01/30/2000: Canon BeBit Site Updates S20 Samples
Thanks to numerous readers sending me email to let me know that the Canon BeBit site has posted some updated S20 sample pictures. There are now six pictures posted here, most are around 2 megabytes in size and shot in manual mode plus a good example of the S20's night mode. According to PIE, that night mode shot was 1/2 sec at F2.9 and it looks very noise-free....[read more]
01/28/2000: Digital Photography Comes of Age at Digital Photo 2000
...[read more]
01/28/2000: Nikon Coolpix 990 First Look Posted
I've only had it for a day and the weather went to crap today but I still got a pretty good First Look of the Coolpix 990 posted along with a very small assortment of sample photos. Please remember that this is a pre-production camera with beta firmware....[read more]
01/28/2000: Aladdin Systems Acquires Kai Line
Scansoft (creators of the award winning TextBridge Pro OCR ) recently acquired the Kai line and they decided to combine PhotoSoap2, SuperGoo, and PowerShow into a new product called PhotoFactory which is now available from DigitalRiver for just .95, that's a savings of about !...[read more]
01/27/2000: Kodak Reduces Digital Camera Prices
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--Jan. 27, 2000--Faced with continued losses in its digital photographic business, Eastman Kodak Co. on Thursday cut the suggested retail price of five popular digital cameras by as much as . Effective today, following are the cameras with new suggested retail prices. Kodak DC290 zoom digital camera, Kodak DC280 zoom digital camera, Kodak DC215 Millennium edition digital camera, Kodak DC215 Silver edition digital camera, Kodak DVC325 digital video camera,...[read more]
01/27/2000: Olympus Japan Intros New C-3030 Zoom
Olympus America Inc., today announced their new C-3030 ZOOM 3.34 Megapixel (2048 x 1536) filmless digital zoom camera to its line of award-winning digital cameras. Full specs on my C-3030 Zoom Info Page Thanks to Danny Brenner editor of Digital Photography World for pointing me to the PC Watch site and their Olympus C-3030 pictures....[read more]
01/26/2000: Nikon Intros 3.34 Megapixel Coolpix 990
MELVILLE, NY, January 27 -- Nikon today introduced the Coolpix 990, a new, top-of-the-line digital camera that packs 3.34 megapixels of resolution and a 3x Zoom-Nikkor lens into a sleek, eye-catching design. Created for the serious photographer who values the quality and versatility that have made Nikon the camera of choice for professionals, with intuitive, easy-to-use features, the Coolpix 990 will hit retail shelves in April with an MSRP of . Want to know more? Of course you do, click HERE !!! 01/27/2000 update: See my Coolpix 990 First Look and sample pictures...[read more]
01/26/2000: Coolpix 800 Firmware 1.1 Upgrade for NTSC Due By 1/31/2000
According to a note on the Nikon USA Tech Support web site the firmware 1.1 upgrade for the NTSC version of the Coolpix 800 will be posted by Jan 31. The firmware upgrade for European users with PAL cameras is already available on the Nikon Euro web site. Also on the Nikon USA site was a note informing us that the new NikonView 2.x and DX (for the D1) software for Mac OS/9 users should also be available by the end of the month....[read more]
01/19/2000: Olympus Releases New C-860L In Europe
Thanks to several readers for pointing me to the Olympus Europe page for the Camedia C-860L camera. It seems that we don't get too excited about new 1.3 megapixel cameras anymore, hard to believe they were "state of the art" just less than two years ago. They keep improving the quality of these cameras and dropping the price to make it an affordable purchase for new digi-photgraphers. The C-860L delivers 1280x960 or 640x480 images in SHQ, HQ or SQ quality JPEG or 1280x960 uncompressed TIF for the ultimate picture quality. It has a 5.5mm (36mm equivalent) lens with three aperture settings (F2.8, F5.6 and F11). TTL digital ESP metering with spot metering option. The color LCD is a 1.8" TFT type, common with all Olympus digicams as is the SmartMedia storage. Undoubtedly we will see the U.S. counterpart of this camera soon as well as some other Olympus "surprises" at...[read more]
01/14/2000: Simple Technology Offers 64MB SmartMedia
SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 13 -- Simple Technology, Inc. today announced the availability of its 64MB SmartMedia(TM), twice the storage of currently available 32MB SmartMedia. The extra storage is equivalent to 30 minutes of CD quality MP3 encoded music or 32 additional pictures with a 2 megapixel still digital camera. SmartMedia provided by Simple Technology is guaranteed to be 100% compatible to industry standard specifications. Simple Technology is a member of the SSFDC Forum, the standardizing organization of SmartMedia, and supports its cards with a 1-year warranty and unlimited toll-free technical support. In addition to 64MB SmartMedia the company also offers 32MB, 16MB, 8MB, and 4MB capacities as well as a PC Card adapter. The 64MB card features a 512Mbit NAND flash, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) memory chip, packaged in an overmolded thin package (OMTP). Erase time is 3ms and access time is 10us for the first...[read more]
