Archive for April, 2006
CASIO TO SELL 10-MEGAPIXEL COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA NEXT MONTH
(Asia Pulse Businesswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)
TMCnet
TOKYO, April 27 Asia Pulse - Japan’s Casio Computer Co. (TSE:6952) will begin marketing at the end of May a new compact digital camera that features a 10.1-megapixel CCD (charge-coupled device).
Most compact digital cameras introduced by other firms this spring have 6-megapixel CCDs.
Casio will market the Exilim Zoom EX-Z1000 by emphasizing its high picture quality and aim to stimulate demand among families.
The camera has a high-sensitivity mode that facilitates photography in dark areas. It also has a 2.8-inch LCD that offers a maximum brightness of 1,200 lux, making it easy to view outside on a sunny day.
The camera is expected to sell for about 50,000 yen (US$436). The company initially plans to produce 150,000 units a month for the domestic and foreign markets.
(Nikkei)
27-04 1324
April 28th, 2006
Best New Multimedia Camera award for Digimax i6 PMP
Ilse Jurriën : April 25th 2006 - 23:27 CET/LetsGoDigital, Netherlands
Best New Multimedia Digital Camera award for Digimax i6 : Samsung is proud to accept the Technical Image Press Association’s prestigious “Best New Multimedia Digital Camera” award for its Digimax i6 PMP, the world’s first digital still camera to double as a personal media player (PMP). Considered by many as the “Oscars” of the Imaging Industry, TIPA awards honor the best digital imaging products in Europe. Selected for its innovative and ground-breaking technology, the Digimax i6 is a revolutionary 6 megapixel digital still camera that features Samsung’s exclusive Digimax Converter software to play video files and MP3 files. The Samsung i6 incorporates a personal media player, to enjoy entertainment while on-the-go
Samsung Digimax i6 digital camera
Measuring a mere 3.7 x 2.4 x 0.7-inches with a 2.5-inch, high resolution LCD display, this credit card sized package integrates a 3x optical zoom capability with Samsung’s exclusive SHD lens technology. “The Digimax i6 is an incredible technological advancement and we are thrilled to be recognized by TIPA and to be included among the imaging industry giants that comprise this year’s winners,” says Stewart Henderson, National Marketing Manager at Samsung Opto-Electronics. “At Samsung we strive to develop cutting-edge technology and to provide innovative products that today’s sophisticated marketplace desires. The i6 is an excellent representation of that strategy.”
TIPA General Assembly - European photo & imaging magazines
Representing a membership of over eight million readers throughout 12 European countries, TIPA is comprised of expert editors of independent European photo and imaging magazines. Winners are chosen by TIPA’s General Assembly, the highest body of the association, in several categories including; features, price, performance, innovation, design, ease of use, ergonomics, and efficiency.
Samsung i6 - MPEG-4 video format
The Digimax i6 allows the user to create movies using MPEG-4, the high-compression, high quality video format. The i6 can record in VGA (640×480) at 30fps, for smoother video and a bigger view of the movie on LCD and TV screens. For steady videos, the i6 includes a movie stabilizer function that automatically detects and corrects minor lateral and vertical camera movement.
Samsung Advanced Shake Reduction
Equipped with Samsung’s state-of-the-art Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) technology to combat hand shake, the ASR function provides enhanced image clarity by electronically compensating for excess hand shake and improving color in environments lacking sufficient lighting where the use of the flash is not desirable.
About Samsung
Samsung Opto-Electronics America, Inc., Secaucus, N.J, is the U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Techwin Co, Ltd, Sungnam Kyungki-Do, Korea. Samsung Opto-Electronics markets a full line of auto focus cameras, zoom and digital cameras for the amateur as well as the professional under the Samsung brand name. CCTV monitors and lenses, motorized zoom lenses, binoculars, observation and security systems, and video presenters are other products in the family of photographic and optical equipment.
April 27th, 2006
Kodak debuts Bluetooth-enabled digital camera
Xinhua, China
Eastman Kodak has introduced a telephoto version of its compact dual lens camera that offers Bluetooth wireless technology.
The V610 lets people transfer images wirelessly to any other Bluetooth-enabled device within 30 feet of the camera. For example, consumers can take pictures in the backyard, while the images are printing in their study.
The camera, which will be released in May for $499, can share photos with Bluetooth-enabled PDAs (personal digital assistants), computers and mobile phones. While companies such as Nokia, Sanyo and Sony have offered Bluetooth capabilities in the form of camera phones, camcorders and adapters, this is the first digital camera with Bluetooth inside, according to Kodak
The V610 is a compact 6-megapixel camera with a 10x optical zoom. Identical in body to its V570 sister, it offers two lenses and two sensors in one camera, giving photographers a larger shooting range, Kodak said. The camera also has a 230,000-pixel, 2.8-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screen.
The V610 offers “anti-blur” technology to protect photos from human shaking, a common problem when shooting in low-light settings, the company said. Its panorama stitching allows three images to be fused together into one photo with no need for external software.
