There’s a rounding-error bug in the camera driver’s autofocus routine (which uses a timestamp) that causes autofocus to behave poorly on a 24.5-day cycle. That is, it’ll work for 24.5 days, then have poor performance for 24.5 days, then work again.

The 17th is the start of a new “works correctly” cycle, so the devices will be fine for a while. A permanent fix is in the works.

But of course! I understand perfectly why a camera would be dependent on the date. Chances are good that this will have a legit fix before 24.5 days are up, but man, what a weird bug. [Engadget via GadgetLab]

It’s been upgraded to 8GB of memory, up from 4GB, which gives it about two hours of 720p video recording. The aluminium shell feels great: Much more solid and smaller in the hand than the previous plastic version. The screen is also significantly bigger, feeling much less puny at 2-inches. The Flip software has also seen an update, with some nice minor editing and trimming features, and features automatic uploading to Facebook, Myspace and Youtube. I haven’t gotten the chance to play around with it too much, but video quality seems okay—about the same as past MinoHDs, and not as good as the Kodak zi8.

The new MinoHD will sell for $US230, while the original MinoHD will remain at $US199 for 4GB. [Flip]

Flip MinoHD, 2nd Generation Camcorder Features:

* SRP: $US229.99
* Now Available at leading retailers and online retailers
* Colors: Brushed Metal or personalised at theflip.com
* Video Resolution: High Definition, 1280 x 720
* Records: 2 hours (8 GB built-in memory)
* Screen: 2 inch – transflective (anti-glare); 960 x 240 pixels
* Audio: Built-in wide-range, omni-directional microphone; built-in speaker with software volume control
* Battery: Built-in rechargeable (Lithium Ion); up to 2 hours use
* TV Output: Widescreen with HDMITM output
* Zoom: 2 x Digital

After converting the image into a half-tone, the puncturing mechanism moves dot by dot. When all dots are precisely aligned reproduce the image, the camera screen tells you it’s ready. Insert the paper in the slot, punch firmly as instructed, and get this:

Not only that, but apparently you can show the photo to a webcam, and it will automatically take you to a gallery with more—normal—images associated with the paper one.

We will probably never see it in the market, but I would really really reeeeelee love to have one of the prototypes. [matty martin via Likecool]

The number describes the size of the negative, in centimetres. So a 645 camera has a negative size of 6cmx4.5cms. A 67 (such as Tuesday’s Mamiya RZ67) has a negative size of 6cmx7cm.

645s from Mamiya and Bronica were popular with wedding photographers, as the negative size provided the detail and image quality that set their images a step above 35mm shooters, while providing a more economical yield per roll of 120 film. That is, you would yield more pictures from a single roll of film using a 645 camera than a 67. If I recall correctly, a 645 gets you 15 images per 120 roll. A 67 gets you 12. The 220 film roll was simply twice as long as 120. Twice the exposures.

And speaking of exposures… If you decide to get into shooting film with medium format cameras, the hardware is the cheap part. Buying and processing film is a different matter. Expect to pay up to $20 per 120 roll, purchased and processed. Back in the olden days, ‘togs would use Polaroids to test their exposures and save time and money on film. These days, you can just use a digital camera to test the exposure before firing a 645 shutter.

Also making the 645s popular was their handling. They were pretty nimble, quick to set up, fast to focus, easy to pull down and move on to the next shot. They handled more like a 35mm camera.

Just last week I almost sprung for a Mamiya 645 with AE finder and 50mm lens. $450. I remember shopping for the same kit in 1988. The price tag was closer to $2200.

If you’re in Melbourne and looking to hunt down a medium format film camera for a bargain price, head into The Camera Exchange in Lonsdale St. From there, you can walk the block and see what’s on offer at Michael’s, Camera Lane, and Camera House. It’s as good as it gets for camera shopping in Australia. Of course, if you Sydney mob think you’ve got better, let us know.

Three versions of the RZ67 were released. The original model, the RZ67 Pro I, had an electronic shutter with a range of eight seconds to 1/400 second. It was released in 1982. The Pro II and Pro IID followed.

It accepted 6×7cm and 6×4.5cm, 120 and 220 film magazines as well as Polaroid and Quadra 4×5 sheet film backs. A range of 20 lenses, including a 500mm telephoto (equivalent to a 238mm lens in 35mm format) and a 180mm variable soft focus lens made the RZ67 a versatile base upon which to build a camera and lens system to tackle a wide variety of photographic work.

The “R” in the camera’s name related to the film back’s ability to be rotated to enable a vertical or horizontal alignment of the film to suit the subject at hand.
It’s been difficult to track down original pricing for RZ cameras. Any reader with a memory of their first RZ purchase is welcome to share their knowledge of pricing from the 1980s.

