Archive for January, 2008
Canon launches digital, video cameras in Bangladesh
The New Nation, Bangladesh
Staff Reporter
Canon Singapore Pte Ltd yesterday launched its image communication products in Bangladesh through its sole authorized dealer J.A. N. Associates Limited.
The products include digital camera, video camera, digital SLR camera and camcorders.
Announcing the launching of Canon cameras for Bangladesh market at a function at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel yesterday evening, Melvyn Ho, Vice President of Canon Singapore Pte Ltd, said J.A.N. Associates has been a business partner of Canon for its printers and scanners in Bangladesh for the last twelve years.
“J.A.N. Associates Limited has done very well and has succeeded to achieve their business targets every year, and that is why Canon Singapore has decided to appoint J.A.N. Associates as the business partner for its camera products. J.A.N. Associates has received the 3C award, the highest award given by Canon Singapore annually, for having a 39% growth from the previous year,” he said.
The launching ceremony was also addressed by Abdullah H. Kafi, Managing Director of J.A.N. Associates Ltd. Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, Director of J.A.N. Associates Ltd and Tatsumi (Ted) Yamaura, Director, Camera Services Division of Canon Singapore Pte Ltd were present.
Besides, Canon resellers, dealers, photographers and producers were present. Speaking on the occasion, Abdullah H. Kafi said Bangladesh has lately caught up to the enthusiasm for digital photography like most other countries. The local market has a significant demand for the digital cameras, but in absence of market leaders, people have to buy their desired cameras from abroad.Referring to the abnormally high duty on import of camera in Bangladesh, Kafi said the government is being deprived of its expected revenue by imposing more than 50% tax on camera import.
“Digital cameras essentially being a computer component have 10 times higher import tax than other computer accessories. Besides, mobile phones with multiple functions have a flat tax of Tk 300 only, while digital cameras, having a single purpose have a duty above 50 per cent,” he said.
Kafi said although cameras bought from the grey channel may save them money, they are deprived of warranty and services. “That is why J.A.N. Associates Ltd has opened a new service center to provide after-sale services for digital cameras at BCS Computer City, IDB Bhaban in the city,” he further said.
January 30th, 2008
Samsung GX-20 Digital SLR Camera Coming Soon to UK
TechGadgets.in (press release), India
Samsung has announced to launch its new digital SLR camera called GX-20. This new camera has been developed in co-operation with Pentax and is said to be Samsung’s version of Pentax’s K20D DSLR camera.
The GX-20 features 14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor and 2.7-inch TFT display. Also, it boasts a live view feature.
A water resistant body, anti-dust mechanism and moving-sensor image stabilization are some of the similar features between Samsung GX20 and Pentax K20D.
Furthermore, the GX20 incorporates built-in Optical Picture Stabilisation (OPS) technology.
Some of the key features of the Samsung GX-20 are:
14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor
2.7-inch TFT display
Built-in Optical Picture Stabilisation
Water resistant body
One-touch RAW mode
ISO settings of 100 – 6,400
Built-in High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging
The difference between Pentax’s and Samsung’s cameras is said to be the different menu systems and the GX-20 uses Adobe Digital Negaitve RAW format.
The GX-20 is expected to be available in the British market by March 2008 for £699 (around Rs. 54,591).
January 29th, 2008
Frequently Asked Photo Questions for January
Avoid annoying shutter lag, use spray-on print protection, take better flash photos, and more.
Dave Johnson
Monday, January 28, 2008 9:45 AM PST
PC World
It’s a new year, and a new set of questions have found their way to my inbox. Send me your questions about digital photography. I reply to as many as I can, and I round up the most interesting ones about once a month here in the newsletter.
You can also read more frequently asked questions online: check out reader questions from September, October, and November.
Beware of Shutter Lag
I’m an old SLR 35mm shooter from way back. I used to shoot action shots at our local car race track. I would hit the button, and the camera took the shot right away. I’ve hesitated going to digital photography because every digital camera I’ve seen has a terribly long delay between when you hit the shutter button and when the picture is actually taken. What cameras have a quick shutter response?
–Dickie Sanders, Lapeer, Michigan
That’s a valid concern, Dickie. The effect is called “shutter lag,” and it can be anywhere from a few dozen milliseconds to more than a second.
