Epson PhotoPC 3100Z

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By Wayne Siew
Jul 26, 2001

Hot on the heels of the award-winning Epson PhotoPC 3000Z is the new PhotoPC 3100Z. Has Epson succeeded in grooming another thoroughbred in such a short period of time, and can this sequel possibly be better than the original?

Ah! The Beauty Of Interpolation
Hidden behind the beautifully large 3x optical and 2x digital zoom (34mm-102mm 35mm equivalent) lens is a 3.34-megapixel CCD sensor capable of resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. Using Epson's HyPict image enhancement technology, images are interpolated to 2544 x 1904-pixel resolution or 4.8 megapixels inside the camera before JPEG compression. This allows for photo-quality prints up to a previously unheard of 11 x 17 inches! Considering these potentially large image files sizes, the PhotoPC 3100Z thankfully supports CompactFlash I cards up to 320MB.

Using USB connectivity for Mac and Windows compatibility, the PhotoPC brings Plug-and-Play to a new level. Connect the camera and computer using the USB cable provided, and the camera shows up as an additional drive on the computer. Click on the desired images, drag and drop into the desired folders, and the pictures are safely stored on the hard disk.

Just Push That Button
New to most digital cameras is a dedicated "Print" button on the rear of the PhotoPC 3100Z. Using the Digital Print Order Format (DPOF), the photographer can digitally "mark" the images presently stored on the memory card as he scrolls through the stored pictures. Users select the pictures by pressing the Print button once for every print they want to make. Once ready for printing, just plug the card into a compatible printer, and out come the selected images automatically.

Print Image Matching Technology
The Epson PhotoPC 3100Z is the company's first digital camera to feature its new Print Image Matching (PIM) technology. Engineered to pull the disparate elements of capturing the image and printing this to its highest-possible quality, this marriage promises new synergies on delivering on the unfulfilled promises of digital imaging.

Using PIM, the PhotoPC 3100Z utilizes preset critical image-specific parameters for printing, such as color space, contrast, sharpness, saturation, highlight point, and color balance, to ensure optimum results. The camera then saves the ideal print parameters in each image data file.

When printing off PIM-compatible printers such as the Epson Stylus Photo 895, this information is retrieved to accurately reproduce the images stored. This simplifies the process of printing the final image, and cuts out tedious re-workings on the picture and multiple pre-prints to accurately present the image as you remember it.

For The Traditionalists: Exposure Control, Additional Lens And Even A Hot-Shoe!
To allay the fears of photographers who may be apprehensive of excessive automation and a lack of control over the image, Epson has included recognizable features. These include manual exposure and aperture priority, in addition to the standard fare of programmed and fully automatic modes. The fully automatic mode offers digital macro (2.36 to 20 inches) and a 2x digital zoom. The camera also provides a new stitching feature that enables multiple successive images to be "stitched" together to form a panoramic photograph.

But the highlight of the "traditional 35mm" features in the PhotoPC 3100Z is the built-in hotshoe. Although the camera's built-in flash offers red eye reduction and slow synchronization, nothing beats having a full-grown external flash to brighten up everybody's day!

Add-on lens are available from Epson for the 47mm filter thread and 49mm adapter, from wide angle and telephoto converter lens, to special effect filters. ISO sensitivity of 100/200/400, shutter speeds from 8 seconds to 1/1,000 seconds and a fast f/2 aperture form a hard-to-beat combination. Manual exposure compensation of +/- 2 EV is broken in 1/2EV intervals and even the optical viewfinder comes with +/-2 dioptre compensation.

What's In The Box?
The PhotoPC 3100Z includes an assortment of software including Sierra Imaging Image Expert for retrieving, organizing, enhancing and printing images; Epson's Photo File Converter for converting files to upload to the camera; Panorama Stitcher for stitching images together to create panoramic prints; Quick Time 4.0; and Adobe Acrobat Reader. A 16MB CompactFlash I memory card, USB cable, video cable, lens cap with security strap, lens adapter, soft case, neck strap, and a CD-ROM with drivers and software included, user's guide and four AA alkaline batteries are included.

So Is The PhotoPC 3100Z A Buy?
For all the features the Epson PhotoPC 3100Z offers, in addition to the (interpolated) 4.8-megapixel resolution, the PhotoPC 3100Z presents surprisingly keen competition to other more established players in the camera industry. The Achilles heel of the PhotoPC 3100Z is its reliance on AA-sized batteries. Though these are cheap and readily available, a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery with travel charger would have been a more lasting alternative albeit an expensive one. Choice of batteries aside, it certainly looks like Epson has another winner on its hands!