Cameras

Look over here! The Look Lock lets you mount your smartphone to your dSLR's hotshoe to be used as an external display. Made from aluminum, the rig consists of an articulating arm that allows you to move and rotate your handset (measuring up to 3 inches wide) at any angle.

We can think of some uses for the Look Lock, such as using it as a budget "teleprompter" for video productions, or playing a funny animated clip to get laughs when photographing kids. Another idea would be to record a candid movie with a smartphone while shooting … Read more

When you own an older home, it's common for aging insulation, warped windowsills, and other pesky problems to let the cool or hot air out and drive the energy bill up. To help homeowners locate these weak spots (and for many other uses), Mu Optics created a low-cost thermal imaging camera that allows users to see the world according to temperature -- anywhere in the range of -86 to 285 degrees Fahrenheit.

The thermal imaging device features USB charging and battery life of more than 3 hours (an hour for video recording). The optics offer 160x120 resolution -- which may sound very small, but most thermal cameras deliver a similar view -- for pictures and video up to 30 frames per second.

Five live viewing modes enable the owner to see things such as temperature information for a specific area, a thermal and regular camera view blend, and other combinations. Check out some of the neat thermal videos produced by the camera on Vimeo.… Read more

If one of your resolutions for the new year was to get your hundreds (or thousands) of pictures gathered up in one place and organized for easier browsing, you'll want to check out Everpix.

The service, which started two years ago, can be connected to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Picasa Web Albums, and Gmail accounts and will pull in pictures from those sources and collect them together in one interface.

It can also be connected to Windows or Mac computers and iOS devices (Android support is in development). Once pictures are uploaded, Everpix analyzes your shots so you … Read more

This is a great time to be a photography enthusiast. With waning sales at the low end, manufacturers are picking up the pace in the upper reaches of the compact camera market, and the result is a great selection of compacts for more serious (and, unfortunately, wealthier) photographers. The latest manufacturer to deliver is Nikon, with its new Coolpix A, a fixed-focal-length lens model with an APS-C sensor along the lines of Fujifilm's popular X100 and X100s. At $1,099, however, this camera isn't for everyone, and at first glance has at least a couple of competitive weaknesses.… Read more

When Nikon announced in 2011 its "enthusiast compact," the Coolpix P300, groans were heard 'round the Web when the company unveiled the 1/2.3-inch sensor -- smaller than that found in most cameras considered serious compacts. Two generations later, Nikon seems to have finally rethought that decision; the Coolpix P330 incorporates a bigger 1/1.7-inch sensor, though now it's of the backside-illuminated type that I find doesn't generally deliver top-notch photo quality. Nikon also added raw support to the line, another essential for advanced shooters.

Now the P330 seems like a stripped-down version of … Read more

Canon has developed a video sensor that can capture images illuminated only by a glowing incense stick or the light of a crescent moon.

The sensor gathers light by using extremely large pixels -- 7.5 times the surface area of those in the 18MP EOS-1D X professional SLR, whose 35mm full-frame sensor is the same size. In conjunction with that approach, "the sensor's pixels and readout circuitry employ new technologies that reduce noise, which tends to increase as pixel size increases," Canon said in its announcement. Check the link to watch Canon's sample video.

Canon … Read more

Phase One said today it's updating high-end medium-format camera line with three new Wi-Fi-equipped digital backs -- including one model that shoots only black-and-white images.

The $43,990 IQ280 keeps the same 80-megapixel sensor of its predecessor, the Phase One IQ180, but it's got a better 13-stop dynamic range -- a measurement of image's span from bright to dark. That's up from 12.5 stops on the IQ180.

Phase One announced the cameras today along with the IQ260, which has a new 60-megapixel sensor, and the IQ 260 Achromatic, a black-and-white variation. The three new digital … Read more

Editors' note, February 28, 2013: This is an expanded version of my First Take of February 25, 2013, based on a brief experience shooting with the camera.

As sad as it sounds, the most notable thing about Sony's new Alpha NEX-3N is the price: list of $500 for the kit with a power zoom lens. That's about $100 less than the list price of the camera it's replacing, the NEX-F3, and while it's not as low as I'd like for a model designed to appeal to potential point-and-shoot upgraders, it's certainly a step in … Read more

That was the response I got when I relayed my experience with the Will.i.am foto.sosho V.4 iPhone camera case at CES to a friend in the camera industry. Ridiculous name (and equally ridiculous price) aside, it is basically a showcase for how much you can do with a smartphone camera and how little a basic point-and-shoot offers.

With the V.4, you get a shutter release, built-in flash, and a lens mount for three interchangeable lenses. There's also a sliding QWERTY keyboard built in, so you can shoot and … Read more