pma 2008 - Gizmodo

pma 2008 roundup

PMA Round Up: The Lean, No BS Version

Megapixels, ISO, live view, DSLRs and point-and-shoots, oh my! It was cold, wintry and brutal in Vegas—I actually needed a coat, plus I think I caught a cold. Relive the best (and worst) of my glories, plus a sweet video treat. more »

5:05 PM ON FRI FEB 1 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
13,496 views, 12 comments

Latest by sisedi: These PMA roundups are usually filled with soooooo much BS. Thanks Giz for cleaning that up. more »

pma poll

Is HD Video the Next Must-Have Point 'n' Shoot Feature?

At PMA 2008, it seemed like everyone is adding HD video recording to their digital point 'n' shoot lineup: Panasonic's TZ5 and FX35, Samsung's NV24HD, a few Kodak EasyShare cameras and even one Canon PowerShot, the TX-1. Though Sony, Nikon and Fujifilm are still notably missing from the bandwagon, and Canon doesn't seem to be pushing hard just yet, we predict that 720p video recording is the next big upsell, now that image stabilization, face recognition and in-camera editing are nearly ubiquitous. The question is: more »

11:32 AM ON FRI FEB 1 2008
BY ERIC SHELINE
5,173 views, 30 comments

Latest by jeremydk: yeah,i really need HD as i convert all my video to 200x200 pixels for youtube ^-^ more »

not so compact flash

Delkin ImageRouters Can Dump 8 CF Cards At Once

Delkin's ImageRouter is for photogs who are in need of some serious dumpage, and fast. The basic unit lets you unload four Compact Flash cards simultaneously. The thing takes up about as much room as the Xbox 360's power brick, though fortunately it doesn't weigh a metric ton. If you want to get stupid ridiculous, you can daisy-chain two blocks together onto the powered USB port to handle a total of eight CF cards. Unfortunately the software doesn't work for Macs yet, so if you plugged it into one you'd just see four separate drives, killing the convenience factor of dumping about a million photos at once. It's $149 w/o software, jumping to $249 with the Windows-only utility. [Product Page]

10:30 AM ON FRI FEB 1 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
2,921 views, 14 comments

Latest by NeoPoliticus: And unless you have software that verifies that all the images have been copied and copied correctly, it's dangerous. Plus if you are just using Windows to copy and you do get a glitch - your copy just stops and more »

black holes

The Most Massive Lens at PMA 2008

It's not quite the biggest lens ever, but this 1000mm focal length lens was the biggest piece of glass we could find at PMA, and the fattest mofo that Sigma pumps out. This bazooka-sized kit carries an appropriately explosive price —$22,000—and can swallow a man's head whole. Believe me, Eric's head is not tiny. He didn't shove his head all the way in, because he was afraid he wouldn't get it back. You could see genuine fear on his face. Fear. [Sigma]

8:41 AM ON FRI FEB 1 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
12,153 views, 26 comments

Latest by TorkLugnutz: Goatse'd: [www.flickr.com] more »

boothtainment

Panasonic Booth Acrobats Bounce Around Like Wannabe Ninjas

We know most of you guys would prefer hot booth babes filling up our megapixels, but Panasonic's above all of that sexyist mess. Instead, they gave us some freerunners hopped up on caffeine, rainbows and Abercrombie cologne running and rebounding like ADD children. more »

11:30 PM ON THU JAN 31 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
10,375 views, 24 comments

amazing

Korean Engineers Develop Miraculous 20,000-Year Photograph

Tucked into a dark and tiny corner of the PMA showfloor is a revolution made by a small Korean company called Wooyoun: metal photographs that last for 20,000 years. These images depicting the Democratic US presidential frontrunners (and no Republicans) were chemically etched in a patented, print-like process—probably with stuff that gives improperly masked technicians some horribly debilitating ailment. They'll last up to 1,000 years under the hot unforgiving sun. Hear that? Screw biodegradability. Put another way, that Hillary card you see in the gallery will outlast her reign by at least 15,000 years.

