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February 2000
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| 02-29-2000 |
Four Million Visitors - New Server
We've got all kinds of interesting things to review and more coming ... needless to
say it is busy, busy, busy here as always. If I don't immediately answer your
email please be patient, I get more than I can handle but I do try to answer
as many as possible. Again, thank you for making Steve's Digicams one of the
most popular digital camera sites on the Net. We'll do our best to keep improving
our service and offering you all the latest information about this ever-changing
and often crazy business.
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| 02-29-2000 |
First Installment of the EagleEye OpticZoom Review Posted
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| 02-29-2000 |
Sony Recalls NPF-550 and NPF-750 InfoLithium Battery PacksPARK RIDGE, N.J., Feb. 29 -- Sony today announced a replacement program and product recall for a number of Sony InfoLithium® battery packs distributed in the U.S. and around the world. The battery packs included in the recall have the model numbers NP-F750 and NP-F550. Three of these battery packs, which were among approximately 415,000 packs manufactured in Japan during a four-month period between March and June 1999, either overheated and/or smoked while being recharged. The defect resulted from a malfunctioning welding machine that caused a crack in the seal cap on the battery cells within the enclosed battery pack. An estimated 160,000 battery packs manufactured during this time have been distributed to U.S. customers nationwide. Sony InfoLithium battery packs are sold in the U.S. primarily as accessories for use in various Sony Handycam® camcorders, Digital Mavica® and DSC-D700 Cyber-shot Pro digital still cameras, Glasstron(TM) audio/video eyewear, portable DVD players, still image printers, Video Walkman® personal video players, Video Light® camcorder accessories, and MD Discam® camcorders. As accessory products, the NP-F550 InfoLithium battery packs sell for about $60 and the NP-F750 battery packs sell for about $100.
Consumers who purchased either the NP-F750 or the NP-F550 models of InfoLithium
battery packs since March 1999 are urged to call a special 24-hour a day, seven-day a
week toll-free number 1-800-710-9026, or
visit a dedicated web site that Sony Electronics has established for customers
in the U.S.
Callers and web site visitors will be assisted in determining whether or not their
battery packs should be returned and how to obtain free replacements.
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| 02-29-2000 |
NPD INTELECT Sees Digital Imaging Going Mainstream -- Portable Digital Still Cameras Top $1 Billion in SalesPORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.--Feb. 29, 2000--Digital imaging technology went mainstream in 1999, illustrated by sharp U.S. sales increases in the digital still camera and digital camcorder categories. According to leading marketing information provider NPD INTELECT, digital still cameras posted $1 billion in sales in 1999. Digital camcorders entered the marketplace and, in 18 months' time, captured almost 6% of the overall camcorder market, up from nearly nil in 1998. Considering the relatively recent introduction of digital imaging products to the marketplace, digital cameras and digital camcorders have emerged as serious contenders in consumer electronics and photography. The digital still camera market reached $1,004,381,000 in 1999, an increase of 63% over 1998. The category posted unit sales of more than 1.8 million units. Digital still camera dollar sales comprised 36% of the total camera market in 1999, up from 26% in 1998. As in 1998, Sony took the top spot in sales for the category in 1999, claiming 47% dollar share, up from 42% in 1998. Olympus was next with 17% dollar share of digital still cameras in 1999. According to NPD INTELECT's 1999 year-end data, digital camcorder sales topped $532 million, a significant leap from 1998's dollar sales of $93.2 million. Unit sales topped 524,000 units in 1999. Digital camcorder dollar sales comprised 5.8% of the total camcorder market in 1999, compared to 0.1% in 1998.
In the digital camcorder market, Sony took the lead in 1999 sales, claiming 67.5%
dollar share in 1999. JVC was next with 22.2% dollar share.
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| 02-28-2000 |
FlashPoint Demonstrates Wireless Internet Imaging at CeBITHANOVER, Germany--Feb. 25, 2000--FlashPoint Technology Inc., a leader in the standardization of digital appliances, is demonstrating a new platform for sending and receiving digital photographs over the Internet using Digita(TM)-enabled cameras and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) cellular phones at CeBIT 2000 in Hanover, Germany. This demonstration showcases a powerful wireless imaging infrastructure that provides mobile professionals with the ability to instantly communicate using mission-critical digital photographs globally without the need for a PC. FlashPoint will be in the Motorola booth number E40, Hall 26 at CeBIT from February 25 - March 1, 2000.
The Digita standard drives an award-winning platform of enabled intelligent imaging
products, including the HP PhotoSmart C500, C912 and C618; Kodak DC220, DC260, DC265,
DC290; Minolta's Dimage EX1500; and Epson's PrintOn photo printer.
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| 02-26-2000 |
Canon PowerShot S20 Review PostedI just posted the Canon PowerShot S20 user review complete with the first day's worth of sample pictures -- more to come later. Like the PowerShot S10, the S20 is a super-compact, all-metal bodied camera that is ready to easily take on life's little bumps and knocks. For a palm-sized camera the 3-megapixel images are simply gigantic and guarantee photo-quality prints to 8x10" and beyond. Canon has got another mini-sized winner here.
If the review loads but the images don't, check back later, my mirror server is
not getting updated properly it seems.
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| 02-25-2000 |
New Fuji NX-500 Printer
According to digitalkamera.de there is a new
Fuji NX-500 thermal autochrome printer coming soon. Roughly the size of a small
VCR, the NX-500 has a SmartMedia slot and can read both 3.3v and 5v cards up to
64MB capacity. Print size is A6 (~4x6") and it uses Fuji's TA (thermal autochrome)
paper that has the inks embedded in it. It is capable of 16.7 million colors at
301dpi resolution. It can be used standalone or hooked up to the computer via a
high-speed USB port.
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| 02-24-2000 |
Nineteen Companies Newly Support 'Memory Stick' IC Recording MediaCeBIT, HANNOVER, Germany, Feb. 24 -- Sony Corporation today announced that the "Memory Stick" format will be supported by nineteen new companies. These companies from the Computer, Electronics, and Automotive industries in Europe, Japan, the United States, and Asia will now work with Sony to finalize definitive agreements to license the Memory Stick hardware/device specifications.
With today's announcement, the total number of companies to license the Memory Stick
specifications reached forty-six companies (forty-four for the hardware/device
license, and two for the media license). These companies will be able to manufacture
and commercialize a wide variety of compliant products. As a result, Memory Stick
is certain to enhance its presence in a broad range of industries to become the key
transfer media of digital contents in the digital network world.
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| 02-24-2000 |
Ricoh Intros New RDC-7 3.34 Megapixel and RDC-6000 2.14 Megapixel DigicamsWest Caldwell, N.J., Feb. 24, 2000 -- Ricoh PC Peripherals Business Unit, has designed two new multi-megapixel digital cameras that will deliver an unsurpassed feature set to both entry level and advanced users. Both cameras are designed from the CCD up to be optimal for their specific target markets. The RDC-6000 is for the digital camera buyer who wants quality images and dual-mode versatility in an easy to use design, while the RDC-7 caters to the mobile professional who demands maximum image quality and multimedia features in a highly portable compact form factor.
