Archive for December, 2006
US digital camera sales top expectations - NPD
iT News, Australia
NEW YORK (Reuters) - US sales of digital cameras have beaten expectations so far this year and are poised to hit a record as lower prices encourage consumers to buy a more-powerful second or third camera this holiday season, the NPD market research group said on Wednesday.
Unit shipments of digital cameras rose 24 percent through the end of November, which includes “Black Friday” sales and the traditional first week of the holiday shopping season, the NPD said. Similar sales last year grew by 22 percent.
The surprising strength in the filmless cameras comes despite experts’ projections one year ago that demand would start to slow - to perhaps about 20 percent in 2006 - as fewer consumers looked to replace older film cameras.
“The market is actually growing, with a combination of people buying for the second or third time, and first time buyers really gunning it (demand),” said NPD senior imaging analyst Liz Cutting.
Cheaper prices are fueling sales in a holiday season where consumers are confronted with myriad electronics choices, ranging from tiny digital music players to video game consoles to pricey flat-screen televisions.
A 6 megapixel camera, for example, is easily available for less than US$150, half its price two years ago.
In all, over 30 million digital cameras will be sold this year, double that of 2003, the NPD said. In 2005, 25.2 million units were sold.
But due to lower prices, revenue growth has slipped, with total sales in dollars up only 12 percent in the first 11 months of the year, down from 19 percent growth last year.
Consumer electronics prices typically fall over time as component costs slide. Manufacturers often lose money when models debut, and enjoy bigger profits as markets mature. Point and shoot digital cameras cost an average US$180 in November, versus US$218 a year ago.
TOP FIVE DOMINATE
Through October, some 60 percent of sales in the digital camera market, estimated by some experts at about US$34 billion, came from the top five brands: Eastman Kodak, Canon, Sony, Nikon Olympus.
Kodak and Canon have been vying for first place with about 18 percent or 19 percent share for much of this year. Market share data for November was not available.
NPD’s Cutting said that repeat buyers are attracted to smaller cameras boasting features that were unavailable in previous models, such as better battery life or the ability to quickly take a second snapshot.
“People who are buying a camera for the second time or greater seeing the deficiencies of their current cameras … because the technology wasn’t there at the time,” Cutting said. “It is there now and it is at an affordable price point.”
Digital camera sales will continue to grow next year, Cutting said, but only by single-digits on a percentage basis.
“It’s a natural growth curve - we are in maturation,” she said. “I don’t think the level of penetration will be as high as it was with film cameras, Not everyone is going to own one.”
NPD’s outlook mirrors that of Japan’s Mizuho Securities, which pegs global digital camera shipments to rise 24 percent to 100.5 million units in 2006, but slowing to 11 percent growth in 2007.
December 22nd, 2006
U.S. digital camera sales top expectations - NPD
Reuters India, India
By Franklin Paul
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. sales of digital cameras have beaten expectations so far this year and are poised to hit a record as lower prices encourage consumers to buy a more-powerful second or third camera this holiday season, the NPD market research group said on Wednesday.
Unit shipments of digital cameras rose 24 percent through the end of November, which includes “Black Friday” sales and the traditional first week of the holiday shopping season, the NPD said. Similar sales last year grew by 22 percent
The surprising strength in the filmless cameras comes despite experts’ projections one year ago that demand would start to slow — to perhaps about 20 percent in 2006 — as fewer consumers looked to replace older film cameras.
“The market is actually growing, with a combination of people buying for the second or third time, and first time buyers really gunning it (demand),” said NPD senior imaging analyst Liz Cutting.
Cheaper prices are fueling sales in a holiday season where consumers are confronted with myriad electronics choices, ranging from tiny digital music players to video game consoles to pricey flat-screen televisions.
A 6 megapixel camera, for example, is easily available for less than $150, half its price two years ago.
In all, over 30 million digital cameras will be sold this year, double that of 2003, the NPD said. In 2005, 25.2 million units were sold.
