March 2002 news archive
Tuesday, 26 March 2002
If
you live in one of the following locations: Boston, San Francisco,
Montreal, London, Paris, Munich or Stuttgart, Singapore, Sydney, Seoul,
Shanghai or Hong Kong then you could become a part of helping to shape
the future of Kodak digital cameras. Kodak are conducting a global design
and usability study in the above locations. All they need from you is
a quick email with answers to a few simple questions, if chosen you'll
be called by Kodak to discuss digital camera design and usability. Do
you part, help to shape the future of digital cameras. (03:10 GMT)
Two
weeks ago (12th March) Contax Japan put a message up on their corporate
server to say they were sorry but that the launch date for the N Digital
which had supposed to have been that day was pushed back until the 25th.
Digital Camera guru Yamada Kumio reporting from the Photo Expo 2002 (Japan)
has apparently been told that this launch date must be again postponed
due to "final adjustment". I'm sure there are many people who
were excited by this camera six megapixel full-frame digital SLR when
it was announced almost two years ago. (19:05 GMT)Sunday, 24 March 2002
00:00
25/Mar Tokyo: I've just finished uploading the last few images which
make up one of the largest reviews ever published here. Our full review
of a production Canon EOS-D60 is now available. The review is spread
over 25 web pages and covers almost every aspect of camera control, performance
and image quality. This includes a detailed comparison to its older sibling
the EOS-D30 as well as the benchmark six megapixel Nikon D1x.
UPDATED: Added low light AF test (timings & sizes section). (23:55 GMT)Friday, 22 March 2002
Dale Gass, President of Pantellic Software (owner of failed photo sharing
site Photopoint) has certainly featured in the headlines in the last few
months and just a few days ago he gave an interview to CNET. Since then
Mr Gass has contacted us and to his credit volunteered to answer our questions.
"As far as selling my car and mortgaging the house to let people
get access to their photos goes, I think that's a bit of a naive expectation.
I poured my heart, soul, and dreams into PhotoPoint for the past four
years, and did everything possible to keep it alive until the bitter end"
(20:30 GMT)
Thursday, 21 March 2002
The
Impress Digital Camera Magazine, a monthly Japanese publication, always
provides a web page of sample images in conjunction with its latest printed
copy. This month Impress DCM has posted a whole bunch of full size samples
from a beta Canon EOS-D60, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC40 / DMC-LC5, Leica
Digilux 1, Sony DSC-P71 / P31, Sanyo DSC-MZ2, Kyocera Finecam S3x, Olympus
C-2 Zoom, Nikon Coolpix 2500 and Canon PowerShot A40. (15:10 GMT)Wednesday, 20 March 2002
Dale Gass, President of Pantellic Software (who bought back and ran PhotoPoint
at the time of its demise) has given an interview to CNET. To quote Mr
Gass, "Again, I think people underestimate the cost of keeping a
site like PhotoPoint running. We see a lot of comments along the lines
of: "They could have kept it up a week to let us get our photos."
Unfortunately, that extra week represents tens of thousands of dollars
in lease, bandwidth, salary, and so on that couldn't have been paid. It's
not just a matter of leaving the server on." (21:55 GMT)
Sunday, 17 March 2002
We've
managed to get our hands on a Japanese pre-production Fujifilm FinePix
F601 Zoom. This is the 3.1 megapixel SuperCCD III successor to the popular
FinePix 6800Z. The camera is one of just a few which have vertically orientated
bodies, as is always the case with Fujifilm the design and finish on this
camera is excellent with a full metal body and large automatic lens cover.
A quick overview of the updates and a samples gallery
are available. (13:00 GMT)Saturday, 16 March 2002
Many people have emailed me reporting problems with the forums and the
latest release of the personal firewall / ad blocking software Zone Alarm
Pro. It appears that this software isn't very smart and can't tell the
difference between our embedded thread lists (which are a javascript file)
and an advert so they simply block it. This means that you won't see the
forums or thread lists. This software also disguises your session and
makes you look like a SPAM bot to our trap software. My advice, use personal
firewalls as they are a good thing but Zone Alarm Pro isn't very smart,
disable its ad blocking services. UPDATE: How to
fix Zone Alarm Pro so it will work with this site. (14:40 GMT)
Friday, 15 March 2002
SMaL
Camera Technologies as today announced that Fujifilm Axia (a subsidiary
of Fujifilm) will release a camera based on SMaL's Ultra-Pocket digital
camera design and technology. The Axia 'eyeplate' weighs in at just 35
g (1.2 oz) including its built in storage and battery, features a 0.3
megapixel CMOS sensor (640 x 480 or 320 x 240 image sizes) and a fixed
focal length lens. This camera is obviously both a bit of fun and an exercise
in miniaturization. And I find it interesting that a company like Fujifilm
have chosen to release it under one of their brands. (20:55 GMT)Thursday, 14 March 2002
CeBIT
2002: Casio has today announced its ultra small, ultra thin 'Exilim'
digital camera / MP3 player. There are two models both of which have the
same digital camera functionality, the EX-M1 simply adds MP3 audio playback
capability. Both Exilim have a 1.3 megapixel CCD, fixed 37 mm equiv. lens,
internal RAM and SD/MMC storage slot, 1.6" TFT LCD and can take still
images and movie clips. The EX-S1 weighs in at just 86 g (3 oz) without
its battery. (12:05 GMT)
Just
posted! Our concise review of Sony's budget priced DSC-P71. The P71 was
announced just before PMA this year as the top-of-the-line of three new
budget level cameras 'P' digital cameras; DSC-P31, DSC-P51 and DSC-P71.
