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JVC Everio MG20, MG30, MG40, MG50 Camcorders Ditch the Tape
Posted by Rob Stevens Categories: Cameras, Portable Audio / Video,
Ever since MiniDV camcorders were released, I’ve wondered to myself how long it would be before someone like Sony released a camcorder that recorded to an internal hard drive, instead of old-school tape. You can make the tape as small as you want, but it’s still tape.
Surprisingly, JVC is the one making the leap into the 21st Century, with their Everio line of camcorders with internal hard drives instead of digital cassette tape. It’s worth noting that JVC has done this once before, but used a 4GB CompactFlash form-factor MicroDrive, hardly a unique move. Now they’re using larger disks, finally giving the world (and us) a reason to take notice.
These second-generation Everio units feature either a 20GB or 30GB hard disk (likely the same drive included in Apple’s iPod), and record MPEG2 video (DVD quality) directly to the hard drive, 4.5 hours for the 20GB unit, and 7 hours for the 30GB. Rudimentary editing features allow random access to the stored video (including setting chapters, rearranging footage, etc), and remote playback lets you attach the camcorder to a TV and operate it like a DVD player.
The two higher-end units (MG40 and MG50) have 1.33 MegaPixel CCD sensors, allowing you to take digital photos in JPEG format at up to 1152 x 864. The lower end units (MG20 and MG30) are limited to 640x480. Photos can be stored on a separate SD memory card, or logically on the internal hard drive.
Oddly, such a high-tech camcorder lacks a FireWire interface, opting for USB2. It does, however, support PictBridge, so you can print those tiny photos on any photo printer supporting the PictBridge interface.
The Everio line will launch in August, with the MG20 (0.3 MP, 20GB) coming in at $800, and the MG50 (1.3 MP, 30GB) coming in at $1000. The MG30 (1.3MP, 20GB) and the MG40 (0.3MP, 30GB) will each be $900, letting you choose whether storage space or the sensor resolution is more important to you. I’m betting that by September, someone will have cracked open one of these bad boys and have tried sticking a larger drive in it.
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Some Labs Reject Digital Photos That Look Too Professional
Posted by Devin Categories: Cameras, Misc. Tech,
Those of you that enjoy using you digital camera to take high quality images may want to think about how you take your future photographs. It seems some photo labs are refusing to print digital photographs that look “too professional”, fearing that in doing so they may be breaking copyright laws. With traditional photographs, the widely accepted rule was that if you had the negative, you had permission to reproduce it, but in this age of digital photography it can be hard to tell if the photo was taken by Joe Blow, or simply scanned into a computer or downloaded off the Internet. While the photo labs fear being sued for breaking copyright laws, there really isn’t any exact way to know if a photo belongs to the person bringing it in and approval could vary from lab tech to lab tech.
Read More 
| USA Today
American Idol Digital Camcorder Impressions
Posted by Charles Leake Categories: Cameras, Product Reviews,
Okay, we know that when you first hear that an American Idol Digital Camcorder exists, your first reaction might be to leave the site, never to return. However once you actual see and play with Digital Blue’s American Idol Digital Camcorder, you discover how wrong your first reaction was. You see, the product is powerful and yet easy to use from both a hardware and software standpoint. This is the camera I dreamed about having when I was a kid.
Click to continue reading American Idol Digital Camcorder Impressions
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Here’s a camera after our own hearts. Rule of thumb is: Don’t use your digital camera for movies and don’t use your DV camera for pictures. But how about listening to music on your camera? Or a portable USB 40GB HDD? The Mustek PVR-H140 is trying to break all the rules. You can use its hard drive for high quality digital movies at 30fps, store and listen to MP3’s, file storage, record audio, and more. Here is the rundown:
- Digital Video Player . Digital Video Recorder / Digital Photo Player / Music Player / USB Pocket Drive / SD/MMC Card Reader / Digital Voice Recorder
- 3.6” Color TFT LCD
- 40 GB HDD
- DPS Support
- AV in / AV Out / Earphone / DC-in / USB 2.0y interface
- Rechargeable Li-ion Battery (1000 mAh) x 2
- 4.3 x 3.2 x 1.2 in (L x W x H)
- Built in Microphone and Speaker
- 0.64 lbs (with Battery)
- MPEG-4, AVI, ASF Supported
- WMA Support
- NTSC/PAL formats
Read More | Mustek
Samsung has brought the DuoCam VM-F7500 to Korea, and it looks very similar to the SC-D6550 which is available elsewhere. This is another camcorder, digital camera hybrid with a 5 MP CCD and a 900x digital zoom. The nice thing here is that it can shoot in the 16:9 aspect ratio, making its user that much more leet.
Read More | I4U
The story behind this paper camera is an interesting one dating back to the seventies. This site gives a brief synopsis of said history, and provides downloadable PDF templates which can be used to build your very own Dirkon camera out of paper.
The name Dirkon is a play on words based on the combination of the parts of two words: Dirk- is the beginning of the Czech word dírka – pinhole, and -kon is the end of the name of a well-known Japanese camera which needs no introduction.
For all you new-schoolers - sorry, no LCD viewfinder here.
Read More | DIY Dirkon via MAKE
iPod photo mini Conceptual Designs
Posted by Edwin Soto Categories: Cameras, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video,
Don’t get too exicted, there is nothing concrete about this. That being said, how awesome would this be? The digital camera add-on is a nice touch as well. A 6 GB iPod mini/digital camera hybrid would certainly sell nicely.
Read More | dapreview.net
Olympus has announced a new digital still camera for the Japanese market, set to hit retail in May. The Olympus CAMEDIA X-600 seems to be your basic digicam with a 3x optical zoom along with a 4x digital zoom. As far as size goes, the camera is a mere 18.3mm in thick with a 2-inch LCD screen. There is 14 MB of onboard memory, which is really virtually nothing these days. Luckily, it also supports XD cards up to 1 GB.
Read More | Press Release (Google Translated) via Camborg
While it sounds surprising, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Research firm Strategy Analytics has found that in 2004 there were 257 million camera phone sold, versus 68 million digital still cameras. Camera phones sold four times as well as digital still cameras. Obviously, cell phones are the number one accessory right now. With more onboard memory becoming available, along with higher resolution cameras, digital camera makers are going to have to start rethinking their stance in all this.
Read More | GigaOm
Apple iPod Camera Connector Reviewed
Posted by Oscar M. Cantu Categories: Accessories, Cameras, Portable Audio / Video,
The Apple iPod Camera Connector seems like a must have for any iPod photo owner who uses a digital camera, but is it as good as it sounds? iPod Lounge set to find out, and put the device to the test. Good news is that it does just what it is meant to do – transfers pictures from a compatible digital camera to an iPod photo. However, its slow speed and the fact that full computer sync is required before a slide show is viewed are just a couple of its annoyances. Check the review, then decide if it’s worth your $29.95.
Read More | iPod Lounge
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