By Andrew Liszewski

The photography world needs another lens format like photographers need a hole in their sensor. But that didn’t stop Pentax from going ahead and creating their new Pentax Q, which is arguably the smallest digital camera on the market (or soon to be) that lets you swap out the lens. Just how small is it? Well I think the above photo, taken by Imaging Resource, more than gets the idea across. It almost looks like a plastic novelty keychain digicam sold by the likes of Brando. But with a magnesium alloy body, it’s definitely not a toy.

As usual, dramatic size reductions in technology always come at a price, and in this case it’s both literally and figuratively. When it’s available in the U.S. in the Fall, the Pentax Q basic kit is expected to cost around $800. And its small form factor means there’s not a lot of room inside, so you’ll have to learn to live with its tiny 1/2.3″-sized 12.4 MP sensor which is inevitably going to result in more noise in your photos than with larger cameras. But on the flipside, the back of the Pentax Q is monopolized by a massive 3-inch, 460,000 pixel LCD display with a 170 degree viewing angle. It means the array of buttons on the back of the camera tend to be on the small side, but I think it’s an OK compromise since the camera is lacking an optical viewfinder.

I’m also totally enamored with the Pentax Q’s brilliant pop-up flash which manages to get it up and away from the camera’s lens. Not only does it help reduce red-eye, but also shadows if you’re using a lens with a particularly large hood. And speaking of lenses, at launch Pentax will have five Q-mount options available including a 35mm, f/1.9 prime which will be included as the ‘kit’ lens. There will also be an f/2.8 to f/4.5 zoom lens, a 160° field of view fish-eye and a couple of toy lenses that introduce various optical aberrations into your images not unlike a Lomo.

[ Imaging Resource - Pentax Q ] VIA [ Ars Technica ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s still a while away before you can officially install it on your iPhone, but the iOS 5 update will finally bring the much anticipated ability to take a photo with your iPhone using the volume button. Making a lot of third party-accessories that promise to add this ability somewhat obsolete. Unless they avoid those one-trick-pony trappings like the Kapok case from Canopy manages to do. Besides added protection and even very useful tripod mounts, the case interfaces with your iPhone’s dock connector providing additional functionality when taking photos.

A set of two dedicated shutter buttons let you do half-presses for setting focus and auto-exposure like with a P&S camera, and when used with the accompanying free Canopy Camera Tools app you can even use the second shutter button to capture stills while recording videos. Or, if you’re a developer type, there’s even an open source SDK for the case letting you write your own app and take advantage of those dual buttons however you’d like. At $69.95, available for pre-order now, the Kapok case is a bit on the expensive side, but it does include a free mini ball head that can even be used as a makeshift tripod with the packaging.

[ Kapok iPhone Case ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Back in March we had our first opportunity to play with Fujifilm’s new FinePix X100, and more recently we were able to take it for a longer test drive outside of a press event setting. Unfortunately, because of the limited availability of the camera due to recent events in Japan, and the high demand, we were only able to spend a long weekend with it. And while we were able to glean some more in-depth impressions of Fujifilm’s homage to the classic rangefinder, we don’t feel we’ve had enough time with it to put together a proper review. So consider this a more elaborate ‘hands-on’ look at the camera. (If you are looking for an exhaustive and thorough review of the X100 we encourage you to check out DPReview’s in-depth look at the camera. As usual they go above and beyond the call of duty.)

But that doesn’t mean we haven’t come to any of our own conclusions about the FinePix X100. If you like the idea of carrying a camera with a DSLR sized APS-C sensor, minus the weight and bulk of an actual DSLR, the X100 is a strong contender. Particularly if you’ve got a soft spot for the charm and analogue controls of an old-school rangefinder, but prefer the convenience of digital over film. More after the jump.

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By Andrew Liszewski

I still don’t want one on my DSLR, but on a P&S digital camera an articulated LCD display can make framing and taking photos from a low or high angle considerably easier than just blindly snapping away. The same would be great for the iPhone, except that an articulating display just isn’t going to happen. So the Hipoflex is a clever compromise. It’s a small plastic accessory that clips on to the corners of your iPhone, positioning an angled mirror next to the camera lens. So when taking a photo in either portrait or landscape mode, you can hold your iPhone in a more natural position. Not up to your face like with a P&S digital camera.

The Hipoflex also doubles as a stand of course, but I think I’d prefer if the mirrored panel was adjustable, so that when not in use it can at least be folded back against the iPhone. In its current state you have to remove it before slipping the phone back in your pocket, which is a minor inconvenience. Optimistically the creators of the Hipoflex, Clément and Navid, are hoping to sell it for ~$20. But there are a few obstacles ahead of them. They also have to develop an accompanying camera app since the use of a mirror results in images being flipped. And unfortunately their Kickstarter goal of raising $12,500 ended a few days ago with the project getting no where near the required amount of funding. But it’s not like Kickstarter is the only way for a product to come to market, so hopefully the Hipoflex still has a chance.

