These are the links that I use when I'm looking for new digital cameras to list on my chart. Some are in English, many of the best ones are not. So, what's the use of browsing a site if it's in Japanese or German? Well, there are resources out there to help you glean info from these sites, even in you don't understand the language. I'll give you a few tips.
Japanese is the most important. You can add Japanese character support to Explorer and Netscape (see the hompage for your browser for details). Ok, now you can see the page as it was written and not just a pile of garbage characters. Once you get rid of the garbage, things get easier - lists of specs look pretty much the same as on English pages. You'll realize that the Japanese way of writing "1280 x 960" is "1280 x 960". The fact you can't read the words for "pixel" or "resolution" is not much of a problem. Also, things like model names, common technical terms (e.g. CCD or CMOS) and brand names (e.g. CompactFlash) are usually in English anyway. Sure, you might still be in the dark about some of the text, but you'll learn a lot and you'll often get it weeks or months before the same info is published in English.
German sites can be useful, too. It seems that some Japanese companies prefer to launch a new product in Germany before facing the massive publicity of a US introduction. Don't forget that Germany hosts the largest photo industry trade show of them all, Photokina, as well as other huge shows. The secret of getting info from German language sites is no secret at all! Thanks too the wonderful folks at www.altavista.digital.com you can translate webpages in German, Italian, French, Spanish and Portugese into English (and vice versa!) quickly and for free.
The work of programmer/researcher Jun-ichiro "itojun" Itoh. This is truly "The
Mother of all Links". Most of the scoops that I have made
have been made by following links supplied by this man. To him, my undying gratitude. Most
of the links on his pages are to Japanese language sites. Follow the tips above and you
will be amply rewarded.
You'll need a translator to read the articles.
Also, remember that Fuji, Olympus, Nikon et al, have Japanese homepages. Often you can find new cameras here first.
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This page last updated 08/17/98