The new C-7070 Wide Zoom from Olympus features a wide-angle lens on a magnesium body and a 7.1-megapixel CCD. With its 4x optical zoom wide-angle lens (equivalent
to 27 to 110mm, f2.8 -- f.8.0), the C-7070 Wide Zoom enables photographers
to capture more of their field of view. For nature photographers, the C-7070
features a Super Macro mode that enables shooting from 1.18 inches. The camera's
1.8-inch Semi-Transmissive swivel LCD makes it easy to take pictures at any
angle -- above the head, from the side, or with the camera placed on the
ground. The LCD can even be swiveled 180° for taking self-portraits. And
while conventional LCD screens appear dim against bright light, the Semi-Transmissive
LCD technology is said to provide excellent high-contrast visibility in any
light condition. The camera body is constructed of magnesium alloy with a rubberized.
The camera is also compact, measuring 4.9" (W) x 3.3" (H) x 3.9"
(D) and weighs 15.3 ounces.
The 8GB SanDisk Ultra II CompactFlash card satisfies the need of those using
high-megapixel digital SLRs, those producing large files with every shot. Ultra
II cards offer a minimum sustained write speed of 9MB/sec and a read speed of
10MB/sec. SanDisk also produces their Extreme III CompactFlash lineup, which
has about double the read/write speed, but because the Extreme III uses a different
type of NAND flash memory the maximum capacity of that lineup is 4GB. In tests
with a variety of digital SLRs the Ultra II performed flawlessly, and it sure
was handy having that amount of memory on trips where lots of images were made
during the day's shoot. For Raw images with an 8MP camera we could get
almost 600 images on a card. Retail price for the 8GB card is $999.99, about
what a 1GB CompactFlash card cost three years ago.
PNY Technologies has signed a distribution agreement with Olympus Imaging America
Inc. to introduce the xD-Picture Card. The xD-Picture Card format takes advantage
of the "panorama" feature set available on Olympus digital cameras.
PNY Technologies' new xD-Picture Card is available in 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB
and 1GB storage capacities.
For more information, technical product support and FAQs, please visit PNY's
Web site at http://www.pny.com.
Photo sharing and printing options are becoming more interesting every day.
HP has announced that customers of its Snapfish online photo service can now
order prints online and have them ready for pickup in as little as one hour
at their local Walgreens. The in-store service applies to sizes 4x6 through
8x10 inches. The service is first rolling out for Walgreens locations in Boston,
New York and San Francisco. By late September HP anticipates that the service
will expand to over 4000 Walgreens locations.
Microsoft Corp., together with leading companies in the digital imaging industry,
today announced enhancements to the family of Windows operating systems that will
enable consumers to easily work with RAW files in current and future versions
of Windows. Working closely with digital imaging industry leaders including Adobe
Systems Inc., Canon Inc., Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd. and Nikon Corp., Microsoft
plans to deliver native support for digital camera RAW images in the next major
version of Windows, code-named "Longhorn."
In addition, Microsoft is enhancing the digital imaging experience for Windows
XP with the upcoming availability of the Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer
for Windows XP, allowing consumers to view thumbnails and preview and print Canon
and Nikon RAW files from Windows Explorer in Windows XP. These features, as well
as the ability to organize and edit Canon and Nikon RAW files, will also be available
in a future version of Digital Image Suite.
Microsoft also announced it is developing a certification program for third-party
RAW image codecs that will ensure their solutions provide a consistent experience
for consumers who are using RAW image files. With this new RAW support across
the Windows platform and products, Microsoft is enabling a seamless experience
for consumers working with RAW digital images and delivering an extensible architecture
for hardware and software industry partners.
Microsoft worked with imaging leaders to develop the digital camera RAW architecture
in "Longhorn" and to provide the best digital photography experience
for Windows consumers. "Longhorn" will deliver dramatic innovation
in RAW support for independent software developers, camera manufacturers and consumers.
Hardware and software partners will benefit from the standardized architecture
for image codecs, which allows them to contribute their own codecs to be certified
and implemented in Windows.
Microsoft's platform approach provides built-in support for RAW files, enabling
Windows-based applications to use all supported image types, including RAW. This
architecture enables software applications to seamlessly support new image types
upon codec certification by Microsoft. In addition, "Longhorn" will
provide an application programming interface (API) that enables software vendors
to exercise a higher degree of control over the RAW conversion in their applications,
while enabling market opportunities for professional-level conversion tools.
In addition to announcing the imaging enhancements planned for the next version
of Windows, Microsoft is helping Windows XP consumers realize the potential of
RAW files. The Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP will
soon be available for free download* at http://www.microsoft.com.
...
The new KODAK EASYSHARE V550 and V530 zoom digital cameras blend video and still
photography. The V550 and V530 cameras are equipped with 5-megapixel (MP) resolution
sensors and the packages include the KODAK EASYSHARE Photo Frame Dock 2 -- which
provides one-touch picture transfer to a connected computer while keeping the
cameras' high-capacity battery charged and ready to go. Users can play video
and photo `slideshows' on the cameras' high-resolution LCD screens.
The V Model V550 has a SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH C-VARIOGON 3X optical zoom lens and
nineteen scene modes such as beach, snow, sunset and party. The EASYSHARE V550
camera will be available worldwide beginning this June for US$399 (MSRP). The
EASYSHARE V530 camera will be available worldwide beginning in July 2005 for US$349
(MSRP).
V-series cameras include KODAK EASYSHARE software for WINDOWS and MACINTOSH systems,
providing effortless digital picture organization, editing, sharing and printing
-- and even CD and DVD burning. The exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature
takes advantage of proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak to help users
get prints from inkjet printers. Version 5.0 -- available as a free download from www.kodak.com beginning this summer -- will feature new video editing tools that
allow users to quickly and simply trim, splice, rotate and add music to videos.
Lexar Media, Inc. has unveiled the JumpDrive Secure II, a second-generation
USB flash drive featuring 256-bit AES Encryption to secure folders and files
so consumers can easily store and protect valuable images and other data files.
Maha Energy Corp., maker of PowerEx brand batteries and chargers, has announced
an Ultra High Capacity rated addition to its NiMH battery product line, the
PowerEx 2500mAh AA batteries. These batteries can be recharged hundreds of times
with no memory effect. Memory free operation means PowerEx batteries may be
charged anytime without having to drain them all the way first, saving time
without compromising performance. PowerEx batteries are also said to recycle
flash in half the time compared to fresh alkaline batteries.