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Panasonic announces its latest Compact System Camera (CSC), the LUMIX DMC-GX1, which joins Panasonic’s award-winning LUMIX G Series of digital cameras, which are acclaimed for their high image quality with small and compact body and lenses. The new LUMIX GX1 features a 16.01-megapixel Live MOS sensor and Venus Engine, helping to ensure real-to-life images through excellent resolution, image rendering and color reproduction. Even in low-light situations and at maximum 12800 high ISO sensitivity, the LUMIX GX1 can produce stunning photos and videos, and because of its compact size it can be easily carried for daily use.

“Panasonic expects the LUMIX GX1 to please a lot of photo enthusiasts who have been eager for a technology upgrade comparable to the LUMIX DMC-GF1, which continues to be a very popular digital camera with dedicated followers who appreciate the compact size, yet high quality of photos and video,” said Darin Pepple, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “The LUMIX GX1 is an extremely flexible and capable digital camera with fast AF speeds and outstanding image quality. Plus with a built-in flash and a hot shoe allowing for accessories like an external view finder, the GX1 is a powerful compact system camera that is small enough to be a photographer’s everyday camera choice.”

The LUMIX GX1, like all the models in Panasonic’s LUMIX G Series of CSC, adopts Contrast AF for its focus system, so focusing is controlled by the image sensor. When compared with the Phase difference system AF, Contrast AF achieves higher accuracy especially when shooting with a bright lens with small F value. For instance, the accuracy of Contrast AF is approximately 90% while Phase difference AF is approximately 60% at F1.4. Additionally, with the precise Contrast AF system, the LUMIX GX1 achieves high resolution through an optimal balance of resolution and noise reduction, thus producing lifelike image rendering and highly precise Auto Exposure and white balance. To further advance the Contrast AF, the LUMIX GX1?incorporates full-area focusing, making it possible to set focus on any point in the field of view. With the LUMIX GX1’s 3.0-inch touch LCD screen, frame composition is intuitive and easy.

The LUMIX GX1 features an ultra high-speed Light Speed AF*, which means it can Auto Focus in approximately 0.09 second. This is achieved by reducing the detection time for focusing by the synchronizing the lens and sensor at 120 fps. Plus, the newly-added focus mode AFF (AF Flexible) locks on the focus when the shutter button is half-pressed, however, if the subject moves, the focusing is reset to get the best results. Combined with the Touch AF control, setting and focusing on the subject is incredibly easy and quick.

The touch-control system of the LUMIX GX1 lets users set the focus on the subject by simply touching it on the large, 460,000-dot wide-viewing angle LCD. Users can even release the shutter by touching the screen. Once locked on the subject with a touch, the LUMIX GX1 tracks the subject, even when it moves, using the AF tracking function. With a touch on the screen, users can select the part and the size of the AF area, choosing from 1-area AF, Multi-area AF with 23 AF areas and Pinpoint AF, which allows extremely precise focus setting.

Despite its compact size, the LUMIX GX1 is extremely intuitive to operate, with an optimized layout of control buttons, a mode dial and dedicated function buttons. Users can customize the two external buttons and two menus tabs to settings they most frequently use so they are easily accessible. In addition, a total of four custom setting patterns can be stored to the camera’s model dial – one on ‘C1’ and three on ‘C2.’ Furthermore, the LUMIX GX1 was designed to enhance its ergonomics, with a grip that fits naturally and comfortably in the hand, despite its flat profile and compact design. Plus, the LUMIX GX1 has a more tactile texture and the mode dial is easy to turn and features print that is easy to read and won’t easily wear.

The LUMIX GX1 can record 1920 x 1080 at 60i, with sensor output of 30p, full-High Definition videos in the AVCHD format which excels in both compression efficiency and compatibility with AV equipment for playback. In addition to the practical full-time AF, the Touch AF in video recording also lets users enjoy professional-like rack focusing. Just by pointing at the subject, the focus is shifted so it stands out. With a dedicated video record button on the top, users can instantly start recording videos while shooting photos without any having to make any extra setting adjustments. Along with the full-HD video capabilities, the LUMIX GX1 also features high-quality sound, recorded with Dolby® Digital Stereo Creator. Videos can also be recorded in MP4 format for playback on a PC or other portable electronic devices without having to convert the files.

Other features of the new Panasonic LUMIX GX1 compact system camera include:

• A new Level Gauge, which lets the camera detect the horizontal/vertical angle of view with its internal level working with the sensor. In addition, photos shot in portrait aspect will be automatically displayed vertically, regardless of which lens is used.

• One Push AE adjusts exposure with a single press of the “Fn” (Function) button when it is over/under exposed, which is especially useful when shooting outdoors with open aperture or indoors with fast shutter speed.?

• Dust Reduction System helps to eliminate dust or foreign matter getting inside the LUMIX GX1 when lenses are being changed. By placing a supersonic wave filter in front of the Live MOS sensor that vibrates vertically around 50,000 times per second, the filter repels dust and other particles effectively.

• Zoom operation can be controlled with touch control when either of Panasonic’s new LUMIX X Power Zoom lenses are attached. And the zoom speed can also be adjusted in two steps for more precise control.

