PAGE 2 - MORE JULY, 2003 NEWS WEEKEND NEWS BRIEFS (08/30/03)
The folks over at LetsGoDigital have announced they are starting 3 new web sites in 3 different languages tonight at 23:55 GMT to replace their current Dutch only web site. English language fans of digital camera news and industry show coverage will now have a dedicated web site to go to with all of the content being posted in English at the same time in goes up on their new Dutch address and Spanish site. In addition, LetsGoDigital has announced that it is covering the IFA show in Berlin, Germany this weekend. Here is the link to the LetsGoDigital English Language Web Site and the link to their Lets-Go-Digital IFA 2003 Tradeshow Coverage.
Something which has already caught our eye from the LetsGoDigital IFA coverage is the new SanDisk 8 in-1 High Speed USB 2.0 Card Reader for just 39.99. We understand its already shipping in the USA, although the SanDisk Web site has no mention of it yet, nor is there a press release for the USA that we have seen. Newly added are xD and Sony Memory Stick Pro support, as those formats are here to stay for awhile. This could be a very handy must have unit for those of you getting new high megapixel cameras or cameras with RAW formats and new high capacity cards such as the new Microdrives mentioned below. Its going to be important that with much higher capacity cards, you have the fastest method to transfer all your big files to your computer.
Hitachi Global Storage Technogies issued a press release earlier this week announcing that it is now shipping samples of its 4GB Microdrive which will sell at just $499 to consumer product manufacturers worldwide for evaluation of compatibility with their current and future lines of products. The Microdrives are small one inch memory drives about the size of a matchbook which can be used in many top digital cameras which have Compact II sized CF slots. The companies who received these new evaluation 4GB Microdrives include, Blaupunkt, Kodak, Minolta Co., Ltd., Nikon, Olympus, Pentax Corporation, Sigma and Sony Corporation. The new 4 GB size is possibly by new factory formatting using the FAT 32 file system. Digital Camera Companies such as Sony have specifically advised us that the new Microdrives will be fully compatible with their new DSC-F828 camera, their first Cybershot to include both a Memory Stick slot and an CF Type II slot. The 2GB Microdrives previously announced are expected to be shipping by the end of November, and should be several hundred dollars less then the 4GB Microdrives. These prices currently present some of the lowest costs per Megabyte to date, and are quite tempting especially with all the new 5, 6 and 8 megapixel high end cameras coming out this Fall.
Stay tuned more weekend news updates coming later today and this weekend.
Minolta Announces Availability of DiMAGE Messenger Version 2.0
Minolta has issued a press release this week announcing the availability of a new enhanced version 2.0 of their DiMage Messenger program. The Dimage Messenger Program is a communications tool especially useful for digital camera owners and users of digital images by real estate agents, law enforcement agencies, sellers and buyers on auction Web sites, educators and more to automatically link written text, additional images or audio to specific portions of a digital image and share them as well as added comments back and forth via digital media such as e-mail or printed copy. The new Version 2.0 has several improvements including a new search feature which allows specific comments to be located faster using words, date of entry or user name to find the results as well as free hand drawing of the area to be framed for specific comments, and font and font colors can be changed for text comments. The DiMage Messenger files can be exported to other popular formats such as MS Word for even wider distribution of the materials. Here is the full Minolta Press release. In addition there is a link below to the Minolta Dimage Messenger Web Site where you can download and use for 14 days a full working copy for free!
Enhanced Version of PC Software Program Allows Users to Communicate with Images, Text and Audio CommentsRAMSEY, N.J. - Aug. 25, 2003--Minolta Corporation announces today the availability of Minolta DiMAGE Messenger 2.0. This enhanced digital imaging software product is ideal for real estate agents, law enforcement agencies, sellers and buyers on auction Web sites, educators and more. Minolta's new DiMAGE Messenger 2.0 software program allows users to automatically link written text, additional images or an audio track to specific portions of digital images, share the combination with others via e-mail or printed copy, and invite related comments to be added from the receiver - all in just a few, simple steps. In addition, a new search feature allows specific comments to be located quickly. Searches can be made by word, date of entry, or user name.
"DiMAGE Messenger 2.0's ability to combine digital images, audio files and text components in a single file means greater productivity for the user," said Jon Sienkiewicz, vice president of marketing for Minolta Corporation's Consumer Products Group. "This new software is ideal for business users that benefit from clear communications based on digital media as well as consumers interested in conveniently sharing their favorite images, whether or not they also choose to add audio files or text comments."
Minolta's DiMAGE Messenger 2.0 allows users to attach questions, comments, or explanations to a specific image thus providing clear communication between DiMAGE Messenger users. Supplementary images, audio comments, or up to 256 characters of text can be added to an image. All comments are in reference to a main image. A single image can be used as the main image or two images can be combined and placed side by side. These comments can be linked to a specific area within the main image with a color frame. Four frame options are available: square, rounded corner, oval, and free hand. The free-hand frame allows specific areas to be traced. The font and font color can be changed for text comments.
These annotated images can be sent to others via e-mail from within the application by selecting the "mail" button from the command program's menu. And, image files can be automatically resized to improve e-mail transmission speed. A DiMAGE Messenger reader can be attached to the e-mail automatically, if desired. The reader will allow the user to open and read images and comments, but it does not allow additional comments to be added or edited. A trial version of DiMAGE Messenger 2.0 can be downloaded at www.minoltausa.com/MessengerDemo.
Messenger files can also be exported into various file formats to facilitate the distribution of information. Files can be saved in either HTML or .emf formats allowing them to be used in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) and web applications.
Finding and opening files could not be easier. A folder tree in the application window shows all the folders in the computer system. When a folder is opened, thumbnails of all the compatible image files are displayed in the main window. Simply click on the thumbnail to open the image in the annotation window. Folders and files are displayed in the annotation window to make adding image or audio files to the comment list quick and efficient. A preview of an image file is displayed before it is added to the list. Audio files can also be played back before they are added to the list.
Minolta DiMAGE Messenger 2.0 software is an ideal communication tool. The application is ideal for all persons who need to communicate by looking at and working with images and exchanging written words about the elemental contents of those images - and is especially useful when significant distances separate two or more people. Examples of highly suitable applications include real estate and insurance appraisals, documentation for technical devices, and education and training.
Canon's Powershot A80 Digital Camera Packs Four Megapixels into Portable Package for Powerful Picture Taking (08/30/03)
"Canon's New PowerShot A80 Delivers Professional Features at an Entry-Level Price"CanonUSA announced last week their new four megapixel, 3X optical zoom Powershot A80 digital camera. The Powershot A80 is the latest model in the popular Powershot A series that includes the similar 3 megapixel Powershot A70, which we have briefly tested and found to really be an excellent entry level to early advanced user camera. The new A80 camera is the first Powershot camera to support the recent PictBridge printer standard that allows direct printing via a USB connection directly from the camera to supported photo printers. In addition, the Powershot A80 features a nice Vari-Angle LCD monitor, a lightweight (8.8 oz.) durable design, a sharp Canon Zoom lens, a Canon DIGIC image processor, a 14 point Command Mode Dial, an awesome picture orientation sensor which auto rotates vertical-formatted shots, use of AA batteries with low power consumption, which in the A70 lasted better than we have tested before, and a 3 minute video mode with sound. For more advanced users there are full manual exposure controls and other advanced features. The new 4 megapixel Powershot A80 camera will be available in October at a price of $499.
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. - Aug. 20, 2003-- Canon's rugged new four-megapixel PowerShot A80 Digital Camera combines brilliant image quality, crisp Canon optics, and advanced features including a 3X optical zoom and a Vari-Angle LCD Monitor in an affordable and easy-to-use package.
The PowerShot A80 is the new flagship of the PowerShot A-series line-up, which also includes the A60, A70, and A300. The new model is also the first PowerShot to support PictBridge*, the new standard for high-quality direct printing. The PowerShot A80 will be delivered to authorized dealers in October at a suggested list price of just $499.