 RDC-7 Aimed at mobile professionals and power users, features a 3.34 megapixel CCD for capturing JPEG or uncompressed TIFF stills. It can also create images equivalent to 7 megapixel using Ricoh's in-camera Image Enhancement Technology. It has a 3X optical zoom with 1cm macro capability, 8MB onboard memory and SmartMedia expandability for storage. The RDC-7 is also a digital voice recorder capable of capture and playback of unlimited lengths of digital audio in WAV file format, as well as incorporating sound into images. It also captures full motion video with sound in Motion JPEG format. Another capture mode turns the RDC-7 into a portable document scanner by utilizing a special black and white TIFF file format to capture images of text and graphics with unsurpassed clarity.
 Click to see bigger picture
Both cameras will be available for use on Windows or Macintosh platforms and will
support the optional Ricoh infrared remote control. The RDC-6000 will be available
in early summer with the RDC-7 following shortly thereafter.
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| 02-24-2000 |
New Casio 3.3 Megapixel QV-3EX
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| 02-23-2000 |
Hoodman LapTop LCD Sunshade
The folks at Hoodman sent me their latest LCD sunshade, this one is the
e-clipse E-2000
and it's made for use on laptop computers. It works on iBook, PowerBook and
most all of the PC/Windows laptop and notebook computers out there. The e-clipse
is very well made and doesn't cost a fortune ($39.95) and it works perfectly,
at least on my Acer TravelMate it sure does. If you want to use your laptop out
in the sunshine or in any highly lit environment you'll want to check out my
mini-review.
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| 02-23-2000 |
Imaging-Resource Posts First Casio QV3000 ReviewDave just dropped me a note to let me know that they just posted their Casio QV-3000 review online at Imaging-Resource. This is the first full review of what is probably going to be the first 3.x megapixel camera to show up in the marketplace. Dave had this to say about the new Casio:
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| 02-21-2000 |
Q-Research's PhotoGenetics Wins "Consumer Product of the Year" at Washington Software Alliance AwardsSEATTLE (Feb. 22, 2000) - Q-Research's PhotoGenetics, enhancement software for digital images, won "Consumer Product of the Year" at the 5th Annual Industry Achievement Awards sponsored by the Washington Software Alliance Feb. 17. A panel of industry experts selected the finalists, and the winners were determined by a vote open to the 1,400 WSA member companies that represent the hub of the technology industry in Washington state. PhotoGenetics was created specifically for casual photographers-moms, dads, kids and grandparents-who want to capture special moments of their lives in the best possible light. Introduced in March 1999, PhotoGenetics allows users of any skill level to dramatically enhance the quality of their digital and scanned photos in minutes. Based on the patent-pending technology of genetic image optimization, PhotoGenetics applies a dozen global image-processing functions simultaneously with a single mouse click. The technology manipulates such characteristics as hue, saturation,contrast, brightness, color shift and sharpness. The user simply compares the resulting images to the original image and clicks on a scaled bar to indicate which images he or she prefers.
PhotoGenetics is available for both Windows® and Macintosh® and
may be downloaded for $29.95 at www.photogenetics.com.
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| 02-21-2000 |
InfoTrends Study Reveals that Digital Camera Owners Expect Digital Photography to Replace Film in 4 YearsBOSTON--Feb. 21, 2000--In a survey of 700 digital camera owners, InfoTrends Research Group, Inc. found that digital photographers expect to capture 100% of their images digitally by 2004. The study asked several questions about how digital photography has changed digital camera owners' film photography usage. The results show that owning a digital camera reduces the need to use a film camera. In fact, 30% of digital camera owners no longer use a film camera to capture images for their documents. For those still using a film camera, the digital camera, on average, has replaced 63% of the work that used to be done with a film camera. "Digital photographers are not sufficiently satisfied with the image quality produced by their digital camera to retire their film camera. However, digital photographers are transitioning more of their image capture to the digital camera, because they enjoy the unique benefits of digital capture: convenience, instant feedback, emailing, printing photos at home, and the ability to print only the images that are the best shots," says Michelle Lampmann, market research analyst for InfoTrends Research Group. "As a result, digital photographers capture and print more images than they did with their film camera." The 2000 Digital Camera End User Study shows that, on average, using a digital camera increases the number of pictures used in electronic and printed documents by 86%. In addition to printing more photos, digital photographers are actively using the Internet with their images. Emailing photos has become the most popular way to share snapshots with friends and family, followed by sharing prints. The study shows that users email a median of four images per week. Another growth area is online photo albums. The study shows that 50% expect to post images on personal Web sites in the future, and 31% expect to create photo albums on a commercial Web photo site in the future.
The new report "Digital Camera End User Study 2000," available immediately, is
designed to help vendors develop digital photography solutions that better meet
users' needs. This extensive study is composed of tabulations and analysis of users'
equipment profile, feature preferences, applications and usage, software preferences,
printing habits, purchase, and satisfaction. The survey includes responses to over
100 questions.
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| 02-20-2000 |
Nikon D1 Review PostedSome of you have found it already but I am now officially posting my Nikon D1 Professional review. It is still very much a work in progress but most of it is now finished. I'll be adding my usual conclusion text later as well as many more sample pictures so stay tuned.
All I can say is that the D1 is about as close as you can get to the ultimate
digital camera if you have deep pockets. Compared to other pro cameras it
isn't that expensive but for those used to the under $1000
consumer cameras it ain't cheap. A well-outfitted D1 will cost you close to
$7000 by the time you add the SB-28DX speedlight, a sizeable CF card or a
Microdrive, and don't forget the Nikkor zoom lens, third-party Nikon-compatible
lenses just won't do the job.
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| 02-20-2000 |
More on the Olympus C-2500 Zoom upgrade!By Michael Tomkins, The Imaging Resource We just received the following email from IR reader John Lippman, who did a little researching on Olympus' new upgrade for the C-2500L digital camera, and how to get it: "I read your article re. Olympus' firmware upgrade to the C-2500L. I wrote to Olympus (see my e-mail below) inquiring about this upgrade. Their reply follows below. By the by, they are ONLY installing this upgrade in their New York facility . . . not in Long Beach, CA. John Lippman From: Olympus Support [mailto:support@olympus.com] Thank you for contacting Olympus Digital Technical Support in the United States. Yes, the firmware upgrade for the C-2500-L is now available. The Three additional features are:
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| 02-18-2000 |
DP Review Posts Canon S20 ReviewSeems Phil has been very busy lately, not only did he move from Singapore back to the U.K. but somehow he's managed to crank out the only review on the Internet of the upcoming Canon S20 at the same time. Phil's conclusion was:
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| 02-18-2000 |
John Cowley Has Fuji S1 Sneak Preview
My good friend John Cowley has posted a Fuji S1 Pro sample picture on his
LoneStar Digital web site. He also has the S1 Pro sales pamphlet in
Adobe PDF format available for download. Check it out.
