Jon Canfield takes a look back at PMA 2008 to see into the future of inkjet printers…

PMA 2008 is not going to go down in history as the year of the new printer. Unlike past years where every major company had multiple new product announcements, this year was relatively quite on the inkjet front. That does point to a maturing category, and one where the existing quality bar is already very high. Indeed, you could take any of the top three (Canon, Epson, HP) and have lab quality or better prints today at a very reasonable cost.

That doesn’t mean new product development is dead by any means, and that’s a good thing for us as users. It does mean the breakneck speed of even two years ago is probably over. And, if you’re a gear junky like I am, it also means that we can focus on getting great prints rather than what’s new and better that’s just around the corner.

The Epson Stylus Pro 7880 is a new 24 inch, large-format printer featuring improved UltraChrome K3 ink with Vivid Magenta technology. Shared by all 3 new models in the x880 series, this technology promises a wider colour gamut and unrivalled image quality from an 8-colour inkset. In addition the Epson 7880 offers a new Ethernet interface as standard and an improved printhead with Epson’s Super Halftone Technology, which enhances the image detail that may be lost in low resolution images. With a price tag of £2395 / $2995 for the 24” Stylus Pro 7880, only serious photographers need apply. Jon Canfield finds out if the Epson Stylus Pro 7880 meets their needs…

Website: Epson Stylus Pro 7880 Review

Aptina, a newly-formed division of Micron, has announced a 9 megapixel CMOS sensor for compact digital cameras. The new sensor has a 1/2.3-inch optical format, 1.75-micron pixel architecture, can capture up to 15 frames per second, and shoot high-definition video of 720p at 30 fps. “We have received the first production orders for our 9 MP and are effectively penetrating the Japanese name-brand camera market, which has long been the leader in producing quality digital cameras and has largely focused on CCD as the image capture technology of choice,” said Bob Gove, President of Aptina.

The Olympus E-420 is a compact new entry-level 10 megapixel DSLR camera. One of the world’s smallest and lightest D-SLRs, the E420 offers Live View, 2.7 inch LCD screen, 3.5fps continuous shooting, Supersonic Wave Filter to prvent dust, and no less than 28 shooting modes. A retro-styled camera case that attaches to the base of the camera is also being introduced. Made entirely of leather, it will be available in a choice of white, brown or black. The Olympus E-420 will be available from late April 2008 at £339.99 / $499 body only or £379.99 / $599 for the standard 14-42mm lens kit.

The Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm 1:2.8 is a tiny new Four Thirds lens equivalent to a focal length of 50mm. Measuring 23.5mm long and weighing in at a tiny 95g, the combination of Olympus’ 25mm lens and the new E-420 DSLR camera is a a meagre 76.5mm, the most compact camera body and lens combination available. The ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm 1:2.8 lens will be available from April 2008 at a recommended price of £189.99.

The new SanDisk FlashBack Adapter backs-up your laptop data onto an SD memory card.The FlashBack Adapter fits into the ExpressCard slot of your PC, automatically and continuously backing up and encrypting critical data. SanDisk’s FlashBack Adapter will start shipping worldwide in Q2 and has a suggested retail price of $29.99 (memory card sold separately).

Manfrotto has unveiled a new range of carbon fiber tripods, called the CX series. Three models are available - the 190CXPRO3, 190CXPRO4 and 190CX3. The Manfrotto CX family introduces redesigned locking levers, new leg angle selectors, and re?engineered magnesium and aluminum castings. The new CX PRO models feature Manfrotto’s innovative and award-winning Q90° (Quick Center Column System). The 190CXPRO4 ($325) and 190CXPRO3 ($300) feature all carbon fiber tubes, including a tri-faceted center column, while the simpler 190CX3 ($250) features carbon fiber tubes paired with an aluminum center column and aluminum top plate. All Manfrotto CX tripods will be available March 2008.

HP have reportedly narrowed down the choice of who will manufacture their next-generation of digital cameras to three companies. The website EMSNow say that Flextronics, Lite-on and Altek have made it through to the second round of negotiations, with a decision being made in the second quarter of this year. Interestingly Flextronics already make cameras for Kodak, Altek is a long-standing camera partner of HPs, and Lite-On have no history whatsoever of digital camera manufacture.

Website: EMSNow - 3 digital camera makers to Vie for HP’s brand license

Apple has quickly followed up the launch of Aperture 2 with a new version, 2.0.1, that “addresses issues related to performance and overall stability”. It specifically includes fixes for the following areas:

  *  Upgrading libraries from earlier versions of Aperture
  * Publishing .Mac Web Gallery albums
  * Preview generation and deletion
  * Creating and ordering books
  * AppleScript support
  * Keyboard shortcut customization
  * Appearance of metadata overlays in the Browser, Filmstrip, and on light tables
  * Watermarking of emailed photos
  * Highlight Hot and Cold Areas

Website: Download Apple Aperture 2.0.1 Update

The Spring 2008 release of liveBooks Professional, portfolio software for professional photographers, adds new features to enhance search marketing functionality. “Building a photography business is a lot of work—work that often detracts from what most photographers really want to do, which is spend time shooting,” said Tricia Gellman Holmes, Vice President of Marketing at liveBooks. “We are continually enhancing our product to not only showcase photographers’ images on the web, but to also act as a virtually effortless, yet sophisticated and powerful marketing tool to help them get recognized and book more work.” The Spring 2008 Release of liveBooks Professional is available immediately.