01/13/2000: Motorola, Microsoft Veterans Lead Digital Camera Connectivity Start-up
BOULDER, Colo.--Jan. 12, 2000-- Digital Camera Network (DCN) president, Mark Van Buskirk, announced today the appointment of Mark Stair as vice president and C.O.O. and Robert Jordan as vice president of marketing, sales, and business development. Mr. Stair, a fifteen-year veteran of wireless product development, was previously director of Motorola's cellular design center in Seattle. Mr. Jordan has held a variety of senior sales and marketing management positions in the high-technology industry, with Microsoft, Visio & Exabyte. DCN just recently announced their Shoot-2-Print(TM) connectivity technology, without a personal computer of any type. Shoot-2-Print is the process by which a consumer easily uploads the digital camera image through a regular telephone jack and promptly receives final prints using a variety of delivery options. DCN's Shoot-2-Print solutions are the first in a series of innovative digital camera technologies, including TCP/IP, wireless, and photo server architectures. Further information on how DCN is "Changing...[read more]
WILMINGTON, Mass.--Jan. 12, 2000--Agfa Corporation's Desktop Products Group (USA- DTP) announced today that the SnapScan 1212u will receive a "Best Buy" award in the February 2000 issue of Consumer's Digest Magazine. The SnapScan 1212u, a USB- compatible flatbed scanner designed for home and small office use. Offering 36-bit color depth and an optical resolution of 600 x 1200 dpi, the SnapScan 1212u is ideal for home and small office environments. The SnapScan 1212u now ships with ScanWise Agfa's simple-to-use, revolutionary new scanner driver. A key element in the SnapScan 1212u package is ScanWise, the revolutionary scanner driver that brings a truly one-button approach to desktop scanning. In the U.S., the SnapScan 1212u is available for the suggested price of . Agfa will offer a mail-in rebate on the SnapScan 1212u - available now through May 31, 2000. Rebate coupons will be available to customers at national retail chain stores that...[read more]
01/12/2000: Canon Honored as One of the Top Ten Most Innovative Companies of the 20th Century
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--Jan. 12, 2000--Canon U.S.A., Inc. today announced that its parent company, Canon, Inc., has been recognized as one of the top ten most innovative companies of the 20th Century, according to an analysis by MicroPatent LLC. The ranking, which lists the companies that have received the most U.S. patents in the last 100 years, places Canon as No. 9. Canon is one of only two Japan-based companies in the top ten. With a total of 18,876 U.S. patents granted in its 63-year corporate history, Canon broke through the top ten with a No. 5 ranking during the 1980s. The company then rose to its current No. 2 position, which it has held since 1990. As one of the most prolific inventors of consumer and professional imaging solutions, Canon consistently invests over one billion annually in research and development. Among some of the most notable products developed from Canon...[read more]
01/11/2000: Argus Breaks Price Point With Megapixel Digital Camera
Argus Industries Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill., USA is introducing the Argus DC3000 Mega-Pixel Digital Camera kit to consumers at a retail price point under (U.S.). The Internet- ready camera offers 1-million pixel output resolution using a Sony High Resolution CCD Sensor, dual coated switchable optical lens, auto electric flash, LCD multi-function display, 24-bit true color and other features. The kit includes the DC3000 camera, 4Mb Smart Media Card, dual PC interface cables, batteries, a soft camera case, Twain Driver and application software....[read more]
01/10/2000: digitalkamera.de Reports on Fuji European Press Conference
From the German digitalkamera.de web site comes this interesting news gleaned from Fuji's European press conference about their new SuperCCD. "Due to their [SuperCCD] octogonal shape, these are also better matched to circular light-collecting microlenses and gain a higher light yield from both properties, that is to say a higher light sensitivity with improved signal-to-noise ratio and higher dynamics. According to Fujifilm, there's no real reason why we shouldn't see an ISO 800 camera. Real products created from these [SuperCCD] advances are to be expected from Fujifilm from the first half of 2000. Within this time-scale, the company hopes to announce an amateur digital camera that achieves the resolution of a 4 million pixel camera. Nikon, which was for many years Fujiīs partner in the professional imaging market, deciding to go itīs own ways, Fujifilm didnīt want to leave this part of the market to itīs competitors. Thus, a digital...[read more]
