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October 2002
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| 10-31-2002 |
DSC-F717 Cyber-shot Digital Still Camera Focus IssueSony posted information on their site today acknowledging an auto focus problem with some Cyber-shot F717 cameras. To quote Sony:
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| 10-30-2002 |
Delkin Introduces One Of The Fastest Memory Cards On The Market For Professional Digital Photographers
 Photo (c) 2002 Rob Galbraith Poway CA, October 28, 2002 -- Delkin Devices, a leading US manufacturer of high performance digital photography memory products and accessories, has introduced one of the fastest CompactFlash™ digital memory cards currently on the market. The eFilm™ PRO card is part of Delkin's new premium series of memory cards that are designed to quench the professional photographers thirst for speed. As digital cameras continue to evolve into sophisticated tools, Delkin is positioning the eFilm PRO card as the next generation of digital storage. The eFilm PRO cards are solid-state and designed to be fast and durable for extensive shooting in the most extreme conditions. Optimized for use in professional grade SLR digital cameras, the eFilm PRO cards will initially be available in capacities of 128MB, 256MB, 320MB, 512MB and 640MB. The speed to capture an image has been one of the main concerns with professional photographers ever since the birth of digital photography. The eFilm PRO Card significantly reduces capture times with speeds up to and exceeding 3.6 MB per second sustained write depending on shooting conditions.
Read the entire Delkin press release.
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| 10-28-2002 |
PDN and VNU Expositions Announce The First Annual Vision AwardsOctober 28, 2002, New York, NY -- Photo District News in association with VNU Expositions has announced the winners of the first annual PhotoPlus Expo Vision Awards. The Vision Awards were created "to acknowledge innovative, trend-setting and creative new imaging products and services" on display at the 2002 PhotoPlus Expo which runs from October 31st to November 2nd at the Javits Center in New York City. Many of the products selected will be making their U.S. debut representing the very latest advances in photographic and related technologies. Dominating the awards is the most recent wave of high-end digital capture and output products, many of which were announced within the last month at Photokina in Germany. These include the first 11-million plus digital SLR cameras from Canon (EOS-1DS) and Kodak (DCS Pro 14n) producing images "as good or better than 35mm film." Digital output winners include two large format and one desktop inkjet printer from Epson (Stylus Pro 9600 and 7600, Stylus Photo 2200) that use a new 7-ink system combining print longevity with brilliant color and full toned black and white output. Kodak's large volume thermal dye ML 500 Digital Print System capable of speeds up to one print per thirteen seconds and Kodak's 8500 desktop printer that can make an 8x10 thermal print cheaper than most mini-labs. Consumer digital cameras will enter a new era of data storage at PhotoPlus with the debut of the Olympus C-5050 Zoom camera using the just announced xD-Picture card technology that promises in camera image storage of up to 8 gigabytes. A complete list of categories and winners will be featured in the December issue of PDN, as well as on the PDN Web site and in Photo Imaging News.
For more new products at PhotoPlus Expo 2002 consult the Show Guide and/or the
Photo Plus Expo web site.
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| 10-28-2002 |
WetPixel.com Covers the DEMA 2002 Show
 Our good friends over at WetPixel.com have just posted their coverage of the Dive Equipment & Marketing Association Show in Las Vegas. David Breitigam and Eric Cheng rub elbows with the most famous U/W photographers and check out all of the latest digital camera cases - there are a lot of them now. Turns out the Nikon Coolpix 5000 is the most popular of all of the digicams for U/W use, there were seven different housings for it. And of course the hottest items at the show were new housings for the D60, D100 and S2 Pro dSLRs. David has photos of almost all of the housings at the show, he was a busy guy. Note that the page linked above is not Netscape friendly at all, Internet Explorer is highly recommended for proper viewing.
WetPixel.com has also posted some
U/W Housing Reviews. Currently they have covered Ikelite Fuji S2 Pro Housing,
Aquatic A5000 Housing for Nikon CP5000, Light & Motion Titan Housing for Olympus E-10/20
and the Aquatica A995 Nikon CP995 housing.
