Insta360’s Latest 360 Camera Features Dual Leica Co-Developed 1-Inch Sensors

Insta360 has recently unveiled the 1-inch 360 Edition One RS action camera, a new addition to its One RS series that was launched back in March. This newer model features 1-inch front and back sensors as part of its 360-degree imaging system, which is co-developed by the company and Leica. It’s worth noting that this is the second device from Insta360 to feature a sensor of similar size in collaboration with the renowned German camera manufacturer – the first being the 1-inch One R from 2020.

Keeping in line with the brand‘s modular action camera approach, the 1-inch 360 Edition can also be attached to the battery base of the original One RS or other compatible accessories from Insta360. Included together with it is a vertical mounting bracket that doubles as a grip, a core module with an LCD screen and microSD slot, as well as a battery module.

The latter two can be slotted into the bracket on top of each other, with the 1-inch 360 Edition camera attached on the very top to complete the entire assembly. Insta360 says each module is securely attached to the bracket as well as one another, thus enabling IPX3 water resistance. Meanwhile, found on the grip are two release buttons for freeing the modules, a power button, and a record button. Situated underneath it is a 1/4-inch screw mount for attaching a tripod or a selfie stick.

The camera itself is capable of recording up to 6K resolution 360-degree videos or capturing up to 21MP photos, thanks to the two Insta360 and Leica developed 1-inch sensors on either side. In addition, the core module of the 1-inch 360 Edition is equipped with an upgraded processor, which enables the camera to support its built-in FlowState Stabilisation system and Active HDR video capture. The battery module, on the other hand, allows for up to 62 minutes of 6K 30 fps video recording.

You can also find all previously available features and AI-powered enhancements from Insta360’s other cameras on the 1-inch 360 Edition One RS. These include PureShot, PureShot HDR, Starlapse, Cinelapse, Skyswap, TimeShift, MultiView, and the impressive Invisible Selfie Stick feature. Additionally, the new 360-degree action camera comes with live streaming and webcam capabilities as well.

The Insta360 1-inch 360 Edition One RS is offered in two options: the complete set including the camera, grip, core and battery modules for US$ 800 (~RM 3,519), or just the camera module for only US$ 650 (~RM 2,859). The new camera’s availability and pricing for the Malaysian market has not been confirmed at this time.

Nikon Z9 Teaser Briefly Shows Off The Camera’s Unique Rear LCD

Nikon has released a 30-second teaser video featuring its upcoming Z9 flagship camera. While it didn’t reveal much regarding the new camera, the video did highlight one feature that is exclusive to the product: a unique vari-angle rear LCD screen that is unlike those featured on most current generation mirrorless cameras.

Seen from the video, the Nikon Z9’s rear LCD can be tilted out to face the photographer at any horizontal or vertical angles without needing to be flipped out ala the more traditional vari-angle approaches. As pointed out by Petapixel, this new mechanism used by Nikon may be similar to the one featured on the Pentax K-1’s Flex-Tilt LCD screen, which functions somewhat similarly. Nevertheless, both methods are more straightforward when compared to regular vari-angles, and there’s no denying their usefulness – especially when shooting photos at difficult angles.

As for the camera itself, Nikon previously confirmed that the Z9 will come with a stacked CMOS sensor, a new first-party image processor, and the ability to record video at up to 8K resolution. And based on the photo included together with the camera’s first announcement in March, it will feature an integrated battery grip body that allows you to easily shoot in both horizontal or vertical orientations. Unofficial sources, on the other hand, suggest that the camera will feature either a 46MP, 50MP or a 60MP sensor, and an ISO range of 64 – 25,600, among other things.

Yet again, the company did not mention when the new Z9 flagship mirrorless camera is expected to launch. As previously reported, Nikon-specialised publication NikonRumors believes that the product will be fully unveiled officially later in fall this year.

Intel Core i9-12900K Engineering Sample Smiles For The Camera

As the supposed November launch date for Intel’s 12th generation Alder Lake lineup looms over us, it’s only normal that the chipmaker’s rusty plumbing develop more leaks on the subject. To that end and thanks to the internet, there are now very detailed, close-up shots of what is believed to be an engineering sample of the Core i9-12900K.

Pictures of the 12900K were posted by prominent leakster Yuuki_AnS (@yuuki_ans) on the Chinese social media platform, Bilibili, as well as Twitter. The CPU bears the label “QX7H”, which is apparently the second revision of the flagship CPU. Needless to say, the close-up shots are gorgeous and filled with enough detail that we actually don’t have to squint. Of the entire album, the most detailed of the photos is the one that shows the CPU’s grid array.

