Items tagged with photography
Google just recently announced that its Photos service—the one it introduced only a year ago and that replaced Picasa—is now used by around 200 million people, who've collectively uploaded 13.7 petabytes of pics, including 24 billion selfies. It's a well liked service, to state the obvious, and for Nexus owners, it's going to get even better with Google planning to remove the data cap on how many original size photos users can upload.As it currently stands, you can choose between two storage options, High quality and Original. If you choose the High quality option, Google will give you unlimited storage space for your photos and videos, but it caps photos at 16 megapixels and videos at 1080p....
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First Year In Google Photos Chronicles 200 Million Users, 13.7 Petabytes Of Pics, 24 Billion Selfies
One thing that hasn't changed in recent times is that life's precious memories are still preserved in photos and videos. However, it's the media that's different now—instead of actual photographs stored in physical photo albums, it's now common to archive memorable moments in digital form. The widespread adoption of Google Photos underscores that transition. It's been a year since Google introduced its Photos service, and in that short period of time it's amassed some 200 million monthly active users. Collectively all those users have uploaded a whopping 13.7 petabytes of digital data. To put that number if perspective, if you were to try and swipe through every photo, it would take you 424 years,...
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The highlight of NVIDIA's press event in Austin, Texas on Friday was obviously Pascal and its forthcoming GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards, but the next generation GPU architecture isn't the only thing gamers have to be excited about. NVIDIA also introduced something called Ansel, a new in-game photography tool that finally recognizes PC gaming as a true art form. For the most part, PC gamers have been limited to rudimentary tools for capturing in-game screenshots. When you've maneuvered your avatar or first-person perspective to precisely the right spot, tapping the Print Screen button or F12 when using Steam's overlay preserves the moment, but it's far from ideal. Gaming...
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Amazon may have started as a simple online bookstore, but now two decades later, it's the largest Internet-based retailer in the U.S. That type of growth and sustained relevancy can only be had by keenly following trends and, when appropriate, creating trends of its own. They don't always have to big ones, either—Amazon patent the simple act of one-click buying in 1999, and now it's seeking a patent for a selfie payment authentication system. Assuming the system would work, it would serve as a clever alternative to passwords, which Amazon points out "can be stolen or discovered by other persons who can impersonate the user for any of a variety of tasks." Amazon also argues in its patent application...
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Digital SLR cameras are finally starting to catch up with smartphones! Surprised by that statement? Well, we're not talking about picture quality—DSLR cameras still and might always take better photos than smartphones—but in terms of offering basic connectivity features even in entry-level models. Such is the case with Canon's new EOS Rebel T6, an entry-level DSLR with built-in Wi-Fi and NFC support. We take Wi-Fi and NFC support for granted when it comes to most mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones, but it's not difficult to find a DSLR that lacks one or both, especially in what's considered budget territory (for a DSLR). But those same amenities found in Canon's higher priced DSLRs...
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After developing a 120-megapixel CMOS sensor five years ago, Canon is just now getting around to commercializing it in a forthcoming digital SLR (pricing and availability still unknown). Wondering where Canon goes from there? Wonder no more, as Canon announced this week that it's developed a 250-megapixel CMOS sensor.That works out to a resolution of 19,580 x 12,600, if you can wrap your head around that. When installed in a prototype camera, the newly developed sensor was able to snap photos of the side of an airplane flying at a distance of 18 kilometers (around 11.18 miles) away, with the lettering on the plane distinguishable in the shots.It can also shoot video. The resulting resolution...
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I've been relatively happy with my Canon T6i (750D) and its 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, but as crazy as it sounds, what Canon is cooking up has nearly 100 more megapixels to offer. More specifically, Canon is developing a digital SLR camera with a resolution of approximately 120 effective megapixels, the company announced today. That's more than double the 50.6MP CMOS sensor used in its existing EOS 5DS.This isn't entirely new ground for Canon. Back in 2010, the company developed the world's first APS-H sized CMOS image sensor with 120 megapixels, which boasted a mind boggling 13,280 x 9,184 pixels of resolution. However, Canon never shoved its record-setting CMOS sensor into a camera and sold...
