Olympus UK Press Release 27/09/04

The power to create perfect photos

Introducing the Olympus E-300 Digital SLR

Olympus has a well founded reputation for revolutionising the design and construction of cameras.  By challenging the accepted methods and form of camera production great strides have been made in developing the next generation of products for photographers.  Olympus has done this most recently with the introduction of the E-system, Digital SLR products that are based on the revolutionary FourThirds technology.  The Olympus E-1 was the first product in this series.  Now we have the next step in Digital SLR evolution with the introduction of the Olympus E-300.

This 21st century development of Digital SLR products by Olympus mirrors the advances that were made with the Olympus OM-1 and OM-10 in the 1970s.  These 35mm SLR cameras transformed picture taking by providing cameras that packed startling performance into a light, compact and affordable body that was loved by millions.  And now we are set to see another favourite with the launch of the compact and newly designed Olympus E-300 Digital SLR.

Based on the TIPA Award-winning FourThirds Standard, The Olympus E-300 comes in a kit featuring a new 14?45mm ZUIKO DIGITAL zoom. The impressive features of the kit include:

- Lighter, smaller and more powerful lenses
- A Supersonic Wave Filter to ensure dust does not interfere with image quality
- Nearly telecentric optics construction draws maximum performance from the camera?s Full Frame Transfer CCD
- The TruePic TURBO image processor boosts picture quality and processing speed
- The Olympus E-300 kit includes a 14?45mm ZUIKO DIGITAL zoom

Olympus UK Press Release 27/09/04

Good looks, great performance

The Olympus AZ-2 ZOOM with 2.5 inch LCD

The four million pixel AZ-2 ZOOM is a triumph of minimalist design.  At just 20.1mm wide the camera boasts the latest in slim line technology, resulting in great performance and a crystal clear, 2.5-inch sunshine LCD to present the results.  Even when in use, the camera retains its compact style and dimensions - its 2.8x zoom lens operates from within the camera body.

The Olympus AZ-2 ZOOM is planned for release in November 2004, priced £299.99 inc VAT.  Features include:

- Four million pixels
- A 2.5 inch sunshine LCD to present high contrast images - even when the sun is at its brightest
- A 2.8x zoom which operates within the camera body
- TruePic TURBO image processor
- Camera shake correction function for movie shooting

Olympus UK Press Release 27/09/04

A winning combination of price and performance

The Olympus C-470 ZOOM

The Olympus C-470 Zoom sets a new standard for digital cameras. An impressive list of high quality features including four million-pixels, 3x optical zoom and the unique Olympus 1.8” anti-glare LCD screen are combined for the first time with an unbeatable competitive price. Features include:

- 4.0 million pixels
- 3x optical zoom (equiv. to 35-105mm on a 35mm camera) f3.1-5.2
- 1.8 inch sunshine LCD (134,000 pixels)
- 8 scene programmes (e.g. Portrait, Night Scene and Indoor)
- Movie recording function with sound
- PictBridge support
- TruePic TURBO image processor
- Ergonomically designed body

Supplied with:
- 16MB xD-Picture Card
- New rechargeable battery (LI-12B, 1230mAh) and charger
- Olympus Master 1.0 software

The C-470 ZOOM is planned for release in October 2004, priced £219.99 inc. VAT. 

Olympus Press Release 27/09/04

Olympus one gigabyte xD-Picture card captures thousands of images on postage-stamp-sized flash memory card

“Miniature Powerhouse” Significantly Increases Storage Capacity of Digital Data for Greater Ease of Use

Melville, New York, September 27, 2004 - Olympus America Inc. today announced the development of a One Gigabyte xD-Picture Card. As one of the world’s smallest storage media for digital cameras and digital voice recorders, the xD-Picture Card is now capable of holding an entire gigabyte of digital images, data, audio and video. As a result, this ultra-compact card allows photographers to capture a greater number of photographic scenes and subjects, and at higher resolution settings, before the card is full and images must be downloaded or the card changed.

“Olympus not only concentrates on building digital cameras that deliver the highest level of image quality combined with the sleekest designs on the market today, but we also constantly look to integrate the most cutting edge technologies,” said Chip Pryor, Memory Products Business Manager, Olympus America Inc. “The One Gigabyte xD-Picture Card is a prime example of our ongoing commitment to raise the bar and contribute to the advancement of the digital camera industry by creating a better digital experience for all consumers.”

