Archive for March 15th, 2006
Fuji F650 Zoom Digital Camera Announced
MobileWhack.com
Fujifilm today launched the Fuji F650 Zoom digital camera, a cute looking and compact package. So, what do you get with the F650 apart from neat looks? 6 megapixels, 5x optical zoom, and and a super-size 3-inch LCD to start with. The F650 is actually FujiFilm’s first digital camera to sport a 5x optical zoom (equivalent to a 35-180mm on a 35mm camera). Digital zoom tops out at 4.4x. Combining the two you get a total zoom range of 22x. Enough of the zoom. Let’s move on.
The Fuji F650 makes it a snap to shoot pictures, thanks to the 10 selectable scene positions. Modes provided include Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Beach & Snow, Sunset, Museum, Party, Flower Close-Up and Text. Like all other FinePix cameras, the F650 too captures movies at 30 fps with sound. ISO sensitivity ranges from 64-400, good enough for most conditions. PictBridge compatibility lets you print directly on a printer without the need for a PC. The 32MB of internal memory should serve as adequate backup in case you run outof space on the SD card.
Read the extended entry for complete specifications.
Fuji F650 Pricing and availability are yet to be announced. Watch this space for an update.
Manufacturer website: FujiFilm
March 15th, 2006
Pixim’s Orca Chipset Technology Drives General Solutions’ New Camera Offerings in Retail Security Market
Market Wire
General Solutions’ New Box and Dome DigiOp True-Pix Camera Series Relies on Pixim Chipset Technology to Offer True Wide Dynamic Range in Retail Environments
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — (MARKET WIRE) — 03/14/2006 — Pixim, Incorporated’s patented Digital Pixel System® (DPS) technology is integrated into the DigiOp True-Pix camera series, a new state-of-the-art line of box and dome cameras targeted for the retail market from General Solutions, a company specializing in custom applications for storing and managing digital video. General Solutions is introducing two new Pixim-enabled NTSC/PAL Orca chipset cameras, the GSDCT-VDNPS620XT Vandal Dome and the GSDCT-PS620XT Box Camera
Pixim’s DPS technology solves General Solutions’ urgent need for true wide dynamic range video capture in retail environments which typically have challenging lighting issues, such as glare, extreme lighting, and strong backlight. Pixim’s DPS chipsets are compact, easy to configure and deliver excellent image quality and color accuracy in both normal and wide dynamic range (WDR) scenes in any lighting conditions, 24/7.
General Solutions DigiOp True-Pix camera series will set new standards for ease of installation and high quality video reproduction for a wide variety of real-world applications. “Intelligent personalities,” optimized settings for indoor, outdoor, night vision, and fluorescent lighting, coupled with true color reproduction contribute to the rich feature set enabled by Pixim’s DPS technology.
Pixim’s image consistency and accuracy overcomes typical impediments of existing analog CCD technologies to provide positive subject identification caused by variable lighting and limited color accuracy. The DPS image sensor converts light to a digital signal at each pixel, enabling each pixel to have independent, optimized exposure times to deliver the highest image quality and color accuracy.
“We were originally taken by the color accuracy and progressive scan capture of Pixim’s image sensor technology,” cites Tom Lassandro, Vice President of Product Marketing at General Solutions. “Accurate colors and minimal motion artifacts are crucial to real-time intelligent video analysis as well as the forensic study of video after an incident occurs. General Solutions sees a bright future for camera products based on Pixim’s DPS architecture, including cameras specifically for the IP market to be announced in the near future.”
Since DPS technology provides superior picture quality in challenging lighting situations, video analytics and biometrics algorithms work better. General Solutions’ video analysis capabilities will benefit from incorporating Pixim’s Orca chipset into their new line of cameras.
“General Solutions is a savvy, market-driven organization interested in capitalizing on leading edge technologies for asset security,” states John Monti, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Pixim. “Pixim’s DPS technology provides General Solutions with a family of security cameras targeted for retail markets to ensure accurate subject identification in even the most severe lighting conditions.”
Frost & Sullivan recently named Pixim, Inc. as the recipient of the 2006 Technology Innovation & Leadership of the Year Award in the field of video surveillance technology in recognition of its development of the Orca chipset.
Customers shipping Pixim chipsets in their security camera products include: Baxall, Dallmeier electronic, EverFocus, Tyco Fire & Security, GE Security, General Solutions, Honeywell, Hunt, Ikegami, Kampro, Pelco, Product Acceleration, Sunell, JVC, ChipER, Eagle Technology, Topica, VTC, Videor Technical, Smartvue, Verint, VDG, PhotoTek and Electronics Line USA.
