The camera phone for…camera people. Altek Leo: megapixels/3x optical zoom.

Camera phones and smartphones geared towards mobile photographers always boast over who has the most megapixels. Though any self respecting photographer worth his weight in camera gear will know that megapixels don’t really mean anything anymore. It has more-so to do with lens quality, zoom, and censor size/quality.

The Altek Leo however, is looking to change things up with a 14megapixel censor and 3x optical lens…

What kind of lens will $7 grand get you? Nikon has an answer…

I’m not a photographer. Even still, I enjoy getting a few hours here and there to play around with my Nikon D90. Not a pro model by any means, but certainly better that all of those dinky little point-and-shoots.

So far I haven’t upgraded anything on my D90. Still, I have my sights set on a bigger lens at some point. How big of a lens is only limited by my wallet. (Damn, short leash there…)

For those with a bit more monetary breathing room, Nikon’s new 200-400mm $7,000 monster is waiting to be called “yours”…

70-200mm Coffee Mug part of Olympic Shwag, begs you to fill it full of liquid goodness..

Ever find yourself looking at the $500 lens on your $5800 camera, wishing you could poor liquid goodness deep down inside and carry it around as a “custom” mug, showing off the true nerd lifestyle you long to live? Ya, not so much, do ya? But what if someone went through the trouble of making a mug that looked like some expensive photography equipment? Might be a little more welcoming huh? Apparently photographers shooting it up at the Olympics in Vancouver were given some pretty sweet shwag — 70-200mm camera lens coffee mugs.

Similar trinkets have appeared here and there over the years, but no major company or manufacturer has ever really gotten behind such projects and actually marketed them. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure there would be a decent following willing to pick up a few lens mugs. What better way to simultaneously freak out a buddy/co-worker and look like the real geek you are? Canon/Nikon/Konica/everyone else…are you listening?

NerdApproved > CrunchGear

158-lens Guinness World Record holding camera only $331 (and some change) to replicate…

The cost for building a 158-lens uber camera: $331.80. The chance to get your name in the Guinness World Record books for your creation: priceless. Ok, so the 158-lens camera costs a tad more than $331 as there is more to a camera than just lenses. But hearing that you can make a 158-lens camera for *roughly* $330 catches your eye doesn’t it?

The camera is the end result of a project headed by Nagoya Institute of Technology Associate professor, Yojiro Ishino and his students, to capture a swaying flame from “as many angles as possible”. Riveting stuff I tell you. In all honesty, super slow-mo and multiple angled shots of science stuff is often pretty sweet. In all, 6-months of blood sweat, tears, and money came together to form the super camera you see above. Even though the “super” camera moniker may bring images of a massive piece of glass, the collection of lenses above is actually rather small at only 7.2cm high and 47cm in diameter.

One strange thing to note is that the camera above officially received it’s Guinness World Record certificate on November 24th, but is only appearing in the news today. Even still, the delay doesn’t dampen the coolness of such a device.

You know, if the science community and other geeky groups ever run out of ideas for the uber camera, I’m sure Mr. Hefner himself wouldn’t mind renting the camera for some “personal use” for a few days eh…eh? *nudge nudge wink wink*

CrunchGear

Go Green with your camera lenses…Literally

All good things in life come to an end. That shiny new gadget that wowed you 8 months ago has somehow lost its luster this morning. It isn’t that hot blondshell babe that it once was. Instead, it is a 45 year old middle aged women with smokers cough and rotting teeth. While not quite as nasty or extreme, gadgets to lose their luster and over time become yet another thing that eventually gets tossed in the garbage set out into the open world to spend the rest of eternity not rotting away in a landfill somewhere. But there’s one last thing your gadgets can do. They can cross over into the world of gadget reincarnation. Take for example the Camera Lens Pots. While the lenses themselves may be old, damaged, or of no use anymore to a photographer, a planter (particularly a geeky one) may find new use for these aging pieces of tech. A camera lens is a perfect pot shape. Add a little dirt and a little water and your good to go. Just to confuse your old lens for the new…that would be a sad day indeed.

Source: Geeky-Gadgets, Crave, Gizmodiva