The new 12.3-megapixel Nikon D5000 is targeted at people stepping up to a digital SLR from a point-and-shoot. It includes an articulated 2.7″ LCD, a first for a Nikon digital SLR, so it will look familiar to users making the transition. The D5000 shares some features with the higher-end D90, including the image sensor, Live View, and the ability to record 720p HD movies. The articulated LCD makes using Live View and recording movies from multiple angles much more practical.

The D5000 incorporates an effective Airflow Control System to remove dust from the sensor; has a shutter life of more than 100,000 shots; can shoot continuously at a respectable four frames per second (fps); uses SD and SDHC memory cards; and records RAW and JPEG formats alone or in combination. The EXPEED processor features practical, in-camera, postcapture effects, such as Soft Filter and Color Outline, Perspective Control, active D-Lighting to optimize shadow and highlight detail, and correction of lateral JPEG chromatic aberrations. The image quality is very good; however, I have a plea to all camera manufacturers: If you create yet another proprietary RAW format for your cameras, please don’t release the camera until the RAW format is supported and ready to go. Buying a new camera and then waiting until the proprietary format is supported is not practical for users. This was the case with the D5000. I shot and printed only high-quality JPEGS. Thankfully, the sensor has a relatively wide dynamic range and image quality was very good.

The test unit included a very good, inexpensive NIKKOR 18–55mm, f/3.5–5.6 VR kit lens. Unfortunately, the D5000 doesn’t have an internal autofocus motor to support older NIKKOR lenses. The lightweight D5000 has a pop-up flash and hot shoe for the optional flash and GPS units. The shutter is quiet, the grip is comfortable, and the mode dial and controls are in convenient reach. The mode dial has the standard Program, Shutter, Aperture, and Manual modes, plus 19 auto preset scene modes. The movie and Live View mode share a dedicated button. An information button accesses an onscreen manager for adjusting frequently used features, allowing you to avoid unnecessary menu scrolling. The ISO range is from 200 to a 3200, with a Lo-1 setting of 100 and a Hi-1 setting of 6400. It produces files capable of making quality 13×19″ prints.

You can capture AVI-format video at 1280×720p HD, 640×424, or 320×216, all at 24 fps. Sound is monaural. While recording video, continuous autofocus isn’t available, so you’re left adjusting the focal length and focus of your zoom manually, which I found clumsy. You can shoot a still frame while recording a movie but that ends the recording—an implementation that seems to defeat the purpose. Although video capture is a big advance and the HD quality is good, it’s limited to 2 GB or five minute sequences, making it more a fresh novelty than a profession tool. HDMI output connectivity is included.

The 230,000-dot, low-resolution LCD is unconventionally hinged at the bottom, limiting its movements when mounted on a tripod. Otherwise, it swings down 180° and rotates 270° for composing high- or low-angle shots. You can even take a self-portrait using Live View. I hope Nikon’s next iteration of Live View will include a live histogram for making precision exposures. The low-resolution LCD makes it difficult to judge detail and focus in open sunlight. Live View uses contrast detection for focusing and is slow compared to the responsive 11-point AF sensors in the optical viewfinder. The D5000 performs very well, produces quality files, and is a giant leap from a point-and-shoot.—Steve Baczewski

Company: Nikon USA
Price: $729.95 (Body only); $849 (w/18–55mm VR kit lens)
Web: www.nikonusa.com
Rating: 4

Hot: Articulated LCD; excellent image quality
Not: No autofocus with video; low-res LCD

The Epson Perfection V300 Photo flatbed scanner comes with impressive stats, easy-to-use software, quick scan times, and for less than $100 it’s quite a bargain. It scans documents and 35mm transparencies at up to 48 bits at an optical resolution up to 4,800 dpi (dots per inch). It uses an LED light source that consumes less power, diminishes warmup times, and enables fast scan speeds.

The USB 2 scanner measures 16.9(L)x11(W)x2.2(H)” with a scanning bed that measures 8.5×11.7″. The front control panel has several one-touch buttons with specific tasks, such as scanning documents to email or converting documents to PDF files. The lid houses a built-in light unit for scanning 35mm negatives and slides. The included 35mm plastic film holder can hold a six-frame filmstrip and four slides. The lid also lifts to accommodate scanning books or 3D objects.

