Digital Camera News and Reviews

HP Deskjet D2660

Eye-Fi has announced a new wireless SDHC memory card for the professional photographer marked. The card is called Eye-Fi Pro and lets the user upload pictures directly to their computer and the web via Wi-Fi. The card supports RAW file transfer and lets you automatically upload pictures and videos direct to more than 25 online photo and video sharing sites like Flickr.

The Eye-Fi Pro card is now available and costs about $150.

Press release:
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 10, 2009: Eye-Fi Inc. today unveiled the Eye-Fi Pro, a new wireless SDHC memory card for digital cameras that allows professionals and photo enthusiasts to automatically upload images straight from their camera to their computer and the Web. Available today, the Eye-Fi Pro includes RAW image support and peer-to-peer connectivity for a direct connection between the camera and a computer, no router or Internet connection required (also known as ad hoc).

Eye-Fi also announced today that all Eye-Fi card users can now select which photos or videos they want to wirelessly transfer from their camera to their computer or the Web, using the new Selective Transfer feature.

“People are engaged in photography at a deeper level than ever before. They have moved from being casual photographers to passionate enthusiasts, shooting in RAW for easier editing, adding geotags for a richer experience or sharing photos in an online gallery,” said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. “These people are looking for tools that advance the art of photography and make it more efficient – and the Eye-Fi Pro does both.”

About the Eye-Fi Pro

The Eye-Fi Pro lets users wirelessly upload more file types, including JPEG and RAW images and videos. The Eye-Fi Pro also allows users to create an ad hoc connection through their computer or other mobile device to wirelessly upload media files while away from a wireless router.

“The Eye-Fi Pro has streamlined my workflow. It lets me quickly upload files in the background while I continue my photo shoots. My clients can choose their best shots in near real time,” said Jeff Sockwell, an Eye-Fi Pro beta user and professional photographer who used Eye-Fi in a portrait session with more than 150 dance students. “I also have assurance that photos are automatically saved both on my computer and my Eye-Fi Pro.”

Like the Eye-Fi Explore Video, the new Eye-Fi Pro will automatically upload images and videos direct to more than 25 online photo and video sharing sites. It also lets users upload away from home at more than 10,000 Wayport and open hotspots, and will automatically geotag photos with information about where the images were taken. The Eye-Fi Pro is now available at for an MSRP of $149.
Selective Transfer
Also announced today is Eye-Fi’s newest feature, Selective Transfer, that gives users more control over which photos to upload. Using the “protect” or “lock” feature in the camera’s menu, users can select which files to wirelessly upload. Any “protected” photo will automatically be uploaded, and all photos will remain on the memory card until the user manually deletes them. Selective Transfer is free, and available now for all Eye-Fi card users through the Eye-Fi Manager.

At the Leading Edge of Camera Technology – Eye-Fi Connected cameras
In effort to meet prosumers’ increasing camera feature set demands and widen wireless adoption, manufacturers are offering Eye-Fi card recognition and optimization. The Eye-FiConnected camera features range from power setting optimization to on-camera notifications while photos and videos are wirelessly uploaded. These new cameras include Nikon’s latest model, the D5000 (which follows in the footstep of the already Eye-FiConnected D60 and D90), as well as the entire spring line-up of Casio cameras, including the Casio EX-S12, Casio EX-S5, Casio EX-FS10, Casio EX-FC100 and Casio EX-Z29.

Eye-Fi has received numerous product awards including Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New” for 2008, and PC World’s “The 100 Best Products of 2008.”

16GB Lexar Professional UDMA 300x CompactFlash

Lexar has a announced a new series of memory cards that are designed for standard and high definition (HD) video capture. Lexar are producing both SDHC cards and memory stick pro due cards that can be used in camcorders and digital camera that have a video mode.

