Archive for July, 2007
Panasonic Offers Digital Photo Training
Forbes, NY
LAKEWOOD, Colo. -
Artist Ben 3 Eagles got a point-and-shoot digital camera as a Christmas gift and, months later, still hadn’t downloaded any photos to his computer.
Panasonic has a solution for that.
Earlier this month, 52-year-old 3 Eagles joined three other students, who had Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ), Sanyo, Casio and Samsung cameras, for a one-day beginner’s workshop sponsored by Panasonic to teach the basics of using digital cameras.
Secaucus, N.J.-based Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. has opened its Digital Photo Academy in 20 U.S. cities, holding one-day workshops limited to 15 people each.
The classes are not limited to owners of Panasonic cameras.
Panasonic’s digital-camera sales have been rising, and it has about a 5 percent share of the global digital camera market, according to the research group IDC. It trails Canon Inc. (nyse: CAJ - news - people ), which has 17 percent of the market, and Nikon Corp. (other-otc: NINOY.PK - news - people ), with 8 percent.
Lincoln Phillips, an instructor for workshops in Colorado, said photography allows people to keep family histories. “I’d hate to see that lost just because people are afraid of the technology,” he said.
The artist, 3 Eagles, learned how to adjust picture quality and how the memory card works. He said he wanted to be able to e-mail photos of his artwork to contests and galleries.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
July 31st, 2007
Matsushita Sued for Kodak Camera Patents
DigitalCameraInfo, MO
July 27, 2007 – Eastman Kodak Co. today said it is suing Matsushita, the Japanese parent company of Panasonic and JVC, for possible violations of its digital camera technology patents, according to a Reuters news report today.
Kodak filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in the Eastern District of Texas, citing infringement of Kodak patents for image compression, digital storage, and motion image preview, according to Reuters.
Eastman Kodak Co. has a history of litigation with other corporations, including legal battles with Ampex Corp., Phillips Corp., and more recently with Sony Corp. who signed a cross-licensing pact earlier this year, according to Reuters.
Kodak licenses out its sensor technology to other manufacturers. Kodak sensors can be found in the Leica M8 rangefinder and in the forthcoming Pentax 645 digital medium format camera still in development.
July 30th, 2007
Kodak Sues Matsushita Over Digital Camera Patents (Update2)
By Jeff St.Onge and Susan Decker
Bloomberg
July 26 (Bloomberg) — Eastman Kodak Co., the world’s largest photography company, sued Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., claiming infringement of four U.S. patents on digital-camera technology.
Matsushita, the world’s biggest maker of consumer electronics, is using Kodak’s inventions without permission, Kodak said in a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in Tyler, Texas. Also sued were Panasonic Corp., Victor Co., and JVC Americas Corp. Matsushita owns all of Panasonic and a majority stake in Victor, which makes the JVC brand.
“Kodak has been damaged by the infringement'’ and wants cash compensation, according to the complaint. It’s also seeking a court order to block further use of its technology.
Kodak, based in Rochester, New York, claims that digital cameras made by the companies are using Kodak inventions patented between 1991 and 2001 for image compression, storage, color sensors and previews. The patents are among those Kodak used against Sony Corp. in a suit that was settled in January.
“Matsushita Electric is aware of the suit but we have not been served yet,'’ said Matsushita spokesman Jim Reilly. “We haven’t had an opportunity to study it and so cannot comment.'’
Kodak, which popularized film cameras, licenses technology to camera makers, such as Olympus Corp. and Sanyo Electric Co. It gets royalties from Sony as part of the patent settlement.
Kodak shares fell 67 cents to $26.46 at 4:20 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading, valuing the company at $7.6 billion. Matsushita stock fell 40 yen to 2,245 ($19) in Tokyo.
The case is Eastman-Kodak Co. v. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., 07cv352, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas (Tyler). To review the disputed patents through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Web site, search for patent numbers 5,016,107; 5,164,831; 5,493,335; and 6,292,218 at http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/srchnum.htm .
To contact the reporters on this story: Susan Decker in Washington at sdecker1@bloomberg.net and; Jeff St.Onge in Washington at jstonge@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: July 26, 2007 16:24 EDT
July 27th, 2007
OJsys, Inc. Successfully Completes Development With Samsung Electronics of Digital Camera Operating Software
MacReport (press release), NY
SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(July 24, 2007) - OJsys, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: OJSY) announced today that its wholly owned NTN, Inc. subsidiary successfully completed its co-development, with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in digital technology, of operating software for Samsung’s digital camera.
