Meade have introduced a series of binoculars, CaptureView, that come equipped with a 2 megapixel digital camera.

The camera, while a bit low on the spec front, boasts a 8x zoom, 16MB of internal memory, an SD/MMC memory card slot, and a USB slot that enables it to be connected to the PC. You can capture the view as digital images or video clips and use the Flashback feature to save the last 5, 10, 15, or 20 seconds of any recording.

The recommended retail price is approximately US$390.

This one was just too weird to pass up. We've all seen LCD picture frames and picture keychains, but this is a first: and LCD picture belt buckle. The appropriately named EgoKast is a 3" Samsung display designed to mount on a belt or armband. It promises 4-6 hour battery life and displays photo slideshows or MP4 video stored on SD cards. If the travesties I've seen frat boys on pub crawls perpetrate with LED belt buckles are any indication, we should all be afraid. On the other hand, if keeping those pics of your kids in your wallet just doesn't satisfy your need to share any more or that old silver buckle with your name in rhinestones isn't shameless self-promotion enough, this may be $279 well spent.

[via Popgadget]

I have little exposure to disposable cameras; so the brands RitzCamera, CVS and Walgreens mean absolutely nothing. Apparently though you can take these cheapy little fillies and dispose of the disposable moniker and make them reusable.

TopTenDigitalCamera supplies all the details - from which connections to make through to where to download the software to turn "a disposable 10 dollar digital camera from RitzCamera, CVS, or Walgreens into one you can use over and over, just like a normal digital camera". I just wonder though if all the trouble is actually worthwhile. The images, such as the one to the right, seem reasonable enough though.

David of Strobist has put together what he's calling the SSO-CLK, a collection of must-haves that you can cobble together to get started with off-camera lighting for about $150. Some of the equipment, like a folding light stand, will require some capital outlay if you don't have it already. Other items, though, are true DIY, like the homemade cereal box snoot.

Direct Source Marketing, (a partnership of Rolleiflex and Horseman) has announced the Horseman LD - an accessory that provides bellow functions to DSLR cameras and the ability to convert the LD into a 4 x 5-inch film camera. Sounds impressive.

Available for Canon and Nikon digital SLR's, the Horseman LD gives the ability to add full bellows functions with all the associated perspective and creative effects of the view camera. The front of the Horseman LD allows users to attach any standard medium or large format camera lens. They promise that users will be able to control depth of field, distortion, and lateral shift easily. 

The LD can also be adapted to a high end medium format digital back with the soon to be released sliding back. Converting the LD to a 4×5 film camera or popular 6×7, 6×9, 6×12cm, roll film backs, and large format scanning backs can be easily accomplished with the optional 4×5 adapter kit.

The Horseman LD is currently available at retail outlets or at www.horsemanusa.com. Suggested retail is $2500.00.

RAWWorkflow.com has come out with a new verzion of its popular  white balnce calibration system. Unlike the familiar 3-card WhiBals, the WhiBal G6 is a single gray card with with a balck and white sticker that covers about 1/6th of the surface area. In addition, the new G6 features an inch/centimeter scale and a focus target. Like the original WhiBal, it comes in three sizes for field or studio use. Prices start at $29.95.

It's nice to have the whole system compressed onto a single card, but I have to say I'm a little skeptical of the sticker. RAWWorkflow says it's durable, and that it's reflective coating will help give bettter readings because you can adjust for glare. That's probably true in the studio, but if your equipment spends a lot of time in transit, you may want to think about what kind of abuse you're likely to give a pocket card before you choose between the G5 and G6 2.5"x3" cards.

[via Let'sGoDigital]

I have never understood the fasination with fish eye lenses; but I realise a great many people love to experiment. Or rather would like to experiment if dedicated lenses were not so expensive.

This full and complete article describes how a commodity door peephole can be used as a fisheye converter lens, thus bringing the total parts cost of a serviceable digital camera with a fisheye lens to under US$20.  The paper, also available as a PDF download, covers everything you need to know from which camera the techniques were tested on, though to noise reduction. They also explain how stills and video can be captured via a USB connection and the software required.

Image quality is not great and is recommended only for prints around one inch in size. The sensor's limited dynamic range is reduced because the camera's autoexposure logic is fooled by the dark area around the image circle, making it virtually impossible to avoid overexposed highlights in bright, high-contrast, lighting. But it looks like a fun, inexpensive project.

Photographic equipment distributors Argraph today announced the availability of their Zigview digital angle viewfinders for digital and film SLR cameras. They look like neat little gadgets. If you have a film SLR or DSLR that doesn't have a flip-out LCD yet, the Zigview snaps over your viewfinder, digitizes the image there, and displays it on a 2" adjustable-angle LCD. This turns and SLR into an instant view camera for shooting below eye-level and let's you shoot over crowds, too. For an extra $50, you can get the "R" model, which includes an automatic shutter release (cables for most popular SLRs and DSLRs are included). With a 999-day calendar and release intervals from 1/2 second to 99 days, it presents almost unlimited opportunities for time-lapse work. A "motion sensor" release mode is also included for DIY wildlife photography or Candid Camera knock-offs, but since it works by sampling changing light levels, I suspect you'll get false positives in from things like trees casting shadows in the wind. It's a neat idea, though.

With the base model starting at $249, if it works as advertised I'd say this is a steal for SLR owners, and not a bad deal for most DSLR owners. DSC-R1 and E-330 owners may or may not be impressed.

Not totally convinced that a digital picture frame - even as full featured as the new offering from Samsung - is that good without WiFi support. Still the 7 inch unit offers an 800x400 display with 32mb of memory. There is support for SD, CF and USB devices and a built-in ethernet for showcasing your JPEG/MP3 and MPEG4 files. The unit is to be launched in Korea before a fuller roll out. Just an ethernet connection though, no WiFi. But, although they haven't specified which services will be supported they plan to allow internet-based photo sharing.