Friday, July 13, 2012

Photographer’s Guide to the Nikon Coolpix P510

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Books
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White Knight Press has just released the Photographer’s Guide to the Nikon Coolpix P510: Getting the Most from Nikon’s Superzoom Digital Camera ebook, with a paperback edition scheduled to hit the market on 20th July. This book, a complete guide to the operation and features of the Nikon Coolpix P510, is a follow-up to the author’s earlier guides to advanced compact digital cameras, including the Coolpix P500, the Fujifilm X10 and the Canon PowerShot S100. The new book, like the earlier ones, explains all operations, features, menus, and controls of this superzoom camera in clear language, providing guidance to beginning and intermediate photographers not only about how to accomplish things with the Coolpix P510, but when and why to use certain features. The book is available now for $9.95 in PDF format. The paperback version will be available for $28.95.

X-Rite Announces Two Free July Webinars

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Events
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X-Rite has announced its schedule of July 2012 webinars. In the first online seminar, Landscape Image Edits and Enhancements in Lightroom 4 (24th July, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM EDT), professional photographer Joe Brady will explore both basic and advanced image editing techniques, focusing on the new editing capabilities offered in Lightroom 4. The second webinar, Edit & Enhance Landscape Images in Photoshop (31st July 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM EDT), also hosted by Joe Brady, will focus on enhancing landscape shots using Photoshop. “Following a short discussion about workstation color and calibration, Joe will show attendees step-by-step Photoshop edits that they can put to work right away to bring life and drama back into their landscape images,” the company says. The webinars are free to attend but advance registration is required.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Liquid Image Explorer Series 8.0MP Underwater Camera Mask

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Digital Video Cameras
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Liquid Image has just announced its new Explorer Series 8.0MP underwater camera mask. Allowing users to record underwater footage without having to carry a separate waterproof camera, the Liquid Image Explorer Series 8.0MP model 304 records VGA video at 30 frames per second and has the added ability of taking eight-megapixel stills. Depth rated to 15 feet, the camera comes with two AAA batteries and retails for £79.99.

Liquid Image Wide Angle Scuba Series 1080p Dive Mask Camera

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Digital Video Cameras
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Liquid Image has announced the launch of its Wide Angle Scuba Series HD 1080p dive mask camera. Allowing scuba divers and snorkellers to record underwater footage as they see it whilst keeping their hands free at all times, the Liquid Image Wide Angle Scuba Series 1080p Dive Mask Camera can record full HD 1080p video at 30 frames per second (fps) plus HD 720p video at 60fps, along with 12MP still images. With a 136-degree lens, the camera captures an ultra-wide field of view, whilst the mask features lever style buttons which are easy to press while wearing diving gloves. Depth rated for 130 feet, the Wide Angle Scuba Series HD 1080p is now available in the UK with an RRP of £329.99.

Lomography LomoWall at Museum of London

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Events, Film
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Lomography UK has erected a massive LomoWall at the Museum of London. Comprising nearly 30,000 analogue photographs of Paralympic athletes in training for the London 2012 Games, the LomoWall spans the Museum of London’s foyer and rotunda. “The LomoWall is likely to be the largest collection of analogue photographs and contributing is a fun way to get into the spirit if the London 2012 Games,” says Linda Scott, Marketing Manager at Lomography UK. The unique exhibition, which is free to attend, opens to the public tomorrow and runs until 6 January 2012.

BlackRapid ProtectR Now Available in UK

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Accessories
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JP Distribution has announced the UK availability of the new ProtectR security sleeve from BlackRapid. Featuring a strong 1.5mm gauge cable that wraps around BlackRapid camera straps to prevent them from being cut from behind, the BlackRapid ProtectR also adds a level of deterrence by featuring two small cut-aways in the thermoset polymer fabric (TPF) to reveal the steel cable inside. The security sleeve comes in two sizes, regular (£27) and long (£30).

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Firmware Update 1.2

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Compact System Camera
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Olympus have released a firmware update for the OM-D E-M5 compact system camera. Version 1.2 incorporates the following improvements:

  • Improved sleep recovery operation
  • AF target is indicated while using C-AF+TR in sequential shooting mode L
  • M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm 1:3.5-6.3 underwater support has been added
    When using underwater macro or underwater wide mode the lens will move automatically in tele or wide setting

You can download and install the firmware update using the Olympus Camera Updater application.

WebRotate 360 Product Viewer v3

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Software
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The new WebRotate 360 Product Viewer v3 features a simple 360° photography publishing software integrating various product presentation capabilities for both mobile and desktop browsers. “It’s a unique 360 product viewer with hot-spots and deep zoom capabilities that runs well in web browsers without Flash and on devices such as iPad and iPhone,” says Business Development Manager Irina Berry. Click through ! scroll down for more information including links to a few samples posted on the company’s website.

