Kodak is suing Panasonic over four digital camera patents covering image compression, storage, color sensors and previews. Kodak reached an out of court settlement about the same patents with Sony in January. The complaint has bee filed against Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Panasonic Corp., Victor Co., and JVC Americas Corp.

Website: Bloomberg - Kodak Sues Matsushita Over Digital Camera Patents

TrustedReviews have reviewed the new Olympus E-410 DSLR camera.

“Since the E-410 has the same sensor, lens and image processor as the E-510, it’s not surprising that the image quality is also identical. The 10-megapixel Four Thirds sensor, while physically smaller than the APS-C sensors found in most other DSLRs, still produces an equivalent level of fine detail, and high ISO noise control is as good as anything else on the market. As with the E-510, there is perhaps marginally less dynamic range than an equivalent APS-C camera, but if so it is barely noticeable.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Olympus E-410 Review

Website: Read our Olympus E-410 Review

Megapixel.net have reviewed the new Canon S5 IS ultra-zoom compact camera, which features a 12x optical zoom lens equivalent to 36-432mm, optical image stabilizer and 8 megapixel sensor.

“The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is a camera designed for advanced amateurs, and some time is required to tame it and obtain the highest image quality. Nevertheless, it would appear that the 8-megapixel resolution seems to be at the limit of what the lens can support, and with wide angle shots it is not unusual for images to require some post capture sharpening. Similarly, noise is a factor and the S5 IS produces its highest image quality if sensitivity is kept to a maximum of 200 ISO.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Canon S5 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon PowerShot S5 IS Review

CNET have reviewed the Nikon Coolpix L11 digital camera, which offers 6 megapixels, 2.4 inch LCD screen, 3x zoom lens (37.5-112.5mm), maximum ISO of 800 and a choice of 16 Scene modes.

“It’s easy to forget about budget cameras. They don’t tend to be flashy, they rarely have unique features, and they just aren’t very interesting. You shouldn’t count them out, though; some budget cameras offer surprisingly good picture quality for a very low price. The Nikon Coolpix L11 is one such camera, a 6-megapixel point-and-shoot that produces very nice pictures, with a price tag of less than $150.”

Website: CNET - Nikon Coolpix L11 Review

The Samsung i7 is a new breed of all-in-one digital camera, music player and video recorder. The i7 features a large 3 inch touch screen LCD which rotates through 180 degrees, 7 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom and integrated Portable Multimedia Player. The stylish i7 also has 450MB of internal memory and a unique World Tour Guide function. Can the Samsung i7 replace all of your digital devices and also be an effective camera? Mark Goldstein found out in our in-depth Samsung i7 review.

Website: Samsung i7 Review

The Artist’s Guide to GIMP Effects is a beautiful 4-color book that shows how to harness all of the GIMP’s powerful features. It explains how to to retouch photographs, composite multiple images, and create artwork from scratch using one of the world’s most popular free software tools. Author Michael J. Hammel has been using GIMP since version 0.54. Available in August, The Artist’s Guide to GIMP Effects costs US $44.95.

Digital Back Swabs from VisibleDust remove unwanted dust and debris from the CCD surface of digital camera backs. The Digital Back Swabs will come in packages of 12 swabs and will be priced at CND$49.95 (US$45.95). Digital Back Swabs will be available from September 1, 2007.

PictoColor iCorrect Portrait 1.5 is an award-winning skin tone correction plugin for Photoshop. iCorrect Portrait 1.5 features full compliance with the latest Photoshop Plug-in SDK and support for Intel and PowerPC-based Macintosh. iCorrect Portrait 1.5 is available now for $99.95 Free upgrades are available for registered users who purchased iCorrect Portrait on or after January 1, 2007.

Aquent Graphics Institute and O’Reilly Media are holding a global series of training seminars for Adobe CS3 to support the Dynamic Learning series of books. The 3 day seminars will be held in 20 cities in North America, Europe, and Australia, covering Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver and Flash. “Our Adobe Creative Suite 3 training seminars series are a great opportunity for creative professionals to learn first-hand from some of the top Adobe software experts in the world,” said Christopher Smith, President of AGI. You can register for a single day ($99) or all 3 days ($279).

The PhotoVu PV1965w is a 19 inch widescreen digital photo frame, featuring 16:10 viewing and wireless connectivity. “Our customers have been asking us for a wide format viewing wireless digital picture frame and we’re proud to offer the PV1965w to satisfy the needs of our most discriminating digital photography enthusiasts,” said Robert Jordan, PhotoVu co-founder and partner. The PhotoVu PV1965w is available now for $1199.

Image Keyworder is a Windows-based photographer friendly keywording program with a built-in thesaurus. “The thesaurus function means that with a single click you can add several relevant terms to an image. It’s much easier and faster than keywording manually,” explained Yvan Cohen, a Director at OnAsia. An Image Keyworder license for two computers costs just US$ 79.99 including a 12-month thesaurus subscription valued at US$ 39.99.

