Apple had a special event this morning where they announced a few new products. In addition to the introduction of HD-video recording on the iPod Touch, an interesting new announcement was the HDR Photography feature in iOS 4.1, which is found on the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad (though the iPad doesn’t currently have a camera).

On the Apple website, the description of this feature reads:

Take great photos that capture a wider range of light intensity using the new high dynamic range (HDR) setting on iPhone 4, which automatically combines multiple exposures into a single HDR image.

Hopefully the feature is flexible and allows the user to tweak the resulting photograph.

Automatic HDR modes are becoming increasingly common on consumer cameras, and may become a ubiquitous feature before long. You’ll be able to download the iOS 4.1 update soon.

A week ago Canon announced the development of a APS-H CMOS sensor that delivers a staggering 120 megapixels. Not content with ruling the megapixel race, they’ve just announced a physically gigantic sensor — the largest CMOS sensor in the world.

In the photo above, the sensor is shown next to a standard 35mm full frame sensor. The thing measures 202 x 205 mm (or 7.95 x 8.07 inches), or 40 times the size of current sensors, and is extremely sensitive. It can supposedly record 60fps video under moonlight. Potential applications of this kind of sensor include capturing the night sky and documenting nocturnal animal behavior, though (like the 120MP sensor) you probably shouldn’t expect this to hit the consumer market anytime in the near or semi-distant future.

Good news — We’re now shipping our Photographers Rights Gray Cards to Canada and the UK. Most of the guidelines listed on the cards should apply to your country, though you should research and look up the differences if you decide to order our cards. The price is the same as for US residents, and we’re offering free shipping to Canada and the UK as well!

Grab yours over in the PetaPixel store!

Turns out the leaked photos of the Canon 60D we posted a couple weeks ago were of the real thing. Canon just announced this camera this morning, and the rumored specs were spot on as well: an 18-megapixel camera with an articulating LCD screen and heavy emphasis on video recording. An in-camera video editing feature allows you to work on the 1080p H.264 footage you capture, while new “creative image filters” allow you to apply iPhone-esque effects to photographs as you capture them. For example, you can have your photos look like they were taken with a tilt-shift lens or toy camera. Expect the 60D to hit stores in September at a price of $1,100.
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We here at PetaPixel are pleased to announce the new Photographers Rights Gray Card Set, a nifty accessory that can help you remember your rights and educate others if you’re ever confronted while shooting.
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The rumors that have been circulating in recent weeks were spot on: Sony has just announced four new DSLR cameras: the A33, A55, A560, and A580. As expected, the A33 and A55 are the world’s first pellicle mirror DSLRs, and have the features and specs we posted just yesterday: phase-detect autofocus while recording HD video or shooting 7fps or 10fps respectively.
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Canon isn’t going to have Nikon have all the announcement fun today. They’ve unveiled three new PowerShot compact cameras: the S95, the SD4500 IS, and the SX130 IS. The cameras will cost $400, $250, and $350 (respectively), and all offer HD video recording.

The S95 offers a new High Dynamic Range (HDR) scene mode that captures three photos with a single push of the shutter and combines the bracketed exposures into a single HDR photograph.

The SD4500 IS also rises above the other two by offering a 1080p HD video mode (the others have 720p), a super slow motion mode (240fps), and a speed burst mode of 8.4 frames per second.

Expect these cameras to hit the market late August or early September 2010.