Shutter lag is most pronounced among inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras; pricier cameras tend to exhibit significantly less lag. In general, you’ll find no discernible lag at all in digital SLRs, but you pay for the privilege, since these cameras start at several hundred dollars.
I highly recommend reading PC World’s reviews; when shutter lag is a significant issue for a camera, we mention it. And there’s no substitute for trying a camera yourself. Many camera stores let you handle various cameras and take sample photos before making the purchase decision. That’s a smart way to assess shutter lag.
Protecting Inkjet Prints
There are companies that make spray-on protective coatings that are supposed to help protect and preserve artwork such as pencil and chalk drawings and paintings. Do you think that these sprays would help inkjet photos?
–John Ebmeyer, Warrenton, Virginia
If you’ve spend much time in the world of 35mm photography, you may be familiar with acrylic UV-blocking sprays that you can apply to prints. These sprays “fix” the print and give it a longer life before fading.
I’d avoid using products designed for traditional film-based prints on inkjet printouts. They seem to work, but I haven’t been able to test a wide variety of ink and paper combinations–nor have I observed the prints for a long period of time. I’ve asked printer companies their opinion of these sprays, and for the most part, they were all a bit wary.
The Epson rep said, “We recommend avoiding UV sprays since the effect on lightfastness of one color ink could be different than another ink, and may actually lead to the visual acceleration of fading or color shifting.”
However, a few companies make a special spray just for inkjet printers; these “inkjet fix” sprays are probably safer for your digital prints. Check out, for instance, Gepe Ink Jet Fix Spray.
Undoing Sepia Effects
I converted my digital photos to sepia and negative-effect images. How can I convert them back?
–Edgar Gratia, Philippines
I have some bad news, Edgar. If you convert a color digital photo to a black-and-white or sepia image and save it over the original file, you’ve replaced the color information with something new. End of story. That’s why it’s a good idea to always use your photo editor’s Save As option to create a new file, preserving the original.
Resizing Photos for Digital Picture Frames
What is the best resolution and size to save photos for an 8-inch digital photo frame?
–Christina Kramer, Garland, Texas
It’s okay to leave the photos at their original size, Christina–they’ll display just fine in a digital photo frame. But if you’re trying to resize photos to maximize the number of images you can fit on your frame’s memory card, then the answer is pretty easy: Resize them to the frame’s native resolution. You can find that information in your frame’s user guide or on the manufacturer’s Web site.
For example, the 8-inch Kodak Easyshare EX-811 has a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels. Sharper Image sells the Pure eMotion 7-Inch Digital Photo Frame, which has a resolution of 480 by 234 pixels.
One other thing: Be sure to save the resized photos as new files, so you don’t replace the originals with low-resolution images.
Tweaking the Effect of Your Flash
I use an older digital camera to capture my kids’ everyday antics, and I find myself spending copious amounts of time afterwards trying to compensate for the camera’s tendency to overexpose every shot, regardless of the flash setting. The night setting won’t freeze kid-motion; holding a finger over the flash results in a weird orange hue; and more flamboyant methods tend to distract the subjects. I’m no Victor Skrebneski, just trying to grab Kodak moments. Any thoughts?
–Jill Murtagh, Orange, New Jersey
Flash photography can be really tricky, Jill. But if your camera is consistently overexposing your photos, then there’s an easy way to compensate.
Check your camera’s user guide to see if there is a flash compensation control. If so, lower the flash’s power setting by about one stop and take some test photos. If it’s still overexposing, reduce the flash power a little more. Vary the flash’s power until it seems to expose your photos properly. If there’s no flash compensation control, then you can try doing the same thing with the camera’s main exposure compensation control.
Hot Pic of the Week
Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $15 and $50.
Here’s how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format, at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don’t forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering, please read the full description of the contest rules and regulations.
This week’s Hot Pic: “North Light,” by Mark Davis, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Mark writes: “I took this photo with my Canon Digital Rebel XT on a recent trip to Block Island, which is a small island 14 miles off of the Rhode Island coast. It’s quite a popular summer tourist spot. This is North Light, one of two lighthouses on the island. Located on the northern tip of the island, you can reach this lighthouse by walking along the beach and it is nestled at the end. There was a great sky that day!”
