As the worldwide economic crisis worsens, Nikon has laid off 1,500 of its subcontracting staff in Thailand. according to a report by the Bangkok Post. Falling demand in United States, Japan and Canada was blamed for the decision. Nikon has four factories in Thailand, employing a total of 8,000 permanent staff and 4,000 subcontracting staff.

Website: Bangkok Post - Nikon lays off 1,500 subcontracting staff

Hasselblad’s new Camera Care Plan will provide international coverage to professional photographers, including 24 hour help desk and day-to-day exchange service. Corporate After Sales Manager, Carsten Kronborg, commented “...when photography is your profession, any equipment down time is potential lost revenue or dissatisfied clients. For this reason, we have developed the Hasselblad Camera Care Plan.” The Hasselblad Camera Care Plan will also provide up to two years of extended warranty coverage on top of the standard factory warranty.

Sigma has bought the image sensor company Foeveon, who supply the sensors for Sigma’s DSLR and compact cameras. Sigma has acquired 100% of the stock of Foveon, which developed the original three-layer image sensor. Foveon and Sigma will “continuously evolve and improve the X3 sensor technology”, with Foveon’s sensor development operations continuing in San Jose, CA, USA.

Samsung has announced plans to spin-off its camera division, according to a report by Reuters. A new company called Samsung Digital Imaging will be formed by February 2009, taking 0.31 of the capital from parent company Samsung Techwin (itself partly owned by Samsung Electronics). Price competition, the global credit crunch and heavy research and marketing expenses are to blame for the camera division’s poor performance.

Website: Reuters - Samsung Techwin to spin off camera business

Following recent rumours that Panasonic were preparing to buy Sanyo, the two companies have now started discussions about a possible alliance. Panasonic and Sanyo are starting an “intensive discussion on the capital and business alliance between both companies based on the premise of making SANYO a subsidiary of Panasonic, keeping a variety of options in mind” with a target date of the end of December 2008.

The global market for digital photography technology will be worth $230.9 billion in 2013. According to a report by BCC Research, it was worth $136.7 billion in 2007 and an estimated $155.0 billion in 2008. Digital photography products are the larger market segment, generating $91.0 billion in 2007. The markets are substantially larger than they were in the past because a much greater number of people are more passionately involved with digital photography than with silver halide photography.

Nikon and Microsoft have signed a patent cross-licensing agreement to further the development of each company’s current and future product lines. Nikon’s digital cameras and other consumer products from both companies are included in the agreement. “At Nikon, we want to continue to lead the industry in pioneering photography solutions and give our customers access to innovative technology,” said Naoki Tomino, Director, Member of the Board, General Manager of Intellectual Property Headquarters at Nikon. “This agreement is a natural extension of our longstanding relationship with Microsoft and we look forward to collaborating and bringing exciting new products to the market.”

Repeat digital camera buyers are driving the digital camera market, according to a new report by Infotrends. In 2007, 3 out of 4 digital camera buyers purchased a replacement or additional camera, and in 2008 almost 9 out of 10 digital camera buyers are expected to fall into that category. Repeat buyers also spend more, because they are likely to be hobbyists that own multiple cameras, and their purchases are triggered by new technology or simply the desire to own a new camera.

Shoot! The Day is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to replenish the global stock photo supply in areas of the greatest buyer demand. Photographers worldwide are invited to shoot stock images in five key categories – active seniors, youth culture, family and kids lifestyle, business settings and still life. PhotoShelter have also launched The School of Stock. a definitive new online guide to understanding what stock photo buyers’ want and how they want it.

Kodak are set to raise the prices of their digital cameras and printers by up to 20%, according to The Guardian newspaper. Blaming soaring raw material costs, Chief Exec Antonio Perez claimed that the rest of the industry would follow suit sooner rather than later. Kodk are blaming the rising costs of aluminium, silver, oil and transport, commenting that “manufacturers had held off raising consumer product prices for some time but raw material costs were now so high that these had become inevitable”.

