Digital Photography News Archive!
November 2000

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Thursday, November 30, 2000

• Posters: Don't be limited by the size of your paper! Print a dozen images on one page, or cover an entire wall with a single photo. Qimage can not only arrange multiple prints on one page, but also allows printing a single image across multiple pages. You can even print wallets, 5x7's, 8x10's and posters in the same print session if you like. There are no limits! Simply enter the size of your poster and you'll get a confirmation message stating that your print will cover multiple pages. Want to fill 9 full 8.5 x 11 pages in a poster? No problem, just enter 3* in both the horizontal and vertical print bounds and you'll get a 3 x 3 poster! New print interpolation options allow you to set the print interpolation threshold for posters and single page images separately so that you can still interpolate your posters without stretching the RAM in your PC too far!
  
• Dark frame subtraction: As part of the Qimage Pro batch filter, you can now subtract dark frames from your long exposure shots. And that's not all! Point the filter to a folder that contains ALL your dark frames (one for each shutter speed above 1 second for example) and Qimage Pro will automatically select the correct dark frame to subtract from your originals based on the EXIF info! That means that you need only take a single shot for each long shutter speed on your camera (there are normally less than ten) and store them in a folder. Then, when you take long exposure pics with your camera, simply batch up all your images and it won't matter what shutter speed you used: Qimage Pro's dark frame filter will pick the right one to subtract those hot pixels in every image! The filter even checks the camera model number so you can use this method with multiple cameras. And... we didn't stop there. Not only can Qimage Pro subtract a dark frame in the traditional way, it can also use the dark frame as a hot pixel mask which uses the dark frame to identify hot pixels, interpolating them in the original rather than subtracting them. The results of the hot pixel interpolation based on the dark frame can be stunning (see images below). Thanks to Dave Etchells of Imaging Resource for pointing out this problem and suggesting this new method of dark frame correction!
  
• New print engine: Qimage Pro v10.0 has an all new print engine that prints more efficiently and has higher compatibility with a wide range of printers. No more fussing with options to try to figure out what print combinations your print driver needs. As a result, the "Print Prescaling" option has been removed.
  
• New 32 bit code: All code has been recompiled and retested under the latest version of our 32 bit compiler. With the new compiler and new print engine, we anticipate less problems with memory and more room for you to perform those memory intensive filtering and printing operations.
  
• More information about your prints: No need to wonder what resolution your prints will be. Just look at the queue. In addition to identifying print DPI, you can also get an indication of how much memory will be passed to your print driver. The new information goes hand-in-hand with poster printing because Qimage Pro won't stop you from trying to print a 30 inch by 20 inch poster at 300 dpi (if you have your poster resolution set that high). In this case, you will be able to see that Qimage Pro will be passing 162 MB to the print driver. Note that the value listed is the MINIMUM amount of RAM required to print the job. Although the value is always correct for the amount of data being passed to the print driver, the amount of RAM needed to do the job may be TWICE the amount indicated if you have associative filters attached to the images, a printer profile is installed, etc.
  
• v10.02 maintains maximum print quality while minimizing print spool size. New print routines analyze selected print quality, original image size, desired print size, and other factors to make intelligent decisions regarding how to spool the output. This means that you'll get the same incredible print quality that you've come to expect of Qimage Pro, while drastically reducing the resource burden on your print driver by spooling less data than ever before.
  
• Qimage Pro now utilizes swap files to create more manageable print jobs that require much less RAM.
  
• Improved print quality eliminates "jagged edges" in prints.

• Multiple input device profile tags: Use the new color management profile tools to ensure accurate color from all your input devices. You can "connect" your own custom ICC profiles for specific cameras or purchase one of the available profiles from the Qimage Pro Plugin Center (see next bullet). This new system allows you to specify the color space used by all your cameras and/or scanners separately.
  
• ICC profiles versus Qimage Pro color plugins: We are phasing out the older Qimage Pro color plugins which were Qimage Pro specific, and phasing in standard ICC profiles. The new profiles, which can be used in Qimage Pro, PhotoShop, PhotoPaint or any ICC application, offer greater portability, higher accuracy, and less noise than the older plugins. In contrast to color plugins that were used in the batch filter to convert data to the sRGB color space, these new ICC profiles are used in the "Color Management" section of Qimage Pro under "Options". We are working on creating new ICC profiles for all the cameras that currently have color plugins available. If you check the Qimage Pro Plugin Center, you will see an "ICC Profile" link under your camera model on the list if one is available. If the ICC profile for your camera is not available yet, just check back in a few days. As with the previous color plugins, all ICC profiles will be $12.99 per camera model. What if you bought one of the previous QP color plugins and want to "upgrade" to the new ICC profile for the same camera model? We'll give you the new ICC profile for free! Just follow the directions on the "ICC Profile" link for your camera model at the Qimage Pro Plugin Center. PLEASE do not send us email or inquiries about getting any ICC profiles unless the link shows that the profile for your camera is ready. If you send us email requesting an ICC profile before that profile is available, you will not get a response.
  
• Profile to profile conversions: You can perform profile to profile conversions on image(s) in Qimage Pro v10.2. On the filter application/conversion dialog (accessed after applying a batch filter or after selecting "Convert images" from right clicking in the queue).
  
• Working spaces now provided: Adobe RGB, Apple RGB, NTSC, sRGB and Color Match working spaces are now included and are stored in your Qimage folder.
  
• We fixed a bug in v10.1x versions that caused problems when printing images very close to the maximum size of the page (8x10 on some printers).

• The Art of Digital Photography Part 1 - Principles of photography, apertures and shutter speeds, apertures and depth of field. Followed by Fuji FinePix 4900 specifications, external features and control.
• The Art of Digital Photography Part 2 - Good composition, things to look for in your photos. Followed by Fuji FinePix 4900 review part 2, covering the LCD display, viewfinder, and SuperCCD image sensor.
• The Art of Digital Photography Part 3 - The principles of lighting and flash photography. No camera review in this episode...

"We are delivering the much anticipated promise of CMOS-based image sensor technology, today," stated Ian Olsen, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Y Media. "We'll enable OEMs to go from discrete still cameras to hybrid motion video cameras and ultra-portable image capture devices. The result will be products that can simultaneously offer long battery life, superior image quality, and compact size."

