New Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera With Enhanced Software Pairs User-Friendly Interface With Unmatched Product Features At Same Great Price of $5,995.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 1998--

DMC-ES To Debut At SemiCon West Trade Show July 15-17

Polaroid Corp. (NYSE:PRD) Thursday announced the availability of the company's newest addition to its scientific product line -- the Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera with Enhanced Software (DMC-ES).

The DMC-ES pairs unmatched product features of the original DMC -- such as 1200 x 1600 mega-pixel resolution at a price point under $6,000 -- with an all-new user-friendly interface with key features based directly on customer feedback. The Polaroid DMC-ES will be unveiled at the SemiCon West Trade Show in San Jose, Calif. on July 15-17.

"Development of the Polaroid DMC-ES is in direct response to our customers' comments about our extremely popular digital microscope camera," said Jim Landrigan, senior marketing & sales manager, Polaroid's Medical & Scientific Imaging group. "The result is a high-end, yet affordable product that offers increased ease of use for microscopists, lab technicians, materials, life and forensic scientists, and research and development personnel."

Polaroid's new DMC-ES features seven main product attributes, including:

-- Measurement Marker & Annotation Tool - Measurement marker allows the user to add a marker in micron, inch, centimeter or millimeter to images. When the image is captured with the pre-set application, a marker will appear in the lower right corner to accurately display the unit's scale. Annotation tool gives the user the ability to place a title or make notes on the image.

-- Print from the Enhancement Window - Allows user to print or proof the image directly from the DMC-ES software to any printer.

-- File Settings Saver - Users can create and save image capture preferences, such as numerical annotations for white balance, contrast, brightness and sharpness when photographing similar specimens, sections, circuits and/or evidence.

-- Automatic White Balance & Color Correction - Allows the user to calibrate a "custom" (user defined) white balance setting in addition to the tungsten (3200 k) and daylight (5500 K) settings. White, gray and black eye dropper tool in the enhancement window also allows the user to further fine-tune for the best image quality.

-- Zoom Function in Preview Mode - The preview window can be zoomed-in up to four times normal size by pressing the zoom-in button, which allows for easy and fast focusing in specific areas of the photograph.

-- Icon Driven Interface - New menu bar for ease of use when calculating various program settings. Users can create, change and delete image capture functions with the push of a button.

-- Online Help Function - Users can work directly with DMC-ES without needing a product manual. The help function provides immediate user information during critical image capture sessions.

The DMC-ES also provides film speed sensitivity that allows the user to manually determine desired film speeds for greater flexibility, as well as the ability to utilize a resolution setting of 400 x 300 in addition to the current settings of 800 x 600 and 1600 x 1200.

DMC Line Popularity:

The DMC-ES continues to feature a 12.15 mm "mega" pixel CCD sensor, compatible with one inch and most two-third inch formats, allowing users to capture 24-bit color digital images at a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels; an intelligent image color recovery system, whereby more luminance information is extracted and used to render photographic-type images; and the employment of rectangular pixels, which provide various resolution settings to satisfy different needs of the end user.

The DMC-ES features standard SCSI communication to ensure quick, efficient, image transfer and does not compress data, thereby maintaining its integrity. The C-mount interface is another important benefit. It enables the DMC-ES to couple to the microscope with a standard C-mount adapter or to the copystand via video zoom lens.

The DMC connects via SCSI to a Macintosh PowerPC, IBM PC or IBM compatibles with a Pentium processor and Windows 95/98 or Windows NT operating systems.

DMC-ES Availability:

The DMC-ES will be available beginning the week of Aug. 2 through authorized Polaroid DMC dealers at a suggested U.S. list price of $5,995. For more information about the DMC-ES and its availability, users can call 800/662-8337, ext. 443, or access Polaroid's Web site at www.polaroid.com.

Polaroid Corp., with sales of more than $2.1 billion, is the worldwide leader in instant imaging. Polaroid supplies instant photographic cameras and films; digital imaging hardware, software and media; medical diagnostic imaging media; secure identification systems; graphics imaging systems; sunglasses; polarizers; and holographic films to markets worldwide.

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