controls and flies the Parrot AR Drone. Talk about gadget overload. There’s a lot of different needs that come to mind when someone decides on a smartphone or camera, and here we’ll be showing three different options, as well as their pros and cons.

Obviously with the HTC One you’ll get full 1080p video capture using their Ultrapixel camera one the smartphone. Which is an experience that these days everyone is pretty familiar with. Flip on the camera and aim your smartphone at the subject. This is convenient, but then this is also where Google Glass just takes things up a notch. You’ll enjoy nearly the same video experience, only completely hands-free. Everyone has mixed feelings about Google Glass, but being able to record demo videos for you guys, hands-on video, unboxings and more without a tripod and just using Glass is quite nice.

Google Glass in a way has opened up an entire new experience and way we easily and quickly record video. Yes you can attach a GoPro to your chest, but this is different. Below you’ll see three videos. The first being a quick demo of the NVIDIA SHIELD recorded by Google Glass. The second will be with the HTC One. Then the third will be a back-and-forth video in a different setting comparing Glass to something like the Olympus OM-D camera.

Google Glass 720p video capture

As mentioned above, the simple and hands-free experience using Glass is nice, but you’ll instantly notice the video is a little jerky at times. Here’s where there are both pros and cons. Glass video is hands-free, easy to do, and convenient but you’ll have to learn to hold that head of yours still. It takes some getting use to, and you might want to use hand gestures instead of turning your head, or moving it at all.

Then with Glass you only get 720p video capture on that 5 megapixel lens, but the quality is pretty excellent. You’ll also notice just how wide the video is compared to the HTC One video below. Pay attention to colors, brightness, and even audio levels.

HTC One 720p video capture

To be fair we recorded this on 720p as well, just like Glass, and right away you’ll notice the stability. Some image stabilization could help Glass, but it will only do so much. In general we’re all familiar with recording video through our phones, and as a result, the end product is clear, crisp, and not all over the place. The HTC One video capture handled the changing light outdoors better, and overall the colors and contrast we’re pretty even. You will however notice the audio capture on Glass wasn’t very good, and it was much clearer from the HTC One.

Last but not least the third video we wanted to toss in for good measure has the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera capturing some moments with NVIDIA SHIELD, then it switches to Google Glass. This might be harder to follow, but we had our head and Glass on NVIDIA as they explained SHIELD, then our Olympus OM-D on the product. So each time you see SHIELD it’s through a dedicated camera, and the rest is shot with Google Glass.

While this last video isn’t quite something you can “compare” it does however show you another set of options and opportunity with Glass. Being able to record the same situation and demo simultaneously, without having 3 arms. There’s obviously advantages and disadvantages from each, but we wanted to give you the video and let you decide.

Does the loss of 1080p capture and slightly lower audio quality throw you off, or does the convenience and endless opportunity to record with Glass make it worth the trade off? You won’t all be recording with two devices, but what about the Father holding a child in one hand, yet still capturing his daughters soccer game at the same time? That is just one example, but a good one.

Okay, okay, just get a tripod and shoot video with that Olympus instead. Like we said, pros and cons. Since Glass isn’t evenly remotely close to being consumer ready, we won’t talk about price, but that will obviously be another factor later on. So what do you guys think about it. Does the opportunity and ease of recording with Glass give it a leg up on cameras and smartphones? Not to mention you can do it all by voice, or will you still opt for a dedicated camera? These are just a few small examples of the many, but we wanted to share it with you all. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

There are a couple of things worth considering. Most important is that the Lumia 925 isn’t due to hit store shelves until next month, and as such Nokia is likely to continue tweaking its camera software in the intervening period. Things like processing may well change between these samples and the end-result. Also, Nokia told us that it purposefully stripped out the EXIF data from the shots, just in case they leaked prematurely and gave the 925 game away.

It’s hard not to be impressed by what the Lumia 925 achieves. Nokia is billing the phone as being capable of the best low-light performance, without a flash, of any current smartphone. While it fell short of comparing the Lumia 928 with the HTC One, our current king of low-light abilities, when it made similar boasts last week, the company tells us that it will show no such reserve when it comes to comparing the Lumia 925 with rivals.

In fact, Nokia says, both it and Microsoft plan to be more aggressive in their comparisons between Lumia Windows Phones and rivals, whether they run iOS, Android, or something else. A glance through the sample shots suggests photography isn’t a bad place to start, either. Close-ups are crisp, colors look great – without the cartoonish over-saturation some phones tend toward – and though there’s clearly noise and grain to be found in images taken in lower-light conditions, they’re nonetheless impressive.

As for Nokia’s Smart Camera, with the right subject we can see effects like Action Shot – which pieces together time-lapse images from multiple frames – and Motion Focus being popular. They’ll require some forward planning, maybe, though given Nokia will allow Smart Camera to be set as the default photography app, there’s perhaps no real downside – barring the impact taking ten frames each time will have on the non-expandable 16GB of storage – to always shooting in the new mode.

Nothing quite satisfies like running a camera through its paces yourself, so we’ll reserve our full opinion on the Lumia 925′s camera skills until we can spend more time one-on-one with it. That said, Nokia’s own samples have certainly left us hopeful that this could be another bar-raising option for mobile photography.

Nokia stoked that camera speculation itself with its TV commercial yesterday; since then, the first shot of the Lumia 925 has leaked. You could be forgiven for seeing Nokia almost as a mobile photography company first these days, given imaging tends to be its top-line features for every new smartphone.

Nokia has been pushing camera tech for years now, but arguably made its name as an innovator with the 808 PureView of 2012. It may have been chunky, and used Symbian – which Nokia had already confirmed was in its death-throes – but it also tore up the playbook for mobile photography, approaching elements like lossless zooming and balancing picture size with levels of noise in previously-unseen ways.

The 808 is best remembered for its 41-megapixel sensor, a huge CMOS positively overspilling with pixels. At the time, Nokia likened it to putting out more buckets to catch more rainfall: the 808 was designed not to produce ridiculously high resolution stills, but more average shots (the default was 5-megapixels) that combined data from clusters of pixels to smooth out glitches and aberrations, and make for more accurate colors and brightness.

“The new Nokia Lumia is coming…” teaser video:

In the process, it also enabled lossless digital zooming: zoom without the moving lenses of an optical system. By cropping sections of the image – still at the 5-megapixel resolution – the 808 could effectively zoom into the frame but without the quality loss associated with every other digital zoom.

So far, though, we’re yet to see that original PureView approach replicated on a Windows Phone. The Lumia 920 and 928 both bear PureView branding, for instance, but their emphasis has been on the way more typical megapixel sensors can be supported with optical image stabilization to boost picture quality. Instead of the pixel-clusters of the 808, both of the high-end Windows Phones try to craft better images by holding their sensors steady.

That’s not to say they can’t be “true” PureView just because they lack a few dozen megapixels, however. The massive sensor was only half of the 808 story: equally important was Nokia’s custom Carl Zeiss optics, which were essential for piping the right light in the right way to the oversized CMOS. Nokia even took us to meet with the Zeiss team for a behind-the-scenes look at what optical magic was used, a complex, five-lens assembly with a range of aspheric surfaces that explained some of the 808′s thickness, just as the broad sensor explained its width.

