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News Archive - March 2003
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Monday, March 31, 2003

Digital SLR prices continue to plunge (UPDATED)
20:07 EST - We told you last week that Sigma had adjusted pricing of its SD9 digital camera in light of Canon's EOS 10D, with both cameras now shipping at a cost of $1499.

It seems that Nikon has now adjusted the pricing of its popular D100, which for a while was the price-leader when it began shipping in July (pricing being about $200 less than Canon's $2200 EOS D60, and... (More)

Sunday, March 30, 2003

Firmware aplenty from Canon and Nikon
21:28 EST - Japanese camera giants Canon and Nikon have announced firmware updates for a number of their digital cameras

Canon's new v1.02 firmware for the EOS-1Ds fixes three problems - incorrect white balance when Personal Function 25 was set; a line of grey pixels at one edge of small / fine mode JPEG files; and the repetition... (More)

Thursday, March 27, 2003

PRESS RELEASE: Breeze Systems Announces Canon EOS 10D Raw Conversion
15:55 EST - March 24, 2003 - Breeze Systems today released version 2.6 of its popular BreezeBrowser software for digital images. BreezeBrowser v2.6 includes raw conversion of images from the new Canon EOS 10D and Canon Powershot S50 cameras together with enhanced color profile support, improved IPTC data editing and a new focus point overlay display. BreezeBrowser now supports Canon EOS 10D and Powershot G3,... (More)

Inkjet Photo Papers: Recommendations from a Pro
13:26 EST - Anybody who owns an inkjet photo printer will doubtless be familiar with the bewildering array of choices when it comes to which photo paper to use.

Peter Burian, a freelance stock photographer who also contributes to magazines such as PC PHOTO, PHOTO LIFE and e-DIGITAL PHOTO, has published a great article cutting through the confusion on Microsoft's... (More)

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Sigma SD9 pricing adjusted
17:00 EST - An email from our good friend Peter Burian notes that pricing on Sigma's SD9 digital SLR has significantly dropped following Canon's announcement of the EOS 10D at a stunning $1500 during the PMA Spring 2003 show.

We'd already noted the price-drop in our database, but Peter's email prompted us to mention it on the news page. Previously, the SD9 retailed at around $1800, but Sigma's pricing looks to have been adjusted... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Corel PHOTO-PAINT 11® to be bundled with ACD mPower Tools and ACD FotoSlate
16:26 EST - Victoria, British Columbia - March 26, 2003 - ACD Systems International Inc. (TSX: ASA), the digital imaging company, today announced a licensing agreement with Corel Corporation (NASDAQ: CORL, TSX: COR), in which ACD Systems has chosen to bundle Corel PHOTO-PAINT® 11 with ACD mPower Tools and ACD FotoSlate. This licensing agreement will enable ACD Systems to offer a high quality software package... (More)

Sunday, March 23, 2003

Finally! FULL review of Kodak DCS Pro 14n
22:42 EST - The review that ate my brain... I thought I'd never be done with it, but my review of Kodak's new Pro 14n digital SLR is finally posted.

Finally(!) For those of you who've been wondering what's going on, and why there haven't been any new digicam reviews lately, here's the answer: The Kodak DCS Pro 14n! While I only had a prototype unit... (More)

Friday, March 21, 2003

PRESS RELEASE: Simple Star Announces Availability of PhotoShow 2.1
15:31 EST - Easy-to-use multimedia entertainment software now supports Video CD format San Francisco, CA (March 19, 2003) - Simple Star, Inc., "The Personal Media Software Company", announced today the availability of PhotoShow 2.1. This enhanced version of the original PhotoShow software program offers support of Video CD. Now, users can burn their PhotoShows onto any CD-R and then watch the PhotoShow on their... (More)

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

I-O Data prepares mini AVI camcorder
16:22 EST - Japanese manufacturer I-O Data Device Inc. is preparing a new AVI camcorder unit dubbed the MotionPix AVMC211, according to an announcement on its website.

The camcorder features a 2.1 megapixel CMOS imager, fixed focal-length lens, and a 1.5" TFT LCD display. As well as capturing videos, the device has a still image mode, and there's also a 2x digital zoom... (More)

Rollei pays homage to the RolleiFlex 2.8F
15:48 EST - A new digital camera from Rollei takes the style of a classic twin-lens reflex camera in a much smaller package.

Rollei showed its RolleiFlex Mini-Digi at a press event in Japan attended by Yamada-san of the digitalcamera.jp website. The camera is designed to look like medium-format twin-lens reflex camera, the RolleiFlex... (More)

Patent focuses on deepening optical knowledge
01:04 EST - Slashdot, the geek-friendly technology news website that is perhaps better-known by its punctuated abbreviation /. has picked up on a very interesting story from CDM Optics Inc.

