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80,000MP panoramas: EarthCam announces world’s highest-resolution robotic webcam

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80,000MP panoramas: EarthCam announces world’s highest-resolution robotic webcam

EarthCam has introduced the world’s highest-resolution robotic webcam, the GigapixelCam X80. The new webcam can record 80,000MP panoramas. To celebrate the camera’s launch, EarthCam also premiered an 80 gigapixel image of New York City, captured from the top of the Empire State Building.

The GigapixelCam X80’s resolution is 700 percent greater than EarthCam’s previous highest-resolution webcam. The X80 offers 360 degrees of rotation using an ultra-precise, military-grade pan/tilt/zoom base and fast remote control over IP, 4G LTE and 5G networks. Per EarthCam, a single X80 can ‘cover more ground than dozens of fixed cameras to scan massive subjects, such as cityscapes, bridges and stadiums.’

Click to enlarge

At its core, the GigapixelCam X80 is powered by a 61MP Sony image sensor, the same sensor found in the Sony A7R IV full-frame mirrorless camera. Using the 61MP sensor, GigapixelCam X80 captures thousands of extreme close-up images and stitches them together to create a single 80 gigapixel panorama. ‘This enables highly detailed rapid archiving for analytic applications and extraordinary digital movements in the creation of epic cinematic time-lapse movies,’ said EarthCam.

GigapixelCam X80 key features. Click to enlarge.

Yang Cheng, Vice President, Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics Inc., adds, ‘Sony Electronics Inc. is pleased to work with EarthCam to realize this milestone achievement for the industry. Our ultra-high resolution Alpha α7R IV mirrorless camera combines an unprecedented level of detail and resolution with high reliability, giving EarthCam the ability to capture incredible 80 gigapixel panoramas that have never been possible before.’

The detail the GigapixelCam X80 can record using Sony’s 61MP image sensor is readily apparent in EarthCam’s new image of New York City, which can be seen in all its glory by clicking here. You can zoom in a lot.

EarthCam’s new 80 gigapixel image of New York City, as shot by the GigapixelCam X80 from the top of the Empire State Building, is the ‘most detailed photo’ ever captured of New York City, per EarthCam. Image credit: EarthCam

‘The GigapixelCam X80 embodies our commitment to next generation webcam technology creating new artistic and commercial possibilities for entertainment, construction and security applications,’ said Brian Cury, Founder and CEO at EarthCam, ‘Sony and its Alpha brand camera line are proving to be outstanding to collaborate with as we continue to push boundaries and transform the art of visual information.’

A zoomed in view of the above image

As mentioned, GigapixelCam X80 automatically stitches together thousands of images to produce an 80 gigapixel panorama. This process also includes self-healing and auto-recovery technology, which is possible thanks to an industrial solid-state drive paired with an ARM9 CPU. The camera runs on an embedded Linux OS platform. Along with third-party software integration, GigapixelCam X80 allows the user to record panoramas, 360-degree VR images and videos, download videos and download time-lapse movies.

Fully zoomed in on a building near the left edge of the above crop

To learn more about EarthCam GigapixelCam X80, visit EarthCam. EarthCam has documented many projects since its founding in 1996, including recent construction projects like the Suffolk building in Boston, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. You can view videos from EarthCam on its

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The Sitina S1: How a determined DIY photographer built his own full-frame camera (and open-sourced the project)

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The Sitina S1: How a determined DIY photographer built his own full-frame camera (and open-sourced the project)


The Sitina S1

Photo: Wenting Zhang

Here at DPReview, we love DIY photography projects, and one recently came to our attention that we just had to share.

Boston-based engineer and photographer Wenting Zhang has been experimenting with DIY electronics for over a decade and also loves taking photos, so building his own camera was a natural extension of these interests.

“I initially had the idea of building my own camera during middle school. Back then, I wasn’t allowed to use my parents’ camera and couldn’t afford a real camera. I naively thought it would be possible, and cheaper, if I just built one myself,” Zhang told DPReview. His initial attempt didn’t go well, and he eventually saved enough to buy a used Nikon D90, but the itch to build his own camera stayed. Whenever he saw someone posting about a DIY camera project, he thought, “If other people can pull that off, I should be able to as well.”

In this recently published video, Wenting Zhang walks through assembly of his current prototype camera.

Zhang says he started the project in 2017, and it’s not finished yet. “Engineers are usually bad at estimating how long things will take. I am probably particularly bad at that. I expected this project to be challenging, so it would take a bit longer, like probably one year. Turned out my estimation was off,” he says.

He makes clear to point out that this is a hobby project, purely for fun, and that his camera isn’t going to achieve the level of image quality found in commercially available products from established companies. Despite that, his project provides a fascinating look into what’s involved in building a camera from the ground up. What’s more, Zhang has open-sourced his entire project on GitLab for anyone else who might want to build upon it.