Lenses may not be as immediately headline-grabbing as great lashings of megapixels, but they’re the unsung heroes that Nokia has been busily working away on. Zeiss and Nokia renewed their partnership back in early 2012, and came up with what’s described as “PureView Phase 2″: a groundbreaking optical image stabilization lens which can be paired with a more traditional-resolution sensor.

Discussed in this white paper [pdf link] around the time of the Lumia 920, the second-gen system actually has a more light-friendly lens than the 808 manages: f/2.0 versus the original PureView’s f/2.4, with the same 26mm wide optics. That works with an image stabilization system that rather than move just a single lens element, actually shifts the whole optical assembly up to 500 times per second.

Hardware is only half of any story, of course, and Nokia will undoubtedly have software news to share about the Lumia 925 as well. As we’ve seen from the company’s own work to-date on Camera Lenses, and on rivals’ photography systems like Zoe on the HTC One and the native GIF-maker on the Galaxy S 4, ways of not only shooting but of manipulating stills are big business in today’s handsets.

They all demand good quality to begin with, though, and interestingly all approach that in different ways: a small number of gigantic UltraPixels from HTC, 13-megapixels-worth of smaller pixels from Samsung, and whatever PureView combination Nokia decides to bless the Lumia 925 with.

Nokia isn’t a camera company, but it’s camera technology that it’s counting on to set it apart in the market. We’ll find out how the Lumia 925 fits into that strategy tomorrow, when Nokia unveils the phone officially at its London, UK event on May 14th.

Engadget speculates that a deal between Nokia and Pelican has already been signed, since a new device can take months of testing before it’s ready to be revealed, which means that a phone with Pelican’s array camera could be close to being done, or even already in its testing phases.

Pelican’s array camera uses a 4×4 grid of 16 lenses total. Each lens in the array captures a single color, which would be either red, blue, or green. This means that photos would have much less noise than traditional camera, since there would be no interference like there would be when capturing all three colors in the same plain.

Plus, since the 16 lens would take a photo of a subject at just slightly different angles, the images would contain a 3D component as well, which can be processed in specialized Pelican software and combine all 16 images into one single JPEG for regular use. This kind of technology would be the first for a smartphone camera, and could possibly put the 41MP Nokia 808 PureView to shame.

[via Engadget]

Sceptre has announced new dash camera called the Carcam CCR2000. The camera is designed specifically to provide evidence of any accidents or other activity that occurs on the road in front of your vehicle. The camera is designed to provide automatic and continuous recording of audio and video. The camera is also designed to start recording automatically once the vehicle is parked if it is struck by another car.

The camera has a 120-degree wide-angle lens providing a wide field of view. It also has an integrated G-sensor that allows the camera to be able to record a collision and automatically lock the current video prevent accidental erasure to hold for evidence. When the camera detects a collision has occurred, it automatically starts recording video. Video is recorded to an included 8 GB SD memory card.

Power for the camera comes from an internal lithium-ion battery providing up to 50 min. of recording. The camera also has an integrated HDMI output to support direct connectivity TVs and an integrated microphone. Sceptre also builds in video stabilization to make video clearer. The camera is available to purchase right now online for $399.

[via Sceptre]

The camera is covered in tiny domes, which are covered in 180 microlenses, which each capture their own angle of the subject being shot. Essentially, the microlenses all work together to come up with one large collective image that’s high-resolution, sharp, and has a wide field of view.

The camera is obviously in its early stages, but scientists say that this technology could be used in surveillance cameras in order to capture a better picture that’s both sharp and can see everything in a large space. It would also be useful in endoscopic cameras, which are used by doctors to see inside the human body during surgical procedures.

Whereas traditional digital cameras have a flat sensor and a single camera lens, this bug-inspired camera has hundreds of lenses, which essentially bend and curve the elements found in a normal digital camera into a half-sphere in order to achieve a very wide field of view. It’s not said when the new cameras could hit the industry, but the researchers have already been working on the technology for several years now.

[via CNN]

Overall, the phone is said to be a massive improvement over the Xperia Z, which we have still yet to see in the US. Honami will come packing with a lot of the same features in many of Sony’s Cybershot cameras, so we’re guessing one of the main focal points of the new phone will be its 20MP camera, and it’s easy to see why.

However, as for internal specs, we’re looking at some powerful hardware on board. It’s rumored to be packing a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, with the standard 2GB of RAM, as well as a huge 2700mAh battery. The device is also said to be surfaced with a 5-inch 1080p display to compete with the Samsung GALAXY S 4 and HTC One.

As for further features of the camera component on Honami, it’s said to come with an completely new image-processing algorithm, as well as a redesigned camera UI, which will be based off of Sony’s Cybershot line. As for the LED flash on the Honami, it’s said to be ten times brighter than a typical LED flash on a today’s smartphones.

[via VR-Zone]

On the camera side of things, there’s Samsung’s DRIMe IV engine for processing noise reduction and colors, with a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second and ISO 100-25600. There’s also a smart mode, for macro and panoramic shots, as well as more gimmicky photography like “best face” and “beauty face” which automatically processes those in-frame to smooth out skin and remove blemishes.

For video, there’s 2D capture in 30fps or 24fps and 3D capture – with the right lens – at 30fps. The NX2000 outputs in MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format with AAC audio, saving to microSDXC card.

On the “smart” side, meanwhile, there’s a 3.7-inch WVGA touchscreen to control the camera, and integration with social networks for directly squirting off your images over a WiFi connection. WiFi Direct is supported, over WiFi b/g/n, and an onboard email client can be used for more old-fashioned sending of shots. Pair the NX2000 with Samsung’s SMART CAMERA App – a simple matter of tapping it with an NFC-enabled phone – and you can use the software as a remote viewfinder, as well as take advantage of its data connection.

Samsung will offer the NX2000 in three color variants – white, black, and pink – priced at $649.99.

Array cameras demand complex processing in order to actually achieve all that, however, which has meant news from Pelican has been quiet since the initial reveal. However, Nokia Growth Partners’ Bo Ilsoe told Bloomberg, such camera modules “are on the cusp of being commercialized and Pelican does software for that,” describing the firm as “one of the companies that has mastered this technology.”

In fact, Ilsoe confirmed, Nokia Growth Partners – the Finnish phone company’s venture-capital division – has had its metaphorical eye on Pelican Imaging since shortly after the company was founded, back in 2008. It’s unclear exactly how much has been invested in Pelican in this round.

Nonetheless, the move to broaden camera expertise dovetails well with Nokia’s push to highlight its Lumia Windows Phones’ photography abilities, particularly under the PureView brand. Last year, the company acquired camera processing tech from Scalado which allows components from multiple frames to be combined into a single photo.

Meanwhile, Nokia Growth Partners also holds investments in micro-optics specialist Heptagon, and sensor firm InVisage Technologies. The latter made headlines several years ago with its quantum-dot sensors that promise a roughly 4x increase in sharpness thanks to massively increased sensitivity to light compared to traditional CMOS.

Increasing light capture has been a central theme in Nokia’s photography push, beginning with the 808 PureView with its massive 41-megapixel sensor. That combined data from clusters of pixels to iron out visual glitches and boost accuracy in the final still, without producing massively unwieldy files. However, actually accommodating the sizable sensor in a more mainstream phone chassis is troublesome, and so Nokia has used other approaches – such as optical image stabilization using a suspended-lens system in the Lumia 920 – to try to broaden PureView’s impact.