10:30 PM ON THU JAN 31 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
7,187 views, 27 comments

Latest by Toysandme: This is very old news. The photoceramic process was invented in 1855 and has been used on tombstones since that date all over Europe. In recent years the process has been adapted to color photography. 35,000 year old vitrified objects have more »

the sum of its parts

An Unfortunate Grope of SmartParts' Fugly Digital Photo Frame/Printer

Digital photo frames were the spammiest product spam at CES, lurking around every corner with their crappiness so I still have a biley taste in my mouth. SmartParts' efforts to pile crappy function atop crappy function with a built-in photo printer, unsurprisingly just amounts to one big crapgasm. On the front, it looks like any other generic frame, but peer behind its faux-elegant bezel and you'll see some serious junk in the trunk. more »

9:30 PM ON THU JAN 31 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
2,939 views, 5 comments

Latest by Elliuotatar: I looked at very photo frame out there this past christmas, and by far the best ones, both image quality and build quality wise, are made by Pandigital. You can get them at Staples and Macy's. They're a lot cheaper more »

digital cameras

GE's E1050 Camera: Touchscreen, GPS, Blink and Face Detecting Cameras

Impressive. I didn't think GE had it in them to meet the regulars of the camera world with popular features like smile detection, higher ISO support, and even a touchscreen, built-in GPS and blink detection. There are new low end A series, the slim G series, and midrange E series cameras, too. [BW]

7:37 PM ON THU JAN 31 2008
BY BRIAN LAM
3,848 views, 7 comments

Latest by discounteggroll: looks like they pulled the pants down on casio this time around more »

leica m8

Leica M8: A Camera for Life

Leica fanatics are different than regular people, so it's no surprise Leica's taking an entirely different—but brilliant—approach with its M8: It's everlasting. Instead of dropping an M9 or M10, Leica is offering substantial upgrades to the M8 itself—mechanical and digital components, so it'll slowly evolve into a new camera. The first package is a sapphire LCD screen, which can only be scratched by a diamond, plus a new, quieter, less shaky shutter, at a cost of around $1,800. more »

5:08 PM ON THU JAN 31 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
14,706 views, 55 comments

Latest by jdl57: I use a 50 year old M3 as my primary camera. My oldest lens was made before WWII. Would that be a camera for life? Leicas last. I bought all of my equipment used. Everything Leica I more »

sony flagship dslr

Sony's 25-Megapixel Full-Frame Sensor Lands in Massive Sony DSLR

This is something of a surprise. We sorta didn't expect Sony's 25-megapixel full-frame serious pro sensor to land in a Sony DSLR. The cam's details are scant as hell—it doesn't even have a name, just "flagship model system." All we could squeeze out of recalcitrant reps, other than what we already know about that sweet sensor, is that it's definitely an '08 release and has a 3.5-inch LCD that's got at least a megapixel of resolution (the a700's screen was name-checked), plus it has built-in image stabilization. Since it's so prelim, no other specs, price or more definitive release date. Looks like the D3 and EOS-1Ds Mark III might have some new competition.

2:44 PM ON THU JAN 31 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
8,577 views, 41 comments

Latest by TheWirralBells: There's been talk on here of someone not being able to call themselves a professional until they've owned a Leica. I know someone who bought a Leica D-Lux 3 and was rather annoyed to find a week later that it more »

pma 2008

Hands On Panasonic Lumix TZ5 10X Zoomer and HD Camcorder

First off, you can zoom while recording movies in 720p. It's a nice, slow 'n' steady zoom too, not a jerky or overly fast one, keeping things smooth while you shoot. The LCD is big and bright enough for HD videorecording on this kind of level, though it's not astounding or anything. It's sorta hard to tell just how silky and pristine the video is without hooking it up to a real live HDTV, but based on our fondlage, this could be a great point-and-shoot for bloggers (or even regular people!) who want to be able to shoot quick clips in HD since it's light but feels up to taking some abuse. [Original Post]

10:00 AM ON THU JAN 31 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
12,539 views, 34 comments

Latest by AndersonBMX: @Jeremias: BTW, are you happy with your TZ3? foi uma boa dica que te dei? more »

not dslrs

Hands On Fujifilm S100FS Faux DSLR: Why?

