3GB CF Cards announced

Blurb at DPReview.com (go here for complete press release and photo of cards)

COMDEX 2002: Pretec Electronics Corp. has announced three new high capacity Compact Flash cards. Previously their largest capacity had been 640 MB, these new cards widen their range considerably. The 1.5 GB and 3.0 GB are CF Type II, the 2.0 GB is CF Type I. These new cards are all larger than anything else on the market, the 3.0 GB card will no doubt be of special interest to digital SLR photographers whose cameras continue to create larger and larger files as the manufacturers increase resolution year on year.

Yeah but at $2500 for the 3gig!!!

Hi Eric,

I'm with you on this one... Insane costs too I imagine...

However its a good way to begin a micro library - The ability to store thousands of useful sized frames, catogerized and placed in a credit card wallet!

Kodak have announced the impending launch of a 14 megapixel monster.

I imagine that each FRes Image staggers in at around 140 mb - 1 image and most peoples RAM will begin to scream "Divert Divert"

But rest assured a more practical breakthrough has taken places with the developement of a CMOS sensor which reacts like a tri-imulsion colour film.

This new chip has only 3.5 mega pixels but the quality will out class and out surpass anything that's gone on before.

Due to the construction of the sensor better colour depth and contrast will be available to digital without the need to mess around with balances and settings, and maybe too these pixels will be able to go where flat CMOS cannot... Into the shadows to create depth.

The above reason is why I would not waste money on even the newest offering which at the end of the day is still a one-shot video chip.

The camera encasing this new superchip " Sigma sd9 " Out in the spring for a staggeringly low $1500.00! Alas, those Nikon lenses will not fit!

Also a question:

Why does a digital camera take 10 times less time to produce than an electromechanical counterpart and cost 5 times more to buy

Cheers Bob

Hi Bob,

Kindly take a look at the Sigma SD-9 samples that have been posted by Sigma and at Steves-digicams.

They are nice photos but they do not "blow away" any of the other digitals SLR photos by any means.

But the foveon sensor is a good way to get around the problem of having a minimum pixel size of 6 microns.

Cheers

James

Hi James,

I will let you know more by the end of the week as I will have the Rep & an example of the camera with me... One cover I have seen is a stunningly detailed image using only half of the chip!

The manufacturer of this chip has promised more post release developement too, to increase the performance somewhere near that of slide films.

Cheers,

Bob

The Foveon chip has promise, but I hear that they have problems with low light and with scaling up # pixels. We'll see, I guess.

Also, the Sigma sort of feels like a brick. They need to work on ergonomics.

Hummm...

Of all the good things to say about Foveon, I didn't expect that one. I'd like to think the increased chroma resolution at a given pixel size is the thing to really get excited about. Besides, people shoot at smaller-than-ideal apertures with film already, so 6 microns is not the dead end some claim it to be. No one ever said it's important for film grain to be larger than 6 microns after all.

Still, current imagers are improving by leaps and bounds, so Foveon has to prove itself superior before getting consideration. I consider it as a bonus if it works out. The future looks great with or without them.