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Canon produces 202 x 205mm CMOS sensor
Canon has announced that it has produced a CMOS sensor with a surface area of 202mm (7.95”) x 205mm (8.07”). The device is approximately 40 times the size of Canon’s largest commercial CMOS sensor and makes possible video recording in very dark conditions. It was installed on the focal plane of the Kiso Astronomical Observatory’s Schmidt telescope and used to record video at approximately 60 frames per second, resulting in the groundbreaking video recording of faint meteors. Canon will use the technology that it has used to develop this sensor in consumer products.
Arctic sea ice area at a record low
CBC News Canada reports that satellite data shows that the amount of sea ice covering the Arctic is lower than ever before. It covered an area of 4.24 million square kilometres on 8 September, the lowest on record. The sea ice is continuing to melt however and this record could “even be undercut in the next weeks”.
Studies of satellite imagery shows that the summer extent of the sea ice has retreated 50 per cent since 1972. This has profound and disturbing consequences for Arctic fauna.
The Wetpixel Rinse Tank
Welcome to the third in the Wetpixel Rinse Tank series. Wetpixel Associate Editor, Alex Mustard gives a round-up of his recent and on-going trips to the Maldives, Canada and Indonesia. Featured are some thoughts on strobes and syncing methods, particularly with older strobes, Subal buttons and macro set-ups.
The Rinse Tank features different Wetpixel staff writing in rotation, each writing about current projects and equipment related issues.
Guide to Tropical Marine Fish iPad app released
Andrea and Antonella Ferrari have announced the release of an app series for the iPad 2 entitled a “Guide to Tropical Marine Fish.” Volume 1 has now been released, with the series eventually comprising a total of 5 separate apps, each featuring 100 species with full-screen photos and a detailed info file describing common and scientific names, distribution, size, habitat, color, pattern, life habits and identification features.
The first app (from whale shark to ocelot grouper) is available now via the Apple app store, with the further 4 to follow in October/November. Versions for iPad 1 will be available soon and an iPhone version will have its release date announced in 2012.
Canon announces the S100 compact and WP-DC43 housing
Canon has announced the release of a successor to the popular S95 compact camera. The S100 shares many features with its predecessor, but features a new and upgraded image processing engine, called DIGIC 5, which claims faster processing speed and higher quality. The new camera has a 24mm lens and full HD video at 1080p as well as full manual control, shooting RAW + JPEG, ISO settings from 80-6400 and an integrated GPS. Canon has simultaneously announced the release of a polycarbonate housing for the new camera called the WP-DC43.
The camera will be available from November 2011 at a price of $429. The WP-DC43 housing availability and price are to be announced.
Rafa Herrero presents Another World
Rafa Herrero has posted his short film “Another World” onto the forum. Dedicated to all those who love the sea, it features a series of clips shot around the Canary Islands during 2011 and was shot using a Panasonic HVX200.
Rafa quotes Paul Èluard (1895-1952): “There are other worlds, but they are all in this one.”
SanDisk launches Memory Vault and Extreme Pro SDXC cards
SanDisk has announced the release of several new products, amongst which is the Memory Vault. Available in 8GB and 16GB capacities, these solid state drives aim to preserve digital images for at least 100 years and will retail at $49.99 and $89.99 respectively.
The company has also announced the release of a series of Extreme Pro SDXC™ UHS-I cards. These claim to double the performance and capacity of SanDisk’s existing cards and are based on the latest SD 3.0 specification’s Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus architecture. Practically, this means that it can write at up to 90 megabyte per second (MB/sec) and its UHS Speed Class 1 rating can record Full HD videos. Read speeds are up to 95MB/sec. They will be available next month in capacities from 8GB at $109.99 to 64GB at $499.99. SanDisk will produce a USB 3 version of its ImageMate card reader to match the new cards’ performance.
DEMA 2011: Image Resource Center schedule announced
The annual DEMA trade show is to be held from 2 to 5 November at the Orange County Convention center in Orlando, Florida. As always, Wetpixel will be on-hand to cover the entire show, and plans are already underway for the by now famous Wetpixel cocktail party. Please stay tuned for announcements about dates and venues for the imaging party of the year.
Each DEMA show plays host to a series of seminars in the Image Resource Center on the show floor. The schedule of speakers has now been announced and among the speakers are Wetpixel’s Associate Editor Alex Mustard, and Senior Moderator Shawn Heinrichs.