Be sure to follow the link for more pictures of this crazy thing. [ZuZu Top via Make]

We'll have to wait another month for another teaser as they pull the slow reveal. Still, not a bad way to show off the Epic's Mysterium-X sensor. [Esquire]

If you're wondering why Microsoft and Sony are going to drag this current generation of consoles out for as long as possible, look no further than this:

Over half the users who played Gears of War 2 so far do not have HDTVs…My point is, of the systems that are out there now, the majority of them aren't plugged into HDTVs. So there's no way we're ready for the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox Whatever.

More than half. That's a pretty wild statistic. And of course Microsoft and Sony won't want to invest in a whole new console until everyone has an HDTV, because without that, there's really not much more for them to upgrade. People need to upgrade themselves first.

That being said, I'm still annoyed that the Wii is only in standard def. Sony and Microsoft may be catering to less than half of their user base with HD graphics, but at least they're offering the best experience possible to their entire audience. [Eurogamer via Kotaku]

Like the original Epic, it transforms the art of panorama into a machine process, automatically tilting and moving your camera to capture hundreds (or however many) photos of the large-scale scene you want to capture. It then downloads all of those photos from your camera and stitches them together with its proprietary software to create ginormous photos with thousands of megapixels, like this.

It has a bunch of smaller tweaks to the original as well, like the ability to take nine shots in the same position before moving, which Charlie notes means you can shoot high-dynamic range photos panoramas with the Epic 100, provided you've got the memory card space and the battery juice. Speaking of, it apparently still uses six AA batteries, meaning the original Epic's Achilles' heel Mark found is intact—actually, since it's moving a heavier camera and now has a backlit LCD, it seems like it could be worse. Not bad for $450, still.

If you're still not satisfied with the size of this thing, don't worry—GigaPan promises at the bottom of the page that they're working on the GigaPan DSLR imager. Could you imagine an uberpanorama of a city skyline at night composed with a 5D Mark II or Nikon D700? Hold on, I think I need to change my pants. [GigaPan Gadget Lab]

For as little as $150,000, you too can own the first-generation of the plug-in, battery-powered equivalent of a 375-horsepower motorboating experience, which uses the auspiciously named Flux Propulsion EVO 8.1 Marine Drive System to recharge itself over a four-hour run via gas motor. In all, it uses just half what a similarly beefed-up powerboat would use to pull skiers and wakeboarders and let's not forget fat, drunk tubers. If you're a bit strapped for cash, wait till 2012, when AutoblogGreen reports there may well be a $70,000 version.

The funny thing is, no matter how smugly green a boat gets, any promotional video of it—shown below—still makes it look like just the thing for some good ole red-state R&R. I should know, having grown up waterskiing on Lake Maxincuckee in Culver, Indiana. Tip to director, though: For an even more successful promo vid, add some bikini-clad blondes, a case of Coors Light, and more life-threatening airborne trick action. [AutoblogGreen via Engadget]

The price: $380, plus your point and shoot digital camera of choice.

The verdict: The Epic really is an interesting product, but it's lacking the polish and execution that most of us expect in a $400 gadget. Let me explain.
The Epic is essentially a robotic arm that automates the process of large scale digital photography. Attaching to a tripod (or just sitting on a solid surface), you show the system the top left and bottom right corners of a landscape, and it will automatically tilt and pan your camera, snapping all necessary shots with a tiny arm that pushes down your shutter button.
You download the 100s of pictures from your digital camera to proprietary GigaPan software, and it will, over a few hours, stitch the photos together into magnificent landscapes.
And it works! With a few caveats.

You'll need to lock your camera's zoom, focus and exposure down, lest various pictures be lighter or darker than others. This can be easier said than done on the dummy point and shoot cameras that the Epic is designed for. And taking a large panorama is still a process that will take several minutes to complete, meaning that there's a good chance pedestrian will stop and stare into the lens in any public atmosphere you choose to photograph. Also, GigaPan's software essentially requires you to upload images to the web, then grab stills through that interface. A simple mega TIF output would have been a welcome option. UPDATE: Apparently I missed the export screen.

Still, check out the shot I was able to capture outside the Hancock building in Chicago, despite not locking down the f-stop. (Check it out for yourself here.)



Neat, right? You create a photo that can be zoomed in to the full potential of your lens while still maintaining a vast master shot.

Here's the real issue: Manual overrides are reasonable for the average Gizmodo reader. What's tougher is that the battery life is atrocious. The Epic runs off of 6 AA batteries that, for me, took about 200 shots (or two panoramas) before dying. (GigaPan has assured me that premium batteries can take 1,000 pictures at room temperature.) Believe it or not, 200 shots is a limiting proposition, especially for the average guy who would be interested in this unit. I actually ran out of battery during my example shot—a whole column of photos is missing. Why would a company design such a functional product with such an obvious Achilles' heel?

