March 2003 news archive
Monday, 31 March 2003
Just
posted! Our full in-depth review of Canon's EOS-10D Digital SLR. The EOS-10D
is the direct successor to popular EOS-D60, with the same six megapixel
CMOS sensor and the same basic functionality, however there have been
some significant improvements. Gone is the at times frustrating AF, replaced
with an improved seven point system from the EOS-30, gone is the plastic
body, replaced with magnesium alloy, gone is the ISO 1000 limit of the
EOS-D60, the EOS-10D goes up to ISO 3200. Best of all though has to be
the value proposition, the EOS-10D enters the market with a list price
$600 less than the EOS-D60 at the time it was introduced. Did Canon cut
any corners to reduce the price? Read our full review to find out. (11:35 GMT)Tuesday, 25 March 2003
Dazzle,
an SCM Microsystems brand has today announced the Universal TV Photo Show.
It accepts the six most common types of digital media, CompactFlash(TM)
Type I and II, IBM Microdrive, SmartMedia(TM), MultiMediaCard/Secure Digital,
and Memory Stick, and can read any megapixel resolution photo from any
digital camera. New features allow users to customize their slideshows
by arranging and deleting images, removing red-eye and performing editing
features like rotating, panning and zooming in on photos all by simply
pushing a button on the included remote control. (21:35 GMT)
Canon
has today posted new firmware for their eleven megapixel EOS-1Ds digital
SLR. Firmware version 1.0.2 fixes three bugs; (1) White balance defaulting
to 'daylight' when Auto was selected and personal function 25 (default
settings for camera reset) is set, (2) for JPEG Small/Fine images a gray
bar was seen on the right hand edge, (3) Error in display of aperture
in Remote Capture application (1.4 1.4 instead of F1.4). (08:40 GMT)Monday, 24 March 2003
Nikon
has today posted new firmware for the Coolpix 4500 and 5700. Nikon Coolpix
4500 firmware 1.2 fixes a problem between the MC-EU1 remote cord shooting
at HI image quality which led to corrupted images. Nikon Coolpix 5700
firmware 1.1 fixes three problems: A digit error in date/time for RAW
images, the metering bug in user sets and a playback problem with RAW
images. (09:35 GMT)
Dave
Etchells from Imaging-Resource has just dropped me a note to let me know
he's posted his lengthy review of Kodak's fourteen megapixel digital SLR,
the DCS-14n. Note that his review is based on a pre-production camera.
About this camera Dave says "It delivers excellent color, and an
unusually flexible post-exposure workflow, thanks to the capabilities
of Kodak's DCR "raw" file format. Unfortunately, it also has
a number of limitations, many of which appear to stem from overly high
noise levels in the sensor itself. No matter how much tweaking Kodak may
do with their image processing algorithms, they're really at the mercy
of their sensor supplier to deliver chips with better noise performance.". (07:00 GMT)Wednesday, 19 March 2003
Nikon
has today announced a new look for its famous black on yellow logo. The
new logo keeps the yellow background and Nikon typeface but adds white
'rays' to the yellow background, which according to the press release
"Add a graphic element of sequential rays, to represent the future,
and express Nikon's mission, will and future possibilities". We're
not sure at this stage if this also means the end of the two blue bars
either side of the yellow logo which is often seen on Nikon printed material.
