Sony, known in the digital camera world for their proprietary memory sticks, has introduced a new compact flash memory product. From Lets Go Digital

Sony compactFlash Type II media : Sony Europe’s Recording Media & Energy (RME) division today announced the launch of its first 5GB CompactFlash Type II media, under the new Compactvaul brand. The new Compactvaul provides the latest addition to Sony’s removable media range, enabling storage of up to 1600 images or four hours of MPEG 4 recording. The one-inch hard disk drive boasts a native transfer rate of up to 96.7Mbps, which is further maximized when the Compactvaul is used in conjunction with future Cybercapture enabled products, providing even faster recording of images and higher quality of videos, in what is termed AV mode. The 5GB Compactvaul will be available from November 2005.

This is a fantastic product if they can hit the right price point for the professional photographer.

Digital Photography Blog has a post up today showing that 80% of the professional photographers have gone digital as opposed to film based cameras.

The switch to digital has already transpired, with nearly 80% of pros owning a digital SLR and 52% planning to purchase a new one within a year. The immediacy and flexibility of the digital format has clearly made an impact. The new challenge for pro photographers is to find a way to leverage new technologies, software, and services to grow their businesses.

Survey results show that professional photographers across all specialties are taking a large number of shots – 482 per week on average for digital camera users. The vast majority of these images are saved to a computer, and nearly 65% of the photos taken are edited. Many photographers are using RAW conversion and color management software, and a significant percentage of photos are being published to the

With the digital market growing significantly, and the use of film based photography shrinking, the future of the local camera store has been in jeopardy. Fortunately, there death has been premature. It seems the public is still willing to have their prints made professionally, but instead of the roll of film, they are bringing in their compact flash card.

A new study shows that “retail digital photofinishing is becoming an increasingly important segment of the consumer digital printing market. According to an August Internet survey conducted by in 2004, 33% of digital camera owners who print photos had obtained prints at a retail location, up from 14% in 2003. The two major product categories of the retail digital photofinishing market are digital minilabs and photo kiosks. This report looks at these two product segments and accesses their growth over the next five years. “

The full report costs approximately 5,000 USD, so I will not be purchasing it, however, if you so desire, it is over at Research and Markets.