AKVIS ArtSuite, previously known as Frame Suite, has been updated to version 3. Three new effects - Black&White, Shift Colors, and Channel Mixer - have been added to AKVIS ArtSuite v.3.0, which also offers 15 digital photo frame effects. The program can be used as an independent application (standalone) and as a plug-in to a photo editor. AKVIS ArtSuite sells for $49 USD, and a free 10 day trial version is available.

Hahnemuhle has announced the addition of two new canvas inkjet products to its Digital FineArt collection. Daguerre Canvas 400gsm is a specially coated artist canvas made of poly-cotton with a tactile surface texture which makes it perfect for fine art photo printing. Monet Canvas 410gsm is a genuine artist canvas made of 100% cotton with a special coating that is ideal for fine art printing. Both papers will be available by the end of March in 17”, 24”, 36”, 44” and 60” rolls, as well as A3 size 20 sheet boxes.

Lastolite have announced a set of three Ezybox Hotshoe Mask Covers to further enhance the popular Ezybox Hotshoe range. The set which is available for the 38cm and 60cm versions comprises of three different shaped diffuser panels that will allow you to be more creative with lighting in the studio or on location. A set of 3 Ezybox Hotshoe Mask Covers in the 38cm size costs £39.99, with the 60cm retailing at £42.99.

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Casio EX-Z1080 digital camera, which features a special YouTube scene mode, high ISO 6400 sensitivity and 10.1 megapixels.

“I’ve criticised some previous Casio cameras for overall picture quality, but here too the Z1080 scores high marks. The lens performs much better than some previous models, with excellent edge-to-edge sharpness with virtually no chromatic aberration. There is some barrel distortion at wide angle, but no distortion at the telephoto end. In the highest quality setting the Z1080 records JPEG files that average around 4.8MB, larger than average for a 10MP compact and consequently much less compressed, prodicing more fine detail with fewer artefacts.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Casio EX-Z1080 Review

The highly-anticipated Sigma DP1 compact camera (pictured) hasn’t even started shipping yet, but that hasn’t stopped Sigma from unveiling plans for the SD2 and SD3 successors. In an article in last week’s UK-based Amateur Photographer magazine, Sigma’s founder Michihiro Yamaki revealed that not one but two new Sigma compact cameras will be unveiled by the end of 2008. No concrete details were revealed about the possible specification. Yamaki also said in the PMA interview that the SD15 DSLR camera will be shown at the Photokina trade show in September 2008, featuring the same image processor as the DP1.

The Sigma DP1 is available for pre-order now at Amazon for $800.

Website: Amateur Photographer

The Canon PIXMA MX7600 is the first ever all-in-one printer to use pigment ink. The MX7600 uses a new clear ink working in tandem with five LUCIA pigment inks when printing from the cassette on plain paper. The clear ink initially covers the print surface enabling the pigment ink to bond with the clear ink to produce outstanding graphics, text and photo images. Utilizing the same LUCIA pigment-based ink found in Canon’s award-winning wide-format printers and PIXMA Pro9500 photo printer, the Canon MX7600 also provides high-quality, long-lasting photographs with exceptional color. The new PIXMA MX7600 Office AIO has an estimated retail price of $399.99.

The Fantasea Line FL-18 is a new underwater housing for the Nikon Coolpix L15, L16 and L18 compact cameras. The FL-18 is depth rated to 60 meters/200 feet, has a double O-ring seal on all controls, anti-glare hood over LCD screen, removable flash diffuser and a lens port with a 46mm thread. As with all other Fantasea Camera Housings, in the event of accidental water leakage, the Coolpix camera inside is insured.

WHTour.org is a stunning 360-degree virtual tour of World Heritage sites from across the globe. Belgian photographer Tito Dupret has spent the last seven years producing some of the most impressive panographies ever seen. Dupret’s panographies are produced with the aid of REALVIZ’s panorama assembling software, Stitcher Unlimited. “For the last 15 months I have not published a single image,” explains Dupret. “Around 8 of these were spent shooting 80 new World Heritage sites. An additional 7 months were needed to build the new site and to post-produce the ‘panographies’ – 360 degree imaging.”

The Fantasea Line FS-210 is a new underwater housing for the Nikon Coolpix S210 compact camera. The FS-210 is depth rated to 60 meters/200 feet, has a double O-ring seal on all controls, anti-glare hood over LCD screen, removable flash diffuser and a lens port with a 46mm thread. As with all other Fantasea Camera Housings, in the event of accidental water leakage, the Coolpix camera inside is insured.

Fantasea Line’s FD-40X underwater housing is compatible with Nikon’s entry level DSLR D60 camera. The FD-40X housing is rated to a depth of 200 feet (60m). The FD-40X Housing is offered at an MSRP of $1099, which includes a one-year free Flood Insurance program. The FD-40X and FSB-800 Set is offered at an MSRP of $1,499.