The benefit of Pelican’s array technology, however, is that it offers increased 808 PureView-style light capture but without the comparative bulk. By combining data from multiple lenses, the company says users will be able to change focus after they take a photo, as well as capturing linear measurements, and scale and segment images.

[via My Nokia Blog]

The new hands-free feature will be available from this point onward for future Cyanogenmod 10.1 releases, beginning with the group’s nightly releases. To enable this feature, all you need to do is head to your camera settings and enable the “persistent hands-free” option. Afterwards, you can adjust the handsfree settings by tapping the “Cid” head on the top left corner of your device to adjust how you want to take your hands-free pictures.

In the video above, the new feature is demonstrated using two different trigger words: Cheese, and Cid. But in order to use the trigger word command, it looks like you need to access the voice command feature in the quick settings first. Nonetheless, it’s still a nifty feature to have. For the timer settings, you can choose to set a a 10-second delay upwards to a 60-second delay before your camera takes a picture.

As our friends at Android Community have noted, the timer settings aren’t persistent, meaning you will have to adjust it everytime you want to use it. It make sense because you won’t always have to delay your snapshots. This new feature should make taking group/family portraits much easier, and it also helps make Android cameras a more convenient alternative to a stand-alone digital camera.

[via Android Community]

The focus on photography is a topical one, given a number of rival smartphones have made some bold claims about producing better results than Apple’s handset can manage. Nokia’s Lumia 920 PureView, for instance, pairs an 8-megapixel sensor with optical image stabilization for improved low-light performance, while Samsung has slotted a 13-megapixel sensor into its latest Galaxy S 4.

Meanwhile, HTC’s One offers just 4-megapixels, but uses a clever camera sensor with considerably larger pixels to maximize light collection. As we found in our review, that can have a significant impact when you’re dealing with less than perfectly lit environments, the One picking up details that the iPhone struggles to snap.

Still, the best camera is – as the old phrases goes – the one you have on you, and strength of sales means Apple’s smartphone has no problem leading the pack in terms of sheer numbers. Where the company will go next – following Samsung with a bigger sensor, or HTC with bigger pixels – with the new iPhone expected later this year remains to be seen.

You can tell the PowerShot N is an unusual little shooter from the start, with its 78.6 x 60.2 x 29.3 mm body almost square face-on, and a hinged rear 2.8-inch touchscreen that folds up 90-degrees. Turn the camera over, so the screen is facing down, and you can hold it over your head and still frame shots; the picture flips 180-degrees automatically. Unfortunately, the LCD doesn’t fold up all the way, so you can’t use it to frame images from the front; that seems a missed opportunity, given Canon’s target audience of the photo-addicted.

While the touchscreen does most of the work, Canon hasn’t skimped on manual controls where they make more sense. To get in close, you twist the ring around the 8x optical zoom lens; pressing down on the ring – from any direction – fires off a shot. It takes a little getting used to initially, though you soon get comfortable with the system. Touch-focus can be used, or face-detection. On the sides, meanwhile, there are some physical switches and buttons: a key to power the PowerShot N on, one for image/video playback, and one to quickly connect with WiFi (b/g/n)to push images to a phone, tablet, or elsewhere. A switch on the other side puts the camera into Creative Shot mode, which automatically applies a range of effects to the original image.

Image quality is solid for a compact camera, with the 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor feeding shots through Canon’s DIGIC 5 processor. The company claims macro images down to a centimeter are possible, though we had a few issues with focusing when dealing with close-up subjects; there’s also lens-shift image stabilization, though you still need a pretty steady hand since the PowerShot N’s relatively light 195g weight and compact body makes it easy to move during shooting. The fact that you need to push the lens-ring sideways to take a picture can exacerbate that.

The Creative Shot system is a mixed bag. Canon uses a combination of different effects as well as cropping to muster up five alternative versions of your original photo (which is also saved), a little like Instagram but without manual control over what gets applied. Sometimes the results are quite pleasing, but other times the cropping is too obituary and the filters too heavy-handed.

Where the PowerShot N could be particularly interesting is in its potential for life-logging. Canon recognizes some may want to wear it round their neck, and so will offer a choice of neckstraps which clip onto the Frankenstein’s Monster-style silver lugs on either side of the camera. Unfortunately there’s no option to set up timed shutter release, so you’ll have to tap the button manually, but with a little work – perhaps a remote control smartphone app; Canon’s CameraWindow can be used to copy images off the camera to your iPhone or Android device, as well as GPS tag them, but not actually control it – it could end up a mass-market alternative to something like Kickstarter-funded Memoto.

Not all is good, however. The battery is good for around 200 shots (280 in Eco Mode) only, and obviously less if you take advantage of the integrated WiFi. It’s also not cheap: $299 or £269, when it begins shipping in the next few days. Still, if you’re looking for a reason to carry both your smartphone and a standalone camera, the PowerShot N makes a great party shooter and drops neatly into a pocket or purse.

The Handycam HDR-GW66VE is waterproof to depths of up to 10 meters/33 feet, as well as being resistant to a variety of conditions, such as dust, freezing temperatures -10C/14F), and drops from a height of about 1.5 meters, although its durability partially depends on the substance upon which it is dropped. The outdoorsy features aside, this Handycam also offers a variety of other features tailored towards higher-end video quality.

Because the HDR-GW66VE is small enough to fit in a pocket, it is prone to the same issues of shaky and wobbly video as other cameras that aren’t heavy enough to neutralize small jostles and hand movements. To rectify this, Sony tossed SteadyShot Active Mode into the Handycam’s roster alongside an Exmor R CMOS sensor and G Lens. SteadyShot works when zoom is being used, as well.

Videos are recorded in full HD 50p in AVCHD format, which is ideal for those who are as interested in quality as they are portability, keeping compression artifacts and other issues to a minimum. There’s also an MP4 recording mode for smaller (and lower quality) videos. Those with BRAVIA TVs will be interested to know this Handycam supports Triluminous Color.

Available in June. Price yet unspecified.

[via Sony]

The camera is model number F7D7602 and has a number of nice features designed for keeping an eye on your home while you’re away, kids, pets, and just about anything else you might want to view from afar. The camera has 720p HD resolution and video streams can be accessed via smartphone or tablet. Belkin offers an application for both Android and iOS devices allowing complete control of the camera over a Wi-Fi network.

In addition to offering HD resolution video, the camera also supports the streaming of digital audio. The device can be set up completely using a mobile phone, eliminating the need for computer. Belkin integrates infrared night vision into the camera allowing it to stream images with little or no light. The camera also uses a wide-angle lens allowing for more viewable area in the video.

Users can also set the camera up to send e-mail alerts when it detects movement and the live streaming video can be recorded to mobile devices using the application. The mobile phone applications are available for iOS 4.2 or higher and Android 2.2 and up. The camera is available to purchase online and in retail stores for $149.99.

[via Belkin]

Speaking at an economic summit in Tokyo, Rubin revealed that when Google acquired Android in 2005, the original plan was to create a camera platform with a cloud service for storing photos online. However, since digital camera growth was starting to level off and the market wasn’t all that large, Google decided to implement the software in mobile phones, which were taking off at the time.