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| 10-28-2002 |
Minolta Introduces the Dimage Scan Dual III Film Scanner
Read our full Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual III
review
Ramsey, NJ (October 28, 2002) - Minolta Corporation expands its DiMAGE film scanner line with the introduction of the affordable new Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual III. The easy to use DiMAGE Scan Dual III allows first time users and advanced users alike to produce high- quality scans from 35mm and Advanced Photo System* film that equal or surpass more expensive film scanners and that offer quality not available in flatbed scanners. This economical and versatile new film scanner features new image enhancing options, a fast plug and play USB 2.0 interface and easy-to-use scanning features. The Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual III will be available in November 2002 and is estimated to retail in the $300 price range.
Read the entire DiMAGE ScanDual III press release
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| 10-26-2002 |
Olympus C-5050 Zoom First Look Posted
 I just posted our Olympus C-5050 Zoom First Look review. Olympus has taken their popular C series to the next level with a 5-megapixel imager, all-magnesium body, tiltable color LCD, multiple media choices and just about every exposure mode and image size imaginable. The full review and sample photos will be posted in a couple of weeks after we get a production level C-5050 Zoom.
10/30/2002 update: Our full Olympus C-50 Zoom review
has also just been posted. This is an excellent compact camera with the resolution of
larger digicams, a quality 3x zoom lens and a durable all-metal body. Check it out, it
will make an excellent holiday gift!
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| 10-25-2002 |
Toshiba Introduces New PDR-T30 Digicam With Touchscreen LCD
 IRVINE, CA, October 25, 2002 Toshiba Imaging Systems, a division of Toshiba American Information Systems, today launched the new flagship of its touchscreen LCD equipped digital camera line-up, the model PDR-T30. The PDR-T30 has a 2x optical zoom all-glass lens (38-76mm 35mm equivalent) with macro capability for incredible close-ups. Shutter speed ranges from 1/1000 second to 4 seconds. The new PDR-T30 is the third generation of Toshiba digital cameras to sport a PDA-like touchscreen. This system uses self-explanatory icons located on the bright, 1.5-inch color LCD to assist the photographer in navigating controls such as white balance, shutter speed, digital zoom and scene select modes. The user simply taps on the icons with a stylus to move through the camera's menus. Making a striking visual impression in its stylish, highly-polished aluminum housing, the PDR-T30 picks up Toshiba's benchmark "tap and shoot" concept and elevates it to a new level by incorporating a high-resolution 3.2 megapixel CCD (2048 x 1536) for capturing brilliant, sharp images in universal JPEG format, along with a new AVI movie mode that enables the camera to double as a digital video camcorder. Another new benefit is a built-in paint program accessible on the LCD. This ground-breaking feature provides users with the ability to draw on the photographs they take, plus make detailed notes on the image, a feature especially attractive to real estate agents, insurance adjusters, contractors and other professionals who need to carefully document and share multiple images. Color choice and pen thickness are user selectable.
The Toshiba PDR-T30 3.2 megapixel digital camera will be available in
November 2002 with an MSRP of $449. Although small in size, this innovative
and user-friendly camera is big on features that will appeal to consumers on
a number of levels.
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| 10-25-2002 |
ImageBuddy v2.6.0 For Macintosh UpgradedKepmad Systems today released ImageBuddy v2.6.0 for Both Mac OSX and Classic. ImageBuddy's simple and intuitive interface lets you rotate, size, crop, mask and layout your digital photos for printing in just a few simple click. Version 2.6.0 adds support for printing EXIF data with your photo’s and fixes a number of bugs. This version also improves integration with OSX and improves support for Drag & Drop from iPhoto, extending the limited printing capabilities of iPhoto. ImageBuddy v2.6.0 is a digital photo printing program for the MacOS, Classic & OSX, that lets you View, Grade, Layout, Crop, Mask and Overlay your digital photo’s quickly and easily. With ImageBuddy you can produce high quality contact sheets using Drag & Drop to quickly sort your photo’s. ImageBuddy’s Page Layout functions allows you to select just the photo’s you want printed and size them in several standard sizes. You can also crop and adjust their size to fit that special frame. ImageBuddy offers both on the fly media saving layout that adjusts to your placed images or you can switch to manual mode and control an image’s placement. ImageBuddy contains many more features to numerous to list and is available as shareware allowing you to try before you buy.
