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Mamiya Leaf offers 80 megapixels

April 30, 2012 By

The Leaf Credo medium-format digital back delivers “stunning, film-like quality,” says Mamiya Leaf, with a large 53.7 x 40.3 mm, specially designed CCD sensor, “allowing you to take your photography further by capturing the highest quality, single-shot images possible.”

The 80MP CCD offers a dynamic range of 12.5 f-stops, and captures 1.2 frames per second. The Leaf Credo’s dual-core microprocessor and extended buffer enable unlimited shooting when using fast CompactFlash storage cards.

The 3.2-inch display features a 170-degree viewing angle. The touchscreen controls extend beyond the 1.15 megapixel image preview on the LCD, to “give you the resolution and processing power that allow you to check very fine details instantly and maintain greater control over your workflow, while keeping your screen clean of fingerprints,” the company says. “You can check critical focus, and level your camera with the built-in spirit level display.”

The weather-sealed construction, enclosed battery, and bright, large screen make the Credo a “perfect companion for tough, demanding conditions,” Leaf adds. It also provides FireWire 800 and USB 3 connectivity.

The 80MP Leaf Credo digital back is priced at $38,995. Similar 40 and 60MP models are $19,495 and $32,495.

More information is here.

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Samsung overtakes Nokia in mobile phones

April 30, 2012 By

Samsung captured 25 percent of the mobile phone market, making its “the world’s number one handset vendor for the first time ever,” reports research firm Strategy Analytics.

Samsung shipped 93.5 million handsets worldwide. Global handset shipments grew a modest 3 percent annually to reach 368 million units in the first quarter of 2012, the company adds. Nokia’s global handset shipments declined a 24 percent annually to 82.7 million units in Q1 2012.

Apple shipped 35.1 million handsets worldwide in Q1 2012, nearly doubling from 18.6 million units in Q1 2011. “Apple achieved its highest ever market share in the overall handset category, capturing 10 percent of global shipments during the first quarter of 2012,” Strategy Analytics says.

More information is here.

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Dropbox auto-uploads photos

April 30, 2012 By

Online storage provider Dropbox improved on the photo and video features it introduced in February with an automatic uploading function that copies images to its cloud whenever a camera, phone, or other device is connected to a host PC.

“Now Dropbox can automatically upload from just about any camera, tablet, SD card or smartphone — pretty much anything that takes photos or videos,” the company says. “Plus, you can view your uploaded pictures on the web from our new Photos page.”

The company says getting pictures off your camera “has always been a huge pain.” With its Mac or Windows software, “you can just plug your camera, phone, or SD card into your computer, and with a few clicks of the mouse all your photos and videos are in your Dropbox.” Photos are uploaded “in full-quality and at their original size.”

The Photos web page shows the images with large thumbnails, grouped by month. You can hover over each to find the date, or click to see them full-size and then download or share them with a link, Dropbox adds.

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App serves iPhone photos “Raw”

April 30, 2012 By

A new iPhone app promises unprecedented control and unparalleled image quality: 645 Pro “feels like a pro camera — because it is one,” the developer claims.

It doesn’t quite serve up a real, fresh-from-the-sensor Raw file like that made in an SLR. Instead it yields a “developed TIFF,” one that has no JPEG compression, and so, potentially greater image quality that any other phone photography app.

“645 PRO takes a different approach,” the developer Jag.gr says. “It gets its image data at an earlier phase of Apple’s “development process,” before any JPEG compression has been applied. …It’s completely new (as far as we know).”

The app also works less like software and more like a camera: “645 PRO has been designed, from the ground up, for professional and serious amateur photographers. So it works the way a camera works, not some piece of computer software,” says Jag.gr founder Mike Hardaker. “Every setting is managed directly from the camera — no layers of menus to negotiate. You have instant access to everything that can be controlled, from focus/exposure and white balance locking to a choice between spot and multi-zone metering.”

More information is here.

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Google uses your photos on 3D StreetView tours

April 30, 2012 By

Google’s StreetView maps now offer 3D photo tours of famous landmarks — tours made with user-supplied photos.