"We packed advanced features into an entry-level PowerShot digital camera to provide consumers with professional capabilities at an affordable price," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE CAJ). "This lightweight durable digital camera also captures eye-catching high-resolution photos with its sharp Canon zoom lens and exclusive DIGIC image processor."
Housed in a compact metal body, the PowerShot A80 digital camera is solidly built yet light weight at 8.8 ounces. The camera features a 1/1.8 inch, 4.0 megapixel CCD sensor that captures images up to 2272 x 1704 pixels with exceptional detail and color fidelity. Canon's exclusive DIGIC processor improves image quality and increases camera responsiveness and image processing speeds compared to general purpose CPUs found in other comparable digital cameras.
PowerShot A80 Key Features:
- 4.0 Megapixel digital camera with 3X optical zoom/11X combined zoom
- Durable and compact metal body equipped with a 14-mode Command Dial, 9-point AiAF and 270 degree Vari-Angle LCD Monitor for flexibility and ease of use
- Canon-exclusive DIGIC image processor with iSAPS technology for fast, high-quality image processing, improved responsiveness and decreased power consumption
- Intelligent Orientation Sensor for automatic rotation of vertical-format shots
- Improved control layout with larger dial and buttons
- Multiple manual overrides and customizable My Camera function plus Movie Mode (max 3 min) and voice memos with sound and speaker
- Broad range of optional accessories including wide converter (0.7x), tele-converter (1.75x), close-up lens, waterproof case (up to depths of 130 ft.), AC adapter and car battery cable
- Uses easy to find AA-size batteries and Type I CF card removable storage
- Supports PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) driverless PC connection with Win XP and Mac OS X.
- With *PictBridge compatible cameras or camcorders, consumers can easily print pictures at home, the office or while traveling, with any PictBridge compatible printer. Users simply connect the camera or camcorder to the printer with a USB cable and then select images and print settings from the camera's LCD monitor. The PowerShot A80 Digital Camera can also print directly to any Canon dye-sublimation or Bubble Jet Direct compatible printer for fast, high-quality photos.
Canon developed the proprietary DIGIC (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) image processor specifically for use with its line of digital cameras. The technology combines the jobs of image processing and camera function control into one chip. Because it was specifically designed for use in digital cameras, it is also capable of handling JPEG compression/expansion; memory card control; LCD/Video control and processing; gain control (control of CCD signal amplification); Auto Exposure; Auto Focus; Auto White Balance control and most other functions of the camera or camcorder. The result is a product that offers faster and more powerful auto focus than ever before, faster image processing, longer battery life, and the ability to record 3-minute movie clips with sound.
The DIGIC chip's high-speed processing enables Canon's exclusive iSAPS (an acronym for Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology that improves picture quality by "predicting" certain camera settings like focusing distance, exposure and optimum white balance based on zoom focal length, overall light level and tonal distribution data. With iSAPS, the PowerShot A80 camera can analyze a scene just before the image is made and in doing so, increase the speed and precision of the camera's autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance.
Canon's PowerShot A80 Digital Camera will be available in October for a suggested retail price of $499.
Fujifilm Announces New 3 Megapixel Digital SLR-Type Camera for Everyday Consumers at $399 (08/30/03)
Fuji announced this week a new 3 Megapixel DSLR style camera called the FinePix S300 at a suggested retail price of $399.99. The new S300 replaces the FinePix 3800 and features a compact SLR style, weighing in at just 10 ounces, along with a 6X optical zoom lens, a 3.2X digital zoom, low power consumption using 4AA batteries and a movie mode without audio.The FinePix S3000 will comes bundled with the following items, a 16MB xD-Picture Card, four set of AA alkaline batteries, a shoulder strap, a USB cable, a lens adapter ring, a FinePix Viewer 4.1, and ImageMixer VCD 2 for FinePix. The S300 camera will be available in October 2003 at a suggested price of $399.99.
FinePix S3000 Offers 3 Megapixels, Lens Adapters and Affordable Pricing in Time for Holiday SeasonVALHALLA, N.Y. - Aug. 26, 2003-- Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. today announced the arrival of the Fujifilm FinePix S3000, a digital SLR-type camera for everyday photographers. This model replaces the existing FinePix 3800, and will be available to consumers in October - just in time for the busy holiday season. The FinePix S3000 offers 3.2 million effective pixels to create crisp, colorful images perfect to share with family and friends through retail printing and email. The camera's compact, SLR-inspired styling and 6x optical zoom offer a familiar experience to consumers who already enjoy traditional photography.
The FinePix S3000 offers 3.2 million effective pixels, which can produce images of 2048 x 1536 (3.15 million) recorded pixels for best-quality prints up to 8 x 10 inches in size. The camera also offers 6x optical and 3.2x digital zooms, movie recording without sound and several scene positioning modes.
"Fujifilm knows that as consumers become more sophisticated about their digital photography options, they want a product that feels more like a traditional film camera while providing the benefits of digital," said Eric Thorng, Senior Marketing Manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Photo Imaging Division, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. "The FinePix S3000 is a great example of how Fujifilm has integrated its film industry expertise with world-class digital technology - resulting in an easy-to-use, high performance camera. It's a great holiday gift for family and friends who love to capture best-quality everyday images with minimal fuss."
Fujifilm's FinePix S3000 digital camera offers the following array of features:
Resolution and color - The camera produces output files of 3.15 million recorded pixels, resulting in crisp, vibrant prints up to 8 x 10 inches in size.
Long reach - The FinePix S3000 also offers a long reach wide aperture 6x optical and 3.2x digital zoom, and works with optional wide and telephoto lens adapters, allowing photo enthusiasts to capture long-range subjects.
SLR-inspired styling - The camera's compact SLR-inspired body provides a familiar feel to everyday photo hobbyists and digital photography newcomers alike. The camera measures 3.9 (W) x 3.0 (H) x 2.7 (D) inches, and weighs 10 ounces without batteries and media. In addition, a user-friendly electronic viewfinder helps consumers take better pictures, and offers a playback mode that saves battery power.
Simple manual controls - Consumers who want to experiment with image control will be pleased with the FinePix S3000's semi-manual controls, while others will appreciate the camera's smart use of automatic features. The FinePix S3000 offers a portrait scene positioning mode, as well as continuous shooting at 2 frames per second, capturing up to 2 frames.
Lower power consumption - The FinePix S3000 offers consumers maximum power efficiency, and can take up to 350 images - using the LCD monitor, and with flash on half of the time - on a single set of four AA alkaline batteries.
Movie recording - The camera offers AVI movie recording at 10 frames per second without sound, allowing consumers to capture everyday events and special moments to play back for friends and family at a later date. The FinePix S3000 can capture 60-second 320 x 240 pixel movies, and approximately 240 seconds at 160 x 120 pixels. Movies can be burned onto CD-ROMs for storage using the ImageMixer VCD 2 for FinePix software included with the camera, or shown on televisions using the video out interface.
The FinePix S3000 comes bundled with a 16MB xD-Picture Card, four AA alkaline batteries, shoulder strap, USB cable, lens adapter ring, FinePix Viewer 4.1, and ImageMixer VCD 2 for FinePix. The camera will be available for purchase in October 2003 at the suggested list price of $399.99.
Fujifilm Makes Digital Photography Easy:
Now, consumers can get high-quality photos produced from their digital cameras just as easily as they get pictures from film cameras. It's as simple as bringing their media storage card to one of thousands of Fujifilm Digital Camera Developing services providers nationwide. Consumers are encouraged to visit www.digitalcameradelveloping.com to find a retailer in their area offering Fujifilm Digital Camera Developing services.
To help simplify digital camera technology and educate consumers about the choices available to them, Fujifilm is now traveling the country for a third year with its "Picture of America(TM)" Tour featuring its FinePix Truck. The tour highlights Fujifilm's complete line of shoot, store, print and share digital photography solutions. Details about the truck, as well as information about where it will be next, can be found at www.fujifilm.com/finepixtour.