On another note, the pictures also show offs the CPU’s longer shape and form factor, confirming Intel’s departure from its symmetrical CPU design. Moreover, the images also give us a look at the height of the 12900K, which earlier reports have said will be different from its current Rocket Lake lineup.

The changes in Alder Lake’s form factor also means that consumers may have no choice but to purchase a new cooling solution that fits the LGA1700 form factor or simply update the brackets on their currently existing coolers. Just like MSI or Noctua are doing.

Intel is expected to launch the Alder Lake desktop CPU lineup on 4 November.

Xiaomi Civi Now Official: Features 120Hz Display, Snapdragon 778G, 32MP Selfie Camera

Xiaomi has just launched the first Civi smartphone, its purported replacement for the aesthetics-focused CC series. For starters, the new phone sports a 6.55-inch Full HD+ OLED display with curved edges and super-thin 2.55m bezels.

At the same time, the screen on the Civi also offers a 120Hz refresh rate and in-display fingerprint scanner, as well as the support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Housed within the top centre part of the display is a 32MP selfie shooter which features autofocus and a “beautification” filter that uses sophisticated machine learning that reportedly “re-depicts” the original picture pixel-per-pixel to maintain skin texture while getting rid of imperfections such as blemishes and acne:

The Civi also features a three-camera setup on its back which includes a 64MP primary, an ultrawide lens with a 120-degree field-of-view, and a 2MP macro camera. Meanwhile, the rumour of photo/electrochromic back cover on the phone proved to be inaccurate as Civi’s sparkly rear uses anti-glare glass instead.

Runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G alongside up to 12GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB internal storage, the new phone also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Also equipped with Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, there is no 3.5mm audio jack on the Civi though.

Not to forget, the phone is powered by a large 4500mAh battery which Xiaomi claims to have the longest battery life of any smartphone it’s releasing this year. While it comes with 55W rapid charging, it seems to be missing wireless charging.

Running on MIUI 12.5 which is based on Android 11, the new Civi starts from CNY2,599 (~RM1,684) and goes all the way to CNY3,199 (~RM2,073) for the top configuration. Unfortunately, the phone is only launching in China for now, with no word yet on availability in other countries.

Fujifilm Unveils Its New GFX 50s II Medium Format Mirrorless Camera

Fujifilm has recently announced the GFX 50s II, the latest addition to its G-mount medium format mirrorless camera line-up. An upgrade to the original that was released back in 2017, the new shooter comes with various improvements such as in-body stabilisation (IBIS), among other things.

The GFX 50s II sports the same 51.4MP sensor as its predecessor, which is capable of capturing images of equivalent pixel size and recording Full HD videos at up to 30fps. Again, much like the original model, there are no 4K options available for video recording. Newly introduced on the camera is the aforementioned 5-axis IBIS system and Fujifilm’s latest X-processor 4. When working in tandem, both of these enables for fast and high-precision shooting, burst shots at up to 3fps, and improved autofocusing capabilities such as face, eye and contrast detection.

Features found on the device includes the new Pixel Shift Multi-Shot mode which relies on the IBIS and sensor to produce images of up to 200MP in size. Fujifilm explains that the mode is capable of achieving this by capturing 16 RAW files and then combining them into a single Digital Negative (DNG) RAW via the onboard Pixel Shift Combiner software. Also onboard are 19 of the brand’s Film Simulation modes, and a large number of exposure controls.

The GFX 50s II sports a magnesium alloy body that weighs approximately 900 grams and is also weather-resistant, allowing it to operate in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius. Design improvements featured on the medium format camera includes a new grip to reduce hand strain, a 1.8-inch LCD monitor on its upper body for EXIF settings, a 3.69M-dot electronic viewfinder with 0.77x magnification, a two-axis tilting 3.2-inch main LCD display on its back, and dual card slots for UHS-II media support.

The new Fujifilm GFX 50s II is expected to be shipped out in late October at a recommended retail price of US$3,999 (~RM16,586) for body only. There’s also a kit bundle which includes the GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR lens for US$4,499 (~RM18,655). It is also worth noting that the GFX 50s II is listed on Fujifilm Malaysia’s website, but details of its potential local availability and pricing are not known at this time.