ImageBuddy v2.6.0 is only $17.00 and comes with unlimited free upgrades. Check
out http://www.kepmad.com/ and get your copy today.
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| 10-23-2002 |
And More New Reviews...Slow news time is good for us as we continue to crank out the new camera reviews. Just posted is the Photosmart 850 review of HP's new flagship digicam, four megapixel resolution and a powerful 8x optical zoom lens. Like its siblings, the 850 can be used with the new HP 8881 Digital Camera Dock, offers a host of exposure options and won't break the bank at $499. From a super zoom to an Ultra Zoom, next on the list is the Olympus C-730UZ review. Olympus updates their popular C-7xx series with a 10x optical zoom, sound recording, dual media support: xD-Picture Card and SmartMedia, 4 MyModes, Super Macro, 2.4fps burst mode, noise reduction, Scene program modes and Optimum Image Enlargement mode. And we look at the latest Canon i850 Photo Printer, it's a very fast, 4-color photo and general purpose printer. Using Canon's MicroFine Droplet technology the i850 outputs 5 picoliter droplets intermixed with 2 picoliter droplets to simulate the "light" magenta and cyan found on their 6-color printers. And it works amazingly well. Side by side prints from the i850 and my S9000 were very comparable in both overall image quality and speed. The i850 flies through printing tasks, creating borderless 4x6" prints in about 50 seconds and borderless letter size in about two minutes. Printing text or color documents is incredible, it outputs a full page of black text in 10 seconds and even the most complex color sales brochure with various fonts, fills and photos only took 16 seconds (my speedy S9000 took 37 seconds.) This printer has both a full-speed USB 2.0 and a IEEE 1284 parallel port.
10/24/02 update: Today we posted our Sony Cyber-shot
U10 review of an incredibly small, 1.3-megapixel camera complete with a one-inch
color LCD that runs on just two AAA size batteries. How does it fare? Amazingly
well. We were quite impressed by the
images that come out of this miniature marvel. If you like them small then this one
may be just what you're looking for.
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| 10-20-2002 |
The "Goings On"This time of the year the news is slow, thankfully, because I still have a pile of new cameras to review. Be sure to check out this week's Sunday Morning Photographer article, Mike always has something interesting to say. Also check out the past issues in our SMP Index, it's good reading.
Recently posted a couple more camera reviews, the
Powershot 230, Canon's first 3-megapixel Digital
ELPH. Nobody knows how to do "small" better than Canon and this camera proves it.
And the Fuji A200, an excellent
two-megapixel camera for anyone that wants a simple, easy to use digicam that is
affordable ($179) and delivers excellent image quality. If you're looking for a great
holiday gift for a digital newbie, this is a perfect choice.
A new entry into the super-compact category is the Casio
QV-R4, an-ELPH sized, four-megapixel digicam with 3x zoom and a durable, stainless
steel body.
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| 10-17-2002 |
Three Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. Web Sites Win Top Web AwardsOCTOBER 17, 2002 - ELMSFORD, NY - Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. today announced that three of its innovative and user-friendly Web sites have won WebAwards from the Web Marketing Association. "Fujifilm is a technology company," said Camilla Jenkins, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Fuji Photo Film U.S.A, Inc. "That's why it's so terrific to receive recognition and commendations around our Web initiatives, which allow our customers to learn more about our complete line of products and services, our retail partners, and of course, our support of environmental and community concerns." Fujifilm took honors for the following sites:
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| 10-16-2002 |
More Camera Reviews PostedWe're slowly but surely making our way through a pile of cameras that have come in for review in the last couple of weeks. Today we posted two reviews of Fuji's new digicams that use the xD-Picture Card. We still have another one to go but for now have a look at these new and affordable digicams:
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| 10-14-2002 |
PowerEx Introduces New MH-C401FS "100 Minute Cool Charger"LA VERNE, CA -- Maha Energy Corp., the maker of the PowerEx brand batteries and chargers, unveils its latest battery charger for AA & AAA batteries: MH-C401FS, dubbed the “100 minute cool charger,” this charger is designed to charge with speed and accuracy. The enhanced FLEX negative pulse microprocessor not only drops charging temperature but it also delivers the most complete charge of any charger in its class. The new FLEX negative pulse algorithm also significantly enhances battery life. The new flagship charger from Maha will carry an unprecedented lifetime limited warranty. The MH-C401FS is also the first charger on the market to offer users the choice of a 100 minute rapid charge or a slower and gentle 5 hour charge, both driven by microprocessor termination control to prevent overcharge. Accomplished simply by flipping a switch, the 5 hour gentle charge achieves ultra-cool charging when charging time is not crucial.
