Author: batteryforpc

The Canon EOS R5 has given video directors and YouTubers a welcome boost by teasing a few more of its official specs – and the new announcements confirm that the R5 will break new ground for mirrorless cameras.

Last month, Canon batted away suggestions that the EOS R5’s video powers would be compromised in a similar way to previous models like the EOS R, by confirming that it will shoot 8K video internally at 30fps using the full width of its sensor. 

And now Canon has followed that up with some even bigger video spec announcements. One of the most interesting is that the EOS R5 will be able to shoot 4K video at up to 120fps, making it a potentially great option for shooting high-quality slo-mo footage. That mode has only previously been available on professional Cinema EOS cameras like the C200.

Even better, Canon has confirmed that when shooting video on the EOS R5 “Dual Pixel AF is available in all video modes at all resolutions and frame rates”. That’s pretty incredible, given the Canon 1DX Mark III can’t even manage that – that pro DSLR doesn’t offer Dual Pixel AF when shooting in either Raw or 60p modes.

What else is new?

Another bit of interesting news is the confirmation of the Canon EOS R5 video codecs. When shooting uncropped 8K and 4K, it’ll shoot 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log (H.265) or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265). As we knew from a previous announcement, you’ll also be able to shoot 8K Raw video internally at up to 29.97fps.

There’s no official news on 8-bit options for smaller file sizes, but the confirmed 10-bit recording and those codecs is welcome news for pros who fancy using the EOS R5 as a second camera alongside their main Cinema workhorse. Shooting in 10-bit 4:2:2, an option that first arrived on mirrorless cameras with the Panasonic GH5, provides more color data and depth for colorists to work with in post-production, compared to alternatives like 8-bit 4:2:0.

Canon says this means the EOS R5 will be “an ideal support filming camera” that will “shoot comfortably on high-end production sets”, and from the specs released so far it’s hard to disagree. That said, there are still many details we don’t know about, including recording limits and how exactly the EOS R5 will avoid heating issues, given it has a much smaller body than Cinema EOS cameras. 

One final bit of news from concerns the EOS R5’s dual cards slots – Canon has confirmed that one of these will be a CFexpress slot, with the other being SD UHS-II. Unlike the 1DX Mark III, which has dual CFexpress slots, this shows the EOS R5 has one eye on attracting semi-pros and well-heeled amateurs too. 

CFexpress cards offer incredible data transfer rates that are ideal for shooting 8K video and rapid-fire stills, but are significantly pricier than the more common SD alternatives. Presumably Canon feels this will help the broaden the EOS R5’s appeal beyond the professional world. 

Why the Canon EOS R5 is a big deal

So what do these announcements all mean for the Canon EOS R5 and cameras in general? The EOS R5 certainly won’t be the first small, mirrorless camera to be used by professional directors and filmmakers – the Panasonic GH5 has been a favorite of aspiring Werner Herzogs for a while now, and brought features like internal 10-bit 4:2:2 recording to wider audience back in 2017.

But from the specs so far, the EOS R5 is going to raise that video bar for mirrorless cameras again. For a start it’s a full-frame camera, so has a far bigger sensor than the Micro Four Thirds GH5. Despite that large sensor, it promises features like uncropped 8K, the ability to shoot 4K at 120fps and, perhaps best of all, Dual Pixel autofocus in every video mode. All of this from a body that’s similar in size to the Canon EOS R and has five-axis IBIS (in-body image stabilization). 

On paper, it’s hugely impressive stuff and promises to fix all of the strange video limitations we’ve seen on recent Canon cameras like the EOS R. Features that have previously been reserved for Cinema EOS cameras are getting shoehorned into a run-and-gun, mirrorless body. And while the EOS R5 isn’t going to be cheap – rumors suggest it will cost in the region of $3,500 / £3,500 / AU$4,500 – it does promise more powerful features than any other camera in its weight category. Unless the Sony A7S III arrives soon to steal its thunder.

