Digital Camera Information

Yes, that’s right a 160 mega pixel in a digital camera. Although not the most portable camera, the Seitz photo Seitz 6×17 Digital takes a massive 160 mega pixels.

Here are some of the features

Create a high-resolution (160 million pixel) 6 x17 digital scan in just one second

Capture action thanks to a minimum exposure speed of 1/2000 sec. (per pixel) - images full of speed, motion and life!

Benefit from an outstanding image quality in virtually all light situations:

- 16-bit per channel (48-bit RGB) color depth
- Anti-blooming
- Low noise
- Dynamic range of 1:2,600 (11 f-stops)
- Seitz image optimization algorithms

Use world-class large format Schneider or Rodenstock lenses - or reuse your existing set of lenses

Process a high-definition high dynamic range panorama directly in the RAM of the computer (single-pass, multi-pass)

Take advantage of the latest technology in tablet PCs for image control, display and storage

Remove the Seitz D3 digital scan back and use it with the Round shot D3, the Alpa family of medium format cameras
(Alpa 12 SWA, WA, TC, XY) or with other medium or large format cameras (in the future)

Click here for the price list

Here is an interesting summary on various ISO modes in compact digital cameras by Dpreview.

Source

Amazon.com has purchased Dpreview.com on the 14th May 2007 and it will be interesting to see if the reviews by Phil and his team are NOT biased and are editorially independent from AMAZON. Imagine after a few month of Dpreview under the CONTROL of Amazon management. Who is really in control? Who controls what can be said? Who controls the final content? Who controls what can be reviewed? AMAZON that’s who. Amazon will use the creditability of Phil Askey to promote or demote products according to who pays the biggest advertising dollars.

Is Phil still able to write a genuine negative review on a new camera when the manufacturer pays Amazon.com big advertising dollars? I do not think so. The big corporations have taken over the site so that more profits can be made. Phil is just an employee with a JOB. His job description is to write in-depth reviews for Dpreview.com unless otherwise instructed by Amazon.

I do not see big changes for the first 6 months, however by the end of the year when Christmas shopping begins, there will be changes.

Bye bye Dpreview.

PICA (Photo Imaging Council Australia) has joined with PMA (Photo Marketing Association International) in a venture to promote a new concept for the Asia-Pacific photo imaging industry show to be held in Melbourne Australia, May 3-7, 2007. Under the terms of the agreement, the new show will become a major event in the international PMA Show program and will be actively marketed by PMA around the world.

Operating under the PMA banner, the format of the show will also be changed to include special buying offices for major retailer groups in Australia. These will be built right on the show floor. This approach is expected to attract nationwide interest from major consumer electronics, mass merchant and specialty photo store groups. Special dedicated conference facilities will also be included for these groups.

Professional market support will be expanded to include graphic artists, sign makers and photographers who will all benefit from a revitalized conference program with special emphasis on wide-format printing and printing technology. The Australian Institute of Professional Photography will also be conducting its regular awards and seminar programs at the event. Professionals, government, business and photo retailers will benefit from a new series of talks on emerging technologies.

For more information click here

Now here is a rugged camera, the Phantom Miro 3. Although it has a low resolution of 0.26 mega pixels, it has a super quick frame rate of 2200 frames per second!

The camera was revealed by Vision Research, their first member in a new line of Phantom high-speed digital cameras at the NAB in Las Vegas, Nevada, (16 - 19 April 2007) and SAE World Congress in Detroit, Michigan (16-19 April 2007), . The Phantom® Miro line is a compact, light-weight, rugged family of cameras targeted at industrial applications ranging from biometric research to automotive crash testing.

The first member of the family, the Phantom Miro 3, is optimized for applications such as Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized (HYGE) crash simulations used in the automotive industry. Rated to survive 100g acceleration (WOW!) this rugged camera can take 512 x 512 images at up to 2200 frames-per-second (fps). Reduce the resolution to 32 x 32 and achieve frame rates greater than 95,000 fps. With an ISO rating of 4800 (monochrome, saturation-based ISO 12232), the camera has the light sensitivity for the most demanding applications. With shutter speeds as low as 2 microseconds, the user can freeze objects in motion, eliminate blur, and bring out the image detail needed for successful motion analysis. The camera accepts any standard 1″ C-mount lens.

Selectable 8-, 10- or 12-bit pixel depth allows the user to choose the dynamic range that best meets the demands of the application.

The Miro 3 has a number of external control signals allowing for external triggering, camera synchronization, and time-stamping. The camera has both dynamic RAM and internal flash memory for non-volatile storage. Internal battery power allows the camera to be used in an un-tethered mode and ensures data survivability in case of loss of power.

The camera ships with a trial version of Image Systems’ TEMA Starter for Phantom motion analysis software.

