Awesome Cameras

Kiel Johnson’s giant Cardboard Twin-Lens Reflex Camera looks cool enough as he builds it in the time-lapse video above, but here’s what wowed us: it actually takes pictures.

Mamiya’s DM22 is an entry level camera, though only affordable for professionals; it features a 22 MP 44x36mm sensor, Leaf Aptus II-5 back, 80mm f/2.8 lens, and ISO range of 25-400.

Canon’s 16.1MP EOS-1D Mark IV boasts 102,400 ISO, but its strong suit is fast action, low-light shots with 10fps burst, two Digic 4s, 45-pt AF, and 1080p recording (sweet video here).

Nikon’s D3S DSLR succeeds their D3 and features a new 12.1 MP full-frame CMOS sensor, 720p video recording, an improved viewfinder, and an insane max ISO of 102,400.

Ideal for snowboarding shutterbugs, Burton’s cavernous Aperture Pack will swallow your camera gear and then some: it also features a padded laptop pocket and tripod/skateboard carry.

Action videos literally jump out with Tachyon’s XC 3D: shock and waterproof, it packs two cameras into one helmet mountable unit for 3D recording and includes 3D glasses and software.

Phase One’s 645DF is a significant update of their medium format 645 series; it boasts 1/1600 flash sync speeds, faster AF/capture rates, and three F/2.8 leaf shutter lenses.

For those who demand the absolute crispest helmet-mounted footage, VholdR’s new ContourHD1080p shoots 1920×1080 videos at 30fps; it’s otherwise identical to the 720p model.

Samsung’s AMOLED 12M / SCH-W880 is official: the camera-phone packs a 12 MP sensor, 3x optical zoom, 720p video, 800×480 3.3″ AMOLED display, UMTS/HSDPA, and Wi-Fi.

Designed to bring 35 mm pros into the DSLR fold, Hasselblad’s 50 and 60 MP H4D medium format cameras include True Focus — off-center AF which accounts for camera movement.

With K-7 features in a K-2000 body, Pentax’s K-x DSLR is a decently-priced franken-camera; you’ll get 720p HD video recording, a 12.4 MP sensor and 4.7 fps continuous shooting.

We’re still waiting for our own flight to space, but MIT students recently sent a camera 17.5 miles into near-space using a prepaid GPS cellphone, hand warmers and a styrofoam beer cooler.

It’s similar in appearance to the M8/M8.2 with a magnesium housing, but Leica’s M9 packs a full-frame 18 MP sensor, a more intuitive button layout, and a near silent shutter.

Targeted towards Leica neophytes, the X1 is a compact camera with a 12.1 MP APS-C sensor, 2.7″ LCD with Live View, fixed 24 mm f/2.8 lens, max 3200 ISO and Adobe DNG mode.

Apple’s iPod Nano 5G may look like the 4G, but it’s a brand new beast with a cheaper price tag, a larger 2.2″ display, 640×480 video camera, pedometer, FM radio, mic and speaker.

The Frankencamera is an open-source camera made by Stanford scientists; it’ll let you tweak focus, exposure and more on a software level while lenses and sensors can be swapped out.

Essentially an affordable GH1, Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GF1 is a micro four thirds camera with a 12.1 MP Live MOS sensor, 720p video, and a choice of a regular or pancake lenses.

Olympus’ E-600 DSLR targets budget-minded consumers but still packs a punch; it loses the E-620’s backlit buttons, but keeps a 12.3 MP sensor, 2.7″ vari-angle LCD and 14-42mm lens.

It’s may not be exciting, but Casio’s EX-Z280 point and shoot slips in under the $200 price point while still offering 720p HD video recording, a 12.1 MP sensor and 4x optical zoom.

It ain’t full-frame, but Canon’s 18 MP EOS 7D is still a heavyweight: it packs 1080p video recording with manual exposure, 19-point AF system, magnesium body and dual DIGIC 4s.

Essentially a stripped-down A900, Sony’s A850 camera hits the $2k price barrier while being a full-frame DSLR with a high-resolution, low-noise 24.6 MP CMOS sensor.

Ricoh’s CX2 keeps the CX1’s 9.29 MP CMOS, but gets a host of modest tweaks with 10.7x optical zoom, 5 fps burst shooting, face detection and continuous autofocus.

Canon’s Powershot G11 addresses the high noise issues of the G10, albeit with a 10 MP sensor (down from 14 MP); it also adds a tilt/swivel LCD, HDMI out and RAW shooting.