With a price tag of around $118,000 you probably won’t want to use the Phantom HD GOLD high-speed digital video camera for capturing your child’s first steps, but on the other hand, it could make for a baby video that your friends and family might actually want to watch. The camera has a max resolution of 2048×2048 pixels, and it can capture about 555 frames per second at that setting. And as you decrease the resolution the fps capabilities obviously increase, all the way down to a 16×8 pixel icon which can be captured at 100,000 fps.
It comes with 32GB of onboard storage, though if you’re capturing at 2K resolutions you’ll probably want to add a couple of the swappable Phantom CineMags which expand that storage by 256GB or 512GB at a time. And if you’re planning to use the camera as a more affordable alternative to film for that indie flick you’ve been planning, the Phantom HD GOLD can will give you 35mm depth of field in either 2K or HD resolutions, and comes with a PL lens mount, though other lens mount options are available.
You need quite a few fingers to count off all the reasons why this particular hack is awesome: it’s based on a digital camera with a hacked OS, plays classic 3D shooter Doom, and uses authentic keyboard buttons for control. The handiwork of JJ Dasher, The DoomBOX is based on a Kodak DC290 digital camera with a custom port of Doom for its hack-friendly Digita OS.
Video demo after the cut
Apparently Digita was quite a popular platform for hacking at one point, and there are various ports of different apps for it including a MAME emulator. Having settled on Doom, however, the camera’s button layout didn’t suit, so JJ crafted a custom enclosure with buttons salvaged from a vintage soft-feel PC keyboard and laid out in as close to the usual pattern as space allowed.
A bigger speaker, LED indicator for CF card activity and room for a future internal battery round out the hardware changes. It’s not pretty, no, but we still want one.
Mamiya have announced their latest digital camera, and if you’re a slave to megapixels then you won’t be disappointed. The Mamiya DM40, as the name suggests, has a 40-megapixel sensor with a new “DF” camera-core that can use leaf or focal-plane shutter systems. It’s also capable of 0.8-second-per-frame peak capture rate, and sustained 60 frames-per-minute sustained capture rate.
That makes it the industry’s fastest large-sensor DSLR, Mamiya reckon, and we won’t argue with them. To go with the leaf shutter system, the company has worked with Schneider-Kreuznach on three new lenses – 55mm, 80mm and 110mm – which can sync with flash speeds of up to 1/1600th of a second.
Of course, 40-megapixels and these sort of specs don’t come cheap, and the Mamiya DM40 arrives this month priced at $21,990. Mamiya will also be offering the DM40 Digital Back on its own, for use with existing Mamiya or large-format cameras, priced at $19,990.
Press Release:
Mamiya Introdces New DM40 Large-Sensor DSLR
Elmsford, NY – March 1, 2010 – Mamiya today announced the addition of the new Mamiya DM40 to its lineup of professional large-sensor DSLRs. Featuring a resolution of 40 megapixels with a peak capture rate of .8 seconds per frame and a sustained capture rate of 60 frames per minute, the Mamiya DM40 is the industry’s fastest large-sensor DSLR.
The heart of the DM40 system is the new “DF” camera-core technology, developed by Mamiya, featuring two user-selectable shutter systems: leaf or focal plane. In demanding daylight situations, photographers can use predictable high speed flash synchronization to fill-in or overpower even the brightest ambient light on one of three new leaf-shuttered lenses designed by Schneider-Kreuznach and manufactured by Mamiya. The lenses – available in focal lengths of 55mm, 80mm, and 110mm – deliver an effective maximum flash sync speed of up to 1/1600th of a second. For more conventional situations, photographers can choose any one of 15 other world-class Mamiya optics, from 28mm to 300mm APO, designed for use with the cameras’ focal plane shutter system.
Also newly announced, the Mamiya DM40 Digital Back will be available for those customers who wish to obtain the latest in high-speed and resolution digital capture for their existing Mamiya or large format camera. Supported cameras include: Mamiya 645AFD series, 645DF, Mamiya RZ series (via optional adapter), Mamiya RB series
(via optional adapter), and 4×5 view cameras
(via optional adapter).
Specifications Highlights
CCD: 44 x 33mm, 40 Megapixel
Largest file size: 240 MB 16 bit TIFF
ISO: 80-800
Capture rate: 0.8 sec/frame
Digital imaging user interface: 6×7cm LCD touchscreen
Pricing and Availability
The Mamiya DM40 DSLR kit will be available in the U.S. at $21,990, including Mamiya 80mm f.2.8 D lens. The Mamiya DM40 Digital Back, also available in the U.S. at $19,990. Both are expected to be shipping in March, and include Capture One and Leaf Capture software.
The need for a construction-site-friendly MP3 player is still questionable in my opinion, but Ryobi’s new Durashot digital camera, also from their TEK4 Electronic Tools line, makes a bit more sense. It’s an 8MP behemoth that will dwarf your average P&S camera, but the fact that it’s impact resistant and dust & water proof means it should be able to survive the daily rigors of life on a construction site.
