Uber Sensitive Cameras Detect that Humans Literally Glow

via Gizmodo by Mark Wilson on 7/24/09

Using cameras so sensitive that they can detect single photons, researchers at Kyoto University discovered that humans emit visible light.

We know, these images look like standard infrared heat maps, but they're not. They actually depict visible light emanating from skin, the results of scientists tracking five 20 year old males standing in front of a dark room camera for frequent sessions throughout a day.

Apparently linked to metabolism, light emittance seemed to rise and fall during the day with the lowpoint tracked to around 10am and the high point around 4pm. Also notable was that the face seemed to constitently emit the most light, a supposed byproduct of more melanin in the skin (the stuff that makes you tanner) because melanin has fluorescent components that might be enhancing the results.

Olympus Stop Motion E-P1 Ad Concept Is Clever (Also, Stolen)

via Gizmodo by John Herrman on 7/10/09

TheOlympus Pen E-P1 is a beautiful Micro Four Thirds tribute the famous Pen half-frame SLR of the 1960s, so it's only appropriate that the most distinctive part of their advertising campaign is, well, inspired by a previous work.

Above, you see Olympus' "The PEN Story," a charming collection of some 9600 prints strung together in stop motion animation. From the video's YouTube description:

This is the PEN Story in stop motion. We shot 60.000 pictures, developed 9.600 prints and shot over 1.800 pictures again. No post production! Thanks to all the stop motion artists who inspired us. We hope you enjoy :-) Song & Lyrics by Johannes Stankowski
Produced and Arranged by Michael Kadelbach.

Thanks all around! Thanks for everyone! Now watch this, posted months before the E-P1 was even announced:

That's "Stop motion with wolf and pig," a video made by this Japanese fellow. The aesthetic similarities are obvious, but forgivable. The conceptual similarities? Not so much. Our tipster:

From the beginning with opening envelope, to the stairs, trains, swimming, the whole thing is a complete rip off. Kind of crosses the line between inspiration and theft. Unless they hired him to do it, which seems unlikely.

That Olympus didn't directly thank Mr. Wolf 'n Pig doesn't take away from the fact that their video is equally�if not more�technically impressive than the one that inspired it, but it couldn't hurt to at least acknowledge the poor kid's work a little more directly.

Samsung Micro-Shutter Means Better Phone Cameras

via�DVICE�by CharlieWhite on 5/15/09

Minuscule sensors and crappy fixed lenses are only partly responsible for�cellphone cameras�taking such terrible photos; that they tend not to have proper shutters is a huge factor. Samsung�wants to fix this.

Most phone cameras don't have shutters for the simple reason that there isn't any room. Instead of relying on a traditional shutter exposure system, the tiny sensors simply activate for short periods of time, "scanning" a scene and returning a passable, if often blurry, image. That's fine for certain uses, but makes capturing moving objects or shooting in low light nigh-on impossible.

In an effort to sidestep these concerns altogether, Samsung is developing a micro-shutter, built with 36 pieces of curled film that can be opened or close by applying or withdrawing an electrical charge. The concept is just 2.2mm wide and easily compact enough for use in cellphones.

Samsung doesn't mention when (or even if) it will commercialize this tech, but for the sake of�our poor eyeballs, please, guys, make it soon. [Tech-on]

Stunning Images of Atlantis, Hubble in the Face of the Sun

via Gizmodo by John Herrman on 5/15/09

It's difficult to imagine a more epic scene, but this photo has modest origins: amateur Astronomer Thierry Legault shot it with nothing but his own telescope, a solar prism and a Canon 5D Mk II.

Shot just after launch, the image shows the faraway scene as viewed through a Takahashi TOA-130 refractor telescope (focal length 2200mm) and a Baader solar prism, which gives the Sun its muted look. Strapped to the back of the telescope, the 5D was set to ISO 100 and a 1/8000 shutter speed, the camera's extreme low and high settings, respectively [Edit: woops, the Mk II actually does ISO 50]. Legault used the free online Celestial Observer tool to calculate the best time to shoot from his location.Meanwhile, that little silhouette is the scene of an incredibly complex and dangerousHubble rescue mission, which will repair a number of the craft's instruments, install a new camera and ensure that NASA's flagship orbital telescope keeps sending us amazing images for years to come.

Check out the unbelievable uncropped photos at Legault's site. �Note: It should be obvious, but don't try anything like this unless you know exactly what you're doing. Your eyes, they will burn. [Thierry Legault via Daily Mail]

HD-Shooting Panasonic DMC-GH1 Looks Hot in Red, Availabile April 24 in Japan

via�Gizmodo�by John Mahoney on 3/27/09

We usually don't dish on Asia-only release dates to preserve your Occidental sanity, but since price and date for the U.S. drop of the new�Micro Four Thirds, 1080p-capturing GH1 is still mysterious, let's look.

According to Impress, the GH1 will be available April 24 at an estimated cost of �150,000. That's a dissapointing price, since�ConvertBot-ed�over to dollars, that's an ugly $1,500. Regardless, that doesn't mean we won't get it cheaper over here, but it's not the most comforting detail.

The other thing to keep in mind, though, is that the GH1's video capture mode (which is basically the only differentiation from its�$800 predecessor, the G1) does things the others from�Nikon�and�Canon�can't: that is, the cinema-friendly 24fps framerate at 1080p (60fps at 720p), as well as continuous contrast-based autofocus with an especially silent-focusing lens. [Impress]