Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
SONY Takes #3 Position in Smartphones
Is Sony Gaining Momentum in Smartphones?
By Juro Osawa
While Japan’s ailing consumer-electronics sector struggles to regain momentum, it turns out that Sony Corp. actually climbed to the No. 3 position in the global smartphone market in the third quarter. Sony, which was the No. 6 player in the same quarter a year earlier, came only behind Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc., according to the latest data from research firm IDC.
SonySony’s Xperia smartphone
Does this signal a comeback for Sony, the brand once synonymous with the coolest gadgets?
Probably not.
Sony’s rise to the third place is mostly because of huge market share losses at Nokia Corp., HTC Corp. and Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of BlackBerry handsets.
In the third quarter, Sony held a 4.8% share of the world’s smartphone market by shipments, down slightly from 5.0% a year earlier, according to the IDC data. Meanwhile, Nokia’s market share for the quarter tumbled to 3.4% from 13.6% a year earlier, while HTC’s share dropped to 4.7% from 10.3%. RIM’s share fell to 4.2% from 9.6%.
Last month, IDC released its preliminary smartphone market share data for the third quarter, but Sony wasn’t among the top five, because the Japanese company’s shipment data wasn’t yet available at the time, according to IDC.
The updated data for the third quarter also showed that Samsung, the market leader, increased its share to 31.3% from 22.7% a year earlier, while Apple’s share rose to 14.6% from 13.8%. Samsung and Apple together control nearly half of the market, while none of the other players holds more than 5%.
Moreover, Apple and Samsung are the only ones enjoying strong profits from their handsets, because the iPhone and Samsung’s flagship Galaxy models dominate the high-end segment — the only lucrative part of the entire smartphone market.
Whether Sony can turn around its mobile business likely depends on whether it can grab a larger chunk of the high-end market, where overall growth is not as robust as the low-end segment. To do that, Sony would have to steal some customers away from Apple and Samsung.
Sony’s mobile products and communications division, which includes the mobile handset business, posted an operating loss of Y23,1 billion ($280 million) in the fiscal second quarter through September.
A spokeswoman for Sony’s mobile unit acknowledged Friday that the company’s rise in ranking is due in part to sequential declines at other vendors.
She said Sony is trying to grow in the high-end smartphone market by working closely with the company’s movie business, among others, to promote new handsets.
“The smartphone market is increasingly bifurcating into premium (above $450) and low-end (below $200),” Sanford Bernstein analyst Mark Newman wrote in a report this week. “All the industry profits go to the premium segment and most of the growth is in the low-end, with the mid-end unprofitable and relatively shrinking.”
The market share ranking in terms of shipment volume may change over the next year, given the increase of low-end smartphones in China, as the country is set to become the world’s largest smartphone market this year. Chinese personal-computer and handset maker Lenovo Group Ltd., for example, saw its global market share increase to 3.7% in the third quarter from 0.37% a year earlier, thanks to robust sales in the domestic market.
Even so, there’s little money to be made in the low-end segment, because margins are very thin and a sales growth doesn’t translate into a lot of profit.
Does this signal a comeback for Sony, the brand once synonymous with the coolest gadgets?
Probably not.
Sony’s rise to the third place is mostly because of huge market share losses at Nokia Corp., HTC Corp. and Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of BlackBerry handsets.
In the third quarter, Sony held a 4.8% share of the world’s smartphone market by shipments, down slightly from 5.0% a year earlier, according to the IDC data. Meanwhile, Nokia’s market share for the quarter tumbled to 3.4% from 13.6% a year earlier, while HTC’s share dropped to 4.7% from 10.3%. RIM’s share fell to 4.2% from 9.6%.
Last month, IDC released its preliminary smartphone market share data for the third quarter, but Sony wasn’t among the top five, because the Japanese company’s shipment data wasn’t yet available at the time, according to IDC.
The updated data for the third quarter also showed that Samsung, the market leader, increased its share to 31.3% from 22.7% a year earlier, while Apple’s share rose to 14.6% from 13.8%. Samsung and Apple together control nearly half of the market, while none of the other players holds more than 5%.
Moreover, Apple and Samsung are the only ones enjoying strong profits from their handsets, because the iPhone and Samsung’s flagship Galaxy models dominate the high-end segment — the only lucrative part of the entire smartphone market.
Whether Sony can turn around its mobile business likely depends on whether it can grab a larger chunk of the high-end market, where overall growth is not as robust as the low-end segment. To do that, Sony would have to steal some customers away from Apple and Samsung.
Sony’s mobile products and communications division, which includes the mobile handset business, posted an operating loss of Y23,1 billion ($280 million) in the fiscal second quarter through September.
A spokeswoman for Sony’s mobile unit acknowledged Friday that the company’s rise in ranking is due in part to sequential declines at other vendors.
She said Sony is trying to grow in the high-end smartphone market by working closely with the company’s movie business, among others, to promote new handsets.
“The smartphone market is increasingly bifurcating into premium (above $450) and low-end (below $200),” Sanford Bernstein analyst Mark Newman wrote in a report this week. “All the industry profits go to the premium segment and most of the growth is in the low-end, with the mid-end unprofitable and relatively shrinking.”
The market share ranking in terms of shipment volume may change over the next year, given the increase of low-end smartphones in China, as the country is set to become the world’s largest smartphone market this year. Chinese personal-computer and handset maker Lenovo Group Ltd., for example, saw its global market share increase to 3.7% in the third quarter from 0.37% a year earlier, thanks to robust sales in the domestic market.
Even so, there’s little money to be made in the low-end segment, because margins are very thin and a sales growth doesn’t translate into a lot of profit.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Tweet Yourself into Radicalism...?
Not From the Onion: Army Says ‘Social Network’ Use Is a Sign of Radicalism
Spotting the warning signs of radicalization among U.S. or partnered troops is difficult. Photo: Flickr/soldiersmediacenter
These are some warning signs that that you have turned into a terrorist who will soon kill your co-workers, according to the U.S. military. You’ve recently changed your “choices in entertainment.” You have “peculiar discussions.” You “complain about bias,” you’re “socially withdrawn” and you’re frustrated with “mainstream ideologies.” Your “Risk Factors for Radicalization” include “Social Networks” and “Youth.”
These are some other signs that one of your co-workers has become a terrorist, according to the U.S. military. He “shows a sudden shift from radical to ‘normal’ behavior to conceal radical behavior.” He “inquires about weapons of mass effects.” He “stores or collects mass weapons or hazardous materials.”
