Olympus UK Press Release

Extend your camera’s focal range without compromising aperture

Introducing the Olympus TCON-30C tele conversion lens

London, 5th January 2005

Digital camera owners can now significantly enhance their creative shooting options with the new Olympus TCON-30C tele conversion lens. Making a threefold increase in your camera’s existing focal range possible the TCON-30C brings distant subjects much closer for spectacularly detailed results. In addition Olympus’ usual high standard of manufacturing ensures shooting with the TCON-30C doesn’t result in any change to your camera’s specified aperture values.

Available from January 2005 the TCON-30C will be priced at £169.99 (or Ï259.99) inc VAT.

I/OMagic Press Release

I/OMagic Adds New Portable Storage Device, the GigaBank Elite 40, to its Product Line-Up

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 5, 2005—New GigaBank(TM) Elite 40 has up to 40GB of Storage Space and a Single-Touch Data Back-up Function

I/OMagic Corporation (OTCBB:IOMG), a provider of data storage and digital entertainment products, announced today the latest addition to its line of portable storage devices, the new GigaBank(TM) Elite 40. The GigaBank(TM) Elite 40 features up to 40 GB(a) of storage capacity within a 1.8” IDE hard disk drive (HDD). Highlights include its single-touch data back-up function, the fact that it requires no batteries, adapters or installation software, and that it is compact enough to fit in your pocket.

IDC Press Release

Bright Future of Digital Cameras to Boost Consumer Photofinishing Market, IDC Expects

05 Jan 2005

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., January 5, 2005 – IDC expects positive growth in the consumer photofinishing market. Even though film usage will decline, the bright future of digital camera shipments will increase the number of images captured, shared and received, reveals a new IDC study. Digital camera images captured, shared and received worldwide will grow an average of 35% for 2003-2008. Digital cameras will continue to be the largest generator of digital images despite the greater forecasted proliferation of camera phones. Prints from digital images will surpass film prints in 2006 and will account for 71% of total worldwide prints by 2008.

Imation Press Release

Imation’s New ForceField(TM) Scratch Resistant Coating Defends Discs Against Scratches, Smudges, Static and Debris

OAKDALE, Minn., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—Do you often discover your children’s sticky fingerprints and smudges on your favorite CDs? Do your friends use your new DVDs as coasters? Do you toss CDs into your briefcase or backpack on the way out the door or stack your latest music mixes on the backseat of your car? If you’re like most people, you know that everyday life can be hard on CDs and DVDs—until now. Imation Corp’s (NYSE:IMN) new proprietary ForceField(TM) scratch resistant coating for Imation CDs and DVDs provides a long-lasting “memory protection” layer designed to resist the rigors of everyday life: scratches, dust, smudges and everyday wear and tear that can interfere with the maximum enjoyment of music, photos and videos.

“Disc reliability and longevity are top concerns of CD and DVD users,” according to Wolfgang Schlichting, research director, removable storage at IDC. “Imation’s new ForceField scratch resistant coating addresses those concerns by providing a layer of protection that resists damage, helping discs last longer.”

“Say goodbye to excessive skips and playback interruptions, worrying about scratches, handling CDs and DVDs by their edges, or searching for lint-free cleansing cloths,” said Tom Lally, executive director of sales and marketing, Consumer and Office Markets, Imation. “With Imation’s new ForceField scratch resistant coating, your discs—and your precious memories or valuable data—are protected against scratches, smudges and dust. This means no more worries about disc scratches or smudges that can result from slipping CDs in file folders, sliding DVDs across countertops or handling discs with your fingers.”

The rigors of everyday use can render a disc unplayable, jeopardizing the life of music, photo and video memories, and other valuable files when not cared for or stored properly. But Imation’s CDs and DVDs with ForceField protection have a revolutionary scratch resistant coating that provides the following benefits over standard uncoated discs.

  —Scratch and Scuff-Resistance means discs can withstand the rigors of
    everyday handling at home or the office, including skids across a
    tabletop or being cleaned with ordinary tissues or fabrics.
  —Anti-Static Dust-Resistance repels up to 100 times more dust than a
    standard uncoated disc, helping prevent playback skips caused by dust
    and debris.  This eliminates the need for extra care when storing or
    carrying discs, or spending time searching for lint-free cleaning
    cloths.
  —Smear-Resistance allows fingerprints and surface smudges to be
    contained and easily wiped away—like the effects of car wax causing
    liquids to bead up rather than bleed and smear—reducing
    interference with disc recording and playback.  Use any soft tissue,
    cloth or even a shirt sleeve to wipe the debris away.

