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March
31, 2004
Press Release : Canon
Compact Photo Printers CP-220 and CP-330
MISSISSAUGA, ON., March 31, 2004 - Whether announcing
a "new arrival" or capturing family
fun at a weekend barbecue, Canon's new Compact
Photo Printer CP-220 and CP-330 allow
consumers to print pictures quickly, easily and
directly from a digital camera, virtually anywhere.
Canon's small and stylish CP photo printers now
print high-quality colour prints in three different
paper sizes from a computer via USB or by direct
camera-to-printer connection. These sizes include
4" x 8" for personalized greeting cards
or invitations; 4" x 6" postcard size
or credit-card size pictures. The Compact Photo
Printers CP-330 and CP-220 will be available in
April 2004, respectively for manufacturer's suggested
list prices of $369 and $245.
March
26, 2004
 QuickFact
Sheet: Canon
PowerShot S500 Digital ELPH
We received a Canon PowerShot S500 Digital
ELPH for review but the weather is not cooperating
a bit up here in Toronto. It's a 5 megapixels
resolution beauty with point-and-shoot ease of
use and small enough to slip into your trousers
pocket or small fashion purse. If you are looking
for a one of a kind gift, check out the Coach
Edition Gift Set pictured to the right. The elegant
stainless steel camera comes with a Coach leather
soft case and is boxed in a deluxe gift case.
[ read QuickFact Sheet...
]
New: Picture Gallery
 Starting
with the review of the Canon PowerShot S500 Digital
ELPH (tentatively due April 1 -- and it's no April
Fool joke either), we are working hard [in case
you thought we were loafing and spending our nights
sleeping ;o)] at revamping the Image Quality section.
We are going to change the format of that section
by presenting the image samples as a slide show
(with accompanying exif info and comments, of
course) and defaulting the picture size to 640x480.
A big assumption we are making here is that most
of you have a 17-in. monitor with resolution set
at 1024x768 pixels. You could view it at 800x600
pixels but you'll have to scroll a bit. Drop me
an email if this is going to be a problem.
March
20, 2004
First Day of Spring -- or, Autumn!
March 20, 2004 1:49 a.m. EST -- Today is the
Vernal Equinox -- the first day of Spring for
those in the Northern Hemisphere! The days are
becoming longer and the air warmer. The Sun crosses
directly over the Earth's Equator, and day and
night are about equal in length all over the world.
Vernal = Spring, Equinox = Equal Night. For those
in the Southern Hemisphere, today is the Autumnal
Equinox when they start preparing for the cooler
temperatures of Autumn.
March
18, 2004
Press Release: Konica
Minolta DiMAGE G600
 Mississauga,
Ontario – March 18, 2004 - With the DiMAGE
G600, Konica Minolta focused on the essence of
what a camera should be – quick, easy to
use, and able to produce high-quality images to
last a lifetime and beyond. This new design 6-megapixel
model features Rapid Response; an ergonomic and
easy-to-use design; and is packed with features
that will appeal to both beginners and advanced
amateurs alike. [ read
original press release (pdf)... ]
March
17, 2004
Guiness World Records: Toshiba's
0.85 in. Hard Disk Drive World's Smallest
 The
Guinness World Records has certified Toshiba's
0.85 in. hard disk drives as the smallest in the
world. The stamp-sized HDDs, unveiled in January,
have storage capacity of up to 4 GBs and will
be used in products such as cell phones and digital
camcorders. I'm willing to bet that it's only
a matter of time before we start seeing them in
digital cameras (a whole memory card industry
set to disappear?).
March
16, 2004
Press Release: EPSON
POWERLITE S1+ MULTIMEDIA PROJECTOR
TORONTO, Ont. - March 16, 2004 - Epson Canada
Ltd., today introduced a new multi-purpose projector
designed for both business and entertainment.
The EPSON PowerLite S1+ offers 1,400 ANSI-lumens
of brightness, SVGA (800 x 600) native resolution
and a contrast ratio of 500:1 for $1399. The new
EPSON PowerLite S1+ delivers increased value and
a high level of performance to the cost-conscious
presenter.
The PowerLite S1+ uses three Epson LCD panels
to project a wide variety of computer and video
images with unmatched rich colour saturation and
full-time colour. Its sleek exterior significantly
reduces light leakage, which contributes to extremely
quiet operation as low as 33db. The seven-pound
projector also features an Epson two-year warranty
and a lamp rated at 2,000 hours that is replaceable
for only $279. [ read
press release... ]
Press Release: PENTAX
to Distribute Camera Control Software for *ist
D on the Internet
Mississauga, ON - March 15, 2004
PENTAX Corporation has announced that it will
distribute the PENTAX REMOTE Assistant camera
control software to users of the PENTAX *ist D
digital SLR camera via the Internet. The software
can be downloaded free of charge from the PENTAX
Web site (http://www.digital.pentax.co.jp) beginning
on March 18, 2004, for Windows users and after
mid April for Macintosh users. [ read
press release... ]
March
15, 2004
Megapixel.net
April 2004 - Issue 66
Four new digital cameras reviewed, including
the Panasonic DMC-LC1. The month's cover
photo is a hauntingly beautiful picture of a horse
by Denis Gamelin. The editors also call upon the
industry to standardize the terms used to describe
image quality. [
English | Français
]
March
12, 2004
'Look
at me' Baby Photo Contest
Deadline: June 30, 2004
 Pampers
and PENTAX (Canada) are running a 'Look at
me' Baby Photo Contest. Submit a photo of
your baby and you could win a Grand Prize consisting
of:
- Your baby's photo will appear on a national
Pampers television advertisement
- CAD$1,000 worth of Pampers diapers
- PENTAX Optio 555 Digital Camera
There are more than 100 cameras to be won (including
60 digital cameras), so what are you waiting for?
