DJ device allows for mixing of multiple songs
As technology marches on, things are left behind. The clock radio supplants the rooster, the horseless carriage overtakes the coach-and-four, and the vinyl record player falls to the Numark iDJ2.
Numark, a maker of equipment for DJs, announced the iDJ2 almost a year ago, and the DJ world has been eagerly awaiting its release.
The device can accept two iPods or other USB-compatible storage devices and allows for the mixing of multiple songs using two scratch-pads – the wheels that simulate scratching a record – and multiple dials and sliders.
The iDJ2, available next month for $799, has a bright color screen and inputs for microphones and other analog audio devices.
It can play WAV, MP3, unprotected AAC files and music from the iTunes music store.
Audiophiles will like the dual-XLR audio outputs, while beginners can simply connect the iDJ2 using stereo RCA jacks.
While the IDJ2 offers a number of high-end DJ features, it cannot protect you from your own poor taste in music, so load that iPod carefully.
Ex-champ Nikon fighting back in war over photo pros
After decades as the undisputed leader of the market for professional 35mm cameras, Nikon finds itself in an unfamiliar position in the digital age. Canon so dominates the professional market today, particularly when it comes to photojournalism, that it recently tweaked Nikon’s nose with an advertising campaign about its triumph.
Now the companies are renewing the fight. On Thursday, Nikon is introducing two cameras that it hopes will help it regain its old position. And last week, Canon promoted a new camera with a 21-megapixel sensor, more than twice the resolution of typical digital single-lens reflex cameras for consumers.
“It’s always been a competitive field, but digital stepped it up a notch,” said David C. Lee, senior vice president of Nikon USA.
The new Nikon D3 is the first camera from the company with a full-size sensor. Well, almost full-size. One side of the frame is 0.1mm short. The sensor has 12.7 megapixels, which is not exceptional. Its light sensitivity, however, is another matter. The camera’s maximum ISO setting is 25,600, about 64 times what was commonly regarded as high-speed film.
Unlike Canon’s full-frame cameras, the D3 is intended mainly for photojournalists and can take 9 pictures a second.
Indeed, Canon said that its new super-high-resolution EOS 1DS Mark III camera, which is full-frame format, is intended for photographers who formerly used larger-format film cameras like the Hasselblad.
Lee said that professionals’ camera choices influence consumer tastes. Price is less of a concern for pros, making these cameras more profitable. The Nikon D3 will sell for $5,000, and the Canon Mark III will cost $8,000; both cameras ship in November. Neither camera comes with a lens.
