Canon EOS 100D launches as smallest and lightest DLSR

Canon has announced a new, smaller, DSLR camera in its EOS line, the Canon EOS 100D.

It is Canon's smallest and lightest APS-C digital SLR yet, with the company looking to compete with smaller and lighter models from rival interchangeable lens systems.

The Canon EOS 100D positions itself between Canon's smallest EOS model, the EOS M and looks like it upgrades the Japanese company's entry-level DLSR, the EOS 1100D, pulling some of the EOS M characteristics into a more conventional DSLR design.

More conventional it might be, but the EOS 100D does carry that badge of being the smallest and lightest camera in its class. Canon isn't highlighting this by accident, it's fully aware of the fierce competition from the likes of Sony NEX line, Samsung NX and Panasonic and Olympus's Micro-Four Thirds systems.

The EOS 100D measures 116.8 x 90.7 x 69.4mm and it weighs 407g, but of course you have to add the size and weight of the lens to these figures, which might be about 200g.

However, unlike the slimmer and lighter EOS M, it sticks to Canon's existing EOS lens mounting system, meaning it's compatible with the EF or EF-S lenses both new and old.

Sitting at the heart of the camera is an 18-megapixel sensor backed by the DIGIC 5 processor. It offers manually selectable sensitivity up to ISO 12,800, with a 25,600 if you really need that picture in low light, and a capture speed of 4fps.

Like the EOS M, the EOS 100D has a 3-inch touchscreen on the back, expanding your control options over those on the body itself. But not only do you get that display, but there's a conventional optical viewfinder in place too, giving you 95 per cent field of view, typical of an entry-level DSLR.

The controls on the body look pretty conventional too, with a top-mounted mode dial giving you quick access to the major shooting modes, and the body buttons letting you access the most pertinent shooting settings.

You'll get creative functions with a range of filters, an in-camera guide to help budding photographers start, as well as Full HD video capture, all bundled together in a package that will cost you £569.99 (body only) or £699 with EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens.

We'll bring you more on the Canon EOS 100D when we get our hands on the new compact DSLR model.

How to shoot better films using your phone

As smartphone features and capabilities have improved, one function that has enjoyed a boon in quality and upgrades is the camera. But while many concentrate on the still image aspect, video camera quality has also improved remarkably – to the point where shooting decent quality films on your phone is now entirely achievable.

Alongside ever increasing megapixel ratings, most smartphone cameras like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Apple iPhone 5 can now shoot Full HD 1080p moving images (as well as the lesser HD quality 720p and standard definition) good enough to make home movies look almost professional.

It’s also much easier nowadays to share and show off your filmic masterpiece. As well as hugely popular and free to use online resources like YouTube and Vimeo, phone specific features like the iPhone ’s AirPlay, which lets you stream your phone content to your TV via Apple TV, make it quick and easy to review and showcase your films on the big (ish) screen.

Then there are the apps. From Twitter’s blisteringly simple  app, that let’s you create and quickly upload six-second looping videos of whatever you shoot, to the Instagram-style Viddy that extends the time frame to 15 seconds and introduces en vogue retro filters to the videos you share online, there are myriad ways of getting your films out there.

Simple tips for better results

Whether you’re shooting on your phone or a high-end video camera, there are some basics any would-be filmmaker should begin with.

If you’re making a ‘proper’ staged film, plan and storyboard what you want to shoot, and research locations and the best times to film there. Research successful examples of smartphone films – some classics to look at are the stop-motion masterpiece Dot shot on a Nokia N8, and Apple of My Eye shot on the Apple iPhone 4. 

Before you start, make sure your phone’s lens is spotlessly clean (sounds simple, but imagine reviewing your footage on the big screen only to find a fingerprint or blob of dust ruining every shot) and the battery charged. A good idea is to turn on Airplane mode (or even remove your SIM) so you aren’t rudely interrupted in a crucial shot by your mum calling to ask how filming is coming along.

Always film in landscape mode by holding your phone horizontally – it’s easier to hold and aligns your footage orientation for viewing on a TV or cinema screen (if you’re thinking really big).

A critical part of any film is lighting. Where possible, always shoot in bright natural light with the sun behind you so your subject is clear. If you have to shoot into the light, film from above with the sky out of shot to lessen the contrast between high and low light – which your phone will inevitably struggle with and which can cast your subject into shadow. Use simple tools like white sheets to mask glare and reflections or to bounce light into darker areas. Shooting indoors can be tough, as phones still struggle with quick effective transitions between high and low light. You can get around this with artificial spotlighting, but remember that this can often affect colour reproduction and make your movie look inconsistent if you’re shooting indoors and out.

