Canon shipped 19.7 million digital cameras in 2006 to retain its position as global leader, according to an IDC report. Sony, Kodak and Olympus were next, with a surprise jump from 9th to 5th for Samsung, who more than doubled their market share from a year earlier. Nikon dropped to 6th, but retained 2nd place in the DSLR market, which was again headed by Canon.

DPNow have just reviewed the Epson P-3000 Multimedia Storage Viewer, a portable storage device with 40Gb hard drive and 4 inch LCD screen.

“The user interface has been simplified and some of the pretty icon-based default screens have made way for more functional text menus. But to compensate, there is a 100% (1 image pixel to 1 screen pixel) zoom indicator, an exposure histogram overlay – though not for separate colour channels – and video playback is largely free of frame-skipping, which was one of the minor disappointments of the P-2000.”

Website: DPNow - Epson P-3000 Review

Website: Read our Epson P-5000 Review

The new Iomega Power Pro Desktop Hard Drive is a 2TB drive powered by four hot-swappable SATA hard drives. FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 connections are available, with transfer rates up to 70MB/sec. The Iomega Power Pro Desktop Hard Drive is expected to be available worldwide on April 10 for $1,699.95.

Samsung have announced an 8.4 megapixel CMOS image sensor with a 1.4? pixel size. The new sensor uses just one-tenth the power of an equivalent CCD image sensor. An extended photo diode technology was implemented to achieve higher light sensitivity and saturation levels.

Artimi Wireless USB connectivity for next-generation digital cameras was showcased at this month’s PMA show. Wireless USB allows you to quickly and automatically download digital photos at speeds up to 480Mbps using WiMedia-based ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. “Next-generation digital cameras with this technology will allow consumers to quickly download and share all their photos in just seconds, without draining the battery or having to carry extra cables.” commented Colin Macnab, CEO of Artimi.

A panel of digital imaging editors have selected the winners of the prestigious DIMA Innovative Digital Product Awards. DIMA Innovative Digital Product Awards recognize products or services utilizing new technologies and /or applications that make the product either distinct or the first of its kind. The winners include the HP Designjet Z Photo Printer Series, Lensbaby 3G, Olympus SP-550 UZ and Think Tank Photo rotation360 backpack.

Wolverine Data have released a firmware upgrade for the Wolverine ESP portable multimedia player that provides RAW file support for the Sony Alpha DSLR-A100, Canon 400D and Canon Digital Rebel XTi digital SLR cameras. The Wolverine ESP is available in four models, ranging in capacity from 80GB to 160GB, with prices starting at $379.00.

At least in the United Kingdom anyway. In a recent report members of Which? voted for Panasonic as the most reliable camera maker, with 99% overall reliability. “We are delighted with the results of the Which? report, and are proud to produce reliable, award winning Lumix models that extend photographic opportunities.” commented Mark Robinson of Panasonic UK. 7,579 camera owners took part in the survey. To all Panasonic owners out there, past and present - do you agree with these results? Are Panasonic cameras the most reliable around?

PMA 2007: HP have introduced a range of new products aimed at the digital photographer. HP DreamColor Technologies is the first integrated system that delivers the highest level of digital color consistency across a series of devices. The new HP Designjet Z3100ps GP Photo Printer is one of the first products to implement HP DreamColor. HP debuted the industry’s first digital camera to feature in-camera pet-eye fix, the HP Photosmart R837, whilst the HP Photosmart A440 Series Camera and Printer Docks are a complete photo system. Finally, HP’s Photosmart Essential 2.0 software has been revamped with a Vista-like user interface.

PMA 2007: HP DreamColor is the first integrated system that delivers the greatest level of digital color consistency across a series of devices. Available initially on select HP printers, over time HP DreamColor will be implemented across a broader range of markets and HP product categories, including PCs and monitors. “HP DreamColor will provide our customers with the confidence that their artistic intent will be preserved as they move from device to device in the workflow.” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP.

PMA 2007: Pentax were showcasing their 645 medium format digital camera again, following its appearance at Photokina in Autumn 2006. Nothing seems to have changed since then, so I’ve just included a couple of photos to prove that it’s still on the roadmap. Pentax are still undecided about exactly how many megapixels the final product will actually have, with anything from 18 to 30 possible. A very tentative release date of sometime in 2007 was suggested.

PMA 2007: Micron’s new 5 megapixel HD image sensor is designed specifically for hybrid cameras and is capable of capturing HD video at 60 frames per second (fps) in 720p (progressive) format. Micron’s 8 megapixel image sensor is now available for mass production. Micron is sampling the new sensors now with mass production expected in the third quarter of 2007.

The Archos 704 WiFi Portable Media Player is the only PMP with a 7 inch touch-screen and full wireless capabilities. The 704 WiFi offers 802.11g wireless networking, 80GB hard drive, 800x480 pixel resolution with 16 million colors, a touch-screen for simple navigation using fingertips or the included stylus, and video editing capabilities for trimming recorded video directly on the device. The Archos 704 WiFi will be available for $549.99 U.S from mid March.

PMA 2007: The DXG Roadster is a combination of 5 Megapixel digital and video camera, video game and music player with FM radio, voice recorder and storage device, with 32MB of internal storage and an SD slot for additional memory. The DXG Roadster has a suggested retail price of $199 and is available immediately.

An article by PCMagazine.com claims that SanDisk “plans to offer a cheap read-only memory card designed to store photos for 100 years.” The new cards would be aimed at retailers such as Walmart / Walgreen and would not be editable at all once they were full. Perhaps a surprising move from the world’s leading manufacturer of writable flash storage devices, or a canny move to target the cheaper, mass end of the market?

The new Wolverine ESP portable multimedia player has a storage capacity of 160GB, 3.6-inch TFT LCD display and can store 80,000 digital photos, play 320 hours of video or 50,000 songs. The built-in 7-in-1 card reader accepts all popular memory cards. RAW files supported cameras include selected models of Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus, Kodak, Pentax, Minolta, Konica Minolta, Panasonic, Contax, Leica and Sony. The Wolverine ESP 160Gb PMP has an estimated street price of less than $600.

PMA 2007: The X-Rite i1Display family of products is the result of a merger with world-class color technology developer GretagMacbeth. The new X-Rite i1DisplayLT delivers an accurately profiled monitor with unrivaled controls, including grey balance optimization and an ambient light check. The X-Rite i1Display2 adds a Workgroup Match function and unlimited gamma white point and luminance settings.

PMA 2007: The new colorimeter-driven X-Rite i1®DisplayLT calibrates your monitor, whilst the spectro-powered X-Rite i1PhotoLT ensures that prints match your screen. Both new products will be on show at PMA 2007 and are the result of a merger with fellow color technology developer GretagMacbeth.

PMA 2007: The X-Rite i1Photo delivers a complete color-precise digital RGB workflow. It can calibrate all types of monitors and profile scanners, digital cameras and digital projectors as well as capture natural light conditions with a new ambient light head. The X-Rite-i1 product line is the result of a merger with fellow color technology developer GretagMacbeth.

Rob Galbraith are reporting that the DIGITAL-MODUL-R 10 megapixel digital back for the Leica R9 camera has now been discontinued. In a low-key notice to US dealers (but not the press) Lecia are apparently “optimistic about the digital developments in the R System in the near future”. PMA in March is probably too “near future” for an upgraded version.

Website: Rob Galbraith