Digital Cameras
“Inventions reached their limit long ago, and I see no hope for further development,” said Julius Frontius, back in the 1st century AD. Well, one day he could be right I suppose, but amazing stuff is still coming at us every day. There’s no more obvious place to see innovation and invention than in the world of digital imaging. We’ve had the great luck to play with some of the more unusual and creative imaging devices: a credit card sized camera; a potted-plant that wirelessly sends images; even a digital camera that can be dropped into a bucket for half an hour. Let’s play!
Casio’s Exilim Card Camera
Imagine a credit card that takes pictures, plays music, and records and displays videos. Casio has created an astonishing 1.2 megapixel camera card that is less than a ½ inch thick and weighs slightly more than 3 oz. They’re calling it the thinnest , smallest, and lightest digital camera on Earth and I don’t doubt it. The Exilim is surprisingly well made and hearty for something that can fit in your breast pocket. It comes in two “flavors:” the EX-S1 (which is just the camera) and the EX-M1, which is just microscopically larger than its brother, but has an integrated MP3 player and audio recorder! You’ll even be able to record and playback short movies with sound. Both models will be available in July 2002: the EX-S1 for $299.99 and the EX-M1 for $349.99.
Casio has two more inventive surprises: the Color Watch Wrist Camera Databank, which is water resistant with a 2X digital zoom and a modest 25,000 pixels sensor (in an age of megapixels) that make relatively small but colorful images (176x 144 pixels to be precise). What I love about this watch is that not only can I take quick pictures but I can instantly “beam them” to my laptop with the built-in infrared capability of the watch. Oh, it keeps time too. I’ll confess that using it for serious photography is as practical as shaving a bowling ball but everyone who sees it says Dick Tracey would be proud.
Casio’s other astonishing new camera is the “G.Bros GV-10” (whatever that means.) The name may be forgettable but this rugged camera is not. It’s water-resistant, shock resistant, and dust resistant. Basically, Casio made a digital camera you don’t have to worry about it. Dropped it in the pool for a half hour? No problem. It features a modest 1.2 megapixel sensor and 8 meg compact memory card included, but it’s sturdy as a rock, and reasonably priced at $349.99.
Water resistant 1.2 megapixels
Canon EOS D60
Oh, I don’t deserve this camera and frankly, I couldn’t afford it if I did. But I do covet it. If you love good lenses and you fear digital imaging will never rival what your film camera can do, get over it quick. Canon’s EOS lenses all fit this new powerhouse of mondo megapixelage. It uses a 6.3 megapixel CMOS chip and is superfast. Put in a 1 Gig IBM microdrive and you can record hundreds of great-looking shots with a single battery charge. I fell in love with its older and megapixelly-weaker brother, the D30, and since I can’t afford that (a mere $1,500) or this (“just$2,999, darling, but it’s worth it!”), so I’ll just look at it with wistful affection in the window of B+H Photo and sigh.
Olympus D-520 Zoom Digital Camera
Ok, so now that I can’t afford the D60 above, what’s a geek to do? Olympus has a decent 2.0 megapixel pocket-sized lovely that makes sense in so many ways. The 3x optical/2.5x digital zoom lens is more than adequate and the USB connection makes downloading to most computers pretty straightforward. But it costs less than $300 and that’s pretty sensible too.
Nikon Coolpix 2500 Digital Camera
A digital camera with a twist. One quick turn of the wrist turns this pocket-sized camera into a full-fledged 2.0 megapixel quick shooter that can turn out snaps in a snap. Weighing in at only 6 oz., the Coolpix has one of the coolest form factors of any digital camera available. The 3X optical zoom and one-touch upload of your pics to your computer don't hurt, either!
Avermedia’s AverfotoPlay TV Digital Photo Player
So, you have these digital still pictures and you want to make sure that all your relatives suffer when you invite them over. What can you do? Well, the AverfotoPlay digital photo player is surely one great way to get your pictures seen. Just pop in either a compact flash card or the SmartMedia card from your camera, and run the slide show (using the supplied remote control) on your television. You can even leave your “show” running continuously… or until your relatives get the hint and vamoose. $109
Wireless Plant Camera and Wireless Smoke Detector Camera
In Spring Valley, New York, a team of very wacky inventors are taking perfectly useful household objects (plants in a planter; smoke detectors; etc) and turning them into amazingly sophisticated hidden cameras. Why would you need one? Obviously, home and office security, for one thing. But true gizmologists eschew the practical considerations (or frankly the substantial legal considerations) of having hidden cameras to admire the sheer genius in crafty craftsmanship. These cameras can be either activated by remote control or are available with built in motion detectors. These outstanding custom-made cameras range from $895 to $2400 depending on the complexity and capabilities of the device.
by Daniel Dubno