The best air purifier

By Tim Heffernan, John Holecek

This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.

After spending 180 hours running two laboratory tests of more than a dozen different purifiers by an airborne-particle physicist, we find that the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty is the best air purifier for most people. It outperforms purifiers that cost far more, is the cheapest to own long-term, and maintains its performance for years.

How we tested

The TSI, Inc. 3080/3010 Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer is a specialized particle-test machine we used to count individual airborne particles. Photo: John Holecek

Co-author John Holecek is a former National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration scientist and an expert on aerosols—the stuff that’s suspended in the air we breathe. For this and previous versions of our guide, he seeded a well-sealed room in his lab with the smoke from wooden matches and powdered titanium dioxide (it sounds fancy, but it’s just the main component in white paint) to simulate the particulates present in everyday air. He then measured the initial pollution level and the level after 10 and 20 minutes of operation at “normal” settings for each of our air-purifier candidates. (By “normal,” we mean the highest setting that comes in at under 55 dB of noise—at or below “conversational.”) That gave us superfine data on how well the machines’ HEPA (particulate) filters worked under the conditions you’d find in your home and the filter settings you’re most likely to use.

Previously, John also tested air purifiers for their ability to remove volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, from the air. Whereas removing particulate pollution is a physical process that involves trapping particles via inertia in a HEPA filter—a dense mesh of fibers—removing VOCs, which exist as nanoscale molecules, is a chemical process requiring an “adsorbent” (most often activated charcoal) that essentially pulls them out of the air and binds them to the adsorbent. Simply put, we learned that size matters: No adsorbent with a mass below about 2.5 kilograms has much effect on VOCs, and the larger the mass, the better the performance. So for this guide, we nixed this test, and instead used simple mass-of-adsorbent as our standard.

We also looked at noise levels and cost over time (purchase price plus cost of electricity and replacement filters over five years).

Our pick

The Coway Mighty is inexpensive, efficient, and durable. Photo: John Holecek

Within 20 minutes, the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty reduces airborne particulate pollution by 88 percent—among the best and fastest performance we’ve ever seen. It’s one of the most affordable high-performing HEPA-rated air purifiers available, at about $250 upfront and a total of about $577 over five years’ operation (including electricity and replacement filters). And on several absolute measures, it outperforms purifiers that cost two and even three times as much. Finally—and crucially—the Coway Mighty maintained this exceptional performance long-term, even when we measured its performance using two-year-old filters from our 2014 test—filters that had run almost continuously for a year beyond their stated lifespan. We tested the black version; it’s also available in all-white, which may match your decor better.

Runner-up

The elegantly monolithic Winix 5500-2. Photo: John Holecek

If the Coway is unavailable, the Winix 5500-2 is a close runner-up. It, too, is HEPA-certified and rated to clear an area of 350 square feet. After 20 minutes of testing, it slightly outperformed the Coway, reducing particulate levels to 10 percent of their initial levels (versus 12 percent for the Coway). We side with the Coway for its proven long-term performance, its superior long-term cost, and aesthetics. The Winix costs about the same as the Coway upfront, but it is also a bit less energy-efficient and uses slightly more-expensive filters. This means it will end up costing about $130 more over five years’ operation. Because it’s a new model, we don’t have long-term performance data. But if the Mighty is unavailable and you need an air purifier ASAP, it’s a fine choice.

For large spaces and extreme cases

The Coway Airmega 300 looks sleek and is built to clear large spaces. Photo: John Holecek

Though most people don’t need cleaner air beyond what the Coway and Winix offer, those who live with especially dirty air (near a highway, for example) or who are sensitive to chemicals may need more than the Coway and Winix deliver.

If you have severe allergies or other serious health issues related to airborne particles, or if you need to purify the air in a seriously large space, we recommend the Airmega 300. This is a large but attractive machine; it’s HEPA-rated and can clear spaces of about 500 square feet at five complete air-changes per hour (about 1.5 times the coverage of the Coway and Winix), or 1,250 square feet at two complete air-changes. Its unique twin filters permit very high airflow, allowing it to run on lower settings when the air is relatively clean (quieter, less energy) or to rapidly filter very large volumes of air on the highest setting, as you might when allergens or pollution are elevated. In our test, it gave the overall second-best air-purification performance—more a function of its higher airflow and dual filters than inherently superior filtration. It is expensive upfront and costs about $1,400 (including the purchase price) to maintain over five years; this is in line with most of the high-end models we tested, but more than the cost of a pair of Coway Mightys.