"The growth of SQ's business is a reflection of their commitment to customer satisfaction, and distinguished by their many years of service with MEI," stated Norio Tsuruta, Y Media's Japan Regional Director. "Led by the Japanese market, demand for image sensors in mobile phones, PCs and digital cameras continues to increase. SQ's logistic ability and on-time delivery will be a tremendous asset to Y Media's customers."

"To truly address the needs of our Japanese customers online, a Japanese language website will be launched on December 1st," continued Y Media's CEO Ian Olsen. "Initially the site will focus on design and engineering information. However, to facilitate high volume production, our next-generation website will permit customers to view and suppliers to populate a central database providing real-time access to detailed product status. The ability to control and manage today's demanding component supply chain offers a significant competitive advantage to Y Media's customers."

Adina Shorr, Corporate Vice President of CreoScitex stated: "We are very excited at the prospects of this alliance with Mamiya America Corporation. Mamiya's in-depth understanding of the photographers' needs, as well as the company's expertise in delivering solutions to the imaging market will help us address the demanding professional photographer market."

Jan Lederman, President of Mamiya America Corporation, noted: "We have decided to venture into the digital world with CreoScitex/Leaf as their products are perfectly suited to our long-term goal of providing the imaging world with the best available tools."

"The prediction that 1999 would be the springboard year for PC cameras to penetrate the consumer market was right on target," said Chris Chute, research analyst for IDC's Digital Cameras and Scanners program. "Now, the critical factors fueling the digital camera market's growth include bundling with PC vendors and developing a growing infrastructure."

"As bandwidth increases and USB2 adoption corrects the videostreaming issues, the PC camera market will continue to grow at an impressive rate," Chute said.

Wednesday, November 29, 2000

• Canon ZR10
  
• Canon Elura2
  
• Canon Elura2MC
  
• Canon GL1

• Nikon Coolpix 950 - Thanks to its pivoting LCD/Lens design and great macro lens the Nikon Coolpix 950 is great for all types of photography. Its high resolution image sensor allows for photographic quality prints at sizes up to 8x10 in. size. Its threaded lens also accepts add-on lenses, which help to extend the cameras capabilities.
  
• Nikon Coolpix 880 - The new Coolpix 880 takes almost all the features from the larger Coolpix 990 and then adds some of it's own. New to this model is an 11-scene selector making it a breeze to capture perfect shots in tricky situations. The smaller body design of the Coolpix 880 makes it easier to travel with while it's 3.34 megapixel image sensor guarantees incredible photo quality images at sizes up to 11x14 in. in size.
  
• Nikon Coolpix 990 - Exclusive features such as Best Shot Selector, 4096 step auto focus, 256-segment matrix metering, pivoting lens/viewfinder, and fast internal buffer has made the Coolpix 990 one of the all-time best selling digital cameras. Its threaded lens also accepts add-on lenses which help to extend the cameras capabilities.
  
• Canon Powershot S20 - The Powershot S20 offers high-resolution digital photography that fits into your pocket. It's 3x optical zoom lens and bright color LCD display make this model a joy to use.
  
• Canon Powershot S100 Digital Elph - The Powershot S100 offers high-resolution digital photography in an even smaller package than the Powershot S20. It's 2x optical zoom lens and panorama stitch assist mode make the S100 a great choice for a digital camera you can take anywhere.
  
• Canon Powershot G1 - The new G1 from Canon has quickly become one of our most popular models. With it's wide range of aperture control, fast lens, manual controls, high-resolution 3.34 megapixel CCD and Hot Shoe for adding a more powerful external flash the Powershot G1 will give you professional quality images with maximum control.
  
• Olympus D360L - You don't have to break the bank to get high resolution digital photographs. The D360L from Olympus is the perfect digital camera for taking pictures that will allow you to stay in touch with relatives and friends around the country or around the world. 1.3 Megapixels allow for photo quality output at sizes up to 5x7 in.
  
• Olympus D460 Zoom - The D460 Zoom features the same benefits as the D360L (above) but also adds a 3x optical zoom lens. The addition of the 3x zoom makes this a great all-around family camera. Zoom in on the action when you can't get yourself closer to it.
  
• Olympus D490 Zoom - The D-series (D360/D460/D490) all have a familiar 35mm-like point & shoot body design with sliding lens cover. The D490 zoom adds a higher resolution 2.1 megapixel image sensor allowing you to crop out part of the image later while still maintaining enough pixels for a good size print. This model also allows for larger photo quality prints (up to 8x10 in.) which have become popular among photo enthusiasts.
  
• Olympus C-3000 Zoom - The C-3000 zoom is a perfect blend of convenience and control. The internal memory buffer allows for rapid shot-to-shot picture taking, the 1.8-inch LCD is bright enough to see - even in direct sunlight, fully automatic mode allows for fast and convenient photography while Aperture & Shutter priority modes allow you more control over depth-of-field and action photography.
  
• Olympus C-3030 Zoom - The C-3030 is similar to the C-3000 above but features a larger internal memory buffer for even faster operation, it includes 16MB memory (vs. 8MB) and comes standard with photo editing software. Otherwise the two models are virtually identical to each other.
  
• Olympus C-2100 Ultra Zoom - For the first time you can have the power of a 10x zoom lens in a high-resolution (2.1 megapixel) digital camera. Olympus has even given this camera an image-stabilizer to help prevent camera shake at long telephoto settings. Comfortable 35-mm SLR like design and TTL viewfinder also help to elevate the C-2100 Ultra Zoom from the rest of the pack.
  
• Olympus C-211 Zoom / Printer - Incredible! Olympus has combined a 2.1 Megapixel digital camera with a built-in printer by Polaroid. Full featured camera features 3x optical zoom, 3 ISO settings, automatic focus & white balance. Images can be transferred to your computer or printed right in the camera on standard Polaroid film.
  
• Fuji MX-1300 - Fuji has beat the competition with it's low price and high resolution image sensor. Great pictures don't have to cost a fortune and the Fuji MX-1300 proves it!
  
• Fuji MX-2400 - Similar in design to the Fuji MX-1400 the new MX-2400 features a 2.1 megapixel image sensor and 3x optical zoom lens. It's high speed USB port allows for fast uploading to your PC.
  
