Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. has introduced the new compact DiMAGE
Z5 -- a digital camera that offers a built-in 12x optical Mega Zoom lens,
Konica Minolta's proprietary Anti-Shake System, 5.0-megapixel CCD, fast
overall response including Rapid autofocusing (AF), and a large 2.0-inch LCD
screen.
Primera Technology's BravoPro Disc Publisher is an automated CD/DVD burning
and printing system. BravoPro copies and prints up to 100-discs per job hands-free
with both Mac and PC compatibility. BravoPro is available with two 52x CD-R
drives or two DVD±R/CD-R combination drives that record DVDs at 16x and
CDs at 32x. A 4800 dpi printer, prints full-color, photo-quality images directly
on the surface of the disc. No labels are required! Bravo II can be used as
a desktop unit or integrated in larger photographic processing and kiosk solutions.
High-resolution
digital cameras and a growing number of multimedia devices have catapulted flash
memory cards to much higher capacities and performance levels than ever before.
Transcend Information Inc. recommends its 80X Ultra-Performance high-speed Secure
Digital (SD) Cards (128MB to 1GB capacity.). Transcend's 80X SD Cards
are easy to carry and can be used in most modern-day personal electronics devices.
Extremely fast data transfer speeds of up to 12MB/sec, give the new 80X SD Card
70% faster performance levels. Transcend's digital card series is fully
compatible with digital cameras and other handheld devices. Transcend's
80X SD cards are now available from 128MB to 1GB capacities.
Lowepro's Orion Trekker II includes two distinct compartments -- a well-padded, removable lower camera compartment for storing an SLR camera digital or analog) with an attached lens, several additional lenses, a flash unit, compact binoculars and accessories and an upper compartment for safely
housing non-photographic gear such as a jacket, audio equipment, food and water.
Sony has established a new brand name for its digital single lens reflex (D-SLR)
cameras that will be launched worldwide this summer. Meaning "beginning"
and "essential," the symbol ? (pronounced alpha) will be used. Under
this sub-brand, Sony will produce a complete camera system of accessories and
lenses.
The Sony Alpha system of cameras, lenses and accessories are said to integrate
advanced electromechanical technologies that are key to D-SLR performance, the
versatility of the well-established Maxxum lens mount system, and Sony's
renown in imaging devices and technologies. These include CCD and CMOS imaging
sensors, as well as other image processing technologies, in addition to overall
product miniaturization. People who have already made investments in many of
Konica-Minolta's lenses and accessories will be able to take full advantage
of Sony's new D-SLR cameras.
Sony is already handling support and repair service for existing Konica-Minolta
digital and film cameras, as well as related lenses and accessories in the U.S.
A dedicated call center and strong levels of web support have been established
for these customers.
Adobe has released an updated beta version (v3.3, 11/10/05) of their Adobe
Camera Raw plug-in for raw file conversion with a few enhancements. (Compatible
only with Photoshop CS 2 as well as Elements 3.0 and 4.0.) Support for additional
cameras has also been added, including the Canon EOS 5D, EOS 1D Mark II N, Pentax
*ist DL and *ist DS2. A minor fix has also been made to the Adobe DNG converter,
"improved decoding for some camera models". Do note that this is a
beta version, although it appeared to work perfectly in my preliminary tests.
When installing the Camera Raw plug-in, be sure to follow the instructions exactly
as described on the Adobe web site. The download for Mac and Windows is available
at http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/new.jsp.
Plasticsmith has introduced a slick (and functional) accessory for those whose
laptop does double duty as a desktop computer. Constructed of laser-cut steel
with a polished acrylic platform, the attractive Lapvantage Loft raises your
computer to eye level for optimal viewing. There's room beneath the platform
to store an external keyboard--a nice feature for those with limited desk
space.
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.