They’re saying that the on-board camera will have a “triple sensor array” and its ability to take awesome pictures will be a big “selling point” for the device. This is in line with what Vic Gundotra of Google said last month, indicating that the company is “committed to making Nexus phones insanely great cameras.” I’m not sure if I would go so far as to say “insanely,” but smartphone camera tech is definitely evolving and getting a heck of a lot better, easily competing with some decent point and shoots on the market.

Let’s not forget that Google and Nikon are no strangers to one another. The Nikon Coolpix S800c is an Android-based camera and while it ran an older version of Android and it had its quirks, it represented a unique crossover point for the two companies. It brought smartphone tech into a camera and the Nexus 5 could go in exactly the opposite direction. The “three sensor” tech could put each of the sensor layers on top of one another, each with a smaller megapixel count, thus creating better color rendering and low light performance. This is potentially similar to HTC’s UltraPixel technology.

The rest of the rumored specs for the Nexus 5 fall in line with what we’ve heard. It’ll reportedly get a 5-inch 1080p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, 8/16GB storage, and a massive 3140mAh battery.

[Source]

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The biggest shopping day of the year is upon us and that means we’re about to get bombarded with all sorts of flyers and online promotions. We’ve gathered up some of the best Black Friday gadget deals in one convenient place for you, so let’s get down to it.

The Nikon COOLPIX S9200 16 megapixel compact camera with 18x zoom and full 1080p video on sale for $169, a savings of $130.95 off the regular price.

If you prefer interchangeable lenses, the Nikon V1 digital camera system with the 10-30mm VR1 kit lens is on sale for 59% off, bringing the price down to just $369.

The Panasonic ES-LT71-S men’s wet/dry shaver with rechargeable battery, Arc 3 technology and vortex cleaning system is just $74.99, which is 63% off the regular price.

Those looking for a great tablet might consider the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, which starts at $199 for the 16GB model with special offers. That includes free super saver shipping too.

Next, we have the SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD with super fast 6.0Gbps transfers in a 2.5-inch form factor for just $96.82, representing a monumental savings of $141.74.

The Western Digital My Passport 2TB portable hard drive with USB 3.0 comes with automatic backup software is selling for $149.99, including free one-day shipping if you pay with your Discover Card.

Save 49% on the Otterbox Defender Case with screen protector and stand for the new 4th-gen iPad, as well as the iPad 2 and iPad 3. It’s on sale for $45.88.

There are a bunch of deals on the Samsung Galaxy S III, including getting it from Sprint for as low as $39.99 on contract. Verizon is doing $59.99 on contract, while the AT&T price is $99.99 on contract.

Finally, there’s a deal for $230 off the Toshiba U845-S406 Ultrabook with Intel Core i5, 14″ display, 6GB DDR3-1600 memory, 500GB HDD + 32GB SSD, and a free t-shirt. Get it for $649.99, including free shipping, at Newegg.com; the deal expires today!

And check out many more deals on Amazon. What are you buying this year?

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Whether you’re going snorkeling in Maui or you’ve been deployed to the dusty battlefield of the Middle East, a regular old point and shoot camera just isn’t going to cut it. You need something rugged. You need something that is waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof, making it reliable for all kinds of weather conditions. And now you can get one on sale.

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 is a waterproof digital camera that can really withstand the elements and it’s currently on sale for about $125 off the regular price. It’s totally rugged, so you can dunk it in water as deep as 33 feet. You can also drop it from heights of up to 5 feet (shockproof) and use it in the dead of winter with freezeproof capabilities down to 14F (-10C). Well, I guess it depends on where you are for said winter.

As far as the tech specs go, you can expect a 16MP CMOS sensor, GPS and e-Compass functions, full HD 1080p video, and even Points of Interest information that can be added to your photos. Other features include the 4x zoom, 3-inch display, “Action Control” for “easily adjusting settings when wearing gloves,” in-camera special effects, 3fps burst mode, and advanced VR image stabilization.

The regular price on the Nikon AW100 is about $350, but it’s on sale for $224 on Amazon, including free super saver shipping. Buy it now and you’ll be more than ready to tackle the slopes on your family’s ski trip this holiday season.

