The hole in the hood

Ever since we got the Fujifilm S100FS prosumer shooter, we've been wondering why there is a removable latch on the lens hood. Initially we thought it could be to stick things through it for some creative effects, but we got bored of that soon.

When we brought up this question to Fujifilm, its answer was about pure engineering ingenuity. Apparently, the S100FS is built for snapping nature and the use of a polarizer filter is quite common. For those not in the know, this filter can enhance certain colors and can be rotated for different intensities.

So even with the lens hood on, you can adjust the polarizing effect without having to fumble with the optics. Case solved!

Thumb-operated camera with gigantic rotating handle

A problem some left-handed folks have with cameras is that the shutter button and most of the navigation tools are situated on the right of the shooter. While this issue can be overcome with practice, the learning curve can be steep for newbies.

Designer Mikhail Stawsky thinks he has the solution--a rotating handle that pivots around the camera's body. This would serve to change the orientation to suit individuals. All the necessary buttons are built into the handle and easily accessible with the thumb. The chassis will house the LCD, lens and viewfinder. The flash is placed in the handle to make full use of it.
While this concept may seem ingenious, there are some issues we have with it. First would be the flash which is positioned too near the lens and could cause some serious flare. Also, while the ergonomic design may be a refreshing change, it is a far cry from the sleek and slim form that most of us prefer.

Via Yanko Design

Samsung announces four cameras

It is reported online that Samsung is planning to add four new babies to its point-and-shoot lineup. As the date for Photokina draws nearer, we're beginning to see more and more tricks up the sleeves of manufacturers. For the Korean chaebol, cramming more resolution into its shooter seems to be the name of the game this time round.

The NV100HD is one 14.6 megapixel beast packaged in a stylish form. This makes the shooter the highest-resolution point-and-shoot available, besides the 13.6-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-W300 from Sony. According to Engadget, Samsung is introducing SmartTouch 2.0 with a 3-inch touchscreen. This shooter is primed to build upon the success of the acclaimed NV24HD and will sport the same 3.6x optical zoom. The "HD" prefix means that this point-and-shoot is capable of recording HD-quality video clips.
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Phase One announces 60.5-megapixel digital back

Moore's law seems to have accelerated over the past week--Kodak's recent 50-megapixel sensor is now outdated after digital back manufacturer Phase One announced its mind-staggering 60.5-megapixel P65+.

It has a full-frame medium-format sensor that measures 53.9 x 40.4mm, which towers over the typical point-and-shoot's chip which is about 10 times smaller. The 1.3GB RAM buffer can probably handle eight 180MB shots before it runs dry. A premium device has to be fitted to a premium body, which is a good variety of studio cameras from Linhof or Sinar that most of us can only dream of.

Although the megapixel fray for point-and-shoots is fading slowly, it has just begun for professional cameras. Unless you're a working photographer whose clients require bill-board-size prints, we're not really sure which media will let you display 60.5 megapixels' worth of details in their full glory.

The P65+ costs US$39,900, which is the price of a car. If I strike the lottery, I think I'll go for the latter.

Picture credit: Phase One

Samsung's new YouTube-friendly camcorder

Each month seems to bring a new YouTube-centric digital camcorder and July is no exception: Samsung has announced the SC-MX20, a US$279.99 model that's the successor to the SC-MX10. It'll arrive in stores in August and come in blue, black, red, and white.

According to the news release, the camcorder has a 680,000-pixel CCD sensor that delivers a 720 x 480-pixel resolution that allows the SC-MX20 to capture video with "stunning color and clarity". That may be a slight exaggeration, but the new model does feature a Schneider lens with 34x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD, advanced noise reduction (3-D Noise Reduction), Samsung's allegedly improved Advanced Image Stabilization, and Face Detection, "which can automatically detect up to five faces and adjust focus to ensure better composition". According to Samsung, the value-priced SC-MX20 shares some features found in its higher-end SC-HMX20C, including its design.

What makes the SC-MX20 YouTube-friendly is a special Web and mobile-shooting mode that simply tells the camcorder to shoot video with YouTube-optimized video settings. According to the release, "by selecting the Web & Mobile mode, the camcorder's resolution is automatically adjusted to 640 x 480 (H.264 / AAC / MP4) and optimized for use on Web sites. Unlike other camcorders, users can easily import video from the SC-MX20 and play it on MP3 players and other portable multimedia players supporting H.264, without having to convert the files". Some CyberLink software is thrown in for editing and customizing video files.
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