Full category list for displayed posts: Cameras
iFixit's tear down of the iPhone 4S.
You probably don’t give too much thought to all the parts that make up your shiny new iPhone 4S, but there’s a whole Apple economy built in.
For example: that sharp new 8-megapixel camera that is a key feature of the new device is causing a lot of headaches for a company called OmniVision Technologies Inc. — there are already two law firms looking into what happened when Omnivision realized that it couldn’t supply as promised the camera for the iPhone 4S.
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![Win a $400 Mobile Cinematography Kit From Cult of Mac and FiLMiC Pro [Giveaway]](http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/FiLMiCPromo.jpg)
You probably don’t need to hear it from us that the iPhone 4 is one hell of a video camera and that Final Cut Pro X is awesome in its own right. However, we do want to make sure our readers have access to all the best tools to fullfil their directoral dreams, so if you’re one of those with the burning desire to create the next viral video shot entirely on your iPhone 4, but lack all the tools to get said video made, here’s your chance to unleash your hidden cinematographic potential by winning a Mobile Cinematography Kit from Cult of Mac and FiLMiC Pro. Entering the contest is ridiculously simple. Here’s how to give yourself the chance to win the $400 Grand Prize Package:
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Adobe wants to help iPhone photographers improve their pics.
The company, which recently released Photoshop Elements 9 on the Mac App store, is sponsoring a series of events called Photoshop & You in San Francisco until Aug. 6.
On Friday, July 29, you can first learn more about the mobile camera that made those point-and-shoots practically obsolete, then head out into the streets of San Francisco with the experts to shoot.
Dan Marcolina, who wrote a well-received book on iPhone photography called iPhone Obsessed and Knox Bronson, founder of P1xels, hub of the iPhoneography movement, will be talking on “Phone Art: The Exploding Digital Inevitable in Technology, Technique, and Culture.”
The pair will discuss with participants the global community of photographers united by these handy devices and some of the more interesting issues around the evolution of the medium and working with apps.
Afterwards, you can take part in a mobile photo walk (caveat: no regular cameras allowed) with Marcolina and Bronson through iconic Union Square.
Events are free but space is limited, you can sign up here.
![Thunderbolt Target Disk Mode Requires Apple’s Special Cable [Tip]](http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Apple-Thunderbolt-cable.jpg)
If you are planning on using Target Disk Mode to boot your Mac equipped with Thunderbolt ports you’ll need Apple’s special Thunderbolt cable in order for it to work. This is required even when connecting two Macs or a Mac to an external Thunderbolt equipped disk drive.
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Now that the iPhone has sent the the common point-and-shoot camera the way of Kodachrome, there’s no excuse for bad pics.
Designer and photographer Dan Marcolina wrote a well-received book on iPhone Photography called iPhone Obsessed. Now he’s got an iPad app companion to the book, which teaches even more tips and tricks.
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3D is all the rage this year — seems like every electronics outfit in existence had a new 3D TV on display at this year’s CES — and now practically anyone can shoot their own 3D photos (to display on the aforementioned 3D TVs).
The $250 stereo-imaging H-FT012 lens is part of Panasonic’s micro four-thirds lineup, and is meant for bodies like Panasonic’s $900 (for the body only) LUMIX DMC-GH2, a touch-screen hybrid (still + video) camera that shoots full HD at 60 fps, also released today. Note to James Cameron wannabes, though: The H-FT012 doesn’t do video.
Focal length is fixed at a narrowish-but-useable 65mm, and at F12, the lens is daylight-use only; still, this is probably the most practical 3D-image kit currently out on the market.
Canon has just updated their excellent PowerShot G-Series of pro-level point and shoots, and while the new G12 doesn’t offer too much that is new over its predecessor, it’s still an easy camera to recommend to the amateur photographer looking for a bridge camera to an eventual SLR.
The G12 is now Canon’s top-of-the-line point and shoot, boasting a 10MP CCD (a wise choice given that sensor’s size: anything more than 10MP is just inviting graininess), lots of manual dials for exposure and ISO control, a swiveling 2.8-inch LCD display, image stabilization and a bright f2.8-4.5 lens capable of 5x zoom.
In these respects, the G12 is identical to the G11, but new to the feature set is the ability to record high-definition 720p video, as well as stitch together three different exposures for HDR photos, just like the iPhone 4 under iOS 4.1 can do.
