Kalakshar US

Less than a year after launching the Action 3, DJI has unveiled the Osmo Action 4 with an improved camera that makes it better in low light. It now packs a larger 1/1.3-inch sensor (the same one on the Mavic 3 Pro, the Mini 3 Pro and Air 3 drones), compared to a 1/1.7-inch sensor on the previous model and the 1/1.9-inch sensor found on the GoPro Hero 11. It also introduces D-Log M, improving dynamic range significantly over the Action 3. 

Not much else on the Action 4 has changed . It has the same 155-degree field of view and f/2.8 aperture. Video tops out at 4K 120p (10-bit HDR) in normal shooting mode. Photo resolution is actually lower than the previous model (3,648 x 2,736 compared to 4,000 x 3,000) and max 4:3 video quality is also down (3,840 x 2,880 instead of 4,096 x 3,072). Meanwhile, the GoPro Hero 11 can shoot 5.3K video at up to 60 fps, 4K at 120 fps and 2.7K at up to 240 fps. 

The Action 4’s design is also identical to the Action 3, with a record button on top and power button on the side. The battery compartment/micro SD slot is on the right side and the USB-C port on the left (looking from the front). The battery is the same 1770 mWh model as before, with 150 minutes of recording time — and just 18 minutes of charging time to get the battery to 80 percent. A microSD card is required as the Action 4 has no internal storage. 

It uses DJI’s nifty magnetic locking system introduced with the last model that eliminates the need for a case to attach accessories. And as before, the Action 4 supports any accessories compatible with a GoPro mount. DJI has a number of its own accessories as well now, including the chest strap mount, helmet chin mount, 60m waterproof case, bike seat rail mount, neck mount, mini handlebar mount, the Osmo Action 360° Wrist Strap and a new a wrist-worn remote to control the Action 4. 

It’s now waterproof down to 18m or 59 feet (2m more than before) or 60m (208 feet) with the waterproof case. As before, it comes with a 1.4-inch 320×320 front screen and 2.25-inch 360×640 rear display. Both top out at 750 nits, plenty bright even on sunny days. It comes with three mics and advanced wind noise reduction software that allows for impressive audio recording for such a small device.

It offers the latest version of DJI’s stabilization, Rocksteady 3.0 and Rocksteady 3.0+ to eliminate camera shake in all directions up to the maximum 4K/60fps. It also supports HorizonSteady, which keeps the Horizon level no matter how much you rotate the camera (2.7K max). Meanwhile, HorizonBalancing corrects tilt horizontally within ±45° and allows for stabilized recording at 4K/60fps. 

To use the Action 4, you have to first activate it using DJI’s smartphone app, so keep that in mind if you buy one and have a deadline. The app also lets you view and transfer footage, or livestream via WiFi.

So why did DJI release a camera so similar to the last model, less than a year later? Many reviews, including my own, docked the Action 3 for poor low-light image quality, with noticeable artifacts in situations like a forest on a cloudy day— something the GoPro 11 can handle with ease. I also noted that while the stabilization is good, it’s not up to GoPro’s standards, and DJI has updated that function as well.

The Action 4 offers some quality-of-life features like quick-switching between five custom modes, voice prompts that let you know about the current mode, voice control, an upgraded InvisiStick that digitally hides the selfie stick, external mic support and more. DJI also offers the The LightCut app that connects wirelessly to Action 4 via Wi-Fi, allowing for quick previews and auto-editing without the need to transfer footage from the camera. 

I had the Action 4 in my hands for a short while, mainly to test image quality with the new sensor. There’s certainly a big improvement there — where the Action 3 showed pixelation and blocky artifacts in low light, the Action 4 largely eliminates those. That means it performs better in situations like cloudy mountain bike rides or underwater footage. Low-light capability is good overall, with noise well controlled for such a relatively small sensor. In that area, it now edges the GoPro Hero 11. 

The RockSteady stabilization still leaves a bit to be desired compared to the Hero 11 and even the Insta360 X3 action camera, however. In a quick test with a mountain bike on a trail, it didn’t provide the on-rails level of smoothness I’ve seen on rival models. If you don’t mind slightly more zoom, though, RockSteady+ gets very close to those levels.

As before, the Action 4 could be a good option for content creators looking for high-quality footage, or folks who want to match their video with DJI’s drones and other products. The price has gone up considerably over the $329 Action 3, though — it’s now available for $399. That makes it a tough sell against the GoPro Hero 11, which now carries the same price. 

If you’re starting from scratch, the Adventure Combo (above) is a far better deal at $499, giving you the camera plus three batteries, the Horizontal-Vertical ProtectiveFrame, a quick-release adapter mount, a mini quick-release mount, a curved adhesive base, two locking screws, a USB-C cable, the multifunction battery case, a 1.5 extension rod, an action lens hood and an anti-slip pad. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/djis-osmo-action-4-camera-comes-with-a-larger-sensor-and-a-higher-price-130027897.html?src=rss 

When Samsung released the original Galaxy Fold, it was about as durable as a Fabergé egg. But over the years, the company has made a number of changes to reduce the fragility of its flagship foldable phone. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 featured a redesigned hinge that prevented dirt from getting inside, while the Z Fold 3 added IPX8 water resistance and a stronger Armor Aluminum Chassis. And last year, the Z Fold 4 brought a more durable main screen and a new adhesive designed to keep its factory-installed screen protector more firmly in place.

That last one is a biggie because after owning a Z Fold 2 and a Z Fold 3, I found that the screen protectors on both phones started bubbling after six to eight months. This weakness is a concern for anyone thinking about buying an $1,800 foldable phone – especially when you consider that Samsung recommends that any repairs are done by an authorized service center. But as some who really likes foldable phones, I bought my own Z Fold 4 anyways and used it for a year. Here’s how well it held up.

