Now, I know a bunch of you tech geeks are going to comment in the comment section about how this idea doesn’t make business sense, since the iPhone is already Apple’s camera, and that there’s no need to create a product that is solely a camera when you can have a phone and a camera in the same device. I have recognized your side, and I may even agree with it – but the Apple QuickTake Camera Concept is cool nonetheless. Take it for what it is: a concept. And don’t take my ice cream at all, because then I’ll RAGE.

Designer Josephy Dumary’s Apple QuickTake Camera Concept has some pretty unrealistic specifications, but I’m sure that if Apple were to make a camera, the capabilities would be pretty high. 32 MP photos? Seems a bit unreasonable to me – besides, nobody really needs that much definition – we stopped reading dictionaries years ago. Also, most people just keep their photos on the computer and don’t print them, so they don’t need crazy resolutions.

The concept also has a rather frivolous 360-degree swiveling feature that would only serve to have children break your expensive camera because they’re spinning it like a toy. The automatic red eye removal is a neat idea though, as are the possibilities with Wi-Fi capabilities, automatic syncing, and on-screen photo editing. There’s a lot that Apple could do with a concept like this – and why not? They’d profit off of fanboys who buy anything produced by Apple regardless of whether or not they really need it, so I’d say it’s a safe venture. Plus, they should start an Apple clothing line before I have to EVER go back into Abercrombie and have my brains blown out by their loud alternative music.

If you were able to take a pinch of happiness from this geeky concept, you’ll want to check out other cool concepts like the Apple Hairband Headphone Concept and the Off Door Handle Concept.

Contributor Jack Kieffer owns Cool Gizmo Toys, a blog that rants about random geeky products.

This hack comes courtesy of Stacie Grissom and it uses a silk scarf, that needs to be about 60 inches in length, three key rings, and a couple of other odds and ends. The ends of the scarf will need to be cut, then folded over and sewn with the a keyring popped in. Two small leather straps can be added to decorate your scarf-strap to make it look cooler.

The end result is a pretty sturdy and stylish looking camera strap – though you won’t be able to use it to keep your neck warm with that camera attached. Of course, you can really do this with any fabric you want, so you can have your own personal design.

Head on over to Photojojo for instructions on how to make your own scarf camera strap.

The K-01 uses the standard Pentax K-mount, so it’s compatible with numerous other lenses the company has made. The large APS-C CMOS sensor has 16MP and supports full 1080p HD video capture. The back features a 3″ high-res LCD screen, but no optical viewfinder.

There are three different colors available, the black and yellow, the all black, and the black and white. The K-01 will launch this March for $900(USD) with the 40mm lens or $750 for the body alone.

[via Cool Hunting]

The camera measures 1.1 inches in width, so it’s pretty thin for a camera with that much real zoom range. Its new CMOS sensor has been optimized for low-light conditions. The camera’s Leica lens allows to reach from 24mm to the 480mm range. The 14MP sensor has noise reduction features and a new autofocus system. It can shoot 1080p AVCHD video at 60 fps, and 1080p MP4 recording at 30 fps. It also offers GPS for geo-tagging of photos.

The camera has both touchscreen controls and actual buttons, which is refreshing, since more and more cameras seem to be going strictly with touchscreens these days.

The Lumix ZS20 will be released in March 2012, and will list for $350 (USD).

[via Ubergizmo]

But this camera doesn’t just look good, it’s actually got some impressive specs. The DSC-TX200V has an Exmor 18.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, and it can shoot 1080p video at 60 fps. It’s got a 3.3-inch 921k resolution touchscreen, a 5× optical zoom as well as a 10× digital zoom, and has a BIONZ processor to reduce noise. The camera is even waterproof up to 16 feet. It’s also dust resistant and you can use it in temperatures as low as 14°F.

Sony has also included a dual-record function that lets you capture still images will videotaping. It’s also got a built-in GPS and compass which can record photo location data. The camera weighs a pocket-friendly 4.6 oz, and comes in silver, red and violet.

