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Nikon debuts AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED

January 9, 2014January 9, 2014 Ronnie Bulaong Leave a comment

In addition to the D3300 and its new kit lens, Nikon also unveiled the new addition to their FX-format lens portfolio – the AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED.

At first glance, the new full-frame glass looks a lot like its DX-format counterpart. But their similarities are only skin deep, as Nikon made a few improvements on the inner workings of their new wide-angle lens.

Nikkor 35mm 1.8G

Nikon’s new fast prime lens boasts a total of 11 optics, two of which (Aspherical lens and Extra-low Dispersion (ED) element) are intended to further enhance the image quality and address sagittal comma flare. Furthermore, the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED is equipped with Silent Wave Motor (SWM) which provides fast and silent autofocus operation.

These added optics explains why the 35mm lens is marginally heavier and taller than the DX-version. Nevertheless, it’s still a compact and lightweight, not to mention fast, wide-angle lens that should be a great addition to your lens lineup.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED specs:
Construction: 11 elements in 8 groups, including 1 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glasses and 1 Aspherical Element
Inner focusing mechanism (non-rotating front element)
SWM autofocus
Plastic body and mount
Manual Aperture Ring
Filter thread: 57mm
Aperture blades: 7
Aperture range: f/1.8 – f/16
Min. Focus distance: 25cm
Dimensions: 72 (Diameter) x 72mm (Length)
Weight: 305g

The new AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G lens will be available starting on February 20 and is going to cost USD600.

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Fujifilm adds Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R to its lens lineup

January 7, 2014January 7, 2014 Ronnie Bulaong Leave a comment

In addition to unveiling a handful of new bridge cameras including the FinePix S1, the renowned camera maker also announced the latest member of the Fujinon lenses, the XF 56mm F1.2 R.

fujinon xf 56mm

When paired with one of the X-series MILCs, the XF 56mm 1.2 R provides an equivalent field of view of 85mm, making it well-suited for portrait photography. Of course, you’ll also benefit from its wide aperture which will come in handy in low-light conditions, as well as taking shots with a very shallow depth of field.

Another great thing about this glass is its size. Fujifilm did a helluva job in keeping the lens’ dimension and weight at a minimum which is crucial since the XF 56mm 1.2 R is intended to be paired with one of their compact interchangeable lens cameras.

Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R specs:
Construction: 11 elements in 8 groups, including 2 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glasses, 1 double-sided Aspherical Element
Fujifilm proprietary HT-EBC coating to reduce flare and ghosting
Inner focusing mechanism (non-rotating front element)
Metal body and mount
Manual Aperture Ring
Filter thread: 62mm
Aperture blades: 7
Aperture range: f/1.2 – f/16
Min. Focus distance: 70cm
Dimensions: 73 (Diameter) x 70mm (Length)
Weight: 405g

As you would expect from a lens of this caliber, it ain’t gonna be cheap. It’s gonna set you back USD1,000 to take home this bad boy once it becomes available starting next month.

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Meet the ASUS ZenFone trio

January 7, 2014January 7, 2014 Ronnie Bulaong Leave a comment

Along with the new Transformer Book Duet, ASUS has also announced the ZenFone lineup which consists of three Intel Atom-powered Android smartphones.

zenfone 4

Filling in the entry-level spot is the smallest among the group, the budget-centric ZenFone 4. It has a 4-inch WVGA display and a 5MP rear camera to go along with VGA snapper on the front. It runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and is powered by a modest 1,170mAh battery.

ASUS ZenFone 4 specs:
4-inch TFT LCD, 800 x 480 @233ppi
Intel Atom Z2520 1.2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX 544 MP2
1GB RAM
Internal storage (TBA)
64GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSPA
Bluetooth
5MP rear camera w/ LED flash
VGA front-facing camera
1,170mAh battery
Android 4.3
124.4 x 61.4 x 11.2 mm (dimensions)
115 grams (weight)

The ASUS ZenPhone 4 is going to cost USD99 and will be available in five colors – Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, Sky Blue, Solar Yellow.

zenfone 5

Next up we have the ZenPhone 5 which has a more amiable specs sheet compared to its smaller sibling. It’s got a bigger and more vibrant 5-inch display with 720p resolution, better BSI rear camera that shoots 8MP stills and captures 1080p videos, as well as beefier 2050mAh battery pack.

Handling the workload for the ZenFone 5 is the tandem of dual-core Intel Atom Z2580 processor and PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU, the same engine found under the Lenovo K900’s hood.

ASUS ZenFone 5 specs:
5-inch IPS display, 1280 x 720 @294ppi
Intel Atom Z2580 2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX 544 MP2
1GB RAM
Internal storage (TBA)
64GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSPA+
Bluetooth
8MP BSI rear camera w/ LED flash
1080p video recording @30fps
2MP front-facing camera
2050mAh battery
Android 4.3
148.2 x 72.8 x 10.3 mm (dimensions)
144 grams (weight)

These improvements do come at an additional cost, but luckily it isn’t that much. The ASUS ZenFone 5 will retail for USD149 and will be available in four colors – Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, and Champagne Gold.

Lastly we have the ZenFone 6 which, as it name implies, has a humongous 6-inch screen. Surprisingly, the company opted for a 720p panel with this smartphone rather than a Full-HD screen one which we’ve come to expect from a flagship device.

zenfone 6

This Android handset bears the same engine setup as the ZenFone 5, but received a significant bump both in the imaging and battery department.

ASUS ZenFone 6 specs:
6-inch IPS display, 1280 x 720 @245ppi
Intel Atom Z2580 2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX 544 MP2
1GB RAM
Internal storage (TBA)
64GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSPA+
Bluetooth
13MP BSI rear camera w/ LED flash
1080p video recording @30fps
2MP front-facing camera
2050mAh battery
Android 4.3
166.9 x 84.3 x 9.9 mm (dimensions)
200 grams (weight)
Colors: Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, and Champagne Gold

The new ASUS ZenFone 6 will be sold for USD199 once becomes available in the market. Speaking of availability, ASUS has yet to disclose when these ZenFones will hit the shelves. The company is probably holding off on that info for the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

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Samsung 105-inch Curved UHD TV, world’s largest

January 7, 2014January 7, 2014 Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Samsung has announced over a dozen UHDTVs here at CES in Las Vegas including a total of six curved sets, as well as the world’s first and largest Curved UHD TV at 105 inches.

The 105-inch Curved UHD TV features an expansive display, curved design and is the largest TV ever with a movie-theater aspect ratio of 21 x 9. From 4K content, to Full HD and HD sources, everything will look better on this TV which boasts 11 million pixels (5120 x 2160 pixels).

The combination of the screen size and Samsung’s Auto Depth Enhancer technology brings depth to the picture and produces a life-like viewing experience.

On Samsung’s new U9000 series (the flagship 78-inch Curved UHDTV), viewers have the option of splitting the large-screen real estate into a total of four screens. Also, viewers can experience a 3D effect without glasses with the new Auto Depth Enhancer feature.

Smart TV performance is further enhanced with Samsung’s upgraded quad-core processor that performs at twice the speed of its predecessor.

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