camera

Surveillance cameras are everywhere. Every ATM snaps your mug, and each time you get into a taxi your photo is recorded as well. According to the BBC, our images are captured an average of 300 times each day. While we've grown used to these security cameras in our malls and at stoplights, the influx of surveillance cameras in our public spaces should be of great concern to everyone.

As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago has 560 crime cameras that are actively monitored for criminal activity. In London there are more than 10,000 cameras. These so-called "crime cameras" have multiple roles: they are intended to provide evidence of crimes when they occur, they are meant to deter criminals, and they are a reminder that Big Brother is watching.

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Ricoh may not be the best-known name in the camera business, and you won't find the Caplio R7 in Argos. But we've been excited about the R7 since first hearing about it, and now we've got our hands on one we think it may be worth you tracking down. We also decided to put on our investigative journalism hat (the one we wear when browsing Wikipedia--it has "PRESS" written on it) and find out more about the Japanese company.

Ricoh was founded in 1936. It's now best known for making photocopiers. Fact!

The R7 … Read more

Military and spy tech just keeps getting weirder and weirder. According to Scientific American, Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's top defense contractor, is designing a microcamera based on the maple seed.

Instead of floating and fluttering on the air, this tiny camera will have two tinier jet boosters to help steer it, or at least keep it aloft. Each device will have its own camera and wireless communications for sending telemetry back to its source. Lockheed's plan is to produce many of these little seed-cameras for dispersal over war zones to monitor conditions and, with the help of different … Read more

This week's news includes a funky new camera from Hassleblad, a funky new stock photography site from PhotoShelter, and a funky new media library application from Corel.

Video cameras acting as an express lane to YouTube are gaining in popularity. First there was the Flip, now comes the VHoldr.

The VHoldr is smaller and pricier than the nifty Flip Video camera, but it sets itself apart by enabling hands-free operation. The VHoldr is a ruggedized, weatherproof video camera that is palm-size, but intended to be worn and not held. It's meant to capture video on the go, say, while you're speeding down a snow-covered mountain, bouncing over mountain bike trails or engaging in any other extreme sport of which you'd like to see the … Read more

I usually prefer to get my news from the horse's mouth, but as I'm having trouble tracking down the stable that issued the press release about Hasselblad's new H3D II I'll have to echoblog letsgodigital.org, which seems to have reproduced the press release in total.

According to the site, Hasselblad just announced its update to the H3D series of medium-format digital SLR systems. Like the older series, the H3D II offers three backs with 48x36mm sensors in 39-, 31-, and 22-megapixel resolutions. As far as I can tell, new features include a 3-inch LCD and … Read more

How-to guides on photography sometimes advise that you exhale slowly as you squeeze the shutter release, so that you're not tense and shaky from holding your breath. If you breathe out when using the Olympus Stylus 790SW, however, you might end up with unwanted bubbles in your picture--it's designed to go into the swimming pool and still keep working.

That waterproof Olympus is just one of the quirky cameras that might suit your offbeat impulses for snapshooting. Some double as binoculars, perfect for birders who don't want to lose sight of that elusive cerulean warbler--or for private … Read more

Besides a terrifyingly pink camera, we have a new pocket camcorder, a firmware update for Olympus' Evolt E-410 SLR, and more.

Chalk this up to overkill. The New England Patriots, victors in three of the past six Super Bowls, are accused of using technology to gain an unfair advantage last Sunday.

The NFL's front office has determined that the Patriots swiped defensive signals during Sunday's 38-14 drubbing of the New York Jets, according to a report published Tuesday on ESPN.com. League officials confiscated a video camera and tape from one of the Patriots' assistant coaches after he allegedly was caught taping Jets' coaches sending hand signals, ESPN reported.

A spokesman for the league could not be reached for … Read more