May 15, 1999
"Another photo magazine?" someone asks. "Why not!" we say.

The ACE Index has been online for nearly three years. In the interval we've become something of a phenomenon, indexing and directing consumers to camera stores, photo labs, repair facilities and photo equipment manufacturers in 33 countries.

Our mission has always been to help you find the resource you are seeking. You can expect even more features coming soon on digital cameras and digital video equipment but our emphasis will continue to be on traditional camera equipment resources.

More than 30,000 readers visit ACE each month. The feedback we hear is overwhelmingly supportive. At the same time, we've also been building bridges and forging affiliations with significant photographic, digital imaging and graphic design web sites both in the United States and abroad.

It makes good sense at this time to expand our reach with a photo magazine featuring up-to-date information on products, services and techniques you might not learn about anywhere else. ACE is, after all, an acronym for All Camera Equipment.

All too often we hear this criticism: too many photographic sites reflect a US-centric point of view. We promise to bring you a fresh and different perspective with talented photographers and writers reporting from around the world. This month you'll find contributors from Australia, Canada, and the east and west coasts of the United States. Others will be joining us soon.

I can't think of a better way to launch our online magazine than to share Alan Babbitt with you. Alan's Confessions of a Photo Addict takes me back to those days of summer in the late 1950's when I became a photographer too.

So welcome to ACE Camera magazine, read on, enjoy and come back soon. Go

Doug Clifford
for ACE Camera Magazine