JVC preps tiny camera, printer

MacWeek, Feb 23, 1998 by Matthew Rothenberg

JVC Co. of America this month took the wraps off a pair of portable peripherals aimed at color photographers.

At the Photo Marketing Association show in New Orleans, JVC unveiled the GC-S1, a digital still camera due to ship this spring for $699.95, and the GV-HT1, a petite snapshot printer due early this summer for $799.95.

The GC-S1, which will weigh 0.58 pounds and measure 5.13 by 2.88 by 1.56 inches, will include a 24-bit-color CCD capable of capturing images at a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels, JVC said. Its lens will feature an f-stop of 1.6 with a built-in 10x optical zoom; the camera will also come with a 180-degree swivel mount.

The camera will sport automatic focus, iris and white-balance control, and a manual focus adjustment. It will include a 1.8-inch LCD monitor. Its shutter speed will range from 0.125 to 0.001 second.

The GC-S1 will include 4 Mbytes of flash memory, which will let users store 30 fine-quality, 50 standard or 100 economy-mode images, JVC said. The camera will come with a slot for optional CompactFlash cards.

The camera will let users connect to Macs or Intelstandard PCs via a serial connection. It will also include an IrDA (Infrared Data Association)-compliant infrared port, as well as NTSC video-out for display of images on a TV. The camera will provide templates and settings for special effects such as sepia tone and multiscreen prints.

The GC-S1 will run on four AA batteries and ship with cables, a hand strap and a case. It will come bundled with MGI Software Corp.'s PhotoSuite consumer-level editing package.

On the printer side, the GV-HT1 will weigh 0.76 pounds, measure 5.13 by 1.38 by 3.75 inches, and run on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and an AC adapter.

The tiny thermal-wax printer will output 217-dpi, CMY images measuring 2.75 by 2.06 inches to stock measuring 3.38 by 2.13 inches, JVC said. Each print will bear a glossy protective overcoat and will take about 70 seconds to output. The device will include a 15-sheet automatic paper feeder. The GV-HT1 will use a serial interface and offer an infrared port and NTSC video-in and video-out.

JVC said the printer will include a number of built-in output effects, including multiscreen printing.

JVC Co. of America of Elmwood Park, N.J., is at (800) 252-5722; www.jvc.com.