The post Daily Deal: $100 off Nikon COOLPIX AW100 Waterproof Rugged Camera appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Earlier this month, rumors were flying that Nikon was working on an Android-based digital camera. It turns out the were certainly more than just rumors after all, the CoolPix S800C has now officially been announced by Nikon, and looks to be a pretty capable camera indeed.

The camera essentially works like a full Android media player device, having full support for any app that will run through Android 2.3. The S800C even comes with Google Play, giving you full access to camera apps, imaging apps or even games if you so desire.

The S800C has an impressive 16MP CMOS sensor, 10x zoom lens ranging from 25-250mm, built-in flash, 8 frames per second shooting capability, and many filters and effects built-in. The camera is also very much capable of 1080p video with stereo sound. It’s not the highest end camera or the highest-end Android device, but the merger of Android and camera has some potential. Imagine you’re on a trip and snap hundreds of high-quality tourist pics. Head to a WIFI connection, and bam, you can throw them off your memory and put them onto the cloud via apps like DropBox. Having Instagram right from your camera sounds pretty epic as well.

The bad news, it costs $349.95. Honestly, a high-end smartphone might not have quite as good picture abilities but with 3G and even 4G LTE options, not to mention contract prices, it might be a better route for some of us. I’m curious how well an Android camera will sell at this price point, though I still admit it’s a pretty interesting idea. If you are considering the CoolPix S800C, it is expected to hit sometime in September.

[ source ]

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There was a time, just a few years ago, when P&S digital cameras were all the rage. With the evolution of smartphones with reasonably high-quality picture taking abilities built right in though, the compact camera market has begun to look less and less appealing. According to Nikon Rumors, the upcoming Coolpix S800 is planning to do something about this by bringing out of the first truly major smart camera.

What makes the S800 different from any other ordinary P&S device? If the rumors are to be believed, the camera will have Android 2.3 built right in, and will even have full access to the Google Play store via a built-in Wi-Fi connection. This means that the camera will be great for those who love picture talking and social sharing, giving an easy way to upload into the cloud and share with your friends and family. Other abilities include GPS for location tagging and a 25-250mm zoom lens. The screen on the S800 is comparable to many basic smartphones at 3.5-inches. As for the image sensor, this hasn’t been let out of the bag yet, but considering Nikon P&S cameras currently don’t go above 16MP, it should be somewhere around that or slightly lower.

While this isn’t the first Android-based camera, this will be the first major smart camera. With smartphones and tablets popping up everywhere though, is there are true market for such a device? What do you think?

[ source ]

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Imagine the idea of a lens that can look behind itself, that’s exactly what a Fisheye-Nikkor 6mm f2.8s can do, delivering a viewing angle of 220-degrees. So what’s this new technology and when did it first arrive? It isn’t new at all actually, the fisheye lens was first introduced at the Photokina trade show in Germany, in the year 1970. This thing is huge, 7-inches long and 10-inches in diameter, wit ha weight over 11 pounds. Imagine trying to comfortably hold this thing while taking a photo.

Few of these were ever produced, and that means that they aren’t exactly cheap to get a hold of. If you happen to have $160,000 just laying around somewhere though, you can own one of the strangest lens ever made in history by purchasing it through the specialty camera shop, Grays of Westminster. Just imagine pairing this with your modern DSLR. Cool concept, though only an extreme collector would ever have the want or means to make such a purchase.

[ source ]

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The amateur shutterbug in us all have at one point or another wished we had one of those big zoom lens DSLRs to capture a nice eagle in the distance, a bit beyond the abilities of our point-and-shoot cameras don’t ya think?

Those days will be a thing of the past with Nikons launch of their Coolpix P series; including a Nikon Coolpix P-510 and Coolpix P-310.  The P-510, with its unprecedented super zoom (42x optical), doesn’t compromise image quality at all. Its Nikkor glass lens is capable of capturing action from a wide 24mm to an amazing 1000mm focal range and the 16.1 MP CMOS sensor will ensure nothing is lost in transit from the lens to the memory stick.

