Συλλέκτης ροής

Gallery: Powerful images from The Nature Photography Contest

Gizmag news -

The best images of the Nature Photography Contest have been decided, and we can't imagine it was an easy task for the judges – as just picking some, not all, to showcase here has been a huge challenge. A broad competition, it covers categories including birds, funny wildlife, underwater, landscapes and many more.

Continue Reading

Category: Photography, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: , , , , , , ,

These 20 photos from our "Night Lights" photo challenge will leave you glowing

Digital Photography Review news -

"Night Lights" photo challenge

The theme for our March Editor's photo challenge was "Night Lights."

We asked you to share your best photos featuring artificial light sources, and you lit up the board with brilliant entries. In addition to great photos, we were impressed by the variety of geographic locations represented in this month's submissions, featuring locations from around the world.

As always, we received many more great photos than we can feature here. Our favorites, showcasing a diverse range of vision and talent, are presented in random order.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this photo challenge. If you'd like to participate in other photo challenges, you can visit our Challenges page to see currently open or upcoming challenges, or to vote in a recently closed challenge.

Breskens Lighthouse

Photographer: Phantogram

Photographer's statement: The Breskens Lighthouse was built in 1867 to guide ships safely through the mouth of the Western Scheldt. The tower was designed by Dutch engineer Quirinus Harder, who was responsible for several lighthouses in the Netherlands. It stands about 28 meters tall and is constructed from cast-iron plates, a modern building technique in the 19th century. The light helped vessels heading to the important port of Antwerp.

During World War II, the lighthouse was damaged by wartime actions but ultimately survived. After the war, it was restored and returned to service for maritime navigation. In the second half of the 20th century, the lighting system was modernized and later fully automated, eliminating the need for lighthouse keepers. Today, the lighthouse is no longer active as a navigational aid but remains an iconic symbol of Breskens. It is a national monument and commemorates the region's maritime history. Many visitors still come to admire the view over the Western Scheldt.

Equipment: Sony a7 III + Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art

Midnight heron

Photographer: Deutsch

Photographer's statement: Walking past the pond fountain in our community around midnight, I saw the Blue Heron standing calmly there with a lot of Canadian Geese. I said, "Don't move, I've got to get my camera." I came back, and the Herron was still there, but I didn't want the geese in the photo. I've learned shooting wildlife, Herrons don't scare off easily, but the geese do. I walked closer and said, "Hello, Geese", and they all flew away, but the Herron stayed put. I couldn't resist the night light fountain glow, silhouetting the Blue Herron. Peaceful.

Equipment: Nikon Z7 + Nikon AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm F4.5-5.6E ED VR

The last days of Eden

Photographer: Electro35

Photographer's statement: This photo shows the last days of the cinema Eden Palast in Aachen in its former glory, with its beautiful entrance area and neon signs from the 50s, before they did a renovation. Now the original neon signs are unfortunately gone, but the new sign mimics the old ones, and they built a nice lounge-style waiting area. But, of course, I miss the old look, which I particularly loved on rainy nights.

Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II + Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm 1:3.5-6.3 EZ

Baohua Road, Guangzhou, China

Photographer: olli thomson

Photographer's statement: I spotted this alleyway off Guangzhou's Baohua Road. The bright red lights of the signs created vivid reflections on the wet streets. The red glow of the signs was complemented by the red taillight of the scooter, and even the tiny red spot of the glowing cigarette in the hand of the guy edging into the photograph.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-S10 + Rokinon 75mm 1.8 AF-FX

Time for ice skating

Photographer: Kuzmabrik

Photographer's statement: In December, I decided to try out my new Fujifilm X-E5 camera by capturing some photos of a newly opened ice rink. The rink, illuminated by thousands of lights, is located on the riverbank and is about 1.7 km long. On that day, it was also the first snowfall of the winter, so the flakes of snow added a festive atmosphere to the scene.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-E5 + Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR

Soho Odaiba

Photographer: Barry Bloom

Photographer's statement: I always look for nighttime shots in Tokyo. I found this recommendation. This is an office building with a small center courtyard – very hard to include all – I shot it with my fisheye lens from the 2nd floor.

Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II + Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO

Lamp and fog

Photographer: PuneetSood

Photographer's statement: Jersey City, NJ, USA. Taken while walking late at night in my neighborhood in March. It had almost finished raining, but there was still fog in the air, and the steam exhaust from the parking lot next to the lamp looked interesting.

Equipment: iPhone 13

Light show at Niagara Falls

Photographer: yfan

Photographer's statement: Visiting Niagara Falls in winter has become more and more popular these days. As a photographer, you will enjoy the less crowded season. The light-painted wintery falls are just so magnificent.

Equipment: OM System OM-5 + OM System M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm f4-5.6 II

Streamers

Photographer: DrummerJim

Photographer's statement: Streamers of lights from different modes of transport illuminate the streets of Poznan, Poland. Trams, cars and bikes contribute to this ever-changing scene. Taken from my hotel window using Live-Composite mode on my camera.

Equipment: OM System OM-1 + OM System 40-150mm F4.0 PRO

Lantern exhibition at Basel Carnival

Photographer: Andreas Graf

Photographer's statement: The Basel Carnival or Fasnacht is a major cultural event in the Swiss city of Basel. After being paraded in a procession in the early morning hours of day 1 of the 3-day festival, the lanterns are then exhibited on the central square in front of Basel Minster for everybody to see. So I went there with my camera ready, and as every year, people came flocking in to take a closer look.

Equipment: Nikon Z6III + Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm F4 S

Finding treasure

Photographer: knulp

Photographer's statement: During winter, you can see glass eel fishing boats from a bridge in Tokushima, Japan. They hunt for valuable baby eels using strong light. The price of glass eel was recorded at more than 2.5 million JPY (~$15,000) per kg in the 2024 season.

Equipment: Sony a7R III + Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD

Walking down the street

Photographer: Michel Jarry

Photographer's statement: During a 2022 road trip across the United States in our motorhome, we captured thousands of images along the way. This one quickly became a favorite, taken on the vibrant Fremont Street in old Vegas under its dazzling night lights. And judging by the glance from the man on the right, she was definitely turning heads.

Equipment: Nikon Z7 + Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm F1.8 S

Main Street Turkey at midnight

Photographer: sprucemesa

Photographer's statement: I took this photo of Main Street in Turkey, Texas, after an evening photographing the Milky Way at Caprock Canyons State Park nearby. I was in the middle of the street for about 30 minutes and never saw another auto, not even the sheriff.

Equipment: Nikon D850 + Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD

Winter wedding photo with kimono, snow and gas lamps

Photographer: Kaz Tsurudome

Photographer's statement: Couple's dream winter wedding photoshoot in Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata, Japan. There are winter destinations in Japan, and then there's Ginzan Onsen, where fresh snow settles on wooden ryokan rooftops, gas lamps glow at dusk, and the entire riverside street feels like a scene from another era.

Equipment: Leica SL2-S + Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm F2.8 ASPH

The protected view

Photographer: Ouroboros66

Photographer's statement: Guy de Maupassant preferred eating in the Eiffel Tower as it was the only place where he couldn't see the darned thing. I only had a short bit of free time when I was in Paris, so I decided not to visit the tower but to find a place where I could see it.

Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M1 + Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4-5.6 R

At the drive-in

Photographer: kitagata_kara

Photographer's statement: Taken in Universal Studios Orlando on a Halloween Horror Night, down the path from the Terminator 2 3D attraction outside of the faux 50s diner. This vacation goes down as the final one before my parents separated!

Equipment: Sony a7R II + Sony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T*

Welcoming beacon

Photographer: JeffryzPhoto

Photographer's statement: At the end of a dirty, muddy road, the neon lights of a hotel beckon to weary travelers in the Mustang Valley in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal. A portion of the road was washed out by rain just after we drove through on our way back down the mountains. Hotel Karnali in the town of Kagbeni.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 + Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR II

Devil's Bridge at night

Photographer: arizonaphotoadventures

Photographer's statement: Sedona's iconic Devil's Bridge seen far from its usual social-media moment. Instead of the daytime line of photographers waiting their turn, I captured this image during a night hike with my daughter, when the desert finally grows quiet. Using light painting, I briefly illuminated the massive natural arch against the darkness.

Equipment: Canon EOS R5 + Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM

Lighting up the polar night

Photographer: eric87

Photographer's statement: When it's dark all day long for several months, even a single small light brings undeniable comfort to those around it. In this white winter landscape of the Lofoten Islands (Norway), lights are everywhere in the windows, providing warmth.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS

Ride the big wheel!

Photographer: DavidAMWA

Photographer's statement: Every year, our family goes to the Royal Show in Perth, Western Australia. The children's favorite is the side show alley with all the stalls and outrageous rides. The rotating machinery provides an excellent photographic challenge.

Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark III

This gorgeous DIY camera looks straight out of Severance

Digital Photography Review news -

The Saturnix is a soon-to-be open source DIY camera project that has a lot of style.
Photo: Yutani

While it seems like camera companies are willing to experiment again, it’s been a while since I’ve come across a camera with a design that really stopped me in my tracks. That changed when a friend forwarded me a Reddit post from a person named Yutani, who custom-designed what he describes as a “retro-futuristic digital camera” called the Saturnix. Friends, take a look at this gorgeous piece of camera hardware.

I reached out to Yutani, who says the camera started as a passion project purely for personal use. That changed when some friends insisted he share it, and Yutani isn’t stopping at just posting pictures of it and from it online: he also plans on posting all the information you’d need to build it yourself, along with the operating system and custom-built UI to run it for anyone to use.

And the award for most enticing buttons on a camera goes to...
Photo: Yutani

Obviously, the most attention-grabbing part of the Saturnix is the case. Yutani says it’s inspired by sci-fi movies and old computers in general, and by the terminals in the video game Alien: Isolation, specifically. Adding to that effect is the fact that the buttons on the camera are mechanical keyboard switches and keycaps, giving them a robust, chunky look and a satisfying mechanical click. “It honestly doubles as a fidget toy when the camera is off,” Yutani says. “Just clicking the buttons during a trip is kind of a stress reliever.”

Even after the design work, bringing it to life wasn’t just a matter of grabbing a 3D printer and hitting go. Yutani says the process involved a resin printer, ultrasonic cleaning baths, a wash station and curing oven, and a lot of time sanding and airbrushing. Most DIYers won’t be willing to spend an entire month on the exterior of their camera, and Yutani says it was the hardest part of the process, but an essential one. “For me, the design was the whole point. If it doesn't feel like a real camera in your hands, what's the point?”

The internals – the parts that actually make it a working camera – will probably be familiar to anyone who’s kept up with the DIY camera scene. It’s powered by a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, has a 2” LCD display, and uses an Arducam IMX519 camera, which has a 16MP Type 1/2.53 (23mm²) sensor and a roughly 27mm equiv. autofocusing lens.

Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

While the images it produces are about what you’d expect given those specs, anyone hoping to build a Saturnix isn’t tied to that specific module; Yutani says he “plans to add support for all major official Raspberry sensors” to the operating system, which unlocks the possibility of using the much larger Arducam Type 1/1.32 (65mm²) 64MP camera.

With that said, the pictures that Yutani has shared from the Saturnix have that classic point-and-shoot charm that’s all the rage these days. That’s even more true of the ones processed with built-in “film simulation” filters, which aim to replicate classic stocks.

The camera's UI is also custom-built; it's written in Python, running on top of a minimal Raspberry Pi OS install. Keeping it lean is important, since the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W that powers it is a mere four-core ARM chip running at 1GHz, with 512MB of RAM.
Photo: Yutani

Those filters are included in the camera's operating system, which has a UI that follows the retro sci-fi aesthetic, and which allows for manual control of parameters like shutter speed, white balance and ISO. It can shoot DNG Raws and JPEGs, has a histogram and exposure meter, and can transfer photos over Wi-Fi. Yutani says the interface still has a ways to go. "The UI has gone through a ton of iterations and I don't think it's anywhere near final. Once the code is public, I'm hoping the community will customize and build on it too — that's the beauty of open-source."

While DIY cameras based on the cheap and modular Raspberry Pi computers are nothing new, Yutani's is definitely noteworthy for having an incredible amount of style. It apparently took around a year to design and fully get working, a process spurred on by the desire for a small, completely personal camera without the size, weight and feature overload of modern devices. Yutani says he started to get the idea that his creation might be worth sharing when people on the street came up to ask him what he was using while he was shooting with the camera.

Yutani's plan is to release everything you'd need to replicate the camera yourself in around two weeks, as there's still some work left to do before it's ready for the general public. "I want to polish a few things first, there are some issues to fix, and I need to write a detailed build guide covering everything from printer settings to assembly. I'm also waiting on a few components to arrive, like a vibration motor – I want to add haptic feedback for a more tactile shooting experience," Yutani says. "I want to make sure that when someone decides to build it, everything just works."

That release will also include a detailed list of all the components you'll need to replicate the camera, which Yutani estimates will cost around $100. At that price, I'm almost tempted to build one myself – with the nicer, slightly more costly sensor, of course – despite my complete lack of fabrication tools or experience. Even if I don't, I'll be excited to see if anyone else does, and what little modifications they do to make it their own.