(08:40 GMT)Tuesday, 18 March 2003
CDM
Optics has recently been granted a patent for Wavefront Coding. Wavefront
Coding allows traditional digital imaging systems to perform in non-traditional
ways, by greatly increasing their depth-of-field performance. This system
works by changing the phase of the light, instead of the size of the aperture,
by doing this no light is wasted. Since the phase is changed, the resulting
image on the CCD is out of focus and has to be post-processed to generate
a sharp image. Anyone fancy a macro lens with infinite DOF? (23:10 GMT)
Canon
Bebit has today posted firmware updates for the PowerShot S230 (IXUS v³),
PowerShot S45 and PowerShot G3. The firmware carries the version number
1.0.2, it fixes one common bug (occasional transmission errors to connected
computers) as well as different things for each model. The PowerShot S230
(IXUS v³) gets a slow-sync flash underexposure fix, the S45 gets
a fix to FlexiZone AF and the G3 gets a fix with compatibility to the
380EX SpeedLite flash. (19:55 GMT)Friday, 14 March 2003
CeBIT
2003: SanDisk also yesterday announced an addition to its standard
MMC card range in 128MB size. The new card, which also can be used in
most portable devices that have a slot for SD memory cards, is the top
MultiMediaCard capacity offered in the industry. SanDisk also sells 32
and 64MB MultiMediaCards. The 128MB MultiMediaCard has a suggested retail
price of $74.99 and will start shipping to retail stores later this month. (22:10 GMT)
CeBIT
2003: SanDisk also yesterday announced additions to its standard SD
card range in 512MB and 1GB sizes which use one gigabit NAND flash memory
chips, based on multi-level cell (MLC) technology. MLC allows two bits
of data to be stored in one memory cell, doubling memory capacity. The
512MB and 1GB SanDisk SD cards have suggested retail prices of $169.99
and $329.99 respectively. The 512MB SD card is expected to be available
in the second quarter while the 1GB SD card is expected to be available
in the third quarter. (21:55 GMT)Thursday, 13 March 2003
CeBIT
2003: SanDisk has today announced their ImageMate card readers
for a variety of popular flash memory cards. The four new ImageMate models,
all with hi-speed USB 2.0 connectivity, are available for CompactFlash®
Type I and Type II cards along with the IBM MicroDrive cards, SD and MultiMediaCards,
SmartMedia and the xD-Picture Card and Memory Stick® and Memory Stick
PRO. The latter model is the first card reader in the industry for
both the Memory Stick and the Memory Stick PRO. The new single slot readers
have a suggested retail price of $19.99 except for the SmartMedia/xD model
that is priced at $24.99. (23:00 GMT)
CeBIT
2003: SanDisk has today announced a 4GB CompactFlash Card, the highest
capacity CF Type I card available. The 4GB CompactFlash card has a suggested
retail price of $999.99 and is expected to start shipping this summer.
Chris Chute, a senior analyst at the IDC market research firm, said, "This
new SanDisk card will be an especially compelling product for professional
photographers who need all the storage capacity they can get to store
their many images." (22:35 GMT)
CeBIT
2003: SanDisk has today announced the SanDisk miniSD which joins the
MemoryStick Duo and XD card at this small form factor. The miniSD card
was recently adopted by the SD Association as an ultra-small form factor
extension to the SD card standard. SanDisk will offer the new format in
capacities between 16-256MB. It is expected to ship in 2003 and will be
around the same price as an SD card of the same capacity. (22:10 GMT)
Just
posted! Our final PMA 2003 Show Report has now been posted. This report
is designed to cover all of the new digital photography products announced
this year at PMA Las Vegas. The report is spread over six pages and covers
the more than seventy new digital photography announcements this year.
Don't hesitate, get into the report and get down with what PMA 2003 had
for the digital photographer. (18:10 GMT)
Wednesday, 12 March 2003
CeBIT
2003, 0530 GMT: Fujifilm has today announced the new FinePix A310
Zoom, the second camera to be based on Fujifilm's fourth generation SuperCCD
HR (High Resolution) sensor. The A310 has a three million pixel sensor
which produces a six million pixel image. The A310 also supports high
sensitivity (up to ISO 800 at 1280 x 960; ISO 400 otherwise), stores images
on xD-Picture card (16 MB supplied) and is powered by two AA type batteries.
