04-29-2000

Bibble v1.0 Released For those of you with Nikon D1's that are looking for the best way to read in and manipulate the raw NEF files -- Eric Hyman has just released Bibble v1.0. To quote Eric: "It's been a very hectic two months here since Bibbles inception, and to me it seems pretty amazing that the program has come so far in such a relatively short period of time. Bibble now has all the features I had planned (And then some) for me to feel comfortable releasing it as a 1.0 version. With that in mind, as well as All the time I have put into it, I have decided to make Bibble shareware. You can find more details in the "registration.txt" file in the new version. Even though Bibble is now shareware with a trial period, Bibble will always acknowledge its roots by having the basic Nef conversion system work without registration, and without expiration." New in the v1.0 release: The .NEF algorithm and ICC support have been totally overhauled resulting in the best colors and tones yet. Additionally, the color spaces are more accurate, and all your monitor ICM's should work as designed. Bibble also now has a first attempt at a magenta filter for regular JPGs from the camera. Let me know how it works for you. Options now work in Photoshop, and bibble now allows you to export your Exif info to a text file. Bibble comes in two flavors -- a standalone Windows application and an Adobe PhotoShop 5.5 plugin filter. Those of us that own D1's probably already know that the Nikon Capture program costs $500 which is a bit much just to be able to use our NEF files. The only thing it does that Bibble doesn't is to allow tethered FireWire operation of the D1, other than that Bibble blows it away with features like: Convert NEF to 16-bit TIF, saved in this color space for the most accurate possible editing in other ICC compliant programs Maps your images into a color space that has been corrected for the D1 CCD Much better color correction and tone compensation; user configurable gamma, auto leveling, and three settings for tone compensation (from cool to hot!) PhotoShop 5.5 plugin filter EXIF information is preserved when editing/saving JPGs Monitor ICM color management Batch conversion of NEF to TIF or JPG Currently supported image adjustments: One click White balance RGB Color balance HSV Balance Contrast/Brightness Hiquality image size resampling. Image Rotation. Image Equalize(Histo Flatten) Image Autolevel Histogram/Levels Curves Currently supported image processing filters: Blur Sharpen Median Cut Unsharp mask Noise removal Magenta Fix Well, I guess you get it by now. This is one excellent program and it's getting better all the time. You can't beat well supported shareware, if you have a problem you can communicate directly with the author. I haven't used Nikon Capture once since I started playing with the beta versions of Bibble. Try it out for yourself and see what it will do for you. The only thing you have to lose is your D1's image quality if you don't try it.

04-29-2000

The Ultimate LCD Viewfinder ? Looking for the Ultimate LCD Viewfinder for outdoor use?  Check out my review of the Sony Glasstron LCD Eyeglasses - these things are really cool and they work great too!

04-28-2000

Imaging-Resource Posts Sony DSC-F505V First Look Our friendly competitors over at the Imaging-Resource must be the only people on the planet with an eval copy of the new Sony DSC-F505V camera. Dave just let me know that he has posted a Sony F505V First Look report on this interesting upgrade. Sony has basically taken last year's F505 complete with that excellent 5x Zeiss zoom and stuck one of their 3.34 megapixel imagers inside. Because it was designed for a lower resolution CCD the new F505V only uses 2.6 megapixels of the imager. And now the real news, Sony does some fancy interpolation to bump up the final resolution to 3.7 megapixels. But there's a lot more to this story and what Sony has changed inside the original camera shell. Go over to the Imaging-Resource and read the whole story, it's really interesting. We also got the offical word today from Sony USA that the DSC-F55V camera would not be "coming to America" but that the DSC-F505V would be here soon. We expect an official press release from Sony on Monday.

04-28-2000

Impress' Digital Camera Magazine Vol 15 Samples Now Online Thanks to Phil over at DP Review and several readers who emailed to let me know that Impress' Digital Camera Magazine Vol 15 is now online. This is their test photos from most all of the new and popular digicams such as: Nikon Coolpix 990, Olympus C-3030Z, Sony DSC-S70, FujiFilm FinePix 4700Z Toshiba PDR-M70, Casio QV-3000EX, Epson CP-900Z, Canon S20, Sony DSC-S50, Fuji FinePix 1400Z and many others. The text is in Japanese but the sample pictures, in both VGA and full resolution, speak for themselves. You'll also find links to the previous Vol 14, 13 and 12 as well.

04-27-2000

DigiSnap 1000 Review Posted I just posted the DigiSnap 1000 review. This is a nifty electronic shutter release and timelapse controller for most digicams. It has been extensively tested with the Coolpix 950 but should also work with a number of other digicams. It controls the camera through the serial port and has been used with cables up to 700 feet long.  Now that's what I call a remote shutter!

04-26-2000

Fuji Removes Interpolated Resolution Labeling From FinePix 4700 They're carrying a story over at DP Review about Fuji removing the "4.3 million pixel" label from the new FinePix 4700 cameras with the SuperCCD imagers. The sales literature and catalogs now state that the camera has a resolution of 2.4 megapixels.

04-26-2000

Sony Japan Announces Upgraded and Interpolated CyberShots According to the Sony Japan web site they are releasing updated DSC-F505V and DSC-F55V CyberShot models with 3.34 megapixel imagers. Not even on the market yet and already controversial -- the new CyberShots have 3.34 megapixel imagers but Sony says they only use 2.6 megapixels for the image and then interpolate that up to 3.7 megapixels (2240 x 1680) for the final image. The new cameras will be available in Japan in June and July.

