camera posts

Win a copy of Zoom Lens for your iPhone

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (RSS feed) on Sep 29th, 2009

I checked out Zoom Lens [iTunes link] over the weekend, and I'll say that as far as zoom tools go, this one is great. A simple interface, simple use and the images look pretty good. Of course, you'll be less impressed when you view them on your Mac, because Zoom Lens, like all iPhone apps of the same nature, just crops the image, really. It's what you find on consumer cameras as "digital zoom" -- not much more than a zoom & crop in Photoshop or iPhoto, really.

But Zoom Lens does give you an interface that looks as though Apple made it themselves. Who knows? Maybe some day the iPhone will have a true zoom lens, although the optics would be tricky... Anyway, the best part is you have a chance to win Zoom Lens for yourself! It only works on the iPhone, of course, and we can only give codes for the US (no Canada, sorry!). But read the rules below and enter by leaving a comment before October 1.

Glimpse a before/after shot of the app in action on the next page.

Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
To enter leave a comment on this article (below).
The comment must be left before Thursday, October 1, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
You may enter only once.
Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing.
Prize: Promo code for iPhone app "Zoom Lens" (Value: US$.99 )
Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Continue reading “Win a copy of Zoom Lens for your iPhone”

Tags: app, camera, digital photography, DigitalPhotography, giveaway, iphone, zoom lens, ZoomLens

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review

First Look: Snapture comes to the App Store

by Josh Carr (RSS feed) on Sep 23rd, 2009

If you were one of the brave few to begin jailbreaking your iPhones back in early 2008, you probably came across what I considered the best app available at that point: Snapture. I always wanted to get more out of my iPhone camera and this jailbreak app helped me accomplish that.

Fast forward a year and a half and you'll finally find Snapture [iTunes Link] in Apple's App Store. This is primarily due to the fact that Apple has opened up more and more of the iPhone OS with each new release of the SDK. Is it perfect? No, but with the given access to the Camera APIs, applications like Snapture and Best Camera can finally exist in a world of harmony with the big wigs at Apple.

In regards to functionality, I've always been a huge fan of Snapture. It's simple, but it works. I don't have to touch a button on the screen to take a picture, I can tap the screen anywhere I'd like and it will work just fine. My biggest pet peeve about the built-in camera app is that I have to press a tiny button in order to take a picture. That's not very conducive for self portraits or any other situation where you're not looking right at the device.

Continue reading “First Look: Snapture comes to the App Store”

Tags: camera, photography, rumors, snapture, snapture flash, snapture labs, SnaptureFlash, snapturelabs

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPod touch

Rumor: Could the new iPod touch be delayed?

by Joachim Bean (RSS feed) on Sep 7th, 2009

Here at TUAW, we are all looking forward to the possible launch of a new iPod touch at Apple's music event on Wednesday. After all, who isn't excited after a slow Labor Day weekend (with no talkcast)? Unfortunately, over at AppleInsider and HardMac, they are both reporting that the new iPod touch revision may be delayed. They state that the delay could be related to last-minute technical issues with the rumored camera modules on the new devices.

We have already seen many case designs in various places showing a opening on the back for a possible camera, which already makes for lots of speculation. However, both sites still expect that new a iPod touch will be announced on Wednesday, but the new devices might not ship immediately after the announcement. It's still not known if this will affect possible upcoming iPod nano and iPod classic refreshes, which might also include a camera. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long to get our hands (and fingers!) on a new iPod touch with a camera.

Tags: camera, ipod, ipod touch, rumor, rumors

Filed under: Rumors, iPod nano, iPod touch

From Berlin with love: Hama cases for rumored iPod touch with camera

by Michael Rose (RSS feed) on Sep 5th, 2009

It's no secret that next week's Apple event is built around the iPod, and all signs point towards new iPod touch and iPod nano models with a marquee new feature: cameras. As the cavalcade of case manufacturer leaks continues, Engadget visited with case builder Hama at the IFA trade show in Berlin and got plenty of pictures of the new cases for both models, complete with camera ports.

Even allowing for the possibility of mass hysteria among scores of accessory vendors, one thing to keep in mind here is that this same firm -- Hama -- was among the first to show new cases for the iPod nano 4G, last year at this very same event. Check out the gallery of images from Germany and let us know what you think.