That was the assessment of a terrorism advisory organization inside the U.S. Army called the Asymmetric Warfare Group in 2011, acquired by Danger Room. Its concern about the warning signs of internal radicalization reflects how urgent the Army considers that threat after Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 13 people at Ford Hood in 2009. But its “indicators” of radicalization are vague enough to include both benign behaviors that lots of people safely exhibit and, on the other end of the spectrum, signs that someone is so obviously a terrorist they shouldn’t need to be pointed out. It’s hard to tell if the group is being politically correct or euphemistic.
Around the same time, the Asymmetric Warfare Group tried to understand a related problem that now threatens to undermine the U.S. war in Afghanistan: “insider threats” from Afghan troops who kill their U.S. mentors. In another chart, also acquired by Danger Room, an Afghan soldier or policeman ready to snap could be someone who “appears frustrated with partnered nations”; reads “questionable reading materials”; or who has “strange habits.” Admittedly, the U.S. military command isn’t sure what’s causing the insider attacks, but it’ll be difficult for an American soldier who doesn’t speak Pashto or Dari to identify “strange habits” among people from an unfamiliar culture.
A selection from a U.S. military chart on “Radicalization Into Violent Extremism.”
The Asymmetric Warfare Group didn’t purport to identify every factor leading to insider threats, from either Americans or Afghans, and cautions against using its assessments as “checklists.” But it takes a broad view of both the causes of radicalization and what might make someone at risk for it.
Among Afghans, “Cultural Misunderstandings,” “Civilian Casualties,” “Global Events” or “Political Speeches or Upheaval” are listed as potential causes of “Grievance-Based Action.” All of which seems intuitive, but it doesn’t help a commander, who may be preoccupied with the daily rigors of warfighting, from identifying which Afghans represent looming threats. The “observable” indicators of those threats run the gamut from an “abrupt behavioral shift” to “intense ideological rhetoric” to blinking red lights that shouldn’t have to be pointed out to people, like “mak[ing] threatening gestures or verbal threats.”
American behavior is easier for Americans to understand, but the Asymmetric Warfare Group’s list of red flags from American troops is also problematic outside context. Someone who “takes suspicious or unreported travel (inside or outside the United States)” could be linking up with a terrorist group. Or he could be hooking up with a lover, or a going on a road trip with friends, or anything else. Yet that’s an example of “Actions conducted by the subject that would indicate violent or terroristic planning activities that warrant investigation.” The unreported aspect of the travel might be its most blatantly problematic feature.
Similarly, some of the “Risk Factors for Radicalization” identified here apply equally to Normal Soldier and Ticking Time Bomb. Among them: “Youth,” which might be a difficult thing to mitigate against, unless the military wants to take former Pentagon official Rosa Brooks’ unorthodox recruitment advice. “Social Networks” is another, and it’s probably alarmingly coterminous with Youth. Still others: “Emotional Vulnerability,” “Personal Connection to a Grievance” and “Conflict at Work or at Home.”
To be fair to the Group, the bonds within a military unit can make it difficult to be alert to sketchy behavior, let alone the chain of command to it. And that disinclination to report something isn’t limited to the military: The FBI didn’t act on Hasan, even when he e-mailed the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki seeking advice on the legitimacy of murdering Americans. The Group repeatedly underscores the need to “notify the chain of command” about suspicious behavior, even about behavior as potentially benign as “chang[ing] type of off-duty clothing.” A “single reportable indicator is enough to report,” it cautions, listing internal Army websites and phone hotlines to report a suspected Hasan 2.0.
If underreporting suspicious behavior is a problem within the U.S. military, soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan probably won’t have a problem reporting their suspicious about Afghans now that over 50 U.S. and allied troops have been killed by their Afghan counterparts this year. Marine Gen. John Allen, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, told 60 Minutes on Sunday that he’s “mad as hell” at the attacks, and while his troops are willing to sacrifice for the war, “we’re not willing to be murdered for it.” Woe to Afghans deemed “reclusive” or engaging in “peculiar discussions” in the eyes of troops who don’t share their culture.
DoD to enter the 4G Network - BlackBerry bruised but still standing
By ,
The Pentagon is planning to open its network for the first time to Apple iPhones and devices running Google’s Android operating system, a threat to BlackBerry maker Research in Motion.
The Defense Department plans to hire a contractor to build a system that will manage and secure at least 162,500 Android devices and Apple products such as the iPad, according to a document posted online Oct. 22. The system may be expanded to handle 8 million devices, the department said.
The project is “a significant step towards delivering a secure mobile communications capability’’ to the entire agency, according to the document.
The plan opens the door for the military to provide alternatives to BlackBerrys, which already are used on the Pentagon’s network. RIM has clung to government business as an area of strength as consumers and some businesses switch to rival devices with bigger touch screens and faster browsers.
For the year ended March 3, RIM’s sales in the United States, its biggest market fell 47 percent compared with the previous year.
The Pentagon wants to allow employees to access its network with a broader range of mobile devices so it can “take advantage of the increasing wireless capabilities that exist and that are developing in the marketplace,” according to the contracting document.
While the Defense Department is not insisting that contractors propose systems that can manage RIM devices, it “desires” a system that can also handle BlackBerrys, the document stated.
Paul Lucier, vice president of government solutions for Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM, said in an e-mailed statement that the military left BlackBerry compatibility off its requirement list because it already has a RIM system to manage the devices.
The Pentagon’s Defense Information Systems Agency plans to award the mobile device management contract to a single company by April. The contract will probably be for one year with options to extend it an additional two years. Bids are due Nov. 27. The Pentagon did not give the potential value of the contract.
Natalie Harrison, a spokeswoman for Cupertino, Calif.-
based Apple, declined to comment. An e-mail and a phone call to Mountain View, Calif.-based Google were not immediately returned.
In an acknowledgment of inroads made by rivals, RIM in April released BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, software that lets organizations manage iPhones and Android devices alongside BlackBerrys on their networks.
“We are excited for the opportunity to include BlackBerry Mobile Fusion” in the military’s portfolio, Lucier said in his statement.
Even with its total sales decline, RIM’s market share among U.S. government agencies was probably increasing, the company’s senior vice president of BlackBerry security, Scott Totzke, said in an April interview in Washington.
“Compared to the enterprise over the last year and a half or so, the federal business on whole is up,’’ he said at the time. “The employee base is shrinking, so if we’re looking at a market with fewer employees and our install base is stable to slightly up, that would seem to indicate that we have an increasing market share.”
The Pentagon is planning to open its network for the first time to Apple iPhones and devices running Google’s Android operating system, a threat to BlackBerry maker Research in Motion.
The Defense Department plans to hire a contractor to build a system that will manage and secure at least 162,500 Android devices and Apple products such as the iPad, according to a document posted online Oct. 22. The system may be expanded to handle 8 million devices, the department said.
The project is “a significant step towards delivering a secure mobile communications capability’’ to the entire agency, according to the document.
The plan opens the door for the military to provide alternatives to BlackBerrys, which already are used on the Pentagon’s network. RIM has clung to government business as an area of strength as consumers and some businesses switch to rival devices with bigger touch screens and faster browsers.
For the year ended March 3, RIM’s sales in the United States, its biggest market fell 47 percent compared with the previous year.
The Pentagon wants to allow employees to access its network with a broader range of mobile devices so it can “take advantage of the increasing wireless capabilities that exist and that are developing in the marketplace,” according to the contracting document.
While the Defense Department is not insisting that contractors propose systems that can manage RIM devices, it “desires” a system that can also handle BlackBerrys, the document stated.
Paul Lucier, vice president of government solutions for Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM, said in an e-mailed statement that the military left BlackBerry compatibility off its requirement list because it already has a RIM system to manage the devices.
The Pentagon’s Defense Information Systems Agency plans to award the mobile device management contract to a single company by April. The contract will probably be for one year with options to extend it an additional two years. Bids are due Nov. 27. The Pentagon did not give the potential value of the contract.
Natalie Harrison, a spokeswoman for Cupertino, Calif.-
based Apple, declined to comment. An e-mail and a phone call to Mountain View, Calif.-based Google were not immediately returned.
In an acknowledgment of inroads made by rivals, RIM in April released BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, software that lets organizations manage iPhones and Android devices alongside BlackBerrys on their networks.
“We are excited for the opportunity to include BlackBerry Mobile Fusion” in the military’s portfolio, Lucier said in his statement.
Even with its total sales decline, RIM’s market share among U.S. government agencies was probably increasing, the company’s senior vice president of BlackBerry security, Scott Totzke, said in an April interview in Washington.
“Compared to the enterprise over the last year and a half or so, the federal business on whole is up,’’ he said at the time. “The employee base is shrinking, so if we’re looking at a market with fewer employees and our install base is stable to slightly up, that would seem to indicate that we have an increasing market share.”
Nikon 5200 - GPS Ready--- Sort Of but not out of the box
Nikon D5200 fey features:
- DX-format, 24.1 megapixel CMOS image sensor with EXPEED 3 for exceptional quality
- Vari-angle LCD monitor: View life at a unique angle with a high resolution, 7.5cm (3.0-in), 921k dot vari-angle screen
- Compatible with Wireless Mobile Adaptor WU-1a to transmit images from the camera to Apple™ or Android™ smart device and remote shooting
- High ISO (100-6400) extendable to 25600: keeps the detail with low noise in low-light situations
- Razor-sharp 39-point AF system with nine cross-type sensors in the center. Offers fast and precise autofocus coverage across the frame
- 2,016 pixel RGB metering sensor delivers highly accurate metering for exact exposures and provides precise data to the camera's Scene Recognition System
- Scene Recognition System optimizes exposure, autofocus and white balance immediately before the shutter is released
- Continuous shooting at 5fps: so you do not miss that fast-moving action shot
- High dynamic range (HDR): Gives detailed shots of high-contrast scenes by combining two shots taken within a single shutter release
- Active D-Lighting: Retains details in highlights and shadows for well-balanced images, even if the subject is moving
- D-Movie: Full (1080p) HD movies with smooth (up to 60i/50i) recording and a built-in stereo microphone
- D-Movie AF modes: Live View autofocus works when shooting movie clips, keeping subjects in sharp focus
- In-built stereo-microphone for improved sound quality
- Updated new generation GUI Design
- 16 Scene modes: Automatically adjusts camera settings, including Picture Controls and Active D-Lighting, for optimal results.
- Effects mode – seven effects including Selective Colour and Miniature, which can be applied in pre-shoot, for more creative movies and stills
- Compatible with WR-R10 Wireless Remote transceiver and WR-T10 Wireless Remote transmitter that let you control key camera functions from a distance
- GPS compatible: Records the exact location of the camera when a picture is taken by using the optional GP-1 unit
- NIKKOR lenses: take advantage of Nikon’s legendary NIKKOR lenses and make the most of the camera’s 24-megapixel resolution. Capture photos with vivid colour and striking contrast. Shoot movies with crisp detail or experiment with cinematic effectsAvailable in three colours: black, red and bronze
- Lightweight body (505g) with an intelligent design and superior ergonomics
Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF - Disruptive Value?
IBC 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands - September 7, 2012 - Blackmagic Design today announced a second model of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera that features passive Micro Four Thirds lens (MFT) mount, so customers now have an even greater choice of lens options when shooting. The new Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT model supports any Micro Four Thirds with manual iris and focus, and is also easily adapted to other lens mounts such as PL via third party adapters. The ability to use third party adapters to allow other types of lens mount is due to the Micro Four Thirds lens mount being much closer to the image sensor and allowing space for adapters to other lens mounts.
Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT will be demonstrated on the Blackmagic Design IBC 2012 booth in Hall 7, Booth H20.
Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT is identical to the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera model, however does not include lens communication so manual lenses are used. The current model of Blackmagic Cinema Camera will be renamed Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF to let customers easily differentiate between the models.
About Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT
Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes a super wide 13 stops of dynamic range, large 2.5K sensor, a built in SSD recorder that has the bandwidth to capture open standard CinemaDNG RAW, Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD files, a built in capacitive touch screen for direct metadata entry, standard jack audio connections, built in high speed Thunderbolt connection, 3 Gb/s SDI output, a refrigerated sensor for low noise, and is fully compatible with an even wider range of extremely high quality Micro Four Thirds mount lenses, plus other lenses such as PL mount lenses via common third party adapters.
GeoTagging Cameras to Catch-up to Smartphones?
Tablets and Cameras to Be Major GPS and LBS Markets by 2017
by GPS World Staff on November 14, 2012 in Consumer OEM News, Handheld, LBS News,Personal Navigation, Recreation & GamingDespite relatively stunted growth thus far, the tablet and camera markets are forecast to be the next major market for location-based services and GPS IC penetration.
ABI Research’s latest Report, “Location Applications for Tablets, eReaders, Digital Cameras & Handheld Gaming,” forecasts the uptake of LBS and how it will affect the adoption of location technologies. The tablet market has largely been dominated by Apple and its GPS/Modem strategy. GPS shipments are forecast to reach 37 million in 2012, yet it is still much less than had been previously anticipated. There has been mixed news of late, with the launch of Google’s Nexus 7 and Apple’s iPad mini. Wi-Fi location is a standard feature across all major tablets and while it is complementary, it does act as a barrier to GPS integration.
Senior analyst Patrick Connolly said, “When we look at the adoption of applications on tablets, it is forecast to largely mirror that of smartphones, with a focus on local search, social, enterprise, navigation, and ambient intelligence.” Android will lead the way, as ubiquitous location becomes a necessary component.
The camera market has huge potential, with geotagging a clear driver. With more than 30 GPS-enabled cameras on the market, shipments are expected to break 10 million in 2013, and a second wave of new applications emerging around tracking, maps and points of interest, and dead-reckoning. As an industry, there needs to be a complete overhaul of how cameras are designed, to find a way to leverage the photography revolution occurring on smartphones. ABI Research has forecast that this will open the door to GPS, alternative location, and LBS in future.
The launch of the Sony Vita was expected to kick-start the location-based gaming (LBG) industry, featuring Wi-Fi location as standard, and an optional GPS/modem module. Practice director Dominique Bonte said, “Irrespective of limited device sales, location-based gaming and community applications still have fundamental barriers concerning critical mass and where and how the device is used. As a result, LBG is expected to initially flourish on smartphones, with GPS forecast to remain subdued on gaming devices.”
These findings are part of ABI Research’s Location Based Services which includes Research Reports, Market Data, and Insights.
Friday, November 16, 2012
SONY ActionCAM
Sony Action Cam review: a good rugged camera with a few software wrinkles
Until now, Sony's efforts in the element-stopping sports cam world had largely consisted of handhelds such as the Bloggie Sport HD and the waterproof Handycam. The $200 Action Cam, however, is an all-out hiking-boot-wearing adventurist, with a backpack full of tools and supplies by comparison, that frankly, makes the brand's previous attempts look like they're barely prepared for a school field trip.
A lot of technology can be broken down into numbers. PetaFLOPS, gigahertz and megabytes -- the idea usually being, the more the better. And often that's true. Sometimes, though, what you really need are a couple breaths of fresh air and a healthy shot of adrenaline. And that's where something like Sony's new HDR-AS15 Action Cam shines. It's one of a growing breed of devices that allow us to get our fill of the great outdoors, while still satisfying our gadget fix. With plenty of other competitors lining up to be your sporting partner of choice, however, does the Action Cam have what it takes to keep up? Dive past the break to find out.
There seem to be two main approaches to sports camera design: the cam-and-case brigade (e.g., the GoProand Veho) and the tough-tube crew (think: Contour and ION). With the Action Cam, Sony has gone with the former. The naked unit isn't all that rugged, but pop it in the supplied waterproof case and it's ready for business. One perk of this approach, especially with the Action Cam, is that you have the option of using it as a regular "non-action" helmet cam when you're not white water rafting, but still want to record some POV footage minus the extra weight. It might be tempting to think this is a happy side-effect of incidental design, but the fact that Sony will sell you a head-mount for the un-cased camera does suggest otherwise.
The camera itself is light (90g with battery) yet well-built. The front lens pokes out from a round-edged, rectangular body, with two small forward-facing mics below it. One side of the unit has a small LCD and a pair of buttons, and there are some hidden ports along the bottom (HDMI, USB, 3.5mm mic input and expansion connector). Around the back is a sliding / hinged cover, underneath which is where you stash the (1,240 mAh) battery and microSD or Memory Stick Micro memory card. This back cover is also where you'll find the big red record button, which should be easy enough to locate when mounted up out of view on a helmet, along with a small "hold" switch to prevent accidental filming, or indeed, unintentionally stopping.
Any of the three buttons on the unit will switch the Action Cam on when pressed, but if you opt for the Record button, it'll go right ahead and start grabbing footage as well -- activating a small red LED above it to let you know it's shooting. That's great for getting it going quickly, but also a recipe for a bundle of inadvertent one- or two-second clips if you just wanted to switch it on. The two side buttons, next to the screen, are for navigating menus and options, at which point, the big red one becomes "select."
The case also allows some control of the device while sheathed, but you're pretty much limited to starting and stopping video capture -- or triggering photos, depending on which mode you're in. As you may have already surmised, there is an external equivalent of the record button on the case, complete with its own hold control, but if you want to navigate the menus, you'll have to access the device directly, or use the WiFi feature -- which we'll cover later on. If you already have some photography gear, then the inclusion of a standard tripod mount on the bottom of the case will be cause for a mild mental cheer (we're looking at you GoPro!)
As for audio, this is typically an area where these cameras falter -- in no small part thanks to usually being locked up nice and tight in a waterproof housing. The Action Cam doesn't shatter audio expectations when cased, but out in the open, it performs well enough. Naturally, wind soon becomes your enemy here, but we're not blaming Sony for that! The inclusion of a mic input should ease the concerns of anyone who has particular audio requirements. Lastly, a note about the battery life. The supplied 1,240mAh cell might not sound like much in mobile phone parlance, but in our testing it fully handled a day's regular use (lots of switching on and off, filming and occasionally connecting via WiFi). If you think this still might not be enough, or fancy some extended filming, its removable nature means you can always buy a couple of spares.
Software
Unlike more sedentary filmmakers, the action crowd has largely had to settle for shooting without either a viewfinder or a way of quickly playing back footage. GoPro has its BacPac accessories, but the more gun-like design of the Action Cam doesn't lend itself to such things. No problem, as Sony has squeezed a WiFi chip into one of the models, meaning you can download the PlayMemories app (iOS and Android) and let a mobile device pick up this slack. Not only will it let you view what the camera is seeing, but you can also change the recording mode, set the camera rolling and view files afterwards. Well, that's the theory anyway.
Wrap-up
In practice, the app is temperamental at best. Using it with Android 4.0.4 and 4.1 was basically a non-starter. You can discover and connect to the camera, but that seems to be about it. We had much better success with Gingerbread, however, which works as intended. Apple users fare little better, with the file-transfer mode ("Send" under the menu) working reliably, and the live viewfinder mode working intermittently (connecting about one in five times). This was with an iPad running iOS 6. We contacted Sony about this issue, who advise that it should work on any previous versions of either system, and that its engineering team is working to release an update in November that will cover both iOS and Android. For the immediate, however, this is a shame, as for many people this functionality is a key selling point, and something that should be well within Sony's capabilities to deliver quickly.
