Samsung and AT&T must have a good thing going with their array of Windows Phone devices, because here comes the fourth in line, the Samsung Focus 2. Two things make this handset, running Windows Phone 7.5, stand out. First, its 4G LTE connectivity makes it only the third Windows Phone device to be compatible with the faster of AT&T’s two “4G” networks (behind the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan II.) Second, at $ 50 with a new two-year service agreement, the Focus 2 is a steal.

Beyond the budget price is a nice 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1.4GHz processor, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, and a front-facing camera. While the Focus 2 will certainly lure in new Windows Phone users and deal-lovers, those looking for stepped-up camera resolution and larger memory storage should consider either of AT&T’s other two LTE phones, or if data speed isn’t a worry, then the Samsung Focus S.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY #101: SHUTTER SPEED

Life is a series of moments that leaves us with memories, both splintered and whole.

Welcome to Digital Photography #101,

by Virtual Studio Photography (VSPHO)

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Now that we have gotten through the toughest part, we are going to start having more fun!

 <…………… continues on GroundReport

Consumers looking to step up from a point and shoot to a digital SLR camera will no doubt be trying to decide between the best-selling Canon Rebel T3i ($ 749 with lens) and the new Nikon D3200 ($ 699 with lens.). We’ve been playing with the D3200 for a few weeks, and wanted to register our impressions:

The D3200 beats the Rebel on specs and video performance. The Nikon has 24.2 megapixels vs. 18 for the Rebel. In reality, either are fine for most folks, but if you do a lot of cropping, you’ll appreciate the extra megapixels.

On video, the Nikon has another advantage: it will auto-focus during recording, which the Rebel and other Canon cameras will not. Otherwise, both have big 3 inch LCD screens, dedicated video recording buttons and have menus that are dedicated to idiot proof photography.

(See sample photo of lemon shot in Automatic. Look how sharp it is.)

The big decision about which brand to go with for an SLR, which has interchangable lenses, usually comes to down to your home inventory: if you already own Nikon lenses, you’ll want the Nikon camera, and vice-versa.

Both the T3i and D3200 are great cameras, but if you come to it as a brand new SLR consumer, the video…………… continues on USA TODAY

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 is a bit of surprise. Last year, Sony’s high-end 10x zoom camera, the HX7V, though pocketable, was still a chunk of camera. The WX150, on the other hand, gets the same zoom range — 25mm to 250mm — but in a slimmer, smaller, lighter body.

It’s actually so small, Sony bumped it from its high-zoom H-series models, and it’s now with the W-series ultracompacts. However, making cameras smaller usually comes with compromises to something else, be it performance, photo quality, or functionality. That was the case with Canon’s PowerShot Elph 520 HS.

That’s not the case here, though, and that’s what’s kind of surprising; it’s an ultracompact megazoom that’s worth seeking out.

It’s not perfect, but for its price and size, it’s an excellent choice if you’re after a very pocket-friendly snapshooter with some extra zoom.

Image quality
Overall, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 produces very good photos both indoors and out. At lower ISOs, you can definitely get shots that look good printed up to 10×13 and they stand up to a little enlarging and cropping. That’s probably more than most peo…………… continues on CNET

22 hrs.

Devin Coldewey

There’s a lot of competition in the enthusiast camera sector, with dozens of great cameras competing for attention in the $ 500-$ 1000 range. Sony’s latest interchangeable-lens cameras, the compact NEX-F3 and SLR-style A37, even compete against each other with an array of useful features, some inherited from Sony’s more expensive models. They’re both solid picks, but which would be better for you?

The 16-megapixel NEX-F3 is an upgrade to the least expensive NEX series camera, the NEX-3. It adds a better sensor and image processor, a built-in flash, and a handy flipping screen for self-shots. It does 1080p video, and now shares the “Clear Image Zoom” enhanced digital zoom and automatic portrait framing found on the A57.