To produce the photo tours, Google says it used computer vision techniques “to create a 3D experience from public, user-contributed Picasa and Panaromio photos. We start by finding clusters of overlapping photos around major landmarks. From the photos, our system derives the 3D shape of each landmark and computes the location and orientation of each photo. Google Maps then selects a path through the best images, and adds 3D transitions to seamlessly guide you from photo to photo as if you’re literally flying around the landmark and viewing it from different perspectives.”

The new technique can beat being there, the company adds — or at least, beat your own vacation photos. “Every year, millions of people pack their bags and head to far-off places to enjoy sites and cultures different from their own,” Google says. “While there, they snap photos to document their trip and share their excursions online. Yet none of these individual photos captures the experience of actually being immersed in a specific location.”

While photos used are designated “public” by their contributors, “every photo is attributed to its contributor,” Google says, “and the more photos people share, the better the tours get.”

[You must enable WebGL in your web browser for the tours to work.]

The photo tours are here.

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Adobe studies creativity gap

April 30, 2012 By

Research reveals a global creativity gap in five of the world’s largest economies, according to the “State of Create” global benchmark study announced by Adobe Systems.

Interviews with 5,000 adults “expose surprising attitudes and beliefs about creativity, providing new insights into the role of creativity in business, education and society overall,” the company says.

• Unlocking creativity is critical to economic growth, according to 8 in 10 of those polled, and nearly two-thirds of respondents say creativity is valuable to society.

• However, only 1 in 4 people believe they are living up to their own creative potential.

• Also, 75 percent of respondents said they are under growing pressure to be productive rather than creative, despite the fact that they are increasingly expected to think creatively on the job.

• Across all of the countries surveyed, people said they spend only 25 percent of their time at work creating.

• Lack of time is seen as the biggest barrier to creativity (47 percent globally, 52 percent in United States).

The study was produced by research firm StrategyOne, and conducted online with 5,000 adults, 18 years or older; 1,000 each in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan.

The study is here.

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CEA’s Gary Shapiro to keynote 6Sight Conference

April 18, 2012 By

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, will deliver the keynote address at the 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference.

Shapiro — the author of the New York Times best-selling book, The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream — will speak about innovation in the imaging industry on Tuesday, June 26, at 9 a.m.

“There is so much innovation taking place in the imaging industry today, from connected cameras and 41-megapixel smart phone cameras to mirrorless cameras,” says 6Sight Conferences president Joe Byrd. “We’re compelled to dedicate this year’s conference to imaging innovation. When I read Gary’s book, I knew that there was no better person to speak on innovation than this best-selling author who has been an important part of many of the consumer electronics innovations we have today.”

The 6Sight conference program will also focus on major growth opportunities and top trends in the imaging ecosystem including connected imaging devices, image sharing, mobile apps, smart imaging technology such as GPS and facial or scene recognition, sensors and processors, optics, and displays.

The 6Sight conference will be part of 2012 CE Week, a five-day citywide event including CEA Line Shows and Digital Downtown Conference, organized in association with CEA, along with Martin Porter Associates and Consumer Technology Publishing Group/NAPCO, publisher of Dealerscope, Photo Industry Reporter, Custom Retailer and E-Gear magazines.

This 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference is co-hosted by Invest in Skåne, and mobile imaging developer Scalado, and supported by CEA and PMA, the Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $195 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services.

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What does Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram mean for you?

April 18, 2012 By

You’ve of course read the news that Facebook bought Instagram — a 13-person company with 30 million users — for a whopping $1B.

Is mobile imaging exploding, peaking or about to implode? Does the Instagram acquisition signify that mobile imaging is about to replace “traditional” digital imaging? Who are today’s “social imagers” really, how are they sharing their images and what drives their sharing behavior?

If you’re in the imaging or mobile industry and were with us at our first imaging conference back in 2002 (when people were just beginning to experience camera phones), you’ll agree that the mobile imaging industry has come a long way.

This year we are returning to NYC, the location of our first conference to see how far all of imaging has actually come in the ensuing 10 years — and we’ll explore its future.

Towards  this end we’ve just conducted an extensive survey about social imaging that sheds some light on the pressing questions anybody in the imaging ecosystem faces.

A few data points :

• Smartphones have not replaced the use of digital cameras — so far they’ve been to a large extent complementary.

Most people use several devices for taking photos, depending on the occasion and the availability of the device: 61 percent of the survey’s smartphone owners who take at least one photo a month with that device also own a digital camera with which they take at least one photo a month.

In fact, even this generation of “connected photo takers” we surveyed still take more than twice as many photos per month with their digital cameras than they do with their smartphones!

• No matter the fast adoption of photo enhancement smartphone apps like Instagram, 83 percent of the respondents still use their computer most to alter or enhance photos. In fact, the computer is also the device that has seen the biggest increase in use for photo enhancement.

• If there is the beginning of a shift from computer to smartphone and tablets, it is for sharing photos. Our survey respondents overwhelmingly share more photos than six months ago from their smartphones or tablets, no matter whether this is through texting/emailing or through uploading to photo sharing or social network sites. Although they also share more photos than in the past from their computers by uploading their photos to photo sharing or social network sites, they have started to use computers less for sharing photos through email or texting.

For more information about the report, please read the survey article in the 6Sight Report here.

The 49-page 6Sight Social Imaging Survey Report is available from the PMA Store for $799 for single-user version, and $1,999 for a company-wide site license.

 

Going back to our earlier question: is mobile imaging overhyped or still in its infancy?  Based on our research and other industry data, GigaOm just a few days ago concluded that, for the current mobile photo boom, the best is yet to come.

We agree, but there are many open questions as to how and when. We’ll address them at our upcoming 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference, June 25-26th, in New York City.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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2016 Photography Market: $82.5 billion

April 18, 2012 By

BCC Research claims the photography market should reach $82.5 billion by 2016.

The global digital photography market was valued at $65.6 billion in 2010, and $68.4 billion in 2011, BCC Research adds. The 2016 prediction reflects a 3.8 percent compound annual growth rate.

Cameras and lenses account for the bulk of the photography market, the firm reports, representing 55 percent of global sales. This market segment was valued at $37.6 billion in 2011, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8 percent, reaching $49.8 billion in 2016.

The photo print industry is struggling to maintain growth, BVV concludes:. In 2016, the segment is expected to slide in sales, decreasing to $24.7 billion, down from $25 billion in 2011.

However, “Photography services account for several hundred billion more in revenues and the opportunities for providing these services digitally have become big business.”

More information is here.

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Sony transformation stresses imaging as a core business

April 18, 2012 By

Sony says it will reinforce its development of image sensors, signal processing technologies, lenses “and other key digital imaging technologies in which it excels,” as it plans to leverage these technologies in both its consumer products (such as compact digital still cameras, digital video cameras, and interchangeable lens digital cameras) and broadcast and professional products (such as professional use cameras and security cameras) in order to further strengthen and differentiate Sony’ overall product line.

The company says it also plans to extend the use of these key technologies across a wide range of business applications, from security to medical, to further expand the scope of its digital imaging business. Sony will target total sales of 1.5 trillion yen and double-digit operating income margin from the consumer, professional and image sensor businesses by FY14.

The move come as Sony announced a series of strategic initiatives to be introduced under the new management team established on April 1, 2012. Sony is positioning digital imaging, gaming, and mobile as the three main focus areas of its electronics business and plans to concentrate investment and technology development resources in these areas.

By growing these three businesses, Sony aims to generate approximately 70% of total sales and 85% of operating income for the entire electronics business from these categories by FY14.

Other steps include “turning around the television business,” creating new businesses, accelerating innovation, and realigning the business portfolio and optimizing resources

In mobile, Sony is integrating the R&D, design engineering, and sales and marketing operations of its smartphone, tablet, and Vaio laptop businesses in order to quickly develop and deliver compelling products to market.

