Archive for February, 2006
A Perfect Storm Forms in the Digital Camera Industry
Terry Sullivan - PC Magazine
In an effort to compete with two powerful forces—Canon and Nikon, who have dominated the D-SLR markets—three camera companies have come together to produce cameras and lenses. This “high pressure” formation has produced two new products that attempt to create a powerful climate change in the photo industry.
The first product, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1—a collaboration of Olympus and Panasonic—is Panasonic’s first interchangeable-lens Digital Single Lens Reflex (D-SLR) camera. Based on Olympus’s Evolt E-330, the L1 will feature a full-time Live View function on its LCD screen, which is a common feature on lower-end digital cameras but not on D-SLRs. Like the Evolt E-330, the L1 will also include a new sensor, a 4/3rds-type Live MOS sensor with 7.5 million pixels, which Panasonic says provides the image quality of a CCD and the low energy consumption of a CMOS sensor. The L1 will store images on SD memory cards, which Panasonic also manufactures, and is further evidence of the company trying to add yet another revenue stream into its now rather Byzantine business plan. Indeed, as I recently mentioned in my review of the Panasonic SDR-S100 SD Camcorder, the company claims it will have SD cards as large as 16GB and 32GB capacities by the year 2007.
What really makes this a perfect storm is that Panasonic’s older partnership with Leica has produced a new lens, the Leica D Vario-Elmarit f/2.8-3.5 lens 14-50mm, which will include Panasonic’s MEGA O.I.S optical image stabilization system. It’s the same system found in their superzooms, like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30. This is a fast f/2.8-3.5 zoom lens—most consumer D-SLR zoom lenses are in the f/3.5-5.6. This means, among other things, that you’re much more likely to get better, blur-free shots in low light with this lens, provided the system doesn’t produce too much noise. (Stay tuned for our hands-on First Looks review on this.) And if you throw in the Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction system from Olympus, you end up with a very feature-rich, D-SLR-and-kit-lens combination.
The Leica D lens will feature an aperture ring, in addition to a focus ring and zoom ring, for direct aperture settings. Many manufacturers have done away with such rings, in order to reduce size and weight. It will be interesting to see the final specs on this lens, especially with an image-stabilization system added to the lens.
Of course, there was no forecast on pricing, although I’m guessing it’ll be around $1,200 with the lens and $1,000 for the camera body only, which is comparable to the Evolt E-330. No word at this time on when the camera or lens will be available.
February 27th, 2006
Samsung Camera launches new models in advance of PMA 2006 show
Network World Fusion
The Photo Marketing Association’s (PMA) 2006 show starts Sunday in Orlando, which means there will be a lot of news on the digital photography and imaging front over the next few days.
One company getting a jump on things is Samsung Camera, which announced several new digital cameras, including the Digimax L60, a 6 megapixel model that includes features such as MPEG-4 video recording capabilities, a 3x optical zoom lens, 5x digital zoom and a 2.4-inch color LCD screen.
The L60 can record video in VGA format (640 by 480 pixels) at 30 frames/sec., Samsung says. A built-in movie stabilization feature can automatically detect and fix shaky movements, and a continuous video recording feature lets a shooter pause and resume video recording at any time and merge the multiple video files into a single file (remember, this is a digital still camera).
The L60 also includes features in-camera such as Color Effect (such as black and white, sepia, or blue, green and red effects), Highlight, Photo Frame, Negative and Composite Shot. The camera includes 11 scene modes, including night shooting, portrait, children, landscape, close-up, Beach & Snow, and text recognition. The text recognition feature lets users shoot documents (books, magazines, etc.), and then extract the text from the image using bundled Digimax Reader text recognition software (just what every super spy needs!).
The L60 will cost $300 and is expected to be available in April 2006, Samsung says. The L60 will include 32MB of internal memory and includes a Secure Digital/MultiMedia Card slot for adding additional memory. More details are available at the Samsung Camera Web site.
February 27th, 2006
Matsushita plans digital SLR camera debut this year
Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:17 PM EST
Reuters Canada
TOKYO (Reuters) - Panasonic brand maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said on Monday it plans to introduce its first digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera later this year, aiming to grab a slice of the fast-growing market.
