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uyers guide<br />
DIGIT BEST BUY RECOMMENDATIONS: WORKSTATIONS<br />
110 d<br />
Apple Power Mac G5 dual 2GHz<br />
Everything the Mac <strong>com</strong>munity had hoped it<br />
would be, the Power Mac G5 is fantastic with<br />
Photoshop, and could convert Windows users<br />
Dell Precision M60<br />
A sleek and businesslike notebook that is suitably<br />
kitted-out for the creative professional. Boasts the<br />
Pentium M processor (1.7GHz) and 2GB of RAM<br />
Sony Vaio GRT996ZP<br />
Huge and powerful, this Vaio has the best screen<br />
we’ve ever seen on a laptop. A 3.2GHz Pentium 4<br />
chip adds speed to this desktop-replacement<br />
Xworks X6<br />
Incredibly fast processing speeds, plenty of<br />
RAM, and flexible upgrade options make the<br />
X6 a fantastic machine<br />
Buying advice: digital cameras<br />
If you want a digital camera for serious design and<br />
publication work, you’ll probably reach for a digital SLR<br />
first. These cameras are built for professional photography.<br />
With a digital SLR model, you’re sure of high-quality<br />
output, the lenses are interchangeable, and the cameras<br />
can <strong>com</strong>municate with proper flash lighting systems.<br />
<strong>Digit</strong>al SLRs are now starting to fall in price, too, so they’re<br />
be<strong>com</strong>ing an affordable solution to your imaging problems.<br />
However, a few of the top ‘prosumer’ <strong>com</strong>pact<br />
cameras offer similar capabilities, so it’s worth checking<br />
out your options.<br />
The race to pack in higher megapixel output seems<br />
never-ending – the current crop of <strong>com</strong>pact models has<br />
eight million pixels. Higher resolutions can decrease<br />
output quality, because cramming more sensor cells onto<br />
small CCD sensors increases image noise. However, there<br />
are signs that suggest manufacturers realize high megapixel<br />
output only gives their products a temporary <strong>com</strong>petitive<br />
advantage, and we’re seeing some genuinely useful<br />
innovations too.<br />
For instance, some manufacturers are addressing one<br />
of the biggest limitations of digital sensors – the dynamic<br />
range. This is the ability to capture detail in both bright<br />
highlights and deep shadows in the same exposure.<br />
HP and Fujifilm have both <strong>com</strong>e up with technologies<br />
that attempt to improve dynamic range. HP’s Adaptive<br />
Lighting features on its Photosmart 945 model. When a<br />
photograph is taken, the camera calculates a contrast<br />
mask, and electronically balances the range of tones.<br />
Fujifilm’s method involves two photodiode sensors<br />
in each cell area of its Super CCD HR sensor. The two<br />
photodiode sensors have different light sensitivities,<br />
and the camera chooses which one to use for different<br />
areas of the image.<br />
Product name Price Company and contact details Platform Reviewed <strong>Digit</strong> rating<br />
Workstations<br />
Acumen Xtreme £1,899 Evesham, www.evesham.<strong>com</strong>, 0870 160 9700 Windows Oct <strong>04</strong> 3.0<br />
Looks like a winner on paper, but the Acumen Xtreme performs poorly. It incorporates a lot of new kit though, and packs in top accessories<br />
Aspire 2000 £1,020 Acer, www.acernotebooks.co.uk, 0845 226 2235 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
Some nice touches make this a sexy system for the mobile businessperson, but the Aspire 2000’s screen is too low-res for the creative<br />
Centurion £1,299 ACi, www.aciplc.<strong>com</strong>, 020 8830 1958 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 3.0<br />
A no-frills Centrino-based laptop. Boasts 1GB of RAM for a reasonable price, but the screen and hard drive are notably average<br />
Crossbow XB-A700 £1,275 Armari, www.armari.co.uk, 01923 225 550 Windows <strong>Digit</strong> 76 3.5<br />
A good attempt to put workstation <strong>com</strong>ponents in a small case. It looks great, but because of its small size, upgrade options are restricted<br />
EvoFlex 360-PCX59 £1,575 Graphicsworkstations.<strong>com</strong>, 020 8544 0022 Windows Oct <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
There are a few weaknesses – the unit is incredibly noisy, for one – but overall this is an excellent budget option for the graphics professional<br />
IntelliStation M Pro £1,750 IBM, www.ibm.<strong>com</strong>/uk, 0800 015 7229 Windows Oct <strong>04</strong> 2.5<br />
Would have been a great choice a few months ago, but a few new technologies have rendered IBM’s machine out-of-date<br />
Magnetar Xi £3,999 Armari, www.armari.co.uk, 01923 225 550 Windows Sep <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
Boasts supreme graphics performance, and is packed with features. However, it’s pricey, and didn’t perform that well on LightWave rendering<br />
NW8000 £2,507 HP, www.hp.<strong>com</strong>, 0870 241 1485 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
This mobile workstation is a little on the large side, but boasts a great screen, and fast powerful performance. It’s a bit pricey for what you get<br />