Okay, I get prosumer cams like Canon's G9 or even Fuji's other big-zoom shooters. The S100FS, I do not get. It's the same size as a DSLR. It costs the same as a DSLR ($799). But it's not a DSLR. And not in a good way. more »

9:00 AM ON THU JAN 31 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
10,270 views, 28 comments

xsi

First Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Hands On: Your XTi Is Now Junk

Unlike Nikon's D40x update, the D60, I'm pretty sure the Canon guy would've noticed if I swapped out my XTi with the XSi Indiana Jones style, and not just because it's tied to the table (I really wanted to). It feels more solid, both in the material (not as toy-like) and in the grip, which now uses the same kind of rubber roughage as the 40D to feel more manly. more »

11:36 PM ON WED JAN 30 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
18,882 views, 32 comments

Latest by allenjnl: Hey Canon, I want a firmware upgrade for my new damn 40D with contrast based focus in Live view!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FTW! more »

speculation

A Word About the Canon EOS 5D Successor

Interesting bit just tossed our way by the Canon rep when we asked about a 5D follow-up, slightly paraphrased: The EOS-1Ds line (their full-frame pro DSLRs) is on a three-year upgrade cycle. The 1Ds Mark II came out in 2004, and the Mark III dropped in 2007. The EOS 5D came out in 2005.

Draw your own conclusions.

11:30 PM ON WED JAN 30 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
7,562 views, 15 comments

Latest by NeoPoliticus: If it's Canon, the body will still be overpriced and crippled - even though it will have a good sensor. more »

digital cameras

Kodak's EasyShare Z1012 IS

The Z1012 IS represents Kodak's latest addition to the line of EasyShare digital cameras. Features include: a 10-megapixel resolution, 12X optical zoom with optical image stabilization, high ISO (up to 3,200), and advanced settings like program, aperture and shutter priority, as well as full manual mode—all in a ultra-compact design. Expect to see the EasyShare Z1012 IS for $299.95 sometime in the first half of 2008. [LetsGoDigital]

9:02 PM ON WED JAN 30 2008
BY SEAN FALLON
1,393 views, Comment

dslrs

Shifty Eyes On Sony Alpha 350: Shooting from the Hip

Confirmed: The Sony Alpha 350 is perfect for crotch-shots, limited only by the LCD's viewing angle, which is good, but not great. They weirdly didn't have the A300, but the A350 is the exact same, except for MP count—even the Sony rep said so. I'm honestly not too big on the body otherwise—too many buttons on maybe?—so I'm not sure the up-and-down LCD is going to sway me. Fujifilms' S100FS has one too, plus the awesome ISO performance, so it might be better suited to "dark" purposes. I'm gonna Battlemodo 'em later tonight.

8:50 PM ON WED JAN 30 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
4,303 views, 9 comments

Latest by ANoel: ... now you guys won't have to play dead laying on the floor for your upskirts - you can just kneel in worshipful stealth. more »

pma 2008

Hands On Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Indestructo-Point and Shoots

Point-and-shoots bore the hell out of me, and most of the PMA P-and-S spam has all bled together at this point. But, I really like the shock- and water-proof armor Olympus has on its otherwise unremarkable 10MP Stylus 1030 SW. It's a steely hardass with style, and I love the exposed. It's actually very lightweight, but you still get a sense of its solidity in your hand (or banging it on the table). Its lesser sibling Stylus 850 SW is lesser both in person and on paper.

8:40 PM ON WED JAN 30 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
4,927 views, 12 comments

Latest by blaerk: An Olympus Stylus saved my life - literally. When I was in Maui my too-expensive Rosignol hiking boots slipped out from under me (they have less traction than greased teflon), I found myself sliding down an escarpment towards the edge more »

hands on

Hands On Nikon D60 With Stop-Motion Movie Walkthrough

Pop quiz: Which one of these is the D60, and which one is a D40? You can't tell, can you? Ha! That's because it really is pretty much the same chassis (and guts) so if you know the D40x, you know the D60. The best new thing is the stop-motion movie stringer, which is quick, if simple—here's the whole process: more »