The Epson Scan software covers the bases. It has a fully automatic option for beginners and a professional mode with a plethora of controls. A new office mode optimizes scanning text. The software does a good job restoring color to old faded photographs, removing dust, and correcting for back lighting. Results of both reflective copy and film scans were impressive—accurate colors, good shadow and highlight detail, and smooth gradients. Text was very clean and crisp. It took a snappy 25 seconds to scan a 35mm transparency at 1,200 dpi at 48 bits.

The Epson Scan software can work as a standalone application or as a plug-in for third-party imaging programs. There’s an issue using the V300 with Adobe CS4 on Intel-based Macs. In CS4 there’s no TWAIN plug-in for accessing scanners such as the Perfection V300. Adobe is aware of this and has posted several workarounds to resolve the issue.—Steve Baczewski

Company: Epson America, Inc.
Price: $99.99
Web: www.epson.com
Rating: 4.5

Hot: Impressive scans; inexpensive
Not: No option for scanning larger than 35mm film format

NEC’s high-end 30″ MultiSync LCD3090W-BK-SV LCD is designed for people who insist on precision color management. It packs pertinent technology, like an internal 12-bit lookup table (LUT) delivering 97% Adobe RGB color space. It uses ColorComp technology that compensates for luminance variations, providing even, consistent light and color from edge to edge. NEC’s IPS (In Plane Switching) architecture arranges the pixels to allow for a wide angle of view. As I moved horizontally from the center, light and color held at wide angles, but they didn’t do as well moving vertically.

NEC includes a colorimeter and SpectraViewII calibration and profiling software that bypasses your computer’s graphic card and directly adjusts the display’s built-in LUT. The SpectraViewII software includes eight preset targets that can be edited or you can configure your own settings. My customized profile resulted in accurate colors, smooth gradients, and impressive shadow and highlight detail, making soft-proofing color files very reliable in Photoshop.

The specs on this LCD are impressive: 2560×1600 native resolution; 1000:1 contrast ratio; 350 cd/m2 brightness; 6 ms response time; and of course, all that leg room in a 16:10 cinema aspect ratio that lets you view documents simultaneously or enjoy the space working with graphics programs. Text is crisp and clear.

The display has a 1″ black bezel with menu buttons along the bottom-right corner. The onscreen manager (OSM) allows quick access to menus for fine-tuning your monitor. The display sits on a sturdy base and allows comfortable viewing with smooth tilts, swings, height adjustment, and screen rotation from landscape to portrait mode. One caveat: Brightness is drastically reduced when you pivot into portrait mode. The display has two inputs connectors: DVI-D (HDCP) and DVI-I (digital/analog).—Steve Baczewski

PRICE: $2,449
FROM: NEC Display Solutions
WEB: www.necdisplay.com
RATING: 4.5

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT Precision color display
NOT No USB, composite, or component ports

The Epson P-7000 Multimedia Photo Viewer builds on the last-generation P-5000 with improvements that make it more efficient for photographers to back up their work in the field. At one pound, it beats carrying a laptop, but at almost $800 it’s expensive. However, if you can afford it, it’s a solid performer.

The pièce de résistance of the P-7000 is the improved quality of the screen and with it the ability to make accurate assessments of your images. The 4″ LCD has a wider color gamut encompassing 94% (up from 88%) of Adobe RGB color space, and the screen’s wider viewing angle allows several people to look on. Files are easy to see in bright outdoor light, making culling in the field realistic. Images are sharp, even when zooming in to check detail. A multipurpose jog dial has been added making scrolling through images smooth and easy. As you view your files, you can display EXIF data, a histogram, and visually check highlights and shadows.

The P-7000’s 160-GB capacity is twice that of the P-5000. It has two memory card slots for CompactFlash and SD cards, with provisions for adapting other popular cards. After inserting a card you can copy all your files or browse through your files and copy a designated selection. In general, the menus and interface are easy to use and comprehensive, but could use a makeover. The P-7000 supports JPEGs and extensive RAW file formats.

I compared download times between the P-7000 and the P-5000 and, in general, the P-7000 is approximately 33% faster. The rechargeable lithium battery lasted between 2.5–3 hours. It comes with a protective storage case and fold-out viewing stand.—Steve Baczewski

PRICE: $799.99
FROM: Epson America, Inc.
WEB: www.epson.com
RATING: 4.5

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT Performance and dependability
NOT Price

The new 12.3-megapixel Olympus E-30 is closer to their flagship 10.1-megapixel E-3 than their consumer-level E-520. The E-30 includes many of the E-3’s best technological features, such as built-in image stabilization, dust-reduction, and a very fast 11-point autofocus system. The E-30 is less expensive, smaller, lighter, and uses a larger 2.7″ articulated LCD; however, it lacks the E-3’s magnesium alloy, weather-sealed body and shutter durability.

