TrustedReviews have reviewed the HP Photosmart A826, a compact photo printer that features a massive 7 inch color touchscreen. The HP A826 can print borderless 4x6 and 5x7 inch photos, holiday cards, wallets and panoramas.

“Print speeds were generally very acceptable, with 15 x 10cm prints coming through in just under a minute from both PC and memory card. Printing from a PictBridge camera took around 40 seconds longer, so it’s best to take the card out and use it directly. The printer can work with HP’s Premium Plus Photo Paper in both gloss or satin finishes, but is best with its new Advanced paper. Prints are good quality, with plenty of detail and natural reproduction of blues, greens and reds.”

Website: TrustedReviews - HP Photosmart A826 Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Kodak M873 camera, which offers 8 megapixels, a 3x zoom lens and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“Unfortunately the M873 falls down badly in the crucial area of image quality, and for several reasons. While the exposure metering was generally accurate, I was surprised to find that colour rendition, usually a Kodak strong point, was actually rather poor. Colours lacked saturation and looked very drab and washed-out, and I found image noise in the shadow areas of almost every shot, even at the lowest sensitivity setting of ISO 64. At higher ISO settings the image quality deteriorated even further, and pictures at 400 ISO were very poor. At 800 and the maximum of 1600 the images were pretty much unusable, with distorted colour and loss of fine detail.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Kodak M873 Review

ThinkCamera have reviewed the Olympus E-510 DSLR camera, which features a built-in image stabiliser in the camera body. The E510 also has a new image processing engine that offers excellent noise performance and 3fps with a seven image RAW buffer in burst mode.

“Olympus had issues in the past with certain colour reciprocities - the E400 suffered from a slight blue tint, while the E410 had suffered with green colour issues. The E510 doesn’t evade such problems, but the colours are very rich and vivid which can only be taken as a positive. Noise isn’t much of an issue either, with the 100-400 ISO region being virtually without noise. ISO 1600 is noisy, but it’s not ‘bad’ by any means.”

Website: ThinkCamera - Olympus E-510 Review

Website: Read our Olympus E-510 Review

Color Efex Pro 3.0 is the latest version of Nik Software’s award-winning Color Efex Pro collection of photographic filters for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. The new Color Efex Pro 3.0 filter collection now integrates Nik Software’s patented U Point technology for precise selective editing control, includes new and updated filters, and features a completely redesigned user interface. “Color Efex Pro 3.0 is the biggest advancement in the way photographers work with digital photographic filters and will change the way that photographers edit images,” said Michael J. Slater, CEO of Nik Software. “We have always been committed to placing creative control in the hands of photographers and the new filters in Color Efex Pro 3.0 and our U Point technology does exactly that,” Slater concluded. Color Efex Pro 3.0 is available in three versions The suggested retail price for the Complete Edition is $299.95; the Select Edition is $159.95; the Standard Edition is $99.95.

Capture NX photo editing software from Nikon and Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 digital photographic filters for Capture NX can be purchased separately for $329.95 or together for a limited time at a $30 discount. “Professional photographers and advanced amateurs have recognized Nik Color Efex Pro as a big part of their photographic workflow because of its simplicity and power. Bringing Color Efex Pro 2.0 and Capture NX together offers photographers an easy to use and complete photo editing solution,” said Michael J. Slater, president and CEO of Nik Software, Inc. Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro 2.0 for Capture NX includes 75 award-winning filters that offer a tremendous range of traditional and stylistic photo enhancements.

Kubota RAW Workflow for Lightroom is a new DVD that helps photographers learn how to efficiently use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. It guides the user step-by-step from proper organization, to efficient editing, to quickly adjusting the images, to enhancing, to final presentation. “We created this tutorial, derived from our live Lightroom workshops, to help photographers make the most of the features they really need, and to understand the ‘big picture’ of the entire workflow system.” said Kevin Kubota. Kubota RAW Workflow for Lightroom costs $79 and is available now.