April 26th, 2006
Canon 1st-Quarter Net Probably Rose on Digital Camera Sales
Bloomberg
April 26 (Bloomberg) — Canon Inc., Japan’s second-biggest manufacturer by market value, will probably say profit rose 11 percent in the first quarter on cost cuts and rising sales of digital cameras made for hobbyists and professionals.
Net income at Canon probably rose to 103 billion yen ($899 million) in the three months ended March 31, from 93 billion yen a year earlier, based on the median of five analysts’ forecasts. The company, which reports tomorrow, forecast 98 billion yen profit for the period in January.
President Fujio Mitarai extended Canon’s lead over rivals Sony Corp. and Olympus Corp. in the camera market and increased profit margins by focusing on models with interchangeable lenses. He also sold more color copiers, helping sales of ink and paper, to shield Canon’s earnings as prices for more basic consumer electronics declined.
“The company will continue to announce good results,'’ said John Yang, an equity analyst at Standard & Poor’s in Tokyo. “Its market position in digital cameras is extremely strong and its cost structure is very lean.'’ He has a “strong buy'’ rating on the company’s shares.
A weaker-than-expected yen helped to expectations for a rise in earnings. Canon, which gets 70 percent of its sales abroad, on Jan. 30 it based first-quarter goals on rates of 115 yen against the dollar, and 135 yen against the euro. The yen traded at an average 117.73 against the dollar in the period and 140.91 against the euro.
Shares of Canon rose 13 percent in the quarter, double the 5.9 percent gain on the Nikkei 225 Stock Average, and reached a record on April 21.
The company’s market value is the second-largest among Japanese manufacturers after Toyota Motor Corp.
SLR Boom
Operating profit for the first quarter probably rose 9.8 percent to 157 billion yen from a year earlier, compared with the company’s earlier estimate of 153 billion yen, the analysts said. Sales will probably rise 7.9 percent to 910 billion yen.
Canon, the maker of Powershot and EOS cameras, has focused on more profitable single-lens reflex cameras, where it controls 53 percent of the global market, IDC said in an April 4 report.
“Canon’s digital still camera production is running above plan,'’ Ryohei Takahashi, an analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co.’s brokerage unit in Tokyo wrote in a report dated April 19.
Operating margins in the camera division improved to 19.4 percent from 14.9 percent a year earlier, the company estimates. The company is aiming to expand the proportion of SLRs it ships of the total digital camera shipments.
Canon’s share of the global digital camera market rose to 29 percent in 2005, with shipments of 16.2 million units, according to researcher IDC. Canon overtook Sony Corp. as the world’s biggest digital camera seller in 2004.
Easing Competition
Canon expects operating profit at its camera business to gain 42 percent to 33.8 billion yen, on an 8.8 percent sales increase to 174 billion yen.
“Competition is easing up in both digital cameras and printers,'’ said Pascal Masse, who helps manage $2 billion of Japanese equities at Aberdeen Management Asia Ltd. in Singapore, said before the earnings announcement. “Canon is bound to benefit even more from that.'’
Operating profit at Canon’s copier and printer unit, which makes up 70 percent of sales, is expected to gain 4.6 percent to 147.3 billion yen in the first quarter, the company has said. The unit’s revenue is expected to rise 6.4 percent to 631.6 billion yen, as sales of faster and multifunctional printers lead users to buy more ink and special printing paper.
Record Profit
Canon, forecasting a seventh year of record profit, said on Jan. 30 net income will rise 8 percent to 415 billion yen this year. Operating profit will gain 12 percent to 653 billion yen and sales to rise 8.1 percent to 4.06 trillion yen.
“It will be difficult for the company to attain its forecasts,'’ Takahashi said. “This is because average unit price declines are continuing for copiers. He cut Canon’s rating last month from “buy'’ to “neutral.'’
Mizuho Securities Co. analyst Ryosuke Katsura still expects Canon’s earnings to grow. Katsura on April 19 raised his earnings forecast for Canon because of rising sales of laser printers, narrowing digital camera price declines and a weakening yen.
“We expect brisk investment in laser-beam printers in 2006,'’ said Katsura, who has a “strong buy'’ rating on Canon stock. “Also we expect the rate of digital camera decline to be smaller than previously expected.'’
April 26th, 2006
Kodak Introduces New EASYSHARE V603 Digital Camera
Digital Cameras/Camcorders | Just Announced
Tue 25 Apr 2006/Hardware Zone
SINGAPORE, April 25, 2006 — Building upon the tremendous success of its award-winning line of KODAK EASYSHARE V-series digital cameras, Kodak debuts the V603, a compact camera that is the perfect mixture of style, performance and simplicity that can slide into almost any pocket.
The KODAK EASYSHARE V603 Zoom Digital Camera is designed for people who want a small, stylish camera packed with innovative features to enhance the photography experience.
It is the latest in the V-series line of cameras which features exciting digital advancements wrapped in sleek camera bodies while remaining true to Kodak’s signature ease-of-use.