The E-30 body is made of reinforced plastic. It feels solid and balanced with a large, secure, rubberized grip. At its core is a new 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor that uses an updated “plus” version of the E-3’s TruePic III processor. It can process bursts of 5 frames per second (fps) RAW, and according to Olympus it can capture up to 12 shots max. In my testing, I was capturing between 14 and 16 shots. It writes quickly to free you up for the next shot. Instead of scrolling the menus, there are plenty of dedicated buttons for quick access to settings such as ISO, white balance, and (my favorite) the auto bracketing button that can set up to five frames, which HDR photography aficionados will appreciate. In addition, pressing the OK button quickly accesses a super onscreen control panel of important features in lieu of menu scrolling.

The E-30 has dual memory card slots and can hold either CompactFlash or Olympus’s proprietary xD-Picture Card, which is necessary if you want to use the panorama feature. It also includes an onscreen digital level that lets you adjust the camera’s vertical and horizontal position to avoid crooked horizons.

The E-30 introduces the ability to make multiple exposures and adds six unique special effects Art Filters: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale and Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, and Pinhole. These features are aimed at photographers who want to produce more spontaneous creative effects in the field. In conjunction with Live View, you can compose and tweak these special effects using white balance and exposure compensation before making the exposure and processing. Although you can re-create any of these effects in Photoshop, the key here is that you can see the effect right away instead of blindly depending on postprocessing. I quickly grew fond of Grainy Film and the hyper-saturated Pop Art filters. My only hesitation is that special effects have a way of becoming a substitute for a lack of imagination—a gimmick.

Olympus’s implementation of multiple exposures is first class. It allows you to take a shot and then view, superimpose, and combine up to three more exposures on the same frame, all while maintaining the original image onscreen. It’s beautifully designed, except it’s buried in the menus instead of conveniently being placed on the mode dial.

The design of Live View for the E-30 is the most practical I’ve used. It incorporates a live histogram for maximizing correct exposure, and an articulated LCD that can tilt and swivel away from the body, allowing you to capture scenes overhead or at ground level—something that isn’t practical with a fixed LCD or viewfinder. This iteration of Live View’s contrast detection focus system responds quicker than previous attempts. My only complaint is that the 230,000-dot resolution of the LCD is prone to wash out in bright light. The E-30 has an additional new feature that lets you compose with nine different aspect ratios and view their corresponding cropping frames on the LCD in Live View. It’s a great convenience if you know your job calls for a specific aspect ratio.

I made several 17×22″ prints and found the dynamic range and overall image quality to be excellent. Noise became a factor above ISO 800. The E-30 is a well-designed, solid performer.—Steve Baczewski

PRICE: $1,299 (body only)
FROM: Olympus America Inc.
WEB: www.olympusamerica.com
RATING: 4.5

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT Responsive; picture quality; great macro capabilities
NOT Proprietary xD-Picture Card; excessive buttons

Too bad the Epson Artisan 800 doesn’t cut, slice, dice, chop, or make perfect French fries…but this all-in-one is very reliable: copying, faxing, making quality color prints, scanning, printing on CDs/DVDs, and reading and printing directly from built-in memory card slots. It can work as a standalone, be connected to a computer via USB 2, and networks with either Ethernet or Wi-Fi. This multitasking inkjet performs well in all functions, refuting the notion that good electronic equipment should only have a single purpose.

The Artisan is a marriage of technology and design. Its mirror piano-black casing is striking and all of its features are well placed for ease of use. The 800 feels solid except for its flimsy paper guides and output tray. The centerpiece is a stylish, tiltable, 7.8″ touchscreen navigational and menu control panel with a 3.5″ LCD to view, edit, and print digital camera files. Its two adjustable paper trays for printing documents or photos can hold 120 sheets of plain paper, accommodating paper sizes from 4×6″ to 8.5×14″. The Artisan uses six Claria dye ink cartridges and, with a variable droplet size as small as 1.5 picoliters, color prints are stunning. The Artisan 800 is fast! A professional-quality, 8×10″ color print took less than a minute and a full page of legible text printed in 8 seconds.

