camera

Hours after they unleashed new models on Europe, Samsung has officially announced three new 8 megapixel still cameras for the US market--the L83T, L830, and the S85. All three include Samsung's new Successive Recording mode, which lets you pause and then resume while recording video. Most still cameras only let you start and stop while recording video, so you end up with many short clips if you want to stop the action for a short period of time.

The ultracompact L83T sports a 3X optical, 38mm-to-114mm (equivalent) zoom lens, 2.5-inch LCD, face detection, 14 scene modes, MPEG-4 video … Read more

With the introduction of its eBay mode in 2006, Casio brought the concept of the branded scene mode to digital photography. So color me unsurprised that this summer's new launches, the Exilim EX-Z880 and the EX-Z77, introduce YouTube mode, a combination software bundle for direct upload to YouTube plus a camera preset that captures H.264-compressed QuickTime-format movies.

On one hand, I hate these branded modes--they don't really do anything new, they just create the perception of it. For instance, the YouTube mode captures a far-from-unique 640x480 30frames per second. On the other hand, if it keeps people … Read more

TomTom has filed an eyebrow-raising patent with the European Patent Office for a device that combines GPS navigation information with a live video feed. According to the patent document, "...navigation devices display maps that are, like most maps, a highly stylised or schematic representation of the real world," which, TomTom contends, many people find difficult to translate or understand. To remedy the problem, it proposes a device that works "by superimposing or combining navigation directions over a camera image".

The patent application covers devices that receive an external camera feed, and any devices with built-in cameras, … Read more

Inexplicably, three of my friends and I ended up at the Fisherman's Wharf Hooters in San Francisco last week after we got our iPhones.

We actually went there for the food--no, really. We wanted buffalo wings, and where else to go but Hooters? Anyway, the usual siren-like charm of the waitresses went unnoticed by us. From my understanding of how it works at Hooters, usually the customers fawn over the waitresses, who are the objects of desire. Well, this day it was the complete opposite, since the ogled became the oglers as soon as we whipped out our objects … Read more

If training your brain with the Nintendo DS just isn't enough, you'll soon be able to train your face with it, too. Wired recently reported that Nintendo has announced Otona No DS Kao Training, or Face Training for the Nintendo DS. It's designed to teach you exercises to help increase the elasticity of your facial muscles. While that alone sounds pretty interesting, it isn't the most important part of the news.

Face Training will come with a digital camera module you fit into the DS' Game Boy Advance cartridge slot. The camera tracks your face while … Read more

Well, at least according to the Digital Photography School readership. These guys polled their readers and put together a list of the most popular Canon, Nikon, and third-party lenses. Scientific? Nah. But you could do worse than using their list as a guide for accessorizing your dSLR.

Oddly, the Nikon f/1.8 50mm lens tops the list. It's an inexpensive, predigital lens, but not exactly a general-purpose option that would attract large numbers of users. This probably says more about the site's readership than lens popularity overall.

But now I'm curious. Talk back and tell me … Read more

In our effort to put the iPhone through its paces, we took a few photos using the camera. For the most part it did well, but it had trouble with overly bright environments, while distant objects looked a tad too fuzzy. Also, because it doesn't offer a flash or any image-editing options, night shots looked somewhat poor. Colors showed well, however, even if whites were a little too soft. Our iPhone camera slide show has all our shots, while our iPhone review gives you the full analysis of the handset's performance. And to see how the iPhone compares … Read more

Tomorrow's Independence Day, and practically the whole country has the day off. For once, you get to have your cookout on a Wednesday. How will you document your midweek antics? You'll want photographic evidence of how cute the nieces and nephews were when they made that pyramid in the kiddie pool. You need pictures to explain that funny thing that happened with the mustard squeezer. And even if you just enjoy some epic lounging in the shade, you'll want pictures to remind yourself of ease and leisure when you're cranking through 400 e-mails back at work … Read more

One of the many great things about digital cameras is convenience: They're always ready to shoot and are often small enough to carry in your pocket anywhere. Tripods, however, are another matter altogether. And if you drink as much coffee as we do at Crave, your hands can use all the steadying help they can get.

That's why something like the "Always-On Millipod" may be the perfect solution for caffeine-addled types like us. Billed as the "slimmest tripod ever," according to OhGizmo, it attaches to the bottom of a point-and-shoot camera and folds away … Read more