Some phone cameras like the Nokia Lumia 920 will have an optical image stabiliser to reduce camera shake, but where possible use a tripod or shoot from a solid surface (we’re fans of the particularly versatile Joby Gorilla tripods). Yes, the shaky camera classic has been popular in films over recent years, but it’s almost always more distracting than complementary. Along the same steady shot theme, avoid unnecessary zooms and pans, as these inevitably add shake and wobble to your shots. That handy image stabilisation technology is not yet effective when zooming and panning, so instead try moving the camera closer to the action, albeit nice and slowly.

Being close to the action is no bad thing either, as it will help with your framing (which can be tricky on a small screen), and also benefits the sound quality, which is a weak point when filming on a phone. Without a directional microphone, your footage can be compromised by background noise and strong wind so try to shade your phone from unwanted sounds.

Other things to consider

Think about where and how you’re going to show your film. If you’re hoping for online infamy, shorter is sweeter. Try to keep videos less than three minutes in length, as they’re more likely to be watched by online browsers with a few moments to spare at work.

If you’re shooting simply to share on social feeds, Full HD 1080p may be a little over the top and will use more phone memory and take longer to upload. If you do go all out High Definition, make sure there’s enough memory on your phone to hold what you shoot – running out of storage space halfway through a shot is not conducive to a good day’s filming.

Finally, if you’re intending to really get into shooting films on your phone, there’s a huge accessories market offering everything from add-on lenses like the Photojojo series to clip on microphones like the weatherproof i-Microphone. And once in the editing room, apps like Apple’s iMovie (£2.99) and the free multi-platform Magisto let you splice, trim frames, alternate transitions, stabilise images and add music and titles to your cinematic epic.

Britons watching TV in the toilet

Nearly one in five people uses a smartphone to watch television in the toilet, a report has revealed.

The study found Britons spend more than one day a week enjoying programmes and movies. They factor around 24.3 hours of viewing into their weekly routines, increasingly watching programmes on the go, the study showed.

It found 16% of consumers use their smartphones in the bathroom and 10% of people watch shows on a tablet in the toilet.

The study of global viewing habits across 17 countries showed the average viewer watches 19 hours of television and six hours of film content a week.

These figures are highest in the US - where consumers spend about 29 hours watching programmes and movies - and lowest in Sweden and Japan, with around 17 hours on average.

Further findings suggest almost a third (29%) of weekly TV viewing is recorded content. However, almost a third of recorded content is never watched.

Live viewing still dominates, particularly when it comes to news programmes, the study showed. Some 73% of people watch shows as they air, the report found.

The study - which questioned 9,500 people in December - also pointed towards a shift in household viewing habits. It found more consumers watch content on their smartphones or tablets than on a television in their bedrooms while 79% of consumers are frustrated with a lack of storage space on their devices, according to the report.

John Burke, of Motorola Mobility which conducted the study, said: "This year's study shows us that consumers take their viewing experiences very seriously.

"They want to be firmly in control of the way they experience their videos but they're frustrated. Increasingly, they're using tablets and smartphones to view their content, and they expect this experience to transition seamlessly across their favourite programmes, whenever and wherever they like."

Cyber-bullying: Six out of ten people bullied online

 

Six out of 10 people who experience online bullying or trolling never report it to the social network involved, new research reveals.

More than a third said they did not report the behaviour because they felt no action would be taken.

The 'Trolled Nation' study also found trolling is now more prevalent than real-life bullying with 49% of teens experiencing bullying offline, compared with the 65% online. A third reported their experiences of it lasted more than a month.

Emma-Jane Cross, founder of charity BeatBullying, said: "We work with hundreds of young people being cyberbullied or trolled so badly that it can lead to depression, truancy, self-harm, or even force them to contemplate or attempt suicide. What's also concerning is that many young people could be suffering in silence.

"The most important thing for young people to remember is not to ignore it. If you see cyberbullying going on, report it to the site concerned. If you're being cyberbullied, always save any bullying messages, posts, pictures or videos you receive or see. Never respond or retaliate, as this can just make things worse, and block any users that send you nasty messages."

Just one in five of those questioned for the research carried out by knowthenet.org.uk said they would go straight to a parent or guardian when confronted by internet bullies with a paltry 1% admitting they'd trust a teacher enough to tell them first.

The Trolled Nation study also revealed older teens are more likely to be affected than younger ones with 19-year-old men the most likely to fall victim – with one in five teens saying they've either experienced or witnessed offensive comments online.

But while a whopping 9 in 10 admitted experiencing problems on Facebook, other sites and apps involved included Twitter (19%) and BlackBerry Messenger (13%) along with Ask.fm, Bebo and WhatsApp

A Facebook spokesman said: "We have a real name policy and provide our users with industry leading tools to block people or report content which they find threatening so that we can remove it quickly."