Wacom Cintiq 24HD touch and Cintiq 22HD

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Accessories
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Wacom has unveiled two Cintiq pen displays, the Cintiq 24HD touch and Cintiq 22HD. The Cintiq 24HD touch closely replicates the experience of working with two hands when using traditional materials such as paints, markers and clay and provides a natural input experience for all related activities including concept sketching, illustration and especially 3D activities. The Cintiq 22HD, on the other hand, offers a pen-on-screen experience that delivers the natural feel, response and results derived from working with traditional brushes, pencils and pens. Both the Cintiq 24HD touch and Cintiq 22HD support Wacom’s Art Pen and Airbrush accessory pens to deliver natural brush effects within Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator (CS3 and above) as well as Corel Painter (10 and above). The Cintiq 22HD ($1999) will be available in the latter part of July and the Cintiq 24HD touch ($3699) is expected to ship in August.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 800mm f/5.6

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Lenses, Photokina 2012
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Nikon has announced the upcoming release of a weather sealed 800mm f/5.6 Nikkor lens with auto-focus capabilities. Compatible with both FX and DX digital SLR bodies, the new lens will boast the longest focal length of any AF Nikkor to date. Nikon’s new 800mm lens is scheduled to be on display at Photokina, 18-23 September 2012. The full specifications, release date and suggested retail price have not yet been determined. Judging by the number of controls on the lens barrel, we fully expect the lens to a offer a focus limiter, Vibration Reduction with different VR modes, full-time manual focus override and perhaps a few other functions (e.g. on-lens AF-Lock and AF-On buttons or a Focus Preset feature etc.). Do note however that the appearance of the final version of the lens might differ from the picture above.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Samsung NX210 Photos

Mark Goldstein
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Ahead of our full review, here are 52 sample JPEG photos and a 1080p movie taken with the new Samsung NX210 compact system camera, including the full ISO range.

The Samsung NX210 has a 20.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100-12800, 8fps continuous shooting, i-Function 2.0 and 1080p Full HD Stereo movie recording.

Lexar Announces Support for XQD Memory Card Specification

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Accessories
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Lexar has announced its support for the new XQD memory card format. This is a major change versus the company’s original stance on the matter - you may recall that in January, Lexar said that they had “no plans to release XQD memory cards in the near future.”  The company now views the XQD standard as “one of the most logical ways to increase interface speed beyond that of existing CompactFlash technology.” Expected to be available in the third quarter of 2012, Lexar XQD cards will offer high-speed performance in a range of capacities. At present, the only camera that can actually make use of an XQD card is the Nikon D4 but Lexar expects more “XQD-based camera models” to hit the market in the coming months.

Magix Photostory on DVD MX

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Software
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Magix has announced the release of PhotoStory on DVD MX and PhotoStory on DVD MX Deluxe. Magix PhotoStory on DVD MX (Version 11) allows users to transform their photos and movie clips into video slideshows with text, music and special effects, create interactive DVDs, and more. In addition, they can export their shows to USB sticks and memory cards, and share them online. PhotoStory on DVD MX Deluxe additionally supports HD output and comes with advanced design options, templates and an expanded effects library as well as customisable zooming and panning actions, and many further extras. Magix PhotoStory on DVD MX and Magix PhotoStory on DVD MX Deluxe are available now for £39.99 and £69.99 respectively from Amazon and PC World.

DxO Optics Pro v7.5.2

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Software
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DxO Labs have released an update to DxO Optics Pro 7. The newest version adds support for the Olympus OM-D E-M5 (pictured) and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 and GF5, Additionally, more than 300 new camera/lens combinations have been added since the previous version. These modules support additional Canon, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, and Zeiss lenses for numerous Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, and Sony cameras.

Tabletop Photography

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Books
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Tabletop Photography by Cyrill Harnischmacher is a new title from Rocky Nook. In this book, the author guides readers through a variety of exposure and lighting techniques, and covers how to achieve excellent results using small flash units. Topics covered include lighting setups, reflectors, diffusers and other accessories, softboxes and umbrellas, strobe flashes, multi flash exposures, product and food photography, and more. The 144-page volume can be pre-ordered now for $24.95, with an electronic version available for $11.95.

G-Technology Launches the ‘Creatathon’

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Events
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G-Technology, in conjunction with a number of creative professionals in photography, film and music, is hosting the first ever European Creatathon and is looking for participants. The event, which takes place on Wednesday 18th July 2012 simultaneously in London and Berlin, is a one-day challenge and G-Technology is inviting aspiring photographers, film-makers and musicians to The Future Gallery in London to collaborate on high quality content that will benefit the local charity, Film & Video Workshop, that provides training and facilities for filmmakers and animators. You can sign up at the website below.

MonoPhix HD 1.2 for iPad

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Software
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Phix software has released MonoPhix HD 1.2, a major update to its black-and-white photography app for the iPad. The new version incorporates better support for multitasking, support for the new iPad’s retina display, a new mode allowing tonal adjustments, colour filters, vignetting and the ability to share your pictures on the new Phix filter and photo sharing service. MonoPhix HD 1.2 is available on iTunes for $1.99.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Sony NEX-F3 Review

Mark Goldstein
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The NEX-F3 is Sony's new entry-level compact system camera. With a 16 megapixel APS-C sensor, 1080i HD movies, high-res 3 inch tilting screen and built-in flash, the NEX-F3 certainly has a lot to offer. Read our in-depth Sony NEX-F3 review, complete with sample JPEGs, RAW files and movies.

Corel Painter 12.2

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Software
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Corel has posted a free update to Corel Painter 12. Version 12.2 offers new flow maps, multi-touch support for Wacom Intuos5 touch pen tablets and Cintiq 24HD touch interactive pen displays, and vertical docking for palettes. The update can be downloaded from Corel’s website.

Sigma SD1 / SD1 Merrill Firmware Update

Zoltan Arva-Toth | Digital SLR Cameras
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Sigma has released a firmware update for the Sigma SD1 and Sigma SD1 Merrill digital SLR cameras. According to the company, version 1.07 for the original SD1 and version 1.02 for the SD1 Merrill incorporate the following improvements and fixes: