I never thought I’d call a camera strap innovative, but LumaLoop takes the idea of a camera sling and carries it a few steps further, into a totally customizable setup that makes your camera super accessible. It’s not cheap, at $60, but if you’re serious photographer in the field it might be well worth it. I can’t wait to check it out, myself. Update : Yes, it is similar in some respects to Black Rapid’s R-Strap . [ LumaLoop ]

Thanksgiving is well over, so that means mankind starts his all-out electrical blitz in search of holiday cheer. For this week’s Shooting Challenge , we want to see your best shots of Christmas lights . And this week, you can win something! The prize at stake : a Joby SLR-ZOOM Gorillapod plus the Joby Ballhead . (Joby was kind enough to write and offer to up the stakes of these contests a bit.) For a little advice, check out this very apt guide on photographing Christmas lights . The rules: 1

After going through the results of this week’s “Gray Winter” Shooting Challenge , I’m going to need years of therapy. Or a hug from someone very, very attractive. But as usual, Gizmodo photographers have completely exceeded my expectations. (Also, based upon my favorites, I appear to have a barren tree fetish. Regardless!) Second Runner Up Camera: Canon EOS 40D; Lens: EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM; ISO: 400; Exposure: 1/8000. Subject: Winter after California Wildfires -Devin Workman First Runner Up I used a Panasonic DMC-FX150 point and shoot camera

Canon has already revealed that their EOS 5D Mark II would be getting 24fps 1080P, which is handy for transfers to film. But a new industry-focused meeting revealed the company would also add 60fps 720P support to the camera, which would be great for fast motion clips or half-speed slow motion. [ Planet5D ]

This big. It ate my head. The real shame is that it can’t take photos of itself . [ Nikon D3s @ Giz ]

So, this finally happened: Canon, or possibly a four-year-old with a mild passion for drawing, has filed for a patent on a touchscreen DSLR , which transfers common controls to the camera’s LCD screen. The button genocide is real , people. The technology has been available for years, and the DSLR market has been veering toward the general public ever since that cursed D was appended to it, so it’s almost surprising that it’s taking this long for touchscreens to infiltrate. But not really : DSLRs are proudly retro, built around mirror box and lens designs that date back decades, and covered in buttons to the point that, to an amateur, they are totally unapproachable. That said, the standard Canon and Nikon button layouts do work pretty well, and there are a lot of parameters you’ve got to deal with, so, well, here we are, staring down a Canon patent application for a basic touchscreen interface, in 2009: Here’s how it works , as interpreted by the Photography Bay: 1. Sliding your finger across the panel in a vertical direction changes aperture values

I don’t know what it looks where you live, but in Chicago, it’s cold enough that everything is dead but not snowy enough to hide it. So let’s lament our environment with good old, pretentious, black and white nature photography. The official challenge is “Gray Winter.” For fun, let’s all shoot black and white in-camera and try to create most of the image without too heavy a hand in post production. If you nee advice/tips on shooting black and white landscapes, check here .

Despite the distant memory that is film for most people, most DSLRs have plenty in common with their film-based ancestors, at least when it comes to form factor. Not this Nova DSLR concept. Conceived by Erin Fong, the idea is to allow for all sorts of hand holds thanks to the dual movable arms, and the controls at the fingertips seems surprisingly convenient. We’re sure there are all sorts of technical limitations holding something like this back, but after suffering severe kitted-out DSLR fatigue on multiple occasions, we could really get into something that makes a bit better use of how we regularly hold our non-imaging devices. Now if someone would just clean that lens already! Continue reading Nova DSLR concept reminds us that cameras need not be boring Nova DSLR concept reminds us that cameras need not be boring originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:50:00 EST

I’m not much of a photographer, but I do love me some video games. Maybe this game controller-esque DSLR concept would help bridge the gap between the two worlds. Designer Erin Fong came up with this crazy “NOVA DSLR” design, and truth be told I like it. The folding handle idea seems especially useful for one-handed shots. Looks like it would work better than balancing the camera’s weight off-center like with traditional DSLRs. But again, I’m no photographer

Our Black Friday just got significantly more awesome — a new Nikon D3S showed up on our doorstep a moment ago, along with a super-hot NIKKOR AF-S 24-70 f/2.8G ED lens. We’re just about to dive into this thing’s incredible ISO 102,400 performance (well, we will when it get a little darker) and full-manual 720p24 video mode, but for now we thought we’d hit you up with some unboxing shots — check ‘em out! Gallery: Nikon D3S unboxing and hands-on Filed under: Digital Cameras Nikon D3S unboxing and hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink