Digital World Tokyo | Digital cameras & camcorders

Sanyo’s greener, cleaner future (or why the Japanese giant gave itself the mother of all makeovers)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:02:00 GMT

Of the many huge Japanese electronics purveyors that we've long been familiar with, one name that rarely stands out from the pack is that of Sanyo. The Osaka firm has a portfolio as broad as most of its rivals, but rarely makes the headlines - something that's set to change soon as something of a revolution turns the company on its head and changes its very way of doing business. Shared roots Sanyo started out in 1947 when Toshio Iue left his job at Matsushita to start his own business selling lights for bicycles. The fact that his brother in law was Konosuke Matsushita (that firm's founder) probably had a bearing on the company's decision to lend Iue an idle factory for his fledgling operation. Five years later and Sanyo had moved into electrical goods with the arrival of a simple plastic radio. The first domestic video recorder followed as early as 1966, but much of Sanyo's subsequent energies went into less glamorous fields, such as industrial refrigeration, batteries and air conditioners. However, fast forward to summer 2008 and we see a Sanyo portfolio that looks very different. As far as the 'front-facing' material consumers get to see goes, it sometimes seems that we're dealing with Greenpeace and not an electrics retailer with revenues counted in the billions of yen, so what changed? Earth as an organism Most Sanyo brochures prominently display the current 'Think Gaia' slogan - an eco-tinged theme that has been used since 2005 in Japan. Sanyo Japan's Aaron Fowles explains why the company has taken this to heart: "British geophysicist James Lovelock introduced the Gaia theory in the early 1970s, envisioning the earth as 'an active, adaptive control system able to maintain the Earth in homeostasis' … recognizing that organisms do change the environment, none more radically than humanity." It's natural to be skeptical of such corporate cuddliness, but Fowles points out that Sanyo takes this to a level beyond most modern mission statements. "Based on the harmony and interdependence focused on by Dr. Lovelock, walls were broken down between companies and divisions - our office literally has no walls around each division or team," he says. This, of course, had a purpose, with Sanyo divisions sharing ideas with each other in a way that hadn't happened previously. A perfect example of this resulted in one of the company's flagship products. Ozone friendly After some time spent looking for a commercial application for its new water recycling and purification technology, one internal Sanyo division realized it might just work in the products of another section. The upshot was the Aqua range of high-tech washing machines that use little water - or, in some cases, none at all - and which now ranks among Sanyo's top sellers in its home territory. One aspect of the new machines - which are marketed to shoppers in terms of how much they can save on a year's water bills - is the Aqua Loop water-saving technology that uses 96 per cent less water than an equivalent Sanyo washer from the late 1990s. That's impressive enough, as is the claimed annual saving of around $140, but another breakthrough is altogether more surprising. The Air Wash 3.0 system creates ozone that washes away bacteria, dirt and smells, meaning even dry-clean-only items can be washed at home. The dual appeal of saving resources and money is clearly a draw. Power packed After the lean, green washing machines Sanyo's new approach dealt it an even bigger hit in the shape of the eneloop-brand rechargeable batteries that are already a monster hit (50 million + sales) and which are soon to be bundled with a very high-profile gaming device, if rumors from outside Sanyo are to be believed. Fowles explains the eneloop evolution: "In a review of the reason that people don't buy rechargeable batteries, it was found that the biggest factor was the inconvenience of not coming pre-charged. "[Add in] the fact that they had a horrible self-discharge rate, and you could never trust rechargeables in sensitive devices like your alarm clock," he says. Naturally, the 'two heads (or departments) are better than one' approach threw up rechargeable batteries that function much like standard dry cells, coming pre-charged, having a long life and being fully reusable. Changing faces We could list plenty more products like those that all clearly rise well above the usual green rhetoric employed by many rivals, as well as large-scale PR endeavors like the giant Solar Ark solar power plant and museum that rises above the Bullet Train tracks in central Japan, but is this part of covert Sanyo move upmarket and away from its roots? Fowles responds positively: "The emphasis on products that support the Think Gaia brand vision is, in a sense, a rebranding. It is not a move away from large-scale manufacturing by any means, but instead acts as a guiding voice as it advises [us] to conserve resources as much as possible and create new innovative technologies that can offset the carbon footprint left by manufacturing them." That's all very well, but let's not forget that Sanyo still does huge amounts of business on its electronics lines, including Xacti digital cameras and camcorders. Unsurprisingly, Sanyo has an answer to the charge that those things hardly encourage the green lifestyle. "The opposite of Think Gaia would be the blind pursuit of convenience and comfort, [but there is] another path - to be a wise and aware manufacturer by focusing efforts on lessening the environmental impact these types of products have." He continues: "A small example is our Xacti digital movie camera. They used to be CCD, but we switched recently to CMOS, which means that you can use the battery for a little longer than CCD. This was made possible by advancements in CMOS, which has finally caught up with CCD." Still, it's all about consumption at the end of the day, isn't it? "Sure, we can live life without digital cameras, but it is more fun to make memories," says a rather candid Fowles. Balance is key Nevertheless, that's not to say that the really important issues are subsidiary to having a good time and making money while we're all at it. Returning to the surprisingly iconic washing machine that turns out to symbolize much of what this new, improved Sanyo is all about, Fowles explains: "By making a washing machine that can reuse bathwater and recycle it in Japan, customers not only save on their water bills, but they save water that needs to be used for drinking - that type of water makes up less than 1 per cent of the Earth's water supply. "The balance is found in making products that will eventually offset the company's own emissions and use of natural resources, benefiting both the company itself and those that use those products." While washing a pile of laundry with ozone and just a dribble of bathwater or making incremental changes in the amount of energy we burn through by changing batteries or buying certain gadgets might not sound like a big deal, it's clear that companies like Sanyo can make a difference. After all, if the products with the potential to reduce our impact on this planet aren't on the shelves, we can't buy them, can we? And, of course, the parallel debate about whether or not we actually need them in the first place deserves a little airtime too one of these days. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Extreme close-up: Sony Alpha A200 dissected + DSLR tips a-go-go

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:15:00 GMT

All-round good egg/camera obsessive Gordon Laing at Camera Labs not only has the most detailed review (video here too) of Sony's new Alpha A200 entry-level DSLR but he's even found time to branch out with a new camera uber site. His new venture, DSLR Tips, is jam-packed to an almost-unhealthy extent with everything you need to know to get the most out of your digital SLR. Don't take our word for it - head on over and see for yourself. Money back if you don't agree, ok?

Extreme close-up: Sony Alpha A200 dissected + DSLR tips a-go-go

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:15:00 GMT

Panasonic photo printer grabs still shots from high-def video

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:50:00 GMT

Panasonic Japan has come up with an intriguing solution to a problem no one knew we had - a device that can grab and print stills from a high-definition video file. The ¥23,000 ($215) KX-PX30 looks like a standard dye-sub photo printer with the usual array of SD card and USB ports and a little 3.6-inch color LCD for seeing what's going on before printing. However, it's actually the world's first that can handle both older MPEG videos and AVCHD high-def flicks. Connect a source containing an AVCHD video and the PX30 can grab individual frames from it at half-second intervals. From there it's just a case of picking which you like and printing them out at 300dpi. The Panasonic blurb says postcard-sized prints take 48 seconds and larger ones a full minute, which is par for the course. Naturally, the PX30 can hook up to a PC and can print boring old still images as well. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Panasonic photo printer grabs still shots from high-def video

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:50:00 GMT

Casio plans to kill off camera shutter button, eliminate feeble humans

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:35:00 GMT

Casio's new 60 frames-per-second EX-F1 super camera may have some impressive numbers backing it up but what we didn't expect was a claim from the Japanese company that it might be the first step towards doing away with shutter buttons on digital cameras. The machine, which can shoot 60 six-megapixel still snaps in a second as well as a startling 1,200 frames of video in the same time, is so advanced a manual shutter may even be a hindrance because it introduces camera shake. Casio executive Jin Nakayama says the high frame rate means it's no longer necessary for a mere human to try to time the shutter release perfectly when five dozen photos are being snapped every second. Speaking to Japanese website Tech On, he explained: "A shutter button might even be one of the principal causes of bad pictures. If users did not release a shutter, there [would be] no camera shake. If a camera decided the timing, it would not miss a decisive moment." Describing the new $1,200 F1 as a 'third-generation' digital camera, he went on to set out his goal for a future where video and still cameras merge: "What [is] the third-generation digital camera like? You often say that scenes suited for movies should be recorded as movies, [but] when it is difficult to take a picture of an object, take a movie of it. The wall between movies and still pictures is formed by immature technologies." As for the high price for what is still a non-SLR camera, Nakayama admitted that Casio needs to sell 10,000 F1s a month to be able to afford to continue research on the high-speed sensors it uses. Should that happen, he suggested that we could see those spectacular frame rates in something a little more affordable before too long - we can't wait. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Casio plans to kill off camera shutter button, eliminate feeble humans

