During the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, Digital Bolex showcased its retro 2k resolution RAW video camera. Up until now, RAW-capable video cameras were extremely pricey, costing tens of thousands of dollars or more. Relative to these high-end units, the Digital Bolex will be very affordable when it launches later this year. The Digital Bolex is a reinvention of the original Bolex 16mm motion picture camera, with the added ability to use interchangeable lenses. The camera’s 16 millimeter-equivalent sensor can record in Adobe Cinema DNG to an SD card, and it features a 2.4-inch adjustable LCD viewfinder. The project is being fully funded through Kickstarter, and has already surpassed its first two goals of $100,000 and $200,000, as it inches closer to its current $250,000 goal. The first 100 cameras will be available in August for $3,300, with pre-orders for the general public beginning shortly after for a fall release. A video containing Digital Bolex test footage follows below.

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We've been uncommonly keen to get our hands on the Sony NEX-FS100 ever since we first heard about it back in March. You see, this is no ordinary camcorder. Its spec sheet reads like a liturgy of filmmakers' prayers: a large Super 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor, interchangeable lenses, XLR inputs and proper, professional controls. Sure, it comes with a $6,600 price tag to match, but it also heralds a trend that should ultimately benefit pros and ordinary gadget denizens alike: the arrival of big, bold DSLR-style optics within dedicated camcorders. How do these optics effect the quality of the NEX-FS100's footage? Plant yourself somewhere comfortable and click past the break to find out.

Continue reading Sony NEX-FS100 review

Sony NEX-FS100 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We love Micro Four Thirds cameras. We use them almost daily. But as nifty as high quality interchangeable lenses are, the big eye on a small body can be awkward. Not anymore. The Lumix's newest lens retracts like magic. More »

The Gizmon Half D is curious little boutique digital camera, coming loaded with colour effects and cute split frame options. It also clones the look of the famed 1960s 35mm half-frame Olympus Pen F (inset above) rather well, offering a collection of interchangeable lenses for pretending it's a proper camera and you're a proper photographer. [Gizmon via PetaPixel] More »

From glossy render to real product: Panasonic's micro four thirds camcorder has been formally announced in Japan, and will cost just under $10,000. That's the price you've gotta pay for the world's first mirrorless camcorder with interchangeable lenses. More »

Reviews are starting to trickle out for Pansonic's LX3 successor, the DMC-LX5, and so far they all seem to echo similar sentiment. The form factor hearkens back to its Micro Four Thirds darling GF1, at least from the top, with "dinky buttons" (in CNET UK's words) on the back reminding you of its point-and-shoot bloodline. The pictures are solid if not characteristically warm -- and the ability to simultaneously produce RAW and JPEG files is a nice touch -- as is the choice of either Motion JPEG or AVCHD Lite video. The universal issue with this camera is the price; that £449.99 tag (the equivalent of $691 in US currency) doesn't quite seem to match the offerings, especially when it's about on par with entry-level DSLRs with interchangeable lenses (albeit without the slim look). As PhotographyBLOG puts it, Panny's gotta hard case to make for a camera "that looks, at first glance to be very similar to a £299 model." Hey, a hardware switch for changing the aspect ratio (just above lens barrel; 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, or 1:1) doesn't come cheap. Much more detail can be found in the reviews below.

Read - PhotographyBLOG
Read - CNET UK
Read - Pocket-lint

Lumix DMC-LX5 review roundup: great hardware for a not-so-great price originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today Sony made a play at the micro four thirds format we've covered extensively here at Gizmodo in the past. The camera in question arrives as part of a slew of just announced concept cameras in the Alpha DSLR line:

- Concept model of an ultra-compact interchangeable lens digital camera system that packs the quality of a DSLR camera in an extraordinarily small body, along with interchangeable lenses (this would be the micro four thirds play mentioned in the lead - j.l.)
- Mid-range concept camera for advanced users (a successor to the α700) as well as concept mainstream models
- Prototype of a Super Telephoto Lens (500mm F4 G) with class-leading optical performance
- Prototype of a Distagon T 24mm F2 ZA SSM, new Carl Zeiss wide angle lens for superior shots of landscapes and sweeping vistas

More to come, including renders and screenshots, as Sony's press site starts to cooperate again. Just note these are concept cameras before you doing any jumping up and down or anything. [Sony]

Ricoh's GXR certainly isn't the most stylish camera out there, but it's certainly one of the most unique. Boasting an ability to support interchangeable lenses and image sensors, this one offers up flexibility that few other shooters on the market can match. We've scrounged up a litany of reviews and hands-on impressions, and by and large, most everyone who got their hands around one enjoyed the experience. Photography Blog noted that the camera was "a remarkably mature first-generation product in an intriguing new photographic system, with excellent handling and image quality that will instantly appeal to all photographers who want to take pictures first and talk about gear second." Unfortunately, it seems that praise quiets down a bit once you leave the bright outdoors and head inside, as the low-light performance was said to be less than awesome -- though, to its credit, the built-in flash was deemed one of the better ones out there. We still aren't seeing loads of evidence that ditching your starter DSLR setup for this is a smart move, but if you're just now looking to upgrade from a P&S, you'd be doing yourself a solid by poking around in those links below.

Ricoh GXR review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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