February 9th, 2000
by Bill Troop Olympus P-400 Dye Sublimation Printer Introduction For several weeks we have been testing two extraordinary digital photography products from Olympus, the Camedia C-3000 camera and the P-400 dye sublimation printer. Together these products provide an affordable digital darkroom solution on a level that both demanding consumers and professional photographers should find irresistible. The Camera The Olympus Camedia C-3000 is a 3.4 megapixel compact camera that builds on the success of the Olympus C-2000, its widely imitated predecessor. The C-2000 was introduced in 1999 as a high-end consumer level camera, but to everyone's surprise, it took the world of professional photography by storm. The reasons were apparent at once: the compact size, great ergonomics, and high image quality of the C-2000 did for digital candid photography what the legendary Leica M series did for silver candid photography in the 1950s. Since then, Olympus has built on that success with three improved models: the C-2020, which addressed the few criticisms made about the 2000, and two similar 3.4 megapixel models, the C-3000 and the C-3030. Most recently, two new models have been announced, the 2040 and 3040. The most important feature of both new models is super-fast lenses with a maximum aperture of f/1.8. These new lenses will increase what was already a distinctive Olympus feature--their unusually good low-light capability. The 3000 and 3030 are quite similar to the 2020, but with these key differences: 3.4 megapixel top capability instead of 2.1 megapixels; basic QuickTime movie capability with audio capture; the ability to attach audio clips to photos; USB connectivity. The only differences between the 3000 and 3030 are: burst capture at 3.3 fps due to the 3030's large 32 MB RAM buffer; unlimited QuickTime movie capture on the 3030 (only limited to the capacity of the Smart Media card) because of the enhanced RAM buffer; extended recording capability (the 3030 ships with a 16 MB SM card to the 3000's 8 MB); and the 3030 ships with Photoshop LE as well as the Olympus Camedia image editing software that is included with the 3000. The price of the 3000 is $799.00; the 3030 is 999.00. For most of us, only one of these items counts: the stunning 3.4 megapixel capability. Combine this with Olympus's high quality optics, and the result is the ability to make stunning 11x14 prints that in most cases can't be distinguished from 35mm film--as our pictures show.
The Printer The Olympus P-400 dye sublimation printer is the only high quality 8x10-inch dye sublimation available today at an affordable price: $999.00. In many respects it is also markedly superior to older dye sublimation printers. Two examples: it is sharper than any dye sublimation printers we have seen in the past; and cost per page is down to about $1.50, or about the same as inkjet on 'photo quality' paper. Why dye sublimation? Image quality, image quality, image quality, as Barbara Streisand might say. Dye sublimation is still the only continuous tone color printing technology available, because it is the only color printing technology where the inks are translucent and can therefore blend to form intermediate colors. It is thus the only color printing technology that can rival true photographic prints. Inkjet and laser printers, by contrast, have to fake continuous tones with dots and dithering. Now, granted, today's best inkjet printers do a very good job of this. With the best "photo-quality" paper, it may take you a moment to spot which is the inkjet print and which is the dye sub. But you can always tell the difference between inkjet and dye sub. You can't tell the difference between a dye sub and a true photographic print. This is especially true in areas of fine highlight and shadow detail, where even the best dot matrix printers break up into fuzz, while the Olympus P-400 preserves all the detail of the original image. Speed, Speed, Speed Speed is another word you can use to characterize the P-400. An 8x10 print takes about 90 seconds. By contrast, 12 or so minutes is a common time for an inkjet printer to produce an 8x10 in 'photographic quality' mode. Connectivity The P-400 connects to Macs via USB (and to PCs via USB or parallel). But a killer convenience is being able to bypass your computer entirely. The printer comes with a slot for SmartMedia cards and a slot for PC Cards which lets you plug in CompactFlash cards or MemorySticks. So you can bypass your computer entirely to connect virtually any media directly to the printer. LCD Conveniences When you're bypassing the computer and printing directly from your camera media to the printer, you need some kind of visualization device, and the P-400 has a small black and white LCD to help you choose which image you want to print. Black & White Interestingly, despite not having a black cartridge, monochrome rendition of black & white print is very good. Though we have not yet tested the machine, there has been a chorus of complaints about the Black & White quality of the other significant printer in the 400-P's price category, the Epson 2000P. Printing Sizes The printer takes A4 paper measuring 8.25 x 11.7 inches, for a maximum image size of 7.64 by 10 inches--about what you'd get on the standard 8x10 of silver photography with a margin. But several different size prints are possible as follows: full size (7.64 x 10 inches; from 1 up to 16 images per page); card (2 or 4 postcards per page); photo-album (1-6 images per page with background image); index (45-260 images per page). A5 paper measuring 8.25 x 7.27 inches is also available -- an unusual but quite attractive size. The 'snapshot' sheets (four 3.5 x 6 inch snapshots on an A4 page) can be printed edge-to-edge, for those who don't like margins.
Longevity Longevity is a big question for color prints, both digital and conventional photographic. Olympus claims for its dye sublimation prints the same life as conventional photographic prints, which is anywhere from 10 to 60 years, but there does not seem to be any independent verification of this somewhat vague claim. However, the situation is no more certain for inkjet prints, though they have been studied extensively by comparison. Epson has been a leader in the photographic quality ink jet market, but its credibility on the issue of longevity is near zero after a year of continuous embarrassments in this department. (See http://www.macintouch.com/printpermanence.html for one good report on this issue with further links.) In 2000, Epson came out with its first inkjet printer that uses pigmented inks, the Stylus 2000P. Epson claims print longevity up to 200 years using this new printer and ink technology, but requests for a review unit for the specific purpose of evaluating image longevity have not yet been met. We'll believe 200 years longevity when we see it. The long and the short of it is that longevity of any color image -- silver or 'digital' is problematical. Keep in mind that the great advantage digital has over conventional silver processes is that the image can be regenerated ad infinitum with no measurable loss in quality--provided your binary data is backed up and maintained properly. The Proof Is In The Image With this printer and camera combination, we were able to make prints that were comparable in quality to those we make with top quality 35mm equipment and processing. The difference is that digital is faster and more convenient. Working with digital, and having the camera's LCD to check visualization before and after the picture is taken, really helps to train our eye better, and sharpen our photographic skills in both digital and traditional photographic media. What More Could We Want? At the time of writing, Olympus only makes glossy paper for the P-400. We would like to see semi-gloss and matte finish papers. Other Views The P-400 has been widely reviewed in PC, Mac and gender-neutral publications. Some reviews we recommend for further reading are:
The Olympus C-3000 and C-3030 have been widely reviewed in many publications. Our favorite reviews are at http://www.imaging-resource.com/. Other Photos
Conclusion Digital photography has progressed in leaps and bounds during just the last 12 months. We have now reached the point where professional photographers can go all-digital for under US$2000. This is nothing short of a revolution. Olympus is a big part of that. Bill Troop is coauthor of the Film Developing Cookbook.
Olympus P-400 Dye Sublimation Printer
Olympus Camedia C-3000
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