European Imaging Oscars awarded for 2006

Best Prestige Camera - Ricoh GR Digital

Ricoh has a reputation of producing cameras that stand out from the crowd, and the Ricoh GR Digital is no exception. The Ricoh GR Digital has a very high quality 28mm (35mm film equivalent) lens, which can be used with an optional converter to cover an angle as wide as 21mm. The new GR Digital inherits the superb image quality that made the awardwinning GR Series of 35mm film cameras so popular, and the style and performance is distilled into a compact body just 25mm thick. With a high-quality feel and superb expandability, this is the perfect lightweight tool for professional photographers and advanced amateurs.

Best Digital Camera Back - Leaf Aptus 75

The Leaf Aptus 75 represents the most recent digital camera back for high-end, professional photography. It offers a resolution of approximately 34 megapixels (6726x5040), resulting in a file size of around 200MB at 16-bit. The sensor features a 7.2-micron pixel size, and offers a sensitivity range from 50-800 ISO. The outputted RAW images can be compressed to reduce the file-size by half, and because the compression is lossless, there’s no reduction in quality in the 16-bit data that’s captured. Exclusive to the Aptus 75 is the big 6x7cm touch-screen LCD for displaying and controlling the final image quality. Leaf offers a range of storage options: CF card, 20 or 30 GB Digital Magazine, Firewire disk or computer hard disk.

Best Flatbed Photo Scanner - Epson Perfection V750 Pro

The new Epson Perfection V750 Pro is an excellent flatbed scanner for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts alike. It features a Dual Lens System for film scanning at a high resolution of 6400 dpi and also allows reflective scanning at 4800 dpi. An optical density value of 4.0 fulfils the needs of professionals, and captures detail in the darkest of shadows. An anti-reflection coating applied to the lenses eliminates reflection and ghosting, while a high reflection mirror improves the quality of the scanned light to the sensor, resulting in faster scanning speeds. Offering all film formats up to 8x10 inch, it’s supplied with four film holders for 35mm film strips and slides, medium and large format film. Connections are built in for either USB 2.0 or Firewire interfaces, to ensuring a rapid data transfer.

Best Small Format Photo Printer - Panasonic KX-PX1/PX10

Small format printers are rapidly gaining recognition as the ideal companion to digital cameras. Their portability enables users to always print their photos, wherever they are. Panasonic has recognised the convergence of digital imaging and HDTV, and has introduced the first 16:9 format small photo printer. The Panasonic KX-PX1/PX10 series deliver outstanding quality prints that rival the best silver halide systems, and sport a stylish and compact design. Furthermore, thanks to a new over-coating process performed by this printer, prints can now keep their quality for up to 100 years.

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