• Popular iA and iA Plus modes for beginners looking for automatic shooting in both still and video modes.

• Increased energy consumption and an approximately 11%** longer battery life when compared to the LUMIX DMC-G3, which also uses the same battery pack DMW-BLD10.

The LUMIX G Series is a robust system of bodies and lenses, featuring a total of 14 Micro Four Thirds lenses including the new power zoom X lens – standard zoom lens, telephoto zoom lens, single focal length lens, wide-angle lens, fish-eye lens, macro lens, and even a 3D lens – to fit a variety of shooting scenarios and occasions.

The Micro Four Thirds System products are joining today’s Four Thirds System products to provide customers with even higher levels of performance in a digital interchangeable lens camera. In addition to LUMIX G lenses, the LUMIX DMC-GX1 can use any interchangeable lens that complies with the Four Thirds System standard via an optional mount adapter for the unlimited number of lens properties. The LUMIX GX1 system camera offers a wide variety of options to choose from to match every shooting situation and shooting style, including: external flashes, PL filters, ND filters, MC protectors, remote shutter, zoom level, battery packs, AC adaptor, DC coupler, straps, cases, bags and more. Plus, with the LUMIX GX1’s hot shoe on the top, users can attach the optional tilt-shift Live View Finder (DMW-LVF2), with approximately 1.4x and 1,440,000-dot equivalent, 100% field of view.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX1 will be available in black and silver bodies in mid-December and in the following kit options: DMC-GX1-X with the LUMIX G X VARIO PZ 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. / POWER O.I.S (H-PS14042) lens will have a suggested retail price (SRP) of $949.99; the DMC-GX1-K with the 14-42 standard zoom for an SRP of $799.99; and the DMC-GX1, body only for an SRP of $699.99.

Sony Ericsson has launched Xperia™ Studio, an online entertainment platform for artists and collaborators to create and share their most innovative content. The initiative reflects Sony Ericsson’s ongoing commitment to engage with consumers through high-quality entertaining content to inspire them to explore their Xperia™ phones in new ways.

Remaking Reality:
The Sony Ericsson’s Xperia™ Studio invites creative thinkers, artists and intellectuals – from collaborative artists in Denmark to astrophysicists in New York – to take the range of Xperia™ handsets to their absolute limits and ultimately ‘remake reality’. Content on the platform will be updated at regular intervals from the growing pool of contributors.

Blurring the boundaries of entertainment, technology and communications:
The first phase of the project has seen collaborators from around the world use Xperia™ handsets to create content in unconventional and interesting ways – a flame-thrower camera flash, a view of the universe through the naked eye, capturing the perfect wave, creating a song from the ambient sounds of Paris and most recently capturing the extreme tricks preformed by a BMX crew in Brooklyn. Each project has been video-documented and can be viewed on the Xperia™ Studio platform.

Collaborators from around the world:
The project underlines Sony Ericsson’s heritage as an innovator that continually strives to blur the boundaries between entertainment, technology and communications. The first round of collaborators involved in the Xperia™ Studio project includes:

Illutron, a collaborative interactive art studio in Copenhagen
Dr. Joshua Peek, a Hubble Fellow and astrophysicist at Columbia University, NYC
Ed Sloane, a lifelong surfer and innovative surf photographer from Victoria, Australia
Annabel Linquist – an artist and musician from New York
Torey Kish – an extreme sports enthusiast from Brooklyn

For full details, please visit www.xperiastudio.com. Xperia™ Studio content is also available to Sony Ericsson communities on Facebook (www.facebook.com/sonyericsson) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/xperiastudio).

Canon Inc. today announced that the company is developing a new-concept EOS-series digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. Incorporating an enhanced version of the video-capture capability offered in the current EOS-series lineup, the new camera will be ideally suited for cinematographic and other digital high-resolution production applications. The model will be equipped with a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor and, enabling the recording of 4K video* (at a frame rate of 24P, with Motion-JPEG compression), will make possible the type of exceptional image quality and sublime imaging expression to be expected from the next generation of “EOS Movies.”

The announcement coincides with the launch of the Cinema EOS System, marking Canon’s full-fledged entry into the digital high-resolution production industry. The new professional digital cinematography system spans the lens, digital cinema camera and digital SLR camera product categories.

Further details regarding the new EOS digital SLR camera currently under development, including the product name, specifications and scheduled launch date, have yet to be decided.

EOS Movie: A New Industry Standard
Movie recording has been a standard feature in all newly introduced Canon EOS-series digital SLR cameras since the launch of the EOS 5D Mark II in November 2008. Coupled with the diverse array of lenses in Canon’s current interchangeable EF lens lineup, this feature has heralded rich visual expressive possibilities, delivering such characteristics as beautiful image blur and low noise while also garnering kudos for the mobility and maneuverability made possible through the cameras’ compact and lightweight body designs.

The impressive images created by the combination of Canon EOS digital SLR cameras and EF lenses, known as “EOS Movies,” have already earned their screen credentials on the sets of multiple productions, from television commercials and artist promotion videos to episodic dramas and even major motion pictures.

