Category Archives: Point and Shoot

Point and Shoot

New Google Camera App available for Android Kitcat 4.4+

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Google has just released the new standalone Google Camera App for Android 4.4+ (Kitcat) devices (Nexus 7, 10 Tablets and Nexus 5 Phone)

From their description:
Google Camera snaps quick and easy photos and videos, and has creative picture modes like Photo Sphere, Lens Blur and Panorama.Features
• Photo Spheres for immersive 360º views
• Lens Blur mode for SLR-like photos with shallow depth of field
• Panorama mode with high resolution
• 100% viewfinder for getting the maximum resolution from the sensor (no dropped pixels)
• Updated UI that gets out of your way and is centered on an extra large capture button
• Works on phones and tablets running Android 4.4+ KitKat. If you have any of the compatible devices it is well worth checking out.

Here’s a link to a post by: Carlos Hernández at the Google research blog, explaining the lens blur feature. Really cool stuff. Check it out!.

Canon Powershot Point and Shoot (Compact) Cameras

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Canon Logo

 

 

Canon has a great variety of Compact Cameras also known as point and shoot in their line up. From the High end G1, S, SX series, to the social N Series, to the smaller Elph series, to the Sports Waterproof D Series, to the most affordable A Series. There’s one camera for every need. We like Canon cameras and have had many through the years, being always satisfied with their performance, quality and customer service (when rare problems do arise). Here’s a table with some of the most popular choices.

Canon celebrates production of 250 million digital cameras

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TOKYO, Japan, March 27, 2014—Canon Inc. today celebrated a camera-manufacturing milestone as combined production of the Company’s compact digital and interchangeable-lens digital cameras surpassed 250 million units on January 31, 2014

Canon EOS 70D Digital Camera

The EOS 70D, featuring
innovative autofocus technology

Canon Powershot G1 X Mark II Digital Camera

The PowerShot G1 X Mark II,
targeting the highest levels
of imaging performance

Canon, a company that has continuously produced cameras since its founding in 1937, began producing and marketing digital cameras in the mid 1990s. In 1995, when film cameras were still the norm, Canon launched its first digital camera, the professional-model EOS DCS 3* digital SLR camera.

At the time, compact cameras were leading the digital shift within the camera industry. In 1996, Canon announced its market entry with the introduction of the PowerShot 600, the Company’s first compact digital camera. In 2000, amid the market’s rapid growth, Canon launched the IXY DIGITAL (PowerShot S100 or DIGITAL IXUS in markets outside of Japan), featuring a ground-breaking compact, stylish body design that set the trend for compact digital cameras.

Subsequent models released by the Company reflected the diverse evolution of compact digital cameras with models becoming increasingly compact and lightweight, achieving higher sensitivity, incorporating more enhanced automatic functions, and realizing greater network connectivity. This evolution fueled robust growth as Canon’s cumulative production of compact digital cameras surpassed the 100-million-unit mark in 2008, and broke through the 200-million-unit threshold in December 2013. Aiming to further extend its production volume, in 2014 Canon launched a new lineup of compact digital cameras that let users enjoy high value-added photography, including the PowerShot G1 X Mark II, designed to deliver the highest levels of imaging performance, and the new-concept-model PowerShot N100.

As for interchangeable-lens digital cameras, while the market in the mid 1990s had consisted primarily of professional models, with the start of the 2000s, the segment rapidly took off. In 2000, Canon launched the EOS D30, developed as a “next-generation standard digital SLR camera” to satisfy the needs of a wide user base, from advanced photo enthusiasts to professional users. In 2003, Canon again led the market with the introduction of the entry-level-model EOS Kiss Digital (EOS Digital Rebel or EOS 300D), which set the stage for dramatic expansion of the market.

Since that time, Canon has successively launched innovative products that capitalize on the Company’s strengths in CMOS sensors, image processors and EF lenses, such as the professional-model EOS-1 series and EOS 5D series targeting advanced-amateur users, as well as the compact-camera-system EOS M series. As a result, in 2005, production of Canon interchangeable-lens digital cameras reached 25 million units and, in February 2014, surpassed 50 million units. Among the new products worthy of note that contributed to the realization of this milestone were the EOS 70D, featuring innovative Dual Pixel CMOS AF autofocus technology, and the entry-level EOS Kiss X7 (EOS Rebel SL1 or EOS 100D), which combines a ground-breaking compact, lightweight body design with advanced basic performance.

Canon will continue to refine its diverse imaging technologies based on its core optical technologies, striving to produce exceptional and reliable cameras and lenses that cater to the varying needs of photographers—from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals—while contributing to expanding the culture of photographic and video imaging.

* The EOS DCS 3, jointly developed by Canon and Eastman Kodak, was also sold under the Kodak brand.

 

Buying a camera: everything you need to know

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By: By David Pierce and Vlad Savov (www.theverge.com)

Cameras are everywhere. There’s one in your laptop, two in your phone, and probably a pair in your tablet that you’ve never used. There’s maybe one in your doorbell, even, or strapped to your head while you bomb the slopes. We’re taking more pictures in more ways and sharing them in more places than ever. Yet most of us use our cameras with the bare minimum of knowledge, just pointing and shooting and hoping for an Instagrammable moment. And even if you’re buying a camera because you’re ready to move beyond your iPhone and take pictures you’ll want to save forever, it’s hard to know what to do.

