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What's New And Notable In
Photography And Computers |
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Full-Frame,
16.7-Megapixel SLR
Shoot images for huge enlargements
with the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II D-SLR. With proper
photographic technique, its 16.7-megapixel, full-frame
sensor (3328 x 4992) produces ultra-sharp 16x24-inch or
larger prints. The 1Ds Mark II is based on the body and
technology from the Canon EOS-1D Mark II, which is already
making a name for itself in photographic circles.
The EOS-1Ds Mark II shoots at 4 fps for 32 continuous
JPEG images or 11 RAW shots, and provides fast AF capability
comparable to the 1D Mark II. The 1Ds Mark II’s body
is highly sealed against dust and moisture, and features
a shutter tested to 200,000 cycles. Shutter lag is a quick
55 ms, and startup is a brief 0.3 seconds. Like the original
1Ds, the Mark II’s full-frame sensor will let your
lenses work the way you’re used to with 35mm film
cameras, without any magnification factor. Estimated Street
Price: $7,999. Contact:
Canon, (800) OK-CANON, www.usa.canon.com.
Two Image-Editing Programs
Jasc gives digital photographers
a choice between heavy-duty, feature-laden software for
serious photographers and a simpler-to-use program that
still packs a punch. Use powerful new tools to
improve your digital images with Paint Shop Pro 9. The
software adds digital noise removal, a chromatic aberration
filter and many other enhancements specifically for digital
shooters to its already robust image-editing capabilities.
It also offers art media tools so you can add realistic
wet and dry artwork to your images. Paint Shop Pro Studio
provides much of Paint Shop Pro’s power without a
steep learning curve and includes software for making
digital photo albums. List Price: $129 (Pro 9); $79 (Pro
Studio). Contact: Jasc,
(800) 622-2793, www.jasc.com.
Inkjet Printer With 1-Picoliter
Droplets
Get beautiful color prints
fast—borderless 4x6-inch prints in as little as 36
seconds—with the Canon PIXMA iP5000 inkjet printer.
Its five-color ink system uses droplets as small as one
picoliter for outstanding color. The PictBridge-compatible
printer’s dual paper path allows double-sided printing,
or you can put photo paper in one tray and plain paper
in the other. Estimated Street Price: $199. Contact:
Canon, (800) OK-CANON, www.usa.canon.com.
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Improved
Monitor Calibration
Pros know that you have to calibrate your monitor periodically
to get consistent color from your digital images. Get
more accurate calibrations with ColorVision’s Spyder2PRO
Studio. It features vastly increased sensitivity
and other improvements for more precise measurements.
A streamlined calibration process gets you better results
with less fuss. Suggested Retail Price: $299 (includes
additional bundled software). Contact:
ColorVision, (800) 554-8688, www.colorvision.com. |
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Low-Profile
D-SLR
Carry a compact but capable
8-megapixel D-SLR with Olympus’ EVOLT E-300.
The camera’s unconventional viewfinder system eliminates
the traditional pentaprism that sits atop other D-SLRs,
causing their characteristic silhouette. The E-300 uses
the Olympus E-1 system’s compact lenses, which also
keeps bulk to a minimum.
Like the E-1, the E-300 features a Supersonic Wave Filter
in front of its CCD that uses ultrasound to eliminate
the dust that’s the bane of D-SLR photography. The
camera’s newly designed CCD improves dynamic range
and minimizes noise by using its sensor area more efficiently,
and image quality is further enhanced by the onboard TruePic
Turbo Image Processor. A slew of Scene modes gets beginners
up and running quickly. List Price: TBA. Contact:
Olympus, (888) 553-4448, www.olympusamerica.com.
Publish A Paperback Of Your
Images
Use MyPublisher to create 6x8-inch,
professionally printed and bound books of your favorite
images to share with friends and family. Just download
the free software and let it walk you through the simple
process. Choose from more than 60 page layouts and 11
different album covers for your own individual look. Price:
$9.95 for 20 pages; extra pages, $0.49 each. Contact:
MyPublisher, (800) 432-8290, www.mypublisher.com.
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Hard Copy
Digital Photography
for Children’s and Family Portraiture
by Kathleen Hawkins (Amherst Media, 2025; ISBN: 1-58428-117-0).
Written for professional portrait shooters moving to digital,
this book offers a wealth of ideas for pros and amateurs alike.
Paint Shop Pro 8: The Guide to Creating
Professional Images by Robin Nichols (Focal Press, 2025;
ISBN: 0-240-51698-2). Learn how to use Jasc’s Paint Shop
Pro 8 to achieve professional results with this detailed but
easy-to-understand book.
Visual Quickstart
Guide: Photoshop CS for Windows & Macintosh by Elaine
Weinmann and Peter Lourekas (Peachpit Press, 2025; ISBN: 0-321-21353-X).
This handy guide to Photoshop CS provides screenshot images
along with concise text to help you quickly understand both
beginning and advanced techniques.
PCPhoto Digital
SLR Handbook (Lark Books, 2025; ISBN: 1-57990-602-8) by
Rob Sheppard. Our very own PCPhoto Magazine editor shows you
everything you need to know about shooting D-SLRs, including
metering, lens choices, noise reduction, memory and more.