The only real problem I can see with this camera is its price – the DSC-TX200V will retail for a rather spendy $500(USD) when it hits stores this March. It’s available for pre-order now over at the Sony Store.

[via designboom]

Recon has just announced a new feature of their MOD Live module (their heads-up display add-on for various goggles) that is very cool. The company teamed up with Contour, the company that makes some rugged sports cameras. With the new feature, MOD Live-equipped goggles can now be used as the viewfinder for Contour action cameras.

The goggles will link to the camera using Bluetooth, showing you what you have recorded, and allow you to be sure your camera is aimed correctly. The system supports the ContourGPS and Contour+ cameras, which both have Bluetooth. The cameras offer HD recording and can survive the inevitable falls spills and wet weather.

Of course, all this cool tech does come with a price tag attached – The Recon Instruments MOD Live display sells for about $400(USD), while compatible Contour cameras sell for $300 to $500 each.

But anyway, do you agree that the size of portraits are a reflection of the (figurative) size of a person’s spirit? If you do, then you might want to say that great minds think alike, because that’s what Dennis Manarchy thought of for his 35-foot long mammoth of a camera called the “Eye of America.”

Here’s some background on the plans for the camera and its design:

While the video shows what the finished camera will look like, it appears that Manarchy has already built a functional version in his studio – it’s not as finished as the images shown above, but it is fully-functional, and captures images of extraordinary detail.

Manarchy built the “Eye of America” camera for his project entitled Vanishing Cultures. Basically, it’s a series that will honor America’s people by capturing their images on huge negatives that measure 6 feet × 4.5 feet and subsequently onto prints that are two stories-high. Here’s more about Manarchy’s project:

FYI, Manarchy is a celebrity of his own right in the world of photography; in fact, he has been voted as the world’s best photographer – twice.

[via PetaPixel via Dvice]

Polaroid’s latest digital camera, the SC1630, is an Android-powered smart camera, with a 16MP sensor as well as a 3× optical zoom (and 5× digital zoom). It also offers automatic face and smile detection, red-eye removal, color correction and geo-tagging of images.

The SC1630 packs a touchscreen display and Wi-Fi connectivity which allow you to easily upload your photos with a single button. The 3.2-inch screen (800×480 resolution) allows you to preview images nicely. In terms of storage, it can hold up to 32GB, via a microSD card – though it’s unclear if this will be included in the price.

It also offers all of the abilities normally associated with Android, such as web browsing, a calendar, email and app downloads. So basically, it’s a smartphone without the phone – and none of the carrier contracts that usually go with. The Polaroid SC1630 should be released this April and will sell for $299 (USD).

[via Ubergizmo]

This unusual looking, egg-shaped device claims to be the first dedicated consumer device which takes full 360-degree panoramic images using a special “panomorph” lens. Unlike some gadgets which shoot panoramas by slapping a fish-eye lens or mirror onto your smartphone, or spinning around with your point-and-shoot and letting it stitch an image together, the 360-imager is a dedicated camera just for such immersive images. This can only mean that the image quality should be better than add-ons for standard cameras. The gadget will shoot high-res, fully navigable images with a single click. While its not clear from the beauty shot above, there’s an LCD viewfinder built into the bottom of the device too.

A little Googling turned up this product page which details the nifty sounding gadget’s specs, which include a 14 megapixel resolution, autofocus, and the ability to automatically detect whether you want to shoot a 360 degree, horizontal or vertical panorama. It’s also got Wi-fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity in addition to a USB port. At this point it doesn’t look like it can shoot video, but the panoramic images it shoots look impressively sharp and bright.

No word yet on pricing or a release date, but I expect that all will be revealed next week on the CES show floor. Keep an eye out on Tamaggo’s website for more details.

Instead of just a single camera that captures traffic in front of you, this portable device has a pair of swiveling digital cameras which can capture images in front and behind you. Or to your left and to your right, or just about any other combination of angles. Each camera can rotate a full 180 degrees.