Has Sony swept away the competition with the Action Cam? Not quite. But as a debut into this market, it's respectable and promising. The camera does what it promises -- it lets you shoot good-quality action footage. The ability to shoot 720p footage at 120 fps gives the Action Cam a stand-out feature, which may be enough to win it a dedicated following. That said, the photo modes are somewhat limited, and the app integration is far from up to scratch.
If Sony can promise (and deliver) an app update in the near future, along with a firmware bump to allow more camera shooting modes (burst and single-shot, please!), then the Action Cam would go from the leagues of a tandem parachute jump to a gnarly wing-suit dive. With the base-model retailing for $200, it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Contour's entry-level ROAM2 and GoPro's new White edition. At this price, only the GoPro has WiFi. If you want that feature with Sony's Action Cam, you'll need to dig a little deeper and pay $270. To be fair, that price puts it at about the level you would expect in the market -- given that GoPro wants $300 for its Silver Edition, which only really offers a stills upgrade from its cheaper sibling. All in all, we enjoyed our time with the Action Cam, and are happy with the results it provided. If its spec-sheet is suitable to your requirements, then there's no doubt it will serve you well.
Until now, Sony's efforts in the element-stopping sports cam world had largely consisted of handhelds such as the Bloggie Sport HD and the waterproof Handycam. The $200 Action Cam, however, is an all-out hiking-boot-wearing adventurist, with a backpack full of tools and supplies by comparison, that frankly, makes the brand's previous attempts look like they're barely prepared for a school field trip.
A lot of technology can be broken down into numbers. PetaFLOPS, gigahertz and megabytes -- the idea usually being, the more the better. And often that's true. Sometimes, though, what you really need are a couple breaths of fresh air and a healthy shot of adrenaline. And that's where something like Sony's new HDR-AS15 Action Cam shines. It's one of a growing breed of devices that allow us to get our fill of the great outdoors, while still satisfying our gadget fix. With plenty of other competitors lining up to be your sporting partner of choice, however, does the Action Cam have what it takes to keep up? Dive past the break to find out.
Hardware
There seem to be two main approaches to sports camera design: the cam-and-case brigade (e.g., the GoProand Veho) and the tough-tube crew (think: Contour and ION). With the Action Cam, Sony has gone with the former. The naked unit isn't all that rugged, but pop it in the supplied waterproof case and it's ready for business. One perk of this approach, especially with the Action Cam, is that you have the option of using it as a regular "non-action" helmet cam when you're not white water rafting, but still want to record some POV footage minus the extra weight. It might be tempting to think this is a happy side-effect of incidental design, but the fact that Sony will sell you a head-mount for the un-cased camera does suggest otherwise.
The camera itself is light (90g with battery) yet well-built. The front lens pokes out from a round-edged, rectangular body, with two small forward-facing mics below it. One side of the unit has a small LCD and a pair of buttons, and there are some hidden ports along the bottom (HDMI, USB, 3.5mm mic input and expansion connector). Around the back is a sliding / hinged cover, underneath which is where you stash the (1,240 mAh) battery and microSD or Memory Stick Micro memory card. This back cover is also where you'll find the big red record button, which should be easy enough to locate when mounted up out of view on a helmet, along with a small "hold" switch to prevent accidental filming, or indeed, unintentionally stopping.
Any of the three buttons on the unit will switch the Action Cam on when pressed, but if you opt for the Record button, it'll go right ahead and start grabbing footage as well -- activating a small red LED above it to let you know it's shooting. That's great for getting it going quickly, but also a recipe for a bundle of inadvertent one- or two-second clips if you just wanted to switch it on. The two side buttons, next to the screen, are for navigating menus and options, at which point, the big red one becomes "select."
Naturally, if you want to see the Action Cam in its full glory, you'll need to slip it into the waterproof case. Unlike the GoPro, or Veho Muvi, the Action Cam's hinge / door mechanism isn't fully fixed to the rest of the case. There is a hinge to lock it in place like the others, but once opened, the lid is only kept united with the body by a long rubber strip with a barb at the end. This is quite easy to pull out completely. While it's fairly easy to thread back in again from the comfort of home, we can imagine it being a bit more of a fiddle when gloved, cold or otherwise ready for action.
The case also allows some control of the device while sheathed, but you're pretty much limited to starting and stopping video capture -- or triggering photos, depending on which mode you're in. As you may have already surmised, there is an external equivalent of the record button on the case, complete with its own hold control, but if you want to navigate the menus, you'll have to access the device directly, or use the WiFi feature -- which we'll cover later on. If you already have some photography gear, then the inclusion of a standard tripod mount on the bottom of the case will be cause for a mild mental cheer (we're looking at you GoPro!)
The complete, cased unit is probably one of the larger POV cameras that we've seen. It's not cumbersome, or too unwieldy, but it is something you're going to notice when mounted about your person. That's especially true since -- unlike the Contour -- it doesn't have the option of a rotatable lens to keep footage level regardless to position, so your choices are limited to having it the right way up, or upside down and using software to flip the videos.
Accessories
If you've ever opened a GoPro, an ION or a MUVI HD, then you'll know that once the box is open, the accessories pretty much spring out at you, somehow never to fit back in again. This is a problem you don't have to worry about with the Sony Action Cam. Once you pop the camera out, along with the waterproof case, you're left pretty much unburdened by accessories, barring a pair of battery trays (why the battery doesn't fit the compartment is unclear), a pair of adhesive mounts and a mounting clip for the case. There are a couple of extra options available -- handlebar and headband mounts for the naked and cased units. Though if you want them, you'll have to cough up extra for them.
In use
Sony's made basic operation of the Action Cam wonderfully simple. As we mentioned, you simply have to poke one of the side buttons to wake it up. The LCD screen might be small, but it's enough, and always makes it clear exactly what menu you're looking at. You'll usually need the device to be out of its case to change settings (unless using the app), and you'll likely need at least one gloveless hand while you do so. Every button push rewards you with a beep or chime sound, which is handy when mounted, but surprisingly there's no option to turn this off. That's not a major hardship, but it does mean if you're operating this at home, in the office or anywhere with low-level noise, everyone is going to know about it.
Once you've set it up to your choice of resolution (1080p, 720p or 480p), FOV angle (120 or 170) and frames-per-second (30, unless you're in 720 mode where you have the choice of 60 or 120 also), the next step in the process is to get active! We're assuming you don't want this for recording a birthday or family wedding, so we instead put this through its paces at a local theme park.