Unlike some ultra-fast charger on the market, the MH-C401FS charger has four independently controlled and
powered channels to charge and monitor each battery individually. This allows each battery to be charged to its full
potential without the risk of overcharging. The charger can charge one, two, three or four batteries.
The PowerEx charger, built from the software up, features new charging and termination algorithm not found on
any consumer charger on the market. The MH-C401FS battery/charger kit, which includes four 1800mAh NiMH
batteries, battery carrying case and car kit, will retail for US$ 49.95.
The worldwide travel edition will retail for $59.95.
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| 10-12-2002 |
New Reviews, Updates and Cameras...
We are literally buried under a pile of new digicams to review and are working on no less
than ten of them at the moment. Recently posted was the full
Fuji A303 review. This is an excellent 3-megapixel
entry level digicam with very good image quality. And we have now completed our
DiMAGE 7Hi review with sample photos and
a conclusion. Also posted the HiTi 640DL
printer review of a fast and economical mini-lab printer.
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| 10-09-2002 |
LaserSoft Releases SilverFast 6 with SRD, a Unique Scratch and Dust Removal Function for Scanned ImagesKiel, Germany, September 2002 -- LaserSoft Imaging now incorporates SilverFast SRD, an advanced scratch and dust removal function, into its award-winning SilverFast scanning and image enhancement software product line. SRD provides users with the capability to easily remove dust and scratches from images either during scanning or from scanned raw data files. Unlike other scratch and dust removal products, SRD works with black and white images as well as color image files. A real-time preview permits users to determine the best possible setting for removing scratch and dust artefacts. SRD will be integrated into all versions of SilverFast 6 including SilverFast Ai, SilverFast HDR and SilverFast SE. Other features of SilverFast 6 include Selective Color Correction with Multi-Layers and Masking for handling complex images, ACR, known as Adaptive Color Restoration, to bring back faded or normalize over-saturated colors, SC2G a sophisticated function for converting color images to greyscale, and GANE a tool for eliminating grain and noise while preserving image detail. In addition to these exciting new features, SilverFast has implemented a new help system utilizing Apple QuickTime movies. The movies let users visualize how corrections can be applied to an image. Besides an introductory QuickTime movie each main dialog has it's own instructional QuickTime movie that can be called while inside a dialog. "For the first time, a large 1:1 sized movie is exactly where the user needs it: inside the respective dialog" says Karl-Heinz Zahorsky, President & Founder of LaserSoft Imaging. SilverFast 6 will is available now, demo-versions and upgrades can be downloaded from www.silverFast.com. LaserSoft Imaging AG is the developer of scan and imaging software SilverFast Ai for scanners, SilverFast HDR for raw data processing, SilverFast DC and DCPro for digital cameras and SilverFast PhotoCD for processing of Kodak's PhotoCD format.
SilverFast Ai is bundled with major manufacturers such as Epson, Kodak, Polaroid, Nikon,
Microtek, Umax, Cruse, Seitz, Quatographic, PIE, PFU, Pentacon Camera and others.
