This is a group of snailfish--the deepest living fish in existence--filmed alive for the first time in history in the name science and nausea. They live at depths of 4.6 miles (7,500 meters) or more, so scientists had to develop new camera technology capable of supporting a pressure of 8,000 tonnes per square metre--"the equivalent to that of 1600 elephants standing on the roof of a Mini car"--for a period of days.

Read More »

Tilt-shift lenses sit off-centre of the film (or sensor) plane of your camera to produce photos with extremely limited depth of field, giving the effect of a macro shot of a tiny scene. When the effect is matched with the surreal speed boost of many stills strung together into a time-lapse movie (here by Keith Loutit), we get the other-worldly privilege of seeing real Australian beach goers as an elaborate Playmobil scape. Or Sydney Harbour in a bath tub...

Read More »

Zoom lenses are by no means a rarity, but it's not often that someone chooses to sacrifice one to the internet. FredMiranda forum member sbv20 found himself with a useless Canon 17-85mm lens after the aperture became stuck, so he did what any good gadget freak would: he tore it apart. He documented the process with a fantastic series of photos which demonstrate that even the boring lenses found dangling from necks at any tourist destination are obscenely complicated.

Read More »

Hitachi showed off a cool-looking camcorder concept at CEATEC this week, which adds a Wi-Fi module for streaming video from its hard drive or what's being shot live over WLAN to your TV. For recorded video it uses DLNA, which means it will work with any number of DLNA-compatible HDTVs or a PS3.

Read More »

I guess the complicated combination of accelerometers and proximity sensors isn't trivial technology, but this one really should have been done by now: automatic zoom based on camera movement. In a new patent application, Sony Ericsson has detailed technology that judges your intention to zoom by measuring the camera's distance from your body, zooming in as it moves further away. The patent is just for cameraphones at the moment, but there's no reason that it couldn't (or shouldn't) crop up in the next generation of point and shoots as well. [UnwiredView via Engadget]

Read More »

This balsa wood Canon DSLR is a perfect object of desire for both photography aficionados and people who like crafts. The steps are really simple, and the results--as you can see in the image--look great.

Read More »

Derrick is a comedy trio who's been making short comedic videos for the web for a few years. You've probably seen at least a few of them in the past. But now, they've set their sights higher: they want out of the internet comedy ghetto and into the mainstream. How're they going to do that? By making their own feature-length movie outside of the Hollywood system, with the help of the super-powerful RED camera. Welcome to the future of movies, where the playing field has been leveled.

Read More »

If you are looking for a good prosumer Canon camera, then you will only have to wait four more days. According to a Best Buy tipster, and this leaked screenshot of their stock system, the Canon EOS 50D will arrive on October 5.

Read More »

There's something about the 24-megapix Sony Alpha 900 DSLR, which hits stores in Japan on October 23rd for about 330,000 yen ($US3,150), that feels great. It might have been the two lovely models in Hawaiian wraps that the electronics giant had posing for shutterbugs at CEATEC outside Tokyo, or it might be the 900's 35mm full-frame CMOS Exmor sensor and the tester's Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135/1.8 lens, a combination which delivered outstanding performance. I found myself uttering the word "amazing" several times while shooting with it.

Read More »

Who says you can't do amazing things with the iPhone's camera? Using only its subpar shooter and some skillful manual stitching, you can actually create some incredible patchwork panoramas. The crappiness of the cam actually gives the shots a lomographic sheen that meshes really with the whole hand-stitched patchwork aesthetic. If you want to make your own panoramas right from your iPhone, you can also use PanoLabs' free app. You can check out a few more awesome compositions below, or see the whole set here.

Read More »

When you hear about a camera that's the size of a trailer, you figure it's a novelty used by a struggling artist looking to make a name. But watching this clip that explores the giant photography of John Chiara, you realise he's not just a salesman exhibiting a clown camera. He's an artist who painstakingly sets up a shot that's balanced with car lifts, controls the exposure by placing his hand over parts of the lens and then develops the film in a sewage pipe. And the results are pretty extraordinary. This clip documents Chiara's complete process and it runs about 7 worthwhile minutes. Load it up when you've got the time. [via Neatorama]

Read More »

A Nikon Coolpix camera belonging to the MI6--the British equivalent of the CIA--was sold on eBay for $US30 with images of al Qaeda suspects, fingerprints, names, rocket launchers, and missiles inside. That's bad enough, but it gets worse: the camera also contained top secret information that may compromise the security of James Bonds in the field.

Read More »

The Gadget: The Kodak Zi6, a cheap pocket camcorder that records 720p HD video, vying for title of best camcorder under $US200.

Read More »

Leave it to the crazy Lomography heads to keep the flame of analogue photography alive and kicking in this cold digital world of ours, like an '80s top-of-the-charts song always resisting to die: Their new RedScale Negative 100 film gives a vision of the world in intense reds, smooth oranges oranges, and mellow yellows look to all your analogue photographs, but also having highlights in other colours, which appear in an unpredictable way.

