a digital "35mm film cartridge" for any ol' camera

Rohit Khare (rohit@fdr.ICS.uci.edu)
Mon, 18 May 1998 14:44:00 -0700


Back in April we got our first glimpse of a fascinating example of
integrating the new with the old, where Irvine Sensors planned to
create what would appear to be a 35 mm film cartridge with a strip
of film hanging out, but which would turn a standard film camera
into its high-tech digital equivalent. This week that innovation
takes form.

[Image - EFS-1 cartridge] [Image - EFS-1 in camera]

The Imagek EFS-1 Electronic Film System is a drop-in replacement for
a roll of film and will store 30, 1280x1024 pixel, 24-bit color
digital pictures, which can be snapped as quickly as every two
seconds. Images can be download to a PC via a parallel port cable or
to a Mac via SCSI, and will take less than a second per image to
download. The light sensitivity of the initial units will be similar
to film with an ASA rating of 100. Based on Flash Memory, which
"wears out" after about 100,000 write cycles, this device should be
able to capture 3 million images, the equivalent of 100,000 "rolls"
of 30-exposure digital film.

The EFS-1 should be on sale this summer and will cost "below
$1,000." (http://www.imagek.com/)

Of course you may not be into photography, digital or otherwise. But
to me, this represents a stunning example of how innovation can
leverage and extend older technology and older products, with the
fruits of the rapidly changing face of computing.

Seems to be a win-win model to me!