Olympus Announces 32MB SmartMedia and New FlashPath Adapter
Thanks to the Imaging-Resource for news this item:
Olympus Optical Co. Ltd. today announced the immediate release in Japan of 32MB SmartMedia cards, as well as the planned release of the corresponding 32MB FlashPath reader at the beginning of March. The 32MB "M-32P" SmartMedia cards are available at a price of 15,000 yen (approx. US), and the 32MB-specific FlashPath reader will retail for 12,000 yen (approx. US). The 32MB SmartMedia can also be read using the existing MA-2 PC Card adaptor, or using the existing MAFP-1/1N FlashPath adaptors and accompanying 32MB driver update.
The following equipment from Olympus can accept 32MB SmartMedia cards:
Olympus Digital Cameras
- C-1400XL, C-900ZOOM
- C-1400L, C-1000L (after US upgrade)
- C-840L, C-830L and D-340L (after US upgrade)
Olympus Digital Color Printer
- P-330 (after US upgrade)
Olympus Digital Photo Editor
- VS100ST, VS100MO (after US upgrade)
There are two cautionary notes from Olympus in the press release. The first states that while C-1400L and C-1000L cameras upgraded to 16MB recently were supposed to be able to accept 32MB SmartMedia, and will work under most circumstances correctly, the cameras can occasionally encounter an error which can lose data or even destroy the 32MB SmartMedia card, and hence Olympus is recommending customers return these cameras for a second upgrade free of charge.
The second note is a little odd, and I am not 100% sure of my translation of it, but it appears to warn Olympus C-1400XL users to format their 32MB SmartMedia cards in the camera rather than their PC, stating that data on the card might be lost when a PC-formatted SmartMedia card is inserted into the C-1400XL.