Specifications

Key Features :

Resolution: 512 x 512

Frame rate: 2200 fps at 512×512 (0.26 mega pixels), >95,000 fps at 32×32

Minimum exposure: 2 microseconds

Sensitivity: 4800 ISO monochrome, 1200 ISO color (ISO 12232)

Built-in memory: 1GB or 2GB (optional)

Integrated flash memory: 2GB or 4GB (optional)

Pixel bit-depth: 8-bits standard, 10- & 12-bits optional

Record time: (max resolution, standard configuration) 16.3 seconds at 500 fps

Camera control: 10/100 Ethernet

Camera signals: Trigger, Strobe/IRIG out, Ready, Sync, IRIG in

Video out: PAL & NTSC

Lensing: 1″ C-mount

Size: 4.3″ x 2.6″ x 3.2″ (W x D x H); 11cm x 6.5cm x 8 cm

Weight: 2.0 lbs, 0.9 kg

Power: 20-32VDC, 12W

Battery: Poly-Lithium

Source

A review by CNET in the UK about a camera combat between the Camera phones, a digital compact camera and a digital DSLR has to be the worst review I have ever read. In fact the review is more like a primary school project and I think this is where it is aimed.

In this review they compare the picture quality between the camera phones: the Nokia 6300, Sony Ericsson K810i, Nokia N95 against the digital compact camera; the Canon IXUS 70 against a DSLR camera; the Canon 400D. Both normal and low light were compared for visual appearance only.

Although the conclusion was that the Canon 400D came out on top, the Nokia N95 was not that far behind. I hope people do not use this as a true review but as a negative control on what NOT to read.

Have a laugh at these quotes:

“colours came out fairly balanced if not a little yellow, but that’s probably due to the lighting in the room.”

“.. but the shot came out a little blurry, which may have been due to moving our hands slightly when we took the shot.”

Source

Here are some interesting facts for 2006 for digital cameras. According to Reuters, Canon has topped the market share in global digital camera shipments in 2006, however South Korea’s Samsung Electronics jumped up the ranks to 5th place from 9th a year ago. Nikon is ranked 6th in the world.

Tokyo-based Canon shipped 19.7 million digital cameras in 2006 which accounted for 18.7 percent of the overall market. Canon’s shipments jumped 23.3 percent from 2005.

In total, the Industry wide digital camera shipments in 2006 rose 14.5 percent to 106 million units from a year earlier. This was driven by the strong popularity of Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras. DSLR shipments grew 39 percent to 5 million units last year.

Sony Corp was No. 2 in the market with a 15.8 percent share, up from 15.2 percent in 2005. This was helped with the introduction into the DSLR market with the Alpha A100.

Eastman Kodak which is the only U.S. Company among the top five digital camera makers, ranked third with 10 percent, a drop from its 14.2 percent share a year earlier. This could be due to their exit of the DSLR market a few years ago.

Olympus Corporation came in fourth with a market share of 8.6 percent, down 9.8 percent in 2005.

The big winner in 2006 was Samsung, who displaced Nikon and became the fifth-largest seller of digital cameras in the world. Samsung has expanded its market share to 7.8 percent in 2006 which is a huge jump from the 3.8 percent it had a year earlier.

Nikon Corporation, the world’s second-biggest maker of professional cameras (DSLR) after Canon, ranked No. 6 in the overall digital camera market with a 7.6 percent market share in 2006.

Digital SLR Market
Canon also dominated the booming DSLR market, securing a 46.7 percent share in 2006, with its shipments rising 30.7 percent from a year earlier. But its share was trimmed from the 49.5 percent it had in 2006 amid increased competition from rivals.

Nikon cemented the No. 2 position in DSLRs with a 33 percent market share. Its shipments jumped 35.9 percent with the introduction of successful models such as the Nikon D50, D70s, D80 and the D200.

Sony, which purchased the DSLR unit of Konica Minolta Holdings, shipped 326,240 DSLRs in 2006, accounting for 6.2 percent of the market. A great result after being in the market for under a year.

According to Reuters, fewer shoppers reached for digital cameras as a gift during the holiday season, leading to the first-ever quarterly decline in U.S. shipments, according to an industry report issued on Thursday.

In a clear sign the U.S. market has matured, shipments of digital cameras fell 3 percent in the fourth quarter to 12.1 million units from 12.4 million units a year ago, research firm IDC said in its “U.S. Digital Camera Market Share Review” report.

That was a sharp contrast from double-digit gains in previous years, when the attraction of film-less cameras swelled as consumers replaced their traditional film devices.

“Demand has definitely cooled,” IDC analyst Christopher Chute said. “There was (also) a move away from giving an inexpensive camera as a gift and about 85 percent of those sold were to people buying another camera, maybe as upgrade.”