The P71 is a three megapixel, three times optical zoom digital camera
with similar looks to the DSC-P5 (but a larger body). The P71 is priced
at just $399 which will make it very attractive to those on a budget or
first time buyers, so how does it stack up? (10:55 GMT)Wednesday, 13 March 2002
CeBIT
2002: Olympus has announced the new CAMEDIA C-120 and C-220 Zoom budget
priced digital cameras. Note that these are the European designations,
we are awaiting confirmation of the US names. The C-120 is a 2 megapixel
fixed lens digital camera, priced at just £169.99 (inc VAT). The
C-220 Zoom is a 2 megapixel, 3x optical zoom digital camera priced at
just £199.99. UPDATE: We think the US designations
are: C-120 = D-380, C-220 Zoom = D-520 Zoom (this is unconfirmed). (20:10 GMT)
We've
just posted our full review of a production Nikon Coolpix 2500 (as far
as I know this is the first review of a production unit). The two megapixel,
three times zoom Coolpix 2500 was announced at PMA 2002 this year as Nikon's
unique foray into the trendy, compact, yet affordable end of the digital
camera market. The 2500 is a completely new camera yet has echos of its
older split bodied siblings, with an internal twist mechanism the 2500
manages to keep the lens protected while still offering the flexibility
of a lens which can be positioned freely. All this for under US$400, but
how did it perform in our tests? (10:05 GMT)
CeBIT
2002: 0800 GMT: Minolta has today announced the DiMAGE 7i as an update
to its popular DiMAGE 7. The DiMAGE 7i keeps the same 7x optical zoom
lens and 5 megapixel sensor. Major improvements are a re-styled hand grip,
improved 'wide AF' with faster AF response and manual adjustment AFTER
auto focus, LCD/viewfinder grid overlay, LCD/viewfinder live histogram,
improved LCD viewfinder, maximum 1/4000 sec shutter speed, Ultra High
Speed continuous mode (7 fps, 1280 x 960), two macro positions, wireless
/ remote slave control over Minolta flash units, improved saturation,
contrast and exposure control and three new movies modes. (09:10 GMT)
CeBIT
2002: 0800 GMT: Minolta has today announced the ultra-compact four
megapixel, 3x optical zoom DiMAGE F100 digital camera. This is the first
consumer digital camera to feature "Subject Tracking autofocus",
the camera has a wide AF area and once the AF is locked the camera will
automatically track the subject within the bounds of the scene. Another
new feature on the F100 is automatic subject program selection (scene
mode) which analyses the scene and decides which pre-defined exposure
program to use. To my eye this camera has strong echos of Sony's DSC-P5
/ P9. (09:30 GMT)
CeBIT
2002: 0600 GMT: Canon has today announced the DIGITAL IXUS 330 (EU
name) / S330 DIGITAL ELPH (US name). The DIGITAL IXUS 330 has the same
3x optical zoom, 2 megapixel CCD as the previous Digital IXUS 300 (S300).
Just like the newly announced IXUS v² the 330 has a revised stainless
steel body design, selectable ISO, spot metering, playback histogram,
an orientation sensor, improved navigation controls, better Direct Print
(CP-100, CP-10 and BJ S820D) and EXIF Print (EXIF 2.2) support. In addition
there's also a new waterproof casing (WP-DC500) which enables the IXUS
330 to be used at depths of up to 30 m (100 ft). (07:50 GMT)
CeBIT
2002: 0600 GMT: Canon has today announced the DIGITAL IXUS v²
(EU name) / S200 DIGITAL ELPH (US name). The DIGITAL IXUS v² has
the same 2x optical zoom, 2 megapixel CCD as the previous Digital IXUS
(S110 ELPH) but now has a revised stainless steel body design, an orientation
sensor, improved navigation controls, selectable ISO, spot metering, better
Direct Print (CP-100, CP-10 and BJ S820D) and EXIF Print (EXIF 2.2) support.
