Macs, procreate were on the Olympics scene

A majority of Olympic photographers shot digitally using cameras such as the Nikon D1h and D1x and Canon EOS-1D at the recent games. Macs were also common in the Nikon Olympic Depot and Canon’s Imaging Center in Salt Lake City, according to an Apple Hot News article by Barbara Gibson

The Nikon Olympic Depot served as a hub for Olympic photographers needing loans or repairs for their Nikon cameras. The Canon Imaging Center offered similar services to photographers using Canon EOS cameras. Both centers provided the latest tools photographers need to edit images, make prints, burn CDS and DVDs and transmit digital stills and video to their home offices, according to the Apple report.

In the Canon hub, Olympic photographers could use any of the 10 Power Mac G4s with 22-inch Apple Cinema Displays or 17-inch flat-panel Apple Studio Displays, all running Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and other Mac productivity software. AirPort wireless networking offered Internet access to photographers using their own PowerBooks.

“Our customers are professional photographers, and many are Mac users,” Peter Tvarkunas of Canon told Apple. “With the digital transformation we’re seeing in this market, a very high majority of users are shooting digital images. Now, if you have a PowerBook, a digital camera and a telephone line, you are a self-sustaining photographer, picture editor and field technician.”

He added that Macs also fit in “nicely” with Canon’s goal of creating a cutting-edge environment for professional customers, both in appearance and functionality.

“Most of the pro market uses Macs,” Nikon professional markets rep Scott Frier told Apple. “Professional photographers want the computer to do what they want to do. They’re not computer people, they’re photographers. They want the computer as a tool, not as an adventure. Also, the Mac has traditionally been the graphics machine, and things like iPhoto, ColorSync and iDVD keep photographers loyal.”

Photographers and photojournalists also used the procreate line of professional creative tools at the 2002 Winter Games. The products are among the tools used on workstations in Nikon’s press centers. Nikon Professional Services is operating three state-of-the-art press centers, which provided both Mac and Windows workstations, a full complement of digital imaging services and on-site technical and service support for credentialed photographers. Each of workstations had such procreate products as Painter 7, KnockOut 2 and KPT Effects installed.