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We didn’t have much detail on when the Canon EOS C300 would be made available, beyond B&H Photo letting us know it’d be “sometime after January 30th.” It turns out the retailer was pretty much on the money, though, as the 1080p-shooting cinema camcorder will go on sale in Japan the very next day along with its 14.5-60mm T2.6L lens. Chances are the US release will follow shortly after, as we were told to expect a staggered global launch. If you just can’t wait, though, you should know that while it’ll go for a pre-tax price of $15,999 in the US, Canon expects Japanese retailers to sell the C300 for a cool 1.5 million yen. That’s over $19,000, inclusive of 5% sales tax — but if you can afford the camera in the first place, it may be a small premium to pay for the bragging rights.

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We felt compelled to get our hands onto JVC’s 4K-resolution-shooting camcorder. Unfortunately (but not surprisingly) the company wasn’t letting us take footage with the kit, but we were allowed plenty of unsupervised time with the device. You’ll notice how retro this whole thing looks — the hefty unit is placed in a housing that wouldn’t be out of place with a VHS-C camcorder from the early ’90s. There’s no mount for additional lenses (the $10,000 Red Scarlet uses interchangeable Canon lenses), which means that you won’t have any flexibility if you need to set up a complex shot on the fly. The test unit came with a hot-shoe adapter that included dual XLR inputs and a shotgun mic, but we expect this to be an added extra at retail. The zooming is smooth (we couldn’t hear any motor noise) and when we screwed with the manual focus, it was able to snap back to clarity within three seconds. We’re a little concerned about who the camera is aimed at: it lacks the flexibility that the Red would offer but it seems a little hefty (it’s $5,000) for consumers — so it looks like it’s limited toward roaming broadcast professionals who need their recordings in HD. That said, the ability to decode 4K recordings without additional rendering might come in very handy for those who are prepared to pay a premium for that flexibility. Still, if you fancy watching us take a tour of the hardware and seeing it up close, head on past the break for the video.

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JVC’s 2012 Everio lineup was just launched, containing seven new models with 1080p recording based on the AVCHD format. There’s also a UXP mode with a 24Mbps sampling rate, an HDMI output and a built-in WiFi module in four of the units. We’ve seen wireless support pop up on cameras in recent months, and even a few pocket camcorders have managed to get cozy with 802.11b/g/n, but it’s not everyday you see a legitimate, Full HD shooter with the stuff. We’re told that a free app will be made available for Android and iOS devices, enabling users to wirelessly transfer video and stills to a smartphone for quick sharing via the internet.

It also allows the phone to be used as a remote control for the Everio and offers geotagging of video and photo files in conjunction with the smartphone’s GPS. Not surprisingly, the video email function only allows clips of up to 15 seconds (and the resolution is capped at 640 x 360) to be sent directly from the Everio to up to eight email addresses, but at least the Live Monitoring functionality allows real time monitoring on a smartphone or computer of images taken with the cam. Prices for the lineup range from $229.95 to $899.95, with the whole lot shipping in Q1 of this year; the real question, however, is whether or not there’s still a meaningful market for these things.

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We’ve been lusting after the commercial version of JVC’s 4K camcorder for longer than we’d care to admit. It’s powered by a Falconbird LSI chip, toting a 10 x optical zoom and a 0.5-inch 8-megapixel CMOS that’ll record footage at a resolution of 3840 x 2160. The chip’s USP is its ability to process the footage as it’s being recorded rather than storing it for post processing later. It’ll compress the video down enough, in real time, that you’ll be able to store up to two hours of 4K video on sufficiently equipped SDHC card. You can also crop out images on the 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen. It’ll set you back $5,000 when it arrives in March and at that price, we’ll take two (oh, and there’s a PR for you, after the break).

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Canon’s new EOS Cinema camera is aimed at professional videographers who need something more powerful than the 5D Mark II, and it delivers superior quality using a choice of either PL cinema lenses or the Canon EF mount. The camera uses an 8MP super 35mm sensor that is fractionally larger than APS-C (at 24.4×13.5mm) to produce a full 1080 HD image. Heralded as the first in a new series of cinema products for Canon it already has a range of new lenses and a concept for a DSLR styled video camera next summer.

Amateur Photographer caught up with Peter Yabsley, Canon Europe’s business development manager for professional video, Michael Burnhill, Canon Europe’s professional support specialist and Kojiro Yoshikawa, professional business manager for Consumer Imaging, Canon Europe, at the European launch of the new EOS Cinema C300 camera in Berlin

The C300 is a compact modular unit, ideal for getting into tight places. Will you produce a larger unit and what extra functions could it have?

