Digital Photography News Archive!
August 1999

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Tuesday, August 31, 1999

 - The Nikon D1 2.74-Megapixel Professional SLR
   camera (described as "The ideal camera for graphic
   arts professionals, photojournalists and every
   other photo pro")
 - The Nikon Coolpix950 2.11 Megapixel Camera
   (described as "faster, more responsive, more
   technologically advanced, simpler to use and
   smaller to carry than any other camera in its
   class")
 - The Nikon Super Coolscan 2000 film scanner
   (described as "the most revolutionary development
   in film scanning, [with] unsurpassed color
   accuracy [and] unmatched detail")
 - The Nikon Coolscan III film scanner (described as
   "[Nikon's] ground breaking technology [in a unit
   targetted at home users]")

 - HP PhotoSmart C500 digital camera
 - 2 megapixel CCD
 - 3x optical / 2x digital zoom lens
 - 2" LCD display
 - Serial and USB connectivity
 - CompactFlash storage (16MB card bundled)
 - Based on FlashPoint's Digita OS, allows
   programming both through DigitaScript and at the
   application level
 - Wireless printing using HP JetSend IR technology
 - TWAIN complaint driver
 - Uses three AA NiMH batteries, comes with charger
 - 5.2" x 3.05" x 2.1", weighs 0.821 pounds
 - Bundled with HP Photo Imaging Software
 - Available in the USA soon for $799 (street)

 - HP announces PhotoSmart P1000, PhotoSmart P1100,
   PhotoSmart P1100xi, Deskjet 970Cse, DeskJet
   970Cxi, DeskJet 830C and DeskJet 832C printers
 - HP announces ScanJet 3300C, ScanJet 6300C, ScanJet
   6350C and ScanJet 6390C scanners
 - HP announces PhotoSmart C500 and PhotoSmart C200
   digital cameras
 - HP announces online photo sharing service
 - Epson announces PhotoPC 850Z digital camera
 - Epson announces Stylus Color 660 printer
 - Epson announces Perfection 610, Perfection 1200S,
   Perfection 1200U and Perfection 120U Photo
   scanners
 - Canon announces two new image editing programs
 - We post our Toshiba PDR-M4 digital camera review
 - Digital Camera Resource Page posts Casio
   QV-8000SX review
 - Rob Galbraith Online posts Nikon D1 review and
   sample pictures

 - HP PhotoSmart P1000
 - Uses the same print engine as the P1100 etc.
   announced earlier today
 - 600 dpi in black
 - 2400 x 1200 dpi in color on Photo paper
 - 4 x 6-inch photo tray
 - USB and parallel connectivity
 - Print speeds up to 11 ppm (pages per minute) in
   black, and 8.5 ppm in color.
 - Uses HP PhotoREtIII technology
 - Available in the USA immediately for $399 (street)

 - HP PhotoSmart C500 digital camera
 - 2 megapixel CCD
 - 3x optical / 2x digital zoom lens
 - Wireless printing using HP JetSend IR technology
 - 2" LCD display
 - Serial and USB connectivity
 - CompactFlash storage (16MB card bundled)
 - TWAIN complaint driver
 - Uses three AA NiMH batteries, comes with charger
 - 5.2" x 3.05" x 2.1", weighs 0.821 pounds
 - Bundled with HP Photo Imaging Software
 - Available in the USA immediately for $799 (street)

 - HP PhotoSmart C200 digital camera
 - 1 megapixel CCD
 - 2x digital zoom
 - CompactFlash storage (8MB card bundled)
 - 1.8" LCD display
 - USB connectivity
 - Power source is 4 AA batteries
 - TWAIN complaint driver
 - 5" x 3.15" x 1.9", weighs 0.68 pounds
 - Bundled with HP Photo Imaging Software
 - Available in the USA immediately for $299 (street)

 - The Formula Guide is considered the core of the
   industry color standard. It features 1012 solid
   PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM Colors on coated and
   uncoated paper.
 - The Process Guide offers more than 3000 process
   color combinations, with CMYK tint percentages on
   coated stock.
 - The Solid to Process Guide takes the guesswork
   out of matching solid PANTONE colors. It
   compares solid PANTONE colors side-by-side with
   the closest CMYK match.

� Photo Sharing
 - Every member of PhotoIsland receives 10MB of free,
   secured Web space that includes an unlimited
   number of Photo Albums.  They can post and share
   their photos online, customize albums and use a
   variety of Proprietary Utilities to improve and
   enhance the photo-sharing experience.  
 - A Guest Invitation, complete with a personal photo,
   can be sent to family and friends to view members'
   albums online. 
 - Photo album visitors can leave messages and
   comments in the member's Guest Book. 
 - Members can also turn their albums into Slide Shows
   with the click of a button.
 - To address Web users' Security concerns, ArcSoft
   has enabled two levels of password protection - 
   member and guest.  Members can provide family and
   friends with a guest password that allows everyone
   to log on simultaneously. Guest passwords can
   easily be changed and photo albums hidden as needed.

� Entertainment Services
 - Visitors can send personalized Photo Postcards using
   their own pictures or one of the many templates
   provided by PhotoIsland.  Music and customized
   stamps are also provided.
 - PhotoMontage, the unique PC imaging technology
   innovated by ArcSoft, has been brought to the Web.
   The PhotoMontage Poster Service turns an ordinary
   portrait into a one-of-a-kind poster made from
   thousands of micro images. Visitors to PhotoIsland
   can order personalized posters in one of two sizes.
 