This Week’s Runner-Up: “Desert Sunset,” by Scott Cassio, Stationed in Kuwait
Scott writes: “We were in a flight of Blackhawk helicopters after a long day of transporting soldiers to Iraq. We were heading back to Kuwait for the night and to prepare for the next day’s missions. I took this picture from the front seat of the chase aircraft. I had brought along a Canon SD750 because it’s small, takes good pictures and fits in a flight suit pocket. A hobbyist photographer, I enjoy taking pictures that are less ordinary.”
See all the Hot Pic of the Week photos online.
Have a digital photo question? Send me your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself. And be sure to sign up to have the Digital Focus Newsletter e-mailed to you each week.
January 29th, 2008
Digital sleuths solve missing camera mystery
Stephen Hutcheon
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
January 29, 2008 – 8:16AM
Moments after Alan Murphy alighted from a cab at his New York hotel on New Year’s Eve, he was hit with that awful, gut-churning feeling you get when you realise something’s amiss.
In the back seat of the taxi that had taken off down 48th Street into the Manhattan sunset was his $600 Canon Ixus digital camera.
“As soon as I walked into the lobby, I realised it was missing,” the Irish-born Sydney insurance underwriter recalled.
“And that’s when the panic set in.”
Worse still, it contained a memory card holding 350 images and two videos – most of them taken during a family reunion that began in Florida over Christmas.
And, as if that wasn’t painful enough, he was about to head out for a New Year’s Eve in the Big Apple camera-less.
Here was a Murphy copping the full force of Murphy’s Law, the principle that says if anything can go wrong, it will.
“I was totally kicking myself,” said Mr Murphy, who claims it is his older brother who is generally regarded as the family scatterbrain.
“When I told my family about it, they said I’d ‘done a Peter’,” he said, referring to his sibling.
Luckily for Mr Murphy, the cab’s next passenger was Erika Gunderson, a young New York investment banker.
After the cab driver showed no interest in the lost property she discovered, she brought the camera home and showed it to her fiance, Brian Ascher.
The couple resolved to try to track down the owner. So began 10 days of digital sleuthing that included a bunch of dead ends and, finally, a stroke of luck.
Mr Ascher, a 26-year-old law student, pored over the camera’s images, looking for clues as to the identity of the several adults and three children who featured in many of the shots. And to make sure he wasn’t missing anything, he enlisted the help of his mother and sister.
The photos were mainly of familiar landmarks in New York and Florida, and in one, the subjects were wearing name tags. There was an Alan, Eileen, Noel, Noelle and a Cairnan. And under each name was written “IRE”.
The accents in the videos made it clear to Mr Ascher that the camera’s owner was almost certainly an Irish tourist.
The breakthrough came after going through a series of images taken on December 30 in New York’s East Village district on what looked to be a pub crawl.
Mr Ascher, displaying a great eye for detail, spotted an awning in the background of one photo that read “Standings” – the name of a bar.
He phoned the bar and spoke to the bartender who remembered a group of Irish patrons, recalling that one of them – a big tipper – was a woman who worked in another Manhattan bar.
It was Friday, January 11 – Alan Murphy’s 34th birthday – when he got the unexpected news about the camera.
He was on his morning commute on a ferry from Rose Bay to Circular Quay when he received an email on his BlackBerry from Sarah Casey, a friend he had visited in New York whose sister, Jeanette, was the big tipper.
The camera, with memories intact, is now wending its way back to its owner via registered mail and Mr Murphy is full of praise for the tenacity and honesty of the American finders.
“You and your family are good people,” he told Mr Ascher in a thank-you email. “It’s good to know there are some honest people left in the world.”
- with AP
January 29th, 2008
Sony T300 Digital Camera
Gadget Spy, UK
Sony has unveiled a couple of new digital cameras, one of them being the Sony T300 which is an obvious upgrade of the T200. With a release date set for March and a $400 price tag, the upcoming camera is a good item for rookie photographers.
The T300 sports a 10.1megapixel sensor, and a 3.5-inch LCD screen. One of the new, and good features is the iSCN, also known as Intelligent Scene Recognition, which is able to automatically select the “perfect†scene type to get an image with the best quality possible.
