MIT scientists have created a camera which can capture light as it passes through objects. That translates to an amazing shutter speed of one trillion exposures per second.

Using a modified Streak Tube (normally used to intensify photons into electron streams), the team snapped an image of a laser as it passed through a soda bottle. The ray of light is seen going through the bottle and then dispersing.

This new technology could really change the way we see things around us and gain new understanding. Check out the video below.

[NY Times]

At a whopping $45,000 price tag, Hasselblad H4D-200MS camera is for the ultra-rich..

Hasselblad H4D-200MS comes with a 50 megapixel sensor and uses multi-shot technology to produce an astounding 200MP image. A piezoelectric motor moves the sensor while the camera takes six images and within 30 seconds, they are merged into a 200MP image.

Other features include support for an external hard drive and an ISO range of 50 to 800. Though the H4D-200MS will break the bank, photography professionals will love this gadget… but they will have to take care of the lenses else the stunning pictures may show up ugly imperfections, wrinkles, dust, etc.

[CNET]

It is near impossible to take quality pics in poorly lit environment without using flash. But with Midnight Shot NV-1 Night Vision Camera, you may be able to do that and more, ie. when there is no light at all.

The Midnight Shot NV-1 Night Vision Camera looks like a regular point and shoot digicam with 5MP sensor and the ability to record video, but it’s also equipped with infrared.

You’ll be able to explore how totally bizarre the world looks in the infrared spectrum. For example, plants show up very strongly but the sky doesn’t, giving you images where trees look like ghosts and the sky looks black. Using different filters can provide even weirder effects.

Check it out at ThinkGeek along with images taken with the camera. But no, you can’t use this gadget to see the undergarments on a person.

[ThinkGeek]

Last year, Sony introduced their innovative translucent-mirror technology in the Alpha 33 and 55. The new technology won praises for allowing users to fire up to 10fps and experience enhanced movie recording.

Following that phenomenal success, Sony will incorporate this technology across its entire DSLRs line, including the new A77.

The marvel of this translucent mirror is the ability to capture light through the mirror which is reflective enough to allow real time focusing. This eliminates the need for a mirror slap when pulling the trigger.

Will translucent mirror be the next big thing in photography? If it does, Sony may be able to rank alongside Canon and Nikon in the DSLR market.

But I think some photography fans will miss the satisfying clatter of the mirror swinging up and away when they rapid fire on their DSLRs.

[Engadget]

At first glance, this gadget may not look like a camera but you will be dazzled once you examine it closely. Canon’s new 4k “multipurpose” concept camera is a wet dream for all camera geeks.

Now, when it comes to concept products, you can’t get your hopes too high as some ideas never come to fruition. But after reading some first hand accounts from Canon Expo 2010, this 4K Multipurpose Camera may just be a reality soon.

For now, this concept camera offers 4K resolution out of an 8 megapixel CMOS sensor. 4k video is about 4 times the resolution of 1080p, impressive man!

Canon has said that the concept camera is not specifically designed for videography but more for multipurpose image capture. The idea is to shoot a video of sorts and pick out individual frames as high-res pictures.

Such photography is not up my alley, but to be able to do that shows that photography technology has improved by leaps and bounds.

[Engadget]

If you have used a camera before, you will know that getting a shot of a racing car, airplane or wild animal in its full elegance is tough. It is impossible to constantly hit the shutter release button at the right instant.

A tedious way is to videotape the entire episode and then grab a still afterwards, but chances are it will be grainy and blurry.

Now there is a new camera technology to solve this problem. Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed a photographic technology, called Temporal Pixel Multiplexing (TPM), to simultaneously capture high-speed video and high-resolution stills, via the same sensor on the same camera.

The scientists wanted a better way of imaging the rapid changes in light intensity of fluorescent molecules, inside heart cells. And the amazing thing was that they used off-the-shelf components of digital cameras and projectors to build this system.

This new camera technology has been patented by Isis Innovation, the University of Oxford’s technology transfer office. There are already strong interest from external parties to develop this technology for use in the security and consumer electronic sectors. 

[EPhotozine]