As frequently happens when a company is "slashdotted", CDM's website has temporarily vanished off the face of the earth - but a wealth of background information on the technology they've been working on... (More)

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

PRESS RELEASE: Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom cameras will be featured on digital photography cruise to Alaska
23:14 EST - Compact, 10X Zoom Will Allow Workshop Participants To Photograph Stunning Nature And Wildlife Shots An 8-day digital photography cruise to Alaska specializing in travel and outdoor photography will have Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom, 4-megapixel cameras aboard for workshop attendees to use when their scenic and wildlife shots require "up close and personal" treatment. The cruise is the third in a series... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Microtek Introduces the ArtixScan 120tf Multi-Format Film Scanner at PMA
22:07 EST - At $2,000, the ArtixScan 120tf is the first affordable multi-format film scanner to rival the quality of drum scanners and offer productivity features for professional applications Las Vegas, NV (March 1, 2003) - Microtek, a leader in digital imaging for over 20 years, is adding the ArtixScan 120tf multiple format film scanner to its ArtixScan line of professional film and flatbed scanners. The ArtixScan... (More)

SmartDisk's FlashTrax: Photos and Specs
02:43 EST - During PMA, we told you about SmartDisk's FlashTrax, a new solution for offloading and storing your digital images when away from your computer.

The choice of name is rather perplexing, since SmartDisk had another product that was also called the FlashTrax three years ago - that product being an adapter of sorts that would read MP3 files off a... (More)

Monday, March 17, 2003

SiPix's PMA announcements: Full specs, photos
23:31 EST - We told readers during the PMA Spring 2003 week about several new camera announcements from digicam brand SiPix, but at the time we didn't have access to product specifications for the new cameras.

That's now changed, and following are full specs for all three cameras, plus images of the Stylecam Groove and Blink II shot at the PMA Sneak Peek event just before the show opened. To quickly recap,... (More)

Kowa announces super-telephoto zoom digicam
16:04 EST - Kowa Co. Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer which has been making electronics and optics since the end of World War II, showed a new digital camera at PMA that will appeal to nature photographers - or anybody else who must take photos a very long way from their subject.

The Kowa TD-1 Spotting Scope DSC super-telephoto zoom digital camera is pretty unique, combining a 3.14 megapixel CCD imager with a 3x zoom spotting scope that gives 35mm-equivalent focal lengths from... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Visioneer Announces Strobe XP 200 Sheetfed Scanner and Developer's Kit
13:55 EST - World's Best Selling Sheetfed Scanner Works Great with Industry Standard Applications and Can Now Be Customized by Third Party Developers and IT Organizations Visioneer, Inc., a leader in intelligent imaging solutions, today announced the new Visioneer Strobe(TM) XP 200 and related software developer's kit. The Strobe XP 200 is Visioneer's most advanced 6 page per minute sheetfed scanner targeted... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Imerge Consulting Group Syndicated Research Services
13:45 EST - March 17, 2003 Belmont, CA -- Imerge Consulting Group announces its new syndicated imaging research service for multi-clients tailored to product vendors, institutional investors, fund managers, manufacturers and component suppliers, providing the imaging industry's most affordable comprehensive package of research and intelligence. The ICG-SRS is a yearly package of the most comprehensive reports... (More)

Friday, March 14, 2003

Vivitar / Premier show 10x optical zoom and pen-style digicams at PMA (UPDATED)
15:42 EST - One of the interesting opportunities we have at industry trade shows is to directly compare products on different booths.

Frequently, we notice similarities in product specifications or control layout that suggest certain companies have cooperated on product designs, or are having camera models manufactured for them by a... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Vivicam 3315 Places Number One In DIMA Imaging Competition
14:02 EST - The Vivicam 3315 places first in its class at annual DIMA competition LOS ANGELES, CA (March 10, 2003) - Vivitar Corporation proudly announces that its Vivicam 3315 digital camera received a first-place award in the 7th Annual DIMA Digital Camera Shoot-Out held on Saturday, March 1, 2003. The Vivicam 3315 placed first in the "Point-and-Shoot Category/Below $100." The Digital Imaging Marketing Association... (More)

PMA report continues...
00:38 EST - Our report on this year's PMA Spring 2003 is continuing, albeit slightly beind schedule thanks to Mike picking up a nasty bug on his return from Las Vegas. The fact that PMA and CeBIT are so close together this year has resulted in a second flood of announcements from companies such as SanDisk, UMAX and Fuji - either announcing products for the European market, or avoiding getting lost in the flood at PMA.

We've still got quite a bit more to come from PMA, including a number of interesting digital cameras we've not seen mentioned anywhere else, and some accessories that might take your digital photography experience a little further. Stay tuned, and hopefully (barring further announcements from CeBIT dragging things further behind schedule), we'll be wrapping the PMA Spring 2003 report up this weekend...

SanDisk announces 2GB, 4GB Type-I CompactFlash
00:31 EST - SanDisk has today announced that it has extended its CompactFlash card lineup with cards in capacities of two and four gigabytes respectively.

SanDisk's press release refers to the 4GB model as "the world's largest capacity CompactFlash memory card" - not quite accurate, since Pretec just announced a 6GB CompactFlash card that will ship in the... (More)

Thursday, March 13, 2003

New miniSD format expands an already bewildering array of choices
18:43 EST - A press release today from SanDisk Corp. announces yet another new format for flash media cards, in the form of the miniSD card.

miniSD's main selling point is its size, and as such it will be competing with the xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Duo and RS-MMC [Reduced Size MultiMediaCard] formats. SanDisk says that the miniSD card... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk introduces 1 Gigabyte and 512 Megabyte SD cards
17:33 EST - New Memory Cards Give Consumers Enough Capacity To Store Large Amounts Of Digital Images, Music And Video HANNOVER, GERMANY, MARCH 13, 2003 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced 1 gigabyte (GB) and 512 megabyte (MB) SD Cards, postage stamp-sized flash memory cards capable of storing large amounts of data, audio and video. The 1GB SD card quadruples the current capacity of SanDisk SD... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk introduces four new, attractively-priced single slot card readers for popular flash card formats
17:22 EST - New Models All Include Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Technology HANNOVER, GERMANY, MARCH 13, 2003 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced a new line of single slot ImageMate* card readers for a variety of popular flash memory cards. The four new ImageMate models, all with hi-speed USB 2.0 connectivity, were introduced at the CeBIT trade show where SanDisk is showing several new products in Hall 21,... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk introduces 128 megabyte MultiMediaCard; targets growing cell phone and MP3 player markets
16:07 EST - HANNOVER, GERMANY, MARCH 13, 2003 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced a 128 megabyte (MB) MultiMediaCard, a flash memory card targeted mainly at the growing demand for MultiMediaCards in audio players and new multi-function cell phones. The announcement was made at the CeBIT trade show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in hall 21, booth B-24. Eric Bone, SanDisk product marketing... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk introduces two Gigabit NAND flash memory device
15:59 EST - Enables 512 Megabytes In A 2-Die TSOP NAND Package For High Capacity Memory Cards and Embedded Storage HANNOVER, GERMANY, MARCH 13, 2003 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced a 2 gigabit (Gbit) single-die NAND flash memory device. In addition, two of the 2Gbit die will be packaged in a single TSOP (Thin Small Outline Package) to produce a 4Gbit (512 megabyte) NAND component. The 2 and... (More)

Wednesday, March 12, 2003

NEWSFLASH: First EOS 10D SLRs about to ship
14:59 EST - We've just learned that Ritz has heard from Canon USA that the first shipment of EOS-10D SLRs are on their way to them!

This means that Ritz should begin making the first customer shipments by this time next week. (~3/17) Shipments will be on a first-come, first-served basis, but if you haven't yet gotten in line for this... (More)

AstraPix 490: UMAX's second announcement of the day
14:56 EST - UMAX has today announced a second entry-level digital camera at the CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany.

Simultaneously announced by UMAX Systems in Germany, and UMAX Technologies Inc. in the USA, the UMAX AstraPix 490 digital camera is the higher-spec of the two announcements. The main difference between... (More)

UMAX announces AstraPix 430 digital camera
14:34 EST - A press release today from Dallas, Texas-based UMAX Technologies Inc. announces a new entry-level digital camera which offers a choice of still image, video, audio and webcam functionality.

The UMAX AstraPix 430 digital camera has a resolution of 1.3 megapixels from a CMOS image sensor, and couples this with a fixed-focus, fixed-focal length lens, USB connectivity and power from AAA batteries.... (More)

Fuji FinePix A310: Full details
11:42 EST - We told readers last night about an upcoming digital camera from Fujifilm, the FinePix A310.

At that time, fuller details were not available to us as the camera had not yet been announced in the USA. We now have full details on this new model courtesy of Fujifilm Germany and Fujifilm UK. As noted... (More)

Fuji Europe announces FinePix A310 digital camera
00:30 EST - Fujifilm Europe has today announced a new digital camera at the CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany.

Full specifications and product image are not yet available at the time of this writing, however we do know that the FinePix A310 will be a replacement for the A303, and will be announced simultaneously... (More)

Tuesday, March 11, 2003

PRESS RELEASE: Ofoto, an Eastman Kodak Company, Announces New Volume Discounts; Ofoto Makes It Easier Than Ever to Share Film-Quality Kodak Prints of Digital Photos With Friends and Family
21:33 EST - EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 11, 2003--Ofoto, Inc. (www.ofoto.com), the leading online photo service, today announced new volume pricing discounts on its award-winning Kodak prints. These new discounts make it even easier for Ofoto customers and their family and friends to buy film-quality 4" x 6" and 5" x 7" prints of their favorite digital photos. Volume pricing applies to orders of... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: DigiProofs™ Launches Online Proofing Services for Professional Photographers and Labs
21:15 EST - Providing Self-Fulfillment and Direct Fulfillment Solutions Moffett Field, Calif., March 11, 2003 - DigiProofs™, Inc. (www.digiproofs.com), a leading provider of online proofing services launches new online site for professional photographers and labs. The new services provide infrastructures and solutions for professional photographers and labs to expand their business online and capture incremental... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: New Industry Report From Imerge Consulting Group Forecasts Higher ASPs and Revenue for Consumer Digital Camera Vendors
20:57 EST - Belmont, CA (March 11, 2003) -- A new report from Imerge Consulting Group - The Worldwide Consumer Digital Camera Forecast and Market Overview, 2002 - 2007 asserts that worldwide consumer digital camera unit sell-through in 2002 grew at a healthy 25.5% yearly growth rate amassing $6.6B in street valued revenue. The consumer digital camera market continued to be the third highest growth sector of IT... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: 3GB CompactFlash card pricing reduced, 6GB CF card announced by Pretec
19:46 EST - Hannover, Germany, March 12, 2003 - Pretec Electronics Corp. (Hall 23 Booth A33), the 2nd company in the world offering CompactFlash memory (CF) card since 1995, dropped its pricing for 3GB CF memory card, the largest capacity flash memory card in the world of any small form factors which Pretec demonstrated and started shipping since November 2002, from $2499 to $1999. Pretec also announced 6GB CF... (More)

