Gadgets: Workhorse camera gets stronger

Last update: September 23, 2008 - 11:31 PM

www.usacanon.com • $2,700 (body only)

The Canon 5D Mark II makeover was introduced last week at the Photokina trade show. The new version shoots full HD video. The larger data stream from a 21-megapixel sensor is handled by more-efficient amplifier circuitry and a new signal processor. Pictures are clearer and sharper, and a light sensitivity setting up to ISO 25,600 produces good pictures in very low light. MPEG4 video can be shot for up to 29 minutes at the high-definition resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. An external stereo microphone can be connected, but the built-in mike is mono. The camera will ship in November.

AN IPHONE TRACKER

$9.99 • www.runkeeper.com

RunKeeper from FitnessKeeper lets iPhone users track their runs, hikes and walks. RunKeeper taps into the native GPS capability of the iPhone 3G and displays pace, distance and time as well as a bar graph of speed over time. After the run, the program automatically uploads the data to RunKeeper's website. Log in there to see a Google map of the route as well as the run's total distance. In a few tests, the iPhone's GPS chip had trouble finding the exact location. The program works best in wide-open areas; city coverage is a bit spotty. Additional tips and tweaks can be found on RunKeeper's site.

NEW YORK TIMES

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Blog: Patent Pending

Lights out at U energy conference. Irony police notified.

Just as Lawrence Kazmerski, a top official at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was about to give the keynote address at the University of Minnesota's annual E3 conference at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, the lights went out, bathing the audience in darkness and a deep sense of irony.