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| 02-17-2000 |
FlashPoint and Epson To Deliver Next Generation PT-110 Photo Printer Based on Digita Software PlatformSAN JOSE, Calif.--Feb. 17, 2000--FlashPoint Technology today announced that Epson will ship the next digital photo printer based on the Digita software operating environment, the industry's first standardized software platform for digital imaging appliances. Digita powers the ultra-megapixel EPSON PT-110W and the PT- 110B photo printers and adds built-in intelligence to edit, filter, template and output high quality images from all digital cameras -- all without ever having to connect to a PC. Digita also powers next generation digital cameras from Asahi Optical, HP, Kodak, and Minolta, providing a common software platform to enhance the functionality and customize the features for specific industries and markets. The PT-110W and the PT-110B features an enhanced AI Photo Processor II, creating the best possible output from digital photos with improved printing speeds. Newly supported print formats include panorama (two panorama images on one sheet), poster (maximum A4 X 16 sheet size), photo ID (eight different sizes on one sheet), album print (up to 20 images on one sheet with choice of printing order), and ScanTalk audio barcode-like printing.
The printer supports 44 preprogrammed, packaged filters. There are more than 100
additional ways that users can fine tune the image appearance through custom
filters. In addition, the product can handle a number of paper stocks, from
standard bond to glossy with the addition of glossy film, OHP foil, and iron print
paper. The printer can also play back audio annotations that are recorded with the
digital photo.
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| 02-14-2000 |
Advancing Digital Photography Forum 2000 Examines Impact of Internet, Distribution Issues on MarketNEWTONVILLE, Mass.--Feb. 14, 2000-- Top analysts from market research, publishing, and financial firms will join photography industry CEOs Daniel Carp of Eastman Kodak Company and Gary Christophersen of PhotoWorks, Inc. (formerly Seattle FilmWorks), in a detailed examination of the future of the digital photography industry at the Advancing Digital Photography Forum 2000, April 9 - 11, 2000, in Boston. "While momentum in the market is certainly surging--with digital camera unit shipments forecast to rise from less than a million worldwide in 1996 to over 7.7 million in 2000, and revenues approaching $4 billion--the question is: what will sustain that momentum?" asked Steve Hoffenberg, Director of Lyra's Digital Photography Advisory Service, and coordinator of the conference agenda. "We called together the best-informed people in the industry to probe that question and to help develop some answers at the Forum," he explained.
The full agenda of the conference, along with registration information and
detailed information on every session, can be found at
www.lyra.com/adpf.
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| 02-14-2000 |
Epson Announces 3.3 Megapixel PhotoPC 900Z
Epson has now joined the 3.3 megapixel race with the introduction of their
new
PhotoPC 900Z that features a fast F2 3x optical zoom, ISO 100, 200, 400,
15fps Motion JPEG and 2544x1904
pixel resolution. Pictures of the camera can be found on the
PC Watch web site in Japan.
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| 02-12-2000 |
Canon Japan - Digital EOS Teaser
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| 02-11-2000 |
More New PMA 2000 News
David Kamanski wrote to tell me that he had just put up a
web site with news, info and pics of some of the new cameras from the
recent PMA 2000 show. He has posted some Canon S20 sample pics and will
be posting more tomorrow (Saturday) along with some Fuji FinePix 4700 pics
too. He also has some info on an upcoming Canon S10 firmware upgrade.
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| 02-10-2000 |
Delkin Introduces New eFilm Products
64MB SmartMedia
New USB Card Readers
These USB enabled eFilm Readers have the ability to download images from an eFilm
card to computer, up to 45 times faster than using a serial port connection. The
USB (Universal Serial Bus) Reader-2 & Reader-4 will support both Windows 98 for
PC's, and OS 9.0 for iMac and G3 systems.
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| 02-09-2000 |
DC Resource Posts Olympus C-2500 ReviewMy friend Jeff emailed me to let me know he had just posted the Olympus C-2500L user review, he had this to say about it:
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| 02-09-2000 |
Imaging-Resource Posts PMA Final Report
Our good friends over at The Imaging Resource have posted their final
PMA Report with a great rundown of all the new goodies shown at this
year's show. Most all of these products will be showing up in the retail
channel in the next 2 to 6 months so start saving up your cash!
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| 02-09-2000 |
Digital Wallet UpdateThe (new) Digital Wallet from Minds@Work should be available in late March. According to the info on their website the MSRP's are going to be $399 for the 6GB and $549 for the 8GB versions.
The Digital Wallet is a palm-sized package consisting of a 2.5-inch hard disk
drive, PCMCIA card slot, USB port and a computerized brain that auto-downloads
your image files from memory cards to its hard drive. Instead of carrying a
larger and more expensive device like a laptop on your next vacation all you'll
need is this $400, pocket-sized storage device.
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| 02-08-2000 |
Kodak DC290 Firmware Update and Special Exposure ScriptKodak has just posted the DC290 firmware 1.0.3. The firmware update offers improvement to camera performance, such as:
The SpecExp.csm script follows the camera's shutter and
aperture control program and allows the photographer to pick
from the list of shutter speed/lens aperture combinations as
displayed on the color LCD panel. The script limits selections to
those which can be accomodated by the camera's exposure
program in order not to exceed the program's capabilities.
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| 02-08-2000 |
Fuji S1 Pro vs "The Other Guys"The following came from Dave Etchells of The Imaging-Resource: In an attempt to inject some reality into the theoretical disussions of interpolation & the Nyquist criterion, etc, etc, I conducted a "mini-shootout" at the recent PMA show. Very ad hoc, poorly controlled, but interesting nonetheless. I shot (roughly) the same image with a Fuji S1 (SuperCCD), Nikon D1, Kodak DCS 330, 620, and 660 ("true" 6MP). The results were *very* interesting, with I think support for both sides of the argument that's unfolded here. To my eye, the SuperCCD in the S1 (3+ megapixels, interpolated to ~6 MP) showed clearly superior resolution to the other 3 MP cameras in the test. The DCS 660 was also clearly superior to the S1 in this regard. On the image noise front, I found that the S1 had surprisingly low noise (some room for personal judgement there though), particularly given that it was a very early prototype. I don't remember enough of my signal processing theory to comment intelligently (but that won't stop me from commenting ;-) but I think that the fact that the SuperCCD active area is a larger percentage of the whole combines with the interleaved structure to give you a much nicer-looking convolution kernel to convert the RGB data into chrominance/ luminance than does the usual rectilinear pixel arrangement. Regardless, there's clearly more data in the SuperCCD shots from the S1 than in the conventional images, and I think the noise level is encouragingly low as well. Check out the full (mini) report at:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/EVENTS/PMAS00/Shootout/SHOOT.HTM
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| 02-08-2000 |
Rob Galbraith's Opinion of Fuji S1 Pro
Expert photojournalist Rob Galbraith gives us some insight into his
feelings about Fuji's FinePix S1 Pro camera. Will it be a contender for
serious pro users or will it be more for the affluent digi-amateur? Read all
about it on
Rob's DigiNews page, scroll down to the February 7th entries.