PY: The C300 comes from an EOS background and when we looked at the filming of the likes of 24 and the Black Swan, small size was one of the most important factors in choosing a camera. So we know that a lot of users want it to be small, with the option to add bits to it and make it bigger. The main guys using bigger cameras are those shooting news, they have to be always ready and use a shoulder-mounted system. With cameras like the 5D and C300 you can build that.

There are lots of things we will look at and this is just a starting point. For the audience we have and think this is suitable for, small size is key, beyond that it’s a process of collaboration. We already have some ideas and I wouldn’t rule anything out but what is key for this camera is that it’s of a small size.

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Sure, you could get yourself a 3D-capable phone to handle your three-dimensional recording needs, though with all the new svelte superphones coming out, we can understand why you wouldn’t want to. But, just because your phone can’t satisfy your need for 3D, that doesn’t mean you have to go without. Vivitar, favorite of cost-conscious cinematographers everywhere, has unleashed its DVR 790HD 3D camcorder with 16MB of built-in memory and a 5.1 megapixel fixed-focus shooter. It records video inthree dee and 720p at 25fps, and stores all your gift-giving triumphs and gift-receiving disappointments on SD cards (not included) up to 32GB in size.

The price? A mere $99, which leaves you plenty of leftover dough for your holiday shopping — sure, it’s the thought that counts, but we bet your significant other thinks diamonds are far more thoughtful than cubic zirconia.

Via Engadget

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Of all the cinematographic tricks in the book, few are as effective and primal as super slo-mo, and few names are as synonymous with the time-stretching tech as Vision Research. The company behind the famous Phantom is refreshing its line of more compact high-speed shooters with the Miro M110, M310 and M120. The 110 and 310 are both one megapixel affairs, with a 1200 x 800 CMOS sensor. The 110 tops out at 1,600fps at full resolution, but cutting down the image quality allows you to bump that rate up to 400,000fps. The M310 is even faster, hitting 3,200fps at its highest quality setting and reaching a mind-boggling 650,000 fps when dialed back — making a single second last hours. The M120 offers up to 730fps at a full resolution of 1920 x 1200, but using the more standard 1920 x 1080 adds another 70fps, while subsequent drops in pixel count allow it to reach 200,000fps. Don’t expect to capture your next student film or backyard wrestling match on one of these though, they’re expected to start at $25,000 when they launch in January 2012. Check out the PR after the break.

Via Gizmodo

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The FinePix REAL 3D V3 Viewer is the first from Fujifilm to use a lenticular system for viewing images. The “no-glasses required” system makes for crystal clear 3D images, and don’t suffer from any on-screen flickering.
Images are viewed through a series of lenses aligned on a sheet at left and right angles. As a result, the left and right eyes view different images with the parallax difference between the two eyes creating the 3D effect. With 2.88 million dots and LED backlighting, you will be able to see images with amazing sharpness and clarity.

Naturally, the V3 Viewer doesn’t only support 3D still photos and movies, standard 2D still photos and movies can also be viewed at a maximum resolution to 10,000 x 10,000 pixels. The full colour display offers an impressive 16.77 million colours to provide superb colour accuracy and has a wide viewing angle of up to 160° horizontally and 140° vertically.

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ContourROAM is all about capturing action video easily while having versatility of use across all sports and environments. We created this new hands-free video camera to take the guesswork out of whether the camera is recording or not and to capture and share video with the greatest of ease,” said Marc Barros, CEO of Contour. “ContourROAM is so lightweight and compact you don’t even notice it’s there. It goes wherever the action is, from action sports to team sports to weekend adventures. Just slide the record switch forward and go big.”

Contour’s latest camera couples its signature hands-free design and technical features with increased simplicity to deliver a fun and easy way to capture action video. Its new Instant On-Record power and record switch enables people to know that the camera is on and recording with a single push of a switch. Being waterproof with a built-in battery allows explorers of all kinds to focus their attention on what’s most important: the adventure.

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Toshiba Europe GmbH introduced two new digital Full HD camcorders expanding the CAMILEO X series. The compact CAMILEO X200 and CAMILEO X400 are both packed with features for advanced filming like 1080p Full HD video resolution, Electronic Image Stabiliser (EIS) and the possibility to take snapshots while recording videos. The new CAMILEO camcorders are a good choice for ambitious users who appreciate the benefits of first-class video technology and clever highend features.

The glossy black CAMILEO X200 and the matt black CAMILEO X400 will be available in the fourth quarter 2011 in Europe. Simply point the camera at the scene – technology does the rest
The new camcorders can be easily operated through the menu displayed on the large 16:9 touchscreen. Featuring a wide selection of useful tools, the CAMILEO X200 and X400 allow the camera operator
to focus on the scene. The face tracking and smile detection application makes it easy to capture perfect videos and photos of people in front of the camcorder: it automatically tracks faces in video
mode and shoots photos when someone smiles.

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