TrustedReviews have reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 85 IS, a 10 megapixel cameras with 3x zoom lens and optical image stabilizer.

“As one might expect from a premium-priced camera like this, image quality is generally very good, but it is not without one or two annoying problems. The lens is very sharp and detailed over most of the frame, but the corners are soft and blurry, and barrel distortion at wide angle is much more pronounced than I would expect from the usually excellent Canon optics. Likewise image processing, normally another Canon strong-point, also has a couple of notable problems. Colour rendition is superb, with good detail even in saturated bright colours, but high-ISO noise control is surprisingly poor, with visible noise effects from as low as 200 ISO.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon Digital IXUS 85 IS Review

The 6 lucky winners of our fantastic April 2008 Newsletter contest have been randomly selected from the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter subscriber list.

Helen Williams wins a Lowepro Fastpack 250 bag

Neil Hall, Ian Pullinger, chihung lau, mort friedman and Ann Gould each win a signed copy of The Digital Photography Companion

The winners of the April 2008 PhotographyBLOG Competition have been selected. The theme for April was “Mirror Image” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
manhattan mirror by leeroboo22

Prize: Photobird.com one-year subscription with 500Mb of storage space
Kindly donated by Photobird.com.
http://www.photobird.com

Purchase a Ricoh R8 camera in the UK between 1st May and 12th June 2008 and get £50 cash back. The R8 features 10 megapixels, a slim body and 7.1x optical wide-angle zoom lens. All claims must be received no later than 3rd July 2008.

Canson Infinity is a brand new range of inkjet fine art paper, available in 14 different medias. The Canson Infinity range with its unique coating properties has been engineered to allow optimum color gamut, an incomparable D-Max and ensure maximum resistance to aging. Cut sheets and rolls up to 60” width will be available for shipment in July. “Our range, tested by the Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc., has been developed with a new process that has enabled us to get an un-rivalled whiteness without using Optical Brightening Agents on many of our papers.” commented Heidi Vincent, International Product Manager for Digital fine Art and Photo.

The first-ever Photodex ProShow Conference is being held in Austin, Texas from August 16-18. This conference and training event will focus on the popular ProShow slide show product line. “The idea for the ProShow Conference grew from an overwhelmingly positive response from our ProShow training seminars over the past year. This three-day conference is a chance for us to meet our users’ requests and provide them with an annual forum to meet, share ideas and explore new ways of creating slide shows together,” said Paul Schmidt, President of Photodex Corporation. Early registration discounts are available until July 16th, 2008 and offer $100 off the price of attending.

Canon will sponsor the Getty Images Gallery in London, UK from 2008 to 2010. Getty Images Gallery is London’s largest independent photographic gallery and was founded in 1996. Louise Garczewska, Director, Getty Images Gallery, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Canon as the headline sponsor of the Gallery. Canon’s professionalism, commitment and dedication to imagery makes them an ideal partner and we look forward to working with them to continue showcasing further iconic exhibitions.”

FotoRetina is a new “editable interactive website” for creative professionals. FotoRetina has features that allow photographers to showcase their work online with tools to create galleries. You can add and sort images, create clients, assign galleries to clients, add and edit content pages and style the homepage with different styling options. Website users can also play slideshows with the ability to manage the slide playback time and download images.

Website: http://www.fotoretina.com

DigiCamReview have reviewed the Ricoh R8, a new 10 megapixel digital camera with a 7.1 wide-angle zoom lens.

“The Ricoh R8 looks and feels great, and is capable of taking some great photos. The camera has a sharp wide angle 7.1x optical zoom lens, and is almost ultra compact, similar in size to other ultra compact cameras such as the IXUS 90 IS. Ricoh appear to have moved this camera upmarket with a newly designed body, and improved hand grip and control dial. The camera features built in anti-shake which helps keep pictures sharp, and has one of the sharpest screens I’ve ever seen. The camera still suffers from a poorly positioned flash, and noticable noise levels at all ISO settings. However, if you can look past the noise and can work with the camera - then it is capable of producing some excellent results.”

Website: DigiCamReview - Ricoh R8 Review

Website: Read our Ricoh R8 Review

Canon has released a new firmware update, v1.1.2, for the 1Ds Mark III DSLR camera. This firmware update incorporates the following improvements:

  1. Includes the following new features that were frequently requested by customers to the new firmware.
      - Direct selection of AF points by the Multi-controller is added to C.Fn III-9.
      - Alternate access to Exposure compensation is added to C.Fn IV-3.
  2. Improves the stability of AF accuracy in AI servo AF when shooting extremely low-contrast subjects.

