canonical

Google+ reunites lost waterlogged camera, owner

Social networking and a bit of amateur sleuthing have reunited a Canadian firefighter with the camera he accidentally dropped to the bottom of the sea during a family vacation more than a year ago.

Stephen Wood was sure he'd said a final goodbye to his Canon EOS Rebel when it slipped from his hands into the Deep Bay off the east coast of Vancouver Island last summer.

"We figured the camera and the pictures were gone. We didn't even bother trying to retrieve it," Wood told CNET today. "It was on when it went in the water, and [it was] salt water, and at high tide, I think it's roughly about 60 feet deep there. It was also like 9 o'clock at night so it was dark." Not to mention that Wood and his wife had a baby in tow.

Conditions, in other words, were hardly ideal for a gadget-retrieval operation, so Wood accepted that he'd seen the last of the cam he'd received as a wedding gift from his firefighter pals. … Read more

Best digital cameras for under $150 (roundup)

With cameras, as with many things in life, you get what you pay for. In the world of point-and-shoots, that generally means you get few features, poorer-quality lenses, slower performance, and more than likely mediocre photo quality. However, there are a few exceptions.

These models were selected because they offer more than you'd typically get for the money. In some cases that means extra shooting options or an optical viewfinder, in others it's a longer lens or good low-light photos. So, whether you're just looking for an inexpensive camera for the occasional snapshot, something with the optical zoom that your smartphone camera doesn't have, or want an ultracompact with a little wow factor, these are worth checking out.… Read more

Canon goes to Hollywood

Those of you hoping that Canon's latest announcement, long-rumored to be a camera with extraspecial video capabilities, would be a 5D Mark III can now officially be disappointed. At about $20,000, this one ain't for the hobbyists or the still-images-firsters.

The new series of cameras, dubbed Cinema EOS, consists of two models based around a new 4K Super35 CMOS sensor and incorporating the most current version of its Digic DV III image processor. The two models differ only by mount: the C300 PL uses a PL mount (developed by Arri for film cameras) and the C300 uses a Canon EF mount.

There had been speculation that the camera would either be a 4K or a 2K (HD) model, and it's oddly both and neither.… Read more

Ubuntu Linux eyes tablet territory

Canonical wants to get its Ubuntu Linux operating system onto tablets and smartphones.

The company plans to make an announcement to that effect at the Ubuntu Developer Summit taking place this week, according to Stephen J. Vaughan-Nichols, a blogger for CNET sister site ZDNet. The platforms beyond the desktop that Canonical is targeting include not only those mobile devices but also smart TVs.

"It's important for us to reach out to our community on these platforms," Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth told Vaughan-Nichols. "So, we'll embrace the challenge of how to use Ubuntu on smartphones, tablets, … Read more

Canon tries to reignite its 13x19 pro printing with Pixma Pro-1

I'm not sure why, but it feels like it's been far longer than two years since Canon released its previous desktop medium-format printer, the Pixma Pro9500 Mark II. Maybe that's because the Mark II was a minor update (some would say fix) to its predecessor, the Pro9500, which debuted more than five years ago. That model, and its even older sibling the Pro9000 Mark II--a printer that's fundamentally a redesigned version of the i9900--will remain in Canon's product line, to be joined by the Pixma Pro-1.… Read more

Full-size megazoom cameras compared

Call them bridge cameras, longzooms, superzooms, or megazooms (as we do), they're all pretty much the same thing: a large lens slapped on the front of a point-and-shoot camera.

While that's a bit of an oversimplification, the fact remains that though these are full-featured models with digital SLR-style bodies, they still have the shooting performance and photo quality of a compact camera. That said, if you're after a long lens, point-and-shoot simplicity, and an affordable price (at least more so than for a dSLR that has comparable lenses), you've come to right roundup.

Editors' note: This post was originally published October 26, 2011, but is updated frequently. It was updated May 8, 2013, to include the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300.

… Read more

1080p shootout: iPhone 4S vs. Canon 5D Mark II

The iPhone 4 already offered standout image quality for a mobile phone, helping to further the general trend of using a phone camera rather than a dedicated camera. And with ever-better video, phone cameras will increasingly will be able to supplant videocameras, too.

Apple clearly hopes to stay ahead of the curve with the iPhone 4S: one of its selling points is a new 8-megapixel camera sensor that can record high-definition video at full 1080p resolution. It seems likely that it will outshoot most of its direct competition in the mobile phone market, but it's natural to wonder how well it stacks up against a high-end camera, too. … Read more

The iPhone 4S and Canon PowerShot 100 HS shoot it out

Camera phones get better. Point-and-shoot cameras get cheaper. Readers query. Tests must be run.

So today I shot my way around Madison Square Park with the iPhone 4S and the Canon PowerShot Elph 100 HS. I chose the 100 HS because it's exactly the type of camera whose existence camera phones like this threaten: inexpensive, with prices as low as $150, and a minimal feature set that doesn't offer any obvious advantages over the convenience of a single device with built-in communications. But it's also a decent little point-and-shoot that takes good photos for its class, and … Read more

Canon loads EOS-1D X with new tech, hopes, and dreams

The tl;dr on Canon's new pro camera: Yowza.

Canon's celebrating the 10th generation of its EOS-1 pro body with an overhaul, both of the hardware and the line itself. A consolidation of the fast, sports shooter with the high-resolution full-frame camera, the EOS-1D X replaces both the full-frame 1Ds Mark III and the APS-H 1D Mark IV with a single, double-grip full-frame model with fast continuous shooting. The price most closely resembles the 1Ds, though, at $6800.

That opens a big gap between the please-replace-it-already 5D Mark II and the new top of the line. And I suspect that when a 5D Mark III eventually surfaces (probably not until next year), it's going to be a lot more expensive--in part because of a weak dollar and the increased costs associated with the various natural disasters that have plagued production in Asia, and in part because Canon could probably get away with it. Especially if it incorporates some of the whizzy new technology (assuming it all works as advertised, of course) that's in the 1D X.

Where to begin? On the outside, you'll find an updated control layout, with some extra buttons joysticks designed to streamline shooting with the vertical grip. On the inside, there are new autofocus and autoexposure systems in addition to the de rigueur new sensor with an enhanced dust-reduction system. It has an entirely new shutter mechanism. There are new features, including a 1000BaseT Ethernet port, 3 custom settings groups (finally!), and a nine-shot multiple-exposure mode.

Basically, it's a whole new camera. Check out the basic specs before I get into details:… Read more