� Resource & Reference:
 - The News & Info section contains helpful hints for
   the digital photographer, editorial content from the
   experts and the latest in digital imaging news. 
 - Users can easily Search in their storage room for
   photos based on file names, key words and captions.
   Members can assign up to six descriptive keywords to
   each photo.  
 - ArcSoft will provide Cool Products for download; these
   fun, photo-related products will be free to visitors.
   Special versions of ArcSoft's software will be
   available including PhotoStudio, ArcSoft PhotoFantasy
   and more

Monday, August 30, 1999

 - HP PhotoREtIII technology offers "most like a
   photo" quality with up to 29 5-picoliter drops per
   dot
 - Up to 2400 x 1200 dpi resolution on photo paper
 - C6578 ink cartridges provide 50% faster firing
   times and twice as many nozzles compared to C1823
   cartridges in DeskJet 8XX printers, delivering
   7.3 million drops per second
 - Print speeds up to 12 ppm (pages per minute) in
   black and 10 ppm in color
 - Auto duplexer for automatically printing on both
   sides of each sheet
 - Manual print-cancel button
 - Low ink warning prompt
 - Automatic print cartridge alignment
 - DeskJet 970Cse/Cxi have a 150 sheet paper tray,
   USB and serial connectivity, expected price of
   US$399
 - PhotoSmart P1100/P1100xi have a 100 sheet paper
   tray, unknown connectivity but with support for
   printing directly from a digital camera with or
   without a PC, infrared JetSend technology, and an
   expected price of US$499

 - HP Premium Plus Photo Paper, Glossy -- Images
   printed on this new paper have the look and feel
   of conventional photographs and exhibit excellent
   image quality, sharp colors and the shine of
   classic glossy photographs -- 8.5 inches x 11
   inches, 9 mil thick, $17.99(1) for 20 sheets.

 - HP Premium Plus Photo Paper, Matte -- With a low-
   glare image surface, this new paper offers the
   image quality and texture of a conventional
   matte-finish photograph. This paper is designed
   for reproducing soft-finish photos -- 8.5 inches
   x 11 inches, 9 mil thick, $17.99(1) for 20
   sheets.

 - HP Premium Plus Photo Paper, Glossy -- The
   quality, thickness and shine of this new paper
   also is available in 4-inch by 6-inch sheets.
   This convenient size is ideal for printing
   snapshots and replicates the most popular photo
   size ordered at photofinishers -- 4 inches x 6
   inches, 9 mil thick, $8.99(1) for 20 sheets.

 - HP Premium Photo Paper, Glossy -- This paper
   continues to offer customers a cost-effective way
   to print glossy images at home, emulating the
   look and feel of conventional silver-halide
   photographs -- 8.5 inches x 11 inches, 7.5 mil
   thick, $9.99(1) for 15 sheets.

 - Epson PhotoPC 850Z
 - 2.11 megapixel CCD
 - Image sizes up to 1984 x 1488 pixels (using Epson's
   HyPict interpolation)
 - 3x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 35 - 105mm on a
   35mm camera); 49mm filter thread
 - 2" sunlight-assisted LCD Display (uses Epson's
   SolarAssist technology)
 - CompactFlash Type-II storage (8MB card bundled);
   compatible with IBM's MicroDrive
 - USB and serial connectivity
 - Built-in flash with red-eye reduction and slow
   synch capability; hot shoe for external flash units
 - Built-in microphone and speaker for recording sound
   clips up to 10 seconds long and listening to them
 - Full auto mode (with macro, digital zoom and
   panorama settings); Programmed mode (with exposure
   adjustment, ISO sensitivity and white balance
   settings); Manual mode with user-adjustable
   aperture, shutter speed and focus as well as spot-
   metering capability.
 - DirectPrint cable and software included for printing
   directly from the camera to EPSON Stylus Color 740
   and EPSON Stylus Color 740i printers, as well as
   EPSON Stylus Photo printers.
 - DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) and DPOF
   (Digital Print Order Format) compliant
 - Software bundle includes Sierra Imaging Image
   Expert, EPSON Photo!3 TWAIN driver and standalone
   utility driver, EPSON Photo File Uploader, EPSON
   Program Uploader, Print Mark and Direct Print driver
 - Compatible with Epson's Image Authentication System,
   which fingerprints the picture and verifies if it
   has been altered after leaving the camera (US$99)
 - Power from 4 NiMH AA batteries; 4 batteries and
   quick-charger (3 hours to charge) included
 - Availability set for early October at a price of
   US$799; covered by a $50 mail-in rebate and also
   includes a mail-in coupon for a free package of
   Epson 4 x 6" Photo Paper.

Saturday, August 28, 1999

 - New German language extension.
 - Support for AppleScript Menu attachment, lets
   users, easily add their own scripts to enhance
   iView's functionality.
 - Added basic background sound playback in slide
   show.
 - Added functionality to open more than one catalog
   files from the finder.
 - Changed printing of dimensions to match settings.
 - Added support for Expn/JacqCAD format.
 - Improved support for EPS info.
 - Added functionality to auto-register copies of
   iView for CD-ROM distribution
 - Added "deep" folder searching when re-setting
   item paths (find in folder).
 - Reinstated image view cmd-click to mark selected
   item, dbl-click to return to thumbnail view.
 - Modified shutter speed display for speeds
   reported in multiples of 10.
 - Fixed creator/type bug when exporting annotations
   to files that have no resource fork.
 - Fixed html export bug when creating untitled web
   sites.