• Fuji MX-4700 Zoom - The best traveling camera. It fit's into your shirt pocket yet features a high resolution Super CCD with 4.3 megapixel output and a 3x optical zoom lens. The backlit menu system allows for easy navigation.
  
• MX-4900 zoom - Fuji breaks the price/performance barrier with this new SLR style digital camera featuring both a TTL color viewfinder and color LCD display. The large 6x optical zoom lens allows for extreme close-ups and the Super CCD image sensor with 4.3 megapixel output resolution allows for large print sizes.

Tuesday, November 28, 2000

• Chicony TC-800 digital camera
  
• 1/3" 800,000 pixel progressive scan CCD image sensor with resolution of 1034 x 779 pixels, gives final image of 1024 x 768 pixels in either fine or normal compression JPEG
  
• Fixed focal length 7.1mm lens with fixed aperture of F4.0. Focus is 70cm to infinity or fixed at 30cm in macro mode.
  
• Optical viewfinder and LCD info display (flash status, pictures taken/remaining, battery status, picture quality, macro/normal mode, self-timer)
  
• Built-in three-mode flash (auto, off, on) with working range of 0.5 to 3 meters, and cycle time of 6-8 seconds
  
• CompactFlash storage (2 - 64MB)
  
• Type A USB and RS-232 connectivity
  
• Shutter speeds 1/2 to 1/5000 second
  
• Auto exposure
  
• Auto white balance
  
• Shot-shot time less than 5 seconds
  
• 10 second self-timer
  
• Power from 2 AA alkaline batteries or 3V DC input from optional AC adapter. Power consumption is 600mA in use with flash off, 1A in use with flash on, 3mA in standby mode
  
• Dimensions of 101 x 68 x 38mm, weighs 180 grams

• Nikon VR Lens Experience Report: A nice look at Nikon's stunning AF-VR Nikkor 80-400mm 1:4.5-5.6D ED zoom lens, which we got a chance to see for ourselves at Comdex. 15 sample photos shot with the lens on a Nikon D1, along with a series of crops showing what you can expect to shoot handheld with the Vibration Reduction enabled.
• Canon IS Lens Experience Report: A look at Canon's 100~400mm IS Zoom Lens. 7 sample photos along with a series of crops similar to that in the Nikon VR lens report, showing the effect of Canon's Image Stabilisation at different shutter speeds...
• Nik Sharpener Pro review: A look at Nik Multimedia's Nik Sharpener Pro, a $329 program which specialises in one thing - sharpening your images optimally depending on how they were taken, and how they'll be viewed...
• Nik Color Efex Pro:Nik Multimedia's Color Efex Pro is looked at here - the program offers Photoshop filters that (as much as possible) simulate the effects of a polarizing filter, midnight filter and sunshine filter...
• Kodak DCS660 review: Uwe has finalised the review of Kodak's DCS660, noting "The DCS 660 is a great camera and I could just scratch the surface of its quality. In some way I did not want to get addicted to that high resolution and spoil my pleasure with the D1. For now the DCS 660 is clearly a reference for today's digital SLRs."
• Canon EOS D30 review: The Digital Outback review of Canon's EOS D30 is also now concluded. The camera's 'film-like' colors, low noise, good resolution, great battery life and ergonomics were praised, but there were also a few words on the performance with high-contrast scenes, slow power up and RAW conversion software which Uwe felt could be improved.
• NEF/CRW Conversion Contest 01:Uwe came up with an interesting idea here designed to teach readers about the CCD-RAW formats found in high-end digital cameras, and just how useful they can be. Photos were provided shot with the Nikon D1 and Canon EOS D30 in RAW format (.NEF for the D1, .CRW for the D30) and readers were encouraged to acquire the RAW files as they liked and improve them to their liking. Uwe has posted the results, 13 images that really do vary wildly and show just how much latitude there can be from a CCD-RAW image.
• "Nature and Wildlife" newsgroup: Uwe has teamed up with Rob Galbraith, the man behind the excellent Rob Galbraith Online website aimed at Pro Photographers using digital. Uwe is now hosting a forum on Rob's site for discussion of nature and wildlife photography.

"The Snapfish Store allows customers to instantly create meaningful, personal gifts with the ease and convenience of online shopping – just in time for the busy holiday season," said Raj Kapoor, co-founder and CEO of Snapfish. "These new partnerships add a menu of new offerings to the Snapfish service, and open up new revenue streams to support our award-winning business model."

• Frames -- Through a partnership with Photoframes.com, Snapfish users can purchase framed reprints and enlargements of their favorite photographs. Users can preview their photo inside the frame online. Photoframes.com offers hundreds of styles of frames from woods to metals. Frames are priced from $6.00 to $60.00.
• Digital Picture Frames -- Snapfish has partnered with Ceiva Logic to sell its premier product, Ceiva, an Internet-connected digital picture frame. Ceiva displays an array of digital images downloaded from the Ceiva Network, which provides additional content and services to its members via the Internet. With the click of a button, customers can send their favorite Snapfish photos to any Ceiva picture frame across the country.
• Cameras and Equipment -- Through a partnership with PhotoAlley.com, Snapfish offers all kinds of cameras, photo accessories and film.
• Custom Greeting Cards -- A new partnership with CardStore.com enables Snapfish customers to create customized holiday cards featuring their own photos. Simply select the Snapfish image to print on the front, enter a personalized message for each card and CardStore.com will mail them to friends and family. Or, customers can order a box of pre-stamped cards with their favorite photos and mail them out from home.

"The holidays are the ideal time to take photos as families and friends get together to celebrate," said Steve Carley, president of PhotoPoint.com. "We feel these new offerings present a new, easy and creative way for our members to share their photos with their loved ones."

Monday, November 27, 2000

"The D1 is everything the professional photographer could need and a whole lot more, build quality is second to none, image quality is excellent with a few funnies which, as long as you know, you can work around.

Cast your mind back to when the D1 was first released. Consider the market back then, as a professional the only digital's you would be considering would be the 2 megapixel, $12,000+ Kodak DCS series, Nikon hit the headlines with a 2.7 megapixel, all one brand, $5,000 professional SLR which offered features, build quality and a smaller size not previously seen in the pro market. An amazing feat."