Monday, March 10, 2003

Still more Vivitar: 3.3 mpix, fixed focal length
17:21 EST - It seems to be Vivitar week as we work through the various announcements by the company at PMA, and we still have two more to come after this one!

The Vivitar ViviCam 3715 features a 3.3 megapixel CCD imager coupled with a 5.9mm fixed focal-length lens, 1.5" LCD display plus info LCD, 8MB of built-in storage plus an SD card slot, and power from... (More)

Foveon licenses X3 to National Semiconductor
15:31 EST - A press release this afternoon from Foveon Inc. announces that the company has licensed National Semiconductor to manufacture and distribute its X3 image sensor technology.

National Semiconductor has had a long partnership with Foveon, dating back to well before the announcement of the X3 technology. In September 2000 the companies jointly announced a 16.8 megapixel CMOS... (More)

Vivitar announces 2mpix fixed-focus digicam (UPDATED)
11:01 EST - Yet another new announcement by Vivitar, the ViviCam 3695 is a 2 megapixel version of the ViviCam 3330.

The camera didn't seem to be on display on Vivitar's booth. As well as the higher sensor resolution, there's a wider-angle fixed focus lens, more powerful digital zoom and at 16MB, double the built-in... (More)

Vivitar: Another 1.3mpix fixed focus digicam announcement
10:27 EST - As with the ViviCam 3330, the newly announced ViviCam 3340 didn't seem to be on display at PMA, but a press release was issued nonetheless.

The camera features a 1.3 megapixel CMOS imager coupled with a fixed focus, fixed focal-length lens, 8MB of built-in storage plus an SD card slot, and power from AA batteries. Unlike the 3330, though,... (More)

Saturday, March 8, 2003

Vivitar's 3330: 1.3mpix CMOS entry level digicam
21:17 EST - One of a number of new announcements by Vivitar Corp., the new ViviCam 3330 didn't seem to be on display at PMA but made its press-release debut there nonetheless.

The camera features a 1.3 megapixel CMOS imager coupled with a fixed focus, fixed focal-length lens, 1.5" LCD display, 8MB of built-in storage plus an SD card slot, and power from AA batteries. This model... (More)

Vivitar announces 5mpix, 3x zoom digital camera
17:40 EST - California-based Vivitar Corp., which sells a number of digital cameras made by OEMs such as Taiwanese manufacturer Premier Image Technology Corp., had several new models to talk about at PMA.

More details on these will be available shortly as we catch up on a backlog of work that built up during the show. Perhaps one of the two most interesting announcements, though, was the new ViviCam 3930.... (More)

Wednesday, March 5, 2003

PRESS RELEASE: Duracell Launches First-Ever High-Power Lithium Primary Prismatic Battery Designed Specifically for Digital Cameras
12:40 EST - BETHEL, Conn. -- March 1, 2003 -- New DURACELL(R) CP1 Provides "Always Ready" Power in a Thin Design for Emerging Digital Cameras Duracell today unveiled its new DURACELL(R) CP1, the first-ever high-power lithium primary prismatic battery designed specifically for digital cameras. With its flat, rectangular shape, new DURACELL CP1 provides device manufacturers with a powerful new battery to design... (More)

Tuesday, March 4, 2003

PRESS RELEASE: Simple Star Announces Agreement with Riverdeep to Launch Photo Sharing Software
12:13 EST - PhotoShow 2 to be Published and Distributed under the Broderbund Brand Las Vegas, NV, March 3, 2003 - Simple Star and Riverdeep, Inc. today announced an agreement to publish and distribute a retail version of PhotoShow 2 under Riverdeep's Broderbund brand. The fun and easy-to-use software program allows users to share and get creative with their digital photos. PhotoShow 2 is developed by Simple... (More)

Caffeine Software Suspends Operations
12:08 EST - The developer of Mac OS X imaging software PixelNhance, Curator and TIFFany posts a brief note on their Web site.

Caffeine Software today announced the suspension of operations on the home page of the company's Web site at http://www.caffeinesoft.com. "Caffeine Software, Inc. has suspended operation. We regret any... (More)

Monday, March 3, 2003

Minolta Messenger Software Worth a Thousand Words
21:42 EST - With Minolta's DiMAGE Messenger, you can annotate images, passing them along for further comment.

