Thursday, November 20, 2008

We’ve just published sample photos taken with a production version of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, the World’s first Micro Four Thirds camera. There are 40 full-sized JPEGs and 6 RAWs for you to download. Our full Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 review will be published very soon…

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Sample Images

Adobe Configurator is a new utility that enables you to create your own panels for Photoshop CS4. Configurator makes it easy to drag and drop tools, menu items, scripts, actions, and other objects into a panel design, then export the results for use inside Photoshop. Configurator is free for anyone to use, and a full 30-day tryout version can be downloaded now.

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Canon have updated four of their software programs for Windows and Mac OS X. The updates add new features and support for the EOS 5D Mark II camera. The latest versions are:

- Digital Photo Professional 3.5.1
- EOS Utility 2.5.1
- Picture Style Editor 1.4.1
- WFT Utility 3.3

Website: Canon Software Updates

In 2007 the DSLR market grew by 40% compared to the point-and-shoot market, according to new research from InfoTrends. The market will grow 16% in 2008 and will not peak until 2012. InfoTrends’ research indicates that first time buyers will be drawn to ease of use, mainstream retailers (rather than specialty stores), small models, colors, and low prices. Repeat buyers will find features such as increased light sensitivity and reduced image noise, automated geo-tagging, and wireless technology appealing.

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Kingston Technology have announced a 64Gb version of their DataTraveler 150 USB flash drive. “The new 64GB DataTraveler 150 takes transportable storage to the next level with big capacity in a small package,” said Jaja Lin, Flash business development manager, Kingston. Kingston’s DataTraveler 150 is fully compatible with Windows Vista, XP and Windows 2000 as well as Mac OS X 10.3 (and above) and Linux 2.6 (and above).

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Canon USA have asked their customers not to cash rebate checks, following the bankruptcy of the company responsible for processing them. This affects mail-in rebate checks for Canon-brand printer and video products dated on or before November 14, 2008. Canon will be posting details on where to mail your rebate claim material and how to exchange your check for a new check that you will be able to cash.

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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The new Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 compact camera is all about raw speed, offering a continuous shooting rate of up to 40fps, and movie recording at 1000fps. In direct comparison, most other cameras in its class can shoot at up to 3 fps for stills, and 30fps for video. Admittedly there’s a drop in quality to attain such fast shooting - from 9 to 7 megapixels for stills, and down to 224×56 pixel movies - but the bridge-style EX-FH20 still has a number of tempting features. In addition to the sensible 9 megapixel resolution, there’s a 20x, 26-520mm ultra-zoom lens, 3 inch LCD screen, 1cm macro mode and RAW file support. Is the Casio EX-FH20 the ultimate ultra-zoom camera? Gavin Stoker found out…

Website: Casio EXILIM Pro EX-FH20 Review

Nikon have released a firmware update for the SB-900, their top-of-the-range Speedlight flash gun. The following improvements have been made in version 5.02

- With uninterrupted shooting with the SB-900 set to i-TTL mode, images captured just before the flash ceased firing were sometimes overexposed.
This issue has been resolved.  By resolving this issue, metering precision has been further increased and the number of times the flash fires has also been increased.

- When the SB-900, set to TTL auto flash mode, is used with a camera supporting the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS), flash mode automatically changes to A mode according to camera communication status.  That flash mode was previously maintained, but it has been modified so that TTL auto flash mode is restored once the SB-900 again recognizes the camera as a CLS-compatible camera.

Website: Nikon SB-900 Firmware Update 5.02 (Windows)

Website: Nikon SB-900 Firmware Update 5.02 (Mac)

Half of all the American consumer photographs taken in the film era are in danger of being lost forever, according to a new study. GfK Custom Research North America discovered that 75% of Americans know their photos won’t last forever and 85% want their great-grandchildren to see those photos, yet preservation still isn’t a top priority. Americans have taken nearly 550 billion non-digital photos in their lifetimes, yet only about half (55.4%) have tried to preserve even some of them. “Clearly Americans are conflicted about their photos,” said Jim Timony, Senior Vice President, GfK Media and Communications. “While we are certainly dedicated to recording our personal histories and most of us want to share our memories with future generations, many people stop short of attempting to preserve their photos digitally.”

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Think Tank Photo are offering free bags or belts when you buy a roller, Airport backpack, or modular set. The offers are

- buy an Airport roller, get a free Lightning Fast DSLR flash modular bag
- buy an Airport backpack, get a free Chimp Cage modular bag
- buy a Modular Set or Skin Set, get a free Pro Speed Belt

All purchases must be from a US retailers or directly from Think Tank Photo. Send in your coupon and sales receipt, and Think Tank Photo will send you the free gift.

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