For Immediate Release Press Release
Kaidan and EyeSee360 Announce One-Shot Panoramic Photographic VR Solution
Kaidan=81 and EyeSee360=81 announce an affordable and easy-to-use one-shot
Photographic VR solution: 360 One=81
San Francisco, CA – Macworld Expo – January 8, 2002: Kaidan Incorporated
and EyeSee360 Inc. today announced the 360 One=81, an optical system that
captures a complete 360=B0 panoramic image in a single camera shot. Kaidan i=
s
the leading manufacturer and supplier of Photographic VR solutions and
EyeSee360 is a leading developer of immersive, interactive imaging
technology.
Two years of extensive research by EyeSee360 have produced innovative
optical and software technology that delivers unrivaled quality and
simplicity. Through partnership with Kaidan, this technology has been
formed into a product ideally suited to the needs of the panoramic
photographer.
The 360 One consists of a lightweight and rugged proprietary optical system
and the innovative EyeSee360 PhotoWarp=81 software. The unique EyeSee360
optic provides a complete 360=B0 horizontal panorama with a 100=B0 vertical
field-of-view (50=B0 above and 50=B0 below the horizon). This vertical
field-of-view is substantially greater than competitive offerings and
brings single-shot panoramic technology into the mainstream. With the 360
One, single-shot panoramas can be used for interior real estate shots and
other situations where it is important to look up and down as well as
side-to-side.
When coupled with a 3 megapixel or greater camera, the 360 One offers an
exceptional and unparalleled level of quality that rivals current solutions
requiring 12 or more stitched images. Since the 360 One requires only a
single shot to capture the full 360=B0 view, action scenes with moving
objects are easily photographed. The 360 One can capture panoramic images
in crowd scenes, at concerts, on city streets, at sporting events, or even
from moving vehicles. Photographers avoid the stitching or seaming demanded
by competitive multiple-shot systems (such as the two and three-shot iPIX=AE
system), eliminating the problems of visible seams or exposure differences
across the panorama.
EyeSee360’s PhotoWarp=81 software quickly and easily processes a 360 One
photograph into a viewable panoramic image. The straightforward,
simple-to-use interface enhances workflow by automatically generating web
pages and thumbnail images along with QuickTime VR=AE panoramic images, the
industry-leading panoramic image format. PhotoWarp can also produce images
suitable for Java-based viewers. There are also no per-image or “click
fees” imposed on the user. PhotoWarp was designed for the Apple=AE Mac OS X=
=AE
platform and supports the Mac OS 9, Microsoft Windows=AE 98, Windows ME,
Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.
The 360 One, which requires no special technical expertise, can be
hand-held or mounted on a convenient monopod using a remote shutter release
and a bubble level. Initially the 360 One will support the Nikon Coolpix=AE
line of cameras including the 990, 995 and 5000. Support for a wide range
of film and other digital cameras will be announced in the coming months.
According to Joan Rankin, Assistant Sales and Marketing Director for
Kaidan, “The 360 One is ideal for a wide array of vertical markets: real
estate, surveillance, travel, tourism and education. EyeSee360 and Kaidan
have eliminated the barriers that previously limited single-shot panoramas.
With a single click and a single image you quickly and effortlessly capture
the complete panoramic view. You could easily produce a hundred or more
panoramas in an afternoon.”
Michael Rondinelli, V.P. of Technology for EyeSee360, adds, “360 One is a
best-of-breed device. Now, taking 360=B0 panoramic pictures from inside a
crowd, on a racetrack, or at the scene of news in the making is as simple
as a single click. For the first time, a single-shot panorama requires no
compromises in quality or field-of-view, and no recurring fees. This is
clearly a new standard in interactive panoramic imaging.”
Scheduled to ship in early 2002, the 360 One is priced at $999.95. The 360
One will be available from Kaidan and from all authorized Kaidan resellers
and distributors worldwide. Optional accessories including monopods and
hardware carrying cases will also be available from Kaidan.
