(Credit:
Art Lebedev Studio)
The Fleximus is a twisty concept camera from Art Lebedev Studio, generator of such innovative ideas as transparent trucks and the Optimus Maximus keyboard.
(Credit:
Art Lebedev Studio)
The Fleximus is a tubular, flexible photo and video camera with a lens at one end and viewfinder or a 3-inch display at the other.
The device is designed to be as simple as possible, with few controls. Natch, since the motto of Art Lebedev Studio is "No bullsh--."
The Fleximus is also meant to get those photo angles you never could before, though it seems less practical than, say, a more compact camera you can simply aim at anything.
But it may be perfect for plumbers angling through pipes, nooks, and crannies--rovided, that is, it ever becomes a product and gets a much longer tube.
There is a neat page of designs showing how the Fleximus was created here.
What the heck is this?
(Credit: Nokia)Cleaning your office/desk is an annual preholiday ritual at CNET. It's amazing what you can collect in a year, and because I'm the polar opposite of a hoarder, I actually look forward to the task. Mostly I toss old press releases and outdated cables--I promise that I recycle everything that I can--but occasionally I'll find a museum-worthy gadget from another age.
Take for instance, the Nokia Fun Camera, which I found at the bottom of a box filled with old wired headsets.
Back before cameras made it into phones, they existed briefly inside attachable accessories. If memory serves, Sony Ericsson developed one of the such products, but Nokia jumped on the trend as well. And as Nokia usually does, it did so wholeheartedly. The orange and red Nokia Fun Camera, aka the PT-3, is shaped like a tear drop. You'll notice a few buttons, a circular display, and a detachable viewfinder. The camera lens and flash sit on the back side, and the whole thing comes on a lanyard for taking it on the go. And you thought wearing a Bluetooth headset around the neck was silly.
Smile!
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)You can use the Fun Camera by itself, though you must connect it to a compatible phone or USB cable if you want to get pictures off the camera. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to perform a transfer by either method so I couldn't test the image quality. I haven't seen a USB cable that uses the old Nokia connection in years, and the only compatible phone I could find--a Nokia 2115i Shorty from Virgin Mobile--is missing its battery.
Still, I did connect the phone and the camera to see what would happen. The fit between the two devices is secure, even if it's a cumbersome arrangement and the plastic flap covering the camera's connecting pins gets in the way. The body feels relatively solid, it's lightweight (3.17 ounces), and it fits easily in a pocket.
... Read more
A little pouch can go a long way toward protecting your investment.
(Credit: Kata)Most consumer electronics require at least a couple of extra purchases for improving performance or extending their usefulness. Point-and-shoot cameras are no different, as manufacturers tend to cut out accessories to keep product costs as low as possible. Fortunately, most accessories for compact cameras are reasonably inexpensive, making post-purchase costs pretty small.
That said, here's a quick list of five essential items you'll want to consider picking up to get the most from your new digital camera.
- Batteries
I admit that while I've told several people over the years to be safe and buy the camera manufacturer's rechargeable batteries, I've always bought cheap aftermarket batteries off of eBay for myself. Though I've never had a problem, I can't say you won't. Plus, there is a chance that using a third-party battery will void the camera warranty, so be sure to check the terms for your model.Regardless of what you go with, you'll want to get at least one backup battery pack. If you're using a camera running on AA-size batteries, buy good ones designed for power-demanding electronics. Even better, buy some NiMH rechargeables and only use alkaline or lithium ion batteries when you need them.
- Case
Point-and-shoot cameras don't come with cases anymore. That's a real shame considering that the large LCDs and shiny finishes used on current models are particularly scratch-prone. A nice simple slip case such as the M-Rock Milan is enough to keep a camera protected from scuffs while bouncing around in a handbag or backpack. If you want something with more protection and storage though, look for bags like the Kata DF-404 or Lowepro Apex 30 AW
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This woman is clearly thrilled with her decision to use a kiosk instead of a tiny photo printer.
