NewsMay 2004

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DxO Optics Pro available soon

DO Labs has announced that their DxO Optics Pro software will be available to buy online from May 24th. This software is designed to enable digital SLR owners to correct images which suffer from distortion, vignetting, blur and CA. The software works by using modules created by DO Labs based on detailed analysis of the camera bodies and lenses. In a new press release DO Labs reveal the camera bodies and lenses which will be initially supported and also their pricing structure; the DxO Optics Pro software + the camera body module + the lens module.

Phil: While I have no doubt that the DxO Optics Pro software can achieve some pretty impressive results, especially most noticeable vignetting and blur correction I'm a little concerned that their pricing structure is too restrictive and more importantly too expensive.

Michael Reichmann over at The Luminous Landscape has tested DxO Optics Pro, he seems to like it, click here.

Press Release:

DO Labs releases DxO® Optics Pro™ software through e-store opening May 24th

Breakthrough software application for serious photographers boosts image quality of digital cameras and lenses

Paris, France (May 11, 2004) – DO Labs, a software company focused on applied mathematics for image enhancement, announces the availability of DxO Optics Pro – its revolutionary software solution for dramatically improving digital image quality.

Designed for use by professional and discerning amateur photographers, DxO Optics Pro software delivers genuine and perceptible quality improvements by automatically correcting images for the following major optical faults:

• Distortion
• Vignetting*
• Blur (lack of sharpness)
• Lateral chromatic aberration

The modular design of DxO Optics Pro allows photographers to maximize performance of their existing and future equipment. In particular, DxO Optics Pro optimizes image quality when shooting conditions are difficult: wide aperture, extreme focal lengths on zooms, lowlight, image edges, wide format sensors, etc… Traditional compromises no longer apply with DxO Optics Pro, photographers can now take full advantage of the possibilities their expensive digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and lenses offer.

“In terms of enhanced image quality and workflow improvement, reaction of early users to DxO Optics Pro has been extremely favorable,” said Luc Marin, VP of Business Development Photography, DO Labs. “Early users in particular noted that the improved image quality came without undesirable side-effects which are so often the downside of software based image-processing. In fact, nearly 100% of early users said the enhanced image looked as if it had been shot with a more expensive lens rather than as the result of software manipulation!”

JR Geoffrion, a professional wedding photographer from Chicago, IL (U.S.A.) and early test user of DxO Optics Pro said, “image quality is the key to bridal photography. DxO Optics Pro allows me to use extreme wide angle lenses to get in the action while maintaining crispness from edge-to-edge and eliminating distortion and chromatic aberration.”

Unique Image Enhancement Concept

DxO Optics Pro is based on a deep mathematical and physical approach combining a ‘realworld’ analysis and characterization of optical systems with breakthrough algorithms that use this model to produce the final image.

A functional DxO Optics Pro system is composed of at least three components:

1. The DxO Correction Engine, acting as an algorithm platform, also manages the user interface and generic image processing libraries
2. A DxO Camera Body Correction Module, which characterizes the camera body electronics
3. A DxO Lens Correction Module, which models the optical characteristics and properties of the lens

DxO Correction Modules at the heart of image quality improvements:

The proprietary DxO Optics Pro Correction Module is a sophisticated mathematical model of the imaging device. It is developed by DO Labs for each model of digital camera body and lens. A DxO Correction Module describes the initial image performance of the camera/lens and it also provides the fundamental mathematical ‘solution’ to precisely removing image faults and therefore boosting image quality.

Fully automatic, extremely fast processing batch mode:

The complexity of DxO Optics PRO correction is hidden from the user by providing totally automatic correction. DxO Optics Pro automatically takes into account all the variable parameters that are relevant for the correction (focal length, aperture, ISO, white balance, etc…). Provided the relevant DxO Correction Modules are installed, DxO Optics Pro will automatically correct a batch of images shot with different camera bodies, lenses, settings, etc… Correcting at approximately 2 Mpixel/second1, DxO Optics Pro only takes seconds to correct even large images produced by high-end DSLRs.