What’s perhaps most interesting is that Google didn’t really need to change much of anything with Android in order to cater it toward mobile phones, rather than cameras. Rubin says that “the exact same platform, the exact same operating system” was simply just transfered over to handsets instead of digital cameras.

This essentially means that the Samsung Galaxy Camera is possibly a very good example of what Android was originally meant to be. And it certainly makes sense because we really enjoyed the Galaxy Camera, and we think that Android actually fits right at home on digital cameras.

[via PC World]

Up front is an f1.2 lens and a 10x optical zoom, while the 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor has BSI and optical image stabilization. 60fps still burst shooting is possible, along with time-lapse photos, and the Procision camera can be set to flick between three zoom levels – full wide, full tele, and a user-assignable mid-point – for easier frame composition.

Inside, there’s WiFi for remotely reviewing or transferring content on a smartphone or tablet, and JVC has a sports-centric app – JVC CAM Coach – for iOS and Android which allows notations for form and other commentary. The 3-inch 460k pixel LCD can tilt for easier viewing, and JVC throws in a monitor hood; a color viewfinder is an option.

Storage is courtesy of an SDXC/SDHC/SD memory card, with the PX100 capable of storing over 10hrs of 1080/60p AVCHD footage on a 128GB card. Ports include mini HDMI out, AV/headphone out, USB 2.0, and a microphone input, and there’s an accessory shoe as well as a powered socket for the viewfinder. The GC-PX100 is available now, priced at $999.95.

The NX1100 packs in a 20.3MP CMOS sensor that can shoot 8 frames per second in either RAW or JPEG formatting, with up to a 1/4000 shutter speed. The ISO can be cranked all the way up to 12,800 if need be, and videographers out there can use it to shoot full 1080p HD video. The NX1100 sports a 3-inch display, as well as built-in WiFi.

Plus, you can grab companion mobile apps for the camera, either on iOS or Android. As for the kit lens, you’re looking at a 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which isn’t anything too special, but what kit lens is these days? However, the camera comes with an external flash in the box to give your photos a little more pep and zing.

If that’s not enough of a deal, though, Samsung is throwing in a free copy of Adobe Lightroom 4, which normally costs a whopping $125, but if you snag the NX1100, you don’t have to pay a dime for it. Plus, if you’re even remotely thinking about jumping into the photography profession, Lightroom is a great tool to have at your disposal.

[via Engadget]

The two cameras actually leaked earlier this morning, thanks to premature marketing banners that were put up during the show. However, Blackmagic has made it official, introducing a video camera capable of filming in 4K resolution, as well as a compact micro four thirds shooter, both of which are necessarily cheap. The design scheme is similar to Blackmagic’s Cinema Camera that they launched last year, but this compact model has a much lower price tag.

The Pocket Cinema Camera is a $1,000 camera that packs in a Super-16 sensor, and it’s capable of recording full 1080p HD video in RAW format. The camera also features 13 stops of dynamic range. Users will be able to slap on their existing Olympus and Panasonic lenses, since the Pocket Cinema Camera utilizes an active micro four thirds mount.

The Production Camera 4K is a $4,000 video camcorder that shoots in 4K resolution (meaning four-times the resolution of full 1080p HD). This camera sports a Super-35 sensor with native 4K video support, as well as a built-in SSD recorder. The camera also supports compressed CinemaDNG RAW and compatibility with traditional EF lenses for those who want to play around with different glass.

Both cameras begin shipping in July, although a solid release date is not yet known. Engadget ended up getting a hands-on with the Pocket Cinema Camera, as well as a brief session with the Production Camera 4K. Filmmaker John Brawley also got quite the in-depth look into the Pocket Cinema Camera, and while we don’t get to see any photo samples from the new camera, it seems image quality is superb on these new shooters.

Lead image via John Brawley

That camera first turned up last September and an issue with its camera sensor led to a delay in its launch. It looks like Blackmagic is set to launch a smaller and significantly cheaper version of that camera for consumers. This camera is called the Pocket Cinema Camera and the little shooter has turned up on a large banner display at NAB ahead of its official launch.

According to the banner, the Pocket Cinema Camera will use micro four thirds lenses. The camera will feature a Super-16 Cinema 1080HD sensor and feature 13 stops of dynamic range. The camera will also support lossless CinemaDNG RAW recording.

Another feature of the camera that users will appreciate is the micro HDMI monitoring capability. The banner calls out a retail price of $995. It’s not a bad price for a micro four thirds camera and with the movie recording features, independent film makers should be all over this once it launches.

[via Engadget]

The Samsung Galaxy Camera has been working like a boss for SlashGear over the past few weeks and months, appearing in such features as “Our Secret Star of CES” and our full Samsung Galaxy Camera review. This device is essentially a high-powered photography machine able to allow photographers of any skill level the ability to take excellent photos right out of the box. Using a custom Android user interface, Samsung has made it easy to get onboard with the future of smart photography.

The oddest part about this release is the price – while the difference in prices between off- and on-contract devices has been evolving over the past few years, it’s always strange when one is so extremely close to the other as this one is. If you pick this Galaxy Camera up from AT&T attached to a 2-year data contract, you’ll be paying $499.99 USD. You’ll be paying that same price if you buy it off-contract.

It’ll be up to you whether you want to pay an extra $50 for the ability to slot your microSIM card into the device if you’re on AT&T or Verizon this week – we’re thinking it might be worth the few extra bucks. Your other option is to connect to your smartphone in your pocket with your wireless hot-spot using the wi-fi capabilities of the camera – either way, you’ll be tossing down a few bucks this summer!

UPDATE: It would appear that the Samsung Galaxy Camera is now $549.99 on Verizon and still $499.99 on AT&T (but you’ll get an accessory bundle, too!) It’s still up to you!

Have a peek at our fabulous Samsung Galaxy Camera timeline below and let us know if you’ll be picking one up soon!

Both of the camcorders feature a 1/2.84-inch CMOS imaging sensor and a RGB primary color filter. Both of the camcorders feature approximately 3.09-megapixel resolution total with 2.91-megapixels effective. Both units also feature 20 X optical zoom with a focal length of 3.67-73.4 mm.

The camcorders also feature a hybrid autofocus system supporting face priority autofocus, face only autofocus, and complete manual focus. The cameras both support full 1080p HD resolution recording in AVCHD and MP4 format with multiple frame rates. The camcorders also have special low light modes needing only 0.1 lux.

Other common features for the cameras include integrated dynamic Super Range optical image stabilization using lens shift technology. The cameras have an integrated optical viewfinder and 3.5-inch OLED displays. Dual memory card slots support SDXC cards. The only difference between the two cameras appears to be that the XA25 has a HD/SD-SDI connector to feed video directly to a microwave van, satellite uplink, or other TV transmission system. The XA25 will sell for $3199 with the XA20 selling for $2699. Both cameras are expected to be available at the end of June.

UPDATE from Canon: “The correct estimated list prices for the Canon XA25 HD ENG camcorder and XA20 HD professional camcorder are $2,999.00 and $2,499.00, respectively.”

