Misc. Digicam News Tidbits

The PowerShot website of Canon U.S.A. Inc. has re-posted the firmware upgrades for the A10, A20, S110 Elph, S300 Elph, S30, S40, G2 and EOS D30. Enhancements include support for the new Direct Print function with the Canon CP100 photo printer and support for multi-vendor Exif2.2 data. These firmware updates were temporarily pulled until Canon could verify that they were not the cause of some users' problems experienced during the upgrade process. Also available is an update to the ZoomBrowser EX software included in Canon digital cameras.

HP is now shipping its first 4-megapixel digicam, the PhotoSmart 812, announced back in Jan. 2002. The 812 features a Pentax 3x optical zoom and can connect directly to HP USB inkjet printers and has an optional camera dock. The 812 has an MSRP of and has been spotted on the "street" for around .

Epson America Inc. has reduced the price of its EPSON Stylus Photo 820 inkjet printer. The six-color printer, which offers BorderFree printing and 2,880-by-720 dpi resolution, is now available for . Additionally, the Stylus Photo 820 has been redesigned with a new metallic design that closely resembles the silver and gray body style of many digital cameras.

Club Photo Inc. is cutting prices on 4-by-6 digital prints from 45 cents to 25 cents. "Club Photo's introduction of total digital photo services makes it both easy and economical for consumers to order 4-by-6, 5-by-7 or 8-by-10 prints," said Andrew Wei, president and CEO of Club Photo. "Until now, the market pricing for 4-by-6 digital prints was significantly higher than prints from traditional film, which has impacted user decisions to order digital prints previously."