Monday, August 31th

• We have news on an exciting new camera from Minolta, and an update to an old friend as well.
  • The Minolta Dimage EX ZOOM 1500 features a 1.5M pixel CCD, which produces 1344x1008 images. It uses the Digita OS from Flashpoint, which is also used by the new Kodak DC-220 and DC-260. This allows for features such as scripting and tutorials. The camera also has a detachable lens with 3x zoom, an EX digital bus for adding interchangable lenses, lighting adapters, and maybe even a better CCD in the future. It also has a 2" LCD, and it can store up to 40 images on the included 4MB CompactFlash card. Pricing and availability information was not available.
  • Kodak introduced the DC210 Plus camera, which adds more battery life, faster startup and photo capture, multi-lingual LCD screen, date stamp and video out slide show to the already successful DC210. Oh, and it comes with an 8MB CompactFlash card too. It's available now for a price of $599.
    
    
• We've added a number of new cameras, reviews, and sample photos to our Reviews and Info section.

Friday, August 28th

• Olympus finally put an official end to the OfficeMax D-320L sale confusion. The $399 price was indeed a misprint--it should have been $499. The circular only ran in half the OfficeMax markets--with the other half seeing the ad this weekend. Stores will not be honoring the lower price.
  
  
• A thought occured to me as I was reading through the Sony Mavica MVC-FD91's statistics, on the Sony website. The camera holds 8-16 XGA-resolution photos per floppy disk. Funny thing is-- this camera only has a 850,000 pixel CCD! My D-600L (now under $900) has a 1.4 megapixel CCD! For $1099, this new Mavica may *not* be such a good buy after all....
  
  
• These new cameras, as well as numerous price corrections, new reviews, and sample photos will be entered into our Reviews database this weekend.

Thursday, August 27th

• Sony introduced several new cameras today, ranging from nicer Mavica cameras to a high end model.
  • The high end model, DSC-D700, has a 1.5 megapixel CCD, 5X optical zoom, exposure control, 2.5" LCD, hot shoe for external flash, and more. It will retail for $1899 when it ships in November.
  • The Mavica MVC-FD81 has XGA resolution (1024x768), an MPEG Movie Mode (which allows capturing up to 60 secs of sound/video), 3X optical zoom, 2.5" LCD, 2X high speed floppy drive, intelligent flash, and InfoLithium batteries. It will ship in late October for $899.
  • The MVC-FD91 takes all that, and adds 14X optical zoom (I have to see this!), SteadyShot image stabilization (like their camcorders have), and macro mode. It also ships in late October for $1099.

Wednesday, August 26th

• The OfficeMax Olympus D-320L controversy continues. You can indeed get this camera for $399 there-- but it seems to be a local thing. I couldn't find a mention in my OfficeMax ad on sunday, but a reader from Kentucky provided a scan of their ad, and there it was. So you may just want to call your local store and see.
  
  
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called the DCRP "the unofficial resource for current or future owners of digital cameras" in an article last Sunday. Cool!

Tuesday, August 25th

• MacWeek has a story about the upcoming Mac version of the Flashpath Smartmedia floppy adapter.

Monday, August 24th

• We were supposed to be chosen as a LA Times Pick for today! For some reason this didn't happen, so maybe later this week.
  
  
• A German digicam site mentions the Sony MVC-FD81, featuring a 1024x768 resolution, and I presume the requisite floppy drive as well--coming soon?
  
  
• Keeping with our trend of foreign language sites, a Japanese site has sample photos from the Agfa ePhoto 1680. (Thanks, Steve's Digicams for both of these.)
  
  
• Our database will start getting updated more frequently. I've brought in my sister to help keep it updated. There are many more reviews to add!

Thursday, August 20th

• Philips recently came out with two new cameras that somehow we missed:
  • The ESP60 costs $399.95. It's got 640x480 resolution, SmartMedia support (comes with 4MB card which holds upto 24-99 images), optical viewfinder + LCD, macro mode, video out, and remote control.
  • The ESP80 will cost $799.99 and has a 1280x960 resolution, 3X optical zoom, auto everything, SmartMedia support (up to 23 high-res images on included 4MB card), audio recording, 2" LCD and remote control. It also has a stunning resemblance to the Ricoh RDC-4300 which is no accident.
    
    
• IXLA's Digital Camera Direct software works in conjunction with your photo editing software, and lets you easily import photos from over 70 cameras. The software is $49.95 for Windows only, and a trial version is available on IXLA's website.
  
  
• I've got boatloads of new reviews and sample photos to add; Look for them this weekend.

