New Sony camcorder uses stills lenses
In addition to its announcement this week of two Alpha Nex interchangeable lens compacts, Sony also flagged development of an interchangeable lens camcorder with the same lens mount as the two stills models (prototype graphic right).
The prototype camcorder will be equipped with the same Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor used in the Nex-5 and Nex-3 cameras, and will also be compatible with E-mount interchangeable lenses developed for these cameras. A range of A-mount interchangeable lenses from Sony’s existing DSLR line-up will be compatible via a mount adapter.
Price drop for Epson scanner
Epson has reduced the price of its Epson Perfection V300 Photo scanner from $269 RRP to $249 RRP.
The V300 has 4800 x 9600dpi optical resolution and an optical density of 3.2 Dmax.
It has an integrated transparency unit (TPU) for scanning 35mm film strips and mounted slides and a 180-degree extendable lid design for scanning portions of large format documents of any size.
It cokes with a software suite which features colour restoration and dust removal for simple image restoration.
Gallerie Wrap on show from Photo Direct
Photo Direct will once again be promoting the Gallerie Wrap system at the Digital Life Expo in Melbourne, June 4 – 6.
Gallerie Wrap comprises variable-sized framing bars, fixing corners, tensioners and staples to ensure a professional looking canvas or paper print can be made in minutes in-store. No special tools are required.
Photo Direct says it’s a great fit with HP canvas products.
Photo Direct is running a webinar on Gallerie Wrap on Wednesday, May 26. Register for participation via the Photo Direct website.
Online both threat and opportunity
A survey of web retailers by US-based Internet Retailer found that Australia is in the top three markets for generating web sales outside the US.
Australian retailers who continue to ignore online shopping are handing Australian sales to overseas businesses, according to Mark Harvey, managing director of Australia’s Online Retailer Expo and Conference.
Harvey says more retailers need to ask themselves why Australian consumers are behaving this way.
(Australian retailers of cameras, having asked themselves that question, might validly answer, ‘Because of the large price differentials at which we can secure product compared to some overseas retailers!’)
Forrester Research predicts Australian online spending will grow to $32 billion by 2012. Figures from IbisWorld show that online sales may eventually reach $75 billion, as retailers increase the efficiency and reliability of their online channels.
Research by the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA) found that in 2005, 86 per cent of Australia’s online spend was domestic. By 2008, this had plummeted to 57 per cent, with close to half of total online sales being directed to overseas competitors.
‘The delay in Australian retailers embracing selling online has made it easy for overseas ventures to tap into the Australian market,’ said Bing Lee’s head of ecommerce Peter Krideras.
‘The quicker Australian organisations embrace the power of the web, the quicker we can capture this growing market before we lose more money overseas.’
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