Enjoy...
MidNight Mapper
Sony's Digital Recording Binoculars score a huge boost with $2,000 DEV-50V
Who, you say, might be the target customer for Sony's Digital Recording Binoculars? Your guess is as good as ours, but regardless of the device's audience, Sony's improvements are sure to boost that base by a bit. Like its predecessor, the DEV-5V, the DEV-50V captures stills and video, and will retail for $2,000, though the similarities end there. These binoculars are suited for far more than birdwatching -- the dual-sensor design is ideal for shooting 3D, and with dual 2.4M-dot XGA OLED viewfinders, previewing and playing back three-dimensional content apparently feels quite natural. There's a 0.8-25x zoom ratio (36.3-2,007mm 35mm equivalent), giving you quite a bit of range for viewing and recording just about any scene. The active optical SteadyShot offers twice the stability of its predecessor, and at 1 pound, 14 ounces, representing a 30-percent reduction, you'll be holding the binocs with a bit less discomfort, too.
Curiously, the previous-generation product wasn't rain-proof, but that's been resolved now -- a new water- and dust-resistant housing is designed to let water flow through the eyepieces without accumulation. Dual Exmor R CMOS sensors enable 20.4-megapixel still image and 1080/60p video capture, while a two-channel internal mic and audio input (and headphone) jack make it possible to add in your own audio -- quite useful, considering that the source of your footage may be hundreds of feet away. Sony's DEV-50V Digital Recording Binoculars are expected in stores for $2,000 come June. Will they be going home with you?
Gallery: Sony DEV-50V Digital Recording Binoculars
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V
Fully equipped and ready to accompany you wherever you go, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V is (at least for now) the smallest and lightest 30x optical zoo—or higher—camera on the market. This 20 megapixel camera features a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 24-720mm, measures a mere 4 3/8 × 2 5/8 × 1 9/16 inches and weighs 9.6 ounces, fully loaded.
That’s a lot of zoom for such small camera but Sony claims that improvements to its Optical SteadyShot image stabilization provides double the stabilization—and autofocus speed—of the HX50V’s sibling, the HX200V, at the same focal length. Maximum burst speed
is 10fps for a total of 10 shots (we assume that focus and exposure is set at the first shot in order to obtain the 10fps speed).
is 10fps for a total of 10 shots (we assume that focus and exposure is set at the first shot in order to obtain the 10fps speed).
The multi interface shoe allows easy connection with wide-ranging accessories expanding the range of photographic expression. Available accessories include a powerful external flash unit, electronic viewfinder etc.
Its GPS is great for travelers while the built-in WiFi provides wireless transfer to and remote triggering from iOS and Android devices. And, of course, the HX50V is compatible with Sony’s proprietary apps.
In addition to automatic and scene mode options, the HX50V offers full manual and semi-manual exposure modes. Full HD video (AVCHD 60i/60p) with stereo sound is available as well.
is great for travelers while the built-in WiFi provides wireless transfer to and remote triggering from iOS and Android devices. And, of course, the HX50V is compatible with Sony’s proprietary apps.In addition to automatic and scene mode options, the HX50V offers full manual and semi-manual exposure modes. Full HD video
(AVCHD 60i/60p) with stereo sound is available as well.
Creative filters and effects come aplenty, including Sony's Intelligent Sweep Panorama, which can capture even a full 360-degree image. Other artistic options including Pop Color, Soft High-Key and more.
WiFi and GPS. The Sony HX50V has built-in WiFi capabilities that take advantage of Sony's PlayMemories apps (available for both Android and Apple mobile devices) so you can transfer photos and videos wirelessly. PlayMemories also empowers your connected smartphone or tablet to act as a wireless remote to control the camera for self-portraits -- or for more creative uses.
With the camera's built-in GPS, you can geotag your photos and keep track of your photographic journeys.
Hi-Def video. Full 1080p HD video capabilities are becoming pretty much standard on compact cameras these days -- except for the most basic models -- but the HX50V surprises by allowing for fast-and-smooth 60p recording at 1920x1080. Filming gets the benefit of Sony's Optical SteadyShot Active mode, which reduces camera shake and blur during panning or other camera movements.
WiFi and GPS. The Sony HX50V has built-in WiFi capabilities that take advantage of Sony's PlayMemories apps (available for both Android and Apple mobile devices) so you can transfer photos and videos wirelessly. PlayMemories also empowers your connected smartphone or tablet to act as a wireless remote to control the camera for self-portraits -- or for more creative uses.