And if you were wondering where the name Hipoflex came from. It’s a combination of being able to shoot photos from hip-level, and the fact that using a mirror in front of the lens is a standard feature of reflex cameras.

[ Hipoflex ] VIA [ Gear Diary ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re in the market for a lightweight monopod the magical substance known as carbon fiber will definitely save your back. The only problem? It’s very expensive. And if you’re only out snapping with a P&S most of the time, spending $300+ on a collapsible stick is a bit overkill. So that’s why we like the Twig Pod available from the Photojojo Store. It’s essentially a 25-inch long pointed metal stick that weighs less than half a pound. It collapses down into an easy to transport 8-inch package, and the sections are held together with a bungee cord running down the middle, not unlike a tent pole.

A pointed foot allows it to be jammed into the ground or other soft materials for taking stable self-shots, and a ball joint head makes it easy to reposition the camera once the Twig Pod is stable. It also allows you to use it as a long arm for taking shots over crowds, or wide angle photos of yourself. Best of all it’s just $28 and comes complete with a stylish linen carrying pouch.

[ Twig Pod ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By Andrew Liszewski

We all know that Apple, or at least those at the reigns, like to keep things as minimal as possible when it comes to buttons. It makes for a lovely design aesthetic, but can also lead to inconveniences at times. Like with the iPhone’s built-in camera, which requires you to touch the screen to take a photo. Having a physical shutter button would be very useful at times (like when taking self-shots) so the people behind the MoviePeg accessory have now come up with the Red Pop.

In essence it’s a camera grip accessory that can be connected to the bottom of the iPhone making it easier to hold when taking photos, but more importantly, it also adds a physical shutter button. Given how the iPhone camera’s focusing works I unfortunately don’t think they could implement the half-press to focus functionality like with most dedicated cameras, but I can certainly see the advantages to having something like this. Particularly if you’re hooked on camera apps like Hipstamatic or Instagram. If and when it’s available, depending on whether they reach their Kickstarter funding goals, the Red Pop will work with a free accompanying camera app. But its creators hope to add compatibility with existing camera apps too allowing iPhone photography enthusiasts to use it with their app of choice.

[ Kickstarter - Red Pop ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Even though it snap pics with a measly 1.3MP resolution, is completely lacking in any kind of usable zoom and forces you to squint at a 1.4-inch LCD display, there are some very good reasons why you should consider this Underwater Digi Cam available from Photojojo.

1) It’s cheap. Like $35 cheap. If you’ve ever thought about doing underwater photography and have bothered to price a waterproof housing for your DSLR or even your P&S, you’ll appreciate how affordable this is.
2) You’re not going to be doing as much underwater shooting as you think you are. If you’re a professional sealife photographer, then you won’t bat an eye at spending thousands of dollars on waterproof cases since you’ll probably be in the water every day. But if you really think you’ll be in your backyard pool day in and day out capturing priceless underwater moments of your kids, you’re kidding yourself. For the occasional vacation to the tropics though, it’s perfect.
3) It’s cheap. Sorry to keep mentioning this, but even if it manages to grab one decent set of photos before succumbing to the pressure of being 100 feet underwater (its promised depth) you’ve more than gotten your money’s worth out of it.

[ Photojojo - Underwater Digi Cam ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Because it requires more than just turning on your DSLR’s exposure bracketing and combining the shots in Photoshop, tilt-shift photography hasn’t become as tired and overused as HDR photography has. (Ugh, awful.) They usually require a bit more skill and investment on the part of the photographer, including a tilt-shift lens like those offered by Lensbaby and Nikon. But now even amateur photographers with a limited budget can try their hand at faking miniature scenes with this NeinGrenze 5000T point and shoot.

As digital cameras go it’s pretty basic, with a 5MP sensor, 2.4-inch TFT LCD display, VGA video capabilities, an SD card slot, fixed focus and no zoom capabilities. But what will certainly have photographers trying to hunt down this basic $150 (MSRP) digicam is the fact that its built-in lens can be switched into a tilt-shift mode, and it even offers in-camera post-processing
effects to make your shots look like they’re from a Lomo. Because let’s face it, vacation photos are far more interesting if it looks like the person had some amazing Gulliver’s Travels-like adventure to Lilliput.

[ NeinGrenze 5000T ] VIA [ Matomeno ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Lens caps, can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. You definitely don’t want anything scratching your glass when your camera and lenses are packed away, but I know when I’m out shooting I always forget which pocket I’ve stashed my cap away in, and there’s usually a panicked search before I find it. So Japanese camera accessory maker has created this retractable lens for the Olympus XZ-1 that works kind of like the built-in lens cap on a P&S.

It attaches to the camera’s lens with a custom-made mounting ring using bolts to hold it in place, and an allen wrench is all you need to install/uninstall it. From the looks of it the extending lens simply pushes the three doors of the lens cap open, so it automatically closes when you power down the camera and lens retracts. Available directly from UN for ~$91 (¥7350).

[ U-N - Retractable Lens Cap For The Olympus XZ-1 ] VIA [ DPReview ]