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| 02-07-2000 |
QuickTime VR of Nikon Coolpix 990
I will be doing a complete user review of the Kaidan VR gear shortly and will
cover the PiXi Turntable and the Panoramic tripod mounts in detail. But I will
tell you that it was relatively easy to generate this VR of the Nikon. The
turntable has stops every ten degrees so you simply shoot 36 pictures and then
feed them into the Spin PhotoObject software. A short time later you have a
360-degree QTVR object file ready to be posted, royalty free, on your web site.
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| 02-07-2000 |
Casio's JK-710DC Digital Camera Card
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Not to be outdone by Kodak, Casio also has a new
| 02-07-2000 |
IR Posts Fuji S1 Report
Dave Etchells from the Imaging-Resource has posted a closeup and hands-on
report on the new
Fuji FinePix S1 Pro camera from the floor of the PMA 2000. Included are
some good closeup shots of the camera and several sample pictures from the
camera itself.
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| 02-07-2000 |
Kodak Digital PalmPix VGA Camera
PalmPix adds visual capture capability to your Palm. Compact, lightweight and
easy to use, PalmPix turns your Palm into a digital camera. Take 24-bit color VGA
(640x480) pictures and view them in grayscale. Then transfer to your desktop or laptop just
like your other data using the HotSync ® cradle. PalmPix includes a 2X zoom to
help you get you closer to the action. Once uploaded to the host computer, images
can be saved, manipulated and e-mailed as standard BMP or JPEG files.
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Thanks to reader Rommel Feria for pointing me to the Kodak site for the
| 02-06-2000 |
Fujifilm's Finepix S1 Pro Digital Camera Takes Two Top Honors At DIMA's Annual Shoot-OutLAS VEGAS, NV, February 5, 2000 - The enhanced quality of Fujifilm's digital imaging products took center stage at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show here as the company's new FinePix S1 Pro digital camera won two awards at the Fourth Annual Digital Imaging Marketing Association (DIMA) Digital Camera Shoot-Out. Prints from the FinePix S1 Pro were chosen as best in the $5,000 and Below Professional Photographic Category, and the camera also was a winner of DIMA's prestigious Innovative Digital Product Award. In addition to the accolades for the FinePix S1 Pro, Fujifilm's MX-1700 ZOOM won the Point-And-Shoot, $300-$599 Category. In the separate DIMA Digital Printer Shoot-Out, the Fujifilm Pictrography 3000 took top honors in the Small Format (8 ½" x 11" or less) Category.
Pictures captured by the FinePix S1 Pro and MX-1700 ZOOM were chosen "Best" in
their respective categories by PMA convention-goers based on print quality,
production and price. Manufacturers entered in the DIMA Shoot-Out were asked to
bring their digital cameras to a specially constructed studio and shoot a series
of models and scenes. Pictures captured by cameras in the Point-and-Shoot and
Professional Photographic categories were sent through similar computers running
the same image editing software and outputted from the same printer. The prints
were then taken to the trade show floor where they were displayed, anonymously,
and voted on by PMA trade show attendees.
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| 02-05-2000 |
Samsung Announces 4 New Digital CamerasKorean manufacturer Samsung Co. Ltd. has announced through its US subsidiary 4 new digital cameras at the PMA show. All four of the cameras feature the unusual ability to be connected to a PC, and used as a tethered camera for video conferencing, webcams, etc. Two of the cameras (the CyberMax 35 and CyberMax 35 MP3) are 640 x 480 entry-level units, one of which has the equally unusual ability to store and play back MP3 audio files! The other two are a 1.3 megapixel 3x zoom unit, the Digimax 130Z, and a 2.1 megapixel 3x optical zoom camera with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens, the Digimax 210SE. Here's the specs: Samsung CyberMax 35:
Samsung CyberMax 35 MP3
Samsung Digimax 130Z
Samsung Digimax 210SE
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| 02-05-2000 |
2000 DIMA Digital Camera Shoot-Out Winners Announced!The winners of the fourth annual DIMA Digital Camera Shoot-Out have today been announced at the PMA Show in Las Vegas. They are:
Below $300 Kodak DC215 $300 to $599 Fuji Photo Film MX-1700 Zoom $600 to $899 Toshiba PDR-M5 $900 and above Olympus C-2500L-SLR $5000 and below Fuji FinePix S1 Pro
Thanks to Mike from
The Imaging-Resource for this info.
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| 02-05-2000 |
Lexar Media Announces New Pro Series Digital Film CardsLAS VEGAS--Feb. 3, 2000-- Lexar Media today announced key additions to its Pro Series family of digital film cards that are designed to meet the speed and capacity needs of professional photographers: a 512MB 8X PC Card and a 256MB 8X USB enabled Type II CompactFlash card. Lexar also introduced the addition of a new 64MB SmartMedia card. These new digital film cards, are expected to be available in Q2 from camera dealers, distributors and the Company's web site. The Pro Series 512MB 8X PC Card is nearly 35% larger than Lexar's current 320MB PC Card. The exceptionally large capacity is important since many of today's high-resolution digital cameras generate large image files that can quickly fill a lesser capacity card. Additionally, the new card's fast 8X write speed reduces wait-time and minimizes the chances of missing the opportunity for a live action or spontaneous shot (X=150KB/sec., 8X=1.2MB/sec.) The Pro Series 512MB 8X PC Card has a list price of $1999. The Pro Series 256MB 8X USB Enabled CompactFlash Type II is specifically designed for digital cameras with a Type II slot (5mm thickness versus 3mm thickness of a standard Type I CompactFlash card). The 256MB digital film card is Lexar's highest capacity CompactFlash card.
Like all of Lexar's CoompactFlash cards, it features USB functionality
built directly into the card to quickly and easily transfer photographic
images to the computer via the USB port. The Pro Series 256MB 8X
CompactFlash card has a list price of $1099.
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| 02-04-2000 |
Olympus D-450Z Review Posted
Well, finally got time to finish up my Olympus D-450 Zoom
review and it is now posted. Seems we don't pay too much attention to
1.3 megapixel cameras anymore but this one is loaded with great features
and has very good image quality. Not everybody wants or needs the resolution
of the two megapixel or greater cameras and the Olympus D-450Z is an excellent
choice for the user looking to replace a film camera. The 450Z is speedy,
has a 3x zoom and fits easily into your pocket and your budget.
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| 02-04-2000 |
Lexar Media Acquires PrintRoom.com To Expand Digital Photography ServicesLAS VEGAS, Feb. 3, 2000 - Lexar Media today announced it has acquired PrintRoom.com, an Internet-based print services company that provides high-quality prints from digital files. "Many digital photographers are frustrated by their inability to develop high- quality photographic prints from their digital cameras," said John Reimer, President and CEO of Lexar Media. "We are very pleased to add the capabilities of PrintRoom.com to the broad range of digital photography offerings from Lexar. In addition to convenient, high-quality prints, PrintRoom.com offers online photo albums so friends and families can view and order photos online." PrintRoom.com is a comprehensive service that allows customers to buy high-quality photographic prints of their digital images, which are processed in PrintRoom.com's own lab using the latest silver-halide digital printing technology and photographic paper. Photographers can quickly upload their digital images, view them, enhance the images with an "auto-correct" feature, then select the images to be printed. Available print sizes vary from wallet, 4" x 6", 5" x 7" and 8" x 10".
