frames

Nikon to expand full-frame SLR line

SAN FRANCISCO--It looks like Nikon, having followed Canon into the market for high-end SLRs with full-frame image sensors, will continue the effort by offering lower-end models as well.

Nikon's $5,000 D3 camera, announced in August and due to go on sale in November, employs a sensor the size of a full frame of 35mm film. These FX-sized sensors offer higher sensitivity and a broader field of view than the smaller DX sensors Nikon has used in its SLRs until now. Nikon will develop new DX-based cameras, but the company will flesh out its FX line as well, said … Read more

Ceiva playing at a fridge near you

Having conquered the living rooms of grandparents everywhere, Ceiva's digital photo frames have set their sights on a new target--the refrigerator door. As ridiculous as that might sound, it's really the next logical step in kitchen-media convergence: We've already seen a steady rise in fridge TVs from Samsung, LG and other manufacturers, after all.

Ceiva's partnership is with Whirlpool, a deal that makes sense because of the appliance maker's "Centralpark Connection" networked line of iceboxes; Ceiva provides slide shows received by online feeds, so it's a natural fit. The Whirpool frames will … Read more

Peering inside Nikon's D3 and D300

Update: I fixed a math error in the shutter description.

Nikon's D3 and D300 SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, announced Wednesday, are complicated and expensive beasts, so few people outside a repair center or Canon's competitive intelligence unit are going to be cracking them open.

Happily, Nikon has provided a number of views into its new $5,000 D3 and $1,800 D300 cameras. Forthwith, a tour of what I find most notable.… Read more

Full-frame camera sensors: a tough technology

Update: I added a tidbit about Nikon not manufacturing its own sensors.

Steve Hoffenberg, a camera analyst at Lyra Research, had a ready response to news that Nikon now has an SLR, the D3, whose sensor matches the full size of a frame of 35mm film: "I think it's about time."

Indeed, Canon has a five-year head start in the market and, unlike Nikon, has spread the technology down from professional-level models to the enthusiast category. But it's not simple to add full-frame sensors alongside the more common SLRs with smaller sensors.

One big reason is … Read more

High-end Nikon SLR rumors heat up

A new spate of rumors are cropping up about a new Nikon top-end professional-grade digital SLR, the D3, with some asserting that a new camera will be announced this month and ship in August.

Many of the reports are cropping up on the Nikon SLR message boards of Digital Photography Review. One May posting cited French photo publication Reponses Photo as saying the Nikon D3 would have an 18.7-megapixel built by Sony and, in what would be a significant departure for Nikon, an image sensor nearly the size of a full frame of 35mm film.

A posting on Thursday … Read more

Hot deal on the Samsung SPF-72H Digital Picture Frame

Digital picture frames have been around for a while, but they just don't seem to have taken off in the way I had expected. I suppose it can be chalked up to their seeming like more of a novelty than the sort of pragmatic sort of technology that one would think of, like an MP3 player, but one has to admit they're pretty darn cool. If you've been thinking about picking one of these up, now's your chance as you can get the Samsung SPF-72H Digital Picture Frame for only $129.99 after a $20 rebate … Read more

Audio photo frame is distinctly analog

If there's one aspect of parenting that didn't change with the new millennium (and probably never will), it's the natural right to brag on one's children. But as any insufferable parent knows, most portable digital viewers are either too clunky or too small (horrors) to get a decent look at the rugrats.

So we thought Discovery had found the missing link with its "Mini Recording Frame Set," which had a full display (the device measure 4.75 by 2.25 inches and only a quarter-inch thick) while weighing only an ounce. It also joins … Read more

Mustek's fine-featured photo frame

Competition is hotting up in the digital photo frame market and, as a result, we're seeing larger frames with more features at not-so-scary prices. The latest through Crave's revolving door is Mustek's most recent offering, the 8-inch PF-D800.

This frame packs plenty of features, which in theory puts it at an advantage over many of its competitors. Not only does it show images, in portrait or landscape mode with the usual options of slideshows, rotation and zoom settings, but it also plays MP3s, shows video and has a TV-out port--not a bad little set for its 140-pound … Read more

Pandigital to ship monster digital photo frame tomorrow

Photo frames are big these days--and they're getting bigger. And by that I mean their size, not just their popularity.

Pandigital has announced it will begin shipping its 15-inch model, the PAN-150, on April 18, for a retail price of $299. Sorry; you can't connect a computer to this monitor-sized LCD, but the frame is a 1024x768 high-resolution display and it does have an integrated 6-in-1 media reader (SD, XD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro/Memory Stick Duo, Compact Flash, MMC), as well 256MB of internal memory. You can also download photos directly onto the frame by connecting … Read more

A digital photo frame, with flowers!

What did we tell you? Yesterday we whining characteristically about a preponderance of digital photo frames on the market. And now we find that yet another one is being hawked, this one by Philips.

But here's the rub: The latest "Digital PhotoFrame" seen on MobileWhack doesn't seem to feature much of anything new over previous models and is apparently being marketed solely for Mother's Day, available with an "exquisite new floral design."

That, in our humble opinion, is more evidence that this business is way overcrowded. Companies typically mount a big push on … Read more