Zhang took this photo with a monochrome version of the Sitina, which uses the same sensor but without the Bayer color filter array.

Photo: Wenting Zhang

Although CMOS has become the dominant sensor technology in consumer cameras, owing to factors like speed, lower power consumption and cost, Zhang’s camera is built around a 10MP Kodak KAI-11000CM CCD sensor with a global electronic shutter, which he selected for a rather pragmatic reason: it was easy to source. “Most manufacturers (like Sony) aren’t going to just sell a sensor to a random hobbyist, so I have to buy whatever is available on eBay. This 10MP CCD turned out to be available,” he explains.

Zhang attaches the CCD sensor to his heat sink.

Photo: Wenting Zhang

The choice of sensor has a useful benefit. As he explains in one of his videos, designing and building a mechanical shutter is complicated and beyond his area of expertise, so his DIY design is based on using an electronic shutter. For similar reasons, he chose to use an LCD screen as a viewfinder rather than a prism-based optical design, resulting in a mirrorless camera.

Photo captured with the Sitina S1.

Photo: Wenting Zhang

Zhang wanted his design to be compatible with existing lenses. His mirrorless design, with a short flange distance, provided a great deal of flexibility to adapt different lenses to the camera, and he’s currently using E-mount with active electrical contacts.

And that’s just the start. Zhang also needed to integrate a CCD signal processor with an ADC (analog to digital converter), a CPU, battery, an LCD screen and buttons. He also designed and built his own circuit board with a power-only USB port, flash sync terminal, power button and SD card slot, and create the software and user interface to tie it all together.

In order to build his camera, Zhang had to design and print his own circuit boards.

Image: Wenting Zhang

Finally, everything fits inside a 3D-printed enclosure that, to my eye, looks rather attractive.

As for the camera’s name, the Sitina S1? “I simply put the word ‘silicon’ and ‘retina’ together to form the word ‘sitina’. I don’t have any better ideas of naming the camera model, so I simply call it the ‘Sitina S1’, he explains. “But the name may change in the future if I ever have better ideas.”

Zhang was kind enough to share some photos from his DIY ‘for fun’ camera.

Photos: Wenting Zhang

Now that he’s built his own camera, Zhang has an appreciation for how much work goes into the design, development and optimization of a modern consumer camera. “I would imagine it would take an army of designers and engineers of various disciplines to build a modern consumer camera,” he says. “There are so many different components but few ‘off the shelf’ parts.”

“On top of the hardware, we still have layers of software. There’s no standard camera operating system (like Android or Windows) so each vendor is developing its own OS. On top of the OS, you have image processing algorithms where each vendor probably has their own secret sauce for better color, lower noise, etc. I think it’s quite incredible that camera vendors are able to do all these things in-house.”

In this video, Wenting Zhang dives into the technical details of what’s required to design a working camera.

Zhang is still working to address issues in his current prototype. “I think in another year or two it could reach a state where it can be a useable and useful camera. I do wish to sell the camera either as a kit people can put together or as an assembled machine. Not for profit, but so people can play with it, and my effort on this project won’t go to waste.”

If you’re curious to learn more about how a camera is built, I encourage you to watch both of Zhang’s videos in their entirety as he goes into great detail about the process. And, if you have the technical skills and interest to try this type of DIY project yourself, his open source project could be invaluable. I’ll be the first to admit it goes beyond my level of engineering know-how, but I would be first in line to order a Sitina camera DIY kit if the opportunity arose.



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How one photographer turned a DIY dream into a full-frame reality

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The Sitina S1: How a determined DIY photographer built his own full-frame camera (and open-sourced the project)


The Sitina S1

Photo: Wenting Zhang

Here at DPReview, we love DIY photography projects, and one recently came to our attention that we just had to share.

Boston-based engineer and photographer Wenting Zhang has been experimenting with DIY electronics for over a decade and also loves taking photos, so building his own camera was a natural extension of these interests.

“I initially had the idea of building my own camera during middle school. Back then, I wasn’t allowed to use my parents’ camera and couldn’t afford a real camera. I naively thought it would be possible, and cheaper, if I just built one myself,” Zhang told DPReview. His initial attempt didn’t go well, and he eventually saved enough to buy a used Nikon D90, but the itch to build his own camera stayed. Whenever he saw someone posting about a DIY camera project, he thought, “If other people can pull that off, I should be able to as well.”

In this recently published video, Wenting Zhang walks through assembly of his current prototype camera.

Zhang says he started the project in 2017, and it’s not finished yet. “Engineers are usually bad at estimating how long things will take. I am probably particularly bad at that. I expected this project to be challenging, so it would take a bit longer, like probably one year. Turned out my estimation was off,” he says.