Imation CDs and DVDs protected by Imation’s ForceField scratch resistant coating are fully compatible with standard CD and DVD recorders and players, and will be available in assorted pack sizes of 52x CD-Rs, 8x DVD+Rs and 8x DVD-Rs. Imation discs with ForceField scratch resistant coating will be priced at a slight premium compared to standard, uncoated discs, and will begin shipping to retailers nationwide in February.

For more information on Imation CDs and DVDs protected by ForceField coating, go to http://www.imation.com/forcefield .

About Imation
Imation Corp is a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of magnetic and optical removable data storage media. Additional information about Imation is available on the company’s website at http://www.imation.com/ , or by calling 1-888-466-3456.

Imation, ForceField and the Imation logo are trademarks of Imation Corp. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Kodak Press Release

Get Closer to the Action and Emotion with 10X and 5X Zoom Lenses; Z740 and Z700 Models Packaged with #1-Selling EASYSHARE Printer Dock

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5—Building on the global success of its EASYSHARE DX7590 and DX6490 zoom digital cameras, Eastman Kodak Company today announced a new category of EASYSHARE digital cameras. The KODAK EASYSHARE Z-Series helps everyday picture takers get closer, better, more creative shots through extended zoom lenses.

The KODAK EASYSHARE Z740 (10X optical zoom) and Z700 (5X optical zoom) digital cameras combine point-and-shoot flexibility and affordability with the photographic control granted by higher optical zoom ranges. Both models will be packaged with the new EASYSHARE Printer Dock Series 3, which makes real, borderless KODAK 4 x 6-inch pictures in as little as 90 seconds with just one touch.

Kodak Press Release

Credit Card-Sized Device Brings Favorite Memories to Life in the Palm of Your Hand

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5—Eastman Kodak Company is making digital picture sharing more convenient, personal and portable by introducing its new EASYSHARE Picture Viewer, a pocket-sized “digital photo album” that fits in the palm of your hand.  Whether showing off recent vacation pictures, priceless memories or snapshots from life’s everyday moments, the Picture Viewer (US$149 MSRP; available beginning in May 2005) is designed for people who love to share favorite pictures on the go.

The EASYSHARE Picture Viewer, approximately the size of a credit card, allows people to keep their favorite digital pictures by their side at all times, and then display one or all for family and friends. With a crystal-clear, 2.5-inch high-resolution display screen, it stores up to 150 favorite digital pictures — simply synchronize with a computer-based picture collection using the included KODAK EASYSHARE software. People can view these favorites, or hundreds more when using the expandable SD/MMC memory card slot. Single view and slideshow features are accessible via the easy-to-use menu and four-way navigation buttons.

Kodak Press Release

KODAK Products Win Prestigious Awards at 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show

EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus, EASYSHARE DX7590 Camera and KODAK Picture Maker Receive Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Awards

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5—Eastman Kodak Company’s continued innovation in the digital imaging industry secured top honors during the opening of the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show, where the company won multiple high-profile awards for its consumer digital imaging products. The KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus, KODAK EASYSHARE DX7590 zoom digital camera, and the KODAK Picture Maker G3 Digital Print Station all garnered Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Awards.

The Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Awards, sponsored by Consumer Electronics Association and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America, honor superior design and engineering among the year’s most technologically advanced products. Chosen for the honor by a panel of independent industry designers, engineers and journalists, the EASYSHARE DX7590 camera, EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus and KODAK Picture Maker will join other winners on display at the 2005 International CES Innovations Pavilion (LVCC, Central Plaza).

Pentax UK Press Release

The new PENTAX OptioWP — a slim, compact digital camera with waterproof performance that enables underwater shooting

PENTAX is pleased to introduce the OptioWP, a compact digital camera that features JIS Class 8-equivalent waterproof performance and has a body only 22mm thick. What’s more, the new OptioWP also features a 2.0-inch LCD monitor, a 3X optical zoom lens and the imaging power of 5.0 effective megapixels.