Press Release 27/09/04

Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and Eastman Kodak Company, Form Picture Archiving and Sharing Standard (PASS) Group

Defines Picture and Video Storage Parameters to Optimize Future Consumer Use; Input Sought on Version 1.0 Specification

COLOGNE, Germany, September 27 - Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Inc. Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., and Eastman Kodak Company, today announced an agreement to jointly develop a set of open storage standards for the consumer imaging and electronics industries, aimed at the preservation of digital photos and motion images on CDs, DVDs or other media. As information storage technologies advance, the Picture Archiving and Sharing Standard (PASS) group?s intention is to enable digital file compatibility with future playback devices, preserving the satisfying ?photo experience? that consumers have enjoyed for decades.

The group intends that the new standard will:
- Define the requirements of digital media authoring/archival, playback, and print enablement for a new generation of products and services;
- Provide interoperability for pictures, motion images, audio and related content among such future systems;
- And utilize and unify multiple existing standards, to better meet the consumers desire to easily store, organize, print and share for generations to come.

About.com have just reviewed another contender for the noise-removal software throne, Noiseware Professional.

“Processing of images was fast, taking under 20s on my now rather old computer for a 6Mp jpeg image. The quality of the results using the default filters - default, landscape, night scene, portrait - was generally impressive, and similar to those achieved by the best of the other software available, Noise Ninja and Neat Image (see Related Resources.) It would be hard to pick a winner out of these three programs in terms of results. “

Website: About.com - Noiseware Professional Review

Concord Press Release 27/09/04

Cologne, Germany, September 27, 2004 - Concord Camera Corp. (“Concord”) (Nasdaq:LENS), a leader in award-winning, high-quality, affordably-priced digital cameras, today announced at Photokina the Concord 6340z - a high-performance 6 Megapixel/3X optical zoom digital camera for only $299. The first 6 Megapixel digital camera offered by Concord, the 6340z features an all- metal housing, 3X optical zoom/4X digital zoom (for total 12x zoom), MPEG-4 high-quality movies with sound, manual and automatic controls, 16MB internal memory, and a SD card slot.

“With the introduction of the 6340z, Concord Camera is once again first to market with an affordably priced, 6 Megapixel point & shoot digital camera,” said Connie Chan, Senior Marketing Manager. The Concord 6340z offers a unique combination of manual and automatic options for both the advanced and beginner photographers, including auto focus, continuous shooting at 5 frames per shot, dual mode self-timer, and more. Everyone, from first-time digital camera users to pros, will love the Concord 6340z.

The Norwegian website DigIT have just reviewed the 5 megapixel Samsung Digimax V50.

Website: DigIT- Samsung Digimax V50 Review

CONCORD CAMERA CORP. ANNOUNCES NEW FAMILY OF POPULAR PRICED 5 AND 4 MEGAPIXEL DIGITAL CAMERAS

5340z Boasts Large 2-inch Color LCD for Easy Viewing & Offers Great Value and Impressive Features for only $249

Cologne, Germany, September 27, 2004 - Concord Camera Corp. (?Concord?) (Nasdaq:LENS), a leader in award-winning, high-quality, affordably-priced digital cameras, announced today at Photokina their new family of low-cost, full- featured 5 and 4 Megapixel digital cameras with 3X optical zoom - the Concord 5340z and Concord 4340z. The products are targeted at cost-conscious consumers who want high quality, high resolution digital cameras and a comprehensive feature-set that gives users flexibility, greater ease-of-use, and quality results at an affordable price.

Concord 5340z
Housed in a stylish metal accented body and equipped with a 5.1 Megapixel CCD sensor and precision 3x optical zoom, the Concord 5340z produces high resolution pictures with sharp details and superb printing quality. Large sized images can also be taken through in-camera interpolation up to 8 Megapixels, and the camera?s powerful macro mode enables close-up shots as close as 10cm/3.9?. Its large 2-inch TFT color LCD makes framing and sharing photos easier and more fun than ever. The Concord 5340z also takes high quality MPEG-4 movies with sound at QVGA resolution up to 30 fps. The camera offers 16 MB of internal memory and a SD card slot for unlimited photo-taking and is priced at $249.99.

