Eastman Kodak Company

Kodak Raises the Bar with its New EasyShare DX7590 Digital Camera; Flagship Model Offers Sophisticated Control, Superb Quality

Most Advanced EASYSHARE Camera to Date has 10X Optical Zoom, 5-Megapixel Resolution

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 3 -- With the introduction of its new EASYSHARE DX7590 zoom digital camera, Kodak expands upon features that made the KODAK EASYSHARE DX6490 model one of the most popular cameras in its class during the past year. A unique combination of sophisticated features, exceptional performance, and trademark ease of use gives amateur photographers the opportunity to shoot like a professional.

The camera will be available worldwide beginning this month for US$499 (MSRP), setting a new price-to-performance benchmark for high zoom consumer digital cameras.

“As seen in the success of the DX6490 camera, thousands of amateur photographers trust Kodak to deliver superior results without sacrificing ease of use,” said Yusuke Kojima, general manager of worldwide digital camera and system development, and vice president, Eastman Kodak Company. “Whether used in a manual or automatic mode, the DX7590 delivers fantastic shots with a press of the shutter button.”

Like its predecessor, the EASYSHARE DX7590 camera unites a professional quality SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON 10X optical zoom lens (38-380 mm equivalent; f/2.8 – f/3.7 maximum aperture); the KODAK Color Science image processing chip for rich, accurate colors; dual-sensor, low-light precision auto focusing; and multiple shooting modes for optimal creative control. The new model then goes a step further, adding new features such as five megapixel resolution for prints up to 20 x 30 inches, an extra high-resolution (311,000 pixels) electronic viewfinder, JPEG fine and standard compression options, flash compensation, and rapid click-to-capture (just 0.2 seconds). 

Integrated Components

The DX7590 camera has been designed with some of the world’s highest quality components working in concert to provide outstanding quality, even in challenging photographic situations. With Kodak’s integration of the SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON 10X optical zoom lens, the KODAK Color Science image processing chip, and intelligent matrix metering, photographers can achieve portraits with edge-to-edge sharpness and brightness, rich color, and highly accurate exposure. Because of the tight incorporation of these and other sophisticated features, DX7590 camera owners are consistently presented with remarkable dynamic range, fine detail and delicate highlights — results that advanced amateurs have typically associated with high-end digital SLRs.

Professional Quality Lens

The 10X focal length (38-380 mm equivalent) of the professional quality SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON zoom lens gives photographers superb framing flexibility. It enables users to get close to the action and fill the frame, or achieve more natural poses from subjects by shooting them from a distance. The long lens also provides the “flattened” perspective and narrow depth of field, all in a compact, SLR-like body. With a f/2.8 maximum aperture at wide angle and a f/3.7 at 10X — and the ability to step down to f/8 — the camera is well-suited to perform in both low and bright light.

Using the dual-speed zoom control, DX7590 camera owners can drive the lens from 1X to 10X in just two seconds, and then extend the total magnification up to 30X using Kodak’s exclusive Advanced Digital Zoom technology, which creates sharp, high quality images across the entire digital zoom range. For ease of handling, the lens barrel only extends one inch after powering up the camera, with all lens movements occurring within the protective housing.

Kodak offers a range of high-quality digital camera lens accessories that work to enhance or embellish the photos taken with the DX7590 digital camera.  The four-element SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH XENAR 0.7x (26.6 mm equivalent) wide-angle lens, and German-designed B&W circular polarizer and neutral density 55mm filters are all designed to work with the latest digital camera from Kodak.

Enhanced Creative Controls

The EASYSHARE DX7590 camera offers fully manual controls, permitting independent aperture, shutter speed, flash and exposure compensation, ISO equivalent and other settings that can transform an ordinary picture into a work of art. The camera also features aperture and shutter priority modes, as well as sixteen programmed scene modes. Saturated, neutral, black-and-white and sepia color modes lend additional in-camera creative options. Its dual sensor, low-light precision auto-focus system combines rapid phase detection with highly accurate through the lens (TTL) contrast detection to precisely fine tune and sharply define a subject, even in almost complete darkness. In addition, the camera is equipped with an external flash synch — capable of synching at any shutter speed — for illumination of subjects beyond the 16-foot pop-up flash range.

Exclusive KODAK Color Science Technology

The KODAK Color Science image processing chip combines the power of a high-performance digital signal processor with professionally-derived image process engineering (including Kodak’s legendary white balance algorithms, with a new “open shade” setting), based on more than 75 years of Kodak research into the science and emotion of color. With each press of the shutter button, the camera quickly and precisely analyzes lighting conditions and color balance to consistently deliver exacting sharpness, high color accuracy, and proper exposure.