The world’s biggest consumer electronics maker has been developing technologies and devices for digital SLR cameras jointly with Japanese precision equipment maker Olympus Corp..
A Matsushita spokeswoman said the company had not decided on a price range for the LUMIX DMC-L1, a prototype of which is being exhibited at the PMA 2006 International Convention and Trade Show in Orlando, Florida.
Olympus has already introduced its E-330 digital SLR camera using the jointly developed mirror box unit and sensor.
Digital SLR cameras, which use interchangeable lenses, are generally more expensive and yield higher profit margins than simple point-and-shoot compact cameras that can be produced by low-cost electronics makers.
The digital SLR camera market has been growing rapidly, and global shipments in this market are expected to increase 48 percent to 5.62 million units by 2008, according to Japan’s Camera and Imaging Products Association.
Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. and Sony Corp., as well as Pentax Corp. and a unit of South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. have sought similar digital SLR camera alliances to pool resources and cut costs.
But Konica said last month it would sell a portion of its SLR camera business to Sony, part of its move to withdraw completely from the business of selling cameras and photographic film.
Shares in Matsushita were down 0.6 percent at 2,465 yen by midday, while Olympus was up 0.6 percent. The Nikkei average was up 0.13 percent.
February 27th, 2006
Long-zoom digital camera launched
Digit Magazine
Thursday 23 Feb 2006 - 16:11
Canon has announced a digital camera with a 12x optical zoom lens. The PowerShot S3 IS is a successor to the PowerShot S2 IS, and is built around a six-megapixel CCD.
The PowerShot S3 IS’s zoom lens is the most powerful found on any Canon camera. It features an ultra-sonic motor for fast and quiet zoom operation and has an ultra-low dispersion lens element to reduce chromatic aberration in telephoto shots. It features an optical stabilizer to reduce camera shake, which is even more important at extended zoom.
The camera supports ISO settings from ISO 80 to ISO 800. It offers 20 shooting modes including full manual, aperture priority and shutter speed priority. It supports widescreen image capture at a resolution of 2,816-x-1,584 pixels, and features a 2.0-inch LCD screen.
The PowerShot S3 will ship in May 2006 for £380 plus VAT.
Canon has also released two compact cameras – the £245 PowerShot A700 with a 6mp CCD and a 6x optical zoom lens; the £210 PowerShot A540 with a 6mp CCD and a 4x optical zoom lens – and two point-&-shoot models: the 5mp/4x optical zoom lens PowerShot A530 for £169 and the 4mp/4x optical zoom lens PowerShot A430 for £125. All prices exclude VAT.
February 24th, 2006
Nikon, Olympus, Pentax Debut IMAGELINK System-Enabled Cameras at PMA
Eastman Kodak Company
2/22/2006 4:39:32 PMA
Acceptance of Printing Standard Will Benefit Millions of Consumers Worldwide
ROCHESTER, NY, February 22 — Nikon, Olympus and Pentax introduced five digital cameras designed to connect to Kodak’s EASYSHARE printer dock via the IMAGELINK system standard at the Photo Marketing Association International Convention and Trade Show this week.
The IMAGELINK print system, introduced by Kodak and a consortium of leading digital camera manufacturers at Photokina in September 2004, is a standard that allows pictures taken with a digital camera to be printed directly on the KODAK EASYSHARE printer dock. The dock enables consumers to print outstanding quality snapshots at the press of a button without connecting to a computer — a task that many consumers find complicated and time consuming.
“We are gratified that Nikon, Olympus and Pentax are helping to expand the IMAGELINK system universe by launching their compatible cameras and bringing the benefits of high-quality home printing to more consumers than ever before. The people who buy these new IMAGELINK system compatible digital cameras will now be able to create durable, waterproof prints at home – with or without a computer,” said Steven Decker, General Manager and Vice President, Home Printing Solutions, Consumer Digital Imaging Group. He cited these new products as evidence that other companies see value in enabling consumers to print pictures at home via the IMAGELINK system and the KODAK EASYSHARE printer dock.