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Google is getting ready to say goodnight to Google+ Photos (oh no!) as the service is set to expire on August 1, 2015, but Google Photos will live on (phew!). Confused? It's all about the "+" symbol. The photo service that Google is shutting down is the one that's built into its Google+ social network, while the one it's going full steam ahead with is its standalone Google Photos service launched back in May. While it's unlikely Google would ever state this publicly, the shuttering of Google+ Photos is partially an admission that its social network isn't on the level of Facebook, or even close. Had Google+ taken off the way the company hoped it would, the standalone Google Photos service probably...
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When Google announced in May that it was offering unlimited photo and video storage for free via its revamped Photos app, there was much celebration. Confetti poured out from building windows onto the streets, enemies became friends, and the nation's leaders declared and end to all conflicts, finally ushering in an era of world peace.Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. However, what Google did was pretty awesome, and having an unlimited bin in the cloud was just part of the story. The retooled app made it even easier to organize your images and videos, tag people, and search through large libraries without needing to use complex terms and descriptors.Oh, but there was a catch, only we...
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It used to be that smartphone makers tried to outdo one another with superior rear-facing cameras. It was a point of focus in commercials, and with each new generation of handsets, there was talk of smartphone cameras making point-n-shoots obsolete. Funny how trends change, as now the popular thing is to improve the front-facing camera on smartphones for taking selfies. If you don't believe it, then take a look at Samsung's new Galaxy J3 and J5 phones.The big deal with these phones is that they boast 5-megapixel front-facing shooters with LED flash. These are wide angle lenses the new Galaxy devices use for taking selfies, capturing 85 degrees for a solo selfie or extended to 120 degrees for...
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Canon on Thursday announced the Powershot G3 X, the newest addition to the company's G series of premium compact digital cameras. The shooter is aimed at photographers who want features comparable to a DSLR but in a compact body that's both dust-resistant and water-resistant. It's also for photographers who need a relatively high level of zoom. Despite it's compact size, the Powershot G3 X comes with an f/2.8-5.6, 25x Optical Power Zoom lens that's equivalent to 24-600mm. That should let photographers get pretty close to the action, even when sitting in the nosebleeds seats at a sporting event. And if you're feeling shaky from all that caffeine, Canon says the improved Intelligent Image Stabilization...
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Today's a big day for budding photographers looking for high-end options on a relative budget. In addition to the Fujifilm X-T10 introduced earlier today, Panasonic on Monday announced the Lumix DMC-G7 with an exclusive 4K photo feature that allows you to pause and extract high resolution pictures from 4K Ultra HD video.This is a camera based on the mirrorless Micro Four Thirds standard and is compatible with 24 compact lens options. Like Fujifilm's X-T10, the Lumix DMC-G7 fairly lightweight and compact for a high-end shooter. It also boasts a 16-megapixel Digital Live MOS sensor, Venus Engine image processor with quad-core CPU for high speed signal processing, and multi-process noise reduction.If...
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Fujifilm has a new flagship interchangeable lens camera to show off. It's the X-T10, the latest edition the X-Series digital camera lineup and successor to the mighty X-T1. Like its predecessor, the X-T10 combines old school design aesthetics with modern photography amenities and is a bona fide photographic workhorse for anyone who needs or desires higher quality shots than what’s possible with their smartphones. The X-T10 is a smaller, less expensive version of the X-T1, though don't read that to mean cheap. Priced at $800 for the body alone ($900 with XC16-50mm kit lens or $1,100 with XF18-55mm kit lens), casual hobbyists are likely to look in the other direction. It's...
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Yes folks, the sad truth is that selfie sticks are a thing. And they're a thing because we're collectively in love with ourselves, hence why you can't walk two feet in a semi-crowded area without spying at least one person posing in front of their smartphone, arm stretched out, making a goofy face -- thank you, Snapchat. Why fight it? Sony isn't. Just the opposite, Sony is embracing the selfie movement with the launch of its Xperia C4 smartphone. Sony calls the Xperia C4 its next generation "PROselfie" handset, a claim it backs with a "best in class 5MP front camera." When you snap a photo of yourself using the Xperia C4, you'll be doing so with a 28mm wide-angle lens and Sony Exmor R mobile...
