Product Description

Experience the benefits of digital photography with the Epson P-3000. This powerful, compact device brings new flexibility and performance to digital photography. Watch movies in various formats, store and view photos through the new crystal clear 4-inch Photo Fine Ultra LCD. There's a 40GB internal memory for image storage and back-up, long battery life for true portability and built-in CF and SD memory card slots. You can even listen to music on its built-in audio player. Store, manage and share your photos and movies with this sleek, powerful, compact multimedia viewer. It's perfect for sharing memories with friends or as a professional photo assistant. Video Support - MPEG1/2 - 720x480 at 30fps, 720x576 at 25fps MPEG4 - 720x480 at 30fps, 720x576 at 25fps DivX - 720x480 at 30fps, 720x576 at 25fps H.264/AVC - 320x240 at 30fps WMV9 - 352x288 at 30fps Motion JPEG - 720x480 at 30fps, 720x576 at 25fps, 320x240 at 60fps Audio Support - MP3 - 320kbps, 48KHz, 16bit, stereo AAC - 320kbps, 48KHz, 16bit, stereo WMA - 48k-192kbps, 48KHz, 16bit, stereo USB connection - Printer with PictBridge supports and external memory device Power - AC adaptor, Lithium-ion battery System Requirements - Windows 2000 Professional, XP Home Edition, XP Professional, Mac OS X 10.2 or later, Pentium 3, Power PC G4, 700MHz (1GHz Recommended), 256MB RAM (512MB Recommended), 100MB hard disc space (150MB Recommended) Dimensions - Approximately Width 5.91 x Height 3.49 x Depth 1.30 inches, 150mm 88.7mm 33.1mm excluding minor body protrusions Weight - Approximately 426 grams

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Product Details

• Brand: Epson
• Model: P-3000
• Released on: 2006-10-23
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: 4.50" h x 9.70" w x 8.00" l, 2.70 pounds
• Hard Disk: 40GB
• Native resolution: 4
• Display size: 4

Features

• Share your favorite photos, videos and music anytime, anywhere without a computer
• High-capacity 40GB hard drive to quickly save images on the spot; includes Adobe RGB color space, DivX video file, and RAW support
• Large 4.0-inch LCD with convenient zoom capability displays photos, videos, and more
• Built-in card slots support CompactFlash I/II and Secure Digital memory cards
• Connects to TVs or projectors with optional cable; Windows and Mac compatible

Manufacturer's Description
Back up, store and view your images in vibrant color and detail, PC-free. An essential tool for on-the-go photographers, the Epson P-3000 features amazing image quality and a 40GB hard drive. The perfect partner to your digital SLR camera, this innovative device makes it easy to backup and view thousands of RAW and JPEG images on the spot. Use the large, 4-inch LCD to verify you have the shots you need while still on location. The P-3000 is the ideal alternative to lugging your laptop to the shoot.

Amazing screen quality

Superior image quality for professionals
Photo Fine Ultra technology, exclusively from Epson, makes it possible to view your images with stunning clarity and rich detail. Using an innovative 4-color filter system, this powerful technology ensures amazing color reproduction -- far better than that of a conventional LCD. Photo Fine Ultra encompasses 88 percent of the Adobe RGB color gamut and displays over 16.7 million colors. By displaying images at a higher pixel density, Photo Fine Ultra also offers smooth gradations and color transitions. View your images the way they were meant to be seen -- as they were originally captured.

Four colors are better than one

Ready for all your photographic adventures
With a 40GB hard drive, this device allows you to back up thousands of the largest RAW files wherever images are captured for peace of mind and security. The large, 4-inch 640x480 (VGA) LCD screen gives on-the-go photographers the ability to zoom in on RAW and JPEG images, confirm histogram data and create custom folders -- all without the risk of bringing a laptop to often remote and hostile locales. Video and audio file storage / playback is supported as well.

On the go convenience. On location peace of mind
Whether on assignment or on vacation, the Epson P-3000 gives you everything you need for all your photographic adventures. Why transport your laptop when you can quickly store and backup images right from your memory cards using this convenient, compact device? The P-3000 is essential for more efficient on-location viewing and downloading.