March
11, 2004
PENTAX
Optio43WR Waterproof Digital Camera
PENTAX
has announced the Optio43WR which offers
JIS Class 7 waterproof performance. It
features a rust-resistant metal interior and proprietary
rubber sealants. Additional protection is employed
for the surface of the lens. All this protection
means that the Optio43WR may be immersed up to
one meter of water for less than 30 mins -- perfect
for shooting in wet conditions: in the rain, in
the snow, by the pool or on the beach. The Optio43WR
has 2.8x optical zoom and 4.0 effective megapixels.
[ read
the whole press release... ]
March
10, 2004
Luminous Landscape: What's
Important In A Review
Well, OK, so my title makes it sound nicer, but
Michael Reichmann of Luminous Landscape
tells it as it is as he takes aim at "Nit
Picking Pixel Peepers" and other "Magical
Thinkers." Ouch! Don't worry if you see Michael's
lens aimed squarely at your face, he doesn't mean
any harm. But we can all learn from the extensive
experience of a great photographer about what's
really important as we decide which digital camera
is best for us; we would save ourselves from making
costly mistakes. But then again, as I have often
said, we're all different, reviewers also have
their own personal bias, and you're the best person
to make the final decision for yourself. And
prove us all wrong!
If you have not visited Michael's Luminous
Landscape web site yet, do so soon.
Though his information is aimed more toward the
advanced amateur photographers, there are still
tons of useful information there to help
anyone become a better photographer.
March
9, 2004
QuickFact™
Sheets: Canon
PowerShot S1 IS
It was just a matter of time and Canon has now
joined (after being the first with the PowerShot
Pro 90 IS way back in 2001) the ultra zoom crowd
with the PowerShot S1 IS. The S1 features
10x optical zoom with image stabilization. It
has 3.2 megapixels resolution and a maximum aperture
of F2.8. Shutter speeds range from a long 15 sec.
to a fast 1/2,000 sec. more...
QuickFact™
Sheets: Canon
PowerShot Pro 1
No, no G8 to replace the G5. Instead, Canon has
introduced a prosumer model to compete directly
with Sony with its DSC-F828 Cyber-shot and Nikon
with its Coolpix 8700. The Canon PowerShot
Pro 1 is the flagship model of the PowerShot
series and features 8 megapixels resolution on
a 2/3 in. image sensor. Its 7x optical zoom (operated
using a zoom ring) ranges from a wide-angle 28mm
(perfect for landscape and group photos) to a
medium telephoto of 200mm (perfect for pleasant
portrait shots). It has a 2 in. Vari-Angle LCD
monitor that swivels in all directions. more...
March
7, 2004
Tutorial:
What Is... ISO?
Continuing on our Learn series of tutorials,
we explain what ISO is and what the practical
considerations are when deciding which ISO to
use.
March
4, 2004
Press Release: EPSON
STYLUS® PHOTO R200 PRINTER
Epson Canada Ltd.’s latest printer, the
EPSON Stylus Photo R200, is ideal for digital
imaging enthusiasts who want to print frame-ready
photos and personalize home music and movie collections
at an affordable price. With an estimated street
price of $149, six individual ink cartridges,
ultra-fast print speeds, and direct CD/DVD printing,
the EPSON Stylus Photo R200 is the perfect solution
for versatile, high-quality home printing.
Rover
Opportunity: No Autofocus???
Apparently the "digital camera" (microscopic
imager) on Mars rover Opportunity does not have
autofocus. To guarantee that at least one image
is in focus, the rover is commanded to take multiple
images at different distances and beam all of
them back to Earth.
March
1 , 2004
Best
Digital Cameras for Real Estate Interior Shots
Four digital cameras with the right features you
need for great interior shots.
Featured Site: Don
Ellis' Kleptography
 One
of the criteria I use when selecting a Featured
Sites is the amount of time I spend browsing it.
Don Ellis' site, Kleptography, is filled with
obsessively good pictures, funny anecdotes, and
when he gives advice, it's pretty sound. And you
feel like you're welcomed to stay and browse for
as long as you want....
Our Featured Site for March is Don
Ellis' Kleptography.
Newsletter Issue #2: March 1, 2004 --
If we missed you, drop
us a line and we'll make sure you receive
it!
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