Jump to...
Columns:
Advanced Software and Technologies
BYTE Media Lab
Chaos Manor
Conference Reports
Features
Free Features
Gigglebytes
Letters to BYTE.com
Mr. Computer Language Person
New Products
Op/Ed
Portable Computing
Serving with Linux
The Upgrade Advisor
December 1996
/
International Bits
/ New Digital Cameras from Taiwan
Mark LaPedus
Digital cameras are a promising way to capture images and send them over the Internet. However, these filmless units have some major drawbacks, mainly limited resolution and high cost. But prices for digital cameras could take a nosedive. Some Taiwanese companies are entering the market with cameras selli
ng for 10 percent to 20 percent less than competitive products from Japanese and U.S. suppliers, including Apple, Canon, Casio, Epson, Kodak, and Nikon.
"We will offer digital cameras at very competitive prices," says Eric Chen, who is the chairman and CEO of Mustek. Mustek, Microtek, and other Taiwanese companies will offer digital cameras under their own brand names as well as selling them to OEM customers.
The heart of a digital camera is a charge-coupled device (CCD) that turns the images it captures into pixels. Typical resolutions for a digital camera range from 493 by 373 pixels for the entry-level DC20 from Kodak to 1600 by 1200 pixels for the PDC-2000 from Polaroid. Digital cameras store images in an internal flash-memory chip or card. The Powershot 600 from Canon offers up to 18 exposures, while Casio's QV models provide 96. Three years ago, a digital camera sold for more than $10,000. Now they range from $300 to just under $5000.
Matthew Wilson more...
BYTE Digest editors every month analyze and evaluate the best articles from Information Week , EE Times , Dr. Dobb's Journal , Network Computing , Sys Admin ,
and dozens of other CMP publications—bringing
you critical news and information about wireless communication,
computer security, software development, embedded systems,
and more!
Find out more
New Digital Cameras from Taiwan
