Digital Shot

You’re already well aware of what GigaPan’s wild camera robot is capable of when its in masterly hands, but have you ever wondered if such a device is practical for folks who don’t have excellent seats for events such as Presidential inaugurations or the Arirang Mass Games? We’ve been toying around with an Epic 100 for the past week and change, and now that we’ve had a moment to upload a few of our own panoramas, we figured we’d toss our two pennies into the ring. Eager to know if this gigapixel image creator is really worth its avoirdupois in cold, hard cash? Head on past the break to find out.

Continue reading GigaPan Epic 100 hands-on and review, panorama style

GigaPan Epic 100 hands-on and review, panorama style originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 May 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Momma always said you couldn’t have your cake and eat it to, and we suppose it’s just about time we stop resisting and just believed. Olympus’ decidedly compact E-450 was recently reviewed over at PhotographyBLOG, and while image quality was satisfactory for a camera of its stature, it was indubitably missing a few key ingredients. Most notably, the inexplicable lack of image stabilization and the inability to handle video were lamented, and the rudimentary 3-point AutoFocus was called “frankly obsolete for a 2009 model.” Indeed, critics pointed out that the E-620 would likely be a far superior choice for those who didn’t mind the additional weight and cost, but even if the E-450 was at the top of your budget, we didn’t really get the impression that it was a surefire winner. Check the read link for the full spill.

Olympus E-450 compact DSLR gets reviewed: entry-level through and through originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 May 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nine new ones not enough for you? Not if you’re ViewSonic, who just came clean with three more in its rapidly expanding digital photo frame lineup. The 10.4-inch VFD1020, 8-inch VFD820 and 7-inch VFD720 make up the new TrueView line, which offers up a 4:3 aspect ratio and 2GB of internal memory. As for resolutions, the smaller two do their thing at 800 x 600, while the June-bound VFD1020 will kick things up to 1,024 x 768. Naturally, there’s a multicard reader for loading multimedia, and the USB 2.0 port is bound to make friends with your impenetrable Iron Drive. The trio also ships with a remote control from mixing things up from afar, with prices set for $129.99, $89.99 and $79.99 in order of mention.

ViewSonic intros 7-, 8- and 10.4-inch VFD20 series digiframes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 May 2009 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As with Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GH1, a few lucky folks who have managed to spend a few moments with Pentax’s new 14.6 megapixel K-7 have stopped to host up the results for us to drool over. Early stills are rather impressive, with images being sharp, crisp and generally delightful to stare at. As for video, it’s tough to judge the real quality based on a YouTube rendition, but feel free to glean what you can just after the break. So, if you weren’t sold already, are you now?

Despite new cameras being riddled with borderline useless features and modes, useful functionality like automatic geotagging is getting little love from the big players. All the more reason for third parties to sneak in and make a few bucks, and ATP certainly seems to be on top of it. We liked the idea of the company’s PhotoFinder, but that base station looked like needless desk clutter. The new PhotoFinder Pro does away with it, featuring an integrated SD, Memory Stick, and MMC card reader. Just sync up the clock in the unit with that of your shooter, clip it onto your camera bag for a day of scenic photography, and then pop your card in before downloading the pics that night. It’ll automatically add coordinates to each photo’s EXIF information, drastically reducing the likelihood of future spousal arguments about the whereabouts of certain Kodak moments. That sounds like a beautiful thing, and at $119 a good deal, too.

Update: Dan commented to point out that, with the help of an external USB card reader, the PhotoFinder Pro can also tag pics on CF, xD, or any other FAT/FAT32 formatted cards you might have sliding around in the bottom of your junk drawer.

[Via Photography Blog]

ATP PhotoFinder Pro loses the base station, takes us to geotagging nirvana originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 May 2009 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.