Pixim will be demonstrating DPS Technology at ISC West, April 5-7, in Booth 18144.
About Pixim
Pixim Inc. has developed imaging technology and products that revolutionize the way video cameras capture and process images. Pixim’s patented Digital Pixel System® (DPS) silicon and software technology produces superior pictures under a wide variety of lighting conditions. For more information or to purchase Pixim’s products, visit our website: www.pixim.com or call Pixim’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA., (650) 605-1107.
Pixim® and Digital Pixel System® are registered trademarks of Pixim, Inc.
Product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
March 15th, 2006
New Kodak Digicams
PhotoReview.com.au
March 15, 2006: Kodak Australia has just released three new digicams – the EasyShare Z650, the EasyShare C663 and the EasyShare C530 – into the Australian market.
A new addition to the Z-series line of long-zoom models, the 6.1-megapixel EasyShare Z650 (RRP $499) features a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 10x optical zoom lens plus a proprietary KODAK Colour Science image processing chip. Up to 5x digital zoom is provided. The large 2.0-inch, high-resolution indoor/outdoor LCD screen can be used for previewing and reviewing shots and a live histogram enables photographers to check exposure levels before taking the shot.
The Z650 also supports fully-automatic, aperture priority and shutter priority modes and includes 17 scene presets. A fast AF system ensures brief click-to-capture times and the camera includes first and last burst modes along with flash output adjustment. In-camera editing features include automatic red-eye reduction, cropping, blurred picture alert and auto picture rotation. The camera comes with 32MB of internal memory plus an SD/MMC card slot.
Also offering 6.1-megapixel resolution, the new EasyShare C663 zoom camera (RRP $399) is designed for ease of use and features a 2.5-inch LCD screen and a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 3x optical zoom lens. The first camera to incorporate proprietary Kodak Perfect Touch Technology, this model allows users to correct underexposed pictures caused by shooting beyond the flash range or in adverse lighting conditions. The C663 provides 17 programmed scene modes (including Party, Fireworks and Children) plus five colour modes (high, low and natural colour, sepia, and black & white) to help users to capture the shot they want with minimal effort. In-camera picture-enhancing features include cropping, auto picture rotation, digital red-eye reduction and blurred picture alert. The camera also features VGA video capture, playback and video action print options.
The new EasyShare C530 digital camera is budget priced at RRP $199 and combines a 5.0-megapixel sensor with a 36mm (equivalent) f4.5 fixed-focal length lens and 1.5-inch LCD. Up to 5x digital zoom is provided and the camera offers fully automatic point-and-shoot convenience. Features include three colour settings (colour, sepia and B&W) and in-camera cropping plus the ability to record QVGA video at 20 frames/second. The camera comes with 16MB of internal memory plus an SD/MMC card slot.
All three cameras include Kodak’s Share button, which allows users to tag pictures for e-mailing, printing and saving to the on-camera digital photo album or to a computer or online album as favourites. Â They can also be used with Kodak’s EasyShare Series 3 camera and printer docks and the ImageLink system. Kodak’s EasyShare software version 5.2 for Windows and Macintosh systems is also provided. For more information on Kodak EasyShare products go to www.kodak.com and select Digital Cameras.
March 15th, 2006
Straight Shooting: Find the Perfect D-SLR
Terry Sullivan – PC Magazine
Unless you’ve been napping for the past year or so, you’ve probably noticed that Digital Single Lens Reflex (D-SLR) cameras have come way down in price, and are now within reach of nearly all consumers. You can spend as little as $600 for an entry-level D-SLR with a kit lens, or ten times that for a professional one, which doesn’t come with a lens. In general, Digital SLRS have more features, higher megapixel counts, and larger sensor sizes than their point-and shoot counterparts. They also often sell without a lens and with a higher price tag. But do you need one? That depends on what kind of photographer you are and what kind of pictures you want to take.
What differentiates a D-SLR from a 35mm film SLR is that it captures an image on a sensor, a device that converts light into an electrical signals. These signals are then converted into data and stored on a memory card. Manufacturers have used a variety of sensors in imaging devices, and we expect newer types will be introduced as technology improves. Right now, the two most common ones are CCD (or Charged Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The sensor is what determines the maximum number of megapixels your image files will have. Most entry-level D-SLRs are either 6 or 8 megapixels, but there has been a steady increase in megapixels, with mid-range D-SLRs now delivering 10- to 12-megapixel images. This means you’ll get images with more data for larger prints, or maybe for more radical cropping in your image-editing program. Keep in mind, a 6-megapixel D-SLR will give you more than enough info for a great 8-by-10 print. If you’re interested in fine-art, large-size prints, you might want a 10, 12 or 16 megapixel D-SLR.