Other important features related to the digital camera, include a 5x Carl Zeiss lens with 5x zoom, a 3200 ISO sensitivity, and a slot for Memory StickDuo cards.
It also boasts improved smile detection that recognizes adults and children, a semi-manual focus system, autofocusing that adapts to macro shots, and smarter shadow compensation.
Via Electronista
January 24th, 2008
Panasonic Adds New Compact, AA-Battery Powered Digital Camera to Its 2008 LUMIX Line
New LUMIX LS80 Sports User-Friendly Technologies to Help Digital Photographers of All Levels
CNNMoney.com
January 22, 2008: 09:00 AM EST
Panasonic today introduced its newest LUMIX digital camera, the DMC-LS80, which features advanced, yet easy-to-use settings that help even the entry-level digital photographer take great photos. Encased in a compact design and powered by AA batteries, the LS80 offers convenience and increased usability. With a newly developed LUMIX DC VARIO lens system, 3x optical zoom and 8.1-megapixel high resolution, the LS80 is feature-rich and user-friendly digital camera, all at an affordable price.
At the core of the DMC-LS80′s easy-to-use operation is a comprehensive system of intelligent technologies that operate within the camera automatically, without any extra effort from the user. The Panasonic LUMIX LS80 integrates four distinct features aimed at making it easy to capture perfect images.
– MEGA O.I.S. – Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and an Optical Image
Stabilizer (O.I.S.) lens system shifts to compensate, preventing hand-shake
from creating a blurry image and instead, providing a clear and crisp
photo.
– Intelligent ISO – With this feature, the digital camera can determine
if the photo subject is moving and change ISO setting and shutter speed
accordingly, thus enabling a blur-free photo.
– Auto Macro – The LS80 automatically switches to the Macro setting when
in close proximity to the photo subject, ideal for those extreme close-up
shots.
– Quick AF – With the Quick AF (Auto Focus) system, the LS80 will focus
on the photo subject without the user needing to press the shutter button,
producing the fastest shutter speed by minimizing the AF time.
“Continuing on the success of our 2007 line of LUMIX digital cameras, all our 2008 models will also include two advanced anti-blur technologies, Intelligent ISO and MEGA O.I.S., helping all our consumers — from the beginners to the advanced DSLR-users — take high-quality photos they are proud to share,” said Alex Fried, National Marketing Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “Committed to the idea that digital photography should be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience, our Panasonic LUMIX digital cameras offer intuitive features, like Auto Macro, that are seamlessly integrated into the photography process, so the user doesn’t need to change any settings.”
Another new intuitive technology of the LS80 includes the Intelligent LCD, which means the brightness of the LCD automatically adjusts as the ambient light level changes. With the Intelligent LCD, which comes with 230,000-dot high resolution, images are clear, bright and easy to see — regardless whether it is day or night; inside or outside.
Other features of the DMC-LS80 include:
– Venus Engine III Processor: High-quality, high-performance image
processing with the Venus Engine III. With its multi-task image processing
capability, the Venus Engine III boasts outstanding response time. Shutter
release time lag is as short as 0.005 second*. In the consecutive shooting
mode, it is possible to shoot at 2.5 frames per second in full
resolution**; and in High-Speed Burst shooting mode***, the LS80 fires off
an incredible 5.5 shots per second. Also, with unlimited consecutive
shooting, the user can snap photos continuously until the SD Memory Card is
full ****.
– High Definition Compatible: With the LUMIX LS80, consumers are able to
take 1920×1080 pixel photos, ideal for viewing on wide-screen (16:9) High
Definition televisions. The complete Panasonic VIERA line of Plasma and LCD
HDTVs comes equipped with an internal SD card slot, so viewing digital
photos is as easy as taking the SD card out of the LS80 and inserting it
into the front of the Panasonic VIERA.
– Video Recording: In addition to recording standard VGA (640 x 480),
the DMC-LS80 can also record WVGA (848 x 480) motion pictures at 30 frames
per second. Fitting a wide-screen HDTV perfectly, these wide-aspect motion
images make for impressive viewing.
The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LS80 will be available in pink, black and silver models in February 2008 for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $149.95.
*Not including the time for AF.
