Posts Tagged ‘Canon’
Canon captures your coffee in a 70-200mm telephoto lens
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on March 5th, 2010
Canon captures your coffee in a 70-200mm telephoto lens originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PDN Pulse | Email this | Comments The Digital Cameras of 2000 Look Awfully Good For Their Age [Decades]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on January 1st, 2010
This Canon PowerShot G1, released in 2000 and listed at Best Buy for $800 in 2001, has held up well. Sure, 3.34 megapixels isn't much, but spec for spec, this codger can almost hang with the kids.
Seriously, you could just post this spec sheet next to a Canon in a retail store now, and most people wouldn't bat an eye. They sure as hell wouldn't buy it, they probably wouldn't say anything, either: 
In ten years, what have we gained? More megapixels, higher-quality video, some more ports, better low-light performance, smaller memory cards, better battery life, and a little compactness. Canon's cheapest P&S, the 10-megapixel Powershot A480, handily outspecs the $800 G1 for just $110 (though it doesn't have video). Today, if you hand Canon $800, they'll hand you back a DSLR that shoots HD video:
What's amazing, though, is that if you did spend $800 on this camera back in 2000, you could still use it today. It'd be beaten to hell, the zoom motor would sound like it had gained sentience and learned to experience real, mammalian pain, and the 16MB CF card would have been replaced with something a little roomier, but damnit, it would work—and your Facebook friends wouldn't know the difference. You can't say that about many gadgets from 10 years ago, so here's to you, Powershot: You were great, or your category moves slow. Whichever makes you feel better.
Researchers Accidentally Demolish Building With Cannon-Like Gun [Blockquote]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 24th, 2009
Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory have managed to accidentally cause $3 million of damage as they blew up one of their own buildings using a large-bore powder gun, a weapon which acts like a Civil War cannon. Updated.
According to Project on Government Oversight's Senior Investigator, Peter Stockton, this incident "is a new twist in the long history of screw-ups by Los Alamos." I can't really blame him for saying that when testing a gun results in several million dollars of structural damage, propels doors away from the building, and leaves pieces of the weapon spread out on the ground outside. Geez.
Let's look at the positive side of this though. The gun was a mess, but they discovered a heck of a bomb here, no? [Pogo via Wired]
Update: Wired reports that they've received an email from National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Damien LaVera which implies that what we've first heard might not be entirely true:
Here are the facts: On December 16, Los Alamos conducted a standard proof test on a new design for a catch tank in the target chamber for one of our large bore powder guns (LBPG). These types of experiments are routine and responsible. The LBPG is used to conduct measurements of material properties at pressures needed for understanding nuclear weapons performance. During this particular test, unexpected explosive damage occurred and, because that damage could result in $1 million in damages, an investigation was automatically triggered. That investigation will seek to identify the cause of the incident and any changes in procedures that might be required. NNSA, Los Alamos, and all of our facilities take their commitment to safety very seriously. It is important to note that no personnel were injured from this event, no hazardous or radioactive materials were involved, and that lab's incident response mechanisms appear to have performed as intended.
Finally, Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.7 for Mac [Digital Cameras]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 18th, 2009
I've been waiting for this damn update for months: Apple's dropped the latest RAW compatibility update—2.7 to be precise—for Mac, which adds compatibility for these fine cameras:
• Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
• Canon EOS 7D
• Canon PowerShot G11
• Nikon D3S
• Nikon D3000S
• Nikon D3000
Snag it on Software Update, of course. [Apple
Video: Surfing Huge Waves at Jaws In Canon 5d Mark II Slow Motion [Video]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 17th, 2009
Last week we saw some big wave activity in the Pacific. Some said the storms would develop some of the biggest waves in decades.* Here's some footage of nut jobs surfing said waves on Jaws, in Maui.
This is from the 7th of the month, when our guest blogger and surf gear experimenter Laird Hamilton was out. From his blog, he said a few newcomers were getting thrown up on to the rocks with their jetskis and boards. The waves were 25 foot, as rated in Hawaiian terms, which means 50 feet tall on the face.
These videos were shot using a Canon 5D Mark II, a 70-300mm USM lens and a Zoom H4n & Redhead windscreen. Slow motion was done in Premier CS4, but I can imagine how much better this'll would have looked if the 5D's 60FPS firmware was used. [vimeo via nick bilton]
*They turned out to be overhyped a bit, but the waves were big enough to hold the Eddie Aikau contest in Waimea Bay, which has only been held 7 times in 25 years.