The newly unveiled IMAGELINK system compatible cameras from Nikon, Olympus and Pentax include :
* NIKON COOLPIX S5 - 6 mega pixel, 3X zoom, 2.5” LCD; and COOLPIX S6 - 6 mega pixel, 3X zoom, 3” LCD, Wi-Fi capability.
* OLYMPUS FE-130 –5.1 mega pixel, 3X zoom, 2” LCD; and FE-140, 6 mega pixel, 3X zoom, 2.5” LCD.
* PENTAX OPTIO M10 - 6 mega pixel, 3X zoom, 2.5” LCD.
Each of the five new digital camera models will be shipped with a custom dock insert to ensure a great out-of-the-box consumer experience. All of the cameras are compatible with the KODAK EASYSHARE series 3 printer dock and planned future models. Customer availability of the new cameras is expected to start in March 2006, and distribution will be worldwide.
Decker anticipates that Kodak’s IMAGELINK system partners will introduce additional cameras supporting the standard as the year progresses, and that many people in the world will enjoy picture printing with either a KODAK, NIKON, OLYMPUS or PENTAX camera on the printer dock at home with one-button simplicity.
Kodak’s EASYSHARE printer dock holds a market leading position in the snapshot printer category. Introduced in March 2003, the printer dock has been recognized as one of the most successful new consumer digital product launches in Kodak history.
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator, providing leading products and services to the photographic, graphic communications and healthcare market.With sales of $14.3 billion in 2005, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional image capture products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using Kodak solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; Creative Professionals rely on Kodak technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images; and leading Healthcare organizations rely on Kodak’s innovative products, services and customized workflow solutions to help improve patient care and maximize efficiency and information sharing within and across their enterprise. More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.
February 23rd, 2006
Canon, Nikon revamp digital camera lines
ZDNet
Canon and Nikon, two major manufacturers of digital cameras, updated large swaths of their product lines Tuesday, adding higher resolution sensors, vibration reduction and wireless networking.
The companies announced the cameras shortly before the Photo Marketing Association International’s PMA 2006 convention, which begins Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
Digital cameras, a fast-growing market, have all but supplanted film models. In January, Nikon announced it was discontinuing production of all but two high-end film cameras.
The highest-end of Canon’s new models is the EOS 30D digital SLR camera, an 8.2-megapixel model that can take up to 30 JPEG images in its 5-frames-per-second burst mode, a notch more than the 23 images the current 20D can shoot. It also adds a 3-frame-per-second burst mode that can take as many as 37 pictures. The EOS 30D starts up in a quick 0.15 seconds, has more precise focusing and sports a larger image-viewing screen than its predecessor, Canon said.
In the “ultrazoom” category, Canon announced that the $500 PowerShot S3 IS will be available in May. It retains the image-stabilized 12x zoom of the current PowerShot S2 IS but upgrades the 5-megapixel image sensor to a 6-megapixel model and boosts its sensitivity when shooting photos in low-light conditions.
Image stabilization compensates for some shaking or vibration, a useful feature when shooting in dim light or with a zoom lens set in telephoto configurations. Nikon announced two models, the Coolpix P3 and P4, that incorporate the company’s vibration reduction feature into 8.1-megapixel cameras. The $450 P3 includes 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless networking abilities, but the $400 P4 does not; both cameras are due to arrive in March, Nikon said.
Nikon is updating its Coolpix S line–the S stands for “style”–with the S5 and S6. Both are 6-megapixel models with 3X zoom lenses, a feature to fix red-eye problems commonly experienced when using a compact camera’s flash. They’re scheduled to go on sale in March. The S6 includes 802.11 wireless networking and costs $450; the S5 doesn’t and costs $350.
The entry-level Coolpix L line has three new models: the $250 6-megapixel L2, available in February; the $200 5.1-megapixel L3, available in February; and the $150 4-megapixel L4, available in March.