Sunday, November 26, 2000

Canon Inc. Canon's digital offerings at Comdex included the popular EOS D30 digital SLR, PowerShot G1 and PowerShot S100 Digital ELPH cameras... The company also had a number of scanners and digital camcorders on display, although unfortunately Mike didn't get a chance to see these in any detail. Readers may be interested to know that all of the photos in this report are taken with the PowerShot G1, mostly at ISO 200 in Program mode, and occasionally with flash. Photos are taken at 1024 x 768 in high compression since they're later resized to 640 x 480 for web display.     Canon's digicams on display   Casio Computer Co. Ltd. Casio's digital presence at Comdex consisted of the company's QV-3EXplus, QV-2300UXplus, QV-2800UXplus and QV-3000EXplus digital cameras. Interestingly, the company also had a case showing a wide range of 'digital camera accessories' including not just the usual rechargeable batteries and flash cards, but external flashes, tripods, cases, accessory lenses and more from third-party companies.   The 'Digital Camera Accessories' display Casio's digicams on show Hewlett-Packard Co. As well sa an array of printers/scanners, HP had an extremely compact display showing its range of PhotoSmart digital cameras, including the HP215, HP315, HP618 and HP912 (the last two of which are manufactured in cooperation with Pentax).     HP's PhotoSmart digicams   Iomega Corp. Iomega showed their FotoShow digital imaging set-top box, which our friends over at Steve's Digicams recently reviewed.     Iomega's FotoShow set-top   Eastman Kodak Co. Kodak's large booth showed off a range of digital cameras, both consumer and professional... A particularly interesting display showed the image sensors used in the DCS560 and DCS620 cameras alongside a wafer on which the sensors are produced, and the camera body/circuit boards used to make the final digital camera. The DCS Pro Back was also shown alongside its CCD sensor (terribly overexposed in our picture, but just visible - sorry!) Kodak also had a 'Solutions Pavilion' on their booth, highlighting third-party products allied with Kodak, such as image-editing software and the like.   Pro digicams display DCS560 wafer and mounted sensor   DCS560 - EOS 1N body and PCBs DCS620 wafer and mounted sensor   DCS620 - Nikon F5 body and PCBs DCS Pro Back and mounted sensor     Consumer digicams display   MemoryStick Pavilion / Sony Corp. Consumer electronics giant Sony Corp. had a 'pavilion' entirely separate from their booth, highlighting the company's MemoryStick media and related products, both from Sony itself and MemoryStick licensees. Most of the products were related to MemoryStick in terms of audio, but several prototypes and mockups on the pavilion were interested in the digital imaging sense... Yes, we agree that Sony's new AIBO robot lion cub is only very vaguely digital imaging related, but it does have a digital camera in its nose and hey - it's just too cool to not show you! :)   MemoryStick Camera Module GPS stick, Jog stick and Digital Still Camera stick in handheld display units   Cell-phone alongside MemoryStick Camera Module Fingerprint Recognition Module display   FingerPrint Recognition Module assembly Sony's AIBO ERS-210 Robot Lion Cub     AIBO's digicam watches a proud Sony rep   Olympus America Inc. Olympus' sizeable Comdex booth showed essentially the same digital cameras and photo printers shown at PhotoPlus Expo East in New York.   Olympus' photo printers on display Olympus' latest digicams and printers hands-on Ricoh Corp. Ricoh's PC Peripherals Business Unit concentrated on the recently announced RDC-i700, an interesting digital camera which also takes on some of the functionality of a handheld PC, with a large LCD touch screen display, Internet and fax capabilities, and the ability to email or FTP images directly from the camera.   Ricoh's RDC-i700 digital camera in use Ricoh's RDC-i700 digital camera display   RDC-i700 close-up (taken at Digital Focus) RDC-i700 in-hand (taken at Digital Focus) Samsung Co. Ltd. Samsung showed three new digital cameras at Comdex... The SDC-80 features a 1/3" 850,000 pixel CCD image sensor, 1.8" LCD display, detacheable flash, and SmartMedia storage (4MB bundled). We'd speculate that the SDC-80 looks to be a replacement for Samsung's Digimax 800K, adding an LCD display and a more eye-catching design. Also shown was the SDC-130Z, which looks to be a redesign of the Digimax 130Z which we saw at PMA last February. The SDC-130Z retains the Digimax 130Z's 1/2.7" 1.3 megapixel CCD image sensor, 1.8" TFT LCD display, and 3x optical zoom lens, but again has a more eye-catching design and interestingly replaces the CompactFlash storage of the previous design with a SmartMedia slot. Finally, the SDC-200Z seems to have a similar feature set to the Digimax 210SE we saw last February, with a 1.8" TFT LCD display, 3x optical zoom lens and 2.11 megapixel CCD sensor, but again with CompactFlash storage swapped for SmartMedia, and a chassis redesign.   Samsung's digital camera display Nexca SDC-200Z digital camera   Nexca SDC-130Z digital camera Nexca SDC-80 digital cameras     Nexca SDC-80 close-up with flash detached   Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. Sanyo, hot on the heels of showing its IDC-1000Z iD-shot digital camera which is unique in its use of 730MB iD PHOTO disks for storage at the Digital Focus press event, showed numerous concept mockups of future iD PHOTO products. Three iD-shot camera concepts were shown, as well as two iD PHOTO picture viewers, one of which can also accept CompactFlash and SmartMedia cards via add-on card readers. The company also showed the IDC-1000Z to the US public for the first time...   Sanyo's huge rotating IDC-1000Z model IDC-DP5000 Still & Motion camera mockup   Unnamed iD PHOTO mockup digital camera Unnamed digital SLR-style mockup   IDC-DP5000 camera mockup again Unnamed iD PHOTO picture viewer mockup   Another unnamed iD PHOTO picture viewer mockup IDC-1000Z iD-shot digital camera Sony Corp. Whilst the majority of digital imaging interest from Sony Corp. was to be found on its MemoryStick pavilion and not in its main booth, we did spot a couple of items worth noting there too. First up, we again saw the Memory Stick Media Applications board that first appeared at a Japanese exhibition recently, noting future concept products based on the MemoryStick format. We also saw Sony's amazingly tiny working prototype digital still camera, which is billed as "the world's smallest digicam with an LCD display", and uses Memory Stick Duo cards for storage. Finally, we noted a display showing 128MB and 256MB MemorySticks - no word on when 256MB sticks will hit the market though.   Mockups of future Memory Stick concepts The world's smallest working digicam with LCD display     64MB, 128MB and 256MB MemorySticks   Toshiba Corp. Toshiba joined rivals Sony and Sanyo in showing numerous concept products at Comdex. The Japanese consumer electronics heavyweight showed numerous concepts based on the SD memory cards it designed in cooperation with SanDisk and Matsushita. The company showed two SD digital camera concepts, as well as SD GPS, scanner and Bluetooth cards, and a timeline predicting 1GB SD cards by 2002! Also shown were the PDR-M4, PDR-M5, PDR-M60 and PDR-M70 digital cameras.   Toshiba's Digital Cameras display Future product concepts display   FPS, Camera, Scanner and Bluetooth SD card mockups Toshiba CMOS camera SD card concept   Toshiba scanner SD card concept SD card capacity - projected timeline     Concept for an SD digicam with Bluetooth connectivity