Canon EOS Rebel XT spits in gravity’s face, survives 3,000-foot drop?
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 16th, 2009
Canon EOS Rebel XT spits in gravity's face, survives 3,000-foot drop? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkCanon Rumors | FM Forums | Email this | Comments Canon DSLR Suffers 3,000-Foot Fall, Camera and Lens Still Work [Cameras]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 16th, 2009
A photographer strapped a Canon Rebel XT to his helmet while skydiving, but instead of capturing some great airborne shots, it fell off his helmet and plummeted 3,000 feet to the ground. Unbelievably, it survived.
According to a friend of the photographer:
Amazingly, the Rebel survived the fall and my friend is still using it to this very day. It has a crack in the plastic body and the kit lens is a little jerky when zooming, but functional. I'd like to know if there is a similar story or something close to this but I doubt. It might be a world record indeed (for the height of a camera drop which survived).
Photos show that the camera is remarkably intact—the viewfinder is still functional, both the camera body and lens are pretty much fine. Not that we recommend you heave your DSLR out of a low-flying plane, but it's nice to know that if you do, there's a chance it'll be just fine. [FredMiranda via Canon Rumors via Crunchgear]
Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Digital Cameras
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 14th, 2009
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today’s bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the holiday season.
Continue reading Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Digital Cameras
Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Digital Cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Best Camcorders You Can Buy on Every Budget [Camcorders]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 8th, 2009
Kaitlyn Chantry is the editor-in-chief of CamcorderInfo.com. And she's been so kind as provide us with her favorite camcorders picks in every key price range.
Flip MinoHD
Don't be confused by imposters: the ultracompact Flip camcorder is still the hot girl that everyone either wants to have or wants to be. At $230, the second-generation MinoHD is more expensive than all those Flip clones, but you get what you pay for. It's sleek and stylish—especially when you can design your own—and has decent video quality (for a tiny, trendy camcorder). Most importantly, it's so easy to use that your granny could make herself the next YouTube star. [Review]
Note: Gizmodo actually preferred Flip's Ultra HD, but only because it's substantially cheaper than the MinoHD. More on that in our mini cam Battlemodo.
JVC Everio GZ-HM200
The JVC Everio GZ-HM200 doesn't exactly roll off the tip of your tongue, but for just $580, it might roll its way into your heart. It can't quite compete with the big dogs in our testing labs, but its digital image stabilization is surprisingly effective and the color accuracy left us slack-jawed. The HM200 is also small, easy to use, and has decent options if you want a little control over your video. And we just love having two SDHC memory card slots. [Review]
Canon Vixia HF20
The Canon Vixia HF20 is all about getting the complete package. It lacks the huge lens and high resolution of its big brothers, but it does have the sexy interface and powerful performance we've come to expect from a Canon camcorder. At $800, you're definitely paying for that clear, sharp video and fantastic design. The HF20 is for people that want to save a little cash, but still want to own the cool toys. [Review]
Panasonic HDC-TM300
If you're spending over a grand on a consumer camcorder, it's pretty hard to go wrong. But this year's Panasonics are the crème de la crème. They've got great auto features, are stuffed full of manual controls, and are smoking hot performers in low light. The TM300 (Panasonic's 32GB flash memory model) feels like it was personally sculpted for your hand—and at $1300, it won't break the bank. [Review]
There are obviously a lot of other great camcorders this year—for every budget and level of experience. Read all of CamcorderInfo's picks for the 2009 Select Awards here.
Kaitlyn Chantry is the editor-in-chief of CamcorderInfo.com. She has reported on and reviewed everything from video games to coffee cups. CamcorderInfo has been using scientific lab testing and comparative analysis to provide consumers with comprehensive, unbiased camcorder reviews since 1997.
New Canon EOS 5D Mark II Firmware to Pack 60fps HD [Firmware]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 7th, 2009
Canon has already revealed that their EOS 5D Mark II would be getting 24fps 1080P, which is handy for transfers to film. But a new industry-focused meeting revealed the company would also add 60fps 720P support to the camera, which would be great for fast motion clips or half-speed slow motion. [Planet5D]
