Velbon Ultrek UT-43D Tripod

The Velbon Ultrek UT-43D is a full-height tripod that folds down to 29.5cm for transport. The tripod comes equipped with Velbon's QHD-53D ball head, a quick-release plate and a two-section telescopic center column. Weighing in at 1.17kg and extending to a full height of 156.6cm, the tripod has a load capacity of 3 kilograms. If you are interested, you can purchase the Velbon Ultrek UT-43D for £179.99 ($291). [PhotographyBLOG]

Pentax K-r DSLR Camera Gets 5 New Color Options

Pentax UK has just added 5 new color options to its K-r DSLR camera line-up. These colors include Yellow, Pink, Blue, Purple and Metal Chocolate. You'll be able to purchase it from July for 529.99 GBP / $858 (DA-L 18-55mm lens included). [TechRadar]

Alpinist Rugged P&S Camera Case

We've seen underwater cases for DSLR and P&S (point and shoot) cameras but I don't think we've ever encountered a P&S camera case that looked this rugged. Meet the Alpinist camera case – made out of machined aircraft grade 6061 T6 and 5052 aluminum alloys which means that unlike those rugged notebooks out there that weigh a ton, this one is actually pretty lightweight but at the same time it's impact and water resistant when the lid has been closed and sealed properly.

Internally low density foam has been strategically position which we assume will help to absorb the impact should you drop the case. Outside the case there are loops and mounts which will be able to support carabineers or should you choose to strap it to your backpack during that mountain climb, as the name Alpinist would suggest. The Alpinist also comes in a variety of sizes that would be able to support a small and compact P&S to cameras of the semi-pro variety like the Leica D-Lux and they range from prices of $58.95 up to $119.95.

Head on down to BetaShell's website if you're interested in checking out their entire range and want to place an order.
source: Ubergizmo

PopBooth Prints Real Photo Strips from your iDevice

PopBooth is an iOS photo booth app with one big difference. It actually prints out real strips of photos. These pictures don't pop out of a slot in the side of the iPad of course, but ordering them is as easy as posting your photos to Twitter.

In fact, you can post these photos to Twitter and Facebook, or send them by email, but the point is the real paper photos. Just specify the recipient from within the app and hit send. The prints will drop onto the doormat three to five days later.

The service comes from Sincerely, the folks behind Postagram. Postagram is a similar app which lets you use an iPhone or Android phone to send postcards containing your camera snaps or Instagram photos. These cost $1 a pop, and although Sincerely hasn't yet revealed the price for PopBooth, it will be a little more than a dollar per strip.

I love the convenience of this idea. I'm always meaning to print my best photos, but I'm not willing to buy a printer, and I have no idea where I would get decent quality prints anyway. Snapping a photo and then having it turn up a few days later could get expensively addictive.

PopBooth will be available in a couple of weeks.

PopBooth [PopBooth via Tech Crunch]

Microsoft LifeCam VX-2000 Webcam For Only $18

The Microsoft LifeCam VX-2000 webcam is currently on sale at Amazon for only $18 (normal price $29.99). This easy-to-use webcam is able to capture VGA video as well as up to 1.3-megapixel digital still images (interpolated mode). Other interesting features include an auto-adjusts for low-light conditions, a built-in microphone and Windows Live features, which include Video Effects, Video Messages and Windows Live Call Button for easy initiation. [Product Page]

Lomo La Sardina Camera

The Lomo La Sardina is a film camera that comes equipped with a 22mm f/8 lens with a maximum angle of view of 88 degrees. The camera is available in four models such as El Capitán, Fischer's Fritze, Sea Pride and Marathon. The El Capitán and Fisher's Fritze come equipped with Fritz the Blitz, Lomography's newest and most powerful flash, which comes complete with 3 unique distance settings. This flash is also packaged with yellow, red and blue filters. The El Capitán and Fisher's Fritze are priced at £89 ($143) a pop, while the Sea Pride and Marathon retail for £49 ($78) each. [Product Page]

Kit Adds Clever Movie-Making Follow-Focus Functions to Your DSLR

The DSLR Follow Focus kit is a simple, lightweight, cheap and downright ingenious way to add pro follow focussing and racking to your movie-making setup. It costs just $60, and fits into a pocket. Here's how it works.