LAS VEGAS -- Minolta Corporation today launched a new Windows imaging software product targeted at sellers and buyers on auction Web sites, law enforcement agencies, real estate agents, educators and others... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Canon Announces All-New Entry-Level and Professional Flatbed Scanners
20:57 EST - LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2003-- Canon Introduces Its Highest Resolution Scanner and Next Generation Film Automatic Retouching and Enhancing Technology Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ) today announces the introduction of two new flatbed scanners with film scanning capabilities -- the CanoScan(R) 3000F and CanoScan 9900F. The CanoScan 3000F will be Canon's... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk Introduces New Line of Digital Film Cards
20:50 EST - SanDisk Introduces New Line of Digital Film Cards High-Performance Line of CompactFlash and SD Cards Offers Extended Temperature Range For Shooting In Harsh Conditions LAS VEGAS, NV March 3, 2003 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today announced SanDisk Extreme(tm), a comprehensive line of high-performance CompactFlash and SD cards designed to meet performance levels dictated by professional and... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk Unveils World's Fastest 1-GB CompactFlash Card
20:46 EST - SNew 1GB SanDisk Ultra CompactFlash Card Offers Ideal Combination of Performance and Capacity; First SanDisk Ultra SD Card Line Also Introduced LAS VEGAS, NV, March 3, 2003 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced a 1 gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Ultra� CompactFlash® card with a sustained write speed of up to 6 megabyte (MB) per second and sustained read speed of 9MB/sec., making it the fastest... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk Offers 256MB Memory Stick with Select Function -- Doubles Capacity for Existing Memory Stick Devices
20:42 EST - New Card Doubles Maximum Capacity Of Memory Stick Cards To 256 Megabytes LAS VEGAS, NV, March 3, 2003 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today introduced the SanDisk Memory Stick® with Memory Select Function(tm), a 256 megabyte (MB) storage card (total capacity) that is based on the existing Memory Stick media platform and is designed for current Memory Stick-compatible devices that support... (More)

NEWSFLASH: Hands on with Olympus' E System digital SLR
18:38 EST - This afternoon, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to see Olympus' recently-announced E System producs up close and personal.

Arranged on extremely short notice, we've come straight back to the hotel to upload 22 images of the digital SLR body, two of the lenses, two flash units and the portrait grip. No new information has... (More)

Exclusive! Hands-on photos from Kodak Pro14n SLR!
16:46 EST - I shot some sample photos shot with a Kodak Pro 14n SLR while at PMA...

This is going to be a very hurried posting (just like most everything happening here at the PMA show) as I'm late for a meeting back over in the convention center. BUT, I wanted to get these up asap,... (More)

HP announces two new digicams
14:38 EST - Hewlett-Packard Co. has announced two new digital camera models at the PMA Spring 2003 show in Las Vegas, NV.

If you're not familiar with the cooperation between Pentax and HP, a little history might be in order at this point: in February 2000 the two companies simultaneously announced two jointly-designed cameras... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Epson to Launch Three Double-Sided Papers for Photo, Art and Proofing Markets; Papers Optimized for Epson Stylus Pro Line Will be Previewed at PMA
13:14 EST - LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 3, 2003--Epson America Inc., creator of high-quality, award-winning imaging products, is previewing three new double-sided papers at PMA in Las Vegas. Each of the papers is designed for use with the Epson Stylus(R) Pro line of printers to give photographers and artists a broader choice of artistic and commercial media to express their creativity and display... (More)

PNY Introduces Array of Flash Media Devices
12:47 EST - Taking advantage of the higher transfer rates of USB 2.0, PNY introduces a new line of flash media devices.

LAS VEGAS -- PNY Technologies today introduced an array of flash media devices, many of which take advantage of faster USB 2.0 serial ports. USB 2.0 devices can achieve data transfer rates up to 40x faster... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Hollywood Photographer Vincent Versace Shares Photo Workflow SecretsIn New Video To Be Released At PMA
01:53 EST - Volume 1 of the Digital Innovator Series of DVDs Gives An Inside Look At The Tools and Methods Used By This Award Winning Photographer VANCOUVER, WA, MAR. 3 -- Vincent Versace is known as a multi-talented professional photographer with a special gift for sharing his knowledge. He has been honored for his contributions to the photographic community and his work has been awarded a permanent place in... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Preclick Announces Lifetime Photo Organizer
01:51 EST - Fastest, Easiest Photo Organizer with Speeds of 8 Photos per Second Lets Users Embed Captions, Subjects, Titles, & Events for Super-Fast Searches for only $9.95 March 2, 2003, PMA, Las Vegas -- Preclick Corporation announced today at the Photo Marketing Association Convention (PMA) Lifetime? Photo Organizer, the fastest, easiest photo organizer on the market. Lifetime provides unique SmartPhoto?... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: DigitalCustom Announces Launch of High Res Custom Editing Service
01:48 EST - San Francisco, CA, March 2, 2003 - DigitalCustom Group, Inc. announced today at the Photo Marketing Association Conference (PMA) the launch of its flagship high resolution custom photo editing service "DigitalCustom" at www.digitalcustom.com. With the new service, DigitalCustom extends the reach of its award-winning Image-Edit custom consumer digital editing service into "high res" advertising, marketing... (More)

Kodak Unveils First Digicam with Organic LED Display
01:35 EST - Sporting a large, organic LED display, the first issue in a new line of EasyShare digicams offers 3.1 megapixels for $399.