For odors and chemical sensitivity

The Austin Air HealthMate Standard HM-400 has a large activated-carbon filter that removes most VOCs and odors.

In our tests for odor/molecular-pollution removal, the Austin Air HealthMate Standard HM-400’s 15-pound activated-carbon filter bested all other air purifiers by a wide margin. (Most air purifiers, including the other picks above, contain no or only token carbon filters, and do effectively nothing to remove molecular pollutants). Its exceptional performance in this area is a big part of why FEMA and the Red Cross chose Austin Air units for deployment at Ground Zero and the surrounding areas in the aftermath of 9/11.

Its annual operating cost ($283, according to calculations at the time of writing) also makes it by far the cheapest high-end purifier to run, but note that this is due to a filter that’s designed to be replaced every five years instead of annually. Against that, its power consumption is rather high, due to its high airflow and the airflow-resistance of the carbon filter; and though it’s HEPA-rated, when running the fan at comfortable sound levels, the Austin Air was less efficient than other models at removing particles from the air. But a little extra background noise isn’t too much to bear if serious health concerns over molecular pollutants are an issue.

This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Watch live as GoPro unveils its Karma drone

Earlier this month, GoPro teased that it would soon be introducing its highly anticipated Karma drone. And today, the company is hosting an event in Squaw Valley, California, where it will be showing it to the world for the first time. Of course, we’re here to bring you the information as it happens, but you can keep up with the action via the livestream below. This is a GoPro event after all, so there’s a chance we’ll also get to meet the rumored Hero5 during the keynote. Don’t go too far, because the event starts at 9AM PT/12PM ET.

Fujifilm’s GFX 50S is a mirrorless camera with a giant sensor

Fujifilm’s been trying to take on its rivals by offering larger sensors for better quality pictures, but its latest system takes the cake. The new GFX 50S is the first to use the company’s new G Format sensor, which Fujifilm said it fully customized and designed, and measures 43.8mm x 32.9mm. That’s 1.7 times larger than the typical 35mm (aka fullframe) setup in high-end DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. And despite that huge sensor, the 50S still manages to retain a light 800 gram (body only) footprint and a size smaller than a typical fullframe DSLR. The GFX 50S will be available in early 2017, but price is still unknown.

But that’s not all. The new sensor will be a whopping 51.4-megapixels sharp, and its pixel size is an obscene 5.3 microns. The GFX 50S will be compatible with a series of lenses using the new G Mount that Fujifilm is launching, with three of them arriving at the same time as the camera. These are a GF120mm f/4 macro lens, a GF32-64mm f/4 and a GF63mm f/2.8 prime. In mid 2017, three more options will be available: GF35mm f/2.8, GF23mm f/4 and GF110mm f/2. The company is expecting to hit 100-megapixels with this G-mount format in the future, so this could be the beginning of incredibly high-res pictures to come.

The GFX 50S looks similar to Fujifilm’s X series cameras, which sport a somewhat retro look. It has a foldout display that you can tilt vertically and horizontally, as well as a viewfinder that you can attach with a hotshoe. Fujifilm is also offering viewfinders that you can tilt and rotate to make framing odd angles easier, as well as other accessories that it was somewhat vague about.

Fujifilm isn’t the first to market with a compact medium format camera. Hasselblad took that title with its X1D earlier this year. While the X1D is slightly lighter (725 grams) than the Fujifilm, it’s also jaw droppingly expensive at $8,995. We don’t yet know the price of the GFX 50S, but we are expecting (hoping, really) it will cost less than $5,000. Or cheaper than the Hasselblad, anyway, since that brand tends to be pricier than most.

We’ll be checking out the new Fujifilm GFX 50S, along with a bunch of other cameras, directly from Photokina this week, so stay tuned for our impressions.

Aaron Souppouris and Steve Dent contributed to this report.