In addition there's also a new waterproof casing (WP-DC600) which enables
the IXUS v² to be used at depths of up to 30 m (100 ft). (07:50 GMT)Tuesday, 12 March 2002
In
a message posted on Kyocera's Japanese website the company informs those
buyers who were expecting to be able to purchase the camera today that
the sale of this camera has been delayed by 13 days. The new official
sale date for the N Digital (at least in Japan) is now March 25th 2002.
For those who don't know the Contax N Digital is the first digital SLR
with a full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor. The sensor is a six megapixel unit
made by Philips. This camera was first announced in the summer of 2000,
the camera is expected to go on sale for US$7,000. (04:00 GMT)
Chris
Dodkin and Anthony Blake, regular posters on our Canon SLR Talk discussion
forum are organising the 'Dpreview Canon SLR Forum - Digital Day Out'.
"It's time to dust of that digicam, and go take some pictures. This
is the first UK meeting of the DPREVIEW Canon SLR Forum, at Twycross Zoo,
Nr. Tamworth. A great chance to meet forum members, share ideas and experiences,
and get some great shots of the animals at the zoo. Just pop along to
the Digital Day Out web pages for a full plan of the day, location map
and routes, along with details of the proposed pub lunch at the historic
Cock Inn, Sibson." (04:00 GMT)
Pre-CeBIT
2002: Sony Japan has today announced the four megapixel sucessor to
the ultra-compact DSC-P5, the new DSC-P9. In a joint press release covering
the recently announced DSC-P31 and DSC-P71 Sony Japan has also let the
DSC-P9 out of the bag. The new DSC-P9 has a 3x optical zoom lens, 4 megapixel
sensor, expanded white balance settings, multi-point AF (although in automatic
mode) and the new 320 x 240 unlimited recording time MPEG Movie HQX. We've
had a DSC-P9 'in house' for a week or so now in preparation for a review,
unfortunately at this time Sony are still tweaking image quality so we
can't post samples. (04:00 GMT)Monday, 11 March 2002
Just
a quick update to the article we ran last week about the price of the
EOS-D60 in Canada and the UK. We can now confirm that Canon USA has announced
its official pricing. State Stret Direct (our official affiliate) are
now offering US$2,199 for the full EOS-D60 Kit (includes battery, charger
and DC coupler) or US$1,999 for the EOS-D60 Body Only (no battery, charger
or DC coupler). All previous orders will be adjusted to this new price.
UPDATE: US$1,999 for the body only kit! (04:00 GMT)
Ian
Burley over at DP-Now.Com has just posted an excellent and detailed review
of Canon's S900 A4 Photo Printer. The S900 is the fastest A4 Photo Ink-Jet
Printer available, but as Ian says "is there a price to be paid for
all that speed?". "We do wonder if the extra speed of the S900
is the killer feature for buyers. The out-going S800 was already an impressively
fast printer. Some other countries are getting an S820 model, which appears
to be similar to an S900 operating at S800 speed." (04:00 GMT)Thursday, 7 March 2002
State Street Direct Online, our official affiliate is now accepting pre-orders
for the Canon EOS-D60, Nikon D100 and Sigma SD9. Placing a pre-order at
this early stage will ensure you will be one of the first to own one of
these new D-SLR's. Final prices for these cameras has not yet been set,
when it does you will be notified and charged at the new price. Your order
will help contribute to the upkeep of this site. (04:00 GMT)
At
the Focus On Imaging 2002 show last week in Birmingham Rollei had a mysterious
camera in a glass case. It turns out that this camera is Rollei's latest
foray into the digital realm. The d530 flex is a five megapixel with a
non-removable three times optical zoom digital camera with a true TTL
optical reflex type viewfinder (even has a micro-lens focusing screen).
Curiously the camera only captures in RAW format. Storage is provided
by a PCMCIA slot and playback on a 2.5" LCD monitor. This is a power
hungry beast and requires no less than six AA batteries and is priced
at £1,700 (inc VAT) - approx US$2,000 without taxes. (04:00 GMT)
Matsushita
Japan (known to us as Panasonic) has today announced that its ultra-compact
DMC-F7 digital camera (2 megapixel, 2x optical zoom) which was announced
with either silver or black body finishes will also be available in three
additional colours. The new colours are gold (DMC-F7N), red (DMC-F7R)
and blue (DMC-F7A). It's not clear at this stage if these new multi-coloured
cameras are destined only for the domestic market (Japan). (04:00 GMT)Wednesday, 6 March 2002
There's
been a lot of debate on our discussion forums about the use of the "x
3" notation after the pixel count when describing Foveon's X3 sensors.