Kodak EasyShare DX6490 Digital Camera Establishes a New Price-to-Performance Benchmark for 'Advanced Amateur' Photographers (08/30/03)
Kodak announced last week a new advanced, full-featured $499 dollar 4 megapixel digital camera with a huge 10X (38 - 380 mm) optical zoom lens by SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH called the EasyShare DX6490. The new DX6490 is said to have a SLR body style which features full manual controls, multiple programmed scene and shooting modes, one-touch e-mailing, printing, and transferring, an optional cradle for easy PC connectivity and batter charging, dual speed zoom control allowing full 10X zooming in as fast as 2 seconds, a new image processing chip for faster/higher quality results, and has a large 2.2 inch color LCD screen. The new EasyShare DX6490 will be available in September, 2003. Here is the Kodak Press Release with further details.
The High Performance EasyShare Camera Delivers Professional-Level Features and Image Quality for Under $500ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Aug. 20, 2003-- Eastman Kodak Company today unveiled its most advanced EasyShare digital camera to date, the Kodak EasyShare DX6490 zoom digital camera. With its unique combination of sophisticated features, exceptional performance, and US$499 suggested retail price, it establishes a new price-to-performance benchmark for 'advanced amateur' photography, giving more people the opportunity to shoot like a professional.
The DX6490 camera is the first to unite a professional quality Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 10X optical zoom lens (38-380 mm equivalent) with a f/2.8 - f/3.7 maximum aperture; a new Kodak Color Science image processing chip for the richest, most accurate colors; low-light precision auto focusing; and multiple shooting modes for optimal creative control -- all with effortless operation that people have come to expect from Kodak. It will be available worldwide beginning this September."So many digital photographers want expert results, but without the cost or hassle. This camera proves our ability to deliver powerful performance with the very best color and image quality -- quality that lives up to Kodak's renowned photography heritage," said Yusuke Kojima, general manager of Kodak's consumer digital camera business and a vice president, Eastman Kodak Company. "The DX6490 camera opens the door to a new world of digital photography, placing more power, control and quality in the owner's hands. It's an unequaled combination of price and performance."
The 4-megapixel camera has been designed with some of the world's highest quality components working in concert to afford outstanding quality, even in challenging photographic situations. Imagine being able to capture the beauty and character of a friendly face while the sun sets in the background. With Kodak's integration of the Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 10X optical zoom lens, the Kodak Color Science image processing chip, and intelligent matrix metering, photographers faced with this scenario will achieve portraits with edge-to-edge sharpness and brightness, rich color, and highly accurate exposure. Because of the tight incorporation of these and other sophisticated features, DX6490 camera owners are consistently presented with remarkable dynamic range, fine detail and delicate highlights -- results that advanced amateurs have typically associated with high-end digital SLRs.
The focal length (38-380 mm equivalent) of the professional quality Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 10X zoom lens gives photographers superb framing flexibility. It enables users to get close to the action and fill the frame, or achieve more natural poses from subjects by shooting them from a distance. The long lens also provides the "flattened" perspective and narrow depth of field that portrait photographers crave, all in a compact, SLR-like body. With a f/2.8 maximum aperture at wide angle and a f/3.7 at 10X -- and the ability to step down to f/8 -- the camera is well-suited to perform in both low and bright light.
Using the dual-speed zoom control, DX6490 camera owners can drive the lens from 1X to 10X in just two seconds, and then extend the total magnification up to 30X using Kodak's exclusive Advanced Digital Zoom technology, which creates sharper, better quality images across the entire digital zoom range. For ease of handling, the lens barrel only extends one inch after powering up the camera, with all lens movements occurring within the protective housing.
The camera is the first to include the new Kodak Color Science image processing chip. This combines the power of a high-performance digital signal processor with professionally-derived image process engineering (including Kodak's legendary white balance algorithms), based on more than 75 years of Kodak research into the science and emotion of color. With each press of the shutter, the camera quickly and precisely analyzes lighting conditions and color balance to consistently deliver exacting sharpness, high color accuracy, and proper exposure.
The DX6490 camera offers fully manual controls, permitting independent aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO equivalent and other settings that can transform an ordinary picture into a work of art. The camera also features aperture and shutter priority modes, as well as sport, portrait, night, landscape, macro and automatic program modes. Saturated, neutral, black-and-white and sepia color modes lend additional in-camera creative options. Its new hybrid, low-light precision auto-focus system combines rapid phase detection with highly accurate through the lens (TTL) contrast detection to precisely fine tune and sharply define a subject, even in almost complete darkness. In addition, the camera is equipped with an external flash synch -- capable of synching at any shutter speed -- for illumination of subjects beyond the 16-foot pop-up flash range.
Using the high-resolution TTL electronic viewfinder (EVF) with diopter, as well as a large, 2.2-inch high-resolution indoor/outdoor LCD screen, photographers can preview shots or review pictures stored in 16 MB internal memory or on optional SD/MMC cards. Not only does the EVF show control settings superimposed over the scene, but it also eliminates parallax while presenting a nearly 100 percent field of view. The indoor/outdoor LCD assists photographers in clearly seeing the fine detail of their compositions before and after shooting, even in direct sunlight. Both LCDs exhibit high refresh rates, and automatically brighten or dim to reflect changes in exposure compensation.
A push of the DX6490 camera's red-jeweled "Share" button allows photographers to immediately tag pictures for e-mailing (with up to 32 on-camera e-mail addresses), printing, or marking as favorites. A new album feature, used in conjunction with Kodak EasyShare software version 3, enables organization of pictures right on the camera. Additional features include joystick and jog-dial controls for rapid control access, easy-to-read menu options and the ability to record and play back continuous digital video with audio.
The optional Kodak EasyShare camera dock 6000 (US$79.95 MSRP) provides one-touch picture transfer to a connected PC while keeping the DX6490 camera's lithium-ion battery charged and ready to go, with a full charge taking less than three hours. DX6490 camera owners can also receive all the benefits of a dock, plus the ability to print real, borderless Kodak 4 x 6-inch photos in as little as 90 seconds, when using the Kodak EasyShare printer dock 6000 (US$199.95 MSRP). These prints are instantly dry, durable, and even waterproof. Both docks are now available.
The DX6490 camera includes Kodak EasyShare software version 3 for Windows and Macintosh systems, providing effortless digital picture transfer, organization, editing, CD-burning, e-mailing, sharing and printing. The exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature takes advantage of proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak to help Windows OS users get vibrant, true-to-life prints from inkjet printers when using Kodak Ultima and Premium Picture Papers.
The award-winning Kodak EasyShare digital photography system -- consisting of cameras, software, docks and printer docks, inkjet papers and accessories -- makes taking, organizing, sharing, and printing high quality digital pictures effortless. More information on Kodak EasyShare products is available at www.kodak.com/go/EasyShare
OLYMPUS ANNOUNCES NEW 5 MEGAPIXEL C-5000 DIGITAL CAMERA AT $499 AND TWO DYE-SUBLIMATION PHOTO PRINTERS (08/29/03)
Olympus is announcing today a new more affordable 5 megapixel CCD, 3X optical zoom lens (38mm - 114mm equivalent, f2.8/f4.8 - f8.0) digital camera called the Camedia C-5000 Zoom at an expected street price of $499, as well as two new Dye Sublimation Photo Printers, the 8 by 10 inch producing P-440 also selling at a street price of $499, and the 4 by 6 inch producing P-10 which will sell in the US at an estimated street price of $199. All three new photo products will become available in October, 2003.
