I ordered an Epson P4000 yesterday, it arrived today within 21 hours -
very impressive service from ABC Digital Cameras of the UK.
First indications from a quick test are very good. It has built-in CF,
SD and Memory Stick slots, transferred images from my EOS 5D at what
seemed a fairly quick rate (though I have not yet done any carefully
timed tests). Seems nicely constructed and easy to use, good intuitive
menu system etc.
Could view RAW images from the 5D without any problem. Unfortunately the
zoom function does not seem to work with the RAW files, which is a shame
as this means any checks for sharpness will have to be done in camera
before downloading (which of course I would be doing straight after
taking, but still nice to be able to review later).
I think 80Gb is likely to be enough for most trips I am likely to take,
at least until I get a 50MP EOS 1Dv Mk 4 or whatever.
Am off to Chile for 2.5 weeks next week, so I will have a good chance to
put it through its paces. Will report back on return. In the meantime,
if anyone with good hands-on experience has any tips or comments to make
I would be interested to hear them.
David

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David Littlewood
David J Taylor - 29 Mar 2006 16:36 GMT
> I ordered an Epson P4000 yesterday, it arrived today within 21 hours -
> very impressive service from ABC Digital Cameras of the UK.
[]
> Am off to Chile for 2.5 weeks next week, so I will have a good chance
> to put it through its paces. Will report back on return. In the
> meantime, if anyone with good hands-on experience has any tips or
> comments to make I would be interested to hear them.
Really very little to say. We got into the habit of backing up each night
on return to the hotel, and once today's backup was verified as OK, we
might delete yesterday's. Depended on the anticipated total size.
Sharing images with a friend is a most handy feature of the device.
Cheers,
David
Mark² - 30 Mar 2006 06:59 GMT
> I ordered an Epson P4000 yesterday, it arrived today within 21 hours -
> very impressive service from ABC Digital Cameras of the UK.
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> meantime, if anyone with good hands-on experience has any tips or
> comments to make I would be interested to hear them.
If you want to use it for video viewing, you might want to return it and
pick up the new and updated model here:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0603/06031501epsonp4500.asp
From all appearances...a VERY slick upgrade in terms of file-type handling
and playback.
I have the P2000 and love it, but this new one answers the FEW gripes people
have with the P2000/4000.
David Littlewood - 30 Mar 2006 11:46 GMT
>> I ordered an Epson P4000 yesterday, it arrived today within 21 hours -
>> very impressive service from ABC Digital Cameras of the UK.
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>I have the P2000 and love it, but this new one answers the FEW gripes people
>have with the P2000/4000.
Thanks for the heads up, Mark. However, I don't think the P4500 is on
sale here in the UK yet (your post is the first I've seen of it) and I
need to take it to S America next week. Returns are not so easy here as
in the USA (there is usually a 10-20% restocking charge, if they take
them back at all). Also, I don't intend to use it for videos. So I think
I'll stick with it, thanks.
David

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David Littlewood
David J Taylor - 30 Mar 2006 16:36 GMT
[]
> Thanks for the heads up, Mark. However, I don't think the P4500 is on
> sale here in the UK yet (your post is the first I've seen of it) and I
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> David
Jessops have a 30-day no quibble, money-back policy. I used that a couple
of years back when I was dissatisifed with one particular camera. They
will also match Internet prices [at least as of October last year].
David
Lucas - 30 Mar 2006 07:33 GMT
> I ordered an Epson P4000 yesterday, it arrived today within 21 hours -
> very impressive service from ABC Digital Cameras of the UK.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> before downloading (which of course I would be doing straight after
> taking, but still nice to be able to review later).
>>snip<<<
The reason why the zoom function doesn't work with RAW-files is, that the
P4000 is not able to show RAW, instead it shows the embedded JPG for viewing
RAW. It says so in the manual!
The ONLY similar device that CAN show RAW is the Jobo Giga Vu Pro.
Lucas
David Littlewood - 30 Mar 2006 11:48 GMT
>> I ordered an Epson P4000 yesterday, it arrived today within 21 hours -
>> very impressive service from ABC Digital Cameras of the UK.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
>Lucas
Thanks, Lucas.
I found that, as a workaround, I can record RAW + large fine JPEG in
camera, and use the JPEG for zoom viewing. Whether it is worth the extra
drain on card capacity is something I will have to find by experience.
David

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David Littlewood
Mark² - 31 Mar 2006 06:13 GMT
>>> I ordered an Epson P4000 yesterday, it arrived today within 21
>>> hours - very impressive service from ABC Digital Cameras of the UK.
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
> extra drain on card capacity is something I will have to find by
> experience.
That's exactly what I would do (if I had a DSLR that did RAW + jpeg...).
On the other hand...I just picked up a new laptop that only weighs 3.7
lbs...with a fantastic display.
Its feather weight means I actually won't mind traveling with it. When it
comes to card reader drives though...there is nothing to compare with the
P2000/4000's screen quality. 640x480...squeezed into a 3.5 inch screen is
just beyond compare.