Friday, August 27, 1999

 - Same form-factor as Canon PowerShot A5 Zoom / A50
 - 1/2 inch 2.1 megapixel CCD
 - Billed as "world's smallest and lightest 2-megapixel
   digital camera with zoom lens and built-in flash (as of
   July 1999"
 - JPEG Image files sizes of 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, and
   800 x 600, in Super-Fine, Fine or Normal compression
 - Burst mode allows 1.7 frames per second in highest
   resolution
 - Type I & Type II CompactFlash card storage
 - USB, RS-232 and NTSC connectivity
 - High-res low-distortion all-glass 2x zoom lens
   (equivalent to 35-70mm f/2.8-4.0 on a 35mm camera)
 - 2/4x digital zoom, playback zoom with panning
 - Selectable ISO from 100 to 400
 - Spot metering
 - AE lock
 - Auto/Manual White Balancing
 - Exposure Compensation of +/-2EV in 1/3EV steps
 - Image Selection Mode button allows choice of slow-speed
   shutter, high-speed shutter, Night Scene, Landscape and
   Black & White modes, as well as flash and ISO modes.
 - Supports DPOF (Digital Print Order Format)
 - Bundled with: Camera, wrist-strap, video cable,
   interface cables, PowerShot Solutions CD-Rom, 2CR5
   Lithium battery, 8MB CompactFlash card w/case, and
   user's manual, CD-ROM includes Adobe PhotoDeluxe and
   Adobe PhotoStitch for Mac and Windows, ZoomBrowser EX
   for Windows, PowerShot Browser for Mac.
 - Availability set for mid-October, price undecided.

Thursday, August 26, 1999

 - Jayne Marquez, of Diamond Bar, CA
 - Vilayet Bahadur, of Fremont, CA
 - Rick Maglio, of Deerfield Beach, FL
 - Stefanie Hendriks, of Costa Mesa, CA
 - Frank Catalano, of North Brunswick, NJ

There's been a long-running battle between Corel and Adobe for supremacy in the image-editing arena. Generally, Corel's PhotoPaint has tracked the latest offerings from Adobe pretty well, although Adobe usually seems to win out with the professional designer crowd. Still, PhotoPaint is an exceptionally capable program, and in fact arguably has a more powerful "filters" interface, for adding special effects to your pictures. At about $100 or so less than PhotoShop, it's found a broad and loyal following among many digicam and scanner users. Currently, Corel is about to come out with a new version, PhotoPaint 9, that will doubtless have dozens of whizzy new features, to justify it's roughly $500 list price. All right, great, you're saying, so why is this on the "Deals" page? Well... The Imaging Resource has teamed up with XOOM.com, to offer our readers an AMAZING deal on "last year's model" of PhotoPaint, PhotoPaint 8. How amazing? Try $69.95 for a program that had a list price of $495! CHECK IT OUT - Follow this link to order your copy today! - Also, although we hate people who advertise "limited time offers", this actually is good for an uncertain, but limited time: Since this is a product clearance, XOOM only has a certain quantity of the PhotoPaint 8 packages available, and once they're gone, the deal will be gone too!

Wednesday, August 25, 1999

Tuesday, August 24, 1999

 - 6 indoor shots
 - 4 outdoor shots
 - 3 macro shots
 - A picture of a basket of flowers, shot on Aperture
   priority AE
 - An outdoor shot of a child under overcast conditions,
   shot using auto white balance.
 - An indoors flash shot of a child using the camera's
   internal flash
 - An indoors flash shot of several children, using
   an unspecified external flash

 - ISO selectable from 160, 320, 640 or auto; was
   ISO 100 on D-400Z.
 - LCD Display now viewable in bright light and from
   any angle
 - Improved flash range
 - Slow Sync flash capability
 - Improved burst-mode and shot-shot speeds
 - New champagne-gold colored housing

