Digital Outback Photo have started a diary review of the Canon EOS 40D digital SLR camera, which offers a 10.1 megapixel sensor, 6.5 fps continuous shooting and 3 inch LCD screen.

“Same comment as for the Canon 1D Mark III: Histogram shows now all 3 channels and the luminance histogram at the same time. So far so good. Unfortunately it is hard to see whether the data clip because the background of the histogram is dark gray and the rest on the LCD is black. It would be much easier to check the histogram if there would be a clear visible line around the histogram area.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Canon EOS 40D Review

CNET have reviewed the new Canon SD870 IS camera, which offers 8 megapixels and a 3.8x, 28mm wide zoom.

“The PowerShot SD870 IS yields very high-quality images with accurate colors and tons of detail, and which are very clean at lower ISOs. The automatic white balance does a very good job of neutralizing colors in different kinds of lighting, but with incandescent lighting, its images have a very slight warm cast. Some people prefer this, since it gives a natural look, as incandescent lighting does give off a warm glow. However, if you prefer a more neutral look in these situations, the tungsten preset does a great job of serving up neutral images”

Website: CNET - Canon SD870 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon SD870 IS Review

Megapixel.net have reviewed the Kodak Z885 digital cameras, which boasts a 5x optical zoom lens (36-180mm) and 8.1 megapixel resolution.

“In view of its manufacturer’s suggested retail price, the Kodak EasyShare Z885 is a camera that is destined to be at the top of anyone’s short list when considering the purchase of a camera with a longer than average zoom and a high resolution. While its monitor offers a comparatively low resolution, that drawback is quickly forgotten when the first photos captured with the camera are viewed. The colour rendition the camera yields is excellent and, as long as they are noise-free, images remain detailed after the compression process.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Kodak Z885 Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Nikon Coolpix S50c camera, which offers offer 7.2 megapixels, a 3x zoom lens (38-114mm), Vibration Reduction, Face-priority AF, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix and D-Lighting, plus a 3 inch wide-angle LCD monitor and Wi-Fi connectivity.

“Image quality was average at best, with image noise visible on shots even at the minimum of 100 ISO, and visible compression artefacts in pictures even at the maximum quality setting. While exposure was generally accurate, colour reproduction was a bit under-saturated and generally lacked contrast. The overall level of detail was also quite low for a 7MP camera, but while the lens wasn’t the sharpest Nikkor glass I’ve ever seen, it was at least consistent, providing reasonable sharpness from edge to edge, albeit with a lot of barrel distortion at the wide-angle end.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Nikon Coolpix S50c Review

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Canon SD850 IS (also known as the IXUS 950 IS), an 8 megapixel digital camera with 4x zoom, image stabilized lens equivalent to 35-140mm.

“Great pictures are hard to put a price tag on, but Canon stuck a $399 tag on this digital camera. This is high in the price range, especially when compared with other digital cameras that have similar features. The optical image stabilization does vault the SD850 into the upper echelon in terms of its pricing; the step-down model, the SD750, has most of the same Exposure modes and components, but without the optical image stabilization and a slightly smaller lens. The SD750 costs $50 less at $349. But while the Canon SD850 IS is expensive, it does take great pictures – and those can be priceless.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Canon SD850 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS Review

Olympus UK have confirmed today that the official public release date for the successor to the E-1 DSLR camera will be October 17th 2007 at 0:00am. The name (currently rumoured to be the Olympus E-3) and full specifications of Olympus’ new flagship DSLR camera will be unveiled then.

The Olympus E-410 has just been reduced in price, plus there’s a £50 cash back offer too. The advertised price of the E-410 has been reduced by around £50 in the UK. The E-410 now costs under £400 for the body only, under £450 for a standard single lens kit and under £550 for the Double Zoom kit. The £50 cash back offer is valid for purchases made on or since Sept 15th 2007 and is planned to run until Dec 31st 2007.

clickbooq allows photographers to create one-of-a-kind websites they can update anytime, without any technical know-how. Highly interactive and engaging Flash websites can be made without sacrificing search engine visibility. “With clickbooq’s user-friendly interface, it was easy to create the site I envisioned and get it up and running without having to involve a web programmer” said fashion photographer Peter Koval.