And what would you pay now? I found an RZ67 Pro II with a 120 back and AE prism for $750 and in the same listing a Mamiya Sekor 500 DTL+ 50MM f2 lens for $150. That’s an RZ67 system, ready to shoot with a wide angle lens, for less than $1000.

If you’re tempted to buy an RZ, here’s the tip. Be sure to check the condition of the bellows that are used for focussing. If they’re worn or flaky, pass on the purchase.
Gizmodians answered the call for locations of secondhand dealers of medium format gear and we thank Michael Gethen for pointing us to European Camera Specialists in Drummoyne, NSW, which Michael says often has some rare and unusual kits.

Here’s a device you can give to your grandmother, who will insist she couldn’t possibly handle one of these newfangled gadgets. At which point you pick up the remote she carries around for the garage roller door and say: “Nan, if you can operate this, you can shoot high-def video”.

Well, OK, so 720p ain’t the highest def of high-def, but the video format offers a nice compromise between image quality and file size. Speaking of which, for those who simply must know, the output file from my test unit revealed the Mino shoots off its 1/4.5in sensor to deliver H.264 video at 1280 x 720 in millions of colours, with 44.1Khz AAC audio, with a data rate of 10.45Mbits/sec. That’s a lower data rate than a handy camcorder such as one of Sanyo’s Xacti pistol shooters, and it shows in side-by-side comparisons, but it provides perfectly adequate quality for remembering life’s Kodak moments at 30fps.

Which brings us back to nan. Australia’s grandparents are the great unpaid workforce in the nation’s daycare industry. The high cost of daycare and limited placements mean that many parents of daycare-age youngsters lean on their folks for support. Yeah, so? So if you want to actually have video footage of your priceless cherub taking their first steps or saying their first words, there’s a very good chance that it’s nan and pa who will capture it for you.

Here’s what you tell them about the Mino. See this button on the right side of the box? This turns it on. See the red button on the front? That starts and stops recording. Press once to record. Press again to stop. See the plus and minus signs above and below the red button? That’s to zoom in and out, though it’s probably just as easy to get closer to the subject if you need to. If you’re not recording, you can see a “play” sign, that’s the little triangle, just above and to the left of the red button. That plays the video you just shot. And the left and right buttons let you select the clips you want to look at.

You don’t even need to tell them about the flip-up USB connector that makes it easy to plug into a computer and mount as a USB drive to drag clips to wherever it is you want to have your way with them. Just grab the Mino, bring it home, do your thing. And doing your thing would probably include punching the contrast up with your editor of choice. If there’s a niggle about the Mino, it’s that footage shot under conditions other than optimal (ie bright, sunny) looks a bit flat. Also, in low light, noise is pretty obvious.

The Mino has 4GB internal memory for about one hour of recording time and comes in black or chrome finish. Should you want to plug it direct into your TV, there’s a video out port but as the signal is sent out via composite video, the picture quality is lost in translation. If you want HDMI-out, you’ll need to buy the Flip Ultra.

The Mino’s minor minuses are forgiven when you consider the price. We’re talking about $400 for a pocket camcorder that shoots 720p at a more than acceptable level of quality. It’s a pretty good deal. The only reseller I know of in Australia is Edsoft.

The ah-ha moment comes once one compares the exposed internals of the just released iPod touch with the internals put on display back in mid-August. For all intents and purposes they are identical. Additionally, both of the internals differ, “convincingly”, from the guts in the iPod touch second generation unit, notes MacRumors.

So we know the camera was there, then it wasn’t. And we know there’s plenty of room left in there for at least an iPod nano-level cam.

We also know sources said this week that a camera could pop back in there without warning.

Regardless, this is all a rather peculiar development, no matter how Apple tries to spin things. It leads me, at least, to believe the rumours that said something happened at the very last minute. I’d also wait on picking one up just yet if you’re holding out hope for an iPod touch w/camera. [MacRumors]

The device features six LEDs, a small CMOS camera that shoots photos in 640×480 resolution or video in 1280×1024. Then you can upload your media files via USB for easy archiving. If only keeping stool samples was this easy. [Thanko via Crunchgear]

The thieving pair, Anthony Cintorrino and Tara Laburt, were the beneficiary of what those in the biz call an “inside job.”

Cintorrino, a contractor who recently installed and maintained a number of the cameras, had intimate knowledge of where they were and how they could be taken down quickly and quietly. All he and Laburt needed was a cherry picker and some time, and the valuable Nikon cameras housed within were theirs for the taking. Sadly for we gadget geeks, no Nikon model number was given—anyone out there know which Nikon camera body/lens is best for snagging licence plates at 15 metres?

In the end, the couple was nabbed by New York police, but not before they had stolen and resold $US88,000 worth of hot goods with their cherry picker truck. Unfortunately for any New York drivers out there, everything was recovered, and the camera rigs were put back into place a mere 48 hours after the crimes were committed. [New York Post via Autoblog]