[via Canon]

I’m bad at taking photos, especially when I’m away. All too often I’ll come back from a trip and realize I have nothing – bar the memories in my own head – to show for it. Stills seldom capture the emotion of a moment, while video gets long and unwieldy, and thus goes unwatched.

Zoe, though, combines a burst of twenty stills with about three and a half seconds of Full HD video. You can shoot just stills, or just HD video, but HTC expects most One users to give up on regular images and instead use Zoe mode: once you’ve captured a cluster of shots, you can then scroll through and pick out the one with the best framing or facial expressions, or indeed combine features from two stills into one. The One also automatically combines a selection of Zoes into a highlight reel, 30s of curated content complete with music, effects, and transitions.

What Zoe is particularly great at, though, is putting photography into a framework. You’re not just snapping hundreds of stills and recording dozens of videos – which, if you’re anything like me, you have a strong suspicion that you’ll never actually look through or share after you’re home. Instead, you start to think about photography in terms of easily snackable chunks of content: a simple 30 second highlight reel that you can imagine actually showing someone without having to worry that you’re boring them.

Find out all the details on the UltraPixel camera and Zoe system here

It also makes you think of your life in terms of events. On every other phone I’ve used, I’ve never bothered with albums: all of my images and videos have been left in one long stream of content (and one I seldom bother scrolling back through). On the One, though, you start to consider how an event might look when seen as a highlight reel: I started purposefully shooting panning shots that I knew would be particularly good at setting the scene, for instance, and tried to take more photos of people and their reactions, rather than just impressive landscapes.

The result is a gallery I actually want to flick back through, and photos I actually want to show to people. Highlight videos that require less than a minute’s investment in time are perfect for attention-short social networks like Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, and of course since it’s Android there’s fully baked-in sharing with whatever service you have installed.

It’s not all perfect, however. As we noted in our review, right now the One gives you no control over what resolution the Zoe highlight reel is encoded at – it’s Full HD or nothing – and that makes for a big video. When you’re roaming abroad, it means finding a (fast) WiFi connection is essential unless you want to bankrupt yourself with foreign data fees.

That’s not the only upload-related headache. Zoe doesn’t work at all well with automatic-upload systems; I love how Google+ pushes new photos and videos to the cloud in the background, ready for me to share them later, but on the One every single shot is queued up for the same online treatment. Given each Zoe consists of twenty stills as well as the brief video, that means a whole lot of unnecessary duplication when you browse through online. “You have 3825 new photos ready to share” Google+ eagerly informed me, after suggesting that I might want to pay to upgrade my Google Drive storage.

In fact, there’s a sense that HTC only really thought about the photography experience on the One itself, not that people might want to explore their shots outside of the handset. Having spent a couple of hours sifting through all of the multiple Zoe shots after dumping them over to my computer, picking out the best/least blurry/most interesting to share with family, the comparative value of the highlight reels began to wane. For every scene there were twenty shots to key through, and the HTC Sync Manager app does nothing but push everything into iPhoto.

HTC really needs to offer more granular – and straightforward to use – control over which photos are treated as the default by other apps and services, particularly given the shortcomings of the current highlight reel selection process. Eventually, you should be able to pick out which images are used to build the automagically-edited video; right now, though, the only way to manually control what’s included and what isn’t is to sort them manually into different Event albums (the One splits up events that are at different times and locations automatically, but I found it still mixed together activities while I was away).

Those Events can then be used to create more specific highlight reels, but then you miss out on auto-uploading, since most such services only look at content in the root Photos folder. Events on the One are organized into subfolders, unless you copy rather than move them, in which case you run into storage limitations (which, since there’s no memory card slot, could quickly become an issue given the size of each single Zoe cluster).

I’d love to see HDR support in Zoe mode (at the moment, you can only use it in standard camera mode); that generally works well, though it sometimes left the sky oddly colored in brighter scenes. The ability to opt for longer highlight reels would be great too: a minute or 90 seconds, perhaps, to fit in more media from longer Events.

The fumbles and glitches don’t undermine the overall experience, however. HTC’s decision to opt for a 4-megapixel-equivalent sensor might mean we get stuck with awkward “UltraPixel” branding, but it doesn’t stop the One from taking solid shots and delivering great low-light images (useful for when you’re taking food photos in restaurants; yes, I know it’s a cliché, but I still did it).

Zoe seemed like a gimmick at first, but it’s enough to make me reach for the HTC One in preference to the iPhone 5 or any other Android handset when I know I’m likely to be taking photos. Now HTC just needs to bring its sync app up to speed too, as well as do a better job of explaining to potential consumers why they might end up thinking the same, if they’d only give the One a try.

Corvette Racing’s radar system is similar to the camera systems used to provide visibility in blind spots, but with a sophisticated vehicle tracking feature that can provide racers with information that could be difficult to get otherwise, such as during the night time. Check out the video below to see it in action.

Pratt & Miller embeddded systems engineer Chris Hammond said, “The system uses a rear-facing radar sensor to track up to 32 objects, and runs on a custom-built Linux PC with a Core i3 CPU. With a momentary glance the driver knows how many cars are following, how far back each one is, their closing speeds, and whether or not they are probably a faster class.”

The radar works something like this: The camera keeps an eye on the vehicles nearby, and whether it is bright and sunny or dim and rainy (or after dark), the system will use symbols to indicate things about other racers. For example, a yellow symbol is used to identify vehicles that are going the same speed as the driver’s car, while a green symbol is used to show a car that is going slower and a red symbol to show cars that are going faster.

[via Autoblog]

The XP200 has waterproofing down to 15 meters below the surface of the sea, is resistant to cold temperatures – down to negative 10 degrees celsius, and will take on drops of up to 2 meters if you like. This beast is shockproof, dustproof, and is ready to roll out with the rest of your beastly rugged gadgets with the newest in fashionable beast-mode aesthetics. That means it looks nice, too.

The lens is one you’ll also find to work with 5x zoom, that is 28-140mm range, and there’s a lovely dedicated Burst Mode ready for your snappage as well. The back of this device also contains a 3-inch LCD display on the back so you’ll be able to see what you’re doing, and you’ll be able to take some slo-mo video as well. Video can be captured with this camera at Full HD 1080p at 60fps – and you can capture at 360fps as well if you want to go… so… super… slow.

This fabulous little monster will be available for 229 pounds in England starting at the end of April, and we’ll likely see it in the USA as well – soon and very soon! Have a peek at the timeline below of Fujifilm bits and pieces to put the whole puzzle together. And start shooting now!

[via T3]

That fits in with the chatter from a prematurely posted Best Buy listing which tipped us off to the EOS-b in the first place. The camera will apparently be called the EOS Kiss X7 in Japan, where it will have a price of 79,000 yen. Best Buy’s product page indicated a $799.99 US street price.

Other specifications include a 100 to 25,600 ISO range, and 9-point AF, using a hybrid CMOS AF system. Shutter speeds of 30-1/400 second will be supported, plus 1080p video recording. Storage is SD/SDHC/SDXC card, and the EOS-b uses Canon’s DIGIC5 processing.

We’ll have to wait until April to see the new EOS-b hit shelves, with an EF-S 18-55m zoom the kit lens. Given how close we are to that release date, we don’t expect to have to wait for long before Canon makes things official.