Naturally, this all comes with the caveat that there are still many unknowns about the EOS R5. For example, we don’t yet know anything about video recording limits, or how it will handle heat. And until we’ve been able to take one for a spin, we also won’t know how well it handles potential issues like rolling shutter, which was a problem on the Canon EOS RP.

But from the confirmed specs so far, the Canon EOS R5 is undoubtedly the most exciting camera of the year, whether you’re a stills shooter or filmmaker. We’ll bring you more official news as get it.

Samsung Electronics announced today that the Samsung Health Monitor app has been cleared by South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), as a Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), making it a government-cleared, over-the-counter and cuffless blood pressure monitoring application. The Samsung Health Monitor app, when paired with advanced sensor technology on the Galaxy Watch Active2,1 enables you to easily and more conveniently measure and track your blood pressure.

Globally, high blood pressure is known to significantly increase your risk of brain, kidney and heart diseases, including stroke and coronary heart disease when not managed properly. By helping users measure and track their blood pressure, the Samsung Health Monitor app gives people greater insight into their health and allows them to make more informed decisions, to lead healthier lives.

“The Samsung Health Monitor app has the potential to help millions of people around the world who are affected by high blood pressure,” says Taejong Jay Yang, Corporate SVP and Head of Health Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is one of many examples of how Samsung is integrating its best-in-class hardware with the latest software innovations to innovate mobile experiences.”

Once your Galaxy Watch Active2 device has been calibrated with a traditional cuff, you can simply tap to “Measure” your blood pressure anytime, anywhere. The device measures blood pressure through pulse wave analysis, which is tracked with the Heart Rate Monitoring sensors. The program then analyzes the relationship between the calibration value and the blood pressure change to determine the blood pressure.2 To ensure accuracy, users are required to calibrate their device at least every four weeks.

With the addition of blood pressure monitoring, the Galaxy Watch Active2 boasts Samsung’s most advanced health and wellness capabilities yet. The Galaxy Watch Active2 comes with more sensitive and accurate Heart Rate Monitoring sensors, and enables users to track their exercise, sleep, stress and get added healthcare insights that can help you improve your wellbeing.3

The Samsung Health Monitor app will be available on the Galaxy Watch Active2 within the third quarter and will progressively expand to upcoming Galaxy Watch devices.

I made the mistake of buying a netbook years ago, one of the early models that was ill-equipped for doing much of anything outside of basic chores (like Solitaire). They eventually improved, then faded from existence. Had netbooks remained a popular form factor, they probably would have morphed into something like GPD’s new Win Max, which is being billed as the “world’s smallest handheld gaming laptop.”

That’s an interesting way of describing it, and from what I can tell, it’s not inaccurate. At its core, this is an 8-inch laptop. But it’s also designed specifically for handheld use, with an integrated Xbox 360 gamepad of sorts—there’s a pair of “ultra durable 3D joysticks” above the keyboard, along with a D-pad on the left and a set of XYAB buttons on the right. There’s also shoulder buttons. If an Nvidia Shield, Nintendo Switch, Xbox controller, and a Windows laptop had a foursome, this would be the lovechild of their romp in the design lab.

The 8-inch display sports an IPS panel with a 1280×800 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio). It’s powered by an 10th generation Intel Core i5-1035G7 processor (Ice Lake) with 4 cores and 8 threads clocked at 1.2GHz to 3.7GHz, along with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD.

Display—8 inches (IPS)

Resolution—1280×800

CPU—Intel Core i5-1035G7 (4C8T, 1.2GHz to 3.7GHz)

GPU—Intel Iris Plus 940

RAM—16GB LPDDRX-3733

Storage—512GB NVMe SSD

Wireless—Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) + Bluetooth 5.0

I/O Connectivity—1x Thunderbolt 3, 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A, 1x HDMI, RJ45 (GbE LAN)

Battery—57Wh (up to 3 hours of “heavy use”)

The 8-inch form factor likely precludes anything more powerful than integrated graphics, though at least the resolution is not too demanding. GDP also touts being able to connect an external graphics enclosure to the Win Max, by way of the Thunderbolt 3 port. Overall, this is an impressive collection of hardware for such a tiny system.

