Friday, July 31, 2009

Synology America Corp. has announced the availability of their new iPhone application, DS photo, which is available to download for free. DS photo provides Disk Station users the ability to use an iPhone or iPod Touch to upload photos to their Synology Disk Station, or browse photos stored directly on their Synology Disk Stations remotely. Users can upload their photos to an existing album or create a new one, and customise the photo titles and descriptions. Uploaded photos are instantly available through the web-based Synology Photo Station 3 and can be viewed with a desktop computer, iPhone, or Windows Mobile phone. DS photo is available for download on the Apple App Store.

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The Nature Conservancy invites you to enter your nature photos to their 4th annual digital photography competition. The contest is open to all participants aged 18 and older regardless of residence or citizenship, so long as the laws of their jurisdiction allow participation. Photo submissions must be uploaded by 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on September 30, 2009. You retain ownership and full rights to all images submitted, but grant The Nature Conservancy the right to use your images in support of the Conservancy’s mission. As always, we encourage you to read the rules before entering.

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Photographer and author Jason P. Odell, Ph.D. has announced the immediate release of “The Photographer’s Guide to Silver Efex Pro”, a comprehensive resource for making black and white images with the popular plug-in module by Nik Software, Inc. This 218-page PDF tutorial includes 15 instructional videos narrated by Dr. Odell, each of which reinforces concepts illustrated in the pages of the eBook. The instructional videos are embedded directly in the PDF file, which means that users don’t need to worry about separate video files or media players; as long as they are using Adobe Reader 9 or later, the videos will play directly from the eBook. The Photographer’s Guide to Silver Efex Pro is available directly from the publisher, Luminescence of Nature Press, as a digital download for $19.95 USD.

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Delkin have added a smaller version of their award winning Fat Gecko to its line of camera mounts, the Fat Gecko Mini. It uses one suction cup to attain a powerful suction that makes video and photography capture possible from almost any smooth surface.  With an incredibly strong locking suction and a universal mounting screw the Fat Gecko Mini can be attached almost anywhere and use any standard camera or camcorder. The small footprint of one suction cup allows users to capitalize on the versatility of mounting a camera in tight situations, such as on surfboards, motorcycles, wakeboards, ATVs, helmets, windows and any other smooth non-porous surface. The Fat Gecko Mini camera mount is available now and can be purchased at an array of digital camera shops and other camera accessory retailers worldwide for $39.99.

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iPhone developer appMobi LLC has announced the availability of “PhotoBeamer 1.1” on the Apple App Store. “Intuitively, people hand their phones to friends so they can see the photos better, and invariably, friends begin flicking through their entire photo libraries, looking at all photos whether the owner want them to or not,” appMobi says. “PhotoBeamer was created to solve this problem by allowing users to use the iPhone’s built in Bluetooth wireless technology to allow viewers to see (and optionally save) on their own devices only the photos that the sender wants them to see.” PhotoBeamer is available in the Apple App Store for $0.99. The receive-only BeamCatcher app is free.

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NewBay Media has announced new features, a new location, and new dates for its 13th annual Digital Video Expo. The expo is to be held at the Pasadena Convention Center on September 22-24, 2009. Thousands of professionals in the content creation industry are expected to gather at the show for three full days of intensive education, training, and networking events, as well as the unique opportunity to test drive the latest products and services from over 100 key industry innovators, including Panasonic, Sony, JVC and Matrox Video.

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Legndary camera designer and engineer Yoshihisa Maitani, creator of the original Olympus PEN and Olympus OM-1, OM-2 and other cult cameras, passed away on 30 July 2009. Born in 1933, Maitani built his first box camera at age 10, and by the time he turned 16, he already held four design patents. He joined Olympus in 1956, and two years later he was commissioned to develop a camera that could be purchased for under 6,000 yen, the average monthly wage in Japan at the time. The result was the Olympus PEN (pictured). The PEN was a huge success and evolved into a whole series of half-frame cameras, including the PEN F, FT and FV interchangeable-lens SLRs. Maitani then went on to design the Olympus OM-1, a legendary 35mm SLR, the starting point of the OM system noted for its compactness, high-quality optics and a series of innovations. Maitani received the PMA Hall of Fame Award in 1992, and retired in 1996. As the 1001 Noisy Cameras blog points out, he “lived to see his Pen re-born into the digital world with the E-P1”.

Source: DCWatch via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Kodak has introduced a family of new portable power-charging solutions that enable fast and convenient charging of multiple devices, including a solar-powered charger that harnesses the sun’s power to charge gadgets while on the go. The Kodak Solar Charger KS100-C+2 produces enough power to deliver 1.5 charges to a cell phone, or run a music player for an additional 33 hours, or capture up to 200 digital camera pictures (actual results will vary by device). When light is scarce, consumers can use the included USB cable to recharge from a computer or other USB power source. The Kodak Solar Charger KS100-C+2 will retail for US $39.95 MSRP beginning in September, 2009.

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Ilford Photo’s traditional black and white processing service has a new online presence and new identity. The Ilford Lab Direct printing service draws on 130 years of Ilford Photo expertise, producing the finest quality black and white prints; achieved using traditional Ilford black and white chemistry and genuine Ilford silver gelatin photographic paper, Ilford says. The new online resource at http://www.ilfordlab.com not only provides secure payment and digital file upload, but customers can also create an account with Ilford Lab Direct and go through the digital upload tutorial. For customers who prefer the traditional approach, Ilford Photo continues to sell process paid films and mailers through popular photographic dealers. Further still, order forms for 35mm and 120 film processing can be downloaded from the website for the direct mail order service. Ilford Lab Direct normally operates up-to a maximum of 5 working days in the lab for UK distribution. The service is available for UK and European customers.

Website: Ilford Lab Direct

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Canon has issued a firmware upgrade for the Canon EOS 50D digital SLR camera. Version 1.0.7 corrects a phenomenon where captured images may tend to appear somewhat magenta depending on the shooting scene. Plus, it also fixes incorrect indications on the Arabic, Romanian, Spanish, and Ukrainian menu screens.

Website: Canon EOS 50D Firmware Update
Review: Read our in-depth review of the Canon EOS 50D