Canon Inc. (7751.T: Quote, NEWS, Research) led the market with 2.5 million units shipped in the quarter, followed by Eastman Kodak Co. (EK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) at 2.4 million and Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, NEWS, Research) at 2.2 million.

Kodak, which bowed out of the low-end camera market in an effort to sell more profitable models, surrendered its top ranking to Canon for the full 2006 year. Canon had a 20 percent market share, followed by Sony with 17 percent and Kodak at 16 percent, IDC said.

For the whole of 2006, U.S. shipments of digital still cameras, including digital SLRs - or single-lens-reflex - models, reached 29.8 million units, driven by price drops and rebate programs. This represents only 5 percent growth over 2005.

Shipments to the United States are expected to rise, but only slightly in 2007, to about 30 million units, Chute said, as consumers continue to replace older models in order to get more powerful features.

IDC added that Samsung Electronics (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) and Matsushita’s (6752.T: Quote, NEWS, Research) Panasonic (6752.T: Quote, NEWS, Research), which has large marketing strategies in place, may be threats to top tier players.

Digital cameras have been around since the 1980s, but only became a mass-market item in the 1990s.

What is interesting is that that the hottest selling items are now LCD TV. According to CNet, LCD televisions beat out digital cameras to become the top-selling gadget during the 2006 holiday season.

From 2003 to 2005, digital cameras generated the most revenue when it came to U.S. holiday spending on consumer electronics, computers and cameras, NPD analyst Steve Baker said. But this year, the $925 million spent on televisions with liquid-crystal displays topped the $825 million spent on digital cameras.

“Clearly, price was a huge driver this year, and availability,” Baker said of the LCD TV surge. In addition, LCD TVs spread to the more lucrative 30-inch-and-larger category, which plasma and rear-projection TVs previously had had largely to themselves, he said. A total of 1.3 million LCD TVs shipped in the holiday season, he said.

Now here is an interesting alternative method to cleaning your DSLR sensor. It is an adhesive-based DSLR sensor clearer called DUST-AIDâ„¢ that will offer a unique solution for DSLR camera photographers seeking a safe and easy way of cleaning their dusty sensors.

It was developed and tested for contamination using extremely sensitive Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), the same technology used in scientific instrument such as the Foss Milkoscan FT-120 which is used to measure low levels of different components in milk. The DUST-AID was invented by a landscape photographer who primarily works with film but needed digital capabilities for advertising / contract shoots. It seems more like an advance version of the 3M Post it Notes and I’m surprised 3M aren’t involved.

“I wanted a fast way to remove dust that didn’t use flammable liquid or canned air,” says Ross Wordhouse, DUST-AID inventor. “I travel extensively on airlines for my photo business so many of the methods just didn’t work for me. I knew there had to be a better answer that works quickly, easy and can pass airport security.”

Born out of frustration and a desire for a high-performance solution, DUST-AID employs a unique combination of three main elements – an ultra low-adhesive foam tape, pad and a re-usable wand. The patent-pending DUST-AID cleaning device is a blend of three different tape and foam layers, tested and designed to protect the sensor filter during dust removal. The final layer, which actually touches the sensor filter, includes an adhesive specifically designed for glass applications with one of the lightest tack levels available. This glass cleaning adhesive has been FTIR tested, which showed no residue contamination after 100 applications. Dust-Aid will have a suggested retail price of $39.95.

Here is an interesting article by TWICE on the digital camera market. As indicated by the huge growth and profit of the top two digital SLR camera manufacturers Canon and Nikon, the growth of the digital SLR market is set to continue. Here are some interesting supporting quotes:

“Some categories that were hot in 2005, such as camera/printer bundles, have cooled considerably, while others, such as compact models and digital SLRs have continued to burn, said Liz Cutting, NPD imaging analyst. “

“Overall, growth is starting to slow,” said Fred Lerner, Ritz Interactive president. “But the growth in digital SLRs has taken everyone by surprise — it’s still at double digits, driven by some really spectacular products.”

“Through May, digital cameras (including SLRs) were up 17.5 percent in units and 12.1 percent in dollars vs. the same period in 2005, Cutting said. The category has also come off its single best week during the run-up to Mother’s Day, suggesting that the gloomier forecasts may be a bit too pessimistic — at least for 2006. “We don’t see a downturn until 2008,” Cutting predicted.”

One bright spot, predicted to weather the slowdown in compact camera sales and provide a healthy dollar volume, is digital SLRs. “We don’t see d-SLR sales slowing until past 2009,” Cutting said.

“There’s no room for the old and new entrants,” said Chris Chute, imaging research manager, IDC. The consumer electronics brands have to prove themselves in the d-SLR category where strong photo brands dominate, Chute added. “The real question is whether they take share away from Canon.”

Source: TWICE