Sony notes it is “largely a new entrant to the medical industry,” but has launched medical printers, monitors, cameras, recorders and other medical-use products, and will target sales of 50 billion yen in this market in FY14. Sony also plans to enter the market for medical equipment components, where its strengths in various core digital imaging technologies offer significant competitive advantages in applications such as endoscopes. Furthermore, Sony plans to enter the life science industry, where the Company can leverage its expertise in technologies such as semiconductor lasers, image sensors and microfabrication.

Sony says it is also drawing on its strengths in audio and visual technologies to aggressively promote the growth of “4K” technology, which delivers more than four times the resolution of Full HD video. “Incorporation of Sony-developed technologies, such as image sensors, image processing compression LSIs and high-speed optical transmission modules into its professional-use and high-end consumer products will pave the way for Sony to continue to expand and enrich its 4K-compatible product lineup,” the company says.

Finally, Sony confirmed it will “reduce headcount” across the entire Sony Group by approximately 10,000 in FY12.

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Blackmagic’s camera’s dynamic range pulls out the stops — 13 of them

April 18, 2012 By

Blackmagic Design says many current generation video cameras suffer from a “video look” due to a limited contrast range, a maximum HD resolution sensor, poor quality optics and lenses, the use of heavy video compression for file recording and poor integration with NLE software metadata management. “With these limitations, they cannot be used for high end work or feature films,” the company says.

Its new Blackmagic Cinema Camera “has been designed to eliminate these problems so customers get a true feature film look, and at an affordable cost can shoot high end television commercials, episodic television programming and feature films.”

The Cinema Camera is billed as a “revolutionary digital cinema camera” with a “super wide” 13 stops of dynamic range, and a reasonable price of just $2,995. The dynamic range allows for feature film quality images, the company says. “Commonly people focus on more pixels, however often this just creates a higher resolution, but still “video” looking images that suffer from highlight and black clipping that limits details.” The new camera’s wide dynamic range provides dramatically more detail in the black and white areas in the image.

The 16.64 by 14.04 mm sensor has a 2592 by  2192 resolution. To eliminate the damage that low bit depth and high compression video storage creates, the company says, the solid state recorder captures the full sensor detail in 12 bit Log RAW files in the open standard CinemaDNG format. “The full 2.5K sensor data is stored in the files completely uncompressed, because the SSD has the speed to store video data at the required rate,” Blackmagic adds.

The camera has a large capacitive touchscreen, microphone, external mic/line level jack, speaker, and headphone jack.

More information is here.

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Canon debuts second-gen “Cinema” cameras

April 18, 2012 By

Two new Canon cameras capture “4K” video — 4096 by 2160 resolution motion imagery that is “emerging as the new standard for advanced effects and post-production in Hollywood,” Canon says. “It is particularly important for big-budget motion pictures that include scenes compositing live-action cinematography with high-resolution computer-generated imagery.”

The EOS-1D C is an SLR camera providing video recording at 4K, as well as Full HD video, and 18-megapixel stills, using a full-frame 24 by 36mm CMOS sensor. 4K video is captured by an approximately APS-H-sized portion of the full image sensor.

The camera records 8-bit 4:2:2 Motion JPEG 4K video to dual CF cards. It has an expanded sensitivity range up to ISO 25600 “for exceptional motion-imaging results with reduced noise even in low-light settings.”

Also, Canon says its Log Gamma enables high-quality video “with rich gradation expression, making possible the type of impressive image quality required in motion pictures by maximizing both highlight and shadow detail retention while also providing a high level of color-grading freedom.”
The 1D C has a headphone jack for audio monitoring, and will be available this year for $15,000.

The Cinema EOS C500 captures 4K motion imagery with 10-bit uncompressed RAW data stream with no de-Bayering, with external recording, “in response to growing expectations for higher levels of imaging performance in premium Hollywood films and other production markets requiring the utmost in picture quality,” Canon says.

The camera has a Super 35mm-equivalent 8.85-megapixel CMOS sensor. The C500 has an EF lens mount. The otherwise-similar  C500 PL has a PL lens mount for use with film industry-standard Arri Positive Lock lenses.

Both cameras were discussed last November, when Canon announced its C300 model, and a focus on Hollywood cinematography.