DxO Camera Body and Lens Correction Modules Availability

DxO Optics Pro will be available on the DxO Optics PRO E-Store (http://store.dxo.com) beginning May 24th 2004. DxO Optics Pro will run on Windows (W2000 or XP) and on Macintosh (OS X). At the opening of the E-store, the following DxO Correction Modules will be available:

DxO Camera Body Correction Modules:	Along with compatible DxO Lens Correction Modules:
Canon EOS 10D	Canon 16-35 'L' f/2.8 Canon 17-40 'L' f/4.0 Canon 85 f/1.2 Canon 24-70 'L' f/2.8 Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 –I Canon 50 f/1.4 Canon 15mm Fish-eye
Canon Digital Rebel / 300D / Kiss Digital	Canon 18-55 Kit Lens Canon 50 f/1.4 Sigma 15mm Fish-eye
Nikon D100	Nikkor 18-35 'AF' f/3.5-4.5 Nikkor Zoom 12-24mm f/4 DX Nikkor 50 f/1.4 D Nikkor 85 f/1.4 Nikkor Zoom 24-85mm f/2.8-4D AF
Nikon D70	Nikkor 18-70 f/3.5 Kit Nikkor 50 f/1.4 D Sigma 15mm Fish-eye
Coming this summer:
Nikon D2H	With popular lenses
Canon 1D Mark II	With popular lenses
Canon 1Ds	With popular lenses

DO Labs will be releasing new DxO Correction Modules on a monthly basis. DO Labs anticipates releasing approximately 200 DxO Correction Modules in 2004. Future DxO Correction Modules will be announced on www.dxo.com.

The RAW/16-bit version of DxO Optics PRO will be introduced at Photokina 2004.

Pricing

The price of a functional DxO Optics PRO system is the addition of the individual prices of its components – i.e. the DxO Correction Engine + one or more DxO Camera Body Correction Modules + one or more DxO Lens Correction Modules.

This pricing allows maximum flexibility for photographers by enabling them to purchase only those components they need. DxO Camera Body and DxO Lens Correction Modules may be acquired and changed separately.

For example, the DxO Canon 10D Correction Module only needs to be acquired once. After that, only additional DxO compatible Lens Correction Modules need to be purchased. If in the future, the same lenses are used with a new camera body (say the Canon Digital Rebel / 300D), only the DxO Correction Module for the new camera body needs to be acquired.

DO Labs is also introducing an initial 25% launch rebate to all orders placed before June 30th, 2004.

Here are a few typical examples of prices:

Regular Price:	With Launch 25% discount:
Canon Digital Rebel /300D+18-55mm Kit Lens: US $ 127	US $ 95
Nikon D70 + 18-70mm Kit Lens: US $ 127	US $ 95
Canon EOS 10D+1 lens: US $ 217	US $ 163
Canon EOS 10D+2 lens: US $ 296	US $ 222
Nikon D100 + Nikon D70 + 3 Lenses: US $ 431	US $ 323

Please refer to our price list for complete details.

About DO Labs and its DxO Technology

DO Labs SA is a software company focused on research in applied mathematics for digital image enhancement. The roots of the company come out of the most advanced academic mathematical research with strong ties to leading universities and research labs and a prestigious Scientific Committee.

The company’s patented DxO technology produces genuine, perceptible improvements in the quality of any digital image. DxO is a set of software components that measures and corrects major faults found in imaging devices: Blur, Local Contrast, Distortion, Vignetting, Chromatic aberration, Jpeg artifacts, etc. Furthermore, DxO Correction offers key benefits that make it an industrial-grade solution:

• DxO produces optimum image correction;
• DxO is robust: DxO will never damage image quality;
• DxO is automatic: No human intervention is required at any stage;
• DxO is real time: it can be easily embedded in any real-time workflow (ARM, DSP, ASIC) inside imaging devices such as digital still cameras or camera phones; in a PC at driver level, a server; or in digital photofinishing minilab equipment.

DxO and DxO Optics Pro are registered trademarks of DO Labs. All other brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

For more information, visit DO Labs online at www.dxo.com.

*(free upgrade, available summer 2004)

1 Using an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor, once image is in memory