Press release:
New Video Memory Cards from Lexar Media Provide Extended Recording Capabilities for Growing Number of Consumers Capturing High-Definition Video

Lexar Full-HD Video Memory Cards Offer Reliable Solutions for Consumers Recording with Digital Camcorders and Digital Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Fremont, CA, January 5, 2009 – Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, announced today a new line of memory cards specifically designed for extended, standard- and high-definition (HD) video capture. The Lexar® Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC™) Full-HD and the Lexar Memory Stick PRO Duo™ Full-HD Video memory cards give consumers a wide selection of easy-to-use memory solutions for capturing and storing more of the videos that matter, in stunning 1080 resolution full-HD video. In addition to providing consumers with a reliable alternative to traditional tape-based storage devices, the Lexar Full-HD video memory cards also offer high-speed video transfer from the card to a computer for backup and sharing on popular user-generated content websites. The Lexar SDHC Full-HD Video memory card is available in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities, with the ability to record up to 90, 180, and 360 minutes of content, respectively. The Lexar Memory Stick PRO Duo Full-HD Video memory card comes in capacities of 4GB and 8GB, and can record up to 90 and 180 minutes of content, respectively. For additional information about Lexar Full-HD video memory cards, please visit www.lexar.com.

“As more consumers embrace digital video recording as part of their lifestyles, it is critical they have easy and reliable ways to record and store their memories and important events,” said Manisha Sharma, director of product marketing, Lexar Media. “Whether they are capturing sporting events, dance recitals, school plays, or their babies’ first steps, consumers require memory cards designed to meet the requirements of 1080 HD video. The Lexar Full-HD video memory cards provide the extended recording times they need and the reliability they have come to expect from Lexar Media.”

The growing popularity and affordability of HD digital camcorders makes the Lexar Full-HD Video memory cards an increasingly popular option for consumers looking to record their memories. With the line of Lexar Full-HD video memory cards, consumers receive the capacity to record and store more of life’s milestones and important events, as well as the speeds to quickly move that content from the card to the host computer. They also receive Lexar Media’s reliability, helping to ensure that captured video remains safe when stored on the Lexar Full-HD memory card.

“Fewer camcorders use tape media to record video, and more compact digital cameras have High Definition video capture capabilities,” said Chris Chute, research manager, Worldwide Digital Imaging Solutions Group, IDC. “This combination has lead to increased demand for features within video-specific memory cards, especially the capability to record and store 1080 HD video. As consumers invest in HD camcorders, they want to make sure their memory cards can take full advantage of those HD capabilities.”

The Lexar SDHC Full-HD and Memory Stick PRO Duo Full-HD Video memory cards include a five-year limited lifetime warranty. The cards also include jewel cases and writeable labels to help users organize and identify videos. Both video memory cards are expected to be available in early March.

Eye-Fi SD card

Eye-Fi has added several new features to their Wi-Fi enabled SD cards. The latest updates give you support to upload your pictures to Flickr and Twitter. Eye-Fi has also enabled support for RSS feeds.

These features come in addition to the previously announced support for Apple’s MobileMe and AdoramaPix.

In the US the 2 GB SD cards will be called Shoot-N-Sync and is made in collaboration with Lexar.

Press release from Lexar about their partnership with Eye-Fi:
New Lexar Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi Memory Card Gives Consumers Exciting Wireless Option for Uploading and Sharing Digital Photos

2GB SD-Compatible Memory Card Enables Users to Wirelessly Send Photos to Their Computers, Social Networking and Photo-Sharing Websites

Fremont, CA, September 18, 2008 — Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, is giving digital photo enthusiasts the opportunity to “cut the cord” with the introduction of its Shoot-n-Sync™ Wi-Fi® memory card – a convenient wireless solution for uploading digital photos to computers as well as sharing them via social networking and photo-sharing websites. The 2GB memory card, compatible with SD-compatible digital cameras, reliably records and stores digital photos in a camera just like a standard memory card, but adds the time-saving convenience and simplicity of wireless uploading from camera to computer – and directly to the Internet.

Easy, No-Hassle Photo Uploading
With its advanced Wi-Fi connectivity, the Lexar Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi memory card is a great product for a wide range of photographers from bloggers, web surfers, and social-networkers to busy parents, traveling executives, and students. The Lexar Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi memory card provides a simple and convenient solution for managing all their digital photos. Instead of removing the memory card from a camera, transferring it to a reader, connecting the reader, and then dragging each individual photo onto the computer, the Lexar Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi memory card offers users a much simpler solution.

