The Nikon D80 Dbook covers digital photography basics, taking pictures, image optimization, lenses, accessories, and much more. Comprised of 620 digital pages in Acrobat format, the Nikon D80 Dbook offers clickable examples and digital images that explain before-and-after situations. The Nikon D80 Dbook is available now for $44.95 USD, £27.99 GBP.

Popular Science has selected the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd digital camera as the recipient of a 2007 Best of What’s New award in the Gadget category. The editors of Popular Science singled out the FinePix F50fd as “the first camera that can detect faces —to optimize focus, exposure and color—even if people are turned to the side or looking up or down.” “We are excited and proud to receive this honor from Popular Science,” said Bill Drysdale, vice president and general manager, Electronic Imaging Products, FUJIFILM, U.S.A.  “Their recognition of the technical innovations in our FinePix F50fd, further reinforces Fujifilm’s culture of photography.”

Award winning marine photographer Kos Evans is to exhibit her work at the Earls Court Boat Show in London. The exhibition, “Against the Elements”, will feature some of Evans’ most breath-taking photography from the last 25 years. The Earls Court Boat Show takes place at Earls Court from 1st to 9th December 2007.

VRMAG is an online travel, photography and technology magazine supported with stunning 360-degree virtual reality panoramas from some of the world’s top photographers. Re-launched this week, the latest issue of VRMAG features contributions from around 29 of the world’s top panoramic photographers. “This is an influential publication within the VR community, and a key forum for users to exchange ideas and see the full potential of this medium. We are very pleased to welcome Marco and his team back.” said Dominique Pouliquen, REALVIZ CEO.

The Olympus FE-300 is the new top-of-the-range model in Olympus’ entry level FE series of digital cameras. Sporting a mainly metal build and retailing for around the £200 / $300 mark, first impressions of the new slim-line FE-300 from Olympus are good. On paper at least the Olympus FE-300 seems to have it all: 12 megapixel resolution, face detection technology plus high ISO functionality (an impressively broad range from ISO 50 up to ISO 6400) alongside a standard 3x optical zoom and 2.5-inch, high resolution screen. So, the question is, have the Olympus FE-300‘s good looks and numerous features been delivered at the expense of operation and performance? Gavin Stoker took it all the way to Japan to find out.

Website: Olympus FE-300 Review

Christmas isn’t even here yet, but already the rumour-mill is starting ahead of January’s CES and PMA trade shows, where the new cameras for 2008 will be unveiled. First rumour up is the Pentax K20d and Pentax K200D, logically-named successors to the K10D (pictured, first announced in August 2006) and the K100D (first announced in May 2006). The K20D will allegedly have a 14 megapixel sensor, instantly pushing it ahead in the resolution race, with a new 14 bit RAW A/D processor, improved shake reduction and 3 inch screen. The cheaper K200D will feature a 10 megapixel Sony sensor, 12-bit image processor, 11 AF points and 3fps continuous shooting. It all sounds perfectly feasible, although the original Chinese website from which this info is derived is rather worryingly bereft of details. Still, this should be enough to whet the appetites of all Pentax owners and would-be DSLR purchasers until the official announcement is made on January 24th (again, an unconfirmed rumour).

Website: Engadget - Pentax rumored to be readying K20D, K200D DSLRs

Website: Photography Bay - Pentax K20D and K200D

Canon has released a new firmware update, version 1.1.3, for the EOS-1D Mark III DSLR camera. This firmware update incorporates the following improvements and fixes.

  1. Increases transmission speed when using high-speed SD cards.
  2. Fixes a phenomenon involving not being able to release the shutter.
  3. Improves AF tracking in specific conditions.
  4. Corrects errors in the Spanish and Korean menu screens.

Website: Canon EOS-1D Mark III Version 1.1.3 Firmware Update

The Metz 48 AF-1 flashgun is the world’s second USB TTL Flashgun, which allows firmware updating via the internet. Following on from its big brother, the 58 AF-1, the Metz 48 AF-1 has a guide number of 48 and can be used with Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung and Sony DSLRs. The 48 AF-1 is supported by a full swivel reflector system, including an extractable reflector card and a diffuser.

DxO Labs have announced three new products which help overcome the limitations of ever shrinking pixels used in high resolution, small form factor camera modules. DxO’s technologies offer enhanced depth of field or EDoF, with industry-best image processing technology, including anti-aliasing demosaicing, sensor and pixel level noise compensation and DSC-class auto exposure and auto white balance. “Despite the performance limitations of today’s ever shrinking pixels, we believe that with the application of DxO imaging technologies in embedded platforms such as camera phones, image quality equivalent to that of digital still cameras can be achieved,” said Jerome Meniere, CEO of DxO Labs.