Floating urban meadow honors women, connects Montreal neighborhoods

Gizmag news -

A new civic square by design firm Lemay has been completed in Montreal, Canada. Dubbed Place des Montréalaises, the project transforms a sunken highway into a vibrant public square. In doing so, it reconnects Old Montreal to the city center, while celebrating the memory of 21 women; 14 victims of the École Polytechnique femicide (1989), and 7 pioneering women from Montreal. The square functions as both an inclusive urban space and a living memorial, combining ecological, social, and artistic interventions within a single, layered design.

Continue Reading

Category: Architecture, Engineering

Tags: , ,

LG's new laptop displays switch refresh rates for longer battery life

Gizmag news -

Windows laptops have traditionally lagged behind Apple's MacBooks in the battery life department, making the latter much easier to recommend for most people who need something for work and school. We might start to see a fairer fight across the board, thanks to an interesting new display technology from LG.

Continue Reading

Category: Laptops, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: , , ,

That box can't hold all your dreams: the new reality of the camera market

Digital Photography Review news -

The camera market has changed and, I suspect, we're going to have to adapt to a new reality for cameras, one in which there is a wide array of cameras available, but they won't necessarily be designed for existing photo enthusiasts. Recognizing that we'll see fewer like-for-like replacements and that some of these future models aren't designed for us will avoid a lot of confusion.

Camera makers are trying new things

I think Canon's take-a-photo of a projected image 'retro' camera mockup exemplifies the kind of vibes-over-IQ camera I suspect we'll see more of.

Photo: Mitchell Clark

You can see this proliferation already happening, with several brands creating vlogging models, to the point that Sony has developed its ZV series that sits completely apart from its Alpha or Cyber-Shot ranges. Similarly, though riding on the coat-tails of the existing X-series branding, Fujifilm released the X half: a camera specifically and explicitly designed for people who don't currently buy cameras. And Canon showing off demos of retro-styled cameras that project an image onto a screen that is then photographed, giving them more in common with the X half or even the early I'm Back modules than with the EOS range.

Don't mistake "not for me" with "that doesn't make sense."

If you're the kind of person who owns several cameras or has owned a series of cameras over the years, some of these models aren't going to make conventional sense, because they're designed to be something different for different people.

But don't mistake "not for me" with "that doesn't make sense." And don't assume that camera makers are going to follow their existing patterns or your existing preconceptions.

Some of which are unconventional

While it shares most of its specs with its predecessor, the new Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS300 isn't a like-for-like replacement, much less an upgrade. But the result is a camera significantly cheaper than its obvious rival and it's less expensive in real terms, than the previous model.

Image: Panasonic

For instance, we've just seen Panasonic launch the ZS300 / TZ300, an updated version of its large sensor travel zoom, It has essentially the same specs as the TZ200 from 2018, but no longer includes a dedicated viewfinder.

Whereas we understand why the Ricoh GR has no viewfinder: it's a camera aimed at enthusiasts and specifically a group of enthusiasts who've loved previous generations of GR and keep telling Ricoh that a small camera is more important than adding a viewfinder. It's not quite the same situation with the ZS300, which is aimed at a broader, perhaps less experienced market. It also replaces a model that did have a finder, making the omission all the more striking.

User keep telling Ricoh that a small camera is more important than adding a viewfinder to the GR

However, it's worth noting that the majority of compacts ever sold had no viewfinder, and most people weren't willing to pay extra for the models that had them. Also, while the devilry of inflation means the price of ZS300 is higher in money terms, if you take inflation into account, it's priced significantly below the $1050 that the ZS200's launch price would equate to today. And, for reference, its most closely comparable rival, Sony's RX100 VII, currently sells for $1689.

So while it doesn't appear to make sense when compared with its predecessor, there might be some logic in what Panasonic has done. We've requested one and hope to see how significant the impact is.

Wishful thinking won't make these cameras into something they're not

The Nikon ZR says "Red" on the back and "Cinema" on its shoulder. It's not trying to be a photo camera, and adding a viewfinder and mechanical shutter to cannibalize Z6III sales is the last thing I'd expect Nikon to do.

Photo: Mitchell Clark

And, as cameras diverge from traditional patterns, it's worth recognizing when that's happened. I've written before about people commenting about the Panasonic S9 and Nikon ZR as if they're small photographers' bodies, or are just one misguided step away from being them. That's misguided.

