Konica Minolta Dynax 7D, Nikon COOLPIX 8800 and Canon Digital IXUS 40 are the latest DIWA Gold Award winners.

DIWA Press Releases

DIWA Gold Award to Konica Minolta Dynax 7D

Amsterdam, 9. March 2005 - Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA), an international organisation of websites focusing on digital imaging, today announced a DIWA Gold Award to Konica Minolta Dynax 7D. The gold medal represents the highest level of performance and is a summary of numerous rigorous tests conducted by DIWA camera experts.

With the Dynax 7D, Konica Minolta makes their debut into the fast growing market of digital system cameras. Founded on a long history as high quality camera and optical manufacturers, the high performance Konica Minolta Dynax 7D comes as no surprise. 

It continues the legacy of the highly successful and reputed analogue Dynax SLR cameras, with distinct design resemblance to make the conversion from film to digital as smooth as possible for any experienced Dynax enthusiast. Supporting the full range of existing AF lenses, the Dynax 7D also eases the financial aspect.

Regardless of its background, the Dynax 7D makes an impressive performance, all by itself. Its exterior is robust and solid as a professional camera, introducing a huge 2.5” LCD screen with an innovative, rotating camera settings display. Professional is also the 6.1 Megapixel resolution with RAW or RAW+JPEG file formats. Yet, the most revolutionary feature is the built-in CCD Anti-Shake image stabiliser, the first ever in any SLR camera. Add to this a highly efficient AF system, fast overall camera response and burst shooting, as well as the new CxProcess™ III image processor for outstanding image quality.

The conclusion from the DIWA experts is that Konica Minolta’s late D-SLR debut was well worth waiting for. Fierce competition is no threat to the Dynax 7D. It stands out from the crowd and is bound to win many new friends.

Nikon COOLPIX 8800 honoured with a DIWA GOLD Award

Amsterdam, 9. March 2005 - Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA), an international organisation of websites focusing on digital imaging, today announced that the Nikon COOLPIX 8800 has won a DIWA GOLD Award for its excellent performance. Last year, its predecessor - COOLPIX 8700 - received a DIWA Silver Award; today the Nikon COOLPIX 8800 is the proof of improvements and added features, and therefore a true DIWA Gold Award winner.

The advanced Megazoom Nikon COOLPIX 8800 has passed the rigorous DIWA tests with excellent results, with average scores well above the limit for overall excellence. The new Nikon COOLPIX 8800 is the flagship in the Coolpix range of high-performance digital cameras. 8 Megapixel image resolution and a high quality 10x Zoom-Nikkor lens are supported by an outstanding Vibration Reduction system to compensate for camera shake. Several reviews, based on the comprehensive DIWA testing procedure, confirmed that the Nikon COOLPIX 8800 is a considerable upgrade from its predecessor, the COOLPIX 8700, enough to climb to the highest level of DIWA quality ranking.

The Nikon COOLPIX 8800 delivers the performance it is built for; effortless capturing high quality professional images, at high speed if necessary, thanks to its five image buffer memory. The new D-Lighting exposure system proved its excellence in practical use and the newly added JPEG EXTRA mode preserves the camera’s high image quality thanks to reduced compression rate. The overall averaged score concludes that the Nikon COOLPIX 8800 is a compact package filled with professional performance at an affordable price.

Canon Digital IXUS 40 receives a DIWA Gold Award

Amsterdam, 9. March 2005 - Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA), an international organisation of websites focusing on digital imaging, today announced that the Canon Digital IXUS 40 has won a DIWA Gold Award in recognition of its overall qualities, performance and value. The Canon Digital IXUS 40 qualified for the prestigious DIWA Gold medal in the Amateur Digital Mini Camera category, thanks to 4 Megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom with 2 newly developed UA (Ultra-high Refractive Index Glass Moulded (GMo) Aspherical lens) elements, DIGIC II performance and an ‘over-sized’ 2-inch LCD display.

The Canon Digital IXUS 40 has passed several reviews, based on the comprehensive DIWA testing procedure, with convincing proof of astonishing performances, despite of its ultra small dimensions. The Canon Digital IXUS 40 is a user-friendly digital mini camera with numerous automatic programs as well as manual overrides.

Canon’s dedicated second generation DIGIC II processor provides first class image quality, fast image processing, responsive camera functions and low power consumption. The DIGIC II processor is extremely powerful, giving the Canon Digital IXUS 40 additional boost by handling all the complex image processing algorithms at record speed, still having spare resources for fast auto-focus, extended high quality movies, rapid start-up times and 2.4 fps sequence shooting.

After being reviewed by several DIWA camera experts, the verdict was clear. Canon Digital IXUS 40 is among the few amateur mini digital cameras reaching sufficient average score to qualify for a DIWA Gold Award.

About DIWA
A fast growing independent, authoritative, industry organization
The Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA) is a fast growing group of independent Web-based specialist publications dedicated to digital imaging. DIWA harnesses the collective talent and expertise of its members, resulting in industry awards that command unparalleled confidence and value, both for consumers and the industry, alike. DIWA awards come in the form of bronze, silver and gold medals.

Unique bullet-proof test scoring procedure
DIWA product test awards are exclusively decided through the analysis of multiple test scores from different DIWA testers, testing different samples of the same product. A very detailed and comprehensive standardized scoring procedure is employed, tailored carefully for each product category. Multiple testing eliminates the chance of an isolated, unrepresentative product sample or test error, or even hidden bias, from affecting the trustworthiness of the overall result.

Awards throughout the year
DIWA is also unique in its policy in issuing awards for deserving products throughout the year, culminating in annual best of the year Platinum medal awards.

DIWA Awards members:
- Czech Republic:  www.fotoaparat.cz
- Denmark:  www.digitalmagasinet.dk
- Germany:  www.digitalkamera.de
- France:  www.photographyblog.com
- Netherlands:  www.letsgodigital.org
- Norway:  www.digit.no
- Poland:  www.fotopolis.pl
- Slovenia:  www.e-fotografija.com
- Spain:  www.nuevafotografia.com
- Turkey:  www.diginorm.com.tr
- United States:  www.steves-digicams.com

The DIWA multi-lingual Web site
At the heart of the DIWA organisation is its multi-lingual Web site, www.diwa-awards.com, where you can find links to the latest reviews published by DIWA member publications. The site also archives DIWA awards and is designed to aid consumers in their choice of imaging products.

For further information about DIWA please visit our Web site or email us at [email protected].