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Tiny Digital
Camera
Slip Casio’s petite Exilim
EX-S100 camera into your shirt pocket—it’s about
the size of a business card and just 2�3-inch thick.
The EX-S100’s 2.8x optical zoom lens with auto macro
gives you uninterrupted focusing down to just 6.7 inches.
Despite its proportions, the 3.2-megapixel camera boasts
a large two-inch LCD monitor. Suggested Retail Price:
$399. Contact: Casio,
(800) 435-7732, www.casio.com. |
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D-SLR
with Anti-Shake System
Get sharp images with Konica
Minolta’s Maxxum 7D at shutter speeds up to three
stops slower than you’d usually use. The 6-megapixel
D-SLR’s built-in Anti-Shake system reduces the effects
of blur-causing camera motion by moving the image sensor
to compensate. Unlike other approaches that rely on specially
designed optics, the Maxxum 7D’s stabilizer will
work with nearly all of the lenses in the Maxxum line.
It will make a noticeable difference for images taken
with a long lens or in dim light.
The Maxxum 7D is a full-featured D-SLR that includes nine-point
AF with Predictive Focus Control, as well as CxProcess
III image-processing technology for optimum color, contrast
and noise reduction. The camera’s unusually large,
2.5-inch LCD monitor makes it simple to double-check composition
and technical quality after you make an exposure. Price:
TBA. Contact: Konica
Minolta Photo Imaging USA, (877) IMAGING, www.konicaminolta.us.
Photo Art Software
Use your photos to create
natural-looking digital paintings that show your actual
brushstrokes and paint texture with Painter IX software.
The program captures the fine nuances of oil, watercolor,
pastels and other media, melding them to the power of
digital imaging. Painter IX supports Wacom pen tablets,
including the new Intuos3. Suggested Retail Price: $429.
Contact: Corel, (800)
772-6735, www.corel.com.
High-Resolution Flatbed Scanner
Scan your prints, negatives
and slides at up to 3200 x 6400 optical resolution with
the Xerox 6400 scanner. Its built-in slide and
filmstrip adapter makes it simple and USB 2.0 makes it
quick. The scanner’s 48-bit color lets you set your
levels, curves or saturation with less concern about posterization,
and included software helps you restore old photos. Suggested
Retail Price: $199. Contact:
Xerox, (800) 648-0410, www.xerox.com.
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Mini
2.1 GB Drive
Copy your image files onto
a convenient miniature hard drive with the Store ‘n’
Go 2.1GB USB HD Drive. The diminutive 2.8x2.1-inch
device has enough capacity to store approximately 600
to 800 JPEGs from a 6-megapixel camera, and weighs less
than two ounces. Its USB 2.0 interface efficiently transfers
your data to and from your computer. List Price: $249.
Contact: Verbatim, (800)
538-8589, www.verbatim.com.
Print Your Own Album
Share your favorite photos
with family and friends in a personalized Spaark Printable
Photo Album. Using your computer, select your best
photos, lay them out in easy-to-use templates, print the
pages on the included glossy inkjet paper and insert them
into the album covers. Available in two album types with
various page sizes, styles and colors. List Price: From
$24.95. Contact: Spaark
Photoprintables, (416) 488-6930, www.spaarkphotoprintables.com.
12.4-Megapixel D-SLR
Nikon’s D2x boasts 12.4-megapixel
resolution, the highest available for Nikon cameras.
Its 2848 x 4288-pixel CMOS chip provides double the pixel
count of Nikon’s 6-megapixel D-SLRs for significantly
bigger and sharper images. In spite of its high resolution,
the D2x’s ultra-quick 37 ms shutter release lag time
matches that of the D2H, and the camera shoots bursts
at up to 5 fps.
The D2x also features an improved 11-zone AF system and
low enough power consumption to provide 2,000 shots on
a single charge of its battery. The camera’s 2.5-inch
LCD monitor is noticeably larger than most others, and
displays RGB histograms to show you whether you’ve
exposed your image correctly. The D2x’s improved
auto white balance system helps you get accurate color
in all types of lighting. List Price: TBA. Contact:
Nikon, (800) NIKON-UX, www.nikonusa.com.
D-SLR Training Videos
Get the most out of your Canon
Digital Rebel or Nikon D70 with two training videos from
Blue Crane Digital. Each video takes about an hour
to explain the camera’s controls, exposure and composition,
and how to work with imaging software to make great prints.
Simulated viewfinder images help you see what you’ll
encounter behind the eyepiece. Suggested Retail Price:
$19.95 each. Contact:
OmegaSatter, (410) 374-3250, www.omegasatter.com.
Removable Hard Disk System
Back up your images on Iomega’s
reliable REV removable hard disk system. The main
drive holds all the sensitive components, allowing the
removable 35 GB disks a less complex and more durable
structure. The disks boast a 30-year shelf life, so your
archived data will stay put. Backup software for Windows
and Mac is included. Estimated Street Price: From $379;
extra cartridges, $60. Contact:
Iomega, (888) 4-IOMEGA, www.iomega.com.
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