Tags: camera, cases, hama, ifa, ipod touch, IpodTouch, pictures, rumor

Filed under: Hardware, iPod Family, Retail, Rumors

Rumor: iPod Classic will get a camera

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Aug 27th, 2009

Apple has traditionally updated the iPod line in September, just in time for the back-to-school shopping season, and this year will be no exception. With an event supposedly scheduled for September 9th, it's expected that Apple will introduce new models.

There's a rumor at DigiTimes that the iPod Classic -- the only hard drive-based iPod -- will receive a camera, along with the iPod touch and nano. That's unexpected, but less surprising that the Classic's continued existence. I predicted that device's death a while ago, and figured the Sept. 9th even would be that fateful day. The "Classic" model was introduced on September 5th, 2007, with 80GB (US$249) and 160GB (US$349) configurations. I can only assume that building a 160GB iPod touch would be cost-prohibitive.

According to DigiTiimes, OmniVision will supply the 3.2-megapixel camera image sensors.

[Via AppleInsider]

Tags: apple press event, ApplePressEvent, camera, ipod, ipod classic, ipod touch, IpodClassic, IpodTouch, rumors

Filed under: iPhone

Delving into the iPhone's DCIM folder

by Erica Sadun (RSS feed) on Aug 26th, 2009

Today, Dave Caolo discovered what happens when your iPhone camera rolls past picture number 99999 (or so). As he and other Apple users have found, a picture count that goes too high can lead to unforseen errors. Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. Or a camera roll that doesn't acknowledge new photos.

Snapped images are stored on your iPhone in your home folder. As user "mobile," that home folder is /var/mobile and the folder that stores your iTunes library, your voice memos, and your photos is /var/mobile/Media. Inside that media folder is a subfolder named DCIM.

Read on for more details.

Continue reading “Delving into the iPhone's DCIM folder”

Tags: Camera, Cats, Count, DCIM, Dogs, Errors, Ghostbusters, Mass Hysteria, MassHysteria, Media, Photos

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, Apple, iPod nano, iPod touch

Rumor: Apple event September 9th, tablet not included

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Aug 18th, 2009

The rumor mill is churning yet again -- the latest Apple rumor is that an event is coming on September 9th. Multiple sources are saying that they've heard Apple will host an event in San Francisco to talk about music, including upgrades for the iPod and iTunes. This is hardly a surprise -- Apple usually holds an event this time of year to pump up back-to-school sales of expected iPod refreshes. So while of course it's a rumor until we hear it from Cupertino, it's pretty believable that sometime around September we'll be hearing about new iPods of some kind.

It's also pretty believable that this event won't be about the rumored iTablet. While mockups, leaks, and fake shots (oh my) seem to be appearing more and more often lately, the same folks that are saying September 9th are also saying that Apple isn't planning to tell us anything about a tablet quite yet. That doesn't mean that it's not coming, of course (eventually -- keep hope alive!), but definitely don't hold your breath for a September announcement or a holiday release. Looks like we'll find out whether those iPod camera rumors are true soon, but we'll probably have to keep waiting for the tablet.

Tags: apple, believable, camera, cupertino, event, ipod, ipod-nano, ipod-touch, itablet, report, rumor, san-francisco, school, september-9, tablet

Filed under: Hardware, Multimedia, Video

New Kodak pocket cam outputs 1080P and supports the Mac

by Mel Martin (RSS feed) on Jul 29th, 2009

The world of pocket video cameras is heating up. Kodak announced today a September ship date for a new competitor to the much loved Flip line, and more broadly, the iPhone 3GS, with a rather astonishing 1080P output at 30 FPS. The camera, the Zi8, can also output 720P at 60 FPS, or 30 FPS 720P. WVGA is also supported, along with built in image stabilization.

The camera has a macro mode, and will shoot 5.3 MP stills. It also supports an external microphone for stereo recordings, and of course, still sports a mono mic built in.

Video is H.264 which is very Apple friendly. Kodak says the camera requires OS X 10.4 or higher, and wants to see a 2.8 GHZ processor or greater, 1 GB of RAM, and 300 MB of hard disk space. The processor speed spec is pretty high end, understandable for 1080P 60 FPS playback. The camera comes with AV cables, but also HDMI cables, which many people have been clamoring for with these video enabled pocket cameras.

