Olympus Press Release 12/02/04

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. And Sigma Corporation To Support Fourthirds System Standard For Dedicated Digital SLR Camera Systems

Olympus Corporation (President: Tsuyoshi Kikukawa) is pleased to announce the addition of three more firms to the roster of companies supporting the FourThirds System standard for digital SLR camera systems. The three firms (in alphabetical order) are: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.* (best known for its “Panasonic” brand products), Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. and Sigma Corporation. The FourThirds System standard continues to be open to all, and the participation of additional firms is being encouraged.

Duracell Press Release 12/02/04

DURACELL CP1 PRISMATIC BATTERY POWERS HP PHOTOSMART R707 DIGITAL CAMERA

High-Power, Disposable Battery Addresses Consumer Demand for More Power Choices in Smaller Devices

LAS VEGAS, NV, February 12, 2004 - Duracell today announced that its new Duracell CP1 lithium primary prismatic battery is compatible with the HP Photosmart R707 digital camera with HP Instant Share. The HP Photosmart R707 digital camera, announced today at PMA, leverages the new battery’s potent power supply and thin profile to fuel its advanced technology. Disposable in nature, the Duracell CP1 acts as an “always ready” power source for the HP Photosmart R707 digital camera, providing interchangeability with a rechargeable battery.

The unique design of the Duracell CP1 represents the first ever high-power lithium primary prismatic battery designed specifically for digital cameras. The new shape of the battery was developed after a survey of digital camera owners indicated that 75% of the respondents preferred to have a choice between rechargeable and primary (disposable) power when using a digital camera. Measuring only seven millimeters thick, the Duracell CP1 enables digital camera manufacturers like HP to create thinner profile cameras that accept both a primary and rechargeable source of power. With the Duracell CP1, digital imaging leaders now have the ability to offer a lower-cost, “ready-to-go” alternative to secondary batteries. For consumers, the battery provides an ideal portable power source for the spontaneous nature of photography.

In his latest article Michael Reichmann names and shames a number of camera manufacturers who have released shoddy goods in the last few months. As the digital camera market grows and grows, are new products being introduced before they are ready?

“A lot of products pass across my desk for review. Software, hardware, cameras, gadgets, lenses, accessories ? essentially anything and everything to do with photography. The purpose of this brief commentary is to point out a concern that I have been developing regarding the quality of a number of the products that I have seen in recent months.

Simply put, many of them are sub-par. They are poorly designed, have obvious flaws, and in my opinion simply aren’t ready for market.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Clearing the Air

Pretec Press Release 12/02/04

World’s Highest Speed CF Card Pretec 80X Cheetah CompactFlash

LAS VEGAS—(Business Wire)—Feb. 12, 2004 Pretec Electronics Corp., the 2nd company in the world offering CompactFlash memory card (CF) card since 1995, is demonstrating the world’s highest speed CF card at Pretec booth #H71 of PMA show here at Las Vegas Convention Center.

With write speed more than double the leading brand’s high speed CF card in the market today, users of Pretec CF cards can enjoy the exciting multimedia experience in applications such as high resolution digital cameras, where faster write speed means lower set-up time between pictures. Tested with WA(1) enabled Kodak Professional DCS Pro 14n (under current firmware), the industry’s highest resolution (14 mega-pixels) digital SLR camera, which displays the write speed of the CF card, Pretec Cheetah CF card scores at 4.9MB/s; while SanDisk Ultra II/Extreme (write speed 9MB/s) is displayed at 2.9MB/s and Lexar Media WA enabled 40X (write speed 6MB/s) is at 4.2MB/s.

Micro Solutions Press Release 12/02/04

Micro Solutions showcases RoadStor portable media player at Photo Marketing Association show

Diverse product allows viewing and sharing of digital photos, audio and video, with or without a computer

LAS VEGAS - Feb. 12, 2004 - Micro Solutions, Inc. is showcasing its new RoadStor portable media player at Booth No. 181 at the Photo Marketing Association show. This diverse product is compact yet powerful enough for viewing, copying, toting and sharing digital photos, audio and video almost anywhere, with or without a computer. It combines a digital photo viewer, CD burner, DVD player and MP3 player all in one package, making it the first device available that will let users burn CDs directly from storage cards.

With its own snap-on rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that delivers two hours of continuous play time, and at about the size of a VHS tape, RoadStor travels easily. Simple to operate, it connects directly to a TV and works as a stand-alone device or as a PC or Mac accessory.