 - Olympus C-2500L Digital Camera
 - 2/3" 2.5 megapixel CCD
 - 1712 x 1368 pixel image size (4 x 5 aspect ratio
   matches that of traditional film), also 1280 x
   1024 or 640 x 480.
 - "TruePic" technology
 - SLR design with 95% centered optical viewfinder
   and dioptric correction
 - Non-changeable all-glass 3x optical zoom lens;
   9.2-28mm, equivalent to 36-110mm on a 35mm camera.
   7-element aspheric type, 43mm lens thread,
   f2.8-3.9
 - Auto and manual focusing.  Minimum focus distance
   0.8 to 24 inches in Super-Macro mode, 12 to 24
   inches in Macro mode, 24 inches to infinity in
   normal autofocus and 12 inches to infinity in
   manual focus mode. Low-light AutoFocus illuminator
   included.
 - 1.8 inch HAST 122,000 pixel LCD display with
   2x/4x playback zoom
   and scroll.
 - Built-in flash (Auto, red-eye reduction, fill-in,
   slow synchro with first or second curtain sync,
   and off)
 - Hot-shoe for external flash
 - NTSC video out connectivity
 - Programmed AE, Aperture priority and Manual
   exposure modes. Exposure correction +/- 2EV in 1/3
   EV steps. Exposure detection is TTL.
 - Center-weighted or spot metering
 - Shutter speeds 1/10,000-1/2 second (auto) or 
   1/10,000-8 seconds (manual)
 - ISO 100, 200 and 400
 - Auto, 6-preset manual (from 3000K to 6500K), or
   manual hold white-balance modes. White balancing
   is TTL.
 - 16MB DRAM buffer and dual processors for higher
   performance. Burst mode allows 5 photos in 3
   seconds in any resolution.
 - DCF/EXIF file format, Uncompressed TIFF or JPEG
   files. JPEG compression 2.3:1 or 8:1 at 1712 x
   1368; 8:1 at 1280 x 1024; 8:1 at 640 x 480.
 - DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compliant
 - Dual CompactFlash/SmartMedia slots allows use of
   either Type-I CompactFlash cards or SmartMedia
   cards (maximum size unspecified, but 64MB
   SmartMedia compatible)
 - Will ship in October 1999 at an estimated street
   price of $1499, including a 32MB SmartMedia card,
   NiMH batteries and charger, Camedia Master image
   editing and download software, Enroute
   QuickStitch panorama software, lens cap, strap
   and user manual
 - Optional Accessory Kit includes a fitted leather
   camera case, 4 additional Olympus NiMH batteries,
   AC adapter, and Extensis Portfolio image cataloging
   software for $99.
 - FL-40 flash (30-foot range), B-28 wide angle lens,
   1.45X Telephoto lens, PCMCIA SmartMedia adapter,
   Flashpath Floppy Disk-SmartMedia adapter also
   available.

 - Added ability to generate thumbnails (of any
   size) from any JPG file, including those without
   embedded thumbnails.  Thus, Thumber can now create
   web pages and thumbnails from any JPG files,
   including "rotated" thumbnails for images that
   have been rotated.  JPEG quality setting can be
   specified by user.  User can choose to extract
   embedded thumbnails, or generate new thumbnails
   for digital camera images.

 - Added ability to create resized versions of the
   original images when making web pages.  Image can
   be resized to specified dimensions (in pixels) or
   a specified percentage of original image. HTML page
   can be created with links to resized images or
   originals (resized versions do not replace
   originals) and can be of user-defined size and
   quality.

 - Added "Create master index web page" option.  This
   creates an HTML index page with links to all
   thumbnail pages generated in subdirectories.

 - Added ability to 'mark' images individually as
   they are viewed, and then build a web page (and/or
   extract thumbnails) using these marked images.

 - Added ability to update file time/date stamp for
   multiple files and/or multiple directories
   simultaneously.

 - Added font face and color options to HTML page
   creation.

 - Added "hide border" around thumbnail option to
   HTML page creation.

 - Added user-defined start number for counter when
   renaming files.  Number of digits in counter can
   also be specified.

 - Significantly increased rename speed if the counter
   (%C) is the only variable used.

 - Expanded program size to 640x480.

 - Added/updated Support for Olympus 400, Olympus 2000,
   Kodak 240, Kodak 265, Ricoh 5000, Fuji 600 (Fuji
   1500, 2900 preliminary support), Nikon 700.

 - Fixed rotation problem ("File not found" error) on
   Windows NT systems.

 - Fixed multiple-directory renaming.

 - Eliminated 'Error 9' when generating web pages from
   multiple directories.

 - Eliminated 'Error 6' when extracting thumbnails
   from some Kodak cameras.

 - Thumber now uses the system temp directory for
   rotation.

 - HTML pages now correctly show exposure times of
   greater than 1 second.

 - Finally fixed ExposureEV/BrightnessEV reporting.

 - Fixed "zero" bug when renaming files by hour.

 - Fixed incorrect reporting of am/pm.

 - Fixed "am/pm" bug when renaming files by hour if
   filetime is between 12:00:00pm and 12:59:59pm.

 - Renamed files using 12 hour time format include
   leading zero for times 01:00am - 09:59am.

 - Pressing the "Next File" button will display the
   first image in a directory if no image is currently
   loaded.

 - Removed the extra <H1> tag in page title.

 - Add/Append/Remove comments to multiple file menu
   items work again.  Buttons always worked!

Monday, August 23, 1999

 - 3 indoor pictures
 - 4 outdoor pictures
 - 2 night pictures
 - 2 "people" pictures
 - Wide, Tele and Tele + Digital zoom pictures
 - Effects pictures (Normal, Sepia, Black and White,
   Solarize, and Negative modes)
 - 3 Macro pictures
 - Aperture Priority AE picture
 - Standard Compression Wide, Tele, and Tele +
   Digital zoom pictures
 - Fine Compression Wide, Tele, and Tele +
   Digital zoom pictures
 - Fine and Standard Compression pictures using a
   wide angle converter
 - 4 MPEG-1 videos, 320 x 240 pixel

 - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F505
 - 2.11 megapixel 1/2" CCD
 - 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768 or 640 x 480 pixel image size
 - Carl Zeiss "Vario-sonar" 5x optical zoom lens
   equiv. to 38-190mm on a 35mm camera
 - 10x digital zoom
 - Playback Zoom allows cropping and saving 640 x
   480 pixel section of an image to reduce file size
 - 2" LCD display
 - USB or RS-232 serial interface
 - A/V out (user-switcheable PAL/NTSC)
 - MemoryStick storage media
 - In-camera copying of files from MemoryStick to
   MemoryStick
 - Auto/indoor/outdoor/hold white balance settings
 - Spot metering capability
 - Programmable AE, shutter priority, aperture
   priority modes
 - MPEG movie mode (Presentation, 320 x 240; Video
   Mail, 160 x 112)
 - Voice Memo mode
 - Twilight and Twilight Plus modes
 - Landscape and Pan Focus modes
 - Sepia, Black & White, Solarize or Negative effects
 - Uses InfoLithium batteries, with about 60 minutes
   battery life per charge, and time remaining display.