**Maximum 7 images in standard mode / 4 images in fine mode.
*** In 2-megapixel(4:3), 2.5-megapixel(3:2), 2-megapixel(16:9) recording.
**** The speed of the consecutive shooting varies depending on the memory
card. The number of recordable pictures depends on the memory card size,
battery life, picture size and image compression.
About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: MC) and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In its commitment to provide consumers with extensive imaging resources, Panasonic LUMIX established the Digital Photo Academy, a series of nationwide workshops designed to instruct consumers how to optimize the features on their digital cameras and produce high-quality photos. Panasonic is honored to support OUR PLACE — The World’s Heritage, a project that will create the world’s largest photographic collection of UNESCO World Heritage sites, with acclaimed photographers exclusively using LUMIX digital cameras to capture all images. Information about Panasonic LUMIX digital still cameras and its affiliated programs is available at www.panasonic.com/dsc.
January 23rd, 2008
Samsung S1050 digital camera review
HULIQ, NC
At the end of the past year Samsung updated S850model digital camera with the S1050 and the camera comes complete with many good features. Some of the features of Samsung S1050 digital camera include a suite of manual controls for the more advanced among you, a 10-megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom lens, and a new large 3-inch screen.
UK based photography site Compactcameras has reviewed Samsung S1050 digital camera with the following conclusion that is quoted below.
What is it? 10.1-megapixel digital compact camera from Samsung
Price $149.99 (Compare prices)
The good Build and styling, simple controls, AA-battery power, Low ISO image quality, Advanced manual control options.
The bad Sluggish AF performance, shutter lag, Cramped buttons, Excessive noise in ISO 400 and above images.
We say Samsung’s update of the S850 looks very tempting package on paper but it has some serious issues when you come to use.
Samsung S1050 Digital Camera Technical Details
* 10.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
* 5x Advanced Shake Reduction optical zoom; Display LCD – matriz activa TFT – 3″ – color
* Shutter speed to 1/2000 second; ISO equivalent to 1600
* Captures video in one of four resolutions, up to 20 fps at 800 x 600, encoded as AVI MPEG-4 video
* Stores images on SD memory cards (includes 50MB internal memory)
Manufacturer On Samsung S1050 Digital Camera
The S1050 is a point-and-shoot digital camera with a premium quality 10.1-megapixel image sensor. Coupled with a super-sharp 5x optical zoom lens, the S1050 combines the hardware that demanding photographers require of a camera with the intuitive ease-of-use that is Samsung’s hallmark.
While ease of use was a top priority when designing the S1050, Samsung engineers were equally committed to delivering a comprehensive suite of robust features and technologies in the flagship model of the S Series. With shutter speeds that reach up to an effective 1/2000 second and an ISO equivalent of 1600, users will be able to take advantage of the S1050′s speed and resolution in any situation–from taking landscape photos at dusk to shooting fast action sports photography. Further ensuring razor sharp images in any situation, Samsung’s ASR image stabilization system helps to reduce camera shake and image blur during longer exposures and at times when holding the camera steady is impossible or a tripod is unavailable.
The S1050 also offers Samsung’s Intelligent Face Recognition Technology, which detects the subject’s face and automatically adjusts autofocus and autoexposure to ensure the best possible image quality in portraits and other shots featuring people. The AF function instantaneously recognizes the faces of up to nine subjects and accurately focuses on them all. The AE function then takes over, setting the appropriate exposure to ensure the highest image quality.
Samsung equipped the S1050 with several thoughtful features designed to allow users to capture the images they want without having to worry about tedious exposure adjustment or editing. Dedicated modes for common-yet-tricky shooting situations include Children (with a high shutter speed to freeze motion while avoiding blur), Backlight (to compensate for a rear-lit subject), and Portrait (to bring the subject into strong focus while deemphasizing the background).
When enabled, the S1050′s Wise Shot feature automatically takes two consecutive pictures in rapid succession–one with ASR enabled and one with the flash–then prompts the user to review both and select their preferred version of the picture.
The S1050′s dedicated Effect button lets users quickly access a host of powerful in camera image effects, including conversion to sepia-tone, black-and-white, and RGB color effects. Images can be trimmed, resized, and rotated in the camera without the use of a PC and a built-in microphone allows a 10-second voice memo to be attached to any still image. Slide Show automatically scrolls through photos and displays them on the bright and vivid 3.0-inch TFT LCD screen, which uses Samsung’s Intelligent LCD technology to automatically detect environmental illumination and adjust LCD brightness for optimal image viewing.
