Download: 19 Nov 2011

Saturday 19 November 2011

Wireless Network Operator

New Wireless Industry Report Cites LTE as the Decade's Answer to ...
Written for network operator executives tasked with leading and overseeing
wireless 4G deployments, LTE: Paving the Path Forward presents an overview
of the ...
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Complaints About US Mobile Networks Continue to Decline ...
USA based wireless backhaul network operator FiberTower has confirmed that
several directors have resigned from the company, and that it has missed an
...
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Mobile Money Transfer Network

BlogoWogo - The Blog Network | Boom launches mobile money ...
Blogowogo: The Blog Network beta ... Boom launches mobile money transfers
for unbanked 2011-11-15 6:02am -08:00T | Total Score: 9 points | Average
...
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Airtime Top Up Services

Mobile: Airtime Top Up Services
Airtime Top Up Services. Mobile Financial Services | Mobile Money Airtime
Top- Up ... Reducing airtime distribution costs ... Agents can extend
services such as ...
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Sony restarts SLT and NEX manufacture

Sony restarts SLT and NEX manufacture:

Sony has confirmed several reports that appeared in the media suggesting that production of its NEX and SLT cameras had gone back into production in a different Thailand plant after the Ayuthaya site was devastated by the recent floods.

Production of the new Sony Alpha NEX-7 compact system camera and the A-65 SLT camera had stopped causing a delay to the launch of the cameras, which were originally set to be available in November.

Two out of Sony's three factories in Thailand were closed following the floods, with a number of other electronics and camera manufacturers also affected, including Nikon, Dell, Western Digital and Seagate.

Profits affected

Nikon, which had been on track for a record year, slashed its profit forecasts due to the problems caused by the flooding, while Sony also lowered its forecasts in its quarterly results, but said it had not factored in the impact of the floods.

Sony has transferred the manufacture of the NEX and SLT cameras to another factory in Chonburi, further south in Thailand which usually produces car radios. A report on Japanese website Sankei suggested that the plant had been "transformed" into a full operable A77/65 and NEX-7/5n production factory.

Sankei is also reporting that Sony is looking to move its compact camera production to China.

Keep following for more on how the Thailand flooding is affecting manufacturers.

Source : google Reader

Best tripods under £200: 8 reviewed

Best tripods under £200: 8 reviewed:

Tripods explained

The latest SLRs and lenses stretch the boundaries of handheld shooting. Cameras such as the Canon EOS 1100D, EOS 600D, EOS 60D and EOS 7D and Nikon D3100, D5100, D7000, and D300S offer low image noise at very high ISO ratings, enabling faster shutter speeds in dull lighting conditions, and many recent lenses boast 4-stop optical stabilisation to help fend off camera shake. So why buy a tripod?

For the ultimate in image quality, you just can't beat sticking with your camera's base sensitivity setting, typically ISO 100. And image stabilisation can be hit-and-miss, especially with long telephoto lenses or in very dull lighting conditions. With a sturdy tripod, you're assured of a stable shooting platform. But that's just the start of the story.

Positioning your camera on a tripod can help nail shot composition for best effect. Tripods are also essential when you want to keep the camera locked in place through a sequence of shots, in time-lapse photography or when taking a number of exposure-bracketed shots for creating a single HDR (High Dynamic Range) image.

Another option is to level the camera and take a series of panned photos, so you can stitch them into a panoramic image. And when you want to get into the picture, using a self-timer, a tripod comes to the rescue.

Tripod build and design

Best tripods under £200

When it comes to construction, aluminium or carbon fibre are the main choices. Tripods with aluminium legs often have a little magnesium or titanium in the mix, so are technically aluminium alloy. They should be solid and dependable, provided that the legs aren't too thin.

The obvious advantage of carbon fibre tripods is that, size for size, they can be about 25% lighter than aluminium models, although this isn't always the case. They're reasonably rugged, but a sharp knock can shatter a carbon fibre leg. Both the carbon fibre tripods in this group test - the Hama Omega Carbon II and the Jessops Major - come with padded carrying bags.

Carbon fibre tripods and monopods are typically more expensive than their aluminium cousins for any given size and feature set – but bear in mind that they're steadier, too. The flexibility of the mesh-like material means they absorb vibrations, helping you get sharper shots.

Most manufacturers offer complete tripod kits, which include legs and a head. The Hama Omega Carbon II, Jessops Major, Slik PRO 500 DX Complete, Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH and Velbon Sherpa 600R fall into this category.