But due to lower prices, revenue growth has slipped, with total sales in dollars up only 12 percent in the first 11 months of the year, down from 19 percent growth last year.
Consumer electronics prices typically fall over time as component costs slide. Manufacturers often lose money when models debut, and enjoy bigger profits as markets mature. Point and shoot digital cameras cost an average $180 in November, versus $218 a year ago.
TOP FIVE DOMINATE
Through October, some 60 percent of sales in the digital camera market, estimated by some experts at about $34 billion, came from the top five brands: Eastman Kodak Co., Canon Inc., Sony Corp., Nikon Corp. Olympus Corp.
Kodak and Canon have been vying for first place with about 18 percent or 19 percent share for much of this year. Market share data for November was not available.
NPD’s Cutting said that repeat buyers are attracted to smaller cameras boasting features that were unavailable in previous models, such as better battery life or the ability to quickly take a second snapshot.
“People who are buying a camera for the second time or greater seeing the deficiencies of their current cameras … because the technology wasn’t there at the time,” Cutting said. “It is there now and it is at an affordable price point.”
Digital camera sales will continue to grow next year, Cutting said, but only by single-digits on a percentage basis.
“It’s a natural growth curve - we are in maturation,” she said. “I don’t think the level of penetration will be as high as it was with film cameras, Not everyone is going to own one.”
NPD’s outlook mirrors that of Japan’s Mizuho Securities, which pegs global digital camera shipments to rise 24 percent to 100.5 million units in 2006, but slowing to 11 percent growth in 2007.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
December 21st, 2006
Update to Nikon D40 Hands On
Popular Photography Magazine
Buyer beware: the D40 isn’t fully backward compatible with most older Nikkor lenses.
By Michael J. McNamara
December 19, 2006
The new 6.1MP D40 may be the lowest-priced DSLR to ever be introduced by Nikon, and it could be a big hit for those trading up from their compact digital cameras to a higher-performance DSLR. But if you’re a dedicated Nikon 35mm SLR or DSLR owner with a bag full of Nikon glass, you may want to skip this one. Why? During our current lab test (results to be published in the March 2007 issue and online in February 2007) we discovered that the D40 isn’t fully backward compatible with most older Nikkor lenses! Sure, you can attach them to the D40, but autofocus won’t work unless the lens is a relatively new, digital-only AF-S or ED-IF series. (These both differ from older Nikkors because they have the AF motor built in to the lens body).
Looks like Nikon found a way to cut costs on the body by removing the mechanical AF assembly found in all other Nikon DSLRs and most 35mm SLRs. That makes the camera lighter and may allow for faster AF speeds with progressive generations of Nikkor lenses. But something doesn’t feel right about a new DSLR that can’t autofocus at any light level with a trusty Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D, or even an expensive, digital-only Nikkor Fisheye 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX lens. What were they thinking?
Read the full hands on review.
December 20th, 2006
Canon Powershot A630 8 Megapixel Digital Camera
Slippery Brick, OR
The Canon Powershot A630 Digital Camera boasts an 8.0 megapixel resolution, 4x optical zoom, and a full range of advanced features previously limited only to Canon’s higher-end cameras.
If you know a bit about photography, there are plenty of manual controls that allow you to do some advanced configuration. For the amateurs, there are 21 shooting modes that make it easy to take great pictures in even in low light and without blur.
You can clearly see your subjects with the foldable 2.5 inch Vari-Angle LCD monitor. The hinged LCD swings out from the camera to allow you to adjust the viewing angle. The camera also comes with an optical viewfinder if you prefer that to preview your shots.
The boot time is very fast so you won’t miss anything. The movie mode lets you record AVI with sound at 30 fps VGA (640×480). The A630 uses a DIGIC II Image Processor and iSAPS Technology for superior image quality, fast operation and low power consumption. The A630 uses AA batteries to help keep the cost down.