Just as much attention was given to the S1050′s Movie mode, which lets users capture video in one of four resolutions, from 160 x 128 to 800 x 600, at 20 frames per second and encoded as AVI MPEG-4 video. Just as in still-picture mode, the ASR image stabilization system can be engaged to compensate for unwanted camera movement and subject blur in movie mode.
For maximum versatility, the S1050 can be powered by an optional high-energy rechargeable Ni-MH battery (not included–must be purchased separately), as well as available-everywhere AA alkaline cells, which is a surefire boon for travelers and other power users.
All of these features are contained in a sleek silver or black housing that measures a mere 3.9 inches (width) by 2.5 inches (height) by 1 inch (depth). Unlike other compact cameras, the S1050 features a molded, ergonomic grip that makes framing, steadying, and shooting a breeze. The included USB 2.0 cable, camera cradle, and CD-ROM containing Samsung’s Digimax Master software (compatible with Windows 98/2000/ME/XP and Macintosh OS X 9.2 through 10.4) will get even beginning photographers up and shooting right out of the box.
The S1050 contains 50MB of internal memory and can accept Secure Digital (SD) flash memory cards up to 4 gigabytes.
Samsung S1050 Digital Camera Description From Amazon
The Samsung S1050 is a high-resolution digital camera that is equipped with a true-color filtered 10.1 mega-pixel CCD. This allows the Samsung S1050 to produce even better images and take detailed photos for printing up to poster size with an optical 5x and digital 5x zoom. The Samsung S1050 has a 3.0-inch large LCD for improved contrast and color reproduction, allowing you to enjoy a wider and clearer image. The Samsung S1050 has an auto sensitivity feature that automatically adjusts sensitivity according to the ambient exposure conditions up to ISO 1600. The high sensitivity setting of ISO 1600 enables you to take clearer indoors pictures in poor light without camera shake or image blur. The Samsung S1050 has a Movie Stabilizer function, which helps maintain steady recording of a subject by automatically detecting and correcting any camera movements. Designed with several thoughtful features to allow users to capture the images they want, the S1050 offers high performance and ease that anyone can enjoy. Flash Modes Auto, Auto&Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off Flash Range – Wide 0.2m – 5.0m, Tele 0.5m – 3.0m (ISO Auto) White Balance – Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent H, Fluorescent L, Tungsten and Custom Scene Modes – Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks and Beach&Snow Self-timer – 2&10 seconds, Double File Format – JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.2, DPOF 1.1, PictBridge 1.0, AVI (MPEG-4) Movie Clip and WAV Audio System Requirements – Pentium II 450MHz (Pentium 700MHz recommended), Windows 98, 98SE, 2000, ME, XP, 1024×768 pixels, 16bit color display compatible monitor (24bit color display recommended), Microsoft DirectX 9.0C, Macintosh Power Mac G3 or later, Mac OS 9.2 – 10.3, Minimum 64MB RAM, 200MB of available hard-disk space, USB port and CD-ROM drive Dimensions – 98.9x 63.5x 25.5 mm excluding protrusions
January 22nd, 2008
Seitz scanning camera offers 160 megapixels
Posted by Stephen Shankland
CNET News.com, CA
Got $45,600 burning a hole in your pocket? Try out Seitz Phototechnik’s 160-megapixel 6×17 Digital camera. And save a bit more of your allowance for a lens, too.
The mammoth device is able to take an image measuring 60x170mm, a big notch up from high-end SLRs with a 24x36mm frame. It’s got huge handgrips on either side that cry out to be grasped, but it’s 18 inches wide and weighs 10 pounds, so it looks either like a great workout or tripod material to me.
It can be purchased with a tablet PC to operate it, too. That’s doubtless handy, because a single high-resolution file is 307MB in raw format, the company said.
The 6×17 Digital employs a digital scanning back made by Dalsa. Scanning cameras employ a linear light sensor detector similar to that used in flatbed scanners; it moves across the field of view to take the photo rather than using a two-dimensional sensor that captures the entire scene simultaneously. It’s a good way to get high resolution, but it comes at a cost: it takes a single second to take a full-resolution 7,500×21,500-pixel image.