LAS VEGAS -- Eastman Kodak Company introduced world's first digcam with an organic light-emitting diode display. The EasyShare LS633's 2.2-inch screen is clear, detailed and up to 107 percent larger than... (More)

SmartDisk Introduces 30-GB FlashTrax USB Drive
01:15 EST - SmartDisk's battery-powered, USB 2.0 device has 30-GB to store your images while away from your computer.

LAS VEGAS -- SmartDisk introduced its new FlashTrax handheld portable device for offloading and storing digital images and music here today at PMA 2003. FlashTrax stores images transferred from flash... (More)

Sunday, March 2, 2003

First Look reviews posted for Olympus 740 and 750 'Ultra Zooms!'
20:26 EST - Olympus has carved out a bit of a niche for themselves with very long-zoom cameras.

Last year's 720 and 730 were very popular, but this year, Olympus ups the ante with higher resolution and a range of new features. I've just completed "first looks" at their new 740 and 750 models. The... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Professional Debuts First Capture-To-Output Digital Workflow For School, Sports and Special Event Photography
20:07 EST - Modules Provide Complete Solution, or Work with Many Existing Products LAS VEGAS, March 2-The first complete digital workflow from a single supplier for school "underclass" and special event photography was announced today by Kodak Professional, a division of Eastman Kodak Company. The Kodak ProShots Groups Workflow Solution seamlessly links customers' photograph order data collected at image capture... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Enhanced Kodak Professional DP2 Software Streamlines Pro Labs' Workflow by Improving Scanning Accuracy, Image File Management
19:54 EST - Plus: ProShots Lab Interface Software Streamlines Labs' Administrative Functions LAS VEGAS, March 2 - As part of its ongoing initiative to enhance and simplify digital imaging workflows for professional imaging labs, Kodak Professional, a division of Eastman Kodak Company, today introduced two important new imaging solutions: an upgrade to its acclaimed Digital Print Production (DP2) software, and... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Taps Unlimited Retail Potential for Digital Camera Printing
19:49 EST - Atlanta Pilot Program Indicates Strong Consumer Demand, Intention to Repeat Kiosk Use LAS VEGAS, March 2- Encouraged by strong consumer acceptance, Eastman Kodak Company is continuing to aggressively support digital camera printing in Atlanta. The pilot program serves as a living laboratory to evaluate consumer behavior with digital camera printing stations located in many different retail locations... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Unveils Kodak Plus Digital 35 mm One-Time-Use Camera System
19:43 EST - New One-Time-Use Camera Offers Benefits of Digital Photography; Kodak Also Announces Extended Availability of Kodak Picture CD LAS VEGAS, March 2- Eastman Kodak Company today unveiled Kodak Plus Digital, the first of its kind one-time-use camera that gives consumers the benefits of digital photography. A simple and inexpensive way to get digital pictures without a digital camera, Plus Digital system... (More)

Hands on with the Pentax '*ist D' digital SLR
18:21 EST - This morning, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to view Pentax's new '*ist D' digital single-lens reflex camera in the company's booth at PMA.

The camera we saw was an early working prototype - not far enough into development for samples or to show the user interface, but capable of capturing and display photos. Our initial reaction on handling... (More)

Casio introduces new fixed focal-length 3.2 megapixel Exilim.
14:06 EST - Casio today announced the EX-S3, a fixed focal length version of the zoom-equipped EX-Z3 they introduced at CES back in January.

Casio seems to have found a niche for themselves in the ultra-compact market, with their popular "Exilim" line. Today they reduced the cost of entry to the 3.2 megapixel portion of that line with the Exilim... (More)

Olympus announces the DSLR 'E System'
09:37 EST - Olympus America has today announced the 'E System', a part of which is a new digital single-lens reflex camera based on the 'Four Thirds System' which it has jointly created with Kodak.

As we told you last year, the Four Thirds System is the culmination of almost two years work for the two companies, which has seen them form an alliance through which they agreed to cross-license their... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Olympus makes a splash with new underwater housings for C-50 ZOOM, C-5050 ZOOM, and Stylus Digital cameras
09:33 EST - Heavy-Duty Construction Enables Cameras To Reach Depths of Up to 40 Meters, LCD Hood Cuts Down Glare for Viewing and Shooting Images Melville, New York, March 3, 2003 – Olympus America today introduced three new heavy-duty housings to support underwater digital imaging enthusiasts. These stylish and durable transparent polycarbonate housings are for anyone looking to pursue underwater digital... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: The new 2.0 megapixel DiMAGE E223
05:33 EST - Osaka, Japan, March 2nd, 2003: The new DiMAGE E223 is an entry-level digital camera. It offers high-quality images, carefree operation, and value-added features such as digital video at an attractive price. The DiMAGE E223's precision electro-optical system is built around a 2.1 megapixel 1/2.7-type interline primary-color CCD with 2.0 million effective pixels for high-resolution images. This pixel... (More)

Minolta Europe announces new 4mpix digicam (UPDATED)
04:56 EST - The good folks over at Dutch website LetsGoDigital.nl have posted news of a new digital camera announced in Europe by Minolta.