The tiny, 6.1-megapixel V603 features a SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH C-VARIOGON 3X optical zoom lens, a 2.5” high-resolution display, in-camera picture enhancing features such as KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology and multiple color and scene modes including panorama stitch.
“Kodak continues to merge innovation with style in its V-series line of digital cameras,” said Francois Monnet, Regional Business General Manager of Kodak’s Digital & Film Imaging Systems Division, South Asia Region. “The combination of high tech, high style and high performance at an affordable price is something that people have come to expect from Kodak and the V603 delivers.”
The KODAK EASYSHARE V603 zoom digital camera records TV-quality video, up to 30 frames per second (fps) using advanced MPEG-4 compression with the ability to split video with a simple on-camera editing feature. Built-in image stabilization technology during video reduces on-screen shaking from unintentional hand and camera movement. The camera also offers zoom during video including auto focus with its professional-caliber 3X SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH C-VARIOGON optical zoom lens. And it is simple to select any frame in a video, then save and print from video in just seconds. Then watch the videos on the camera’s big, bright 2.5-inch LCD screen.
The KODAK EASYSHARE V603 Zoom Digital Camera, which comes in black, is immediately available in April 2006 and retails for (S$549 RRP).
Making the EASYSHARE System Connection
The V-Series cameras include KODAK EASYSHARE software version 5.2 for WINDOWS and MACINTOSH systems, providing effortless digital picture organization, editing, sharing and printing. The exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature takes advantage of proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak to help users get vibrant, true-to-life prints from inkjet printers. Version 5.2, which is available for free download from www.kodak.com, also makes sharing your favorite pictures as simple as possible, automatically placing them in albums on your camera, on your computer, and in your online KODAK EASYSHARE Gallery albums.
Kodak also makes it easy to accessorize the new V603 camera with a range of products that help show off your pictures. For instance, the new KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock Series 3 (S$199 RRP) makes it one-touch simple to print real KODAK pictures at home in just 90 seconds — with or without a computer. The Printer Dock Series 3 also transfers pictures to a connected computer, and recharges and reconditions the cameras’ batteries. Pictures made from EASYSHARE printer docks are vibrant, borderless, waterproof, and will last a lifetime, under typical photo album display conditions.
The optional KODAK EASYSHARE Photo Frame Dock 2 provides one-touch picture transfer to a connected computer while keeping the cameras’ high-capacity battery charged and ready to go — can play video and photo ‘slideshows’ on the cameras’ high-resolution LCD screens, providing an additional degree of elevated design and innovation to EASYSHARE V-Series camera owners.
The KODAK EASYSHARE digital photography system consists of cameras, snapshot printers, services, docks, software, inkjet and thermal photo papers, and accessories, making taking, organizing, sharing, and printing high quality digital pictures effortless. Further information on KODAK EASYSHARE products is available at www.kodak.com/go/EasyShare/
April 25th, 2006
Taking care of digital cameras
Houston Chronicle, United States
By HELOISE
King Features Syndicate
Dear Readers:
Here are some important summertime care hints for digital cameras.
You can fight off sand, heat, humidity and water with the following ideas:
•Keep your camera out of the heat! Indoors is best, but when outside, avoid leaving cameras in a hot car or in direct sunlight. When there’s no place for shade, make your own with a T-shirt or towel.
•Moisture can also make digital cameras malfunction. When swimming or boating, keep your camera in a zip-top plastic bag until you’re ready to snap a picture.
•If moisture does get into the camera, turn it off and take out the batteries and memory card. You’ll want to air-dry them for about 24 hours.
•And be careful when you have sunscreen on your hands. Getting it on the lens can damage it. To be safe, use a clean, soft cloth — not your fingers — to wipe the lens off.
HELOISE
Dear Heloise:
I’m from the old school! I prefer to work in the garden with my bare hands. Gloves are so bulky.
My diamond ring is difficult to remove, so I cut a 1-inch strip from a small-size bandage tape and slip it over my ring. It stays in place and protects my ring beautifully!
LORNA B., Nine Mile Falls, Wash.
Dear Heloise:
When pillowcases are no longer “pretty as new” and you are ready to throw them away, just use them as an extra protective case on a pillow, and whipstitch the end. Put the regular case over it as usual, and it prolongs the life of the pillow.
C.W., Idaho Falls, Idaho
Heloise@Heloise.com
HELOISE
P.O. Box 795000
San Antonio, TX 78279-5000
April 25th, 2006
Nikon Coolpix S5 Digital Camera Review
The “S” for style Nikon Coolpix S5 is a 6 megapixel digital camera with a large 2.5″ LCD screen and a 3X optical zoom. It’s a fashionably thin compact digital camera that is sort of reminiscent of the classy little Contax T film camera.
The Contax T (introduced in 1984) was designed by F. A. Porsche and achieved cult status among serious photographers almost immediately. Master photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson replaced his venerable Leica rangefinder, during the last years of his life, with a Contax T. Like the Contax T, the Coolpix S5 is an elegantly thin compact point & shoot camera with an amazingly good lens.