Various reporting tools are available on the site next to different pieces of content and anything breaching its rules - shown at facebook.com/policies – is removed. Users can find all of Facebook's Safety information here [www.facebook.com/safety]

Both Twitter and BlackBerry declined to make an official comment but the micro-blogging network pointed to the following pages showing its rules [https://support.twitter.com/groups/33-report-abuse-or-policy-violations/topics/121-guidelines-best-practices/articles/18311-the-twitter-rules] and reporting process [https://support.twitter.com/groups/33-report-abuse-or-policy-violations].

Online advice for users of BlackBerry Messenger suggest not to publicly reveal a BBM PIN on social networks as this could allow anyone to add you as a 'Friend'. BBM pictures could also be copied and used elsewhere. However, users of the service can be blocked by selecting "Ignore future invitations' when deleting a BBM contact.

Phil Kingsland, of knowthenet.org.uk, said parents must take an interest in what their children are doing online in order to help in the battle.

He said: "Parents may find it frustrating that children spend so much time absorbed with their smartphone or on social networks. It's precisely because of the importance of these networks to youngsters that they can also cause great distress.

Samsung Galaxy S4: It's innovative

Samsung has finally unveiled its Galaxy S4 smartphone - packed with a host of new features it hopes will keep it one step ahead of the iPhone.

The company showed off the 4G Android-based device at its 'Unpacked' event in New York late last night. But the fourth generation of the handset, due out on April 26, is already dividing opinion among technology experts.

Many believe it is Samsung's best chance to steer people away from Apple's iOS operating system but some fear its new wave of features - some of which verge on the gimmicky - will be overlooked or unused by many general users.

Among the features announced was the expected motion-tracking called Smart Pause, which lets owners control the screen using their eyes. For example, when you are watching a video, it pauses when you look away, then starts again when you look back. The technology also means you can scroll the browser or your emails up and down with your eyes.

Air Gesture allows a wave of the hand to select items such as music tracks and Air View gives the ability to see what's in an email or folder just by hovering your finger over it.

With Dual Camera you can take simultaneous photos and videos using both the 13 megapixel rear camera and lesser two megapixel front snapper. These can then be blended together to make a digital collage. Both can also be used for group video calling and can capture sound attached to still images.

Simon Stanford, of Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland, said many of the adaptations came from customer suggestions. He said: "We are restless about innovation, and are constantly striving to create unique experiences for our customers that will transform their lives. The Galaxy S4 does just that.

"We have listened to what consumers around the world want and taken the intuitive technology from the Galaxy SIII a step further."
 

He said: "The improvements to eye tracking and the additions of S Translator and the hover feature and so on are good steps in this direction, but they can be seen as gimmicks rather than game changers.

"Samsung appears to be trying to kill the competition with sheer volume of new features – there should be something here for everyone, even if most of these new features won't be used by most users.

"There are lots of features, but based on past experience most people will never even find them on the device."

Yan added: "Having innovated rapidly over the last several years to vaunt itself into top spot in the world smartphone rankings, Samsung now faces essentially the same challenge as Apple: how to continue to improve its devices year on year when existing phones are already top of their class, and there aren't obvious shortcomings?

"As rivals such as HTC and Sony up the specs of their devices and provide ever better hardware, it becomes more and more important for Samsung to differentiate on software and services."

Jason Jenkins, editor of CNET UK, said: "Quite a few new features are pointless - who wants to wave at their phone to control it, for example? Regardless, there is no doubt in my mind that the Galaxy S4 will sell incredibly well. The S4 will wipe the floor with the Android competition, just as the last one did."

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said while the device does have its merits, it could be set for a battle for smartphone supremacy. He explained: "Samsung's latest effort looks set to be the biggest handset of the year – and that's in spite of an inevitable iPhone sequel. However, several manufacturers are trying to fan the flames of a revival, and a string of strong recent launches from BlackBerry, Sony, and HTC will give Samsung some stiff competition."

But according to Scott Hooton, chief commercial officer at Phones 4u, recent YouGov research showing 46% of smartphone owners are considering getting a Samsung model next. It backs up what his company has seen with pre-registrations already much higher against those for the last Galaxy SIII model.

The Galaxy S4 will also be a key test for the new 4G superfast mobile phone networks coming to the UK this summer. It could boost take-up of 4G subscriptions but with Vodafone, O2 and 3 not yet having their service up and running, EE will be the first to launch the Galaxy S4 on a 4G platform.

Fred Huet, of analysts Greenwich Consulting, believes the differences between the latest Samsung and Apple's iPhone are now extremely telling, but he does not rule out the US electronics giant pulling a rabbit from its hat later this year.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Launched In New York

 

Technology giant Samsung has unveiled its new Galaxy S4 smartphone, a handset which allows users to control the screen using their eyes.

