Digital Cameras and Camcorders

Paul Simon may have sung, “Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away” but that’s exactly what Kodak is doing today– at least for its digital capture products. After filing for bankruptcy protection last month, the imaging company announced today that they are ceasing production of their EasyShare digital cameras, handheld video cameras and digital picture frames during the first half of 2012. This move is expected to save the cash-strapped company $100 million. The company will continue its line of consumer printers, in-store kiosks, online photo printing service, Kodak Gallery online and Facebook apps as well as its commercial imaging businesses.

Companies file for bankruptcy and discontinue production all the time, but this is a big about face for Kodak, the company that invented the first handheld camera in 1888.  As recently as CES last month, Kodak introduced new cameras, camcorders and digital frames. Thankfully, the Kodak will continue to honor all warranties and provide support for its existing products, so if you found an EasyShare camera under the tree this past Christmas, you won’t be left hanging.

The company will license the Kodak brand name to other manufacturers to use on their products, which will presumably include cameras, camcorders, and digital frames. It sounds similar to the tactic Polaroid employed a few years ago after it filed for bankruptcy and was reformed as a licensing entity. Hopefully, Kodak will have an easier time of it than Polaroid did, as that company went through years of turmoil between the time it filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and came under control of PLR IP Holdings in 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show is over, but so many tech news stories, product showcases and software announcements came from the convention that you’re almost guaranteed to have missed something. If you take a look at our wrap up guides, you just might catch up on something you overlooked. Here’s everything we saw — and loved — at CES 2012.

CES 2012: Best in Show

The Annual Best of CES Awards
Here are the show’s standout products in 13 categories including the best smartphone, laptop, tablet, auto technology and accessory to surface in an unending swell of new gadgets.

Reader’s Choice Award 
The Best of CES Awards spotlights our editors’ top picks from the annual convention, but this year our readers had a decidedly different take on the single hottest piece of new tech.  

CES 2012: The Hottest Products

Best Laptops of CES 2012
Seven of these 8 clamshells fell short of a Best of CES Award, but they certainly garnered their fair share of time in the spotlight. Check out the laptops we eagerly look forward to reviewing this year.  

Best Smart Phones of CES 2012
The show’s smartphone announcements include a big step forward for Windows Phone, larger-than-ever screen sizes and phone cameras with the best specs we’ve encountered.

Best Tablets of CES 2012
This year’s tablets will offer longer battery life, lower prices and clearer screen resolutions.

CES 2012: The Biggest News Stories, Our Commentary and Live Video Coverage

Top 10 Videos of CES 2012
Some tech you have to see for yourself, like the Tobii Gaze Interface which, someday, will take hands-free to a whole new level by allowing you to navigate a computer screen just by looking at it. 

CES 2012: Biggest News Stories
CES doubles as a town hall for the world’s most successful tech companies to make huge announcements. This year, Microsoft embarked on its last CES keynote address and Intel announced partnerships to build smart phones with Lenova and Motorola.

SpoonFed: Top 5 Things I Learned at CES 2012
CES is too big to leave without thoughts on the long-view of tech. LAPTOP Editor-in-Chief Mark Spoonauer learned that despite Ultrabooks’  lionshare of limelight at the show, hybrid Android tablets that connect to keyboard docks could be a bigger trend. 

CES 2012: How Our Staff’s Mobile Gear Performed
We armed ourselves with some of the best gadgets of 2011 and tested them in the fast-paced halls of North American’s largest tech show. Check above to see how the MacBook Air 13, ASUS Zenbook UX31 Ultrabook, Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone and other favorite gadgets performed in action. 

LAS VEGAS– Sleek, slim, svelte– none of these words apply to Nikon’s new flagship DSLR, the D4, but it doesn’t matter. We just got our hands on this new 16.2MP camera and while it doesn’t break any new design ground, every button and dial is precisely arranged for near instant, don’t-have-to-think about it access.

 As soon as we gripped the camera, our index finger naturally fell on to the shutter button. Nikon has made some subtle changes to the vertical and horizontal battery grips that make them more comfortable to hold for long periods of time. Next to the 921k pixel 3.2-inch HD screen, there’s the familiar circular directional pad, but now there’s also a small joystick just above it for navigating through menus more quickly. Along the left side you’ll find a port for a screw-in Wi-Fi dongle, a mini USB port, headphone and mic jacks, and ethernet and HDMI ports.

