canonical

Canon puts pro sensor in top prosumer camcorder

Canon's redefining its top-end prosumer camcorder model. Not just with a higher price--you can look forward to forking over as much as $1,499 for the best the company has to offer, up from $1,399 in 2010--but with a pro-level sensor brought down from its XF series. It will be in the Vixia HF G10, which launches a new AVCHD-compliant G series for Canon.

The sensor, newly dubbed HD CMOS Pro, is the same 1/3-inch 2.07-megapixel model currently used by the company's entry-level pro models, albeit by itself rather than in a trio. Because it'… Read more

Trends in digital photography: The good

A photographic landmark of sorts took place at the end of 2010. Dwayne's Photo accepted the last roll of Kodachrome slide film for processing. Kodachrome was long a favorite of many professionals and advanced amateurs but required a unique and complex development process; Dwayne's was the last lab to provide this service.

Digital has replaced film for most, pros and amateurs alike. And it's not standing still. The current trends are mostly positive--which isn't to say there aren't a few product and technology areas that couldn't stand improvement.

Here I look at the good. … Read more

Apple releases Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.5, adds Nikon D7000

Apple has released version 3.5 of its Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update, which includes support for several new cameras including Nikon's D700 and Coolpix P7000.

Other cameras included in the update are:

Canon PowerShot G12 Leica D-Lux 5 Leica D-Lux 7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

Users can find a running list of compatible cameras, here.

If you do not see Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.5 in Software Update, be sure you are running Mac OS X 10.6.5. If you have a lesser version of Mac OS X installed, the update will not … Read more

Canon camera encryption cracked

There's a new reason to take note of a Russian programmer who rose to modest fame with his detainment in the United States in 2001: his work to help crack encryption used in Canon cameras.

The programmer and encryption expert is Dmitry Sklyarov, and his company, Elcomsoft, has found a vulnerability in Canon's OSK-E3 system for ensuring that photos such as those used in police evidence-gathering haven't been tampered with.

The result is that the company can create doctored photos that the technology thinks are authentic. To illustrate its point, it released a few doctored photos that it says passes the Canon integrity checks.

"The vulnerability discovered by ElcomSoft questions the authenticity of all Canon signed photographic evidence and published photos and effectively proves the entire Canon Original Data Security system useless," the company said in a statement. Sklyarov presented the findings at the Confidence 2.0 conference last week.

Canon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. … Read more

Canon 5D Mark II, 7D get mode dial upgrade

Firmware upgrades for cameras are the norm, and it's not every day we see brands offering hardware upgrades. However, Canon announced this week that it will tweak the mode dial for its EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D.

The adjustment will allow the mode dial to be locked in place, much like the implementation on the EOS 60D. This will prevent the accidental changing of settings, which frustrate photographers, especially when they need to quickly take a shot.

The upgrade will cost roughly $100. However, users are required to bring their dSLR to the local Canon office during … Read more

Get a Canon Pixma photo printer for $22.82 shipped

Looking for a compact, inexpensive printer that's equally adept at printing documents and photos? The Canon Pixma iP2600 might be just the ticket.

It's an older model, one that debuted back in 2008, and even then it was an entry-level bargain at $49.99. Today, however, CostCentral has the Canon Pixma iP2600 for just $22.82 shipped. It's new, not refurbished (though the warranty is still just a what-did-you-expect-for-23-bucks 90 days).

Update: Looks like the sale is over, folks--the printer is now selling for $30. Still pretty cheap, though perhaps not quite as tempting.

Make no mistake: … Read more

Ubuntu splits from GNOME UI

Canonical's Mark Shuttleworth on Monday detailed how Ubuntu will split from the GNOME user interface for Unity, which is its Netbook approach. Simply put, Ubuntu will have a custom user interface.

The reaction to various press reports from Computerworld, Ars Technica, and others has gone to extremes:

•First, Canonical could be portrayed as evil because it's flipping its middle finger to the open-source community. •Others say that GNOME was hard to work with. •And then you get your Unity sniping.

Read more of "Ubuntu splits from GNOME UI: A good, pragmatic move" at ZDNet's Between … Read more

Limited-edition Canon G12 sports lipstick stain

Pucker up! Acclaimed fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg has specially designed 50 units of the Canon PowerShot G12 exclusively for online retailer AhaLife. The shooter's hand grip area is embellished with Swarovski crystals, and there's also a lipstick stain pattern on it. The limited-edition advanced compact will set you back $600 (a normal version costs $499). It ships with a case also designed by Furstenberg.

Considering the designer is a legend in the fashion industry, $600 is a small price to pay compared with the limited-edition Titanium Leica M9, which costs a pocket-blowing $29,938.

(Source: Crave Asia … Read more

Canon devices use keyword recognition to block imaging jobs

Most consumer level Canon printers use optical character recognition (OCR) to translate scanned images of printer or handwritten documents to editable electronic text, but the latest version of Uniflow, the company's corporate document management system, uses OCR to prevent people from printing or copying documents that contain specific words.

Uniflow is a central management system that allows administrators to keep track of copies and prints for billing and requires an accompanying Uniflow server and Uniflow-ready Canon devices. The latest version, Uniflow 5, can also block documents containing prohibited keywords--sensitive information like passwords and account numbers.

Admins can also configure … Read more