The cameras associated with the Internet and
PCs center around those with about 850,000 pixels. They are taking on
more multifunctional photo features based on various kinds of digital
processors (See table1).
As for the superior-quality type of digital cameras, many so-called "mega-pixel"
models with a charge coupled device (CCD) with more than a million pixels
have debuted in recent months (See table2).
As customers seek better image quality, or nearly equivalent to the
level of standard silver-halide-film pictures, more than half of the
digital camera market comprises mega-pixel cameras.
Features for Taking Motion and Panorama Pictures for Web Use
Models with functions for taking motion pictures and panorama pictures
are increasingly popular. Many people use these cameras for pictures
to be posted on Web pages.
In September, Casio Computer Co., Ltd. began sales of the QV-7000SX camera,
which can take motion pictures and panorama photos. And in October,
Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. released the multi-z DSC-X100 camera, which
is capable of taking motion pictures. Sony Corp. also included a function
to take motion pictures in the MVC-FD81 and MVC-FD91 cameras of its
Mavica Series.
Makers of digital cameras utilize different recording and reproduction
methods. Sony and Sanyo cameras are characterized by a format for recording
motion pictures.
Sony's MVC-FD81 and MVC-FD91 employ the MPEG1 standard, and Sanyo's multi-z
DSC-X100 uses the AVI format.
On the other hand, Casio adheres to the concept that "motion pictures
are in line with still pictures," and the company's cameras reproduce
motion pictures by playing JPEG still pictures in a stream.
More digital cameras feature easy image processing. These cameras enable
users unfamiliar with a PC to create Web pages. The CP-700Z from Seiko
Epson Corp. can take two kinds of panorama pictures: those with 1,600
x 600 dots and 1,280 x 480 dots.
Sanyo plans to install software in its digital cameras that reduces distortion
caused at overlap points when a panorama picture is produced by combining
still pictures.
Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.'s CLIP-IT80 is a low-priced model that retails
for 49,800 yen (US$410). It incorporates seven image-processing functions
to produce highly detailed photos that appear as if they were taken
through a convex or a concave lens.
In addition to a function to process two types of images in black/white
and sepia color, the QV-7000SX from Casio incorporates a function to
synthesize characters and illustrations into other images. The "panorama
mode" enables users to take nine pictures by visually confirming overlap
points of the individual pictures.
Embedded Operating Systems for Better Scalability
Digital cameras are now available with embedded operating systems featuring
easily extended functionality.
Kodak Japan Ltd.'s DC260Zoom and Minolta Co., Ltd.'s Dimage EX ZOOM1500
feature "Digita," an embedded operating system developed by Flashpoint
Technology Inc. of the United States. Users are allowed to utilize Digita
Script, an application development language, to flexibly expand digital
camera functions. By creating an HTML file within the camera, pictures
can be pasted to a specified section automatically and camera functions
can be added, such as exposure compensation.
Digita is mainly for use in attaching functions performed on a PC to
digital cameras.
"We can add functions to realize what customers want in a camera whenever
necessary," said Joseph Ward, chief engineer at Eastman Kodak Japan
Ltd.'s research & development center.
Users Seek Image Quality Equivalent to Standard Film
The objective of improving image quality is to achieve high-quality pictures
to match those of silver-halide cameras.
The number of CCD pixels determines the image quality of digital cameras.
Models priced at less than 100,000 yen (US$820) are generally equipped
with a maximum of 1.3 million pixels. Makers are competing by including
higher levels of software processing and by featuring better quality
lenses, with the number of CCD pixels unchanged.
Seiko Epson's CP-700Z features a technique that uses software to process
colors between the pixels before images are compressed into the JPEG
format. As a result, the company succeeded in boosting its 1.3-million-pixel
CCD to a resolution equivalent to 2 million pixels.
Minolta employs in its Dimage EX ZOOM1500 camera a lens with 300 resolution
lines per millimeter, or more than that of a silver-halide camera lens.
Hideyuki Fujimori, manager of Minolta's DP product & business planning
department, pointed out the importance of a high-performance lens.
"Even in the case of a CCD with more pixels, if a lens with a low resolution
is used, it is not possible to take full advantage of the improved CCD,
and as a result pictures will be blurry," Fujimori said.
The PowerShot Pro70 from Canon Inc. features a 1.68-million-pixel CCD,
and is priced at 158,000 yen (US$1,290), or a high price for a consumer-use
camera. To maximize the image quality of the PowerShot Pro70, Canon
is further developing its software processing techniques, such as edge
processing to produce a clear image outline.
Camera Functions Become Rich
An increasing number of camera functions are being added. Olympus Optical
Co., Ltd. added to its C-1400XL a function that allows customers to
manually set white balance and exposure compensation. Seiko Epson's
CP-700Z also has a function that enables users to optimize white balance.
Cameras in the Minolta DimageEX Series are among those that allow the
user to attach different lenses depending on light conditions. Optical
parts, including the CCD and the lens, can be separated from the camera
body in the Minolta DimageEX Series.
Also, the storage capacity of recording media is witnessing major improvements.
Canon's PowerShot Pro70 with a 1.68-million-pixel CCD features two CompactFlash
drives. One of the drives conforms to the CompactFlash TYPE II standard,
and can use IBM Japan Ltd.'s "microdrive" 340MB hard disk drive.
For external storage, more cameras are adopting the mass storage capacity
of CompactFlash cards. Already, a 48MB product is available on the market.
