camera

Blow away your camera's dust

As dust-busting has become an increasingly important factor in digital photography, competition has inevitably heated up in the resulting cottage industry. But this is the first cleaning device we've seen that comes with its own rocket.

The "FireFly" uses a "Giotto Rocket air blower bulb and advanced ionizing technology" to blow away tiny debris, quite literally, from a digital camera's sensor. The trick, according to Gadget Lab, is to use anti-static air that strips dust particles of their electrostatic charge.

Static superpowers aside, the FireFly still doesn't seem as sophisticated as the "… Read more

Jeepers! BetterLight's 416-megapixel camera

LAS VEGAS--Maybe BetterLight's 384-megapixel Super 8K-HS scanning camera is just too wimpy for you.

Well, you're in luck, because the San Carlos, Calif.-based company announced a new high-end model, the Super 10K-HS, that offers 416-megapixel images.

The company's products are geared for professionals with demanding needs in areas such as landscape or catalog photography. The new Super 10K-HS, announced Thursday here at the Photo Marketing Association trade show, is intended in particular for reproducing artwork or museum artifacts such as scrolls.

Technically, BetterLight doesn't sell cameras, but rather camera "backs" that attach to … Read more

Spycam of yesteryear disappoints

Ubergizmo has spied that the International Spy Museum is selling the Cola Cam for about $18.

Cool, you may think. Who wouldn't want a camera shaped like a can of soda?

There are several reasons.

First, you have to hold it as if you are shot-gunning a beer, so you can't just sit it on a shelf and let it click. It's so obviously a camera that you would not need the spy for spycams surveillance kit.

Second, the flash that pops up makes it extremely obvious that this is not a can of Cindy Crawford's … Read more

System gives your camera a bath

Even with all the cutting-edge digital photographic gear in the world, you still won't be the next Ansel Adams if your DSLR camera's sensor is as dirty as a preschooler's fingernails. That's when the "SensorScope" system shines a light on the subject, quite literally.

This portable kit inspects your sensor with a 5x magnification lens and four ultra-bright LEDs so you can view all the offensive debris, according to Ubergizmo, which is "mostly metallic, fiber, organic and silica particles." The SensorScope then removes the unwanted specks, as long as your camera has … Read more

Sony camera cuts the cord

Wi-Fi? Pffft. Sony's late to the wireless photography party, but it bypasses the hot spot in favor of the connected home. Its Cyber-shot DSC-G1 integrates DLNA--Digital Living Network Alliance--wireless connectivity, a superset of Wi-Fi that adds interdevice recognition. So far, though, there aren't many DLNA-enabled devices.

Besides, with its 921,000-pixel, 3.5-inch LCD screen, the G1 is practically a TV (in contrast, the usual camera LCD has about 220,000 pixels). Two gigabytes of internal memory make it possible to carry your whole photo library around with you for display on that huge LCD.

The G1 … Read more

HP's three cameras and a printer dock

HP just announced several new products at PMA 2007, including three new digital cameras and a new photo printer dock.

The HP PhotoSmart M837 is a compact 7-megapixel, 3X zoom camera with a surprising amount of style. Its slim body and sliding lens cover are more than a little similar to Sony's stylish but much more expensive PowerShot T-series of cameras. The M837 sports a big 3-inch LCD screen that HP claims has a 170-degree viewing angle. The camera also has several image editing features, including a new red-eye reduction mode. The HP PhotoSmart M837 ships in April, with … Read more

Leica's compact, wide-angle C-Lux 2

In the continuing tradition of Leica and Panasonic releasing fraternal-twin cameras, Leica is debuting its customized version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30, which that company announced at the end of January.

As usual, Leica targets a slightly more upscale audience with its C-Lux 2, justifying the $150 price differential by bundling a 64MB SD card--are they still making them that small?--and a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements. Leica will also be offering a variety of leather cases as accessories.

Except for some minor cosmetic details, the 7-megapixel C-Lux 2 matches the FX30 pretty closely. It features a 28mm-100mm-equivalent, optically … Read more

Joby noodles with flexible monopod

LAS VEGAS--Joby announced its latest Gorillapod model Wednesday at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here, the one-legged Solo.

Joby just finished its first year selling monopods with flexible, rubberized legs that can be flexed to deal with uneven perches or wrapped around poles or tree limbs. The Solo has just one stalk and comes in a $30 20-segment model or a $40 30-segment model.

The new model, currently available only off the company's Web site, can hold up to two pounds worth of camera, but the company expects it to be popular holding other photographic equipment such as … Read more

ATP CF hits 300X

Update: I had a chance to talk to the company this afternoon and garner some details. The CF card uses UDMA Mode 4 to attain its fastest speeds, which, as yet, no digital cameras support, and it will be a little while before we see any.

Been worrying what flash card will be able to keep up with your new Canon EOS-1D Mark III? ATP will be ready for you with a 300X (45MB/sec) ProMax II CF card in 2GB ($64.99), 4GB ($129.99), and 8GB ($249.99) capacities. Like its ProMax predecessors, the ProMax II is water, … Read more

Detector sees what spy cams watch

The universal game of spy vs. spy continues. Although the all-in-one counter-surveillance device cited yesterday had some impressive features, here's one that wasn't the list: intercepting images from nearby cameras.

BrickHouse Security says its "Wireless Camera Hunter" will not only find any clandestine camera within 500 feet in 5 seconds but will also transmit the images on its 2.5-inch color screen so you can see exactly where the lens is pointed.

As Gadget Review notes, the exact use of this anti-surveillance isn't abundantly clear, but we're sufficiently paranoid that we'll think of … Read more