Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on January 5, 2012
Olympus Tweaks ‘Pen Lite’ With Faster, Quieter Lens, Higher ISO
Hey, Panasonic, take a look over here. This is how you upgrade a successful, well designed camera. You add almost no changes, boosting the maximum ISO from 3200 to 6400, for example, and perhaps tweaking the color and shaving some weight to make it look a little different from its predecessor. What you don’t do is take possibly the best camera you ever made (GF1) and dumb it down until it is little more than a point-and-shoot with interchangeable lenses (GF2).
Olympus did it right, and the paragraph above contains almost all the tweaks it made to the already good Pen EPL-1. In fact, the new camera does’t even get a new name, just an extra letter: EPL-1s.
A bigger change is the new kit lens, the 4-42mm II 3.5-5.6 which shrinks down to 454g (one pound) and gets a video-friendly silent AF motor which is also faster to focus than the old model.
The EPL-1s can also be had in a nasty burgundy/red colorway.
The new kit is launching in Japan, hopefully making its way overseas soon.
Olympus Pen Lite [Olympus Japan]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on November 16, 2010
Lens Guard, The Ugly Duckling of Protective Covers
The very best thing about the DeluxeGear Lens Guard is that it looks like it was designed and made by a three-year old. Take a look: it’s as if this protective cover had been squished out of Play-Doh and stuck straight on the front of the lens.
In fact the Lens Guard is a little more high-tech than that. An inner neoprene core is covered with Santoprene, a cross between rubber and polypropylene which can be molded when hot and sets to a bendy, waterproof rubber-like material. According to Wikipedia, Santoprene is also used to make the blades of “training knives, swords, and bayonets” which is awesome.
Back on the camera, the Lens Guard is like an extreme lens-cap. You pop the cosy over the end of the lens and the shock-absorbing cover soaks up bumps, whilst shrugging off dust and water. If you’re the kind of person who keeps a lens-hood permanently attached to your lens not to reduce flare but to protect the front element from whacks and smack, this is for you.
The Lens Guard comes in three sizes, to fit lenses from 2.5-inches to 3.9-inches in diameter, all of which cost $15. Or you could just buy a tub of Play Doh and put the kids to work.
Lens Guard product page [DeluxeGear via Photography Bay]
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on October 18, 2010
Sony NEX Update Adds Autofocus for Alpha Lenses
Heads up, Sony NEX owners: There’s a firmware update for your camera and it’s actually something to get excited about. An exciting firmware update? Yes. With a simple download, you now have full access to 14 new lenses.
The update, for the NEX-3 and NEX-5, brings autofocus to these A-mount lenses. These lenses, which include both Sony’s own and third-party models from Carl Zeiss, are designed for the bigger Alpha SLRs and previously only worked in manual mode on the smaller mirrorless NEXs.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that, by Sony’s measurements, focussing these lenses will take from two to seven seconds, or longer than doing it by hand. Still, it’s free, so what are you gonna do?
There are a few more upgrades: two of the three soft-keys on the back of the cameras can now be programmed with your choice of function, you can choose which menu pops up when you hit the “menu” button, and when you choose manual focus, you can have a section of the picture enlarged on-screen to make things easier, just like Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds cameras.
The updates are available now, and can be installed from Windows or Mac OS2 (!?).
More enhancements for NEX-5/NEX-3 cameras [Sony]
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on October 14, 2010
Scout: The Lensbaby That Doesn’t Bend
Lensbaby’s schtick is that you can twist and turn all the lenses in the range to grab selective focus from either a single, small circle, anywhere in frame, or photograph a sharp stripe the slashes through an otherwise blurred image. Until now.
Recently, Lensbaby added swap-in optics to the range, a fisheye, a soft-focus and a pinhole module which slide into the various bendy-shells. The new Scout is designed to hold these, too, but it doesn’t move. This lets you keep the optics dead-center to enjoy their various deliberate defects without the twisting. It also lets you focus so close the lens is almost touching the subject, and you’ll get a lot of lens-flare. This, if you were wondering, is a feature.
The analog nature of these tricks makes it faster and much more fun than tweaking things later in photoshop. Hell, you could probably buy the whole range for less than the Adobe Creative Suite.