04-25-2000

Nikon 990 Should Be At Dealers Soon I received several emails today about the Nikon 990. One stated that according to the 1-800-NikonUX number, "the Coolpix 990 is now shipping to dealers as of today 4-25." Another email states, "I just got off the phone with Melissa at Nikon's 800#. (4:35 cdt) She told me about an internal Nikon email she received today. The memo stated that Coolpix 990's began shipping yesterday. I would guess that that means they might be through the channels to the distributors in another week or so." 11:01PM 4/25/2000 update: It's now official -- an email from Mike Rubin, Nikon Product Marketing Manager, told me that the Nikon Coolpix 990's began shipping to the distributers today. 4/27/2000 update: I have gotten two emails today from happy owners of new Nikon 990 cameras - one was delivered via a mailorder vendor and the other was picked up from Samy's in Los Angeles.

04-24-2000

Olympus Announces New Low-Priced 3.34 Megapixel C-3000 Zoom With Sound April 24, 2000, Melville, NY -- Olympus America Inc. today announced the C-3000 ZOOM 3.34 Megapixel (2048 x 1536 pixel resolution) filmless digital zoom camera to its line of award-winning digital cameras. The C-3000 ZOOM offers a new standard in price/performance for a 3.34 megapixel digital camera -- with a price of only $799. The C-3000 ZOOM offers most of the advanced features of the C-3030 ZOOM, including a 3.34 Megapixel CCD; USB, QuickTime movies with sound; 3X Zoom with continuous 2.5X digital telephoto; 15 modes of resolution, a 6 mode flash with a slow syncro red-eye reduction mode; and DCF and DPOF compatibility in the camera for cropping and editing. What it lacks is the 3.5fps burst capability, being replaced with a 1.4fps rate and a smaller SDRAM buffer. The C-3000 ZOOM will be available the end of May, 2000 for $799. It includes a 8MB Olympus brand panorama SmartMedia card, remote control, 2 CR-3V Lithium batteries, lens cap, strap, USB and serial cable for PC and Mac, video connection cable for TV or VCR, new Olympus Camedia Master 2.0 Utility Software for downloading images from the camera, and instruction manuals. All software supports both Windows and Macintosh computer systems. The folks over at the Imaging-Resource have a whole page of photos of a pre-production Olympus C-3000 Zoom camera, see them here.

04-23-2000

Prosumer Underwater Digicam Housings Ocean Brite Systems, in conjunction with Video~Sea Housings is proud to announce our new DIGITAL STILL CAMERA HOUSINGS. These Housings has been designed to fit many of the popular new Mega-Pixel Digital Cameras being introduced to market by a variety of Companies. Full Information, Pricing and Pictures appear on our Web Site. We have not reached into this segment of the market before, since the Digital Still Camera's being produced did not offer the necessary features or resolution quality to be successfully used UNDERWATER. Now that the Manufacturer's are offering the 2+ & 3+ Mega-Pixel Digital Cameras with external strobe capabilities and expanded feature sets, we feel that several of these new Models will be satisfactory for use UNDERWATER. Following the proven formula we use with Video~Sea Underwater Video Housings, we spent several months developing Housings to offer the Digital Still Camera Owner a state of the art choice for their Digicam. Designed for the more sophisticated Digicam's such as: the Olympus C-2020Z, 3030Z & 2500L, the Nikon Cool Pix 800, 950 & 990, the Fuji 2900 and most of the other Digicam's that support an External Strobe. Come see these Housings and the rest of our products at the following Consumer Dive Shows this year: Sea Space (Houston, Texas)-Booth #514-May 20 & 21, The Scuba Show 2000 (Long Beach, California)-Booth #547-June 3 & 4, Ocean Fest 2000 (Lauderdale-By- The-Sea, Florida)-Booth #427- June 9-11 & The Scuba ExtaSea Expo 2000-(Denver, Colorado) Booth #406-October 6-8.

04-22-2000

More New Reviews Posted I have just finished my review of the Panasonic PV-PD2100 Photo Printer which is an excellent 4x6" dye sub printer for the consumer. It's small, fast and cranks out photos that rival those made by the photo labs. The PD2100 can be hooked up to a computer or it can directly read any flash memory card. As a bonus it can also be used as a video printer and has both S-VHS and RCA video input jacks. I have also posted my HP PhotoSmart C500 review. This is a 2 megapixel digicam with 3x optical zoom, USB and uses CompactFlash cards.

04-21-2000

Olympus Announces New Camedia Master 2.0 Software For Digital Cameras Melville, NY -- Olympus America Inc. today announced Olympus Camedia Master 2.0 software for Olympus digital cameras. Camedia Master 2.0 provides new creative features for Olympus digital cameras, including a variety of templates for greeting cards and borders; slide shows with a choice of transitions and personalized recordings; wallpaper styles; wide-screen panoramas and 360 degree panoramas with QuickTime VR support and two-dimensional navigation; image editing features, including brighten, sharpen, contrast, distort and text editing; QuickTime movie support to play, pause, forward, and reverse movies, as well as capture frames and create movies from still images. Camedia Master lets the user download images directly from the camera quickly with a fast-speed USB as well as serial cable support. It offers improved printing capabilities including large printing (portrait and landscape) and single or multiple image print on Olympus multiple-cut photo paper or stickers. Dates can be imprinted on the photo along with headers, footers and text. The margins and size of the image can also be easily adjusted. Photos can also be organized and indexed in easy-to-read page layout format. Camedia Master 2.0 will begin shipping at no cost with all new Olympus digital cameras starting with the C-3030 ZOOM and C-3000 ZOOM. Customers wishing to upgrade from Camedia Master v. 1.0 may purchase v. 2.0 for $19.95 directly from Olympus at (800) 622-6372 or at the Olympus Web Site.

