Digital camera quality at low cost
HP, Kodak, and Olympus strike a major blow against the low picture quality that has dogged sales of digital cameras.
Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, and Olympus each introduced low-cost, high-resolution digital photography systems designed to shrink the gap between digital and traditional photography at the Photo Marketing Association show in New Orleans this morning. Konica is slated to make a similar announcement.
These "megapixel" cameras, while falling short of the resolution levels obtained by film cameras, significantly improve the graininess that has characterized much digital photography. Megapixel refers to the fact that these cameras can pack over a million pixels into a single image.
Analysts say that today's announcements may be the turning point in the widespread acceptance of digital cameras. Until now, megapixel cameras have generally cost over $1,000. The cameras unveiled today range in price from $599 to $899. Not only will these price points make these cameras more attractive, they will push prices on lower-end digital cameras to as low as $199, encouraging mass consumers to try them out.
"This is only the beginning," said Gary Peterson, an analyst with ARS. "These megapixel cameras are affordable, which justifies the consumer to buy them."