Built into the lid, the automatic document feeder for copying holds up to 30 sheets of A4 paper and worked without a hitch. The scanning bed, measuring 8.5×11.7″ has a top optical scanning resolution of 4800 dpi and scan quality is very good. Add in a color and black-and-white fax machine that can store up to 180 pages in memory and the Artisan 800 is quite the multifunction performer.
—Steve Baczewski

PRICE: $299.99
FROM: Epson America, Inc.
WEB: www.epson.com
RATING: 4.5

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT Fast; spectacular color prints
NOT Unreliable with a wireless connection

Plustek’s OpticFilm 7500i SE is a compact, high-resolution, portable (3.5 lb) dedicated film scanner that does a quality job of digitizing and archiving 35mm transparencies and negatives. It has an optical resolution of up to 7200 dots per inch (dpi) at 48 bits, and ships with two hard plastic film holders for either four mounted slides or a six-frame filmstrip.

Powered by USB 2, the scanner is a solidly built, elongated box measuring 4.7×10.7×4.7″. The holders grip and hold the film flat and are manually fed through the 7500i. A clicking sound indicates successful advancement and positioning of the next frame or transparency. Two buttons on the front of the scanner, labeled IntelliScan and QuickScan, provide rapid access to SilverFast’s standalone scanning software or Plustek’s PC-only QuickScan standalone software.

QuickScan is a barebones, straightforward, scanning application that does a surprisingly good job, requiring few image adjustments. By comparison, SilverFast is more sophisticated, bulging with image adjustments and correctional tools. It works as a standalone and as a CS3 plug-in and features multi-exposure, which effectively increases the scan’s dynamic range and provides more effective, dust-and-scratch-removal sequential scanning with the 7500’s built-in fluorescent and infrared light sources. One caveat: SilverFast always opens with the last settings used, which can grossly affect your next file. To get back to the default settings, you must reset them with every launch. Plus I couldn’t find any feature in SilverFast for creating and saving customized presets.

The OpticFilm 7500i SE is a good performer, with scanning times that vary due to some features requiring more processing time. Using a dual Intel processor, a straight scan at 7200 dpi/48 bit took on average two minutes coming into Photoshop as a 363-MB file.—Steve Baczewski

PRICE: $399
FROM: Plustek Inc.
WEB: www.plustek.com
RATING: 4

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT Quality, high-resolution scans
NOT Silverfast’s excessive amount of tools is confusing

The 10.1-megapixel Nikon COOLPIX P80 camera features an impressive f/2.8–4.5, 27–486mm focal length (35mm equivalent), 18x optical zoom lens that maintains sharpness with few aberrations throughout its focal length. Nikon bolsters the lens with Vibration Reduction technology, which compensates for operator movement and is especially useful for telephoto and macro shooting.

This digital camera is well designed and lightweight and will fit in a large coat pocket (too big for a shirt). It has a comfortable rubberized handgrip and easy access of the camera’s controls and menus. For viewing, you can toggle between the electronic viewfinder (EVF) and the 2.7″ LCD; both display identical pertinent shooting data. The EVF is small but necessary for composing in bright light because the LCD washes out. The P80 has an ISO range of 64–6400; however, noise becomes an issue above ISO 200. Metering options include matrix, center-weighted, and spot. The exposure modes include Manual, Aperture, and Shutter priority for advanced users and an Auto mode for beginners, plus a collection of 14 presets covering typical situations, such as landscapes, nightscapes, portraits, etc. The Sport mode allows continuous shooting up to 30 frames at 13 fps at a reduced resolution of 3 megapixels. The D-Lighting feature is an impressive bit of in-camera, postprocessing technology used when you view your files on the LCD. It lightens and restores color to midtones and shadows in high-contrast and backlit files, without affecting the highlights or destroying the original.

The maximum resolution of 3648×2736, combined with the sharp lens at ISO 200 (or lower), produced quality files that made beautiful 13×19″ prints. It’s too bad Nikon decided to use only JPEG format and not include a RAW option.—Steve Baczewski

PRICE: $399.95
FROM: Nikon USA
WEB: www.nikonusa.com
RATING: 4

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT Quality lens
NOT No RAW format; 2–3 second delay between shots

With Apple’s blessing, Axiotron Corp. made modifications to a standard Apple MacBook laptop to produce a tablet with a screen that’s sensitive to a Wacom stylus—similar to a Wacom Cintiq. Called the Modbook, it’s the only Mac-based slate on the market and it’s designed for artists and photographers.

The Modbook doesn’t have a keyboard so if you buy it with the idea of using it as a standard laptop computer, you might be disappointed. The tablet we tested came with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, a 2.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and 4 GB of RAM. Its input/output panel is identical to an Apple MacBook—USB, FireWire, Ethernet, Bluetooth, and Airport connectivity—and it also includes iSight and a Global Positioning System.