Canon also updated its compact Digital Elph line with 6-megapixel image sensors and better low-light sensitivity. One new model is the $500 SD700, which is due in April and incorporates image stabilization and the first 4X zoom to reach the Elph line. Others are the $400 SD630, available in March, and the $350 SD600, available in April.
Updates to Canon’s A series, so named for its use of AA batteries, offer longer zoom ranges and higher resolution images. New models are the $350 6-megapixel A700 with a 6X zoom lens and available in April; the $300 6-megapixel A540 and $230 5-megapixel A530, both with a 4X zoom and available in March; and the $180 4-megapixel A430.
February 23rd, 2006
“Most Popular Digital Camera” Review is Updated
[Press Release] PR Web
Digital camera reviews and prices can be found in an easy-to-use format.
Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) February 22, 2006 — While digital cameras are becoming increasingly popular, with so many options available that make it hard for the average consumer to make meaningful comparisons, DigitalCameraReview.com recently published its study of “January’s Most Popular Digital Cameras” at it web site. The actual study can be found at http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=2699.
“With millions of people searching online each month for digital cameras,” said Brian Beeler, president of TechnologyGuide.com, which publishes four technology-oriented products web sites, including sites for notebook pc’s, PDAs, and Tablet PCs. “we’ve had a large number of consumers contact us to find out about the most popular digital cameras. We started the review in December and are updating it monthly. This is an easy-to-use resource that consumers can use to find the information they’re looking for. Plus,” he said, “the list of most popular digital cameras ties in with our Digital Camera Buyer’s Guide, where an individual can find answers to almost any question he or she has about digital cameras.”
“The most popular camera is not necessarily the best digital camera, but the digital camera ratings included at DigitalCameraReview.com can enlighten consumers as to what is the best digital camera for them,” Beeler continued.
DigitalCameraReview.com began operation in 2004 as a consumer information web site, offering up-to-date newsfeeds and unbiased user-based information, including product ratings and reviews on all major digital camera manufacturers’ products, including Canon digital cameras, Sony digital cameras, Olympus digital cameras, and more. It’s Users Forum has garnered industry praise as a consumer-friendly resource where people can get “straight answers.”
“The January results are interesting,” Beeler said. “Canon digital cameras continue to occupy six of the top 10 positions, with the balance of the top ten filled in with Nikon, Panasonic, and Kodak digital cameras.”
The 2005 Digital Camera Buyers’ Guide also included at the web site breaks down the digital camera comparison into four separate pricing segments along with five different functional options. This, along with the Users Forum, makes it easy for any digital camera consumer, whether a beginner or an advanced user, to find and compare his or her options.
Visit www.DigitalCameraReview.com to find January’s Most Popular Digital Cameras.
February 23rd, 2006
Digital Camera problems continue to plague owners
Moldova.org
Two major digital camera problems, a lens issue with Canon cameras and an image sensor defect found in many different companies’ models, continue to plague owners but have drawn entirely different company responses.
The long-standing “E18″ controversy, named after an error that displays when the lens can no longer extend or retrace, is in the forefront again. Users with Canon point-and-shoots, including the A and SD product lines have long complained of the problem.
Canon has not reported any defect with the cameras and typically doesn’t pay to repair affected cameras that are out of warranty.
In stark contrast, a host of companies acknowledge a defective image sensor in various camera models and offer free out-of-warranty repairs. Canon, Fujifilm, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Ricoh, and Sony all have issued service advisories about faulty CCDs in older cameras, camcorders, and camera-enabled PDAs that result in drastically smeared or blurred pictures.
February 23rd, 2006
Sony unveils next HD camcorder for consumers
www.zdnet.com
The high-definition camcorder, which was pretty space-age in 2005, will become more common over the next two years.
Sony showed off in Tokyo this week an HD camcorder that’s lighter and smaller than the company’s first consumer HD camcorder and, perhaps more importantly, costs less. The HDR-HC3 will sell for 160,000 yen, or $1,400, less than the $1,800 price tag on Sony’s HD-HC1, its current HD camcorder for consumers.
Japanese consumers will be able to buy the HDR-HC3 starting March 3. Although Sony did not specify a U.S. release date, the company typically follows through with U.S. versions anywhere from six to 12 months later.