(Credit: Kodak)If you look at our 2009 holiday gift guide, neither the camera nor the printers sections have recommendations for little, standalone photo printers. This probably wasn't intentional, but the fact is, they've become sort of niche products that I'd be hard-pressed to recommend these days. With so many other ways to get prints and enjoy and consume digital photos, it seems like these single-function printers, regardless of size, are just more tech clutter. I say this because I own two that have done nothing but collect dust this year.
This doesn't mean I don't make individual prints (though lately I've been making more photo books) or regularly view my pictures, because I do. There's just much better ways of freeing the photos trapped online or on a hard drive.
- Online printing
The Web has roughly a gazillion ways to view and share digital photos as well as order prints or various other products. So, the first step is to find one you like and will use, and sign up. It's been, um, awhile since CNET examined the topic of online printing services, but DigitalPhotos101 and TopTenReviews have current reviews on the subject. According to both sites, HP-owned Snapfish comes out on top. Snapfish does mail-order, but its retail partnerships allow you to do in-store pickup. It, too, is where you can get my favorite photo gift, the giant $50 wall clock (there's a smaller $20 version as well). Also, while it's going to seem like I'm a rep for Kodak by the end of this post, I've been a longtime user of its printing services. Its new professional print options yield particularly nice results.
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(Credit:
Camera People Store)
What's small, fits on a keychain, and takes videos reminiscent of 8mm films? Technically, the Digital Harinezumi is able to do all these things, but Exemode's new compact toy digital camera takes it further.
Available in red or blue, the SQ28m is a petite block-shaped shooter that weighs just three-quarters of an ounce. It houses a 1.9-megapixel image sensor, 64MB onboard memory (with support for microSD cards of up to 2GB) and a 39.5mm fixed focal length lens. Four color modes are available to make your shots more retro, but what really impressed us is the video quality.
At 320x240 pixels, clips from the Exemode snapper are hardly high definition. But that's the charm. Filmed at 8 frames per second (fps) without audio, the movies have a beautiful nostalgic look to them. Just check out the video below.
Interested buyers will have to wait though, because the SQ28m, priced at $68, is currently out of stock at at least one online store.
(Source: Crave Asia via Engadget)
Picasa makes it easy to geotag photos.
(Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)Google's Picasa is an excellent photo organizer. One of my favorite features, though, is its capability to quickly geotag images--adding longitude and latitude to the photo's EXIF metadata--with little effort. Basically, it requires little more than selecting a photo or photos, clicking a couple of buttons in the interface, and the software handles the rest. Plus, you can use either Google Maps for tagging or place them on the Google Earth globe.
The biggest catch is, unless you noted it at the time, you have to remember approximately where you were when you took your photos. Once you've tagged all your old photos, it's easy enough with future photos to snap a shot of the nearest intersection or a nearby business to use as a reference later. Of course, this only really works if you're in an area with those things.
There are devices and software you can use to geotag your photos when you offload them to your computer. (I'm in the middle of testing a pretty good one right now.) Using Picasa is a little more time consuming, but it's free, easy, and kind of fun once you get rolling with it.
Joby still makes one of the best mini tripods around.
(Credit: Joby)Despite point-and-shoot camera manufacturers' best efforts to reduce the effects of hand shake--digitally, optically, and mechanically--as long as you're holding the camera there's a very good chance you'll end up with blurry shots. Add in softening caused by noise reduction at higher ISO sensitivities, and getting a sharp shot of moving subjects or in low-light conditions can be tricky. The disappearance of viewfinders from compact cameras doesn't help things either as it encourages you to extend your arms to use the LCD.
Taking the camera out of your hands and putting it on a tripod or other support is one of the best ways to improve your odds. However, when I suggest this to point-and-shoot users I typically get in response that it's not practical to carry a tripod and it kills the point of having a very portable camera. But the solution is easy: get a very portable mini tripod.
Below are five favorites ranging in size, price, and flexibility, and though they aren't all technically tripods, they'll certainly help keep your pocket camera still whether you're behind or in front of it.
