Who says photography gear has to be expensive? Photographer Derrick Story found this NEEWER 48 LED Ring Light on Amazon for around $30 and he loves the results he's getting with it for macro photography. Story had this to say about the inexpensive ring light on his blog The Digital Story: "Sound too good to be true? It isn't. You don't have to worry about flash sync or TTL communication since the NEEWER lighting is continuous. There are 3 lighting options: full, left side only, or right side only. The output is approximately 15GN (both lights on), which is plenty bright for macro...
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With Facebook IPO Underway, One Man Pitches a Polaroid-Style Instagram Camera

They say the easiest way to get rich is to hang around billionaires because they leak money. Antonio De Rosa is an Italian designer who is clearly looking to find one of those leaky rich guys to stand as close to as possible. De Rosa of ADR Studio has developed a prototype Polaroid-style Instagram camera, or at least a mock-up of one. He introduced his Instagram camera concept to the world on May 5th and the response has been underwhelming, to say the least. But De Rosa has his dream and is working hard on making it a reality. Well, sort of. De Rosa posted his Instagram Socialmatic...
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Geotagging, without the privacy issues: Canon offers a solution

Geolocation can be great for keeping track of where you've been, and what photos you've shot on your travels, but it also has a dark side. Location-aware cameras are increasingly common, especially in smartphones. If you don't know that your specific device is capable of geotagging (or perhaps, incorrectly believe that the function is disabled), that can lead to you giving out much more personal information than you intended when you share your images. If you read our recent article, "Geotagging: the silent killer, says US army", you'll be aware of just how dangerous that can potentially...
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The Camera Bag: Optrix Wide-Angle iPhone Case for Shooting HD Video of Extreme Sports

Here's another Kickstarter project that was born out of necessity. Called the Optrix Wide-Angle, it's a water-resistant, bump-, spill-, splash-, and drop-proof case with a built-in wide-angle lens for the iPhone 4, 4S and iPod Touch. Optrix creator John Willenborg says he got the idea for the product when he couldn't find a decent, protective solution to shoot point-of-view videos with his iPod Touch for extreme sports such as mountain biking, skateboarding, and skiing. Initially he just duct taped his iPod Touch down but then decided he could come up with a better system. That system...
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Here’s a Funny Photo of Bill Murray Shooting with a Teeny Tiny Minox Camera

Someone posted this hilarious photo (below) of Bill Murray shooting with a Minox camera in one of the forums on Reddit and we just had to share it. If you're interested in the camera Murray's using -- a miniature replica of a Leica M3 -- you can buy one for $179 at Photojojo. Not a bad deal considering it's no toy. The 3.8-ounce Minox M3 replica records 5.1-megapixel images to SDHC memory cards; has a 4x digital zoom; a glass lens; and a 2-inch screen on back. No wonder Bill likes it.  
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Samsung confirms NX1000 pricing, availability

Last month, Samsung demonstrated its commitment to the mirrorless camera market with no less than three new models: the Samsung NX20 being its new flagship, the Samsung NX210 sitting mid-range, and the Samsung NX1000 marking the entry point for the trio. At the time, the company revealed pricing and availability for the NX20 and NX210, but only provided a ship date for the NX1000. (Those first two cameras are already shipping, priced at US$1,100 and $900 respectively.) Today, it reveals pricing for its value-oriented model. MSRP pricing for the Samsung NX1000 is set at around US$700. As...
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The Answers to the ?Cameras in the Movies Quiz?

It's been over a week since our "Cameras in the Movies" quiz was posted and now here are the answers. How did you do?   1. In Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, what camera did Jack Nicholson’s Jake Gittes use in his surveillance activities? A Leica IIIa with Vidom finder and Telyt lens. 2. What old magical camera is used by one of the students in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? An Argus C3. 3. In Spiderman, Tobey Maguire plays reporter Peter Parker. What does he shoots his spot news with? A Canon F-1N. 4. The movie Pecker is about a young photographer’s sudden rise to fame in the...
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Sony NEX-F3: New entry-level mirrorless previewed (with samples)

Sony's NEX-series of compact system cameras today gains an affordable new model, with the debut of the Sony Alpha NEX-F3, and we've just posted our preview. The Sony NEX-F3 sits between the entry-level NEX-C3 and the NEX-5N in terms of specification. At the heart is a 16 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS image sensor, with the same dimensions and pixel count as that in the NEX-5N and SLT-A57, although it's not clear if it's actually identical to those cameras' sensor. We do know, however, that it's identical to that featured in the simultaneously-announced Alpha SLT-A37. Compared to the C3,...
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Announced, previewed: Sony SLT-A37, the newest Translucent Mirror camera (with samples)

The unique lineup of Translucent Mirror cameras from Sony just got a little bigger, as the company unveiled a brand new model: the Sony Alpha SLT-A37 (and we've just posted our hands-on preview!) Closely-related to the existing SLT-A35 model, the Sony A37 has a subtly restyled body that's exactly the same size, but just a little heavier. Behind the Translucent Mirror, which allows the unusual features of these models such as full-time phase detection autofocus, there's a new 16 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS image sensor. Although it's a different chip to the A35's, resolution is only...
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The Camera Bag: The Best and Coolest Camera Bags on the Planet

Camera bags are pretty much our stock and trade and it's nice to see we're not the only ones who obsess over these lovingly designed gear vessels. Photographer Scott Bourne just posted an updated list of his favorite camera bags over at Photofocus and they include a number of bags that would probably make our own list. For instance, there's the stylish Tenba ProDigital 2.0 Messenger, which Bourne accurately notes is a photo bag "that doesn't scream 'CAMERA BAG.'" He also includes the Gura Gear Kiboko, which we've found to be one of the best designed professional photo backpacks out there...
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The Leica M Monochrom: Is Leica Pricing Out Its Loyal Customers with an $8,000 Black-and-White Camera?

