CNET have posted their review of the 14 megapixel Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n digital SLR camera.

“The Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n is an improved version of the earlier DCS Pro 14n, the company’s Nikon F-mount digital SLR with a 13.5-megapixel CMOS sensor that’s the size of the 35mm film format (24x36mm). The SLR/n uses a redesigned version of that sensor, which achieves higher ISO sensitivities and produces less image noise than its predecessor. But the SLR/n, like the 14n before it, is a sluggish performer that’s best suited to relatively static applications such as commercial, portrait, or architectural photography. “

Website: CNET - Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n Review

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In stark contrast to Sanyo and Sony, who have both lowered their sales predictions for 2004 (see below), SanDisk have just announced record results for the current financial quarter.

SanDisk Press Release

SanDisk today Announced that they have posted record 4Q Operating Income and revenues ($549 million). Unit sales are also up 45% and Megabytes are up 110%. Gross Margin increases to 32% and Operating Margin is at 23%. They put the increases down to strong interest by the market in Digital Cameras, Mobile Handsets, Digital Audio Playeras and Flash Drives.

In more industry news, Sanyo are also reported to be lowering their sales predictions, following in the steps of Sony (see next article) and other manufacturers like Olympus. Maybe we aren’t upgrading to the new models as quickly as the manufacturers would like? :)

“Sanyo is expected to lower its digital camera production projection for the year to March to 12 million units from the current estimate of 14 million units, a downward-revised target set in October, informed sources said. The company is now likely to fall behind Sony Corp. and Canon Inc. on the global output ranking.”

Website: Forbes.com - Sanyo Set to Lose Position As No. 1 Digital Cameral Maker

In a brief Reuters article, Sony are reported to be cutting their forecast for digital camera sales this financial year by 1 million units, down to 14 million. A sign that the digital camera market is slowing down, or just that Sony and other manufacturers were too bold with their predictions? Sony have still managed a significant increase on 2003/04, however, when they sold 10 million digital cameras.

Website: Reuters- Sony cuts digital camera sales target for 04/05

Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times have published a review (in English) of the Panasonic DMC-FZ20 digital camera, which has a 12x optical zoom lens from Leica (found via CameraTown).

“But the RM2.99 question is really this — how are the pictures? The fact is that the FZ20 takes brilliant ones, with vivid colours and minimal distortion or interference. And with all those features packed into its — admittedly chunky — body, this is one puissant force in the popular world of digicams. If you have RM2,499 to spend on a digital camera and consider yourself a taker of serious pictures (or a serious taker of pictures), this would be the one to get.”

Website: New Straits Times - Panasonic DMC-FZ20 Review

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InfoTrends/CAP Ventures Press Release

Nearly 20% of U.S. Internet Users Now Own a Camera Phone, According to New InfoTrends/CAP Ventures Study

WEYMOUTH, Mass.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 27, 2005—A recent InfoTrends/CAP Ventures study reveals that nearly 20% of U.S. Internet users owned a mobile phone with an embedded digital camera at the end of 2004, compared to just 3% in 2003. In addition, 27% of consumers who do not currently own a camera phone are highly interested in purchasing one as their next mobile phone. Two out of three current camera phone owners use the camera function on a regular basis to take pictures.

Now this looks interesting - Hama are introducing the Mobile MediaSafe VSV-20, an iPod Photo-like portable device that crucially has a built-in card reader.

Hama Press Release

Mobile MediaSafe VSV-20 - the portable all-rounder

Multi(media) Talent

The world of small technological wonders keeps getting more colourful. Mobile phones take pictures, PDAs send e-mails and USB sticks play music.
Hama will present a mobile device at CeBIT that not only reads and stores photos from memory cards, but also plays music and video files. The Mobile MediaSafe VSV-20 is the same size of a walkman, and combines a digital photo album, picture viewer, mp3 player, card reader, video player and an external 20 GB hard drive that can store up to 25,000 pictures. The data can be loaded from a computer or memory card using USB 2.0 and the MediaSafe 16 can process 16 different card formats.

Sony announces the Cyber-shot DSC-W5, a 5 megapixel update of the DSC-W1 with 2.5“ LCD screen, 3 optical zoom and 32 Megabytes of built-in flash memory.

Well, that’s not exactly true - Sony didn’t so much announce the DSC-W5, as let the details slip on the SonyStyle website last night. That page has now been removed, but not before the details have been posted on most of the major digicam websites. It must be that time of year again, as PMA approaches and over-worked employees press the wrong button.