The newly developed software gives the digital camera a scroll menu, multi-layered picture viewing, and the ability to edit moving pictures. This digital camera operating software joins OJSY’s Satellite TV set-top box as the second product co-designed by OJsys and Samsung.
Samsung, based in Korea, is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, and is a leader in digital convergence. Samsung’s products include mobile phones, home entertainment devices, home appliances, computer devices and more. Their annual revenue is in the tens of billions of dollars, with 75,000 employees and a sales network covering more than 47 countries.
Henri Joubaud, CEO of OJsys, said, “We are excited that Samsung chose OJsys to co-develop this software. We are being rewarded for the consistent development of our technology and attention to detail. OJsys looks forward to more development deals with Samsung, and with other electronics manufacturers in the future.”
About OJsys, Inc:
OJsys, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: OJSY), established in April of 2000, develops and manufactures various broadcasting receivers/Set-top Boxes, i.e. satellite receiver, terrestrial receiver, IP set-top boxes, receiver-plus-DVD-RW combos, etc., and media center PC devices including satellite receivers and digital recording (PVR) functions. OJsys markets its products to Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Asia and the United States. More information about OJsys is available at www.OJsys.net.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to the safe harbors created thereby. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends. The words or phrases “believe,” “will,” “expect,” “should” and similar words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, including, among other things, a concentration in the Company’s revenue from certain services and clients, a limited backlog, the Company’s ability to expand its markets, limited financial resources, dependence on key personnel, the integration of acquired businesses and competitive market conditions. These are representative of factors which could affect the outcome of the forward-looking statements. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, general domestic and international economic conditions and future incidents of terrorism or other events that may negatively impact the markets in which the Company competes. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
Paul DeRiso
paul@coreconsultingroup.com
Tele: (925) 465-6088
July 26th, 2007
Kodak rolls sub-$100 camera with CMOS image sensor
EETimes.com
MANHASSET, N.Y. — Eastman Kodak Co. is unveiling an entry-level digital still camera priced under $100. The new camera is powered by a proprietary 5-megapixel CMOS image sensor.
Among Kodak’s line of consumer digital still cameras branded “Easyshare,” the new C513 is the first with a CMOS image sensor. Until now, Easyshare cameras have used only CCD image sensors.
More important, this is the first consumer digital camera design win for “Kodak’s Image Sensor Solutions group.
Kodak formed the group to become an independent component supplier for the non-captive market. Kodak made the shift two years ago when it offered the company’s proprietary image sensor technologies to consumer OEMs and chip vendors. Kodak’s image sensor group has developed 3.1- and 5-megapixel CMOS image sensors, both manufactured by IBM.
Kodak’s image sensors have until now gained little traction in the competitive consumer digital photography market that includes camera phones and digital cameras. “We have raised the quality of CMOS image sensors up to the consumer [digital still camera] use,” said Michael DeLuca, marketing manger of Kodak’s Image Sensors Solutions group. While the first publicly disclosed design-win “happens to “in progress.”
The Easyshare C513 includes 5-megapixel resolution, a 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.4-inch LCD screen. It also offers a digital image stabilization feature designed to reduce blur caused by movement. It also includes video with audio capture features and on-camera editing.
The 5-megapixel CMOS sensor is similar to the KAC-05010 announced by Kodak earlier this year. The 2.2- micron pixel device has a 1/2.5-inch optical format. For the C513, Kodak made a slight modification to the image sensor, improving color noise and aligning it with the camera’s lens, according to DeLuca.
When the KAC-05010 was announced, the list price was $15.00 in 1,000 units. Kodak has since discontinued that model. Kodak declined to release the price for the KAC-05011, the new CMOS image sensor optimized for the C513.
EE Times
(07/24/2007 9:27 AM EDT)
The CMOS image sensor incorporates Kodak’s Pixelux technology, a proprietary architecture the company rolled out two years ago.