[via Canon Rumors]

Memoto released a handful of photos demonstrating the camera’s 5MP sensor. From the looks of it, the quality of the images aren’t too bad. The company notes that these photos were taken on a beta version of the software, so when the final product comes out, “color saturation will probably be increased a bit compared to these images, and the exposure in some of the darker images will be equalized. Sharpness and compression levels will also be adjusted” in the final version.

Memoto also notes that these photos are not post-processed, meaning that they were uploaded straight to the interwebs after being taken off the camera. As with any cheaper camera, indoor photo quality suffers only slightly, but low-light capabilities actually seem quite respectable, and but it looks like shutter speeds could be ramped up a bit, especially for outdoor shots.

The Memoto Lifelogging camera is about the size of a postage stamp, and it’s an “intelligent micro-device” that captures every moment of your life in photos. The camera takes tons of photos over the course of a period of time, and users can search through the archives for the photos they want in order to share them or just revisit them using the company’s web platform or mobile app.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has been tipped to be coming with a 4.9-inch display with AMOLED technology flavored with a bit of futuristic tech that’ll make it about 30% brighter than past iterations. Call that Green PHOLED if you dare. The display is set to be rolling out with a massive 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution too, this making the device a beastly 440PPI – so sharp it’ll cut your eyeballs apart.

The Samsung Exynos 5 Octa quad-core processor has been tipped several times for the Galaxy S4. With that and the smooth excellence of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean as well as Samsung’s own TouchWiz in its newest iteration, this device will be a beast when it comes to futuristic mobile computing. Then there’s the camera.

Today’s tip from PatentBolt suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be working with some form of 3D camera action. With the “2D to 3D” sort of logo appearing in trademark form today connected with the following text, the Galaxy S4 coming with 3D processing technology has become a real possibility. We’re not going to see a double-camera situation like we did with past 3D-capable smartphones, instead we’ll be seeing post-shot processing (if we see any such 3D abilities at all, that is).

“Application software for smart phones; application software for tablet computers; digital cameras; USB flash drives; mobile telephones; portable media players; portable computers; rechargeable batteries; smart phones; tablet computers; wireless headsets; lenses for cameras.”

BONUS: You’ll notice the 3D logo is an ever-so-slight modification of Samsung’s previous 3D logo used on their Smart TV line – as seen in our recent Samsung UN55ES8000 55-inch Smart TV Review, too!

If you’ll have a peek at the logo and compare the ever-so-slight 3D-looking “4″ in the invite for the event for the device coming up this week, you’ll find yourself wondering. Could the Galaxy S4 be bringing on 3D technology without a double-dose of camera lens action? We’ll see on the 14th – SlashGear will be in NYC to bring you the full story!

According to BriefMobile, sources say that HTC is having difficulty scrounging up enough components to keep up with production of their new flagship handset, specially the components needed to put together the camera module. This could mean that delays may be imminent, and that next week’s planned launch of the device may have to wait. That, or not very many units will be available at launch.

It’s said that shortages of the voice coil motor (VCM) and the compact camera module (CCM) used in the HTC One’s UltraPixel camera are to blame, with yield rates only allowing for anywhere between 800,000 to 1.2 million One devices being manufactured over the next few months. HTC could still stick with their March 15 launch date, but shipments to smaller markets around the world may be delayed into May. This includes Singapore, Taiwan, China, and Japan.

This means that a US launch happening on time is still possible, and will most likely happen anyway, but the company may not have enough units on hands as originally expected. With the announcement of Samsung’s Galaxy S IV coming just a day before the HTC One launch, let’s hope HTC will have everything in place. Of course, this is only a rumor at this point, so take the possible delay with a grain of salt.

[via BriefMobile]

This device works with an all-glass 18.5mm (28mm equivalent) prime lens with no less than a f/2.8 aperture to back it up. You’ll be working with quick AF performance at 4 frames per second bursts, a collection of fabulous scene modes, and wi-fi connectivity if you do so wish to have it. To grab that connectivity you’ll beed to pick up the also relatively new WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter – a tiny little bug you’ll love plugging in to the side of your brand new COOLPIX.

You’ll be working with a manual focus ring, full manual exposure controls, and the ability to shoot in real-deal completely RAW/NEF if you’d like. Your manual exposure controls allow you to shoot in P, S, A, or M, your desire being its reality – and there’s a collection of accessories coming on as well. You’ll be working with a DF-CP1 Optical Viewfinder, a UR-E24 Adapter Ring for all the filters and lens hoods you want, and a hearty HN-CP18 metal Lens Hood.

There’s a full-size hot shoe port as well if you’re all about the Nikon Speedlight collection – go wild! This device will be revealed in both Black and Silver when it’s ready – inside March 2013 for the market at a suggested retail price of $1099.95 USD. We’ll be seeing this device released at all your favorite fine camera shops and, if you’re lucky, we’ll be reviewing it here on SlashGear too, soon!

Official details, such as its design and specifications, haven’t been finalized, but word has it the camera will be launched in 2014. Along with the device will be a line of accessories specific to it, such as filters, lenses, and camera bags. This indicates the company expects the device to be popular, a reasonable expectation given the enthusiasm that spread across the Internet when the concept was produced.

If the camera follows closely to the concept, users can expect a generously-sized 4.3-inch touchscreen display on the back, as well as 16GB of internal storage. The device will print instant photographs from an integrated printer. Connectivity could then be comprised of both Bluetooth and standard Wi-Fi. It is reasonable to assume the on-board operating system could be Android, although everything is speculation at this point.

Socialmatic’s CEO Antonio De Rosa said: “We are so proud to work together with C & A and Polaroid, giants of digital photography. It has been a long and difficult negotiation but we were strongly motivated to reach an agreement to create a small revolution in digital photography. This mix of Hardware and Software, together with our brand new photo social network will fill the gap between virtuality and reality.”

[via Engadget]

Before we go any further, you should know that this is just the second in what we’re expecting will be an extended series of Photo Tour posts here on SlashGear. The first was back a few months ago with the HTC Evo 4G LTE, a device whose photo setup was being pushed by its makers at the time. Of important note is the fact that both that device and this one both use Qualcomm Snapdragon processors – from different generations, yes, but both coming with architecture that Qualcomm is proud to speak about as having fabulous photo processing abilities. This time they team with LG, and here we go again on a different corner of the earth – Spain.

The first image you see above was shot with the camera right out of the box, automatic settings from start to finish, the shot taken in the morning of a Barcelona city street. Note that this photo was also the subject of another hands-on post earlier this week, the LG Pocket Photo – a miniature photo printer that requires no ink to use – like magic! Below you’ll see one of our first examples of an HDR photo. The shutter speed on this device, even with HDR, is rather quick – but because of the nature of HDR photos, you’ll still see multiple instances of the same people walking in this MWC 2013 crowd.

Below this you’ll find a gallery of photos taken in the same location as what you see above. With the quick shooting mode on this device, you’re able to collect a massive amount of photos in undeniably quick succession – 20 shots before it has to stop and think about what it’s done. The best way for you to visualize this here in still photos is to click (or tap) one of the photos below and move rapidly through the gallery with your arrow buttons. This will only work on a desktop computer with our gallery system unless you’ve got a wildfire-fast tablet or smartphone – if you do, go for it! The goal here it to see the images as a sort of stop-motion animation. When you do, you’ll see that this beast is a snappy shooter.

