JVC Camcorder World’s First with “Full HD” 3D
JVC has joined the 3D trend by introducing what they say is the world’s first consumer camcorder to offer 3D recording in full HD, via a high-speed processor that can produce two simultaneous full HD images. The dual-lensed GS-TD1 camcorder has two 3.32 MP CMOS sensors and a high-speed imaging engine combines the left and right images at 1920x1080i. The camera is said to be as easy to use as any consumer camcorder; a 3.5-inch 3D touch LCD monitor controls the unit and displays images that are viewable without needing 3D glasses. The camera has a 5x optical zoom, image stabilization that takes 3D into account, and Automatic Parallax Adjustment for more comfortable 3D views. The JVC GS-TD1 will be available in March for $2,000.
JVC Announces 10 New Camcorders
JVC at CES announced a lineup of HD Everio camcorders. The camcorders all use a CMOS sensor; in some models, it’s a back-illuminated sensor, which is said to improve light sensitivity. Other shared features include advanced image stabilization, intelligent Auto, Face Recognition, and high-quality sound using K2 technology. All can record 1080p at 60 frames per second, Time-Lapse, and accept SDXC memory cards. Prices range from $230 for the low-end GZ-HM30 to $950 for the full-featured GZ-HM960, which offers 3D, 2D-to-3D conversion, 11MP still image capture, and other high-end features.
Polaroid Announces Instant Digital Camera, Wireless Printer…and Sunglasses?
Polaroid trotted out Lady Gaga to announce a new line of products including a hybrid traditional/digital instant camera, an instant digital printer that connects with camera phones, and sunglasses with a built-in digital camera. The GL30 Instant digital camera has a built-in ZINK inkless printer and also captures image files digitally. It will be available later this year, price to be announced. The GL 10 Instant Mobile Printer ($150) uses ZINK inkless paper and will produce 3×4-inch prints directly from cell phone images via Bluetooth. All cell phones except the iPhone are compatible, and we’re pretty sure there will be an App for that. Finally, and most weirdly, is the GL20, a pair of sunglasses with a built-in digital camera; take the picture then display the resulting image on the outside of the eyeglasses. Only from the mind of Gaga; available later this year, price to be announced.
Olympus
In addition to the new system compact and MILC cameras we reported on yesterday, Olympus announced several new compact cameras.
Olympus SP-610UZ EVF camera sports 22x ultra zoom lens
First up is the SP-610UZ, an EVF camera with a 22x, 28-616 (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.6 optical zoom lens and the ability to capture 3D photos and 720p HD videos. It replaces the SP-600UZ. 3D images are captured by panning the camera in 3D Photo shooting mode; the camera captures two consecutive images at slightly different angles and combines the data into an .MPO file, which is the industry standard 3D format. Other features include sensor shift and digital image stabilization, in-camera panorama, Face Detection, AF tracking, a new, faster image processor, Eye-Fi card compatibility, and Magic Art Filters. These special effect filters, which can be applied to stills or movies, include Pop Art, Pinhole, Fisheye, Soft Focus, Drawing, Watercolor, Sparkle and Punk styles. The SP-610UZ will be available next month for $230.
Olympus Pumps Up its Tough Compact Camera Line
Olympus has one of the longest-running lineups of ruggedized cameras, and now its Tough series has gotten a high-tech makeover. The TG-610 and TG-310 are waterproof (to 16 feet depths), shockproof (to 5 feet), and freezeproof (to 14 degrees Farenheit). Both cameras offer 14MP resolution, 720p HD Video, 3D Photo mode, Eye-Fi card compatibility, in-camera panoramas, AF tracking and Magic Filters to create a range of special effects (see the description of the SP-601UZ for details). The main difference between the two cameras is the lens. The TG-610 sports a 5x zoom (28-140mm, 35mm equivalent) while the TG310 has a 3.6x (28-102mm, 35mm equivalent) optic. The TG-610 will cost $300 while the TG310 will be $100 less. Both models will be available next month.
Olympus VG120: Priced for Teens and Snappers
The low-priced VG120 is a small 14MP fashion cam with a 5x optical zoom lens that starts at 26mm and a lot of features designed for younger shooters. These include 720p HD video at 30fps, a 3-inch 230k dot LCD monitor, “Magic Filters” that add special effects such as Pop Art, Pinhole, Fish-eye, Soft Focus, Drawing, Sparkle, and Punk. There’s Image Stabilization, Face Detection, intelligent Auto, and in-camera editing to get rid of Red Eye. The VG120 will be available this month, in silver, black and red, for $140.
Kingston SDHC UHS-1 UltimateXX Cards Faster than Class 10
Kingston at CES introduced the SDHC UHS-1 UltimateXX series of memory cards with a claimed transfer rate of 233x, up to 60MB/sec read and 35MB/sec write, which is faster than the spec for Class 10 cards. The new ultra high-speed bus (UHS-1) technology is claimed to be the highest speed class available today for SD cards, but Kingston says the new cards will be backwards compliant with SDHC and SDXC devices (but not plain SD cameras). The cards will be available in 8, 16 and 32GB versions and will cost $70, $180 and $350, respectively.
Sandisk: World’s Fastest CF Card?
Meanwhile, SanDisk announced what they claim is the world’s fastest high-capacity Compact Flash card, the 128GB Extreme Pro, which offers up to 100MB/sec write speed, UDMA 7 interface for faster file transfer, and the usual best-in-class ruggedness. Designed for the needs of HD videographers, 3D and high-resolution photographers, the 128GB SanDisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash card will be available in the first quarter of 2011 for $1,500.
Toshiba 10-Inch Android Tablet
Look out, Apple, looks like you’ve got competition. Toshiba has introduced a 10.1-inch diagonal widescreen tablet that can play back 1080p HD video on its 1280×800-resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio screen. And—Apple, are you listening?—it plays Flash-enabled content. The focus of the Toshiba tablet seems to be HD entertainent and media sharing. There’s a 2MP front-facing camera and 5MP rear-facing camera for photography, videos, and video chat. The tablet also offers GPS and compass, as well as access to a growing number of Android operating system compatible apps.