Kodak claims Pixelux provides higher performance, improved image quality and other advanced features. The technology uses low, dark current-pinned photodiodes, four-transistor and a shared pixel architecture. It permits the manufacture of CMOS image sensor pixels that approach the size of the smallest CCD pixels while providing improved photosensitivity and lower noise compared to standard CMOS image sensor devices, according to the company.
With Pixelux technology, Kodak enabled a technique called “transfer gate” (TG) in the pixel circuit design. By closing the TG, a photodiode can be electrically isolated, providing “an opportunity to do true correlated double sampling,” explained DeLuca. The result is “low noise design for improved image quality.”
Further, by deploying shared-pixel architecture, Kodak engineers freed up real estate for photodiodes, which otherwise would have been made smaller by the integration of TG in the circuit design. The shared pixel architecture also allows a number of unique readout options, including reading each pixel separately and two or four pixels at a time. These features can increase image sensitivity in low light and during video capture, according to Kodak.
The majority of current digital cameras use CCD image sensors. The percentage of digital still cameras with CMOS sensors is “well under five percent of the worldwide market,” estimated Brian O’Rourke, principal analyst at In-Stat. “CCD has done well in DSCs, camcorders and security cameras for two reasons,” he said. One is technology, since CCDs have increased sensitivity, particularly in low light. The other is marketing, noted O’Rourke.
“The marketing angle has to do with the fact that many companies who have historically made cameras in these markets, including Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and Samsung, also make CCDs,” he said. “The other dominant companies tend to be Japanese, including JVC, Olympus, and Canon, who had relationships with the CCD makers, or who preferred to deal with other Japanese companies.”
But CMOS sensors are beginning to make inroads into digital still cameras, even at the high end. Canon, Nikon and Sony all have released high-end digital still cameras with CMOS image sensors, according to In-Stat. CMOS can also be found in some low-end digital still cameras, including models from Concord and Vivitar. “In the low-end cameras, CMOS is used exclusively due to cost concerns,” added O’Rourke.
In digital camcorders, meanwhile, CMOS sensors are also emerging. They have turned up over the last year in most Sony HD camcorders, according to O’Rourke.
July 25th, 2007
Google nabs aerial camera company
Register, UK
‘We will photograph everything’
By Cade Metz in San Francisco → More by this author
Published Tuesday 24th July 2007 00:34 GMT
Find your perfect job - click here from thousands of tech vacancies
If you were getting worried that a full two weeks had passed without Google acquiring yet another company, you can now rest easy. Today, the lord of the acquisitions bagged ImageAmerica - a company that takes aerial photographs with its own airplanes and high-res cameras - as it looks to beef up imagery on its Google Earth and Google Maps services.
“We’re excited about how ImageAmerica’s technology will contribute to our mapping services down the road,” wrote Steve Chou, a Google Earth and Maps product manager, on the company’s Lat Long Blog. But he was quick to temper the excitement of Google users: “Since we’re in the research and development phase right now, it may be some time before you see any of this imagery in Google Maps or Earth.”
It turns out that ImageAmerica provided Google Earth with aerial images of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit in August of 2005, but Google wouldn’t tell us much more. All we know is that the acquired company specializes in this sort of “digital orthoimagery” and likes to tag its tools with ridiculous names. ImageAmerica’s former web site, recently shutdown by Google, trumpets its Beech Starship aircraft and DDP-2 (Direct Digital Panoramic) photography system. Evidently, this flying gear can grab ground-level details measuring no more than six inches long.
When we asked Google to give us a bit more info about the equipment’s capabilities, the company simply pointed to those Katrina photos. “Even though this imagery is in black and white, you can see the level of detail is significantly greater than the non-high res imagery traditionally available in Earth/Maps,” said a company spokesperson.
Between Earth and Maps, Google seems intent on serving up tightly woven digital photos of just about everything. It’s ImageAmerica purchase comes just a few days after an eagle-eyed Gizmodo reader spotted a new fleet of Chevy Cobalts that will soon be snapping 360-degree photos for Google StreetView, the company’s eye-level window onto the world. Enjoy your privacy while you can.®
July 24th, 2007
European Commission To Raise Camera Costs in Europe
Slashdot
An anonymous reader writes “According to a recent CNET article, digital camera costs could increase in Europe as result of trade inequalities. ‘At the moment, all digital cameras are manufactured outside Europe. They’re all imported. All of them. Currently, there’s a European Commission-imposed 4.9 per cent import tariff on camcorders, but not on cameras, whatever their video-recording abilities.