Website: The Guardian - Kodak warns of 20% increase in camera and printer prices

Reader’s Digest readers have voted Canon the most trusted camera brand in Europe for 2008. Research was conducted locally in 16 European countries with over 23,000 questionnaires. The UK online survey took place from November to December last year. What do you think - do you agree with the Reader’s Digest readers?

Both Houses of the U.S. Congress have introduced new draft versions of the Orphan Works Act of 2008, a controversial bill about the use of copyrighted works whose owners may be impossible to identify and locate. The Stock Artists Alliance have defended the interests of professional photographers involved in stock image licensing by publishing their commentary and suggestions about Orphan Works. The SAA argues that the effects of the Orphan Works Act, if passed, would be felt worldwide, citing a similar UK study called the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, which was published in 2006.

Canon continues to be number 1 for photography in Europe, according to new figures from research company GfK. Canon attained the top position in both digital SLR and digital compact markets in 2007. “Not only did the company maintain its number one position, it did so against a background of increasing competition. Canon’s superior image quality makes its cameras the natural choice for photographers of all levels.” said Mogens Jensen, head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. The IXUS 70 was the world’s most popular digital compact in 2007, and the EOS 400D remained Europe’s most popular consumer DSLR model.

The world digital camera market is projected to reach 122 million units by the year 2010. The United States and Europe has a combined share of over 59%, with Asia-Pacific expected to offer strong growth backed by the growing affluence of the population. Technical innovations in batteries, photo printing, storage devices and internet technologies are expected to propel the growth of digital cameras.

PNY Technologies, most well-known for its Flash Memory Cards, has unveiled a new logo. The new revitalised PNY logo symbolises the company’s positioning and commitment to innovation, quality, reliability and customer care. “We needed a new look and feel for the PNY logo to compliment the new product ranges and key partnerships we will implement this year. Rebranding will take place in Q1 and early Q2 and you will see an immediate change to our website and on our end user packaging.”  explained Samy Benarfa, Marketing Director for PNY Europe. PNY will implement its new logo in the US, in Taiwan, and in all European countries.

Matsushita Electric is changing its name to ‘Panasonic Corporation’ from October 1st, 2008. All worldwide corporate brands will also be unified to the Panasonic brand. The timing to change the company name and unify its global brand coincides with its 90th anniversary this year. The company name change and brand unification aims to make the Panasonic Corporation a truly global organisation.

Panasonic is spending 94 billion yen to expand its semiconductor production facility at the Tonami plant in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The plant will produce image sensors for various digital appliances starting in September 2008. After commencing production in August 2009, Panasonic plans to gradually increase its production capacity up to 30,000 wafers per month. The new plant will strengthen Panasonic’s image sensor business in digital cameras, in-vehicle devices, camcorders, broadcasting and medical equipment.

The Professional Photographers Association (PPA) has partnered with DriveSavers Data Recovery to offer its members discounts for data recovery services. PPA members will receive a 20% discount on all data recovery services from DriveSavers with a “no data, no charge” policy. “DriveSavers can help our members with a variety of seemingly impossible problems from recovering digital photos from hard drives or media cards to recovering accounting records, client information, calendars and/or customer mailing lists.” said Al Hopper, director of membership at PPA.

Passengers will no longer be able to pack loose lithium batteries in checked luggage on flights in the USA, effective from January 1st 2008. The new regulation is designed to reduce the risk of lithium battery fires and applies to all flights from, to and within the USA. Lithium batteries are considered hazardous materials because they can overheat and ignite in certain conditions. Lithium batteries in checked baggage are allowed if they are installed in electronic devices, or in carry-on baggage if stored in plastic bags (maximum of two extended-life batteries).

China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are expected to produce over 80 million digital still cameras in 2007 - up 27 percent year-on-year. Greater China accounted for more than 73 percent of global shipments in 2006. “Greater China manufacturers…are increasingly targeting mid- to higher-end markets with feature-rich products and competitive pricing. This trend has weeded out many entry-level companies, leaving a more robust manufacturing base.” commented Mark A. Saunderson, President of Global Sources’ Electronics Business Unit. Recently Fujifilm announced that they were moving production of their entire digital camera range to China.