With the camera's built-in GPS, you can geotag your photos and keep track of your photographic journeys.
Hi-Def video. Full 1080p HD video capabilities are becoming pretty much standard on compact cameras these days -- except for the most basic models -- but the HX50V surprises by allowing for fast-and-smooth 60p recording at 1920x1080. Filming gets the benefit of Sony's Optical SteadyShot Active mode, which reduces camera shake and blur during panning or other camera movements.
The HX50V records video in both AVCHD and MP4 formats, although MP4s are shot at reduced resolution and speeds. To help achieve better audio, the HX50V incorporates a stereo microphone and a wind noise-reduction feature.
A growing list of PENTAX photographic products including DSLR cameras, compact digital cameras and certain interchangeable lenses have been specifically engineered to include a high level of protection against dust, moisture, rain and cold temperatures. Water-tight access covers, gaskets and a generous number of seals in the construction of the camera and lens body have expanded how and where these products can be used.
The current selection of DSLRs from PENTAX offer a weather, dust and coldproof design to ensure reliable and consistent performance both in inclement weather and in those demanding environmental conditions which would challenge any camera. From the inside-out, PENTAX DSLRs are engineered to be both tough and dependable. Photographers from around the world report the ability to continue to shoot stunning images while enduring the harshest elements nature has to offer, including rain, sleet, and snow.
First are the PENTAX DA* (DA Star) lenses. Recognized for their outstanding image quality and advanced features, PENTAX DA* lenses handle harsh weather with ease. Because each part of a DA* lens that might contact the environment is tightly sealed, it is ideal for use in dusty or rainy conditions. PENTAX DA* lenses are categorized both dustproof and waterresistant. The next category of “all weather” PENTAX lenses is designated “WR”. These affordable lenses utilize a simplified weather-resistant construction (similar to the sealing technology used in DA* lenses) which makes it difficult for water to enter the lens.
Belkin rolls out 720p NetCam HD Wi-Fi surveillance camera
Belkin NetCam HD Wi-Fi Camera (F7D7602) includes the following features: -- HD, 720p resolution video -- Clear digital audio -- Easy mobile-device setup to eliminate the need for a computer -- Infrared night vision for clear vision in little to no light -- Wide-angle video -- Movement detection email alerts -- Ability to record live video to mobile devices -- Compatible with iOS (4.2 or higher) and Android (version 2.2 or higher) devices
Pricing & Availability
Belkin's NetCam HD Wi-Fi Camera is available for purchase now at belkin.com, Amazon.com, Verizon, Target stores and other major retailers for $149.99. The free NetCam app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
Darpa Finally Shrinks Massive Thermal Cameras Into Handheld Device
- 04.17.13
- 4:40 PM
The military’s thermal imaging cameras are too large to carry, like the mounted one being used by this armored cavalry trooper in Iraq on May, 15, 2005. Photo: Department of Defense
If the U.S. military wants to spot an enemy creeping up at night using only his body heat, it relies on bulky thermal cameras that need to be lugged around in tanks, planes and helicopters. Only now the Pentagon’s far-out researchers think they’ve developed infrared cameras and targeting systems small enough to fit in a soldier’s hand.
Darpa announced yesterday that one of its partners, New Jersey defense contractor DRS Technologies, has developed an infrared camera with pixels sized at only five microns across, or five-millionths of a meter. That’s about the standard pixel size of a smartphone camera or DSLR. Unlike that hardware, the Darpa camera uses thermal imaging — long-wave infrared — to detect body heat. The military’s night-time targeting sensors could start becoming a lot smaller and more pervasive.
It also leads to an inevitable question: what’s wrong with night vision goggles? Nothing, when there’s at least some light your camera can pick up and magnify. But if there’s not enough light, then they won’t work that well. Thermal cameras rely on heat — light doesn’t matter. Thermal also allow for much greater contrast. An enemy hiding in a tree is going to pop out in a thermal image in a way he’s not with night vision. Another ultimate goal, Darpa notes in a statement, is to “replace multiple sights now used by rifle scopes with single day/night sensor.”
Thermal imaging currently is either too big or too grainy. On the one hand, most of the military’s thermal imagers need to be hauled in tanks or helicopters, and are “too expensive for individual deployment,” Darpa laments. On the other, the thermal imaging devices it has that are actually small enough to mount on drones — or even miniaturized into a rifle sight — work only at low resolutions (around 320 x 240 pixels) and are similarly expensive, making them impractical for an individual soldier.