Portability. Quality. Security

Features/Benefits

• Large, 4-inch LCD with exclusive Epson Photo Fine Ultra technology displays over 16.7 million colors, encompassing 88 percent of the Adobe RGB color space for amazing color reproduction
• 40GB hard drive
• Zoom function to confirm image focus and fine detail
• RAW and JPEG file support
• Built-in CompactFlash© and Secure Digital memory card slots with many other cards supported via third-party adapter
• Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery lasts up to three hours for extended shoots
• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface for device-to-device backup
• Audio/video output to present customized slideshows

What’s in the Box
Epson P-3000 multimedia viewer with 40GB hard drive, User documentation, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable, Protective carrying case and wrist strap, Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and AC adapter

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Customer Reviews

Best gizmo for copying and viewing digital photos 'in the field'
I've tried to go the cheap route when it comes to backing up my digital photos in the field, such as combining the (awful) Aleratec Copy Cruiser Plus with a large-capacity (16G) USB pen drive, and using an adapter and my iPod to offload the data from my CF cards. The latter solution works OK in a pinch, but has several limitations, including the iPod's small screen, the slowness of the process, and the very narrow functionality of the interface (great for music, not quite adequate for viewing, judging, and copying photos).

The Epson was designed from the ground up for duplicating digital photos (JPEG and RAW formats) on the road, a necessary task for photographers who prize their images as well as their sanity. It should fit nicely into any photo professional's 'out-of-doors' workflow.

The device works very well (and pretty fast: for instance, I just copied 322 Mb worth of data -- that's 100 JPEG photos taken with a 10-megapixel camera at the highest-quality settings -- in just over 60 seconds). The 4-inch screen is bright and draws beautifully detailed images. The controls, while not the latest in ergonomic excellence (the 'back' button in particular could have been better placed), are easy to press and a cinch to figure out (I never even had to crack the manual).

Like my Apple computers, the Epson multimedia viewers stand out for their plug-and-play elegance and simplicity. Push a CF card into the slot, or an SD card in a different slot next to it, and the viewer offers to let you browse the files on the card or copy the data to the P-3000's hard drive. You can also copy data to or from a USB device such as an external hard disk or a thumb drive. Want more? You can hide and password-protect folders; play slideshows with or without visual effects and with or without built-in music files playing as a soundtrack; give your photos a one-to-five-star rating to quickly separate the wheat from the chaff; look at EXIF data, blown highlights, and a histogram for each image; use an AV-out cable to show your images on a TV screen, and on and on.

Of course, when viewing a photo, you can zoom in (up to 400 percent) to check details and sharpness,

Later on, when you're ready to copy your images to your computer, just run the supplied USB cable from the Epson to your Mac or PC and the viewer shows up on your virtual desktop as a standard USB 2.0 drive. After a big job such as a wedding, this obviates the need to copy three or four or more memory cards to your computer via an external card reader. With the Epson viewer, all the backed-up data are already in one easily 'copyable' location.

The Epson also lets you copy and play back video footage and MP3s. I have little use for the latter (that's what my iPod is for), but the video-player capability, though hardly crucial for my purposes, makes the P-3000 a pretty sweet and versatile road tool.

I can't think of an actual feature that I'm missing -- OK, maybe wireless capability -- though that's not to say that this is a perfect product. The viewer is slightly unwieldy (about the size of the average automotive GPS unit); I have to think that top-notch engineering could reduce the dimensions a bit. I would have liked some kind of built-in protector that you can fold or draw shut over the fairly vulnerable screen. Speaking of missing hardware, the Epsons really should come with a stand that lets you angle the unit for optimal viewing. Also, it's a bit annoying that the device won't copy data to your computer's hard drive unless the unit's power adapter is attached, even if you have a full battery.

Still, other than my cameras and lenses, this is the best photo tool I've bought in a long time. If you're a professional photographer who, like me, doesn't like to lug a laptop around but could do with fewer backup worries after you're done shooting a big assignment away from home, the Epson P-3000 or P-5000 will bring both pride of ownership and peace of mind.

Fabulous gadget!
First of all, Amazon came through with all stars on this order. Cheers to them for the screaming-fast processing that got me the product when I needed it.

As for the P-3000, I needed something like this bugger as I photograph models in outdoor settings using available light. Thus, it's a hassle to lug around the laptop, and when I do, the laptop takes too long to dump my 2-gig CF card. The viewer is another necessity because I like to know if I missed any shots due to lack of focus, etc. I screw up sometimes and the screen on my D-200 doesn't always show my errors.

