Archive for March 14th, 2006
The Camera Diet: Now You Can Lose 10 Pounds Without Even Trying
New York Times
AMON DARLIN
Published: March 13, 2006
For digital camera makers, it’s a mode, mode, mode, mode world.
On point-and-shoot cameras, as well as single-lens reflex cameras meant for more serious photographers, camera makers are adding a bevy of preset modes that remove the guesswork for setting up a perfect picture.
The Canon PowerShot 80, for example, has 21 modes, including settings for shots of foliage and fireworks, as well as for pictures taken in the snow or at the beach. Nikon has cameras with modes set for shooting document text or museum objects. Hewlett-Packard has a mode on its new R-series that it says removes the 10 pounds a camera is said to add. And Casio will sell three models in April with an eBay mode that sets up the camera to take shots that can be easily uploaded to the online auction site.
After four years of rapid growth, sales of digital cameras are expected to peak this year, according to analysts at InfoTrends, a market research company. As sales slow, camera makers have to find new ways to differentiate their products. Some do it with styling, others with new technology like image stabilization or wireless connections. (Competing on the number of megapixels is passé, analysts say.)
The shooting modes are proving a popular way to differentiate products. Panasonic, a relative newcomer to the digital camera fray, has settings for shooting food and a soft-skin mode aimed at removing wrinkles in a person’s face in a photograph.
“We are trying to put these modes in all our cameras,” said Bob Kozlarek, senior engineer in Panasonic’s product engineering center.
The modes do more than adjust the lens aperture and the shutter speed, actions that a skilled photographer can perform with a single-reflex lens camera. Many of the modes have a computer chip in the camera that tweaks the image.
For instance, Canon’s underwater mode filters out the plankton in the water in the same way most digital cameras remove the glowing red-eye in portraits, caused by the flash reflecting off the retina. The underwater mode also adds red to the photograph, a color missing in the underwater spectrum.
In a similar fashion, a foliage setting accentuates blues and greens and sharpens the image.
“The idea is not as much to make an accurate image, as a pleasing one,” said Chuck Westfall, director of marketing and customer relationships at Canon USA. Mr. Westfall said that camera makers had found “90 to 95 percent of what we will ever need.”
Nevertheless, new modes keep popping up. Casio’s new eBay mode — found on three new cameras in its Exilim line, the Z60, Z600 and Z850 — resizes an image and, on cameras taking 6- and 8.1-megapixel pictures, lowers the resolution of the picture to 2 megapixels so it can appear on the auction site. The mode includes an additional setting for capturing fine detail. The eBay mode is one of 33 modes the cameras offer.
Casio has exclusive rights to the mode for one year, said Karl Wiley, senior category manger at eBay. He said the company was in discussions with other camera makers.
March 14th, 2006
Digital users are inclined to shoot more
Monday, March 13, 2006
Mike Musgrove
THE WASHINGTON POST
It used to be that the trusty old film camera got pulled out a few times a year — on vacations, birthdays and holidays.
But digital cameras are changing people’s habits. According to research firm InfoTrends, households with digital cameras take more than twice as many pictures as households without a digital camera — 35 shots per month compared with 17.
Where every shot was a commitment in the film world, it costs nothing to push the shutter button on that digital camera, cell-phone camera or other high-tech gadget. And, thanks to email, it costs nothing to share that photo with friends and family around the world.
“We’re getting to the point where photography itself is really starting to transform in people’s minds,” said Christopher Chute, an analyst at IDC. Some digital photographers in the 23-and-younger set never print their pictures at all, he said.
As a result, people are shooting a lot of images that once went uncaptured, for better or worse. Check out Fotolog, a site that lets people post their latest snaps for all the Web to see.
“A lot of people start out taking the cliche pictures,” said Adam Seifer, chief executive of Fotolog: ” ‘Here’s my kid, here’s my dog, here’s my house.’ ” But with the potential to take unlimited “free” shots, people usually start to get more adventurous, he said.
Seifer has taken a picture of every meal he has eaten for the past 2 1 /2 years. (Check out his eating habits at www.fotolog.net/cypher.)