I can't deny that the GigaPan Epic is absurdly cool. And I can't wait for a sunny day when I can explore the city and grab some stunning, massive images through my dinky consumer camera. But I really don't want to find myself perched precariously on a ledge with the perfect shot, only to see the unit die with 60 pictures left to go.

Then again, give me a heftier battery option and maybe some SLR compatibility, and it's on.

GigaPan Epic In Brief:

My mom could use it, pending a brief tutorial

Works with simple consumer cameras

Facilitates truly amazing shots, even when you screw up a bit

An SLR-compatible model would be welcomed

Battery life severely cripples functionality

1. Keep your RED ONE and shoot great images. Get continual free firmware upgrades.

2. Keep your RED ONE and upgrade your sensor to Mysterium-X for $4,500.

3. Trade your RED ONE in, and receive $17,500 credit, towards the purchase of an EPIC-X S35 Private Reserve package, which is only available to RED ONE customers.

4. Trade your RED ONE in, and receive $17,500 credit, towards the purchase of an EPIC FF35 Pro Cinema "Brain".

5. Trade your RED ONE in, and receive $17,500 credit, towards the purchase of an EPIC 645 Pro "Brain".

6. Trade your RED ONE in, and receive $17,500 credit, towards the purchase of an EPIC 617 Pro "Brain".

7. Keep your RED ONE and purchase a Scarlet System (one time only) with a 12% discount.

Remember that, if you have a Red One, a) you can only use one upgrade per camera—once you use it, the serial number is done; and b) we hate you.

Here is the price list:

Until we get our own, I will be playing with the one on loan at the Gizmodo Gallery. Come and check it out too. [Red User]

The core of the new line is made up of the new 'Mysterium' brains, pictured in the gallery above and detailed in the gallery below. These boxy sensors can be built up into 5D-esque DSLRs, compact prosumer camcoders, full-fledged professional video cameras or even a 3D unit with a new line of lenses, flash storage, frames, mounts and other add-ons, outlined with the new sensors below. In addition to their own lenses, the new cameras mercifully support gear built for Nikon and Canon standards with mount adapters, so you don't have to re-buy all of your optics. In spring, when the first of the new units are intended to ship, RED One users won't be left out in the cold — they'll get purchase credit towards new cameras, or if they'd just like to throw one of the new sensors into their existing rig, credit towards that. I guess this is what Jannard meant when he said RED had a 'new vision'.

For the full release, click here. Warning — comically giant JPEG. [RED]

I want to say that no one has any idea how incredible this announcement will be. Call this hype... please. I am quite sure that the announcement will be called a "scam". Should be a lot of fun to hear the reactions. I can't wait.

Doesn't that sound like something you definitely want to hear about? It's a pretty bold move making such a statement in so public a forum, and that's got our collective camera-geek brains ticking over. Could it be the fabled 4k video capture, a response to Canon and Nikon's recent video DSLR maneuver? We can't tell, of course...but at least we've not got long to wait to find out. [RedUser Thanks Brad!]

What they are planning at this point is unclear, however threads in the RedUser forum confirm this much: the names will remain the same, new specs and working models should be available by the 2009 NAB show with a release to follow soon thereafter, and RED is aiming to fulfill initial orders before the fall of 2009. Jannard also noted that "the prices will be very near our target" with regard to Scarlet, so we could be in for an even better camera at a price point similar to the $3000 quoted initially. [RedUser and RedUser Redesign via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Other features of the Aluminum-framed beast include full size, dual-link HD SDI, 2 XLR audio inputs, HDMI, Wi-Fi, Firewire 800 and USB 2.0. It also weighs 6 pounds. And if any of you happened to purchase the $17500 RED ONE, you can exchange it and receive full credit towards the RED EPIC (which currently has no price tag). RED currently plans on an early 2009 release for the EPIC. [RED]

SPECIFICATIONS:

* FULL FRAME S35MM NEW MYSTERIUM X SENSOR
* 1-100 FPS
* UP TO 100 MB/SEC. REDCODE RAW AND RGB RECORDING TO REDFLASH
* FULL SIZE DUAL LINK HD-SDI, 2-XLR AUDIO INPUTS AND HDMI
* WI-FI CONTROL
* FIREWIRE 800 and USB2
* 6 POUND FULLY MACHINED ALUMINUM BODY WITH HYBRID STAINLESS PL MOUNT
* COMPATIBLE WITH MOST RED ONE ACCESSORIES
* FULLY UPGRADABLE SENSOR, BODY, BOARDS AND MOUNT.

SPECIFICATIONS, DELIVERY DATES AND DESIGN ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE... COUNT ON IT.