Buying a kit can save you a bit of money but restricts your choice. If you buy the legs and head separately, you can get exactly the combination you want, even if it means buying the separate parts from different manufacturers.

Tripod legs and locks

Best tripods under £200

Most tripods in this group have three leg sections, although the Hama Omega Carbon II has four sections. Each joint between sections is a potential weak spot that can introduce extra flexing in the leg, so fewer sections can aid stability.

With extra leg sections, the bottom ones also tend to end up being quite thin and spindly, and you need to operate more section locks when extending the tripod to its full height.

The flip side is that more leg sections enable the tripod to collapse to a smaller length for carrying. Less substantial 'travel tripods' often have four or five sections, so they can fold down really small.

Best tripods under £200

For clamping each leg section during adjustment, the two choices are twist-locks or clip-locks. The latter have become far more popular, as they tend to be quicker and easier to use. The only real problem with them is that locking action firmness can be lost over time.

However, all but the Slik PRO 500 DX Complete and Velbon Sherpa 600R tripods in this test have user-serviceable adjustments on their clamps, so you can adjust the tension if and when necessary.

The ability to swing each leg out to multiple angles from the centre column is now featured on most tripods. In this group all tripods enable three different leg angles, apart from the more generous Jessops Major and Manfrotto 055XPROB + 496RC2 head, which give you four.

Best tripods under £200

Multi-angle legs are great for shooting on very uneven ground or for reducing shooting height.

A neat feature of the Benro FlexPod A-297EX + BH2-M head, Giottos MTL 9361B + MH 1311-652 head, Manfrotto 055XPROB + 496RC2 head and Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH tripods is that they have pivoting centre columns. This enables you to extend the column to its maximum height and then rotate it. It's great for macro shooting, as well as for ensuring you don't get tripod feet in the picture when using an ultra-wide-angle lens.

Tripod height and heads

Best tripods under £200

To extend for a natural eye-level perspective, all the tripods on test give a maximum height of at least 1.61m and some stretch to around 1.9m. They also have minimum shooting heights with the tripod legs set at their normal angles, but there are cunning tricks you can use to enable really low-level shooting.

By opening the leg sections to wider angles, you can reduce the shooting height to just the length of the centre column.

To go even lower, the Slik PRO 500 DX Complete and Velbon Sherpa 600R have centre columns in which the lower sections can be removed. In all cases, you can remove the centre column completely, invert it, and shoot from ground level, with the camera upside-down, looking out from between the tripod's legs.

To save removing and refitting the centre section upside-down, the 180-degree pivot facility of the centre column in the Benro FlexPod A-297EX, Giottos MTL 9361B and Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH enables ultra-low shooting with ease.

Even so, for landscape orientation shots, you'll still end up needing to shoot with the camera upside down.

Tripod heads

Best tripods under £200

Conventional three-way heads are useful for making precise adjustments in architectural shots and photographing interiors. You typically get separate locks for pan, tilt and swivel, which enable you to make adjustments in one plane while the other two remain locked off. However, for general purpose shooting or when you want to react to situations quickly, they can be a bit fiddly and time-consuming.

Ball-and-socket heads enable freedom of movement in all planes simultaneously, with a single locking screw. This makes wide-ranging adjustments very quick and intuitive.

Some, like the Giottos MH 1311-652 head and Hama Omega Carbon II ball head, go further still with a separate lock which can be released to enable panning, while keeping tilt and swivel functions in the ball head locked. It's particularly useful for taking a series of photos that you want to stitch into a panorama image.

Another bonus, featured on all but the Benro BH2-M ball head in the group, is an adjustable friction damper, which makes the head easier to use with differing weights of camera and lens combinations.

A more modern alternative is the joystick head, often called a pistol-grip head. This is basically a ball-and-socket head with a hand grip and trigger action for releasing and reapplying the clamp. It's featured in the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH head on test.

Benro FlexPod A-297EX + BH2-M head

Best tripods under £200

Benro FlexPod A-297EX + BH2-M head - £170

Benro probably isn't the first name that springs to mind when you think tripods, but they're well engineered and immaculately finished. The combination on test isn't available as a kit but can be purchased separately as a FlexPod A-297EX aluminium tripod and BH2-M ball and socket head.

With a maximum load rating of 10kg and 8kg respectively, they're a good match and fit perfectly. Three grub screws that adjust with an allen key via the bottom of the tripod platform ensure a tight fit.

