Why AI Advisors are The Future of Your Electronic Devices
Added by Matt Braga on Sept. 7, 2010
We like product leaks as much as the next person, but what we don't like is the blurry, indistinguishable photos that go with them. Is that an iPhone, or a TV remote? Perhaps a chalkboard slate with the Apple logo drawn on? There's really no way to know for sure.

The obvious solution is also the simplest: learn to take better pictures. Automatic modes on photo and video cameras can help, but you could argue they do more harm than good. These cameras may take better pictures, but they're not making us better shooters — there's no feedback to show us how. 

That sounds like a job for artificial intelligence to us.
 
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When and How To Clean Your DSLR's Lens and Sensor
Added by Will Greenwald on Sept. 7, 2010
If you want to take consistently sharp photos, you need to make sure your camera's lens and sensor are both clean. If any smudges show up on the glass, or if any particles accumulate on the CMOS, you can expect fuzziness, spots, and other unwanted things to show up in your pictures. To do this, you need to do two things: protect your camera's sensitive parts, and clean your camera's sensitive parts when dirt still manages to get in. 

Protecting your lens from dust is actually extremely simple.
 
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Canon Shows Off Its Vision Of The Future At Canon EXPO
Added by Will Greenwald on Sept. 7, 2010
Canon EXPO was mostly a demonstration grounds for Canon's latest and upcoming products, but the company offered at least some looks into its vision of the far-off future. In addition to the 4K concept camcorder, Canon also showed off some non-functional concept mock-ups of possible products. While the display model offered little information about the technical aspects of Canon's long-term plans, it gave a good view of how the company thinks the future will look: white, smooth, shiny, and with few physical controls.  

Here's why Canon's future cameras would fit right in in Mass Effect.
 
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Print a Mystery Object - The Makerbot Gets an Upgrade
Added by Ana Hurka-Robles on Sept. 5, 2010
Video posted by AHR on Sept. 5, 2010
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Print a Mystery Object - The Makerbot Gets an Upgrade

This week, the trusty Tested Makerbot goes into the shop for an upgrade. How will the brand new MK5 Plastruder work?

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The Tested Video Mailbag Returns
Added by Will Smith on Sept. 5, 2010
Video posted by will on Sept. 5, 2010
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The Tested Video Mailbag Returns

This week, Will tackles tough questions on geography, premium motherboards, and Android apps. Plus, drinking water.

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Apps of the Week: iPad Games and More!
Added by Will Smith on Sept. 4, 2010
Video posted by will on Sept. 4, 2010
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Apps of the Week: iPad Games and More!

Will and Norm play the latest iPad games and take an amazing new Twitter client for a test spin.

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Canon Records the Future with 4K and 8K Video
Added by Will Greenwald on Sept. 3, 2010
Canon had a lot of high-tech gear on display at CanonEXPO in New York City's Javits Convention Center. While most of its cutting-edge imaging equipment, like the Wonder Camera, were only mock-ups, the company offered access several functional 4K concept camcorders.  
 
Canon's 4K concept camcorder is smaller and sleeker than the RED ONE, the current well-known standard for 4K videography. Indeed, with its friendly, curved profile, large viewfinder and LCD screen, and mere two switches it looks more like a bloated viewfinder than a next-gen piece of video equipment. Because it's a concept model, it will likely have little to no resemblance to any retail 4K product Canon produces in the future; it's simply a proof-of-concept device, demonstrating that 4K video recording can be accomplished in a relatively small body. 
 
The camcorder's video looked very impressive. 
 
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A Guide to HDR Photography, and How It Works on iPhone
Added by Will Greenwald on Sept. 2, 2010
If you've ever photographed a subject against a backlight, you know how difficult it is. If you underexpose, the background will look clear but the subject will be a dark silhouette. If you overexpose, the subject will show up but the background will be completely blown out by the lighting. It's exactly that sort of problem for which HDR photography is suited. HDR, or high dynamic range, photography merges multiple exposures of a subject together, combining the best details from overexposures and underexposures to produce a composite picture that shows off everything without shadows or blow-out.  

HDR isn't a catch-all solution to bad lighting, though. In fact, it's often more suited as an artistic photography method than a serious go-to tool. 
 