Thanks to Beverly Wrensch - Beverly also passes on rumours of several other new Sony models, including the DSC-W7 (as spotted on the Cheap Electricals website), DSC-S40, DSC-S60 and DSC-S90.

Update: several new Sony models have turned up on a Russian digital camera website. Genuine? Who knows?! Thanks to Leo for letting me know.
http://www.dcam.ru/Camera-Sony.html

(DSC-W3 details from the SonyStyle website)
A classic design meets modern technology in the Cyber-shot® W5 digital camera from Sony. It combines a traditional rangefinder camera layout with high-end features such as a huge 2.5“ LCD screen, 5.1 Megapixel image capture, and high speed performance thanks to the Real Imaging Processor™ chip.

The W5’s Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® lens provides crisp, clear visuals and a 3X optical zoom without compromising the camera’s amazingly compact design. Image quality is further enhanced with such features 5 area multi-point auto focus, auto focus illuminator and multi-pattern measuring.

The W5 includes 32 Megabytes of built-in flash memory, so you’ll have room for additional photographs if you are ever without a Memory Stick® media. With a classic build, easy control, and numerous advanced features, the Cyber-shot® W5 has something for everyone.

PCMagazine have posted their review of the new 6 megapixel Konica Minolta Dynax 7D digital SLR camera.

“Although the 6-megapixel Maxxum 7D is pricey relative to the competition, its excellent construction, outstanding ergonomics and handling characteristics, and built-in image stabilization will have most users agreeing that it was well worth the wait and money. We wish its built-in flash performed more consistently and that Konica Minolta offered a more appropriate standard zoom lens, but apart from this there is a lot to like about this new D-SLR.”

Website: PCMagazine - Konica Minolta Dynax 7D Review

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PCMagazine have posted a review of the Epson Stylus CX4600 all-in-one printer/scanner/copier.

“The Epson Stylus CX4600 ($129.99 direct) comes up short on speed and on AIO niceties, with no ADF and no fax features other than a scan-to-fax option, which assumes you have a separate fax modem and fax program. For those who care about output quality, however, it makes up for these shortcomings with great-looking text, graphics, and photos. Like Epson’s inexpensive C66 printer, it offers among the best overall output that you’ll find in any ink jet, regardless of price.”

Website: PCMagazine - Epson Stylus CX4600 Review

Ricoh have released a new firmware version (Windows and MAC) for their 5 megapixel Caplio GX digital camera.

Version 1.07 includes the following change:

Fixed a histogram display error that occurs when using the digital zoom function.

Website: Ricoh Caplio GX Firmware

Website: Read my Review of the Ricoh Caplio GX

If you’ve already read my article on “Beating the Photography Blues” and are still searching for inspiration, then Photographic Magazine’s article “How to Stay Motivated in Photography” may be just what you need to get out there and taking some great shots.

“Buy an Inexpensive Camera
You may be out and about on the weekend with your prized camera. But what about the rest of the time, like a workday or chore time? You may not take your good camera to work or the grocery store. But what if you had a simple camera, inexpensive enough that you can slip it in a bag or purse? Then you’re ready for anything. You can make pictures during those brief moments when you’re early for a meeting, when you have 15 minutes to kill before the next event, or when you just have some free time and see something worth photographing.”

Website: Photographic - How to Stay Motivated in Photography: Seven New Year’s Resolutions

DIWA member and Danish website Digital Magasinet have just reviewed the Hi-Touch 640PS Photo Printer. This dye-sublimation printer features stand-alone, direct printing of 6x4 inch lab-quality photos at an increased 403dpi (equivalent to inkjet 6400dpi) in only 75 seconds.

Website: Digital Magasinet - Hi-Touch 640PS Photo Printer Review

DigitalCamerInfo have posted their first impressions of the 5 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T33 digital camera.

“Another lean Cyber-shot T-model made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The DSC-T33 will go on sale in March for $450 (USD)—fifty bucks cheaper than its vanished predecessor, the Sony Cyber-shot T3. The T3 was announced last August, but never hit the market in the United States. Sony hopes to make it up with the Sony Cyber-shot T-33, which is nearly identical to the T3. Both cameras have 5.1 megapixels on their 1/2.4-inch CCDs. Both models share the same shooting options, 2.5-inch LCD, and 3x optical zoom lens. The only difference is the size.”