“RoadStor is the perfect digital camera accessory,” said Pat Barron, vice president of sales at Micro Solutions. “It alleviates the problem of running out of room on a digital camera’s memory card by letting users burn digital photo CDs right from the storage cards. And it does this without a computer. With RoadStor, users don’t need to delete any digital photos, buy additional, costly memory cards, or lug a laptop with them to occasionally transfer the card’s contents onto it to make room for more pictures. It’s also great for sharing photos from lifetime events, such as weddings and graduations, as well as vacation pictures among family and friends.”

Sony Press Release 11/02/04

SONY ACCELERATES STANDARD MEMORY STICK MEDIA WITH FASTER SPEED AND NEW COLOR

USB Reader/Writer with Triple Memory-Card Slots Adds Versatility

LAS VEGAS (PMA, Booth M30), Feb. 11, 2004 - Sony Electronics is equipping Memory Stick media users for the digital future by adding the ability to read data at high speeds and copyright protection as standard features on all Memory Stick media available at retailers nationwide.

Updated Memory Stick media will start shipping this spring in 32MB, 64MB, 128MB and 256MB (total 128MBx2) capacities. A striking cobalt-blue color will distinguish the new line from its purple predecessor.

When used with compatible (4-pin parallel), high-speed Memory Stick media-enabled hardware, users can enjoy read speeds that are up to four times faster than current standard Memory Stick media. The new media will allow users to speed up viewing their digital images on a compatible camera and streaming video storage. Sony expects device compatibility to remain constant or even increase, given that the media will be interoperable with both serial and parallel interfaces.

Sony Press Release 11/02/04

NEW SONY PHOTO VAULT MINI CD-R STATION ENABLES PORTABLE DIRECT-FROM-CAMERA CD BURNING

Features Standard USB Interface for Direct Image Downloads, Allows Viewing of Digital Images on TV

LAS VEGAS (PMA, Booth #M30), Feb. 11, 2004 - Offering a portable, PC-free solution for burning photos directly from digital still cameras to mini CD-R, Sony introduces Photo Vault Mini CD-R Station.

Weighing only 8 ounces, Photo Vault Mini CD-R Station adds convenience and flexibility to digital photography storage. Users can burn images directly from their camera to 8 cm mini CD-R using the Photo Vault device’s standard USB interface. Photo Vault also features a built-in photo album capability to display photos on a television screen using a television’s standard AV input.

“Photo Vault is the perfect travel companion for anyone who owns a digital camera,” said Michael Lucas, director of marketing for consumer and convergent media products in Sony Electronics’ Media and Applications Solutions Division. “It eliminates the worries of exceeding the capacity on a camera’s memory card, or of needing a computer to store and view your digital pictures. Additionally, the mini CD-R format can instantly preserve the images for archiving, sharing or future printing.”

Alera Technologies Press Release 11/02/04

The New DVD/CD Digital Photo Copy Station copies directly from your Memory Card to DVD or CD without a computer

Las Vegas, NV February 11, 2004 - Alera Technologies, developer and manufacturer of Advanced DVD and CD Duplicating and Publishing Solutions introduced today at PMA 2004 the DVD/CD Digital Photo Copy Station, the world’s first Memory card to DVD/CD copier, and the first in a family of Desktop Digital Imaging solutions from Alera Technologies. Both the resolution of digital cameras and the capacity of digital photo memory cards are increasing at an astonishing rate making this development particularly important. Now professional photographers, photo enthusiasts, and commercial photo labs, all can have the ability to safely store up to 4.7GB of valuable digital photos on one convenient removable disc. Photos stored on optical storage media are recognized as being more secure and far less subject to damage than those stored on a hard disk drive.

“With the resolution of digital cameras rapidly increasing, the size of even a single digital photo file can be huge. And with recent developments pushing the capacities of photo memory cards to 4GB and beyond, professional and Prosumer photographers have been demanding a way to quickly and safely store growing volumes of valuable digital photographs. It is important to be able to free up precious memory card space for more pictures and the DVD/CD Digital Photo Copy Station is the first product available to copy to DVD, successfully and safely backing up even the largest memory cards,” stated Perry Solomon, President and CEO.