 - 32MB MemorySticks (due to ship in October for
   $109.95)
 - 64MB MemorySticks (to ship in December for $189.95)
 - Floppy Disk Adapter for MemorySticks (MSAC-FD1A,
   due to ship in November for $99.95)
 - Memory Stick PC Card adapter, (MSAC-PC2 due to
   ship in October for $79.95, and in excess of twice
   the speed of the MSAC-PC1 adapter.  This unit is
   already shipping with Sony's DSC-D770, which your
   trusty news editor owns, and with the new reader
   my MemoryStick is actually faster than my 128MB
   ATA flash card - although still only half the speed
   of Lexar's 8x cards in my informal, unscientific
   testing :)

 - Sony DCR-PC100 Digital Video Handycam
 - 1/4" HAD Megapixel CCD
 - 1152 x 864 pixel still images, 520-line video
   resolution
 - 10x optical/120x digital zoom lens
 - 2.5" swivelscreen 200K-pixel LCD display
 - i.LINK DV interface
 - RS-232 serial interface
 - Analog audio/video input and outputs
 - Able to save 304 megapixel images on a 64MB
   MemoryStick
 - 2.5" x 5" x 4 7/8", weighs 1 lb. 3 oz.
 - InfoLithium batteries, with time remaining feature
 - NightShot InfraRed system (0 lux, slow shutter mode)
 - LaserLink wireless transmission system
 - SteadyShot picture stabilisation
 - Black & White, Sepia, Negative, Solarize, Pastel,
   Slim, Stretch, and Mosaic effects
 - Old Movie, Luminance Key, Flash Motion, Still, Slow
   Shutter, and Trail modes
 - Memory Chroma Key, Camera Chroma Key and Memory
   Luminance Key modes allow still and video pictures
   to be combined
 - Intelligent Accessory Shoe allows accessories to be
   controlled by the camera, eg. a zoom microphone
   automatically alters its pickup to match the lens.
 - PictureGear Windows software, AC Adapter, wireless
   remote control, lens cap/hood and 4MB MemoryStick
   bundled with the camcorder
 - Available in October at an MSRP of $2,199.

Friday, August 20, 1999

 - 4 indoor shots
 - 5 outdoor daytime shots
 - 1 flash shot
 - 3 close-up still life shots
 - 2 "people" shots (good for looking at flesh tones)
 - 7 indoor "bracketed exposure" shots
 - 7 outdoor "bracketed exposure" shots
 - 10 burst-mode shots
 - 2 compression comparison shots (Normal, Fine)
 - 4 ISO comparison shots (ISO100,200,400,AUTO)
 - 2 unknown shots (sorry, couldn't translate this!)
 - 4 QuickTime videos (320 x 240, 2.7MB; 320 x 240,
   582KB; 640 x 480, 2.2MB; 640 x 480, 1.7MB)

Thursday, August 19, 1999

 - Kodak DC280J Zoom reaches market at ¥69,800 (US$607)
 - Olympus C-21 reaches market at ¥69,800 (US$607)
 - Nikon Coolpix950 out of stock at all three stores
   surveyed
 - Canon PowerShot Pro70, Olympus C-830L, Casio
   QV-5500SX, Konica DG-1 and Sony DSC-D770 out of
   stock at one of the three stores surveyed.

Capacity          - 64MB
Connector         - 10 pins
Interface         - Serial
Clock speed       - 20MHz or less
Write speed       - 1.5MB/s or less
Read speed        - 2.45MB/s or less
Voltage           - 2.7 to 3.6V
Power Consumption - 45mA (Standby); 130mA (Operation)
Dimensions        - 21.5 x 50 x 2.8 mm
Weight            - 4 grams

 - MiniDV cassette and MemoryStick storage
 - 1/4" 1.07 megapixel CCD
 - Recording time 80 minutes in SP (LP=120)
 - Battery life 400 minutes max (NP-FM90)
 - Image stabilisation (active image area type)
 - F1.8-2.2 4.2-42mm lens equivalent to 48-480mm on
   a 35mm camera
 - 37mm lens thread
 - 10x optical and 40x digital zoom
 - Shutter speed 1/4 - 1/4000 second (program AE)
 - Operates down to 15 lux (0 lux in NightShot mode)
 - Saves still images in 640 x 480 or 1152 x 864
   pixel JPEG format
 - 180,000 pixel 0.55" viewfinder
 - 200,000 pixel 2.5" LCD display
 - InfoLithium batteries
 - Consumes 3.9 watts on viewfinder (4.4 watts when
   using the LCD)
 - Dimensions 61 x 127 x 123 mm
 - Weight 550 grams (up to 790 grams with NP-FM90
   battery and DV tape)