First up is the focus lever. This is a sprung loop of steel with two handles. Squeeze these handles and the loop expands. Slip it over your lens, let go and it clamps into position, offering a lever to more accurately turn the focusing ring.

Next, clip the little pointed marker onto this ring, and then loop the included Velcro strap around the lens, just behind the focus ring. Focus on your first subject and stick a little metal marker onto this strap. Do the same for your other focus points and you're ready to shoot. The markers let you quickly snap your lens to focus on the preset points.

You could combine two together, racking the zoom whilst moving the camera whilst following focus for that great Alfred Hitchcock-style OMFG effect (I'm pretty sure that's what Hitchcock actually called it).

The size and ease-of-use here are the clear winners. I'm sure big, locking follow-focus rigs are more accurate time after time, but they also turn your camera setup into some thing the size of a cinderblock.

Available now.

DSLR Follow Focus product page [DSLR Solutions via PetaPixel]

Photographs Taken Through 50 UV Filters

What happens when you stack up 50 UV filters and screw them all onto the front of your lens? That depends on the quality of the filters you use.

The folks at Lens Rentals have a lot of filters lying around. One day, an employee named Kenny drew the sort straw and had to clean them all, stacking them as he went. And then he wondered, what if I shoot through these?

The results are not startling, but they sure are interesting. A shot through 50 filters looks like somebody smeared Vaseline on the lens. Things get even more interesting when you compare the best and worst filters (apparently not all Lens Rentals customers return the same good filters they receive).

Guess which is which? Photos: Lens Rentals

A photograph taken through five top-of-the-line UV filters shows surprisingly little degradation, despite ten air-to-glass interfaces. A picture through the cheap filters, though, isn't much different to the one shot through 50. The results are blurred and lacking in contrast.

As Lens Rentals' Roger Cicala writes in his post, this is a situation unlikely to ever occur in real life, but it sure shows the difference in quality between the cheapest and the best. The takeaway? If you insist on putting a UV filter on your $1,000 lens, then don't opt for the $20 model.

Good Times With Bad Filters [Lens Rentals via DP Review]

La Sardina Lomo Cameras Look Like Tin Cans

While some photographers brag about the megapixels in their DSLR cameras, others took a different rought by reviving an alternative school of photography called Lomography, which uses a specialized camera with fisheye or pinhole lens and an unadjustable 1x100 shutter speed. It is probably because of the vintage looks of Lomo photographs why its new cameras often have that vintage design.

Thankfully a new batch of Lomo cameras decide to ditch the old school to come up with quirky designs. The La Sardina series are made to look like tin cans commonly used for sardines. These plastic cameras feature a 22-millimeter plastic fisheye lens, the usual 1x100 shutter, and bulb settings that can be adjusted into three different levels of intensity. The design of clip-on flash attachment appears like the light bulb seen in old cameras; it even comes with a set of gels in four colors.

La Sardina uses a 135mm film and comes in four different designs, two of which can be sold with flash. The basic set costs $59, while the complete bundle is sold for $100.
source: Gadget.com

Ever Wondered What 50 UV Lenses Stacked Together Would Look Like?

UV lenses are amazing because they make our photographs look different and interesting, turning what could otherwise be a bland photo into something trippy or exciting. So ever wonder what 50 UV lenses would produce if you stacked them all together? Well the folks down at LensRental one day decided that they should take all the UV lens filters that they have lying around and screw them together and attach it to a zoom lens, and this is their result. Check it out after the break.The top half of the photo is without the filters and the bottom half is the photo with the filters stacked on it. Now we can't say we're too impressed, got to be honest we were expecting something crazy and trippy, after all you have 50 of those filters screwed together, it's got to produce something extraordinary other than what looks like a misty looking photo that could pass off as someone taking a photo with a dirty lens, or having a finger in the way.

Perhaps next time they should try stacking polarizing filters, perhaps those might make for more interesting results.
source: Ubergizmo

DXG-018 3D pocket camera brings back fond memories of ViewMasters

Remember the ViewMaster toy that you had back when you were a kid? Well, DXG might just usher back the good ol' times for nostalgia's sake with the DXG-018 3D pocket camera, where it will allow you to create your very own 3D content (to keep up with the times, of course, since 3D is where the action's at ever since Avatar hit the big screen). Retailing for a highly affordable $69.99, the DXG-018 3D pocket camera will come in five different colors (pink, lavender, orange, green and yellow).

