Imaging Resource have taken a look at the venerable A3 photo printer, the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 (which is my own choice for long-lasting photo prints).

“Reviewing the 2200 so far from its introduction date gives us a different perspective from our other printer reviews. It isn’t the innovations that excite us but its lasting capabilities. Those include print quality on various oversized media with long-lasting pigments which is still among the best you can get on any inkjet, a roll feed option with an automatic cutter, high-speed interfaces and a well-developed set of ICC profiles.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Epson Stylus Photo 2200 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Epson Stylus Photo 2200

The German website Digitalkamera have an exclusive review of the new 7 megapixel Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom, which was announced at the CES show last week.

Website: Digitalkamera - Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom Review

DigitalCameraInfo have published their first impressions of the new waterproof Pentax OptioWP digital camera.

“The design of the OptioWP is subtle; cased in a reflective silver shell, the water-proof imager is not the sexiest camera on the market, but seems to draw an aesthetic parallel to traditional cell phone designs. This digital camera has a sturdy plastic and metal casing that has a two-tone silver color with polished silver highlights. The body is rectangular without any protrusions; the lens remains within the camera body at all times. The lens is in the center of the camera, which is different than most cameras where the lens is placed slightly to the right. For consumers who appreciate symmetry, this may hold appeal as a beautifully elegant design. The flash is on the top right of the front of the OptioWP – in perfect position to be covered by the left fingers of the user. The camera’s interior is designed with rubber gaskets, so water won’t rush into the OptioWP’s mechanized guts.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Pentax OptioWP Preview

CNET have chosen what they think will be the next big things for 2005 from the products that were on show at CES last week. Amongst the photography-related products are the Konica Minolta Magicolor 2430DL laser printer, Samsung YH-820 mp3 player/photo album, and the Kodak EasyShare One camera, which seems to be grabbing all the headlines at the moment:

“What’s so exciting about a 4-megapixel camera? The Kodak EasyShare One embodies several trends in digital photography that are about to go mainstream. The optional Wi-Fi lets you upload your photos wirelessly, whether you are still on vacation or just don’t want all the wires on your desk. And its large, bright LCD, in combination with the camera dock, allows for on-the-spot slide shows without the squinting. It may cost a little more, but the EasyShare One is the wave of the digital photo future.”

Website: CNET - Next Big Thing Awards at CES 2005

ByteSector have just reviewed the new 4 megapixel Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3.

“One thing is clear; Konica Minolta has fixed a very noticeable bug that was present in the Z2 model. If you read my DiMAGE Z2 review you would be aware of the colour distortion I talked about. Any image that I took with the Z2 would produce a pink hue. Below I have provided an image I took with the Z2 model and a recent image of the same location with the Z3 model. As you can see the Z3 model does not contain the colour distortion and the image appears more natural.”

Website: ByteSector - Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3 Review

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The website A-Digital-Eye has been pretty quiet for the last couple of months, so it’s great to see them return with a comprehensive report from the CES show that was held last week.

“Attendance at CES also gives one a sort of gauge for the level of confidence and the spirit of the competition that we are likely to see in the upcoming first half of the year. Along those lines we can say that the crowds were bigger than ever (maybe partly due to the absence of Comdex in November), the optimism seemed high, and thus we expect to see some intense competition in digital imaging which should translate into better performing products, easier to use cameras with even better sharing options, lower prices, and a bigger variety of both cameras and accessories.”

Website: A-Digital-Eye - CES 2005 Show Report

Trevoli Press Release

January 10, 2005 . . . Dallas, Texas – Trevoli, Ltd. announces the first ever fully automatic red eye removal you can buy in a consumer software product.

Photo Finale® Premium 3.0 has done what others haven’t been able to do: provide consumers using digital photography software with the ability to correct multiple red eyes in multiple photos with a single click.

“This wasn’t an easy task, because the software must be able to distinguish red eye when a person is sitting in a bed of red or pink roses, while wearing a patterned shirt,” said Lee Whitney, Chief Technology Officer for Trevoli.

“Knowing what is not red eye and maintaining the quality of the original photo is just as important as the correction process.”

BenQ Press Release

Enhancing Enjoyment in a Connected World at CES, Las Vegas
7 January 2005
 
Las Vegas, 6th of January, 2005 – BenQ, a leading manufacturer of digital lifestyle devices, today unveiled a new line-up of products that combine elements of style with technology and leads the charge to “enhancing enjoyment in a connected world.” At the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), January 6-9, 2005 in Las Vegas, BenQ will highlight the newest products that connect lifestyles, devices and people.