Android-Powered Yongnuo YN455 Mirrorless Camera Launches In China

Yongnuo, a well known brand for its catalogue of camera accessories, has recently launched a new Micro Four Thirds (M43) mirrorless camera in China known as the YN455. It is powered by Google’s Android operating system, and comes with the ability to interchange between various M43 lenses.

The Yongnuo YN455 features a slim form factor, featuring a protruding handgrip in front and 5-inch flip-out LCD touchscreen which occupies a majority of its rear profile. Under its hood is a 4K/30fps-capable 20MP sensor, an unspecified 8-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 4G LTE support, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and expandable storage support of up to 256GB via MicroSD.

Also onboard the YN455 are two USB-C ports, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS support, a 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks, and a 4,400mAh removable battery. It is not known which version of Google’s mobile operating system is featured on the camera, but it is very likely to be Android 11.

It is worth noting that this isn’t Yongnuo’s first camera product. The brand had previously launched its predecessor, the YN450, all the way back in 2018. It also featured an Android interface but rather than M43 lenses, it featured a mount which supports Canon EF lenses instead.

The new Yongnuo YN455 mirrorless camera is now available in China at a retail price of RMB3,888 (~RM2,516). However, the brand did not reveal any plans to release the Android-powered shooter for the global market at this time, and there’s a chance that it may end up as a China-only release – much like its predecessor.

New Leak Suggests Nikon Might Launch A US$1000 Retro-Inspired Camera Soon

A recent leak first reported by Nikon Rumors is suggesting that Nikon may be planning to launch a new retro-inspired mirrorless camera soon. Believed to be called the “ZFC”, the new camera is shown to feature a design that is reminiscent of the Nikon FM series that were released during the 1970s and 80s.

But before we move forward, we would like to clarify that the full overhead view of the alleged camera shown above is a visualisation created by Nikon Rumors, using parts from different mockups to fill in the blanks. The actual leaked photos provided to the publication (shown below) only revealed portions of the device – mainly showcasing its viewfinder, upper dials, as well as its shutter and record buttons. So keep in mind that there is a chance the visualisation may end up as inaccurate.

As for its hardware, the site claims that the new ZFC camera will be a Z-mount APS-C camera and would feature similar specifications as the Nikon Z50 from 2019. To recap, the latter is equipped with a 20.9MP sensor, an ISO range of up to 51,200, high autofocus at -4 EV, 11fps of high-speed continuous shooting, and up to 4K UHD video recording with no crop.

Besides that, Nikon is also expected to launch two APS-C prime lenses alongside the ZFC, under a new “SE” line: a 28mm f/2.8 and a 35mm f/1.8. The latter is expected to be shipped together with the camera as a kit lens. Unlike the ZFC, Nikon Rumors noted that the new lenses will retain the familiar Nikkor Z-mount design and would not feature a retro-inspired look.

Nikon is said to announce the camera later this month on 28 June, while its release is expected to happen at the end of July this year. The new Nikon ZFC will reportedly retail at US$999 (~RM4,112), while the pricing for the two lenses remains unknown for the time being.

If this leak is accurate, this would make the unannounced ZFC to be the second retro-inspired digital camera from Nikon. The first being the Nikon Df in 2013, which also featured a “timeless design” based on the brand’s classic FM series. But unlike its alleged mirrorless successor, the camera was much bulkier due to being a DSLR.

Sharp Announces Aquos R6 Flagship Smartphone; Features Leica-Enhanced Camera

Sharp has recently announced its latest flagship smartphone for the Japanese market with the new Aquos R6. To everyone’s surprise, the phone comes with an imaging system co-developed by Leica – making Sharp the second company to feature the renowned German camera manufacturer’s branding and technology on smartphones besides Huawei.

Unique to the Aquos R6 is its display, which is a curved 6.67-inch Pro IGZO OLED screen. It features a WUXGA+ resolution of 2730 x 1260 pixels, a dynamic refresh rate between 1Hz and 240Hz. The phone’s display also comes with an under-display fingerprint sensor, and a tiny top-centered punch-hole cutout for its 12MP selfie camera.

Being a flagship-tier smartphone, Sharp’s latest device is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, paired with 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of UFS3.1 internal storage. Powering the phone is a large 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support via USB-C, although the brand did not specify its exact wattage.

While other manufacturers are keeping up with the trend of featuring multiple cameras on their smartphones, Sharp decided to do the complete opposite. Instead, the new Aquos R6 features a single camera which comes with a large 1-inch 20MP sensor and a f/1.9 Leica Summicron wide lens with a focal length equivalent of 19mm. Also featured in the central camera housing is a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor and a flash module. Below are the images claimed to be taken by the phone’s camera for your reference.