Leica has gotten a lot of press in the last few days between the record-breaking auction of a 1923 Series-0 camera for nearly $3 million, to the announcement of a digital rangefinder that shoots only in black and white: the 18-megapixel Leica M Monochrom ($7,950).   Reading these reports including what we’ve written here on Imaging Resource, I must admit my initial reaction was bafflement, followed by sadness. I tried to understand these feelings, wondering why I felt anything at all about the sale of an old camera or a black-and-white-only digital camera?   However, in thinking about...
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New firmware ships for Leica S2 DSLR

Germany's Leica Camera AG has released updated firmware for its Leica S2 digital SLR, bringing improved flash performance and adding support for a recently-announced mount adapter. Leica S2 firmware version 1.0.3.3 includes the following changes, according to the official release notes: Support of the new Hasselblad lens adapter Leica S-Adapter H –full functionality (order no. 16030) Improvement of flash synchronization with 1/125s focal plane shutter Announced earlier this week, the Leica S-Adapter H allows use of Hasselblad H-system lenses on the Leica S2's...
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Photoshop Touch 1.2 relaxes image size limits, but with a catch

Adobe has recently issued updates for its Photoshop Touch app on both the Android and iOS platforms, bringing a number of updates and new features, and taking the version number up to v1.2. Key among these is a change that answers criticisms that the app could previously handle images only at resolutions below 1,600 x 1,600 pixels (2.6 megapixels in a square aspect ratio; 1.9 megapixels in the more common 4:3 aspect), rather limiting its utility. Now, Photoshop Touch will allow a slightly more generous 2,048 x 2,048 pixels (4.2 megapixels max. in square aspect; 3.1 megapixels in 4:3...
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Fuji unveils wide conversion lens, new firmware for X100 (with samples!)

Fujifilm has today announced a new conversion lens specific to its FinePix X100 digital camera, offering X100 shooters an alternative to the 23mm fixed focal length of their camera. The company has also simultaneously announced updated firmware for the X100 body. The Fuji WCL-X100 Wide Conversion Lens has 0.8x magnification, and mounts directly on the camera body, without the need for the AR-X100 adapter ring that must be used to attach other filters and accessories. When mounted, the combination of X100 body and WCL-X100 conversion lens provides a focal length of 19mm, equivalent to 28mm...
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Lens Review: Pentax 40mm f/2.8 XS SMC DA

Pentax released its new 40mm f/2.8 XS SMC DA "pancake" lens with the K-01 mirrorless camera, making for a very small and portable camera-lens combination. With its K-mount, the lens is compatible with other Pentax cameras, so we took the opportunity to put it through its paces in our test lab. Does smaller become better? Check out the results for yourself in our full review of the Pentax 40mm f/2.8 XS SMC DA "pancake" lens.
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The Camera Bag: A Tilt-Shift Lens You Can Print Out and Make Yourself

Tilt-shift lenses are great for giving your images that miniaturized or shallow depth-of-field look but they can be expensive, very expensive. If you're a photographer on a low budget -- and who isn't short of cash these days? -- you might be interested in this cool step-by-step tutorial from Instructables on how to make a printable tilt-shift lens adapter. The materials you need to make this DIY tilt-shift lens can be found at any office supply or hardware store, and include paper, something to write with, and digital calipers to take measurements for your 3D object. The adapter in...
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Robot takeover imminent: Canon aims for human-free production by 2015

Imaging giant Canon is working to fully automate its camera production, according to an article from Associated Press journalist Yuri Kageyama, published today on Yahoo News. The move could see humans completely removed from Canon's assembly lines, perhaps as soon as the next three years or so. Canon spokesman Jun Misumi, whose official title isn't stated, is quoted as stating that such a move wouldn't result in job losses. According to Misumi, staff whose jobs were taken over by machines would simply be transferred to other tasks. With that said, in a company that no longer needed a...
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Sigma updates SD1 firmware

At the end of last week, Sigma Corp. of America announced firmware updates for both variants of its flagship digital SLR, the Sigma SD1. Based around a Foveon X3 CMOS image sensor that outputs 15.4 megapixel images with full color information at every pixel location, the SD1 and SD1 Merrill are the company's first high-end, weather-sealed DSLR models. (They differ from each other in name only, with the updated name being an homage to the late co-founder of Foveon and the co-inventor of the Foveon sensor technology, Dick Merrill.) The new firmware for both SD1 variants makes identical...
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GoPro’s new dive housing lets you focus on your underwater imagery

A few months ago, the first rumors appeared of a new underwater housing for the iconic GoPro HD Hero action camera line, with availability expected from winter 2012. Today, GoPro creator Woodman Labs Inc. has made the AFLTH-001 Dive Housing official, and reconfirmed the previously-expected price of around US$50. Availability is well ahead of the earlier schedule, though: the new HD Hero Dive Housing is expected to begin shipping this Thursday. If you've not done much underwater shooting with the HD Hero-series cameras, you could be forgiven for wondering what the purpose of the new...
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Portable event photo kit promises to reinvent the guestbook

A New York-based startup will soon unveil an open air, portable event studio setup that it claims will couple "the fun of a photobooth with the quality of a professional studio". Detailed information isn't available yet, but the mobile studio looks to be based around a Nikon D800 digital SLR, plus a variety of other hardware and software, including both a printer and projector. After each guest has a set of photos taken, they're given a chance to choose their favorites, which are then projected for all to see, while two copies of each photo are printed. One copy goes to the guest, and at...
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