News Archive - November 2002 Return to: Current News Archive Index Thursday, November 28, 2002 THANK YOU! 03:49 EST - Some heartfelt thanks for our readers and supporters! As I figuratively head out the door for the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to take a brief moment to thank all our loyal readers and supporters who have made this site successful. As the name of the holiday... (More) Major update to Sigma SD9 Review. 03:12 EST - My last gasp before taking a *much* needed break for four days - I've updated the Sigma SD9 review with full sample photos, detailed results & conclusions... Just in time for Thanksgiving... In an unbelievable fit of too-busy-to-pay-attention-to-what-I'm-doing, it turns out that I did the complete analysis of my test shots with the production SD9 camera over... (More) Wednesday, November 27, 2002 Software Review: SilverFast Ai by LaserSoft Imaging 15:45 EST - IR Newsletter Editor Mike Pasini has taken a look at a piece of software that its creator says is designed to help users scan images "without requiring extensive training in reproduction techniques". SilverFast Ai 6, from German software company LaserSoft Imaging, has a wide range of features to help you get the best out of your scans - including defect removal, color correction and restoration, grain... (More) Nikon Coolpix 4300 review updated to full production status! 15:18 EST - Another review update that was a long while coming, but at least this one wasn't my fault. Nikon finally got me a production model of their Coolpix 4300 just before I left town for Comdex the week before last. I've now shot and analyzed all my standard test photos with it, with excellent results.... (More) Full review posted for Olympus C-50 Zoom! 15:00 EST - I guess this is "Olympus week" at IR! This second camera is a really attractive little subcompact model, sporting a full five megapixels (!) of resolution. I find myself with a somewhat odd reaction to the Olympus Camedia C-50 Zoom, as I've really fallen in love with it, all the while recognizing that it just slightly misses the mark in several areas. While... (More) Canon EOS D60: Units in stock 13:56 EST - We just heard from IR affiliate Ritz Camera that they have a limited number of Canon EOS D60 digital cameras in stock that just came in. Not surprisingly given the popularity of Canon's 6.3 megapixel digital SLR, the camera remains in short supply - with most buyers having to wait in queue for stock to appear before they can purchase their... (More) Tuesday, November 26, 2002 Phil posts SD9 review! 21:28 EST - Friendly competitor Phil Askey has posted his review of the controversial Sigma SD9 SLR, with more than a few different findings... Well, I guess this proves the value of having more than one digicam review site: My friendly competitor Phil Askey of DPReview.com has just posted his review of the Sigma SD9 SLR, using Foveon's X3 sensor... (More) Full review posted for Olympus C730 UltraZoom! 05:23 EST - Well, Olympus doesn't call it an "UltraZoom" for nothing - this baby has a full 10x zoom on it, ranging from moderate wide angles to a pretty impressive telephoto. This isn't a one-trick pony though: Beyond it's long zoom ratio, the Olympus Camedia C-730 UltraZoom is really a pretty full-blown "enthusiast" camera. (But is also plenty easy for novices to use, in full... (More) Canon EOS D60: New firmware! 05:17 EST - Canon Inc. has released a new version of firmware for its EOS D60 digital camera. Firmware Update Version 1.0.2 has two changes noted: "EOS D60 Firmware Version 1.0.4 resolves the following issues, which may occur in the RAW mode depending on shutter release timing: Thumbnail is black.... (More) Monday, November 25, 2002 Fred Miranda tests the EOS-1Ds 16:32 EST - Pro photographer Fred Miranda, whose name regular readers will recognize for his excellent series of PhotoShop actions for removing noise, recovering highlights and more, has just posted a review of Canon's EOS-1Ds digital camera. Fred took a look at the $8000 camera with its whopping 11 megapixel resolution from the point of view of a landscape photographer. There's some great insight as to how the camera performs in the field,... (More) Saturday, November 23, 2002 Rollei's new compact digicam 12:27 EST - The good folks over at Dutch website LetsGoDigital.nl have posted news of a new digital camera on the way from Rollei. Planned to ship in December at a price of €399, the Rollei d330 Motion digital camera has a resolution of 3.34 megapixels coupled with a 38 - 80mm equivalent f/2.8 D-VarioApogon HFT 2x optical zoom... (More) Digital Outback: Digital, film compared 11:25 EST - Our friends over at the Digital Outback Photo website have posted an interesting article showing the results they achieved recently, when comparing 4 x 5 film with a scanning camera back, high-end digital SLR and consumer digital SLR. Whilst we'd really like to see the original files available as well (it is difficult to tell what effect the use of Genuine Fractals had on the 1Ds and D100 pictures), we also know from experience just... (More) Friday, November 22, 2002 Full set of test shots posted from a production model of the Canon EOS-1Ds! 14:32 EST - There go my bandwidth bills... Again. ;-) - Canon has finally let me share a full set of standard test photos from the EOS-1Ds with you, and the results are *very* impressive! Given its 11 megapixel sensor, it's no suprise that the 1Ds blows every other camera that I've tested previously clean out of the water in the resolution department. What I wasn't expecting though, was... (More) "Dave's Picks" revived and updated! 