6:48 PM ON WED JAN 30 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
7,269 views, 9 comments

digital cameras

Sony A300 and A350 DSLRs Have Two-Way Tilting Live View

Sony is officially the last one to the PMA DSLR party, getting real with the A300 and A350 DSLRs we glimpsed earlier. The entry-level 10.2MP A300 (same CCD sensor as the A200, $800 w/lens) snaps away at "about 3fps," 100-3200 ISO, built-in image stabilization (vs. Nikon and Canon's lens approach) and indeed sports that oddball 2-way tilt screen for live view—good for semi-discretely shooting from your crotch, Chen-style. The A350 has the same features, but packs in 14.2MP (hey Sony, not the highest in its class), fires at 2.5fps in continuous shooting and will run $800 for the body. more »

3:00 PM ON WED JAN 30 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
4,485 views, 17 comments

Latest by Galley: Nice! I especially like the fold-out snack tray. more »

pma 2008

PMA 2008: We're Here and...Hey, Are Those Sony Alpha DSLRs Leaked On the Front Door?

~~We're~~ I'm at here PMA 2008. Not quite the megashow of CES (the tradeshow, in which the relative deadness is comforting. Hey, are those new yet-unannounced Sony DSLRs? A closer look at the A300 and A350 teasers below. more »

2:50 PM ON WED JAN 30 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
3,050 views, 11 comments

Latest by madcat207: Quote: BY MORETHANAHANDFUL AT 01/30/08 04:20 PM screw sony; i just bought the very recently released A-700 without live-view. they must have learned this trick from steve jobs via the iphone "incident." Sorry, but what are you smoking? more »

cameras

Nikon D60 to Sell For $750, Hits Stores in February

Nikon's D60, the minor upgrade to the D40, will be in stores by the end of February for $750, shipping with an 18-55mm lens. [Crave]

11:40 PM ON TUE JAN 29 2008
BY ADRIAN COVERT
3,650 views, 11 comments

digital cameras

Sony's 25-Megapixel 35mm Image Sensor Is Up For Grabs

Today Sony researchers in Tokyo unveiled a digital SLR component that's actually drool-worthy: a CMOS sensor the size of 35mm film that registers 24.81 effective megapixels—close to 26 million total. It's also built for speed with an all-pixel scan time of 6 frames per second, in 12-bit color. The question is, who will use it to pimp up their cameras? more »

11:00 PM ON TUE JAN 29 2008
BY WILSON ROTHMAN
15,569 views, 23 comments

digital cameras

Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Is 10X Zoom Camera and HD Camcorder Rolled Into One

Panasonic, obviously eager to combine its skills in HD video and still photography, has built what might be a camcorder-killer: the $350 Lumix TZ5 9.1-megapixel camera with 10X optical zoom lens and 720p high-definition video recording. There are some features we've seen before from Pana: an optical image stabilizer, motion-sensitive ISO control and smart detection of up to 15 faces. Added to that are new powers: automatic exposure adjustment and ever-important in-camera redeye fixing. The junior version of this camera is the $300 TZ4. Though it has the same 28mm wide angle 10X zoom lens, it's got a 2.5" LCD with 230,000 dots, rather than the TZ5's super-fine 460,000-dot 3-incher. It's 8 megapixels, and it won't shoot in HD. I say spring the extra $50 and treat yourself to the way better camera. Gallery and press release after jump. Update: For those of you who were curious, I have confirmed with Panasonic that you can indeed actively use the 10X optical zoom during video recording, making the "camcorder-killer" allegation all the more potent. [Panasonic] more »

12:00 PM ON TUE JAN 29 2008
BY WILSON ROTHMAN
15,338 views, 33 comments

Latest by carltonslr75: I had the TZ3 and loved it`s features as well. I was very upset that I couldn`t zoom in when using video though. I found the TZ3 cheaper than what I paid for it so I returned it. The next day more »

digital cameras

Panasonic DMC-FX35, DMC-FS20, DMC-FS5, DMC-FS3: Midrange, Wide-ish Angles, Some 720p Capture