Obviously, being a 3D camera, the DXG-018 will come in the form of a dual-lens 3D camera that will save all colored snapshots onto an SD memory card. These photos can then be printed as side-by-side images with dotted lines so you know where to cut them, fitting them according to size in the included 3D cardboard viewers. When done, just slide them into the viewer and your eyes will deliver an experience which rolls back the years.

Each DXG-018 3D camera bundle will be accompanied by a trio of cardboard viewers, where extra viewer packs can be purchased separately later on if the need arises.
source: Ubergizmo

DXG-018 3D Pocket Camera

The DXG-018 is a dual-lens 3D camera that will save all colored snapshots onto an SD memory card. These photos can be printed as side-by-side images with dotted lines, so you know where to cut them, fitting them in the included 3D cardboard viewers. Each DXG-018 3D camera comes equipped with three cardboard viewers. Available in pink, lavender, orange, green and yellow, the camera also features a 1.44-inch LCD screen to frame your subject. $69.99 is all you need to bring home this fancy digital camera. [Product Page]

Mustek V13 HD Camcorder

Planning on getting yourself a new HD camcorder with an affordable price? Why don't you check out the V13 from Mustek. Priced at only $59.99, this compact video camera sports a 5.0-megapixel CMOS image sensor, a 4x digital zoom, a 1.8-inch LCD display, an SD card slot, a built-in speaker, a USB port and 720p HD video recording capabilities.
source: TechFresh

New Casio SLIM Projectors (Lamp Free)

Casio has just announced four new “lamp-free” projectors. Instead of using a traditional (fragile, costly) bulb to generate the light, these projectors use a combination of laser, LED and fluorescent elements to replace the bulb. By doing so, Casio makes it more economical to operate projectors.

These new models were built to fulfill various tasks. For instance, the Casio Short Throw projector can display a 60″ image from less than 3 feet (1 meter) from the projection surface. Casio says that this makes it suitable for educational purpose, but I think that this could also be used in the living room where the TV used to be placed.

The Casio Pro AV has more connectivity options, including wired and wireless Ethernet, but it also has audio inputs and outputs to adapt itself to many situations. With a maximum brightness of 3500 lumens, those projectors should do well in small and medium rooms. Just a few years ago, it was common to find 800 lumens projectors.
source: Ubergizmo

Sony takes apart its own Bloggie 3D camera

In a promotional stint to increase awareness of its 3D compact camera, Sony has given the Bloggie 3D camera a teardown in similar vein of the folks over at iFixit. But unlike iFixit's informative teardowns, the video shot by Sony didn't go into much detail about the individual parts, with occasional hints being dropped about why the camera is worth the $250 you pay for it.

Nevertheless, it is a teardown video after all, and for users who don't dare to take their own Bloggie 3D cameras apart but want to know what it looks like on the insides, it can be a good source of information.

Matrox Edge Overlap offers multi-projector edge blending

The Matrox Mura MPX Series display wall controller boards will be able to deliver its Matrox PowerDesk Edge Overlap feature that offers an easy, cost-effective solution that was specially designed to drive seamless images over multi-projector setups. Just how does the Matrox Edge Overlap work? For starters, it will duplicate the GPU's output edges, letting projector edges be physically overlapped with one another. All the hard work that involves the number of overlapped pixels at a per-pixel level is not done by you, so no worries there – it will be managed via the Matrox PowerDesk desktop management software instead that features easy-to-use controls.

This basically means Matrox Mura MPX Series display wall controller boards with Edge Overlap support are the perfect solution for tiled projector setups in high resolution presentation, digital signage, and control room video wall environments.

The next time your organization has a really large presentation, why not recommend the management the Matrox M-Series, Matrox Extio F2408 & F2208, and Matrox Mura MPX Series? They all come with Matrox Edge Overlap support to make multi-projector edge blending a snap. [Press Release]

Panasonic GF2 Hands-On

You may have seen that the Panasonic GF3 has been just launched (after many leaks), but this means that the Panasonic GF2 (which shipped in Feb 2011) price might take a dive ($499 street price – today). I just happen to have one at the office today, and as a GF1 user, I thought that I would give you my take on it.