In lieu of buying a support, there are free options for helping control hand shake. Look for a lamp post, wall, tree, or any solid vertical structure you can lean against for support. Don't fully extend your arms, but instead pull them into your body as closely as possible with your elbows tucked into your sides or rest on a ledge or wall. Also, even if your camera has a lot of zoom range and optical image stabilization, it's always better to move yourself closer to a subject if possible than using your zoom. Lastly, if you use a tripod or anything else that's stable to support your camera, be sure to shut off any in-camera image stabilization--in this case, more stabilization is not better.
... Read moreGuinness World Records has certified a Japanese researcher's camera as having the most lenses in the world at 158.
(Credit:
Nagoya Institute of Technology)
Yojiro Ishino of the Nagoya Institute of Technology created the super camera with his students in August to photograph flames from many different angles to better understand their structure.
The research goal is to find more efficient ways of burning fuel for engines.
The camera images can be used to create realistic computer-generated graphics of the flames in 3D. Ishino created a lower-res camera with only 40 lenses in 2003.
His latest camera measures 1.5 feet in diameter and 2.8 inches tall. It took Ishino and his students about six months to assemble the 158 high-power lenses into four rows along a semicircle.
Each lens cost about 200 yen, or $2.24, and the team bought 800 lenses for the project. Guinness required that each of the 158 lenses in the camera was operational before certifying the machine.
Since I've amassed digital photos over the years, I've found it more pleasing to turn them into photo books instead of individual prints (plus, they make great gifts when you're running low on time). I've used Kodak Gallery, HP's Snapfish, and Apple's iPhoto to build and publish them with good results. Most recently, though, I've been using MyPublisher.
Click for more photos
(Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)MyPublisher 4 is a stable, standalone application that is only 11MB, making it fast to download, and it takes no effort to install. Start it up and you're presented with your project options. Books are the main attraction, but you can also create calendars, cards, and book jackets. Compared with other services, the overall design and size options are fewer, but it makes for a streamlined process of building and buying a book instead of getting bogged down in too many selections.
The interface looks nice and is reasonably clean, but it could use some tweaking. For example, the main screen for assembling a book has two toolbars that sit below the project window: one with tools and editing options and one for moving you back and forth through the creation process. Having them on top of one another makes for a busy-looking and possibly confusing interface. Simply moving one above the project window would improve things.
Also, there are option menus that pop open when you click on them, but once you select something, they don't automatically collapse again and instead stay open on top of your project. Lastly, while adding the photos you want to use is easy, it relies on you knowing where your photos are stored; there is no organizer element to the software. This last one is only an issue if you don't know where the photos are that you want to use.
The software isn't feature-packed, but it has everything you'll likely need, including basic editing tools that can be used both before and after you've placed an image in the book layout. All of the fonts on your computer are available for use when adding text. However, some fonts might not work well in the final product, in which case the software will switch your selection to Arial.
One of the best parts of using MyPublisher is the support behind the product. The company's site has a lot of easy-to-find information, but there is a toll-free phone number as well as an e-mail address for support. Even better, though, is the live chat that's available 24/7--it's one click away through a button in the interface. Another nice touch is the Price Check button for quickly finding out what your current project will cost.
The final results are very good, but a lot of that depends on the size and quality of the photos you used in the first place. Again, pay close attention to what the company says is best to use and you should be satisfied with the results.
Sure, you know what cameras you like reading about, but if you've been wondering what ones other CNET readers have spent the past year obsessing over, well, then, here you go.
Based on your clicks since January 1, 2009, the list is full of older models (shocking, I know), which have been reviewed and reside on one of our top products lists and holiday gift guide.
There were no real surprises, though I may have personally underestimated how much CNET readers love themselves some megazooms. Sub-$1,000 dSLRs fill the majority of the list, but one of my favorite sub-$200 compacts is on there, too.
See the slideshow below for a breakdown of the top 10 most popular--and still available--cameras as well as three 2008 models that would have made the list if they weren't deceased.
Update: A reader tipped me off that two of the deceased cameras--the SD880 IS and A590 IS--are currently available as refurbs through Canon's direct-sale store.