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:35:00 GMT

Casio's new 60 frames-per-second EX-F1 super camera may have some impressive numbers backing it up but what we didn't expect was a claim from the Japanese company that it might be the first step towards doing away with shutter buttons on digital cameras. The machine, which can shoot 60 six-megapixel still snaps in a second as well as a startling 1,200 frames of video in the same time, is so advanced a manual shutter may even be a hindrance because it introduces camera shake. Casio executive Jin Nakayama says the high frame rate means it's no longer necessary for a mere human to try to time the shutter release perfectly when five dozen photos are being snapped every second. Speaking to Japanese website Tech On, he explained: "A shutter button might even be one of the principal causes of bad pictures. If users did not release a shutter, there [would be] no camera shake. If a camera decided the timing, it would not miss a decisive moment.�? Describing the new $1,200 F1 as a 'third-generation' digital camera, he went on to set out his goal for a future where video and still cameras merge: "What [is] the third-generation digital camera like? You often say that scenes suited for movies should be recorded as movies, [but] when it is difficult to take a picture of an object, take a movie of it. The wall between movies and still pictures is formed by immature technologies.�? As for the high price for what is still a non-SLR camera, Nakayama admitted that Casio needs to sell 10,000 F1s a month to be able to afford to continue research on the high-speed sensors it uses. Should that happen, he suggested that we could see those spectacular frame rates in something a little more affordable before too long - we can't wait. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Liquid camera lenses just around the corner

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:42:01 GMT

Developing camera lenses based on liquids is nothing new, but an investment by a Japanese giant in a small US firm promises that we could soon find fluid optics in our digital cameras and cellphones within a few years. Itochu of Tokyo and Osaka has decided to work with Holochip of New Mexico to commercialize the US developer's adaptive polymer lens (APL), which swaps glass for liquid to create a smaller, more powerful optic. Liquid lenses focus by changing shape under pressure from moving parts around their circumference. This allows manufacturers to either create an array of lenses to give a longer focal length or ultra-thin units for even smaller gadgets. Lest potential users fear the liquid in the lens freezing, Holochip points out that it remains operational from -20 to +60ºC. The venture hopes to have commercial products ready for use in Asia and the US before long. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Liquid camera lenses just around the corner

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 04:42:01 GMT

NEC spy camera draws its power from fluorescent light tubes

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:54:00 GMT

The latest prototype product from NEC Japan has to be one of the most novel uses of alternative energy we've ever seen - it's a wireless security camera that draws its power directly from fluorescent light tubes. As odd as it may seem, the unnamed camera simply needs to be fixed to the ceiling beside a fluorescent light and connected to it by a wire with a ring-like adapter on one end. When the light is switched on, electricity is then generated by the Sharp-created technology in the ring through electromagnetic induction. Key to the development is not the flicker of a fluorescent tube that we're so familiar with, but the magnetic field created by the AC source in the light. A field frequency of 45-100kHz can be used by the ring to generate 120mW of electricity, which is enough to power the camera. From that point on the otherwise-standard camera - VGA resolution with shots every 10 seconds - takes over, beaming its images to a PC using an ordinary Wi-Fi chip that also draws power from the light. NEC suggests that its camera could be installed in office light fittings to help companies keep an eye on their staff at work or in supermarkets for analyzing shopper behavior. So, suspicious cheapskates and manipulative marketers are probably rubbing their hands in glee. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