The Panasonic GF2 is perceptibly smaller than the GF1, first because the body itself is smaller, but also because this unit came with a 14mm lens that's even smaller than the 20mm “pancake” lens that I have on the GF1. The more compact size is great – that's the reason why most people get a “GF” camera to start with. It has this quality/size ratio that is very attractive.Despite its smaller size, the GF2 performs better than its older GF1 sibling in some ways: it can record 1080p movies, with stereo audio (thanks to the Left+Right microphones). If also supports Panasonic's 3D lens, if you are attracted by the technology. I played with it at CEATEC 2010, and we even gave an award to Panasonic for it.

Panasonic tries to make it more mainstream by removing as many buttons as possible

On the back and at the top, you will notice that there are slightly fewer buttons/controls on the GF2 (right). On the other hand, it has a touch-display that is convenient for some operations, like selecting things. But although the touch screen is cool, it's no panacea: I still very much prefer the buttons for speed.

The touch interface lets users "show" the camera where to focus

At this point, the touch interface is slower than your average smartphone, and it's not really as fancy as Android or iOS. I mean that this could, and hopefully will, be much improved in the future. For my personal use, my first impression was: “gosh, I want those buttons back”. However, after a little bit of time, I got used to it and became much more proficient at manipulating the options.

So, why did Panasonic do it? First of all, you have to understand that Panasonic wants to push the GF Series, and micro 4x3 in general, deep into mainstream territory. Having less buttons, and a touch interface means that novice users won't be (or should not be) scared by a “pro-looking” interface. The GF3 takes that even further, and has even less buttons.

The GF1 was more of an “enthusiast” camera. This means that the company expects most people to use the GF2 as a “super” point and shoot. To be honest, that's what I'm doing most of the time, and it works great. On occasions, I have to tweak things, but that's only in difficult lighting situations. Most of the time, having a “fast” lens with a big aperture (f1.8 or so) takes care of it.

That's great, but you should know that some features are gone too: there is no remote release socket, no flash exposure compensation , no 2nd curtain sync and the battery capacity is smaller (7.3Wh, versus 9Wh).

One thing that I would like changed: Panasonic should start using a standard micro-USB port for both data exchange, and charging. I'm perfectly OK with a slower charge over USB, but in my view, any small electronic device should be USB-rechargeable. If Panasonic was to do that, the camera would not require an external charger (it could be optional), making it cheaper and more convenient.

Of course, if you seek an small interchangeable-lens camera, you should also look at the Sony Alpha NEX or the Olympus E-PL2. Competitors are most definitely worth looking at, but don't miss the Panasonic GF3 which was just announced, but will ship only in July.
source: Ubergizmo

Logitech C615 HD Webcam

If you are looking for a HD webcam for your video chat, why not check out the Logitech's C615. Compatible with both Mac's and PC's, the C615 can capture 8-megapixel stills, limit video chat to 720p, a 360-degree swiveling autofocus rotation for easy to capture from any position, and has one-click uploads to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The C615 is just $79.99 in the U.S and will be available worldwide from this September. [ Via Engadget ]

Panasonic Lumix GF3 Caters to Casual Photographers

Panasonic adds a new compact micro four-thirds digital camera to its GF series. The GF3 is comparatively smaller and lighter than the GF2. Unlike the previous model, the GF3 does not have a hot shoe and is then replaced by a pop-up flash. This feature may tick off some serious photographers, but it seems this camera caters to the casual hobbyists.

What the GF3 retained from its predecessor is that it has the same sensor and image processor at 12 megapixels that can even record a 1080i-quality video. It also has a 3-inch touchscreen on the back that you can tap to magnify, focus, and even change settings.