PhotoVu have added support for Mac OS X Leopard, iPhoto ‘08 and .Mac Web Gallery to their wireless digital picture frames. “Our PhotoVu customers who use the Mac OS X Leopard operating system and iLife ‘08 recognize PhotoVu as ‘the’ premium digital picture frame to accurately and seamlessly display their life’s photos directly from a iPhoto ‘08 digital picture library or from their .Mac Web Gallery using RSS.” said Robert Jordan, Partner, PhotoVu. Customers with a current software update plan can access the new version of software starting today.

The Lite-On EZ-DUB DVD writer has been redesigned to create a compact, more elegant appearance. Two new touch sensitive buttons on the top of the unit are used for for duplicating a disc and backing up files from a computer. “The new EZ-DUB is still the easiest way users can quickly duplicate discs or backup computer files but its elegant exterior also adds to the overall décor of an office or workstation,” says Christine Hsing, marketing manager at PLDS.  “Functionally, the EZ-DUB drive uses SmartWrite technology to optimize write speed and disc quality for added time-saving operation.”

Beating off competition from over 200 entries, ten finalists have the chance of being crowned Young Fashion Photographer of the Year at Clothes Show Live 2007. The overall winner will receive a set of fantastic prizes including £2000 worth of prize money, £1000 worth of Nikon photographic equipment, £1000 donated to her college art department plus an internship with leading Fashion Photographer Will Whipple. “I cannot believe I am part of such an amazing event like the Clothes Show Live. I’m so excited that my photograph is be to mounted at the show and that key industry figures will be looking at my work!” commented finalist Joanna Briggs, 19 from Stafford College (entry pictured). The judging panel will announce the winner at 1pm, Tuesday 11th December 2007.

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Canon IXUS 860 IS, an 8 megapixel camera which offers a 28mm 3.8x wide-angle zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer.

“The Canon IXUS 860 IS is an expensive camera for an 8MP pocket compact, but it justifies it with stylish design, exceptional build quality, class-leading performance and outstanding picture quality. Its wide zoom range provides greater versatility than most other compacts, and it turns in excellent results in virtually any situation. It is certainly one of the best compact cameras on the market, and will no doubt make a welcome gift for many this Xmas.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon IXUS 860 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon IXUS 860 IS Review

Megapixel.net have reviewed the HP R742 camera, which features an all-metal body, 3x optical zoom, 7 megapixel sensor and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“But, as is always the case, the R742’s photos — those captured under good lighting conditions — print better than they look on a monitor. And, with its 7-megapixel resolution, the HP R742 has little difficulty producing crisp and pleasant 5 x 7 inch (11 x 17 cm) prints. And, in view of its economical price, and its simplicity of use, that may well be ideal for many casual photographers.”

Website: Megapixel.net - HP R742 Review

Nikon have announced a new, improved version of Capture NX, its main image editing application. Nikon Capture NX 1.3 adds support for RAW NEF images taken with the new D3 and D300 DSLR cameras. Nikon have also released a trial version of Capture NX 1.3.

Image Doctor 2 is a new Photoshop plug-in from Alien Skin Software that restores and retouches photos. Image Doctor’s unique software algorithms can save what would be the perfect photo from the trash bin while saving you hour upon hour of Photoshop work trying to fix it. Image Doctor 2 is available now for $199, or $99 to upgrade from a previous version.

Research by Canon has revealed that that 86% of Brits believe they’re un-photogenic, with over half insecure about their stomachs! A third of us take action to hide double chins being seen in photos. Londoners are the most vain with more than a quarter admitting to regularly re-touching images to improve how they look. One in five people in the UK even believes that they have appeared in up to 5000 pictures in their lifetime.

The new Olympus Mju 790 SW Winter Kit includes a mju 790 SW camera in Starry Silver, neoprene case, a stylish Rossignol beanie and a fun snow tube. The Olympus Mju 790 SW camera is shockproof* to 1.5m, waterproof to 3m, and freezeproof to -10°C. The Olympus Mju 790 SW Winter Kit is available now throughout Europe.

Picaboo today announced a Professional Wedding Photographer Program offering special pricing, priority support, and early access to new features. The free Picaboo software turns photos into photo books and greeting cards. Wedding photographers can easily and affordably move beyond offering old-fashioned photo albums and into the new world of artistic, story-rich photo books. Pricing starts at just $9.99 for an 8x6” 20-page soft cover photo book, and spans to $49.99 for an 8.5x11” 20-page hard cover padded leather photo book.

DCResource have reviewed the 8 megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 digital camera, which offers a 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC lens (28-100mm), optical image stabiliser, face detection and intelligent scene selection.

“Overall, the Lumix DMC-FX55 produces good quality images. Exposure was almost always accurate, and colors were generally pleasing, though a little more saturation wouldn’t hurt. Photos were slightly soft, but not enough to bother me. The exception is near the corners of the frame, where things can be blurry (this is a common issue on ultra-compacts). Purple fringing was well controlled, for the most part. As for noise, it’s visible starting at the lowest ISO setting, especially in shadow areas. There’s a bit of detail smearing as well, though I do think that it’s been toned down a bit compared to other Panasonic models.”

Website: DCResource - Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 Review

Website: Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 Review