PrintRoom.com also offers free memberships, which entitle members to free
unlimited online albums (public or password-protected), guest books, photo
finishing discounts and more. With online photo albums, members can invite
friends and family to view these albums anywhere in the world and purchase
quality photos of their own.
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| 02-04-2000 |
Qimage Pro 7.44 Now Has High ISO FilteringMike Chaney has again upgraded his Qimage Pro program, this time he has added a filter that effectively reduces and eliminates most of the noise and banding that occurs in digital images when you use those high ISO settings or long shutter speeds. This will be most welcome news to owners of the Nikon D1 when shooting at ISO 1600. These shots after being filtered by Qimage Pro now look as if they were shot at ISO 200!
Mike has some excellent "before and after" shots on his web site to clearly
show what the new filter is capable of doing. As always he offers a free
download of the trial version of Qimage Pro but believe me this is the best
multipurpose printing and image enhancing program on the market. Check it
out for yourself by going to the
Qimage Pro web site.
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| 02-04-2000 |
Sony Launches a Sleek Home Digital Printer That Delivers Borderless Photo-Lab Quality PrintsLAS VEGAS, Feb. 3 -- With the launch of the UP-DP10 Personal Photo Lab, Sony Electronics today announced a breakthrough home photo printer that advances the company's strategy to be a leader in digital photo printing. With its sleek, innovative vertical design, this new printer makes photo-lab quality pictures at home quickly and easily. Because of its tiny footprint, the UP-DP10 fits well as a second home printer that is dedicated to making pictures. It features Sony's new print media that produces laminated, 4" x 6" borderless pictures, that are comparable to the prints people are accustomed to picking up at a photo lab. These pictures have image durability that rivals conventional photographs. The UP-DP10 connects easily to a computer, either via Universal Serial Bus (USB) or a parallel port, and comes with easy-to-use printer-driver software for both Windows®-based and Macintosh® computers. Simple and quick, the UP-DP10 will automatically correct the contrast, tone, color balance and/or sharpness of the image through its Auto Color Correction feature to produce a mini-lab quality picture in just 85 seconds.
The UP-DP10 will be available in the Spring of 2000, for a suggested list price
of $389. Media will be offered at a suggested list price below $15 for packs of
25 prints.
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| 02-03-2000 |
Rob Galbraith Compares CompactFlash Cards for Professional Digital Cameras
To quote Rob: Professional digital photographers depend on rugged, reliable cards. Photojournalists need durability, plus speed; the card can’t write the images too quickly. This report describes the storage card options available that meet the needs of pros, with my usual emphasis on options that best suit the needs of news photographers. In this document you’ll find:
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Rob Galbraith emailed me today to let me know that he had posted a
| 02-03-2000 |
Minolta Shows New Dimage 2300 2.3 Megapixel Digital Camera
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| 02-03-2000 |
Nikon's First Three Megapixel Digital Camera Bundled with Lexar Media's USB Enabled Digital FilmLAS VEGAS--Feb. 3, 2000-- Lexar Media today announced an agreement with Nikon to provide Lexar-branded 16MB USB enabled CompactFlash digital film cards with the new Nikon 990, the company's first three-megapixel digital camera. "We are pleased to offer Lexar's premium brand of digital film with our high- performance digital camera," said William Giordano, National Marketing Manager, Nikon USA. "The combination of Nikon 990's high-resolution and Lexar's fast USB enabled digital film creates an ideal solution that gives savvy photographers the flexibility and performance they have come to expect from Nikon."
In the professional photography channel, Lexar plans to offer USB-enabled
CompactFlash digital film cards in 80, 128 and 160MB capacities. A JumpShot USB
cable is included with each digital film card.
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| 02-03-2000 |
Canon Introduces Optura Pi DV Camcorder Successor To Groundbreaking ModelLAS VEGAS, NV, February 3, 2000 -- PMA Booth #J91 -- Canon U.S.A., Inc. today introduced the Canon Optura Pi digital video (DV) camcorder, the second generation of its award winning "Movie & Still" concept that was pioneered by Canon. Distinguishing features of this latest addition to Canon’s DV line include a Progressive Scan CCD; 3 Shooting modes; RGB Primary Color Filter; an optical 12X compact zoom lens; Canon’s exclusive Optical Image Stabilization; FireWire/IEEE 1394 input/ouput; an advanced accessory shoe; and analog line input.
Other enhancements made to the Optura Pi include a new
ultra-compact size; high-resolution, 200K pixel, 3.5" flip-out LCD view
screen; improved handling; enhanced color rendition; improved low-light
capability; and support for high-capacity batteries. With the mini DV
format embraced by professionals and consumers alike, the Optura Pi is
the ideal tool for transferring home movies recorded on VHS to a digital
format, or creating new digital movies that can be edited and stored on a
home computer. Its features and image quality also make it perfect for
creating Web content and QuickTime movies.
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| 02-03-2000 |
HP Broadens Line of Digital Cameras With New PhotoSmart C912 and C618LAS VEGAS--Feb. 3, 2000-- Hewlett-Packard Company today announced the HP PhotoSmart C912 and HP PhotoSmart C618 digital cameras. Designed with the photo enthusiast in mind, the PhotoSmart C912 digital camera delivers the control, performance and flexibility of an SLR camera. The PhotoSmart C618 digital camera is ideal for experienced photographers and PC technologists, offering them automatic functionality as well as manual control in a portable, point-and-shoot camera. PhotoSmart C912 digital camera features HP imaging technology with 2.24- megapixel resolution and 36-bit color depth to deliver image sharpness that rivals that of expensive 3.2-megapixel cameras, a 2/3-inch professional frame transfer Charged Couple Device (CCD), a Pentax precision lens with 3x optical zoom, and wireless printing using HP JetSend infrared technology. The result is exceptional detail in 11-inch x 14-inch prints. Designed with the look and feel of an SLR camera, the PhotoSmart C912 digital camera features a 2-inch flip-up color LCD, allowing for easier framing of difficult shots. The camera also offers the same functionality one would expect from an SLR, including manual focus, exposure, color and flash control. PhotoSmart C618 digital camera delivers HP imaging technology with 2.1- megapixel resolution to produce excellent 8-inch x 10-inch prints. Like the PhotoSmart C912 digital camera, the high-performance PhotoSmart C618 digital camera also features a Pentax precision lens with 3x optical zoom and wireless printing using HP JetSend infrared technology. Other features of the PhotoSmart C618 digital camera include: creative control -- multiple, automatic shooting modes and aperture priority, shutter priority and three meter modes; increased photo capture -- high-performance shutter lag and continuous-shooting capabilities to capture sports, wildlife and fast-action events; and instant review of photos -- immediate LCD review on 2-inch color screen.
The PhotoSmart C912 and C618 digital cameras feature the Flashpoint Digita
operating system, providing advanced capabilities, such as the ability to sort
pictures and add text and sound -- all within the camera. Both cameras also
include HP photo imaging software enabling users to quickly and easily download,
manage, print and e-mail photos.