01/07/2000: Red River Ink Jet Paper
Red River Paper offers 25 different ink jet papers. From glossy card stocks to coated art papers, Red River has paper to meet just about any need. The sample kit for .99 is a great deal. It includes two 8.5 x 11" sheets of all their papers. You can try them all and decide which works best. They can also custom cut and score just about any product and welcome questions, ideas or recommendations. Stop by www.redriverpaper.com and check out their digital accessories including Epson printers, inks, frames and batteries. They are one of our site sponsors and we thank them for their support....[read more]
01/07/2000: Fuji Ships SuperCCD Cameras Next Month
Fuji Photo Film will release products based on its new Super CCD sensor starting next month. The company did not make details available but confirmed that new cameras using Super CCD technology are slated for shipment in February....[read more]
01/07/2000: Sony Defines IEEE 1394 and Memory Stick as the Future of Home Networking
In an article on TWICE (This Week In Consumer Electronics), Sony calls i.LINK (IEEE 1394) and its Memory Stick storage media as keys in home network and portable network solutions in the near future. On one side of the networked solutions question is the IEEE 1394 (aka FireWire) high speed I/O interface that is rapidly gaining momentum as THE video input standard in new camcorders, digital cameras and PCs. On the other side is the Memory Stick which is now available in 8, 16, 32 and 64MB sizes, with 128MB, 156MB and 1GB sizes coming soon. Sony has reached an agreement to have merchandise displays of Memory Stick products in more than 600 Circuit City locations this spring. Industry support for Memory Stick continues to grow, according to Sony. Lexar Media will begin development of high-speed Memory Stick media. The company joins 26 others firms since November that said they...[read more]
01/06/2000: SCM Microsystems Announces Secure Digital Media Readers
LOS GATOS, Calif., Jan. 6 -- SCM Microsystems, Inc. announced today plans to develop card readers for a new class of flash memory cards, called Secure Digital, or SD memory cards. The readers will be sold with digital consumer electronics devices such as Internet music players and digital cameras to facilitate the rapid and secure transfer of digital information. Under development by leading consumer electronics and digital media companies, including Matsushita Electric, SanDisk and Toshiba, Secure Digital cards are small size, high speed read/write next generation memory cards capable of providing a high level of copy protection for music, movies and other artistic and commercial content....[read more]
01/05/2000: Memorex Enter Flash Memory Market
...[read more]
...[read more]
01/03/2000: Agfa Drops Price On ePhoto Smile To
WILMINGTON, Mass.--Jan. 3, 2000--Agfa Corporation's Desktop Products Group (USA- DTP), a leading provider of award-winning digital cameras and desktop scanners announced today that it has lowered the price on the ePhoto Smile - an entry- level, cost-conscious digital camera. The ePhoto Smile offers features usually reserved for higher-end digital camera models, including video-out capability, for direct access to playing images on television monitors, and a 10-second self-timer. Effective immediately, the ePhoto Smile is now available in the U.S. for the suggested price of ....[read more]
01/03/2000: megapixel.net Jan 2000 Issue Online
Our friends at the megapixel.net have just posted their January 2000 issue online. Reviewed this month are Casio QV-2000UX, Olympus C-2500L, Nikon 800 and the Sony FD73 cameras. If you've never visited the site before please do, it's loaded with all kinds of great digicam info and reviews....[read more]
01/02/2000: DigiCam Web Page Generator
The DigiCam Web Page Generator is a freeware program that makes placing your Digital Camera and Scanner Images on your web page a simple five step process. No need to understand how to create a web page. With the Digi-Cam Web Page Generator you can: Select optional Web page background colors or Images. Select the camera or scanner images you want on your web site. Pre-view your new web page. Click to upload the Web Page and selected pictures to your web site. Simple Five Step Process: Step 1: Enter a Title for your web page, Select Backgrounds and Fonts. Step 2: Select the Images you want to display on your web page. Step 3: Generate your Web Page Files with one easy click. Step 4: Preview the web page to see how it looks before uploading. Step 5: Upload the files to your Internet Web Site....[read more]
01/02/2000: EagleEye OpticZooms Scheduled To Start Shipping 1/20/2000
I received an email from the folks at EagleEye OpticZoom that said they will begin shipping the first batch of OpticZooms on the 20.1.2000. Also they have just now activated their website's secure on-line order and payment facilities and are accepting orders....[read more]