NEC spy camera draws its power from fluorescent light tubes

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 06:54:00 GMT

Tokyo bloggers meetup: prizes, beer, food and more…

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:03:01 GMT

Blog-happy Tokyo residents might want to make a note of a fun event taking place in early December at which they could walk off with not just a Sanyo Xacti camcorder for free, but also plenty of insight from a living, breathing Japanese video-blogging legend. The gig is being staged at the Pink Cow bar (so, there's booze, ok? ) by our pal Andrew Shuttleworth, so is guaranteed to be worth the trip. I'll let Andrew tell you all about it below and maybe see you there: Video Blogging Night and Sanyo Xacti Touch-and-Try CHANCE TO WIN ONE OF TWO XACTI DIGITAL CAMERAS! With the headline popularity of YouTube and a slew of other video sharing web sites, video blogging and video sharing is ready for big time. It's getting easier and easier for anyone to upload a good quality video and share it with their friends, families and the world! Interested to learn more? Join the Video Blogging Night. The evening will feature …. -> Presentation from famous video blogger Yukako Tajee Tajima (http://amino-tajee.com/) on some of the options for getting your video online -> A chance to try out the latest models of the Sanyo Xacti (Bring your own SD card if you want to take pictures home!) -> On site experts full of ideas and suggestions for the best way to get start video blogging and video sharing -> A chance to win one of two Xacti digital video cameras! -> Fun, networking and photographs! Date: Tuesday December 4th Time: 7-10pm Place: The Pink Cow, Shibuya (www.thepinkcow.com) Cost: 2,000 yen (Includes light buffet and chance to win one of 2 Xacti digital cameras) Limited to the first 50 people. Registration required. Sign up here by November 27 to be eligible for the prize draw. About Xacti Sanyo's award winning Xacti line of digital video cameras makes capturing stunning digital video simple and convenient. The ergonomic, one-handed grip and intuitive, thumb-operable controls make it easy to use whenever inspiration strikes. For a look at the line up see http://www.sanyodigital.com About the Organizers Event Organized by Andrew Shuttleworth of Customers, Vendors, People (www.cvp.jp) with the kind support of Sanyo, makers of Xacti Digital Video Cameras. Please send any inquiries to .

Tokyo bloggers meetup: prizes, beer, food and more…

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:03:01 GMT

Cyber-shot DSC-T2 packs in 4GB and cheesy smiles aplenty

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:40:01 GMT

The latest in the ever-evolving range of Cyber-shot digital cameras from Sony has just been given a global launch date and it's a fully loaded consumer snapper with 4GB of its own memory for storing photos without a memory card. Although we currently have only the Japan details for the DSC-T2 - it will cost ¥43,000 ($360) and go on sale here on November 22 - the company says it will be available worldwide by the end of the year. Getting back to the hardware, the main selling point of the new Cyber-shot is that 4GB of flash memory inside - surely enough for anyone using a consumer-level camera to forget about Memory Sticks? With the 8.1-megapixel sensor on the VGA setting, that means there's room for tens of thousands of snaps. Still, the InfoLithium battery stretches to only around 300 shots per charge (reasonable, but not spectacular), so full resolution is probably the order of the day anyway. MPEG movies can be recorded for up to 10 minutes at 640 x 480 and 30 frames per second. Away from the storage side, there are several functions common to recent Sony cameras. The cheesy Smile Shutter function automatically takes a photo if the camera is pointing at someone smiling, while face-detection software helps focus on any human mug in the shot. On top of that, there's a skin-tone detector that makes sure people, not inanimate objects, stand out in photos. Naturally, all these photography 'aids' can be switched off. Moving on to the more standard features, the lens is a typical 3x zoom and ISO sensitivity is rated up to 3200. Should the internal memory fill up, there is - of course - a Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo slot too. The back of the DSC-T2 is taken up by a touch-sensitive 2.7in control screen and the usual image stabilization is present and correct (unlike in some pretty recent Cyber-shots, such as the DSC-T7). The in-camera menu looks to be considerably improved, with the most noticeable addition being a calendar browsing mode that provides thumbnails of shots imposed on a calendar showing the days they were taken. There are also a variety of ways to mark favourites, including a scrapbook-type sandbox area and the ability to doodle on photos through the touchscreen. Lastly, component video output allows full 1080 high-definition display on an HD TV and a very slick-looking 156g body, into which the lens cover slides flush, makes choosing between black, white, blue, pink and green and pointing the thing all that's left for us mere humans to bother about. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Cyber-shot DSC-T2 packs in 4GB and cheesy smiles aplenty

