illumination

The 404 1,105: Where we light the future (podcast)

As an expert on the subject of LED lighting, Sal Cangeloso of Geek.com helps us understand the challenges facing early adopters of the technology, the cost and performance advantages of LED bulbs, and the creative ways that people are using them, from the Occupy movement to the opening ceremony at the London Olympics.

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Check out Sal's book, "LED Lighting: A Primer to Lighting the Future."

- Follow Sal on Twitter.

- How to make your own LED throwies.

- LED lights shine at the London Olympic opening ceremonies.

- LED wallpaper is the nerd's ultimate nightlight.… Read more

Sony reveals what could be the iPhone 5's camera sensor

Prepare to see another giant leap in smartphone picture-taking quality this year.

Sony announced today three new back-illuminated stacked CMOS image sensors optimized for bright and low-light conditions. The new compact sensors are faster, consume less power than previous versions, and will be available in 8- to 13- megapixel flavors. Most notably, the sensors feature new "RGBW Coding" and "High Dynamic Range (HDR) Movie" abilities baked directly onto the hardware. The iPhone 4S features a Sony 8-megapixel sensor, and it's possible that this may be a preview of the camera sensor inside the iPhone 5.

You might recognize the RGB acronym, as it stands for red-green-blue; the new sensor adds white pixels to the mix that pumps up the sensor's light sensitivity. It is possible that a future smartphone with this sensor will have little problem shooting pictures in dark rooms (or at night), as evidenced in the example picture above. Another benefit to the RGBW coding is that no changes to signal processing are required to support this updated technology, making it easy to implement. Surprisingly, Kodak has been shopping around something like this technology since at least 2007. … Read more

Ford developing glow-in-the-dark chrome

Chrome badges look great during the day, but they mostly go unnoticed at night. The opposite is true of illuminated trim; it can look great at night, yet horrible during the day. However, Ford's new illuminated chrome trim should, in theory, look as good at night as it does during the day.

Ford says that it has developed a technique to project light through a chrome finish for small parts and had examples on display at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The particulars of how Ford pulls off this trick of light are beyond me, but the … Read more

Camera market flipping to new sensor technology

LONDON--A new type of image sensor that's been flipped front to back is beginning to give photographers a better view of the world.

The new sensors use a technology called backside illumination, and chipmakers including Sony and Samsung are leading the charge to build them into a variety of cameras. And though it's a premium feature today, it's spreading rapidly across the market.

"It's more aggressive than we expected even two years ago," Yole Developpement analyst Jerome Baron said in a talk last week at the Image Sensors Europe conference here.

Image sensors are … Read more

2011 digital-camera preview

Ah, it's that time of year again where we reflect on the technology that arrived and got us to open our wallets and try to predict what will tempt us in the coming year to toss last year's model for the new shiny shiny.

In past years, when it came to digital cameras the majority of announcements at CES were for refreshes of budget and style lines with the exception of a few with some attention-grabbing feature or design.

However, a big reason for that was the annual Photo Marketing Association's PMA trade show that followed CES … Read more

Logitech Wireless K800 types in the dark

Logitech's newest Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 is a combination of last year's MK700 and its classic Illuminated Keyboard we loved so much. Released Wednesday for $100, the keyboard incorporates Logitech's PerfectStroke system that allows for uniform tactile feedback across the entire surface of the key, making for a cushy, comfortable typing experience.

Other notable features include convenient recharging via a micro USB port that doubles as a Unifying Receiver for use with all your other peripherals in the Unifying family, adjustable back light, laser etched keys sculpted with Logitech's Incurve design for extra comfort, and a generous three-year warranty.

The Logitech Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 ships for $100. Check out another pic of the keyboard after the break.… Read more

Sony Cyber-shots go 3D

Regardless of your feelings about 3D, there's really no stopping the onslaught of products now. Hence we have Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 and DSC-WX5 that offer the ability to shoot 3D panorama photos.

The TX9 replaces the TX7, which is barely 6 months old. It has the same body, touch-screen LCD, and lens as that camera, but its backside-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor gets a resolution bump from 10 to 12 megapixels. The WX5 replaces 2009's WX1 and again is built essentially the same as its predecessor, but with the higher-resolution sensor. However, along with the increased megapixels come important shooting feature differences.

First, there's that 3D stuff. In addition to the Intelligent Sweep Panorama found on Sony's earlier Exmor R-based models, these have a 3D Sweep Panorama. Press the shutter release, sweep the camera vertically or horizontally, and the camera captures left and right images and then stitches them together. You then connect the camera by HDMI to your 3D-ready HDTV, pop on your glasses, and enjoy. The results are good, especially considering how easy it is to create them and that they're single-lens cameras as opposed to dual-lens cameras like Fujifilm's Real 3D W1.

The 3D fun doesn't stop there, though. Both cameras have a Sweep Multi Angle option that captures a series of shots at different angles and then combines them into one shot. Tilting the camera left and right plays through the photos, creating a lenticular lens effect. The result is very similar to what you can do with any camera and Start 3D, but these can only be viewed on the camera. And going by what was said at the demo Sony gave us, it seems like it's mostly just a gimmick to sell 3D cameras at retail stores to people who don't own 3D HDTVs. … Read more

Can the iPhone 4 replace a point-and-shoot?

Unless you follow the latest trends and features of digital cameras, there's a good chance Apple's use of a backside-illuminated sensor in the iPhone 4 is the first you've heard of the technology. These sensors have been popping up in digital still cameras and camcorders since Sony rolled out its HDR-XR500V and the HDR-XR520V camcorders featuring the company's own Exmor R sensor in February 2009.

The key benefits are improved speed and dynamic range, as well as better low-light performance with lower noise.

Camera phones generally use a front-illuminated CMOS sensor because they are low power … Read more

First Take: Fujifilm FinePix HS10

Fujifilm tosses in a boatload of this-year's-buzz technologies into its new FinePix HS10. The upside of this is that it includes a 10-megapixel backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor, which promises an improvement in low-light photographs; manual zoom ring on the lens; a seven-frame, full-resolution 10fps burst mode; 3-inch tilting LCD (albeit at the common but low resolution of 230,000 pixels); and 1080p HD movie capture with stereo sound. It also has a full set of manual and semimanual exposure modes, and supports simultaneous raw+JPEG capture. On the downside, Fujifilm's first out of the gate to announce a 30x … Read more