So far, only a token number of HD camcorders have hit the market, and most of them cost $2,000 or more. But that will change over the course of 2006 and 2007. Prices are coming down, and more people have digital TVs that can play HD content.
Sanyo grabbed attention at the January Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with its Xacti HD1 camcorder. That product doesn’t have nearly as many features as the other HD camcorders, but it costs around $800.
Panasonic, which already has a high-end HD camcorder, plans on coming out with an HD camcorder that will be about the same size or smaller than today’s mini-DV cameras in 2007. These systems will likely sell for less than $1,000.
Silicon Valley start-up Ambarella, meanwhile, has come out with a chipset that will let manufacturers produce HD cameras for around $800. Cameras with Ambarella’s chips could come out toward the middle of this year, according to Ambarella executives.
The Sony HDR-HC3 weighs 500 grams (a little over a pound), making it 26 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than the HDR-HC1. Like the current model, the new HDR-HC3 supports HDV1080i video.
The new camera will also support HMDI output, which means it can be connected directly to an HDTV, something the current camera doesn’t do.
Along with shooting videos, the HDR-HC3 will take 4-megapixel still photos, similar to other hybrid cameras.
Although many camera manufacturers are moving toward hard drives and flash memory, Sony’s new camera relies on mini-DV tape.
Hayashi Sakawa of CNET Japan reported from Tokyo. CNET News.com’s Michael Kanellos reported from San Francisco.
February 22nd, 2006
Photo finish in the digital world
By MELISSA LEE/For the Lincoln Journal Star
Not too long ago, customers would walk into Rockbrook Camera & Video and ask sales associate John Keller whether it was possible to develop film without a darkroom.
Today, the question takes a new form: Can digital film be developed and printed without a computer?
The answer is still yes, but to Keller, this new query is a sign of an evolving photographic market.
“Film photography is finding a smaller and smaller niche,” he said. “Everything’s better and quicker with digital.”
Customers clearly agree. Drawn by the convenience and speed that digital cameras offer, they’ve seen to it that films and darkrooms are nearly things of the past.
For many photography businesses, it’s digital or bust.
Photo giant Kodak announced in 2004 that it would stop selling its film camera; Nikon has followed a similar path.
In Lincoln, too, business owners say they’ve had to adapt to digital or risk closing their doors as the film market dwindles.
“If you don’t embrace digital, you’re going to go out of business,” said Jeff White, general manager of The Photo Shoppe, which has locations at 301 N. Cotner Blvd. and 40th Street and Old Cheney Road.
White estimates he develops only half as much film as he did just a few years ago. Customers now demand digital prints, a demand he’s accommodated to keep thriving.
At Rockbrook, 70th Street and Pioneers Blvd., digital cameras now outsell film cameras by a 300-to-1 margin, Keller said.
Rockbrook still offers professional film developing and printing but in the decade the store has been in Lincoln, it’s had to adapt to digital to stay afloat, he said.
Now, the business even offers a digital photography class, taught by Keller, that offers customers the chance to learn how to use high-tech digital equipment.
“We’re still successful,” he said.
Not all photography businesses have been so fortunate. Harman’s Camera Center, for example, closed in January 2004 after 30 years selling and processing film in downtown Lincoln.
At the time, owner Jim Harman blamed the closing partially on the rapid rise of digital photography.
It’s a trend that hasn’t always been friendly, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln photojournalism lecturer Luis Peon-Casanova.
“We’re seeing a brutal change of technology,” he said. “It’s an amazing shift. Companies are re-inventing the way they do business.”
Today’s customers seek instant gratification, Peon-Casanova said, and digital photography offers them just that: They can shoot and re-shoot until they like the results, then get their prints the same afternoon.
In the past couple of years, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at UNL has switched almost entirely to digital, Peon-Casanova said, and photographers at the student newspaper no longer need a darkroom.
Art students, though, continue to work with film.
White worries they may have increasing difficulty finding suppliers and developers.
“There’s so much competition. The small labs are closing up,” he said. “Digital has made the difference.”
February 22nd, 2006
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