Nikon has a proud heritage; the camera of choice for generations of photojournalists and war correspondents, the only camera manufacturer ever identified in the lyrics of a number one pop song, and the imaging tool NASA astronauts took to the moon. The Nikon Coolpix S5 does remarkably well with some of the things its predecessors were famous for, plus it is highly pocketable and tough enough to go just about anywhere.
What’s new?
Like Sony’s nifty but expensive N1 digicam, the S5 doubles as a portable image viewer allowing users to create (in-camera) pro-look slide shows (with audio soundtracks).
The S5 features Face-priority Auto Focus, automatic in-camera red-eye fix, and Nikon’s nifty D-Lighting function, making it much simpler to shoot stunning portraits, even under less than optimum conditions.
I shoot a lot of vertical compositions, so it is nice that Nikon finally got around to including Auto Image Rotation (the camera automatically identifies vertical compositions and displays them with correct orientation) in the Coolpix line.
Also impressive is Nikon’s eminently logical new Rotary jog dial. The S5’s compass switch (4 way multi selector) features the familiar control configuration (up/down, left/right, and center buttons) in addition Nikon incorporates a nifty rotary collar for super fast scrolling, back and forth image browsing/comparison, and simplified menu navigation.
NUTS & BOLTS
Viewfinder/LCD
Optical viewfinders and Electronic Viewfinders (EVFs) limit the photographer’s view of the world (by eliminating everything except the field of view through the camera’s lens) and that forces shooters to see photographically. What’s left out of the composition is almost always just as important as what’s left in. Arms length LCD screen composition is a major part of what’s wrong with photography today — Arms length composition causes shooters to see their images as a smaller part of a larger picture — a portion of the whole rather than as a self contained mini environment and that is a very important distinction, in creative terms.
The S5 doesn’t provide an optical viewfinder so the large 2.5 inch (230,000 pixels) TFT color LCD screen must manage all framing/compositional, image review, and menu access chores. The S5’s LCD screen is sharp, bright, hue accurate, and very fluid.
The S5’s big LCD screen is really impressive when the camera is used as a portable image viewer for Nikon’s new In-Camera Creative Slideshow Entertainment function. Users select images and/or movie files, choose a transition style (fade, pan, dissolve, etc.) and music (one of five pre-loaded music files or a user loaded MP3 music file). The soundtrack is played back on the tiny built-in speaker and the slide show is displayed on the camera’s LCD screen.
Zoom Lens
The S5 features a very good f3.0–f5.4/5.8mm-17.4mm (35mm -105mm 35mm equivalent) all glass 3X optical Zoom-Nikkor ED lens. When the camera is turned on a guillotine style lens cover opens and the camera is ready for business. When the camera is powered down the integral lens cover slides back into place to protect the zoom’s front element. The S5’s optics are internal (nothing protrudes from the camera body) so the S5 is faster at start-up than digicams that must first extend the zoom. The S5’s zoom operation is quick and quiet, but the tiny zoom switch is fiddly and hard to get used to which makes incremental zoom movements less precise than they should be. Minimum focusing distance (in macro mode) is 1.6 inches (4 centimeters).
The S5’s optical performance is above average for compact digicams. Images are hue accurate and slightly over saturated with virtually no noise in well-lit scenes (although night images tend to be noticeably noisy). Resolution (sharpness) is excellent throughout the zoom’s range, but corners are a bit soft. There is noticeable barrel distortion (straight lines bow out from the center) at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, but no visible pin cushioning (straight lines bow in toward the center) at the telephoto end of the range. I didn’t notice any vignetting (darkened corners) and chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is very well controlled.
The S5’s much touted wave surface design (the left side of the camera is thicker than the right side) is not really about style at all, the 3X zoom lives in the bulged out side of the camera that approximates the crest of the wave. Digital camera zooms are incredibly complex and a basic optical clich postulates that as cameras get smaller and thinner, optical performance deteriorates in direct proportion to the increased complexity required for miniaturization. Kudos to Nikon, that’s not the case with the S5’s zoom.
Auto Focus (AF)
The S5’s Contrast Detection AF system is consistently fast and accurate in good lighting, but it hunts a bit at night and in dim/low light. In most shooting modes the default AF area is the center of the frame, but the AF point can be moved around (manually) inside the frame. After focus is locked the image can be re-composed and that’s fine for static subjects, but it can dramatically slow things down when shooting action. As long as the photographer is prepared, the S5’s AF is fast enough to capture most action but it is not fast enough to freeze really fast action.
Pressing the One Touch Portrait button (on the left side of the camera’s top) automatically shifts the S5 into Portrait Scene mode and activates the Face Priority AF function which recognizes and focuses on faces in the image frame. In Face Priority AF mode the S5 will track (a square happy face icon appears) and continually focus on the nearest face(s) in the frame. Although it takes a little getting used to and does throw in a worrisome compositional stumbling block (once focus is locked users can’t recompose without losing focus lock on their subject) Face Priority AF works. Another problem with Face Priority AF is that it only works when the subject faces directly toward the camera, so FPAF won’t lock on dramatic profile shots. Do most users really need Face Priority AF? No (photographers naturally focus on faces in portraits) so this splashy new function is really more about style than substance.