About Kaidan Incorporated
Kaidan Incorporated is the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of
Photographic VR solutions for the Internet. Kaidan has active alliances
with many digital imaging companies, such as Nikon, Kodak, Apple Computer,
Inc., and supports a variety of immersive imaging development efforts.
Kaidan has resellers and distributors worldwide. Kaidan, founded in 1994,
is headquartered in Feasterville, Pennsylvania. For more information,
please contact Salvatore DiPaolo, Director of Sales and Marketing
(dip@kaidan.com) at (215) 364-1778 or visit the company at
http://www.kaidan.com
About EyeSee 360=B0 Inc.
EyeSee360 is the technology leader in single-shot panoramic imaging for
both still and video photography. EyeSee360 has applied decades of research
in robotic vision, image rendering, and software interface expertise to the
challenge of creating interactive panoramic still images and videos.
EyeSee360, Inc. (formerly Telemersion, LLC) was founded in 1998 as an
offshoot of Carnegie Mellon University, and is headquartered in Pittsburgh,
PA. For more information, please contact Michael Rondinelli, V.P. of
Technology (mjr@EyeSee360.com) or visit http://www.eyesee360.com
___________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release Press Release
Kaidan Announces QuickPan III Panoramic Tripod Head System
New QuickPan=81 III modular system supports cylindrical, multi-row and fishe=
ye
panoramic photography with a new lightweight and compact design.
San Francisco, CA – Macworld Expo – January 8, 2002: The world’s leading
provider of immersive imaging solutions, Kaidan Incorporated, today
announced a major update and revision to their QuickPan=81 professional line
of panoramic tripod heads. The new QuickPan=81 III product line is a radical
departure from prior offerings and features a modular system approach. The
new lineup is built around a new heavy-duty Rotator Base and interchangeable
Camera Brackets that facilitate panoramic photography with a variety of
lenses and cameras.
Rotator Base – This heavy-duty design is lighter and more compact than
previous models and the competition. The new base employs interchangeable
Indexing Rings that support any number of click-stop positions from 2
through 22. The rings can be easily swapped at any time and contribute to
the light weight. The Rotator Base accepts a wide-variety of Camera Brackets
that are designed for specific solutions and tasks. This new design also
will work with the existing QuickTilt Leveler base as an option. Kaidan will
initially offer three interchangeable Camera Brackets for the QuickPan III
family. The MSRP of the Rotator Base is $199.95.
Standard Camera Bracket – Designed to support most digital and film cameras
in a portrait orientation. Used primarily to shoot single-row or cylindrical
panoramas, the Standard Camera Bracket can be adjusted along the horizontal
arm of the Rotator Base in order to locate the camera in the side-to-side
orientation. There are three slots in the bracket, that when used with
various positioning aids, provide for the fore-aft adjustment of the
camera’s optical center, or nodal point, over the rotational center of the
tripod head. This bracket will be most typically used with software such as
Apple’s QuickTime VR Authoring Studio, VR Toolbox’s VR PanoWorx/VR Worx, MGI
Photovista and other stitching titles which combine a single row of images.
The MSRP of the Standard Camera Bracket is $149.95.
Spherical Camera Bracket – Designed to support most digital and film cameras
and to permit the angular up/down elevation for the capture of multirow
spherical and cubic panoramas. This bracket will be used with those software
applications that stitch multiple rows of images, including up/down “cap”
shots. Examples include, REALVIZ Stitcher and Helmut Dersch’s Panotools. The
Spherical Camera Bracket can also be positioned at a level zero degrees,
thus fulfilling the same functions as the Standard Camera Bracket. The MSRP
of the Spherical Camera Bracket is $399.95.
Twin-Axis Camera Bracket – Designed to support most digital and film cameras
that are equipped with fisheye lenses, or for those users who desire or
appreciate two independent sliding and locking axes of adjustment. The
bracket has two independent axes of adjustment and positions the lens in
such a manner so as not to capture any more of the Rotator Base than
necessary. When a camera equipped with a 8mm circular fisheye lens is
installed properly on the bracket, only a small segment of the Rotator Base
will appear in the image. This feature makes the Twin-Axis Camera Bracket
ideal for those using iPIX software (http://www.ipix.com), Panoweaver
(http://www.easypano.net) and other software applications that use fisheye
images. The Twin-Axis Camera Bracket can also fulfill the same functions as
the Standard Camera Bracket. The MSRP of the Twin-Axis Camera Bracket is
$199.95.
According to Sal DiPaolo, Director of Sales and Marketing for Kaidan,
“Kaidan has taken all of our experience and design insight and put it into
the QuickPan III. We’ve listened to our customers when they said they wanted
a compact, sturdy, lightweight, robust tripod head that supported all forms
of panoramic photography. From single-row, to multi-row, to fisheye imaging,
we have it covered. Our customers have come to expect quality and value from
Kaidan and we think the QuickPan III will be very highly regarded in the
industry. I also think we’ve designed a tripod head that will appeal to
those photographers who appreciate a finely crafted piece of equipment. The
precise action of the click-stops, the sculpted appearance of the Rotator
Base and the aesthetics have all come together to make this product a real
winner. Panoramic photographers now have a new benchmark.”
The QuickPan III will be available for ordering and delivery by Kaidan and
authorized resellers in Q1-2002.
Company and Contact Info:
Kaidan Incorporated is the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of
Photographic VR products and solutions for the Internet. Kaidan has active
alliances with many digital imaging companies such as REALVIZ, Nikon, Kodak,
Apple Computer, Inc. and MGI Software. Kaidan was founded in 1994, and is a
privately held company with main offices in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, and
has distributors and resellers worldwide. For more information, please
contact Kaidan Incorporated at (215) 364-1778, fax (215) 322-4186 or visit
the company’s web site at http//www.kaidan.com.
______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release Press Release
Kaidan KiWi Solution for the Nikon Coolpix 5000 Digital Camera
Leading Immersive Imaging Company Expands Their Panoramic Imaging Product
Lineup by Supporting the Nikon=AE Coolpix=AE 5000 Digital Camera.
San Francisco, CA – Macworld Expo – January 8, 2002: – Kaidan Incorporated,
the leading manufacturer of Photographic VR and Immersive Imaging hardware,
announced today a new panoramic tripod head for Nikon’s latest high-end
prosumer digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix 5000. With the introduction of
the Kaidan KiWi=81 5000 and corresponding upgrade kit, content creation
professionals, web developers and photographers can create immersive imaging
content with a variety of panoramic software solutions.
“Kaidan continues to support and offer compelling and affordable immersive
imaging solutions that support Nikon’s Coolpix family,” said Jim Anders,
Kaidan President. “Our KiWi 5000 continues this tradition and lets our
customers capture content using Apple QuickTime VR, MGI Photovista, VR
Toolbox VR Worx, Easypano Panoweaver, Helmut Dersch’s Panotools and iPIX.”
The Kaidan KiWi 5000 builds upon the successful Kaidan KiWi 990 and provides
an innovative indexing mechanism with interchangeable detent discs that
provide increments from 2 through 22 positions. Each tripod head comes with
4 detent discs and a camera mounting cradle that keeps the camera level and
helps to position the camera to accommodate either the standard lens, the
new Nikon 19mm wide angle lens, the Nikon 8mm fisheye lens, or any
third-party add-on lens.
Owners of the KiWi 990 can purchase upgrade kits for the Coolpix 5000. The
upgrade kit includes the camera mounting cradle, a label that shows the
proper mounting location for the various Nikon lenses, and a camera mounting
screw.
Customers can also purchase bundled solutions from Kaidan that include
tripods, carrying cases and panoramic stitching software from Apple, VR
Toolbox, MGI and other companies. In all cases, the imaging software offered
by Kaidan does not impose a per-image fee or click-fee in order to create a
panoramic image. Users can create as many panoramic images as they like and
need only pay once for the software application that is used to create these
images.
