Rangefinder Magazine
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Digital Photography by John Rettie

Time for Several New Announcements
By the time you read this column the 2001 PMA (Photo Marketing Association) annual trade show will be history. It has become a tradition for PMA to be the venue for announcements of major important new products for the photo industry in the U.S., if not the world. In the past few years it has been especially important for introductions of new professional digital cameras. Two years ago it was here that Nikon teased us with a wooden mockup of the D1. Last year it was Canon’s turn with the D30.

Monthly press deadlines meant that this month’s column had to be written a couple of weeks before the show, even though you are reading it a couple of weeks after. Sometimes photo manufacturers will let writers in on what’s going to be shown under a non-disclosure agreement several weeks before the show opens. Not so this year. I was not privy to the planned introductions from Nikon, Canon or Kodak in time for this column.

Canon’s new PowerShot Pro90 IS includes a 10X zoom lens with image stabilization.

By the time you read this, most of you will know what significant new cameras were announced. Ahead of time it was everybody’s guess that Nikon would announce an updated version of the ever-popular Coolpix 990, following its tradition of upgrading this model once every year in the spring. While many people were hoping for a new (D2?) version of the professional digital camera, I suspect it will not be announced until later in the year. However I would not be surprised if a less expensive 35mm based digital camera body were to be introduced to compete against the Canon D30.

Canon enthusiasts will be bitterly disappointed if the long-rumored professional digital body based on the EOS 1v is not announced. Canon system users are begging for a new pro camera body that will be fully competitive with the Nikon D1. Let’s hope it will not be too long before it’s available in the stores.

Epson planned to launch its newest trio of Stylus Photo printers at PMA, and I was given details on these printers ahead of time. It’s significant that a computer peripheral company chose to launch new products at a photo show instead of a computer show like Comdex. On the other hand, Canon and Nikon chose to introduce some new photo products at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and Macworld computer shows a month earlier.

Epson Photo-quality Printers and Scanners
Just when you think that ink-jet printers can’t possibly get any better it seems as though Epson keeps introducing new ones that yield prints that really are as good or better than those produced on traditional silver-halide paper. The company introduced three new Stylus Photo printers at PMA aimed directly at photographers wanting to produce photo-quality prints. Each of the models has a maximum resolution of 2880x720, which is a twice as good as in previous Stylus Photo models. Each of the models also offers a new feature—borderless printing on regular non-perforated papers. Epson calls this patented technology “True BorderFree Photos.” Somehow it avoids having the excess ink messing things up when the ink cartridges place ink along the edges of the paper.

For the first time there is an entry-level Stylus Photo 780 model costing $199, which should appeal to light-duty users or those just getting their feet wet in digital printing. It will produce prints up to 8x10 yet it operates at the same speed as the two more expensive models. The Stylus Photo 890 sells for $299 and adds a paper roll holder for producing prints up to 8.5x44 inches in size. Finally the Stylus Photo 1280 is a $499 replacement for the 1270. It also includes a roll holder and the ability to print up to 13x19 inches on cut paper or 13x44 inches on roll paper.

	Olympus’s new E-100 RS has similar specifications to the Canon Pro90 but operates at a faster speed but delivers lower resolution.

Earlier in the year Epson announced its latest flatbed scanner, the Expression 1680 that is available in four configurations arranging from a Special Edition for $799 to a Pro FireWire edition for 1399. This 1600x3200 dpi scanner should be worth a look for those who need to scan flat art and photographs.

Canon Pro90 IS & Olympus E-100 RS Cameras
Canon has remained somewhat behind Nikon and Olympus in its introduction of digital cameras recently. A couple of year’s ago the Canon Powershot Pro70 camera was regarded as a decent camera except for its slow operation and low resolution. Plus it looked and felt like an SLR, yet it was not. Canon has finally come out with its replacement, the Powershot Pro90 IS, which is now on sale for $1299. It is an SLR-style camera with a non-interchangeable lens that covers an amazing 10X optical zoom range of 38–380mm (35mm equivalency).

What’s more the camera incorporates Canon’s image stabilization system that is equivalent to a gain of two to three aperture stops as it allows hand holding at lower shutter speeds. The camera uses the same 3.3-megapixel CCD as in the point-and-shoot G1 camera, but because of the needs of the IS lens only 2.6 megapixels are available to produce a smaller 1856x1392 image size. Pro photographers will be disappointed to know that instead of an optical viewfinder the eye-level viewfinder is in fact a small LCD screen instead of a mirror. However, the large LCD screen on the back of the camera can be flipped out from the body and revolved through 270° for viewing at a wide variety of angles and positions.