Canon’s reputation for quality optics was not lost on this camera and the result is an affordable camera that produces truly superior photography.
December 19th, 2006
Snap up a digital camera
Seven.com.au, Australia
If sales are anything to go by, digital cameras will fill a lot of Christmas stockings this year. But separating the best from the rest is no easy task.
Digital camera expert Danny Wilson helped us unravel the megapixel mystery.
“Anything less than four megapixels these days is a very average camera,” Danny said.
“Typically a four megapixel will print an A4 photo size photo very well.”
A view finder and a good sized LCD screen are also important. And don’t be tricked by sales lingo like “digital zoom”, go for high optical zoom instead.
“Some cameras have a 3x optical zoom and others will range right up to 10x zoom,” Danny said.
These days, movie capability comes standard on most decent digital cameras.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of this year’s hot buys.
“At the entry level price point of around $200 we’ve got the Fuji A500,” Danny said. “That consists of a five megapixel camera, 3X optical zoom and a 1.8 inch LCD screen.”
Moving into the lifestyle range of cameras, the Canon Ixus 60 sells for around $400 and has a six megapixel resolution, 3X optical zoom, a large 2.5 inch screen and a lithium battery.
If you are not budget-conscious this Christmas, Panasonic’s WorldTraveller has just hit the market.
“They’re fitting a 10X optical zoom into a very small lens,” Danny said. A 10X optical zoom would normally involve a much larger camera.
December 18th, 2006
Adding Memory Is Cheap, But Be Sure Your Camera Can Handle It
Hartford Courant, CT
Q: We own a Pentax Ist DS camera purchased 2 years ago. With the prices of SD (secure digital) cards going through the floor, I’d like to get some 2-gigabyte SD cards. But I don’t know if our camera can address that much memory. Nowhere in the camera manual is there a discussion on memory size limits. Is there a limit to the amount of memory digital cameras can use?
A: You will be pleased to know you were right on the money with your question about the Pentax Ist DS and its maximum memory capabilities. As it was shipped it could not handle memory cards above 1 gigabyte. You can download a firmware update at www.pentaximaging.com/
customer_care/show_
firmware?firmId=3, which will allow the camera to use cards larger than 1gigabyte.
Be sure to buy the high-speed memory cards for use with your camera. Digital SLRs are designed to take advantage of high-speed memory. It will allow you to take pictures in more rapid succession, view them on your display faster, and cut down on the time it takes to download them from card to computer. My favorites are the Sandisk Ultra II models. They have a lifetime warranty, are extremely reliable and available at great prices right now. Even those without a digital SLR can benefit from high-speed memory.
Shooting speed and image review times are likely to be the same, but with a USB 2.0 card reader the high-speed memory will download pictures to the computer in a fraction of the time required with normal memory cards.
Q: I have read and heard many different opinions on storing photos and 35mm slides on CDs or DVDs. I keep hearing that both methods have a short shelf life, and that after three or four years you should recopy the discs. I want to transfer 40-year-old slides and am very confused about what to do. I am used to 100-year-old photos, so I am having a hard time accepting the short life span.
A: There are differing views on the shelf life of burned CDs and DVDs. If you want to eliminate most of your worry, get archival CDs and DVDs designed for long-term storage. The brand I am most familiar with is from Delkin Devices (www.delkin.com).
- McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
December 15th, 2006
The SANYO VPC-CA6 weatherproof digital movie camera
from Cameras and Imaging (219 articles)
Gizmag, Australia
December 14, 2006 We’ve always thought it was kinda dumb that cameras should be so averse to water – they are, after all, there to capture special moments and some of those moments occur while it’s raining. So it’s partly with disbelief that we are writing up a digital movie camera with weatherproof functionality as being all that special, though a lack of such functionality elsewhere does make this camera special
Shouldn’t they all be weatherproof? Shouldn’t all cameras be portable and durable? If you think this should be standard fare, as we do, then Sanyo’s newly launched VPC-CA6 weatherproof digital movie camera is designed for you – presumably a user with an active lifestyle that involves water recreational activities. The hardwearing splash-proof VPC-CA6 body offers carefree video recording by the pool, camping, at the beach or on the water, allowing users to capture their treasured moments with wet hands. The camera’s compact ergonomic design enables one handed usage, which can prove useful.