The optional PictureCradle docking station provides USB and video out as
well as charging AA NiMH batteries in the camera. (15:35 GMT)Tuesday, 11 March 2003
Post-PMA
2003: Just before PMA our friends at DC Resource noted a small paragraph
in Fujifilm USA's PMA preview article about a new 20.8 megapixel medium
format back. Since then Fujifilm has published a more detailed press release
and high resolution images of the back. On the 2nd March Fujifilm announced
a new 20.8 megapixel SuperCCD medium format back which has a very large
37 x 52 mm sensor. The new back is designed to be used with medium-format
professional camera systems such as the Fujifilm GX 680. The SuperCCD
chip produces a 41.4 million pixel image (5408 x 7648). The back has a
1.8" LCD monitor, sensitivity options of ISO 100, 200 and 400 and
stores images in either JPEG or CCD-RAW formats. No pricing or availability
has been announced. (21:55 GMT)
Olympus
has today launched a new informational website at 'www.four-thirds.com',
this site provides some basic information on the new "digital SLR
standard" as well as the advantages of the four thirds size sensor,
in theory lower aberrations due to straight light path to the sensor and
larger lens mount in proportion to the sensor size. The site clearly indicates
Four Thirds as being supported by Olympus, Kodak and Fujifilm. The site
also re-confirms our original statement that 4/3 refers to the sensor
size '4/3-inch type' (13.5 x 18 mm). (16:50 GMT)
Larry
Berman and Chris Maher, writers for Shutterbug magazine, first discovered
the work of Asya Schween right here on our Nikon Talk forum. Asya's haunting,
beautiful and inspiring self-portrature is the perfect example of how
digital photography aides the rapid realization of your own photography
skills. Asya's work stands as testimony that many who consider themselves
amateur photographers have far more inside them. Asya is an exchange student
from Russia doing postgraduate work at the University of Southern California.
Come in to see more and read part of Larry and Chris's interview with
Asya. (12:15 GMT)Monday, 10 March 2003
Foveon
has today announced a license agreement for the manufacture and distribution
of X3 technology to National Semiconductor. "Foveon has developed
a large portfolio of image sensor products and image capture technologies
that we are bringing to market through partners. Through National's worldwide
sales and marketing organization we will see the accelerated adoption
of X3 based products in key markets," said Jim Lau, president and
CEO of Foveon, Inc. (18:25 GMT)Friday, 7 March 2003
ColorVision
has released Japanese and Chinese versions of the Spyder with OptiCAL
product for monitor calibration. The software is available as a free download
to users that have a serial number for previous versions of the OptiCAL
software and began shipping on March 2. The product combines the Spyder,
an all-digital, seven-filter colorimeter that works with both LCD and
CRT displays with the OptiCAL software. The Spyder with OptiCAL calibrates
monitors to a universal standard for color and automatically creates a
correct monitor profile. The end result is a monitor that displays accurate
color and lets users trust what they see on their display. The Spyder
is a USB device and works on both Windows (98,ME,2000,XP) and Mac (OS
9x, OSX 10.1 or better) platforms. (21:35 GMT)Tuesday, 4 March 2003
Olympus
has today announced a three year deal to sponsor the Ferrari F1 racing
team. The Olympus logo will be prominently displayed on the nose of Ferrari
F1 cars beginning with the 2003 Australian Gand Prix (March 9, 2003).
"As a world leader in digital imaging and medical diagnostic equipment,
Olympus sponsorship of the No. 1 team in the demanding field of F1 racing
is a natural and fitting partnership. Just as speed, precision, and team
spirit have earned Ferrari a position at the pinnacle of motor sports,
they are also a driving force behind Olympus' success as a major global
brand." (23:45 GMT)
PMA
2003, Live: Yesterday we got our hands on Olympus's new Digital SLR
'E System' which is based around the 4/3 announced by Olympus and Kodak
at PMA last year. The system is currently made up of an unamed Digital
SLR, four lenses and a flash unit. At this stage Olympus have no firm
specifications or details about the system other than that the body design
and layout is pretty much final and that the majority of the remainig
work is inside the camera (firmware etc.). I was impressed by the build
quality and professional design features and am looking forward to testing
the digital SLR later this year. (15:25 GMT)Monday, 3 March 2003
PMA
2003: SanDisk has today announced new additions to its Ultra(TM) line
of high-performance cards, a 1.0 GB CF and a 512 MB Secure Digital. The
new Ultra CompactFlash cards have write speed of up to 6MB/sec and read
speed of 9MB/sec., which is approximately twice the speed of SanDisk's
current Ultra line. The Ultra line now also includes SD cards for the
first time. These have a sustained write speed of up to 2.5MB/sec., which
again is more than twice the speed of current SD cards. Both are expected
to start shipping in Q2 2003. (18:55 GMT)
PMA
2003: SanDisk has today announced SanDisk Extreme(TM), a line of high-performance
CompactFlash and SD cards. Extreme CompactFlash have write speed of up
to 6MB/sec, and will initially ship in capacities of 256, 512MB and 1
gigabyte, with street prices of $99, $189 and $379 respectively. Extreme
SD cards have write speeds of up to 2.5MB/sec, and will be available in
256 and 512MB capacities with a street price $109 and $219 respectively.