The new C-5000 Zoom digital camera is the successor to last year's C-4000 and offers improvements including a 5.0 megapixel CCD instead of 4.0 megapixels, a 20% reduction in the size of the camera body, and a hot shoe for added flash capability which includes compatibility with the recent Olympus FL-50 or FL-20 Flash units for External TTL Flash. The camera features full manual controls, noise reduction for long exposures, a programmable "Custom Button" which allows users to assign one button for Auto Exposure, variable Drive settings, different ISO settings, and remote control operation, a dedicated "Quick View" instant play back button, a "sleep" function for variable idle times, manual shutter speeds from 16 to 1/1000 of a second, 4X digital zoom, as well as 6 Automatic Scene Program modes and has a new Unique for Olympus smaller, light weight silver colored body. The camera has USB Auto-Connect for easier PC connectivity. The camera will ship with a new Lithium-Ion battery and charger and will be able to work with a wide range of other Olympus accessories such as lenses and filters. The C-5000 will also be supplied with a 32MB xD-Picture Card, the USB Computer Connection Cable, Video Cable, Carrying Strap / Lens Cap, a nice RM-2 Wireless Remote Control, QuickStart Guide and Printed Basic Manual, and Limited Warranty Card. The CD ROM which is included contains CAMEDIA Master Editing software, Drivers for Windows 98SE, and User "Reference" manual.
The new P-10 printer is a smaller Dye-Sublimation photo printer which Olympus indicates will produce affordable home or business lab-quality printing, and improved results over traditional ink-jet technology printing. The P-10 can produce both 4 by 6 inch and 3.5 by 5 inch edge to edge photo-lab-quality prints which means there are no borders to cut or tear off, in less than 45 seconds. Olympus claims this is the fastest printer of its kind on the market today. The P-10 also has the new built-in PictBridge technology which allows printing using a direct USB 1.1 connection between the printer and a compatible PictBridge enabled digital camera (such as the new Olympus cameras announced above as well as the upcoming Sony F828 and Canon Rebel 300D) with out the need to connect to a PC.
The P-10 printer will come supplied with an AC Adapter and Power Cord, Paper Tray with 3.5" x 5" Conversion Tray, Starter Kit (which consists of an Ink Ribbon Cartridge for 5 prints and 5 sheets of approx. 4" x 6" paper), a CD-ROM with the Printer Driver, an Instruction Manual, a User Registration Card, and also the Warranty Card.
"The compact, silver-toned, cube-like P-10 Digital Photo Printer has a bold new design, and is a mere 7.5" x 7.7", making it a stylish space-saver that's ideal for placing on a shelf or desktop. A blue faceplate on the front of the printer has a see-through window to watch prints as they're made."
The P-440 Digital Photo Printer is a larger "workhorse" that produces 5 different prints sizes, up to full and true 8 by 10 inches in 75 seconds using either a glossy or matte finish. The other P-440 print sizes are as follows: Postcard, Photo-Album, Index and A5 Wide. Olympus indicates in the press release that the P-440 can automatically print up to 50 copies of the same image at one time.
The P-440 Digital Photo Printer is capable of printing directly from removable xD-Picture Card or PCMCIA Type II card adapter for SmartMedia, Memory Stick and CompactFlash, by inserting the cards into the PCMCIA slot which is located on the front of the printer and allows owners avoid going through their PCs for fast transfers of picture files. It is also possible to connect the P-440 to a PC or Mac for printing. The P-440 has a 1.8-inch color LCD to display the easy-to-navigate menu and then preview and select only desired images for printing. There are built in menus which allow many options and image-editing tools to adjust layout, sharpness and brightness, as well as to correct color. In addition, the printer includes a variety of filters, stamps, backgrounds and decorative mattings to frame prints. The P-440 is able to be connected to a television using a video cable which provides another portable and flexible way to preview and select images before printing.
Here is a brief portion of what Olympus says about their Dye-Sublimination printers in comparison to inkjet printers.
"In contrast to inkjet printers, Olympus precision dye-sublimation printers do not lay down colors as individual dots that could be detected at close range. Instead, heat vaporizes colors that saturate the photo paper to create smooth, realistic, continuous-tone images. The vaporized colors permeate the surface of the paper, creating a gentle gradation at the edges of each pixel. Because the color infuses the paper, it is also less vulnerable to fading and distortion over time. The 24-bit color gradations of the P-440 produce a palette of approximately 16.7 million colors for outstanding photo-realistic prints. Prints from both the P-10 and P-440, emerge in archival condition - dry, durable and ready to share. A protective laminate overcoat resists water, scratching, moisture, fading and fingerprints."
The P-440 will be supplied with the AC Adapter and Power Cord, a Paper Tray for up to 8 by 10 inch paper, the Ink Cassette (Ribbon Holder), a CD-ROM (with the Printer Driver, an Instruction Manual, and the CAMEDIA Master Editing Software), a Standard Paper (5 sheets), Ink Ribbon Pack (for 5 prints), Basic Manual, User Registration Card, and the Warranty Card.
For more details including the Olympus America, Inc. press releases, product photos and specifications please see our Olympus Camedia C-5000 Digital Camera Preview Page, or our Olympus P-10 & P-440 Photo Printer Preview Page.
Gateway Brings Unprecedented Value to the Digital Photo Market With Complete Line of New Gateway-Branded Cameras (Press Release 8/28/03)
Gateway has announced today the introduction of (their first ever) four Gateway branded digital cameras at extremely low prices. The offerings are the sleek pocket-style, 3.9 ounce 2 megapixel DC-T20 at $129.99 (no optical zoom), the compact 6.3 ounce, 3X optical zoom, 5 megapixel, DC-T50 at $399.99, the 4 megapixel, 3X optical zoom DC-M40 at just $199.99 and a 5 megapixel, 3X optical zoom DC-M50 camera, at an all time low of only $299.99. The new Gateway cameras use SD memory cards for storage of image files and they do have limited 320 by 240 video capabilities. All four new cameras are available now for order from Gateway online. For further details please see our Gateway Digital Cameras Preview Page.
NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE EXILIM ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA IS THE FIRST IN CASIO'S EXILIM SERIES
FEATURING A 4 MEGAPIXEL CCD (08/27/03)"The EX-Z4U is a stylish, thin, card-size digital camera with high-resolution
4 megapixel CCD and 3X seamless optical zoom
that you can take anywhere!"Casio has announced a new 4 megapixel CCD, 3X optical zoom, super thin & card sized EXILIM EX-Z4U digital camera. The new EX-Z4U will be available in October at a retail price of $399.99. The new EX-ZU4 features a fast 0.01 second release time lag, a faster new PAN & 7 point auto-selecting Focus mode, a built in speaker for audio playback, a large 2.0 inch lcd monitor, a low power usage design that allows up to 540 shots per battery charge, a high-speed playback mode, a Best Shot feature, a camera cradle which provides for recharging and connectivity with a PC for file transfers, 10MB of built-in memory, an alarm feature, a world clock, Epson USB Direct-Print, ISO 50 - 400, light 4.5 ounce weight, and use of SD or MMC Memory cards. For further information including the Casio Press Release and official Specifications please see our Casio EX-Z4U Digital Camera Preview Page.
NEWS/SITE UPDATES (08/27/03)
We are partly back from summer vacation which was spent last week with family members at the very scenic Hunewill Ranch near the small High Sierra Nevada town of Bridgeport, California and a very interesting day trip to the ghost town of Bodie, California near Mono Lake. These areas proved to be fantastic locations to take photographs and try out some new digital cameras. We tested 3 cameras during the trip, a 5 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5400, a 3 megapixel Minolta Xi (which due to its tiny/compact size worked great on twice daily horseback rides), and a pre-production 8 megapixel Sony F828. We will be posting what we feel are some very nice samples from the first two cameras, but as stated earlier due to the very early pre-production status of the F828, Sony has requested that no images from that camera be posted. We took approximately 1500 pictures in 6 days totalling 3 Gigabytes of storage, which we downloaded daily to a laptop and backed up onto CD-R. While perhaps best for our overall enjoyment of the trip, there was no phone service, cell service, TV, or easy Internet access, which despite having a laptop did make it nearly impossible to update our news page while away. We did manage to get on one day in the local Bridgeport Public Library to post a brief mention of the huge news by Canon regarding their new $899 DSLR camera the EOS 300D. It is interesting to note for the discussion below that several people we spoke with in the very small rural mountain town of Bridgeport, California (the nearest computer store is 90 mins. away in Carson City, Nevada) stated that they had recently purchased a digital camera or were considering getting one before Christmas, and that their decision would be largely based upon reading online digital camera resources. They actually named several specific sites they went to regularly and/or highly recommend to family and friends who indicated they were about to buy a digital camera. We also noted that a store salesperson at a large chain store had learned almost all about the specific cameras carried at his store to guide potential customers from reviews from two specific sites mentioned below. It was not the first time we have seen and heard of retail store employees using web based digital camera reviews (printed out and yet hidden from the customer) to give purchasing advise.