The FX and the mildly stylish FS series are Panasonic's midrange Lumix cameras. We'll start with the best: The FX35 is billed as being Panasonic's first ultrawide-angle camera with a 25mm focal length at its broadest for squeezing "twice as many friends into a single shot." The 10.1MP, 4x Leica zoom camera also does 720p video capture(!), and stills at 1920x1080p for TV viewing. This camera can also detect motion and up the ISO while speeding up the shutter to capture shots with less blur. Optical image, face detection for up to 15 friends, 2.5-6 shots a second (nice), 2.5 inch LCD, and a shutter lag of .005 seconds for $350. The other cameras are not so cool, but worth mentioning. And in some cases have better stats. more »

12:00 PM ON TUE JAN 29 2008
BY BRIAN LAM
4,327 views, 2 comments

Latest by Consuegra: Sadly, can answer my own question - a look at the spec sheets says no. Too bad - it's a killer feature. more »

digital cameras

Panasonic Lumix LZ-8 and LZ-10 Budget Cams

Panasonic's latest pair of Lumix LZ budget point-and-shoots dutifully follow Canon and Nikon's handful of entry-level cams on the feature front. The 10-megapixel LZ-10 matches up neatly with Nikon's P60 (though it bests it on MP count), while the cheaper LZ-8 (guess how many megapixels?) goes toe-to-toe with Canon's A590. more »

12:00 PM ON TUE JAN 29 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
1,602 views, 2 comments

digital cameras

Panasonic Scoops Themselves on PMA Digital Camera Lineup

Panasonic is apparently testing the "effectiveness" of RSS in the press room. Turns out, it's very effective, since they've scooped themselves on their PMA lineup! All of the links go to blank pages for now, but at least we know what's coming: New FS-series, FX-35 (their first w/ a 25mm wide-angle lens), budget LZ line and a set of "superzoom" TZ cameras. Sounds exciting—can't wait 'til we see what's actually behind the links. [Panasonic via Engadget]

9:53 AM ON TUE JAN 29 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
1,862 views, 1 comment

Latest by wolf-zhang: There is no doubt that panasonic has dominated the japan market. And personally, i like cannon very much, and sony for me is really too expensive. If i am trying to pick up a new upgraded carema, i would either choose cannon more »

nikon d60

Nikon D60 Basically a D40x Plus Stop Motion and a Few New Tricks

Nikon obviously couldn't let PMA pass without its own fresh volley into the cutthroat consumer-level DSLR market: Enter the D60. It's a D40X refresh, not a whole new cam built from scratch—it still has the same 10.2-megapixel image processor and body, but Nikon has added some spicy new potatoes to the meat to keep it competitive with Canon's latest EOS Rebel, like a schnazzy stop-motion moviemaker. more »

11:00 PM ON MON JAN 28 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
13,585 views, 32 comments

Latest by follish: Is there anyway to get the stop motion software on my d40x? it seems feasible given they have the same guts, right? more »

digital cameras

Nikon's CoolPix S600, S550, S520, and S210: Slim, Stylish and Plum Purty

Point and shoot cameras tend to blur together, so instead of listing them all separately, like their own God's gift to amateur photographers, here are the four S (for "style") series CoolPix cameras Nikon is introducing tonight, and their raisons d'Ãªtre, plus a gallery of them striking various poses a bit lower down. more »

11:00 PM ON MON JAN 28 2008
BY WILSON ROTHMAN
3,203 views, 2 comments

digital cameras

Pick Yer Low-Frill Nikon CoolPix Cam: $130 L18 or $230 P60

For every super sexy, super slim, multicolored point-and-shoot, there's a meat-and-potatoes model aimed at classrooms and people on tighter budgets. Nikon's $130 CoolPix L18 comes in blue or red and has some nice enhancements like in-camera redeye removal. The retro-styled CoolPix P60 costs $100 more, because it has a 5X optical zoom lens and an impressive 200,000-dot electronic viewfinder. With some manual controls, it's aimed at people who want to fiddle more, but don't want to break the bank. Both cameras run on AA batteries and have 8-megapixel sensors. [Nikon]

11:00 PM ON MON JAN 28 2008
BY WILSON ROTHMAN
1,534 views, Comment

round up

Short Cut: Legos, MacBook Air and PMA 2008 Cameras

Here's a short cut to some big stories on Giz: more »