Friday, November 24, 2000

Wednesday, November 22, 2000

"If you need a fully featured, high resolution digital SLR but you're not ready to spend $5,000 or more ... the Olympus E-10 SLR with its 4-megapixel imager, excellent optics and professional camera features should fill the bill nicely. I hope to have the FL-40 flash shortly and will update the review and conclusions after we've had a chance to evaluate them together. From the sample pictures I have seen and the reports that I have read from other users, the combination of the E-10 and the FL-40 flash is nothing short of amazing."

Tuesday, November 21, 2000

• Consumer Digital Cameras - Olympus Camedia C-211, Nikon Coolpix 990 and Canon Powershot S100 Digital Elph
  
• Digital Camcorders - Canon ZR10, Canon Optura Pi and Sony DCR-VX2000
  
• Graphics Software - Adobe Illustrator 9, Adobe Photoshop 6 and Macromedia Fireworks 3
  
• Printers - HP DeskJet 932c, Olympus P400 and Epson Stylus Photo 1270
  
• Professional Digital Cameras - Olympus Camedia E-10, Nikon D1 and Canon EOS D30

"We are pleased to be working with Sound Vision to create the next generation in digital imaging solutions," said Jason Hartlove, business unit manager of Agilent's Imaging Electronics Division. "The combination of Sound Vision's leadership in digital imaging software solutions and Agilent's image processing chip technology is a powerful one, which will enable manufacturers to deliver a whole new class of digital imaging applications."

"We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Agilent -- a leading visionary in the digital imaging market," said John Morey, chief executive officer of Sound Vision. "By leveraging our respective unique strengths, we intend to exceed the expectations of our current and prospective OEM partners in their quest to bring to market high-volume products for the digital imaging industry more quickly and cost-effectively."

"Technology often changes faster than the market can absorb it. This means many digital camera users keep their systems even after new systems are introduced," said G. Michael DeWoody, U.S. Marketing Manager, Digital Cameras, Kodak Professional. "Users of our earlier digital cameras - and film shooters who have been waiting to 'go digital' - can now purchase brand new merchandise at very favorable prices to enhance or start their digital camera systems."

• DCS460IR - 6 megapixel IR/monochrome, N90 based, $2500
  
• DCS460c - 6 megapixel color, N90 based, $2500
  
• EOS-DCS 1c - 6 megapixel color, EOS-1n based, $2500
  
• EOS-DCS 1m - 6 megapixel monochrome, EOS-1n based, $2500
  
• NC 2000e Color - 1.3 megapixel color, N90 based, $1000
  
• NC 2000e Mono - 1.3 megapixel monochrome, N90 based, $1000

Monday, November 20, 2000

"My conclusion on the previous Kodak PPM100 printer was to pass it by due to poor image quality and lack of USB support, the new PPM200 has addressed both issues. It now has a USB port and the print quality, even when set to "Good" is on par with the Epson and HP photo printers.

Speedwise it is slower than many printers, an 8x10 print takes a good twenty minutes at the 600x600 dpi setting. But it is loaded with features; it's a photo printer, a card reader, it works standalone or with a computer. The color LCD makes it real easy to operate in standalone mode, I only wish they had added a video out connector so it could be hooked up to a TV set. And let's not forget that it can also be connected to an Iomega USB ZIP drive for image transfer or printing.

All in all the PPM200 is a very capable printer, Kodak and Lexmark have a winner here this time."

"The Fuji FinePix 2400 is a decent midrange point-and-shoot camera for those who want a 2 Megapixel camera. The body style is familiar to almost everyone, so users won't have much trouble getting up and running. The camera is missing many of the bells and whistles of more expensive cameras, but most people won't miss them."

"It's hard to compare the C-2100 Ultra Zoom, since there aren't too many cameras out there with a zoom like this. As a 2.1 Megapixel camera, it's a great one -- it's basically the C-2020Z with a large zoom lens. It's also got all the necessary manual features (with the exception of white balance), movies with sound, and a great bundle. If you want to break out of the 3X optical zoom mode, the C-2100 is a great way to do it!"

Friday, November 17, 2000

Thursday, November 16, 2000

Our new "Photobot" search engine is a hierarchical directory that YOU can contribute to and help grow. Our goal is for it to be the most comprehensive, authoritative directory to imaging information on the Web. It works a lot like Yahoo(tm) and other "portal" directories, in that entries are arranged in categories and subcategories. You can search on keywords, or just burrow down the categories to find what you want. What's more, this is a resource that everyone can contribute to: Get all your favorite sites listed by submitting them for inclusion. Navigate to the location where you think the site should be linked, click on the SUBMIT A LINK heading at the top of the page, and fill out the form. Entries go into a queue where we check them regularly and approve those that seem appropriate. Pretty much everything and anything in imaging is fair game (as long as it's rated PG or better). Have sample pages from a digicam? Navigate down to that digicam's category and submit your album or pages. See a cool FAQ on some obscure technical topic? Navigate to the "Gadget Hacker" category and post a link. (A category we're particularly hoping to see filled-in, given the wealth of delightfully obscure technical details that are scattered all over the Web.) We've populated a little over a thousand links ourselves (yup, there are over a thousand links already in there), but the real power will come as all of you post your own favorites! Check it out, tell your friends!