 - Panorama Stitching
 - PhotoTapestry (create mosaics made up of thousands
   of thumbnail images from one main image)
 - More photo-quality templates (now over 1200!)
 - New special effects (unspecified)
 - new Master Album for organising all your albums

Wednesday, August 18, 1999

 - Type I & Type II CompactFlash card storage
 - USB, RS-232 and NTSC connectivity
 - High-res low-distortion all-glass 2x zoom
   lens (equivalent to 35-70mm f/2.8-4.0 on
   a 35mm camera)
 - 2/4x digital zoom
 - Selectable ISO up to 400
 - Spot metering
 - AE lock
 - "Omni selector" (?)
 - Bundled with: Camera, wrist-strap, video
   cable, interface cables, PowerShot
   Solutions CD-Rom, 2CR5 Lithium battery,
   8MB CompactFlash card w/case, and user's
   manual.

Tuesday, August 17, 1999

 - True fixed-lens SLR design
 - 5x optical zoom lens (5.2 - 26mm, equivalent to
   28 - 140mm on a 35mm camera)
 - ISO 50, 100 and 400
 - 1.5 megapixel CCD (1344 x 1024 max image size)
 - Auto, preset and manual white balance
 - Program, aperture / shutter priority and manual
   modes, exposure compensation +/- 2EV in 0.25EV
   steps
 - Auto and manual focus
 - Histogram and framing features
 - Built-in flash as well as hot-shoe for external
   flash
 - TIFF or JPEG format, ability to control sharpening
   in camera

Monday, August 16, 1999

 - Dye Sublimation printer
 - Cyan, Yellow, Magenta in 256 shades each
 - 306 dpi (dots per inch)
 - 1,450 x 1024 pixels maximum
 - Accepts photos from 320 x 240 to 3072 x
   204 pixels
 - Accepts JPEG or TIFF images
 - Prints on A6 (148 x 100mm) paper
 - Print size 114 x 85mm maximum
 - 83 seconds per print (standard, sealed,
   or sealed index print) and 110 seconds
   for fade-resistant image. [Data transfer
   time from PC not included]
 - Type II ATA PC Card slot, video in/out,
   S-video in, 36-pin centronics parallel
   or Mac serial connections.
 - Auto paper feed (25 sheets per cassette)
 - 4/9/16 thumbnail mode, calendar mode,
   date mode, zoom mode, titling mode and
   more
 - Video capture capability
 - 100VAC, 50/60Hz power supply
 - 225 x 62 x 278 mm (WxHxD) dimensions
 - Weighs 1.8Kg including paper cassette
 - Comes with paper cassette, power and
   video cables, Windows/Mac software CD,
   user manual, registration card, warranty
   card, paper sold separately
 - uses the following paper:
    *NP-M50MPD standard, 50 pcs, ¥2800
    *NP-MC25MPD fade-resistant, 25pcs, ¥2000
    *NP-S25MPD sealed, 25pcs, ¥3000
    *NP-SD16MPD sealed, 25pcs, ¥3000

- Connection kit for PC, iMac and G3 Mac, consisting of
   translucent USB cable and software.
 - 8MB CompactFlash card
 - Translucent video cable
 - Wrist strap (five colors, presumably matching the
   camera color)
 - Translucent lens cap
 - Four AA batteries
 - Manual

 - Several communication interfaces are vying
   for the digital camera market. IEEE 1394,
   USB and several wireless standards (IrDA,
   Fast IrDA, Bluetooth) will make inroads in
   combination with the present serial/parallel
   interfaces.
 - Digital cameras will use more digital film
   as the resolution and picture sizes grow.
   Compact Flash, Smart Media, floppy disk, and
   now Memory Sticks present storage options.
 - Olympus surprisingly moved into third place
   in the digital still camera market in 1998.
   The market is still small enough that any of
   the third-tier manufacturers could move into
   a top slot.

 - 1/3" 2.1 megapixel CCD (1600 x 1200)
 - 8.3-12.6mm F2.8-4.0 zoom lens (equivalent to
   35-70mm on a 35mm camera)
 - Shutter speeds 1/6 - 1/750 second
 - Focusing range down to 9cm (macro)
 - TTL autofocusing system
 - ISO 100/400 ratings
 - 2" LCD display and optical viewfinder
 - Uses an NiMH battery pack
 - CompactFlash storage
 - USB, RS-232 and video out connectivity
 - Same dimensions as Canon PowerShot A50

Sunday, August 15, 1999

Saturday, August 14, 1999

Friday, August 13, 1999

    Model No.: Unknown, Cybershot family
         Lens: Carl Zeiss lens, believed to be 5x optical
               zoom. Macro capability, as well as manual
               and auto-focus capability.
          CCD: 2.1 Megapixel
Storage Media: MemoryStick
 Connectivity: USB
        Other: Manual white balance capability; unknown if
               this is through presets or true manual white
               balance. Spot metering capability available.
  Form Factor: Was believed to be similar to the Sony
               Cybershot DSC-F55, but each picture looks
               less and less identifiable!