14:28 EST - Boy, has this one been a long time coming! I started the original "Dave's Picks" section over a year ago, in response to the hundreds of emails I get from readers asking which camera they should buy. I don't remotely have time to answer all those queries, so put together a list of what I think are the best cameras on the market, and divided them into various categories, based on different types of... (More) Sunday, November 17, 2002 PRESS RELEASE: Epson Announces Availability of PRINT Image Matching II Plug-in for Adobe Photoshop 18:04 EST - P.I.M. II Plug-in Enables Photoshop Users to Get Best Possible Prints from their Digital Camera LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2002-- Epson America Inc. today announced the availability of a PRINT Image Matching II (P.I.M. II) plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® 7.0, 6.0, and Photoshop Elements 1.0 and 2.0 for Macintosh and Windows operating systems. The new plug-in enables Adobe... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Nikon(R) Teams Up With Val Kilmer In Company's First National TV Commercial To Use Celebrity Spokesperson 18:02 EST - Kilmer Promotes Nikon Coolpix(R) 2000 Digital Camera As 'Simply Cool' MELVILLE, N.Y., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- A talented actor like Val Kilmer intimidated by something as simple as a digital camera? "You didn't think I could be intimidated, did you," reveals the actor in Nikon Inc.'s new 30-second national television spot featuring the Nikon Coolpix 2000 digital camera (http://www.nikoncoolpix.com).... (More) PRESS RELEASE: IDC Study Identifies Next Wave of Digital Camera Buyers 17:59 EST - FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital still cameras remain hot with consumers eager to instantly capture and view life's precious moments. According to a recent IDC survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, 28% of respondents intend to purchase a digital still camera within the next twelve months. IDC's new study, Emerging Digital Photography Opportunities: A U.S. Consumer Study and Cluster... (More) Wednesday, November 13, 2002 PRESS RELEASE: Government of Japan to honor Mr. Herbert Keppler 17:11 EST - November 3, 2002－－－Herbert Keppler, Vice President / Publishing Director, POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY magazine, will be honored for his outstanding contributions to the development of the Japanese camera industry and the promotion of the understanding of Japan. The Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette will be bestowed upon Mr. Keppler on December 9, 2002 during a ceremony... (More) PRESS RELEASE: GPS-Photo Link 2.1 Adds Support for Trimble and Leica GPS Receivers, plus ArcView 8.x Extension 17:04 EST - Fort Collins, Colorado, November 12th, 2002 GeoSpatial Experts is pleased to announce the release of GPS-Photo Link version 2.1. The new version extends current functionality beyond the basics of linking a photo with the location of where it was taken. Perhaps the most anticipated feature is an ArcView 8.x extension. With the press of a button, map points are hot-linked to photos and background... (More) The Great Digital SLR Shootout, Round One! 00:19 EST - There's more still to come (weather permitting), but we've posted the first round of photos from our first "Digital SLR Shootout," with images by Gibbs Frazeur, our "resident Pro." As anyone with even a passing acquaintance with this site will know, I'm a big believer in carefully-shot comparison photos. From day one of this site, I've had a standard set of shots I take with every... (More) Tuesday, November 12, 2002 Server glitch: Our apologies 14:04 EST - Visitors to the site yesterday may have noticed that later in the day there were some brief slowdowns. Our apologies to those of you who experienced delays, which were caused by a misconfiguration on our server in concert with huge numbers of visitors to our Sigma SD9 digital camera review. We've recompiled our server with the configuration error corrected (the Apache maxclients variable was set too low) - and things should be back to normal now. Sorry for the inconvenience! Veo announces digicam for Palm OS 01:58 EST - California-based Veo, formerly known as Xirlink, has announced a new SDIO digital camera module compatible with a range of Palm OS personal digital assistants. The Veo Photo Traveler for Palm OS works on Palm OS 4.0, 4.1 and 5.0 on the Palm m125, m130, m500, m505, m515 and i705, as well as Handspring's Treo 90. The camera has a color depth of 24-bit, and a swivel... (More) PRESS RELEASE: New Print, TV, Outdoor and Promotional Campaign Introduces The Greens, Fujifilm's Fictional Snap-Happy Family 00:45 EST - ELMSFORD, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 2002--Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. Brand-Building Efforts for Traditional and Digital Products Designed to Help Consumers "Get the Picture" As part of a broader communications effort that highlights the many ways in which the brand interacts with a broad range of camera users, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., today launched a multimedia advertising campaign... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Dialog Launches New Camera Module Product Family 00:32 EST - KIRCHHEIM/TECK-NABERN, Germany, Nov. 11 -- Dialog Semiconductor Plc (Nasdaq & Nasdaq Europe: DLGS, Neuer Markt: DLG) has launched the first two products of a new family of standard CMOS image sensing modules. The DA3510 and DA3520 will enable high quality photo imaging and video capabilities to be embedded into next generation mobile phones and personal digital assistant (PDA) products. Key features... (More) Monday, November 11, 2002 Full (preliminary) review posted for Sigma SD9! 14:28 EST - Few cameras have stirred up as much interest in the photo community this year as Sigma's new SD9 digital SLR. This is with good reason, since the Sigma SD9 uses the new "X3" full-color pixel sensor technology from Foveon, to deliver nearly the same resolution from its 3.43 megapixel sensor as other cameras manage... (More) Short-form review posted for Kodak EasyShare LS443! 14:25 EST - I've been a fan of Kodak's "EasyShare" line of cameras for some time now, as they're not only easy to use, but produce very appealing pictures. Kodak's latest addition to the line is the higher-end EasyShare LS443, a four megapixel model with a 3x zoom lens and metal-clad body design. The 443 has all the features that make the rest of the EasyShare... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Reduced size MultiMediaCard standard approved by MMCA 00:00 EST - Offering significant advantage in mobile phones and digital imaging devices Cupertino, CA, November 11, 2002 - A reduced-size standard for the MultiMediaCard™ was approved at the MultiMediaCard Association's recent membership meeting in Boston, according to Andy Prophet, Executive Director of the trade organization. The new Reduced Size MultiMediaCards (RS-MMCTM) will store data for mobile... (More) Friday, November 8, 2002 PRESS RELEASE: Foveon X3 Image Sensor Receives 2002 `Best of What's New Award' from Popular Science Magazine 15:17 EST - Foveon's technology wins prestigious "Grand Award" in the Photo Category SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8, 2002-- Foveon, Inc., a technology leader in high quality digital photography, announces that the new Foveon® X3(TM) image sensor has been chosen by Popular Science magazine to receive the "Best of What's New" Grand Award in the Photo Category. Popular Science editors reviewed... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Minolta Digital Camera and Autofocus Technology Win Praise 15:08 EST - The new DiMAGE Xi digital camera and Minolta AREA-AF technology receive Popular Science Magazine's 2002 "Best of What's New" Awards RAMSEY,N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8, 2002-- Minolta Corporation's new DiMAGE Xi 3.2 megapixel digital camera and Minolta AREA-AF technology as featured in the Minolta Freedom Zoom 160 Date and Freedom Zoom 140 Date 35mm point-and-shoot cameras have each received annual... (More) Thursday, November 7, 2002 QPict 5.2 adds new features aplenty 17:24 EST - A new release of QPict, the MacOS-only imaging utility is now available for MacOS 9 and X, and has a huge list of new features and bug-fixes. QPict 5.2, which can be downloaded as a free trial version and costs $35 for a single-user license, $300 for a site license and $1600 for a worldwide license, has the following changes from the previous... (More) PRESS RELEASE: UMAX launches two affordable film scanners 16:58 EST - New PowerLook 180 and Astra FS180 offer performance, features and premier software bundle for everyday and amateur film photographers DALLAS, TX., November 4, 2002 -- UMAX Technologies, Inc. today announced its entry into the film scanner market with two new products, the PowerLook 180 and Astra FS180 film scanners. Both scanners feature true 1800dpi optical resolution, for clear, detailed pictures... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Microtek ScanMaker 6800 with Integrated Digital ICE Technology for Photo Prints Now Available 16:47 EST - Company Launches First Flatbed Scanner for One-Step Photo Restoration CARSON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 6, 2002--Microtek® International, a 21-year veteran in scanning technologies and imaging solutions, announces the availability of the ScanMaker® 6800 with Integrated Digital ICE(TM) for Photo Prints from Applied Science Fiction(TM) (ASF(TM)). With an SRP of $399.99, the ScanMaker 6800... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Extensis Ships Free Intellihance Pro 4.1 Upgrade 16:42 EST - Photoshop plug-in for image enhancement offers complete support and compatibility with Photoshop 7 and Mac OS X. PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2002--Extensis is now shipping a free update to Intellihance Pro, its award-winning Adobe Photoshop plug-in. Intellihance Pro automatically analyzes and corrects images from any source, including digital cameras, flatbed and drum scanners, or original... (More) PRESS RELEASE: NikonPro.com Enhances Professional Photographer's Online Studio To Promote Greater Sales Potential and Exposure for Members 16:15 EST - MELVILLE, N.Y., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Nikon® today announced new expanded capabilities for NikonPro (http://www.nikonpro.com), the powerful online service for professional photographers that offers heightened exposure, an instant online presence and creates unlimited opportunities for increased sales and new business. NikonPro matches professional photographers to potential buyers through fully... (More) PRESS RELEASE: MonacoOPTIX with 'Light Tunnel' Technology for Accurate LCD and CRT Display Profiling Now Available 16:12 EST - ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 2002--Monaco Systems, Inc., a leader in the field of color management, today announced the MonacoOPTIX solution for profiling LCD and CRT displays. MonacoOPTIX is a monitor calibration system that combines a state-of-the-art colorimeter with powerful and easy-to-use software to provide an outstanding profiling solution for both LCD and CRT displays. A calibrated... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Worldwide Prints from Consumer Digital Cameras Will Reach 11.8 Billion in 2005 According to a Study by Lyra Research and Photofinishing News 16:04 EST - Report forecasts shift from home printing to retail and online print fulfillment for digital images NEWTONVILLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2002-- Total direct prints from consumer digital cameras will grow from 4.5 billion prints in 2001 to 11.8 billion prints in 2005 worldwide, according to a new study published by Lyra Research and Photofinishing News. The report, Opportunities and Challenges... (More) Wednesday, November 6, 2002 Olympus, Epson partner in rebate offer 18:20 EST - Olympus America Inc. and Epson America Inc. have today announced a joint rebate offer for customers purchasing certain new digital camera and printer models. To qualify for the $75 rebate, you must make your digital camera and printer purchases between November 1st, 2002 and January 31st 2003. The two items don't need to be purchased simultaneously; purchases... (More) PRESS RELEASE: ACD Systems And DivXNetworks Partner To Bring User-Friendly Video Editing To Consumers 18:13 EST - ACD VideoMagic Will Integrate DivX Technology To Enable Easy Creation And Sharing Of High Quality Videos SAN DIEGO, CA and VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA --(INTERNET WIRE)--Nov 6, 2002 -- ACD Systems International Inc. (Toronto:ASA.TO - News), the digital imaging company, and DivXNetworks, Inc., the creator of the patent-pending DivX(TM) video compression technology, today announced a licensing agreement... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Amkor Expanding VisionPak Image Sensor Packaging for a Growing Market 02:32 EST - CHANDLER, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2002--Amkor Technology (Nasdaq:AMKR - News) is expanding its VisionPak(TM) CMOS image sensor assembly capabilities in order to meet increasing demand for high quality, video and digital camera features in digital and PC cameras, cell phones and other hand-held applications. Industry analyst In-Stat estimates the market for CMOS image sensors will increase... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Revenue from Worldwide Digital Camera Sales to Reach $11.8 Billion in 2007 According to InfoTrends Research Group 02:25 EST - BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2002--A new study from InfoTrends Research Group projects that worldwide revenue from low-end (sub-$1,000) digital camera sales is forecast to reach $11.8 billion in 2007. Worldwide unit shipments of low-end digital cameras will reach 24 million units in 2002, capturing 28% of total worldwide camera sales (not including one-time use cameras). Unit volume is forecast... (More) Tuesday, November 5, 2002 PRESS RELEASE: MultiMediaCard Association Elects New Marketing Co-Chairpersons 22:38 EST - Hamid Haidari and Yves Leonard to Spearhead Special Focus On Mobile Phone and Digital Imaging Markets CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 2002--Marketing Committee Co-Chairpersons of the MultiMediaCard Association (MMCA) were appointed by the board of directors at the organization's recent meeting in Boston, it was announced today by Andy Prophet, Executive Director of the trade association.... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Monaco Systems, Inc. Introduces MonacoDCcolor, Color Management Solution for Professional Digital Photographers 21:06 EST - ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 2002--Monaco Systems, Inc.