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The newest member of the Kodak Zi family of pocket video cameras made it's debut today.
The Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera has many new features that customers have been asking for. Kodak's Andrei Andrievsky talks about some of these features...
The Kodak Zi8 joins the already available Kodak Zx1. What are the differences between these two cameras? Kodaker Romana Dejager explains...
Still not sure which video camera is for you? Check out whatZareyou.kodak.com to help you decide!
The KODAK Gallery has launched a new site (KODAK Gallery - Professional Prints) offering a portfolio of products for the serious digital photographer seeking high-quality prints with print and service options which were not previously readily accessible to all photographers. I recently ran the new site through its paces and was very impressed with quality of both the services and the prints - the print quality is remarkable!
Once you access the site, you can easily begin to place an order using the files you have in your personal Gallery albums - site navigation is straightforward. Several unique paper options caught my eye, including 'Metallic' prints and 'True Black-and-white' prints. Conventional color prints are produced using KODAK PROFESSIONAL SUPRA ENDURA VC Digital Paper (Luster 'E' surface). Metallic Prints are produced using KODAK PROFESSIONAL ENDURA Metallic Paper (Glossy 'F' Surface). True black-and-white prints are delivered on matte surface paper. A wide range of print sizes are available (4x6 through 20x30 inches) , and the print prices are very competitive , for example an 8x10 print is as low as $ 4.25, and a 16x20 print is as low as $19.99.
I easily submitted an order for a variety of print sizes and surfaces from files I know well and have printed many times using a several hard-copy output technologies (silver halide, thermal dye sublimation, and inkjet). I purposely selected image files which are not easy to print to meet my preferences. My first order included prints on KODAK PROFESSIONAL ENDURA VC Digital Paper and KODAK PROFESSIONAL ENDURA Metallic Paper in sizes ranging from 8x10 to 16x20 inches. I optimized the images in Adobe Photoshop prior to uploading them to my Gallery account.
Two color management options are available: 'Kodak Perfect Touch' and 'Professional Color Management'. When 'Professional Color Management' is selected, a professional color specialist will review each of your image files for optimal color balance, color reproduction, neutral tone reproduction, and print density. I selected 'Professional color management' for all the prints I ordered - and all I can say is WOW! In each print I received, neutral tones remained neutral, highlight and shadow details were maintained, and the flesh tones were correct.
Service times are very impressive. I submitted two orders of equal complexity a week apart. Choosing the standard (free) shipping option of 3-10 days, I was very pleasantly surprised when the first order arrived at my door in 3 days, and the second order was received in 5 days. To verify the consistency of the printed images , I included a standard digital test target for 8x10 prints with each order. The week-to-week consistency of the print quality was very good.
Each shipment was perfectly packaged, all prints are shipped flat. 16x20s were taped onto rigid corrugated packaging and the emulsion surface was protected with a thin foam sheet. The 8x10s were protected in glassine envelopes. There were no bent corners, no scuffs, and no kink marks. The prints were truly borderless, no final trimming was necessary. The extent of the packaging was an obvious extension of the pride and workmanship that the Gallery invests in each print they produce.
I was especially interested in the option of ordering metallic prints and made that choice for several images. The resulting images were striking, demonstrating the metallic effect with a full tonal range. All of the metallic prints were made from the same image files as the normal prints, demonstrating the positive impact of 'Professional Color Management'.
I also assessed the 'True black-and-white' option, receiving prints which were neutral in tone, and printed correctly with a full range of tones from D-min to D-max.