The KiWi 5000 solutions will be available from Kaidan and their resellers in
Q1 2002. The suggested retail price for the KiWi 5000 is $199.95, which
includes the KiWi 990 head (which is used as the base unit) plus $29.95 for
the 5000 mounting kit. Suggested retail pricing for the separate 5000
upgrade kit for existing owners of KiWi 990 tripod heads will be $39.95.
###
About Kaidan:
Kaidan Incorporated (www.kaidan.com) is the world’s leading manufacturer and
supplier of Photographic VR solutions for the Internet. Kaidan has alliances
with many digital imaging companies such as Kodak, Nikon, VR Toolbox and
Apple Computer. Kaidan was founded in 1994, and is a privately held company
headquartered in Feasterville, Pennsylvania. Kaidan offers their products
and solutions through their worldwide distribution channel and through their
web site. For more information, please contact Kaidan Incorporated at (215)
364-1778 or Fax (215) 322-4186. Contact: Sal DiPaolo, VP Sales and Marketing
– dip@ kaidan.com.
_______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release Press Release
Kaidan and Autolycus Announce SpinImage DV Pro at Macworld Expo
3-D Object Creation Software is Taken to a Professional Level with SpinImage
DV Pro=81.
San Francisco, CA – Macworld Expo – January 8, 2002: The world’s leading
provider of immersive imaging solutions, Kaidan Incorporated, and Autolycus
Corporation, developer of the award-winning SpinImage 3-D imaging software
products, will premiere and demonstrate SpinImage DV Pro for the Macintosh
at Macworld Expo SF 2002 (Kaidan Booth #445). This new product preserves the
ease-of-use that earned the original 3-D Object Imaging Kit a prestigious
“5-apple” award in MacHome magazine, while at the same time adding enhanced
capabilities and an assortment of powerful new features. With this latest
announcement, Autolycus and Kaidan continue in their cooperative alliance
and successfully follow their joint release of the 3-D Object Imaging Kit.
SpinImage DV Pro enables users to create higher resolution (640 x 480) and
higher quality virtual reality (VR) output than ever before possible with
digital video. Priced at $995, the software can be combined with a number of
Kaidan continuous motion turntables making it one of the most cost-effective
VR object solutions available today. The software initially supports Mac OS
9 with a Mac OS X version planned for Q1 2002.
Objects of a wide variety of size and weight can be imaged in under a
minute, with no per-image or software royalty fees. The user can choose to
save the completed VR image in either QuickTime VR format, or in the plug-in
free SpinImage format. Alternatively, still frames may be exported in a
variety of image file formats (psd, tiff, eps, pict, etc.) for easy
re-purposing of the images.
SpinImage DV Pro works with any Kaidan continuous motion turntable,
including the PiXi-M and the upcoming 3-foot diameter Magellan Turntable 36
(MT-36). Because the rotational speed can be set as a preference in the
software, SpinImage DV Pro can also be used with Kaidan discrete motion
turntables such as the 19-inch diameter Magellan Desktop Turntable, the
Magellan TM-400 and the Meridian MT-84. SpinImage DV Pro and the
aforementioned turntables are available immediately from Kaidan or through
authorized Kaidan resellers worldwide.
According to Andrew Justice, CEO of Autolycus Corporation, “The release of
the Pro software is a milestone for our company. We designed the Pro feature
set based on feedback from our current customers. We’re constantly striving
to improve our products, and SpinImage DV Pro is a significant step
forward.”
“The SpinImage DV Pro software lets companies, web developers, content
creators or anyone capture 3-D object movies as quickly as the objects can
be placed and positioned on our turntables,” says James Anders – President
of Kaidan. “There’s simply no better way to capture a large number of
objects in a minimum amount of time. We think SpinImage DV Pro provides a
compelling and cost effective solution for our customers.”
Company and Contact Info:
Sales/Marketing: Kaidan Incorporated is the world’s leading manufacturer and
supplier of Photographic VR products and solutions for the Internet. Kaidan
has active alliances with many digital imaging companies such as Nikon,
Kodak, Apple Computer, Inc. and MGI Software. Kaidan was founded in 1994,
and is a privately held company with main offices in Feasterville,
Pennsylvania, and has distributors and resellers worldwide.