The 3X optical zoom lens has what looks like a sturdy metal sheath, so it’s never exposed to the elements, and won’t get damaged if the camera is dropped while it’s extended. All of the function buttons, including the shutter, are large and easy to operate, even while wearing work gloves, and I’m going to assume the 2.5 inch LCD display is as protected as the rest of the camera is. It’s also got a voice memo feature for attaching a verbal description to any photo, and the ability to capture 640×480 video at 30fps to really get your point across, and is available from Home Depot for $199.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a good digital camera teaser campaign, and so we’re glad to see Nikon apparently jumping in to deliver just that. Various French camera sites are reporting receiving glossy cards through the post, with a number on one side and some French text (“I am…” and “I am fun” so far) on the reverse; there’s no mention of Nikon, but the colors match the company’s color-scheme and the recipients are believed to be all Nikon users.
So far two cards have been received, one with the number 8 and then shortly after a second with the number 7. Nikon Rumors have worked out the posting schedule, and if the pattern continues then the final card – presumably number 1 – will go out on Friday March 5th.
Interestingly, Nikon have scheduled a press conference in the UK on Monday March 8th, which seems unlikely to be coincidental. There’s speculation that the teased device might be Nikon’s first mirrorless DSLR, a replacement to the D700 or perhaps the mysterious Nikon EVIL which is believed to fill a gap in the high-end with a 1080p HD capable camera, and which has been tipped for Photokina.
Could all the Golden-i wearable computer need to be more consumer-friendly be a dashing hat? Probably not quite – after all, there’s still the rather noticeable eyepiece to take into account – but William Gerwin’s Kodak Sponsored Studio project does do a better job at removing some of the geek-factor to a wearable system.
Gerwin’s intent is a little different to the Golden-i, which prioritizes remote data access rather than predominantly capture. The headset has a 10.1-megapixel camera and an integrated pico-projector, which both hook up wirelessly to a mobile hotspot which uploads content directly to a remote cloud server. When you want to share content, you do so publicly via the projector, and the whole thing is built into a pair of headphones.
So, more of a life-blogging tool than the Golden-i claims to be, but as a model of how to make wearable computing more aesthetically acceptable it’s a little more successful than the Kopin’s plastic-heavy style. Unfortunately it’s all just a concept right now.
How much zoom is too much zoom? That’s something you’ll have to ask Pentax, whose new X90 camera – the successor to the Pentax X70 – boasts a 26x optical zoom and a special “Intelligent Zoom” feature that, they reckon, can extend it to 162.5x “without compromising the optical performance”. Behind that long-stretching lens there’s a 12.1-megapixel sensor and both optical and digital anti-shake systems.
There’s also a face recognition system that can spot up to 32 different faces in 0.03 seconds, even if they’re tilted or turned sideways, and adjust the autofocus and autoexposure, while there’s also the somewhat bizarre sounding “Small Face filter” “which makes the subject’s face appear slightly smaller than in reality.” We’re guessing that’s for those people paranoid they have fat heads.
Seven auto-picture modes, 720p HD video recording (with a micro-HDMI output) and a battery good for up to 255 shots on a single charge round out the main specs, and if you’re not feeling the zoom lens then there’s a 1cm macro mode for extreme close-ups of another kind. The press release lacks both a ship date and pricing, but over at Amazon the Pentax X90 is already listed for preorder at $399.95.
Olympus’ PEN E-PL1 “budget” Micro Four Thirds camera – announced earlier this month after a reasonably bizarre teaser campaign – is now on sale in the US. The 12.3-megapixel camera is priced at $599.99 from Amazon, including a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 digital zoom lens.
Your money gets you an interchangeable lens system together with the ability to capture HD video, 19 scene select modes and face detection. There’s also an onboard panorama system and an ISO range of 100 to 3200, together with onboard image stabilization and an HDMI output.
Amazon are offering all three color variants, the “slate blue”, black and “champagne gold”, each at just under $600. In comparison, the original PEN E-P1 is currently priced at $672 from Amazon, while the E-P2 is just under $1,100.
Casio’s concept GPS-enabled camera, shown at CES 2010 last month, has been given a release schedule and estimated price tag. Photography Bay have been pestering Casio for details at PMA 2010, and the company have confirmed that the Casio EX-10HG is expected to go on sale in October this year, costing around $400.
The EX-10HG has a 12.1-megapixel sensor and optical zoom, but the real interest is in its hybrid-GPS system. Unlike regular GPS geotagging, which simply uses a GPS chip to attach positioning information to an image’s metadata, the Casio system offers full PND-style functionality complete with Google Maps.
That means you can browse your photos, pinpointed on a map, directly on the camera itself, but also see other photographer’s images that were taken nearby. It will also offer directions, a digital compass and wayfinder functionality, and Casio are expected to switch out the regular display for a more usable touchscreen.
Sony’s new concept “interchangeable lens compact camera” for PMA 2010 this week may be catching glances for its small body size and possible indication that the company are planning a jump into the Micro Four Thirds market, but according to Amateur Photographer the really interesting part might be the lens mount itself. They were closely watching Masashi Imamura, Sony’s President of Personal Imaging and Sound Business Group at the company’s press launch, and he removed the re-attached the concept Alpha DSLR’s lens with none of the usual twisting.
In fact when they checked the concept more closely, they found none of the threading you’d usually see for attaching a lens. Instead there’s what looks to be a lens-release button, suggesting Sony may have used some sort of magnetic mounting system. AP reckon that would fit in with the novice target market Sony are believed to be aiming the concept at – though Sony representatives themselves wouldn’t confirm or deny anything – though of course it would also mean that you’d be limited to Sony’s compatible magnetic-fit lenses.
