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Orlando Convention Center
A good sign PMA was going on in Orlando last
week was the constant presence of the Fuji blimp hovering over
the Convention Center. Inside was a bazaar of everything vaguely
related to photographic. Here are some more of the digital
photography highlights.
Nik-Wacom Demo
A new partnership between Nik multimedia and
Wacom was apparent from their combined demo booth. Nik was
introducing penPalette Filters with all professional Wacom
tablets (Intuos 2 and Cintiq). A set of eight free filters will
ship with each tablet: warming, cool tone, contrast, colorizing,
noise, despeckle, softening and contrast only.
The interface of these filters is amazing with
pen pressure sensitivity allowing a user to actually paint the
effect into a portion of an image. Additional penPalette sets
will include most of the familiar nik filters starting at $69.95
Minolta Dimage X
In the constant race for smallest (practical)
digital camera, Minolta has come up with the Dimage X, about the
size of a box of British cigarettes (3.3x2.8x.8 inches).
This 2mp f:2.8 3X zoom camera uses SD or MM
cards for memory and will barely cause a bulge in a shirt
pocket. The light and image path from lens to CCD runs along the
length of the camera and then takes a 90 degree bend thanks to a
prism. The Dimage X is a rugged, all metal box with a sliding
lens cover for pocket protection. At $399 (street price), it's
an ideal digital camera for the business or non-enthusiast
traveler.
SeaLife ReefMaster
Underwater photographers always face a film
changing. I once dived with a man who stacked six Nikonos
cameras on the bottom rather than go through the surfacing,
rinsing, drying, opening and changing ritual.
SeaLife introduced its ReefMaster line of
dedicated underwater digital cameras. With 1.3mp resolution and
a 35mm lens with 2X zoom, the ReefMaster features one button
operation and instant delete. Its 1.8 inch LCD port makes
underwater viewing a breeze. The DC100 model is waterproof to
100 feet and uses CF cards. A 128mb CF card would provide 256
high resolution images, for instance.
On land, the ReefMaster can be set to operate as
a traditional digital camera. With a retail price of $449, the
ReefMaster is bound to make it into a lot of dive bags.
Hakuba Digital Media Storage
Finally, a digital need is solved very fast.
Last year, there was a definite need for secure and safe memory
card storage. A year later, Hakuba is showing a complete line of
card storage cases in aluminum or microfiber nylon with molded
rubber inserts. Also available from Hakuba is a new digital
camera neckstrap, a sturdy replacement for all those chintzy
little G-string wriststraps that so many manufacturers insist
upon shipping.
Op/Tech Media Holster
And Op/Tech USA continually expands its line of
cases and containers, including a nifty Neoprene neckstrap Media
Holster. Just big enough to hold a flash memory card or a LiON
battery, the Velcro-secured flap rides on a camera's neckstrap.
That does it for our PMA report. Next week,
we'll be in San Diego for Photoshop World 2002 (March 14-17).
The keynote will be an Adobe presentation on Photoshop 7.0 and
I'll have a report following on products at the trade show. |