Concord Camera Corp. Press Release 27/09/04

CONCORD CAMERA CORP. BREAKS $100 PRICE BARRIER WITH NEW FASHIONABLE 3 MEGAPIXEL DIGITAL CAMERAS AT $99

Great looking products in fashionable colors - both optical and digital zoom versions

Cologne, Germany - September 27, 2004 - Concord Camera Corp. (“Concord”) (Nasdaq:LENS), a leader in award-winning, high-quality, affordably-priced digital cameras, unveiled today at Photokina a new line-up of trendy low-priced 3 Megapixel digital cameras, the Concord 3346z and 3043. With the introduction of these two new models, Concord Camera is leading the way to attract new digital camera buyers who favor stylish, easy to use 3 Megapixel cameras at ultra affordable prices.

Concord 3043 - Ultra Slim Metal Body, In Fashionable Colors
Priced at $99.99, the Concord 3043 is perfect for fashion-conscious consumers of any age seeking a portable, easy-to-use and stylish digital camera. With a less than 1” slim metal housing (20mm), the 3 Megapixel/4X digital zoom digital camera makes a fashion-statement in 3 of the most-popular color choices: red, blue, and silver. The camera is full- featured with 16MB internal memory and a SD card slot, a 1.8” color TFT LCD, and movie mode at VGA resolution up to 15 frames per second with sound. The webcam functionality will be especially popular on campus and with home Internet users. The camera features a 3 Megapixel CMOS sensor, but larger 4 Megapixel sized images can also be produced through in-camera interpolation.

Concord Camera Corp. Press Release 27/09/04

CONCORD CAMERA CORP. INTRODUCES “JUST FOR FUN” DIGITAL CAMERA LINE PRICED UNDER $50

Retailers can tap into the market of first time digital camera buyers who want to experiment
with digital picture taking without spending hundreds of dollars

Cologne, Germany, September 27, 2004 - Concord Camera Corp. (?Concord?) (Nasdaq:LENS), a leader in award-winning, high-quality, affordably-priced digital cameras, today announced at Photokina that it is extending its position in the under $50 camera market with a “Just for Fun” line of entry- level VGA and 1 Megapixel digital cameras.

The Concord Eye-Q 642 VGA and Concord 1500 1.3 Megapixel digital cameras are perfect inexpensive entry- level cameras for college students, web surfers, and even grandparents. “The ‘Just for Fun’ line of digital cameras allows retailers to tap into the large market of consumers seeking to cost-effectively experiment with digital cameras before committing to spending hundreds of dollars,” said Connie Chan, Senior Marketing Manager.

Ulead Press Release

Ulead Introduces New Version of PhotoImpact Image Editing Software

PhotoImpact 10 Brings Image Editing Software up to the Level of Today’s Digital Cameras with Novice-Friendly Professional Quality Tools

TORRANCE,Calif. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Sept. 27, 2004 - Ulead Systems, Inc., a 15-year, industry-leader in digital media software development, announces Ulead(R) PhotoImpact(R) 10, the newest version of PhotoImpact, Ulead’s flagship PC image editing software. PhotoImpact 10 continues to be the most comprehensive software product under $100 for digital photography, graphic design and Web graphic/page creation. This latest version offers new tools and layouts to make it easier for novices and casual users to navigate the rich feature set within PhotoImpact, while still providing imaging aficionados with sophisticated creative design tools and effects for professional results. Over the years PhotoImpact has garnered notable reviews and awards in a variety of publications including BusinessWeek, CNET, Entrepreneur, PCPhoto, and Technology & Learning.

“Ulead always takes tremendous pride in the sophistication and power of the features we include in our new releases,” says Lewis Liaw, president of Ulead Systems, North America. “We love to deliver plenty of get-up-and-go under the hood. What’s special about PhotoImpact 10 is that we have made equal or even greater strides in making the product easier and more intuitive to use. Digital cameras today are capable of producing images only pros could have just last year. We are very excited to be able to deliver software that lets hobbyists, casual and business users take full advantage of their cameras and achieve professional quality results without having to spend a lot of time or learn complex software.”