For more information, please contact Kaidan Incorporated at (215) 364-1778=
,
fax (215) 322-4186 or visit the company’s web site at http://www.kaidan.com
Software Development: Autolycus Corporation is a software company dedicated
to bringing interactive visual content to the Web in the fastest, easiest
way. Users of SpinImage solutions include CNET, New Balance, Ritz
Interactive, Sony Pictures Entertainment, BattleBots, and many others. For
more information, please contact Autolycus Corporation at (717) 761-9080.
____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release Press Release
Kaidan Announces KiWi Panoramic Tripod Head Upgrade Bundle Aimed at iPIX
Photographers
KiWi=81 upgrade provides iPIX=AE photographers using Nikon=AE Coolpix=AE cam=
eras
with three-shot indexing capabilities and new software imaging options.
San Francisco, CA – Macworld Expo – January 5, 2002: The world’s leading
provider of immersive imaging solutions, Kaidan Incorporated, today
announced a limited-time promotional iPIX upgrade package for their KiWi
880/990/995 Panoramic Tripod Heads. These KiWi tripod heads are designed to
work with the Nikon Coolpix 880, 990 and 995 digital cameras respectively
and are used to orient, position and increment the camera for panoramic
photography. The offer compliments the recently announced 2.0 version of the
iPIX=AE 360 Suite=81 and iPIX=AE Suite Pro=81 software, which provides iPIX
customers with a new capability of stitching a full spherical scene from
three equally spaced hemispherical fisheye images. The aforementioned Kaidan
tripod heads feature interchangeable indexing disks and therefore have the
flexibility to capture two or three (any number from 2 through 22 are
optionally available) equally spaced images that can be used in conjunction
with the new iPIX software as well as other stitching applications such as
Photovista (MGI Software, Inc.) and Panoweaver (http://www.easypano.net).
The upgrade package includes either a Kaidan KiWi 880, 990 or 995, a copy
(Windows) of Photovista panoramic imaging software from MGI Software, Inc.,
and a expanded set of indexing detent discs (2, 3, 5, 6, 14 and 18
position). Photovista is a complete panoramic stitching program that
provides detailed high-resolution panoramas using as few as 5 shots (when
shot with the Nikon Coolpix fisheye lens that is also used for iPIX images).
Even more detail, and the ability to zoom in while maintaining a high level
of detail, can be obtained with the Nikon standard and wide-angle lenses
when used with the 14 and 18 position discs on the KiWi. The package gives
the photographer full creative control with all the Nikon Coolpix lenses and
with a variety of imaging options and software applications.
The package sells for $189.95, which is a savings of approximately $100 off
of the suggested retail price and is only available directly from Kaidan. In
order to qualify for the discounted price, the old iPIX rotator head must be
sent into Kaidan.
According to Sal DiPaolo, Director of Sales and Marketing for Kaidan,
“Whether you’re using iPIX software with 2 or now 3 circular fisheye images,
Easypano’s Panoweaver for QuickTime=AE VR cubic output with 2 circular fishe=
ye
images, or MGI’s Photovista with 5 or 6 full-frame rectangular fisheye
images, you only need one Kaidan tripod head to get the job done. We realize
that photographers have numerous software options for creating immersive
environments and we provide an assortment of discs with our KiWi tripod
heads just for that reason. We want to support the software choice of our
customers for today and tomorrow.”
Company and Contact Info:
Kaidan Incorporated is the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of
Photographic VR products and solutions for the Internet. Kaidan has active
alliances with many digital imaging companies such as Nikon, Kodak, Apple
Computer, Inc. and MGI Software. Kaidan was founded in 1994, and is a
privately held company with main offices in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, and
has distributors and resellers worldwide. For more information, please
contact Kaidan Incorporated at (215) 364-1778, fax (215) 322-4186 or visit
the company’s web site at http//www.kaidan.com.