GoPro’s Hero5 cameras are cloud-connected and natively waterproof

It’s no secret that GoPro had a new flagship action camera in the works, but you never know how rumors may pan out. Today, the company officially announced the Hero5 Black, featuring a 2-inch touch display, 12-megapixel photos (including RAW support) and, as leaks suggested, built-in GPS. What’s more, GoPro’s Hero has voice control (seven languages at launch, more later) and is waterproof without the housing to 33 feet (10 meters). There’s also electronic image stabilization, which is a first for the Hero line. Like the previous model, it shoots 4K at up to 30 fps, as well as 1080p at 120 fps max.

In addition to the GoPro Hero5, there’s also the Hero5 Session. The refined tiny cube cam does 4K recording at 30 fps and 10-megapixel pictures. Similar to the top-of-the-line Hero5, the latest Session is also natively waterproof and offers support for voice commands — like “GoPro, start recording.” Most importantly, both the Hero5 and Hero5 Session are now cloud-connected, meaning they can auto-upload photos and video to an account when the camera is charging.

That said, the cloud features do require a paid subscription to GoPro’s freshly minted service. With it, you can view, edit and share your media anytime from a computer or a smartphone. This will, without a doubt, open up a whole new world of possibilities to GoPro users.

The Hero5 Black is set to hit stores October 2nd for $399, while the Session will be available that same day for $299. As for the GoPro Plus cloud service, the subscription costs $5 per month — although it’ll only be available in the US at launch.

This is GoPro’s $799, foldable Karma drone

We knew it was coming, but after being delayed earlier this year, GoPro has finally unveiled its Karma drone. The new quadcopter is sleek, compact and foldable, designed to fit in most any backpack. To drive home that point, CEO and Founder Nick Woodman had it on stage all along in plain sight at today’s press event. Karma also has a gaming-like controller with a built-in touchscreen for controlling the device. Additionally, living up to Woodman’s “more than just a drone” claim, Karma’s 3-axis stabilizer has a trick up its sleeve — it slides out from the drone and attaches to an included handheld “Karma Grip” so you can record smooth shots on the ground, too.

The whole bundle including a Hero5 will cost $1,099. If you prefer to get it with the new Hero5 Session, it’s $999, or bring your own camera and it’ll cost $799. During the press event today, Woodman was keen to point out that Karma was a stabilization “system” and not just a drone. The quadcopter is, of course, the heart of Karma, but the handheld grip is mountable with regular accessories, which opens the stabilization features to pretty much anything you can stick a GoPro on (though we’re fairly sure it’s not fully waterproof!).

GoPro today also revealed new Hero5 cameras, both of which feature improved internals and waterproof capabilities without a housing. Those will go on sell October 2nd, with Karma expected to hit the shelves on October 23rd.

A fleet of self-driving boats will ply Amsterdam’s canals next year

Amsterdam’s 60 miles of canals cover about a quarter of the city and have helped its citizens get around since the 17th century. While they’ve matched other trials in self-driving public transportation with their own buses, they aren’t ignoring their historic waterways. Next year, the Dutch city’s Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) will start experimenting with an entire fleet of autonomous boats to haul people and goods while cleaning up the water.

The five-year pilot program, titled Roboat, will be carried out by researchers from MIT, Delft University of Technology (TUD) and Wageningen University and Research (WUR). Obviously, using conventionally-designed boats to transport goods and people will be a major focus. But it will also look into autonomous infrastructure, like floating stages or bridges that can be assembled and disassembled in hours.

Further, the Roboat fleet could track environmental conditions and comb the canals for waste, including the 12,000 bicycles that end up in the water every year. That extends to human waste, too, and testing it in the city’s water systems could tip officials off to outbreaks of disease or other health trends, AMS’ scientific director told The Verge.

Via: The Verge

Source: The Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions

Olympus’ PEN E-PL8 is a stylish Micro Four Thirds camera

It wasn’t too long ago that Olympus introduced its PEN-F camera, and now the company is following that up with a less expensive retro-looking model. Meet the PEN E-PL8, a Micro Four Thirds shooter with a 16.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor, a new TruePicTM VII sensor, 3-axis image stabilization and an ISO range of 100-25,600. Since it is an entry-level PEN, the E-PL8 doesn’t capture videos in 4K, although you can record 1080p at 24 and 30 fps. You also have WiFi connectivity, which will let you transfer images to a smartphone or tablet through Olympus’ mobile app.

It’ll hit stores in October for $550 body-only, or $100 for the kit with a 14-42mm lens. Not bad if you want a stylish, compact camera.