Manual Focus (MF)
The S5 has no manual focus capability
Flash
The S5’s built-in multi-mode (Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill Flash, Slow Synch, and Off) flash is tiny. Nikon claims the maximum range is between 8 and 9 feet, which seems fairly accurate based on my limited testing. Used up close, the little flash is surprisingly powerful and has a tendency to burn out detail. Optimum range is about 6 feet (just about perfect for lighting the classic head and shoulders portrait). Anything beyond 6 or 7 feet (2 meters) is going to be a bit dark unless the subject is shot against light colored backgrounds with lots of ambient lighting. The flash is right beside the zoom so redeye will likely be an ongoing problem, but the S5’s In-Camera Red-Eye Fix is automatically activated in the Redeye Reduction flash mode. I didn’t encounter any redeye problems so I can’t comment on the efficacy of the S5’s In-Camera Red-Eye Fix.
Image File Storage/Memory Media
The S5 saves images to Secure Data (SD) memory cards (Nikon doesn’t include a starter SD card). The S5 also provides users with 21MB of internal image storage.
Image File Format(s)
JPEG
Connectivity
A/V out, USB out, and DC in
Power
The S5 draws its power from a proprietary Nikon EN-EL8 Li-ion Battery. Nikon claims 210 exposures with a fully charged EN-EL8, however that number is definitely a lab test/best case scenario. In the Real World the S5’s below average battery life may be its Achilles heel. I spent part of a long afternoon trying to coax the S5’s dying battery to last until I had finished a loop through Cave Hill Cemetery, but I only had 81 images saved to my SD card when the EN-EL8 went belly up.
EXPOSURE
The S5 is a fully automatic digita camera with a very narrow range of exposure options - Auto (Point & Shoot mode) and Program AE (Point & Shoot mode with user input) only. Auto mode includes 4 Scene Assist modes - Portrait, Landscape, Sports, and Night Portrait; Scene Assist modes provide a selection of LCD framing guides to simplify composition. There are also 12 basic Scene modes - Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Close Up, Museum, Fireworks Show, Copy, Back Light, and Panorama Assist. In all scene modes the camera’s CPU automatically optimizes all exposure parameters (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, sensitivity, etc.) for the specific image type selected. Users can also opt for BSS (Best Shot Selector) which automatically selects and saves the best shot from a sequence of 10 shots. Another option is Exposure BSS (Best Shot Selector) which automatically selects and saves the image most closely matching a set of user-selected exposure criteria from a sequence of five shots. There’s also a voice notation mode. Based on my experiences with the camera, the S5 delivers dependably accurate exposures in most lighting, but there is a slight tendency to burn out highlights in bright outdoor lighting.
(view medium image) (view large image) Background and foreground elements of this image are properly exposed, but note lack of feather detail in swans
Movie Mode
The S5 captures video at 640×480 @ 30 fps and a short selection of lower resolutions and slower frame rates.
Metering
The S5 measures light via Nikon’s famous 256 segment (multi-pattern) Matrix metering. Metering is consistent, accurate, and dependable.
(view medium image) (view large image) These backlit daffodils are striking (in part) because the background is underexposed - illustrating a major difference between Nikon and Canon. A Canon digicam would have balanced these brightly lit daffodils against their dark background for a correct (but far less dramatic) exposure. Nikon assumes the photographer wants to focus (no pun intended) on the primary element in the composition, which in this case is the grouping of backlit Daffodils — since they cover most of the meters field of view. The Matrix Metering System analyzed the lighting on the subject and calculated an exposure that would preserve the dramatic backlighting.
White Balance (WB)
The S5 provides an adequate selection of WB options, including Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, and Flash. The S5’s Auto White Balance is consistently accurate in most lighting, but images shot under fluorescent lighting (at the Auto WB setting) showed a very slight pinkish cast.
Sensitivity
The S5’s Sensitivity range is adequate for the camera’s target audience — TTL Auto ISO and user-selected settings of 50, 100, 200, and 400 ISO.
In-Camera Image Adjustment
Nikon’s Picture Effects Mode is a very basic “cut to the chase” set of in-camera image adjustment options. Users can select Standard Color, Vivid Color, Black-and-White, Sepia, and Cyanotype (gives images a retro blue-hued monochromatic look).
The S5’s exposure compensation function (exposure can be adjusted through a +2/-2 EV range in 1/3 EV increments) can be used to help manage difficult lighting by allowing users to quickly and easily lighten or darken exposures.
CONTROLS, DESIGN, ENGINEERING, & ERGONOMICS
The S5 was designed for casual shooters and family photographers who may occasionally experiment with composition and creativity, but will primarily use the camera for snapshooting. The S5 is small enough to be dropped in a pocket and forgotten until needed. The stylish wave surface brushed aluminum body is tough enough to go just about anywhere and capture super pictures when it gets there. Ease of use is amazing, even technophobes will be able to shoot stunning pictures within minutes.