04-21-2000

Free Inkjet Paper Catalog From Red River Paper Go to www.redriverpaper.com to request the Red River Paper Inkjet catalog. We have the most comprehensive line of inkjet papers in the USA. With over 30 different, unique inkjet papers in our line, Red River can offer something for everyone. A wide variety of sizes including cards, pre-scored items and envelopes make Red River Paper a one-stop shop for digital imaging needs. Check out our sample kit offer - $9.99 for two 8.5 x 11" sheets of all Red River papers. Over 50 sheets of inkjet paper worth over $40.00!

04-20-2000

PDN Magazine Announces Largest West Coast Photo Show NY, NY, -- Photo District News (PDN), the top professional photographer's magazine, announced today the largest West coast photography and design show, PhotoPlus Expo West, to be held June 15-17, 2000 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The PhotoPlus Expo West photography and design show will include over 100 exhibitors from the industry leaders in digital and film photography; free keynotes; seminars by world-renown photographers; free special events and photography galleries, including the popular young photographers "30 under 30" gallery - PDN's choice of 30 rising stars in photography today and PDN's 20th Anniversary gallery. The seminars will include essential technical information, such as black and white photography, lighting, printing, archiving, digital cameras and computer skills; as well as marketing information for the photographer that can't be found anywhere else, on promotions, ad campaigns, creating portfolios, pricing, transitioning to the web, and getting published. Philosophical and ethical issues will also be delved into, such as copyright, pricing, and how to make a difference with photography. Seminars produced by Thunder Lizard will include computer graphics, web design, video and animation. The photography and design show exhibit hours are Thursday, June 15th - Friday, June 16th 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Saturday, June 17th 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Entrance to the expo is free until June 1st, $20 after June 1st. The seminars range between $55 - $120. For more information and to register for the seminars and show, please visit the web site or call (888) 203-9169 or (703) 318-0300.

04-19-2000

Nikon Creates New 800 Number Exclusively For Digital Customers MELVILLE, N.Y., April 18 -- Nikon announced today that its new toll free number for digital customers, 1-800-NIKON-UX, is now open for business. The new number was established exclusively to answer questions about Nikon Coolpix Digital Cameras, Scanners, and D1 Professional Digital Camera System and related software. Customers who own a Nikon digital product can call the new 800 number 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and receive information about how to use their Nikon digital cameras, scanners and related software. Customer support related to how to use the Nikon D1, Nikon Capture and Super Coolscan is free for one year; questions about individual's computers are excluded. Customer support for all Coolpix cameras and Coolscan III is free for six months, excluding computer-related questions. Computer-related questions are charged at $19.99 per case. Nikon also offers a one-year unlimited support package for $79.99 per year per product.

04-18-2000

ShortCourses Reviews the Photo Printing Sites Dennis Curtin at ShortCourses has just put together a Comparative review of Photo Printing Sites.  I've lost count of how many emails I have received from people who wanted to know which one was the best, which one had the best service and price and etc. As with all of Dennis' articles and reviews on things related to digital photography, this review is thorough and detailed. He covers the whole process from uploading your images to what kind of printers they use and then scores their service and print quality. Twenty different online printing services are included from AOL's You Got Pictures to Wolf Camera. And don't miss the rest of his excellent site either, there's more information that you can possibly read in less than a dozen visits. If you're looking for some of the best books for the most popular digicams, he's got them too. You'll find links for the rest of his site from the review link above - happy reading!

04-18-2000

Online PhotoLab Launches Revolutionary Photo Manipulation Web Site SAN FRANCISCO, CA - April 12, 2000 - Online PhotoLab, LLC, the innovation leader in online image processing, launched its breakthrough photo processing web service today. Online PhotoLab offers users eighty professional quality image processing operations through a novel, easy-to-use web interface. Online Photolab allows even beginners to perform advanced artistic, special effects to transform photographs into oil paintings, cubist works of art, or stunning stone mosaics, as well as traditional image corrections and enhancements. Its unique visual interface promises a fun and easy user experience. PhotoLab's unrivaled suite of tools are the first to deliver professional quality image manipulation through a web based interface. Users will find the tools they need to crop, rotate, scale, composite and enhance their images in the Darkroom Workshop. The Logo Styler Workshop allows users to generate attractive, professional text effects to add to their images. With the Special FX Workshop, users can achieve commercial quality special effects previously available only in desktop applications. Users can posterize, oil paint, glass tile, texturize, page curl, supernova, lens flare, old photo, coffee stain, motion blur, stone mosaic, whirl and pinch their way to incredible looking images. Online PhotoLab's Frame and Composite tools provide users with a wide range of options for presenting their photos. Users can create high quality picture frames, soften photograph edges, and combine multiple images into a single image in many creative ways. The best part, all of this is FREE. All you have to do is sign up as a member after agreeing to their Account Useage Policy (which maintains the user's copyright and ownerhip of their content). You get their editing tools and 50MB of web space. Give it a try, it's really amazing. Here's my first Sample Album.

04-17-2000

Imaging-Resource Posts Canon S20 Review Dave and company just posted his complete Canon PowerShot S20 review today. His conclusion for this ultra-compact 3.3 megapixel digicam is: "With the S20, Canon kept the sleek, sophisticated, compact styling of the S10 and added a 3.3 megapixel CCD capable of delivering a much larger image resolution size (2048 x 1536). They also gave it an exceptionally sharp lens to match the sensor's resolution (producing the highest resolution we've measured on a digicam to date, as of late March, 2000). We found its color to be very good as well, both hue-accurate and properly saturated."

04-16-2000

Digital Darkroom Posts Epson Stylus 870/1270 Page Tham Kok Leong wrote to let me know that he just posted a page devoted to the Epson Stylus 870/1270 printers which is an index to all reviews and articles on the new printers. In case you haven't already found it, Tham Kok maintains an excellent web site devoted to inkjet printers with an emphasis on the photo printers called the DigitalDarkroom@Singapore.

