Objects of Desire: Epson P-7000 photo viewer



Sept 5, 2008
By Dan Havlik, PDN Technology Editor


Epson P7000

When Epson's first "P" series photo viewer was released back in 2004, the casual integration of multi-media devices into every day life – aka the iPhone – was still only a pipe dream. Now with everybody and his brother producing some kind of hand-held multimedia viewer/phone/music player/video camera etc, Epson's top-of-the-line model no longer seems so unique. But as far as image quality goes, it's still the best.

To compete with all those other devices, Epson has thankfully chosen not to try to be all things to all users, instead continuing to focus on the needs of photographers. With the new flagship P-7000 (160GB) model that means improved screen quality. Though the LCD screen is the same 4-inch size as the previous model, it now uses a technology Epson calls "Photo Fine Premia" which gives the P-7000 94 percent of the Adobe RGB color gamut, putting it on par with many high-end computer monitors.

The P-7000 also uses the same 4-color filter system as the previous model which broadens and improves color rendition overall. What you see on the P-7000's 640x480 VGA-quality screen is literally what you got when you took the picture. (Though LCDs on digital SLRs have greatly improved, there's still a lot of guesswork.)

Epson's also improved download speeds on the P-7000, making it 35 percent faster than the previous generation and the bump up to 160GB on the flagship model will be much appreciated by anyone who's played with massive RAW file sizes produced by megapixel monsters like the Canon 1Ds Mark III. Though the P-7000 supports video and audio file storage and playback, this is definitely not the device your teenage niece will want to use to watch reruns of Gossip Girl on.

Nice try kid, but this toy is for photographers only.

Cost: $799
Further information: www.epson.com






The latest addition to the PDN family, the PDN Gear Guide in print, has a total circulation of 30,000, and covers the latest and greatest in photographic equipment. Initially created in 2006 to be the official guide to PDN's annual flagship photography event, PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo, the PDN Gear Guide is now also available online for gear news and updates 365 days a year.
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