SmartDisk Corporation Press Release 11/02/04

Fort Myers, Fla., February 11, 2004 - SmartDisk Corporation announced today that its FlashTrax portable, palm-sized digital multimedia device has been selected by PHOTO Electronic Imaging (PEI) Magazine as a recipient of its 2003 Cool2 Award for “Best Storage and Display”. The award honors products that reflect exceptional quality, innovation, design, value for price and performance. During 2003, FlashTrax was also awarded the Photomarketing Association?s DIMA Award and the Professional Photographer?s Association HOT1 Award. FlashTrax is being showcased in Booth A180, South Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center at the PMA International Convention and Trade Show, February 12-15.

“We’re honored that PEI magazine has recognized FlashTrax for the Cool2 Award. This award is especially gratifying as it represents satisfaction by the many professional photographers using FlashTrax,” noted Charles Klinker, Vice President, Marketing for SmartDisk.

Sandisk Press Release 11/02/04SanDisk Introduces Highest Capacity CompactFlash Card—First 4 Gigabyte Card That Can Be Used in Any CompactFlash Digital Camera

LAS VEGAS—(Business Wire)—Feb. 11, 2004 Offers Great Compatibility, Maximum Storage Capacity and Flexibility; Based On SanDisk’s Advanced Technology

SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today introduced the first 4-gigabyte (GB) CompactFlash(R) card that can be used in any CompactFlash digital camera or device. The new card can store more than 2,000 high-resolution pictures, or more than 1,000 digital songs or 8 hours of MPEG 4 video.(a)

The 4GB SanDisk CompactFlash card features an advanced design from SanDisk that allows it to operate in cameras that use either the FAT16 or FAT32 file formats. It is the only CompactFlash card of its capacity and compatibility level that is available in the popular Type I format and fits into any CompactFlash slot.

The new 4GB SanDisk CompactFlash card was introduced at the annual Photo Marketing Association trade show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in booth L-70, South Hall, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Sandisk Press Release 11/02/04

SanDisk Announces Availability of the World’s Fastest CompactFlash Cards

LAS VEGAS—(Business Wire)—Feb. 11, 2004 2 Gigabyte SanDisk Extreme and Ultra II CompactFlash Cards Offer Blazing Speed and Huge Capacities; Will Ship This Month To Selected Retailers Worldwide

SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today introduced the 2 gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Extreme(TM) and SanDisk Ultra II CompactFlash(R) cards, the largest capacities available for its comprehensive line of high-performance CompactFlash cards for digital photographers. The announcement was made at the Photo Marketing Association International trade show where SanDisk is showing its products in booth L-70.

SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Ultra II cards are targeted primarily at the professional digital camera and ‘prosumer’ market where 4 megapixel or higher resolution digital cameras require significantly faster digital film cards. Each card features a minimum write speed of 9 megabytes per second (MB/sec.) and a minimum read speed of 10MB/sec.(a)

SanDisk Extreme and Ultra II CompactFlash cards are consistently rated the fastest CompactFlash cards by a significant margin according to photojournalist and industry consultant, Rob Galbraith. His comprehensive CompactFlash Performance Database includes real-world test results from more than 48 CompactFlash cards tested in Digital SLR cameras from Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Pentax and others (www.robgalbraith.com).

Sandisk Press Release 11/02/04

SanDisk Offers the Widest Range of Memory Stick PRO and PRO Duo Flash Storage Cards in the World

LAS VEGAS—(Business Wire)—Feb. 11, 2004 SanDisk Leads In Capacity By Designing And Manufacturing Memory Card Format Pioneered By Sony and SanDisk

SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today announced the addition of the 128 megabyte (MB) Memory Stick(R) PRO(TM), and 128MB Memory Stick PRO Duo cards to its product line. SanDisk now offers the industry’s broadest range of Memory Stick PRO and PRO Duo cards with capacities that range from 128MB to 2 gigabytes (GB) and 128MB to 512MB respectively.

The addition of 128MB capacities allows SanDisk’s retailers to offer the Memory Stick PRO and PRO Duo cards at a price point below the 256MB capacity, which was previously the lowest capacity for these card formats. The new cards were introduced at the Photo Marketing Association International tradeshow where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Booth #L-70 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Sandisk Press Release 11/02/04

SanDisk Announces Shoot & Store, the World’s First “Consumable’’ Flash Memory Cards for Digital Cameras

LAS VEGAS—(Business Wire)—Feb. 11, 2004 Inexpensive Cards Offer Permanent Storage, Eliminate Computer Downloading And Will Reach Mainstream Consumers in Drug Stores, Supermarkets, Convenience Stores

SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today announced a new line of inexpensive flash memory cards designed to allow users to save their pictures indefinitely without using a computer for downloading, thus giving millions of consumers a major incentive to switch from film to digital photography and providing them with a durable, permanent way to store a lifetime of images. With an initial suggested retail price of $14.99 each—a breakthrough in the industry—the Shoot & Store(TM) cards are expected to allow people to order prints on a “cost-of-use” basis that is equal to or less than that of traditional analog film. And they won’t have to worry about leaving expensive flash memory cards with retail photo finishers.