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Cooliris revamps LiveShare messaging

April 18, 2012 By

Instead of keeping text messaging, photo sharing and other communication features separate, Cooliris says its completely redesigned LiveShare is “a paradigm shift in mobile communication” that “seamlessly combines them into a visually exciting experience across mobile and web.” The free app makes “the communication experience truly dynamic,” the company adds, and “blends free text messaging, photo sharing, and location check-ins… for groups and one-on-one conversations.”

LiveShare presents text, photos, and maps unlike any other messaging app, Cooliris adds. “Photos are interweaved as beautiful collages within text conversations, not just displayed as individual thumbnails.”

The app also features a multi- shot camera mode that “captures the action as it happens… and immediately uploads the burst of photos into a collage.”

Users can message anyone else with LiveShare — or to any email address or phone number. Replies come back to the app. LiveShare is free in the iTunes App Store.

More information is here.

 

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Kodak App prints to CVS, Target

April 18, 2012 By

Kodak says that with its improved Gallery app, you can “order prints using the one thing you always carry with you: your iPhone” for same-day pickup at a CVS or Target stores.

The Gallery app lets users upload, share and collect photos with friends in a group album. “Ever been to a party or taken a trip where a bunch of friends took pictures that you never saw?” Kodak asks. “Problem solved — just start a Group Album, invite your friends to add their photos and voila! Everyone’s photos are in one place. “ The app can also share images by email, text, Facebook, or hundreds of other social networks.

Version 3 is free at the App Store.

 

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Adobe revs Revel photo cloud for Retina

April 18, 2012 By

Adobe updated its Revel cloud-based photo sync service: version 1.2 adds support for the Retina Display on the new iPad, and faster image editing on the iPad and iPhone.

Also new are the ability to tag photos with an event name “so that a photo library matches how things happened in real life,” the company says, a grid view which displays photos from a single day or event, and the ability to share, export and delete multiple photos at once,

“Revel is the best way to keep all your photos synced across your different devices,” Adobe says. “All the photos you put in Revel are automatically and effortlessly accessible on your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Revel is also a lot of fun to experience with others. Share a carousel with your friends so everyone has a single place to put all the photos from your group events. Everyone uploads to the same photo carousel, and you can instantly see what others are capturing from your personal device.” As carousels can be private, “Revel is perfect for couples who want a single place for both of their photos,” Adobe adds.

The app, first called Carousel, includes editing tools and sliders that control lighting, color and clarity. And, like Instagram and other imaging apps, Revel can add filters, here called “Looks,” to turn a photo black and white, “add a soft dream like look or another filter to give your friends vintage sepia flare.”

Subscription pricing for an Adobe Revel account is $6 per month.

 

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Cloud Photos auto-uploads images to Dropbox

April 18, 2012 By

The Cloud Photos photography app for the iPhone will, as the name implies, capture, control and share photos in the cloud.

The $2 app also provides image and album management functions, and shares shots over social networks or privately — making it a lot easier to automatically post pictures everywhere as they are captured than is possible with iOS’ built-in photo tools.

Cloud Photos uses the Dropbox service for storage to sync and store photos, “freeing your mobile photos from your phone,” developer Syrp says. It also saves storage space on the iPhone: Cloud Photos only saves a thumbnail version of photos on the iPhone, developer Syrp says, “saving you 40X the space of the original photos. This gives you more space for apps and media, while making your photo library available online or offline. The original files are available to be downloaded at anytime to share.”

When new photos are automatically synced and uploaded to Dropbox, you’ll “never worry about losing mobile photos again,” Syrp adds. Photos synced with Dropbox appear in your Photos folder, so you have access to them from anywhere. Users set whether uploading occurs over WiFi or 3G.

Cloud Photos’ camera tool offers white balance, focus, exposure and grid controls.

Syrp Inc., is self-described as “two brothers in a basement in Toronto, Ontario, Canada making sticky sweet applications.”

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500px sharing site offers enthusiast service

April 18, 2012 By

Canadian photo sharing site 500px is now offering an affordable service for enthusiasts.