Website: DigitalCamerInfo - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T33 Preview

Olympus are set to release “several” new DSLRs during 2005, along with no less than 7 new e-system lenses, at least according to a recent report on the Photo Imaging Council of Australia website. Presumably there will be a replacement for the ageing (in digital terms anyway) E-1, and maybe 2 models to fit in between the entry-level E-300 (pictured) and the new top-end professional model (that’s just my educated guess though). Great news for all current E-system owners as Olympus continues to invest heavily in its DSLR product-range.

I’m not sure if the Olympus product manager for Australia who spilled the beans is going to be in trouble or not for this :-)

“Our aim is to aggressively continue our growth in the DSLR category by investing heavily in our E-series range. 2005 will see Olympus building on the success of the E-1 and E-300 cameras with the launch of several new DSLR bodies and seven more digital lenses,” said Austin Kazami, Olympus DSLR Product Manager.”

Website: Photo Imaging Council of Australia - Olympus vying for second position in DSLR market

Marketing people are always emphasising just how many megapixels their latest, greatest camera has got. You, the consumer, still primarily buy a camera based on the number of megapixels it has (at least according to a recent report). So you would expect a compact digital camera with 8 megapixels to be “better” than a digital SLR with 6 megapixels, right? PhotoReview.com.au compares the technical aspects of the sensors in each type of camera to discover if this is true or not (found via Digicamera.net).

“On the basis of new cameras announced in the past couple of months we can state with confidence that by the middle of this year there will be at least five 6-megapixel DSLRs and five 8-megapixel, non-interchangeable compact-type digicams on the Australian market. This creates a quandary for photographers who plan to invest in a new digital camera: which type to buy? Going on the pixel count alone, the 8-megapixel digicams seem to have a significant advantage. But high pixel counts aren’t everything: you need to check ‘beneath the bonnet’ to understand the pros and cons associated with both camera types before you can make a well-thought-out decision. The best place to start is with the sensor.”

Website: PhotoReview.com.au - 6-megapixel DSLR or 8-megapixel Digicam – Which Should You Buy?

Ever wondered why some of your digital photographs have coloured fringes along the edges of your subject? PhotoReview.com.au explains that this is caused by one of two things; chromatic aberrations and blooming, and suggests a couple of software packages that will remove the unwanted effects (found via Digicamera.net).

“If the picture was captured on film, deciding what caused the coloured fringing is easy: only chromatic aberration can be blamed. It’s more difficult if the shot was taken with a digital camera because both blooming and chromatic aberration can create coloured fringes. Teasing out which one is relatively easy once you understand how the fringes are produced.”

Website: PhotoReview.com.au - Colour fringing explained

CDH Productions Press Release

Create Professional Screen Savers in Minutes

CDH Productions has released GraFX Saver Pro v. 4.0, a powerful Windows application that lets you use your own images, video, and audio to create professional, royalty-free screen savers in record time. Unlike most screen saver creation applications that limit the file types that you can use, GraFX Saver Pro supports more than 20 popular image and video formats. It also supports the major audio formats (MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, etc) for adding background sound to your screen savers. The screen savers that you create can bedistributed, with no royalty payments.

Sybex Press Release

RICHARD LYNCH’S HIDDEN POWER TOOLS FOR PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 3

Sybex is pleased to announce the release of a powerful new e-product of special interest to your readers: RICHARD LYNCH’S HIDDEN POWER TOOLS FOR PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 3: http://www.sybex.com/sybexbooks.nsf/booklist/5028.

For just $19.99, this software upgrade allows your readers to download all the tools offered with Richard Lynch’s new book, The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 3.  That’s more than 60 tools—everything from Custom Masking and Vectors to Color Balance, Separations, and Enhanced Sharpening—designed to help photographers realize the full potential of the latest version of Photoshop Elements.

Newegg.com Press Release

E-Marketer Tops Four Out of Eight Categories Including Best Place to Buy Core Components, Software and Digital Gear; Runner-Up in Three Others

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/—Newegg.com(R),(www.newegg.com), a leading IT and consumer electronics e-commerce retailer serving more than 3 million customers, today announced that Computer Shopper’s readers overwhelmingly recognized the company in the magazine’s 2004 Shoppers’ Choice Awards, voting Newegg.com to first place in four out of eight “Best Places to Buy” categories, including “Overall Best Place to Buy Online.”