TrustedReviews have tested the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5 are the first models in a new range of stylish, easy to use cameras. Both the FS20 and FS5 offer a 4x, 30-120mm lens and 10.1 megapixel, 1/2.33-inch sensor.

“Images are pretty good for a Panasonic, usually notable for their high noise levels - especially on higher resolution models. Lower ISOs are fine, and even ISO 800 is relatively clan. By ISO 1600 though the noise reduction system turns the images a little mushy. They’re usable but detail gets lost as the NR attempts to hide any image grain.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5 Review

DCResource have reviewed the Nikon Coolpix S51 camera, which features a distinctive wave-surface design and a 8.1 megapixel sensor.

“The Nikon Coolpix S51 is a fairly average ultra-compact camera that doesn’t particularly stand out in any one area. The biggest thing going for it is probably in the value department. For under $200, you get an 8 Megapixel camera, 3X zoom, image stabilization, and a huge LCD. Photo quality is decent, though there’s certainly room for improvement. My biggest issues with the S51 relate to performance: it’s sluggish in almost every area, and battery life is the worst in its class. I’m not a huge fan of its ergonomics, either. The Coolpix S51 is worth a look, but I’d recommend spending a little more on a better performing camera instead.”

Website: DCResource - Nikon Coolpix S51 Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Fujifilm Z10fd, a 7.2 megapixel digital camera with a a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5” LCD screen.

“The Fuji FinePix Z10fd offers a nice combination of style and technology that really appeals to the younger, on the go, generation of photographers. The ultra-compact model is incredibly easy to use, and with the full auto mode, anyone can slide the camera open and start taking nice pictures. There are also several more advanced features for the novice or more creative photographer. With a street price of US$199 or less, we feel with its style, performance and image quality, the Z10fd will be a popular model this year.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Fujifilm Z10fd Review

The winners of the February 2008 PhotographyBLOG Competition have been selected by a panel of judges. The theme for February was “Natural Patterns” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Peacock_7166 by jimmyedmonds

Prize: ShutterPoint.com one-year subscription with 100Mb of storage space
Kindly donated by ShutterPoint.
http://www.shutterpoint.com

DxO has added 10 new lenses, including popular zooms and fish-eyes, to its library of lens correction modules for DxO Optics Pro v5. The addition of these lenses, designed specifically for the Nikon D3 and Nikon D300 digital SLR camera bodies, bring the total number of lens correction modules available to DxO Optics Pro users to nearly 700. “We are constantly extending our library of DxO Lens Modules to offer photographers worldwide the greatest selection of correction capabilities,” said Luc Marin, vice president of the DxO Labs Photography Business. “Combined with the batch-processing capabilities of DxO Optics Pro, this means workflow improvements for even the most serious photographers.”

The Corsair 16GB Flash Voyager GT is a new high performance USB 2.0 flash drive. The new 16GB Flash Voyager GT utilizes Corsair’s proprietary water and shock resistant all-rubber casing. “People expect Corsair to deliver the highest performing products,” said Jack Peterson, VP of Corporate Marketing at Corsair.  “That’s why our latest Flash Voyager GT offers both higher speeds and higher capacities than standard USB drives, making them ideal for discerning customers,” added Peterson. The Corsair 16GB Flash Voyager GT is available now and costs $169.99 USD.

HP today celebrated the 20th anniversary of the HP Deskjet printer, the world’s top-selling printer brand. The new HP Deskjet D2500 Printer Series and HP Deskjet F4200 All-in-One Series have been introduced to help mark the occasion. Both printer series feature new HP 60 ink cartridges with HP Vivera inks, offering laser-quality black text and vivid graphics with water- and smudge-resistant properties. The HP Deskjet D2500 will cost $49 and be available in Spring 2008. The HP Deskjet F4200 will cost $79 and be available in Spring 2008.

The first 2 winners of the Getty Images 2008 Grants for Editorial Photography have been announced. Ian Martin and Lorena Ros will each receive $20,000 in funding, enabling them to pursue new documentary photography projects. Ian Martin’s project, “Hidden Minority: South Africa’s White Poor,” looks at the little-known problem of white poverty in post-apartheid South Africa. Lorena Ros’ project “Silent Witness” documents the impact and prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in America. Martin and Ros were selected from 139 applicants from 29 countries.