After a meeting with Foveon at PMA they made clear that they feel that
they conform to published JCIA (Japan Camera Industry Association) guidelines
which say "For DSCs that use a plurality of image sensors, the number
of image sensors and the number of effective pixels corresponding to each
image sensor shall be noted." Obviously this standard was published
before Foveon announced their new technology but the use of "x 3"
does seems logical enough. (04:00 GMT)
In
Canada at least... Canon has appeared to raise the stakes in the big Nikon
vs. Canon poker game. We've just received word from a reliable Canadian
source that the list price for the Canon EOS-D60 within Canada will be
$3,500 CDN (exc. Taxes). This works out at about US$2,200 which is clearly
a lot lower than the $2,999 quoted in the original Canon USA press release.
If accurate and if these prices can be reflected elsewhere in the world
this will certainly put a lot of pressure on Nikon and their pricing of
the D100 (which is rumoured to be 'well below US$3,000'). UPDATE:
We now have a receipt from one of our Candadian readers who yesterday
pre-ordered a D60 at $3,500 CDN. UPDATE (7/Mar/02): UK Price is set at
£2200 inc VAT. (04:00 GMT)Tuesday, 5 March 2002
Steve
Sanders over at Steves-Digicams has just posted a first look review of
Panasonic's four megapixel DMC-LC5. When announced this camera (along
with the DMC-F7) marked a significant shift for Panasonic's digital line
which was previously just the three megapixel 'iPalm' (which didn't do
well). This new camera was designed in collaboration with Leica (indeed
as far as we know Leica's Digilux 1 is simple a re-moulded DMC-LC5). Come
in and see what Steve has to say. Comment: Questions
about the origin of the lens. (04:00 GMT)Monday, 4 March 2002
PMA
2002: I've just put the finishing touches to our full "digital
photography" PMA 2002 show report. The report covers no less than
32 manufacturers stands over 7 pages and includes many images of the show
and products on display. There's a complete manufacturers index, new product
index as well as our rating of the best stands and key products at the
show. So, don't hesitate, get into the report and get down with what PMA
2002 had for the digital photographer. (04:00 GMT)Sunday, 3 March 2002
Troubled
photo sharing and finishing outfit Photopoint has today posted an update
message on its website which says "We have arranged for having members'
accounts burned to CD. Online orders for these CD's at should be available
here some time this week. Pricing will be $24.95 plus shipping and C.O.D.
charges. Please stay tuned.". This confirms the information provided
in their brief survey of users posted on the temporary pages. I'll not
comment on this latest development, you all know where our forums are. (04:00 GMT)Friday, 1 March 2002
PMA
2002: The show's over and after a 12+ hour journey I'm finally back
in London. This year's PMA proved to be far more exciting than last with
lots of new product and technology. I'm also pleased that we were able
to bring you an exclusive look at Nikon's new D100 D-SLR. As you can imagine
I'm (just a little) worn out at the moment. But still the work goes on,
Coming soon will be our full and final PMA show report with coverage of
all the relevant stands and products. I hope to have this article complete
and published by Sunday. Thanks for your patience. (04:00 GMT)Sign-up for our free weekly newsletter.
- Slideshow in challenges
- Giving you more control in the forums; ignore lists
- Adobe's Tom Hogarty on corrections in DNG
- Mouse-less conversation navigation
- Fixing things that ain't broke
- Unless otherwise specified: DNG gains lens corrections
- From trickles to tides: leaks and rumors
- A newfound maturity
- What is a 'standard' lens?
- Where are the portrait lenses?
- The challenges of rule enforcement
- Making ranking fun: rating trumps voting
- With votes pouring in, the weighting game begins
- RAW headroom: why it matters
- Visualizing a forum thread
- dpreview's nascent forum model
Cameras receiving the most clicks in the last five days.
![]() | |
| Olympus PEN E-P1 | |
| Nikon D5000 | |
| Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i | |
| Canon PowerShot D10 | |
| Nikon D90 | |
| Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP | |
| Pentax Optio W60 | |
| Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 | |
| Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 | |
| Canon EOS 5D Mark II | |
- Pentax Optio W80
- Olympus PEN E-P1
- Fujifilm Z300
- Casio Exilim EX-H10
- Pentax K-7
- Sony Alpha DSLR-A380
- Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
- Sony Alpha DSLR-A330
Show Reports
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