Four Thirds User have tested the Olympus E-510 DSLR camera’s built-in image stabiliser to find out if it really works as advertised.

“We’ve been testing the new Olympus E-510 in the test lab to find out just how effectively its new Supersonic Wave driven moving sensor image stabilisation system (IS) performs. 100s of test exposures later, we have our verdict. We’ve also done a cursory comparison of the effectiveness of Panasonic’s in-lens Mega OIS (optical image stabilisation) system featured in its high-end standard zoom, the Leica Vario Elmarit 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5, when fitted to an E-510.”

Website: Four Thirds User - Olympus E-510 Image Stabilisation examined

CameraLabs compares the fors and againsts of compacts and DSLRs to find out which kind of camera you should buy.

“Ultimately you can take pictures of people, landscapes, or close-ups with any camera, but some models are better-suited to specific types of photography than others – not to mention being better-suited for certain types of photographers. So what follows is a list of key questions you should be asking yourself when deciding what type of camera to buy – they’ll help you make the important decision of whether to go for a DSLR, a compact or a super-zoom digital camera.”

Website: CameraLabs - Should you buy a DSLR or a Compact?

The Fujifilm S8000fd digital compact camera offers an 18x zoom lens equivalent to 27mm-486mm. Other standout features on the S8000fd include an 8 megapixel sensor, SLR styling, Face Detection, Dual Image Stabilization and ISO 6400 (at 50% resolution). “With the FinePix S8000 fd, Fujifilm is bringing its heritage in photography and industry leading technology to its customers by offering them incredible optical zoom and ISO levels in a camera priced at a level they can afford,” said David Troy, Senior Product Manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. The Fujifilm S8000fd will be available in September 2007 for $399.95.

The Fujifilm S5800 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 10x, 38mm to 380mm zoom lens. Other features of the S5800 include ISO 1600 sensitivity, Picture Stabilization and 2.5 inch LCD screen with a Wide View filter. The Fujifilm S5800 will be available from October 2007.

The Fujifilm F50fd compact digicam has a 12 megapixel sensor, Dual Image Stabilization, and Face Detection 2.0 technology with a a new Automatic Red-Eye Removal feature. Other standout features on the F50fd include a 2.7 inch LCD screen and ISO settings of up to ISO 6400 (at 3MP resolution). “With the introduction of Dual Image Stabilization, Face Detection 2.0, Automatic Red-Eye Removal, and even higher ISO levels, the FinePix F50fd provides users with a powerful compact digital camera that makes it easier than ever for any level photographer to get professional looking photographs.“said David Troy, Senior Product Manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. The Fujifilm F50fd will be available in September 2007 for $299.95.

The Fujifilm Z10fd is a 7.2 megapixel digital camera with a a Fujinon 3x optical Zoom lens and 2.5” LCD screen. Available in 5 different colours - Wave Blue, Wasabi Green, Hot Pink, Sunset Orange, and Midnight Black - the Fujifilm Z10fd also offers Face Detection, IrSimple and a special Blog Mode! “Fujifilm recognized that today’s younger generation wants to be connected with their friends at all times and that there wasn’t a digital camera manufacturer that really addressed this.” said David Troy, Senior Product Manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. The Fujifilm Z10fd will debut in late September for $199.95.

The Fujifilm Z100fd digital camera has a unique ‘diagonal slide’ lens cover, illuminated ‘Z’ logo, and totally redesigned metal body. The Z100fd features a 5x optical zoom lens, Face Detection system, intelligent red-eye removal and CCD-shift image stabilisation. “The FinePix Z100fd is the perfect ‘social’ camera for the user looking for a combination of classic styling and cutting edge features. We believe that consumers wanting a super-slim camera shouldn’t have to make compromises on image quality or features, and with the Z100fd they don’t.” commented Adrian Clarke, Fujifilm’s Director of Photo Products. The FinePix Z100fd will be available from UK retailers from mid October, pricing to be announced. The Fujifilm Z100fd will be available in the USA in January 2008 for $249.95.

The Fujifilm F480 replaces the F470 and now offers an 8.2 megapixel sensor and 4x, 28mm-112mm zoom lens. The F480 also features Picture Stabilization mode, 2.7 inch LCD display and a handy Mode Dial. “We wanted to provide consumers with an easy to use, compact camera, that can be dropped into a pocket, making it easier to never miss a great photo opportunity,” said David Troy, Senior Product Manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. The Fujifilm F480 will be available in September 2007 for $179.95.

The new Fujifilm A920 is a 9 megapixel entry-level digital camera aimed at the first-time buyer. The A920 features Super CCD sensor technology, a 4.0x optical zoom lens, Picture Stabilization mode and a large 2.7 inch LCD screen. The Fujifilm A920 will be available in September 2007 for $199.95.