Lexar Press Release 27/09/04

Lexar’s Multi-Card Readers Enhanced To Include Newest Digital Media Card Formats

Consumers Can Capitalize on Wide Compatibility That Now Includes Consumer-Friendly Reduced-Size MMC, Mini Secure Digital and Memory Stick Duo

COLOGNE, Germany, September 27, 2004 - Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), a leading marketer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and accessories, today at Photokina (Hall 1.2, B-058), announced the expanding compatibility of its line of USB 2.0 multi-card readers to include Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), Mini Secure Digital (miniSD) and Memory Stick Duo flash memory card formats to address the demand of consumers looking for readers compatible with the widest range of media cards. By adding a new multi-card reader to its line, and updating its single slot card reader, Lexar delivers valuable functionality to consumers who store important images, music and other data on a variety of media card formats.

“Consumers look to us to provide options when they need a quick and easy method for transferring captured images from their media cards to their desktops,” said Dave Klenske, director of product marketing, Lexar. “Consumers are buying a variety of imaging and entertainment devices that use a variety of media formats. As a result, our multi-card reader is an ideal solution as it works with all popular digital media card formats, and provides high-speed information transfer and ease-of-use,” he added.

Lexar Media Press Release 27/09/04

Lexar Revolutionizes Professional Digital Photography Workflow with New ActiveMemory System

COLOGNE, Germany, September 27, 2004 - Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), a leading marketer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and accessories, today at Photokina (Hall 1.2, Booth-058) introduced the ActiveMemory TM System, a technology designed to optimize digital photography workflow to achieve enhanced productivity in and out of the photo studio. The first products to support the ActiveMemory System are certain Professional CompactFlash TM cards, new Lexar Professional FireWire and USB 2.0 card readers, and Photo Mechanic TM 4.5 professional image browsing software.

At the center of the ActiveMemory System are ActiveMemory-enabled Professional CompactFlash cards that can store user preferences and host device settings in a protected area on the card. These settings can only be modified by the host application that created them and can be used to auto-configure multiple ActiveMemory-enabled products within the system. These settings are preserved even when the card is formatted or other data files on the card are deleted, because the ActiveMemory data is stored outside the standard DOS file structure on the card.

Adobe Press Release 27/09/04

Adobe Unifies Raw Photo Formats with Introduction of Digital Negative Specification  
 
Free Converter Tool Kick Starts New Digital Negative File Format by Translating Raw Formats into Easy-to-Use, Archive-Ready Files

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 27, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced the Digital Negative Specification, a new unified public format for raw digital camera files. The company also launched a free software tool, Adobe DNG Converter, which translates many of today’s popular raw photo formats into the new .DNG file format, compliant with the Digital Negative Specification.

Raw files, which contain the original information captured by a camera sensor prior to any in-camera processing, have become popular due to their promise of greater flexibility and image quality. Until today there has been no standard format for these files, which vary between manufacturers and individual cameras. The Digital Negative Specification solves this problem by introducing a single format that can store information from a diverse range of cameras. Technology leaders, major customers, and professional photographers today also endorsed the new specification (see separate quote sheet).

“Professional photographers and other creative professionals are moving to raw camera workflows because of the outstanding creative control they get over digital images,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Digital Video products at Adobe. “However, clients and publishers have difficulty working with disparate raw file formats and nobody can be sure that today’s raw formats will be supported ten years from now. Adobe customers asked us to work on a unified, public format for raw files and that’s what we’ve delivered with the new Digital Negative Specification.”

Adobe Press Release 27/09/04

Adobe Adds Support for New Digital Negative Specification in Updated Camera Raw Plug-in For Photoshop CS  
 
.DNG Files and Raw Formats from New Batch of Pro Cameras Now Accessible in Photoshop CS

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 27, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced an update to the Camera Raw Plug-in, extending raw file support in Photoshop CS to more than 65 digital camera models and enabling Photoshop CS to handle files in the new .DNG format, also announced today (see separate release). Available as a free download from Adobe’s Web site, the plug-in builds on the raw file functionality already available in Photoshop CS, adding new support for the latest digital cameras from leading manufacturers, such as Canon, Epson, Fujifilm, and Nikon.

Raw files, which contain the original information captured by a camera sensor prior to any in-camera processing, have become popular in recent years, due to their promise of greater flexibility and image quality. Adobe Photoshop pioneered the integration of raw files directly into digital imaging workflows through previous plug-in releases and by integrating raw file functionality into Photoshop CS. The company today also launched a free software tool, the Adobe DNG Converter that translates the raw formats supported by Photoshop CS and the Camera Raw Plug-in into the new .DNG file format (see separate release). Adding .DNG support allows Photoshop CS users to work with files created with the new DNG Converter - giving them a single unified file format in which to archive their raw files.