But the Scout costs $250. This compares to $270 for the Composer, which also works with the all same optics but also adds the trademark twist. The Scout does at least come with the fisheye optic which retails for $150, whereas the Composer ships with the double-glass optic which costs $85 bought separately. Some quick math, then, tells us that the Scout’s shell is valued at $150, versus the Composer shell which is $185.
If you’re looking to buy into the whole Lensbaby system, then go with one of the bendier options and buy the fisheye separately. If you just fancy some flared-out, close-focus fisheye action, then get this, or the Lomo adapter with a plastic fisheye lens for around $50.
Scout product page [Lensbaby. Thanks, Jessica!]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on October 12, 2010
Olympus 600mm Zoom-Lens is World’s Tiniest
Olympus has revealed two new lenses today, both for the Micro Four Thirds format. One is a 40-150mm 4.0-5.6 which will sell for just 330 when it is launched in October. This has a silent AF-motor for movie-shooting but is otherwise rather pedestrian thanks to those mediocre maximum apertures.
The other lens is way more interesting. It too has rather poor light-gathering abilities when wide-open (4.8-6.7), but that is excusable as it runs from 75-300mm. In 35mm terms, that’s a 150-600mm monster. Still not impressed? The lens weighs just 430-grams (15-ounces) and is only 116mm (4.6-inches) long.
For comparison, look at some SLR lenses. Nikon’s longest reaching zoom is the 200-400mm 4, which weighs 3360-grams or a wrist-breaking 7.4-pounds and measures 365mm or 14.4-inches. That, though, is still short of the Olympus’ 600mm far-end. To get to that number, you need to choose a prime lens from Nikon.
The Nikkor 600mm 4 weighs five kilos (11-pounds) and is a John Holmesian 166mm (17.5-inches) in length. To put that in perspective, the diameter of the Nikon is almost four times the length of the Olympus. Also, the Nikon will cost you $10,300.
This astonishing difference is due only to the lack of a mirror in the Micro Four Thirds cameras, and the smaller sensor (half the size of a 35mm-frame and around two-thirds the size of a typical DSLR). These lenses would have been possible on Leica rangefinders, too, but were impractical as there was no way to see through the lens and frame your shot. Digital live-view has changed that.
The 75-300mm Olympus will cost just 900 ($1,140, but certainly less when sold in the US) and will be in stores in December.
Olympus releases M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm lens [DP Review]
Olympus introduces M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm lens [DP Review]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 31, 2010
World’s Smallest DSLR Measures Just One-Inch
If I popped open a Christmas Cracker and this tiny little camera-kit dropped out instead of the usual crappy plastic novelty, I’d be a very happy boy. As the Mini Model Camera actually costs $28, more than a whole box of the traditional exploding British tubes, this is unlikely. That hasn’t stopped me from writing to Santa about it, though.
The teeny SLR is made to 1/6th scale and the body measures just one inch by one half inch. Yes, the body: this miniature camera actually comes with three interchangeable lenses, complete with lens-hoods and, on the telephoto, a little tripod mounting-ring in case things get a little to heavy.
The knobs and dials don’t actually move, but they are all represented in Oompa-Loompa-sized detail (only with less orange). The brand isn’t specified but the models are clearly based on Canon gear, with the monster-sized telephoto lens in Canon’s signature beige colorway.
Yes, it’s just a trinket and no, it won’t actually shoot pictures, but it is cute as hell, and could also double as a marker in that other Christmas family-favorite, the game of Monopoly. It would certainly be better than that stupid old boot, or worse, the clothes-iron that I always seem to end up with.
$28, available now in time for my Christmas gift.
Mini Model Camera [Photojojo]
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 30, 2010
Cosina Joins Micro Four Thirds Team, Announces 0.95 Lens
Cosina, the camera giant responsible for many rebranded cameras and lenses, along with its own Voigtlnder brand, has joined the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) team. That means it will begin making lenses for the cameras from Panasonic and Olympus.
This is pretty big news. While the lens line-up for the large-sensor mirrorless cameras is growing, with even a Leica-branded lens on sale, it is doing so rather slowly. Adding Cosina to the team means that we should soon see a whole lot of interesting glass which will work fully with the cameras, and without adapters.
Not convinced? The first MFT lens from Cosina is its amazing Nokton 25mm 0.95 prime, a 50mm equivalent lens which can see better in the dark than you can. It will be on sale in October for Around $1,100.