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Canon Pushes the Resolution Envelope With 120-Megapixel Sensor
Added by Will Greenwald on Aug. 27, 2010
The megapixel arms race might be back on in the digital camera world. Canon has just announced that it has developed a 120-megapixel CMOS sensor, nearly 6 times the resolution of the company's current highest-resolution camera. While researchers have produced super-high-resolution sensors as proof-of-concept before, this is the first time a 100-plus megapixel resolution has fit in a sensor so small. Canon's sensor measures approximately 29mm by 19mm, the same size as the APS-H sensors found on Canon's professional-level SLRs like the 1D Mark IV. 
 
Canon claims the sensor can churn out up to 9.5 full-resolution exposures per second, but that only leads to another large bottleneck. The Canon 1D Mark IV uses dual DIGIC IV image processors to maintain a framerate of 10 full-resolution shots per second in continuous shooting mode The 1D Mark IV is a 16-megapixel camera, less than a seventh the resolution of the new sensor. Unless Canon's DIGC IV processors can scale in parallel, the company is going to have to develop some advanced new image processing technology to use the sensor's full potential.  
 
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In-Camera Photo "Editing" Remains As Useless As Ever
Added by Matt Braga on Aug. 26, 2010
After two years of speculation, Canon has finally unveiled its EOS 60D shooter, a solid prosumer body that aims to bring some long-awaited improvements to the company's mid-range DSLR line. Taking cues from both the 7D and entry-level T2i, 1080p movie mode is now standard, in addition to improved ISO capabilities, and a flip-out LCD screen.

However, not only has Canon included video capabilities, but in-camera editing options for both photo and video content too. First introduced with the 7D, users could trim sections from the beginning and end of recorded movies, in addition to the newly-added ability to edit RAW files for "optimized images on the spot."

While such features are nice in theory, they're severely limited in actual use. Coupled with the fact that Canon's DSLRs — the 60D in particular — are primarily being targeted at a more professional-minded audience, one has to wonder, is in-camera editing truly necessary, or just an underpowered gimmick?

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Everything You Need to Know About Canon's 60D SLR
Added by Will Greenwald on Aug. 26, 2010
After months of speculation, Canon has finally announced the 60D SLR. As the follow-up to the 50D, which has been on the market for over two years, the 60D sits between the Rebel T2i and the 7D in Canon's hierarchy. The camera features an 18-megapixel APS-C sensor, a bump up from the 50D's 15 MP resolution. It offers the same high-definition video functions as the 7D, able to capture 1080p footage at 24 or 30 frames per second and 720p footage at 60 frames per second. The 60D uses the3-inch live view LCD screen just like the 50D, but mounts it on a pivoting arm so the screen can be flipped out and tilted for difficult shots.  

The 60D distinguishes itself from the T2i and the 7D with its wide selection of in-camera processing features. 
 
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How To Get One Great Photo By Taking Many Shots
Added by Will Greenwald on Aug. 26, 2010
When you get right down to it, photography is the art and science of capturing a single moment in time. While there are exceptions (artistic long exposures to show motion, high dynamic range shooting that combines exposures), you're basically trying to take a single photo that captures exactly what you want. Unfortunately, it's almost never that simple. If you want one good shot, you're probably going to have to take two dozen bad shots. 

To make the process easier, most cameras offer features like burst shooting and auto-bracketing. Here's how to use them properly.
 
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How To Best Spend a $600 Digital Camera Budget
Added by Will Greenwald on Aug. 24, 2010
Camera phones and digital point-and-shoot cameras are fine for taking snapshots, but they're really not meant for "real" photography. Framing everything just so, setting the right exposure, capturing the exact moment in time you want, these are skills you can't easily develop on compact cameras. To get a firm grip on photography and practice the more complicated techniques of the craft, you need to use a camera that offers the full range of settings and, ideally, lets you use different lenses for different circumstances. The vast majority of compact cameras don't even offer PASM exposure modes, and by their nature don't support interchangeable lenses. 

If you want to step into the world of photography, you should plan to invest at least $600 in a camera that has the features you need. Here's how to best spend that budget.
 
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