Adobe Press Release 27/09/04

Adobe Photoshop Services Introduced; Integrates Ofoto Picture Sharing and Printing in Consumer Software Products  
 
Tight Integration With Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 and Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 Provides Simple Way to Share Pictures and Order Prints and Specialty Photo Products

SAN JOSE, Calif. and COLOGNE, Germany - Sept. 27, 2004 - Two of the world’s leading imaging companies, Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) and Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) today announced Adobe Photoshop Services provided by Ofoto, Inc. - Kodak’s online photo service subsidiary. Adobe Photoshop Services are now integrated into Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 software for Windows and Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 software for Windows - bringing consumers high-quality KODAK prints, online sharing and photo merchandise directly from the software.

With Adobe Photoshop Services people can save time by placing online orders with Ofoto from within their image editing and organization applications, with just a few clicks. Customers also can create beautiful professionally bound, archival-quality Photo Books within Photoshop Elements 3.0 and Photoshop Album 2.0, and then send the entire project to Ofoto to be printed and delivered to their door, or sent as a gift directly to friends and family.

FujiFilm Press Release 27/09/04

- New wireless mobile printer for sharing real photos from camera-phones -

PHOTOKINA 2004, COLOGNE, GERMANY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2004 ? Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. is proud to announce the Digital Mobile Printer MP-100, a wireless mobile printer for use with camera-phones. Using infrared transmission, MP-100 enables users to get real photos from their camera-phones anytime, anywhere.

The MP-100 is expected to be commercially available in this autumn.

Worldwide unit sales of camera-phones are expected to reach nearly 150 million in 2004, or just over a quarter of all mobile-phone sales (source: Info Trends Research Group). With the rapid expansion of the camera-phone market and the introduction of high-spec models with image resolution of 1 megapixel or higher, demand has been increasing for printing of pictures taken with camera-phones. To meet this demand, Fujifilm unveils a new concept printer, the Digital Mobile Printer MP-100, designed specifically for use with camera-phones. Some of the attractive features of the MP-100 are ease of use, the convenience of infrared transmission, the mobility of its compact & stylish body, and high quality prints. Not in the same category as other home printers (inkjet printers) or retail print services, the MP-100 creates a new market category of “anytime, any place printing” for camera-phones.

Adobe Press Release 27/09/04 

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 27, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced the Digital Negative Specification, a new unified public format for raw digital camera files.The company also launched a free software tool, Adobe DNG Converter, that translates many of today’s popular raw photo formats into the new .DNG file format, compliant with the Digital Negative Specification (see separate press release). Technology leaders, major customers and professional photographers today endorsed the new specification.

Companies
“We believe this new Digital Negative Initiative specification from Adobe will help to move the imaging industry forward and enable more efficient digital imaging workflows. We hope to see DNG adopted widely by all major vendors of digital cameras, equipment and imaging software.”—William Radcliffe, director of technology development, Corbis

“Microsoft has long supported technologies that make it easier for our customers to enjoy digital media on the PC. Adobe’s leadership in proposing a universal format for raw digital camera images will do just that. We believe that standards such as DNG are essential to the future growth of digital photography.”—Josh Weisberg, group product manger, Windows digital media group, Microsoft

Adobe Press Release 27/09/04 

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 27, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced the Digital Negative Specification, a new unified public format for raw digital camera files.The company also launched a free software tool, Adobe DNG Converter, that translates many of today’s popular raw photo formats into the new .DNG file format, compliant with the Digital Negative Specification (see separate press release). Technology leaders, major customers and professional photographers today endorsed the new specification.

Companies
“We believe this new Digital Negative Initiative specification from Adobe will help to move the imaging industry forward and enable more efficient digital imaging workflows. We hope to see DNG adopted widely by all major vendors of digital cameras, equipment and imaging software.”—William Radcliffe, director of technology development, Corbis

“Microsoft has long supported technologies that make it easier for our customers to enjoy digital media on the PC. Adobe’s leadership in proposing a universal format for raw digital camera images will do just that. We believe that standards such as DNG are essential to the future growth of digital photography.”—Josh Weisberg, group product manger, Windows digital media group, Microsoft