Previously, the site only offered the basic free service, or $50/year “Awesome” accounts which provided professionals with “stylish easy-to-build portfolios, unlimited uploads, custom domain support and more.” Now, the company says, “you can have more than just the basics, without upgrading to Awesome; that’s where Plus comes in.”

Plus provides unlimited uploads and storage, and two new features: Sets to group and share photos in themed albums, with buttons to connect to social media, and tools for slideshows. And Statistics, which give “insight into what’s happening with your photos. See the number of likes and dislikes, faves and comments over a time period you choose.”

The Plus account is $20 a year.

A few pundits see the move as a direct challenge to Flickr, Yahoo’s somewhat static service that has seen some online criticism of late. Flickr’s similar Pro account is $25.

 

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Autodesk enhances images on Photobucket

April 18, 2012 By

Autodesk will provide its Pixlr photo editing tools to Photobucket users, enabling per-pixel editing as well as simple tools to correct, crop, resize and personalize images with effects, overlays and borders.

The companies say the partnership “will also provide advertisers with a creative environment from which they can deliver custom, branded effects in Photobucket ad packages” before the services’ 100 million users.

Autodesk says Pixlr has more than 25 million users and is one of the most widely used free photo editors. “It transforms any image with a fast, intuitive and robust toolset that is easy to use for inexperienced photographers with no prior knowledge of photo editing, while also offering fully featured, per-pixel editing complete with layers, adjustment tools and filters for the more advanced user.”

 

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Scan printed docs with an iPad

April 18, 2012 By

Readdle has improved its Scanner Pro 4 for the new iPad, with a revamped interface and processing engine for “blazingly fast image processing,”

The $7 Scanner Pro transforms your iPhone and the new iPad into portable scanners, the company says. It allows you to scan checks, agreements, whiteboards, pages and even multipage documents. After scanning, you can email them or upload to Dropbox, Google Docs and Evernote. Automatic edge detection and advanced image processing help you to get great scans blazingly fast. You can adjust the crop area manually by tapping on the screen. All scanned document are produced as industry-standard PDF files.

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Photo book maker Blurb partners with CGX for B2B

April 18, 2012 By

Photo book service Blurb is expanding into more commercial fare: The company is now working with Consolidated Graphics CGX, which it says is one of the largest commercial printing business in the U.S., to deliver “high quality, low volume print runs for businesses.”

Blurb says it already does “millions annually in the B2B space, which is now the fastest growing part of the Blurb business.” But the opportunity is in the $1B range, “and represents a massive untapped segment of businesses and designers with pent up demand for print runs of this kind, with a quick turnaround time.”

Blurb and CGX will allow for smaller volume runs, one unit and up, and up to 75 percent faster turnaround, without sacrificing quality, the company claims.

 

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Acer ships ultraportable palm-sized pico projector

April 18, 2012 By

Instead of Full HD video, the C120 pocket-sized pico projector delivers only WXGA (1280 by 800) resolution — but it costs only $260.

Acer America says its new portable device is “ideal for business people, instructors and anyone who needs an incredibly portable projector to display clear, crisp images.” The C120 can project clearly from as close as 15.75 inches, and as far as 12.14 feet away, Acer adds.

The unit has a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 60–120 percent NTSC color saturation, Acer says. The LED light is rated for a 20,000-hour life, and projects 75 ANSI lumens brightness when running on a PC’s USB power, or 100 lumens when on AC electricity.

“It is incredibly compact, so it can fit in a purse or briefcase,” the company says measuring 4.72 by 3.23 by 1 inches, and weighing 6.34 ounces.

More information is here.

 

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PlanOn offers pen-sized scanner

April 18, 2012 By

The ScanStik is the world’s smallest full-page color scanner, says manufacturer PlanOn System Solutions, which calls the compact device an “office in a pocket.”

Other pen-sized scanners scan a line at a time, the company says, but its ScanStik scans a entire page in one pass “just like a flat-bed scanner.” A full page takes 4 seconds. It can capture from150 to 600 dpi resolution, in color or black and white.

The $160 ScanStik measures 8.9 by 0.5 by 0.5 inches.