Website: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Firmware Update 1.1.2

Canon has released a new firmware update, version 1.2.3, for the EOS-1D Mark III DSLR camera. This firmware update incorporates the following improvements:

  1. Includes the following new features that were frequently requested by customers to the new firmware.
      - Direct selection of AF points by the Multi-controller is added to C.Fn III-9.
      - Alternate access to Exposure compensation is added to C.Fn IV-3.
      - With the camera’s External Speedlite control menu, Flash function settings can be used to set the Wireless setting and Zoom.
  2. Improves the stability of AF accuracy in AI servo AF when shooting extremely low-contrast subjects.

Website: Canon EOS-1D Mark III Version 1.2.3 Firmware Update

The SeaLife DC800 is a new 8 megapixel digital camera that can be used down to 200 feet underwater. The DC800 features a wide-angle optical lens with 4x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD screen, auto focus up to 2 inches (5 cm) and a video mode for capturing high-resolution digital video with sound. “With its new features and upgrade in technology geared towards the scuba diver and underwater enthusiast, the DC800 is sure to add a new dimension of fun in and out of water.” said Joe Ifi, SeaLife’s director of sales and marketing. The SeaLife DC800 is available now at a suggested list price of $549.95.

AKVIS Sketch 7 converts photos to realistic pencil and watercolor drawings. Version 7 offers special effects that make the final photo more impressive, including creating a blend of the final drawing and the original image. AKVIS Sketch 7 is available as a stand-alone application, as well as a plugin to a photo editor. AKVIS Sketch 7 Home License costs $72 USD / 55 Euros.

Ilford Photo has announced a special initiative in support of ultra large format (ULF) film photographers as part of their “Defend the Darkroom” campaign. Taking place from mid-April to 30th June 2008, this window allows photographers to order ILFORD PHOTO ULF sheet film products from a select group of dealers without the worry of meeting minimum order quantities. Susan Harlin (work pictured) commented: “ULF may be a fairly specialist method of black and white photography but its practitioners are highly passionate and the medium is enjoying a resurgence with a new generation of photographers now being drawn to its benefits.”

Megapixel.net have just reviewed the Fujifilm S8000fd digital compact camera, which offers an 18x zoom lens equivalent to 27mm-486mm.

“The Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd is a very versatile camera. For shutterbugs interested in a large zoom but not in a lot of photographic rigmarole, the snapper will take fine pictures without leaving the auto mode. On the other hand, the unit has plenty of flexibility for lenseslingers who demand more control over what they’re shooting.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Fujifilm S8000fd Review

Website: Read our Fujifilm S8000fd Review

DSLR Remote Pro v1.7 for controlling Canon EOS cameras and PSRemote v1.6 for controlling Canon PowerShot cameras are now available. Both applications feature Photo booth mode, which allows sitters to see themselves pose in front of the camera. Support for the Canon EOS 450D/Rebel XSi, including remote live view display with auto-focus, has been added to DSLR Remote Pro v1.7. DSLR Remote Pro costs US $95 and costs PSRemote 1.6 costs US $49.

The new DXG-569V HD camcorder shoots 1280x720 pixel video at 30 fps and 5 megapixel still images. Featuring a a light-weight slim design, the DXG-569V HD has a large rotational 3” TFT screen, 32Mb of memory and additionally functions as a digital voice recorder. The DXG-569V HD is available now in silver and black for $169.99.

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4, an 8 megapixel update of Panasonic’s TZ2 camera.

“The image quality from our outdoor images are excellent for a camera in this category. Our photos show good overall exposure and natural color saturation. The Leica 10x zoom lens offers a 35mm equivalent focal range of 28-280mm, and is an outstanding feature on this camera. The wide end gives you an extra wide field of view that is great for landscape and large group photography, giving you the ability take pictures that most other digicams can’t. This does give you a more than average amount of barrel distortion however. On the zoom end, you have the ability get very close to objects that are way off in the distance.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4 Review

DxO Optics Pro v5.0 now supports the Samsung GX-20 DSLR camera. Support for the GX-20 camera body and an initial selection of lenses has been added. DxO have also implemented 22 additional DxO Correction Modules for a variety of Nikon lenses, including the 16-85 f/3.5-5.6 and 80-200mm f/2.8. DxO Optics Pro v5 is available in Standard and Elite versions for £99 and £199 respectively.

The 2008 TIPA Awards have just been unveiled. Billed by TIPA as the “Most Coveted Photo & Imaging Awards in Europe”, this year’s winners include the Sony A200, Canon EOS 450D, Nikon D300 and Nikon D3 in the various DSLR categories, the Sigma DP1 for “Best Prestige Camera”, and Casio’s 60fps EX-F1 for “Best Imaging Innovation”. Visit the link below to see all 36 winners.

Website: TIPA Awards 2008