(TM), a leader in the field of color management and image processing, today announced the release of MonacoDCcolor, a new digital camera profiling solution aimed at the professional digital photography market. Based on technology that is currently available in Monaco's flagship product, MonacoPROFILER, MonacoDCcolor is a product that... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Delkin introduces one of the fastest memory cards on the market for professional digital photographers 17:01 EST - Poway CA, November 4, 2002 Delkin Devices, a leading US manufacturer of high performance digital photography memory products and accessories, has introduced one of the fastest CompactFlash™ digital memory cards currently on the market. The eFilm™ PRO card is part of Delkin's new premium series of memory cards that are designed to quench the professional photographers thirst for speed. As... (More) EOS-1Ds price now set? 00:56 EST - A post from pro photographer Rob Galbraith on his news page notes that the Minimum Advertised Price for the Canon EOS-1Ds has now been set. Rob says that he's heard from Canon's Chuck Westfall to say that the MAP price has been set at $7999, some $1000 below the suggested list price, and double the expected street price of Kodak's DCS Pro... (More) Monday, November 4, 2002 First image samples from a *production* Sigma SD9 SLR! (On IR, at least.) 23:42 EST - My production sample of the Sigma SD9 SLR cleared US Customs and arrived this morning! Full review in a few days, but for now, a couple of shots of the Res and Davebox test targets. Hopefully this will finally give my email inbox a little rest from all the people who've been writing asking when I'll post some more info on the Sigma SD9 camera, based on the Foveon X3 sensor... Sigma... (More) Qimage Pro gets a major overhaul 19:20 EST - We just heard from Mike Chaney, author of the popular imaging utility Qimage Pro, who had news of a major update to the program. Qimage Pro 2003 has a number of significant differences from the previous version, particularly to the user interface - all of which should make the program faster and easier to use, as well as even more... (More) Sunday, November 3, 2002 Full image analysis posted for Minolta Dimage 7HI! 18:38 EST - Dave offers a verdict on the image quality of Minolta's latest digicam with his usual wide array of sample images... I've finally finished the test shooting and detailed image analysis for the Minolta Dimage 7HI, and posted the results on its sample pictures page. As one might expect, image quality is virtually identical... (More) PRESS RELEASE: PDN And VNU Expositions Announce The First Annual Vision Awards 18:32 EST - Awards Highlight Exceptional New Imaging Products & Services Featured at PhotoPlus Expo 2002 Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, 2002 in New York City NEW YORK -- Oct. 29, 2002 -- Many Award-Winning Products Will be Shown for the First Time in the US Photo District News in association with VNU Expositions has announced the winners of the first annual PhotoPlus Expo Vision Awards. The Vision Awards were created "to... (More) Photosmart 850: Displaytech provides Microdisplay 18:28 EST - A press release from Colorado-based Displaytech Inc. reveals the source of the electronic viewfinder in HP's recently announced Photosmart 850 digital camera. The 4 megapixel camera, which features a Fuji-sourced 8x optical zoom lens, uses a 'LightView QVGA Microdisplay Engine', a 320 x 240 pixel 0.19" Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal display unit that is shown... (More) Argus announces new 2mpix digicam 16:12 EST - A press release from Illinois-based Argus Camera announces its new 2.1 megapixel DC-3550 digital camera. We've yet to receive a product photo or in-depth specifications, but a few basic details can be gleaned from the release: Argus DC-3550 Sensor 1/2.7" CCD Sensor Resolution 2.1 megapixels Optical... (More) PRESS RELEASE: PlanetFoto Launches Global Online Photo Service Based on Innovative Business and Technology Model 15:58 EST - BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- As a digital camera aficionado with an international career, Lance White knows first-hand how difficult and inconvenient it is to find a way to print digital pictures while traveling and working away from home. Convenient and affordable services for printing digital photos don't yet exist in many countries, and using online photo services from the United States... (More) PRESS RELEASE: SmartDisk Introduces Digital Camera Accessory Pack at Wal-Mart 15:19 EST - NAPLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 2002--SmartDisk Corporation today announced the availability of a unique Accessory Pack for Digital Cameras at Wal-Mart retail stores nationwide. The Pack combines a variety of products that assist both novice and veteran digital camera users in taking better pictures, capturing the images and sharing them with friends and family. The package contains the popular... (More) Return to: Current News Archive Index