04-14-2000

Olympus C-3030 Zoom User Review Posted I just posted my Olympus C-3030 Zoom user review complete with lots of sample pictures. This camera is an excellent successor to last year's C-2020 zoom with a larger imager that yields still images in 15 different combinations of resolution and quality from 2048x1536 down to 640x480. If that's not enough it also records motion video at 15fps with sound in QuickTime format. Physically it is the same as the C-2020 except the body is all black and it's a little bit lighter. You can judge the image quality for yourself by looking at the sample photos. The C-3030 Zoom will be available very soon.

04-13-2000

Sony Brandishes Tiny Memory Stick At Chip Rivals TOKYO, April 13 - Sony Corp's popular Memory Stick, a chewing gum-size data storehouse used in digital gadgetry from cameras to personal computers to Walkman personal stereos, is set to get even smaller. The Japanese electronics giant said it would launch a smaller version of its Memory Stick data storage device, about half the size of the original, as it races to stay ahead of rival memory device makers. The "Memory Stick Duo" will be launched in the first quarter of 2001 and, like its predecessor, will offer either 32- or 64-megabit capacity in the same tiny frame, Sony said. The smaller device will allow Sony to develop smaller audio and visual products, and is also small enough to use in modems and Bluetooth devices -- mobile gadgets that can communicate with each other without wires. Duo is smaller than Secure Digital (SD) Memory Cards -- a rival medium -- and will be compatible with existing Memory Stick products with the use of an adaptor.

04-13-2000

Agfa Introduces New Palm-Sized ePhoto CL18 Dual-Mode Still/Video Digital Camera WILMINGTON, Mass.--April 12, 2000--Agfa Corporation's Desktop Products Group introduces the ePhoto CL18 - its first palm sized digital imaging solution. This affordable, simple-to-use dual-mode digital camera opens the door for a variety of uses such as capturing both still images or video footage. Small enough to take anywhere - the ePhoto CL18 can capture a moment, record an event or anything in between. A USB interface and a universal mini video output plug allows for easy downloadable TV viewing, emailing, Web-page use or screen displays. Users will find the ePhoto CL18 is a portable digital imaging solution and should not be considered a PC camera. Unlike other comparative digital cameras, the CL18 has full functionality like a standard PC-tethered camera but also provides quality VGA resolution. The ePhoto CL18 does not require a connection to a PC for shooting images -- performing first and foremost like a portable point and shoot. The compact and stylish ePhoto CL18 offers 2 MB of internal memory. True VGA optical resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, the new dual-action digital camera offers industry- standard video format and can hold up to 32 VGA (640 x 480 pixels) images. The ePhoto CL18 will be available May of 2000, at the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $149.

04-12-2000

PC Photo Review Expands Its Coverage I just received mail from Alex informing me that he was expanding his site's coverage by adding new categories for Photo Printers, Scanners, Accessories, and Web Services related to digital photography. So go on over to PC Photo Review and check it out. Remember that every review added in these new categories will qualify for the contest to win one of 3 new digital cameras.

04-12-2000

Sierra Imaging's Image Expert 2000 Now Shipping SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.--April 12, 2000-- Sierra Imaging announced today that Image Expert® 2000, a major upgrade to its critically acclaimed image management software, is now available for sale. With the increasing popularity and use of digital images comes the growing challenge of how to organize and manage large numbers of pictures. Image Expert 2000 makes it possible to find digital pictures instantly. When viewed with Image Expert 2000, images are automatically "tagged" with the date, time and file size. The software also offers tremendous flexibility to access images based on user definable keywords or text searches. Image Expert 2000 is a must have application for everyone-- from the home imaging enthusiast to the corporate user that needs to manage large numbers of images. It offers the following major new or improved functionality: Instant search and retrieval tools On-screen tabs and scroll bar for quick and easy viewing, organizing, and managing of all images Extensive web templates that automatically create web pages and all links for uploading images to websites QuickTime(TM)movie creation from multiple images Play, import, and add effects to AVI and QuickTime movies Visual cropping tools Direct text placement onto pictures Red eye removal Support for online print service E-mailing of photos anywhere, anytime Annotation support for images includes ink, voice and text Automatic 2D stitching for stunning panoramic images Enhanced print templates that optimize use of inkjet paper and support a variety of custom sizes and perforated paper Image Expert 2000 is now available at www.sierraimaging.com for $49.95 (electronic download) or $69.95 for CD-ROM. Existing Image Expert Customers can upgrade to Image Expert 2000 for just $29.95.

04-11-2000

Viking Components Releases 1GB Type II Flash Card RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. April 10, 2000 - Viking Components, one of the world's largest and fastest-growing manufacturers of component technology, today announces the immediate availability of its 1 GB Type II ATA flash memory card, one of the highest capacities available using the ATA flash technology. Viking's newly released Type II ATA high-density flash cards, available in capacities of 448 MB, 512 MB, 640 MB, 768 MB and 1 GB, are based on Toshiba's 512 megabit and 256 megabit flash chips.

04-11-2000

ACDSee 3.0 Now Available In Eight Languages ACD Systems International Inc., Victoria, B.C., Canada, a digital imaging management company, announced the release of ACDSee 3.0 in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. "The release is part of ACD Systems' growth strategy to increase the size of our established user base and to expand the market penetration of ACD Systems' products worldwide," said Doug Vandekerkhove, president and CEO of ACD Systems. ACDSee, is a software solution for viewing, browsing, and managing digital images for both high- end graphics professionals and home users.