Those of you who read our earlier coverage probably noted a bit of frustration with how this major Canon news was handled and this gets into a bit of a growing issue we have noted that is getting out of hand. We are one of four USA digital camera web sites that regularly gets information and cameras for testing/review from the major USA camera companies in advance under NDA (non-disclosure agreements) which allow us to timely prepare breaking news stories and product details for posting at a set time. In this case we were gone on what we consider to be an important event, a family vacation, and due to the decisions made not to give any of the major daily news digicam web sites advanced information despite the typical rampant leaks that existed from other sources for weeks, we had no choice but to hurriedly post a major breaking news story. We were actually told by several guests out at the Ranch which is set up as a group on a week long time slot and who were thus absolutely isolated from the Internet, that they had already heard about the Rebel 300D from a good friend who knew someone in the business or in the loop that Canon did share the information with in advance. Some of the people with close company or camera related business contacts pride themselves in then rushing up this "unofficial" yet leaked information on public forums and then try to blame the web sites for leaks. However, we had to spend many hours of one of those days trying to hurriedly find Internet access and a way to post the official information which we got only after the fact. This type of inconvenience would have been avoided by a more constructive approach to the issue of providing breaking news to all web based news/review sites, especially when the real problem lies with others who undoubtly have thier own self interests and motivations.
This web site has not ever violated an NDA agreement that set forth to us a specific worldwide time and date (as Canon wanted in this case), in the three and one half years we have been posting BREAKING daily digital camera news, covering several hundred major product announcements. In our humble opinion the reasons for this type of change in the handling of web based news stories and early product availability is based upon inaccurate information as well as faulty marketing data & strategies which is being partly fuelled by competitor sources (which are motivated by an old school of thinking) and a lack of factual data on the true scope of the reach and influence the web based sites actually have on a wider & growing audience of readers/consumers. The year is 2003 folks, online digital camera sales, web based information, viewing of sample images, WIDE consumer usage of web resources effecting purchasing decisions are here to stay, and should be taken way more serious! The majority of digital camera consumers out there, regardless of their age, sex or background, do know how to, and do in fact, use computers and this is especially true because digital camera information is best verified rapidly by use of online resources. As interests by consumers continues to grow in digital cameras reaching new types of buyers, so will their desire and efforts to find the best information available, and that will be online! Even if the actual camera buyer is a bit shy with using the computer, it is a rare household these days where there isn't someone in the family who can do the online research, and they do, oh yes they do!
The reason we indicate we are only partly back from summer vacation is that co-webmaster Steve McLaughlin is currently on a nearly 3 week European Vacation through September 7, 2003 which will include travel in Italy, Greece and France with a Canon 10D to capture some of the highlights. We hope to post some samples from the Canon 10D while Steve is still travelling, using various transfer methods, if they are available in those areas. We are using the trip to also investigate the practicalities of using digital cameras on long vacations out of the country where picture taking can easily rapidly fill up your existing supply of memory cards. So far we have learned that CD burning for just a few dollars is rapidly catching on allowing travellers a way to clear their memory cards for re-use when laptops or storage units are not available or practical to bring along.
We will be posting recent news from the past week regarding new cameras from several major digital camera makers including Kodak, Canon, Fuji and Casio, as well as an updated software from Minolta, and the amazing news that new 4 Gig Microdrives will be coming soon, and at a price of just $499. We also will have some information and samples from a new Minolta camera announced in July. Stay tuned as we now catch up and chill out, from what was supposed to be our summer vacation!
CANON ANNOUNCES NEW 6 MEGAPIXEL REBEL EOS 300D DSLR AT $899
(Note we unexpectedly got no advance information on this news item from Canon, and while we are currently on Vacation and had not been given the proper opportunity to prepare this for publication in a timely manner, this article is at present not in final form.)
Canon has announced today a new 6 megapixel DSLR camera, the Rebel EOS 300D with a MSRP of just $899 for the camera body only and $999 for a kit which includes a new Canon DSLR lens with 28 - 90mm coverage. The new EOS 300D retains many of the features found in the EOS 10D however it has primarily a (silver colored) plastic body and it has what appers to be 50% of the buffer size for burst mode storage. We have not yet handled the Rebel EOS 300D in advance of the announcement as we did last week for the Sony F828, so we have no initial First Look opinions to offer. It appears that the new lens which can be bought as part of a kit for just $100 dollars more can only work on the new Rebel EOS 300D. There are a few very nice looking sample images up on the Canon site and we do expect that given the fine CCD that this camera is using, which has performed well in the 10D, that image results should be quite good, even though the price is approximately $600 dollars less then the Canon 10D at this time. For more details including product photos, specification, features list, sample images and more please see the Canon Japan BeBit site.
EIGHT MEGAPIXELS JUST PART OF THE PICTURE WITH SONY'S LATEST HIGH-END DIGITAL CAMERA (08/15/03)
Larger View Larger View with Hood Larger View with Camera Broken Down Sony is officially announcing today the new 8 megapixel, 7X optical zoom Cybershot DSC-F828 digital camera. The new F828 is a major advancement in the development of high-end prosumer level digital cameras as it is the first non-interchangeable lens digital camera to feature an 8 megapixel 2/3 inch new RGB+E CCD which Sony indicates produces more accurate color results at 3360 X 2460 resolution in SuperFine & Fine JPEG mode, with 14 bit A/D conversion, & a RAW data image option, as well as a new high speed Linear Matrix Processor (called the Real Imaging Processor) for faster operations/shutter lag & conversion of the RGB+E data back to regular RGB JPEG files. The Cybershot DSC F828 also features a very high quality Carl Zeiss T* (a special lens coating to improve quality) low light capable f/2.0-2.8 lens with an excellent wide angle to high zoom 28 to 200mm (7X) manual controlled zoom coverage. Beyond just increasing the megapixel count in the first ever RGB+E four color CCD, Sony has clearly listened to its loyal customers and has implemented a rich set of features which makes this camera very compelling for the advanced photographers looking for a somewhat smaller, lighter, more affordable, yet flexible alternative to current interchangeable lens (which adds up the costs considerably) DSLR cameras. If people thought the Sony F707/717 cameras caused many to turn heads, wait till they see someone using the new F828. The camera has a professional looking black color, a new deeper more comfortable/functional hand grip, and a very solid magnesium alloy body to match the traditional yet unique F-Series swivel body/lens design. We have been provided a pre-production model just yesterday and let us just get this point across up front, this is one AWESOME camera with amazing image quality even at this early pre-production stage!
Sony has really pulled off a number of pleasant surprises for many as the DSC-F828 is not restricted to using Sony's Memory Sticks, but included is a dual slot which accepts Compact Flash Type II memory cards, including compatibility with new higher capacity IBM Microdrives (however, no swapping of image files between the two cards that we could see, but the firmware is user upgradable so maybe down the road). In addition, the F828 has an outstanding new 640 by 480 Video Mode which captures at 30 frames per second with audio at over 10Mbps, with no limit on the length, up to the capacity of certain high speed Memory Cards such as the new Sony Memory Stick Pro and new IBM Microdrives. This high transfer rate of the video data appears to confirm what Sony has told us regarding the ability of the F828 to not only take advantage of the recent higher Capacity offered by the Memory Stick Pro cards, but also the much faster data transfer speeds that were promised when used with faster internal serial interfaces.