But zoom is the real selling feature of this model. The P510 replaces the P500 which has a zoom of 36X while the nearest competition in the segment, Canon’s Powershot SX40 HS comes with a 35x zoom. The P510 can also capture 1080 videos and its purpose-built supercharged image stabilizing system practically reduces blur to a minimum even with the zoom pushed to its limits.

The P310 on the other hand comes alive in the night. It tackles demanding low- light conditions with ease with a 16.1-megapixel backside Illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor and a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture lens.

Both the cameras are set to be out in the market by the middle of February with the P310 likely to cost around $350 USD while the P510 will come with a price tag of $430 USD.

The post Nikon Coolpix P510 Sports (42x) 1000mm Zoom appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Most devices these days sure use smaller (and slower) SD Card technology, but high-end DSLR cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Sony still keep CompactFlash alive for performance and capacity reasons. The new XQD format as a variation of CompactFlash and follows in the same direction, trying to keep ahead of SD by borrowing the PCI Express (PCIe) high-speed serial communications link interface from computers. Using the PCIe interface, Sony’s XQD memory cards are capable of achieving a stable, continuous, fast shooting and recording of very large RAW images as well as deliver blazing fast data transfer rates of up to 1Gbps. This translates into about 125MB/s, write and read. Sony believes this could support 100 FPS RAW image captures.  Nowhere near the military’s 1.8 Gigapixel imaging system at 10FPS, but hey, we’re not the military are we?

To make sure you are well equipped right from the get go, Sony has also introduced a USB 2.0/3.0 compatible XQD card reader, a $44.99 MRW-E80 card reader model that plugs in with USB 3.0. Then, there’s also a $44.99 QDA-EX1 adapter that plugs into laptops with ExpressCard slot.

Pricing for XQD cards are QDH16 ($129 USD) and QDH32 ($229 USD). XQD will be able to exceed 2 terabytes capacity eventually, according to the the CompactFlash Association, which developed the format.

XQD will also be able to exceed 2 terabytes capacity eventually, according to the the CompactFlash Association, which developed the format. Second and third generation versions of PCIe double and quadruple transfer speeds to 250 MBps and 500 MBps. The initial cards will use the first generation interface, but PCIe provides for backward compatibility so that newer devices will be able to use older XQD cards.

[Sony]

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When shopping for a new digital camera, you have to look past the specs. Most entry-level SLRs have the same kinds of megapixel counts and such, so you’ve got to do something to stand out from the crowd. Like offer a 102,400 ISO night vision mode, as is the case with the Nikon D5100.

You’d otherwise think that this camera is just another SLR, but it boasts a few extra gimmicks modes that should help it stand out. In addition to the “night vision” offered by the monochrome only 102,400 ISO (expect plenty of noise!), there’s also a built-in HDR mode. This’ll snap two successive pictures three stops apart, combining them for that HDR effect. You could do this manually, of course, but where’s the instant gratification in that?

Similarly, not unlike my Olympus E-PL1, the Nikon D5100 also has a fake tilt-shift miniature mode. They say it works with both photos and videos, the latter of which at “high speed” to emphasize the diorama-like visuals.

The Nikon D5100 body on its own is $800, but an extra $100 lands you a kit lens. You can expect 1080p video, 11 autofocus points, 3-inch swivel LCD, and 4fps burst mode. Nikon has also released a $180 Mic for DSLRs designed with dampeners stop AF motor noise from ruining your sound track.

[Read]

The post Nikon D5100 DSLR Does HDR And Night Vision Too appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

A recent patent filed by Nikon shows they may be looking to an old-fashioned answer to a new-technology problem. The problem? Some of Sony’s newer cameras are having trouble with their sensors overheating, causing unexpected limitations to their usage.

Nikon’s answer? Throw a fan in there.

The patent shows a mirrorless camera with side vents and an internal cooling fan, similar to the way laptops keep their circuitry cool during prolonged use.

Cooling fans are fairly common-place in security cameras, night-vision/infrared cameras and even Deep Sky Imager cameras, but this may be the first time the idea has come to the handheld consumer line.

According to rumours, Nikon is said to be sitting on a mirrorless camera to be announced in April. This may or may not be the one with the fan, but expect to see this tidbit tacked on to a Nikon camera announcement in the near future.

[ via PetaPixel, Photo: flickr/Alesa Dam]

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