Thursday, August 12, 1999

 - Based on the Kodak DC265
 - 2.3 megapixel CCD (interpolated to 3.36 max)
 - Output sizes: 2240 x 1500 (interpolated)
                 1792 x 1200
                 1440 x 960
              or 720 x 280 pixels
 - TIFF or JPEG (Uncompressed, best, better, good)
 - CompactFlash, 20MB CF card bundled
 - Optical Viewfinder + 2" TFT LCD
 - AF 3x Optical Zoom all-glass lens, equivalent
   to 38-115mm on 35mm camera. 37mm lens thread.
 - 2x digital zoom
 - Focus distance 12" to infinity
 - Auto exposure, compensation +/- 2EV in 0.5EV
   increments
 - Automatic white balance
 - Exposure lock
 - Shutter speeds 1/400 to 16 seconds
 - Apertures f/3.0-15.3 (wide), f/4.7-16.0 (tele)
 - ISO 100 rating
 - Digita OS with scripting capabilities
 - Burst capture to 5 pictures (high res), or 20
   pictures (med. res), 0.1 to 3 frames/second
 - Time lapse mode
 - Auto orientation rotates image right-side up
 - Time, date, text and graphic overlays
 - In-camera albums for organizing images
 - 10 second self timer
 - built-in 4-mode (auto, red-eye, fill, off) flash
 - tripod mount
 - Audio recording and playback
 - USB interface, serial and IrDA available
 - Uses 4 AA batteries or AC adapter
 - User upgradeable firmware

 - 2.3 megapixel CCD
 - Output sizes: 1760 x 1168
              or 896 x 592 pixels
 - JPEG format (best, better, good)
 - CompactFlash, 20MB CF card bundled
 - Optical Viewfinder + 1.8" TFT LCD
 - AF 2x Optical Zoom glass lens, equivalent
   to 30-60mm on 35mm camera.
 - 3x digital zoom
 - Focus distance 0.25m-0.5m (macro), 0.5m-
   infinity (regular)
 - Auto exposure, compensation +/- 2EV in 0.5EV
   increments
 - Automatic white balance
 - Exposure lock
 - Shutter speeds 1/755 to 1/2 second
 - Apertures f/3.0-7.6 (wide), f/3.8-9.6 (tele)
 - ISO 70 rating
 - 10 second self timer
 - built-in 4-mode (auto, red-eye, fill, off) flash
 - tripod mount
 - USB interface, serial and PC card
 - Uses 4 AA batteries or AC adapter

 - 1.04 megapixel CCD
 - Output sizes: 1152 x 864
              or 640 x 480 pixels
 - FPX, JPEG format (best, better, good)
 - CompactFlash
 - 4MB CF card bundled (8MB for Millenium
   2000 Edition)
 - Optical Viewfinder + 1.8" TFT LCD
 - Fixed-focus 2x Optical Zoom glass lens,
   equivalent to 29-58mm on 35mm camera.
 - Focus distance 0.2m-0.5m (macro), 0.5m-
   infinity (regular)
 - Auto exposure, compensation +/- 2EV in 0.5EV
   increments
 - Automatic white balance
 - Exposure lock
 - Shutter speeds 1/362 to 1/2 second
 - Apertures f/3.0-13.5 (wide), f/4.79-16.0 (tele)
 - ISO 140 rating
 - 10 second self timer
 - built-in 4-mode (auto, red-eye, fill, off) flash
 - tripod mount
 - Serial and PC card, USB for Millennium 2000
 - DPOF compliant (identify image to print, select
   image size)
 - Video out (NTSC or PAL, user switcheable)

 - 1/4" progressive scan 640 x 480 pixel CCD
 - USB connectivity
 - 176 x 144, 30 frames per second
 - 352 x 288, 20-25 frames per second
 - 640 x 480, 8 frames per second
 - proprietary hardware compression
 - auto white balance
 - auto exposure EV7-12
 - 4.6mm f/2.3 lens, manual focus
 - focus range 4" to infinity

* Opacity control. Users can eliminate unwanted underlying layers by
  making them opaque. This feature is especially useful at the top and
  bottom of spherical panoramas where multiple images overlap with a high
  degree of warping.
* Image Control Points. By selecting and manipulating image control
  points, users can correct the alignment of a very specific portion of
  an image such as a guardrail, light post, picture frame or any element
  shared by two or more overlapping images.
* Layer Control. This feature lets you control how images are layered
  enabling you to place the most distinct image on top.
* Other features that simplify the seaming of adjacent images include
  Antialising and sophisticated Automatching. In addition, users can
  adjust the horizon and focal length to correct disparities in captured
  images.

Wednesday, August 11, 1999

Tuesday, August 10, 1999

--   Next-generation brush engine technology provides unprecedented
     realism, depth and creative control for artists working within
     Painter 6. Brush controls provide more options per tool than ever
     before.--   Brush loading for painting with multiple colors in each brush
     stroke -- up to a different color loaded on each individual     bristle.
--   Impasto (painting with depth) adds extreme realism to artwork
     and interactively renders painted surfaces in 3-D. Impasto
     painting can both build up above the canvas or cut through
     multiple layers of paint all the way down to the canvas.
--   Responsive palette knife that interacts with your individual
     brush stroke -- bearing and pressure -- plus takes advantage of
     the new multicolor brush loading.
--   Interactive Image Hose that sprays images in real-time on
     your canvas with interactive rotation and scaling based on the
     bearing, tilt and pressure of your hand. Includes hundreds of
     incredibly realistic new Image Hose nozzles added for instant
     image creation or enhancement.
--   Text on a Curve and more is available with Painter 6's improved
     Dynamic Text. Reshape the baseline by moving Bezier curve
     handles; insert, edit, tilt, rotate, stretch, scale and type
     words directly on a curve -- all with automatic, configurable
     drop shadows.
--   Updated user interface improves workflow through expandable
     palettes in an intuitive, accessible, easy-to-use environment.
--   Faster performance via a revamped memory architecture
     dramatically reduces processor wait times.
--   Fastest, smoothest painting ever using multistroke spooling,
     motion damping and cubic interpolation.
--   Industry-standard extensible layers are incorporated into Painter
     6, enabling unprecedented, powerful combinations of paint layers
     and effects.
--   CMYK TIFF format support allows easy and fast opening and saving
     of CMYK TIFF images without the use of an additional software
     application.--   Extensive support for the Intuos tablet, pen and airbrush
     technology for more intuitive painting, freedom of illustration
     and faster image editing. Painter 6 provides support for Tilt and
     Bearing to capture more nuances of the artist's expressive
     gesture. Take advantage of 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity
     for smooth curves, gradual transitions and precise control.