This camera could be a worthy competitor to the Flip Ultra HD. The cost is expected to be about US$180.00. The iPhone 3GS camera is decidedly un-HD capable, and this Kodak camera, like the Flip line, will surely be of interest to Mac video mavens.

Tags: 1080P, camera, consumer electronics, ConsumerElectronics, Flip Ultra HD, HDMI, iphone, Kodak Zi8, KodakZi8, video

Filed under: Rumors, Odds and ends, Apple, iPod nano, iPod touch

Rumor: Chinese manufacturers building cases (with cameras) for new iPod touch, nano

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Jul 23rd, 2009

Here's a story that, strangely, makes sense. Cult of Mac is saying that these cases above are already being made by Chinese manufacturers, in advance of what they call the "worst-kept secret in China": that Apple will be announcing new versions of the iPod touch and the iPod nano in September, complete with cameras on both. These aren't cases comissioned by Apple, they're Chinese companies that have supposedly heard about the dimensions and feature placement of Apple's next products, and are making third-party accessories to match, even before the official announcement here in the US.

Apparently these guys heard about the dimensions back in May, and they're so certain of the information that they're shipping samples and taking orders from US retailers. True or not? We have no idea -- certainly there's enough photos of the new cases on Cult of Mac's site to be convinced, and that Apple would release new versions of popular iPods right before back to school and the holidays isn't just believable, it's business as usual.

But the camera on there is the interesting move -- is it a video or still camera? Why is the iPod touch's camera centered instead of offset like every other iPhone camera? Will there be new software capabilities for taking and sharing pictures on these devices? That's all still up in the air. We guess we'll find out in a few months.

[via Silicon Alley Insider]

Tags: back-to-school, camera, cases, centered, china, chinese, dimensions, ipod-nano, ipod-touch, leaks, manufacturers, offset, rumor, still-camera, video-camera

Filed under: App Review

Camera Zoom 1.1 app released for OS 3.0

by David Winograd (RSS feed) on Jul 21st, 2009

When I tried to take fourth of July fireworks pictures at Jones Beach on Long Island, I was too far away from the action to get anything really good. My iPhone 3GS turned the spectacular flashes of color into small colorful specks and I realized that what this camera needed was a zoom function.

I looked for one and found Camera Zoom from Kenditech which we covered last April. The problem was that it wouldn't work with OS 3.0. I did find a few apps that I thought would help like Zipix Lite, which purported to zoom, but really only enlarged and cropped the picture giving me less than acceptable results.

Picture taking on the iPhone has just gotten better with the release of Camera Zoom 1.1 which plays very nicely with OS 3.0. It provides up to a 4X digital zoom; not as good as an optical zoom, but not bad at all.

The app gives you a slider bar that zooms in and out, or optionally uses the whole screen to zoom by sliding your finger across the screen. The same goes for the shutter, which allows you to tap anywhere to take the picture. This can get in the way of the autofocus box, but can be turned off. Camera Zoom 1.1 also gives you the option to reduce the size of pictures to 320X480, the native resolution of the iPhone screen. I recommend this setting since the improvement is dramatic.

If you have an iPhone 3GS, you will get more functionality out of your camera with Camera Zoom 1.1. I haven't tested earlier cameras, but I can't see why it wouldn't be great for those as well. Spending 99 cents for this app is a no-brainer. It's one of those things that just should have been built into the system.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so take a look at this gallery and see for yourself.

Gallery: Camera Zoom 1.1

Tags: 3.0, 3.00, app review, app store, AppReview, appstore, camera, iphone, photography, review, zoom

Filed under: Software, Cool tools

Manage multiple cameras with Cameras

by Megan Lavey (RSS feed) on Jul 7th, 2009

Flexibits has just released Cameras, an application designed to manage multiple camera hookups on your Mac. With Cameras, you can direct which programs launch when you connect any number of photo-related devices to your computer; including digital cameras, the iPhone or a digital media reader.

Cameras installs a preference pane in System Preferences. The first time you connect a new device to your Mac and start to sync it, the device will show up in the preference panel. From there, you can choose what that individual camera does when connected. It's a simple, great application for managing different cameras and keeps unwanted programs from opening when you connect them and works well when multiple devices are developed.

Cameras is a free download and requires OS X. 10.4.11 or later.