Unlike some of the competition, the Action Cam lets you record at either of the available angles regardless of the resolution, so you're not limited there. We started at 1080p and 170 degrees before moving on to 720p and the choice of extra framerates that comes with it. The results are pleasing, with no sign of the rolling shutter effect as can sometimes be the case with this type of camera. Light, in particular, seems to be the main deciding factor here. As you'll see in the sample footage below, in near darkness there's lots of visible noise. While this might be understandable as we're moving fast, and no doubt the camera is scrambling to keep up with the sudden change in levels, you can also see the color richness change later on. Shooting a scene where there are lots of tall metal rails from roller-coasters is also handy for spotting any jagged lines, but happily we didn't notice any here.
Perhaps one of the better features of the Action Cam is the 120 fps setting at 720p. This makes it a great option for those who want high-quality slow-mo footage (or at least to have the choice). We set up a few test shots specifically to investigate the quality of this footage and are pleased to report that it does indeed perform very well. You will be sacrificing your audio, as the camera drops that altogether in super-slow mode (as Sony calls it). You'll also be bargaining against the capacity of your SD card, naturally, as the extra data demands more memory to house it.
Software
Unlike more sedentary filmmakers, the action crowd has largely had to settle for shooting without either a viewfinder or a way of quickly playing back footage. GoPro has its BacPac accessories, but the more gun-like design of the Action Cam doesn't lend itself to such things. No problem, as Sony has squeezed a WiFi chip into one of the models, meaning you can download the PlayMemories app (iOS and Android) and let a mobile device pick up this slack. Not only will it let you view what the camera is seeing, but you can also change the recording mode, set the camera rolling and view files afterwards. Well, that's the theory anyway.
Wrap-up
In practice, the app is temperamental at best. Using it with Android 4.0.4 and 4.1 was basically a non-starter. You can discover and connect to the camera, but that seems to be about it. We had much better success with Gingerbread, however, which works as intended. Apple users fare little better, with the file-transfer mode ("Send" under the menu) working reliably, and the live viewfinder mode working intermittently (connecting about one in five times). This was with an iPad running iOS 6. We contacted Sony about this issue, who advise that it should work on any previous versions of either system, and that its engineering team is working to release an update in November that will cover both iOS and Android. For the immediate, however, this is a shame, as for many people this functionality is a key selling point, and something that should be well within Sony's capabilities to deliver quickly.
Has Sony swept away the competition with the Action Cam? Not quite. But as a debut into this market, it's respectable and promising. The camera does what it promises -- it lets you shoot good-quality action footage. The ability to shoot 720p footage at 120 fps gives the Action Cam a stand-out feature, which may be enough to win it a dedicated following. That said, the photo modes are somewhat limited, and the app integration is far from up to scratch.
If Sony can promise (and deliver) an app update in the near future, along with a firmware bump to allow more camera shooting modes (burst and single-shot, please!), then the Action Cam would go from the leagues of a tandem parachute jump to a gnarly wing-suit dive. With the base-model retailing for $200, it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Contour's entry-level ROAM2 and GoPro's new White edition. At this price, only the GoPro has WiFi. If you want that feature with Sony's Action Cam, you'll need to dig a little deeper and pay $270. To be fair, that price puts it at about the level you would expect in the market -- given that GoPro wants $300 for its Silver Edition, which only really offers a stills upgrade from its cheaper sibling. All in all, we enjoyed our time with the Action Cam, and are happy with the results it provided. If its spec-sheet is suitable to your requirements, then there's no doubt it will serve you well.
MAKE: Home Brew Google Street
DIY Street-View Camera
Create Google Street View-like panoramas with cheap webcams and open-source software
I also mounted the array on a Jeep [see photos above] and drove around West Point, capturing images while driving up to 100 kilometers per hour. I programmed it to take one set of images every 20 seconds. In an hour I had 300 MB of data from 180 sets of images. When the jeep isn't stationary, the images can't be clustered into panoramas. (Recall that it takes 8 seconds to grab a single set.) Still, the individual images are perfectly clear and on a par with those available on Google Street View.
I'm now working on some improvements. One idea is to replace the notebook with a smaller computer, such as one based on the Pico-ITX board, and shrink the camera system (the actual CCD, or charge-coupled device, and lens elements are no bigger than a fingernail). Eventually, you could build a camera system small enough to be integrated into a headband or hat.
The software could use some tweaks as well. I'm planning to write an Adobe Flash application to allow the user to see the panoramas as 360-degree images and be able to navigate from one panorama to another, just as in Google Street View.
The U.S. Army is currently evaluating my prototype. Eventually, a contractor could produce a field version for tests. Meanwhile, as this article goes to print, I'm preparing to travel far and wide. If I have space in my backpack, I'll have the camera capturing my journey, step by step.
TOOLBOX FOR BUILDING PHOTOTRAIL
HARDWARE
Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000 camera (8)
D-Link USB hub (2)
GlobalSat BU-353 GPS receiver
Laptop running Ubuntu Linux
SOFTWARE
UVC driver: http://linux-uvc.berlios.de
Webcam device driver: http://linuxtv.org
luvcview: http://www.quickcamteam.net
Exiftool: http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool
gpicsync: http://code.google.com/p/gpicsync
autopano-sift: http://user.cs.tu-berlin.de/~nowozin/autopano-sift
hugin: http://hugin.sourceforge.net
PTViewer: http://www.fsoft.it/panorama/ptviewer.htm
About the Author
Roy D. Ragsdale studied computer science at the United States Military Academy, in West Point, N.Y. Ragsdale will report to his first unit, in Germany, next year.
By ROY D. RAGSDALE / OCTOBER 2009
If you use Google Maps, you're probably familiar with its Street View feature, which shows actual ground-level photos of many cities around the world. Google creates the images by mounting special cameras on vehicles and driving them around.
Now wouldn't it be great if you could have your own Street View–like camera? You could hike a trail and later share the photos with friends. The photos would carry GPS tags, so you could display them on Google Earth and include annotations—good water here, poison ivy there. Realtors could display whole neighborhoods to potential clients. A country club could offer a virtual tour of its golf course. Architects could monitor progress at a construction site.
Last year, as part of a "disruptive technologies" course at the United States Military Academy, in West Point, N.Y., I set out to develop a prototype. I thought such a system would have many applications in the battlefield, for example, helping soldiers patrol dangerous routes. My system—I call it PhotoTrail—uses off-the-shelf components and open-source software. It consists of webcams, a GPS receiver, a notebook computer, and imaging software.