The EC’s Nomenclature Committee has cottoned on to this and wants to slap a tax on cameras that can record at least 30 minutes of video in one go, with a resolution of 800×600 pixels or higher at 23 frames per second or higher. The Nomenclature Committee has recommended the proposal but has not, as yet, garnered the required majority vote.’”Update: 07/23 02:18 GMT by Z : Took out a bit of hyperbole.
July 23rd, 2007
GE E1040 10 Megapixel Digital Camera
MobileWhack.com, Australia
Make way for the new GE E1040 10 megapixel digital camera. The E1040 is claimed to be a mid-range camera and offers 4x optical zoom plus 4.5x digital zoom, and features a large 3″ LCD screen. GE also claims that the camera has a highly intuitive interface.
One of the neat features on the E1040 camera is that it offers in-camera panoramic stitching, so you can see what your shots look like without having to transfer it onto a computer. Another feature is the in-camera red-eye removal. Saves time.
The other usual features include face-tracking, electronic stabilization and the ability to record videos in MPEG-4 format. It is powered by a Li-ion battery. The camera takes SD cards up to 4GB (SD high capacity cards).
Ideal point-and-shoot camera if you are looking to buy your first camera. Supports ISO levels up to 3200. Available through HSN, the GE E1040 digital camera is priced at US $279.90 and comes in black, pink and silver.
GE E1040 Digital Camera Via press release
July 23rd, 2007
Where’s the SLR-style compact camera?
CNET News.com, CA
Camera buyers today can choose from hundreds of compact models, with 24 available from Canon alone and the market flooded with competition from electronics companies such as Samsung and Casio.
But for the enthusiast who wants a smaller alternative to the bulky but high-performance SLR, or single-lens reflex, camera, it’s slim pickings
“There’s a gap in the market for a certain class of camera for somebody who’s got a digital SLR and wants those capabilities at the times they’re not carrying an SLR,” said Lyra Research analyst Steve Hoffenberg.
Digital SLRs bring a host of improvements over compact cameras: they start up faster, shoot more frames per second, produce “raw” images that retain all the data from the image sensor, offer manual control over numerous settings, and have large sensors that work better in dim light or when trying to freeze action. The SLR market is fast-growing and today dominated by Canon and Nikon, but also has contenders in Olympus, Pentax, Panasonic, Sony and others.
But SLRs are too bulky for a purse or pocket. Even serious shutterbugs often leave them behind when scaling mountain peaks, traveling or just heading to work.
“I like photography, but it’s a passion, not a job. I like first of all to take my camera with me always, even if I’m (on) my bicycle,” said Stefano Di Cecio, who lives in Italy’s Tuscany region. But he’s used film SLRs, and he wants raw image support, manual controls and a good lens, so he settled on the Panasonic DMC-LX2.
A pie-in-the-sky compact camera would have a fast, high-quality lens that reaches as wide as 28mm. It would have a large sensor that emphasizes sensitivity over megapixels. Raw image support so the photographer gets more than just stripped-down JPEGs. An optical viewfinder for shooting in bright conditions or preserving battery life. A quick shutter response. Maybe a hot shoe to accommodate an external flash. And a price tag under $500.
That’s probably too big an engineering challenge for a single model. But some camera makers have come close.
Some options
Possibly the compact camera closest in design to an SLR is Canon’s PowerShot G7, the latest in a series of products aimed directly for the SLR enthusiast. A Tokyo resident whose Flickr username is Leopard Gecko uses his to shoot close-ups of insects and flowers–but like many camera reviewers, he wishes it came with the raw image support that predecessors like the G6 had.
Another option is the Nikon Coolpix P5000, which is considerably smaller than the PowerShot G7 but, like it, has a “hot shoe” to mount an external flash. However, it too lacks raw support.
Bulkier models such as Olympus’ SP-550 UZ and Fujifilm’s Finepix S6000fd have long zoom ranges and raw-image support, but they’re not so easily to place in a pocket, and long zoom ranges typically take a toll on image quality. Ricoh’s GX100, which supports raw files but is compact, has won some ardent supporters but isn’t widely available in the United States. And Sigma’s forthcoming DP1 uses the same higher-end Foveon image sensor as its big brother, the SD14 SLR, but the compact model has a fixed 28mm focal length lens.
