Posted 11/04/09 at 08:16:12 PM by Ryan Whitwam

The Flickr API is nothing new, but the photo sharing site is now bringing it more front and center. Flickr has unveiled their new “App Garden” that provides a better interface for finding useful photo apps. The new page is more compact than the old API interface. Each app gets a thumbnail preview that links to an individual page. Here, users can tag, discuss, and favorite an app.

There are still a few missing features, though. Flickr is about sharing, but there’s no way to share a list of your apps with friends. It also doesn’t take advantage of Flickr’s friend activity feed to show off what apps you’re using. However, the recommendation system does allow users to recommend individual apps. If you’re a Flickr user, do you like the new interface?

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Posted 09/02/09 at 09:46:42 AM by Mark Edward Soper

Canon fired the latest salvo in the hotter-than-ever digital SLR wars this week, introducing its new EOS 7D. The $1699 (body-only) EOS 7D includes some now-familiar features, such as APS-C image sensor size (1.6x crop factor), 3-inch LCD with Live View, and Full HD Video.

The 7D boasts an 18MP image sensor and ISO expandable to 12,800, but that's just the beginning of what makes it bigger, faster, smarter, and stronger than previous mid-range Canon DSLRs. For the rest of the story, join us after the jump.

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Posted 08/03/09 at 04:30:53 PM by Paul Lilly

Is that a projector in your pocket, or a Nikon Coolpix S1000pj digital camera? Perhaps both, if the latest rumor turns out to be true.

According to NikonRumors.com, the Coolpix S1000jp will be the first digital camera with a built-in projector that allows users to project photos or movie clips onto any flat surface at up to 40 inches in size. In addition to an LED projector, the Coolpix will also include a projector stand, a multi-function remote control, and other goodies.

Other details remain sparse, although preliminary specs show the new digicam sporting an effective resolution of 12.1 megapixels, a 5x Zoom-Nikkor lens, and a 28mm (equivalent) wide-angle coverage.

Look for availability sometime this September at an as-yet unannounced price.

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Posted 04/24/09 at 01:40:04 PM by Paul Lilly

We've known for some time that Nikon planned on releasing the D5000, a new entry-level DSLR, but it was only ten days ago that the company formerly introduced the newest model. Skip ahead and we now have a concrete release date, as Amazon lists the camera as shipping on Monday, April 27th.

Nikon's new DSLR comes with a 12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor and articulating 2.7-inch vari-angle LCD display. Photographers can still view photos with the little LCD in its normal position, or it can be swung out to be rotated or tilted, opening the door to all kinds of contorted body positions when shooting images.

The D5000 also comes capable of recording HD movie clips in 720p. Recording video is somewhat new to DSLRs, starting with the D90 Nikon released back in August 2008. Other features include:

• 19 auto-exposure scene modes
• One-button Live View
• Continuous shooting up to 4fps
• ISO sensitive from 200 to 3200
• Built-in image sensor cleaning 
• In-camera Retouch image editing
• Optional GPS geo-tagging

You can pre-order the D5000 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR kit lens now for $850 through Amazon.com.

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Posted 11/19/08 at 07:47:35 PM by Mark Edward Soper

LIFE Magazine, which published classic photojournalism from Maragaret Bourke-White, Alfred Eisenstaedt, David Douglas Duncan and many others during its various incarnations as a weekly (1936-72), special issue (1972-78), monthly (1978-2000), and Sunday supplement (2004-2007), lives again, thanks to the new LIFE photo archive hosted by Google.

Ultimately, about 10 million photos (only about 3 percent of them ever published) will be available at Google. There's no need to wait to explore this rich photo heritage, though: about three million are already online.

So, what can you do with photos ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Winston Churchill, World War II to Vietnam, Muhammed Ali to the King of Siam? You can view photos in three different sizes, including high-resolution (5MP-6MP) sizes and use them for personal or research purposes.

To learn more about the collection, and for your chance to tell us about your favorite LIFE Magazine images, join us after the jump.

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Posted 08/27/08 at 03:18:07 PM by Paul Lilly

Point-n-shoot digital cameras have had the ability to shoot video for quite some time, but the same feature has been noticeably absent among digital SLR (DSLR) cameras. Adding insult to injury, even low end DSLRs typically cost more than high end digital cameras, yet if owners of the latter want to take videos, it meant spending even more money on a camcorder.

Nikon looks to change that trend with the release of its latest digital single-lens reflex camera, the D90, which is the company is billing as the first SLR with video capability. Nikon made it possible to record video by using a faster frame rate and a different way of processing the images.

"The big plus is that you can now shoot video with a great lens," says Steve Heiner, Nikon's senior technical manager.

The D90 will be capable of recording both high definition and standard video clips, but the new functionality won't come cheap. Expect to pay around $1,300 for the D90 with lens when it becomes available in stores next month.

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Posted 08/15/08 at 01:13:04 PM by Paul Lilly

There are all kinds of gadgets and gizmos and for the visually impaired, and thanks to designer Chueh Lee at Samsung China, those who can't see might soon be able to take pictures. The Touch Sight camera doesn't come with an LCD, instead displaying snapshots as a three-dimensional image by embossing the surface of a built-in Braille display.

"Touch Sight is a revolutionary digital camera designed for visually impaired people," said Lee. "Simpe features make it easy to use, including a unique feature which records sound for three seconds after pressing the shutter button. The user can then use the sound as a reference when reviewing and managing the photos."

Visually impaired photographers are advised to hold the camera up against their forehead, similar to having a third eye, as the best way to stabilize and aim the camera. Once the pictures are snapped, the touchable photos are saved to the camera and the ones worth sharing can be uploaded for other Touch Sight camera owners to download and feel.

Kudos to Lee for one of the grooviest gadgets we've seen recent times.

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Posted 07/15/08 at 12:48:05 PM by Mark Edward Soper

645 (6x4.5cm) film cameras have long been a favorite of medium format photographers, and now Denmark-based Phase One has become the first company to achieve a full-frame digital version of the popular 645 format. Featuring a 60.5MP resolution, Phase One's new P 65+ provides over 10MP more resolution than rival Hasselblad's new H3DII-50 model, along with a 180MB image size.

To find out more about the technology behind Phase One's breakthrough, and to learn more about the flexibility of the Phase One system, join us after the jump.

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