Camera companies don’t exactly make life easy, either. Spec sheets are laden with alien terms like ISO and f-numbers, and once you manage to get a grasp on what they mean, you’re still confronted with a spectacular variety of options. So we’ve put together this guide to help you navigate the quagmire of excess information, acronyms, and jargon. It’ll enlighten you about which specs are important when, and what cameras are suitable for whom. Sound good? Then read on!

Full article at the source>

Digital Compact Camera Nikon COOLPIX P600/P530/P340

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Multi-functional models, one offering 42x optical zoom and one offering 60x optical zoom, the highest zoom ratio in COOLPIX history
A model equipped with a large 1/1.7-inch backside illumination CMOS sensor and a fast lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the release of three new COOLPIX P-series models, the P600, P530, and P340. The COOLPIX P series is a line of multi-functional, high-performance compact digital cameras that enable full-scale photography.

Nikon P600

Nikon P600

Nikon P530

Nikon P530

The P600 and P530 are compact models equipped with high zoom-ratio lenses that support capture of a wide variety of scenes with a single camera. Despite being equipped with a 60x (up to 120x*1 with Dynamic Fine Zoom) optical zoom NIKKOR lens offering the highest zoom ratio in COOLPIX history with coverage of a broad range of angles of view, from the wide-angle 24mm to super-telephoto 1440mm (equivalent focal lengths in 35mm [135] format), the P600 is very compact. The NIKKOR lens built into the P600 is also the first COOLPIX lens for which a super ED lens element has been adopted for superior image quality. The P530 is equipped with a 42x (up to 84x*1 with Dynamic Fine Zoom) optical zoom NIKKOR lens that covers a broad range of angles of view from wide-angle 24mm to super-telephoto 1000mm (equivalent focal lengths in 35mm [135] format), and a high-resolution, 3-inch, approximately 921k-dot TFT LCD monitor with wide viewing angle. New scene modes, Moon and Bird-watching, have been added to both of these models, allowing users to easily enjoy super-telephoto photography. In addition, these cameras are equipped with a high-performance lens-shift vibration reduction (VR) function that offers camera shake compensation equivalent to a shutter speed 3.5-stops*2 faster and an Active option for effective reduction of blur caused by camera shake with recording of still images and movies. Offering faster AF and a shorter shooting time lag, these cameras ensure capture of the desired moment with quick and nimble focusing. On its own, each of these compact cameras is packed with advanced functions that support photography of a wide variety of scenes, from super-telephoto to wide-angle and macro photography.

Nikon P340

Nikon P340

The P340 features a simple, refined design, and its combination of a fast lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 and large, 1/1.7-inch backside illumination CMOS sensor achieves superior rendering characteristics. It is equipped with a 5x (up to 10x*1 with Dynamic Fine Zoom) optical zoom NIKKOR lens that covers the wide-angle 24mm to telephoto 120mm range of angles of view (equivalent focal lengths in 35mm [135] format) that also enables macro photography as close as 2 cm to the lens. It offers superior operation with adoption of a control ring around the lens barrel, to which a variety of functions can be assigned, and which can be used to fine-tune effects applied in scene modes and Special Effects mode.

In addition, the P600 and P340 offer built-in Wi-Fi® that can be used to easily transfer photos to a smart device for sharing with others*3. This allows users to enjoy connecting with others through their photos after they are taken.

  • *1At the maximum image size.
  • *2Measured at approximately 350mm (equivalent in 35mm [135] format) in accordance with CIPA standards.
  • *3The Wireless Mobile Utility app must first be installed on the smart device (the app can be downloaded free of charge from the smart device’s app store), and Wi-Fi® connection settings must be applied before image transfer is possible.

Full article at source>

Samsung reveals Galaxy Camera 2 ahead of CES 2014

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By Lexy Savvides   |   January 3, 2014 (http://www.cnet.com.au/)

The first model is the successor to the Galaxy Camera, an Android-powered hybrid that merges the photo-taking prowess of a traditional camera with the connectivity of a smartphone. Called the Galaxy Camera 2, the new model has the same 21x zoom lens and 16-megapixel sensor as its predeecessor, though it comes with a faster 1.6GHz processor and 2GB of RAM.

On top of this, the camera runs Android Jellybean 4.3 and comes with NFC for easier pairing with other connected devices. Like the earlier model, the new version has a 4.8-inch touchscreen at the back for composing, reviewing, sharing and editing photos. A microphone and headphone jack make it convenient for use as a media player or Skype-ready handset, though you can’t make actual phone calls from the camera.

Also announced was the NX30, an update to its NX range of interchangeable lens cameras. It comes with an electronic viewfinder, 20.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, dual image stabilisation for video recording and a very useful feature of being able to output a clean HDMI feed.

Full article and picture at the source>