Advanced Viewing Options

Using the very high-resolution TTL electronic viewfinder (EVF) with diopter, as well as a large, 2.2-inch high-resolution indoor/outdoor LCD screen, photographers can preview shots or review pictures stored in 32 MB internal memory or on optional SD/MMC cards. Not only does the extremely high resolution 311,000-pixel EVF show control settings superimposed over the scene, but it also eliminates parallax while presenting a nearly 100-percent field of view. The indoor/outdoor LCD assists photographers in clearly seeing the fine detail of their compositions before and after shooting, even in direct sunlight. Both LCDs exhibit high refresh rates, and automatically brighten or dim to reflect changes in exposure compensation.

The Share Button

A push of the DX7590 camera’s red-jeweled “Share” button allows photographers to immediately tag pictures for e-mailing or printing, as well as for saving to the on-camera digital photo album for later viewing. Additional features include joystick and jog-dial controls for rapid control access, easy-to-read menu options and the ability to record and play back continuous VGA-resolution digital video with audio. Compatible with the DX7590 digital camera is the KODAK EASYSHARE camera dock 6000, which provides one-touch picture transfer to a connected computer while keeping the DX7590 camera’s lithium-ion battery charged and ready to go, with a full charge taking less than three hours.

KODAK Prints

DX7590 camera owners can also receive all the benefits of a dock, plus the ability to print real, borderless KODAK 4 x 6-inch photos in as little as 60 seconds, using the newly-announced KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus (US$199.99 MSRP). The latest version prints from nearly any digital source, including KODAK EASYSHARE cameras, PICTBRIDGE-enabled cameras, memory cards and even mobile phone cameras. Its continuous tone thermal dye transfer system produces vivid color with instant drying, while exclusive KODAK Color Science technology produces outstanding skin tone reproduction, plus color optimization for ideal photo viewing. In addition, the printing process automatically adds a special XTRALIFE laminate coating, which helps ensure that prints are durable, waterproof and will last a lifetime under typical home storage conditions.

For inkjet prints up to 8 x 10 inches, DX7590 camera owners can use new KODAK Ultima Picture Paper with COLORLAST Technology, which lasts over 100 years under typical home display conditions using the world's best-selling brand of printers and inks (visit www.kodak.com/go/inkjet/ for additional details). Alternatively, they can print at thousands of retail locations using KODAK Picture Maker kiosks, or online via Ofoto’s print service (www.ofoto.com).

The DX7590 camera includes new KODAK EASYSHARE software version 4.0 for WINDOWS and MACINTOSH systems, providing effortless digital picture organization, editing, sharing and printing. The exclusive One Touch to Better Pictures feature takes advantage of proprietary color technologies developed by Kodak to help users get vibrant, true-to-life prints from inkjet printers. Version 4.0 — also available for free download from www.kodak.com — now includes an Express Upload feature for keeping OFOTO online picture albums current, the ability to edit pictures in third-party applications, enhanced e-mail powered by Ofoto, and optional VCD and DVD burning. 

The KODAK EASYSHARE System

The award-winning KODAK EASYSHARE digital photography system — consisting of cameras, software, docks and printer docks, inkjet papers and accessories — makes taking, organizing, sharing, and printing high quality digital pictures effortless. Kodak further expanded the system today with the aforementioned DX7590 camera, Printer Dock Plus, and EASYSHARE software v4.0, as well as the new EASYSHARE CX7525 digital camera and KODAK Matte Papers for inkjet prints. More information on KODAK EASYSHARE products is available at www.kodak.com/go/EasyShare.

About Eastman Kodak Company and infoimaging

Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, print and view images – for memories, for information, for entertainment.  The company is a major participant in infoimaging, a $385 billion industry composed of devices (digital cameras and flat-panel displays), infrastructure (online networks and delivery systems for images) and services & media (software, film and paper enabling people to access, analyze and print images).  With sales of $13.3 billion in 2003, the company comprises several businesses: Health, supplying the healthcare industry with traditional and digital image capture and output products and services; Graphic Communications Group, offering on-demand color printing and networking publishing systems consisting of three wholly owned subsidiaries:  Encad, Inc., NexPress Solutions, and Kodak Versamark; Commercial Imaging, offering image capture, output and storage products and services to businesses and government; Display & Components, which designs and manufactures state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diode displays as well as other specialty materials, and delivers optics and imaging sensors to original equipment manufacturers; and Digital & Film Imaging Systems, providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services.

Kodak, EasyShare, XtraLife, Ofoto and ColorLast are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company. Schneider-Kreuznach, Variogon and Xenar are trademarks of Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH used under license by Eastman Kodak Company.

2004