For more sample images, Sharp has set up a virtual gallery on its official website to showcase the Aquos R6’s photography capabilities. You may visit it via this link.

The new Sharp Aquos R6 will be available in Black and White colour options, and is slated to go on sale in Japan by mid June. The company has yet to reveal the price of its new smartphone, and to confirm if it will be shipped globally after its official launch in the country.

Google To Launch AI Tool That Can Help Identify Skin Problems Via Phone Camera

Are you a little worried about a rash on your arm or leg? At its annual developer conference I/O, Google announced that it intends to launch later this year an AI-powered tool that can help identify skin problems just through pictures taken by a smartphone camera.

According to Google, once launched, the tool will require you to take three pictures of the skin, hair or nail issue from different angles. Then you’ll be asked questions about your skin type, duration of the issue (how long you’ve had it), and other symptoms that will help the tool narrow down the possibilities.

The AI model crunches all this information and draws from its database of 288 conditions to provide you a list of possible matching conditions. Every matched condition will come with dermatologist-reviewed information and answers to frequently asked questions, along with similar matching pictures from the web.

However, Google said the tool isn’t meant to provide a formal diagnosis or replace professional medical advice as many conditions require review by doctor, in-person examination, or additional testing like a biopsy. That being said, the tech giant also pointed out that two billion people worldwide suffer from dermatologic (skin) issues while specialists are in short supply.

The company described the tool as the culmination of over three years of machine learning research and product development. It uses many of the same techniques that detect diabetic eye disease or lung cancer in CT scans.

Alleged Apple iPhone 13 mini Design Leaks; Features New Camera Layout

It appears that the alleged design for the next generation mini variant of Apple’s iPhone has been leaked, according to two different sources. The first, via a post on Weibo, revealed a CAD drawing of the new device alongside its predecessor, while the second is a mock render provided by leakster David Kowalski aka xleaks7 (in collaboration with Italian website Coverpigtou.it).

Both leaks suggest that the iPhone 13 mini will feature a new layout for its dual camera setup. Each sensor is now arranged diagonally from each other, as opposed to the vertical layout of its predecessor. One noticeable discrepancy is the size of the sensors, where they seem to appear larger in the Weibo leak, while Kowalski’s render shows them to be smaller.

As for the rest of the device, the leak from Kowalski reveals the same flat design for the phone’s surrounding frame. The leakster also claimed that the iPhone 12 mini measures at 146.64 x 71.5 x 56 mm in terms of dimensions, therefore appearing no different from last year’s model. The notch on its suggested 5.4-inch display is shown to be slightly smaller – somewhat corroborating another leak that revealed Apple’s allegedly updated design language that we’ve reported last week.

Unfortunately, neither of these leaks included any information regarding the other hardware specifications of the iPhone 13 mini or its siblings. However, Kowalski noted that all iPhone 13 devices will feature LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) displays and are expected to launch in October with a starting price of US$ 699 (~RM 2,888). For your reference, last year’s iPhone 12 mini launched at around the same price (locally at RM 3,399) for the 64GB configuration.

Apple Reportedly Mulling Over Apple TV With Built-in Speakers And Camera

Apple is reportedly considering the prospect of making an Apple TV device that comes with a built-in camera and speakers. According to Bloomberg, the company from Cupertino is already in the early stages of building the device.

Still focusing on the redesigned Apple TV, Bloomberg says that Apple’s upcoming home entertainment box would have integrated speakers, along with a camera for FaceTime. At this point, it doesn’t appear that the streaming box will have a display attached to it, meaning that users are probably going to have to connect it to a TV.

On another note, Apple is also said to be mulling over the possibility of merging its HomePod with an iPad display, which would make it a direct rival to Amazon’s Echo Show and, to a varying degree, Google’s Home Hub. As to why Apple is doing this, it is believed to be that the company is looking to revamp its Apple TV and HomePod. In an effort to revitalise and make them just as successful as its other products.

Getting back to the HomePod and iPad hybrid, the product will also be fitted with a robotic arm, enabling the attached iPad to track your movements around a room and theoretically giving whoever is on the video call line in sight of you.

Unsurprisingly, there is still no confirmation from Apple about these two home-based products, nor when these products would actually make it on to the consumer market. On that note, this is very likely going to be a steep uphill battle for the brand, especially since both Google and Amazon have long held a foothold in the ecosystem.

