New Toshiba FlashAir - An Eye-Fi Alternative

See this official press release:-

http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2011_09/pr_j0101.htm

(in Japanese, or English Here (Google-translated))

via Jimmy Yen's Blog (Traditional Chinese)

So, let's see if the Toshiba offer will consume less power, and more importantly, to transmit data faster than what Eye-Fi could do! Nonetheless, the latest Pentax DSLRs and DCs support Eye-Fi only and it is unsure that if support to the Toshiba FlashAir would be added.

Speaking of those wireless and radio related stuff adopted in cameras, other than the wireless photo transmission, the other thing I can think of is the GPS function. I have seen that Nikon has recently made their AW100 to be equipped with the additional A-GPS function (which A stands for Assisted), which I think is invaluable for providing more accurate location in urban areas, and more importantly, with much higher availability, too. But the big question in my head is that if the AW100 requires a mobile phone SIM card??

Btw, the AW100 has arrived too late, as the summer has elapsed already, which IMHO is just a complete marketing fault of Nikon - Are they going to sell the AW100 as a tough camera that is solely to be used in the Winter (for snowing etc.), as the selling point? :-o


Read Also:-

My Take (Tick) on the WG-1 GPS! ;-)

645D and Eye-Fi Card (YouTube Demo)

Tethering the Current Pentax DSLRs?

A Pentax Q Time-lapse Example Video

(URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHI377B64C0)

Quoted, by the author "didiseven": "This is a timelapse video taken with my Pentax Q. It was a 40 minute time lapse with auto-exposure. Because of the auto-exposure, it doesn't appear to get as dark as it actually was after sunset, so you can still see the shifting colors of twilight."

It is further mentioned that the battery capacity is a major limitation for shooting time-lapse. As such, the use of an AC adaptor is recommended.

Speaking of time-lapse shooting with Pentax gear, I think I have to mention again this one, which is nicely done and really great afterall!

A 45k-image 3-year Time-lapse Video with the K110D

Do note that the K110D has no time-lapse shooting function of any. So, external facility was needed.

Update (9-17):-

Yet another time-lapse video (my special thanks to "D*isuke" for providing this):-



(URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdIOnkBcxfU)

via the High-Def Blog (Japanese)

The Super Large and Super Sensitive CMOS Sensor on Earth!

Canon really made it, they did no paperware at all!


(Above: the 202 x 205 mm, i.e. ~8 x 8 inches, Canon CMOS sensor (Left) Vs a 135 CMOS sensor (Right) - The 135 "Full Frame" sensor just looks like a dwarf in comparison!)

via http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20110915_477641.html

(Excite English Translation Here)

It is told that this new super large Canon CMOS sensor is of very high sensitivity that it can record the image of a shooting star at lightness/brightness level as low and as dim as 10th magnitude for an example work as below:-



Just for information, human eyes can see stars as dim as 6th magnitude at best and thus this sensor see much much things in the deep sky than we human do. Do note that the star brightness magnitude is of the same scale as EV steps of which each grade is of double/half of the brightness against the adjacent grades.

Some Pentaxians would then think that we have the 645D that has a "much" larger sensor. In particular, this is the official comparison:-



via http://www.pentax.jp/japan/products/645d/feature_1.html

So, as we can see, the 645D sensor is actually not that much larger after all.

Pentax US Ads on the Q

First, a video uploaded to the YouTube:-



URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOKDIHXokDA&feature=player_profilepage

The above seems to be a TV ad as there is also a 15-second trimmed version of it.

Next, also the new posters:-



Via http://nedbunnell.posterous.com/q-print-ad-for-us-market

Btw, I think the Q posters by Pentax Imaging are just too technical orientated. IMHO, the Pentax US guys should actually soft-sell the Q, e.g., emphasizing leisure and life style so as to target the Q to ladies and youngsters, instead of aiming at men again! Frankly, the Q could never be a strong camera technically. So, trying to emphasizing that it is evolved from DSLRs is indeed rather misleading and that would be flawed, frankly! The gear-heads will never be satisfied, even for the current Pentax DSLRs! How would/could the Q replace the DSLRs after all? (But they say, "Capture More, Carry Less"!)

P.S. I think Ned and his guys should thank me for freely advertising the Q and help them to promote for free in their latest marketing campaign! ;-D


Last Related:-

More Pentax Q YouTube Videos

The Cheapest Tilt-Shift DC & Lens Ever

http://dcfever.com/news/readnews.php?id=5526
(Traditional Chinese, English Here (Google-translated))

The camera has built-in Lomo effect, too, without the need of applying a digital filter! Just look at the sample photos, for example:-



Really Nice~ It's time for Pentax to make such a toy lens for the Q, really! ;->

It reminds me of when the last time Pentax did a shift (only, not tiltable) lens of theirs, in K-mount, which is the K28/3.5 Shift.