I should mention that I’ve never put the phone in a case or used any other protective accessories like skins or sleeves. Despite being naked the whole time, the phone has done a decent job of withstanding typical daily abuse. Sure, there are some scratches and bare spots where paint has flaked off and a few dents from the phone being dropped or falling out of a pocket. But that’s sort of expected for a phone with no additional protection and both the front and back glass still look great.

More importantly, its flexible main screen looks practically as good as the day I got it. The screen protector is still sitting flat, there are no dead pixels or other blemishes and the hinge feels as sturdy as ever. All told, I’m pretty impressed considering some of the problems I encountered with previous generations. That said, while the pre-installed screen protector hasn’t started bubbling, there is one tiny spot along the top edge at the crease where you can see that it has started to (ever so slightly) separate from the display. So far, this hasn’t caused any issues. However, if past experience is any indication, this could cause the screen protector to start bubbling down the line.

Still, after claiming it switched to a new, more sticky adhesive to the Z Fold 4’s factory-installed screen protector in place, at least on my phone, Samsung’s tweak seems to have had at least some effect. Is the problem completely solved? No, not quite. Remember, this is just a single example, and it’s hard to account for things like the milder winter we’ve had this year, and chillier weather sometimes caused issues for Z Fold and Z Flip owners.

Also, while my Z Fold 4 has aged rather nicely, the screen protector on Engadget’s executive editor Aaron Souppouris’ Z Flip 4 has not fared nearly as well. He says the screen on his device was basically pristine for the first nine months. But after that, bubbles began to form and grew larger and larger until he removed the protector entirely and began using the phone with its naked flexible display.

It’s important to mention that Samsung instructs Z Flip and Z Fold owners not to use their devices without a screen protector. If you do remove it, you’re supposed to get it replaced as soon as possible. If you’re lucky, that can be as simple as finding a local Best Buy or uBreakiFix location and spending half an hour without your phone, and thankfully, Samsung offers one free screen protector replacement on both the Z Flip and Z Fold lines. Unfortunately, if you live in a remote area or just don’t have a nearby service center, you may need to rely on a mail-in repair, potentially leaving you without a phone for a couple of weeks or more. And for a lot of people, that’s not a reasonable option.

However, after talking to a number of Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold owners who have removed their screen protectors, that seems to be merely a precaution. It’s totally possible to use a foldable phone without a screen protector just like you can on a regular handset. But given the more delicate nature of flexible displays (which are largely made of plastic instead of glass), the risk factor is higher. And with flexible screens costing a lot more to replace – up to $599 depending on the specific model – you don’t need a galaxy brain-sized noggin to understand why you might want to heed Samsung’s warnings. The counterpoint to that is because a foldable phone’s screen is protected by the rest of the device when closed, it’s only really vulnerable when you’re using it, as opposed to when it’s simply resting in a pocket or bag.

So what’s the big takeaway? I think Samsung’s new adhesive has made a bit of a difference because, even in the case of Aaron’s Z Flip, it lasted longer than both of my previous Z Folds before the screen protector started bubbling. Even so, the screen protectors on Samsung’s foldable still require a bit more babying than a standard glass brick. This sort of fragility may be a deal-breaker for some, and understandably so. Thankfully, I live near multiple repair centers and I’m prepared to use my foldable without a screen protector – even though that’s not advised. 

For me, the ability to have a screen that expands when I want to watch a movie or multitask is worth the slightly reduced durability. But either way, this is something you need to consider before buying a foldable phone. In some ways, it’s like owning a car with a convertible roof, because while they’re a bit more delicate and costly to repair, there’s nothing like driving around with the top off – or in this case a phone that can transform into a small tablet at a moment’s notice.

Just remember to do the sensible thing and put your expensive foldable phone in a case.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-4-durability-report-has-samsung-finally-fixed-its-foldable-phones-biggest-weakness-133015335.html?src=rss 

Microsoft is dipping into the world of self-repair by offering replacement parts for Xbox gamepads, along with downloadable instructions and tutorial videos. The service will cover both the standard Xbox Wireless Controller models and the (pricey) Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller.

They’re not cheap, though. Prices range from $24 for button sets to $60 for a circuit board and motor assembly unit. But that’s still cheaper than replacing the gamepad entirely. I can’t expect every company to take Nintendo’s approach: It’ll repair Joy-Cons for free if they suffer from Joy-Con drift.

– Mat Smith

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Canon has just unveiled the MS-500, an unusual model that’s one of the most sensitive non-infrared cameras ever developed. It uses the highest-resolution 1-inch SPAD (Single-photon avalanche diode) sensor yet (3.2 megapixels), and an interchangeable lens mount that allows clear color shooting in light as low as 0.001 lux, according to Canon — less than a clear moonless sky. 

The MS-500 uses Canon’s B4 mount that supports its broadcast zoom lenses, and carries a price of over $25,000 for the body only. It’s designed to work in “areas with extremely high-security levels, such as seaports, public infrastructure facilities, and national borders,” the company said. When married with Canon’s ultra-telephoto broadcast lenses, it can capture “clear color videos of subjects at a distance of several miles, even at night.” It also uses special picture profiles to reduce noise caused by atmospheric disturbances over long distances. 

So why should you care about a $25,000+ security camera? The answer is in that SPAD sensor, which holds promise for future consumer and professional imaging. It uses a technology called photo counting, which tracks light particles entering a pixel, magnifies them one million times, and converts them to a digital signal. Every single photon is counted, which eliminates the introduction of any noise — “a key advantage of SPAD sensors,” Canon noted. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/canons-new-security-focused-spad-camera-can-capture-color-video-in-complete-darkness-095516159.html?src=rss