For shots that you might actually want to keep, here are a few tips from experts about how to get the most out of the digital camera.
Mark Greenberg, photojournalist whose work has appeared in magazines such as People and National Geographic:
• Take advantage of the fact that digital means you don’t have to buy film. Just shoot, shoot, shoot and shoot. Don’t be afraid to push that shutter button, because every moment will yield some different expression on your subject’s face.
• It’s better to underexpose a shot than to overexpose a shot. Underexpose a shot and there’s a chance that you can pull out more detail with editing software on your computer. You can sometimes pull such details out of a dark shot, but you can’t put such details into a shot that’s too light.
• Protect the original file of your image — keep it in a safe place on your hard drive and make backups.
Derrick Story, author of Digital Photography Hacks and Digital Photography Pocket Guide (both from O’Reilly Media):
• Use your camera’s flash, even in shots taken outside in daylight. Your friends may thank you — this can help get rid of wrinkles and eye shadows in your shots. Just look for “fill-flash” or “flash-on” in your camera’s menu of flash options.
• Get a polarizing filter for outdoor shots to help reduce glare and get rid of unwanted reflections. Unfortunately, some digital cameras don’t accommodate such filters — but a pair of good sunglasses can do the job, in a pinch. Just hold the glasses as close as possible to the camera lens and make sure the edges aren’t in the shot.
• Don’t skimp on the memory cards. Digital cameras usually ship with memory cards that are too small for a user to fit many pictures onto. For a 2-megapixel camera, consider getting a 128-megabyte card or larger. Go with 256 MB cards for 3-megapixel models, 512 MBs for 4-megapixel cameras and 1–gigabyte cards for 5-megapixel cameras and up.
Nigel Aves, freelance digital video producer:
• Throw away the free software that came with the camera for editing those digital shots and buy a good photoediting package.
• Use only your digital camera’s “optical zoom.” Although some digital cameras attempt to create the same zoom-in effect with software, all that will do is make one heck of a grainy shot. Turn off your camera’s “software zoom” if you can.
Alek Komarnitsky, hobbyist:
• When you are just about ready to take your picture — waiting for your kid to smile, for example — press the shutter release halfway to focus the shot. You have a much better chance of getting the picture as the camera doesn’t have wait to focus.
• Be sure to set the date and time correctly so you don’t find yourself later wondering, “Um, when did I shoot that picture?” Digital cameras can record this information as a part of each photo’s digital file, but out of the box they’re unlikely to be set to today’s date. They can sometimes forget the correct date, too, so check every now and then.
March 14th, 2006
Samsung D808 is the thinnest slide up camera phone in the world
MobileMag
Monday March 13, 2006 5:44 PM EST –
By: T.O. Whenham,Via:Â mobilewhack.com
Samsung releases so many new phones that I can’t honestly believe that they have a single employee who knows all of them. One of the latest is the Anycall D808. In a bid to make it stand out and take another record place, they have declared it to be the world’s thinnest GSM slide up camera phone.
The first thing that catches your eye is the big 2.12 inch ultra wide LCD display. The 1.3 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom and built-in self-portrait mirror takes advantage of that screen to show off your bright pictures. The phone supports a wide range of audio formats and has a remote control to keep the music playing like you want it to. It has Bluetooth and a speakerphone. Data transfer is supported by WAP and GPRS. A document viewer makes it practical as well as fun
How small is the world’s smallest? It measures 97 x 52 x 14.9 mm and weighs 98 grams. No word yet on price and availability, though I could guess that it won’t be available in North America because cool phones rarely are.
March 14th, 2006
scanR Enables Camera Phones and Digital Cameras to Scan, Copy & Fax
Monday March 13, 7:59 am ET [Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance
Improve, Organize and Search Photos of Whiteboards and Documents
PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 13, 2006–scanR, Inc. today launched the first service that enables camera phones and digital cameras to scan, copy and fax. Using scanR is as simple as taking a photo with a camera phone or digital camera and emailing it to scanR. The service cleans photos of whiteboards and documents, automatically tags the keywords, and delivers the results as a PDF file in email or as a fax.
