ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 7 -- Professional photographers whether they earn a living shooting weddings, track meets, magazine covers, dry goods, crime scenes, building interiors, high school seniors, or fashion runway models will find the best "pro" digital camera for the job in Kodak Professional's new and emerging line-up of industry-leading DCS cameras. Kodak Professional today outlined its next-generation digital camera portfolio. Leaving the portfolio are the Kodak Professional DCS 600, 500 and 300 series digital SLR cameras. Additions include the Kodak Professional DCS Pro Back digital camera back, the DCS 760 and DCS 720x digital SLR cameras, and the family of Better Light scanning camera backs. In addition, new digital cameras based on Kodak Professional's fifth-generation professional digital camera architecture emphasizing performance, workflow/connectivity and affordability are in the planning stages and will join the portfolio in the months to come. "Kodak Professional is the most innovative and influential force in professional digital photography a category we created," said Madhav Mehra, Worldwide Director, Digital Capture Product Development, Kodak Professional. "Now we're taking the category, the technology, the marketplace and the promise of professional digital photography to the next level." "Our leadership is clear in the 16-megapixel, full-color resolution of the DCS Pro Back, the light sensitivity and speed of the DCS 720x, and the performance and value of the DCS 760," Mehra said. Our ongoing strategy is to continue to introduce new models and lead this category with the very best camera solutions for photographers who earn their living taking and making top-quality images." This new DCS digital camera portfolio is a clear example of Kodak's leadership in and influence on infoimaging, the $225 billion industry created by the convergence of image science and information technology. Infoimaging unites three closely related imaging markets devices (such as the DCS cameras), infrastructure and services/media that enable people to more easily use images as a fast, effective way to inform, entertain and influence. Kodak Professional is a leading producer of professional digital camera systems. Service and support for all of the models being discontinued at this time will be available for at least four years well into 2005. At this time, Kodak Professional has no plans to market a DCS model built on a Canon SLR camera body platform. Its relationships with Canon and with Nikon, which commonly involve aspects of both cooperation and competition, remain good. There currently are a number of valid business and technical reasons for concentrating on the Nikon platform. "We're well aware of the importance both to our business and to the professional photographer community of being able to offer both Nikon-based and Canon-based cameras in the marketplace," Mehra said. "It's possible we will offer a Canon-based camera in the future. At the same time, Kodak Professional offers the most extensive portfolio of professional digital cameras in the business and that portfolio will grow." DCS Pro Back: Portable High Performance The DCS Pro Back digital camera back, with 16-megapixel resolution and a suggested U.S. list price of $19,995, is designed for commercial location and tabletop photography and high-end portraiture applications. It is targeted at advertising and catalog photographers, tabletop studios and in-house and independent portrait studios. Complementing the DCS Pro Back is Kodak Professional DCS Capture Studio Software v1.5, a powerful stand-alone application for capturing and editing digital images. This robust but simple-to-use software delivers exceptional workflow and optimized image quality, using an open systems approach to color management that maintains the integrity of captured images for virtually all monitors and printers, computer platforms and imaging applications. More information is available online at www.kodak.com/go/dcsproback. DCS 760: The Right Combination The Kodak Professional DCS 760 digital camera combines Kodak's true 6-megapixel ITO CCD image quality with the unequaled ruggedness and performance of Nikon's flagship F5 pro SLR camera body. Kodak then builds in a versatile, high-performance ISO range (80-400, pushable 2 stops), burst rate (1.5 frames/sec.) and burst depth (24 frames) which are unmatched capabilities for an SLR camera offering 6-megapixel image resolution and larger image files. The portable, easy-to-use DCS 760 digital camera has a recommended U.S. list price of $6,995. It features an innovative LCD display with exceptional brightness and contrast, a broader viewing angle, and access to unique functions via its new graphic user interface (GUI). Proprietary Kodak Professional DCS Photo Desk and Camera Manager software, Picture Protection functions to save and protect raw image data, and vastly improved IEEE 1394 connectivity that speeds image transmission join together to deliver impressive gains in post-shoot image management and workflow. More information is available online at www.kodak.com/go/dcs760. DCS 720x: Capture All the Action Photographers who shoot action or in changing and low-light situations can reap the benefits of extreme light sensitivity with DCS 720x digital camera. This unique digital camera features ISO settings ranging from 400 to 6400, with a 2-stop push capability enabling up to ISO 25600. Burst rate is improved to 4.3 frames per second and burst depth to 25 frames. It also delivers improved image quality, which allows photographers to push the boundaries of digital imaging to even greater limits. Key to the DCS 720x digital camera are a new CCD, color filter array (CFA) pattern, and low-noise electronics. The new CFA on Kodak's 2-megapixel ITO CCD provides enhanced spectral response, producing high picture quality at extremely high ISO ranges. The camera will be available in late July. Pricing information will be available in late June. More information is available online at www.kodak.com/go/dcs720x. Better Light: Better Scanning Cameras Better Light camera backs are designed for use with 4x5-format cameras and standard focal-length lenses. They deliver large, high-resolution image files with extraordinary detail and provide superb tonal range and control of color. They are an exceptional choice for advertising, commercial, reproduction and archiving applications. Photographers can select the image file size up to 549 MB that is best suited for a particular project. All four Better Light models use Kodak's tri-linear color CCD image sensor technology for exceptional resolution without color aliasing. Its ViewFinder 5 software can dramatically reduce the set-up time required for each scan, while delivering precise control over image capture.