For the camera system, I chose the Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000, which is small and has UVC (USB video class) compatibility. It was also cheap (although it lists for US $79.95, I got it for $25 new). It has a megapixel video resolution and shoots 8-megapixel still images.
The NX-6000 has a lens with a 71-degree field of view. In order to stitch images together for 360-degree panoramas, I bought eight units, for a total of 568 degrees of coverage, allowing a healthy image overlap. To connect all the cameras to the notebook, I used two D-Link USB hubs ($25 each), which ran unpowered.
For the GPS receiver, I chose the GlobalSat BU-353, a self-contained waterproof device with good signal reception and accuracy, which costs a mere $37. If you attach it to a USB port, the GPS coordinates will appear in a log file, using a standard GPS encoding scheme.
Construction was straightforward. On a flat octagonal heavy-cardboard base, I glued small posts for the cameras' clips to latch onto. I aligned each unit and then placed the USB hubs and the GPS receiver in the middle. I secured the cables with Velcro and sandwiched everything with another piece of cardboard. The whole thing's the size of a small pizza box, weighing less than 1 kilogram. Excluding the notebook (a 2-gigahertz machine with 512 megabytes of RAM running Ubuntu Linux), the hardware cost about $300.
To start capturing images, I installed a UVC driver and a device driver compatible with the camera array. For the capture itself, I used luvcview, a small open-source webcam program by Logitech. (Uvccapture, also by Logitech, lets you take still shots, but it was incompatible with this camera.)
I had set the camera array on video capture, so I needed to tweak luvcview's source code to get still images from the video feed. The tweaks call for the array to capture a few frames and then stabilize itself so that the images are in focus and have good light contrast. I wrote a Python script to capture the eight 1280-by-1024 JPEG files. That capture takes about 8 seconds. Images captured within that time frame can be considered a single cluster to be stitched together.
Digital cameras normally add data about the photograph, but because luvcview operates at the file level, these images have no such metadata. So I wrote a Python script to read the date and time the file was created. I then used Exiftool, a command-line image metadata editor, to put the date and time into the file.
The images also need to be GPS-tagged. Gpicsync, an open-source tool, can automatically get the latitude and longitude data from a GPS receiver's log and add the coordinates to the image's metadata field. Gpicsync also lets you transform this image set into a single file that you can view using Google Earth.
I used two tools to generate panoramas. The first, autopano-sift, identifies common features in different images and aligns them along a horizon line. Another tool, hugin, uses those common elements to effectively stitch the images into a single panorama. I again used gpicsync to GPS-tag the panorama and generate a Google Earth file. To see the panorama as a 360-degree image and zoom in and pan about the scene, you can use PTViewer.
On my underpowered computer, it took 15 minutes to stitch each panorama. It's a long time. But you can do the capture first and the stitching later, or transmit the images to a more powerful server for remote processing.
With all this development work done, it was time to test the prototype. During a trip to the Boston area, I walked around the MIT campus holding the system above my head. Passersby didn't seem bothered. I guess students attached to weird contraptions are a common sight there. On Google Earth, I can retrace my route and see the surroundings with great detail .
Now wouldn't it be great if you could have your own Street View–like camera? You could hike a trail and later share the photos with friends. The photos would carry GPS tags, so you could display them on Google Earth and include annotations—good water here, poison ivy there. Realtors could display whole neighborhoods to potential clients. A country club could offer a virtual tour of its golf course. Architects could monitor progress at a construction site.
Last year, as part of a "disruptive technologies" course at the United States Military Academy, in West Point, N.Y., I set out to develop a prototype. I thought such a system would have many applications in the battlefield, for example, helping soldiers patrol dangerous routes. My system—I call it PhotoTrail—uses off-the-shelf components and open-source software. It consists of webcams, a GPS receiver, a notebook computer, and imaging software.
For the camera system, I chose the Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000, which is small and has UVC (USB video class) compatibility. It was also cheap (although it lists for US $79.95, I got it for $25 new). It has a megapixel video resolution and shoots 8-megapixel still images.
The NX-6000 has a lens with a 71-degree field of view. In order to stitch images together for 360-degree panoramas, I bought eight units, for a total of 568 degrees of coverage, allowing a healthy image overlap. To connect all the cameras to the notebook, I used two D-Link USB hubs ($25 each), which ran unpowered.
For the GPS receiver, I chose the GlobalSat BU-353, a self-contained waterproof device with good signal reception and accuracy, which costs a mere $37. If you attach it to a USB port, the GPS coordinates will appear in a log file, using a standard GPS encoding scheme.
Construction was straightforward. On a flat octagonal heavy-cardboard base, I glued small posts for the cameras' clips to latch onto. I aligned each unit and then placed the USB hubs and the GPS receiver in the middle. I secured the cables with Velcro and sandwiched everything with another piece of cardboard. The whole thing's the size of a small pizza box, weighing less than 1 kilogram. Excluding the notebook (a 2-gigahertz machine with 512 megabytes of RAM running Ubuntu Linux), the hardware cost about $300.
To start capturing images, I installed a UVC driver and a device driver compatible with the camera array. For the capture itself, I used luvcview, a small open-source webcam program by Logitech. (Uvccapture, also by Logitech, lets you take still shots, but it was incompatible with this camera.)
I had set the camera array on video capture, so I needed to tweak luvcview's source code to get still images from the video feed. The tweaks call for the array to capture a few frames and then stabilize itself so that the images are in focus and have good light contrast. I wrote a Python script to capture the eight 1280-by-1024 JPEG files. That capture takes about 8 seconds. Images captured within that time frame can be considered a single cluster to be stitched together.
Digital cameras normally add data about the photograph, but because luvcview operates at the file level, these images have no such metadata. So I wrote a Python script to read the date and time the file was created. I then used Exiftool, a command-line image metadata editor, to put the date and time into the file.
The images also need to be GPS-tagged. Gpicsync, an open-source tool, can automatically get the latitude and longitude data from a GPS receiver's log and add the coordinates to the image's metadata field. Gpicsync also lets you transform this image set into a single file that you can view using Google Earth.
I used two tools to generate panoramas. The first, autopano-sift, identifies common features in different images and aligns them along a horizon line. Another tool, hugin, uses those common elements to effectively stitch the images into a single panorama. I again used gpicsync to GPS-tag the panorama and generate a Google Earth file. To see the panorama as a 360-degree image and zoom in and pan about the scene, you can use PTViewer.
On my underpowered computer, it took 15 minutes to stitch each panorama. It's a long time. But you can do the capture first and the stitching later, or transmit the images to a more powerful server for remote processing.