For BenQ, the focal point in 2005 will be to embrace lifestyle devices that enhance enjoyment, but also connect worlds through various product innovations. From smart phones and wireless digital projectors to a new line of LCD televisions and DVD recorders, the latest products from BenQ work seamlessly together. BenQ believes in delivering products that can be shared and integrated into various lifestyle devices to create a single, unified electronic environment. BenQ’s vision is to make the convergence of technology and entertainment a reality. From sharing movies, music or photos on a PC or home audio/video system to using Bluetooth and memory card technology to connect electronic devices, BenQ products have been designed to enhance enjoyment and share information with anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

BenQ Press Release

Enhancing Enjoyment in a Connected World at CES, Las Vegas
7 January 2005
 
Las Vegas, 6th of January, 2005 – BenQ, a leading manufacturer of digital lifestyle devices, today unveiled a new line-up of products that combine elements of style with technology and leads the charge to “enhancing enjoyment in a connected world.” At the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), January 6-9, 2005 in Las Vegas, BenQ will highlight the newest products that connect lifestyles, devices and people.

For BenQ, the focal point in 2005 will be to embrace lifestyle devices that enhance enjoyment, but also connect worlds through various product innovations. From smart phones and wireless digital projectors to a new line of LCD televisions and DVD recorders, the latest products from BenQ work seamlessly together. BenQ believes in delivering products that can be shared and integrated into various lifestyle devices to create a single, unified electronic environment. BenQ’s vision is to make the convergence of technology and entertainment a reality. From sharing movies, music or photos on a PC or home audio/video system to using Bluetooth and memory card technology to connect electronic devices, BenQ products have been designed to enhance enjoyment and share information with anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

Kingston Press Release

Kingston Adds Two New Secure Digital Cards with Release of 512 MB Hi-Speed Elite Pro and One Gigabyte SD Cards

Novice to Pro Digital Users Can Take Advantage of SD Cards’ Speed, Storage Benefits.

Las Vegas, NV - CES, January 6, 2005 - Kingston® Technology Company, Inc. today announced the further expansion of its Secure Digital (SD) Card product line with the release of a 512-MB Elite Pro Hi-Speed SD Card, the latest generation of high-capacity, small form factor digital storage devices on the market today, and a 1-GB standard SD card.

“Kingston is committed to providing our customers with the latest in high-performance digital media solutions,” said Mike Kuppinger, digital media product manager, Kingston. “Secure Digital’s small form factor, faster transfer speeds, and enhanced security features makes it the ideal compact storage solution for today’s digital devices,” continued Kuppinger.

Kingston Press Release

Kingston Introduces Versatile RS-MMC and miniSD Cards To Support Mobile Phone, Digital Device Markets

Addition of Flexible Digital Media Readies for Future Integration, Rounds Out Product Line-up

Las Vegas, NV - CES January 6, 2005,—Kingston® Technology Company, Inc., the world’s leading independent memory manufacturer, today announced the release of two new digital media product offerings designed to target the expanding mobile phone and mobile digital device markets: Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC) cards and mini Secure Digital (miniSD) cards.

The two cards are slated for use in future mobile phones and digital devices with enhanced functionality. Popular digital devices such as camera phones, PDAs, MP3 players, smartphones, and digital cameras will soon be utilizing RS-MMC and miniSD cards. To maximize flexibility and ease of use for the end user, Kingston’s RS-MMC and miniSD cards ship with adapters that allow each to fit into their respective standard size format.

Dave Bushnell has sent me a disturbing email this morning, to let everyone know that the New York City Transit Authority Board may today impose a ban on all photography on its system (bus and subway). This has been threatened before early in 2004, but now it looks as though the ban will go ahead after all.

Over to Dave:

“An article in the New York Times this morning brought to light the fact that the New York City Transit Authority Board is about to approve a sweeping ban on photography in the New York City Transit system as a supposed anti-terrorism measure. Adoption of this rule would mean that the transit police would have the authority to arrest anyone using a camera on a bus or subway including tourists, artists, and journalists. This was the straw that broke my particular back in my tolerance for broad, anti-intellectual, unenforceable, publicity-driven measures that significantly hasten our march towards a full-out police state while quietly failing to provide the safety they promise.”

PCMagazine have just reviewed Epson’s latest flatbed scanner, the Epson Perfection 4180 Photo.