Samsung Reportedly Partnering With Olympus To Its Elevate Mobile Camera Systems

A recent rumour is suggesting that Samsung may be teaming up with Japanese camera maker Olympus (now operated by OM Digital Solutions) for some form of collaboration. It’s not confirmed on what the expected goal of this partnership would be, but it is speculated that it may involve the further development of the Korean brand’s mobile camera tech for its future smartphones.

News of this was first shared by leakster Yogesh on Twitter, who also suggested that both Samsung and Olympus could be working together to develop the Galaxy S22 Ultra, or a special edition Galaxy Fold smartphone. A separate report from Ice Universe on Weibo corroborated this, saying that his sources had also informed him of this alleged partnership.

Smartphone companies partnering up with camera brands to elevate their smartphone’s imaging system isn’t anything new. In fact, just this year we saw OnePlus signing a three-year deal with Hasselblad, whereas Huawei’s existing partnership with Leica is still going strong despite the various setbacks the Chinese giant have been facing thus far.

As mentioned earlier, details of this supposed team-up between Samsung and Olympus is mostly unknown. However, Dutch tech site GalaxyClub claims that the Korean smartphone maker is considering including sensor-shift technology to its future Galaxy device with the help of the Japanese camera brand. 

Unlike the commonly used Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) system in smartphones which shifts the lens element of a camera to compensate for its shake, sensor-shift stabilisation moves the shooter’s image sensor instead – resulting in better image stabilisation in photography and video recording. The only known smartphone to feature sensor-shift tech is Apple’s most recent top-of-the-line model, the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Whether or not Samsung and Olympus have actually inked a deal of some kind remains to be seen. Should this rumour be proven accurate, we’ll most likely be hearing an official announcement by either company in the near future.

Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold Goes Official: Features The Company’s Own ISP and Liquid Lens Camera System

Still reeling from last night’s event which saw the launch of the expanded family members of Mi 11 Series that includes Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11i, Mi 11 Lite 5G, and Mi 11 Lite, the Day 2 of Xiaomi Mega Launch has several significant revelations in tow as well. In addition to announcing its entry into the electric vehicle market, the Chinese tech giant has also unveiled its first-ever foldable device, the Mi Mix Fold.

Xiaomi is positioning its foldable debutant as a flagship device and apt enough, it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. Adopting a similar form factor as per Samsung Galaxy Fold, the Mi Mix Fold is equipped with an 8.01-inch 60Hz WQHD+ flexible OLED display on the inside while there is also a 6.5-inch 90Hz AMOLED display with 2520 x 840 resolution on the outside.

In order to ensure the phone’s reliability especially its U-shaped hinge design, the company claimed that the Mi Mix Fold has been subjected to extreme tests that involved up to 1 million bends. Supporting 5G and Wi-Fi 6, the phone offers up to 16GB of LPDDR5-3200 RAM and 512GB UFS 3.1 internal storage.

The launch of Mi Mix Fold also marked the arrival of the company’s Surge C1 ISP chip which apparently took two years to be developed. The new chip apparently provides an improved 3A algorithm and enhanced the phone’s low-light focusing capabilities which also improved its autofocus, exposure, and white balance that subsequently allows the Mi Mix Fold to deliver high-quality image output.

Not only that, Xiaomi has also claimed that Mi Mix Fold is the first device in the world to feature a rather interesting optics technology called Liquid Lens. Paired with an 8MP sensor, the company said that the lens is really made from transparent liquid and its curvature is being controlled using a high-precision motor that allows users to access telephoto capabilities from 3x optical zoom up to 30x maximum zoom.

Aside from that, the 8MP Liquid Lens camera can also act as a macro camera with a focusing distance as close as 3cm. Other than that, Xiaomi has also equipped the new Mi Mix Fold with a 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor for its main camera and 13MP ultra-wide camera as well as a 20MP selfie camera.

Comes standard with a quad-speaker system that has been tuned by Harman Kardon and boosted by a 15V Smart PA amplifier, the Mi Mix Fold’s fingerprint reader is integrated into the phone’s side-mounted power button. Completing its basic specifications is a 5020mAh battery that can gain back its full capacity in just 37 minutes via a 67W wired fast charger.

The Mi Mix Fold’s international launch date is not yet known at the moment although it will be released in China in the middle of April with a price range of between CNY 9,999 (~RM 6,320) to CNY 12,999 (~RM 8,192). We will keep you posted if the new foldable is going to make its way to Malaysia, so stay tuned.