Visually impaired photographers exhibit mind-boggling shots

Twelve visually impaired artists, a few of whom are totally blind, were recently featured by the University of California at Riverside.

The shots they took are inspiring, considering that most won't know where the camera lens is pointing. For Rosita McKenzie, she said she could be experimental as she can't see. Her method was to sense the light on her face (possibly from the heat radiated by the light source), hear the rustle of the wind or use her sense of smell to identify fragrances in the air to get an idea of her environment.

Another photographer, Pete Eckert, believes that being blind gives him an advantage over shutterbugs who can see. His rationale is that vision can get in the way, and seeing less may be more.

My favorite quote from Victorine Floyd Fludd, who said: "A good picture comes not from the outside, but from within."

Time.com has a slideshow of 18 images from these 12 photographers. Do check them out if you are curious to see how the visually impaired views the world.

Via Trendhunter

Hello Kitty Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z85: No camera deserves this

My eyes! My eyes! They burn! Oh Lord, they burn! The axis of evil that is Hello Kitty and Swarovski has struck again, wreaking havoc on yet another perfectly serviceable gadget. Today's unfortunate victim is the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z85 compact camera.

The Z85 is a 9-megapixel snapper with a 2.6-inch screen which, frankly, doesn't deserve this kind of humiliation. As if the glittering stick-on sequins around the lens ring aren't enough, there's a bunch of gravel-colored stars splattered about the place, and a Hello Kitty face that resolves itself out of nowhere like a Magic Eye picture, those blank, shark-like Kitty eyes boring straight into your soul as if divining the exact cash value of your very being...

The Hello Kitty Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z85 is available from Geek Stuff 4 U for US$573. But please don't encourage them.

Via Crave UK

Micro Four Thirds or dSLR?

Last week, Panasonic announced the price of its second Micro Four Thirds camera, the Lumix GH-1, in the US. At US$1,499, it is almost twice the price of entry-level dSLRs such as the Canon EOS 500D and Nikon D5000, which are retailing at US$899 and US$850, respectively. Considering that the features of these three cameras are quite similar, some consumers may find it hard to justify the higher pricing of the Panasonic camera.

In some ways, the GH-1 encompasses the better of these two dSLRs. It has an articulated LCD like the D5000 and the full-HD video-recording feature of the EOS 500D. But is it worth the premium? We figured Panasonic can afford to price this shooter higher because it is the only company with Micro Four Thirds cameras on the market. But come third quarter of this year, Olympus will be announcing a Micro Four Thirds shooter. The competition will heat up then and we can expect pricings of such snappers to be more competitive. That said, would you go for a dSLR or a Micro Four Thirds camera?

Sony Alpha 230, 330 and 380: dSLR leakski

Those crazy Russians. They've gone and leaked details of three new Sony Alpha dSLR cameras: The 230, 330 and 14-megapixel 380.

Details of the new dSLRs briefly surfaced like the Red October on the Russian Sony site before disappearing again. Fortunately for us, photoclubalpha was on hand to capture and composite the various new features listed, albeit with a Google translation about as convincing as Sean Connery's Russian accent.

The A230 is a lightweight, entry-level model. The top-end A380 and middle child A330 boast flip-out screens. All three boast HDMI output to TVs, but do not appear to shoot video of any definition. Features shown include a new user interface, showing aperture and shutter speed on a sliding scale, pictured left.

The leaked pages mention APS-C format sensors, presumably for all three cameras. The sensors are protected by a dual dust-reduction system. Sony's Bionz sensor handles the thinking, while a dynamic range opimizer handles tricky, contrasty images to keep detail in both highlights and shadows.
Read more »

Kaleido R7 digital photo frame does wireless streaming

At first glance, the Ipevo Kaleido R7 reminds us of the uber-expensive Sony XEL-1, the world's first OLED panel. However, the R7 won't be able to play your favorite movies since it is just a digital photo frame.

The Wi-Fi-enabled display can stream images from your PC if you find the 512MB of internal memory too small. Alternatively, there is a card reader which supports various common media formats or you can view pictures off your thumbdrive via the USB port.

The 7-inch pivoting LCD is supported by a base which features touch-sensitive controls that you can just tap to scroll between images or change settings in the menu.

Ipevo's Web site lists the R7 for US$200. This is only a fraction of how much the XEL-1 costs at US$2,500.

Via Uncrate

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