NewsSeptember 2000

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Photokina Report Part 4

Photokina 2000: Fourth report: Pentax, Ricoh, SanDisk, Samsung and Sony.

Pentax

Oh boy, are you going to like this... We managed to get an EXCLUSIVE (you won't find pictures like this anywhere else) hands-on with the new Pentax Digital SLR. What struck me about this camera was how far advanced it was. Despite being displayed only in a glass case all the design features of the camera appeared operational, finish quality was just like a final camera (not like some prototypes I've seen), although there were no batteries in the camera I had so I couldn't do a powered-on test. The camera is smaller, thinner and lighter than the D1 or EOS-D30 (with the optional portrait grip) with very distinctive styling I'm sure it'll appeal to many prospective digital SLR purchasers.

Pentax Digital SLR Specifications (so far):

Body	Pentax design magnesium alloy case
Type	SLR (body only)
Imager	Philips 6 megapixel CCD 35mm full frame 12-bit progressive scan 12 µm pixel pitch
Image resolution	3072 x 2048
Image types	JPEG, TIFF, RAW
Shutter speed	Up to 1/6000 sec
Metering	TTL six-segment metering
Lens mount	Pentax KAF2 mount (645N & 67II lenses can be used)
Focus	6-point AF
Viewfinder	TTL optical (true TTL)
LCD	2 inch TFT
Flash	Built-in retractable flash unit (TTL)
Storage	Dual slots: Compact Flash Type II PCMCIA Type II
Connectivity	IEEE1394 (Firewire)
Sale date	Undecided
Sale price	Expected ~$7,000

They obviously also had the EI-200 and EI-2000 on show, both being the combined creation of themselves (lens & body design) and HP (electronics).

One side of the large Pentax stand	Pentax EI-2000 Compact SLR
Pentax Digital SLR	Pentax Digital SLR
Pentax Digital SLR, note the exposure adjustment wheel and control over bracketing features	Pentax Digital SLR
Pentax Digital SLR, Top LCD with second command wheel and metering / drive mode controls	Pentax Digital SLR with attached remote control (in glass case)
Pentax Digital SLR (in glass case)	Pentax Digital SLR (in glass case)

The Pentax Digital SLR looks very interesting indeed.. However, if the current rumoured price is correct I'd say it's a little overpriced for the market, it really needs to come in at the $3500 - $4500 price range.

Site links: Pentax Digital SLR sneak preview

Ricoh

Ricoh were of course making a big noise about their RDC-i700 multi-function digital camera.. demonstrating email and web browsing including taking a sample image and emailing it to a test PC on the other side of the stand. This is certainly interesting technology, but it begs the question "what gives?", for a product like this becomes a Jack of all trades and a master of none.

Ricoh Stand	Ricoh RDC-i700 (case)
Ricoh RDC-i700 in use

Site links: Ricoh RDC-i700 announcement, Ricoh Digital Cameras (specs)

SanDisk

SanDisk had a presence displaying their current range of storage including a 300 MB CF Type II flash card and varous SD Multimedia cards. They were also showing (in use) their new collaboration with Photo-Me to provide high street printing stations which would allow digital camera users to just insert their memory card and run off prints. Pricing was $3 for the first 4x6 print and $0.30 for each subsequent print.

SanDisk Photo-Me station	SanDisk 64 MB "SD" Multimediacard and mock-up digital camera
SanDisk 300 MB CF Type II card

Samsung

Samsung were displaying their new digital cameras the Digimax 210SE (2.1 megapixels, 3x optical zoom) and the Digimax 35 multi-function camera which can play MP3, act as a web camera and take stills (640 x 480).

Samsung Digimax 210SE	Samsung Digimax 35 MP3 + Still + Webcam

Sony

Sony's stand was dominated by the DSC-P1, their advertising campaign based on the comparison of the size of the P1 to a fictional matchstick tripod. There was certainly a lot of interested in the P1 (remember, we reviewed the P1 just a week ago). Also on display and getting a lot of interest was the DSC-F505V which is still a relatively new product here in Europe. They were also showing their new DP-SV55 dye sub printer and the MemoryStick Picture Frame. Considering Sony's lack of a photographic background their stand was considerably well populated.

Sony making a BIG impression for the little P1	Sony DSC-F505V in hand...
"Then, you press this button"	Sony DP-SV55 dye sub printer
Sony MemoryStick Picture Frame

Site links: Sony Digital Cameras (specs)

(Note: this is page four of a four page report)

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