“My Shot” from National Geographic Magazine allows photographers of all skills to create their own web page at www.ngm.com to display their best photographs. “My Shot” members are able to upload and save up to 100 photographs on their own “My Shot” page. “My Shot” members can also submit their photos to National Geographic’s popular “Your Shot” feature, with the chance of being published in National Geographic Magazine.

Jackson Fine Art is showing work from the last segment of acclaimed photographer Sally Mann’s What Remains, a series which explores the intricacies of death. These large-format, up-close portraits were created using wet-plate collodion negatives, an arduous process first used by photographers ten years before the Civil War. A small selection of Mann’s recent self-portraits will also be on display. The exhibition runs from March 7 - April 26, 2008 at Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta, USA.

There’s just one more day to claim a free Olympus E-1 power grip. The Olympus UK E-System User Group website, e-group.uk.net, has 50 sets of Olympus HLD-2 power grips, batteries and chargers compatible with the Olympus E-1 DSLR to give away. Once costing £300, the end of line stock for the original E-System DSLR have been donated by Olympus UK to E-1 users in the UK via the site. The only catch is that you only have until the end of Friday 29th February to claim one. As of lunch time on Thursday there are still a few left to claim.

Website: Olympus UK E-System User Group

Ben Willmore’s HDR Mastery Course shows step by step how to master High Dynamic Range images. “Ben Willmore is the master in high dynamic range image processing and xTrain is thrilled to offer his online training videos to our growing learner community,” said Siotha Vest, xTrain’s Director of Training. The course features 4 classes including Shooting for HDR, Merging Exposures, Processing HDR Files, and Enhancement. It costs $79 to enroll, or you can subscribe for $19.99 a month or $199 a year for unlimited access to all of xTrain’s courses.

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.

Nikon USA have redesigned their website with a completely new visual user interface. The Web site, www.nikonusa.com, is accessible starting February 27th at 8 p.m. EST. A new blog called “Your Shot” encourages users to comment and share their ideas to improve the website’s design.

Kodak and Wal-Mart have announced a program to recycle used materials from in-store picture kiosks. 4,100 Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs in the U.S. that operate KODAK Picture Kiosks will annually recycle 2 million pounds of thermal printer ribbon, spools and cartridges. “Kodak has a long record of responsible behavior related to environmental issues, and this initiative is a world’s first in the photo kiosk business. Together, Wal-Mart and Kodak are helping to make the planet a better place for our children.” said Nicki Zongrone, General Manager Retail Systems Solutions and Vice President of Eastman Kodak Company.

Jalbum.net has launched a new website for the sharing of photo albums. Great photos and the multitude of presentations that users produce with the software will be on show on the new community site. “The Jalbum community is passionate about the presentation of photos. With the release of our new site, we are providing a better way of sharing albums created with our software. As our users often express an interest via images, this site will make it easier for them to connect with likeminded” said David Ekholm, Jalbum’s founder.

A report commissioned by UK photobook retailer Yophoto forecasts that the photobook market will grow 70% in 2008 and will increase by 2.5 times from 2007 by 2010. Nick Baldwin and David Lavington, co-founders of Yophoto commented “As a team, we have over 14 years experience in the printing industry. We set ourselves apart from our competitors with state of the art HP Indigo machinery, traditional hand-binding methods and in-house British production”. Aimed at professional photographers, Yophoto is dedicated to providing a personal photobook service, whilst offering bespoke print services such as dust jackets, laser etching and multiple orders.

Apple has refreshed its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, larger hard drives and 2GB of memory. Every MacBook Pro now includes a trackpad with Multi-Touch gesture support for pinch, rotate and swipe, making it more intuitive than ever to zoom and rotate photos. The revised MacBook lineup comes in three models and includes faster processors and larger hard drives. The new MacBook and MacBook Pro models are now shipping and will be available through the Apple Store.

The new Skooba Superbungee Shock Absorbing camera strap promises to lessen fatigue and muscle aches. The underside of the strap is covered with the Air Square system, consisting of individual, air-filled cells that add significant additional shock absorption and comfort. “We asked ourselves what would happen if there was some sort of active shock-absorber to cushion the load. The solution, after a lot of trial-and-error, was that we attached the camera strap ends to a freely-floating bungee cord loop” commented Tenba/Skooba’s Peter Waisnor. The Skooba Superbungee Camera Strap is available in a variety of color combinations, at a suggested retail price is $19.95.

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.