Scarier than dropping your camera

We're puzzled and very freaked out. Looking at this pinhole shooter by Wayne Martin Belger only makes our imagination run wilder than Forrest Gump.

Crafted from the skull of a 13-year-old girl who lived 150 years ago (we're not sure how legal this is, or where he got the skull), this camera is not meant to take pictures of the faint-hearted. Titanium, aluminum, brass, silver and gemstones adorn the surface, while a back plate holds large-format 4 x 5-inch sheet negatives. A small hole drilled between the brows serves as the opening for light to enter. In fact, the creator has morbidly entitled the camera "Third Eye". According to him, Third Eye was "designed to study the beauty of decay".

We're quite sure this is one piece of photographic history we would prefer not to remember. There are other creations of his (all pinhole cameras) that are out of this world. Take a look at his Web site and judge for yourself. For the weirdos, sorry, these cameras are not for sale.

It's a 3D world after all

If you fancy 3D movies (who doesn't?), you'll probably like Loreo's 3D Lens in a Cap that takes stereoscopic pictures.

When you snap a picture, you get two images on a single frame, each slightly skewed from the other. The print can then be viewed on the Deluxe 3D Viewer, which combines two frames into one and presents an eye-boggling 3D image with incredible depth. Alternatively, you can use the Loreo Lite 3D Viewer for viewing on a computer screen.

It's really simple to use. Just mount the attachment to your dSLR or SLR as you would with lenses. Then set the focusing distance (no autofocus, sadly) as well as aperture (a choice of F11 or F22) on the fixed 38mm lens, and you're all set.

While this may sound gimmicky, I have to say it's quite entertaining. I have tried it at a store and the pictures look as real as those of 3D movies, which applies the same theory.

The Loreo 3D Lens in a Cap fits all SLRs and certain models of dSLRs. It is available from US$48 at Loreo's online store. The Deluxe 3D Viewer and Loreo 3D Viewer Lite cost US$24 and US$9.50 (for a pack of 10), respectively.

Click for larger images:

Nikon's D3X in the works?

It seems this is a fine week to leak news of dSLRs. Earlier, we reported Samsung was hinting at its development of a new full-frame dSLR. Now there are rumors of Nikon preparing a follow-up to its popular D3.

Fanboys of the Japanese imaging company should be familiar with its naming system. First was the D2, then came the D2X and D2H. Thus, the D3X was speculated as next.

The news caught on when hackers pried into Nikon's newly released firmware for the D3. Within it, they found traces of codes that suggested a new camera in the making. Although this news is creating plenty of buzz on the Web, the company is saying otherwise.

Officials from Nikon said they will not put anything "irrelevant into the camera’s firmware that will mislead users if it is not related". Even so, it's only a matter of time before a new model arrives. When it does, we'll keep you updated here.

Digicam clone from China

From the same country that spawned countless of iPhone clones comes a camera that looks too good to be true.

Chinese company Chinavasion is promoting its prosumer lookalike point-and-shoot, the ZKX-DC5010. While it looks suspiciously like Sony's H7 or Nikon's upcoming P80, the specifications tell another story.

It comes with an outdated 5-megapixel sensor, tiny 2.4-inch LCD display, fixed lens (with no indication on 35mm-equivalent focal length) and 4x digital zoom. All these tell-tale signs point to one thing: Unless you are really hard up on cash but still want to take pictures, stay away from it. If you are still interested, check out the promotional video on its Web site.

This shooter is more for wholesale than single purchase. One set costs US$125.60 and if you buy three, it's US$120.57. There are options to purchase 50 or more, but to find out the price we would have to register and be a member of Chinavasion. Thanks, but no thanks. We'll stick to the big boys.

Sony's Foam City camera ad

Ever since it released thousands of bouncy balls down a street in San Francisco in 2005, Sony has had big shoes to fill if it wanted to impress again. That prompted a few more of these big-scale advertisements including one with exploding paint and another with spools of thread down a pyramid. This time, instead of all the colors, Sony has gone with foam down a Miami street--lots and lots of foam.

Sony UK has a video on its site, and it has been put up on YouTube (embedded below) as well. Though the foam is all white, the visual impact is still amazing. In it, you see people on the street enjoying the sight, taking photos of the flood of foam using their Sony cameras. It may look like a lot of fun, but we pity the poor residents who had to clean up the mess. On the bright side, at least they probably have the cleanest street on the block.

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