Any tripod with the word 'flex' in its name might sound a bit off-putting, but the Benro proved very solid and resistant to flexing in our tests. The three-section legs are secured by high-quality clip-locks and there are bubble-levels in tripod and head to aid levelling in setup.

It's easy to remove and invert the centre column for low-level shooting but there's no need to do this, as the pivot facility enables the centre column to swing through a complete 180-degree arc.

The mechanism for splaying the legs to any of three angles from the centre column is also quick and easy to use. There's no friction control or separate panning lock on the head but it's nevertheless solid and well built.

Read the full Benro FlexPod A-297EX + BH2-M head review

Giottos MTL 9361B + MH 1311-652 head

Best tripods under £200

Giottos MTL 9361B + MH 1311-652 head - £160

Quality components and clever design combine in the aluminium Giottos MTL 9361B tripod. Its maximum load rating is a hefty 8kg, so we teamed it up with the heavy-duty Giottos MH 1311-652 ball-and-socket head, which actually has an even higher load rating of 10kg.

The three-section legs have comfort padding on the top sections and feature dependable clip-locks. Build quality is excellent, with great stability even at the class-leading maximum height of 190cm, with
the centre column fully extended.

There's a bubble level on the tripod collar for easy levelling, and two spirit levels in the ball-and-socket head, which has friction adjustment and separate panning lock.

The Giottos spoils you for choice in terms of low-level shooting. As well as quick access to three leg angles, you can invert or pivot the centre column, the latter operating through a complete 180-degree range.

And if you dislike the thought of using your camera upside-down, just remove the centre column completely and use the stubby low-angle adaptor instead, although this does require detaching the platform from the centre column and refitting it to the adaptor, using the supplied allen key.

Read the full Giottos MTL 9361B + MH 1311-652 head review

Hama Omega Carbon II

Best tripods under £200

Hama Omega Carbon II - £180

Carbon fibre tripods are rare in this price bracket, but the Hama Omega Carbon II comes complete with a chunky ball-and-socket head – though the combined load rating is a meagre 4kg. That's the joint-lowest in the group, along with the Velbon Sherpa 600R.

The only tripod in the group to have four- rather than three-section legs, the Hama folds down to a fairly short 69cm for stowage, yet extends to a respectable maximum height of 174cm.

The trade-off is that the bottom leg sections are quite spindly, with a diameter of 16mm, and flexing is quite noticeable with the legs fully extended.

As with most tripods in the group, you can set the legs to any of three different angles, but the centre column lacks a pivot facility. There's a handy compass as well as a bubble level on the tripod collar, but no bubble or spirit levels in the ball-and-socket head to assist with levelling the camera.

The head features adjustable friction damping and a panning lock, but there's no D-ring on the quick-release plate, so you need a coin to fasten it to the camera. Connection to the camera's base plate relies on two fairly thin strips of rubber, the result being that it feels a bit wobbly in use.

Read the full Hama Omega Carbon II review

Jessops Major

Best tripods under £200

Jessops Major - £80

Extending to a modest maximum height of 161cm, the Jessops Major just about qualifies as a full-sized tripod but is nevertheless very travel-friendly. Unlike the surprisingly weighty Hama Omega Carbon II, this carbon fibre kit weighs in at just 1.8kg including the supplied three-way head. That's about 1kg lighter than most tripods in the group.

A main factor in weight-saving is that the three-section carbon fibre legs are also quite thin, ranging from 22mm at the top to just 17mm at the bottom. The upshot is that the Jessops Major is very prone to flexing. In fact, the Hama is almost as tall as the Jessops with its bottom leg sections retracted, in which case the Hama is rather more solid.

One bonus is that the four-position multi-angle legs can be rotated to point almost vertically upwards, which is great when you need to shoot from very close to a wall. However, there's no pivot facility in the centre column, and the bubble level in the head merely duplicates the action of the one on the tripod collar.

The Jessops Major is a real weight saver, but the legs and head both feel much less stable and sturdy than of the other tripods in the group.

Read the full Jessops Major review

Manfrotto 055XPROB + 496RC2 head

Best tripods under £200

Manfrotto 055XPROB + 496RC2 head - £185

The heaviest combination in the group, albeit by only 100g, the aluminium Manfrotto is rugged and robust. The three-section legs have clip-locks that are ultra-firm when closed yet enable practically zero friction adjustment when released. There's very little flexing even at the maximum operating height of 187cm, very similar to the Giottos MTL 9361B + MH 1311-652 head.