Dedicated controls are sparse and most have multiple functions, but all (with the exception of the zoom rocker switch) are logically placed and come easily to hand. The rocker switch for the zoom is very small (more tab than button sized) which makes precise zooming difficult. The S5’s compass switch features the familiar control configuration (up/down, left/right, and center buttons) but also incorporates a nifty new rotary jog dial around its periphery. This allows for super fast scrolling, back and forth image comparison, and simplified menu navigation. I can’t understand why someone didn’t think of this application before since it substantially improves usability. I don’t know if Nikon incorporated the rotary jog dial on all their newest digicams, but if they did they’ll have stolen a march on their competition. Look for lots of rotary jog dials on new models next fall from all the Usual Suspects. Due to the lack of control buttons (form over function) the S5 is a bit too menu driven.
Technical Specifications
• Resolution: 6 megapixels (2816 x 2112)
• Viewfinders: 2.5″ TFT LCD
• Lens: f3.0–f5.4/5.8mm-17.4mm (35mm-105mm 35mm equivalent) ED Zoom-Nikkor
• Auto Focus: Center AF contrast detection autofocus system
• Exposure: Auto
• Flash: Built-in multi mode (Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill Flash, Slow Synch, and Off)
• Metering: 256 segment (multi-pattern) Matrix metering
• White Balance: TTL auto and presets for Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, and Flash
• Sensitivity: TTL Auto and ISO 50, 100, 200, and 400
• Exposure Compensation: Yes +/-2EV in 1/3-step increments
• Memory Storage Media: SD/MMC
• Image File Format: JPEG
• Connectivity: USB & A/V out, DC in
• Power: Nikon EN-EL8 Li-ion battery
Included
COOLSTATION/battery charger dock, Dock Insert, wrist Strap, USB Cable, Audio/Video Cable, AC Adapter, EN-EL8 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, Software CD-ROM, and printed users manual
Optional
Soft case, back-up EN-EL8 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
PERFORMANCE
Image Quality
Outdoors, the S5’s images are consistently hue accurate with slightly punched-up color saturation and hard default contrast, a classic example of what some veteran photographers call consumer image interpolation. Consumer image interpolation panders to the color/contrast preferences of amateur shooters. Indoor and night — dim/low light shots didn’t fare as well, many were blurred and underexposed. Nikon’s D-Lighting function helps by lightening underexposed (post exposure) images, but nothing can truly correct a blurred image.
Images are generally well exposed, but the camera does blow out highlights in some shots, which is not too surprising since Nikon’s Matrix Meters are calibrated to preserve shadow detail by clipping highlights. Corners are a bit soft, but chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is very well controlled.
Auto ISO images are generally excellent with sharp resolution, bold colors, and lots of snap (although some very minor pattern noise is occasionally visible in shadow areas). ISO 50 and 100 images are consistently excellent with very good detail and virtually no noise. ISO 200 images are surprisingly good, essentially the same as lower ISO images. Noise levels rise noticeably at ISO 400 - images are a bit flat and some fine detail is lost (Noise comes through as an overall soft graininess sort of reminiscent of high speed film). I did see some blotching (chroma noise) in a couple of ISO 400 images.
(view medium image) (view large image) The S5’s colors are slightly over saturated, but hue accurate. The colors in this flat of annuals at a Bardstown Road seasonal garden stand are almost exactly as I saw them.
Timing/Shutter Lag
The S5 is a quick digital camera. The Boot-up cycle is 0.8 seconds. Shutter lag (about 1/10th of a second) shouldn’t be a problem since shutter fire is essentially real time with pre-focus. AF is consistently very fast (about half a second) from scratch and shot-to-shot/write-to-card times are faster than average for compact consumer grade digicams.
A Few Concerns
I don’t have many complaints with the S5 — The major shortcoming of this digicam is its mirror surfaced LCD (which makes it difficult to use outdoors in bright light). Battery life could certainly be better, but users can always buy a back-up EN-EL8 battery.
Who is this Camera best suited for?
The S5 is a very good choice for budget conscious point-and-shooters, busy folks who like trendy techno-toys, casual photographers who want a camera compact enough to take along everywhere they go, and style conscious snap-shooters looking to amaze their friends.
Conclusion
The super svelte little S5 consistently delivers outstanding picture quality, above average performance, and puts the fun back into taking pictures. It is stylish, very well designed, user friendly, surprisingly versatile, and capable of dependably excellent results.
Pros:
• 2.5″ LCD screen
• Rotary jog dial is neat
• Excellent image quality
Cons:
• LCD screen is almost useless in bright outdoor light
• Below average battery life
• The tiny zoom switch is hard to use
April 24th, 2006
Samsung is emperor of whole known world, claim
So why not any emails then?