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:40:01 GMT

Panasonic Pixi elevates drunk photography to artform

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:05:00 GMT

We see a lot of prototype and concept devices here but few are as obviously pointless as the Pixi, an add-on for mobile phones devised by Panasonic of Japan working with two British design companies. The Panasonic Pixi, to give it its full name, is the brainchild of the company's chief mobile device designer, Madori Kuroda, in collaboration with the London-based designers Industrial Facility and Luckybite. Although it has all the hallmarks of a hoax product intended to garner press coverage it is, apparently, a genuine work in progress. As for what the Pixi does, the answer seems to be 'very little,' but we can tell you that it piggybacks on the current boom in social networking sites by making it easier to post photographs from phones. The idea is that users stick their phones into the Pixi and it takes over control of the handset's camera (MOV video here). So, after taking a shot of a drunken colleague micturating into a teapot, for example, it's a simple matter of pressing one of the large buttons on the Pixi to send the image to a personal diary, public humiliation gallery or as an email attachment. The designers intend the device to be used with the popular Japanese SNS Mixi that we've looked at before, although quite why anyone would use it instead of the normal buttons on their phone remains unclear (unless they're drunk too, of course). Incidentally, the comparisons Industrial Facility makes between Mixi and MySpace are wide of the mark - the site is considerably more like Facebook. So there. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk) Update: You know, after writing this and watching the video again I can't help but feel the Pixi is a joke. Anybody agree?

Panasonic Pixi elevates drunk photography to artform

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 04:05:00 GMT

Hitachi springs world's first Blu-ray camcorders ahead of schedule

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:01:00 GMT

Just two weeks after we caught whiff of a rumor that Hitachi would be releasing a Blu-ray camcorder in the fall, the Japanese company has announced that the portable high-definition technology is, in fact, ready now. Moreover, for once in the world of cutting-edge gadgets, a company has surprised us by coming up with the goods for sale early - the world's first BD video camera will go on sale in Japan on August 30. Overseas sales will start in October. In fact, there are two camcorders due out - the DZ-BD70 and DZ-BD7H. The former costs ¥160,000 ($1,300) and records only to 8cm Blu-ray discs, while the latter is ¥190,000 (£1,600) and also includes a 30GB hard drive. The HDD version is more likely to succeed, as it can hold four hours of 1920 x 1080i high-definition video, whereas the 7.5GB single-layer BD-R/RE discs manage just a quarter of that. A lower resolution of 1440 x 1080i is available, which pushes those times up to eight hours and two hours respectively. Software in the cameras allows for scene selection that approximates to a rough kind of editing and for dubbing the results to the hard drive in the case of the BD7H. However, dubbing is only 2x, so an hour of HD TV takes 30 minutes to copy. Otherwise, the specs are pretty much what we already knew - both models have a 5.3-megapixel sensor that delivers the equivalent of 2.07 megapixels for video and 4.32 megapixels for still shots, have a 10x optical zoom lens and a 2.7-inch fold-out LCD monitor. Both cameras have similar battery expectancies, with the BD7H's 100 minutes just beating the 90 minutes of the BD70. The hard drive model is also slightly heavier at 630g, compared to 575g. Given the inevitably that other manufacturers will produce both Blu-ray and HD DVD camcorders soon, we can safely expect these two groundbreakers to be the first of many. The question remains, however, of what will happen to AVCHD? (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Hitachi springs world's first Blu-ray camcorders ahead of schedule

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:01:00 GMT

New Panasonic Lumix cameras include massive 18x optical zoom, eliminate us

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 00:27:00 GMT

If its claims are to be believed, Panasonic just made digital photography easier than ever, with the launch of three new 8.1-megapixel Lumix models that make digital cameras as simple as point-and-click disposables. The DMC-FZ18, FX33 and FX55 all feature a trio of new techniques that eliminate the need for even the simplest adjustment by the user. Intelligent Auto Mode selects the setting most appropriate for the light conditions, Intelligent Scene Selector works out, for example, if macro mode needs to be engaged, while a new auto-focus mode starts the camera focusing on whatever it's pointing at without user intervention. On top of that, there's a face-detecting function that can recognise and follow human faces amid background noise and Panasonic's usual well-regarded image stabilization engine. As for the hardware, the FZ18 is most noteworthy thanks to its 18x optical zoom lens - the equivalent of 28 to 504mm in a film camera. Until now, consumer digital cameras - including those from Panasonic - topped out at 12x zoom. Moreover, the company claims that this can be extended to 28.7x zoom by using Extra Optical Zoom mode, which creates a 3-megapixel image using just a portion of the CCD sensor. Otherwise, the FX55 and FX33 are standard 'fashion' cameras that are just 22.8mm and 22mm thick respectively. They differ mainly in that the FX55 has a larger rear LCD at 3in, compared to the 2.5in screen on the FX33. Pricing has yet to be decided and all three cameras go on sale in Japan next month. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

New Panasonic Lumix cameras include massive 18x optical zoom, eliminate us

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:27:00 GMT