04-11-2000

Epson 1270 Photo Printer Review Thanks to Kok Leong's excellent (unofficial) Epson printer site the DigitalDarkroom@Singapore, I learned about Michael H. Reichmann's review of the new Epson Stylus Photo 1270 printer that is posted at his Luminous Landscape site. We have been impatiently awaiting the arrival of the new line of Epson photo printers since we first heard about them some months ago. Besides faster printing speeds and smaller ink droplet sizes the really big news is that when used with Epson's ink and matte paper the new printers now offer a certified lightfast quality of 24-26 years! The Stylus Photo 1270 is the A3-sized printer and the 870 model is identical in every respect except that it is limited to 8.5 x 11" size paper. Go and read Michael's review, he covers it all right down to the amazing B&W prints and how he has been converted to using matte paper versus high gloss. These are truly amazing printers and there's no question that the digital "lightroom" has definitely arrived.

04-11-2000

Kodak's New Digicam Strategy - Simplicity and Features Trump Megapixel Every Time BOSTON--Eastman Kodak Company President and CEO Daniel A. Carp today described how Kodak and the industry need to better promote the consumer benefits of digital pictures rather than the number of pixels in a digital camera. During a keynote address to a group of leading industry executives at the Advancing Digital Photography Forum 2000, presented by Lyra Research, Inc., Carp described how the industry and Wall Street treat digital as a "magic" word, while consumers are far more interested in features and benefits rather than the pixel count of a CCD image sensor. He emphasized that the word digital does not provide consumers with a compelling enough reason to change their picture-taking habits. "Kodak is convinced that there has never been a better time to be in the picture business. And not just because digital has created some new excitement. What's more intriguing is how digital can change the way people take and use pictures. Suddenly, there are no boundaries to how often you can take pictures, because film cost or availability is no longer an issue. There are no boundaries limiting when you can take pictures, because digital cameras have conveniently become hooked into everything, from telephones to the new Kodak PalmPix camera that attaches to your Palm organizer." Carp went on to describe a watershed moment in modern photography, the introduction of the Brownie camera by Kodak founder George Eastman. The Brownie camera, introduced in 1900, is widely viewed as the product that transformed photography from a technically challenging, costly, professional activity to an easy, inexpensive and mass-market one. "These days, though, it will take more than one company to change a century of consumer habits and perception. With the participation of the entire industry, I am confident that we can lead the way toward a more picture-rich era, and that, together, we can break through the technical and marketing challenges facing our industry."

04-11-2000

Phil Posts Casio QV-3000 Review It seems as if we are posting more news about reviews than anything else so here's another one. Phil over at DP Review has just posted his Casio QV-3000EX review and had this to say about it. The Casio QV-3000EX is a camera which performs beyond your expectations of it, it's big on features, big on lens and image quality and offers excellent bang for the buck. If you're in the US then the Microdrive bundle probably offers the best value 3 megapixel digital camera kit on the market. The designers could have spent a little longer tidying it up, the case could have been smaller and made of a better quality material but then Casio wouldn't have been able to bring it in at such a low price point. The key here is that the message appears to be getting through "good image quality starts with good quality lenses".

04-11-2000

Lucas Goes Digital for "Episode II" Just when you thought George Lucas completely dissed the digital age by not releasing The Phantom Menace on DVD (yet), the Star Wars mastermind announced he's going digital for Episode II. Lucas says he plans to shoot most of the film's live-action scenes using six digital, high-definition camcorders--instead of tried and true film cameras--when shooting starts in Australia in June. Ditching film has its advantages. All-digital production promises higher resolution, sharper sound and more efficient editing, not to mention eliminating the need for costly digital-to-film transfers. Luddites, however, insist current digital quality lacks the "warmth" of old-fashioned film. But before movie buffs start rushing off to declare blasphemy, Lucas insists the quality is on par with traditional cameras on the big screen. The director already pioneered digital projection in movie theaters last year with Episode I, but recent test runs proved to him the new cameras are up to snuff. "The tests have convinced me that the familiar look and feel of motion picture film are fully present in this digital 24P system, and that the picture quality between the two is indistinguishable on the large screen," Lucas says in a statement. Digital cameras have been widely used on smaller projects and indie films, like video for the Web and the Wim Wenders-helmed films, The Million Dollar Hotel and Buena Vista Social Club. But it's a first for a big guy like Lucas. The cameras reportedly cost $100,000 each, less expensive than their 35 millimeter predecessors. Not that money's any problem for Lucas. Last week's video release of The Phantom Menace sold a record-clobbering 5 million copies in its first two days. And the explosion generated another $100 million for the film, bringing its total take beyond $1 billion.

04-11-2000

iPIX MyPhotoBubble Review Posted Ever seen any of those nifty 360-degree immersive images out on the web and wished that you could do something similar? Well, now you can. Check out the iPIX MyPhotoBubble review and see how simple it is to do this. Depending on what camera you have it isn't all that expensive either.

04-10-2000

Coolpix 990 Review Posted I have finalized the Nikon Coolpix 990 review and added my conclusion text as well as updating other parts of the review with new information and screen shots. I will be adding more sample pictures as time permits including some from the wideangle and fisheye adapter lenses. The Coolpix 990 should be arriving at the dealers very soon. Most of the first shipment will be going to fill the existing pre-orders so expect it to be in short supply for a while until production catches up to demand. The 990 is a very worthy successor to the incredibly popular 950 with a lot of new features and increased resolution. Check out the review for all of the details.

04-09-2000

Digi-Frame Review Posted Well, we finally got one of those LCD picture viewing gadgets in for review and it's really cool. The Digi-Frame DF-560 is a 5.6" TFT active matrix LCD screen that acts like a digital picture frame. Load up a CompactFlash or SmartMedia card full of pictures and put it in the Digi-Frame and turn on the power switch -- that's all it takes. Check out all of the specs.