(Via Gearfuse.)
January 21st, 2008
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS80 Wins “Best 8MP Camera This Weekend” Award
Gizmodo.com
Our Panasonic pals just dropped a new compact digital camera into their Lumix range. The new device, bearing the DMC-LS80 moniker, will boast an 8.32MP CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, 2.5-inch intelligent LCD, MEGA O.I.S image stabilization, ISO 1600 (maximum at full resolution), 30fps 4:3 (640×480) and 16:9 (848×489) video capture, as well as support for SD, SDHC and MMC. Checkout the gallery for a closer look
Given the lack of camera releases across the weekend, we have been forced to bestow Panasonic with our new “Best 8MP Camera This Weekend” award. We are sure they are very proud of their new achievement, and we would be very disappointed if they didn’t choose to include this endorsement on the product package. We’ll keep our eyes peeled. Shipping dates and price details have yet to be confirmed. [Panasonic]
January 21st, 2008
Salvador Imaging Showcases a Range of Innovative Camera Solutions at SPIE Photonics West 2008
CNNMoney.com
Photon Dynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PHTN) announced today that Salvador Imaging, its wholly owned subsidiary, will exhibit a range of high performance digital cameras at SPIE Photonics West. The exhibition is being held at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California, January 22 – 24, 2008. SPIE Photonics West is an exhibition on optics, lasers, biomedical optics, optoelectronic components, and imaging technologies.
Showcased in Salvador Imaging booth #6419, at SPIE Photonics West this year, will be camera solutions that demonstrate a variety of high-performance imaging applications.
SI-VGA60-EM
658 x 496 Pixel EMCCD Camera • Ultra-Low Light Video Capture 60 Frames/Second • Color and Monochrome Versions
Salvador Imaging’s SI-VGA60-EM provides outstanding performance in light-starved applications including day/night surveillance, homeland & border security, biochip readers, video microscopy and more. The camera provides 658 x 496 pixel, progressive-scan video at up to 60 frames/second. Both color and monochrome versions are available. The electron multiplying CCD (EMCCD) sensor used in this camera provides programmable, solid-state gain which amplifies the photon generated charge before it reaches the readout amplifier, thus boosting the signal above the amplifier noise. The use of closed loop thermo-electric coolers significantly reduces dark current and dark current noise, enhancing the camera’s ability to see in the dark.
SI-1M30-EM
1 K x 1 K Pixel EMCCe Camera • Ultra-Low Light Video Capture 30 Frames/Second • 12 Bit Digital Camera
Our SI-1M30-EM is a video rate high resolution monochrome camera that performs under a very wide range of lighting conditions from extremely low light levels such as overcast starlight to full sunlight.
SI-16M4-IT
4872 x 3248 Pixel CCD Camera Color and Monochrome Versions 3.5 Frames/Second • 12 Bit Digital Camera
Our SI-16M4-IT is a high resolution, 16 Mega Pixel camera with on-chip electronic shuttering. This cost-effective camera comes in monochrome or RGB color versions, and provides 12-bit digital data over a standard Camera Link interface. The SI-16M4-IT provides image data at up to 3.5 frames per second.
About Salvador Imaging
Salvador Imaging, headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, designs and manufactures high-performance digital imaging products for medical, industrial and military applications. Products and services include a line of standard products as well as custom image sensor and digital camera design. For more information about Salvador Imaging, visit its website at www.salvadorimaging.com. Salvador Imaging is a wholly owned subsidiary of Photon Dynamics, Inc.
About Photon Dynamics, Inc.
Photon Dynamics, Inc. is a global supplier utilizing advanced machine vision technology for market leading Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) flat panel display test and repair systems and for high performance digital imaging systems for defense, surveillance, industrial inspection and medical imaging applications. For more information about Photon Dynamics (NASDAQ: PHTN), visit its website at www.photondynamics.com.
Contacts:
Corporation:
Photon Dynamics, Inc.
So-Yeon Jeong
Vice President, Investor Relations and Marketing Communications
(408) 360-3084
Email Contact
January 18th, 2008
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