The company is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

 

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CompactFlash Association developing faster specification

April 18, 2012 By

The CompactFlash Association announced development of the CFast 2.0 specification for speedier photo and video recording.

CFast 2.0 will leverage the same connector interface as CFast 1.1, released September 2008, and the SATA-3 interface (up to 600MB/sec) for higher performance, the CFA says.

Host manufacturers will be able to leverage their experience and investment in the ATA storage protocol, and media manufacturers will be able to leverage high volume solid state disk (SSD) controller technology to serve the high performance requirements of this market.

The new format will have Video Performance Guarantee capability with profiles capable of supporting digital intermediate formats such as ProResTM, DPXTM, and DNxHDTM.

CFA is targeting for the CFast2.0 specification to be available in the second half of 2012.

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6Sight Seeks Speakers

April 12, 2012 By

The 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference is bigger and better this year, as part of the CE Week event  in New York City in June 2012.

The 6Sight sessions are on June 25–26 — and now is the time to toss your hat in the ring to be considered a speaker on one of our panels.

Participating in a 6Sight panel is a great way to position yourself and your company as a leader in your particular area of imaging technology.

Our panels are all about lively, informed conversation — and so, no presentations or other preparations are required.

We’re looking for a wide range of knowledgeable and thoughtful imaging experts. We hope you can join us.

Session topics now include:

  • Advances in Camera Capture
  • Sensors & Optics
  • Image Processing
  • Mobile Operators
  • Connected Cameras
  • Imaging Apps
  • Augmented Reality
  • Social Imaging
  • Intelligent Imaging

If you want to participate, simply complete the online form here.

 

 

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Facebook to acquire Instagram for $1 Billion

April 9, 2012 By

The world’s largest social network will acquire the hot new imaging network for $1 billion in cash and stock options.

“The total consideration for San Francisco-based Instagram is approximately $1 billion in a combination of cash and shares of Facebook. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close later this quarter,” Facebook says.

Instagram is a mobile image sharing platform that grew to 30 million users in just 15 months on Apple’s iPhone, and which last week added an Android version of its app — and saw an immediate leap of millions of more new members.

“For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family,” says Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in a blog post on the acquisition. “Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests. We believe these are different experiences that complement each other.”

Instagram and CEO Kevin Systrom says he and co-founder Krieger started Instagram “to change and improve the way the world communicates and shares. We’ve had an amazing time watching Instagram grow into a vibrant community of people from all around the globe… Every day that passes, we see more experiences being shared through Instagram in ways that we never thought possible.”

Zuckerberg also notes the rareness of the transaction: “This is an important milestone for Facebook because it’s the first time we’ve ever acquired a product and company with so many users,” he says. “We don’t plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.”

However, Zuckerberg says Instagram will remain an independent service, and keep its connections to competing platforms. “Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it,” he says, “and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people… We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook. …We need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.”

“It’s important to be clear that Instagram is not going away,” Systrom confirms. “We’ll be working with Facebook to evolve Instagram and build the network. We’ll continue to add new features to the product and find new ways to create a better mobile photos experience. The Instagram app will still be the same one you know and love. You’ll still have all the same people you follow and that follow you. You’ll still be able to share to other social networks. And you’ll still have all the other features that make the app so fun and unique.”

Our take: The social power of photo sharing has long been a key aspect of Facebook’s huge growth and success — but the company was not getting the traction in mobile imaging that it had long established on the desktop. Instagram was proving that a new, simpler way of enhancing and  sharing photos on the phone could quickly catch fire.

Facebook has long been rumored to be developing improved mobile imaging apps. Perhaps it proved simpler to buy a tried-and-tested tool instead of work in-house. But in our opinion, with this purchase Facebook is primarily heading off a possible social networking competitor, as Instagram’s actual features and technology are likely not anything FB couldn’t have developed itself.

Also important: what significant percentage of Instagram’s users were not already FB members? (Yes, yes, Instagram had much more *active* users perhaps…)

Nonetheless, our congratulations to the Instagram team for a widely-admired imaging service, and now, for billion-dollar financial reward for the work.

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