04-07-2000

Q-Research Introduces Consumer Imaging Technology for the Internet NORTH BEND, Wash. - Q-Research Inc., an innovator of digital image enhancement technology, today launched VisualGenetics, a suite of tools that allows users to enhance and manipulate images in real time online. The launch occurs in conjunction with Spring Internet World in Los Angeles, at InfoTrends Research Group's ImageScape 2000 "E- Commerce and Imaging" event. VisualGenetics is a suite of Java-based applets that may be licensed individually or as a package to Internet content providers. In addition to enhancement capabilities, VisualGenetics offers image-editing tools such as cropping, rotation, flipping, painting, warping, red-eye reduction, and various forms of image layering and blending. Ideal for low-bandwidth connections, VisualGenetics lets users enhance low-resolution images on their browser while still seeing exactly how these enhancements will appear when applied to the full-resolution image at the server. Users simply compare their original image with new versions of the image generated by the program, rating how much better or worse they perceive the new versions to be. Based on this feedback, selected enhancements are applied to the original image and saved to the server. Q-Research also developed PhotoGenetics (Windows/Mac) and VideoGenetics for PowerMac (Windows version coming), software to enhance still digital images and digital video, respectively. Try before you buy - download the 30-day trial and see what it can do for you!

04-06-2000

Kodak To Brand And Distribute The First Digital Frames Connected To Storybox Network SANTA CLARA, Calif., Weave Innovations, Inc., creators of the StoryBox platform, and Eastman Kodak Company announced that Kodak will be the first company to manufacture and sell frames that connect to the StoryBox Network. The picture company plans to launch its product this summer. Based on a license for the frame design and the direct link to Weave ’s Storybox Network, the Kodak product will let people share pictures among frames and order prints directly from Kodak. The frame will also display pictures stored in its own memory or on a CompactFlash card. Simplifying the way people share and print pictures, the StoryBox platform reinvents the picture frame. The StoryBox platform consists of the StoryBox Connected Frame and the StoryBox Network. The StoryBox Connected Frame is a digital picture frame with a brilliant photo-realistic color display, local storage for up to 36 pictures, and a modem connected to the Internet. The StoryBox Network is an easy, convenient, and affordable network for viewing, sharing and enjoying pictures with or without a personal computer. Also included with the StoryBox Network are subscriptions to receive highly personalized and relevant snapshots of information from leading online resources. Strategic partners for the StoryBox platform include CMGI, E! Online, Eastman Kodak Company, MSNBC, NaviNet, SportsLine.com, The Weather Channel, and TrafficStation.

04-06-2000

DataPlay Unveils Versatile, Low-Cost, Portable Media April 5, 2000 - LOS ANGELES - DataPlay, Inc., today announced the development of an affordable miniature optical media about the size of a quarter, called a DataPlay disc, and a micro-optical engine that is expected to be incorporated into a variety of consumer electronic devices. The DataPlay disc can contain pre-recorded and user-recordable content and is anticipated to be available to consumers beginning in early 2001. DataPlay has also developed ContentKey, a content enabling e-commerce tool that allows consumers to activate pre-recorded content on a DataPlay disc over the Internet without necessitating a download. The company unveiled their technology at a special briefing during Spring Internet World, a Web industry gathering held here. The DataPlay disc is a miniature optical media about the size of a quarter. It is designed to record and permanently store a vast amount of content of all kinds - whether downloaded off the Internet, pre-recorded or created by consumers. Executives with the company say a $10 DataPlay disc is expected to be able to store 10 hours of music, or 500MB of data, compared with about two hours, or 64MB of data, on current flash memory cards. Another expected advantage: With built-in copy protection technology, the discs would be cheap enough to be sold with prerecorded content such as music or text. In addition, blank DataPlay discs will be available at local stores to download Internet-published content and for use in DataPlay-enabled consumer electronic devices, manufactured by major companies in the digital camera, digital music, PDA and consumer electronics industries.

04-06-2000

Digital Imaging Group (DIG) Releases Open Source Version Of The Internet Imaging Protocol For Public Download Los Angeles, CA - April 6, 2000- (Spring Internet World) The Digital Imaging Group (DIG) announced the release of an open source implementation of the Internet Imaging Protocol (IIP) for public download at: www.digitalimaging.org. Implemented in Java, the open source client and server provide web developers with a simple way to get started with IIP. The flexible royalty free license also allows them to integrate IIP into their own product offerings. The IIP protocol revolutionized the model for Internet imaging by recognizing that today's scanners and digital cameras capture more resolution than can be effectively delivered via traditional web display. Web masters compensated for this by tediously reducing the resolution of every image in order to reduce download delays. IIP eliminates the need to manually alter every image published since it can essentially downsample "on the fly" while allowing users to zoom in on the images they want to see in more detail. Extra detail can mean extra sales and reduced costs. E-commerce sites such as Sears Canada, gazelle.com, gloss.com and PhotoLoft.com have deployed IIP as a key component of their online experience. "We were faced with the seemingly impossible task of creating the Sears Canada website within five weeks," said Geoff Flood, president of T4G, a technology consulting company. "We used IIP quite extensively in production to repurpose the images for the mark up from the catalog. We would not have been able to successfully complete the job if we weren't able to work with images in this way." High-resolution Internet imaging is not solely confined to the e-commerce space - consumers are discovering that the ability to pan and zoom on their favorite images is making photo sharing more entertaining. "IIP has enabled us to significantly enhance the visual experience," said Nick Freeman, strategic consultant of PhotoLoft.com, an Internet imaging infrastructure provider. "We chose the IIP protocol because it scales across our Internet imaging infrastructure platform, providing security for the intellectual assets of our professional content providers, at the same time delivering compelling 'stickiness' for consumer users."