Image processing
scanR uses advanced image processing technology to overcome common digital imaging challenges such as low lighting, shadows, blurring, and skewed orientation in order to provide consistently high-quality results in a wide range of conditions. This allows people to get an exact digital copy of their information, quickly and easily, using the devices they already carry.
Document tagging
scanR helps people save information digitally and allows them to easily find the information using desktop search tools, such a Google(TM) Desktop or Microsoft® Windows Vista(TM). Each document sent to scanR is tagged with the keywords extracted from the text on the paper. This enables easy organization of documents scanned with scanR and quick searches for the original on the user’s desktop or related information from the web.
Mobile faxing
scanR lets people email digital copies or send faxes while travelling or at home, without seeking and paying for a copy center.
“Saving, finding, and sharing printed documents and handwritten notes are challenges that everyone faces,” said Rudy Ruano, CEO of scanR. “scanR brings mobility to the multi-billion dollar scan, copy and fax market, by taking the scanner off the desktop and putting it in your pocket.”
“My job requires substantial travel, and as a result I am constantly looking for a Kinko’s or hotel business center to fax or scan contracts and diagrams,” said Joe Huebner, an enterprise sales executive. “With scanR, I have the ability to immediately send paper-based information digitally.”
Pricing and availability
scanR works with most 1 megapixel or better camera phones and digital cameras. Camera phone users should check scanR.com for information on support for their particular model and mobile carrier. Some features will not work with lower quality camera phones.
scanR is currently available as a free unlimited trial. The company plans to introduce premium paid services in the future.
About scanR, Inc.
scanR enables camera phones and digital cameras to scan, copy and fax. Using scanR, people can turn paper into useful digital information in a few simple steps. The scanR service cleans photos of whiteboards and documents, extracts and tags keywords, and delivers the results as a PDF file in email or as a fax. scanR is currently free and has thousands of users located around the world. More information is available at scanR.com.
All brand and product names are or may be trademarks, and are used to identify products or services of their respective owners.
March 14th, 2006
Gen X Mom is photo industry’s new target
Seattle Post Intelligencer
By DAVE GUSSOW
ST. PETERSBURG (FLA.) TIMES
ORLANDO, Fla. — The photo industry is in “Mom Mode.”
The design of new digital cameras heavily emphasizes women’s preferences. The marketing aims at women as the family memory keeper. And local photo stores are undergoing makeovers to become more family-friendly.
“The Gen X Mom — we fondly call her Jennifer — is the most powerful customer shopping your store and services,” reads promotional material for an exhibit called the Complete Picture Inspiration Center at a recent Photo Marketing Association International trade show.
Women became the majority of primary digital camera users in 2004. A survey by the Consumer Electronics Association showed 56 percent of women as the main photographer and they became the majority (53 percent) of digital camera buyers in 2005, according to the NPD Group, which also says women buy 59 percent of photo paper for printers.
Indeed, women have a long history of being important photo consumers, said Liz Cutting, an analyst with the NPD Group research firm. “It’s only now that they’re owning the entire process,” she said.
Women like shinier, more stylish cameras, said Lesley Marangola, a worldwide marketing manager for Kodak. Men like black. And Kodak’s promotional materials put the print size that a camera can produce ahead of the geekier specs men like, such as megapixels (resolution) and zoom.
These preferences are trickling down to the local camera stores as well. Stylish areas with countertops, children’s play areas and coffee bars that house kiosks where Mom can print while keeping an eye on the kids are starting to emerge.
“My system better be easy to use, warm and friendly,” said Dawn Hickman, manager of Lake Shore Camera Exchange in Palm Harbor, Fla., which plans a renovation to add space and a play area this spring.
Dan’s Camera City in Allentown, Pa., has already remade its store, which Steve Olock, its director of imaging services, described in a presentation in Orlando.
Among other things, Dan’s included a changing station in the women’s restroom. But a funny thing happened, Olock said: The men asked for one to be put in their restroom, too.
March 14th, 2006
New Genius G-Shot Digital Camera Series
Playfuls.com
The Taiwanian KYE Systems has recently launched its new G-Shot digital camera series: G-Shot DV611, G-Shot D612 and G-Shot P713 MP3. Thanks to their small size and the bundle of features offered, they may very well become a very interesting and attractive achievement for the casual users.