- The "self portrait mode" green pixel problem has been
  eliminated.
- Settings that were not retained when the LCD was turned off
  are now saved
- Improved System reliability - many of the bugs causing
  camera freeze up have been eliminated
- Focus speed in Macro operation has been optimized
- Improved visibility of LCD when shooting with flash - The
  LCD will not dim when shooting with the flash.
- Improved Auto file numbering system operation - This may
  mean the sequential numbering problems have been resolved

PC Computing -- "PC Computing Best" July 1999
Camcorder and Computer Video -- "The Best of '99" July 1999
Petersen's Photographic -- "Petersen's Digital Photo Editor's Choice"
AudioVisual International -- "Video Grand Prix Award" August 1999

Monday, August 9, 1999

-- Direct support for more than 120 digital cameras
-- Enhanced Browser for more-powerful image management
-- Digital watermarking for embedding copyright information
-- Vector tools and layers for enhanced drawing capabilities
-- Editable text and ability to place text on a path
-- Multicolor Gradient tool for creating and saving custom gradients
-- Interface enhancements, including roll-up palette and a recent
   colors picker
-- Enhanced integration between Paint Shop Pro 6 and Animation Shop 2
-- Adjustment layers for applying color corrections to multiple layers
-- Print Multiple Images function for printing several images on a
   page
-- Improved Layer and Tool Options palettes for added flexibility and
   control
-- An OLE Screen Capture for grabbing screen shots directly from a
   host application
-- New special effects, including Bevel, Weave, Blinds and more

This month's Reviews:
- Sony Mavica MVC-FD91 (1024 x 768) An absolutely amazing zoom.
- Kodak DC-240  (1.3 megapixel) Surprising quality!
- Toshiba PDR-M4 (2.1 megapixel) Competition for the Fuji MX-2700?

Articles:
- Focal lengths, zooms and digital zooms: a simple explanation.
- Quick Tip: Energy for hungry digital cameras.

Attribute(1)     HP  Canon  Epson  Lexmark  Minolta  Tek-   Xerox  QMS
                                                     tronix
------------     --  -----  -----  -------  -------  ------  ----- ---
print quality/   6.1  5.3    5.7      5.4    5.5       5.5   5.8   4.7
performance
reliability/     6.1  5.3    5.6      5.3    5.2       5.0   5.8   4.9
durability
service/support  5.6  4.9    5.2      5.1    5.0       4.9   5.6   4.8
ease of use      6.1  5.7    5.7      5.4    5.3       4.9   5.8   5.0
value            5.9  5.4    5.6      5.4    5.3       4.7   5.4   4.4

Sunday, August 8, 1999

Friday, August 6, 1999

Thursday, August 5, 1999

Model     Size   Price (Yen/US$)
RPF-64M   64MB   47,000 yen/US$410
RPF-96M   96MB   70,000 yen/US$611
RPF-160M  160MB  116,000 yen/US$1014

Wednesday, August 4, 1999

CCD: 1.09 megapixel (1.04 megapixel effective)
Lens: F4.0 - F4.8, 2x optical zoom (equivalent to 29-58mm
      in a 35mm camera)
Storage: CompactFlash
File Format: JPEG and FlashPix, DPOF compliant
LCD Display: 1.8 inch
Focusing Range: 0.5m - infinity, 0.2m to 1m in Macro mode
Shutter Speed: 1/362 to 1/2 second
ISO Rating: 140
White Balance: Auto
Exposure Control: Program AE (can be corrected and
                  locked in 0.5EV steps to +/- 2.0EV)
Power Supply: 4 AA batteries
Dimensions (W x H x D): 115 x 67.5 x 43.3 millimeters
Weight: 305 grams without battery
Bundled items: 4MB CF card, Mac/PC connection software
               and cables, Adobe PhotoDeluxe and Adobe
               PageMill.

Scanners                    1 year           2 year
DuoScan T2000 XL           $664.30          $949.00
DuoScan T2500              $587.30          $839.00
DuoScan                    $559.30          $799.00
DuoScan T1200              $118.30          $169.00
DuoScan T1200 ADF           $55.30           $79.00


Digital Cameras             1 year           2 year
ePhoto CL50                 $69.00           $99.00
ePhoto 1680                 $69.00           $99.00
ePhoto 1280                 $59.00           $89.00

Tuesday, August 3, 1999

Monday, August 2, 1999

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!