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| 02-03-2000 |
Canon's New Digital EOS and Other PMA Info from The Imaging-Resource
Our good friends Dave and Mike are roaming the floor at PMA 2000 and sending
in all the latest info and pictures of the new cameras -- and doing a bang up
job of it! Be sure to visit the
Imaging-Resource's Special PMA 2000 reports. Check out the PMA Day Two
report for the info and pictures of the much rumoured Canon Digital EOS camera
expected later this year.
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| 02-03-2000 |
Toshiba Introduces Its PDR-M70 Three-Megapixel Digital Camera
 With its brushed-aluminum body and high-tech features, the PDR-M70 builds on the Toshiba tradition of award-winning digital cameras. Key to its success is an advanced 3.37 megapixel CCD capable of recording 2048 x 1536 pixel images that are exceptionally rich in sharpness, color accuracy and clarity. The 1/1.8 inch CCD is much larger than those found in competitive cameras, resulting in a less noisy signal and vastly superior pictures that can be printed in sizes up to 11" x 14" free of jagged edges, artifacts or pixelation. Important attributes of the PDR-M70 include: an all-glass aspheric lens system (f=7.0-21mm or 35-105mm in 35mm conversion) with 3X optical zoom, 2X digital zoom and an extra-large aperture of F=2.0-2.5; lightning fast download speeds (12 mbs/second) via its USB port; 1.8-inch LCD with illuminator; built-in speaker/microphone; plus an exciting and fun AVI movie function capable of recording up to two minutes of video (15fps) with audio on a SmartMedia card™. An easy-to-navigate graphic user interface enables everyone from professional photographers to "digicam" rookies to be pointing, clicking and downloading images in minutes. Unlike other three-megapixel cameras, the PDR-M70 does not sacrifice processing speed for higher resolution. Equipped with a 24MB D-Ram buffer for accelerated performance, the PDR-M70 boasts one of the industry’s quickest "off-to-on" boots for an optical zoom camera (under three seconds), along with outstanding recycle times between shots (about 1.5- seconds). In burst mode, the camera performs high-speed continuous shooting at a rate of 1.25 frames per second. Plus, in the Multi Shot mode it is possible for the PDR- M70 to capture up to thirty-six 320 x 218 fast action shots in only 2.3 seconds (10 320x218 images/second)-- blisteringly fast.
The PDR-M70 offers advanced photographic controls, including two levels of
recording images: 2048 x 1536 and 1280 x 768 in user-selectable fine, normal and
basic compression modes. Shutter speeds can be set from 1/2 second to 1/1000 of
second, while the camera’s five-mode flash system (automatic, red-eye reduction,
forced-fill flash, slow synchro and force-off) is easily adjusted to any lighting
condition up to 13-feet (4 meters) from the subject, extending the camera’s
effectiveness to a wide range of lighting conditions.
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| 02-03-2000 |
New Toshiba PDR-M60 Offers 2.3 Million Pixel Performance Without Megapixel PriceLAS VEGAS, NV, February 3, 2000 -- Toshiba Imaging Systems, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced it is adding to its suite of award-winning digital cameras with the launch of the PDR-M60, an aggressively priced 2.3 megapixel camera featuring an optical zoom and lightning-fast USB downloading. The PDR-M60 is expected to ship in May 2000 with an MSRP under $600. Toshiba designed the pocket-sized PDR-M60 for fun, take-anywhere digital shooting. Thanks to its state-of-the-art 1/2-inch CCD, the camera produces photo-realistic JPEG images in resolutions up to 1800 x 1200, making it perfect for adding digital excitement to newsletters, e-mail, business presentations and web pages, as well as for capturing special moments with family and friends. The 2.3X optical zoom lens lets users zero in on all the action, plus offers stunning sharpness, clarity and color. With the Macro setting, users can even shoot subjects as close as two inches away. The PDR-M60 combines low cost of ownership with valuable features for users of all levels. Professional-level attributes include the 2.3X optical zoom; a 2X digital zoom; automatic exposure control; five white balance settings (auto, outdoor, incandescent, fluorescent 1 and II); built-in five-mode flash; an all- glass aspheric lens (f=38 to 86mm); plus one of the fastest recycle rates available in its class. To protect the user’s investment, the camera also features a built-in lens cap.
With the PDR-M60’s high-speed processor, users can click off pictures with less
than a two-second pause between shots. Two resolution settings (1800 x 1200/900 x
600) and three compression modes make it easy to choose the best balance of size
and image clarity.
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| 02-03-2000 |
Sony Introduces New Digital Mavica Camera Line With 2.1 Mega Pixels And Memory Stick Compatability
 The new Digital Mavica line includes the MVC-FD85 and the MVC-FD90 as well as MVC-FD95 cameras. All three will be available in May for approximately $700, $800 and $1,000, respectively. In addition, the MVC-FD73 Digital Mavica camera (a 1999 model) continues into the year 2000 and is available for about $500. Each of the new Digital Mavica cameras (MVC-FD95, MVC-FD90, MVC-FD85) offers the following features:
The MVC-FD95 Digital Mavica camera raises the bar by combining floppy disk ease-of-use with a 2.1 mega-pixel Super HADÔ CCD imager, powerful 10x optical zoom, and through-the-lens viewfinder using color LCD. This high performance camera also has manual adjustment features, including shutter speed, aperture priority functions and a manual focus ring, as well as Super SteadyShot® optical image stabilization, which removes unwanted camera shake even in the telephoto position. Both the MVC-FD95 and the MVC-FD90 also have an added external flash synch terminal. By attaching Sony's new HVL-F1000 optional flash, images more than 30 feet away
The MSAC-FD2M MemoryStick floppy adapter will be available in March for about
$80. Memory Stick media is available now in 8, 16, 32 and 64 MB capacities
for $30, $50, $80 and $140, respectively. Sony has also introduced a high
speed Memory Stick USB (Universal Serial Bus) adapter (MSAC-US1) that allows
users to transfer digitally stored data from Memory Stick media to a Mac or PC
at a rate of 3MB per second -- 50 times faster than serial connectors. The
MSAC-US1 USB adapter will be available in March and is expected to sell for
about for $70.