With four leg angles to choose from, each leg can be raised to horizontal if required, courtesy of a simple push-button release. But this versatility isn't matched by the pivoting centre column arrangement where, unlike the Benro FlexPod A-297EX, Giottos MTL 9361B and Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH, there's only 90, rather than 180 degrees of rotation.

Another minus is that the centre column can only be used in vertical or horizontal positions, not at angles in between. To raise the column high enough to enable pivoting, there's a push-button release built into the bottom of the column. The trade-off is that there's no weight hook under the centre column, but a small hook is moulded into the tripod collar.

The 496RC2 ball head has an adjustable friction damper, although there's no panning lock. Even so, it's a particularly solid, high-quality head that's a great match for the tripod.

Read the full Manfrotto 055XPROB + 496RC2 head review

Slik PRO 500 DX Complete

Best tripods under £200

Slik PRO 500 DX Complete - £130

The Slik PRO 500 DX Complete's shiny metal legs are of an 'exclusive' Super Aluminium-Magnesium-Titanium construction. Slik claims this gives a 40% gain in strength-to-weight ratio, compared with standard aluminium. Even so, the tripod isn't any lighter than other aluminium-based tripods in the group, despite only offering a fairly modest maximum height of 167cm.

Build quality feels robust and the three-section legs resist flexing at all lengths. The conventional three-way head supplied in the 500 DX kit is similarly sturdy, and more convincing than the one supplied with the Jessops Major. In both cases, you need to unscrew one locking arm and screw it into the other to fit the tripods into their carry bags.

There's no pivot facility, but you can split the centre column by unscrewing its bottom section, albeit with many turns. Combined with the three-position, multi-angle legs, this enables shooting from as low as 32cm, from the base of the camera to the ground. If you need to go lower than this, the only option is removing and inverting the centre column.

The Slik PRO 500 DX Complete is well made and its 4.5kg load capacity is sufficient for most photographers, but it feels a little basic and dated at the price.

Read the full Slik PRO 500 DX Complete review

Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH

Best tripods under £200

Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH - £195

The Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH kit is based on the excellent Velbon 263AT's legs but also includes Vanguard's GH-100 'pistol grip' head. The tripod includes all mod cons, such as three-way multi-angle legs and a pivoting centre column that rotates 180 degrees. There's a simple push-button release for switching between leg angles, and the pivot facility works extremely well.

Maximum height is a useful 175cm and, with its three-section legs, the Vanguard folds down to 73cm for carriage. There's a bubble level on the tripod collar and one on the pistol grip head, though it's placed beneath the quick-release plate, so you have to remove the camera to view it.

The pistol grip feels insubstantial compared with the tripod, despite having a 6kg load capacity. We had to tighten the adjustable friction screw as far as possible to avoid heavy cameras slipping when shooting in portrait orientation.

And while the grip offers a full range of movement, this entails removal and replacement of the quick-release plate at any of four alternative orientations, making operation rather fiddly.

Read the full Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH review

Velbon Sherpa 600R

Best tripods under £200

Velbon Sherpa 600R - £85

Compared with the latest tripods, the venerable aluminium Velbon Sherpa 600R lacks features. There's no pivoting centre column and the operating mechanism for the three-position, multi-angle legs looks slow and antiquated, although it works well enough.

The complete kit is supplied with an old-school three-way head – with a twist. Pan and tilt mechanisms are both operated by a single locking handle, which can be a time-saver. It also avoids the need to unscrew one of two handles when packing the tripod into the supplied carry bag.

Like the Slik PRO 500 DX Complete, the Velbon's centre column can be split as well as inverted for low-level shooting. When combined with wide leg angles, you can shoot from as low as 26cm without inverting the column, keeping the camera the right way up. That compares favourably with 32cm for the Slik, but the inability to use the centre column as a horizontal boom for ultra-wide-angle or macro shooting is still a letdown in both of these tripods.

Despite being lighter in weight than most tripods in the group, at 2kg, the Velbon still offers stable support with a maximum load rating of 4kg, making it well worth the low-budget asking price.

Read the full Velbon Sherpa 600R review

Verdict

Best tripods under £200

So which is the best tripod available for under £200?

Most of the tripods impressed us by giving sturdy, stable support without being monstrously heavy to carry around. The Jessops Major carbon fibre tripod was rather flimsier and more prone to flexing than others but, then again, it's much lighter than most.

The only other carbon fibre tripod in the group is the Hama Omega Carbon II, but this is surprisingly heavy and lacking in advanced features, such as a pivoting centre column.