Tuesday, August 18th

• A News.Com story mentions the upcoming QV-7000SX camera from Casio. It's similar to the QV-5000SX (1.3 megapixel) but with expandable memory.
  
  
• That updated DC-210 we mentioned last week turned out to be the Japanese DC-210A, which will apparently appear here shortly.
  
  
• J. David Eisenberg wrote a set of utilities for Macs and the Nikon Coolpix 900, said to increase transfer speed to the Mac.
  
  
• Delane and I apologize for the small amount of updates lately. Delane has been moving to a new place (among other problems) and I've been busy with my other site, and my new job starts today.

Wednesday, August 12th

• A reader writes in saying that the Kodak DC-210 may be getting an update:
  • Kodak just sent [a reseller] some info about new Kodak DC 210s - not a whole new camera, but they're changing the color, the software, the cables, and upping the included CompactFlash from 4MB to 8MB - all for the same price.
    
    
• The Olympus D-340L has dropped in price, down to a list of $599. It can be found for as little as $517, at BuyComp. Speaking of which: for those of you who are considering from buying a camera from place like BuyComp or CMP Express [note this correction]: I have heard horror stories about CMP Express, so I would recommend avoiding them. BuyComp was a pleasant surprise for me, as I ordered my photo printer and another 8MB SmartMedia card from them last week. Everything arrived on time, and for much less than anywhere else.
  
  
• Speaking of Olympus, if you buy any of their cameras, plus their P-300 Personal Photo Printer, you'll get a $100 rebate plus 60 sheets of photo paper free.
  
  
• PC Magazine reviewed several megapixel cameras this week, including the Canon PowerShot A5, Casio QV-5000SX, Epson PhotoPC 700, Fuji MX-700, Olympus D-340L, and the Panasonic PV-DV1580. The big winner turned out to be the Fuji.
  
  
• Our Reviews section is down once more while we migrate to a faster server at our new ISP.
  
  
• The Camera Exchange is the first online automated auction from camera equipment.

Thursday, August 6th

• I just got my hands on a new Epson Stylus Photo 700 printer-- and I was blown away! I printed out some of my Olympus D-600L photos onto the 4x6 photo paper that it came with, and both myself and my family were amazed at the quality. I really cannot tell they are from an inkjet printer! I'll let you guys know more about it as I play around some more.
  
  
• I'm also going to try out the services provided by PrintMyPicture.com in the next few days. This service takes your digital photos and prints them out on "real photographic paper."
  
  
• Paul Senior points out a program for the OS/2 operating system which communicates with most every popular camera out there.
  
  
• Peripheral Enhancement Corp. introduced their new SNAPZ 16MB SmartMedia cards. Keep in mind that most "first generation" SmartMedia-using cameras will not be compatible with this size card.
  
  
• Sony will roll out the "Memory Stick" in Japan this fall. It will be 4-8MB in size and can be used in cameras as well as other electronic devices.

Monday, August 3rd

• iView MultiMedia software (Mac only) has been updated to version 3.2. It now can catalog PageMaker, Painter, and Live Picture graphics as well as just about every other format. It's a great way to organize your digital photos!
  
  
• A beta version of the Mac FlashPath drivers have been posted to Fuji's FTP site! Note that this requires a PowerMac to work. The way it works seems a bit strange to me--it's an application rather than a true driver, so you have to load up the application first. Regardless, if you've been waiting for a SmartMedia floppy adapter for your Mac, here's your chance! (Thanks, Dave Etchells of Imaging Resource)
  
  
• Steve's Digicams reports on upcoming Epson printers, as well as new firmware for the Kodak DC-260.
  
  
• Rob Galbraith has posted an overview of Type II and Type III PC Card options for professional digital cameras. (Note that here at the DCRP, we only cover cameras that cost less than $3000 or so).
  
  
• According to a note on the Olympus D-600L FAQ page, the 16MB SmartMedia incompatibility problem isn't just limited to Olympus cameras.
  
  
• Arthur Bleich has a new column on ZoneZero, which "explains digital camera memory options and how to download images in seconds. Also reviewed...a new 10,000-picture portable storage device, the first NiMH power pack, off-camera flash units, an unusual Photoshop book, and more."
  
  
• Toshiba lowered the price of their PDR-M1 megapixel camera from $699 to $599. NECX has it for $525, though not in stock.
  
  
• PhotoLoft.com, coming later this month, is "a free photo album and multimedia digital
  imaging storage site that allows users to view, share, and store pictures on the Internet. Users can also access the site to order a variety of gift items emblazoned with digital images" as well.