How It Works
As an Eye-Fi Connected product, the Lexar Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi memory card features Eye-Fi technology and connects to Eye-Fi’s web service to wirelessly and automatically upload photos from a digital camera to the web and to a computer. Eye-Fi is dedicated to building products and services that help consumers navigate, nurture and share their digital memories. After the brief initial installation of Eye-Fi Manager software on your PC, the card is ready to wirelessly download copies of any photos stored on it, automatically to your computer, as soon as it comes within range of your home computer’s wireless network. Without removing the card from the camera, users can back up photos to a computer or transfer them to photo-sharing, social networking, or blog sites. After the digital photo copies are sent, all a user has to do is approve the transfers and they can be instantly shared with the world. Learn more about the Lexar Shoot-n-Sync memory card at www.lexar.com/digfilm/sd_wifi.html.

Manisha Sharma, Lexar director of product marketing, noted: “Lexar is committed to delivering innovative products that enhance people’s enjoyment of digital photography. The Lexar Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi memory card not only provides our customers the reliability and quality of Lexar memory, but the opportunity to enjoy a new level of wireless convenience – free from the hassles of cables and greatly simplifies transferring photos from camera to PC.”

Compatible with both Windows® and Mac® operating systems, the 2GB Lexar Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi memory card will ship in October.

Pretec Compact Flash Card

Pretec has announced some new compact flash memory cards that are the fastest and biggest on the marked today. The new cards have the ability to store a staggering 100GB and 64GB. These two cards are able to read and write data at 233X (35MB/s).
Older card models from Pretec has also been updated with faster read and write speed. Their 32 GB and 50 GB compact flash cards now have 333X (50 MB/s) speed. The cards will start shipping this month.

These type of cards are great when we see all the new cameras that are appearing on the marked. Many cameras now feature HD video and larger image sensors (like all the new FullFrame cameras appearing on the marked) that need CF cards with more capacity and faster read / write speed.

If you are interested in finding good prices on memory cards you can check out a site called TestFreaks.com to compare prices from different webshops.

Press release:
Pretec Releases 64GB and 100GB CF Card – Highest Capacity in the World

Cologne, Germany, September 23rd , 2008 － Pretec, creator of the highest capacity CompactFlash card in the world (48GB) and the fastest CF card in the world (333X) will demonstrate even higher capacities including a 64GB CF card, in the Leaf booth (West Hall 4.2, B009) and CFA (Hall 5.1, G-019) at Photokina 2008.

Continuing the revolution in the field of flash memory card speed and capacity, Pretec today releases 64GB and 100GB, 233X CF cards with access speed of up to 35MB/s, overtaking the Pretec 48GB CF card, the previous world’s record holder for highest capacity CF card; and super high speed 333X 32GB and 50GB CF cards capable of running up to 50 MB per second of Read/Write speed, the highest speed CF card in the world.

Pretec CF 233X and 333X CF cards use metal housing and ruggedized construction to provide extensive ruggedness making the card resistant to impact and shock – at least 10 times more durable than a typical CF card. With the green concept of reuse, recycle and reduce in mind, Pretec 64GB CF cards can be configured or reused to make a 256GB SATA or IDE SSD, the highest capacity 2.5” SSD in the world so far, by using Pretec Q-SATA, a patent-pending technology of flexible, scalable and modular SATA/PATA design based on up to 4 CF cards. This technology provides ultimate flexibility and ease of use, especially for those needing both CF cards and SSDs.

Pretec 233X and 333X CF cards will be demonstrated together with high performance digital cameras from Leaf, a business unit of Eastman Kodak and a world-renowned industry leader in providing cutting edge digital photography solutions, whose AFi professional camera was recently awarded “Product of the Year” at the Photoforum exhibition in Russia. The new Leaf AFi-II system delivers the fastest shooting speeds of any camera in its class, with a practically unlimited burst depth.

These speeds are enabled by advanced communication and CF technologies and Leaf Capture software. “Leaf and Pretec share a similar vision –to offer cutting edge technologies and unique products with unparalleled performance and to provide our customers with exceptional quality and satisfaction,” said Seth Greenberg, Leaf Marketing Director. “We are pleased to have chosen Pretec as our exclusive storage partner at Photokina 2008 and to witness the excitement as Pretec breaks the CF card speed and capacity world records.”

Pretec 233X 64GB and 333X 32GB CF cards with suggested retail price of $399 and $630 are slated to start delivery by Photokina 2008, and 233X 100GB and 333X 50GB are expected to start shipping by the end of 2008.