The announcement was made at the annual Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show in Las Vegas where SanDisk is demonstrating products in booth L-70 in the South Hall of the Convention Center.

ColorVision Inc. Press Release 10/02/04

ColorVision’s Affordable Pricing Brings State of the Art Color Management Products toward a Mass-Market Standard; Showcased at PMA Las Vegas - Booth Q100

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J.—(Business Wire)—Feb. 10, 2004 ColorVision Inc., a Datacolor company announces up to 30% reductions and better on the award winning, state-of-the-art color management systems for photography, design, desktop and pre-press professionals.
The critically acclaimed ColorVision(R) SpyderPRO(TM), a precise calibration system for LCD and CRT monitors and the newly upgraded PrintFIX(TM), an integrated hardware/ software solution that delivers accurate inkjet printer profiles, have received enthusiastic endorsements from industry and user experts alike.

The introduction of the SpyderPRO+PrintFIX(TM) bundle, a $578 retail value offered at $449 meets the industry demand for an affordable integrated hardware/ software solution from monitor calibration to printer profiling.

ColorVision Press Release 10/02/04

ColorVision Unveils The Affordable New SpectroPRO Suite For Professional’s Who Can’t Leave Digital Imaging To Chance

LAS VEGAS, NV- February 12- Today at the PHOTO MARKETING ASSOCIATION (PMA) Trade Show (Booth #Q100) COLORVISION Inc., a Datacolor company announced the new SpectroPRO Suite, a total solution for professionals who depend on accurate monitor calibration and printer profiling. SpectroPRO Suite has all the tools for high-level color control; monitor calibration, outstanding Spectro-built printer profiles and sophisticated profile editing, all for $999.

The SpectroPRO Suite package is compatible with most popular image editing tools and printers, putting control of the digital darkroom in the hands of the creator. The bundle includes:

- SpectroPRO Spectrocolorimeter, which conveniently measures a range of calibration targets (in the ProfilerPRO component) including new color targets specially opti mized for reading with the ColorMouse and PatchReader software.
- The new PatchReader software utility for reading color targets and reducing patch-reading errors with an easy to use color-coded reading interface which makes patch reading a snap with the Spectrocolorimeter, no matter how many times you need to return to it. You can even save partially read targets for later completion!
- ProfilerPRO (3.0) printer profile building software, with more accurate matching of saturated vector colors, especially helpful for graphic designers. ProfilerPRO used with the ColorMouse Spectrocolorimeter builds high-quality printer profiles right inside Adobe Photoshop.
- DoctorPRO software (included in ProfilerPRO) which edits your profiles using the full Adobe Photoshop toolset for color manipulation.
- The award-winning USB SpyderPRO colorimeter with the advanced features of OptiCAL software for use on both LCD and CRT displays.

Dow Jones News Service via NewsEdge Corporation : FRANKFURT (Dow Jones)—Germany’s Leica Camera AG (LCA.XE) will begin development of a digital camera for the company’s key “M” series lenses, a person close to the company said Friday.

The company will use proceeds from the sale of EUR15 million in convertible bonds to finance the project, the person, who declined to be identified, said.

The “M” rangefinder camera is one of Leica’s flagship cameras, and its introduction in the 1950s helped make Leica a household name in both professional and amateur-enthusiast photography.

Leica has said in the past that “M” lenses weren’t suited for digital sensors, as the lenses - originally designed for film - cause image distortions on the border of a digital sensor. A new type of “microlens” digital sensor will solve this problem, the person close to Leica said.

Mike Strock has emailed me with an intriguing link which to me kind of explains why Kodak is in decline. They are introducing a self-service kiosk in the USA which will process your film in just 5 minutes, and then allow you to select the pictures that you want to keep. All well and good so far, until you get to this part of the story:

“Costs are expected to be around $4 for film developing and a CD, plus 29 cents per print. Consumers get the CD in lieu of the traditional negatives.”