We're not currently aware of any US plans for the DiMAGE F200, which is apparently the successor to the existing DiMAGE F100 model. According to LetsGoDigital's item, which has three photos each of the... (More)

LetsGoDigital hands-on with the Pentax *ist D
04:48 EST - Our friends at Dutch website LetsGoDigital.nl (who we've now had the pleasure of meeting in person) have been fortunate to have the opportunity to see Pentax's *ist D before the PMA Spring 2003 show opens its doors.

Mark and Dennis have posted a brief item with nine photos of the camera from a variety of angles. They weren't allowed to touch the camera themselves, so they can't offer any opinions as to how it feels... (More)

Olympus announces two new D-series digicams
04:43 EST - Olympus America's D-series digital camera line grows larger today with the announcement of two new models.

The Olympus Camedia D-390 is a 2 megapixel, fixed focal-length camera that will reach US shores in April at a cost of $149 (street). The Olympus Camedia D-560 Zoom digital camera, meanwhile, will ship... (More)

Olympus: Second Ultra Zoom announcement of the day
03:58 EST - 9AM EST -6: Olympus America has today announced a second new 10x optical zoom digital camera.

Following hot on the heels of the announcement of the Camedia C-750 Ultra Zoom, the C-740 Ultra Zoom is very similar to its higher-spec sibling, but with reduced (3.2 megapixel) resolution, and with no... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Lexar Media Introduces Write Acceleration to High-Speed Series CompactFlash
03:32 EST - Write Acceleration Enters CompactFlash Cards for Photo Enthusiasts Las Vegas, (PMA) March 2, 2003 - Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq:LEXR), a leading designer, developer and marketer of award-winning high-performance digital media and accessories, today announces 16X High-Speed Series CompactFlash in 128MB, 256MB and 512MB capacities. The cards feature Write Acceleration technology, which was previously... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Lexar Media Introduces USB 2.0 Multi-Card Reader
03:30 EST - Supports Seven Memory Formats, Including xD LAS VEGAS (PMA), March 2, 2003 - Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), a leading designer, developer and marketer of award-winning high-performance digital media and accessories, today announces a 7 in 1 USB 2.0 Multi-Card Reader, which accommodates CompactFlash I/II, Memory Stick, Secure Digital, Smart Media, MMC and xD Picture Card formats. Using USB 2.0,... (More)

Olympus announces C-750 Ultra Zoom
03:25 EST - 9AM EST -6: Olympus America will today announce what it says is the world's smallest 10x optical zoom, 4 megapixel digital camera (the announcement was scheduled for 9AM Eastern Time, however since other sites were apparently given a different time, we are now posting the news as well).

The Camedia C-750 Ultra Zoom has an all-metal body, xD-Picture Card storage and is the company's first Ultra Zoom camera to feature a built-in flash hot shoe. The Olympus Camedia Ultra Zoom digital camera... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Lexar Media Introduces World's Largest CompactFlash
03:20 EST - Company offers 2GB and 4GB CompactFlash Cards with 32X Speed Rating Las Vegas, (PMA) March 2, 2003 - Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq:LEXR), a leading designer, developer and marketer of award-winning high-performance digital media and accessories, today announces that it will extend its line of Professional Series CompactFlash cards with 2GB and 4GB capacity cards, speed rated at 32X. 32X speed is capable... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SiPix Introduces 'Picture ALIVE' Technology, Delivering Sharper, Brighter Images for Consumer Digital Cameras
00:54 EST - PMA, Las Vegas, March 2, 2003 - SiPix today announced the availability of Picture ALIVE, a digital image processing technology for its digital camera line that uses cutting-edge technology to dramatically enhance images delivering superior image quality. Picture ALIVE produces sharper, more vibrant and brighter images that can be enlarged without loss of precious details. SiPix will offer a sneak... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SiPix Introduces Advanced 2.1 Mega Pixel Digital Camera for Consumer Market
00:53 EST - With an advanced design and feature set, the easy-to-use StyleCam Extreme boasts a MovieMode, 4X digital zoom and 16MB of built-in flash memory at a consumer-friendly price PMA, Las Vegas, March 2, 2003 - SiPix today announced its new 2.1 Mega Pixel StyleCam Extreme digital camera. The sleek StyleCam Extreme offers high-end features with an intuitive "point and shoot" design. SiPix will demonstrate... (More)

SiPix Debuts Five-In-One Digicam
00:51 EST - New StyleCam Groove features 1.3 Megapixel resolution, 16MB built-in memory and ultra-thin, compact design ...

