Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Nikon recently announced the results of its 2009 “Picture Yourself” survey that reveals consumer attitudes about self-image. Nikon’s survey revealed that if people could turn back time, they would choose to retake a family portrait (25 percent), a high school graduation photo (21 percent), a driver’s license photo (21 percent), a wedding photo (15 percent) and a birthday party photo (7 percent). Data also showed that whether you like having your picture taken or not, it’s practically unavoidable. Nearly every American adult (92 percent) had at least one picture taken of them so far this year. Among all American adults, 79 percent believe they looked better in person than in pictures. This data was consistent in responses from both men and women; 79 percent of women preferring the real deal to a photograph, along with 78 percent of men.

Click to continue...

Kenro has announced the UK release of two new Marumi digital high grade filters, the Super Circular Polarising Filter, and the Super Lens Protection Filter. Both filters use a specially developed ultra-low reflection coating to minimize internal reflection off the cameras’ built-in CCD and CMOS sensors. Other anti-reflect features include a special slim frame with satin smooth finish and a black ink process on the glass edge to eliminate flare. Both new filters incorporate Hard Protection that guards the surface of the lens from scratches even with heavy duty use. They are also water and oil repellent, meaning water and oil spots simply wipe off. They also come with Anti-fouling, this keeps the lens surface clean from dust and dirt. Both filters are available in the following sizes: 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm. Prices for the Super Circular Polarising Filters range from £83.15 to £186.82, while the Super Lens Protection Filters start at £33.06, rising to £72.79.

Website: Kenro

Click to continue...

The Bookshop at The Photographers’ Gallery in London is celebrating one of the most iconic products of the twentieth century, the Polaroid, by displaying work by a number of renowned photographers who have taken Polaroid photographs, and also plans to sell a new Polaroid format film starting early 2010.The last instant film manufactured by Polaroid was produced in 2008, with an expiry date of October 2009. To mark its expiration, national newspaper The Observer gave eight leading contemporary photographers Polaroid film and cameras for a day - Harry Borden (USA, b.1965), Nan Goldin (USA, b.1953), Tom Hunter (UK, b.1965), Mary McCartney (UK, b.1969), Martin Parr (UK, b.1952), Rankin (UK, b.1966), Lord Snowdon (UK, b.1930) and Sam Taylor-Wood (UK, b.1967). The resulting images are on display at The Photographers’ Gallery in London, 16 – 18 Ramillies St, W1, until 31 January 2010. Some of these unique one-off prints are available to purchase from Print Sales at The Photographers’ Gallery..Also, the Photographers’ Gallery Bookshop promises to be one of the first places in the world to sell the new Polaroid format instant film developed within the framework of The Impossible Project, from early 2010.

Click to continue...

Ricoh has announced the GR DIGITAL III x Stussy, a limited-edition collaboration model with US fashion brand manufacturer Stussy. Ricoh has never before collaborated with a brand to offer a customised camera in their GR Digital line of professional compacts. This co-branded GR Digital III, which is released as part of Stussy’s 30th anniversary special projects, features royal blue accents and body parts. Moreover, the labels of the buttons and other controls are in the Stussy font. The “XXX” logo marking the 30th anniversary is also displayed on the flash cover and the exit screen when the power is turned off. Limited quantities of the Ricoh GR Digital III x Stussy camera will be available for purchase through Stussy Chapter stores from February 2010.

Via DCVIEWS

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Mamiya has announced an iPhone app that transforms an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch into a remote image viewer for users of the new Mamiya DM system. Now, while the photographer is shooting in a tethered mode, other people on set – the creative director, client, stylist, etc. – can watch via a standard Wi-Fi network, without hindering the movement of the photographer or crowding around one monitor. The images are hi-res and the software allows viewers to pan and zoom using their compatible Apple device. Note that this app is essentally the same Leaf Capfure Remote application that has recently been released by Leaf Imaging for users of Leaf digital backs and camera systems.

Click to continue...

Likno Software has released a new Adobe Air version of its software, Photo Frame Show. Photo Frame Show is an intuitive program that allows people who wish to enhance their digital photos to do so by adding original and impressive frames to them in a fast an easy manner. The new version offers more advanced features, faster rendering, support for a wider range of operating systems, and a more user-friendly functionality, the company claims. The AIR application can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Photo Frame Show

Click to continue...

Friday, December 18, 2009

A new, 26-gigapixel panoramic image of Dresden, Germany, is now the world’s largest-resolution photograph. Taken from the rooftop of the “Haus der Presse” building, the giant panorama is made up of 1,665 individual shots captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and a 400mm lens. This massive number of shots were taken with the help of a photo-robot, in the course of less than three hours, but the processing took 94 hours using a computer with 16 processors and a main memory cache of 48 Gigabytes.

Website: Gigapixel-Dresden.de

Almost exactly a month after the release of Lightroom 2.6 and Adobe Camera Raw 5.6 Release Candidates, Adobe posted the final versions. ACR 5.6 adds support for a range of new cameras, and replaces the original one that was installed with Adobe Photoshop CS4, Adobe Photoshop Elements 8, and Adobe Premiere Elements 8 software. Adobe Lightroom 2.6 also provides support for new cameras such as the Canon EOS 7D and the Nikon D3s, and includes corrections for issues introduced by previous Lightroom 2 releases.

Website: Adobe - Latest Product Updates

Imikimi has launched a new iPhone app that lets you frame your photos using over a million user-created frames, and then e-mail them or post them on Facebook or Twitter. You can frame photos from the Apple iPhone camera, your Photo Library or your Facebook account. Imikimi for iPhone offers excellent Facebook integration including friend tagging, the developer says. The app is available at the iPhone App Store.

Website: Imikimi for iPhone

Click to continue...

ForestWander Nature Photography has partnered with hundreds of affiliates to offer thousands of extreme nature photography adventure gear products. This grand opening of the ForestWander Extreme Nature Photography Adventure Gear Store is seeking to help nature explorers and adventurers be prepared to not only survive their expedition, but to document it in high resolution digital detail, the company says.

Website: ForestWander Store

Click to continue...