I had a brief chance to play with a Pro90 IS while attending the Detroit Auto Show. I found it possible to hand- hold the camera at shutter speeds as slow as 1ž5 sec., though most of the dozen or so images I took were at 1ž60. The image detail was good but, unfortunately, they all exhibited a tremendous amount of noise (grain). The image capture data from the camera does not indicate the ISO rating so I can only presume that the camera had been set at a high ISO prior to my using it for 20 minutes. I am hoping to borrow one fairly soon so I can compare it fairly to other cameras.

Ironically, Olympus has also introduced a very similar camera with a zoom lens that has an identical zoom range and an image stabilization system. However the E-100 RS has only a 1.5 megapixel CCD and yet it costs a rather expensive $1499. The big difference is that the Olympus camera is fast in operation. It can shoot at 5fps and can also record movie footage. I have finally received one for review so I will put it through its paces. However it is not aimed at professional photographers as its image resolution is not really suitable for anything other than web usage or producing small prints. It does demonstrate that the speed issue that so bugs users of digital cameras can be overcome in a small camera. It’s a shame that Canon could not have the image processing speed of the Olympus or the Olympus have the image resolution of the Canon!

Nikon’s New Film Scanners
Nikon has had some of the best film scanners on the market for a number of years. Its new generation of scanners announced in January at the Macworld show offer some considerable improvements in quality and speed according to Nikon. There are three models in the lineup; each aimed at different users with different price points. Nikon says it has improved the capture software and incorporated a new color management system for more vivid colors.

	Nikon has introduced a new range of film scanners with some impressive specifications. Above, Coolscan® lV ED with adapters and holders .

All models include the newest version of Applied Science Fiction’s Digital ICE-3 technology. Pervious Coolscan models have included Digital ICE (Image Correction & Enhancement) which is a canny technology that scans the surface of the film and (digitally) removes all but the most stubborn scratches and pieces of dust and dirt. It has proven to be a very effective tool for lessening the amount of retouching needed after a damaged or dirty image has been scanned. Now two more image correction tools from the same company have been added for the first time. Digital ROC (Reconstruction of Color) helps restore lost color, while Digital GEM (Grain Equalization Management) reduces grain in the film being scanned. Sample images supplied by Nikon look pretty impressive. It’s amazing how effectively these tools can restore degraded images, such as those that have faded from excessive exposure to light.

The Coolscan IV ED is the low-end model, but it still has impressive specifications such as 2900 dpi and a 3.6 dynamic range. It hooks up to a PC or Mac via a USB cable and Nikon claims it can scan an image in 42 seconds at 2900 dpi with a 8-bit output. At its highest quality setting it can produce a 48-bit image with a file size up to 69MB. Although this model’s retail price is only $895 it has specifications that appear to be better than the old Coolscan 2000 which cost more than twice as much only a few months ago.

The mid-range model is the Super Coolscan 4000 ED which, as its name suggests, has a scanning resolution of 4000 dpi. Although the 4000 ED is housed in the same case as the IV ED it can scan a 16-bit image at 4000 dpi in 38 seconds. It has an incredible 4.2 dynamic range, which is better than any desktop scanner on the market as far as I know. In order to keep up with transferring 130MB files the scanner hooks up to a Mac or PC via a FireWire cable instead of USB. Although this scanner can only scan 35mm and APS film it has a variety of optional holders for unattended scanning of slides (up to 50) and even rolls of film contacting up to 40 images at a time. All in all, this $1,695 scanner should prove ideal for professional users of 35mm film.

	Super Coolscan® 8000 ED.

The top-of-the-line 8000 ED scanner does not as its name might suggest have an 8000 dpi resolution. Instead, it has the same 4000 dpi resolution of the Super Coolscan 4000 but it is housed in a larger box and is capable of scanning 120/200 film as well as a wide variety of smaller formats such as 16mm, 35mm, slide glass and electron microscope images. It also uses a FireWire cable to connect to a Mac or PC. This scanner should be available in April and will cost $2995, which is a lower price point than comparable large-format film scanners have been in the past.

I have been hoping for some time that a company would introduce a new scanner with improved dynamic range and a FireWire connection for speedier and easier scanning setup. It’s nice to see Nikon coming to the plate and introducing a FireWire film scanner, and at a relatively decent price no less. I am looking forward to reviewing one before too long.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 31 years, a computer for 21 years, and has combined his knowledge of both for the past eight years. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.