New Products

A selection of new products of interest to photographers

Published November 10, 2003
 

Epson Stylus Pro 4000 Printer

Epson has announced the latest in its line of archival photo printers. Positioned between the Stylus Photo 2200 and the Stylus Pro 7600, the new desktop Stylus Pro 4000 will print edge-to-edge on 17" x 22" sheets or 17" rolls. The expected street price is $1,795.

This 7-color printer uses the same pigmented UltraChrome inks as its predecessors, but it will hold 8 large (110 ml or 220 ml) cartridges, including both Photo Black and Light Black. Previous models required you to switch from one to the other depending on the media, with attendant waste of ink. The 4000 lets you keep both inks in the printer and choose between them as you need.

The print resolution is unchanged at 2880 x 1440 dpi, but printing speed is increased. The Stylus Pro 4000 should be available in January, 2004. For info from Epson click here or go to www.epson.com.

Epson Stylus Archival Photo Printers

Stylus
Model		 Street
Price		 Print Head
Res. (dpi)		 Max. width
( in.)
Photo 2200 $699 2880 x 1440 13

Pro 4000

 $1,795 2880 x 1440 17

Pro 7600

 $2,995 2880 x 1440 24

Pro 9600

 $4,995 2880 x 1440 44

Photoshop CS

Adobe is now shipping its latest Photoshop upgrade, Photoshop CS (Creative Suite, formerly Photoshop 8). Photographers will find several useful enhancements, including:

  • Adobe Camera Raw plug-in is now a part of Photoshop CS, with expanded functionality and support for more cameras (including the EOS 10D)
  • Comprehensive editing support for 16-bit images
  • Improved and expanded File Browser
  • Always-available Histogram palette
  • More tools for exposure and color adjustments
  • News Photo Filters

New Nikon Scanners

Nikon has announced three new Coolscan film scanners in the UK, but not yet in the US. (However, Nikon USA is offering rebates on the current models.)

The Coolscan V, Super Coolscan 5000 ED, and Super Coolscan 9000 ED all have the same 4000 ppi true optical resolution of their predecessors, but feature improved bit depths, scanning speed, and Digital ICE capabilities.

To read the Nikon UK press release, click here.

ColorVision Spyder Price Reductions

ColorVision has dropped the price of its popular Spyder monitor calibration products. The ColorVision Spyder features PhotoCAL software and now lists for $169. This package includes the hardware "hockey puck" to calibrate both CRT and LCD displays, and should fit the needs of most users. (www.colorvision .com)