April 2003 news and reviews

I/OMagic the manufacturer of data storage devices, recently introduced the Digital Photo Library. It is a portable, stand alone device that is equipped with a 6 in 1 memory card reader supporting CF Type I/II including MicroDrive, Smart Media, Memory Stick, SD/MMC and a 20 GB 2.5" HDD. The Digital Photo Library is available now for an MSRP of $229.99.

Just posted! Our full, in-depth review of Canon's four megapixel ultra-compact PowerShot S400. This camera is also known as the Digital IXUS 400 in Europe. The PowerShot S400 was announced just before PMA this year as part of Canon's new line of digital cameras. It differs from previous PowerShot ultra-compacts in the use of a new 'Cerabrite' material which is a ceramic / metal alloy, it's lighter in color and doesn't mark as easily. The S400 is also remarkable as it packs a three times optical zoom lens into the same size body as the S230 which has only a two times lens. Come in and see how the S400 performed in our tests.

Canon has recently launched their 2003 Digital Creators Contest. The contest started in 2000, targeting professionals, students and amateurs who can present innovative digital media in four categories - digital photography, graphics and illustration, movie, and the Web. Entries can be made in New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam, or Hong Kong. Top creative professionals will serve as judges, searching for new talent and rewarding those whose work displays originality, novelty, expressiveness, and the ability to convey a message to viewers.

Just posted! Our full review of the five megapixel Olympus C-50 Zoom. The C-50 Zoom was announced at Photokina last year and was noteworthy at the time for being the first Olympus digital camera to be supplied with a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and charger. The stylish metal bodied design was also a pointer for future Olympus digital cameras. See how the C-50 Zoom did in our tests, read the review in full.

Reports released today from both PMA Marketing Research and InfoTrends confirm that digital camera ownership has now reached 20% in the US. A new product is often considered to have reached mass market appeal after achieving a 22% penetration.

Sony has released a statement on its support site about a potential issue affecting some of its Cyber-shot DSC-P1 digital cameras. The cameras may exhibit shorter time between charges and/or the inaccurate indication of the need for battery recharging. The issue seems to be caused by corrosion on the connection between the AC adaptor and the camera.

Leica has today announced the new D-Lux digital camera. The D-Lux has a three million pixel sensor and three times optical zoom lens. It is powered by a Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery and stores its images on SD / MMC storage card (a large 64 MB SD card is provided). It has a 1.5" LCD monitor and even supports full speed USB 2.0 data transfer. There are some sample images available on the Leica website which appear to have been shot in Las Vegas just before PMA 2003. As noted in our forums the D-Lux does appear to be a re-styled re-branded Panasonic DMC-F1. UPDATED: Added press release.

This coming Wednesday Phase One will release 'Capture One DSLR Limited Edition', this cut down version of their excellent Capture One DSLR software offers a cheaper option ($99) for RAW conversion to owners of Canon EOS-10D/D30/D60 and Nikon D100 digital SLR's. We have a review version 1.2 Beta 7 of Capture One DSLR Limited Edition. At the same time Phase One will be updating the full Capture One DSLR software with the new features introduced with LE as well as support for the Canon EOS-10D/D30/D60 and Nikon D100. UPDATED: Review updated with improved EOS-10D profile and better sharpening settings.

Matsushita Display Technology Co. has today announced a new LCD display which can actually capture the image of an object in front of the screen. The LTPS LCD ('Input Display') has QVGA resolution (320 x 240 x 3) and has an optical sensor in each pixel, this means that not only can it display an image but it can also capture one by scanning down the screen. At the moment this device is monochrome only and captures a 960 x 240 image (3 sub-pixels for each square pixel). Original story: EE Times.

Nixvue Systems has today announced the new Digital Album Lite HDO, this new version of the Digital Album product comes without a pre-installed hard disk, instead the buyer can choose to install a 2.5" laptop type hard disk of their choosing. Installation requires only basic PC component knowledge, a screwdrive and pair of scissors. The DA Lite has a high speed USB 2.0 interface and a Compact Flash Type I/II slot. This new low price option is priced at just $199.

Fujifilm Japan has today announced that its first digital camera based on the high dynamic range SuperCCD SR sensor has been delayed until 'Summer 2003'. The announcement notes that originally Fujifilm had hoped to release the camera in May but has had to delay the camera until the Summer. The reason given is "A delay in material procurement". The FinePix F700 has a 3.14 million pixel SuperCCD SR sensor, the new sensor design has two photodiodes at each photosite, one captures a 'normal' dynamic range the second captures higher details which should give the F700 the ability to reproduce a much higher dynamic range (dark to light).

JOBO has announced the Apacer Disc Steno CP100. It is a battery powered image-copying machine which burns CDs (CD-R/CD-RW) directly from memory cards without a computer. It is compatible with CompactFlash (CF) Type I and II, MicroDrive, Memory Stick (MS), SecureDigital (SD), MultiMedia (MMC), SmartMedia (SM), xD (with optional xD to CF adapter), and has multi-session capabilities for adding the contents of mutiple cards.

Minolta has announced the availability of Minolta DiMAGE Messenger v1.0.1. Current users of DiMAGE Messenger v1.0 who have purchased the program can upgrade their version for free. This new version is now less resource intensive and also fixes a printing bug.

Seiko Epson Japan has today announced the Rio PhotoPC Player P-1000. It is a very interesting product because with the features it has, it could be used in place of PC. It has a new 3.8" "Photo Fine" TFT LCD, 1.8" 10GB hard disk of which 9GB is available, Type II Compact Flash slot with support for other cards using a CF adapter, USB direct print to a number of Epson printers and USB connection to CD-R/RW drives for archiving. It is expected to ship in the summer for approx. 70,000 Yen ($590, 545 Euros).