The Mitsubishi CP-9800DW is a new digital photo printer that can create a 4” x 6” print in just 8.7 seconds and 100 prints in 15 minutes. The CP9800DW offers four print sizes (3.5” x 5”, 4” x 6”, 5” x 7”, and 6” x 9”) with edge-to-edge printing. “Not only does it produce a print quickly, it does so without any sacrifice to the resolution quality of the print. Mitsubishi’s new color management engine ensures vivid images, deeper black tones and smear-free gradation with every print.” commented Darla Achey, product marketing specialist, Mitsubishi. The Mitsubishi CP-9800DW will be available beginning Q3 and will be priced at $2,595.00.

Update September 4th, 2007 - The Mitsubishi CP-9800DW is now shipping.

Lexar will continue to develop Kodak-branded flash memory cards for another 5 years. An expanded distribution and broader portfolio of Kodak branded flash memory products will be created by Lexar. “Kodak has worked closely with Lexar since 2004 to offer our customers leading-edge solutions in flash memory,” said John Blake, General Manager, Digital Capture and Imaging Products and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “We look forward to continuing the positive relationship we’ve established with Lexar”.

AKVIS Enhancer 7 improves detail in underexposed, overexposed and mid tone areas of a photo. Available as a stand-alone application and as a plugin, the new version supports High Dynamic Range Imaging. AKVIS Enhancer Plugin is priced at $69 USD. AKVIS Enhancer Standalone with HDRI support costs $81. A free 10 day trial version is available.

Panasonic has renewed its Official Worldwide Olympic Partnership for a further eight years until 2016. Panasonic continues as the Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Video Equipment category “Through our commitment to the Olympic Movement, we want to make it possible for people around the world to share the passion of the Olympic Games with our HD technologies whether they are in the stadium or watching from home.” said Fumio Ohtsubo.

The HP Photosmart A440 camera and printer dock Series is an easy-to-use, complete photo system. The A440 is compatible with all PictBridge-enabled- and select HP Photosmart E- and M-series digital cameras. The HP A440 has an estimated US price of $179-189 and will be available in September 2007 in North America.

The HP D5360 prints lab-quality photos and laser-quality black text using HP 6 ink color Vivera inks. Featuring a 1.5 inch color LCD display, the D5360 can also print personal photos, designs and text directly onto CDs and DVDs. The HP D5360 will cost $99 and be available in September in North America.

The HP 6988 printer series is aimed at the home and small business customer. Support for wired and wireless networks is included, with print speeds up to 36 pages per minute (ppm) black and up to 27 ppm color. The HP 6988dt also offers an automatic two-sided printing accessory and 250 sheet plain paper tray. The HP 6988 costs $129 and the HP 6988dt $179. Both printers are expected to be available for purchase in September 2007 in North America.

The HP C4385 All-in-One printer, scanner and copier delivers true-to-life photos without a PC. Wireless connectivity, a 1.5 inch color LCD display and Smart Web Printing are all included. The HP C4385 has an estimated US street price of $139 and is available in September.

The winners of the August 2007 PhotographyBLOG Competition have been selected by a panel of judges. The theme for August was “Macro” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
the kiss by benas

Prize: CanvasRus 40 x 30” Canvas Print
Kindly donated by CanvasRus
http://www.canvasrus.co.uk

Phase One have released a Beta version of its Capture One 4 RAW workflow software. New features in Capture One 4 include High Dynamic Range, Variants, Web contact sheet and Multiple up viewing. The first look at Capture One 4 is available now at no cost until November 1st.

The Sanyo HD1000 is the world’s smallest and lightest full HD digital camcorder. The new HD1000 records video in Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) and takes 4 megapixel still images. Other features include a 10x optical HD lens and a large 2.7-inch widescreen LCD display. “The new Xacti HD1000 continues our pioneering approach by combining full 1080i HD video recorded in the advanced AVC/H.264 standard with a massive 2.7-inch widescreen display and a simple hardware and software interface for file saving and TV playback.” said John Lamb, Sanyo’s Senior Marketing Manager for the Xacti camcorder series. The Sanyo HD1000 will be available in the USA in September for $799.99.

SanDisk has expanded its Ultra II memory card range with the addition of a 4Gb SDHC Plus card and 8GB Memory Stick PRO Duo card. Both cards offer fast read and write speeds of 10 megabytes per second. “Our SanDisk Ultra II line of high-capacity memory cards provides increased storage and speed to meet the growing demands of digital photography, so consumers can capture, preserve, and relive their most precious moments.” said Susan Park, senior product marketing manger for SanDisk Ultra II cards. The 4GB SanDisk Ultra II SDHC Plus card has aUS price of $79.99, and the 8GB SanDisk Ultra II Memory Stick PRO Duo card is $159.99. Worldwide availability of both cards is targeted for October.