Another example of an HDR photo can be seen next – the big LG logo. Here you’ll get an idea of how this device shoots something lit up in a rather mixed-lighting environment. Again you’ll notice the multiple instances of the same faces because of the multi-exposure that happens when you shoot an HDR shot.

A macro photo can be seen next, even though the LG Optimus G Pro isn’t promoted for its macro abilities, you’ll find that this photo does the trick. The subject matter is the G Pro Quick Cover – an official LG-made cover for this device you can read all about over on Android Community. Up close and personal without a special setting looks rather nice and clear with the 13 megapixel camera we’re right here and now using with the LG Optimus G Pro.

Another HDR photo is next, in this case showing an especially dark locale. You’ll find that in this Beer shop in the midst of this week’s convention venue, the blacks have become in many cases a lighter shade of gray. With this you’ll see that there’s not much that you cannot see – that can be especially valuable if you’re doing photography for documentation rather than for the sake of high art. If you want 100% true-to-life colors, you wont want to use HDR with the Optimus G Pro.

Then there’s a two-up photo set here, the first of a Coke can taken without HDR, the next being that same Coke can, this time with HDR switched to “on”. You’ll be able to tell one from the other only with extremely sharp eyes – and by noticing that I’ve accidentally placed my finger into the edge of the HDR photo. The HDR photo looks almost identical to the non-HDR photo (besides the finger and the television picture behind the can, for obvious reasons). The HDR version is ever-so-slightly more intense, especially in the darks across the range – the red in the can, for example, is a bit more deep.

The gallery you’re having a peek at below shows two different examples of what the LG Optimus G Pro captures with its own unique version of a Photo Sphere. If you’ll remember back a few weeks when a new version of Android Jelly Bean was introduced, Google revealed Photo Sphere – a built-in camera mode that creates a panorama photo, but capturing a massive photo that covers all directions, something like what you see when you head to Street View in Google Maps. You’ll also remember that while it works great some times, it – at other times – doesn’t work so perfectly. The same is true of LG’s iteration of this feature, even with a slightly different user interface.

Another gallery rests below, this time showing a set of examples of a regular old panorama. This standard panorama mode has produced marginally better results for us thus far than the sphere-like mode above. It is important here – as it always is with panorama shooting at this time in history – to drag the camera across your scene at an even rate – and not too slow, not too fast either. One of the photos was taken at the Google Head Space party during MWC – as you can see, this club area was rather dark, and didn’t work too well with the panorama mode in the end. The others were taken on a bridge inside the main MWC 2013 event, lighting being a bit more generous.

Next you’ll see another example of a photo taken indoors of a rather large, open area at Mobile World Congress. The first shot was taken without HDR, the second was taken in HDR mode. This example set shows just a bit more clear the difference between the two – generally this is the case when you’ve got the possibility of a much more large range of colors and levels of light and dark.

The nighttime photo you see below is taken from across the street from the Mobile World Congress 2012 venue. This is a place where many MWC-goers stop on the train to transfer trains as it’s a large hub from one place to another – notably the new venue, mind you. The important point here is the levels of light in the darkness – and the idea that this photo was captured by hand. Normally a photo captured here at this time by hand – with most smartphone cameras, that is – would have lots of light streaks due to the shutter being open for enough time to capture the correct amount of light. In this case, LG’s setup allows you to do this much quicker – and the result is obvious.

Finally you’ll find a lovely gallery full of photos taken at one of the more challenging locations a person can take a photo at with results that look more than terrible. It is – once again – the Mobile World Congress 2013 Google party: Google Head Space. There are two rooms here, the first a smaller one made for chilling out and having a drink amongst a DJ mixing tunes under a massive Google Play Music set of orange headphones. The second is a massive room with a stage that held both Tinie Tempah and Florence and the Machine.

Enjoy this if you would, and have a peek at the rest of our Mobile World Congress 2013 content in our lovely MWC 2013 tag portal. You can also have a peek at our LG tag portal for more awesome Optimus action, there finding the review of the LG Optimus G Pro soon, and very soon.

That being said, lets first briefly explain the Zoe. These are essentially a mix of video and still images. You can create a Zoe (using an HTC One) by hitting the icon for the Zoe Mode. Once here you tap the on-screen button and the phone sets about capturing some HD video and still frame images and then packages it all together in a Zoe, which is 30-seconds in length. Below is a video from the HTC One launch event that goes a bit further into detail on the Zoe.

The big thing we have heard since is that this all sounds a bit gimmicky. Well, to that we say plenty of things can have that appearance in the beginning. The one thing that may keep the Zoe clips from being super popular is the fact that they can only be created but those with an HTC One. That bit alone may keep these in the gimmick category but as always, we will have to see how this plays out once the handset is readily available.

Anyway, back to the Zoe clips that are beginning to surface. So far there have been a handful discovered by way of some social media searches. You can check them out by surfing to the following three links; Zoe (1), Zoe (2) and Zoe (3). So how about it, any thoughts on the Zoe? Do you think these will be the next big thing, or the next big flop?

[via Android and Me]

The device is designed to be a portable camera stabilizer meant to reduce shaking and improve stability when recording. The device is designed to work with smartphones, point-and-shoot cameras, still cameras, and just about anything else. Any camera that uses a standard 1/4-20 tripod mount can be secured inside of the wheel.

The device has no moving parts and is resistant to salt water making it usable for water sports. The SteadyWheel weighs 1.6 pounds and is 11 1/2 inches in diameter. Looking at the device, the diameter of the wheel makes it seem as though it would be very difficult to use in some settings. I can’t see the device being usable by a person who’s actually riding a motorcycle or driving a car for instance.

A pledge of $50 or more will get you one of the SteadyWheels during the early bird special. So far, the project has 200 backers and has raised $10,532 at the time of writing with 17 days to go. The project is seeking $27,000.

[via Kickstarter]

This new camera uses the Foveon X3 direct image sensor, promising outstanding resolution and natural rendering with rich color gradients to give photographs a 3D feel. The camera has a three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine 2 processing engine to improve the processing speed and overall quality of images. The camera also has a Special Low Dispersion glass used in conjunction with aspherical lens elements to compensate for a variety of aberrations and allow the camera to have a more compact size.

The camera promises a minimum focus distance of 8.9-inches and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3 allowing for macro shooting. The camera also has a nine-point select mode allowing the user to select the desired focusing point from nine different frames. The camera also supports “free move mode” allowing the user to move the desired point of focus. Users can also take advantage of manual focus.

Another camera feature is a new Face Detection autofocus that prioritizes focus on the face of the subject detected by the sensor. The camera can shoot images in RAW+JPEG format and ships with software to convert RAW data quickly and easily. The camera can be pre-ordered right now for $999. The camera’s official page does show an MSRP of $1400 making it unclear if the $999 price tag is for pre-orders only.

[via Sigma]

The full HD resolution sensor uses a 1.4-micron pixel allowing for high performance low light capability offering fine detail. The low light performance is enabled using the fourth-generation Aptina MobileHDR technology for superior low light performance and best in class high dynamic range for smartphones allowing for clear video no matter what condition. The 60 frames per second capture rate also allows the sensor to support gesture applications.

