Compact cameras for advanced shooters (roundup)

Editors' note: This story was originally published on November 21, 2011, but has been updated to reflect more-recent reviews. The latest update adds a discussion of the Nikon Coolpix A and the Ricoh GR in the section about the Fujifilm X100S.

It's a common complaint: you want the photo quality of a dSLR but find you're leaving the camera at home because it's so large.

The compromise is a compact camera with a sensor larger than a typical point-and-shoot -- sometimes even the same size as a consumer or midrange dSLR -- raw file support, and sufficient … Read more

Samsung reveals Black Friday camera deals

Samsung still doesn't have much of a name when it comes to cameras, but it's managed to compete with other manufacturers with one feature: Wi-Fi.

For that reason, people shopping this holiday season for a camera for someone who is addicted to shooting and sharing should check out these Black Friday deals.

Anything that's branded as a Smart camera will have Samsung's built-in 802.11n wireless, which can be used to connect to your Wi-Fi network for automatic backups to a Windows computer or Microsoft SkyDrive, viewing photos and movie clips on DLNA-equipped devices, or sending … Read more

Lytro adds more ways to interact with its living pictures

Photos taken with Lytro's light field camera (aka living pictures) were already more interactive than a regular snapshot, letting you endlessly refocus the images by clicking on different parts of them. An upcoming software update takes the interactivity up a notch, letting you change the perspective of your shots, too.

The free Lytro Desktop software update, which rolls out December 4, adds this Perspective Shift feature, enabling Lytro users to slightly change the point of view of a living picture by clicking and dragging it in any direction.

For example, click and hold on the picture at the top … Read more

Olympus' new street-shooter-friendly prime lens

Olympus continues its trend of releasing fast, Micro Four Thirds-mount (MFT) prime lenses with the 17mm f1.8 (34mm equivalent). Incorporating the same design as the 12mm f2 -- metallic finish and a pull-down ring for distance-based focusing -- the lens sounds like a solid addition for street-shooting MFT photographers.

Mount Micro Four Thirds Focal range 17mm Aperture range f1.8 - f22 Aperture blades 7 Minimum focus distance 9.8 Angle of view 65 degrees Elements 9: 3 aspherical, 1 high-refractive index Filter diameter 46mm Minimum length 1.4 inches Maximum length 1.4 inches Weight 4.2 (est) … Read more

Tiny projector throws big Instagram images

I've shared many an Instagram image by handing my phone over for someone to view. They always squint and angle the screen, then hand it back. If I could magically make them bigger, sharing Instagrams in real life would be a lot more social and lot more fun. That will soon be possible with Projecteo, a tiny projector designed just for Instagram.

There's a bit more to this than just Instagram + projector. Projecteo is really a miniscule 35mm slide film projector. You pick out your favorite Instagram images, Projecteo puts them on slide film, and then mails it to you. … Read more

Trick out your camera's shutter release with a ProDot

Custom SLR is no stranger to Kickstarter; its C-Loop camera strap mount and M-Plate Pro tripod plate both got their start there. The usefulness of those products was easy to see, but its latest project, the ProDot, perhaps strays a bit into as-seen-on-TV territory.

The ProDot sticks right on your camera's shutter release, adding a soft, raised, textured surface to it. It is not unlike the trackpoints used on business laptops but considerably squishier.

While Custom SLR's Ivan Wong spins it as giving you more control and less fatigue, the greatest benefit is probably shock absorption. If you tend to push a little too hard on your release, the ProDot will lessen the vibration.

Plus, having used one for a bit, it's just fun to touch and makes it easier to blindly find your shutter release. … Read more

Pay for sexy Instagram pics, help Sandy victims

Photographer Clayton Cubitt is using some of his recent, slightly naughtier work to entice donations for Hurricane Sandy victims, but with a unique Instagram- and Twitter-based twist.

For every $200 donated to Occupy Sandy Recovery, the photographer based in New York and New Orleans releases one of his sexy #babesofsandy photos on Instagram.

So far we've only seen two storm babe shots, including one that's complete with the requisite DOLCat (drooling on laptop) and another that would would win the approval of Sir Mix-A-Lot. With a little more attention to the cause, hopefully Cubitt will need to fill a few memory cards with some more sexiness soon.… Read more

AT&T, Samsung announce pricing for Galaxy Camera

Editors' note: This story has been updated to clarify purchasing requirements.

Are you ready to buy a camera with a data plan? AT&T sure hopes so.

After announcing in October that Samsung's connected Galaxy Camera would be coming to its network, AT&T kept quiet about pricing for the 16-megapixel, 21x zoom point-and-shoot. That's no longer the case, as AT&T will start selling the Android 4.1-based camera on November 16 for $499.99 with or without a data plan.

However, for a limited time, AT&T customers can get up to $… Read more

An Election Day Instagram is worth a thousand tweets

If there's been one sacred cow that's stood the test of time in America, it's the secrecy of a citizen's ballot. But in the age of Instagram, that cow has wandered straight off the farm.

Do a search for "Election2012" on Instagram today and there's no shortage of pictures of people's ballots. Or polling places, people's "I voted" stickers, and even Big Bird waiting to exercise his franchise. Whether they're excited that they voted -- maybe for the first time? -- or if they just want all the world to know who they picked, it's clear that a lot of people think Instagram is the obvious way to share their enthusiasm for the election.

Regardless of the fact that there seems to be a school of thought that Instagramming your ballot may be illegal, there's no doubt that the election, following immediately after Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast, is a big moment for the young photo-sharing service. … Read more