The range of new features were revealed at the global launch in New York, including a dual camera function that can take two pictures at once and "smart pause", which lets users pause a video by looking away from the screen.

"We have taken technology and innovation forward to help us get closer to what matters in life, to help us live a richer, simpler and more full life," said JK Shin, president and head of IT and mobile communications at Samsung.

The highly-anticipated smartphone is predicted to pose a major threat to Apple and its dominance of the US market.

But investors have largely shrugged off the launch. Shares in Samsung were 2.3% lower in Seoul on Friday.
The device will be on sale in the UK from April 26, and will be available through 327 mobile operators in 155 countries, including Orange, EE and Vodafone.

Samsung is said to be expecting sales of its new handsets to be as high as 10 million per month, largely driven by its new features, which were demonstrated in a theatrical launch event at the Radio City music hall and Times Square.

A heavily emphasised feature was the Galaxy S4's remote technology which allows users to control functions without touching the 5in (12.7cm) screen.

As well as "smart pause", "smart scroll" lets users browse through emails without touching the screen, the S4 detecting the movements of the eyes and wrist.

Users can also change music tracks or accept a call with a wave of a hand.

Performers on the Radio City stage acted out role-plays to demonstrate other features.

A 'doting father' took photos of his tap-dancing son to show off the dual camera function, which means you can take photos or video using a 13 megapixel rear camera and a two megapixel front camera at the same time and blend the images together, even recording voice tags with them

The phone also has an in-built translator, which can translate voice or text, can measure temperature and humidity, allows users to activate commands via voice control when driving and even monitors your health.
The S4 also automatically creates "story albums" of photos and videos, which can be synchronised with devices at home, while a "group play" function lets people enjoy music, photos and games with people around them.

Marketed as "slimmer and stronger", the S4 weighs 130g and is 7.9mm thick, while its AMOLED technology means the screen has a resolution of 441 pixels per inch.

But technology critics have been divided in their opinions, with some saying the phone was just an update that did not feel "revolutionary".

Web magazine Engadget said it felt the new product "fell flat next to the competition" and that it had an "unabashed focus on features over designs".

But Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch, said the handset "more than" lived up to its hype.
"With brains as well as beauty, Samsung's latest effort looks set to be the biggest handset of the year - and that's in spite of an inevitable iPhone sequel.

"However, several manufacturers are trying to fan the flames of a revival, and a string of strong recent launches from BlackBerry, Sony, and HTC will give Samsung some stiff competition."

Technology website The Verge said: "There's a baffling collection of new software here."
Paul Thompson, managing director of mobile advertising company BlisMedia, said the S4 "set" the benchmark on how a mobile device can be integrated into daily life.

He praised the eye-controlled features as "ground-breaking innovation that could change the face of how we use technology", saying "there is certainly enough to set the Galaxy S4 apart from the iPhone 5 by some distance".

Samsung Galaxy S4 Smartphone Set For Launch

Technology fans are gearing up for one of the biggest product launches so far in 2013 - Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone.

The unveiling will take place later in New York, with the South Korean firm hoping to set a new benchmark for its rivals.

Rumours circulating on the internet suggest the handset will have a high definition five-inch screen, a 13-megapixel camera and a powerful eight-core processor.

There is also speculation that users may be able to scroll the screen using just their eye movements.
The handset's predecessor, the Galaxy S3, was a massive success for Samsung following its release last year.
It quickly became the standard bearer for Android phones and, combined with the firm's other devices, helped the company overtake Apple as the world's biggest-selling smartphone maker.

However, the iPhone is still the most popular smartphone globally and Apple also has a slightly larger market share in the US.

The stateside launch is therefore being seen as a bold move by Samsung to try to tip that balance.
Samsung has teased the S4 with YouTube videos and, in recent days, a shadowy picture of the phone.
Greg Isbister, the CEO of mobile advertising company BlisMedia, said if the rumours are true then the new device has great potential and the "ability to disrupt the mobile market".

He pointed out that data from any eye tracking technology could also prove useful to advertisers.
"(It could) determine the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and generally give us a feel for what content - format, colour and position on the screen - holds our attention the most."

But Mr Isbister is also hoping that Samsung will improve the usefulness of the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that featured in the S3.

"Currently the feature is completely useless," he told Sky News. "There should be payment integration and the ability to integrate travel such as oyster systems."

Recent months have also seen Samsung's rivals launching flagship products, keen to steal customers from the big two.

Taiwanese firm HTC is looking to turn around a big drop in profits with the HTC One handset - which has been widely praised by technology sites.

Canada's BlackBerry is also hoping to boost its flagging fortunes with the BlackBerry 10, while China's Huawei last month unveiled what it claims is the fastest phone yet - the Ascend P2.

Apple's next shot in the smartphone arms race is expected this summer with an update to the iPhone 5.