Inquirer, UK
By Fernando Cassia: Sunday 23 April 2006, 17:01
“This is my mistake. Let me make it good
I raised the wall and I will be the one to knock it down” - R.E.M.’s song “World Leader Pretend”
KOREAN GIANT Samsung makes good cameras, and after my great experience with the U-CA5 camera, I had some questions about the company’s current and future offerings.
The company however surprised us when we visited the company’s Digital Cameras web site at www.samsungcamera.com and
we found a Flash based banner announcing the company’s “victory in the digital camera war!”.
Not only that, taking lessons from Microsoft’s quiet whispering Ballmer, Samsung humbly proclaims itself the “Leader of the Digital World” *cough*.
SamsungCamera.com’s Press Centre map looks a bit… empty.
Winners of the War and Leaders of the World don’t need no stinking press, it seems.
I can ignore the fact that some of the documents are poorly formatted, poorly translated, and the whole section appears to be visited very little - a counter on each press release shows the number of views, with for instance one press release dated 2003 showing apparently only 49 views at time of this writing. But I cannot ignore that this happened before and it hurts the company as whole. If there’s something I learned in all these years is that companies come in two basic kinds: those that isolate their management from the outside world (very frequent in Asian cultures) and those that are wide open to bi-directional feedback between employees and management and the outside world. IBM, a company whose management I often disagree with, for instance, is famous for its public “Whois” search engine which allows anyone to find the e-mail address of anyone at the corporation, from rank-and-file managers, to DB2 sysadmins, to the company’s VP’s, as long as you know their full names.
April 24th, 2006
Sony D-SLR Brand Shifting
Sony’s D-SLR efforts will relaunch under the Alpha brand name
DailyTech, IL
We reported back in January that Konica-Minolta was exiting the camera business and would transfer its digital SLR business to Sony. As a part of the agreement which became effective on March 31st of this year, Sony took possession of all Konica-Minolta D-SLR assets including the right to produce cameras compatible with Maxxum/Dynax lenses.
Milota previously sold cameras in Japan and Hong Kong under the Alpha brand, but not in the US and Europe.
Sony announced yesterday that its new brand name for D-SLR cameras will be Alpha. The Alpha line will be compatible with existing Maxxum and Dynax lenses and build upon the quality and performance users came to expect from Konica-Minolta products. “We are expanding our product portfolio to build upon our leadership position in the digital imaging business. Our approach to D- SLR camera design and engineering will allow us to offer a new high-performance system for today’s digital camera users, as well as welcome the millions of Konica-Minolta owners who have Maxxum interchangeable lenses that are currently in the market,” said James Neal, Sony director of D-SLR camera design and engineering.
Thankfully for existing Konica-Minolta camera owners, Sony is continuing support and repair duties for both film and digital products.
April 21st, 2006
Mossberg Solution: Buying a digital camera: Our annual guide
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
By Walter S. Mossberg and Katherine Boehret, The Wall Street Journal
BC-WSJ–Mossberg Solution,1628
Buying a digital camera: Our annual guide
Eds: Via AP
With the myriad of different features and options available on digital cameras, the camera section of your local electronics store is now almost as confusing as the TV aisle. It’s easy to understand how a potential buyer might feel intimidated.
It’s an exciting time for digital cameras, as many of them are adding more bells and whistles by the minute. You’ll have to grasp some new features this spring, like the wide adoption of image stabilization technologies to fight blurry pictures, in-camera editing, and new ways of playing back your photos right on the camera, for sharing with friends.
But try not to be wooed by superficial features. A digicam that can make a revving engine sound every time its shutter closes might gain cool points for a little while, but that feature will be quickly forgotten if your graduation pictures are washed out and blurry.
To help choose, here’s our annual digital camera buyer’s guide. We aren’t reviewing specific models here, but instead we’re explaining the important features that mainstream buyers — not serious hobbyists or professional photographers — should be familiar with when shopping. We’ll touch on both the basics, and the newest features.
Pick a Size, Any Size
Thanks to improvements in technology, the newest digital cameras are thin and light enough to slip into a pocket or small purse. These hipsters are called pocket cameras, and are usually less than an inch thick and less than four inches long. They earn points for style and are often available in colors, making them fashion accessories. But, unlike the smallest cameras of the film era, these digital compacts are packed with features and take pictures that can be as good as those from larger models.
If small isn’t your bag, and you’d rather have a camera that’s easier to hold without worrying about covering a tiny lens or flash with your thumb, point-and-shoot cameras will suit your needs. These cameras are generally bigger and heavier than pocket cameras, and they often are carried in a case or hung around your neck. They don’t necessarily have more features than the pocket models, or take better pictures, but they often cost less.
Considerably larger are those cameras most popular with hobbyists and professionals — often referred to as digital SLRs (single-lens reflex). The price tags for these models can reach the thousands of dollars, and they include many manual controls and add-on lenses. Though camera companies continue to market these types of cameras to average users, they are far more complex than the average pocket or point-and-shoot camera.
Megapixels
The number of megapixels, a measure of the maximum resolution that a camera can capture, tends to grab a lot of attention in the store. But it’s important that you be wary of any camera that advertises a super high megapixel count — more than eight megapixels — with a low price tag, say, in the $200 to $300 range.