Like the G11 before it, expect the G12 to cost $499 when it launches in October. If you’re a casual photographer looking to get more serious about the hobby, I can heartily recommend the G12: two generations ago, the PowerShot G10 was the camera that first awakened my own interest in more seriously pursuing photography, and I’ve loved this entire product line ever since.
If you want the excellent low-light performance and changeable lenses of an SLR in a form factor closer to the pocketability of a point-and-shoot, Olympus’ PEN series of mirrorless, Micro Four Thirds cameras have always been easy to recommend (See our review: Olympus PEN E-PL1 Camera Is Almost Perfect). Now they’ve expanded an already great camera line with a new model… as well as a couple of new lenses to fit onto it.
The Olympus PEN E-P2 is a black smart looking 12.3 megapixel mirrorless that comes with a matching M.ZUIKO Digital Ed 17mm pancake lens and a matching FL-14 flash. All together, the kit will cost $999.99 when it drops in October… although if you’d rather exchange the flash for a black VF-2 electronic viewfinder, you can opt for that and pay about $80 more.
In addition, Olympus has expanded its lens line-up with a pricy new 75-300MM zoom, which (at 35mm equivalency) Olympus proclaims to be the world’s smallest and lightest 600mm super telephoto lens. It’s priced at $800, but don’t expect spectacular low-light performance, since it is specced for an f-stop range between 4.8-6.7. It will drop in December.
As for the other lens, it’s a far cheaper 40-150MM (35mm equivalent is 80-300mm) affair rated at f4.0-5.6. It will cost just $299 when it is released in November.
Sony has just introduced a pair of new cameras that boast intriguing new translucent mirror technology, marrying the quick-focus of an SLR with the fast-shooting of a mirrorless camera.
Called the A33 and A55, Sony’s latest boast a 23.5×15.6mm APS-C CMOS sensor, a 3-inch LCD capable of tilting up to 180 degrees and rotating 270 degrees, as well as the ability to record full HD AVCHD (1080i) or MP4 (1080p) video while simultaneously employing an impressive 15-point video autofocus system. Otherwise, the only thing separating the A55 from the A33 is the former has more megapixels and a slightly faster Speed Priority continuous shooting mode, along with built-in GPS capability.
The real advance here, though, is the new translucent mirror used in both cameras. Essentially, this mirror allows light to pass directly through it to the camera’s sensors while simultaneously bouncing light up to the autofocus sensor.
What this means from a practical perspective is that you get a much smaller camera body and trade-in an SLR’s optical viewfinder for a digital one, while also inheriting a mirrorless camera’s live view mode. Better, you’ll get some truly impressive shutter speeds out of these cameras — up to 10 shots per second — since the mirror doesn’t have to lift in order to capture an image.
Both the A55 and A33 will come with an 18-55mm lens, with the A55 costing $850 and the A33 costing $750. Both cameras will be available in September.
Nikon have just announced an incremental update to their beginner’s SLR called the D3100, and while it’s a marginal update over its superb budget predecessor, the D3000, it does add one feature into the mix that even their most expensive and pro-oriented cameras have yet to integrate: 1080p H.264 video at up to 24FPS, stored in a QuickTime .MOV file. It even boasts dynamic, constantly updating autofocus for video scenes.
The camera’s other specs are tasty: a 14.2MP, DX-format CMOS sensor, an 11-point autofocus system, ISO support up to 3200. The kit lens is the same old 18-55mm autofocusing kit lens, which — if you’re a beginner — you’re going to want to ditch for something like their classic 50mm 1.8f Nikkor lens as soon as you possibly can to see the real difference between this and a more expensive point-and-shoot.
I have a D3000, and I love it, but I’ve sometimes sorely missed video capability… a deficiency the D3100 ably corrects at a $250 premium: the D3100 will cost $700 when it’s available in September.
![Read "Why You’ll Probably Never Own A Mac With An ARM Processor [Feature]"](http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/macbookairarm-300x250.jpg "Read \"Why You’ll Probably Never Own A Mac With An ARM Processor [Feature]\"")
![Read "Is This USB Vibrator The New iPod? [Interview]"](http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/crave1-300x250.jpg "Read \"Is This USB Vibrator The New iPod? [Interview]\"")
