Archive for May, 2007
Evening’s Events Immediately Recapped With Digital-Camera Slide Show
The Onion (satire), NY
DENVER—Family and friends attending a two-hour birthday dinner for 26-year-old Josh Kebbekus at The Cheesecake Factory yesterday concluded their meal by watching a slide show of themselves ordering drinks, talking, eating, and taking photos of one another.
“Look, here we are waiting for our table,” said Kebbekus’ older sister Rebecca, one of the six attendees who had brought digital cameras to the event. “Oh, here’s Josh with that yummy cheesecake we had. And here’s another one of the cheesecake.”
As of press time, no decision had been made on whether to write serious or silly captions for the night’s 150 best photos.
May 18th, 2007
Deal of the day: Canon PowerShot SD800 7.1 MP camera for $260
Posted by Emily Shurr | Post a comment
CNet News.com Blog
Sandwiched between similar 7-megapixel siblings–the PowerShot SD800 IS on one side and the PowerShot SD1000 on the other–the Canon PowerShot SD750 nevertheless manages to distinguish itself as a well-designed, practical option for snapshooters who favor big LCDs over optical viewfinders.
If you’re the rebating kind, there are some impressive rebates associated with this offer, including two on printers and one on poster-sized prints from Shutterfly. Check out the seller’s site for details.
What: Canon PowerShot SD750
How much: $259.95
Shipping: Free, varies
Where: Amazon.com (via FatWallet.com)
When: Through unknown date
Click here for product review.
Topics:
Deal of the day
Tags:
digital camera, ultracompact, Canon, PowerShot
May 16th, 2007
Amazon.com Acquires Digital Camera Reviews Site Dpreview.com
Digital Media Wire, CA
Submitted by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2007 – 2:20pm.
Seattle – Online retail giant Amazon.com announced on Monday that it has acquired Dpreview.com, a provider of online digital camera information and reviews.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed
Founded in 1998, Dpreview.com offers in-depth reviews of the latest digital cameras and accessories, as well as comparison shopping, discussion forums and other features.
The site attracts “millions” of monthly visitors, Amazon said.
“Dpreview.com is by far the most authoritative source anywhere for straight talk about new digital cameras,” said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
“We at Amazon.com have been their fans for a long time, and we extend a big welcome to the dpreview.com team.”
May 15th, 2007
Simple is as camera does
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription), WI
Sometimes “simple” is just what you need – the basics boosted with just a few nice extra features.
Kodak’s EasyShare V1003 sizes up to be a solid party camera, the kind you pull out at family gatherings or during an evening out with friends.
Aesthetically, the camera isn’t striking and its size and shape are definitely more purse than pocket-friendly.
However, the button layout is very straightforward and easy to use. You shouldn’t find yourself accidentally turning off the camera when you try to take a picture. And maneuvering through menus is easy.
Switching between photo and movie mode – as well as several other features – is simple because of clearly marked, dedicated buttons for various tasks.
The V1003 also has plenty of resolution – 10 megapixels, which can take huge photos of up to 3648 pixels x 2736 pixels. It’s unlikely most people will take pictures that big all the time, but it’s nice to have the capability in your back pocket.
You’ll want to ramp down that maximum resolution considerably unless you buy a secure digital or multimedia card to boost the camera’s 32 megabytes of internal memory, which is a little disappointing considering the $250 price.
The camera does not have an optical viewfinder.
Instead, you line up your shots using a 2.5-inch color liquid crystal display.
That wide, bright screen gives decent close-ups through a combination of a 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, which is more than enough to snap subjects across a crowded room.
It’s easy to tell when the optical zoom stops and the digital zoom begins – there is an unfortunately noticeable delay in zoom movement and focusing time between the two.
In addition to several scene modes to help take better pictures in different lighting conditions, the V1003 also has an anti-blur setting to offset shaky hands, red-eye reduction and can crop photos.
Transferring photos to a computer for editing and e-mail is exactly what you would expect: plug-and-play through a USB connection, although Kodak’s camera has a special “share” button.
Using the share button lets you bookmark your favorite photos stored on the camera, creating low-resolution versions of them that take up less space but are still easy to show off on the camera’s display.
The camera pairs up well with a new line of digital picture frames from Kodak, including a couple that can connect to a home’s wireless network and show off the pictures stored on a computer.
Kodak’s EasyShare digital picture frames come in standard and Wi-Fi versions.
The wireless ones come with 10- and 8-inch screens and can display pictures and video, as well as play music through built-in speakers or headphones.
In addition to tapping into the media on your computer – a feature that requires Microsoft’s MediaPlayer 11 – you can store content on 128 megabytes of internal memory as well as external media cards using its built-in expansion slots.