Featuring MPEG-4 digital recording for DVD movie quality, with high resolution of 6.0 megapixels, the SANYO VPC-CA6 captures high quality images producing professional looking footage of holidays, sporting events and family events.
The SANYO VPC-CA6 features a 5x optical and 12x digital zoom. The optical zoom magnifies the image using a real multifocal-length lens ensuring the finest picture quality even when using the zoom function.
For a professional final result, the SANYO VPC-CA6 weatherproof includes an editing function for quick and easy editing directly from the camera, as well as USB storage support, and a PC movie editing kit. Video clips and images can be played back or recorded through the DVD recorder connection, or viewed through the TV connection.
The SANYO VPC-CA6 can also be used as a still digital camera and video camera simultaneously. By simply pressing the shutter button users can capture still images while recording video.
Fast paced lifestyles can lead to easy-to-miss situations; however the SANYO VPC-CA6 has a rapid start-up time of 1.3 seconds, so memorable moments can be quickly captured.
The SANYO VPC-CA6 also features a digital stereo and noise reduction function for clear and accurate sounds and a digital image stabiliser to correct unintentional camera shake.
For a limited time, the SANYO VPC-CA6 weatherproof movie camera will include a bonus 1GB SD memory card, giving extra space to store precious memories. Users can take pictures anywhere and anytime and keep them saved on the card, which is great for holidays when downloading images and movies might not be an option.
December 14th, 2006
Nikon COOLPIX S7c 7.1 Megapixel Compact Digital Camera
Slippery Brick, OR
The Nikon COOLPIX S7c is a stylish, compact digital camera with some impressive advanced features. The imaging performance and new e-mail picture sharing technology make the S7c one of the most technologically advanced compact digital camera that Nikon has ever released.
An intriguing new feature is the included Wi-Fi transmitter which allows you to send photos directly to any e-mail address from wireless hot spots.
The S7c is encased in a stylish, metallic gray case with chrome accents. The case, measuring in at a slim 3.9” x 2.4” x 0.8” is unobtrusive and small enough to take with you anywhere. At 7.1 effective megapixels, the COOLPIX S7c features a 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED glass lens and a huge 3 inch LCD monitor with 170-degree viewing angle.
The camera has 15 Scene modes to capture everything from wide-open landscapes to portraits. The advanced portrait functions automatically find and focus on a subject’s face, while In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically corrects red-eye, and D-Lighting automatically corrects images with insufficient light.
To help you with your picture taking, the S7c is equipped with Blur Warning, which alerts the user when an image is blurred and Best Shot Selector, a feature that automatically identifies and saves the sharpest image from a series. The S7c also has Vibration Reduction (VR) capabilities that can compensate for camera shake to get sharper, clearer results.
The COOLPIX S7c is a great camera for those people who want a small camera that looks good and has advanced features.
COOLPIX S7c [Nikon]
December 13th, 2006
Review: Casio Exilim EX-S770
Popular Photography Magazine
This ultra-slim point-and-shoot was designed with the novice in mind, yet it includes enough manual controls to keep enthusiasts happy.
By Mark Lent
December 2006
Picture yourself riding along the narrow, ancient streets of Florence, Italy on your red Aprilia scooter. You pass Florence’s most famous landmark, The Duomo Cathedral, and realize that it’s not supposed to be in your route to the Galleria dell’ Accademia.
