Monday, March 30, 2009

Fantasea Line has announced the FSD-770 underwater housing for the Canon Digital IXUS 95 IS digital camera. Depth rated to 60 metres, the FSD-770 is also compatible with the Digital IXUS 85 IS and 80 IS. The Fantasea FSD-770 housing has a double O-ring seal on all controls, anti-glare hood over the LCD screen, removable flash diffuser and a 46mm threaded lens port.

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Black Rapid has appointed California Sunbounce as its European distributor of its innovative R-STRAP. The German firm is making the bold claim that the R-STRAP is the world’s most comfortable and quick-to-use camera strap for SLR users. Instead of looping around your neck, the R-Strap operates like a sling, sliding across your body. A locking mechanism connects the R-STRAP to the tripod socket located on either the camera body or the lens.

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Tomorrow is the closing date of Panasonic’s online photo contest. Established in 2003, the Lumix Award is awarded each year to celebrate excellence in digital photography. This year’s theme is The Living Planet. The monthly prize for March is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 digital camera, while the overall winner of the Lumix Award competition will receive a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 plus a 5-day trip for two to Cornwall, England, including two 3-day passes to the Eden Project.

Website: Panasonic Lumix Award

Helen Levitt, an American master of street photography, passed away peacefully yesterday. Levitt was born on 31 August, 1913, started to work for a commercial portrait photographer in 1931, and purchased her first Leica in 1936, not long after an encounter with Henri Cartier-Bresson. She went on to become famous for her street photographs of New York City, including poorer neighbourhoods such as Spanish Harlem. Although she liked black and white, Levitt was one of the first truly gifted street photographers to use colour film from 1959 onward.

Website: Obituary in The New York Times

Current users of NikonCapture NX 2.0 and 2.1.1 will be entitled to download a free update in early April. The new version, Capture NX 2.2, offers improved batch processing speed, support for the NRW format - introduced along with the Nikon Coolpix P6000 -, a vignette control function utilising lens information, and axial colour aberration correction.

Website: Free download service for Capture NX 2 (Ver. 2.2) update
Review: Read our in-depth review of the Nikon Coolpix P6000
Review: Read our Canon PowerShot G10 vs. Nikon Coolpix P6000 head-to-head review

Mamiya Digital Imaging is showcasing a prototype Mamiya 645DF digital camera body with standard lens and battery grip at PIE. The Mamiya 645DF is a camera body designed for use with digital backs “of all reputable makers”, Mamiya claims. Also on display is a prototype of the recently announced Mamiya Sekor AF 80mm F2.8 LS D, the first leaf-shutter lens in Mamiya’s AF lineup. Allowing flash synchronisation right up to its top shutter speed of 1/500th second, the leaf shutter of the new lens gives “more control for on-location daytime shooting where flash synchronization is required”. Finally, Mamiya is also showing the Multi-battery Vertical Grip G8401, designed for exclusive use with the Mamiya 645DF. Prices and delivery dates are to be announced. Read on for body, lens and grip specifications.

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Sigma has announced a firmware update for the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM for FourThirds. This update improves the communication between the lens and FourThirds bodies featuring sensor-shift image stabilisation, enabling the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM to transmit all the information necessary for the camera’s processor to calculate the right amount of sensor movement. Sigma warns that updating your lens’ firmware is done at your own responsibility.

Website: Firmware update program for SIGMA’s FourThirds mount lenses

Bogen Imaging has announced the launch of four new Manfrotto Baby Lightweight Stands. The new Baby Lightweight Stands are extendable to between 240cm and 385cm, with various payloads between 4kg and 10kg and all feature the new Quick Stack System (QSS) patented by Manfrotto. Available in four models: the 1051BAC and 1052BAC can hold loads of up to 4kg and 5kg respectively and have collars and spider casting made of Adapto, the technical polymer specifically developed by Manfrotto that’s 50% lighter than aluminium; the 1004BAC and 1005BAC (9kg and 10kg respectively) in aluminium. They all feature a 3/8’’ screw top fixing with a 1/4’’ adapter. Read on for more information, including prices.

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Friday, March 27, 2009

PowerShovel Ltd. have released a snap-together 35mm film camera with a 28mm lens. If you have ever wanted to shoot with a camera that was built by yourself, but a lack of manual dexterity has prevented you from being able to do so, now’s your chance to fulfill your dream. This do-it-yourself camera promises to be just as easy to assemble as a Kinder Surprise toy, and fully functional to boot. Something tells us that corner sharpness - or indeed sharpness as such - might not be up there with the best glass money can buy, but at $17, this camera will certainly not break the bank.

Website: Do-it-yourself 35mm film camera at Unica
Website: PowerShovel Ltd.

Kaiser Fototechnik has just introduced ProDisk, a universal tool for managing white balance, exposure and colour. The ProDisk combines a grey card, a white balance filter and a colour checker in a slim folding plastic housing. The grey card and the colour checker are normally placed within the scene and are helpful tools for exposure metering or a follow-up colour comparison. When doing a manual white balance the translucent white balance filter with its special surface pattern needs to be held in front of the lens. The Pro Disk is available in two sizes, ProDisk mini and ProDisk II.

The MSRP is €59.99 for the ProDisk mini and €69.99 for the ProDisk II.

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