04-06-2000

Digital Imaging Group -- DIG -- Launches New Wireless Imaging Initiative LOS ANGELES--April 6, 2000-- The Digital Imaging Group (DIG) today announced the launch of the Wireless Image Transmission Initiative (WITI). The goal of WITI is to accelerate the adoption of wireless technology in digital imaging devices, simplifying connectivity issues for end users. Digital cameras, photo printers, PCs, and other imaging devices will be able to exchange pictures quickly and easily without the use of software, cables or even computers. The Initiative is sponsored in its inception by DIG members AGFA, Eastman Kodak Company, Hewlett-Packard, LightSurf, and NETIMAGE. Other DIG members are expected to join in this effort as it moves forward to the next stage of development. Non-DIG members may become involved with WITI and other DIG Initiatives by joining the DIG. The WITI standard will enable camera, printer, computer and imaging appliance manufacturers to provide end users with effective, interoperable digital imaging transmissions in a wireless environment. For example, people will be able to order pictures from a personal appliance connection via wireless protocols in a home, office, airport or bus stop, and receive them from a photo printer, photo kiosks, or digital picture frame through the use of wireless transmissions. The DIG is currently seeking companies involved in the development of products and services involved in end-to-end wireless imaging systems to join in the Initiative. The member companies will work together to help define the activities, directions, and standards upon which this open solution will be based. For more information about joining the DIG please visit the DIG Web site.

04-05-2000

Pixami Announces New Technology Eliminates Bandwidth Problem for Online Digital Imaging SAN RAMON, Calif.--April 5, 2000-- A new technology that enhances digital photos online with the same high performance regardless of photo size or connection speed, was announced today by Pixami, Inc. This technology will be demonstrated at the DIG Internet Imaging event during Internet World in Los Angeles. The technology, called Bandwidth Independent Processing (BIP), solves bandwidth problems related to digital photo size and connection speed, allowing users to obtain consistently fast online photo enhancement performance regardless of these factors. This is accomplished by eliminating the need to ever pass high resolution photos over the Internet. BIP uses low resolution previews for all on-screen photo enhancement. Once the desired enhancements have been achieved, only a small proprietary script file is downloaded to the server, where the enhancements are applied to the high resolution photo, in the background, and totally independent of the users system. Pixami's enhancement products include adjustments, special effects filters, and templates. Printing products include page layouts and photo album pages. Uploading products include an online and local uploader, which allow users to preview and upload photos from the hard disk, or from a digital camera, directly to their album on a photo site.

04-05-2000

Digital Photos Blaze Across Internet With New Image Encoding Software From LizardTech LOS ANGELES, Internet World, April 5 -- LizardTech(TM) Inc., leading developer of imaging technologies, today announced its MrSID(TM) Photo Edition software for digital camera and digital scanner owners. MrSID Photo Edition dramatically reduces the size of digital photo files for easy portability and increased storage capacity with little or no loss in image quality. MrSID Photo Edition is available at no charge for non-commercial use, or $49 per user for commercial use, from LizardTech's Web site. MrSID Photo Edition is the first software application to provide a multiresolution file format that is free for non-commercial users. Multiresolution photos can be viewed at full screen size or zoomed to virtually any magnification while preserving the high quality of the original. MrSID Photo Edition allows digital camera photos or digitally scanned TIFFs, JPEGs or bitmapped photos to be effortlessly encoded into LizardTech's patented MrSID Imaging Language. Friends, family and digital camera buffs can easily pan and zoom MrSID-encoded images by downloading the free MrSID viewer from LizardTech's Web site. Amateur or professional photographers can now take high-quality digital photos or digitally scanned pictures and send them via the Internet without compromising photo quality. In the past, to produce an image below 250KB in size meant using older technology, such as JPEG, which alters the picture and results in poor image quality that is not scalable or able to print with photo-realistic quality. Once a user has downloaded an image, creating a MrSID photo file is as simple as locating the image and clicking the Encode button. Viewing is just as easy-simply double click on the MrSID file and view in a standard Web browser or in one of over 200 MrSID-enabled software applications. MrSID Photo Edition key features include: Dramatic photo file size reduction with little or no loss of image quality Viewing and printing with no pixelation or loss in picture quality Exploration of images by instant zooming and panning Free viewer download Encoding of RGB or grayscale TIFF and JPEG images 10MB or less, including images from the latest 3.3 megapixel cameras Adjustable encoding levels for different file size reduction ratios Windows® 95/98/2000 and NT® 4.0 support Fast Internet/intranet distribution Single-source image management I thought some of this sounded familiar and checking their web site I came across a this press release that says that LizardTech had acquired the rights to AT&T's DjVu compression technology. We had reported on the most interesting AT&T DjVu technology early last year.

04-05-2000

Kaidan and Geometrix Announce Integrated Solutions for 3-D Image Capture Los Angeles, CA ­ Internet World ­ April 5, 2000: Kaidan Incorporated, the leading manufacturer of Photographic VR hardware, and Geometrix Incorporated, the leading supplier of automated 3-D modeling software, today announced a development and marketing alliance that combines the respective strengths of both organizations. The companies intend to offer systems combining Geometrix 3Scan object scanning software with Kaidan¹s motion-control turntables. This combined solution will offer a powerful and extensible product family for automatically capturing realistic 3-D models of objects ranging in size from jewelry to motorcycles. According to Salvatore DiPaolo, VP of Engineering for Kaidan, "Starting with the next release of 3Scan software from Geometrix, there will be full, integrated support for all of our affordable Magellan and Meridian computer-controlled turntables. Through this alliance, we can now offer the first modular approach to 3-D capture - unlike conventional 3-D scanners that must be uniquely designed for a small range of object sizes, the widest range of object sizes in the industry can now be captured in 3-D merely by changing turntables." "3-D is becoming a hot topic in the e-commerce space, so we're delighted to provide the Kaidan user base with this migration path to true 3-D content generation," says Arthur Zwern, President of Geometrix. "Geometrix's goal is to proliferate software 3-D capture solutions that leverage standard hardware. Our partnership with Kaidan achieves a major milestone towards this goal by eliminating the major proprietary hardware component in our object scanning system." Under the new alliance, Geometrix will phase out its proprietary turntables and ship Kaidan's Magellan MDT-19 Desktop Turntable as its standard 3Scan hardware platform. This will support scanning typical small objects such as toys and collectibles at minimal initial hardware cost. Kaidan will also distribute Geometrix software through its worldwide channels, and the companies will offer economical upgrade paths to larger objects, consisting of larger Kaidan turntables and camera calibration targets.