Then come the technical hurdles. In thermal imaging, smaller pixels can more easily be overwhelmed by background radiation. As the pixels become tinier and tiner, they become saturated with photons — a pixel can only hold so many at once — resulting in more background “noise” that’s harder and harder to control. Eventually, the noise interferes with the signal so much, that what should be a clear image turns out looking deadened and grey.
The five-micron-pixel infrared camera. Photo: Darpa
Darpa doesn’t fully explain how it got around the problem, except to say that “the camera demonstrates a reduction in pixel size, not pixel count,” Darpa program manager Nibir Dhar tells Danger Room. “Technical details regarding the signal-to-noise ratio are proprietary. As stated in the web feature, image performance is similar to cameras using larger pixels.”
Calls to DRS Technologies weren’t returned.
Nevertheless, smaller pixels for infrared cameras that don’t suffer a loss in resolution is a real technological achievement. “[E]ach pixel is about one twelfth the size of a human hair, or about one-sixth the area of current state-of-the-art,” Darpa noted in its press release. Since the diameter of a focal plane array is squared each time the size is divided in two, a sensor six times smaller would make it around 36 times cheaper to make.
It’s worth a note of caution that this isn’t a piece of hardware yet. It’s still a research project, under the umbrella program AWARE, or “Advanced Wide Field-of-View Architectures for Image Reconstruction and Exploitation.” But it’s a working demonstration, and can be added to a number of other Darpa advancements within the program, like a one-gigapixel camera and battery-powered cooling devices for infrared cameras. Now those cameras are closer to stepping out into the night
- 04.17.13
- 4:40 PM
Darpa announced yesterday that one of its partners, New Jersey defense contractor DRS Technologies, has developed an infrared camera with pixels sized at only five microns across, or five-millionths of a meter. That’s about the standard pixel size of a smartphone camera or DSLR. Unlike that hardware, the Darpa camera uses thermal imaging — long-wave infrared — to detect body heat. The military’s night-time targeting sensors could start becoming a lot smaller and more pervasive.
It also leads to an inevitable question: what’s wrong with night vision goggles? Nothing, when there’s at least some light your camera can pick up and magnify. But if there’s not enough light, then they won’t work that well. Thermal cameras rely on heat — light doesn’t matter. Thermal also allow for much greater contrast. An enemy hiding in a tree is going to pop out in a thermal image in a way he’s not with night vision. Another ultimate goal, Darpa notes in a statement, is to “replace multiple sights now used by rifle scopes with single day/night sensor.”
Thermal imaging currently is either too big or too grainy. On the one hand, most of the military’s thermal imagers need to be hauled in tanks or helicopters, and are “too expensive for individual deployment,” Darpa laments. On the other, the thermal imaging devices it has that are actually small enough to mount on drones — or even miniaturized into a rifle sight — work only at low resolutions (around 320 x 240 pixels) and are similarly expensive, making them impractical for an individual soldier.
Then come the technical hurdles. In thermal imaging, smaller pixels can more easily be overwhelmed by background radiation. As the pixels become tinier and tiner, they become saturated with photons — a pixel can only hold so many at once — resulting in more background “noise” that’s harder and harder to control. Eventually, the noise interferes with the signal so much, that what should be a clear image turns out looking deadened and grey.
The five-micron-pixel infrared camera. Photo: Darpa
Darpa doesn’t fully explain how it got around the problem, except to say that “the camera demonstrates a reduction in pixel size, not pixel count,” Darpa program manager Nibir Dhar tells Danger Room. “Technical details regarding the signal-to-noise ratio are proprietary. As stated in the web feature, image performance is similar to cameras using larger pixels.”
Calls to DRS Technologies weren’t returned.
Nevertheless, smaller pixels for infrared cameras that don’t suffer a loss in resolution is a real technological achievement. “[E]ach pixel is about one twelfth the size of a human hair, or about one-sixth the area of current state-of-the-art,” Darpa noted in its press release. Since the diameter of a focal plane array is squared each time the size is divided in two, a sensor six times smaller would make it around 36 times cheaper to make.
It’s worth a note of caution that this isn’t a piece of hardware yet. It’s still a research project, under the umbrella program AWARE, or “Advanced Wide Field-of-View Architectures for Image Reconstruction and Exploitation.” But it’s a working demonstration, and can be added to a number of other Darpa advancements within the program, like a one-gigapixel camera and battery-powered cooling devices for infrared cameras. Now those cameras are closer to stepping out into the night
No comments:
Post a Comment