NX7010 £1,533 HP, www.hp.<strong>com</strong>, 0870 241 1485 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 3.5<br />
This laptop’s feature list reads like a minimum re<strong>com</strong>mended specs list for a creative notebook, and while it’s adequate, it isn’t anything special<br />
Pavilion zd7050EA £1,445 HP, www.hp.<strong>com</strong>, 0870 241 1485 Windows May <strong>04</strong> 3.5<br />
A big laptop with big ambitions. It’s filled with wonderful little details, but needs a better processor and a higher-resolution screen<br />
PowerBook G4 (15-inch) £1,870 Apple, www.apple.<strong>com</strong>/uk, 0800 783 4846 Mac Jun <strong>04</strong> 3.5<br />
Not as cutting-edge as it once was, the PowerBook G4 is in need of an update. It’s now underpowered, and only matches the encroaching <strong>com</strong>petition<br />
PowerBook G4 (17-inch) £2,<strong>04</strong>0 Apple, www.apple.<strong>com</strong>/uk, 0800 783 4846 Mac Jun <strong>04</strong> 3.5<br />
1GHz G4 chip; 17-inch/1,440-x-900-pixel screen; 64MB graphics memory; 60GB hard drive; 3.1kg; 4.5-hour battery life<br />
Power Mac G5 dual 2GHz £1,863 Apple, www.apple.<strong>com</strong>/uk, 0800 783 4846 Mac Oct <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
Ideal for the traditional Power Mac creative, but the dual 2GHz G5 is limited on high-end flexibility, but the G5 is perfect for 2D and video work<br />
Precision 370 £1,939 Dell, www.dell.co.uk, 0870 152 4699 Windows Oct <strong>04</strong> 3.0<br />
Dell has delivered a machine that is fine for the corporate market, but best avoided by the creative user. Offers poor value for money, too<br />
Precision 670 £5,691 Dell, www.dell.co.uk, 0870 152 4699 Windows Nov <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
The most powerful workstation we’ve seen but you need to spend £3,000 to upgrade the £1,200 model. Two 3.4GHz Xeon processors make it very fast<br />
Precision M60 £2,349 Dell, www.dell.co.uk, 0870 152 4699 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
A great mobile workstation – it’s huge, but it packs a lot of power. Features media card reader slots and good ergonomic touches, and a decent screen<br />
Pro Cinebook 1.7 £1,233 Evesham, www.evesham.<strong>com</strong>, 0870 160 9700 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
Desperately tries to be a PowerBook. Doesn’t match Apple’s looks, but it does have shedloads more power and an absolute bargain price<br />
ThinkPad R50p £2,900 IBM, www.ibm.<strong>com</strong>/uk, 0800 015 7229 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
The ThinkPad R50p is ugly, but confirms IBM’s reputation for reliability and innovation. Features a Pentium M 1.7GHz, 1GB RAM, and a 60GB hard drive<br />
ThinkPad T41p £2,930 IBM, www.ibm.<strong>com</strong>/uk, 0800 015 7229 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 3.5<br />
A 14-inch version of the R50p, this notebook isn’t as good value. The benefits brought by a smaller case are countered by lower screen resolution<br />
T900-NQ £1,999 Armari, www.armari.co.uk, 01923 225 550 Windows Oct <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
A powerful machine with a host of impressive technologies, although it could do with some more RAM. Incorporates an Iomega REV drive<br />
Vaio GRT996ZP £2,210 Sony, www.sony.co.uk, 08705 111 999 Windows Jun <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
A fine desktop replacement model, the Vaio GRT996ZP boasts a better screen than some standalone monitors. A 3.2GHz P4 chip makes it very fast<br />
X6 £1,937 Xworks, www.xworksinteractive.<strong>com</strong>, 01785 229 191 Windows Oct <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
Aside from the black ash look, the X6 is a great machine that offers speed and top performance. Perfect for 2D, and easily upgraded for 3D work<br />
<strong>Digit</strong>al cameras<br />
Camedia C-5060 WZ £420 Olympus, www.olympus.co.uk, 020 7523 2772 M | W Jul <strong>04</strong> 4.0<br />
The C-5060 WZ features a clever rotating monitor, and the widest-angle zoom of any prosumer <strong>com</strong>pact camera. One of the best 5mp models available<br />
Cybershot DSC-F828 £765 Sony, www.sony.co.uk, 08705 111 999 M | W Jul <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
Fast, powerful, and enjoyable to use, this camera should please professional photographers, as long as they can live without custom user settings<br />
D2H £2,130 Nikon, www.nikon.co.uk, 0845 4500 155 M | W Jan 05 5.0<br />
Nikon’s second-generation professional digital SLR is a fantastic camera, despite its relatively low resolution of 4mp. Great quality images<br />
D70 £680 Nikon, www.nikon.co.uk, 0845 4500 155 M | W Jan 05 4.5<br />
This is one of the first digital SLRs to move away from the professional market. It has consumer features like scene modes, plus pro fine-tuning options<br />
Dimage A2 £650 KonicaMinolta, www.konicaminolta.co.uk, 020 8751 6121 M | W Jul <strong>04</strong> 4.5<br />
This 8mp model is great to use, thanks to its high-quality viewfinder and excellent output. The image-stabilization technology is a real plus, too
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