As a sound-absorbing pad atop the device vibrates to ambient noise, causing the zinc oxide wires to compress and release.

FORBES: Written by Bryan Nelson

Apart from the arrival of less pricey full-frame digital SLRs, the other recent development that has impressed your correspondent is the way imaging chips are migrating from CCD (charge-coupled device) technology to CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor), used widely in the computer industry.

ECONOMIST: A die-hard analog photographer goes digital