There are plenty of other ways to get pictures onto the frame in addition to transferring them over a wireless network or through a computer’s USB port.
You can connect a camera – like the V1003 – directly to the frame. You can also plug in a USB key drive and copy over the saved data, and pictures stored online can also be shown off using a Kodak gallery account.
While trying out the EX811 frame – the 8-inch wireless version that costs $280 – I was surprised by how easy it was to link it to my home network.
Setting up the MediaPlayer to share content on the computer required only a couple of steps, and the frame soon found the network, as well as hundreds of pictures stored on the computer.
The frame can also connect to a secured wireless network – you just need to enter the password using an included remote control, which also lets you change settings and move through whatever slideshow you’ve set up.
Stanley A. Miller II covers personal technology for the Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at (414) 223-5162 or smiller@journalsentinel.com.
May 14th, 2007
Lights, camera, makeup! WCVB broadcasts role as first with new tech
Boston Herald, MA
Bill Fine is passionate about all the geeky technological aspects of television broadcasting.
Fine, president of WVCB-TV (Ch.5), tends to speak about digital signals, compressed frequencies – even the doppler radar system – like a kid in a candy shop.
So he was visibly excited last week as the station prepared to become the first in the market to broadcast its local newscasts in high definition.
“I absolutely love it,†Fine said. “I’ve been walking down (to the station’s new set) every day for two weeks and just getting more and more pumped up about it.â€
Starting with its 5 o’clock newscast tonight, WCVB will be the first and only station to broadcast its news in HD.
WCVB, which is owned by Hearst-Argyle Television, has invested millions of dollars buying the new camera equipment, creating a completely new set and installing a new control room.
Some of the effects of converting to HD will be immediate.
For viewers with high-definition TVs, the picture will be sharper, brighter and clearer. To hammer home the difference, WCVB has been running episodes of its show “Chronicle†– which began running in HD last October – on high-definition and old-fashioned analog TV sets side-by-side in its lobby.
Even for those watching at home, WCVB’s sleek set, which is twice the size of its previous one, will likely be a welcome improvement.
And, of course, there are the precious bragging rights of being first.
But what isn’t as clear is what kind of economic impact it will have for the station.
While HD TVs are gaining popularity, far more analog sets sit in homes. Only one in six households in the U.S. had at least one HD TV as of last year, according to the trade publication MediaPost.
Fine wouldn’t say how much the cost of converting to HD was for WCVB. But industry insiders said such a soup-to-nuts change-over could run above $10 million.
Fine acknowledged that WCVB is getting ahead of most of its audience by implementing the new technology. “You want to be ahead of the market,†he said.
“The more our lineup is 24 hours of high definition the better value we’re going to be for the viewer,†Fine said.
And HD can be especially appealing to advertisers who rely on showing their products in TV commercials, such as fashion brands, electronic gadgets or furniture stores, he added.
People who own HD sets tend to be a more affluent set, said Tim Gilbert, general manager of Lexington, Ky.-based KLEX-TV, which went to HD last month. “They’re very desirable households,†he said.
A wave of TV stations converting to HD has spread across the country in the past six months or so, said Dennis Wharton, president of the National Association of Broadcasters. Close to 50 stations now do local newscasts in HD in the United States “I think it’s a way to brand your station as the next generation of technology,†he said.
On Feb. 17, 2009, all TV stations will switch from an analog signal to a digital one. Plans are in place for vouchers to be provided to homes to help purchase converters for old analog sets. But the move is expected to push more consumers toward buying new HD sets and eventually the entire industry will shift to broadcasting in HD.
So, perhaps, the best reason for WCVB’s turning to HD was it was going to have to anyway.
May 14th, 2007
The Miro 3 High-Speed Digital Camera – making the invisible visible
Gizmag, Australia
May 11, 2007 Vision Research showed off a very special new camera at the recent NAB in Las Vegas, and SAE World Congress in Detroit – the first in a new line of Phantom high-speed digital cameras. The Phantom Miro line is a compact, light-weight, rugged family of cameras targeted at industrial applications ranging from biometric research to automotive crash testing.
Rated to survive 100g acceleration this rugged camera can take 512×512 images at up to 2200 frames-per-second (fps). Reduce the resolution to 32 x 32 and achieve frame rates greater than 95,000 fps. With an ISO rating of 4800 (monochrome, saturation-based ISO 12232), the camera has the light sensitivity for the most demanding applications. With shutter speeds as low as 2 microseconds, the user can freeze objects in motion, eliminate blur, and bring out the image detail needed for successful motion analysis. The camera accepts any standard 1″ C-mount lens. See a movie of what it can do here.