G-Shot DV611 is a pocket-sized Digital Video Camera with what the company calls a 6-in-1 functionality, including that of a Digital Video Camera, Digital Still Camera, USB 2.0 Web Cam, Digital Voice Recorder, MP3 Player and Mass Storage Device. It features a 3.0 megapixels CMOS sensor with 8X digital zoom and maximum interpolation of up to 6.6 megapixels, 32MB of built-in memory, MPEG4 compression technology for high quality video, optional 512MB SD memory card for recording up to 60 minutes, inbuilt Motion Stabilization (Movie Mode Only) technology, 2-inch LTPS LCD monitor and comes along with a remote control.
G-Shot D612 is a pocket-sized, 3-in-1 digital camera offering the functionality of a Digital Still Camera, Digital video camera and Web Cam all in one device. It incorporates a 3.0 megapixels CMOS sensor with maximum interpolation of up to 12.0 megapixels, digital video with voice, 1.5-inch TFT LCD and packs software such as Mr Photo and Presto! Video Works.
G-Shot TM P713 MP3 has a sliding cover and is a card-sized Digital still camera, Digital video camera, web cam, and MP3 player – all rolled into one device. It includes a 1/2.5-inch super CCD sensor with a 5.0 megapixels resolution, added ability to listen to MP3 songs, 2.0-inch TFT colour image LCD monitor, re-chargeable Lithium Ion battery, support for DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), 4X Digital Zoom Video with multi-scene modes, plus bundles software including Photo Explorer and Photo Express.
“Kye Systems is one of the leading manufacturer and supplier of innovative products, globally. As India is a strategic market for us, we will keep on bringing innovative feature-rich lifestyle products to the country. I am confident that the way the Kye products have been received in India because of its quality, price and performance, very soon we will occupy a substantial position in the Indian market for lifestyle products”, said Sandeep K. Ramani, country manager (India) at Kye Systems.
March 14th, 2006
BenQ unveil six new digital cameras
Digit Magazine
Thursday 09 Mar 2006 – 09:24
BenQ has unveiled six new additions to its digital camera Classic, Elegance, Luxury and Performance lineup: the X610, E520+, E600 and P500, C530 and C630.
Headlining the new additions is the X610, the world’s slimmest 6-megapixel 3-inch LCD screen DSC camera. Equipped with a 3X optical zoom lens with 6mp CCD, the X610 has a 3-inch LTPS LCD screen with 230k resolution including two levels of brightness, backlight off and wide view angel. It offers VGA movie recording at 640 x 480 pixels (30fps) with AVI (MPEG-4) format which ensures comfortable viewing and super smooth movie clips says BenQ
In addition, the USB 2.0 compatible X610 offers a smart photo-editing function that includes trimming, resizing, rotation, colour filter, movie editing, all which can be done via a touch of a few buttons on the camera itself.
In the Elegance series, the 5mp E520+ is equipped with Pentax’s Super-Multi Coating (SMC) lens and a 3X optical zoom. The advanced smc Pentax Lens provides sharp, accurate colour images, says BenQ. The 2.5-inch Large LTPS LCD screen features user-friendly interfaces and 230k pixels enable a clearer view. The six megapixel E600 DSC features a versatile feature sets with 3D-Rotating Lens with Sliding Lens Design (which shortens the zoom in- and zoom out time), BenQ Easy Dial User Interface and Panoramic Focus Mode, which allows users taking images without the need to focus in advance in order to get clear images.
Both BenQ C530 and C630 cameras in the Classic Series feature a 2.4-inch TFT LCD screen and 3X optical zoom. Settings include a Scene Mode which allows the user to capture shake-free images, and a PictBridge function allowing photos to be printed directly from any PictBridge-enabled printer without using a computer.
From the Performance series, the new BenQ P500 DSC features a smc Pentax Lens with a 5X optical zoom as well as a 2.5-inch LTPS LCD with 230k high resolution. The BenQ DC P500 also features VGA movie recording with stabilizer at 30fps with AVI (MPEG4) format. In addition, the P500 is equipped with long-life rechargeable lithium-ion battery supporting approximately 250 pictures.