The P-3000 dumps a full 2-gig CF card in 5 minutes, as per tests I just conducted this evening. With 126 .NEF images on the card, a mere 5 minutes was a miracle compared to my laptop. When I'm out in the field, this will be an invaluable tool.

Is it expensive? I don't think so, but I did think the 80-gig unit was more than I want to spend. Furthermore, I'm only using this as a dump drive for location shoots, not as a storage device...I have other drives for that. I thought the price was reasonable, so far I have no problem with the interface and I can rest easy knowing if I have a 1-day shoot that requires 2,000 RAW .NEF images to be shot (that would wear me out) that the P-3000 has room for them.

If you want functionality, sleek design and a decent interface, buy this unit. If you feel it's too expensive, buy a unit with no display, as that will knock down the price. In my business though, I like having the viewer...it'll save me a lot of time and anguish.

So far, so good. Buy with confidence, this is a good brand and a fine product. Bravo, Epson!

NObody has reviewed this wondrous gizmo??
OK, I'll grant you it's pretty expensive, and the use of it isn't immediately obvious to anyone who doesn't already own one. But let me explain: I'm a semi-pro photographer, and given today's travel restrictions and airline weight limits it isn't always practical to carry a laptop computer with a bulky charger in order to back up and view photos I take on the fly. The Epson P-6000 isn't much larger than maybe 4 decks of cards stacked together, and it weighs only about two pounds. (The charger, a standard 9 volt with a transformer, weighs a couple of ounces.)

BE AWARE, though, this unit ONLY ACCEPTS COMPACT FLASH (CF) AND SD CARDS. NOT MINI-SDs; NOT xDs; NOT SONY MEMORY STICKS. This makes it perfect for Nikon users and the many point-and-shoot camera units utilizing SD cards.

This item will store pretty much all the photos I can throw at it over the course of a two-week visit virtually anywhere. It files items where I can find them easily (it helps to back up photo cards as you use them, since the backups organize by date). It also hooks up to any television and to my desktop computer with ease for instant slideshows for friends and family, and - nearly best of all - it'll play the MP4 movies I download to the same memory cards I use to store photos. This is a real lifesaver for the 10+ hour plane trip, such as the one I recently took on a third-world airline with no in-flight entertainment.

You can buy replacement batteries for around $65, and they're also not huge and bulky, maybe the size of two AA batteries end to end and slightly thicker. Each battery lasts from two to three hours, depending on how heavily you're accessing the memory. Although the P-6000 is lightweight, the image quality of the screen is nothing short of really fabulous. It's sharp and not pixellated. At the same time the metal casing of the unit is pretty sturdy - I wouldn't drop it on a cement floor just for fun, but you get the sense it could take a fair amount of jostling and abuse without coming apart.

The unit doesn't overheat and I've had zero problems getting it to connect to my Macintosh G4 computer for transfer of photos for longterm storage. (It shows up in Finder as simply another external drive, allowing me to transfer files to and from with ease.) This is lucky, because the computer interface program that comes with the Epson is not very well designed. Among other issues, it'll try to make you download movies straight to the Epson using a very, very time-consuming conversion process - when you can simply convert the movies from DVD to MP4 using a faster program like Handbrake, and then plop them in and out of the Epson using either a CF or SD memory card.

Another mild issue - the manual for the Epson isn't great. I didn't realize until some lengthy trial-and-error that movies I tried to watch wouldn't play because the maximum MP4 image size the Epson will read is 640 x 480.

More positive issues: The backups run pretty quickly - I can move 4 gigs of photos off a CF card in about four minutes; the Epson doesn't take forever to generate thumbnails so you can view your photos; and the user interface on the device itself is very intuitive. I'm told older versions of the Epson photo viewer made it difficult to batch delete photos; not so with the P-6000. It's also easy to lock photos, to prevent yourself from deleting them accidentally.

Also, the Epson can be plugged into either 110 or 220 volt outlets, enabling you to carry it around the world without toting a bulky step-down transformer. (You *will* need an adapter to make the U.S. two-prong plug fit the, say, two round pin outlets found in places like Europe and Africa, though.)

If it weren't so expensive and did it not have a few problems with the software interface and instruction manual I'd rate this a full five stars. Should anything happen to mine, heaven forbid, I'd replace it like a shot. Along with my IPod and Garmin GPS unit, I am never without this item on a trip I take anywhere.

Oh, and the unit I purchased from an Amazon vendor worked great. The one I bought straight from Epson needed to be returned due to a faulty power supply. Just another data point.