Nikon will reportedly announce the new D5100 DSLR tomorrow (late tonight for those in the US), and photographs of the camera were leaked onto the Interwebs today. We’ll be reporting on the specs tomorrow, but an interesting rumor is that the camera will have a “Night Vision” option that boosts ISO up to a mind-blowing 102400, allowing you to shoot in near-darkness. Stay tuned for the official announcement!
(via Nikon Rumors)
We may soon see an unexpected player enter the mirrorless camera market: CNET Asia is reporting that GE will be introducing a mirrorless camera by the end of this year:
[...] GE is looking to introduce its first Micro Four Thirds-like camera before the end of 2011. While no other details were revealed, it is clear that the company is hoping to be treated more seriously as a camera-maker. And with GE’s strategy focused on producing affordable cameras, it will be interesting to see how it will change the ILC industry. For consumers, this may also mean that ILCs will finally hit mainstream prices.
General Electric-branded cameras first hit the market in March 2007, and are also known by the brand name “General Imaging”. Who knows… maybe in the future they’ll be one of the dominant players in the camera market.
(via Mirrorless Rumors)
Image credit: General Electric Automatic Iron Box by Marion Doss
It seems like it’s only a matter of time before compact cameras are made to be directly connected to the cloud. According to social gadget website gdgt, Sony is currently working on a digital camera (i.e. not a smartphone) that has a built-in 3G modem that would allow users to easily upload and share photographs using popular services (e.g. Facebook, Flickr, Twitter). There would likely be some level of free service — such as a couple dozen uploads per month — after which users can pay for more use.
One of the gripes people have about smartphone photography is the fact that the devices generally have lenses and sensors inferior to compact cameras. If compact cameras were to gain things like Internet-connectivity and third-party apps, it could completely transform the way the general population uses them.
The blogosphere is abuzz today over a rumor that Canon and Apple may be planning to collaborate on an upcoming project. Craig over at Canon Rumors started it yesterday when he wrote,
I’ve received a few pieces of information about an upcoming collaboration between Apple and Canon. What that collaboration is hasn’t been spelled out to me. It could be with the upcoming Final Cut Pro 8, or maybe something more.
The story was soon picked up by blogs and magazines, with everyone trying to make guesses as to what the “secret project” might be (if there even is one). Hopefully it has to do with Aperture or something photography related, though the next version of Final Cut Pro is a likely candidate as well.
Image credit: Canon Laptop by Frank Kehren
Sony and Olympus are headed in very different directions when it comes to DSLR cameras. While Olympus may be looking to step out of the DSLR market in favor of EVIL cameras, Sony is opting to stay put while transforming its line of DSLRs into translucent mirror cameras. During a Sony event in Zaragoza, Spain, company representatives confirmed to Quesabesde that all future Alpha DSLRs will have the translucent mirrors found in the A33 and A55.
If Sony succeeds in this technology shift, it will be quite a change from the 1960s, when Canon introduced their version of the translucent mirror for film cameras but ended up going back to normal mirrors before long.
(via Photo Rumors)
Image credit: Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 and accessory by Jacky W
Apple just refreshed their line of MacBook Pro notebook computers, and one of the new features is a Thunderbolt I/O port, making the MacBook Pro the first notebook computer to have this blazing-fast interface developed by Intel (it was known as Light Peak during R&D). As the technology makes its way into more and more computers, camera makers will undoubtedly begin offering it in their cameras. Nikon Rumors recently received a rumor that the upcoming Nikon D4 will be the first DSLR camera to offer Thunderbolt.
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If computers can have fans, why can’t cameras? With recent Sony cameras running into unexpected limits due to the sensor overheating, Nikon may be looking to solve the problem with a good, old-fashioned fan. A recent patent filing by Nikon shows a mirrorless camera with a computer-style fan embedded into the circuit board.
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Having figured out how to embed a projector into the body of a compact camera with the S1000pj, Nikon is now apparently looking to do the same with DSLR cameras. A recent patent filing by Nikon in Japan describes a DSLR camera that has a projector function. The text reads,
[...] when the photographing instrument is set as projector mode, the light which supported reproduced image information is projected on the screen of the photographing instrument exterior via the eyepiece of an electronic view finder, and two or more persons can see the reproduced image simultaneously projected on a screen.
Tech blogs are reacting to the fact that the projection may be through the viewfinder, concerned that photographers would have their eyeballs accidentally burned out if the projector were to be accidentally turned on. An easy fix for that problem would be to use a proximity sensor to disable the projector mode if a face is pressed against the camera… if this technology ever graduates from being a patent and enters the real world.
(via Nikon Rumors)
Nikon’s entry into the mirrorless camera market may only be a few months away. Mirrorless Rumors is reporting that, according to “good sources”, Nikon will unveil a new mirrorless system in April 2011. Unlike the existing EVIL cameras on the market today (e.g. Sony NEX, Samsung NX, and Micro Four Thirds cameras), the new system will not be geared towards amateurs and photo enthusiasts, but rather professional photographers.
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Polaroid is sending out the above teaser, informing people of a special event the company will be holding at CES 2011 next month. While the teaser as-is isn’t very revealing, enhancing the image brings out some interesting details.
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