Btw, if Pentax does not make it, the user can still do it yourself, here is a guide. The guy modded a lens to tilt/shiftable and then put it on an *ist DS to shoot! :-o

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18622803-Lens-DIY-tiltshift-take-2

But then, after all, is it really so important, as certain built-in software digital filters of our Pentax cameras could still do some similar effects! Right? ;-p

NEX-5N Video Overheating Test (Interesting! Plus Q Video Bit Rate Calculated)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fgqhc2ChIFg

Via: http://sonyalphanex.blogspot.com/2011/09/sony-nex-5n-video-overheating-test.html

Well, 22 minutes 23 seconds under an ambient temperature of 30 deg. C. seems to be a longish time. Btw, I just wonder how long would those Pentax cameras could last. The Q user manual states that the maximum recordable time length is in 25 minutes or 4GB in file size, as per P.112. But I just wonder if it will be overheated before this theoretical maximum limit is reached, as there is also a warning statement about high temperature cut under video recording in the same part of the manual (on the same page).

Besides, although it is not directly stated anywhere in the Q manual, the bit rate of the Q H.264/AVC in MP4 video is at about 21.33Mbits/s, which is calculated by dividing the 4GB with 25 minutes (4,000M x 8 bits / (25 x 60s)). This compressed data stream is of a higher bit rate than that of the NEX-7, which is in 16.4 Mbits/s (nominal) only, as lately revealed by someone. Do note that the Q has a higher frame rate at 30 fps versus the 25 fps of the NEX-7 (whilst NEX-5N does 60 fps at 1080p), nonetheless. So, would the P-Q has a higher video quality? Let's wait and see then!

Nevertheless, the P-Q video has two major fall-backs on paper already, one is that it can never auto-focus during video recording, the other is that it only records mono-sound (both are stated in the Q user manual also).


Previous Related:-

When Our Video DSLRs Have High Fever.. :-o ;->

Ricoh GR Digital 4

According to the latest rumour news from the Photo Rumors, the Ricoh GR Digital 4 is coming very very soon, on the day after tomorrow~ ;->

A quick glance to its rumoured specs reveals that it is Oly XZ-1 alike and would possibly be using the same CCD sensor. With that sensor, video recording is still the weakest part, though.

Btw, the sensor is yet larger than that of the Q but it has two Mega less pixels for the total count.

So, what is the implication of this "news"? Well, Pentax has been selling its new product under the "Pentax" name. The recent RZ18 could be even a Ricoh rebadged as the "RZ" name is highly suspicious! In fact, Ricoh had used the RZ prefix for many years as the family name of their film P&S zoom compacts in earlier days! (Disclaimer and Warning: Wild Guess Only! ;-)) Now, Ricoh will continue sell their new GRD/DCs as Ricoh. And then Pentax would be Pentax but Ricoh could even be Pentax! Hey, guys, our celebration again?! ;-D


Related:-

What Camera Brand(s) Will Ricoh Use To Sell Their Cameras?

Hoya Selling Pentax Camera Division and Businesses to Ricoh

Nikon D7100 is Probably Coming. So, Will K-5 be Updated, Too? Soon?

See: http://www2.nikon.no/nordic/mailcontent/1109_school/



via NPhoto.net (Google-translated)

I believe that this is absolutely NOT a typo. If it was, the D7000 should not be there!

So, for we Pentaxians, the main implication and big question is just that will a K-5 replacement come? Very soon? Will it be a K-3, or just a K-5N or K-5 Super like what Nikon would do? (D7100 seems to be a moderate upgrade/update afterall.)

Btw, it seems that the new 16.2MP CMOS sensor as used in the NEX-C3 and NEX-5N has been improved for better IQ when used with old film lenses. In particular, read this side-by-side shootout test (Google-translated) for old manual lenses used on the C3 against the NEX-5, all we can see are that vignetting is far less obvious with the C3 and the image corner sharpness/resolution is superior, too, for the *same* lens and aperture! :-o And, do note that the tester used Contax G film lenses for the test. In fact, NO in-camera image processing for the "lens-correction" could be made possible for those legacy lenses!

Besides, the new upper grade 24MP Sony APS-C sensor used in the NEX-7 has started to show off its power, look at the new full size samples from the IR, taken with a pre-production NEX-7:-

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/NEX7/NEX7A7.HTM

Note that the firmware version and the model name as recorded in the EXIF both indicate that it is only a beta unit. But what I would say is that the IQ is really impressive!


Read Also:-

K-5 Replacement Coming?

Pentax' New Patent on "Ghostless" Sensor (Surface)

As Technologies Advance..: A65 Vs A900 ISO/IQ Shootout

When the Sensor Outresolves the Lens.. (How Meaningful is a 24MP APS-C Sensor?)

Pentax' Extended Warranty is on Back Order!?

This seems to be strange enough, see what a new K-5 user has reported lately:-

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=39347195

So, why B&H and/or Pentax does not accept extended warranty lately? Why it is needed to be back ordered??! :-o


Last Related:-

K-5 Replacement Coming?

P-Q BCN Sales Results have Only been Good for One Week!? :-o

Last week the Q body (kit) was at No. 11 at best of the BCN "Body" Chart, but this week it has fallen down to No. 47!?



The same has happened for the Q lenses, last week the Fisheye Toy lens was at the Third Place of the Lens Chart, now this week it is at position No. 29!



Now it seems that the sales surge is really instantaneous, and very possibly it is just the delivery and shipment of the 1st lot of pre-ordered goods. So, let's wait for the price drop of the Q then (if you're still somehow interested)! Frankly, at a price of about (US)$400, I might buy it! :-D But I would yet wonder if it could do how much better than my Pentax WG-1 GPS in term of the IQ (and at least mine has the GPS function after all)!