The Manfrotto 055XPROB and 496RC2 ball head proved extremely stable, but the pivoting centre column facility was comparatively limited, meaning you can only use it in vertical or horizontal orientation.

We really liked the legs of the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH kit, but found the pistol grip less flexible than other head designs.

Best tripod under £200

Overall, the reasonably priced Giottos MTL 9361B and MH 1311-652 ball head is the combination we'd go for and, for a basic tripod on a shoestring budget, the Velbon Sherpa 600R offers great value.

Source : google Reader

Fuji mirrorless camera to use organic sensor?

Fuji mirrorless camera to use organic sensor?:

The excitement around the impending mirrorless camera from Fujifilm is starting to build as leaked pictures and details about its new sensor have been revealed online.

According to Mirrorless Rumors, the new LX camera will be the first to use an "organic sensor." In its announcement about the development of the camera, Fuji stated that the camera will be using a new type of sensor which it promises will outperform current full frame sensors.

Leaked images from the factory, although blurred, seem to reveal a camera which is similar in appearance to the Leica M9.

The small size of the camera has led some to speculate that the sensor will also be small, at APS-C sized or below.

Here comes the science

Explaining the tech behind the new sensor, 1001NoisyCameras, said "As the organic photoelectric conversion layer has a large absorption coefficient in principle, it can absorb enough light in spite of its extreme thinness. Therefore, it is free from spectral cross-talk between tiny pixels when capturing slanting rays of light and does not need any micro-lenses conventionally used for gathering incident light."

Other suspected specs from the new camera is a new proprietary mount, an all metal body, the same hybrid viewfinder that can be found on the popular Fujifilm X100, 1/400 top shutter speed, a universal hotshoe and a variety of lenses including an 18mm f/2.0 pancake lens and a 35mm f/1.4 lens will be debuted.

Some suggestions have been made that the camera could feature a Nikon F-Mount, which Fuji used for its now discontinued DSLR range, and would surely be popular with those users disappointed by Nikon's own compact system cameras, the Nikon V1 and J1.

Expected to be officially announced in February 2012, keep following for more updates on the new Fujifilm camera as they come in.

Source : google Reader

Ricoh unveils CX6 compact

Ricoh unveils CX6 compact:

Ricoh has announced the release of a new CX6 compact camera, which features a 10.7x optical zoom lens and introduces a new quick AF system.

The new system enhances the hardware and software of the hybrid AF system debuted in the CX5, with Ricoh claiming that the new CX6 is capable of achieving focusing times as fast as 0.1 seconds.

Meanwhile, the LCD monitor has been made 1.7 times brighter than the previous model, said to improve visibility outdoors. The CX6 also adds the ability to automatically adjust the brightness depending on the conditions.

With the new zoom assist monitor function, a small image on the LCD monitor is displayed to help with the framing of the shot.

The CX6 includes aperture and shutter-speed priority modes to enable more creative shooting, while a release button especially for movies has been added along with a wider variety of functions, such as autofocus and zoom has been made available in movie shooting mode.

Sensor

A back-illuminated 10 million pixel 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor promises to produce good pictures in low-light situations, with super-resolution technology included to enable the CX6 to record photographs with a high-resolution feel by "automatically discerning outlines, details and gradations in the image and processing it based on the optimum settings for each."

The 10.7x zoom lens means that the CX6 has an equivalent focal length of 28-300mm, while super-resolution zoom can boost this up to 600mm. The digital zoom can magnify the subject even further, with a maximum focal length of 2880mm.

The Ricoh CX6 UK price is around £259.99 and will be available from early December in black, silver or pink.

Source : google Reader

Discovering Hidden Gems in Photoshop CS5

Discovering Hidden Gems in Photoshop CS5:

With Photoshop CS5 well over a year old, the hidden gems revealed in Thursday's (Nov 10, 2011) event won't be hot news to everyone. However, some pretty neat features that might have been over-shadowed in the initial release blurb have been brought to light and are well worth looking at.

These include using the Spot Healing tool and Content Aware 'stroked' along a Path to remove a bendy wire from a scene, or using the revamped Sharpen tool with Protect Detail to sharpen specific areas of an image with next to no artifacts.

If you're not aware of Adobe Labs, the site allows you the opportunity to try out new Adobe technologies and emerging innovations prior to their 'official' release. And there's lots of neat stuff on this site. Perhaps two of the most interesting aspects to come to light are Tutorial Builder and Pixel Bender.

Filters

Pixel Bender is new filter plug-in that uses GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) hardware accelerated filtration effects. There's a bunch of new and exciting filters such as the oil painting effect that are super fast and not nearly as naff as many of the Photoshop filters we've come to know and hate over the years.