Developed in line with the three keywords, “Sportiness”, “Elegance”, and, “Leisure”, the OptioWP provides the user with the advantage of waterproof performance that enables confident shooting during a range of water sports. And unusually for a camera with such sporting capability, the OptioWP also has surprisingly sophisticated styling that makes it ideal for use on practically any kind of occasion.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Press Release

Hitachi’s Hard Drive Family is Expecting Two New Babies; Baby ‘‘Mikey’’ and Big Brother ‘‘Slim’’ Expand Biggest Small-Form-Factor Family  

LAS VEGAS—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 5, 2005—Hitachi Global Storage Technologies will christen a smaller one-inch Microdrive product and a slimmer 1.8-inch hard drive later this year. These two miniature drives are designed to meet the accelerating demand for ultra-portable handheld devices—such as mobile phones and digital music players—that don’t compromise on storage capacity.

Hitachi will deliver on these requirements by re-engineering its world-renowned one-inch Microdrive to create a 20-percent smaller version with the highest capacity at 8-10 gigabytes(1) (GB) of storage. The new smaller Microdrive is affectionately called baby “Mikey” for its diminutive size.

Applying a similar approach to a new 1.8-inch Travelstar product, Hitachi will trim 30 percent off the thickness of the drive to create a 5 mm version, nicknamed “Slim.” With a slighter profile equivalent to that of the Microdrive, “Slim” will be the world’s smallest and lightest 1.8-inch drive, beating the closest competitor by 10 percent in total volume.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of the ultra-stylish, compact Inkjet Printer, the PIXMA iP90 mobile photo and document printer. With capability to print a 4” x 6” borderless photo print in just 51 seconds and 16 ppm A4 mono printing, the 4800 x 1200 dpi , 2 picolitre droplet size iP90 is designed to offer the best available high performance mobile solution for photo and document printing for the demanding creative user.

The printer features optional Bluetooth and IrDA support for wireless photo/document printing from compatible mobile phones, PDAs and PCs. An optional battery pack/charger and car charger are available for ultimate mobility. A PictBridge port allows direct connection and photo printing with any compliant digital camera or digital video camera, without the need for a PC.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of the new flagship to its LiDE range: the film-capable 2400 x 4800 CanoScan LiDE 500F scanner. Designed for operational flexibility, the LiDE 500F incorporates a Film Adapter Unit (FAU) and infrared Film Automatic Retouching and Enhancement technology for high quality enlargement of 35mm film.

Just 35mm thick, the sheer, stylishly designed and USB-powered device features an innovative built-in stand, allowing the scanner to be operated on its edge to free up precious desk space. A new concept lid allows scanning of everything from thick books and small packages to oversize objects such as large maps, and convenient ‘drop-in’ scanning when the scanner is upright.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of the stylish and super-compact 1.33 Megapixel MVX350i, MVX330i and MVX300 digital video cameras. The MVX350i features a 20x optical zoom (400x combined), while the MVX330i and MVX300 both feature an 18x zoom (360x combined). Digital video cameras in the range incorporate high-resolution 16:9 mode, built in mini video light (MVX350i), digital still flash (MVX350i and MVX330i), Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) and large 2.5” 123K pixel LCD screen.

With generous specifications and highly sculptured ergonomics that include flush switches and recessed buttons, the super-compacts are expected to appeal to consumers demanding feature-rich products with superior finish quality and design.

All models utilise Canon’s DIGIC DV processor for split path video and still image processing. All are PictBridge compliant and feature a Print/Share button for simple PC-less printing of digital stills direct to compatible photo printers, and PC/internet uploads. The MVX350i comes equipped with a 0.6x wide converter lens.

Canon UK Press Release

Easy operation camcorders ideal for first time buyers

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of a new range of 800K pixel digital video cameras: the MV800 series. Designed to appeal to first time buyers looking for simplicity and quality, the MV850i, MV830i, MV830 and MV800 combine Canon’s easiest ever operation with uncompromising build quality and precision optics.

A new ‘Easy’ button which puts the camcorder into full auto mode has been introduced for the benefit of users looking for immediate, uncomplicated results straight out of the box. All models in the range feature a powerful optical zoom: 22x (440x combined) for the MV850i and 20x for the MV830i, MV830 and MV800. They also feature Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS), high-resolution true 16:9 wide screen mode with letterbox display, a double neutral density filter, web cam functionality, Super Night mode (MV850i) and Night Mode. The MV850i, MV830i and MV830 feature digital still capability plus PictBridge for direct printing to compatible photo printers without the computer.

Despite their tiny size (only 51mm thick and weighing just 430g), the digital video cameras feature a large 2.4” colour LCD screen and are powered with the same DIGIC-DV processor used to drive Canon’s high end digital video cameras.