Nikon says the D4 goes from zero to shooting in 0.012 seconds and it certainly seemed that way to us. The instant we flipped the power switch and hit the shutter, the D4 was shooting. It has a 51-point autofocus system with 15 cross-type sensors for precision focus. Combine that with the 91,000-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix metering system and you’ve got a recipe for perfect images. The D4 packs in all this technology, all to make the simple click of the shutter button dead simple. Of course, this is pro-level camera and there’s full manual mode and customizable user preset modes, too.

The D4 is loaded with features filmmakers will appreciate, including continuous shooting at 10 frames per second, full 1080p video capture at 24/30 fps or 720p capture at 60 fps. The D4 also outputs uncompressed HDMI for using an external recording device and/or monitor.

The Nikon D4 will be available at the end of February for $5999. Check out our video and gallery below till then.

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LAS VEGAS — D-Link’s Cloud Camera 5000, just announced at CES 2012, shoots video in a mere 720p, but its standout features are hardly related to image quality. As its name suggests, the Cloud Camera lets users view a live stream of the cam’s footage online—via the mydlink portal. Users can also adjust the camera’s angle remotely to see up to 340 degrees of the area under video surveillance. There’s a microSD slot on board, and automatic day/night recording will capture potential intruders (or maybe just your beloved pet, lonely at home) 24/7.

Further bolstering its spycam pedigree, the Cloud Camera 5000 features email alerts when it senses “intrusions or disturbances” and it can pair with your doorbell, alarm system and motion sensors to start recording when something fishy is up. (We like the Dalek-esque design, to boot.) The Cloud Camera 500 will launch in April. No word on pricing yet. Read the rest of this entry »

 The quest to innovate in pocket camcorders is vital to the survival of the species in a land of smartphones that take 1080p video with the flick of a finger. Sony’s answer to the problem? Two sweet new additions to their Bloggie line: the Bloggie Live and the Bloggie Sport.

The Bloggie Live is pocket camcorder with a very responsive 3-inch touchscreen that’s Wi-Fi-enabled for easy, near-instant uploading to Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, DailyMotion, and Sony’s PlayMemories Online service. If near-instant isn’t fast enough for you, there’s the option to live-stream your life via Qik. It also functions as a 12.8 megapixel camera. It’s awesome and works surprisingly well, as we learned in our review of the Bloggie Live. It’s available starting today for $249.

The Bloggie Sport  is the ready-for-action pocket camcorder. It shoots full 1920 x 1080p HD video as well as 5 megapixel still shots. It features a 2.7-inch touchscreen LCD and is waterproof in up to 16 feet of water for an hour. It’s also shockproof and can easily withstand a 5-foot drop. As if that wasn’t enough, this bad boy is also dustproof for taking on biking trails or to the beach. Sony expects this camcorder to spend a good amount of time in the sea, so it includes an “Underwater Mode,” the adjusts the camera’s white balance so that the deep blue sea doesn’t look unnaturally blue. The Bloggie Sport with 4GB of memory will run you $180 when it debuts in February.

Read our review of the Bloggie Live here and check out our gallery of the Bloggie Sport below.

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Today, Sony announced three new additions to its Cybershot line of point-and-shoot cameras with the hope that their superior optics and capabilities will attract consumers who are tired of sub-par smartphone cameras. All three cameras feature Super HAD CCD image sensors and Sony’s 360 degree sweep panorama mode for taking landscape photos. All three cameras are easy on the wallet, too, with prices ranging from $110 to $150.

The $110 Cybershot DSC-W610 has a 14.1MP sensor, 2.7-inch LCD screen, 26mm equivalent lens with 4x optical zoom, Steady Shot image stabilization, and intelligent auto mode for outside shooting situations. It’ll be available in pink, green, blue, black, and silver later this month.

If you want a little more optical zoom in your life, step up to the DSC-W620 with a 5x optical zoom, a 14.1MP sensor, a 28mm equivalent lens, and 2.7-inch LCD screen. This model also offers 4 creative picture effects, 720p video capability, and intelligent auto mode. It’ll also be available for $120 in silver, black, and red in February.

Finally, if you’ve ge a few extra bucks, step up to the reasonably priced $150 DSC-W650 which features a 16.1MP sensor, 3-inch LCD screen, a 25mm equivalent lens, and 5x optical zoom. It also shoots 720p video with an Optical SteadyShot Active mode. LIke the W620, it also has 4 photo effects and intelligent auto mode. It’ll be available in February in silver, black, and red. 

