Indiscreet spy camera features 21x optical zoom lens

Besides churning out fake iPhones and Obama's Blockberry, China is capable of producing some pretty ingenious products, too. However, we rather the manufacturers not use the term "spy" for the Avatar Digital Binoculars and Spy Camera because it hardly looks discreet.

This Swiss Army knife of a gadget features not just a 2-megapixel digicam, but also multimedia playback functions. But what's most impressive about the Avatar snapper's specifications has to be its 21x optical zoom lens, though the focal length wasn't specified.

The gizmo has 1GB of onboard memory which can be further expanded to 3GB via the microSD card slot. Navigation of menus is done on the 2.5-inch LCD and power is drawn from a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

So who needs such a gadget? A curious line from Chinavasion's site explains: "While waiting for your prime suspect to appear, why not use the onboard media functions to listen to your music using the earphones provided with the Avatar." A detective, perhaps? Well, they better not get too engrossed in watching the movie on the shooter and losing sight of their target.

Via Gizmodo

Canon announces Hybrid Image Stabilizer system

In the first significant improvement Canon's made in its optical stabilization technology in a few years--I think the last major update was the SuperRange OIS in its camcorders--the company announced a new Hybrid IS technology that adds angular velocity sensing to its current bag of OIS tricks. While its IS system already has a sensor to detect rotation, the new velocity sensor is intended to detect the speed of rotation and thereby compensate more precisely. (Here's a simulation of how the current lenses work, and here's a nice PDF white paper on how angular velocity sensors work, written about Epson Toyocom's gyro-sensor.)
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More Sony dSLRs leaked online

Someone in Sony must be excited to get the company's new cameras out. Previously, we reported the TX1 and WX1, two upcoming superzoom compacts, were prematurely published on an online retailer's site. Now, the Japanese firm itself has let loose three dSLRs model names on its US-based product registration page.

We caught wind of this news from camera blog 1001noisycameras. Note that the highlighted portion in the picture above shows DSLRA500, A550 and A850. The trio has caused quite a stir on the Web, especially the A850 which is suspected to succeed the popular DSLR-A700, an enthusiast-oriented dSLR.

This being the season for most brands to showcase their latest products, we are guessing these three shooters will probably be announced in the coming weeks. Check back with us soon for more updates.

Zoom Q3 camcorder gets stereo condenser mics

It used to be all about getting your band's music on the radio, but these days, it's all about YouTube. Producing the ultimate viral music video isn't easy, though. Video cameras like the Flip Mino HD, RCA Small Wonder, and Creative Vado have lowered the cost of entry when it comes to recording high-quality video, but the built-in mics leave plenty to be desired.

To answer the call for a musician-friendly video recorder, the folks at Zoom have unveiled the Zoom Q3--a US$249 handheld camcorder with a built-in pair of high-quality stereo condenser mics. The Q3 can record at audio resolutions up to 24-bit/48kHz WAV (or 320Kbps MP3) using a selectable X/Y microphone pattern that can focus on individual instruments or capture the sound of the whole room.
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Buying camera equipment overseas

Friends have told me that Hong Kong is one of the best places to buy new camera equipment, but I've yet to find any gems there. Perhaps I've been looking in the wrong places. Truth be told, I would rather purchase from the retailers at home anytime. For paying a little more, I get peace of mind knowing there is a person I can look for if my equipment fails. However, some of my bargain-hunting friends are willing to cast aside their doubts and plonk down thousands of dollars for a new camera kit while overseas.

If you must buy overseas, one important thing is to check the warranty status. My friends always insist on an international warranty so they can send the product back to its respective local office when the camera acts up. That said, which kind of consumer are you? Would you pay a bit more like me, or are you willing to forgo the warranty dirt cheap prices? Sound out below.

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