Wednesday, November 15, 2000

Tuesday, November 14, 2000

Monday, November 13, 2000

Sunday, November 12, 2000

Friday, November 10, 2000

Agfa Corp. Whilst Agfa did have two of their scanners and numerous pieces of photo lab equipment on display, we didn't see any of their digital cameras in their booth... The scanners shown were the DuoScan T2500 and T2000XL.     Agfa's DuoScan T2500 and T2000XL scanners   Kyocera Corp. / Contax Kyocera (under their Contax brand name) did have a presence at PhotoPlus, but unfortunately their recently announced N Digital SLR was not on display. The company's digital offering consisted of a display showing a Contax camera with MegaVision's S3Pro and Phase One's LightPhase digital camera backs instead... The N Digital was mentioned briefly on a poster describing Contax's N1 35mm SLR, the camera on which it is based.     MegaVision's S3Pro and Phase One's LightPhase   Epson America Inc. Epson's booth certainly wasn't one of the largest at the show, but they did manage to pack quite a bit into a small space! On show were the Stylus Photo 2000P, Stylus Photo 1270, Stylus Photo 875DC and Stylus Photo 875DCS printers, along with the PhotoPC 3000Z and PhotoPC 650 digital cameras, and a selection of Epson printer media.   Stylus Photo 2000P printer Stylus Photo 1270 printer   PhotoPC 3000Z and 650 packaging Stylus Photo 875DCS printer     PhotoPC 3000Z and 650 digital cameras   Foveon Inc. Foveon had a fairly large booth with plenty to keep visitors interested... On display was the Foveon II digital studio camera, which was being demonstrated by a photographer taking numerous photos of a model at the front of the booth. Side displays showed the 4 megapixel CMOS sensors the camera uses, as well as the color-splitting prism at the center of its design, and posters describing the advantages to this approach, which gives full-measured color for every pixel. Also on display was Foveon's 16 megapixel CMOS sensor... Both the 4 and 16 megapixel CMOS sensors were shown mounted, and as a full wafer of sensors - must have been a pretty expensive display!   Foveon II digital studio camera Foveon II Mac interface detail   Photographer prepares Foveon II shot Foveon II front view   Foveon II CMOS and color splitter The color-splitting prism in action   Foveon II prism with CMOS sensors mounted Advantages of full-measured color   16 megapixel CMOS display 16 megapixel CMOS sensor and wafer Victor Hasselblad AB Hasselblad surprisingly didn't seem to have their newly announced DFinity digital camera on display anywhere on their booth. Their digital offerings instead consisted of a display showing Leaf's Cantare, MegaVision's S3Pro, Jenoptik's eyelike MF and Phase One's LightPhase digital camera backs.     Cantare, S3Pro, eyelike MF and LightPhase backs   Imacon Inc. Imacon, best known for their high-end scanners, had a surprise for us at the show - a new digital camera back, the Carnival 3020. The 3020 features one-shot, multi-shot and micro-step modes in one unit, with FireWire connectivity... Also on show were the FlexTight Progression, Photo and Precision II scanners.   Carnival 3020 digital back Canival 3020 specs   FelxTight Progression scanner FlexTight Photo scanner     FlexTight Precision II scanner   Leica Camera Inc. Leica's only digital offering at PhotoPlus East was their Digilux 4.3, a rebadge of Fuji's 2.4 megapixel FinePix 4700 Zoom (we note that the camera's "4.3" badge confused at least one website into describing the camera as a 4.3 megapixel unit, and would really rather see Leica label the camera with a non-interpolated resolution!)     Leica's Digilux 4.3   Lexar Media Inc. Lexar had both Olympus' E-10 and Nikon's D1 cameras on its booth, to demonstrate its flash memory products. The company also highlighted its PrintRoom.com and DigitalFilm.com websites, along with its flash-card readers.   Olympus' E-10 digital camera Nikon's D1 digital camera   PrintRoom.com display DigitalFilm.com display   Flash memory cards and reader Lexar's booth from another angle Polaroid Corp. Polaroid announced their new SprintScan 120 medium format film scanner, which we told you about on our first day at the show.     Agfa's DuoScan T2500 and T2000XL scanners   Sinar Bron Imaging / CreoScitex Leaf Sinar Bron's booth had the CreoScitex Leaf C-Most 6.6 megapixel digital camera back on display. We have a photo of the booth, unfortunately Mike missed getting a picture of the back itself - sorry!   UMAX Umax showed their scanner line at PhotoPlus Expo East, including the following models: PowerLook III, 3000, 2100XL and 1100, Astra 6450 and AstraNET e5470.   PowerLook 2100XL scanner PowerLook 3000 scanner   PowerLook 1100 scanner Astra 6450 scanner   AstraNET e5470 scanner PowerLook III scanner   Consumer scanners display Professional scanners display

Thursday, November 9, 2000

"While I hate to be negative in reviews, I feel that it's my duty to give you all an honest opinion, before you spend your hard-earned money. But that's why you're here, right? The Panasonic ipalm PV-DC3000 is a camera with an interesting design, and decent features, it's just not competitive in the fast paced world of 3 Megapixel cameras. Priced at $899, the DC3000 is in the same price range as such cameras as the Kodak DC4800, Canon PowerShot G1, Nikon Coolpix 880 and 990, and the Olympus C-3000Z and C-3030Z -- all of which are much better cameras for the money. I'm hoping that the next version of the camera will let the DC3000 catch up with these other cameras."

Wednesday, November 8, 2000

"The combination of Iomega's brand and channel strength with IBM's Microdrive technology creates a strong market opportunity for both companies," said Doug Collier, vice president of product management and business development, Iomega Corp. "Laptops are the fastest growing segment in the computer market today, and Iomega's strong retail presence will enable us to reach this growing audience of mobile users with the benefits of the Iomega Microdrive. This agreement results in a product that will be especially attractive to our channel partners and enterprise accounts."

"This packaging provides cutting-edge technology to a new generation of customers, who demand convenient, reliable storage solutions for their 'go-anywhere' computing devices," said Bill Healy, vice president of IBM Storage Technology. "IBM is pleased to continue its partnership with Iomega, an industry leader in external storage products for personal computers."