He makes clear to point out that this is a hobby project, purely for fun, and that his camera isn’t going to achieve the level of image quality found in commercially available products from established companies. Despite that, his project provides a fascinating look into what’s involved in building a camera from the ground up. What’s more, Zhang has open-sourced his entire project on GitLab for anyone else who might want to build upon it.

Zhang took this photo with a monochrome version of the Sitina, which uses the same sensor but without the Bayer color filter array.

Photo: Wenting Zhang

Although CMOS has become the dominant sensor technology in consumer cameras, owing to factors like speed, lower power consumption and cost, Zhang’s camera is built around a 10MP Kodak KAI-11000CM CCD sensor with a global electronic shutter, which he selected for a rather pragmatic reason: it was easy to source. “Most manufacturers (like Sony) aren’t going to just sell a sensor to a random hobbyist, so I have to buy whatever is available on eBay. This 10MP CCD turned out to be available,” he explains.

Zhang attaches the CCD sensor to his heat sink.

Photo: Wenting Zhang

The choice of sensor has a useful benefit. As he explains in one of his videos, designing and building a mechanical shutter is complicated and beyond his area of expertise, so his DIY design is based on using an electronic shutter. For similar reasons, he chose to use an LCD screen as a viewfinder rather than a prism-based optical design, resulting in a mirrorless camera.

Photo captured with the Sitina S1.

Photo: Wenting Zhang

Zhang wanted his design to be compatible with existing lenses. His mirrorless design, with a short flange distance, provided a great deal of flexibility to adapt different lenses to the camera, and he’s currently using E-mount with active electrical contacts.

And that’s just the start. Zhang also needed to integrate a CCD signal processor with an ADC (analog to digital converter), a CPU, battery, an LCD screen and buttons. He also designed and built his own circuit board with a power-only USB port, flash sync terminal, power button and SD card slot, and create the software and user interface to tie it all together.

In order to build his camera, Zhang had to design and print his own circuit boards.

Image: Wenting Zhang

Finally, everything fits inside a 3D-printed enclosure that, to my eye, looks rather attractive.

As for the camera’s name, the Sitina S1? “I simply put the word ‘silicon’ and ‘retina’ together to form the word ‘sitina’. I don’t have any better ideas of naming the camera model, so I simply call it the ‘Sitina S1’, he explains. “But the name may change in the future if I ever have better ideas.”

Zhang was kind enough to share some photos from his DIY ‘for fun’ camera.

Photos: Wenting Zhang

Now that he’s built his own camera, Zhang has an appreciation for how much work goes into the design, development and optimization of a modern consumer camera. “I would imagine it would take an army of designers and engineers of various disciplines to build a modern consumer camera,” he says. “There are so many different components but few ‘off the shelf’ parts.”

“On top of the hardware, we still have layers of software. There’s no standard camera operating system (like Android or Windows) so each vendor is developing its own OS. On top of the OS, you have image processing algorithms where each vendor probably has their own secret sauce for better color, lower noise, etc. I think it’s quite incredible that camera vendors are able to do all these things in-house.”

In this video, Wenting Zhang dives into the technical details of what’s required to design a working camera.

Zhang is still working to address issues in his current prototype. “I think in another year or two it could reach a state where it can be a useable and useful camera. I do wish to sell the camera either as a kit people can put together or as an assembled machine. Not for profit, but so people can play with it, and my effort on this project won’t go to waste.”

If you’re curious to learn more about how a camera is built, I encourage you to watch both of Zhang’s videos in their entirety as he goes into great detail about the process. And, if you have the technical skills and interest to try this type of DIY project yourself, his open source project could be invaluable. I’ll be the first to admit it goes beyond my level of engineering know-how, but I would be first in line to order a Sitina camera DIY kit if the opportunity arose.



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Fujifilm says X-H2/S and GFX 100S II will get AF improvements and new F-Log2 C mode

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Fujifilm says X-H2/S and GFX 100S II will get AF improvements and new F-Log2 C mode



Today, Fujifilm announced an upcoming firmware update for the X-H2, X-H2S, and GFX 100S II that’s meant to improve the cameras’ video capabilities.

In a YouTube video, the company says the update will improve the stability of autofocus subject tracking while shooting video. It’s also adding support for Ambient’s wired Lockit timecode synchronization devices and introducing a new F-Log2 C mode, which the company says will provide a much wider color gamut than the traditional F-Log2 that the cameras already had.

F-Log2 C uses a wider color gamut than the standard F-Log2.

The company says it’s currently “considering further enhancements” and that people should stay tuned. There’s clearly an appetite for more updates among Fujifilm users: currently, the video’s comment section is essentially wall-to-wall people asking why the update isn’t also coming to the X-T5 and the X-S20, and saying that they’re still hoping for additional improvements to autofocus performance in those cameras’ stills modes as well.

The updates for the X-H2, X-H2S, and GFX 100S II are expected to come out in November. We’ll be sure to let you know when they’re officially released and ready to be installed on your camera.



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