Digital Video & Photography

26 February 2005 - Olympus' i:robe IR-500 digital camera new dock and done modular concept that allows users to shoot, organise, store, share and print digital images without using a PC. 1st Olympus camera to feature a 360-degree rotating (front to back) 2.5-inch high-contrast 210,000-pixel Semi-Transmissive TFT LCD display 4MP, 2.8x optical zoom lens (or 30x total zoom including digital zoom), offers 17 scene programmes for shooting in a wide range of conditions and styles. QuickTime® Movie mode incorporates a camera shake correction function that reduces image unsteadiness. In addition, the peripherals for the "dock and done" set-up include the P-S100 digital photo printer and S-HD-100 hard disk storage device.

• Limited quantities of the i:robe IR-500 digital camera and P-S100 digital photo printer will be available for the first time in Singapore at the IT Show 2005 from 10 to 13 March 2005.
• Both models will subsequently be available island-wide from 14 March 2005 onwards
• The S-HD-100 hard disk storage device will be shipped to Singapore by 2Q 2005

31 December 2004 - Olympus, the industry leader in opto-digital technologies and pioneer in the digital camera market, today introduced the new Olympus µ[mju] DIGITAL 500, a compact 5-megapixel digital camera with 3x optical zoom. The Olympus µ[mju] DIGITAL 500 is the next-generation model of Olympus’ highly successful µ[mju] DIGITAL line. The camera comes in an all-weather metal body, and features a new flat-surface body design, a large LCD monitor, and a wide range of easy-to-use high-performance shooting functions.

21 October 2004 - Shiro Corporation launch Shiro DX331, a model that is a hybrid of all the features that the consumers are seeking for in a digital camera. Further enhancing our motto of making digital photography a way to capture all precious moments in our life, Shiro DX331 fulfills these requirements by providing consumers with abundance of functions and features and an affordable price tag, making Shiro DX331 a sure snatcher in the consumer market. With the addition of Shiro DX331, Shiro now offers to the consumer market a wide selection of digital cameras fitting the needs and requirements of each individual. Shiro DX331 will be launched at an attractive price of S$229 during SITEX 2004 at booth 5E40 and will be made available at all appointed retail outlets after the show.

11 February 2004 - Texas Instruments unveiled a new processor for digital cameras that it said will cut by half both the start-up time for the camera and the delay between shots. The new chip also supports wireless networking, TI said, so a user could add a Wi-Fi card to their camera and transfer pictures wirelessly to a computer or a printing kiosk. With more processing power than previous generations, TI said, the chip will support some editing and image-correction features, like the elimination of "red eye" in photographs, as well as better recording of video to memory cards. Manufacturers are expected to target the end of this year for the release of cameras featuring the new technology.

24 September 2003 - Toshiba Corp said Monday it has developed an active camera system that can detect and track a fast-moving object in ambient light conditions, such as those in home and office environments.

2 February 2005 - Creative today introduced the Creative DiVi CAM 316, an affordable digital MPEG-4 video recorder that doubles up with all-in-one functionalities such as digital camera, webcam, MP3 player and voice recorder. The Creative DiVi CAM 316 is equipped with an effective 3.1-Megapixels CMOS sensor capable of recording video with audio at up to 640 x 480 resolutions in MPEG-4 format. In addition, the Creative DiVi CAM 316 can capture still images of up to 6.6 Megapixels in resolution by interpolation. With images at 2976 x 2232 pixels in size, users can capture the finer details that were not previously possible, while the 4x digital zoom allows users to capture objects that are far away in sight. Both video and still images recorded can be stored onto the integrated 16MB memory or add-on SD card (expandable up to 512MB). The Creative DiVi CAM 316 all-in-one digital camcorder is now available at a suggested retail price of US$149.00 and includes a one-year limited hardware warranty.

10 November 2004 - Olympus, the industry leader in opto-digital technologies and pioneer in digital cameras, is participating at SITEX 2004 with a host of festive bargains that will be spear-headed by the new all-weather µ-mini DIGITAL camera. There will also be three new models at the show – Olympus E-300, CAMEDIA C-70 ZOOM and CAMEDIA C-370 ZOOM. The E-300 packs an unique Supersonic Wave Filter and an 8-megapixel imaging sensor in its innovative compact, low-profile "flat-top" body. It is available for pre-order at SITEX 2004 at S$1,699. The C-70 ZOOM is the world’s smallest 7.1-megapixel, 5x optical zoom digicam. This model is fully-featured and packs a bright 5x optical zoom lens that combines with a 6x digital zoom for an impressive 30x magnification power. Get the C-70 ZOOM at SITEX 2004 at S$999! The lightweight and compact 3.2-megapixel C-370 ZOOM promises easy operation and excellent results with its new easy-to-use menu concept and button layout that helps techno-phobes start digital photography in a snap. Definition and image clarity is assured with the 3x optical zoom lens while a 4x digital zoom provides additional magnification power. Get the C-370 ZOOM at SITEX 2004 at S$299!

19 February 2004 - BenQ brings you DC S30, one of the first in its class to combine the ability to take photographs, play music, record voice memos, and shoot continuous amount of video – making it an all-in-one personal digital entertainment center. In addition, BenQ S30 features 3.34 Mega-pixels, 3X optical zoom, and an 180º flip-out LCD preview screen. The DC S30 offers a unique design to the photography enthusiasts with its modern styling; the camera is pack with a variety of features that offer high performance functionality at just $659.

9 January 2004 - BenQ is giving you the easy tool to become a professional photographer with our new stylish C50 digital camera. This high-tech camera makes it, the perfect shooting gadget for Prosumers (Professional Consumer) because it allows you to capture all your pictures at top-notch quality without the usual complexity of digital photography. It totally redefines the meaning of high quality digital image with its 5.0 mega pixel resolution, 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom. The camera’s night and sports mode allows you to capture the sharpest and clearest images for fast moving objects or the beautiful night sceneries. The C50 also allows you to customize your photos by manually adjusting both lens aperture and shutter speed with PASM mode. You can easily glide through the different camera options with the easy-to-choose mode dial, providing the convenience of an easy-to-use digital camera. Weighing only 180g, this pocket-size camera can be brought everywhere with ease and comfort. In this way, you can always capture the beautiful moments of your life. Our camera offers you the opportunity to record 60s of video footage with sound in the SD card for easy file storage.

22 September 2003 - TOKYO — The market for single-lens reflex (SLR) digital cameras is expanding rapidly, with shipments by domestic makers set to double this year, industry officials said Friday.