Both card formats are expected to start shipping in Q2 2003. (18:20 GMT)
PMA
2003, Live: Yesterday we got our hands on the very early prototype
Pentax *ist D digital SLR which is being shown at the Pentax stand. This
is a bit of a 'me too' article as we note that several other sites have
also posted their own images of this camera. At this stage the camera
is still in an early form, although does power up. The first thing that
strikes you about this camera is its size and weight, it's noticeably
smaller than the current digital SLR's (Canon EOS-D60 / 10D, Nikon D100),
it's also clear that although loosely based on the *ist film SLR this
body and control layout has been design to be digital from day one. We're
looking forward to testing the *ist D, and hope that it can proove to
be some real competition to the Canon and Nikon offerings. We also heard
a rumour (not at the Pentax stand) that it will have a street price of
US$1,600. (16:05 GMT)
PMA
2003: HP has today announced its new five megapixel, three times optical
zoom Photosmart 935. The 935 has a similar design to the 735 announced
today. "As the first camera at this price point to offer an impressive
5 megapixels, Pentax® 3x optical zoom, 7x digital zoom (21x total),
video and audio clip facility and a range of sophisticated manual controls
with on-camera help wizards, the HP Photosmart 935 meets the needs of
creative individuals and family users." (15:25 GMT)
PMA
2003: HP has today announced its new three megapixel, three times
optical zoom Photosmart 735 digital camera. At first the 735 looks very
similar to the 812, however a closer look shows some major design changes,
a big viewfinder, status LCD on the top of the camera and other changes.
The 735 is also a three megapixel, three times optical zoom camera. Storage
is via built-in 16 MB of flash and/or a SD/MMC memory card. (15:00 GMT)Sunday, 2 March 2003
PMA
2003: SmartDisk has today announced its new FlashTrax handheld portable
device. The FlashTrax can store images transferred from any flash memory
card onto the built-in 30GB USB2.0 hard drive and display them on its
3.5" LCD. It has built-in controls to zoom in, zoom out and scroll,
or choose a slide show function and also also has an MP3 player for playing
audio tracks stored on the disk. (22:35 GMT)
PMA
2003: Kodak has today announced the three megapixel, three times optical
zoom EasyShare LS633 Zoom digital camera. The LS633 is world's first digital
camera with OLED display. As there is no need for a backlight the LS633
should have good battery life. The LS633 will debut in April and will
be available initially in Europe, Asia and Australia at a suggested retail
price of $399. (22:05 GMT)
PMA
2003: Kyocera has today announced two new models to its popular Finecam
series, the 3-megapixel Kyocera Finecam L3v and the 4-megapixel Kyocera
Finecam L4v. Both feature their new "DayFine" 2.5-inch LCD and
a 3x optical zoom (35-105mm equiv. 35mm). The suggested retail price for
the Kyocera Finecam L3v is $449.00; suggested retail price for the Kyocera
Finecam L4v is $549.00.UPDATED: New official pictures added. (16:40 GMT)
