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Sad news, John Netherton passes away.

On March 15th, 2001 John Netherton passed away in his home from an apparent heart attack, he was in his early 50's.  

John was one of the countries' top nature photographers, a regular contributor to many magazines, and a prolific author with 20 books to his credit.  In addition to awards for his photography, John was known for his passion for nature and had been recognized for his environmental and conservation efforts.  He will be missed.

You can see some examples of John's work on his Web site at www.johnnetherton.com.

Kodak Introduces the DCS 760, a six megapixel pro SLR

Kodak announced a new six megapixel pro digital SLR - the DCS 760.  It features Kodak's true 6-megapixel CCD (3032x2008) in a Nikon F5 camera body.  This provides an 18MB image that Kodak claims can create a high quality 16x20 inch print with no tweaking necessary.  The camera will have an ISO range of 80 to 400,  pushable 2 stops, a burst rate of 1.5 frames/sec. for a full 24 frames.  Images are captured using 36 bit color (12 bits per color). Images are uploaded via FireWire connection to PC or Mac.

The DCS 760 also offers composite video output and a removable IR filter.  An anti-aliasing filter is an option.  This filter prevents unwanted digital patterns from forming in fabrics, strands of hair, at the edges of type, or on the surface of metal objects. 

The camera also features dual PC card slots for type II and type III cards and a built in microphone for voice recording.

Software is also included with the DCS 760 for file transfer, camera management, and studio support.

Kodak says that the DCS 760 will be available in May.  Pricing is not yet available.  However according to Kodak's marketing department "We think the marketplace will be pleasantly surprised with the price of the DCS 760 digital camera. It will be very competitive, and bring true 6-megapixel resolution within reach of a much broader segment of professional - and even advanced amateur - photographers." 

Read into that statement what you will.

Olympus adds a 2.11 megapixel compact to the Camedia line

The C-700 UltraZoom, a small 2.11-megapixel digital camera, is the latest addition to the Camedia line. The camera has a 10X zoom lens that delivers the equivalent of a 38mm to 380mm lens in 35mm format.  A 27X digital zoom extends the camera's range to the equivalent of 1,026mm. 

The C-700 UltraZoom includes aperture priority (Wide: f2.8 - f8.0, Tele: f3.5 - f8.0), shutter priority (1/2 - 1/1,000 sec.), full manual operation and program modes including Night Scene, Sports Action, Portrait and Landscape modes. 

It also features a QuickTime Movie mode that enables users to capture up to 62 seconds of full motion video with sound at 15 frames per second, suitable for Web viewing and up to four seconds of audio for each still image.  It uses SmartMedia cards to capture images in JPEG and TIFF formats and includes an 8MB card that can hold up to 82 pictures in SQ-Normal mode.  Connection to a PC or Mac is via USB AutoConnect, that allows users to plug the camera directly into any computer with a USB port.  Also included is the Camedia Master Software package. 

The Camedia C-700 will be available in May for a suggested retail price of $799. 

Kodak wants to turn your Palm Pilot into a digital camera

The PalmPix transforms the Palm m500 and m505, into color digital cameras.  It captures color images at 800-by-600 pixels which should enable you to get a decent 4x6 print.  It has three settings for macro, portrait and landscape. 

Images can be transferred to your PC via the HotSync cradle that comes with the Palm.  Images are stored as standard JPEG or BMP files on the PC and as JPEG or PICT files for Mac.  Images can be stored in the Palms memory (approx. 160K per image) or on Secure Digital or MultiMediaCard memory cards.

The PalmPix is expected to retail for $129.95 and will be sold through major computer retailers starting in early summer.

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The DCS 760 features a true six megapixel CCD for 3032x2008 images

The PalmPix transforms the m500 & m505 into color digital cameras.

text and photography copyright © 2001 Vivid Light Publishing