SanDisk Corporation Press Release

Sunnyvale, CA, Jan 4, 2005 — SanDisk Corporation announced today that its Charitable Fund has donated $200,000 to eight different organizations that are working in relief efforts to aid the victims of the Southeast Asia earthquake and tsunami. The funds were allocated through the Community Foundation Silicon Valley.

“The need to respond quickly to a crisis such as this tsunami disaster reinforced for us the effectiveness of our corporate philosophy for organized charitable contributions and our use of the Community Foundation as an effective vehicle,” said Judy Bruner, SanDisk executive vice president of administration and chief financial officer. “Having made donations on a regular basis to the SanDisk Fund at the foundation, SanDisk was able to quickly request that donations be made from the fund to multiple charitable organizations. We were able to rely on a trusted entity—the Community Foundation Silicon Valley—to ensure that the funds were quickly and properly distributed.”

The Slovenian website Slo-Foto.net have posted a review of the new 6 megapixel Pentax *ist DS DSLR.

Website: Slo-Foto.net - Pentax *ist DS Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Pentax *ist DS

Photoxels have just posted their review of the 6 megapixel Fuji FinePix E550.

“Finally, the Fujifilm E550 is f-a-s-t! If you miss a candid shot, it won’t be because of this camera: the lens extends in about 1 sec. and the LCD displays in about 0.5 sec. more; shutter lag is negligible for all practical purposes; and shot-to-shot is about 1 sec., except for flash pictures when it takes about 3 sec. to recharge the flash.”

Website: Photoxels - Fuji FinePix E550 Review

Northlight Images have just reviewed the Noise Ninja plugin for Adobe Photoshop, which claims to solve the image noise problem using new, patent-pending technology.

“The Canon 1Ds that Keith regularly uses, has very little noise in images produced at the ISO 100 setting, however at higher speeds noise can become objectionable. Just as with film it’s the price you pay for increased sensitivity. Noise Ninja has been round a while as a standalone application, but is soon to be released as a Photoshop plugin. As a plugin it potentially becomes a much more usable part of Keith’s imaging workflow. Keith has been reviewing some of its features and finding just how well it works. Do bear in mind that as of writing this review, the plugin is still Beta software, and may well still have some glitches.”

Website: Northlight Images - Noise Ninja Review

Website: Noise Ninja

Pacific Image Electronics Press Release

PACIFIC IMAGE ELECTRONICS LAUNCHES VALUE-PRICED HIGH-RESOLUTION FILM SCANNER WITH DIGITAL ICE3

Torrance, CA, January 4, 2005…..Pacific Image Electronics Inc. announces the PrimeFilm 3650u, a value-priced film scanner with high optical resolution and Digital ICE3™.

This new film scanner is a high resolution upgrade to the company’s basic model, and is designed for the hobbyist or photography enthusiast who is looking for image enhancement features and easy handling of large image files.

The inclusion of Digital ICE3TM by ASF (Kodak Austin Development Center) allows the user to digitally clean, correct and restore film images to optimize the image quality.

Pacific Image Electronics Press Release

PACIFIC IMAGE ELECTRONICS FIRST TO MARKET WITH ONE-OF-A-KIND MAGAZINE-FED SLIDE SCANNER

Torrance, CA, January 4, 2005…..Pacific Image Electronics’ PowerSlide 3600 is a one-of-a-kind scanner that batch scans mounted slides automatically, creating high-quality digital files that can be stored to hard disk, zip drive, CD-R, CD-RW or any other storage media. The PowerSlide turns all your slides into a digital format, allowing your slide shows to be viewed on your living room TV, LCD projector, computer monitor, e-mail or web site. Heavy and bulky slide projectors are no longer needed.

This easily wins the award for funniest CES press release of the day. Just what all you iPod Photo owners need…

Playboy.com Press Release

Playboy.com Offers Stunning Image Galleries for Hand-Held Digital Photo Devices Like the iPod Photo

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/—Playboy.com has harnessed the digital photo revolution to put the sexiest girls next door in the palm of your hand with the site’s new “iBod” editorial feature. Given the popularity of handheld media toys like Apple’s new iPod Photo, Playboy.com has created both non-nude and nude image galleries to help beautify these portable players.

“Playboy has always been committed to delivering the fun and sexiness of the classic Playboy lifestyle to customers on any media platform they wish to use,” said John D. Thomas, editor of Playboy.com. “The overwhelming response we have received for this feature supports our theory that iPod Photo users are a technologically advanced group with a significant interest in enjoying beautiful Playboy images.”