PMA
2003,
PMA
2003: Olympus has today announced the three megapixel C-740 and four
megapixel C-750 Ultra Zoom digital cameras. These are direct successors
to the C-730 Ultra Zoom. Featuring the now familiar C-7xx body the both
cameras feature a 10x optical zoom lens (38 - 380 mm equiv.). Like all
newly announced Olympus digital cameras they store images on xD-Picture
Card, and are powered by AA batteries. Although the format may be familiar
the lens system is new, all elements are glass and we hope this will help
to eliminate some purple fringing seen in other C-7xx models. (13:55 GMT)
PMA
2003: Olympus has today announced the D-560 Zoom (C-350 Zoom in Europe)
digital camera. The competitively priced D-560 / C-350 offers a three
megapixel sensor and three times optical zoom, as we would expect it stores
its images on xD-Picture Card and is powered by AA batteries. This new
camera is smaller than the D-550 it replaces and also features a new easier
to use menu system. Price: $299 (US street) / £249 (UK RRP). (13:55 GMT)
PMA
2003: Olympus has today announced the entry level D-390 (C-150 in
Europe) digital camera. This model is the successor to the D-380 / C-120
model, the new camera is some 15% smaller than that which it replaces,
it has a two megapixel CCD sensor and a fixed 38 mm equiv. lens. The D-390
/ C-150 stores its photos on xD-Picture Card and is powered by AA size
batteries. The D-390 / C-150 also features a larger 1.8" LCD monitor.
Price: $149 (US street) / £139 (UK RRP). (13:55 GMT)
PMA
2003: Minolta has today announced its unique and innovative new communication
software application called 'Minolta Messenger'. Messenger allows you
to attach interactive hot-spot messages to your standard images (TIFF,
JPEG, BMP), these messages are embedded into the image header, the image
can then be sent to another user with Messenger who can browse the image
and add their own messages. "People say that 'a picture is worth
1,000 words,'" said Jon Sienkiewicz, vice president of marketing
for Minolta Corporation's Consumer Products Group. "But we say, 'we
give you both'." (14:55 GMT)
PMA
2003: Minolta has today announced the new DiMAGE E223, a new entry
level digital camera is the direct successor to the E203, with a two megapixel
sensor and three times optical zoom lens. "Perfect for home and small
business use, and the ideal tool for sharing images via e-mail, the DiMAGE
E223's 2.1-megapixel CCD and versatile zoom lens provide high-resolution,
clear and crisp images," said Jon Sienkiewicz, vice president of
marketing, Minolta Corporation's Consumer Products Group. (14:25 GMT)
PMA
2003: Minolta has today announced the direct successor the the F100
(and you thought it was the F300!), the new four megapixel DiMAGE F200.
Interestingly the F200 has a different layout than the F100 or F300 with
rubberized strips and relocated controls, levers and displays. "The
compact body borrows the fine soft curves and intersecting planes of its
predecessors, and adds distinctive rubberized grips and a new control
layout. The rich aluminum exterior reflects the quality of the design.