LAS VEGAS -- SiPix today announced the new 5-in-1 StyleCam Groove with 1.3 megapixels and 16MB built-in memory will be availabe this month for $69.99. Built into the StyleCam Groove is Picture ALIVE,... (More)

Saturday, March 1, 2003

Kyocera Introduces Contax Tvs Digital
9:24 EST - "Carrying on the tradition set by the popular Contax T series, the Contax Tvs Digital delivers an extraordinary high standard of quality combined with an array of features not found on most digital cameras," explained Ben La Marca, President of Kyocera Optics, Inc. Kyocera's titanium Contax Tvs Digital boasts 5-megapixel resolution with 3x optical zoom (plus 4x digital) from a Carl Zeiss Vario... (More)

Kyocera Introduces Two Digicams With 2.5" LCDs
21:02 EST - With bigger and brighter LCDs, Kyocera's new Finecams promise to make digital imaging even easier on the eyes.

Kyocera added two new models to its Finecam series, the 3-megapixel Finecam L3v ($449) and the 4-megapixel Kyocera Finecam L4v ($549), both sporting the company's new "DayFine" 2.5-inch LCD. The Dayfine's... (More)

Argus Introduces 5-Mp DC-3810 Under $500, Four Pocket Digicams
20:18 EST - Argus unveiled an inexpensive five-megapixel digicam with 3x optical zoom and four smaller digicams ranging from a $180 two-megapixel pocketable to a $100 necklace digicam.

LAS VEGAS -- Argus Camera introduced the first five-megapixel digicam under $500 here today at PMA 2003, along with four pocket-sized digicams ranging in price from $99.95 to $176.99. The five-megapixel... (More)

Toshiba Unveils PDR-4300 4-Mp Digicam With Canon Optics
19:47 EST - Bridging the gap between consumer and prosumer products, Toshiba's new PDR-4300 provides high resolution with Canon optics, multimedia capabilities and an appealing price tag.

LAS VEGAS -- Toshiba introduced their small but capable PDR-4300 here today at PMA 2003. The new digicam features a four-megapixel CCD with 2400x1600 resolution, professional-level manual options and a... (More)

Minolta preparing DiMAGE X-series update (full specs) (UPDATED)
18:47 EST - At today's "PMA Sneak Peek", a press event offering a chance to meet with companies before the show opens to see the latest products, we were fortunate not only to be given a look at an upcoming product from Minolta, but to be able to photograph it alongside the existing DiMAGE Xi design.

The new DiMAGE Xt will feature a prism-folded optical path the same as its predecessors (allowing the 3x optical zoom lens to be placed vertically inside the camera, and keeping down camera size, startup... (More)

Sony's HVL-F32X flash. Copyright (c) 2003, Michael R. Tomkins. All rights reserved.

New Sony External Flash Unit Debuts (UPDATED)
15:17 EST - At Sony's press event this morning, we came across a slick little product that we briefly hinted at during the flurry of their recent digicam announcements. The HVL-F32X is a nifty new external flash unit, with multiple added features and advancements over the previous HVL-F1000 model.

Sony's new HVL-F32X external flash unit makes use of added electrical contacts present on the new DSC-V1 and Mavica MVC-CD500 cameras, to tie the flash into the camera's TTL (Through The Lens) metering... (More)

LaserSoft Imaging Releases SilverFast DC 6 with Virtual Light Table
11:19 EST - LaserSoft Imaging has announced the release of Digital Camera 6 with Virtual Light Table based on the company's highly-regarded SilverFast Ai. The Virtual Light Table brings viewing, organizing, editing and processing, as well as printing capabilities to the package designed for digital photographers.

The Virtual Light Table adds a handful of new features: Viewing for file browsing, directory overview, EXIF info; Organizing for searching, sorting, drag & drop into work area, placing images into... (More)

Interactive Solutions Releases MovieWorks Deluxe 6.0
11:01 EST - Interactive Solutions, Inc. has announced the release of MovieWorks Deluxe 6.0, featuring general reliability improvements, support for importing MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 files, and exporting to the new MPEG-4 format. The company also said enhancements have been made to media sequencing, previewing, playback navigation and text editing. The Player applications have also been optimized to ope productions in a matter of seconds on most computers.

The new release includes an additional 50-MB of new graphic and photo clip media objects and an interactive "front-end", created in MovieWorks, to allow easier installation and navigation of CD contents.... (More)

Roxio Showcases Easy CD & DVD Creator 6 Platinum
10:47 EST - LAS VEGAS -- Roxio will showcase its recently introduced Digital Media Suite this evening, just before the official opening of the Photo Marketing Association Convention here. The Windows suite consists of the redesigned Easy CD & DVD Creator 6 Platinum to capture, edit, manage and burn photos, videos, music and data to CD or DVD.

Among the integrated new applications in Easy CD & DVD Creator 6 is DVD Builder. Roxio's new DVD Builder allows users to easily capture, edit and combine video and photo to create professional DVDs of... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Nixvue Systems Announces New Vizor CD-ROM Based Storage Device
02:45 EST - Nixvue Systems Pte Ltd, manufacturers of the award-winning Nixvue Digital Album and Vista (Visual Storage Album) today announced the introduction of the Vizor, a transportable CDROMbased product targeted at users who want a convenient way of permanently storing the digital camera images into CD Recordable media. Permanent Storage At the press of one button, the Nixvue Vizor easily and conveniently... (More)

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