If you do chose to use it in your car, it has a handy “SOS” button, which automatically makes sure that video from 10 seconds before and after an accident will be saved to memory. A G-force sensor also does the same in the event that it detects a crash.

Video resolution is 720p (1280×720), and it captures H.264 video from each camera lens at up to 30fps. In adddition, it can grab 1600×1200 stills (appx. 2 megapixels). Also built into the camera is a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, which lets you view one, two or both cameras at the same time.

One other nifty feature is a set of four infrared LEDs around each lens, so you can use it to capture in the dark too. It’s even got a mini-HDMI output so you can view content on a big screen too. At least they’re nice enough to include the mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter in the box.

Content is stored onto an SDHC card (not included), and can also be output to your computer via the USB port. The Dual Camera DVR also comes with a suction cup mount for use on your windshield or other smooth surface. While it’s designed to run using you car’s 12V cigarette charger, it has a built-in rechargeable battery. It also comes with a remote control, so you can activate recording remotely.

One thing to keep in mind if you are planning on using this thing for more artistic endeavors. One camera captures a 120 degree wide angle field, while the other captures a more telephoto image, as is shown in the video sample below:

If it wasn’t obvious enough from the watermarks on the images, the Dual Camera DVR is available from Brando, where it sells for $116 (USD).

The i-Fly Micro Lightning helicopter comes with an IR remote adapter that you can plug into your iOS device to control the copter using the iFly iOS app. It has eight minutes of flight per charge and can be controlled with up/down, left/right, and front/back movements. It can also be controlled using an included infrared remote. The i-Fly copter sells for $69.99 (USD).

The Sky Eye and the Black Swann both use 27MHz RF tech and are good for 110-feet of range. They have integrated cameras that can shoot video and still shots with a button press as well. The Black Swann has a microSD card slot for expanded storage and the Sky Eye has 512MB of internal storage. Each camera copter sells for $99.99, and should be available in stores soon.

[Press Release]

The tiny, oddly-named Fuuvi Bee 8mm camera (JP) doesn’t shoot movies on film, though it sure looks like it should. Instead, it captures video or still images with a decidedly retro look to them. It even does away with the LCD viewfinder, and replaces it with an old-school optical one, with all of the unpredictability that goes with. It’s also got a tripod mount on the bottom of the handle, in case you want to steady your shots.

The Bee captures low fidelity photos and movies with plenty of chromatic aberrations and other grungy artifacts to give them lots of “character.” Below are a couple of example stills and a video for you to enjoy.

Resolution is a decidedly retro 640×480 at 30fps for video, and still images are captured at just 1280×960 resolution (appx. 1.3 megapixels.) But you weren’t planning on using the Fuuvi Bee in place of your DSLR, were you? Images are captured onto an SDHC card, and you charge the camera using a USB cable.

In addition to the examples here, there’s a gallery of samples with a few more videos and images for you to check out.

You can find the Fuuvi Bee 8mm camera over at Audiocubes for $79.99 (USD) in either black or white. If you do end up buying one, and are baffled about how to use it, you can download the English manual here (PDF).

The case works exactly the same as the iPhone 4/4S version and has the same nine effects and filters. It just looks slightly different, with the wheel located more to the middle of the case because of the difference in the placement of the rear camera between the two phones. Note that the sample shots below are taken with an iPhone. Tsk, tsk. Lazy Holga.

Snap open your browser and head to Holga’s online shop to order the lens filter case. It’s a bit more expensive than the iPhone version at $28 (USD).

[via Engadget]

The Gizmon iCA makes your iPhone 4 or 4S look a lot like an old Leica IIIf. The case is made out of 32 different polycarbonate components, and even contains a lens mount that will allow you to use optional lenses for your iPhone camera. It’s even got a working shutter button and an optical viewfinder. So the case is not just for show (though the big fake lens in the middle is.) There’s even a tripod mount on the bottom of the case. They eventually plan on offering an external flash, a remote shutter and other accessories for the iCA as well.