Many who have followed the progression of Sony digital cameras will also be very glad to see the inclusion of RAW image capture allowing post-shot manipulation of image controls such as sharpness, contrast and white balance using software which Sony will include with the purchase of the camera. Also new in the F828 is a very nice 235,000 dot Electronic Viewfinder which can be used instead of the 1.8 inch bright color LCD screen on the back (user switchable by a manual selector on the lower back of the camera). We were very impressed with the new EVF, as it functions at a nice refresh rate and the improvement over prior EVFs is quite noticeable. The F828 does feature USB 2.0 transfer connectivity with PCs which will allow faster downloads of these big 8 megapixel files (we were getting an average of 3.0 to 3.5 meg files in the Superfine mode).
There are many functions also included on the F828 which have recently been found on other Sony models. For Instance the camera has the same Hot-Shoe that is used on the V1 camera and works with the newer Sony Flash unit we first show you at PMA last March. Nightshot and Night Framing features are also still provided, as is the interesting Holographic Auto Focus assist which works up to 15 feet in low lighting. There is Five-Point Auto Focus which is user selectable, and a host of manual controls including controls over shutter speed, aperture, white balance, flash output, saturation, contrast and sharpness. The camera also has the live Histogram feature found on the F717 and V1 cameras, and improved burst modes and bracketing.
At this point we do not have a traditional specifications sheet or an owners manual, so we are going through all the features and getting an initial feel of the camera over the next few days. We will be posting an initial look at the camera with many screen capture shots however because this is a very early pre-production unit, Sony has asked that no sample images be posted and there are a few functions not yet operating in this early version of the firmware. That said, we can give you our early impressions of the image results, and we can genuinely state that the colors are in fact much improved over many prior cameras using the older 3 color filter methods. Especially improved are the often seen over saturated Reds and Greens which many Sony users have experienced in the past. We also noted very low noise results so far, and we have to say we are quite impressed with the noise performance so far. Stay tuned for much more coverage on the F828, and for more details including the Sony Press release, our own product shots and screen captures, a comparison chart with the new Minolta A1 and more, please see our SONY F828 FIRST LOOK PAGE.
SONY'S NEW DIGITAL CAMERA LETS 'U' BE A PART OF THE PICTURE
Sony is also announcing today a new 2 megapixel 180 degree swivel design Cyber-shot DSC-U50 camera which uses for the first time the recent Sony DUO Memory Sticks and newly announce Sony Memory Stick Pro DUO cards that are smaller in size compared to traditional Memory Sticks, but will work in Memory Stick Adaptors for backwards compatibility. The U50 is designed as a tiny take anywhere easy to use Point and Shoot camera with mostly automatic functioning and little manual controls. It operates off of two AAA batteries and can function off of either alkaline or rechargeable formats and comes with Sony's Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) AAA Stamina batteries with external charger. It can capture up to 15 seconds at a time of MPEG movies at 160 X 112 resolution without audio. It does have a bright LCD monitor on the back which rotates separately from the lens portion, and it has a flexible built-in flash with a red-eye reduction mode.The camera has USB connectivity and comes with cables and software to allow easy transfer to a PC. The U50 will be available in 3 colors, black, silver and metallic orange (that will come out just in time for Halloween) at a suggested price of around $250. Here is the Sony Press Release for more details.
Cyber-shot U50 Camera is a Fun Addition to Back-to-School Gear
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 15, 2003 - Just in time to capture quick photos of the kids leaving for school or for the students themselves as they gear up for a memorable academic year, Sony's new pocket-size Cyber-shot® DSC-U50 digital camera is being introduced to make it easier to capture the memories in stylish fashion. Engineered for quick start-up time and ease-of-use, the new camera has a carry-anywhere size, making it convenient to take pictures whenever the moment strikes.
Available in three eye-catching colors (black, silver and metallic orange), the new digital camera features a 180-degree rotating lens that makes it easy to take self-portraits with friends. Its two-megapixel CCD lens and quick power-on capability ensure that both candid and framed shots can be captured and printed with confidence or shared via e-mail.
Priced at about $250, the U50 digital camera that is designed for fun will be available online at SonyStyle.com and at retailers nationwide in early October."With the new Cyber-shot U50 camera, students and parents can recall that between the lectures and the exams, life happens," said Steve Haber, senior vice president for Sony Electronics' Personal Mobile and Imaging Division.
The new camera is the first to accept both the new ultra small Memory Stick PRO Duo* and Memory Stick Duo* flash memory cards.As with other Cyber-shot U-series cameras, the U50 model has a simple-to-use interface. But behind-the-scenes, advanced photographic features work invisibly to allow users to concentrate on capturing the moment without being distracted by camera settings.Pre-Flash Metering: For capturing a subject with a scenic background under low-light conditions, the camera illuminates the subject and calculates exposure through the lens directly from the CCD for accurate flash metering. Adjustable flash level and red-eye reduction insure great flash shots.
MPEG Movie Mode (Video only): For those moments when a simple still picture doesn't capture the entire mood, DSC-U50 camera captures up to 15 seconds of MPEG video (160 x 112 pixel resolution) that are perfect for emailing to family and friends.
Bright LCD Monitor: For framing a picture accurately, the reflective LCD absorbs and reflects the ambient light through the LCD to improve brightness outdoors.
Supplied Rechargeable NiMH Batteries: The unit come supplied with Sony's Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) AAA Stamina batteries with external charger.
Print Directly to Printers: Via a USB connection, users can print their images directly any PictBridge* compatible printer.
BRIEF NEWS UPDATES (08/11/03)
Phil Askey has posted an update to his previous Olympus E-1 Preview. The update includes some of the first sample images from what Olympus is describing as an initial production level camera, but not a full and/or final production camera. We are impressed with many aspects of these early samples Phil has posted from this long anticipated first DSLR entry by Olympus in the Four/Thirds system although it now appears that Olympus may not be finished tweaking the firmware and/or other calibrations inside the camera. Upon further close reveiew of these images we like the colors and there appears to be good potential that the dynamic range will be high, however as many have noted the default sharpness is relatively low, producing somewhat soft images, but this is not entirely bad or unlike how D100 images first appeared to us. Others have commented that they hope final image quality will improve on noise levels and some exposure/tonal results. Stay tuned as we expect more samples will be posted in the next few weeks, and just as soon as Olympus can get us a full and final production camera they will. Check out Phil Askey's Olympus E-1 samples and preview to see how the new Olympus DSLR is performing at this stage! (updated 08/14/03)
HP held a news conference Monday in New York which they titled "Big Bang 2" during which they announced 100 new home and digital products. One of the more interesting products we learned of while watching the conference was of a new 8 ink photo printer which delivers 17 million colors and it also works with a special black/grey ink cartridge which delivers very high quality professional Black & White print results. HP is aiming these new products at simplifying the digital experience from the retail store, to out of the box use and final print results and organization. Here are portions of the HP press release which went out during the conference.
NEW YORK -Aug. 11, 2003-- HP (NYSE:HPQ - News) today announced a strategy to radically simplify technology to help people "enjoy more" - a move that extends HP's leadership in imaging, printing and home computing into the fast-growing digital photography and entertainment markets. As part of the strategy and in direct response to complex proprietary systems that have led the consumer electronics landscape for years, HP unveiled more than 100 consumer products designed to easily bring digital photos, music and video to life in new and enriching ways.
Simplifying Home Photography
With surveys showing that more than 80 percent of digital camera users print their digital photos at home (InfoTrends' 2003 Digital Camera Survey), HP is responding with a revamped digital photography line that makes the production of affordable, high-quality digital photos easy and convenient. Highlights include:
The HP Photosmart 7960 photo printer combined with the new HP 59 gray photo inkjet print cartridge - the world's first eight-ink consumer photo printer that delivers professional-quality photo printing for stunning color and black and white prints.