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| 02-03-2000 |
Epson Announces Three New Photo PrintersLAS VEGAS--Feb. 3, 2000--Since the advent of color ink jet printing, no manufacturer has been able to rival the quality and longevity of output from a professional photo lab ... until now. Epson America Inc., creator of high- quality, award-winning imaging products, today announced the EPSON Stylus® Photo 870, EPSON Stylus Photo 875DC and EPSON Stylus Photo 1270, the first line of printers to deliver real photo lab quality for consumers and advanced imaging professionals. For the first time, fade resistance (lightfastness) is made possible for ink jet users in a complete solution that combines new printers, papers and inks. The new EPSON Photo Inks come standard with the printers and are used with either the breakthrough EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper or the EPSON Matte Paper-Heavyweight to achieve real photo lab quality prints with fade resistance that rivals standard photo lab prints. All three models also feature the world's first continuous edge-to-edge 4" x 6" snapshot printing system, similar to the print delivery methods used by many of today's commercial photo labs. A roll paper holder feeds the paper through the printer, producing marginless snapshots and panoramics quickly, easily and conveniently with reduced paper consumption. Bi-directional printing increases photo print speeds up to 40 percent faster than the EPSON Stylus Photo 750 and EPSON Stylus Photo 1200 printers, making these new printers more than 60 percent faster than the next fastest competitor. A typical 4" x 6" print can be completed in approximately 48 seconds and an 8" x 10" in 1:50 minutes. EPSON Stylus Photo 870 -- Designed primarily for home and business users, the EPSON Stylus Photo 870 offers the most flexible and easy-to-use solution for real photo lab quality and performance at an affordable price. With a maximum printable area of 8.26" x 43.76," the printer can handle a variety of paper sizes, including: letter, legal and panoramic sizes up to 8.5" x 44." The EPSON Stylus Photo 870 has an estimated street price of $299 and is both Windows and Macintosh compatible, featuring USB, parallel and optional network connectivity. Included with the printer is the EPSON Digital PhotoLab(TM) Starter Kit containing a roll paper holder, sample roll of EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper, EPSON Software Film Factory(TM) and Adobe(TM) Photo Deluxe. EPSON Stylus Photo 875DC -- includes a built-in PCMCIA digital film reader that makes the printer compatible with virtually any digital camera by using the appropriate adapter. Compatible digital film types include CompactFlash(TM) I and II, CompactFlash USB, SmartMedia(TM) I and II and Sony Memory Stick. This printer is Windows and Macintosh compatible with USB only, making it the first printer to offer a built-in card slot compatible for Macintosh. The EPSON Stylus Photo 875DC also has the same paper handling capabilities as the EPSON Stylus Photo 870 with an estimated street price of $399. EPSON Stylus Photo 1270 -- includes a wider 13-inch carriage, offering a greater selection of print sizes frequently used by professional photographers and advanced imaging enthusiasts. The printer comes with special bonus software and upgrades that include Adobe Photoshop 5.0LE and a special full Photoshop upgrade price of $299.
The EPSON Stylus Photo 1270 has an estimated street price of $499.
Professional options include a roll paper holder accessory for panoramic
images and edge-to-edge snapshot printing (sold separately for $39), an
external Ethernet card and Adobe Press Ready Support.
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| 02-02-2000 |
Olympus Announces New D-460 Zoom Camera With Advanced Functionlity for $499
 The D-460 ZOOM's standard features include: 3X optical zoom; 2X digital telephoto at any focal length; 5 mode pop-up intelligent flash; 100, 200, and 400 selectable ISO; easy-viewing from all angles LCD; 2 frames per second burst mode; through-the-lens auto focus; auto white balance with 4-step manual override; center weighted and spot metering systems for auto exposure with +/- 2 step exposure control in 1/2 step increments; video out for viewing on televisions or recording to a VCR; and direct printing to the P-330 Instant Photo Printer. The D-460 ZOOM now offers six levels of recording images (Standard Quality 1 at 640 x 480 with standard compression; Standard Quality 2 at 640 x 480 with standard compression; High Quality JPEG at 1280 x 960 with standard compression; Super High Quality mode (JPEG) at 1280 x 960 with minimal compression; Super High Quality mode (TIFF) at 1280 x 960 uncompressed; Super High Quality mode at 1280 x 960). Photos are saved as industry standard DCF/EXIF, JPEG, or TIFF files, which are easily viewed in most image-editing software and browsers.
The D-460 ZOOM offers a fast shot-to-shot performance. With the internal high-
speed D-RAM enhancement, shots can now be taken as quickly as the image is
focused, with shots being held in the buffer. This means no more waiting
between shots. The D-RAM also allows for burst mode shooting. This mode
enables users to shoot and capture up to 10 images in half-second intervals in
all quality modes: SQ, HQ and SHQ. Similar to that of advanced film cameras,
activation is easy.
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| 02-02-2000 |
Olympus Announces New Point & Shoot Digital Camera For Under $300LAS VEGAS, Feb. 2 -- Olympus America Inc., Digital & Imaging Systems Group, the world leader in film and filmless photography, today announced at the Photo Marketing Association Conference (PMA), the D-360L consumer filmless digital camera for $299. The D-360L digital camera is based on the popular Olympus entry-level D-340R point & shoot digital camera. The Olympus D-360L provides a 1.3 megapixel CCD (1280 x 960 resolution) in a compact, lightweight clam-shell design, and adds new features previously found only in the higher filmless digital cameras. These improved features include a selectable ISO ratings of Automatic, 100, 200 or 400; exposure compensation at +/- 2 steps in 1/2 step increments; selectable digital "ESP" matrix and spot metering. Other features include auto white balance or 4 preset manual settings; DCF file number memory and photos reset options; DPOF printer support; and 2 compression ratios in Standard mode for better personal or web photos. The D-360L also incorporates a 6-mode flash with auto modes including slow syncro and slow syncro flash. The D-360L retains all the popular features of the D-340R, including its compact lightweight ergonomic design, low price, all glass aspherical lens system; burst mode of 10 shots in 1/2 second intervals, 2x digital telephoto mode, NTSC video out, and removable SmartMedia card usage now up to 64MB compatibility. The D-360L includes creative photographic controls you'd expect from an Olympus camera. These include five levels of recording images: Standard Quality 1 at 640 x 480 standard compression, Standard Quality 2 at 640 x 480 low, High Quality at 1280 x 960, Super High Quality (low compression) 1280 x 960, and Super High Quality 1280 x 960 (uncompressed TIFF mode); exposure controls, and flash features. Exposure controls allow users to bracket +/- 2 steps in 1/2 step increments for exposure compensation. Olympus also features a new sophisticated six mode flash, with Auto, Auto-S (red eye reduction), Off, Fill-in, Slow syncro, and Slow syncro with red-eye reduction.
The D-360L includes 4 AA Alkaline batteries, 8MB of panorama SmartMedia
memory, strap, serial cable for PC, coupon for free Mac cable, video
connection cable for NTSC TV or VCR, instruction manuals, and Olympus Camedia
Utility Software for downloading images from the camera. The D-360L will be
available February 2000 for $299.
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| 02-02-2000 |
Nikon View Software Updates for Macintosh OS9The Nikon USA site has posed the update patches for the NikonView software to make it compatible for the Mac OS9 operating system. Here's the notes for the update:
The Nikon View 2.x Update is for Coolpix 700, 800, 900 and 950 ONLY. This update corrects connection problems under Macintosh OS9. These files for NikonView versions 1.2 thru 2.5 The Nikon ViewDX Updates will support the Nikon D1 Digital Camera Only! This updates corrects a system freeze which would occur when attempting to access the D1 via a 1394 interface |
| 02-02-2000 |
Sony Introduces Three New CyberShot Cameras, The DSC-S70 3.3 Megapixel With Zeiss 3x Zoom and Two MoreI was under NDA on these Sony releases until tomorrow but the info is already on the Sony Japan site and on Phil Askey's site in English so...