They keep the negatives! And give you a CD instead! Taking away the negatives from a film photographer is sacrilege. There’s no mention of how big the scans will be, but I bet they fit neatly onto a 650Mb CD…

So maybe the service is aimed at occasional camera users who don’t understand or care about their negatives. That doesn’t seem to be the case either:

“Says Grant Pill, CVS’ photo manager: “If you give consumers the ability to take control of the process, they’ll be happy.”“

Will those customers be happy? Wouldn’t they rather drop off their film as they’ve always done and pick up their 24 or 36 prints later? Will they really bother to pick and choose?

Kodak’s new kiosk seems to be a confusing mix of old and new, as this very traditional company tries to embrace the digital world. Expect to see one in store near you soon…

Website: USA Today - Kodak self-serve kiosk to develop film in under 5 minutes

Delkin Devices Inc. Press Release 09/02/04

DELKIN ADDS SD & HIGH CAPACITY GIGABYTE MEMORY CARDS TO ITS HIGH-SPEED EFILM PRO CARD LINE

Poway CA, February 9, 2004 Delkin Devices Inc., maker of premium quality eFilm memory cards and other innovative products for camera stores worldwide, today announced some major new additions to its high-speed eFilm PRO Card line.  The new eFilm Secure Digital (SD) PRO Card meets today’s need for speed for the new wave of video cameras and mobile camera phones requiring high-speed SD memory cards.  Initial eFilm SD PRO Card capacities will be 256MB and 512MB (with SD PRO 1GB coming in Q2) and are expected to be among the fastest Secure Digital memory cards on the market. Transfer rate speeds up to 10 MB/s can be achieved.  A 512MB SD PRO Card can hold approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes of MPEG4 video, 4 hours of MP3 audio (128 kbps), and 1,041 JPEG photos (standard/1600x1200 pixels).

Delkin is also increasing the storage capacities to their already popular eFilm CompactFlash (CF) PRO Cards for high-end SLR digital cameras. High-capacities of 1 and 2 Gigabytes (GB) now join the existing PRO Card capacities of 128MB, 256MB, 320MB, 512MB and the unique “straight to CD-R” capacity of 640MB. eFilm PRO cards are Delkin?s premium series of memory cards designed to quench the professional photographer’s thirst for speed. As digital cameras continue to evolve into sophisticated tools, Delkin has positioned the eFilm PRO card as the state of the art high-speed digital memory card. The eFilm CF PRO Cards are solid-state, and designed to be fast and durable for extensive shooting in the most extreme conditions.

Delkin Devices Inc. Press Release 09/02/04

DELKIN EXPANDS DIGITAL CAMERA BATTERY AND READER/WRITER PRODUCT LINE

Poway CA, February 9, 2004 Delkin Devices Inc., maker of premium quality eFilm memory cards and other innovative products for camera stores worldwide, today announced an expanded line of digital camera and camcorder batteries.  These new products will be introduced at PMA in Las Vegas February 12 through 15 at their booth C166. Chief among the products is the eFilm RCR-V3 digital camera battery.  Many of today?s digital cameras are powered by two or four AA batteries, or in their place one or two of the popular CR-V3 batteries.  But the CR-V3 is expensive and like Alkaline AA batteries, is disposable and presents an environmental concern with its one time use. Delkin?s RCR-V3 provides a rechargeable alternative in a Lithium Ion battery.  The RCR-V3 also offers greater power output than NiMH researchable batteries, holds a charge longer, weighs much less, and is more economical over time.  Delkin Devices offers the RCR-V3 packaged with a battery charger.  The RCR-V3 is also sold separately.

SimpleTech Press Release 09/02/04

SimpleTech Announces Industry’s Highest Capacity 8 GB CompactFlash Card With 10MB/sec Write Speed

New 8 GB Card Utilizes Company’s Patented IC Tower Stacking Technology

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—SimpleTech, Inc. (Nasdaq: STEC), a designer, manufacturer and marketer of custom and open-standard memory solutions based on Flash memory and DRAM technologies, today announced the industry’s highest capacity CompactFlash with an 8 GB Type II card using the Company’s patented stacking technology. The Company also announced 2, 4 and 5 GB Type I cards and a significant increase to the write speed of its entire ProX line of CompactFlash cards. The products will be unveiled at the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) trade show held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from February 12-15, 2004. SimpleTech will exhibit in booth N-64.