In the traditional camera war on mobile camera phones, Leica's taken a daring strike with the Leica M10 Monochrom. This is a monochrome camera - a camera which omits all color filters in favor of ultimate photo power in black and white. Inside this camera is a brand new high-end 40-megapixel "true black-and-white" sensor paired with the newest in digital connectivity and up-to-date photo technology.
Smartphone cameras may be ubiquitous and have significantly improved over the years but they're still a long way from overthrowing professional equipment, even the more handy ones. Mirrorless cameras are often the go-to products for on-the-go photography gear but, despite their portability, can still sometimes be a pain to hold, especially over long periods. That's why Sony has just announced the GP-VPT2BT Shooting Grip which it touts as the best hassle-free grip in its arsenal, mostly because it doesn't use any cables to work.
If you think carefully back to last year's CES event, you may remember Panasonic's announcement of an odd home security camera built discreetly into the top of a floor lamp. The model offers a less conspicuous alternative to obvious home security cameras, blending in better with the home decor while making it harder for thieves to figure out whether they're being watched.
360-degree videos have become fashionable these days, even without the virtual reality factor, because of how they enable recording everything for manual editing and cutting later. Due to size constraints, sensors in most 360 cameras are often less than what you could get if there was only one sensor pointing in one direction. This forces consumers to make an upfront choice about what to buy or what to use for a specific occasion. What if you didn't have to choose? What if you could have all of those and switch between them at a moment's notice like you would switch lenses on a regular camera? That is exactly what Insta360 is promising with the Insta360 ONE R, delivering a 360-degree lens, a 4K wide-angle lens, and a 1-inch Wide-Angle sensor all in one bundle.
With smartphones cannibalizing the point and shoot camera market, pro camera manufacturers have been pushed to step up their game and widen the gap between mobile and dedicated cameras. There are definitely a lot of things a smartphone can't do compared to a DSLR given the constraints in hardware and size. Despite the almost ridiculous amount of pixels in mobile imaging sensors, now up to 108 megapixels, phones often falter when it comes to exposure and especially autofocus. It isn't by coincidence, then, that that is exactly where the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III shines the brightest.
This week the folks at "livestreaming camera leader and pioneer" Mevo revealed their newest camera, Mevo Start. This device is a new video camera made specifically for long-form, live video. This camera, they suggest, is made exclusively for consumer and social media influencers - specifically for live video streaming events.
Dash cams are nothing new, but in the age of ride sharing, drivers may need to record more than just the road in front of them. Garmin today introduced a new dash cam that does just that, recording both the road and inside the cabin for a 360-degree view of what's going on. Dubbed the Garmin Dash Cam Tandem, this new device has lenses on the front and back that record simultaneously.
PowerVision has introduced PowerEgg X, a product that it describes as an AI-powered personal camera that can fly. This drone is designed around its camera capabilities -- this is a product you'd use to capture a stunning shot of your favorite activities, though it could also be used for other situations in which a camera drone would prove useful, including land surveying. At the heart of the device is its 4K/60fps camera.
Sony smartphones may not be flying off the shelves, but even if you bought a recent iPhone or one of many Android phones you're actually a Sony customer - and contributing to its production headache. While Sony Xperia handsets remain niche, despite the company's best efforts to pitch unlocked and SIM-free devices, its camera sensor business is struggling to keep up with its own success.
Google's Pixel 4 may have added the second camera it long avoided, but a deep-dive into Portrait Mode shows it's not slowing up on computational photography. Earlier versions of the Pixel relied on post-processing trickery to coax a faux-bokeh shot from a single lens, where rivals used the double-data from two adjacent sensors.
Apple has quietly acquired a camera tech startup that could make for crisper, more accurate photos and videos from future iPhones, according to reports. Spectral Edge is a UK startup spun out of machine learning research at the University of East Anglia, cooking up image processing smarts that could have relevance not only on Apple's smartphone but its displays and even future tech around autonomous cars.
![Ring camera hacking has become entertainment for some people [UPDATED]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Ring-stick-up-cam-sept-2019-1280x720.jpg)
It's not that uncommon for some people to experience an amount of joy and excitement at the news of websites, databases, and institutions getting hacked. Some people, however, view these incidents as something far removed from them, something that happens to everyone except them. Reality, however, has taken on a frightening turn for owners of Ring security cameras who suddenly find virtual intruders in their homes, thanks to hackers who break into the security system and live stream their harassment for the entertainment of a few.