Camcorders

Lexar to sell XQD flash memory cards

Lexar, one of the top-shelf makers of flash memory cards, said today it will support the new XQD format with new models that will go on sale in the third quarter.

For the mainstream flash card market, SD dominates when it comes to price and usage in cameras, video cameras, and devices including tablets and PCs. But though bulkier, CompactFlash, maintains a foothold in the higher-end market such as professional SLR cameras.

As CompactFlash aged, though, Sony, Nikon, and Lexar rival SanDisk came up with XQD as a faster, smaller successor to CompactFlash. One big selling point is fast transfer speed -- 2.5Gbps initially with 5Gbps planned with an upgrade to its underlying data-transfer technology, called PCI. The first big XQD use was Nikon's top-end D4 SLR, and Sony offers XQD cards, but so far there hasn't been much evidence of enthusiasm beyond that.

SanDisk hasn't announced XQD support, and Lexar had been noncommittal. No more.

"We are committed to offering innovative and industry-leading photography solutions, which is why we're working with Nikon to offer and co-market XQD memory cards. We view the XQD standard as one of the most logical ways to increase interface speed beyond that of existing CompactFlash technology," said Wes Brewer, Lexar's vice president of products and technology, in a statement. … Read more

JVC enters action cam market with rugged Adixxion camcorder

People must really want to record a lot of first-person videos while being active because there seems to be a new "action camera" every day.

A couple days ago it was the Liquid Image Ego, before that was Pivothead, and, today, it's JVC's turn to join in on the, um, action, with the GC-XA1 Adixxion.

Without the need for an additional housing, the XA1 is waterproof to 16.4 feet, shockproof to 6.5 feet, dustproof, and freezeproof. It records MP4 video in HD at 1080p30 and 720p60 resolutions (WVGA is available, too) and 5-megapixel photos. … Read more

Apple shows some love for photo and video pros

As a replacement for the top-of-the-line MacBook Pro that a lot of pro video and photo editors use, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display may sound mighty tasty. Faster innards, with a high-resolution, high-contrast 15.4-inch display and all the essential ports -- as long as you're willing to possibly have to waste one of the two essential Thunderbolt ports with dongles for FireWire and Ethernet -- at a lighter 4.5 pounds is a potentially winning combination if you've been schlepping around one of the older, heavier models. On the downside, still a glossy screen, though Apple claims less glare.… Read more

Sony Handycam GW77V is waterproof, not cheap

Feeling let down by the MP4 video quality of your waterproof pocket video camera? Probably not, but if you are, Sony's got you covered with the newish Handycam HDR-GW77V.

Announced for Japan in May, the GW77V is headed for the U.S. in June, bringing with it all of its powerful Handycam features (this is no Bloggie Sport!) and ridiculously high price of $700.

Waterproof down to 16 feet as well as dustproof and shockproof from up to about 5 feet, the camcorder features a Sony 1/3.91-inch-type Exmor R backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and Bionz image processor that … Read more

Lightroom 4.1 arrives; Aperture users, be patient

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 4.1 last night, supporting new cameras and lenses, squashing some bugs, adding a couple of notable features -- and in at least one high-profile case, contributing to the angst of a customer of Apple's rival Aperture software.

Aperture beat Lightroom to market and leapfrogged it with lower pricing in this category for higher-end photo editing and cataloging software. But this market is Adobe's bread and butter, and the company is working hard to turn the crank for improvements as fast as it can. More on that competition and customer angst later, but first, … Read more

Sony debuts first waterproof Handycam

Set to debut around late May in Japan, Sony's first waterproof Handycam packs a cavalcade of features that would make nearly any similarly sized shooter blush in comparison.

Despite the small stature, the HDR-GW77V can go up to 16 feet under water (for up to an hour), survive a near 5-foot drop, and resist dust.

As for imaging specifics, the engineers at Sony packed a lot into a very little device, with buzz-worthy features such as 20.4-megapixel resolution, full 1080p (60fps) video capture up to 28Mbps, and 10x optical zoom. Other notable features in the tiny shooter (1.2-inch width and 4.15-inch height) include a pop-out 3-inch touch screen, 16GB internal storage (with option to expand via SDHC or Memory Stick Micro), panoramic photos, and a built-in GPS chip for geotagging photos. … Read more

With CS6, Photoshop delivers something for everyone. Again.

I'm not a big fan of Adobe's new business strategy, in which it begins to channel all its users toward subscription-based usage (although Stephen Shankland does a good job explaining why it's good for Adobe); to me it looks a lot like the way cable companies operate. But -- despite some gripes about incomplete implementations -- but with only a few reservations, I am a big fan of this release of Photoshop.

It's the first version of Photoshop to take video seriously and to make it into the Standard Edition of the product rather than the extra-pricey Extended version (which is moot if you buy via Creative Cloud). It's the first version to integrate the company's GPU-accelerating Mercury Graphics Engine (MGE). And for the first time in more than 20 years, Photoshop goes dark. … Read more

Blackmagic Cinema Camera aims to make pro video more affordable

There have been a few video camera announcements coming out of NAB 2012, but this one from Blackmagic Design is a surprise.

Called the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, it promises to put professional feature-film-quality results in reach of those on a tighter budget. However, at $2,995, it's by no means inexpensive.

This camera's got a lot going for it, though, including a superwide dynamic range, a large high-resolution 2.5K sensor, and full compatibility with Canon EF and Zeiss ZF mount lenses. The 5-inch touch screen on back can be used for direct metadata entry as well as … Read more

Canon hits 4K at NAB 2012

Canon's big news for this year's NAB show are the announcements of a $15,000 4K-capable version of the EOS-1D X, dubbed the EOS-1D C, and a prototype preview of the C500, a 4K- and 2K-capable new model in its Cinema EOS line. And while the prototype sounds quite interesting, I suspect the 1D C will trigger more irritation than jubilation for Canon video shooters.… Read more