 All of the new Cyber-shot cameras (DSC-S30, DSC-S50 and DSC-S70) are equipped with a number of innovative features that include:
In addition to the above features, the high performance Cyber-shot DSC-S70 camera delivers the highest image resolution yet offered in a Sony digital camera. It offers a 3.3 mega-pixel CCD, a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens with 3x optical zoom, a convenient optical viewfinder, and a programmable AE mode with fully adjustable shutter speed and aperture priority. The DSC-S70 also features MPEG High Quality Mode, which allows for MPEG full frame playback on a standard television -- rather than ¼ frame playback that had been previously available -- and an increased frame rate of 16 fps that results in smoother movement. In addition to its built-in intelligent flash, the Cyber-shot DSC-S70 camera also has an added external flash terminal for the HVL-F1000. By attaching this optional flash, images more than 30 feet away even in a poorly lit environment will appear clean and crisp. The DSC- S70 communicates directly with the flash, telling it what features have been selected for each image. The HVL-F1000 flash will be available in April for about $120.
Sony continues to offer its popular Cyber-shot DSC-F505 and DSC-770 models,
for about $1,000 and $1,500, respectively.
And more
DSC-S70 images at Sony Japan.
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| 02-02-2000 |
PocketPhoto(TM) Turns Any Palm Computer Into a Photo LibraryORINDA, Calif., Feb. 1 -- Users of Palm and Palm-OS(TM)- compatible handheld computing devices now have the means to carry photos of everything from family members to business products and real estate properties, thanks to an innovative application from Dream House Software, Inc. The application, called PocketPhoto(TM), is a full-featured, inexpensive photo editing and storage tool that recently received Platinum Certification from Palm Computing, its strongest seal-of-approval for compatibility and ease-of- use. It has garnered five-star reviews from dozens of users, as well as top ratings from Palm news and review Web site PDALive, Tucows, and ZDNet. PocketPhoto lets you create an album of up to 100 photos from any source -- desktop PC, digital camera, scanner, or Internet. It easily and quickly uploads photos via HotSync(TM) connection, and lets users manipulate and organize photos to suit their personal and business needs. PocketPhoto features full 16-level gray scale imaging on Palm IIIe(TM), Palm IIIx(TM), and Palm V(TM) connected organizers. It is compatible with any device which runs the Palm operating system, including the Visor personal digital assistant from Handspring, Inc., the TRG TRGPro, and IBM® WorkPad® PC Companion. The album creation software runs on Windows 95 and 98, and requires 5.4 MB of free disk space. All major image formats are supported by PocketPhoto. It supports scanning as well as screen capture, and easily adjusts photos for best viewing.
PocketPhoto sells for $19.95, and is available for download from
PalmGearHQ,
Handango,
Tucows,
ZDNet,
and the Palm Catalog.
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| 02-01-2000 |
Fuji's New Digital Cameras: FinePix S1 Professional, FinePix 4700 and FinePix 1400
 FinePix S1 Professional - 6.1 Megapixel PMA 2000, LAS VEGAS, NV, -- Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. sets a new standard in professional digital photography with the North American debut of the new Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro Digital Camera, the first SLR-type digital camera incorporating Fujifilm's new Super CCD image sensor technology. The first of a new breed of professional digital cameras from Fujifilm, the FinePix S1 Pro has a 1.1 inch Super CCD sensor that delivers an ultra-high resolution image file with 6.1 million pixels (3040 x 2016). It uses a Nikon F lens mount and has continuous shooting of approximately 1.5 frames/second up to five frames, adjustable ISO equivalents of 320/400/800/1600, a shutter speed of 30 to 1/2000 second and compatibility with SmartMedia (up to 64MB), CompactFlash (Card Type II) and the IBM microdrive. Fujifilm's FinePix S1 Pro will be available first half of 2000 at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $4,000. Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro -- Specifications
FinePix 4700 Zoom - 4.3 Megapixel
 PMA 2000, LAS VEGAS, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. provides the North American market with its first public look at the FinePix 4700 ZOOM, the company's first consumer digital camera to feature its new Super CCD image sensor technology. The latest product in Fujifilm's signature 700 series of pocketable digital cameras, the FinePix 4700 ZOOM has a .58-inch Super CCD that generates a 4.3 million-pixel picture file (2400 x 1800). In addition to its multi-million pixel image resolution, the FinePix 4700 ZOOM can also playback up to 80 seconds of AVI video with sound. "The FinePix 4700 ZOOM truly takes digital imaging to the next level, delivering image resolutions and print pixel counts never before seen in a consumer digital camera," said Darin Pepple, Consumer Product Manager, Digital Imaging Division, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. "And by generating larger image files, we think the FinePix 4700 ZOOM will change the way consumers judge digital cameras, focusing more on printable image quality and less on the size of the CCD." The Fujifilm FinePix 4700 Zoom will be available April 2000 for a suggested retail price of under $1,000. FinePix 4700 Specifications:
FinePix 1400 Zoom - 1.3 Megapixel
 PMA 2000, LAS VEGAS, Continuing its tradition of offering quality, feature-laden digital imaging products for consumers making their first foray into digital imaging, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. has unveiled the FinePix 1400 ZOOM, an entry-level digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and megapixel resolution. Following in the design footsteps of the Fujifilm MX-2900 ZOOM, which successfully appealed to advanced amateurs with its SLR-type body style, the FinePix 1400 ZOOM mimics the traditional, point-and-shoot film camera design so familiar to consumers. Despite its inherited looks, the FinePix 1400 ZOOM is a true digital camera, boasting a standard 1.3 million-sensor CCD capable of generating a 1280 x 960-image file resolution, a 1.6-inch liquid crystal display for framing and image review and a removable, 4MB SmartMedia storage card. The FinePix 1400 ZOOM has a bevy of automatic features that make it easy for just about anyone to pick up the camera and take pictures. For example, the FinePix 1400 ZOOM's Fujinon 3x autofocus power zoom lens has a range equivalent to that of a 39mm-117mm zoom in the 35mm format, allowing for a variety of framing choices including macro focusing from 3.5 inches to 2.6 feet. Other features include automatic white balance, programmed exposure and automatic flash. When the novice digital photographer looks to have more control, the FinePix1400 ZOOM has numerous manual features, such as exposure compensation, manual white balance (for specific lighting situations), flash-on-demand, flash cancel, slow synch flash (ideal for night shots) and red-eye reduction. With three compression modes --fine, normal and basic -- the FinePix 1400 ZOOM can capture up to 23 images at the 1,280 x 960-pixel resolution on its packaged 4MB SmartMedia storage card. For accurate framing, the FinePix 1400 ZOOM provides both an optical viewfinder and the aforementioned LCD. With the camera's multi-frame playback feature, nine images can be displayed, all at once, on the LCD.
For fast and easy transfer of digital images to a computer, the camera has a
convenient USB port. Once transferred, stored images can be enhanced using the
Adobe PhotoDeluxe® Home Edition 3.0 image editing software that comes bundled
with the camera. Powered by four AA batteries, the Fujifilm FinePix 1400 ZOOM
will be available April 2000 for a suggested retail price under $500.
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Jan 2000 news
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