"Manufacturing Clarity processing chips programmed to perform with Displaytech's microdisplays allows us to expand our product line and gain further access to the fast-growing digital still camera market," said Jim Dunn, vice president of business development at Sound Vision. "Displaytech's LightView display modules offer an attractive alternative to traditional displays because of their superior image quality, lower cost and low power consumption."

"Digital still camera viewfinders are a significant target market for Displaytech's LightView QVGA display," said J.P. Valiulis, Displaytech's senior director of business development. "The digital still camera market is growing at an amazing rate, and the need for advanced display solutions is increasing along with it. Our customers are introducing a variety of innovative consumer products and they need interface electronics like those from Sound Vision to work alongside our displays."

"With the explosion of digital cameras, digital video camcorders and MP3 music, today's computer users deal with a wide variety of digital media files," stated Danielle Liao, president of Ulead Systems, Inc. "Only Photo Explorer 7.0 Pro lets users acquire and capture both image and video files as well as batch edit images and share media files with a click of the mouse. It's the most flexible image and media browser available today."

"No PC is required for this new snapshot photo printer to make pictures at home using a variety of media from digital cameras," said Greg Young, director of digital camera/printer marketing for Sony Electronics' Personal Network Solutions Company. "Consumers can view and select photos, and select how many pictures to print, right in their living rooms."

Tuesday, November 7, 2000

"Sprint PCS continues to strengthen its leadership position by launching cutting-edge, data-enabled wireless applications aimed at helping our enterprise customers be more productive, reduce costs and provide better customer service," said Jay Highley, vice president, business marketing. "Using FlashPoint's Photivity platform, we will be able to offer an innovative and relevant wireless imaging solution to business customers across a broad range of industries. Being able to send pictures to the Web from remote locations in real-time via the Sprint PCS all-digital nationwide network will be a valuable productivity tool that translates into a competitive advantage for businesses with a highly mobile workforce."

"Sprint PCS is an ideal partner for FlashPoint's Photivity platform," said FlashPoint President Stephen Saylor. "As the leader in mobile wireless data services, Sprint PCS is able to use our platform to offer a powerful wireless imaging solution to their business customers. The Photivity platform was created as the underlying technology and industry standard for the future of imaging.

"Even our own engineers were initially skeptical that this kind of quality could be made available at this unprecedented price point," said Michael Weizer, product marketing manager at UMAX Technologies. "The AstraCam 1800 is a high-quality digital camera, combining detail-rich image capture with point-and-click ease-of-use. When teamed with a quality color printer, it can generate photo-realistic prints."

• UMAX AstraCam 1800 digital camera
  
• 1.3 megapixel CCD image sensor yields JPEG images at a resolution of 1280 x 960 (two compression levels), 640 x 480 (?) or 1600 x 1200 pixels with software interpolation
  
• Fixed focus, fixed focal length lens equivalent to 43.8mm on a 35mm camera. Focus range is 20" to infinity.
  
• Optical viewfinder and rear-mounted LCD info display (no LCD display for reviewing images)
  
• USB connectivity
  
• SmartMedia storage (4MB SmartMedia card bundled). Supports cards up to 32MB.
  
• Built-in 3-mode flash (on/off/auto)
  
• Apertures of F3.0 or F8.0 (automatically selected)
  
• Shutter speeds of 1/15 to 1/2000 second (automatically selected)
  
• ISO rating of 125
  
• Automatic white balance
  
• Features patented "After-Shot Recovery" technology which allows for one-click white balance after taking a photo "without loss of image quality"
  
• Dimensions of 4.25" x 3.25" x 1.3", weighs 5.5 ounces without batteries
  
• Power from 2 AA alkaline batteries, power management gives up to ~800 photos without flash on one set of batteries
  
• Available immediately at a suggested price of $199
  
• Compatible with Windows 98, 2000, ME or Mac OS 8.6 or above

"The technology will enable simple, fast and reliable transfer of images from digital cameras to wireless devices as well as to other consumers or the Internet. By combining a digital camera and a cellular phone, users will be able to easily manage and send images along with voice or text based messages."

"The Olympus Camedia C-2100 Ultra Zoom is a camera that makes photography a whole lot of fun. Say goodbye to the thought of always having to lug a tripod around with you – thanks to the stabilizer. The picture quality (despite having a resolution of "only" 2.1 Megapixels), and particularly the range of functions supported, leave little to be desired on this camera though."

• Full review of nik Sharpener and nik Sharpener Pro:

  "Depending on the camera you have and the volume of work you do, nik Sharpener Pro is clearly a very useful product for many who need consistent results, color protection, batch processing and other Pro features."

• Full review of the Olympus C-2100 UltraZoom digital camera:

  "We once again find ourselves very satisfied with the wonderful features that Olympus has offered in yet another one of their many fine digital cameras. With great image results from a unique and outstanding 10X image stabilized lens, unless you must have a larger resolution data file to work with for larger prints or need a smaller travel type portable camera to fit in a pocket, we really do highly recommend the Olympus C-2100UZ as one of the most flexible and enjoyable cameras currently available."