The Panasonic Lumix GF3 will be released depending on which lens you want. The 14mm F/2.5 model will roll out on July for $600, while the 14-42mm F/3.5-5.6 version will arrive in August for a total of $600.
source: Gadget.com

Toshiba Camileo P100 and B10 Camcorders Land in the U.S

Already available elsewhere in the world, the Toshiba P100 and B10 (finally) land on U.S shores. The pair of camcorders cater to the entry-level market, but they take different paths: the B10 is the more affordable of the two ($120) and looks like a Flip camera. It has a 5 Megapixel sensor and no optical zoom, but it is smarter than the Flip. The B10 can recognize faces and even has a built LED light for those low-light situations.The P100 looks more like a classic camcorder and has an obviously bigger (and better) lens that the B10. It has a 5X optical zoom, and a 3″ Swivel LCD display that lets users snap a video at an odd angle, without breaking one's back. It comes with a 8 Megapixel sensor that should do better in dim lighting, although that's an LED light that I'm seeing just below the lens. The P100 can also recognize faces, and it does pretty much everything that the B10 can do. The better lens is really what justifies the price difference ($180).

Both camcorders can be used as webcams, and they are compatible with Windows or Mac OS.
source: Ubergizmo

Logitech C615 HD Webcam

It has become apparent that HD webcams are the way of the future. If there is one flaw to complain about these new breed of gadgets, it would have to be their bulky size, especially when some of them have video processors integrated into them. Logitech decides that their HD web camera has to be more portable.

The Logitech C615 HD webcam has a design that people might mistake it for a black cobra head. It has an 8-megapixel sensor with auto-focus. Apart from recording high-quality videos with 1,080p resolution, this webcam can be attached on the computer screen and even on a tripod. Meanwhile, its head can spin almost 360 degrees so it can face wherever you want it. The C615 can even adjust its video resolution to 720p if your video chat client cannot handle HD web videos.

The Logitech C615 is now available for $80. This HD webcam is compatible to both Mac and PC, which can be connected via USB.
source: Gadget.com

Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 Now Available Stateside

The Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 lens is now available in the US market via B&H Photo. The prime lens is compatible with the Nikon FX-format digital-SLR cameras and provides a 75mm (equivalent) focal length when used with the Nikon DX-format DSLRs. B&H Photo sells the Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 lens for $219.95. [Product Page]

Elecom introduces the 'Decor Interieur' DPF-X7WT10 Series Digital Photo Frame with wooden frame

Elecom Japan just announced a new Digital Photo Frame the "Decor Interieur" DPF-X7WT10 Series that comes in either White of Black as well as a real wooden frame. Elecom has designed this DPF-X7WT10 for people looking for something more "Authentic" yet ready for our digital Age.

The DPF-X7WT10 comes with a pair of SDHC cards, a USB pot, a 7x800×480 Screen with LED Backlight and comes with many of the basic features available in most digital Photo Frames.
source: Akihabara News

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Interchangeable Lens Camera

Here comes another interchangeable lens camera from Panasonic, the Lumix DMC-GF3. Featuring an aluminum body, this compact and light camera sports a 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor, a 3.0-inch touchscreen display, a Venus Engine FHD image processor, an SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot, ISO up to 6400 and 1080p Full HD video recording capabilities. The DMC-GF3 will become available in July for $699.99 (14mm lens included). [PR Newswire]

Sony NEX-C3 arrives on Amazon

Well well, what do we have here? Sony first rolled out their most recent APS-C camera last week, where they have called it the NEX-C3. This camera will come with a 16-megapixel APS-C HD image sensor, in addition to the capability of shooting 720p video at 30 frames per second. For those who do follow the evolution of digital cameras under the Sony wing, you would know that the NEX-C3 is actually an update to the already famous NEX-3 and NEX-5 range of cameras.

While Sony does not plan to roll out the NEX-C3 at least until next month or August, you can always place a pre-order of the NEX-C3 with a 16mm lens at Amazon for $600. Of course, that is only for the body, but for those who want to pick up the NEX-C3 with the 18mm to 55mm lens can do so by forking out another $50.

There is still not release date on Amazon just yet, but at least with the pre-order, you are more or less guaranteed to by one of the first few buyers. Cross your fingers that the device won't come out gimped in any way!
source: Ubergizmo

Panasonic Announces Tiny, Feature-Lacking GF3

It took a year and a half for Panasonic to add the GF2 to the wonderful (big) pocket-sized GF1 mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera. Now, just five months later, we have another one — the GF3. This camera is even smaller and feature lacking than the already cut down GF2, showing that Panasonic is clearly taking this line down to the consumer level.