Tutorial builder is possibly more exciting to developers, authors and technical writers. However, imagine you're following a Photoshop tutorial on your iPad, you get stuck on a step and want to see it done for you in Photoshop and all you have to do is click on the Show Me In Photoshop button and your iPad wirelessly connects to Photoshop and shows you exactly how it's done.

Finally, we also got a sneak peak of Content Preserve Wide Angle Correction which if it ever makes it into future versions of Photoshop will allow you to correct the distortion on your super wide angle shots without losing edge details.

Source : google Reader

Week in camera news

Week in camera news:

This week finally saw the release of Panasonic's GX1, the company's much anticipated professional level compact system camera. Find out what else has been happing in the world of cameras with our weekly round-up, each complete with links to the full story.

Panasonic news

The GX1 is the big story of the week, having made its debut on Monday. It features a 16 megapixel sensor, high-speed focusing and what Panasonic claims is the fastest AF speed of any compact system camera. We were lucky enough to spend some time with the new camera, read our Panasonic GX1 Hands On Review to discover our initial impressions. If you've ever wondered why Panasonic decided to give this camera the X Factor, see Angela Nicholson's explanation of how the GX1 came to be.

Not content with launching a CSC onto the market, the company has also debuted the Panasonic 3D1, the world's smallest 3D photo and 3D video camera which uses two lenses and even has the ability to record video and stills at the same time.

Olympus news

The future isn't looking bright for Olympus, as yet more twists in the ongoing drama at the company were revealed this week.

Not only has the Vice President been sacked amid findings that cover-ups at the company have been going on since 1990, but Tokyo Stock Exchange has warned that Olympus could be delisted if it fails to report earnings by December 14th. Keep watching for more on this story as it unfolds.

Canon news

If you'd like to take a look at the Canon EOS 1DX before it hits the shops next year, check out our hands-on review video where you can see it in action.

Nikon news

The floods in Thailand are continuing to have an impact on camera manufacturers, including Nikon who has reported that operating profit is down by 25 billion yen.

Nikon had previously hoped for record sales, due to a surge in camera purchases, but this now looks unlikely.

Kodak news

It's more bad news as historic photography brand Kodak has sold its Image Sensor Solutions business to Platinum Equity, the division responsible for developing the very first digital camera sensor.

Kodak is going through a difficult period, with losses said to be twice as bad as analysts had originally predicted.

Leica news

At the premium end of the scale, Leica is aiming to achieve a 1% global market share within the next 10 years. 1% might not seem like much, but compared with it's current 0.15% share, it would be a big jump.

Leica announced on 7th November that it had enjoyed increased sales in the first half of the fiscal year 2011/12, following on from "record sales" in 2010-11.

That's it for this week, join us again next week for all the latest camera happenings. If you'd like to share anything with us, don't forget you can follow us on Twitter, or join us over on our dedicated camera channel Facebook page.

Source : google Reader

Hands on: Panasonic GX1 Review

Hands on: Panasonic GX1 Review:

Build and control

The Panasonic GX1 is the replacement for the GF1 that enthusiast photographers were all hoping for when the GF2 was unveiled. It combines a comprehensive featureset and plenty of direct controls (including a mode dial) with a touchscreen in a compact body.

The GX1 uses the rectangular shape of the GF-series rather than the min-SLR styling of the G3 and GH2 and has a fixed LCD screen. It is particularly well suited for use with one of Panasonic's new power zoom X lenses and it looks great with a pancake lens mounted.

Panasonic gx1

Although the GX1 has the same 15.83 million effective pixel sensor as the G3, it also has the more advanced Venus Engine VII HD processing engine of the GF3. These two points mean that image quality should be at least on a par with these two cameras, if not better.

Panasonic gx1

Panasonic's Mr Uematsu tells us that the award for the ultimate image quality from a Panasonic camera still belongs to the top-end GH2 though.

Build

Panasonic lumix dmc-gx1

Panasonic has upgraded its choice of material for the GX1, it has an all metal body and buttons. This gives the camera a very high quality, dependable feel.

Unfortunately, the lettering on the buttons is quite hard to see in anything less than good light. We raised this point when we met with Panasonic in Japan in September to see a very early pre-production sample of the GX1, and suggested that it would be useful to have an option for these buttons to be illuminated in a future camera.