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| 10-09-2002 |
Dazzle Offers Break-Through Video Quality Through Hi-Speed USB 2.0Fremont, Calif. - October 9, 2002 - SCM Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCMM; Neuer Markt: SMY), a leading provider of solutions that open the Digital World, announces the world's first Hi-Speed USB 2.0 video editing system, the Dazzle Digital Video Creator 150 (DVC 150). The DVC 150 leverages the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interfaces being built into many new PCs to allow consumers to capture video at 25% higher quality than before. The Hi-Speed DVC 150 can take video from any camcorder, TV or VCR and convert it to DVD quality MPEG-2 video which compresses the video to 25% of its original size saving valuable hard disk space while keeping DVD quality. The DVC 150 is also compatible with PCs using existing USB 1.1 connections. The DVC 150 comes with 3 powerful software applications: Dazzle MovieStar 5 for video editing, Dazzle DVD Complete to design and burn interactive DVDs and Dazzle OnDVD to make photo slideshows for DVD players. Users can take their edited video and output to a VCR tape, burn a Video CD, make a DVD or even stream the video across the Internet via the Dazzle Webcast Theater.
Dazzle supports Windows 98 SE, 2000, ME and XP operating systems. The
Dazzle Digital Video Creator 150 (DVC 100) is priced at $199.99 (MSRP) and
is available now.
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| 10-08-2002 |
Callisto Announces CD Picture EssentialsPhoto software designed specifically for photofinishers offering CDs to their customers Natick, Mass.-- October 8, 2002 -- Callisto Corporation today announced CD Picture Essentials, software designed specifically for photofinishers offering CDs to their customers. CD Picture Essentials provides customers with an effortless way to view, share and print the digital photos they receive on a CD from their photofinishing service. The software also includes editing tools for touching up and enhancing photos. CD Picture Essentials has a simple, step-by-step interface that lets customers send photos by e-mail, print them on their home printer, and even create dazzling PhotoParade slideshows and albums that are easy to share with friends and family. CD Picture Essentials software can be customized to display the photofinisher's name and a link to their website. The slideshows created with CD Picture Essentials are also co-branded with the photofinisher's name. "Photofinishers offering our user-friendly software on their photos CDs can boost customer satisfaction with their services, by giving them more ways to enjoy and share photos," said Mike Barta, CEO of Callisto. Pakon, a supplier of innovative digital imaging equipment for photofinishers, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Kodak, has licensed CD Picture Essentials for use with their new F235 high speed film scanning systems. Licensing CD Picture Essentials
CD Picture Essentials is available immediately. For more information on licensing CD Picture Essentials,
please email sales@photoparade.com
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| 10-07-2002 |
Nikon Offers New Firmware Upgrades for D100, D1X and D1H and a Buffer Enhancement for D1X Digital SLR CamerasMELVILLE, NY, October 7, 2002 - Nikon USA today announced an impending new version of Capture photo editing software - Capture 3.5, in addition to upgrading firmware on its D1X, D1H and D100 digital SLR cameras. Nikon will also be offering buffer memory size enhancement service for its D1X camera. The upgrades allow owners of these models to enjoy enhanced performance and improved features, along with expanded software capabilities. "The software, firmware and buffer size upgrades reinforce Nikon's continued commitment to provide our customers with improved functionality and support for developing technologies," said Richard LoPinto, Vice President, SLR Camera Systems, at Nikon Inc. "By incorporating a flexible design in our products, Nikon is able to offer such upgrades, providing added value to Nikon digital SLR camera owners, as well as enabling them to adapt their equipment to the constantly changing technological landscape" he added. NikonCapture 3.5 Upgrader New Features Let You Do More with NEF files Capture 3.5 adds new features to the impressive performance of Capture 3 - an image editing software that extends the capabilities of the camera and offers extensive control of images shot in Nikon Electronic Format (NEF). NEF is a highlight of Nikon's digital SLR photography system, providing archival characteristics and extensive non-destructive editing tools, while preserving the integrity of the original raw image data. Using a combination of Capture 3.5 software and NEF files, photographers have an unmatched degree of creative and technical editing control over their images, without ever disturbing the original file data. With Capture 3.5, photographers can now control and correct vignetting - a darkening of the edges and corners of an image. With Nikkor