Companies reach these lower prices by combining high megapixels with smaller image sensors, resulting in pixels that are smaller and thus contain less image information. Like a big house without any charm or character, the images produced by these cameras can be severely lacking.
Look for cameras with about six megapixels, which camera companies say is about the entry level now for a good digicam. This is more than enough for any mainstream user, as higher megapixel counts usually only come in handy if you’re blowing up a photo to a huge size or doing extensive editing, neither of which are things that average users usually do.
Zoom — Optical Matters
When looking at a camera’s zoom, ignore the digital zoom and overall zoom; focus instead on optical zoom. Digital refers only to computer-generated magnification, a work-around which makes pictures grainier. Optical refers to zoom as it relates to the physical movement of the camera lens. Overall zoom is a sneaky industry trick — companies multiply digital and optical zoom to get a more impressive-sounding number (2x digital multiplied by 3x optical equals 6x overall zoom). Ignore this and concentrate only on optical zoom.
Speed
Early digital cameras were notoriously slow. They were slow to start up, slow to actually capture a shot, slow to record it in memory, and slow to be ready for the next shot. That meant you might miss action shots like the baby’s first steps and the Little Leaguer’s home run.
Today, luckily, most consumer cameras have gotten much faster. But we advise you to pick up the camera in the store and try to fire off several shots as quickly as you can. Bring along a friend who can move around while you try to photograph him. If action shots are important to you, this should help you choose the right model, even if it costs more.
Bigger and Better Screens
Since last year, many things about the digital camera have changed. Most notably — and most regrettably, in our opinion — is the loss of the optical viewfinder in most digital cameras. Instead of including a peep-hole and LCD screen for viewing the photo subject, moppier pictures.
Companies have made two improvements to balance out these problems: brighter, more glare-proof LCD screens and image stabilization technology, or anti-shake. Casio Inc.’s $300 EX-Z600, for example, offers an LCD screen that it claims is three times brighter than previous models. Sony Electronics Inc.’s $500 DSC-T9 includes built-in Super Steady-Shot optical image stabilization.
Stable Images — Digital or Optical?
If you have the option, choose optical rather than digital image stabilization in your camera. This means that the camera physically corrects shaking, while digital stabilization — like digital zoom — changes the image with a computer, not with a physical feature in the camera. Many companies are using the blanket term “image stabilization” to describe their camera’s anti-shake technology; be sure to get the full story.
Optical image stabilization usually costs more money, but if your camera lacks a viewfinder and you have a shaky hand, this might be a feature that’s worth the investment. Some people will find that holding their breath while snapping the shutter button is all it takes, but it’s good to have the option.
New Ways of Viewing
Many digital camera companies have started to acknowledge that we share our pictures with friends or family by passing around the camera, often right after snapping hundreds of pictures. This instant gratification is one of the most satisfying features of digital, especially with larger viewing screens, yet it’s not uncommon for the camera owner to have to show each person how to skip ahead and back through photos.
To solve this problem, many cameras now offer slideshow or movie modes — some even include music — to make sharing easier. Without going near a computer, you can set your camera so that others can simply hold the camera and watch. This also prevents anyone from pressing buttons and accidentally deleting your images.
In-Camera Editing
Now that screens are larger, some cameras come with in-camera editing features, allowing you to edit out red eye, for instance, or stitch together multiple shots into a panorama. This avoids the need to edit on a computer, but it also can be cumbersome. If you think you might like in-camera editing, try it out in the store first.
Storing and Transferring Images
Many types of memory cards are available for use with your digital camera. These are now available in very high capacities; one gigabyte of memory will only cost you about $60, providing more memory for photos and digital videos, which most cameras are now capable of capturing.
Transferring images from your camera to your computer has always been somewhat of a hassle, including finding the camera’s USB cord and attaching it to the computer and camera before transferring. Some cameras come with a dock, making the transfer process a little easier, but it’s still a little cumbersome.
Cameras are starting to take advantage of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (short-range wireless) technology to eliminate the extra step of wires or docks. The $400 Kodak EasyShare-One camera uses Wi-Fi to email images directly from the camera, using EasyShare Gallery, Kodak’s online photo sharing software. More products like this will continue to hit the market throughout this year.
Battery Life
Be sure the camera can handle a typical day’s worth of shooting on a single charge. For some consumers, that might involve only 20-50 shots. For others, that might be 100-200 pictures, on vacation. Read the manufacturer’s claims for this, and reduce it by 20 percent, then compare it with your typical shooting volumes. If you do mostly indoor shots with flash, the battery capacity will be much less.
Whatever your situation, it’s a good idea to buy a spare battery. Most cameras use costly proprietary batteries, but some models allow you to substitute common drugstore batteries in a pinch.
So be sure to do your homework, be skeptical of extra features with extra cheap price tags, and look into some of the new technology that is being offered in digital cameras. As features grow and prices come down, the consumer will keep winning.
April 20th, 2006
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