04-05-2000

Imaging-Resource Posts First Fuji FinePix 4700 Production Model Review Dave Etchells over at the Imaging-Resource just let me know that they have posted their user review of the Fuji FinePix 4700. This is the first full review of a production model of this somewhat controversial digital camera. Does it live up to the SuperCCD hype? Here is Dave's conclusion: In contrast to at least one recent review, we feel that it does just fine as a 2.4 megapixel camera, as long as you're not fooled into thinking that softness on-screen means low resolution. There's clearly a full ~2.5 megapixel's worth of resolution in its images, just spread out over 4.3 megapixels worth of file "real estate." We see this as a good camera producing high resolution, good color, and good light sensitivity for the "road warrior" (or soccer mom) who wants a compact camera that won't get left in the drawer, more so than for the technophile enthusiast interested in extensive exposure control. Please go over and read the entire review and check out the sample pictures as there is a lot more to this story.

04-04-2000

Zing.com Welcomes One Millionth Member SAN FRANCISCO--April 4, 2000--Zing, Inc. announced today that it has registered the one millionth Zing.com member. Zing's one millionth member will be awarded free prints for life (25 prints/month for 30 years) and a Nikon CoolPix 950 digital camera. The millionth member is Mary Meeks, a 43-year-old mother of three children, from Pinckney, Michigan. Mary built a ZingAlbum with photos of her family to share with her sister, living in California. "I received a digital camera for Christmas and have found it incredibly easy to share my photos with long-distance family and friends by using Zing.com. I knew that my sister being in sunny, warm weather would get a big kick out of the kids building a skating rink on the lake in our backyard. It wasn't quite as good as being here, but the next best thing. Within a few minutes, she was able to enjoy seeing her nieces and nephews and share in the whole experience."

04-04-2000

Digita Post In-Camera Software Allows Users to E-mail Pictures Wirelessly, Directly from the Camera SAN JOSE, Calif.--April 4, 2000-- FlashPoint Technology Inc., creator of Digita(tm), today announced Digita Post(tm), a revolutionary software solution that allows users to transmit digital photos wirelessly from Digita-enabled cameras. Digita Post runs inside the camera and lets users send e-mails that incorporate text, sound and images using a data-enabled cellular phone, without the need for a computer. Digita Post significantly enhances remote imaging workflow. It eliminates film developing delays and costs, complex picture management, including internal storage limitations, and it dramatically streamlines in-the-field image handling for photographers and mobile professionals. Digita Post offers global connectivity to enable new levels of mobile information management. Its ease of use and portability make it a great productivity tool for businesses as well as a great recreational enhancement for students, travelers and anyone who wants to share pictures with friends and family while on the road.

04-03-2000

Seeking Users' Camera Reviews Just a reminder that we're still looking for Users' Camera Reviews -- there's a whole section devoted to this very topic. Here's your chance for 15 minutes of fame or read what others have to say about a particular camera. You also stand a chance of winning a new Olympus C-3030 zoom digital camera so why not give it a shot!

04-03-2000

Zing.com's 'Digital Camera-a-Day' Giveaway Zing.com is hosting a digital camera giveaway for sending ZingCards to friends and loved ones. The winners will each receive a free digital camera. Every time you send a free ZingCard, between now and April 25, 2000, you are automatically entered in Zing's daily drawing for a digital camera. ZingCards(TM) are online photo-greeting cards that can be personalized using your own pictures or photos from the Zing community. Already have a digital camera? No problem. As an alternative, Zing will provide a $300 gift certificate to EPC-Online.com towards any other digital product or accessory. Share your photos and register for your chance to win a digital camera at www.zing.com/promo

04-03-2000

Epson Lowers Price of PhotoPC 750Z to $499 LONG BEACH, Calif.--April 3, 2000--Epson America Inc., a leader in high-quality, award-winning imaging products, today announced that it has reduced the price of the PhotoPC 750Z megapixel zoom digital camera to $499

04-01-2000

April's Photo of the Day Grand Prize is an Olympus C-3030 Zoom Thanks to Olympus America we will be offering a brand new three megapixel Olympus C-3030 Zoom camera as the 1st Place prize for the April Photo of the Day contest. This camera is so new that we haven't even gotten one for review yet although we expect it very soon. Thanks to the generous folks at Olympus for sponsoring our POTD contest for the past three months. Sorry if I confused anyone earlier ... the C-3030 is the prize for the April contest not the March contest that we are voting on now -- doh!

04-01-2000

No April Fools - Nikon Offers $100 Rebate On Coolpix 950 We reported on this a week or so ago but our information was a little too early and we had to pull it. It's now official, Nikon is offering a $100 rebate on Coolpix 950 purchases made between April 1st and June 30th 2000. This offer is valid only in the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Follow the link above to get your Adobe Acrobat PDF rebate coupon. With the current pricing of the Coolpix 950 plus the $100 rebate, this makes the best-selling camera of 1999 even more affordable now!

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