What’s new from Kodak

It’s a testament to the tireless efforts and dedication of local Kodak executives that they launched five new digital cameras over two separate events, both in Bonifacio High Street, a mere two days apart.

The first event was the launch of the new Kodak EasyShare M-series digital cameras. It had celebrities teaming up with members of the technology and lifestyle press into groups who were then tasked to complete photo challenges “Amazing Race-style” around the venue.

“All the team members needed to do was unleash their creativity and with just a click of a button the EasyShare M-series digital cameras translated their visions to photographs,” said Angie Francisco, business development manager for Kodak’s digital still cameras and home printing products in the Philippines.

VJ/model Patty Laurel, former campus student leader-turned-TV presenter Atom Araullo, athlete-hosts Juddha Paolo and Reema Chanco, and model and entertainment anchor Phoemela Baranda were the celebrities who gamely snapped up the challenges, which included getting strangers to take hilarious poses with them.

The Kodak EasyShare M753 and M853 digital cameras are equipped with 3x optical zoom lenses and 7- and 8-megapixel resolution, respectively. These allow consumers to print clear, crisp images of up to 30" x 40" in size. Both have vibrant 2.5-inch LCD screens.

The flagship M-series, the EasyShare M883, offers 8-megapixel resolution, high ISO settings, built-in face detection technology, and a huge 3-inch LCD screen.

In line with the personalization of photography that the Kodak M-series offers to consumers, Kodak teamed up with gadget customizer G-mask to allow owners to dress up their Kodak M853 cameras according to their taste.

Free G-mask vouchers worth P1,045 will be given for every purchase of the Kodak EasyShare M853 camera beginning end of October until December. The G-mask offer can be availed of in 16 outlets in major shopping malls nationwide.

The Kodak M-series line includes the EasyShare M753, EasyShare M853 and EasyShare M883, all priced below P17,000.

The second launch held two days later had no celebrities but boasted a cutting-edge video technology with a first-time application in digital cameras: high-definition or HD.

“With the introduction of HD video capability in the Kodak EasyShare V1253, Kodak has enabled consumers to capture and display personal photos and videos with incredible image clarity and sharpness whether on their personal computers, online, in digital picture frames or even on vibrant, wide-screen HDTVs,” Francisco said.

The phenomenal growth of photo-sharing services via Kodak Gallery, social networking sites, and instant messenger applications, has created a huge demand for displaying pictures.

At the same time, the emergence of “citizen photography” has prompted consumers to look for other avenues to display their pictures and videos.

“Kodak acknowledges how consumers enjoy capturing, sharing and displaying pictures like never before. Digital media has enabled them to become increasingly inventive with their images and to want to show them off. The V1253 shows Kodak’s commitment to support innovation that continues to bring intelligent, easy-to-use HD video capability to the market,” Francisco said.

The high-resolution 12-MP feature of the Kodak EasyShare V1253 enables it to create stunning prints of up to 30 x 40 in. Other advanced features include the Kodak Color Science Chip for bright, beautiful color images, a 3x optical zoom lens using Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon optics (35 mm equivalent: 37–111 mm) plus an additional 5x digital zoom.

The HD capabilities of the V1253 allow users to capture beautiful HD pictures in widescreen 16:9 format, view them in high-definition on an HDTV or other HD devices, and capture HD-quality video and view it on high-def playback at 720p.

It can also capture more video while using less memory with MPEG-4 compression, print multiple frames on a 4 x 6 in. print, and mark special spots in your video with video bookmarking.

The P21,995 V1253 interfaces with the Kodak EasyShare HDTV Dock to maximize its HD capabilities. The HDTV Dock connects to HD TVs to process pictures from Kodak HD-enabled digital cameras, SD memory cards, card readers or USB drives. It also allows users to display photos as single pictures, multi-up or in slideshow format.

Using the remote control feature on the HDTV Dock enables consumers to manage their digital pictures while relaxing on the living room sofa. The HDTV Dock makes it easy to enjoy a full HD-quality slideshow, edit individual images, transfer them to a USB drive, or even print them to a connected printer.

Along with being backward-compatible with many Kodak EasyShare digital cameras, the HDTV Dock automatically charges the rechargeable battery so the camera is ready whenever needed.

The dock, whose price was not yet announced, will be available in the Philippines soon.

Last but not least was the Kodak EasyShare Z1275, a compact digital camera that boasts HD capabilities, Digital Image Stabilization and Kodak Perfect Touch technology that help users produce consistently better shots.

“Intuitive enough for beginners and sophisticated enough for digital photography enthusiasts, the Kodak Z1275 camera provides point-and-shoot simplicity with advanced features,” Francisco said.

The Z1275 features a 5x optical zoom lens (35-175 mm equivalent), 19 smart scene modes, a bright 2.5-inch indoor/outdoor color display, a “favorites” feature that allows for the permanent storage of a collection of special images for on-the-go viewing without taking up space on the memory card, and an on-camera “share” button to facilitate one-touch printing, e-mailing, and organizing of pictures.

Other features and capabilities include a fast shutter speed (f/2.8–f/5.1); a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon lens; a portrait/landscape orientation sensor; a review mode that can magnify up to 8x, fast scroll through pictures, or view multi-up; 64 MB internal memory with an SDHC/SD/MMC card slot; a high-ISO mode that can automatically select from ISO 100 to ISO 3200 (ISO 3200 available at 3.1 MP, 2.2 MP, 2.1 MP, and 1.2 MP settings); a panorama stitch mode that lets you combine up to three shots into one large picture; HD video recording (1280 _ 720) at 30 fps with sound; and MPEG-4 video compression.

The Kodak EasyShare Z1275 will be available next month for P17,995.