The camera is available in two colors: silver and indigo." (14:10 GMT)
PMA
2003, 0:00 GMT: Casio has today announced the new EXILIM EX-S3, an
ultra-thin magnesium alloy bodied digital camera with a three megapixel
CCD sensor and fixed focal length lens. The EX-S3 weighs just 72 g (2.5
g) and measures just 90 x 57 x 12 mm (3.5 x 2.2 x 0.5 in). Also up since
the EX-S2 is the LCD monitor which has grown from 1.6" to a huge
(considering the size of the camera) 2.0" TFT. The EX-S3 has 10 MB
of internal RAM and also supports SD / MMC storage, it's powered by a
supplied Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery and comes with a cradle. (23:55 GMT)
PMA
2003: Lexar has today announced 256 MB Olympus xD Picture Cards, a
new version of their Digital Photo Player, High-Speed Secure Digital,
Jump Drive secure and a new USB 2.0 multi-card reader which supports MemoryStick
Pro. "Not all flash memory is the same speed or quality and our X-speed
rating system lets customers know what speed they are buying, while providing
a level of assurance regarding the integrity of the memory," said
Doug Kellam, vice president worldwide marketing, Lexar Media. "In
addition, some of the newest digital applications, such as VGA quality
video, require high-speed cards to insure the host products will function
optimally." (23:55 GMT)
PMA
2003: Lexar has today announced 2 and 4 GB Compact Flash cards with
a rated speed of 32X (where X = 150 KB/sec). These cards are also equipped
with Write Acceleration (WA) which increases performance with compatible
cameras like Kodak's DCS-14n, Nikon D1x, Nikon D1h, Nikon D100 etc. "We
are pleased to be the first company to bring 4GB CompactFlash to market,
which is made possible by our advanced controller technology and the new
industry leading 4-gigabit quad die pack flash memory from Samsung. The
close Lexar Media and Samsung relationship allows us to collaborate to
optimize our controller with the Samsung 4-gigabit flash memory device
and deliver the largest CompactFlash available." (23:55 GMT)Saturday, 1 March 2003
PMA
2003, Live: Today we got a sneak peek of Minolta's next evolution
of the DiMAGE X. "The new design eliminates more than 5% from the
size and nearly 8% from the weight of the DiMAGE Xi. At 85.5 x 67 x 20mm
and 120 g (3.4 x 2.6 x 0.8 in., 4.2 oz), the DiMAGE Xt can be slipped
into a pocket or bag as easily as a wallet. The exclusive folded optical
zoom system allowed Minolta to recreate the world's thinnest compact,
planar digital camera with a 3X optical zoom. This revolutionary non-extending
lens is responsible for maintaining the camera's 20mm (0.8 in) thin profile
either while recording or when stored." UPDATE:
Specifications added. (22:40 GMT)
PMA
2003, Live: Hot from the early morning Sony Press event we've got
some pictures of the new HVL-F32X flash, the unit we saw was on a DSC-V1
and thus will take advantage of the new communications pins on that camera's
hot-shoe. The HVL-F32X can be programmed for various exposure and flash
mode settings, it has a backlit LCD status monitor, AF assist and even
a modeling light. The unit we saw was pre-production and thus its finish
is not representative of the final product. (18:50 GMT)
Pre-PMA
2003: Nixvue Systems the manufacturers of the Digital Album and Vista
(Visual Storage Album) has today announced a new concept in mobile digital
image storage. The Visor is based around a portable CD writer device which
can copy images directly from flash memory cards (Compact Flash, SD/MMC,
Memory Stick and others) onto CD-R discs. This ia a very interesting device
as it allows for safe 'record to archive' capabilities and would be extremely
useful on holidays or long trips. The Visor can also playback images on
a CD-R to a TV or PC. (08:30 GMT)
Pre-PMA
2003: Site contributor Vincent Bockaert has today published "123di
v1.0 - The 123 of digital imaging Interactive e-book". Earlier this
month I had a sneak preview of this new e-book and was amazed at the depth
and detail of coverage. The e-book which stretches over 2000 pages covers
everything from the basics of digital camera operation to detailed discussion
about what goes on inside your digital camera, JPEG compression, color
space and so much more. Additionally there are entire sections covering
popular image manipulation packages such as Adobe Elements and Photoshop
7. And all this for a launch price of just $39.99. Think you know everything
about digital imaging? Think again. (08:30 GMT)Sign-up for our free weekly newsletter.
Cameras receiving the most clicks in the last five days.
![]() | |
| Canon EOS 50D | |
| Nikon D90 | |
| Nikon D700 | |
| Olympus E-520 | |
| Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi | |
| Nikon D300 | |
| Canon EOS 1000D / Digital Rebel XS | |
| Canon EOS 40D | |
| Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III | |
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 | |
- Nikon D90
- Canon EOS 50D
- Canon Powershot SX110 IS
- Canon Powershot E1
- Canon Powershot A2000 IS
- Canon Powershot A1000 IS
- Olympus Stylus 1050 SW
- Olympus Stylus 1040
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