As to what type of actual gaming performance you can expect, GPD has provided the following set of benchmarks:

GPD notes that all games were set at their default graphics settings, and says higher framerates might be achievable by lowering them. We have not spent any hands-on time with the Win Max so we’ll have to take the company at its word, for now. Looking at the numbers, though, nothing jumps out as wildly inaccurate. And as expected, the best experiences on a system like this will be in less demanding games.

It’s certainly an interesting concept, and one that could potentially work well with something like GeForce Now, Nvidia’s cloud game streaming service.

That will depend in part on pricing. Unfortunately, GPD hasn’t provided that detail yet. We imagine it will launch soon, though—there’s an “order button” on the product page, but it’s not working yet. The closest information I could find as to when it will be available is a tweet in late February saying it will launch in a couple of months.

Microsoft is getting ready to unveil its Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 hardware. Recent retailer leaks have hinted that Microsoft is planning to use Intel’s latest 10th Gen processors on the Surface Book 3, alongside potentially up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Rumors also suggest that Microsoft is switching to Nvidia’s Quadro graphics chips in some Surface Book 3 models. The switch will mean the Surface Book 3 will better cater to 3D animators, designers, and engineers who rely on the power of Quadro graphics cards that are optimized for a number of pro apps instead of gaming.

Microsoft is also preparing a Surface Go 2, a successor to its popular smaller tablet. Retailer leaks have also hinted that Microsoft will be offering a model with an Intel Core m3, alongside the typical Intel Pentium Gold processor option. Windows Central reports that the Surface Go 2 will also include a larger display at 10.5 inches, with slightly smaller bezels that are more similar to those found on the Surface Laptop 3.

The exterior size is said to be the same as the original Surface Go, though, so existing accessories and the Type Cover from the Surface Go will work on the Surface Go 2. The Intel Core m3 model will also reportedly include 8GB of RAM, 128GB storage, and an optional LTE connectivity.

Microsoft is planning to unveil its new Surface hardware next month, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans. Those plans could change due to the pandemic, but Microsoft has been working toward these new devices for quite some time.

New benchmarks for Intel’s 10th generation Comet Lake-S desktop CPUs have surfaced online, just days ahead of the lineup’s rumored launch. 

These benchmarks come courtesy of serial leaker TUM_APISAK, who posted links to alleged Geekbench V4 listings for the 8-core/16-thread Intel Core 10700k and the 6-core/12-thread Core i5-10600K on their Twitter account. 

These processors, which will go head-to-head with the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 5 3600, respectively, lock horns with their respective AMD counterparts, and – unsurprisingly – lead the charge when it comes to single-core performance.

The Intel i7-10700K, listed with a max frequency of 5.1GHz, scored 5,969 in the Geekbench 4 single-core test and 34,133 in multi-core, while the more affordable i5-10600K – with a 4.6GHz boost – scored 6,081 points in the single-core test and 28,523 points in the multi-threaded test.

Pulling ahead

As noted by TechPowerUp, these leaked scores put the Intel chips way ahead of their AMD counterparts when it comes to single-core performance, cementing the chipmaker’s lead as the manufacturer behind the best gaming processors. However, when it comes to multi-core, AMD Ryzen CPUs are able to just about match the Comet Lake-S lineup despite lower all-core frequencies, with Intel just a single-digit percentage ahead of Zen 2.

There’s no sign of the Intel Core i9-10900K, the 10-core/20-thread flagship processor in the Comet-Lake S lineup, in this latest leak. However, the CPU made an appearance on Geekbench 5 earlier this month where it earned a 10% lead in single-core performance compared to AMD Ryzen 9 3900X

The CPU, like its less-expensive counterparts, again fell short in multi-core tests. It raked up a score of 11,296 which isn’t quite as powerful as AMD’s current-generation flagship.

Intel’s 10th-generation Comet Lake-S desktop CPUs are expected to launch on 30 April, though it’s likely notes that the first official benchmarks and reviews won’t arrive until the second week of May.

The CPUs are rumored to require new Intel 400-series motherboards built around the new LGA1200 socket, and these are expected to be unveiled at the same time.