So, being the savvy traveler that you are, you pull out your 7.2MP Casio Exilim EX-S770 (street $350) to look at the street maps. You can do this because the EX-S770 allows you to place data files and web pages into the camera, which converts them to JPEG files for viewing — in essence, creating a “poor man’s G.P.S.” Sure this may be a novelty in the point-and-shoot camera world overrun with novelty features, but like many of the other features in this camera, it’s actually quite useful.
The Exilim has a glossy, liquid finish with chrome intertwined. When you press the power button, the 38-114mm f/2.7- 5.2 3X optical zoom lens (35mm equivalent) telescopes outward, showing a mix of brushed and polished chrome with beveled edges. The camera’s rounded corners add to the elegance and the 2.8-inch LCD screen (230,400 pixels) finishes off the state-of-the-art appearance of this camera. The controls, although on the small side, feel precise when pressed, adding to the overall solid feel the camera has in your hands. Like the other cameras in Casio’s “Slim” line, the EX-S770 falls into the “Ultra Compact” size range and is only 0.7″ thick by 3.7″ wide by 2.4″ tall.
The EX-S770 is crammed with 35 “Best Shot” scene modes that cover just about any shooting situation. Casio has made picking a scene easy for the novice shooter by showing images of similar scenes, so it’s simply a matter of picking the image that best matches your current shooting situation and letting the camera do the rest. Add to this the DSP in-camera digital stabilization and it should help even the most inexperienced photographers make a good image. The simplicity that design engineers have thought into this camera doesn’t stop there though — the EX-S770 allows you to set the menu features along the right side of the LCD screen, giving you access to all menu options in a quick, easy to navigate format. The letters and symbols used in the menu are also bright, easy to read and understandable. Anyone should be able to pick this camera up and navigate through the menu immediately — it’s that simple.
As is typical for most ultra-compacts, the camera’s LCD screen works as the viewfinder (since there is no optical viewfinder option) when shooting and a full LCD screen when reviewing images. At a generous 2.8 inches diagonally, the EX-S770 screen has a 14:9 ratio and to the unaided eye, has the appearance of a high-end 16:9 HD television set. The underlying purpose of this is that the EX-S770’s engineers have built in the ability to shoot 16:9 ratio videos that match the format many of the popular HD television sets now have. Additionally, the EX-S770 can be set for standard 640X480 NTSC and web oriented 320X240 pixel videos that can be shot in either AVI or MPEG-4 formats.
Another surprising feature that the EX-S770 sports is manual focus — well, kind of. In the camera’s menu options, there are five focusing options: Auto, Macro, Pan Focus, Infinity and Manual Focus. In manual focus mode, a yellow square is superimposed on the LCD when you’re framing your image. Depressing a combination of the function ring and the zoom controls will call up a detailed image of the area within the yellow border and allow you to focus. Unfortunately, the focus moves in 5cm “chunks” and isn’t as fluid as manual or auto focusing would be on a film or digital SLR. When using this feature, we found that these adjustments are primitive and that moving the camera either closer or farther away from the subject would allow “fine tuning” the focus. Simply put, the manual focus is less than user friendly. Stick to the Auto and Macro focusing features and your in-focus shot count will go up considerably.
Another interesting feature that we discovered in the menu was in the flash settings. Like the focus, it also has five different options: Auto Flash, No Flash, Flash, Soft Flash and Red Eye Reduction. In shooting, the Auto Flash and Flash gave identical results. The Soft Flash however gave exactly that — a softer lighting that was quite pleasant in comparison to the harsher lighting in the conventional flash modes. Judging strictly from visual appearances, it’s obvious that this setting should be called a fill-flash setting because it incorporates more of the available light into the scene and thus reduces the harsher shadows that point and shoot strobes typically show in their images. For a camera designed for novice shooters, this is really an exceptional feature and will make any flash image look better. The one downside to this setting is that the flash is less effective in longer-distance shooting situations. This though is a reasonable trade off for the improved image quality you get with the Soft Flash feature.
