Forgot film? No problem for digital cameras

The world of still-photography is experiencing a revolution, the likes of which we haven't seen since the 35-mm film format became standard for popular consumer use around the 1950s. The most recent breakthrough in digital cameras comes from Olympus America Inc., Melville, N.Y. It announced the C-211 Zoom, developed jointly with Polaroid Corp., Cambridge, Mass. Available in October, it features all the normal digital qualities expected of a high-end camera plus an instant, hardcopy print. The prints are made on silver-halide film to verify the stored image and helps tracking and archiving images without needing a computer. The 2.1 megapixel camera with 1,600 1,200 resolution takes still pictures as well as movies in a viewing mode using QuickTime computer software. The Coolpix 990, is a 3.34-megapixel, top-ofthe-line digital camera from Nikon, Stamford, Conn., priced at just under $1,000 and uses a 16-Mbyte CompactFlash card. The card plugs into the USB port of a PC or Macintosh computer through an adapter for downloading large pictures. The camera can capture from one to 322 images on a single card, depending on the resolution and compression ratio. Vivitar's new ViviCam 3500 digital camera features two grades of resolution; 1,360 1,024 pixels for fine and normal images, and 640 480 pixels for storing more images. It uses CompactFlash memory cards with capacity to 48 Mbytes, and stores 10, 20, or 40 images depending on resolution. Connections to the computer are through USB or RS-232 ports. The amount of light reaching each photosite through the camera lens is represented by a vertical bar whose height is proportional to the charge intensity. NuCORE Technologies Inc. claims this chip set can deliver a three-CCD sensor color quality image from a single CCD or CMOS camera. The two chips are composed of an NDX-1250TM analog front end and the SiP-1250TM smart image processor that can handle 50 megapixels/sec at 12-bit resolution. Both chips use special algorithms to deliver high-quality, high-resolution images with wide dynamic range by amplifying the R, G, and B signals separately, although the three signal processing chains merge into one. The NuCORE chip set divides the digital camera processing function into two areas. The front end is an analog chip, and the second chip is the digital portion. Both chips process portions of the image. The high-speed imaging capability lets the chips work in high-end cameras that can provide 4-megapixel digital still pictures and 1.3 million pixel video at 30 frames/sec with 12-bit accuracy. Sony Electronics recently developed a 3.3-megapixel digital camera called the Cyber-shot containing Carl Zeiss lenses and optical viewfinder. The three models in the family cost 500, 600, and $800, and all have 12-bit A/D conversion and 33 optical and six digital zoom lenses. Resolution for the two lower-cost models are 1.6 and 2.1 megapixels. Sony's Memory Stick image storage media comes in 8 to 64 Mbyte sizes, with a 256 Mbyte unit in development. The world of still-photography is experiencing a revolution, the likes of which we haven't seen since the 35-mm film format became standard for popular