camera

Optical IS hits Samsung NV cameras

It may have taken them a little while, but Samsung has added optical images stabilization to its upscale NV line of compact cameras. As has become a bit of a trend, they are offering it in conjunction with digital image stabilization, which boosts ISO to help keep shutter speeds fast in an attempt to minimize blur due to subject movement, while the optical IS does its best to counteract blur to due to your shaky hands. Samsung has dubbed this combination Dual Image Stabilization and includes it in all of its new NV models, except the NV4, this year. All … Read more

TransferJet: Sony's answer to wireless USB

LAS VEGAS--Sony's got its own solution for shuttling data wirelessly.

TransferJet, a technology under development at the Japanese electronics giant, passes data between cameras, cell phones, video cameras, and other devices at 375 megabits per second (sustained) to 500 megabits per second (optimal). The idea behind TransferJet is to let people swap music or photos without worrying about wires.

While the technology functions like a wireless USB cable, it is an entirely new technology, Sony said.

Want to give someone a video clip from your camera? Just stick it next to a phone with TransferJet embedded in it and … Read more

Sony's $700 dSLR looks like a contender

Though Sony's Alpha DSLR-A100 currently occupies the price slot of an entry-level dSLR, that's just an accident of time, a midrange model that stayed too long at the party. Sony's first true foray into the entry-level market arrives in the Alpha DSLR-A200, slipping into the market niche currently hogged by the Nikon D40x and Canon EOS Rebel XTi. Preliminary specs include:

10-megapixel, 23.6mm x 15.8mm Super HAD CCD ISO 100 to 3200 Super SteadyShot sensor-shift image stabilization 9-point AF sensor with single cross-type sensor in center 40 segment exposure metering system 230,000-pixel 2.7-inch … Read more

A cabbie speaks about planned obsolescence

This post isn't about digital audio, but rather about a topic that pertains to the entire consumer technology industry. When I got to CES, I realized that I'd brought the wrong USB connector for my digital camera, a Kodak EasyShare DX4530. (Guilty: I didn't read the CNET review, but I've liked it better than the 6.8 rating might suggest. Although I'm not a fan of the integrated EasyShare software, which tries to hide the file system and in the process makes it really hard to use anything but EasyShare!) It's about four years … Read more

What happens in Vegas goes on the blog

I'm reporting live from Las Vegas as part of CNET's CES 2008 Backstage Blogging Crew. This is my first trip to the world's largest tech show and I am eager to get a sneak preview of all the cool things that will coming out this year.

I arrived here in Las Vegas with an open mind rather than a long wish list. If I had to pose one preview question, it would be to wonder whether this is the year when digital photo and video finally converge into one oh-so-cool gadget. And if so, will it be … Read more

Snap 7.2 megapixels for $91, get a free photo printer

Smile! Circuit City has the Samsung S730 7.2-megapixel digital camera for $90.99 after an instant rebate. But wait, there's more: Toss the Epson R280 photo printer into your cart and get it free after a $75 mail-in rebate.

The S730 is an ultra-compact model with a 2.5-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, and 10 scene modes. I haven't tried it myself, but CNET readers gave it an average rating of 8.3/10. As for the R280 printer, it's a six-color model that promises to crank out borderless 4x6-inch prints in as little as 11 … Read more

Pharos brings GPS to digital cameras

The official kickoff to CES 2008 is still a few days away, but some companies are creating preshow buzz by making some early announcements, including Pharos. This morning the GPS manufacturer unveiled Pharos Trips & Pics, a geo-logger that brings GPS capabilities to your digital camera. Available later this month for $89.95, the kit includes a Pharos iGPS-500 receiver and a pocket-size battery unit that you take with you on your trip, allowing you to record such details as time, location, heading, and speed. You'll also be able to define how often you want the receiver to log … Read more

Baby cam could do without the eyeball

As much as we support pro-active parenting, we have trouble describing the "My Little Eye" baby cam as anyting but creepy. Even its name is disturbing to us.

There's certainly nothing wrong with the concept of baby monitors; it's the eye part that we object to. It just seems wrong to introduce surreptitious monitoring in the form of something so innocent as a crib-side flower, much less one that has an unsettling eyeball in the middle of it.

The last thing kids need is another reason to have nightmares so early in life. And as Slashgear … Read more

Digital camera goggles let you shoot underwater, look like a pod racer

Underwater cameras are nothing new. Many cameras can accept waterproof casings for wet shooting, and the Olympus Stylus 790SW and Pentax Optio W30 can take a solid dunking without any armor. Still, until now I haven't seen an underwater camera you can strap to your face.

Liquid Image has revealed the Underwater Digital Camera Mask, a strange hybrid of bulky swim goggles and a waterproof point-and-shoot camera. It comes in 3- and 5-megapixel flavors, both offering 16 MB of onboard memory and 18-25 fps variable rate VGA video. It runs on two AAA batteries, and accepts microSD memory cards … Read more