Panasonic gx1

Sometimes it's the small things that make a big difference and the remodeled grip on the GX1 has a significant impact. Although the GF1 is small and neat, so it fits conveniently into a coat pocket or bag, it isn't especially comfortable to hold between shots without a strap. The GX1's fingergrip provides a secure, comfortable hold both when shooting and between shots.

Panasonic gx1

Control

Like the G3 and GF3, the GX1 has a customizable Quick Menu screen for adjusting settings quickly.

Panasonic gx1 quick menu

The GX1 also has four customizable buttons (two real and two virtual on the touchscreen) that can be used to access 4 out of 25 different controls. This increases the number of shortcuts available on the camera and makes it very quick to use once you are familiar with the set-up.

Panasonic gx1 customisation

The GX1 is the first Panasonic G-series camera to have a level to help keep horizons on an even keel. It works in portrait and landscape format and can be used to correct horizontal and vertical tilt. Once activated a yellow line becomes visible on the LCD screen, it turns green when the camera is level.

Panasonic gx1 level

Although the GX1 level indicator is just a thin line, we found it remains visible when viewing the screen from quite extreme angles – just when the horizon is most likely to tilt.

For those occasions when the camera is indicating the exposure is incorrect and time is pressing, Panasonic has introduced a new feature called One-push AE. When this option is activated the camera sets what it considerss an appropriate expsoure automatically.

This could be useful when speed is of the essence, especially when less experienced photographers are experimenting with the advanced exposure modes.

Touch Zoom

The GX1 is the first G-series camera from Panasonic since the new power zoom X lenses were announced, so it's no surprise that some extra functionality has been built-in with these optics in mind.

Although focal length can be adjusted as normal using a switch on the lens barrel, the GX1 has a feature called Touch Zoom which enables it to be adjusted using the touchscreen. Simply touching an on-screen icon enables the focal length to be adjusted.

Panasonic gx1 touchzoom

Helpfully the zoom controls can be hidden, so not too much of the screen is obscurred, but they can be accessed very quickly if the focal length needs to be changed.

Panasonic gx1 power zoom

Panasonic has enabled GX1 users to adjust the speed that the Touch Zoom feature operates via the menu, with slow, medium and fast options being availble.

We found the Touch Zoom works well although it seems more suited for use when the camera is on a tripod and while the GX1 has a tripod bush, compact system cameras are more about travelling light and taking shots on the hoof.

Autofocus

Panasonic has introduced a new AF option with the GX1. Called Autofocus Flexible, this switches between single and continuous AF as the camera calculates is necessary. It appears to work well, but we will need to investigate it more closely when we have a full production sample to test.

Optional electronic viewfinder (EVF)

Like the GF1, the GX1 doesn't have a viewfinder built-in, but it has an accessory port to connect an external EVF (which mounts in the hotshoe).

Panasonic lv-f2

Panasonic has introduced a new external EVF, the LV-F2, with 1.4 million dots. This viewfinder provides a 100% field of view and provides a very natural image of the scene. We used a working sample for a few minutes and did not experince and colour drag - red, blue and green light behind the viewfinder information as the camera is moved.

Panasonic gx1 with lv-f2 evf

Speaking in Japan in Septermber, Panasonic's Mr Uematsu promised that in the future the LX-series of compact cameras will feature the same accessory port as the G-series so that users only need to buy one EVF.

Panasonic gx1 with lv-f2 evf

Sample images

We were able to take a few images with a pre-production sample of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1. We can't assess image quality properly until we have a production sample, but the early results look very promising.

Vivid mode

Expressive mode

Toy camera mode

ISO 160

ISO 200

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12800

ISO 12,800

Summary

On the face of the it, the GX1 looks set to be a very popular model with enthusiast photographers who want a small camera that provides plenty of control and options for customisation.

We hope to get a full-production sample in before Christmas and we're looking forward to giving it a thorough test.

Source : google Reader

Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar:

This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

This week we've got a great batch of reviews for you as well as hands ons with the new Motorola Xoom 2 tablet and the Motorola Atrix 2 phone.

In full reviews, we take a look at some of the newest ebook readers on the market, including the Sony Reader PRS-T1. We've also review the rather fine new laptop from Samsung, the Series 7 Chronos.

And for camera fans, there's the impressive new Sony NEX-5N. Read on to check out all this week's reviews from TechRadar.

Sony Reader PRS-T1 review

The two stand-out specs on the new Sony Reader are the light weight and the thin design. As a sleek ebook reader, the Reader stands its own against the Kindle 4 just fine.