PhotoFrame 3.1 and PhotoFrame 3.1 Professional Edition include thousands of frame and matte selections that add a professional finishing touch to any digital image. The choices are endless with PhotoFrame’s selection of border and edge effects such as drop shadows, bevel, glow, border and texture. Photographers at all levels of expertise will appreciate the creative finishing touches that onOne Software’s PhotoFrame 3.1 and PhotoFrame 3.1 Professional Edition provides,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. PhotoFrame Pro 3.1 has been renamed to PhotoFrame 3.1. PhotoFrame 3.1 Professional Edition is identical to PhotoFrame 3.1 in feature set but includes the additional digital frame content that was previously only available in onOne Software’s Pro Digital Frame Bundle.

The Canon iPF9100 and Canon iPF8100 are 60-inch and 44-inch wide printers with newly reformulated twelve-colour LUCIA inks. Replacing the iPF9000 and iPF8000 models, the new iPF9100 and iPF8100 both incorporate an 80 GB hard drive and four enhanced monochrome inks which reduce the occurrence of bronzing. Both printers support next generation “Kyuanos” color management technology for Windows, to deliver output color suitable for different viewing conditions. The Canon iPF9100 and Canon iPF8100 printers will be available in November 2007 for $14,995 and $5,995 respectively.

Canon has introduced two new papers, Polished Rag and High Resolution Coated Bond, for their imagePROGRAF large format printers. At 300gsm/15mil, the Polished Rag is a thick media providing the look and feel of traditional fiber-based photo paper. Polished Rag is available in 8.5 x11,inches, 13 x19 inches and 17 x22 inches cut sheet as well as rolls in widths of 17, 24, 44, and 50 inches. At 120gsm, the new High Resolution Coated Bond Paper is ideal for general office large format printing.

The Xs-Drive Vision 2500 is a new portable storage device with built-in video and audio functions. Equipped with a 2.5"TFT colour screen and 2.5” hard disk drive (60GB up to 160 GB), the Xs-Drive Vision 2500 measures 128×84×26mm and weighs 350 grams. The Xs-Drive Vision 2500 is available now for €199.

Shot entirely with the Nokia N95 mobile phone, the Connected Worlds exhibition visits 9 cities in 5 continents. London, Paris, Venice, New York, San Francisco, Sidney, Capetown, Singapore and Hong Kong are the venues. At up to 7 meters long the images set out to challenge how we look at mobile phone imaging and create a vibrant panoramic portrait of the elements that make each city unique. The Exhibition opens at the Royal Albert Hall On October 24th. The exhibition will be open to the public on two open days, Saturday October 27th and Saturday November 3 from 11.00am - 3.00pm. The images by Henry Reichhold, pioneering photographer and artist, will be printed using an Epson Stylus Pro 9800 44” large format printer and UltraChrome K3 ink. It will be displayed at the Royal Albert Hall. The Connected Worlds project consist of two exhibitions one ‘realworld ’ and one ‘virtual’. The duality of this approach aims to reflect the way in which images are being shared across the world. The Virtual exhibition will open on Nokia’s Secondlife Island on October 24th 2007 and consist of a purpose built Island Gallery that marks Nokia’s entry into Secondlife - opening up the exhibition to a huge new audience.

Snapfish is calling on Britons to upload photos of what makes them happy to help raise money for NCH, the children’s charity. For every photo of happiness uploaded to http://www.snapfish.co.uk/snaphappy, £1 will be donated. Independent research has revealed that Britons think that romantic love is the single best way to achieve happiness, and that laughter is best for a happiness quick fix.

Printroom, an online storefront for photographers, has relaunched a new website with with significant new capabilities and membership services. Photographers can now create their own branded dynamic, Flash-driven websites in minutes. “Until now, photographers had to either settle for a very basic web storefront or spend thousands to have specialists build a custom web site,” said Andrew Baum, Printroom vice president of marketing. “Printroom effectively shortens the distance between the shutter and profits by enabling photographers to have their own compelling Flash website, complete with Printroom’s highly regarded lab services and fulfillment, for just $99 per year.” Printroom has immediately begun offering this new service.

CNET have reviewed the new Canon SX100, the first camera in the new SX series, offering a 10x zoom, image stabilized lens and 8 megapixel resolution.