The Modbook design is unique: besides having no keyboard, there’s no cover. Its 13″ LCD screen, with a native resolution of 1280×800, is always exposed. It is protected by a scratch-resistant plate of nonreflective matte glass that Axiotron calls ForceGlass, which is sensitive to the stylus. The screen is framed by scratch-resistant magnesium. The stylus, housed in a pocket built into the right corner of the frame, has two programmable buttons and a digital eraser at the top, and the Modbook ships with an extra stylus and tips. The tablet is slightly thicker than its MacBook counterpart and, at 5.5 lbs, weighs 0.5 lbs more. Axiotron deserves high marks for the Modbook’s solid feel and rugged construction; for some, however, the weight might be an issue. With continuous use, the Modbook’s rechargeable lithium battery is good for an average of 2.5 hours.

The Modbook elevates the experience of working in graphics programs such as Photoshop by bringing users physically closer to their work, allowing a more intimate relationship with their images. It’s similar to drawing on paper and it’s seductive. The stylus has 512 levels of sensitivity (by comparison, the Wacom Intuos has 1024) and the screen reacts accurately and instantaneously. Draw with light or heavy pressure and the screen quickly complies with the right shade of opacity. Create accurate thin, thick, straight, or curvy lines and the Modbook keeps up with you. I did notice that over time the pen and cursor don’t correspond accurately, especially at the screen’s edges; however, there’s a utility that will reset the stylus to correct this behavior.

The tablet might be disappointing to some, however. Its screen size of 13″ probably isn’t big enough for graphic artists used to a larger workspace, and although the screen is sharp and clear, it has a narrow angle of view, with brightness and colors dropping off as you tilt your head. The corners vignette if you don’t hold the Modbook in exactly the right position and the screen washes out in bright, outdoor light. Then there’s the lack of a built-in keyboard. You can connect a USB or Bluetooth keyboard, but that’s an awkward setup. For typing, Axiotron includes Quickclicks, a virtual onscreen floating keyboard for tapping out commands with the stylus. Quickclicks is programmed for easy accessibility by pressing on the stylus toggle switch. It has several setup options and, between scrolling menus and pecking on the Quickclick’s keyboard, it’s workable…but certainly not if you’re going to do a lot of writing. Using Ink, Mac OS X’s handwriting recognition program, adds little to help the situation.

I repeat: Don’t buy the Modbook for general computer use; it’s designed for graphic artists.
—Steve Baczewski

PRICE: Starts at $2,290
FROM: Axiotron Corp.
WEB: www.axiotron.com
RATING: 3.5

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT A visceral way to work for artists
NOT No keyboard

Epson’s new 13″ Stylus Photo R2880 printer (replacing the Epson 2400) incorporates print technologies that include a new printhead using an ink-repellent coating to improve ink dot placement. Its new UltraChrome K3 inkset and Radiance technology optimizes ink use, reproduces colors with more accuracy, and minimizes metamerism. A built-in “mist-collection system” sucks up ink overspray and keeps the printer’s head clean. The ink cartridges’ small capacity makes the R2880 suitable for fine art photographers and designers who demand professional quality but don’t do high-volume production. What’s disappointing is that the user still has to swap photo and matte black ink cartridges when changing paper types.

The R2880, with two USB ports and PictBridge connectivity, is more solidly built than the Epson 2400. It handles both sheet and roll paper and has a front-loading tray for printing on CD/DVDs—a welcome new feature. There are four paper-feed paths, with most papers being fed through the reliable 100-sheet capacity top feeder. A front paper feed can handle art board up to 1.3mm thick. The rear single-sheet feeder handles thicker, fine art papers but requires patience to master the paper-feed technique.

Epson added vivid and vivid light magenta to the nine-cartridge K3 inkset—in effect, a bigger box of crayons—that widens the color gamut, especially affecting reds, magentas, and blues. When I compared prints of the same file made on the 2400 and the 2880, there’s a noticeable, but not dazzling, difference; however, it’s enough to want to reprint files to gain that extra color and dimensionality. Gradients appear smoother with more subtle transition and there’s more visible shadow and highlight detail. Two features are outstanding: the supplied canned paper profiles and the Advanced Black-and-White Photo Mode.—Steve Baczewski

PRICE: $799.99
FROM: Epson America, Inc.
WEB: www.epson.com
RATING: 4.5

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT Wider color gamut; automatic nozzle check
NOT Small-capacity ink cartridges