In the case of S9, I can see why that is: it looks so much like a large Lumix GM that I can see why so many people want to project their unrequited desire for such a camera onto it. But the S9 is a vlogging camera with no mechanical shutter, and it's just not much fun as a photo camera. The distinction should be even clearer in the case of the Nikon ZR, in that it's full of video features such as 32-bit float compatibility and says Red on the back in large, capital letters.

Nikon didn't almost manage to make a rangefinder shaped photographers camera and miss, any more than Panasonic did with the S9

This should make clear than Nikon didn't almost manage to make a rangefinder shaped photographers camera and miss. They didn't forget to add a viewfinder, are unlikely to create an optional viewfinder, given they don't generally sell, and the camera wouldn't suddenly gain a mechanical shutter even if they did so. And if you add a mechanical shutter and viewfinder, you basically create a direct competitor for the Z6III and no longer have a more affordable vlogging model.

There will still be cameras for you

Please don't interpret this as me saying: "there won't be any more cameras for you, and you need to just accept it." Not least because I've always been a big fan of small cameras, I prefer a camera with a viewfinder and I'm much more of a photographer than videographer. It's not just that I understand the desire for some of the hypothetical cameras that aren't being made: I share it. My initial enthusiasm for mirrorless was spurred by the prospect of cameras that was smaller than DSLRs but offered much better IQ than compacts.

We may not have had a new Pen but Fujifilm's X-E5 isn't conceptually a million miles from one. And the X100 series might give a clue to the future of the camera market.

Photo: Richard Butler

And, to an extent, some of those cameras do exist. The Fujifilm X-E5 moved decisively back towards offering a level of control and build quality that enthusiast photographers expect. Better still, it arrives in what's now perhaps the most extensive and complete lineups of lenses for APS-C that's ever existed, meaning you can pair it with small, capable lenses, just as I'd hoped would be the case. That doesn't quite make it a GM substitute, but it's not so far from being a Pen alternative, and it's much closer to those cameras than the S9 and its full-frame lenses could ever be.

There can be only one

There may be a lesson in the continued evolution of the Fujifilm X100 and the Ricoh GR, even when rivals such as the Nikon Coolpix A and Fujifilm X70 crashed and burned. And in Canon's continued production of the G7X Mark III, even as its former competitors have disappeared from the market and take up their place in the records of our database and as increasingly risky eBay purchases.

You won't see every camera maker competing in every niche

From where I'm sitting, I suspect the new reality will see some camera series discontinued or never updated, while an increasing range of unexpected, niche cameras arrive instead. These won't necessarily resemble the things we've seen before and won't be trying to address the same people who previously bought cameras. There will continue to be plenty of interesting cameras for photographers but, especially away from the top-selling, do-everything models, you won't see every camera maker competing for every niche.

Hillside wellness complex melts into its coastal location

Gizmag news -

A leisure and wellness complex by Indian architectural firm Sanjay Puri Architects has been completed in Anjarle, Maharashtra. Dubbed Crest Nine, the project has turned a steep hillside plot into a luxury health destination. Set on a sharply descending coastal site, the gated development works with the land’s existing topography, rather than erasing it.

Continue Reading

Category: Architecture, Engineering

Tags: ,

Sub-$300 mini camera drone flies 4K/60fps video and obstacle avoidance

Gizmag news -

Consumer drone startup Skyrover is looking to shake up the market for budget drones with the release of its mini drone, the Skyrover S1. It’s claimed to be the first sub-249-g (8.8-oz) camera drone under US$300 to feature forward obstacle avoidance, while also sporting an ultra-HD camera, a long transmission range, and up to 2 hours of flight time.

Continue Reading

Category: Drones, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: , , , ,

15.6-inch screen instantly mirrors any phone without cables, apps or Wi-Fi

Gizmag news -

Described as a "phone-first portable wireless display," this new 15.6-inch IPS screen known as Takolink aims to take the effort – and the need for a shared network – out of mirroring technology. What's more, the makers say it'll work with almost any phone and doesn't require apps or any extra installments and setup.

Continue Reading

Category: Electronics, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: , , , , ,

Chins are unique to humans and possibly an evolutionary accident

Gizmag news -

Male nipples. Whale pelvic bones. Vestigial hind limbs in snakes. Evolution is full of features that look purposeful. But upon closer inspection, science tells us that they are actually by-products of development and shifting gene expression. New research suggests the human chin may be one such evolutionary spandrel, a term biologists use for a trait that emerges as a consequence of other changes rather than as a direct adaptation.

Continue Reading

Category: Biology, Science

Tags: ,

Σελίδες

Subscribe to ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΚΗ συλλέκτης