For SmartMedia that competes with CompactFlash, a 32MB product will
soon be released. CompactFlash is one step ahead of SmartMedia in this
market.
Minolta employs SmartMedia for the Dimage EX. But the company has switched
to CompactFlash, because CompactFlash appears to be better for mass
storage.
Sony's Mavica Series has a floppy disk for the recording media, and it
is now faced with difficulties in featuring a CCD with a large number
of pixels or taking motion pictures over an extended duration. Sony
has developed a 200MB HiFD disk, and intends to incorporate it in the
Mavica Series.
Table 1: Digital cameras capable of taking motion pictures, released
after September 1998.
They have many features incorporating
digital technology.
|
Company
|
Casio Computer
|
Sanyo Electric
|
Sony
|
Sony
|
|
Product
|
QV-7000SX
|
multi-z DSC-X100
|
Digital Mavica MVC-FD81
|
Digital Mavica MVC-FD91
|
|
Motion picture
|
3.2 sec. --320x240 dots by 5 fps (JPEG format)
|
15 sec. -- 320x240 dots by 15 fps (AVI format)
|
15 sec. 320x240 dots by 8.3 fps (MPEG1 format)
|
15 sec. -- 320x240 by 8.3 fps (MPEG1 format)
|
|
Voice recording
|
no
|
4sec/image
|
40sec/image
|
40sec/image
|
|
Picture effects
|
black /white, sepia
|
no
|
monotone, negative art, sepia, solarization
|
no
|
|
CCD
|
1/3-in., 1.32M pixels
|
1/3-in., 850,000 pixels
|
1/3-in., 850,000 pixels
|
1/3-in., 850,000 pixels
|
|
Resolution
|
1,280x960/640x480 dots
|
1,024x768 - 160x120 dots
|
1,024x768 - 320x112 dots
|
1,024x768/640x480 dots
|
|
Optical zoom
|
x2
|
no
|
x3
|
x14
|
|
Recording media
|
SmartMedia
|
SmartMedia
|
floppy disk
|
floppy disk
|
|
Compression format
|
JPEG(JFIF)
|
JPEG (Exif2.0), AVI
|
JPEG (JFIF), BMP, MPEG1
|
JPEG(JFIF), BMP, MPEG1
|
|
LCD monitor
|
2.5-in.
|
2-in.
|
2.5-in.
|
2.5-in.
|
|
Price
|
88,000 yen
|
65,000 yen
|
99,800 yen
|
138,000 yen
|
|
Sales started
|
Sep. 17
|
Oct. 20
|
Oct. 10
|
Nov. 20
|
(return to news)
Table 2: Digital cameras pursuing high image quality, released after
September 1998.
They have many new features.
|
Company
|
Olympus Optical
|
Canon
|
Seiko Epson
|
Fuji Photo Film
|
Minolta
|
|
Product
|
CAMEDIA C-1400XL
|
PowerShot Pro70
|
Epson Colorio Photo CP-700Z
|
FinePix600Z
|
Dimage EX ZOOM1500
|
|
White balance
|
automatic/ manual: 4 modes
|
automatic
|
automatic/ fixed: 1 mode/ custom: 1 mode
|
automatic/ manual: 5 modes
|
automatic/ manual: 3 settings
|
|
Exposure
|
automatic/ manual: 7 settings
|
automatic/ manual: 13 settings
|
automatic/ manual: 9 settings
|
automatic/ manual: 9 settings
|
automatic/ manual: 13 settings
|
|
Sequential shooting
|
3.3 fps (1,280x1,024/640x512 dots)
|
4 fps (768x512 dots)
|
2 fps(640x480 dots)
|
no
|
3.5 fps (1,344x1,008 dots)
|
|
CCD
|
2/3-in., 1.41M pixels
|
1/2-in., 1.68M pixels
|
1/2.7-in., 1.3M pixels
|
1/2-in., 1.5M pixels
|
1/2-in., 1.5M pixels
|
|
Resolution
|
1,280x1,024/640x512 dots
|
1,536x1,024/768x512 dots
|
1,600x1,200 - 640x480 dots
|
1,280x1,024/640x480 dots
|
1,344x1,008/640x480 dots
|
|
Optical zoom
|
x3
|
x2.5
|
x3
|
x3
|
x3
|
|
Recording media
|
SmartMedia
|
CompactFlash
|
CompactFlash
|
SmartMedia
|
CompactFlash
|
|
Compression format
|
JPEG(JFIF)
|
JPEG(CIFF)
|
JPEG(JFIF)
|
JPEG(Exif2.1)
|
JPEG(Exif2.0)
|
|
LCD monitor
|
1.8-in.
|
2-in.
|
2-in.
|
1.8-in.
|
2-in.
|
|
Price
|
128,000 yen
|
158,000 yen
|
89,800 yen
|
94,800 yen
|
128,000 yen
|
|
Sales started
|
Oct. 8
|
Nov. 26
|
Nov. 27
|
Nov. 20
|
Nov. 12
|
(return to news)
Related stories:
Seiko Epson to Debut Digital Camera with Modifier Feature
Casio to Sell 1.32M-Pixel Digital Camera
Sanyo's 850K-Pixel Digital Camera Can Take 1-Min. Motion Pictures
Olympus Discloses New Lines of Popular Digital Cameras
Kodak to Compete with Easy-to-Use Digital Cameras
(Tsuyoshi Ootake, Staff Editor, Nikkei
Multimedia)
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