“Add the Epson Perfection 4180 Photo ($250 street) to the small but growing list of flatbed scanners that takes film scanning seriously. It’s designed, in part, to scan not just 35-mm slides and film but medium-format film, including 2.25-inch, 120, and 6- by 6-centimeter formats. And it does a more than credible job, with scan quality scores at the high end of good for prints and good for slides, along with overall scores of good for photos and very good for slides.”

Website: PCMagazine - Epson Perfection 4180 Photo Scanner Review

PCMagazine have reviewed the EPSON Stylus CX6600, which is a new All-in-One designed to improve the quality and cost efficiency of home and small office printing.  It combines high-speed inkjet printing, scanning and photocopying with the flexibility of a memory card reader and the quality of EPSON DURABrite inks.

“The biggest issue with graphics was obvious banding in default mode. Most of our test fonts were readable at 4 points, with none requiring larger than 8 points. The only flaw worth mentioning with photos was a visible tint in our monochrome test photo. Quality for scanning and standalone copying was more than acceptable, although running copying from the front-panel controls produced better color fidelity than giving a copy command from the computer.”

Website: PCMagazine - EPSON Stylus CX6600 Review

About.com have just published a review of the Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di Aspherical lens, a high power zoom lens featuring “Di” (Digitally Integrated) design.

“In answer to the original question “Does the Tamron 28-300 deserve respect”, I’d have to answer that it does. While I think you could probably do better with two zooms, one covering something like 28-100mm and one covering 100-300mm, not everyone wants to do that. For those who don’t, the Tamron 28-300 may be a good choice.”

Website: About.com - Tamron 28-300mm Di Lens Review

Steves Digicams have posted their usual extensive review of the new Konica Minolta Dynax 7D DSLR.

“The first thing that strikes you about the 7D is the multitude of controls that sprout from its body, so many, in fact, that there is no room for a top-mounted data LCD. The benefit is that many settings that on other dSLR’s require wading through menus or removing the camera from eye level to change are manipulated directly via a dedicated dial or button. Photographers with roots extending deep into the 35mm film era will appreciate the extent to which the 7D’s controls are brought to its surface.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Konica Minolta Dynax 7D Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Konica Minolta Dynax 7D

The Slovenian website e-fotografija have posted a review of the new 6 megapixel Pentax *ist DS DSLR.

Website: e-fotografija - Pentax *ist DS Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Pentax *ist DS

Digital Camera Info have just published their initial impressions of the Kodak EasyShare-One, which is the first consumer digital camera to include a Wi-Fi chip for remote internet access.

“LCD Screen: This 3-inch beauty folds out from the camera body and rotates to fit back into the camera flush with the rest of the frame. Any time the LCD screen is rotated into position, the camera turns on. With 230,000 pixels, this LCD screen provides high resolution images for viewing and qualifies as a digital photo album. When the Info button is pressed on the side of the screen, information such as the aperture and shutter speed appears on the picture. When handling the demo model, the LCD monitor did get exceptionally warm. However, Kodak representatives said they expect this problem to be fixed by the time the product hits shelves in June.”

Website: Digital Camera Info - Kodak EasyShare-One First Impressions

DCResource have reviewed the 8 megapixel Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200 digital camera, which incorporates anti-shake technology and a swivelling LCD monitor.

“If you remember the DiMAGE A2 debacle, then you’ll be pleased to hear that the major image softness problems are gone on the A200. Of course, not everyone had those problems on the A2, but I digress. Photos on the A200 were well-exposed and colorful, and noise and purple fringing levels under control. Minolta doesn’t apply too much in-camera sharpening to the images, so personally I’d crank it up a notch in the record menu. With 8 million pixels are your disposal you can make some pretty huge prints from these photos.”

Website: DCResource - Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200 Review

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DigiCamReview have reviewed the Kodak Easyshare DX7440, a 4-megapixel digital camera with a 4x (33 - 132 mm equivalent) optical zoom lens.

“The images have good colour with good saturation and contrast. Images appear to have fairly low noise, with good detail, and no signs of corner softness or vignetting. Purple fringing was evident in some of the photos but isn’t a major concern. There is a good range of image sizes and compression options. The macro mode is fairly average. The flash didn’t cause problems when the subject was close. Auto white balance and metering seemed to be good. The movie mode is better than average, at 640x480/13fps and 320x240/24fps with sound - both recorded using MPEG-4 compression. When inside, the camera does a good job of focusing, and the flash is fairly decent.”

Website: DigiCamReview - Kodak Easyshare DX7440 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Kodak Easyshare DX7440