Tag: photography

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Microsoft Details “Hyperlapse” Process for Smoothing Out First-Person Perspective Video

hyperlapseStrap a camera to your head, and your neck can be a pretty decent stabilizer, but engaging in sporty activities can give even the most rugged neck a challenge in producing smooth video. Speeding up a timelapse series can look extremely jittery.

Microsoft posted a video preview of their new Hyperlapse process, which scans through video for details, stabilizes the image, and creates a subtle 3D effect to help image to image transitions.

We just sort of take it for granted that footage from a GoPro, or other head mounted camera, is going to be shaky. Hyperlapse looks like it can provide some stunning effects. Fingers crossed we see this type of image processing at the consumer level soon. Continue reading “Microsoft Details “Hyperlapse” Process for Smoothing Out First-Person Perspective Video”

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Photo Walk Santa Monica Shootout – LG G3 vs Galaxy S5! #TTTLA

***Update: Added a 4K video slideshow for folks who want a little music to listen to while checking out the comparison.***

Here are some real-world comparison shots between Android’s top shooters! It’s a battle between laser focus with optical image stabilization on the G3 and the larger image sensor on the Galaxy.

Who will reign supreme? Leave a comment with who you think won the comparison!

Click on any photo during the slideshow to see a high res version.

Many thanks to the AT&T Mobile Review team for setting up such a fun outing!

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Camera Tip: Should You Leave Picture Stabilization on for Low Light Photos?

Samsung is doing something a little different with the electronic image stabilization on the Galaxy S5 Camera. Does it really result in better pics with less noise?

Let’s take a look!

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HTC One M8 Camera outclassed by Galaxy S5, and it has NOTHING to do with MegaPixels…

Let’s get this out of the way right now. The One M8 camera is good. Maybe it’s even “very good”, but over the last year we’ve seen some excellent cameras bolted onto the backs of our phones by companies like Sony and Nokia.

WP_20140421_21_19_32_ProThe M7 was my favorite camera on an Android phone of last year, and was only bested by the likes of Nokia. It lost the resolution battle with only a 4MP sensor, but the combo of larger “UltraPixels” and Optical Image Stabilization made it one of the best devices to shoot on in indoor and low light environments. Outdoor pics were very good, low light pics were gorgeous, and video was nicely smoothed out by the stabilizing hardware.

My expectations were tremendously high for the M8.

Continue reading “HTC One M8 Camera outclassed by Galaxy S5, and it has NOTHING to do with MegaPixels…”

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You can now upload pics to Google+ using IE on Windows Phone 8.1

google plus photo upload windows phone 8_1This has been a long time coming.

Even as recently as a week ago I was kvetching about not being able to share pics from my Windows Phone to Google Plus while on a recent trip.

It looks like I can finally stop whinging about it, as the updates to Internet Explorer have finally included file management support for sites like G+. We no longer have to jump through hoops, or transfer our photos to other devices to participate!

If you’re rocking Windows Phone 8.1, and you’re on the Googles Plus give it a shot. The best camera phones on the market can now properly share on one of the best photo sharing services on the net.

Enjoy!

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Review: The Kodak PIXPRO AZ522 camera with 52X Zoom

Kodak AZ522 SomeGadgetGuy

Back from the Chapter 11 ashes, JK Imaging is reviving the Kodak brand, and iterating quickly on a variety of different photography solutions.

The AZ522 is their flagship point and shoot, utilizing a crazy optical zoom. Is that long zoom enough to compete in a world of terrific smartphone cameras? Let’s take a look!

Related:
Photo Samples from the PIXPRO AZ522
Kodak Badge PIXPRO AZ522 SomeGadgetGuy Review

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Photo samples: Kodak PIXPRO AZ522 (Camera Review Coming Soon)

Color saturation out of the box is a little hard on reds, but thankfully detail isn’t overly sacrificed.
The AZ522 does a solid job of exposing in this back lit scene. Detail in white isn’t lost.
The AZ522 does not have the closest minimum focus for Macros, but shots come out nicely detailed.
Another close up shot from the AZ522.
Using a point & shoot image sensor, depth of field is respectable. Background blur is pleasant.
Solid color saturation and dynamic range. The AZ522 manages good exposures even on auto settings.
Reds and yellows tend to over-saturate slightly, but we still see detail in this flower pic.
Another good example of dynamic range. The sky is still blue, clouds still have detail, and the shaded side of the palm tree is not under-exposed.
At the longest end of the zoom however, details can start to soften. It’s difficult hand holding the camera unless you’re in very bright light.
AZ522 field of view fully wide.
AZ522 field of view fully zoomed in.
Direct sunlight pics come out well exposed with a minimum of fuss.
Indoor and lowlight pics showcase some aggressive noise reduction, but the OIS does a great job with hand holding. This pic was taken with a 1/4 second shutter and is still pretty crisp.
AZ stands for “Astro Zoom”, and Kodak isn’t joking…
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Google confirms camera RAW support is coming to Android. So what’s that mean?

htc one mini camera test video samples somegadgetguyBlah blah blah abstraction layer… Herp derp blerp API’s…

Long story short, Google is trying to improve the software / hardware relationship our smartphone cameras rely on. This should expand the tool set developers have at their disposal when making photo and video services. Google specifically is discussing better multi-shot tech which should improve sport and burst modes and deliver more flexible HDR settings. An HDR photo depends on a series of pics taken quickly at different exposures. Other smart modes could be improved too, like the ability to take a series of shots to remove distracting elements from your photos.

All well and good from a consumer app-y position, but the idea of delivering RAW files could be really interesting for people who really want to control their photo output, even from their phones.

Continue reading “Google confirms camera RAW support is coming to Android. So what’s that mean?”

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