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Digital developments
By DAVE GUSSOW
For good reason. Digital cameras outsold traditional cameras during the holidays for the first time, and experts say in the next year or so digital will become consistently the choice for a majority of camera buyers. Yet the transition from the comfort of film to cutting-edge digital remains bumpy for the industry and consumers. While the photo industry celebrates the digital success story, it also wonders how to replace the profits from lost sales of film, processing and accessories. For consumers, adapting to the new technology has meant learning how to shoot photos all over again, figuring out how to get the photos from the camera to the computer, then trying to produce quality prints. So another word was bandied about by a number of companies at the annual Photo Marketing Association International trade show show here. "Our objective is to make things simple," said John Dolak, a spokesman for Sony. "It really is about simplicity," said Mary Peery of Hewlett-Packard. Digital photo kiosksThe hype about digital photography has been: Take a picture and print it at home. The reality can be poor or fading prints, wasted paper and expensive ink. "Inkjet (printer) companies have done a good job of hiding what that cost is," said Bob Barton, a marketing executive with Polaroid, famous for its instant film but struggling in the digital era. Online services, such as Shutterfly and Ofoto, allow consumers to order digital prints that are delivered through the mail. To give consumers another option, and give photo retailers a chance to draw digital photographers into stores, at least a half-dozen companies showed off or announced plans for retail kiosks. Among them were Polaroid, Sony, Fuji, Kodak, Olympus and Hewlett-Packard. While the machines have some differences, in general here's how it will work: Consumers will take the storage disks from their cameras, whether that's compact flash, smart media or CD-ROMs. They will insert them into the machine, choose the photos they want to print on a touch-screen, do some minor editing, such as eliminating red eye, then print. The speed can range from Polaroid's claim of 24 prints in 2 minutes to a print in 30 seconds or so. The machines will be activated by credit cards. Kodak says it will cost about 60 cents for each print. Others hedged on specifying costs, though 60 to 70 cents seemed to be an average. How does that cost compare? PC World magazine (www.pcworld.com) estimated last year that printing a digital photo at home could cost as much as 80 to 90 cents each, compared with about 30 cents per print to develop standard film. For example, it costs about 33 cents a print for film at Eckerd Drug to process a roll of 24 exposures and one set of prints. Extra prints would be about 39 cents each. But with digital photography you can save money by printing only the shots you like best. Hewlett-Packard's entry into the kiosk field seems at odds with the company's inkjet business, but officials say it's complementary, not competitive. "It is about choice, control and convenience" for the consumer, said Peery, HP's vice president and general manager of digital imaging. "Printing at home is critically important. That's going to continue to grow for the next several years." Fuji and Kodak have digital kiosks available, with Kodak planning a spring rollout for more machines. Others will start appearing in the spring and probably through the fourth quarter. The industry's hope for the photo kiosk is that it will do for digital what one-hour processing did for instant cameras, particularly for parents on tight schedules. "They're the people who can least afford to go into the store twice," Polaroid's Barton said. And it can do one-hour processing one better because it's a one-stop transaction. New gearNew cameras offer features that range from more pixels, for higher resolution, to models that are shrinking to pocket-size and smaller. Nikon showed off its 6-megapixel model D100, expected to go on sale in late spring or early summer. People crowded around the Nikon booth to get a look at the camera that has some of the features of the professional D1 line but is expected to cost less than those models. Its target audience seems to be the serious hobbyist. Canon will offer a 6.3-megapixel camera, the EOS D60, expected this spring. In addition, Nikon displayed the Coolpix 2500, a pocket camera with a lens that swivels to take pictures, then folds back into the camera body when not in use, like its cousins in the popular line. It is expected to go on sale in April at a suggested price of $379.95.
Fuji's S602 Zoom packs 3.1 megapixels, can shoot video at 30 frames a second and lets users attach voice and video to photos. It's expected to go on sale in June with a suggested price of $799. The FinePix F601 Zoom fits its 3.1 megapixels in a camera that easily fits in the hand and also records video and audio. Fuji says it will go on sale in April for $599. At $399 and 4 megapixels, Kodak's EasyShare DX 4900 has a lot of bang for the buck. This line of cameras also features what has become an industry mantra to make things easier for consumers: pushing one button to get the photo from the camera to the PC. A camera expected next year from Kodak generated some conversation. The Advantix EasyShare will be a hybrid that uses film and digital techniques. It will allow users to review photos on the roll of film, as well as store photos digitally. Sigma will come out with the first camera featuring the recently announced chip from Loveon, which promises more detailed color. Pricing and availability were not announced.
Weighing in at 1.7-ounces and at a mere $99, Benq's Digital Camera 300mini can be worn as a necklace. It can hold up to 100 e-mail-quality photos and needs no cable to connect to a PC. Instead, remove the end of the case and plug the camera directly into a USB port. The company (www.benq.com), formerly Acer Communications, says the camera will be available online and at retail outlets soon. Costing even less is the $39.99 StyleCam Blink from SiPix (www.sipix.com), which also can be worn around the neck. It can store up to 300 e-mail-quality photos and double as a Webcam. SoftwareAdobe captured attention and big crowds at its booth with the new version of its flagship graphics program, Photoshop 7. Other companies also introduced software that offers either easier photo editing or special effects for the home user. Photoshop drew raves for new features demonstrated at the show, although it remains a tool aimed and priced for the serious photographer and artist. Upgrades are expected to cost $149 and new copies $609. "If you're a photographer, if you work with photographs, it's a must upgrade," said Scott Kelby, editor in chief of Photoshop User magazine (www.photoshopuser.com) in Dunedin and author of several how-to books on the software. The magazine produced a 36-page supplement on the new software, expected to go on sale in the second quarter. Among features that impressed him: a "healing brush" and patch tool that make fixing flaws easier, and an improved file browser for viewing thumbnail images. It's compatible with the Mac OS X and Windows XP operating systems. Jasc Software, maker of Paint Shop Pro, showed off After Shot, a $49 program to make it easier for consumers to organize, share and make basic corrections to digital photos. A free trial version is available from its Web site (www.jasc.com). And Hewlett-Packard displayed HP Memories Disc Creator for sharing and organizing photos for CDs that can be used in DVD players and displayed on TV screens. The $29.95 package is expected to go on sale this month. Film's futureThe trend to digital and away from film is clear. Through November, according to the photo marketing association, film processing fell 2.4 percent, compared with the same period a year earlier. Yet no one suggested film is going to disappear any time soon. "Digital is not our only business," Michael Rubin, a senior product manager for Nikon, told a gathering dominated by photo retailers worried about losing business in the digital wave. "We still have to support legacy equipment out there. Film is not going away in our company." Also giving film a glimmer of hope is the bumpy transition many consumers have had switching to digital equipment, as well as some of the limitations of the new technology. "Film by far is the lowest cost and easiest for travel," Rubin said. "We do an injustice by recommending digital to customers for a two-week vacation if they're not taking a laptop with them." Retailers, worried about the loss of processing and accessory business, can take advantage of the new wave of photo taking. That can include the kiosks to bring people back into stores as well as offering classes to teach people the ins and outs of photography. "In a market of confusion, there's an opportunity for skilled retailers," said Brian Noble, an executive with Noble's Camera Shops, a chain of stores in Massachusetts. - Dave Gussow can be reached at gussow@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4228.
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