March 14th, 2006
Japanese Camera Maker Nikon Launches S. Korean Unit
Asia Pulse via Yahoo! Asia NewsÂ
SEOUL, March 9 Asia Pulse – Japanese camera maker Nikon Corp. said Thursday that it has established a wholly owned subsidiary in South Korea to better tackle the fast-growing digital camera market here.
“We are aiming to reach sales of 90 billion won (US$91 million) in South Korea and become one of the top three sellers in the country,” Noriaki Yamaguchi, head of Nikon Imaging Korea, told a press conference.
The subsidiary will commence full operations on April 3, he said.
Nikon Imaging Korea will first open a customer service center in Seoul on Monday and cease selling its products here via Anam Optics, a local digital camera producer and importer.
Nikon’s establishment of its South Korean unit is part of its bid to expand its share of one of the world’s top 10 digital camera markets by strengthening marketing, sales and customer services here.
It aims to overtake Japanese rivals, such as Sony Corp. and Olympus Corp., and local competitors such as Samsung Techwin Co. through increased sales of its COOLPIX models here.
“South Korea is not only a test-bed for new products, but a core market for Nikon,” said Yamaguchi.
He added that the company will increase customer support by opening more retail outlets.
(Yonhap)
March 14th, 2006
CEBIT: Samsung shows 10 megapixel camera phone
MacCentral Online
By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is planning to launch in the second quarter a cell phone that boasts a 10 megapixel resolution digital camera, the company said at the Cebit IT show on Thursday.
The SCH-B600 is due to go on sale in South Korea in the second quarter of this year and continues a line of cell phones with high-resolution cameras from Samsung. The company launched a 5-megapixel camera phone in October 2004, a 7-megapixel phone in July 2005 and an 8-megapixel model in November last year
From one side the handset looks like a conventional cell phone and from the other side looks like a digital still camera, with an autofocus 3X optical zoom lens and a flash.
Images and other data can be stored to the handset’s internal memory or on MMCmicro memory cards.
The high-end handset also includes support for South Korea’s satellite digital broadcasting service. This serves several TV and radio channels on subscription to compatible receivers. Samsung has already launched several cell phones with such a feature.
Other features include MPEG4 video recording, a music player that plays MP3, AAC and AAC+ files, TV output, a document viewer and Bluetooth and Pictbridge printing.
No price was provided for the telephone, which is compatible with the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) 1X EvDO standard.
Samsung also launched at Cebit on Thursday a handset designed to offer functions often found on stand-alone music players. The SGH-i130 is based on the Windows Mobile operating system and packs an 8G-byte hard-disk drive.
The music player supports the MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV and Ogg music file formats and has dual speakers, an amplifier and Bluetooth stereo link. Other features include a 2-megapixel digital camera, Bluetooth printing and a video output connector. It will be available in Europe during the second quarter of this year, Samsung said.
March 14th, 2006
February revenues for Taiwan digital
Camera makers Premier Image and Altek grow while Asia Optical suffers drop
Kevin Hsu, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DigiTimes.com [Wednesday 8 March 2006]
Taiwan digital camera makers Premier Image Technology and Altek on March 7 reported consolidated revenues in February grew 57.5% and 146.9%, respectively, on-year while Asia Optical saw a decrease of 6.0%.
Asia Optical’s decline in revenues was due to the company reducing profitless OEM/ODM orders, local industry experts pointed out. The digital camera maker is expected to bottom out next quarter, according to company vice president and spokeswoman Iris Wu
Largan Precision and Kinko Optical, two leading producers of optical lenses in Taiwan, also released estimated consolidated revenues figures. Largan had 79% of its February consolidated revenues come from sales of lens kits for cell phone cameras, with 60% of the lens kits being of VGA resolution and 40% for 1.3 megapixels and 2.0 megapixels resolution, the company indicated. Largan has begun production of 3-megapixel lens kits in small volumes, the company added.
March 14th, 2006
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