The first member of the family, the Phantom Miro 3, is optimized for applications such as Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized (HYGE) crash simulations used in the automotive industry.
Selectable 8-, 10- or 12-bit pixel depth allows the user to choose the dynamic range that best meets the demands of the application.
The Miro 3 has a number of external control signals allowing for external triggering, camera synchronization, and time-stamping. The camera has both dynamic RAM and internal flash memory for non-volatile storage. Internal battery power allows the camera to be used in an un-tethered mode and ensures data survivability in case of loss of power.
The camera ships with a trial version of Image Systems’ TEMA Starter for Phantom motion analysis software. The Miro 3 is available now with deliveries ranging from 4-6 weeks.
May 11th, 2007
Improved Intergraph Digital Mapping Camera Delivers Increased Productivity
GISuser.com (press release), MD
Wednesday, 09 May 2007
Intergraph Introduces First Airborne Solid State Disc and Enhances its Airborne Digital Imagery Acquisition System
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 9, 2007 – Intergraph Corp. introduced today the first airborne Solid State Disc (SSD) cartridge, an innovative new flash memory that will enable aerial mapping operators to increase image storage flexibility and flight duration, and to use smaller, single-engine aircraft.
In addition, the photogrammetry leader also debuted flight management solutions and updates to its Z/I Imaging® DMC® Digital Mapping Camera, the first large format sensor to be certified by the United States Geological Survey.
Each SSD cartridge plugs directly into the DMC camera head and may be exchanged during flight, providing virtually unlimited storage. By reducing weight, footprint, and power requirements, Intergraph’s new SSD compact storage device opens up new project and aircraft options for aerial mapping operators. Alternately, organizations flying large projects may choose to employ FDS in lieu of SSD.
“Now, the DMC may be flown in most single engine aerial survey aircraft, such as a Cessna 206, with no modifications to the plane,” said Jack Ickes, Intergraph general manager, photogrammetry. “Intergraph is the first to provide solid state storage for airborne imagery and paired with the mission planning and control advancements, we are helping our customers to cover more ground in a day so they may speed delivery of project data for their mapping, GIS, and remote sensing applications. We will continue to empower owners of the market leading digital imagery acquisition system to maintain their investments in the DMC.”
Other productivity enhancement capabilities include Z/I Mission and Z/I Inflight mission planning and control solutions, and a re-engineered T-AS gyro-stabilized camera mount. Z/I Mission is comprehensive photo flight planning software streamlining aerial survey procedures – from creating the initial flight plans to generating reports and indices for the final exposures. Independent of computer-aided design or geographic information system software, this integrated solution may be operated as a standalone product. Intergraph’s new flight management system, Z/I Inflight, combines a smaller form factor than its predecessor along with high reliability, touch screen controls and flash memory. Z/I Inflight requires no external laptop as it comprises a real-time controller along with a computer running Windows XP with 4 GB of flash memory; an additional 64 GB of flash memory disk is available. The T-AS Digital gyrostabilized camera mount has a digital interface that allows it to be controlled by the Z/I Inflight system or laptop computer as well as an external IMU sensor.
# # #
About Intergraph
Intergraph Corporation is the leading global provider of spatial information management (SIM) software. Security organizations, businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on the company’s spatial technology and services to make better and faster operational decisions. Intergraph’s customers organize vast amounts of complex data into understandable visual representations, creating intelligent maps, managing assets, building and operating better plants and ships and protecting critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.
© 2007 Intergraph Corporation. All rights reserved. Intergraph, Z/I Imaging, DMC and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
May 10th, 2007
Kodak C743 Digital Camera Review
Business Portal 24 (press release), Germany
Kodak strikes back with its new conception, the Kodak C743 which is a great camera and setting new standards in the camera industry! It was unveiled in the US on the 08-8-06. The C743 gets a maximum resolution of 3072 x 2304. It also supports a lower resolution of 2304 x 1728, 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768. The ratio of the image (w-h) on the Kodak C743 has been set at 4-3, 3-2, making a total of 7.1 mega pixels. The sensor on the C743 is a CCD measuring only 1/2.5 ” and uses a RGB color filter. Kodak added a digital zoom on its C743 with an internal flash being very common in new cameras
Businessportal24.com is a modern News and Press Release-Portal, where entrepreneurs and freelancers can publish their press releases -for free-. We think, there’s no better way for online advertising!
Thanks for your visit.
May 9th, 2007
Digital camera range
Advertiser Adelaide, Australia
WITH the price of digital cameras falling significantly in recent years, you can pick one up now for less than $200 but there are some things to consider before going out to grab a bargain.
Andrew Kliem, digital camera specialist at online technology reviewer PC World, said perhaps the most important consideration should be your own level of expertise.