In using this camera, I kept going back to how well thought out many of the features are. It’s obvious that Casio designed this for the novice photographer, but surprisingly, it gives you enough options that you can set up many of the camera’s functions manually. ISO, Exposure compensation, focus and other features can all be manually adjusted. The exposure however is strictly automatic, but with 35 different scene modes, you have your choices available here as well. Even with all of these options, however, the overall image quality feels a little disappointing. Many of the images lack that snap and sharpness available from other cameras, and even at a slow maximum ISO of only 400, noise was still clearly apparent on the monitor. Still, those who are inexperienced in digital imaging may be satisfied with the quality that the EX-S770 offers. The design, outside of this, is really exceptional and very user friendly.
Over all, the EX-S770 is an amazing slice of technology and again, it’s obvious that much thought was put into the controls and general works of the camera. It feels great in your hands and has many features that are designed to improve the image making experience for the occasional photographer. At $350 though, it is pricey, especially when you consider the overall quality of the images. After all, isn’t that the whole reason for having a camera?
In the Box:
Casio EX-S770 Camera
USB Cradle and cable
AC Adaptor
Strap
AV Cable
Casio NP-20 Li-Ion battery
Software CD-ROM
Specs:
2.8″ TFT LCD (14:9 Aspect Ratio
3.7″ X 2.4″ X 0.7″
127 g (4.5 Oz) without battery and memory card
6MB internal memory
SD / SD-HC / MMC compatible
December 12th, 2006
Digital camera in the stocking? Some tips for Santa
Indianapolis Star, United States
Digital cameras will be at the top of many holiday wish lists this year. And photo buffs everywhere want the ultimate camera: an SLR. But before you buy, research carefully.
SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras provide advanced controls. Shutter speed and aperture can be adjusted. And that’s just the beginning.
Look through the viewfinder, and you see exactly what the camera will capture. A mirror inside the camera flips up when you press the shutter release. You won’t get the dreaded shutter lag that plagues so many point-and-shoot models.
Some digital SLRs have fixed lenses. But I’d put my money into a camera that allows lens changes.
People tend to judge digital cameras by the number of megapixels, but that doesn’t necessarily correlate to picture quality. Megapixels refer to the size of image a camera will capture. The more megapixels, the more you can enlarge your pictures.
Many consumer SLRs fall into the 6- to 8-megapixel range. That’s satisfactory. But additional megapixels offer you more flexibility.
Other features:
• Image sensors. There are two types: CCD (charged-coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor).
CCD sensors generally provide the best image quality, with a greater dynamic range. They also offer faster speeds. CCDs tend to be more costly and use more power. CMOS sensors are larger than CCDs, often resulting in bulkier cameras. Some are better than CCDs.
• Lenses. If your photo buff has a film SLR, try to stick with the same brand. In most cases, the old lenses will work on the digital model.
However, cameras with sensors smaller than a 35mm frame magnify the focal length of the lens. This magnification is beneficial with telescopic lenses. For instance, a 200mm film SLR lens placed on a digital camera with a 1.6 magnification factor becomes a 320mm lens. Because of this effect, you may need to buy a wide-angle lens intended for the digital camera.
• Frame rate and light metering. At the high end, SLRs take photos at eight frames per second. The low end is about 2fps. You’ll be able to shoot more continuous shots with a higher frame rate.
The more types of light metering, the better. Most offer center-weighted and spot metering.
• Modes and file formats. Mode settings are common on point-and-shoot cameras. They are pre-programmed settings for situations involving a variety of lighting and movement. Most photo buffs want to work with settings, but sometimes they just want to take photos without a fuss. So look for a camera with shooting modes.
The camera should be able to capture images in JPEG and TIFF formats. The ability to capture RAW images is a bonus. RAW images are minimally processed, allowing more changes to them on the computer.
Write to Kim Komando at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.
December 11th, 2006
Previous Posts