Here are some other things to think about when getting a D-SLR: Do you want a popup flash on your camera? Professional D-SLRs don’t have them, but entry level models generally do. What type of memory card does your camera take? Some entry-level models take SD or xD cards, but most still take CompactFlash cards or microdrives. Look to see what file formats are available on your camera: Most shoot RAW and JPEG, but not as many support TIFF anymore. Also, some higher end D-SLRs enable you to shoot in varying combinations of RAW and JPEG files, so that you get two files with each picture you take. The downside here, of course, is that you run out of room on your memory card sooner, but you get the best of both worlds.
Before you actually go to buy your camera, go online or go to a camera store and pick up a spec (technical specifications) sheet on your camera. Make up a list of questions and write down your answers: How low or high do the ISO settings go? A higher ISO setting may allow you take better shots in low light, provided the camera produces low noise, a type of digital “graininess” that is generally unflattering in digital images.
Look to see if your D-SLR offers various color spaces, such as Adobe 1998, which is a larger gamut than the more common sRGB. This means that if you change your D-SLR to this Adobe color gamut your images will be able to reproduce more colors more accurately. Also, be sure to look over the white balance settings, which enable you to adjust color settings to ensure that your light source has no color casts (although you may also introduce a color cast for creative effects). Most folks will simply want to stick to an auto white balance mode, but if you want more options, and more precise control, look for manual settings where you can point your camera at a white card to take a white balance measurement. Some cameras even have the ability to set the precise value for your white balance’s color temperature.
How big do you need your LCD to be? Many D-SLRs now have 2.5-inch screens. Do you care if your D-SLR is powered by a rechargeable proprietary lithium-ion batter or do you want to use AA batteries? How fast a shutter speed do you need? Are there any special features you’re looking for? Konica Minolta puts its vibration reduction technology into its camera bodies, instead of in its lenses (which is what most others do). Olympus has a special feature that knocks dust off the image sensor when the camera is turned on. In short, figure out what features are essential to you.
We also suggest trying out the camera in a store to get a hands-on feel for the camera. Try the burst modes on the model you’re interested in and see if it’s quick enough and steady enough. How many frames per second (fps) to you want to shoot? Is the camera too heavy? Too bulky? Maybe you have large hands and don’t like the feel of some of the more entry-level, compact D-SLRs. Be sure to check out the camera’s menus, dials, buttons, multicontrollers, and so on. Is there anything you find awkward or annoying? Does the camera offer any help features? If you can, ask to see the manual (or go online and download it). Is the manual helpful, or is it just a tour de force of jargon, acronyms, and meaningless charts. We cover most of these factors in our reviews, but there is no substitute for hands-on testing.
While we have made much of the D-SLR camera body, a very powerful part of the D-SLR experience is the fact that it’s part of a system, which includes a variety of accessories. Aside from lenses, there are external flashes, wireless adapters, focusing screens, power packs, teleconverters (for extended telephoto ranges), and much more. We can emphasize enough the importance of being able to choose from a variety of accessories, which really enables you to personalize your system. Canon, Olympus, and Nikon all offer a comprehensive set of accessories, from the cheapest lens caps to the most expensive telephoto lenses.
Lastly, when you actually want to purchase a digital camera, make sure you purchase from a trustworthy vendor. Watch out for products sold via gray markets, or unauthorized channels. Often it means a product was purchased overseas and resold here at a cheaper price than you might find at an authorized dealer. That may sound appealing, but cameras that a manufacturer considers gray market will not be covered by any warranties.
Below are some of the latest D-SLR cameras we’ve reviewed. Compare the D-SLRs in this roundup side by side, and read on to find a D-SLR that fits your shooting style.
In This Roundup:
Nikon D200 ($1,699.95 list)
This D-SLR gives you both professional-level performance with a well designed interface and menu structure. Its new wireless flash system includes the ability to fire built-in flash.
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT ($999.99 list)
This versatile, user-friendly camera is a pleasure to use, and will reward those who want to explore more creative avenues without breaking the bank.
Nikon D50 ($899.95 list)
For photographers yearning to get their hands on an entry-level D-SLR, this is simply a delightful camera to shoot with. It features excellent picture quality and performance and User-friendly features at a great price.
Olympus Evolt E-500 ($799.99 list)
This is a very good entry-level D-SLR that falls just shy of greatness. It offers a 2.5-inch LCD, and the ability to shoot multiple formats simultaneously.
March 15th, 2006