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NewsMillions of LIFE Magazine Photos Now Available on Google Images

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

LIFE Magazine's classic photojournalism lives again on Google-hosted image archive

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.

Comments: 2
TAGS: Life, Google, photography, digital imaging, website, Time-Life, collection, photojournalism

NewsNikon's New SLR is the First to Shoot Video

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.

Comments: 1
TAGS: nikon, video, Digital Camera, photography, consumer electronics, DSLR, slr

NewsNew Camera for the Blind Looks Outta Sight

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.

Comments: 3
TAGS: Digital Camera, photography, consumer electronics, Braille, Blind

NewsPhase One Intros World's First Full-Frame Medium Format 645 Camera

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

Phase One introduces world's first full-frame 645 digital camera back

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.

Comments: 0
TAGS: photography, imaging, Hasselblad, professional electronics, 645 format, medium format, 60.5MP, Phase One, Photokina, Mamiya Sekor

NewsHands-On Lab Test! We Scrutinze Polaroid's New Pogo Portable Printer

Posted 07/03/08 at 03:50:03 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

I still own a vintage Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera but feeding it was expensive then and now nigh impossible thanks to the end of instant film. Polaroid’s POGO portable printer brings back some of the fun I had with the SX-70. This pocket printer is the first to use Zero Imaging’s Zero Ink paper that does away with ink in favor of billions of embedded crystals in the 2x3 sheets of paper.

Hook your PictBridge-enabled digital camera up to the POGO via a Type A USB cable and let the fun begin. Once the camera has finished chewing on the image, it will take about 30 seconds to print out. The POGO will print full bleed to the tiny pieces of paper and the adhesive back lets you stick ‘em anywhere. Fun, right?