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.

Panasonic have announced that they will release a 16GB SDHC Card. Part of the Pro High Speed line-up, the Panasonic 16GB SDHC card will be globally released in November 2007 with an estimated retail price of $319.99. “A key part of the High Definition lifestyle is the expansion of HD camcorders and high-resolution digital still cameras demanding card-based recording media with larger capacity and higher data transfer speeds. Our new model meets this demand with a massive 16GB data storage capacity and a high data transfer speed of up to 20MB/s.” said Zoe Susice, Panasonic’s national marketing manager.

The Adobe Creative Licence Tour 2007 showcases the latest Adobe professional tips and techniques across the UK and Ireland. Starting in London on 17th September, the Creative Licence Tour is free to attend and runs from September through to December. “By taking the Creative Licence Tour on the road we are reaching out to creative communities across the UK and Ireland, providing forums to meet and learn from industry experts and show them the latest tools and workflows that can help them meet the demands and challenges of today’s market.” Mark Wheeler, marketing director, Adobe Northern Europe, commented.

This year’s Photoshop World 2007 conference runs from September 6 to 8 and is located at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, USA. O’Reilly will be offering a 30 percent discount on all books in their current lineup. Also present at O’Reilly’s Photoshop World booth will be authors Deke McClelland, Eddie Tapp, Mikkel Aaland and Derrick Story.

The HP C8180 All-in-One delivers the fastest and easiest way to print photos at home. The C8180 features a 3.5 inch touchscreen LCD plus built-in wireless, Bluetooth and Ethernet connectivity. Available in September in North America, the HP C8180 will cost $399.99.

The HP C7280 All-in-One offers lab-quality photos, laser-quality documents, with copy, scan and fax functionality. Offering built-in wireless and Ethernet connectivity, the C7280 can print up to 34 pages per minute black and 33 ppm color. The HP C7280 has an estimated US street price of $299 and is available in September 2007.

The HP C6280 All-in-One delivers economical, efficient printing of lab-quality photos and laser-quality documents. Offering built-in Ethernet for networking, the C6280 uses a 6 color HP Vivera ink system. The HP C6280 costs $199 and will be available for purchase in September 2007 in North America.

CameraLabs have reviewed the Sony W200, the first 12 megapixel camera on the market, which offers a 3x optical zoom lens, metal body, 2.5-inch LCD screen and an eye-level viewfinder.

“When Sony announced the 12.1 Megapixel Cyber-shot W200, it was hard not have a pre-conceived impression of what it would offer in practice. It’s probably fair to say most of us expected an otherwise great compact, let down by the overly ambitious resolution of its sensor. In reality though, we found the opposite was often the case.”

Website: CameraLabs - Sony W200 Review

The Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM lens is now available for Nikon SLR cameras. After a slight delay due to the launch of the Nikon D40x, Sigma’s 18-200mm lens now features the HSM motor at no extra charge, plus Sigma’s own unique OS (Optical Stabiliser) function. The new Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM lens is priced at £439.99.

The SanDisk Multi Card ExpressCard Adapter offers fast transfer speeds from memory cards to notebook computers. “We expect ExpressCard to completely replace the PC Card standard in the near future, so offering an ExpressCard adapter which integrates many popular card formats is a natural move for SanDisk.” said Matthijs Hutten, Senior Product Marketing Manager at SanDisk. The SanDisk Multi Card ExpressCard Adapter is expected to available in North America and Europe in September, with a price of $29.99 in the United States.