The camera still has a 12MP sensor, just like its two older (and smarter) brothers. It combines this with a new processor (the Venus Engine found in the bigger GH2 and G3) which allows faster auto focus and generally makes the camera snappier. It also gets some new “Photo Styles” and a new filter called miniature, aka tilt-shift, and focus-tracking when shooting video.

Much bigger is the list of what the camera has lost. Minimum ISO climbs from 100 to 160, the rear click dial has gone, as has the stereo mic of the GF2. The flash is now top center, but the hotshoe has gone, meaning you can't add an accessory viewfinder or a flash.

For those stepping up from a compact camera the fast response, big sensor and interchangeable lenses will be a huge difference, and many will buy this instead of an SLR. For enthusiasts who loved the GF1, it looks like the end of the GF line in terms of them being useful cameras. Thankfully, all those Micro Four Thirds lenses you bought can be used on Olympus' Pen EP series cameras, which seem to be taking things a little more seriously.

The GF3 will be on sale in July with the slow and wide 14mm ƒ2.5 pancake lens ($700), and in August with the 14-42mm ƒ3.5-5.6 kit lens ($600).

Panasonic GF3 product page [Panasonic]

Leica 25mm ƒ1.4 Lens for Micro Four Thirds

Leica's 50mm-equivalent ƒ1.4 standard lens brings an ultrafast 'nifty fifty' to the Micro Four Thirds line

Oh hello! In addition to the less-than-inspiring GF3 announced today, Panasonic has redeemed itself with the new Leica DG Summilux 25mm ƒ1.4 ASPH lens. This fixed lens, which works as a 50mm equivalent “standard” on the Micro Four Thirds bodies, is likely to be one sweet chunk of glass.

First, the numbers. The lens has a seven-blade aperture for the nice, circular out-of-focus highlights (bokeh) characteristic of Leica lenses. It also comes with aspherical elements, a “nano coating” (for less reflection from the lens' surfaces) and one “ultra-high refractive index” elements to bend the light equally to all parts of the image.

And because it opens to ƒ1.4, you'll not only be able to take photos of anything you like in the dark, you'll also be able to focus on somebody's pupil and have the corner of their eye be blurred. Finally, a metal mount should mean it outlasts several cameras.

The lens, available in August, has yet to be priced. Being a Leica, it won't be cheap. In fact, Amazon's pre-order page — according to Photography Bay — was briefly listing it for $1,100.

source: Gadget Lab

Panasonic Officially launches the Lumix GF3 in Japan!

Panasonic just announced its new Lumix series of Camera in Japan with the Lumix G3 That we already had the chance to play with a few weeks ago and its new compact GF3. The GF3 comes with a 12.10Mpix Live MOS 4x3 sensor, Support of SDXC and SDHC, capable to shoot AVCHD 1080x60i video and 720x60p videos, Comes with RAW Support, 3D Lens support, ISO Speed 160 up to 6400 and Panasonic usual q.MENU, iA+ and will be sold by default with a 14mm pancake lens. Redesign from the ground-up the GF3 just weight 264g with both Battery and SD Cards and 319g if you had to this setting its 14mm Lens. Finally the GF3 will be available within July in Japan and will be available in three different package as well as several different colors.
source: Akihabara News

Camerang Flying Camera Concept

The Camerang flying camera concept is a fun way of taking pictures. This camera actively takes shots as it flies through the air, while the central lens rotates automatically to fix its focus on the subject. The camera intuitively calculates the required lens angle as it flies and clicks a set of freeze frames as it orbits around the subject. See more pictures after the jump.
source: TechFresh

Save $150 On Sony NEX-VG10 Double Lens Kit $2,147.99

Here's your chance to own the Sony NEX-VG10 Double Lens Kit (E-Mount 18-20mm Zoom Lens + Sony 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS E-mount NEX Series DSLR Lens included) for only $2,147.99 (normal price $2,297.99) at Adorama online shop. As a brief reminder, the NEX-VG10 sports an extra-large ExmorTM APS HD CMOS sensor, a powerful BIONZ image processor, a 3.0-inch Xtra Fine LCDTM swivel display, an SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick PRO DuoTM card slot and is capable of capturing both 1920 x 1080p Full HD video at up to 24Mbps as well as 14-megapixel digital still images. [Product Page]