Read More »

Here's a cool collection from a Wired contest that details some of the best macro photography we've seen in at least the past couple days. The bad boy above is a jumping spider sitting on a DVD. Photographer "Coder" captured the image with a Canon 20D using a Canon MP-E macro lens. Below you'll find water from a fountain that took the shape of a head, and a wet leaf. Yes, a leaf. Normally that'd be pretty boring, but captured with that little flower icon set to 'on,' it becomes a scene from another world.

Read More »

Some of you are thrilled that the age of video on DSLRs is here; some of you are surprisingly pissed off about it. Truth is, the 720p video coming from the Nikon D90 can look amazing, but in some ways it can't replace even the cheapest cams when it comes to chasing kids and pets around. The good news is that you can use sweet DSLR lenses—in this case, a trio of Nikkors—for a cinematic look and feel. The bad news is, there's no autofocus in video mode. It's a bitch, but it forces you to think more like a filmmaker and less like a hockey mum. Check out the video above, then drop down for some issues and tips we've sorted out so far. Update: Still framegrabs from the actual video below.

Read More »

The mystery of Nikon's Black Gold D60 might have just been solved, and man, it is not pretty. No really, it's a downright repulsive study in tackiness, if these pictures are to be believed (sadly, it looks like they should be). Nikon has liberally slathered the D60 with cheap gold paint aaaaaaand... that's it. And you get to pay an extra $US50 to rock more shiny than the people who actually have taste and get a regular D60. I'm not sure who came up with this, but even Mr. T wouldn't use this camera. [Nikon Rumors, DP Review]

Read More »

Samsung's Nabee system is a way of adding Wi-Fi sync-up capabilities to simpler digital cameras that lack them. It uses the Alereon AL5000 wireless USB chipset that operates at 3.1 to 10.6 GHz over a 30-foot range and has two parts: a small dongle that goes into the camera's USB socket and one that goes into the PC. It's due out in December, though there's no info on pricing. [FarEastGizmos]

Read More »

Obviously, six Mac placeholders showing up in Future Shop's inventory system isn't a reason to jump to conclusions about new Macbooks—but it certainly doesn't do anything to dispel any of the other rumours floating around out there either. [Future Shop and Macrumors]

As teased a couple of days ago, here's the absolutely stunning video from Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Vincent Laforet, the one that shows how incredible Canon's 5D Mark II's video capabilities really are. Remember, this video is totally unenhanced, completely raw from the $US2700 DSLR (with a ton of nice lenses). I saw it a while ago in full HD on a 50-inch TV and I was completely blown away. [Canon]

Read More »

Red's Jim Jannard has told fans in the RedUser forums to "Wipe your minds of the past announced Scarlet. Forget the design and forget the price. It is all different now. We think you will be surprised." In his words, "the market has changed and we have discovered a lot of things in the process. We have a new vision." So it is not as though the Scarlet cam has been scrapped—what we are talking about here is a ground up redesign that should be a positive thing for consumers. That having been said, the RED EPIC is going to receive a similar treatment as well.

Read More »

Sigma's new SD15 and DP2 cameras are incremental developments of the original SD14 and DP1 cameras, but without too much in the way of change. The SD15 and DP2 share the same 3-layer 14-megapixel Foveon X3 sensor as their predecessors, but have a new True (Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine) II image processor aboard for improved image quality and processing speed. The DP2 has a new flare-reducing 41mm-equivalent F2.8 lens, and has adjusted controls, while the SD15 has a larger 3-inch LCD...but these seem to be the main improvements. We'll have to wait for more info from Sigma to see if the changes make a big difference or not, and for pricing and release dates. [DCWatch]

Read More »

Lensbaby has just revamped its line of creative bendable "distorting" lenses at Photokina, and added a new type. This new Composer disposes with the bellows bend/focus system of earlier Lensbabies and has ball-and socket twisting with a focussing ring at the front to let you select the in-focus sweet-spot in your photos. It's also got a new Optic Swap system which lets you swap out the lenses inside for different options: these include standard lenses and a Holga-alike plastic lens. The Lensbaby original is replaced by the similar Muse, with the new swap system, the Control Freak which replaces the Lensbaby3G has it too. Both Composer and Control Freak will cost $US270, while the Muse is $US150. Check out the press release below.

Read More »

Fuji announced a 3d digital imaging system that uses modern image processors to take images with similar quality found in modern cameras. The dual lens system can also be used for future applications including instantly stiched together panoramas from two simultaneous shots, or using one CCD to shoot video while the other shoots stills. (Things regular cameras can do now, with not much difficulty.) What's interesting is that Fuji simultaneously developed a 3D imaging ecosystem including an 8.4 inch, 3D LCD display that needs no glasses and a 3D printer. [Let's go Digital]

Read More »

A component maker called Digital Imaging Systems has announced it will soon ship a camera module for phones and other devices, capable of shooting single images at 3488x2616 pixels—over 9 megapixels. Another great fact for the sell sheet is that the low-powered CMOS will allow for 30-frame-per second 720p high-def video recording. The module contains the imaging sensor plus an auto-focus apparatus, aperture and mechanical shutter. It sounds great, but those tiny optics don't instill faith in me, a convert to the "glass makes the picture" school. Miracles of microphotography can happen, but I will believe this only after I see it. [DIS via Electronista]