• Fuji FinePix 4900 Disneyland photo gallery

Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Fuji showed numerous digital cameras in their booth, which was absolutely packed every time we visited it (hence we actually only have two photos, as it was well-near impossible to get close enough to the cameras themselves to get a picture... :) Cameras on display included the Fuji FinePix S1 Pro, FinePix 1400 Zoom, FinePix 2400 Zoom, FinePix 4700 Zoom and FinePix 4900 Zoom     The queue to see Fuji's cameras   Eastman Kodak Co. Kodak's extremely large booth featured a wide range of products and services, including 5 professional digital cameras, the recently announced DCS ProBack and RFS 3600 scanner, and "Portraits and More" software...   Kodak's Pro camera line-up The DCS ProBack in action   DCS ProBack rear right quarter view DCS ProBack rear left quarter view   DCS ProBack in action again DCS ProBack display   Kodak "Portraits and More" software Kodak RFS 3600 scanner     Kodak RFS 3600 scanner display   Minolta Corp. Minolta showed their Dim�ge Scan Multi II, Dim�ge Scan Dual II and Dim�ge Scan Elite scanners, as well as the Dim�ge RD 3000 , Dim�ge 2300 and Dim�ge 2330 cameras at PhotoPlus Expo East...   Dim�ge Scan Multi II scanner Dim�ge Scan Dual II scanner   Dim�ge Scan Elite scanner Dim�ge RD 3000 digital camera   Dim�ge 2300 digital camera Dim�ge 2330 digital camera Nikon Inc. Nikon were showing their D1 SLR, as well as the Coolpix 880 and 990 digital cameras, Coolscan film scanners and Nikon Net website at the show. A highlight, which Mike sadly didn't have time to see, was a 65 foot tall photo taken with the Coolpix 990, shown at nearby Times Square.   A gallery of various images taken with Nikon digital cameras Coolpix 880 display   Nikon D1 display Coolscan film scanner display     Nikon Net website display   Olympus America Inc. Olympus showed us a wide range of digital products at the show, as you can see in the photos below. Highlights included the E-10, E-100RS, C-211 Zoom, C-2100 UltraZoom and D-490Z digital cameras, and the P-200 and P-400 printers...   Olympus product demonstration area Camedia P-200 printer display   Camedia P-400 printer display Olympus' huge digital line-up Asahi Optical Co. Ltd. (Pentax) Pentax didn't have their EI-2000 digital camera at PhotoPlus, nor did we see the unnamed digital SLR that was shown at Photokina, but the company did have its EI-200 digital camera available for a hands-on demo...     Pentax EI-200 digital camera   Phase One Inc. One of the largest booths we saw was that of Phase One, who showed an array of high-end digital products... On display were the PowerPhase FX, LightPhase, QuickTime VR solution and LightPhase stitching adapter.   Phase One's PowerPhase FX LightPhase digital back   QuickTime VR solution QuickTime VR solution closer up   QuickTime VR solution again QuickTime VR solution display     LightPhase stitching adapter

Monday, November 6, 2000

Thursday, November 2, 2000

• SprintScan 120 Digital Medium Format Film Scanner
  
• Accepts positive/negative 35mm and 120 film strips, 35mm slides and negatives, and medium format transparencies or negatives up to 6 x 9 cm. Automatic advancement of 6-image 35mm film strips and four-image 35mm slides
  
• Single pass RGB CCD sensor, 10k elements
  
• Optical resolution of 4000 x 4000 dpi
  
• 14 bit A/D per channel, density range 0 - 3.6 O.D (3.9 O.D with multi-scanning)
  
• Less than 100 seconds for 6 x 6 cm scan @ 4000 dpi
  
• Automatic uniformity CCD calibration
  
• Automatic focusing
  
• Cold cathode light source
  
• SCSI-2 and IEEE1394 (FireWire) interface
  
• Power requirements 20W @ 155VAC, 60Hz
  
• Operating voltage 120-240VAC 50-60Hz
  
• Operating temperature 50 - 104 degrees fahrenheit (10 - 40 degrees centigrade)
  
• Operating humidity 20 - 80% non-condensing
  
• Dimensions of 27.2 x 14 x 48.8 cm
  
• Weighs 6.4 kg
  
• Ships with PolaColor Insight Pro
  
• Will be available in the US in January 2001 at a price of $3995

"How Does it Compare?

I don't feel that I can answer the above question, since this is the first Pro SLR digital camera I've used. Is the D30 a great camera? Yes, absolutely -- it continually amazed me every time I used it. If you've got a collection of Canon lenses and want to go digital in a big way, the D30 is for you. Even if you don't, and can afford the D30, it's definitely something to consider. Most of our readers will just daydream about the D30, but if it's in your price range, you should definitely check it out!"

Wednesday, November 1, 2000

"Macintosh users have always been at the forefront of digital imaging and digital photography," said James Joaquin, president and CEO of Ofoto, Inc. "With OfotoNow for Macintosh, they now have an imaging software tool as intuitive as the Macintosh itself."

"Like many of our Homestead members -- I use my Homestead Web site to communicate long-distance with my family which includes viewing, sharing and ordering photos of my nephew," said Lynne Bartron, director of product management at Homestead.com. "We now offer our members the ability to post and customize their own photos so they can share them with friends and family anywhere in the world. This is just one of the many innovations we're developing to give Homestead members all of the tools they need to communicate and share over the Web."

"The photo center provides an excellent opportunity for Homestead's members to take advantage of Shutterfly's convenient services that allow users to get creative with their photos," said Hillary Mickell, director of marketing at Shutterfly. "We are glad to provide Homestead's members with the tools to share, enhance and personalize their pictures."

• Enhance photos -- crop photos, convert them to black and white or sepia tone, and add borders and personal printed messages.
  
• Share photos -- choose the photos that they want to share, and invite family and friends to view them online at a secure, personal Homestead Photos album.
  
• Have prints mailed directly to their door -- order and mail prints to themselves or to family and friends around the world.
  
• Process their film for free -- use Homestead postage-paid mailers and send their 35mm and APS film, as well as their single-use cameras to the attention of Homestead Photos at Shutterfly for free processing. Shutterfly will upload pictures to Homestead member accounts, and will notify them by email when the pictures are ready for viewing, enhancing, sharing and ordering.

• Real-Time Correction
  
• Auto-adjust with artificial intelligence
  
• Professional Unsharp Masking
  
• Colour Cast Removal Slider
  
• Selective Color Correction
  
• Integrated ICC-based colour management
  
• RGB, CMYK, LAB-TIFF, EPS, DCS and JPEG output formats

AOL Alert: Several readers connecting via AOL have complained of poor image quality when using the AOL web browser. This is caused by a setting called "compress images" in the browser that causes it to completely mangle images in the interest of faster transmission. You should turn this setting OFF before viewing any of the comparison images on this site.

• FLASH: Thanks to reader Lynn Mannan, here's an explanation of how to make the correct settings adjustments (at least in AOL 4.0 for PCs):
  • I opened the "My AOL" preferences screen in the toolbar across the top. Then I clicked on WWW icon and selected the "web graphics" tab where I unchecked the "compressed graphics" choice and clicked on the Apply button at the bottom. Now the scanner test pictures are gorgeous. The pictures take a long time to load. But they are worth waiting for. Thank you, Lynn!