Some experts have called for a better compact camera–Mike Johnston of the Online Photographer blog has called it the “decisive moment digicam,” and Thom Hogan, author of the Nikon DSLR Report, has described in detail his ideal small camera with a large sensor.
Hogan estimates hundreds of thousands to millions of such a camera could be sold annually. That may sound small, but it’s likely to be a nice niche, he said.
“Digital SLR growth is hitting the plateau already and will level off to normal or worse within the next year or two. Meanwhile, there are unserved niches where you could make your own growth, get almost the same unit volume and retain high product margins,” he said. “High-quality compacts is one of them.”
But there’s a good reason manufacturers might pause before aiming a compact camera at SLR aficionados, Hoffenberg said: they probably already have one, even if it’s not necessarily high-end.
“Lyra’s research shows the vast majority of digital SLR owners already owned a point-and-shoot digital camera before they purchased an SLR,” Hoffenberg said. “Just about half of digital SLR owners had multiple point-and-shoot cameras in the household–two or more.”
Enough megapixels already
Some believe a step in the right direction would be to use larger image sensors–perhaps even as large as those in lower-end SLRs–or at least sensors with more sensitive pixels. The race to squeeze as many pixels as possible onto sensors has increased unwanted colored speckles called image “noise,” several experts contend.
Stefano Mattia, who lives in Rome, is happy with his Panasonic DMC-LX2–except for the sensor.
“Take the LX2 and replace its sensor with one which could provide virtually noise-free pictures up to ISO 400 to 800, and that would be the perfect compact camera,” Mattia said. “I’d rather have fewer megapixels than noisy photos.”
Fewer megapixels also would reduce some burdens of processing and saving images, potentially improving responsiveness. But consumers would have to understand the argument that a particular camera makes up in quality what it lacks in quantity, and that could be tough, judging by the unceasing increase in sensor megapixel counts.
Enthusiasts frustrated with higher-end compact cameras have grounds for hope that camera makers will better meet their needs, though.
“What Nikon saw with the P5000 and Canon with the G7 is that particular niche does now appear to be growing big enough that it can support some models in the market,” Hoffenberg said.
“Take the LX2 and replace its sensor with one which could provide virtually noise-free pictures up to ISO 400 to 800, and that would be the perfect compact camera,” Mattia said. “I’d rather have fewer megapixels than noisy photos.”
Fewer megapixels also would reduce some burdens of processing and saving images, potentially improving responsiveness. But consumers would have to understand the argument that a particular camera makes up in quality what it lacks in quantity, and that could be tough, judging by the unceasing increase in sensor megapixel counts.
Enthusiasts frustrated with higher-end compact cameras have grounds for hope that camera makers will better meet their needs, though.
“What Nikon saw with the P5000 and Canon with the G7 is that particular niche does now appear to be growing big enough that it can support some models in the market,” Hoffenberg said.
July 20th, 2007
Top Tips for Digital Camera Enthusiasts
PC Magazine
Apartments in the Borough of Queens, NY—at least those built during the Depression—have notoriously deep closets. My family lived there during the 1970s, and my father would always turn one of these aforementioned closets into a darkroom. It was perfect, really. There were no windows, the door was jammed to seal against the light, and the walls were close enough that all of the photography equipment could be placed on Peg-Boards within arm’s reach. There was even a full-size enlarger, which fit like a charm.
There was no ventilation, so the smell of hypo and fixer built up to near noxious levels. Our only relief came when we opened the door. And that couldn’t happen until the film was safely developed or photos had appeared on the paper while lying in the developing solution. I can still smell those chemicals now….ahhh.
My father’s love of photography rubbed off on me. When I was a teenager, I converted my bedroom into a darkroom. I even took photography courses in college. I learned how to compose a photo shot and use a camera’s manual settings to my advantage. All that I learned from my father and in school has served me well, even when I officially left film photography behind for digital. Lately, I’ve come to realize that some of the analog enthusiast’s photography principles I learned can make a world of difference in digital photo quality. And although I don’t claim to be an expert, I’m passing along some of my favorite tips.
The really good news is that these lessons will not leave you with the indelible scent of hypo in your nostrils.—next: The Lessons>
July 19th, 2007
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