And it’s not just lenses. It’s possible that we could see a Voigtlnder camera-body in the near future, too. Given that Voigtlnder is a name closely associated with rangefinder cameras, which are the spiritual ancestor of the Micro Four Thirds cameras, this is pretty exciting stuff. An MFT camera with chunky metal body and all-manual knobs and dials? Yes please. Welcome aboard, Cosina!
Cosina Joins the Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group [Olympus via DP Review]
Micro Four Thirds Nokton [Cosina]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 26, 2010
Nikon Announces Four New SLR Lenses
In addition to the brand-new, HD-video shooting D3100 announced today Nikon also has a clutch of new lenses. Here’s the list of names so you lens-lovers can quickly see the lineup:
AF-S NIKKOR DX 55-300mm 4.5-5.6 VR – $400
AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm 4 G ED VR – $1,050
The AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR -$1,300
AF-S NIKKOR 85mm 1.4G – $1,700
The first one, the 55-300mm, comes out at a 35mm-equivalent of 83-450mm, a very long and very odd zoom range. The price and the maximum apertures put it clearly in the budget range.
The next two zooms on the list look like they’re just there to pad the range. 24-120mm is a handy range, but that 4 aperture makes it hard to stomach dropping a grand on it.
The last lens is possibly the oddest. Nikon already has an 1.4 85mm lens, and it costs $1,360. The new model loses the aperture ring on its barrel, and comes with the autofocus motors inside, meaning faster focussing.It also gains a focus-mode switch on its side and gets Nikon’s latest fancy glass coatings. Both the new and the old 85mm lenses have 9-blade diaphragms for nice, circular out-of-focus highlights.
My guess would be that this new lens will replace the old one in time. But it’s just a guess: the existing 1.4 85mm is a classic, and a very well loved chunk of glass.
Lens store [Nikon]
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 19, 2010
Magnetic Lenses Snap-on to Your Cellphone
We’ve covered a few add-on lenses for cellphones, but none as cute, convenient or clever as these two. The wide-angle macro and fisheye lenses from Photojojo come with a little self-adhesive magnetic ring that you stick permanently to your phone, surrounding the crappy lens it already has. The lenses then simply snap onto that.
The wide-angle gives a 0.67x angle of view, and will let you focus as close as 10mm. The fisheye will give a 180 view, and a 0.28x magnification. It also gives the trademark fisheye circular image, vignetting the corners of the photo.
The tiny lenses both come with a tiny strap for hanging in a safe place, and they are also supplied with front and rear caps to protect them. And because of the way they attach, they’ll fit any cellphone you have. Cost? $40 for the pair, or $20 for the wide-angle and $25 for the fisheye.
Fisheye, Macro, and Wide Angle Camera Phone Lenses [Photojojo]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 12, 2010
Panasonic Announces 3D Lens for Micro Four Thirds Cameras
Panasonic is really into 3D. Not only will it sell you a big 3D television with which to watch the latest Hollywood head-spinners, it will soon sell you a lens which can be popped onto a G-series camera and shoot your own stereoscopic pics.
The lens is actually two lenses in a single, compact housing. When you shoot an photo or video, two pictures are captured simultaneously onto your sensor. Obviously this reduces the overall resolution of the resulting images, but with video this shouldn’t matter as the footage is down-sampled from the giant photo-sensor. This double-image (or video) is then turned into a 3D one in software, to be viewed on one of Panny’s TVs.
The lens has not yet been given a launch date or a price (other than a vague “end of the year”), so plenty of questions remain unanswered. Will cameras need a firmware update to use the lens? That seems almost certain. Also, how good will the stereoscopic effect be with the two lenses so close together? And I’m assuming here that the cameras will actually shoot 3D video: the press release only mentions still images, but who wants to view their photos on a TV screen?
Still, we love that Panasonic is making 3D an optional extra for its Micro Four Thirds system. It’s this kind of innovation that is currently leaving the likes of Nikon and Canon behind, and we’re all for it. And it shouldn’t be long before somebody hacks their way around the 3D format and lets us do something useful with the images instead of looking at them on a TV.
Panasonic developing world’s first interchangable 3D lens for Micro Four Thirds (Press release) [DP Review]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 28, 2010
Adapter Puts Nikon Lenses on Canon Bodies
Accessory maker Novoflex has a new lens adapter that will let you use Nikon F-mount lenses on Canon EOS bodies. It adds one big extra over previous versions: you get a ring to control aperture on Nikon G-lenses (those without an aperture ring.)