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Just in case there's a shred of doubt, posting sexually explicit photos or videos of your ex-lover without his or her permission is not okay. The practice, known as revenge porn, is a cowardly way of seeking vengeance for whatever wrong an ex is perceived to have made. And not only is revenge porn in poor taste, it's also becoming increasingly illegal as new laws aim to crack down the behavior.One of them landed Kevin Bollaert, a former revenge porn website owner, an 18-year prison sentence. According to the Pittsburg Post Gazette, the 28-year-old allowed over 10,000 nude and sexually explicit photos to be posted to his now defunct website, UGotPosted.com. He encouraged scorned exes to post such...
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Let's be honest here, GoPro pretty much owns the action camera scene with its super popular line of Hero cameras. That being the case, what's a company to do that doesn't see much competition? One option is to rest on its laurels, though a better idea is to buckle down and keep innovating. It looks as though GoPro has chosen the latter, as a newly granted patent shows the company tinkering with a compact square camera. In the patent, GoPro describes the housing as being of substantially equal length on all sides. It’s a little cube, in other words, that can be secured in several different orientations. To accommodate for that, there are openings on three sides, all providing...
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One of the best reasons to use Facebook is to keep up to date with family and friends that live in different time zones. Sure, we've all posted goofy status updates and pictures of our lunch, but at its best, Facebook is a vehicle for virtually taking part in the lives of loves ones, especially when photos are involved. Building on that theme, Facebook is rolling out a customizable scrapbook feature that will make it easier to organize and share photos. "Our team ran a small survey for parents who share pictures of their children on Facebook and found that 65 percent of them tag their partner in these photos to share them with their partner’s friends. These same parents also told us they want...
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Reddit regrets the way it handled "The Fappening" (or "Celebgate," if you prefer), the name given to the incident in which hackers plucked hundreds of nude celebrity photos from iCloud and made them available for posting to public sites. While it's too late to go back in time and take a mulligan, Reddit is making changes to its privacy policy to prohibit posting nude and sexual photos and videos without the subject's consent. Posting sexually explicit images and videos without the subject's knowledge or permission is part of a growing trend called "revenge porn." In many cases, there's little recourse for victims of revenge porn to go after their exes or the parties responsible for posting their...
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Imgur, one of the most popular photo sharing sites on the web and home to countless memes, just made its "Pro" membership tier free for everyone. Prior to the price tag removal, gaining access to the site's handful of Pro tools and perks would run just shy of $3 per month, or at a discounted rate of $24 per year if paid in full. "On Imgur’s first birthday, we announced Imgur Pro, a paid account that gave users the ability to support their favorite image sharer while getting some cool extra features in return. Today, we celebrate Imgur’s sixth year, and we’ve decided that you’re the one who deserves a gift. We’re phasing out Pro subscriptions…and making the Pro features completely free...
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Canon U.S.A. announced a bunch of new camera models today, including a pair of EOS Rebel digital SLR shooters that are the first in the series to feature built-in Wi-Fi and NFC capabilities. The new EOS Rebel T6s and T6i DSLR cameras also sport a newly developed 24.2-megapixel CMOS imaging sensor, offering the highest resolution available on the EOS line.The new cameras are aimed at two different types of users. According to Canon, the T6s is suitable for photography enthusiasts and those already experienced with entry-level cameras who now want to tinker with more advanced features and functions, whereas the T6i is intended for more casual photographers and/or first-time DSLR buyers.Canon T6iMore...
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It's a good thing Facebook was only out of commission for an hour, otherwise can you imagine the uproar that would have erupted from the hundreds of millions of daily active users who would have to find some place else to post their pictures of dinner or political rants? Instagram wasn't an option, because that was also down -- both self inflicted wounds, Facebook says. "Earlier today many people had trouble accessing Facebook and Instagram. This was not the result of a third party attack but instead occurred after we introduced a change that affected our configuration systems. We moved quickly to fix the problem, and both services are back to 100 percent for everyone," Facebook told USA Today....
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Apple never neglects to mention whatever improved optics are in the latest iPhone during each and every iPhone launch event, and it's never just lip service -- the rear-cameras on last few iPhone releases have been quite good. Even with that being the case, however, we find it a tad surprising that iPhone devices ranked as the second most popular camera on Flickr last year, Yahoo's popular photo storage and sharing site.In a ranking of the top overall camera brands on Flickr in 2014, Apple shoved aside Nikon to take the second place spot by accounting for 9.6 percent of the photos that appear on the site. That was enough to barely edge out Nikon, which shot 9.3 percent of Flickr's photos last...
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