Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The world’s biggest photography show, Photokina, has now ended. We’ve just updated our comprehensive Photokina Report. There are 25 in-depth live reports from the show floor, over 100 listings of every significant new product announced before and at Photokina, and our Top 10 pick of the stars of the show. We’ll also shortly be adding a final wrap-up report looking back at what turned out to be a very interesting show…

Website: Photokina 2008 Report

The ATP GPS photo Finder mini is a new geotagging device, with no PC or software required. All users have to do is activate the Photo Finder mini while taking pictures, insert their camera’s memory card into the corresponding slot on the docking station and attach the Photo Finder mini, and then the geotagging process is carried out automatically. The ATP GPS photo Finder mini is universally compatible with any digital camera using JPEG image files. ATP’s GPS photo Finder mini is available now for $149.99.

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Canon have announced cashback offers on three of their EOS DSLR camera range. Valid until 12th January 2009, there’s £30 / €40 off the EOS 1000D (pictured) with 18-55 IS kit lens, £50 / €65 off the EOS 450D, and £60 / €75 off the EOS 40D. Participants must be resident in the European Union, and the offer only applies to purchases made between Monday 15 September 2008 and Monday 12 January 2009.

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Fujifilm has added four new Secure Digital (SD) cards to its memory card range, including a 16GB SDHC card. Available in October 2008 with pricing still to be announced, the new Fujifilm SD cards will be available in the formats below:

•          Secure Digital – 1GB SD, 2GB SD
•          Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) – 4GB SDHC, 8GB SDHC, 16GB SDHC
•          Micro Secure Digital – 1GB, 2GB
•          Micro Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) – 4GB,  8GB

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Perhaps the most bizarre product on display at last week’s Photokina show was the Sony Alpha computer game for Playstation 3. “Harnessing the synergy” between the different divisions of the vast Sony empire, a 20 level version of the Alpha game is apparently available in Japan, although Photokina visitors had to make-do with the 2 levels that had been converted to English. From our brief glimpse of the game, players had to work their way through the Sony Alpha camera ranks by completing a serious of photographic challenges, starting off with a Konica Minolta Dynax camera and going on safari. This largely educational game is based upon a tie-in with National Geographic magazine, featuring stills and video from the NG archives, so is particularly well-suited to the younger members of your family. No word on when or if a full version Sony Alpha game for Playstation 3 will be released outside Japan.

Update: We have a gallery of photos of the Sony Alpha game for Playstation 3 - click the continue link below…

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The Kodak Z1485 IS is a new 14 megapixel camera with 5x optical zoom lens. Quietly making its debut at last week’s Photokina show, the Kodak Z1485 IS features a focal length of 35-175 mm with optical image stabilization, ISO 100 to ISO 1600 (with 3200 and 6400 available at lower resolution), new Smart Capture feature which adjusts the camera settings for great pictures in just about any environment, a Manual mode that lets you choose both the aperture and shutter speed, and HD quality video recording. Available in black, blue and pink, the Kodak Z1485 IS costs $299.95 and is available now.

Update: We have a gallery of photos of the Kodak Z1485 IS - click the continue link below…

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The 500GB HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA backups photos from memory cards on the go, without the need for a computer. Hyper fast UDMA 40MB/s backup speed ensures short waits between transfers, and ultra long battery performance allows 250GB of backups before recharging. The HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA features a 3.2” QVGA color screen and allows you to playback JPEG and true RAW images. Built-in memory card data recovery tools recover deleted, lost, formatted or corrupted data. When connected to a computer’s USB 2.0 port, the HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA operates like a normal hard drive. The 500GB HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA will be available from October for $599.

Update: We have a gallery of photos of the HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA - click the continue link below…

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The Smartparts SP3200WF is the world’s largest WiFi digital picture frame. Fully compatible with Windows Live Photo Gallery, the SP3200WF has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels and is surrounded by a beige museum quality mat and natural wood frame with an espresso finish. “Smartparts is proud to bring WiFi capability to the SP3200,” said Stefan Guelpen, president and co founder of Smartparts. “When we first introduced the SP3200 to the world at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, a new standard was set in both engineering and design, something by which all manufacturers would be measured. The frame received a lot of praise and was well accepted by the market - we expect the same positive reception to the SP3200WF with its new wireless functionality.” The 32 inch SP3200WF will be available through specialty retailers nationwide in the US.

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The 8-inch SPX8WF is the first WiFi digital picture frame from Smartparts. The new SPX8WF boasts unparalleled ease-of-use introducing a pre-assigned email address, one-touch internet setup, automatic image correction, and on-frame photo album organization. Featuring an elegant espresso wood frame, the Smartparts SPX8WF gives consumers the ability to view their digital images in remarkable clarity on an eight inch, 24-bit LCD screen, featuring a resolution of 800x600 and 16.7 million viewable colors. The Smartparts SPX8WF will cost $149.99 and be available in November 2008.

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Sony has released a 16GB, high-speed UDMA compact flash card. The 16GB Sony 300x Compact Flash offers a uper-fast 45MB/second write speed. This makes it the perfect partner for UDMA-enabled cameras such as Sony’s α DSLR range, letting you to record more frames per second in continuous shooting mode. The card also comes with a 5 year warranty and image recovery service. Price and availability of the 16GB Sony 300x Compact Flash to be announced.

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