SLRs

Spider Holster redefines 'shoot from the hip'

Bags and backpacks may be efficient ways to carry your equipment, but even the slingiest of sling bags can still be hard to maneuver and neck straps weigh and chafe after a while. Photographer Shai Eynav felt the pain and did something about it: he's developed what looks like a variant on a cell phone holster that lets you hang your dSLR from your belt.

The Spider Camera Holster takes a veteran design--a post that slides down into a well, leaving the attached object to dangle and rotate freely--and adapts it to work with the tripod socket on a camera.

It's a novel approach with some merit, although all the photographers here predicted that our pants would be around our knees if we tried it with a lens as heavy as the one pictured. I can also imagine the bruises on my thigh caused by a large pro dSLR like the Nikon D3.

Still, I shoot in a busy area where I need my hands at a moments notice, and this might beat my current solution, which is putting the camera down on any available surface--risking theft and damage.

Slated to ship this summer, the Spider Camera Holster is currently priceless.

Check out the creator's video after the jump.… Read more

Will Pentax's K-7 K.O. midrange dSLRs?

Pentaxians on the Web have been abuzz for months about the K-7, Pentax's new midrange dSLR that replaces the now sub-$1,000 K20D. Though it shares a lot in common with its predecessor, there are some notable enhancements that might have Pentax photographers willing to step up, including significantly faster performance and video support, plus some attractive features for the brand-agnostic midrange buyer.… Read more

Crazy-fast camera shoots at 6.1 million frames per second

Updated at 1:30 p.m. PDT with more information about possible applications for the camera.

For shutterbugs who like to take pictures of fast-moving subjects, nothing beats a dSLR with high frame rates to capture precious moments like scoring a goal at a soccer game or a rally car cornering at breakneck speeds. However, high-end dSLRs such as the Nikon D3 can fire off at only 11 frames per second (fps). Are there other shooters that can rattle off much faster?

Scientists at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a novel, continuously running camera that they claim is the fastest shooter ever. In a mere second, it can capture 6.1 million shots with the shutter speed measuring 440 trillionths of a second.

By using a laser that emits different infrared frequencies to illuminate the subject, each pixel picks up individual signals that are amplified to be visible. According to the scientists--who detail their research in the current issue of Nature--this technology is called serial time-encoded amplified microscopy, or STEAM for short.

The study was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, the U.S. Department of Defense's central research and development organization. One application the researchers envision for the camera is flow cytometry, a technique used for blood analysis. Traditional blood analyzers can count cells and extract information about their size, but they cannot take pictures of every cell because no camera is fast enough and sensitive enough for the job. … Read more

Dual does it for Olympus E-450

Olympus follows up its E-420 compact dSLR with the similarly small and aggressively priced E-450. At launch, at least, Olympus plans to offer the camera solely as a 2-lens kit, with its f3.5-5.6 14-42mm and f4.0-5.6 40-150mm lenses (for 35mm-equivalent focal range coverage of 28 to 300mm in total).

As you can see from the following brief spec comparison, the guts of the camera are essentially the same as the E-420's:

Olympus E-420 (with 14-42mm lens) Olympus E-450 (with 14-42mm and 40-150mm lenses) Nikon D60 (with 18mm-55mm lens) Canon EOS Rebel XS (with 18-55mm … Read more

Rumormongering: Nikon D400 imminent?

Right on the heels of a rumor about a new Canon Rebel, rumors that originally surfaced in November about a Nikon D300replacement have also reappeared, this time with a screenshot, ostensibly from Nikon Germany's site.

According to the capture posted on Nikonrumors and translated by Gizmodo, it's a 15.3-megapixel model with sensitivities up to 6400 and support for "Full HD" video (which Gizmodo incorrectly assumes must be 1080p; 1080i is also considered "Full HD," which is defined as a spatial resolution of 1,920x1,080).

Although I've really been expecting an entry-level … Read more

Olympus creatively extends its consumer dSLR line

Update: Now with preview video after the jump.

Filling another hole in its dSLR product line, Olympus takes on the Canon EOS Rebel XSi and Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 with the new E-620 (Nikon's D80 and D90are cheaper and more expensive than these models, respectively.)

Let's take a look at the basic specs:

Canon EOS Rebel XSi (with 18-55mm IS lens) Olympus E-620 (with 14-42mm lens) Olympus E-30 (body only) Sensor 12.2-megapixel CMOS 12.3-megapixel Live MOS 12.3-megapixel Live MOS Color depth 14 bits 12 bits 12 bits Sensitivity range ISO 100 - ISO 800/ 1,600 (expanded) ISO 200/100 (expanded) - ISO 3,200 ISO 100 - ISO 3,200 Focal-length multiplier 1.6x 2x 2x Continuous shooting 3.5 fps 53 JPEG/6 raw 4 fps n/a JPEG/5 raw 5 fps n/a JPEG/12 raw Viewfinder 95 percent coverage 0.87x magnification 95 percent coverage 0.96x magnification 98 percent coverage 1.02x magnification Autofocus 9-pt AF center cross-type 7-pt AF all twin; 5 cross-type 11-pt AF all cross-type Live view Yes Yes Yes LCD size 3 inches fixed 2.7 inches articulated 2.7 inches articulated Mfr. price $799.99 $799.99 $1,299

Olympus E-30 Art Filters surprisingly addictive

During and after the rollout of the E-30 dSLR, Olympus really pushed the Art Filters feature--a handful of preset special effects--which seemed a bit out of place on a $1,300 dSLR (especially a dSLR that has quite a bit going for it, including very good photo quality and speedy performance).

But in the course of testing the camera I discovered that the Art Filters, or at least some of them, are pretty useful and interesting. Which is another way of saying that they're kind of fun and addictive and completely derailed my completing the review.

More expensive than … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: SLRs catching up to higher-end digicams?

The results of a new camera benchmark test suggest that high-end SLRs cameras from Canon and Nikon may be catching up with medium-format professional models used almost exclusively by professionals. CNET News reporter Stephen Shankland explains. This and other headlines in Tuesday's CNET News Daily Podcast.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Motorola's fourth-quarter loss hits $3.6 billion

Sensor quality: SLRs erode medium-format lead

Retrevo launches DTV coupon exchange

GM eyes San Francisco, Washington for Chevy Volt

IBM to send blazing fast supercomputer to Energy Dept.

Google on trial in Italy

Spandex-like camera harness looks uber-nerdy

I wouldn't be caught dead with this camera harness to protect my dSLR, not even if it means I have to carry a heavy bag to store my equipment in. Honestly, the first word that came to mind when I saw the Optech Stabilizer Strap was: geek.

But I have to give credit to the U.S. company for coming up with a product for those who aren't ashamed to be laughed at for looking silly. The Stabilizer Strap is made of neoprene and stretches across your torso. Just stretch the harness and slip your camera between the … Read more

Nikon hits 24.5 megapixels with D3X

Though almost everything you need to know about the new Nikon D3X leaked Friday, the 24.5-megapixel dSLR Nikon dubs its "extreme professional" model formally debuts today, November 30. What didn't leak was the price: $7,999.95. Start saving your pennies now.

There's quite a bit of speculation as to how similar the sensor in the D3X is to that in the Sony Alpha DSLR-A900; Nikon says it's "a Nikon designed sensor" that may (or may not) be manufactured by Sony, which usually means they're pretty similar. However, the A900's … Read more