optics vignetting is minimized, but to some extent will always appear. Using advanced algorithm design, Capture 3.5's Vignette Control Tool can help further minimize or, in some conditions, visually eliminate the appearance of vignetting. Additionally, Capture 3.5 can now process NEF files produced by the Nikon D1X to 10MB in size, resulting in better potential for making large size prints directly from NEF files. New Firmware Means Enhanced Camera Performance Over the past year, Nikon's D100, D1X and D1H digital SLR cameras have become the camera of choice for thousands of photographers who rely on the features, image quality, durability and ergonomic handling of these cameras to create beautiful pictures. With new upgrades in firmware, the capabilities of these cameras extend to meet newly developed technologies and offer enhanced features:
D1X Enhanced Buffer Size Buffer size plays an important role in virtually all types of photography, as it directly affects how many pictures can be taken in one continuous sequence before the camera pauses to write images to the memory card. Currently the D1X digital SLR is capable of taking pictures at approximately three frames per second, up to nine frames in JPEG or TIFF mode, and six in NEF raw mode. Effective November 1st, Nikon will be able to offer buffer enhancement service for the D1X. This will effectively increase the buffer size of the camera, enabling it to capture 21 JPEG or TIFF files or 14 NEF raw files in continuous mode. Buffer enhancement service is available for a list price of $234, excluding local taxes and a $12.50 shipping and handling fee. For upgrade content information, service location and other details, please
refer to a comprehensive listing at
www.nikonusa.com/dslrupgrade. The firmware upgrades for D1X, D1H and D100 cameras
are free, you pay only to ship the camera to Nikon, they pay the return shipping.
The upgrade service will commence at the end of October.
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| 10-04-2002 |
New Reviews Just PostedTalk about covering a wide range of digital cameras ... we just posted the Olympus C-4000 Zoom review of a fully featured yet very affordable 4-megapixel camera. The C-4000 Zoom is an excellent choice for beginners or those looking for a camera that offers a wide range of exposure options and image sizes.
And at the other end of the spectrum is our
Kodak DCS Pro Back 645 review of a top of the line, 16-megapixel digital back for
medium format cameras like the Mamiya 645 AFD, Contax 645 series or Hasselblad H1. This is as
good as it gets for the professional photographer who up until now was only satisfied
with the results that come from film.
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| 10-01-2002 |
First Canon EOS-1Ds Samples PostedI have just updated our Canon EOS-1Ds review with the first of our sample photos. Our weather has been up and down, mostly down, with all of the recent tropical activity so it has limited our outdoor picture taking. Canon gave us the OK to post sample images from our pre-production EOS-1Ds camera as long as we marked them as such. I will be adding more as time and weather permits and we will re-do all of the samples once we have a final production camera. So far the images are looking good, check out the detail in our usual school house (red brick building) shot, it is amazing.
Kodak LS443 Review PostedJust posted is our complete Kodak LS443 review of this brand new, four-megapixel EasyShare camera. The LS443 features a high-quality 3x zoom and is Kodak's first EasyShare camera to use a proprietary rechargeable battery. Definitely a good choice for those wanting an easy to use camera with enough image resolution capable of making up to 13x19" size prints. |
| 10-01-2002 |
Nikon Announces Fall 'Coolpix Cash Back Event' With Savings on Selected Coolpix Digital CamerasMELVILLE, N.Y., Oct. 1 -- Nikon USA today announced their new "Coolpix Cash Back Event" promotion which includes a series of Fall rebates and savings programs on five of its most popular Coolpix digital cameras purchased between October 1 and December 31, 2002 -- the Coolpix 2000, Coolpix 2500, Coolpix 3500, Coolpix 4500 and Coolpix 5000. Nikon is offering $20 instant savings on the Coolpix 2000, Coolpix 2500 and Coolpix 3500 digital cameras. Consumers will be eligible for a $50 rebate from Nikon upon the purchase of a Coolpix 4500 digital camera and a $100 rebate to eligible customers who purchase the Coolpix 5000 between October 1 and December 31, 2002.
(This rebate is offered exclusively by Nikon Inc. only for new Nikon purchases made and
delivered in the 50 United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.)
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| 10-01-2002 |
LetsGoDigital.nl Photokina ArticlesMark sent me an email with their latest postings of product news from the Photokina show which is now over. Everybody was interested in seeing Kodak's new Pro14n SLR and they got a little "hands on" time with it too: |
| September 2002 News |
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