The Gizmon iCA costs $65 (USD) at Four Corner Store, and it’s available in white, black and brown. The strap costs another $30 and the lenses – a macro or a fisheye, sell for an extra $45. That seems like quite a lot to spend on a case. The SuperPopCam app that is supposed to work well with the case sells for $0.99, though it’s compatible with any iPhone photo app.

[via TechCrunch]

The Spinner 360 uses 35mm film and spins its lens around, thanks to the aforementioned drawstring. You can decide whether to use 1/125 or 1/250 of a second or release it slower so that you can capture longer exposure footage, all in 360 degrees on a single strip of film. It even allows you to capture vertical panoramas. This low-tech approach to panoramas is certainly something uncanny, especially when you see the results.

Spinner 360 sells from Lomography.com starting at just $99 (USD). Pictured here is the special edition, covered in Italian toledo leather – which currently goes for $149.

[via designboom]

Chris Krueger from The New Hobbyist reports that he also used to accidentally touch the microphone, which would mess up the audio while shooting videos. For his solution, Chris first started with a cumbersome handle, but ended up with this nice, collapsible one, which he had 3D-printed.

The 3D design file for the handle is available over on Thingiverse if you’d like to have a copy printed for yourself at one of the online 3D print services such as Shapeways or i.materialize. Once printed, the suction cups can be found at Home Depot and sell for $2 for a dozen, so the resulting handle isn’t expensive, and can easily be stowed when you don’t need it.

[The New Hobbyist via Make:]

The camera is also said to have integrated Ethernet, presumably to allow the streaming of live video, and perhaps the sending content to your computer faster. Storage is to a CF card, and the D4 should support the new XQD standard – which offers significantly improved throughput and a small form-factor.

Other features include Face Detection, video recording in 1080p (only 30fps?), and uncompressed video output via the HDMI port. These specs were picked up by Nikonrumors from a variety of sources, but the site thinks that they are 90% accurate based on experience. They expect that all will be revealed about the D4 in January 2012.

The Sanwa digital toy camera 400-CAM007 [JP] has a 5MP sensor and accepts microSD cards up to 8GB. It records video at 1280×960 pixels at 30 fps. It even has a voice recording function. The whole thing only weighs ½ an ounce. Talk about small!

The 400-CAM007, which makes me think of James Bond, comes in black or white and sells for ¥2890 (~$38 USD) only in Japan. You’ll probably be able to find it at one of  those Japanese tech import stores before long, or you can try and order one through White Rabbit Express’ “Order anything from Japan” service.

[via Fareastgizmos]

Designed by Yu-Hsin Lin, Chu-Che Chang and Shang-Hsuan Lu, the Tooth Guardian would have a tiny CCD camera on the backside of its head, capturing a real-time image of your teeth and gums as you brush. An LED ring encircles the camera lens and automatically turns on when you place the toothbrush in your mouth.

The toothbrush would wirelessly transmit its images to an LCD screen built into your mirror, so you can see how good a job you’re doing keeping your choppers pearly white.

By installing the camera on the flip-side of the head, it allows the bristles to be easily replaced, but means you won’t see the surface you’re brushing right now, but what you need to brush when you flip the toothbrush over. Still it’s a great idea for making sure you’re doing a good job when brushing. When done, the Tooth Guardian stows in a handy UV sanitizer to help kill any extraneous germs.

While the Tooth Guardian design was a recipient of a 2011 red dot design concept award, there’s no word on if or when it will be produced. However, everything here is readily available technology, so I don’t see why someone can’t bring these to market sometime soon.

If the new owner is inspired to do so, he can make a movie of his own, although I suspect it will just be displayed as a trophy. Now if only we could find the original (unaltered) movie that was made with this camera.

[via Flavorwire via Neatorama]