With all this development work done, it was time to test the prototype. During a trip to the Boston area, I walked around the MIT campus holding the system above my head. Passersby didn't seem bothered. I guess students attached to weird contraptions are a common sight there. On Google Earth, I can retrace my route and see the surroundings with great detail .
I'm now working on some improvements. One idea is to replace the notebook with a smaller computer, such as one based on the Pico-ITX board, and shrink the camera system (the actual CCD, or charge-coupled device, and lens elements are no bigger than a fingernail). Eventually, you could build a camera system small enough to be integrated into a headband or hat.
The software could use some tweaks as well. I'm planning to write an Adobe Flash application to allow the user to see the panoramas as 360-degree images and be able to navigate from one panorama to another, just as in Google Street View.
The U.S. Army is currently evaluating my prototype. Eventually, a contractor could produce a field version for tests. Meanwhile, as this article goes to print, I'm preparing to travel far and wide. If I have space in my backpack, I'll have the camera capturing my journey, step by step.
TOOLBOX FOR BUILDING PHOTOTRAIL
HARDWARE
Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000 camera (8)
D-Link USB hub (2)
GlobalSat BU-353 GPS receiver
Laptop running Ubuntu Linux
SOFTWARE
UVC driver: http://linux-uvc.berlios.de
Webcam device driver: http://linuxtv.org
luvcview: http://www.quickcamteam.net
Exiftool: http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool
gpicsync: http://code.google.com/p/gpicsync
autopano-sift: http://user.cs.tu-berlin.de/~nowozin/autopano-sift
hugin: http://hugin.sourceforge.net
PTViewer: http://www.fsoft.it/panorama/ptviewer.htm
About the Author
Roy D. Ragsdale studied computer science at the United States Military Academy, in West Point, N.Y. Ragsdale will report to his first unit, in Germany, next year.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Nikon D800 and D700 versus D300s and D7000
Below is the current November 2012 Nikon DSLR offerings. They are essentially divided into tow great groups the FX or full-frame versus DX or less-than-full-frame as when compared to the 35mm film of yesteryear. On the moment MidNight's Pickers would be in order D600, D300s, D800, and while the last the D7000. The D300s is in the Blue2CAN community as are the D800 and D600 but to a lesser extent as the 10-pin connection versus a change in body shape does not readily mount the curent case design of the Blue2CAN. FYI
The difference between DX and FX sensors is quite clear when it comes to overall image quality. The first generation Nikon FX sensors from D700 and D3 are about 1.5 stops better than DX counterparts, while the second generation D3s FX camera is over 3 stops better than DX. The size of the sensor and pixels within the sensor is extremely important and FX shows that it is a far more capable sensor than DX when it comes to noise, dynamic range and other factors.
The sensor is the most important component of a digital camera, because it is directly responsible for capturing an optical image and converting it to an electric signal, which later gets optimized and converted to a digital image by other camera electronics. Just like your computer screen, sensors contain millions of pixels, except they are there to collect light, not display it. When you see a digital camera with 12 megapixels, it literally means that the camera sensor contains 12 million tiny pixels for the sole purpose of gathering light. Think of those pixels as buckets that attract light particles – the larger the bucket, the more light particles it can store in a given amount of time. These buckets are known as “photosites” and their size plays a huge role in sensor sensitivity and ability to accurately gather light in various lighting conditions. Bigger buckets are always better than smaller ones, because more light particles can be stored in those, without getting over-filled. The information about light particles is then passed on to the camera processor, which assembles a digital image starting from the first pixel all the way to the last. And all of this happens in a matter of milliseconds!
While larger pixels (or bigger buckets) work best for sensors, they are also extremely expensive to manufacture. To keep the costs low and product accessible to a broader customer range, many camera manufacturers produce smaller sensors. Obviously, as the size of the sensors decrease, so do the number of pixels. To combat this problem, manufacturers have been cramming more and more pixels into tiny sensors while simultaneously increasing the efficiency and throughput of each pixel. Unfortunately, this resulted in a “megapixel race” among the manufacturers and we are seeing more and more pixels in the modern sensors, despite the fact that the size of the sensors has pretty much remained the same.
Nikon DX sensors, for example, have a crop factor of 1.5x. What this means, is that relative to 35mm film, the image will appear enlarged by approximately 50%. So shooting with a 24-70mm lens is “equivalent” of shooting with a 36-105mm lens on a film body.
Read more: Photography Life Nikon DX-vs-FX
Connectivity is also increasingly important. For example the D600 includes both microphone and earphone jacks for its video funcitons as well as a USB for external access to memory and camera control. A HDMI mini-socket is avaialble to external flow to displays as well as to more adequate DVR equipment. Lastly is a port that allows the integration of a GPS device for the automated geotagging of imagery.
Of partiuclar interest are the D800 with a 36Mp FX image, the D600 24Mp FX image. Alternatively the D300s is a DX sensor making a 12.3 Mp and is a common denominator camera. The D7000 is also a DX sensor providing a 16 MP image.
Info on the Nikon D600
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
KML to the Rescure... SHP be dammed
Open Street Maps KML Super Overlay
In support of testing KML in FalconView, I created a simple Google App Engine application that provides automatically generated KML via network links and regions to deliver Open Street Maps. I thought this was fun enough to blog. You can find a KML file to try it yourself here, and you can find a link to the Python source code here
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Friday, November 2, 2012
Trimble.. just in time to be behind the curve?
The device is designed to be easy to hold and measures 6.3-inches by 9.6-inches with a weight of under 3 pounds. The display uses technology to make it clear and easy-to-read in direct sunlight. Trimble promises that the display is readable even in the brightest of outdoor conditions. The tablet computer can be had with a dual mode cellular modem allowing connectivity to mobile data networks via GSM or CDMA cellular networks when available.
The operating system of the computer is Windows 7 Professional. The machine runs a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom dual core processor paired with 4 GB of DDR3 RAM. Storage is to a 64 GB SSD, and the tablet has a dual battery giving eight hours of runtime. There are a number of options for the Yuma 2 tablet, including a larger 128 GB SSD, and an extended battery set providing up to 16 hours of operation.
The touch screen can be used with fingers, a stylus, or special capacitive gloves. The tablet also can be used in portrait or landscape modes with orientation changing automatically thanks to an accelerometer inside. Other features include a five-megapixel camera that can take video or still photos with geo-tagging and an integrated GPS receiver. The tablet meets MIL-STD-810G standards for drops, vibration, and humidity. The Yuma 2 is expected to be available in early Q4 at an undisclosed price.
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