First look at HP’s Photosmart Pro B8850
Over at our sister site, Printerville, Rick LePage has posted a lengthy first look at HP’s upcoming Photosmart Pro B8850, a $549 photo inkjet based upon the battle-tested Photosmart Pro B9180, which first shipped in mid-2006.
The review, which is based upon a late production model, includes discussion of image quality, paper handling, print longevity and performance. Based on our initial findings, we think that the B8850 will be quite successful, offering high-quality color and black-and-white prints for a much lower price than ever before.
As we noted a few weeks ago, Epson is also pushing pigment-based printing down to the magic $500 mark, with the Stylus Photo R1900, which should ship around the same time as the B8850. Both of these printers will go a long way towards bringing long-lasting, pro-quality prints down to a wider audience.
Wet Camera Pilaf
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Reader panzeriv88 sends in a very interesting tip that might help in the stormy, wet months of winter. If you end up with a submerged camera, don’t give up all hope. If you’re careful and take quick action, it might be possible to dry the camera without damaging it. Read on for details. |
HP announces new pro photo inkjet
HP today announced the Photosmart Pro B8850, a $550 photo inkjet with eight pigment-based inks, including dual black inks for photo and matte papers and a gray ink for better black-and-white printing. The printer, which is slated to ship in April, looks like it will be a strong contender to Epson’s Stylus Photo R1900, a similarly priced photo inkjet that was announced last week.
If you want more info on the B8850, check out the specs and analysis over on Printerville; a first look at the printer should be posted later this week.
Convert Raw to DNG Automator Action
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Adobe’s Digital Negative Specification, or DNG format, provides an open standard for the storage of raw camera data. However, since few cameras can store directly into Digital Negative format, if you want to take advantage of DNG, you first need to convert your existing raw files to DNG format using the Adobe DNG Converter. Mac users running OS X 10.4 ("Tiger") or later can ease their conversion tasks using this Automator action, which lets you batch process your DNG conversions, as well as include DNG conversion in a more complex image processing pipeline. This updated version adds Leopard support as well as the ability to convert Sony SR2 files. |
Epson R1900 and new Printing Site
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Epson has announced a replacement to its hugely successful Stylus Pro R1800. The new Stylus Pro R1900 is a B-size desktop printer priced at $550. Offering an update to the R1800′s original pigment inkset, the R1900 provides a wider gamut, improved longevity and greatly improved quality when printing on glossy paper (and this is saying something, given the R1800′s glossy printing prowess). If you want to know more about the R1900, check out the Quick Look at our new sister site, Printerville.net. Printerville is devoted exclusively to digital photo printing, and will feature printer and paper reviews, a library of profiles, and more. |
New law for flying with camera batteries
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For those of you who travel by air with your cameras, be aware that as of January 1, 2008, it’s no longer legal to put lithium ion batteries in checked baggage. From now on, all spare lithium ion batteries must be kept in carry-on bags, with the terminals covered. REVISED: The US Department of Transportation has clarified its rules. Small lithium-ion batteries – like the types that are used in laptop computers and cameras are exempt from the new rules becuase they contain less than 8 grams of lithium. So, you should be able to travel normally, even after the new restrictions. |
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