“There are cameras that cater to all kinds of different skill levels,” he said.
“If you’re an amateur photographer you don’t need to buy something like a digital SLR, with a lot of manual features.”
In a digital camera, film is replaced by a light-sensitive sensor that converts light into a digital image.
Mr Kliem said another consideration for someone looking to purchase a digital camera was megapixels, which indicated the detail captured in the photograph.
“The more megapixels, the more information captured on the camera and the more detail the photo has,” he said.
However, this was only really significant if you planned to make enlargements of photos, he said.
“There’s a difference in image quality between five and 10 megapixels, but realistically unless you’re doing big enlargements it’s not going to be noticeable.”
He said the decision between film and digital cameras came down to personal choice, with advantages to each.
“Digital a lot of people find more convenient – you can store a lot more photos, you can see them on a computer, you can print from home – but plenty of people still argue film is of a higher quality,” Mr Kliem said. “You just have to work out what elements of photography you enjoy and choose appropriately.”
Mr Kliem said in terms of price, a basic digital camera started at about $150, with recognised brands closer to $250. The most expensive SLR, with features that include fully manual operations, an increased zoom, interchangeable lenses and external flash, was about $8000.
National consumer group Choice this year tested 25 digital cameras and ranked them in terms of image quality, ease of use, versatility and viewfinder accuracy.
The top-ranked compact cameras were the Panasonic DMC-LX2, which was priced at $799, followed by the Canon Powershot A630 for $499 and the Cannon Powershot G7 for $899.
The highest ranking digital SLR was the Nikon D80 Kit DX 18-70mm for $2498.
Choice calculated that the cost of using a digital camera was about $88 cheaper than a standard compact camera in the first year, taking into account film and processing costs, compared to purchasing ink and paper and printing from a computer or using a mini-lab.
May 7th, 2007
Exciting New Website Helps Consumers Quickly and Easily Choose a Digital Camera
PR Web (press release), WA
CamChooser.com was recently created to make it easier for consumers to sort through the plethora of digital cameras on the market and select the product that best suits their needs. The innovative Website allows users to see reviews and ratings from all over the web, price comparisons, eBay offers and full product details for hundreds of digital cameras currently on the market–all in two easy steps
London, UK (PRWEB) May 3, 2007 — CamChooser.com was recently created to make it easier for consumers to sort through the plethora of digital cameras on the market and select the product that best suits their needs. The innovative Website allows users to see reviews and ratings from all over the web, price comparisons, eBay offers and full product details for hundreds of digital cameras currently on the market–all in two easy steps. The goal is to save consumers time, effort and frustration, according to Paul Joyce, CamChooser.com’s creator and managing director of London-based DataChoice Solutions Ltd.
“Users don’t have to hunt down reviews and ratings from various different sites,” Joyce said, summarizing the main benefit of the Website. “Using CamChooser.com, they can see information from many different sources all on one page.”
Interactive “sliders” are the key to CamChooser.com’s ease of use and functionality. This unique tool makes it possible to quickly create a shortlist of cameras that fit their specifications. Here’s how it works: Users make a selection by simply sliding the arrows relating price, resolution and optical zoom. They also choose a type of camera–ranging from compact to point-and-shoot–and the LCD size. Then matching options are provided almost instantly, including full product specifications, user reviews, ratings from all over the Web and the best prices from dozens of stores. There are live price comparisons, live details of the latest eBay auctions, professional reviews from respected authorities and photos of each product. All users have to do is review the information at hand and decided which camera is right for their needs and budget.
“We want to empower the regular consumer,” Joyce said. “We are an aggregator of information here to help the consumer make the choice that’s right for them in the easiest way possible.”
CamChooser.com covers a range of products aimed at casual and professional digital camera users. And the information provided by the site is updated regularly throughout the day to provide users with the latest details for their buying decisions. This makes CamChooser.com a unique one-stop shop for individuals researching cameras.
When creating CamChooser.com, Joyce was initially driven by personal reasons. He designed the site to help “non-techie” friends and family wade through the bewildering choices available and find good buying advice, camera reviews, ratings and the best prices. Ultimately, CamChooser.com provides one-click access to valuable information for anyone who’s in the market for a digital camera.
In addition to providing a simple way to choose a camera, CamChooser.com also offers users a number of other interesting features. A forum is available to facilitate discussions on general topics, as well as specific brand names like Canon, Kodak, Pentax and Sony. There’s also a blog covering various subjects, including choosing a camera and using the Website’s slider tool.
CamChooser.com makes is possible for consumers to quickly and easily find the most suitable digital camera–and it’s completely free to use. To learn more about the new Website, visit www.camchooser.com.
May 4th, 2007
Next Posts
Previous Posts