One of the great things about the little mirrorless cameras like the Panasonic G-series, the Olympus Pens and the Sony NEXes is that their currently meager lens line-up can be supplemented by other lenses old and new, just by using an adapter. SLRs, on the other hand, are pretty much stuck with the glass that was made for them.
An adapter has a thickness, and when you put one on a lens, you move that lens away from the film (or sensor). This stops the lens focusing at infinity (and will also allow it to focus a little closer). Thus, mounting a Canon lens on a Nikon body doesn’t work so well. The mirrorless cameras already have a lot of extra space to spare, so the adapters have room to fit. Novoflex has managed to get this ring thin enough not to cause focus problems.
The new EOS/NIK-NT adapter has an integrated aperture ring so that you can still set the hole-size. As G-series lenses are controlled entirely by electronics in the camera body, they need this extra to work on a Canon camera. Thus, auto-exposure (aperture priority) will work by actually stopping down the lens. Focus will still be manual, although infinity focus is maintained. If you have lenses with aperture rings, another adapter is available.
The problem is that there are plenty of great lenses for both Canon and Nikon, so we wonder why you’d need this adapter. For quick, fun experiments it will be great, but otherwise its hard to see the point. Especially when you consider the price, a rather odd $292.99.
Novoflex Adapter Finder [Novoflex via Photography Bay]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 27, 2010
Cheap Manual Lenses Ported to Samsung NX
The lens is the most important part of your camera. It controls everything about the light that hits the sensor short of the length of the shutter speed. It is much better to put a great lens on a cheap camera than the other way around, something which goes frustratingly unheeded: just check a few photo forums to see people sticking crappy kit lenses onto Nikon D700s and Canon 5D MkIIs.
That’s not to say that Samyang’s range of lenses for Samsung’s mirrorless NX-series are bad. Without testing we won’t know for sure, but experience says that own-brand lenses are best, followed by those from top-tier third party makers like Sigma.
Three lenses are being ported to the Samsung mount. An 8mm 3.5, a 14mm 2.8 and an 85mm 1.4. Of these, the 8mm would seem to be the most interesting. It will come in at around 12mm (35mm equivalent) on the NX APS-C sensor, and usually the main point with a fisheye is impact rather than absolute quality. The price has not yet been announced but the lens can be had for as little as $350 in other mounts.
The 85mm, on the other hand, is a flat-out portrait lens and goes for around $400. In this case, quality needs to be high. If Samyang manages this, then the 1.4 lens will be an absolute bargain.
Tempted? Think twice. There is one huge drawback when using the lenses on a modern camera: No autofocus. This will probably be fine for the fisheye, but try that with the insanely shallow depth-of-field that an 85mm 1.4 will give you and you’ll learn a thing or two about manual focussing and just how wobbly your hands really are.
Product page [Samyang via BJP]
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on June 28, 2010
Beautifully Hypnotic Video Details Canon Macro Lens Hack (Video)
This video is eight and a half minutes long. It is also a beautifully shot, hypnotic look inside a DSLR lens, which is easily worth your time. Oh, and it’s a follow-along hack, too, if you have the guts.
Y’all probably know how to turn any SLR lens into a super-close-up macro lens: you just pop it off the camera and flip it around, pointing the rather delicate rear element at your subject. There are even reversing rings available which make an interface betwixt camera bayonet and lens filter-ring so you don’t need both hands all the time.
But this amazing how-to from Lozzless goes way beyond, using a drill, a hacksaw, lots of epoxy glue and even some soldering to make a permanent macro-lens from a Canon 18-55mm kit zoom. Out come the autofocus controller, out come the electronics, and in comes a ribbon cable and a whole lot of work to join the computronical parts back together.
The result, apart from the beautifully shot video (we’re guessing it was made on a Canon 5D MkII due to the short depth-of-field, so shallow even a spider couldn’t drown in it), is a lens which snaps snugly to the front of a Canon SLR and still gives it full electronic control over the aperture. It also looks like some amazing Gibsionian hack. Good job, Lozzless. And nice music choice, too (it appears the Yo-Yo Ma and Philip Glass “collabo” is actually allowed by YouTube).
How to create SuperMacro lens [Lozzless / YouTube via Photography Bay]
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on June 23, 2010