“What the camera sacrifices in speed, however, it makes up for in photo quality. Perhaps it’s just the result of an extra few months of tweaking since the S5 shipped, but the SX100’s photo quality, especially at higher ISO sensitivity settings, clearly improves upon its siblings. At ISO 800, for example, there’s far less of a mottled look in the SX100’s shots, but with no increased loss of detail. The new lens has better distortion characteristics—less distortion and more symmetry—and photos look sharp without looking oversharpened.”

Website: CNET - Canon Powershot SX100 Review

Website: Read our Canon Powershot SX100 IS Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Olympus Stylus 790 SW, a new shockproof, waterproof digital camera.

“As with all Stylus SW series cameras, the 790 SW features a durable metal exterior and is made watertight by rubber gaskets on the inside to seal gaps and prevent moisture from entering the body. This allows it to be used in a gentle sprinkle or to be completely submerged up to 10 feet. If your picture taking leads to deeper depths, then the optional PT-041 Underwater Housing is required. It can handle water pressure depths of up to 40 meters. Add that with the 790’s various Underwater scene modes, and you have one great little underwater point-n-shoot.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Olympus Stylus 790 SW Review

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Canon A720 IS digital camera, which offers 8 megapixels and optical image stabilization.

“The Canon A720 IS is a unique hybrid of an entry-level budget point-and-shoot and an advanced manual control camera. The PowerShot fits into a rare category of 6x mid-range zooms since most manufacturers tend to stick to the standard 3x optical zoom or push the optics up to 18x. There are, however, a select number of competitors in the field of 6x or 7x optical zoom cameras, though most don’t offer the image quality the A720 IS affords. In general, the Canon A720 IS is a good budget point-and-shoot for automatic shooters who might turn to manual shooters. With its optical image stabilization, mid-range zoom, sub-$250 price tag, and solid performance, the PowerShot A720 IS is a good value.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Canon A720 IS Review

The Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro camera is now available at the reduced price of $1,699.95, along with a a free Power Grip and Pantone Huey Pro. Available only through authorized Fujifilm dealers, the “Get a Grip” promotion represents a total savings of $480. “With this new promotion, we’re happy to make it easier for those photographers who have been waiting for the opportunity to get the S5 Pro,” says Darin Pepple, consumer and professional marketing manager with Fujifilm’s Electronic Imaging Division.  “And the new Power Grip provides a useful, proven tool for the professional photographer.”   

The Hasselblad H3DII-39MS is a multi-shot version of the recently announced H3DII-39 DSLR camera. The H3DII-39MS eliminates the need to interpolate images and enables both single- and multi-shot DSLR capability. “With the H3DII-39MS, in addition to single-shot technology, we’ve included our multi-shot technology to offer professional photographers of still life and architecture a camera system that gives them image quality equal or in many cases superior to anything they’ve experienced before, as well as the functionality, flexibility and ease of use of a digital system.” commented Christian Poulsen, CEO of Hasselblad. The H3DII-39MS will be available from January 2008 for $43,995.

Hasselblad is also announcing the H2F, a simplified, film-only version of the H2 camera, which it is replacing at a substantially lower price. The H2F offers full compatibility with H System HV viewfinders, film magazines, and HC lenses. The Hasselblad H2F will be available from November 2007 for $2,799 body only or $7,678 for the H2F camera kit.

Following the release of the E-3 on Tuesday, Olympus is targeting at least 20% global market share for DSLR cameras within 5 years, according to a report by Reuters. Aiming to become one of the top 3 leaders in the sector, Olympus are taking on the likes of Canon, Nikon and most notably Sony, who recently released the A700 DSLR. Other possible contenders include Pentax, Samsung and Panasonic. Olympus’s current market share is around 8%. Much will depend upon the acceptance of the Four Thirds standard, which all Olympus DSLR cameras and lenses are based upon.

Website: Reuters

The Sony HDMS-S1D Digital Photo Album features an 80GB hard drive, connects to a high definition television via HDMI and can store up to 50,000 high resolution photos. Images can be imported via multiple flash memory card formats, CD, DVD, USB or Ethernet. The HDMS-S1D Digital Photo Album uses Sony’s face detection technology to locate faces in photographs and adjusts the slideshow transitions around the location of faces. The Sony HDMS-S1D will be available in October for about $400.