The Impossible Project to revive Polaroid

Polaroid may have ended production of its Instant Film, but purists of this format aren't giving up yet. Twelve men of various backgrounds (most of whom used to work for Polaroid as engineers) have come together to try and "re-invent Instant Film" via The Impossible Project.

If you think the idea is crazy, hear this: These 12 dudes have also acquired the production equipment and factory that Polaroid used to utilize. Right now, they are redesigning and gathering components for the next generation of Instant Film which they have named Integral Film.

A challenge that the team has set for itself is a time limit of one year. During this period, the members will have to conduct research and development on the new product, as well as replacing antique components with more current ones.

At 5.45pm, the project has 29,42,775 seconds left (as displayed on the Web site) to the deadline. As a shutterbug, I hope they succeed. The new digital Polaroid just doesn't feel as authentic as the original deal.

Nikon's new SLR leads the pack for sensor quality

It's not a surprise that the Nikon D3X, the company's brand-new US$8,000, 24.5-megapixel SLR, tops DxO Labs' sensor performance test. What is a surprise is the margin by which it leads its rivals from Canon and Sony.

When the French firm unveiled its DxOMark Sensor benchmark test last year, Nikon's D3 was the top scorer at 80.6, a composite number that represents various performance features. Very close on its heels were Nikon's D700 at 80.5, Canon's EOS-1Ds Mark III 80.3, and later Canon's 5D Mark II at 79 and Sony's Alpha A900 at 78.9.

All those cameras were close, but the D3X stands apart with a score of 88. The result shows how much ground Nikon has made up on Canon, which has dominated high-end digital SLR technology.

DxO Labs said cameras must be about 5 points apart for people to see a difference; a 15-point difference is equivalent to a full stop of improvement, meaning that a camera would have the same image quality as a rival with half the available light.


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Panasonic updates four of its basic Lumix compacts

With little fanfare, Panasonic has announced four new compact Lumix point-and-shoots. Three of these are in the FS series, which means they are simpler versions of the company's feature-packed FX-series of compact cameras. The DMC-FS15 improves on the older 10.1-megapixel FS20's resolution with a 12.1-megapixel sensor. It also comes with a 29mm wide-angle Leica lens with 5x zoom. The other two, the FS7 and FS6, are incremental updates of the FS5 and FS3, respectively, and will probably be priced attractively to appeal to the budget-conscious.
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Photographer argues Nikon D3x price worthwhile

When Nikon unveiled the D3x with its bank-breaking US$7,999 price tag, the question on everyone's lips was: Who would buy such an obscenely priced dSLR? Unless you need the D3x's weatherproof sealing and higher frame rate, top up some cash you can pick up three Canon EOS 5D Mark IIs (US$2,699 each).

However, photographer Jeff Revell argued that the Nikon D3x's price can be justified, but only when compared with the F6, a film-based SLR that the Japanese company still manufactures.

He based the calculations on the shutter count, which is 150,000 for the D3x, and assumed the same for the F6. The film shooter can snap approximately 4,166 rolls of 36 exposure negatives (priced at US$3 per roll on average), and when that's added up with the F6 (US$1,999), the total sum is US$14,497.
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Transformer-looking rig holds dSLR for filmmakers

With more and more shutterbugs using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Nikon D90 to make short films, it is inevitable that camera rigs are redesigned to accommodate these snappers.

Previously, we've reported on Redrock's rail mounts and focusing rig for the Canon dSLR. But now another company, Zacuto, has a more universal solution that can fit almost any dSLR. The company has five kits consisting of different components such as baseplates, grips and shoulder/tripod mounts to meet the different needs of cinematographers. The designers of these kits, Steve Weiss and Jens Bogehegn, placed emphasis on stability since a shoulder-mounted dSLR would have most of the weight in front. Their solution is an adjustable counterweight on the rear end which is dependent on how much heft you place on the front.

According to Zacuto, what is unique about this system is that the rig was engineered to provide quick adjustments and thus smoother shots. However, the price isn't for the average photographer. At US$5,196, it is more expensive than any of the dSLRs out there with video-recording function.

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