Tags: camera, digital camera, DigitalCamera, Flexibits, image, photo, picture, preferences, software

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals, Video, Odds and ends, Bluetooth, Road Tested

Road Tested: Ecamm BT-1 Bluetooth webcam (& we're giving one away!)

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Jul 7th, 2009

Webcams are great, but when they're built into your display or laptop, they are usually good for only a couple of things -- video chats of your talking head or taking goofy pictures with Photo Booth. Ecamm, the development firm that makes the Call Recorder software we use to record the weekly TUAW Talkcast, demoed a tiny Bluetooth webcam at Macworld Expo in January. That webcam, the Ecamm BT-1, is now shipping and TUAW recently had an opportunity to test-drive one.

The US$149.00 BT-1 comes in a small box with a USB charging cable and one other useful accessory; a diminutive tripod to hold the webcam steady. The tripod is no slouch, as it has extendable legs and a tilt/pan head. For something that you can stick in your pocket, the BT-1 tripod is surprisingly sturdy.

Once charged, the BT-1 works for about 4 hours beaming 640 x 480 H.264-encoded video with stereo sound to your computer. Charging the BT-1 is as simple as plugging one end of the cable into a Mac's USB port or an iPhone charging brick, then plugging the other end into the BT-1's mini-USB port. While it's charging, a small LED glows, and when the BT-1 is fully charged the light goes off.

Continue reading “Road Tested: Ecamm BT-1 Bluetooth webcam (& we're giving one away!)”

Tags: bluetooth, camera, contest, giveaway, mac, video, wireless

Filed under: Accessories, Multimedia, iPhone

Shoot steady iPhone video with Zgrip iPhone PRO

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jul 6th, 2009

ZGrip iPhone from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago, I shot a video of myself riding a bike around. The result was a bit jumpy, as you might imagine, so I used iMovie 8's stabilization feature to eliminate the shakiness. The result is nice and smooth, but also artifical looking. I assure you, I was not moving that slowly. If only there was a steady cam-like apparatus for the iPhone.

Check out the Zgrip iPhone PRO by Zacuto. The fully articulated arm holds the iPhone in place and several adjustable pivot points allow you to get interesting angles. We haven't played with one, but it sure looks pretty cool. Before you scoff, check out what some people have done with video on the 3GS. The Zgrip iPhone PRO is available now and costs $295US (a low-cost consumer version is forthcoming).

[Via Coudal Partners]

Tags: accessory, camera, grip, iphone, iphone video, IphoneVideo, stabilization, steadicam, video, zgrip iphone pro, ZgripIphonePro

Filed under: Rumors, iPod nano, iPod touch

iPod touch, nano might get cameras

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (RSS feed) on Jul 6th, 2009

Ah, the loose lips on those 3rd party case manufacturers. This time we're seeing what looks like an iPod case with a hole cut out for... yes, a camera. Macrumors has a few juicy shots of both nano and touch-sized iPod cases with said holes. These match up with sketches reported by iLounge back in May and rumored by HardMac before then.

Personally I think it's brilliant and logical to add a camera to the nano and I doubt a touch with video would scuttle many iPhone sales. More importantly, the touch is likely to get the same "upgrade" treatment the 3GS did: oleophobic screen and speed boost. Adding a camera just turns the touch into what people wanted anyway: pretty much an all-in-one device.

Tags: camera, ipod nano, ipod touch, IpodNano, IpodTouch, rumor

Filed under: iPhone

Give us your tired, your poor, your best iPhone fireworks pix and videos

by Mel Martin (RSS feed) on Jul 4th, 2009

If you have an older iPhone or the newer 3GS, we'd love to see how you do shooting your local fireworks displays tonight. We'll put our favorites into a gallery and publish them tomorrow.

We know the iPhone isn't a Nikon or a Canon, but it still amazes us how good the images can be. The new 3GS phone has a bit more megapixel firepower and you may get better focus, but all cameras are welcome. If you have one of the newer iPhones, short videos are also in order. Please let us know where you took the images, and if there were any special techniques you used to make your photos stand out. If you tart your pix up with any apps or filters, let us know what you did.

Have at it. Email your pix or videos to tuaw_fireworks@drop.io, tag them "tuawfireworks" on Flickr or upload them here to share them with our readers worldwide. And happy, snappy, 4th of July!

Tags: camera, fireworks, iPhone, photo techniques

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