However, many of the extra features for borrowing books from the library, loading Google Books, and browsing the web are hard to use. They pale in comparison with the quick touch access of any Android tablet. The Amazon Kindle is a better choice - it is just as light, cheaper, and offers a wider selection of books. Also, the Kindle offers more storage space for books - about 2GB compared to the Reader's 1.3GB.

Samsung Series 7 Chronos review

The Samsung Series 7 Chronos may not be quite as thin as some of the emerging ultrabooks, or the glorious Series 9 that hit stores earlier this year, but can it stand out from the crowd with killer performance instead?

The answer is that if you need a portable machine to entertain you on the move, which won't be out of date any time soon, the Samsung Series 7 Chronos is well worth considering. The latest Intel Core i7 Sandy Bridge processor crushes anything you throw at it, and will do for some time to come. Just don't expect great beauty.

Samsung series 7 chronos

HTC Radar review

So HTC has pipped Nokia to the post here with not one, but two Windows Phone 7.5 smartphones up for grabs first. And although Android may have been HTC's bread and butter for the last few years, it's clear that it wants to keep its fingers in both pies.

The HTC Radar certainly looks pretty. If it's a straight choice between the HTC Titan and the HTC Radar, we'd recommend the HTC Radar every time, because it's so much better in terms of value for money.

Hands on: Motorola Xoom 2 review

It's not even a year since we saw the first Motorola Xoom, but already we're looking at its next generation - cunningly named the Motorola Xoom 2.

The new Xoom is thinner, lighter and faster than the old iteration, as you might expect. We're talking 253.9mm x 173.6mm x 8.8mm dimensions, 599g weight and a new TI OMAP 1.2GHz dual-core processor. While we're all for tablets getting sleeker and faster, we're not sure that the Motorola Xoom 2 can be a real winner in the tablet market given the amount of competition already around.

Sony NEX-5N review

There's very little to find fault with in the Sony NEX-5N, other than perhaps the niggle that its minimalist design and lack of physical buttons sometimes necessitates a little searching on behalf of the user. Enthusiasts may also find it a pain that the likes of ISO aren't given a dedicated button or placed immediately at their fingertips.

Once familiar with the quirks of its menu system, however, using the Sony NEX-5N became more of a pleasure than we expected.

This week's other reviews

Desktops

MSI Wind Top AE2210 review

Ebook readers

View Quest Bookbox review

Kobo eReader Touch review

Elonex 705EB review

Graphics Cards

Asus EAH 6770 DC review

Laptops

Asus Zenbook UX31 review

Mice

Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 7 Albino Edition review

Mobile phones

Alcatel One Touch 990 review

HTC Sensation XE review

Monitors

Apple Thunderbolt Display review

Network adapters

Devolo dLAN 500 AVplus review

Linksys RE1000 review

Speakers

XtremeMac Tango Bar review

Storage

Iomega Mac Companion 2TB review

TV stands and remotes

Griffin Beacon Universal Remote review

TV tuner cards

Pinnacle PCTV Broadway 2T review

Hands on reviews

Tablets

Hands on: Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition review

Mobile Phones

Hands on: Motorola Atrix 2 review

Motorola atrix 2

Source : google Reader

Canon developing full-frame DSLR

Canon developing full-frame DSLR:

Canon has announced it is working on a new full-frame camera to sit in its EOS line up that will include a full-frame 35mm CMOS sensor and 4K video recording.

The announcement comes at the same time as the Cinema EOS system, a new professional digital cinematography system which spans lenses, digital video camcorder and digital SLR camera products.

Little is known about the new DSLR at the moment, which Canon stating that the product name, specifications and scheduled launch date have yet to be decided.

It could be the new 5D Mark III, which Canon fans have been eagerly anticipating for some time now.

EOS Movie

Movie recording has been a standard feature in all Canon DSLR bodies since the launch of the 5D Mark II in November 2008, and has proven popular with a wide range of people, both amateurs and professional film makers, having been used in advertisements, music videos, television programmes and even feature length films in some cases.

The new DSLR will include 4K video, which is an emerging standard for high resolution video files, and is bigger than full 1080p HD found on many current DSLR models.

The name comes from it having around 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution, even though current standards, 720p and 1080p refer to the number of pixels in vertical resolution.

The camera will be able to record at a frame rate of 24P, using Motion-JPEG compression. Approximately 80%, vertically and horizontally, of the 35mm full-frame sensor, will be used when recording in 4K.

TechRadar will update you on all the details of the new camera as they emerge.

Source : google Reader