Just ahead of CES, Nikon has announced their flagship full format DSLR, the D4. By christening the D4 as their lead camera, it’s their new standard bearer and features numerous multimedia and videographer-friendly features including uncompressed HDMI out for monitoring or recording on a separate device. It’ll be available this February for $5999.95.  It’s not cheap, but this baby is ready to shoot in 0.012 seconds and has a 51-point autofocus. 

Succeeding the D3 and D3S, the professional-grade D4 has such enviable features as ISO that ranges from 100 to 204,800 and 91,000 pixel 3D Matrix metering system for precise light readings. Combined with the 16.2 megapixel FX format CMOS sensor, the D4 will be a champ at shooting in low light situations. Plus, it can shoot in bursts up to 10 frames per second or 11 fps with the auto-focus locked, which  ensures you won’t miss the perfect shot of your daughter’s first 3-point shot.

If you choose to go the video route with the D4, it’s got you covered. While shooting 1080p video, you have full manual control over the camera, meaning that aperture, shutter speed, and ISO can be adjusted on the fly to adapt to changing light situations. There’s also a microphone out for using professional audio solutions.

The D4 has multiple memory card slots for instant backup of your photos. It takes compact flash (CF) memory cards, which are more durable than SD cards, and the new XQD memory card format, which offers faster read and write times- a critical feature when shooting full HD 1080p video.

We’ll be going hands on with the Nikon D4 at CES next week and, quite frankly, we can’t wait. In the meantime, check out the gallery below.

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The number of photos taken with smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone rose in 2011 while camera use declined, according to a study by research firm NPD Group. Smartphones accounted for 27 percent of photos taken in 2011, compared with 17 percent the year before, and camera photos fell from 52 to 44 percent, the December 22 study said.

They also are being used to shoot more film, the report found, and phones are now contributing 25 percent of all photos and videos combined. More than 50 percent of “fun, casual, spontaneous” photos were taken with smartphones, compared to just higher than 30 percent of vacation photos, the study found.

The surging numbers indicate that users prefer the typically smaller, more portable devices for impromptu moments and spontaneous photography. It’s indicative of a changing atmosphere for the retail photography market, which took a downturn in 2011. Companies such as Apple and Google have included more high-powered digital cameras in their phones, epitomized by the improved 8 megapixel camera on the new iPhone 4s – a feature that drew in many buyers. Read the rest of this entry »

The next time you snap a picture of your family, friends, or that huge rat you saw crawling along the subway tracks, you might just reach for your cellphone rather than your trusty point-and-shoot camera. According to consumer research company NPD Group, the number of photos taken with smartphones has been steadily increasing over the years, while the number of photos taken on cameras has decreased.

In its latest Imaging Confluence Study, NPD states that the number of pictures consumers shot using smartphones increased from 17 percent  in 2010 to 27 percent in 2011, while the number of photos shot using cameras fell from 52 percent to 44 percent. NPD points to smartphones’ ease of use, compact size, and relatively long battery life as the reasons consumers have started turning away from classic point-and-shoot cameras in favor of their phone’s camera Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s offering from Dell will really set you up with a package of entertainment goods that will keep you busy for awhile. So if you’re a fan of one-stop shopping – and let’s be real, who isn’t – today is your lucky day. The Dell Inspiron 15R heads up the group, and with a Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS as well as Adobe Elements for Photoshop and Premiere, this package is perfect for somebody who enjoys photography and editing or retouching photos. Through a deal at LogicBUY, all three of the products are available for $599.

If that sounds like a sweet bundle to you, you’ve got good taste. The Dell Inspiron 15r includes a 15-inch display, an Intel Core i5 processor that packs plenty of power for everyday tasks and more, and a comfortably sized 15.6-inch 720p display. On top of that, buyers get an Intel HD 3000 graphics card (to help wrestle down intense video frame rates),  6GB RAM, SRS-boosted audio, and a DVD drive. And we haven’t even gotten to the included point-and-shoot camera for taking snapshots and the Adobe Photoshop software that will let you edit those pictures. It may not include a Canon Rebel XSi DSLR or a full install of Photoshop CS5, but for amateur photographers, today’s deal can’t be missed.

Get the Dell Inspiron 15r with a Canon ELPH 100 camera and Adobe Photoshop Elements 9.0