The HP PSC 2510 Photosmart all-in-one - the industry's first all-in-one printer with built-in wireless functionality to provide the convenience of a mini-photo lab at home. Consumers can print, scan, fax and copy in one easy-to-use device.
HP Image Zone imaging and printing software - which will come with all HP Pavilion PCs and HP Photosmart imaging and printing devices - to provide seamless integration for taking, viewing, editing, printing and storing digital photos. The simple-to-use software also includes the industry's first auto digital negatives feature for lasting protection.The HP Scanjet 4670 see-through vertical scanner - featuring a breakthrough ultra-thin design that allows users to see what they are scanning through clear glass to capture hard-to-scan items such as newspapers, maps or books.
The HP Deskjet 9650 photo printer - delivering vivid photos up to 13 x 19 inches in size.HP Everyday Photo Paper - priced as low as 10 cents a sheet for 4 x 6-inch size and 15 cents for 8 x 10-inch size.
The HP Photosmart 945 digital camera - featuring HP's exclusive Adaptive Lighting Technology that permits the camera to reproduce on paper what you see with your eyes, balancing the contrast between darkness and light. The camera captures detailed photos and achieves outstanding enlargements with 5.3- megapixel total resolution and 56x total zoom.The HP Photosmart Mobile Camera for the HP iPAQ Pocket PC - offering industry leading image quality with HP Photosmart image processing technology for a Pocket PC camera accessory. The device enables users to snap, share and print images directly from iPAQ Pocket PCs.
HP Extends Into Digital Home EntertainmentHP is positioned to lead in the digital entertainment arena, focusing on the segment of the market where the computing and home entertainment worlds converge into a new space. HP is bringing the processing power of PCs to a variety of home entertainment devices creating simple-to-use, rewarding entertainment experiences that enable people to enjoy their digital content in new ways.
Leveraging its strengths in home computing, imaging and storage, HP announced groundbreaking products for digital entertainment enthusiasts, including:
The HP DVD Movie Writer dc3000 - the first of its kind in the industry - which can turn VHS tapes into long-lasting DVDs and preserve precious video memories for future generations.
The HP Pavilion Notebook zd7000 series, converging digital entertainment, photography and Internet computing in a widescreen notebook design with desktop comfort.
The HP Notebook Expansion base, providing a cord-free desktop work area with a wireless desktop-size keyboard and optical mouse. With a smaller footprint and increased performance, this expansion base ensures a better desktop experience
Additional information, pricing and availability details are available in an online press kit at http://www.hp.com/go/consumerstrategy or at http://www.hpshopping.com.
MINOLTA ANNOUNCES 4 NEW DIGITAL CAMERAS & MORE (08/07/03)
Minolta is announcing today 4 new digital cameras, a new DiMAGE Capture software, and a powerful new Maxxum 2500 flash unit. The new cameras include the advanced DiMAGE A1 DSLR styled Digital camera shown above, which is a very interesting camera packed full of several new and innovative features at the prosumer fixed lens level. The new DiMAGE A1 camera builds upon the existing DiMAGE 7 line, and its many fine features include a 2/3 inch sized 5 megapixel CCD progressive scan sensor, the world's fastest autofocus currently in its category including subject tracking focusing (new 3-D Predictive Focus Control) and Minolta's Flex Focus Point which is a single crosshair sensor that can be placed anywhere within the field of view, Direct Manual Focus, a new Flex Digital Magnifier (FDM) which can enlarge a section of the live image by two or eight times, a 235,000 color pixels viewfinder, up to 1/16,000 shutter speed, 14-bit A/D conversion, RAW data files in addition to JPEG images, a new CxProcess II, new image-quality and image-size settings, an interesting Anti-shake function, and a 7X optical zoom capability with a range of 28mm to 200mm using an "advanced apochromatic (APO) lens employing anomalous dispersion (AD) glass to minimize chromatic aberration at all focal lengths and produce sharp, contrasty images." The camera can capture up to three JPEG or five 5-megapixel RAW images at a rate of 2 frames per second. Minolta indicates that "at the heart of the DiMAGE A1 is a new high-speed image-processing LSI for increased performance. Power consumption has also been greatly reduced." All we can say is WOW, we'll have to see if anyone can top all of these features this year! For more details, specs, the press release and product photos please see our DiMAGE A1 Preview Page.
Minolta is also announcing today a very nice looking compact/lightweight (7.1 oz.) 5 megapixel CCD (using a smaller 1/1.76 inch sensor), 3X optical zoom digital camera called the DiMAGE G500. The G500 is also interesting in that it has dual slots allowing storage of images on SD cards and Memory Sticks which are used primarily in Sony cameras. For more info see our DiMAGE G500 Preview Page.
Minolta's 3rd camera they are announcing today is a very interesting futuristic styled 3.2 megapixel DiMAGE Z1 camera with a huge 10X optical zoom and fast progressive capture. For full details, specs, photos, press release etc. please see or DiMAGE Z1 Preview Page.
Finally, Minolta has added to their line-up a new compact & colorful looking 3.2 megapixel, 3X optical zoom digital camera, they are calling the DiMAGE E323. For additional product photos, press releases, specification and further details please see our Minolta DiMAGE E323 Preview Page.
New Kodak EasyShare 5 Megapixel Digital Camera Combines Signature Simplicity with Affordability (08/05/03)
Kodak has announced today two new digital cameras and an new printer dock. The new DX4530 is a 5 megapixel camera with a 3X optical zoom lens which will be sold at just $399 begining later this month. The CX6230 digital camera is a 2 megapixel digital camera with a 3X optical zoom which will sell for $199. The new EasyShare printer dock 4000 prints borderless 4 by 6 prints in as little as 90 seconds and will also sell for $199. For more information please see the Kodak press release below.
EasyShare System Grows with Two New Cameras and Printer Dock 4000ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Aug. 5, 2003--Expanding its award-winning EasyShare digital photography system, Eastman Kodak Company today introduced two new digital cameras and an additional printer dock. At US$399 manufacturer's suggested retail price, the Kodak EasyShare DX4530 zoom digital camera is one of the most affordable 5-megapixel cameras on the market.
Designed for digital newcomers, the Kodak EasyShare CX6230 zoom digital camera (US$199 MSRP) is one of the simplest to use point-and-shoot, fully automatic zoom digital cameras. The new Kodak EasyShare printer dock 4000 (US$199 MSRP) - designed to work with the EasyShare DX4530 digital camera and other EasyShare CX/DX 3000- and 4000-series cameras - produces durable, borderless 4 x 6-inch Kodak prints in as little as 90 seconds with or without a computer.
"By making the 5 megapixel, EasyShare DX4530 camera available at an affordable price, Kodak continues to provide the blend of high performance and value that people have come to expect from the EasyShare system," said Rowan Lawson, director of worldwide product marketing for Kodak's Digital & Applied Imaging operation.
Kodak EasyShare DX4530 zoom digital camera
The Kodak EasyShare DX4530 zoom digital camera will be available worldwide beginning this month. It features 5 megapixel resolution with unsurpassed image quality, resulting in crisp, sharp prints at sizes up to 20 x 30 inches, as well as a 3X optical Kodak Retinar all-glass aspherical lens, 3.3X advanced digital zoom and Kodak Color Science technology - all with effortless operation. A press of the DX4530 camera's red-jeweled "Share" button allows a person to immediately select printing, e-mailing, and mark as favorite options for each picture, and on-camera sharing is made simple with a bright, 1.8-inch indoor/outdoor LCD screen. The DX4530 comes with 32 MB of internal memory plus a MultiMediaCard/SD Card expansion slot to permit additional picture taking or extended digital video recording.
