sensors

Hands-on preview: Sony's full-frame DSLR-A900

We've seen prototypes under glass and been hearing rumors for months, but Sony's Alpha DSLR-A900 became official September 9 at 9 a.m. ET. The A900's main claim to fame is its 24-megapixel full-frame (the size of a 35mm frame of film) sensor, the highest resolution in a digital SLR to date.

Sony makes a point of not calling this a "professional" camera, instead referring to it as the "flagship" model of its dSLR line. However, it's priced like a pro model, and its competitors--the Nikon D700 and the we-expect-soon-to-be-replaced Canon EOS 5D--are widely used by professionals. We've had one for a few days and have had a chance to run it through our lab tests and shoot with it long enough to develop some preliminary opinions. … Read more

Baby Tech: Angel Care Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is one of the leading causes of death among infants under the age of one in the United States; one of the reasons why parents worry so much when placing their infant down for a nap. Countless parents are advised to swaddle their babies or they are advised not to place objects such as pillows and stuffed animals in the crib with the baby. Most importantly one must put their baby to sleep on his/her back. Many parents, especially new parents, have so many things to worry about when it comes to the safety of … Read more

Canon wises up with 50D sensor and new zoom

My coworker Lori Grunin already covered Canon's announcement of its $1,400 mid-range EOS 50D SLR, but as somebody who's in the market for a new SLR, I thought I'd weigh in with some thoughts of my own. I'm glad Canon is investing where perhaps it counts most: the sensor. If the reviews look good, this will be the first time I've really been tempted to upgrade from my well-used Canon Rebel XT.

When it ships in October, the 50D will sport a 15.1 megapixel sensor, up from 10.1 megapixels in the current 40D. The increase in megapixels is nice for the poster-print and microstock-sales crowds, but what's most notable is the increase of the top ISO from 3,200 to 12,800.

That means Canon has done some serious work to cut down on the noise levels inside the sensor, which bodes well for image quality not just at the new extremes but also at more ordinary sensitivity settings. ISO 3,200, for example, is now part of the ordinary range, not the extended range that must be manually enabled before it's available. Canon hit some sweet spots in sensor design, for example with its earlier 20D and the full-frame 5D, and the 50D holds the potential of being another model that balances megapixels with low noise and accurate color.

Canon attributes the advance to "newly designed gapless microlenses over each pixel to reduce noise." Microlenses gather light for the light-sensitive part of the image sensor, compensating for surface area occupied by other electronics. Gapless microlenses presumably stretch across the entire pixel width. Perhaps this technology will also help out whatever model will succeed Canon's 5D, my other obvious upgrade path but one that likely would require spending twice the price for the camera body and that would require me to shell out another few hundred dollars for a new wide-angle lens to support the full-frame sensor size.

Fending off Nikon Higher sensitivity is important for Canon. It's been losing market share to Nikon, which has pushed high sensitivity as an advantage, though with lower megapixel counts. The full-frame sensors on Nikon's D3 and D700 can reach ISO 25,600, though reaching that level was made easier through a sensor design that emphasizes a smaller number of larger pixels. … Read more

Got $18,000? Grab a Hasselblad camera while it's cheap

Is Hasselblad feeling some pressure from the more plebian realm of 35mm SLR cameras?

That's the thought I had when I got a promotional e-mail from the high-end camera maker offering a 31-megapixel H3D-II and an 80mm lens for $17,995--a lower price, the company is eager to note. The tagline of the promotion: "If you thought you couldn't afford a Hasselblad, think again."

Those of you who aren't photographers for Vogue advertisers or astronauts taking snapshots of the moon might not be familiar with the Hasselblad name, but it's a prestigious brand … Read more

Indecent Exposure 19: Inducement explained

What to look for in a visible means of support and framing the benefits of full-frame sensors.

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Episode 19

New fashions for Fall-ing

It's a problem we all face at some point: parents or grandparents start to get wobbly as they get older, followed by the inevitable falls and broken bones from which they frequently never fully recover. A team of Virginia Tech researchers has recently completed a study of the efficacy of pants with strategically placed sensors to determine the likelihood that a particular individual will take a tumble.

In a nutshell (you can read the abstract at IEEE Xplor, but the paper itself will be behind a paywall when it's published), Liu, Lockhart, Jones, and Martin from Virginia Tech's e-Textiles Lab … Read more

Open, sesame

Simplehuman's line of products, from their bathroom organizers to their coffee pots, are all designed to make our daily activities faster, more convenient, and more efficient. With their fingerprint-proof rectangular sensor can, they're helping to make them more sanitary, too.

The sensor can is shaped much like the standard stainless steel hinge-top trash can, but it comes with an important germ-avoiding feature: The top opens automatically when you step your foot into the sensor zone that's at the bottom of the can. Not only do you avoid touching the can with your hands, but you also eliminate … Read more

Fun with the Mac motion sensor

If you have a Mac laptop beginning with the PowerBook G4, one feature you may or may not know about is the Sudden Motion Sensor. If you drop your computer or it is suddenly exposed to strong vibrations, the Sudden Motion Sensor will park the hard drive to reduce disk damage--even before your laptop hits the ground. When the sensor detects your computer has returned to a stable state, it "unparks" your hard drive and you can continue computing.

What's fun about this feature is that some savvy developers have made apps that take advantage of the … Read more

Sony developing new photo light sensor

A couple of weeks back, we reported on Omnivision's new CMOS camera sensor, which promised improved sensitivity in low-light shots. By rearranging the layers in the sensor, engineers were able to shift the light-sensitive diodes to the surface. This not only boosted sensitivity, but also slimmed down the device.

Now Sony has announced its development of a similar chip that works on the same basis as Omnivision's technology. The company also mentioned that the development was in-house and that there was no involvement with the Californian company.

Much to our surprise, Omnivision's take on this was quite … Read more