PMA 2004 Sneak Peek

With the explosion of digital photography in the last 5 years, and the success of last year’s show, the 2004 Photo Marketing Association International Trade Show (PMA) in Las Vegas, Nevada is expected to be the biggest cutting-edge PMA show yet, fueling the “Future of Photography.” Here is a sneak peek of the latest in cameras, digital cameras, computer add-ons and peripherals that will be at PMA, which opens tomorrow.

KODAK Picture Maker Film Processing Station
With digital all the rage these days, Kodak is previewing the world’s first Kiosk that allows you to develop, edit and print your 35mm film in minutes --the KODAK Picture Maker Film Processing Station. Consumers simply drop their roll of 35mm film into the KODAK Film Processing Station, which then processes the film and sends the digital images to a KODAK Picture Maker kiosk. At the KODAK Picture Maker kiosk, consumers can preview and select only the pictures they want, zoom and crop, eliminate red-eye, adjust colors, and print. Consumers then receive their pictures, an index print and a digital negative with the KODAK Picture CD. The cost of the Picture CD is dependent on what you order, the average order is around $9.99 for the entire process and prints, and Kodak Picture CD.

Kodak is rolling out the new KODAK Film Processing Stations in retail locations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe during 2004. www.kodak.com

Gateway DC-T50 camera
Gateway just halved the cost of its 5 megapixel digital camera to $299 after a $50 rebate. This is a new price low for a state of the art digital camera with all these features, and will certainly benefit consumers looking to upgrade without spending lots of money. It's sleek and compact design means you can carry it with you wherever you go, so you're always ready to capture memories on the fly. With a whopping 5-megapixels, you'll get outstanding clarity when you zoom in or crop pictures on your PC. It can also produce stunning, film-quality prints up to 11x14 inches. www.gateway.com

Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Canon just introduced last night its Powershot S1 IS, a 3.2 mega pixel digital camera that also shoots fast 30 frames per second video . Fully equipped with 10X zoom capabilities it features Canon’s quality optics and digital camera capabilities with a new twist. Yes, thanks to bigger memory cards --and unlike other digital cameras with short duration movie mode –the PowerShot S1 IS digital camera captures full 640 x 480 high-res movies at up to 30 frames per second, ensuring smooth video motion. What’s more, individual movie clips can now last as long as one hour depending on the capacity of the memory card or the charge in the battery. $499. www.usa.canon.com

Panasonic D-Snap Devices
Panasonic's D-snap SD Digital Video Cameras, Digital Still Cameras and SD Multi A/V Devices pair high quality with small, lightweight frames for the ultimate in portable imaging. The SV-AV100 is the World's smallest MPEG2 SD Video Camera. Features include a 10x Optical Zoom and Free angle 2.5" diag. LCD Monitor. $999.

Other models include:

The SV-AV50 features a flip & twist lens and LCD for capturing life's unexpected moments on the fly. Available Spring 2004. Pricing TBA.

The SV-AV25 is an SD Multi AV Device. Features MPEG4 Motion Picture (30 frames per sec.), a 2.5x Digital Zoom, 2 Megapixel Digital Still Camera and is an SD Audio Player. Available Spring 2004. Pricing TBA.

The SV-AS10 D-snap 2 Megapixel Digital Camera features a Rotating Lens, a Super-slim Design - just 9.9mm (13.5mm at the lens), can capture motion images with sound, and plays up to 10 hours of MP3, WMA & AAC Audio. $300. www.panasonic.com

Polaroid x530 Digital Camera
Uniden will debut the Polaroid x530 Digital Camera, the world's first point-and-shoot digital camera to incorporate the revolutionary, high-fidelity Foveon X3 4.5 million pixel direct image sensor. This new image sensor technology allows the Polaroid x530 to produce brilliantly sharp 8 x 10 images with warm tones and rich colors - the basis for making extraordinary digital prints. In addition to capturing still images, the Polaroid x530 captures high-resolution TV-quality VGA video clips at 30 frames per second. It is scheduled to ship to retailers in June 2004 with a suggested retail price of $399. www.uniden.com, www.polaroid.com