Kodak EasyShare printer dock 4000
The Kodak EasyShare printer dock 4000 is a simple way for owners of the DX4530 and other EasyShare CX/DX 4000 and 3000-series digital cameras to get durable, 4 x 6-inch Kodak pictures with or without a computer. Similar to the award-winning EasyShare printer dock 6000, the printer dock 4000 triples the functionality of a common photo printer. It combines all the benefits of an EasyShare dock - quick battery recharging and one-touch picture transfer - with high quality thermal printing. The application of an exclusive XtraLife laminate coating makes the photos durable and water resistant. People simply use the on-camera share/print option to easily select which images to print, dock the camera, then with the touch of a button, get their Kodak photos in as little as 90 seconds. The printer dock 4000 will be available beginning this month.
Kodak EasyShare CX6230 zoom digital camera
The EasyShare CX6230 zoom digital camera is ideal for digital newcomers who want to take pictures that can be made into crisp, sharp prints up to 8 x 10 inches. The point-and-shoot CX6230 provides 2 megapixel resolution, a 3X optical Kodak Retinar aspheric all-glass zoom lens, 3.3X continuous digital zoom, and eight easily accessed picture modes such as night, landscape, close-up, black and white, and sepia. The camera also captures 30-second digital video clips with audio, and incorporates the popular sharing features common across EasyShare products. It will be available beginning in September 2003.
Kodak EasyShare software and docks
EasyShare CX6230 camera owners can quickly transfer their digital pictures to a connected computer with just one touch using the optional Kodak EasyShare camera dock 6000 (US$79.95 MSRP). It also rapidly charges compatible camera batteries in less than three hours. People can also receive all the benefits of a dock, plus water-resistant Kodak 4 x 6-inch pictures in as little as 90 seconds, when using the Kodak EasyShare printer dock 6000 (US$199.95 MSRP). Both docks are compatible with all CX/DX6000 and LS600-series Kodak EasyShare digital cameras, and are available immediately.
The EasyShare DX4530 camera works with the new printer dock 4000 as well as the EasyShare camera docks I and II (US$79.95 MSRP) for one-touch picture transfer and battery recharging.
Like the entire range of EasyShare cameras, the newly introduced cameras include Kodak EasyShare software for Windows and Macintosh systems, providing quick, effortless digital picture transfer, organization, editing, e-mailing, sharing and printing. The software's exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature -- which takes advantage of proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak -- helps Windows OS users get vibrant, true-to-life prints from home inkjet printers, while reducing the trial, error and waste usually associated with home photo printing. EasyShare software can also be downloaded free of charge from www.kodak.com/go/easysharesw.
The award-winning Kodak EasyShare digital photography system -- consisting of cameras, software, docks and printer docks, inkjet and thermal papers, and accessories -- makes it simple for anyone to take, organize, share, and print high quality digital pictures. More information on Kodak EasyShare products is available at www.kodak.com/go/EasyShare.
RITZ ONE USE DAKOTA DIGITAL CAMERA INFO./SAMPLES POSTED (08/03/03)
Ritz Camera announced last week that they would begin offering a new one use digital camera for $10.99 in approximately 14 major city locations nationwide. One of those areas where you can find these new cameras is in the San Francisco/San Jose area in Northern California, where we happen to have one of our two offices located. We have just completed the process of obtaining one of these 2 megapixel CMOS digital cameras that carries the brand name DAKOTA, and we have both sample prints and a CD with the 25 images it will store. We are working on finishing a short review which we will post ASAP, however for now we do have several samples of the original images on an index page for those of you who would like to download and look closely at the images and we have much of the review photos finished, showing detailed product photos and the packaging (updated 08/04/03).
Briefly, we learned that in addition to paying the $10.99 fee to initially get to use the camera, there is a fee of $11 dollars to print the 25 images it can store at a size of 4 by 6 inches, but at participating stores only. After paying for the prints you do get a free contact sheet of the images and a CD with the original images stored in both jpeg (aprox. 400 to 600 KB file sizes), and a TIFF format (*.pd files that average 2.7MB). The images are stored on the disk at a resolution of 1280 by 854 (a 3:2 aspect ratio) at 96 dpi. Well, so what do we think of the camera, its prints and the entire process, come back soon for our review conclusions and a thumbnail page for our photo gallery! For now check out some of the original images we shot this weekend in between some summer rain storms as well as the first part of our review, showing detailed product photos and packaging.
RITZ ONE USE DAKOTA DIGITAL CAMERA PRODUCT PICTURES (08/04/03) RITZ ONE USE DAKOTA DIGITAL CAMERA SAMPLES POSTED (08/03/03)
Casio Introduces a New 4.0 Megapixel Digital Camera With Fast Power Up Time and Release Time Lag (08/01/03)
Casio has announced a new 4 megapixel camera with a 3X telescoping optical zoom lens and a fast 1 second start-up time. The QV-R40 is a very tiny & light weight camera (5.64 ounces), but is very fast in its operating times including a 0.01 second release lag time, and it has many essential point and shoot features such as a 5 point multi point auto focus. Casio has improved the speed of most operations including playback scrolling which they timed at a fast 0.1 seconds per image. The camera operates on 2 AA batteries, has a 1.6 inch lcd moniter, and uses SD memory cards to store images in addition to the 10MB of built-in memory. Given the nice feature set and at a relatively low price, this is a camera we are going to watch closely. The QV-R40 is priced at $299 and will be available in September. Here is the Casio press release and a link to the Casio QV-R40 Web Site.
New Camera is Small in Size, Yet Packed With Features
The QV-R40's Quick Response and High Speed Telescoping 3X Optical Zoom Lens Enables You to Capture Those Special Moments the Instant They Happen
DOVER, N.J., Aug. 1 - Casio, Inc., in conjunction with its parent company, Casio Computer Company Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, today announced a new addition to the QV Digital Camera series, the new compact QV-R40, a 4.0 megapixel Digital Camera. The new QV-R40 has 1-second power up time and industry leading* 0.01-second release time lag** (both values approximate), ensuring you can capture those special moments whenever they happen.
CASIO recorded 0.01-second release time lag mark last year with the release of its high-resolution 4.0-megapixel QV-R4 and 3.0-megapixel QV-R3, eliminating one of the most serious shortcomings for digital cameras up to that time. The ability to record images virtually the instant they happen, along with 3X optical zoom soon made these high-performance models the digital cameras of choice the world over.
The new QV-R40 is the next generation model for the QV Series QV-R4, and is loaded with features. The QV-R40 sets the pace for performance and speed, featuring a new high-speed telescoping optical 3X zoom lens and a high-speed startup control, making startup 1 second faster than the QV-R4. Playback is faster, too, with the new QV-R40 scrolling through images on the monitor screen at a rate of about 0.1 second per image. Also a pair of direct mode access buttons for REC and PLAY turn the camera on directly to the mode you want, letting even a novice digital camera user operate the new QV-R40 with confidence. Compact, feature-filled yet easy-to-use, the QV-R40 is set to become the new standard for speed and performance in the compact digital camera market. The features include:
* 4-million effective pixel CCD, 3X seamless optical zoom
* 1-second (approximate) startup time
* 0.01-second release time lag for virtually instantaneous recording
* One-touch direct REC/PLAY mode access buttons
* 0.1-second (approximate) playback image scroll time
* 5-point Multi Auto Focus
* Compact and elegant aluminum alloy body"Having a camera that will react to your specific photographic situation -- with 1-second power up time and the industry leading 0.01-second release lag time -- means that you'll capture the image you want every time," said John Clough, president of Casio, Inc. "In addition," he said, "you'll be able to print out remarkable crystal clear 8 x 10 color prints due to the high resolution of the camera." The Casio QV-R40 combines ease of use, speed and picture clarity in a remarkable compact mini digital camera that weighs about 5.64 ounces (without batteries) and is only 3.46" W x 2.38"H x 1.29"D.
The QV-R40 is priced at $299.99 and will be available at retail in September. "Never before have we been able to pack so many features and functions into a compact camera at such an affordable price," said Clough. He predicted that the QV-R40 will be a hit with retailers and consumers alike due to its ease of operation, advanced functions and affordable price.
* As of July 2003
** Time from when the shutter release button is fully depressed with the
monitor screen and built-in flash turned off and focus locked.
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