July 14, 2005 – Rollei took another step into the compact digital camera realm today and reaffirmed the existence of the “pixel race” with the release of the 8.3 megapixel dp8300. The rectangular Rollei model features a 36-108mm (equivalent) zoom lens, 2.5-inch LCD screen, 30 fps video recording rate, and captures still images in both JPEG and TIFF formats. The dp8300 will sell for an estimated $420 (USD) or €349 when it becomes available at the end of July.
Priced just under most current 7MP compact models, the dp8300 will assume its place among an abundance of cameras marketing a high resolution count and large LCD screen. The dp8300 is fitted with a 1/1.88” type CCD sensor with 8.1 million effective pixels; many previously released compact models exceeding 7 and 8 megapixels of resolution have displayed difficulty suppressing noise and produced images with substandard quality. The camera’s TFT color monitor extends 2.5 inches diagonally and is accompanied by a small optical viewfinder.
The boxy dp8300 spans 3.5 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches and weights 5.3 ounces in total. The brushed silver frame is headed by a 3x optical f/2.8-4.8 zoom lens equivalent to a 36-108mm in 35mm format. The lens will focus as close as 50 cm in Macro mode and offers an additional 5.1x digital zoom to users willing to trade quality for added telephoto perspective.
Other notable features include a continuous video recording mode that shoots at either 30 or 15 frames per second at 640 x 480 pixels until the card is full, a sound capture feature that will enable users to apply audio clips of up to 30 seconds to still images and a manual white balance setting. The sensitivity range runs from ISO 50 – 400 and includes an automatic setting. A USB 1.1 terminal is built-into the design for image transfer. The camera stores images to Secure Digital media and ships with a 64MB card.