By supporting gesture applications, the sensor will open up new ways for users to interact with their device. The sensor can also capture 720p resolution video at 60 frames per second giving manufacturers an option. The MobileHDR technology increases the dynamic range allowing the device to maintain image sharpness while compensating for motion.

Aptina says that the sensors capability allows for clear video in difficult situations such as when a subject is in a dark room with a bright light behind them without having dark faces. The manufacturer says that the censors sampling right now and will be in production the summer. The sensor has a 1/6-inch optical format and is aimed at standard 5.5 x 5.5 mm modules.

[via Aptina]

Before we get to the details in the WR-1 Transceiver though, we’ve got to once again take you on a trip to D7100 town. This fabulous new unit is bringing on a collection of upgrades over the D7000 it replaces, including a new “I” button that’ll bring up a set of on-screen controls that changes depending on which you use most frequently. You’ve also got a beast of a set of internals including a 51-point AF system as well as Nikon’s own 3D Color Matrix Metering II 2016 pixel RGB sensor – and Scene Recognition System.

With this camera’s optical viewfinder you’ve got guaranteed 100% frame coverage – and you’ll be working with a brand new OLED display as well. With the Nikon D7100 you’ve got the ability to record video at 1080/30p or 60i/50i – the latter working at 1.3x Crop Mode. You can also shoot photos at up to 7 frames per second in that same 1.3 Crop Mode or 6fps at full resolution.

You can also shoot in 1.3 DX crop mode with this camera for both still photos and video, this allowing that 7fps mentioned with enhanced AF system frame coverage. You’ll be working with an ISO range of 100-6400 (with expandability up to Hi-2 of 25,600) for all the low-light shooting you can handle. While you’re in live view you’ve also got a new Spot White Balance feature that’ll whip you up some instant (and precise) white balance adjustments on the spot.

The Nikon D7100 works with an Enhanced Interface on its 3.2-inch High Resolution 1229k dot LCD, bright and powerful for your everyday previews. If on the other hand you’re the wireless type, this system is compatible with the WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter for connectivity with your smartphone or tablet – control from afar!

Then there’s the wireless dongle you’re just going to go nuts over. This is the new WR-1 Transceiver – announced this week with compatibility with the most recent range of Nikon D-SLR cameras. This beast will bring you 2.4GHz radio frequency for range up to 394 feet with 15 channels onboard.

The WR-1 can be used as a transmitter or a receiver – grab a couple and you can control your camera from a stone’s throw away like a pro! You can also control a set of cameras at once with this device (just so long as there’s one plugged in to each of them) for simultaneous or synchronized shutter releases – that’s a snap party if we’ve ever heard of one! The WR-1 Transceiver will run you $59.95 SRP and is available right this minute.

The Nikon D7100 system will be available starting in March of 2013 at a camera retailer near you. You’ll be seeing the D7100 for $1199.95 SRP for the body only configuration while a package that includes the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens will run you $1599.95 SRP. Stack your cash and get ready for it!

UltraPixel Sensor

HTC is bringing what it calls its first UltraPixel sensor to the market with the HTC One, showing off the full setup in the image you see below. This image shows the HTC ImageChip architecture (not unlike what we saw with each of the HTC One models in the past), the UltraPixel Sensor itself, an f/2.0 Aperture, and the HTC One’s lens. With the UltraPixel sensor, you’ll now be working with larger pixels than the average camera.

With the UltraPixel Sensor collecting UltraPixel-sized pixels, you’ll be getting the ability to capture “300% more light than many of the 13 megapixel cameras on the market.” Each pixel contains more light and more data than ever before, all this with a sensor whose size is equivalent to that of a standard 8MP or 13MP smartphone camera. This UltraPixel Sensor is a CMOS BSI and is classified as having a 1/3′ sensor size.

Each photo you’re going to be taking will be 2688 x 1520 pixels in size on the HTC One at a 16:9 aspect ratio, and you’ve got a 5 piece lens element setup with a focal length of 3.82mm. Each one of the pixels you’re picking up here is a 2.0 micrometer UltraPixel. These pixels have “effectively” twice the surface area of the standard pixels you’re working with on 8MP and 13MP setups, those being generally 1.4 micrometers and 1.1 micrometers respectively.

In effect, you’ve got the same size photo, but instead of creating smaller pixels to fill the area as larger megapixel cameras are doing, HTC is creating larger pixels to fill the area. This results in the HTC One’s camera being 4MP strong, but creating photos that are the same size – and better quality – than the larger megapixel solutions. File sizes are smaller for the HTC-taken photos here as well.

HTC ImageChip

With the newest edition of HTC’s own ISP (Image Signal Processor), you’ll find that the HTC ImageChip feature collection has expanded since the HTC One X arrived on the scene right around a year ago with ImageSense. The first big innovation is a rather speedy 200ms full distance scan for use with Continuous Auto Focus. That’s quicker than a human blink – you’ll have a harder time being out of focus than you will getting instant focus.

Next you’ll find Real-Time Video HDR – with a dynamic range that can be cranked up to a lovely -92dB, you’ll be able to “match the human eye capability” as you capture interlaced frames at 60fps. You’ve what HTC notes is “always on” HDR here for video, even at HD 1080p. Due to the nature of the curved lens, darker spots appear near the edge of your photos almost no matter what – HTC has compensated for this with an algorithm designed specifically for the HTC One’s hardware.

This newest HTC ImageChip also works with de-noise processing on both the front and the back-facing camera on the HTC One. With this simple concentration of effort, HTC says noise is cleanly removed at all times.

f/2.0 Aperture

HTC shows quite simply how the HTC One uses the largest of three apertures available in some of the best selling smartphones on the market today, with the Galaxy S III working with an f/2.6 and the iPhone 5 utilizing an f/2.4. With the HTC One’s f/2.0 size, one whole heck of a lot more light is able to be let in, this resulting in better results in low-light photo conditions.

Optical Image Stabilization

The HTC One’s camera setup allows its camera to capture a full sized photo as fast as 1/48 of a second. This compares with the current market standard of 1/30 of a second, that speed also the best the HTC One X can do currently. Along with this you’ve now got a real-deal physical optical image stabilizer (OIS) on the HTC One working with the smartphone’s dedicated imaging gyroscope.

With its own OIS, the HTC One’s lens physically moves according to what the dedicated imaging gyroscope tells it, this countering the inevitable shake that happens when someone takes a photo without a tripod. This OIS is different from the more common digital stabilization used on many competitor model solutions, those solutions opting to cut out shaking bits of the photo, reducing the resolution of the photo in the process.

The HTC One’s OIS works at an “unprecedented” frequency of 2000Hz and has been made small enough to fit inside the HTC One’s relatively thin chassis. Working on two axis, this OIS detects pitch and yaw movements and counters them at 2000 times a second. Video quality is also significantly improved over past solutions as the OIS effectively removes background shakes and mimics smooth panning, top to bottom.

More on the HTC One

Below you’ll find a timeline of HTC One hands-on or otherwise in-depth explorations from SlashGear. We’ll also have a full review of the HTC One up sooner than later, so be sure to stick around for the big drop! Seeya then!