I got a chance to take the NEX-F3 for a spin on a sunny day, and found it to be an eminently usable camera. The flipping LCD thoughtfully mirrors the image for easy composition of self-shots. The body is larger and better-designed than its predecessor and feels more like a real camera than before. Adjusting settings manually wasn’t a simple task, however, so whoever’s shooting should be comfortable with letting the camera’s intelligent auto modes do their thing, be it multiple exposures or bumping the ISO…………… continues on msnbc.com

Everyone knows what happens when you look into the sun too long.

Now imagine staring at the sun while those searing rays converge into a laser-like beam through the lens of a camera. It would be like focusing a magnifying glass on your eyeball.

Nikon V1 10-Megapixel Digital Camera ReviewReviewed by Shawn Sanders on May 17Rating: 4.0Here’s a product that will either push you to spend or spend a ton of time trying to find a cheaper equally stellar replacement.

I am by no-means a professional photographer. Although, just to get in the more closely guarded press event, I have been known to slap an old 500 series Hassleblad around my neck with a Sharpie’d “PRESS” scribbled on a piece of paper taped to my hat. I do, however, like taking pictures of the great outdoors. While I may not have a photographer’s wealth of professional grade knowledge and equipment at my disposal, I do know what I like and what looks good.

The novice photographer is blindly ambitious creature! We often want to shoot moving objects like car/bike races, kids being kids, pets being pets, adults being–ahem–”adults”. Sadly the…………… continues on Gadget Review

The Sony alpha NEX-F3 continues to refine Sony’s winning blend of compact size and performance with an even better sensor.

On May 17, Sony announced the replacement for its NEX-C3 mirrorless Compact System Camera. The new NEX-F3 due mid-June is the same price but makes several key improvements. We got a sneak peek at this interchangeable lens camera along with the $ 599 Sony alpha SLT-A37, the new version of the entry-level A35 Translucent Mirror Technology DSLR also due in June. Nothing against the A37, but we preferred shooting with the F3. Let’s see if this diminutive camera delivered.

Features and design

Sony NEX cameras have a distinctive gestalt — in other words, it’s hard telling them apart! They are small and have a minimal amount of buttons or logos. This CSC is very menu driven, unlike DSLRs which are peppered with dials and keys. We like pushing buttons as much as the next person, but to get the small form factor something has to give. Although the NEX-F3 is slightly larger than the C3, it’s still small measuring 4.6 x 2.6 x 1.6 (W x H x D, in inches), tipping the scales at 9 ounces without battery and card. The camera is available in silver, black or white.

Check out the accompanying images and you’ll see the NEX-F3 has very clean lines with a minimal amoun…………… continues on Digitaltrends.com

NEW YORK, May 16, 2012 – /PRNewswire/ — Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Digital Cameras Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p080421/Global-Digital-Cameras-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Camera

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Digital Cameras in Thousand Units by the following Resolution Types – Less than or equal to 2 Mega Pixel, More than 2 Mega Pixel and Less than 5 Mega Pixel, and Above 5 Mega Pixel. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 74 companies including many key and niche players such as Canon, Inc., Casio Computer Co. Ltd., Eastman Kodak Company, Fujifilm Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, JVC KENWOOD Corporation, Leica Camera AG, Nikon Corporation, Olympus Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Polaroid Corporation, Ricoh Company Ltd., Pentax Ric…………… continues on Global Digital Cameras Industry – Sacramento Bee

The true sign of successful specifications are revisions driven by the industry leaders in concert with the open source community.  Ethernet, SCSI and JTAG specifications are decades old, in wide use today and have been updated multiple times for ease of use and enhanced benefits.

Another example is found in the recent development of an industry standard known as the Instrumentation and Industrial Digital Camera 2 specification (IIDC2), which is a major revamping of the industry standard IIDC 1.3* and Digital Camera (DCAM) specifications.

Figure 1. IIDC2-compliant cameras from Hamamatsu, Sony, and Toshiba Teli linked to a 1394b repeater and Express card from Technoscope during to demo the speed and reliability provided by the IIDC2 specification.