For more information and to view online demonstration footage of the new products please visit: www.canoncinemaeos.com

* Cropped to APS-H-equivalent size (dimensions measuring approximately 80% vertically and horizontally of a 35 mm full-frame sensor) when recording in 4K.

The Lomographic Society Proudly Presents: The LomoKino – Super 35 Movie Maker

LomoMovies Online: Upload, watch and share your very own LomoMovies on www.lomography.com

Lomography in Motion
How great must it have been to witness the first pictures as they started to move or to see the Lumiere brothers amazing the crowds of thousands with their very first short films? After 200+ years of movie making, million-dollar-special-effects (thanks Michael Bay), big scale film studios and endless Hollywood dramas, Lomography gives consumers the chance to return back to the roots of movie making and witness the very first steps with the Lomokino. The LomoKino allows you to become a director yourself and capture Lomographic movies on 35 mm film of any kind: no sound, no special effects, and no post production – just simple Lomography in motion.

Unique Art
To become a true LomoMovie director, simply load the film of your choice and wind the crank of the magic box to capture 144 shots on one roll of 35 mm film, or approximately 50 – 60 seconds of LomoMovie. You can use any kind of 35 mm film for different effects: Slide film, color negative, redscale or B/W. After developing the film, spool it into the specially developed LomoKinoScope, point it to a light source and watch your Lomographs moving over and over again. What sounds very simple produces a unique piece of art which can either stay in your hands only or can be given as a special present to somebody who really deserves it. Show your sweetheart how much you love her with a film, capture your sons first birthday or deliver a Charlie Chaplin like short that will take your grandmother back to a simpler time.

True Gadget
A wise man once said “form follows function” – naaaah – we like to say “form follows motion” and that’s why we designed this camera as a true compact gadget. Its irresistible design takes you straight back into the time when people left the audience screaming because a locomotive was speeding towards them on a movie screen and the movies were still a true business without special effects. It comes in a package either alone or with the LomoKinoScope, one film canister and a marvelous book. Its creative possibilities are so diverse that not even we can tell the limits. It’s up to you, gadget lovers, to take this baby in your hands and explore what movies used to be like the Lomographic way!

LomoMovies Online
Unlike the very first filmmakers we can call a powerful tool our own: the internet! Linking the simple technology of the LomoKino with our website, we enable you to upload, watch and share your own LomoMovies online. To give you a taste of the special LomoKino aesthetics and the sheer endless creative possibilities, we asked filmmakers from around the globe to create their own LomoMovies. Visit our website (www.lomography.com) to get some inspiration and start shooting your first LomoMovie today!

Technical Details
Retail Price: $79 for the Lomokino, $99 for the Lomokino + lomokinoscope
Film type: all kind of 135 roll film
Lens: 25mm
Exposure area: 24mm x 8.5mm: 144 images/film
Continuous Aperture: f/5.6 – f/11
Shutter: 1/100
Hand cranked: approx. 3-4 fps, 36-48 sec. movie per roll
Film counting: volume display
Focusing: (normal) 1m~infinity,(press button for) 0.6m close up
Tripod mount: yes

Opera Mini 6.5 is now ready for iOS, BlackBerry, J2ME and S60 (the latter’s in the form of Opera Mobile 11.5). Opera Mini 6.5 for Android was released recently, reports the Opera Mini Blog

“Opera Mini 6.5 will now show you exactly how much data you have spent and saved. A dedicated page, easily accessible from the help menu inside the Opera Mini, keeps count of how much data you are spending and saving.

The number of megabytes saved while using the Opera Mini browser can directly translate into money saved if you are roaming or on a pay-as-you-go plan for data traffic.

For people on capped data plans, this is a handy feature to make sure you don’t max out reaching those slow, punishing network speeds you might encounter after using up your allow”

James Kendrick writing on zdnet blog has posted an interesting article ” Evernote: Secret weapon for writing anywhere

Whenever I write about working mobile, since I often detail using some gadget or another, I hear from readers who ask why I don’t just carry a laptop everywhere. That’s a logical question, but real life doesn’t unfold the way we plan. The reality is that in my busy life I often write in moments of opportunity, using whatever gadgetry I have in hand. The key ingredient to my mobile writing is the note-taking service from Evernote.

When I am ready to edit and publish using the WordPress system, I open Evernote on the computer and copy the entire article. Those who use WordPress are familiar with the problems many editors have with text pasted from other systems. Weird characters are often the result of such efforts, but there is a way around it. Rather than paste the text in the WYSIWYG editor in WordPress, I paste it in the HTML editor. This strips off any invisible control characters that might be in the copied text.”

Adds auto-update by default and other new settings

The latest revision of Google’s Android Market app is out now.

Changes include:
New setting: Auto-update apps (presumably, sets all apps to auto-update mode, woohoo!)
New setting: Update over Wi-Fi only
New setting: Auto-add shortcuts (automatically adds homescreen shortcuts for new apps, a la Honeycomb)
Smaller font
New app drawer icon
Microphone (voice command) button in search menu
Star rating chart on app pages
Minor UI tweaks