Digital Innovations
Yes, But Is It Art? You Be The Judge Page 2

Hot Drives; You Get 'Em From The Peanut Man
Newer digital SLRs mean bigger files and bigger files mean you never have enough memory cards. When I travel, I make sure to pack Iomega's (www.iomega.com) USB 2.0 Mini Hard Drive. It's the first Iomega hard drive that gets all of its power from a USB data port, making it an ideal traveling companion. The Iomega Mini Hard Drive has a rugged aluminum enclosure, is based on 1.8" hard disk technology, and is compatible with Windows or Mac OS computers. One was in my pocket during the final American LeMans Series Race in California and each night I'd download files from a USB 2.0 (fast!) card reader to the drive attached to a borrowed Dell computer. When I came back from the trip, I plugged the drive into a Belkin (www.belkin.com) USB 2.0 port on my G4 Power Macintosh and bang! Bob's your uncle. After a preliminary edit, I copied all 6.39GB of images onto a DVD; OK a couple of DVDs. Each drive comes with a leather travel case, USB cable, and software. The Iomega Mini Hard Drive is available in two capacities, 20GB ($179) and 40GB ($279).

While on the road I used Iomega's Mini Hard Drive with a Dell computer running Windows XP, but back home connected it with my Mac OS computer; no changes necessary on either end, as it is truly plug-and-play.

Filters For Leica Digilux 2
A few months ago I wrote about Leica's design choice of 69mm for the filter thread for the otherwise insanely cool Digilux 2. One solution was the expensive unobtainium adapter from Leica, so I showed you some other less expensive adapters from LensMate (www.lensmateonline.com). Here's another solution: High-quality 69mm Heliopan filters use Zeiss Schott glass that's ground and polished like a camera lens. You can get all kinds of Heliopan filters (www.hpmarketingcorp.com) in 69mm size including UV, KR1.5, ND 0.3, 0.6, and Circular Polarizer in standard or multi-coated versions, with cooling and warming filters, ND 0.9, IR, and other traditional black and white filters available in standard and SH-PMC coatings through special order.

All kinds of Heliopan filters are available in 69mm size including UV, KR1.5, ND 0.3, 0.6, and Circular Polarizer in standard or multi-coated versions. You can special order cooling and warming filters, ND 0.9, IR, and traditional black and white filters.

Long Live The CD!
When is a bargain not a bargain? When you buy cheapo, no-name recordable CDs and hope they last. CD-Rs deteriorate because of the effect of UV light, heat, and humidity. I recently met a guy who kept all of his image CDs in his garage where they were subject to temperatures below freezing and above 100ÞF and--surprise, surprise, as Gomer used to say--some of the images disappeared! Delkin Devices' (www.delkin.com) eFilm Archival Gold "300-Year" CD-R uses Phthalocyanine dye and a 24k gold reflective layer. When burning a CD-R, your recordable drive creates pits in the dye layer to store digital information. Phthalocyanine dye reacts quicker to the writing laser than the Cyanine and Azo dyes found in most CD-Rs, making sharper-edged pits, and consequently making the CD-R easier to read.

Delkin Devices' eFilm Archival Gold "300-Year" CD-R uses Phthalocyanine dye, which reacts quicker to the writing laser than the Cyanine and Azo dyes found in most CD-Rs, along with a 24k gold reflective layer for longevity.

The materials found in eFilm Archival Gold CD-Rs have been shown to safely store your images for more than 300 years. A
CD-R 10 Pack is sold in a protective plastic case that holds 10 discs in polypropylene sleeves. A 25 pack will be available in a cake box-type spindle and Delkin plans to ship 100 CD-Rs in bulk packaging. They will be available at photography and electronic stores and online at Delkin's website.

Make A Note Of That
When you send a note to a friend, why not send one with one of your photographs on it? ArtZ Products' (www.artzproducts.com) Cardmaker is a package of double-sided ink jet cards that use Moab Paper's Entrada Fine Art paper. They're available in 5.25" Square, 5x7" Rectangle, and Slim 3.875x9.25" sizes. The envelopes are made of ph neutral and
chlorine-free translucent vellum so your images are protected, although their size might require a few more cents for extra postage.

The addition of Organizer to the Windows version of Elements 3.0 provides a database/thumbnails generation capability with built-in predetermined categories to make filing and searching for photo files efficient and relatively easy. However, to make it individually effective and useful demands both thought and effort.

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