Digital video camera functionality generally has been bi-model, as consumer digital camcorders generate compressed audio/video streams and follow the Audio Video Control (AV/C IEC-6188* specifications).  In contrast, instrumentation and industrial digital video cameras generate uncompressed video streams (no audio) and follow the DCAM and IIDC 1.3* specifications.  The DCAM and IIDC 1.3* specifications include extensive camera controls, for example, brightness, frame rate, shutter speed and white balance, all of which are not included in the AV/C s…………… continues on EE Times

By TJ Donegan

The Olympus PEN series of Micro Four Thirds cameras hit the scene a few years ago, bringing with them a retro design theme based around rangefinder cameras from the film era. The cameras have been a hit, combining a now-developed lens family, compact size, and solid design.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 tries to repeat that feat, using the same lens family but calling on the design cues of the OM series of film SLRs that Olympus released in the 1970s. The OM-D E-M5 also sports a new 16-megapixel image sensor, high-speed shooting capabilities, and a built-in electronic viewfinder.

The PEN E-P3, the flagship of the current crop of PEN cameras, won our mirrorless camera of the year award for 2011 with a combination of intriguing style, solid handling, and excellent color accuracy.

Being from the same manufacturer, the two cameras are quite similar, though there are some key differences you should keep in mind when selecting between them. They both share a touchscreen OLED rear monitor, incredibly fast contrast-based autofocus, and the same unorganized menu system.

In shooting with the two cameras, the overall experience is quite pleasant, even if the menu…………… continues on DigitalCameraInfo

The latest micro four-thirds camera from Olympus is clearly designed to appeal to all those hoary, wizened photographers who long for the good ol’ days.

Olympus’ new digital OM series is modeled after the company’s original, beloved OM film cameras from the 1970s. But the new OM-D line is not just some tossed-off homage — the first camera in the line, the E-M5, is a fantastic picture-making tool.

Olympus’ new digital OM series is modeled after the company’s original, beloved OM film cameras from the 1970s.

It makes excellent RAW and JPEG images, and it is certainly the most customizable compact today. And the thoroughly modern design — a magnesium-clad, weather-sealed body — is so masterfully executed that I bet a lot of the “if it’s not curvy, it’s crap” cognoscenti will be wooed by it.

At the heart of the E-M5 is a collection of core features that makes it quite possibly the best-perf…………… continues on Wired News

Point and Shoot cameras are not what they used to be anymore. I remember my first digital camera. It was a Canon Powershot A520 with a 4megapixel resolution and a measly 4x optical zoom. Back then, it was considered ‘top of the line’ and cost almost thrice as much as I’d have liked to pay for it. But digital imaging has come a LONG way since then (almost like the tech has travelled in a spaceship powered by Hyper-drive) and the sort of numbers we see in specifications are just mind-boggling.

One such category is the relatively nascent ‘travel-zoom’, which essentially packs a gargantuan optical zoom lens into a pocket-fitting form factor. Sometimes, we pick up one of these slim cameras and zoom in as far as the lens would go and ask ourselves “what kind of sorcery is this!” but in reality, its all just beautiful science. Nikon has recently launched the Coolpix S9300, their top-end travel zoom camera. With the market seeing a slew of such cameras coming in, we put the S9300 to the test and see if it lives up to Nikon’s reputation.

Build Quality:
The Nikon S9300 uses high-grade plastic as its build material, something that we are generally not in favor of. However, the S9300 does not feel cheap at all. In fa…………… continues on Digit

By YURI KAGEYAMA

by Dave Johnson, PCWorld  

Editor’s note: The following article is reprinted from the Digital Focus blog at PCWorld.com.

I love this time of year. The days are getting longer, the temperature is on the rise, and all around me, flowers are starting to bloom. This is a great opportunity to grab a camera and capture some of the natural beauty around us, whether it’s in your backyard, at the local park, or along a hiking trail just out of town. Let’s focus on tips for capturing some great flower photos.

Know when to get in close

Try shooting with the interesting bits of the flower parallel to the lens, so everything is equidistant from the lens and in focus.

More often than not, flowers look their best when you get in close, which often calls for using a macro lens or dialing in the macro setting on your camera. Macro mode lets you get very close to your subject, filling the frame with small details. If you have a point-and-shoot camera, the macro setting is generally marked with a tulip. Digital SLR owners have the option of adding a macro lens to their camera.

In this shot only one sm…………… continues on Macworld