The Kodak C513 is an entry level digital camera that uniquely uses a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor. Costing less than US $99 and available in August 2007, the Kodak C513 beats the likes of Canon and Sony to the gun by incorporating its KAC-05011 CMOS image sensor. “Traditionally, CMOS has allowed for lower cost camera design but was not able to provide top image quality.  Kodak has changed that dynamic with the introduction of a digital camera at a remarkably affordable price without compromising image quality or camera function.” said John Blake, General Manager, KODAK Digital Capture and Devices.

The Panasonic DMC-FZ18 digital camera features a 18x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28-504mm on a 35mm film camera. The 8.1 megapixel Panasonic FZ18 features the new and unique Intelligent Auto Mode, which automatically selects the most appropriate setting according to the situation. An Optical Image Stabiliser, face detection mode, ISO 6400, a joystick for manual adjustment of focusing and exposure setting and RAW mode complete the headline specs.

We’ve published a selection of sample photos from a pre-production version of the new Panasonic DMC-FZ18 digital camera, taken at the European press event in Dublin, Ireland. Note that these images are resized and are not indicative of the final quality of the Panasonic FZ18.

Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Photos

The 8 megapixel Panasonic DMC-FX55 and Panasonic DMC-FX33 digital cameras both offer a 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC lens (28-100mm), optical image stabiliser, face detection and intelligent scene selection. The FX55 has a large 3 inch LCD screen, whilst the FX33 offers a smaller 2.5 inch monitor. Intelligent Auto Mode automatically selects the most appropriate setting according to the situation.

A new firmware download for the Leica M8 camera will be made available on July 27th. The minor changes within the firmware version accomplish via modification of internal procedures an optimisation of the general image reproduction and the functional features of the LEICA M8.

The new Kingston 4GB miniSDHC card is available in Class 2, 4 and 6 speed ratings. The 4Gb miniSDHC card can store more than 2,000 images, 750 digital music tracks or 4.5 hours of MPEG4 video. “As sleeker, more sophisticated mobile phones, PDAs and MP3 players offer digital imaging, music, video, mobile TV and games, the need for higher data transfer rates, increased storage and smaller form factor expansion memory becomes greater,” said Jean Wong, Flash memory product manager, Kingston. The Kingston 4GB miniSDHC card costs from $62 to $66 (depending on the class).

The Hey, Hot Shot! competition is now accepting entries for the Summer 2007 Edition. Run by the Jen Bekman Gallery in New York, the work of 10 winners will be exhibited from from September 5th - 9th, 2007. The deadline for entry is Tuesday, August 7th, 2007.

The One City, Many Destinations photography competition asks you to pick one image that best captures the essence of a city. The grand-prize winner will receive CITY Magazine’s cover shot, a Leica M8 and other prizes. The deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on July 31, 2007.

Tim Grey, Senior Technology Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation joins IDPB host Scott Sheppard for an inside look at the recent Microsoft Pro Photo Summit. Tim’s background in photography and digital imaging give him insight to helping lead Microsoft’s efforts to bring together the photo industry and discuss their key issues. The summit included some keynotes, photo shoots hosted by their “Icons of Imaging” photographers, and technology showcases. The majority of the summit, however, was focused on panel discussions, open Q&A, and solving the workflow concerns of the participants. One of the hottest topics of the sessions were copyright concerns to help manage the digital rights of photos and the photographers who took them. Other topics included training and education, and using video to capture digital still images.

TrustedReviews 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.

“Despite the lousy weather the E-510 turned in some fantastic shots, thanks in no small part to the outstanding kit lens, which produced pin-sharp detail from corner to corner at all focal lengths. As usual the Olympus metering system was flawless, coping with every lighting condition I tried. Noise control was also superb, with virtually no difference between shots taken at 100, 200 or 400 ISO, and minimal noise at 800. There was some noise visible at 1600 ISO, but even at the default low noise filtering it wasn’t too bad, and did not affect colour balance at all.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Olympus E-510 Review

Website: Read our Olympus E-510 Review

Kingston has increased the write speed of its CompactFlash Ultimate memory cards to 266X. “Kingston’s new CompactFlash Ultimate 266X memory cards maximize a digital camera’s performance, delivering the speed and capacity necessary to complete even the most challenging assignments.” said Mark Akoubian, Flash memory product manager, Kingston. Pricing starts from $83 / £34.60 for the 2Gb card, up to $280 / £116.55 for the 8Gb.

Casio has announced a special edition of its EX-Z75 camera in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The special-edition camera bundle features a pink EX-Z75, camera case embossed with the pink ribbon and a pink ribbon-clad lanyard. “The National Breast Cancer Foundation was founded to give help, support and hope to those facing breast cancer,” said Janelle Hail, Founder and President of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. “We thank Casio, Inc. for joining us in helping save lives through education and early detection.” The special-edition pink Casio EX-Z75 will be available beginning October 2007 costing $179.99.

Leica have released a firmware update, version 1.3, for the Leica Digital Modul R digital back.

The following optimisations were accomplished by the new firmware version:

  * Improved colour rendering on the Digital Modul R display
  * Adjustment of exposure
  * Improved compatibility of SD cards with FAT 32 system /4 GB cards (not SDHC)
  * Numerous internal procedures were implemented that optimise the general image reproduction and functional features of the Digital Modul R

Website: Leica Digital Modul R Firmware v1.3

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Panasonic DMC-TZ3 camera, which fits a 10x optical zoom, 7.2 megapixels and 3 inch LCD screen into a compact, stylish body.

“With a price tag of $349, the Panasonic TZ3 is a good value for a select niche market of consumers looking for a small point-and-shoot with a longer, stabilized zoom lens. There are plenty of image-stabilized, 10x optical zoom cameras out there, but none retain the point-and-shoot simplicity and basic design of the TZ3.  It competes with tiny, itsy-bitsy point-and-shoots that don’t offer the high zoom, and heavier, SLR-styled compacts; however, no other camera currently offers its feature set in a point-and-shoot design. “

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Review

Website: Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Review

DCResource 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.

“While I liked the Olympus EVOLT E-410, I couldn’t get over its too-small size. Thankfully, Olympus put out the E-510 at the same time, adding a larger grip, image stabilization, better battery life, and a bunch of extra features, all for $100 more. And don’t forget the 10 Megapixel CCD, 2.5” live view LCD, full manual controls, and dust reduction system that the E-510 shares with its smaller sibling. Like that camera, the EVOLT E-510 does its best with a little setting tweaking. Once you’ve done that, you’ll get excellent quality photos from an SLR that arguably offers more bang for the buck than any other.”

Website: DCResource - Olympus E-510 Review

Website: Read our Olympus E-510 Review

ePhotoZine have reviewed the Samsung i7 digital camera, which features a 3.0 inch touch screen LCD which rotates through 180 degrees, 7 megapixels, 3x optical zoom and integrated Portable Multimedia Player.

“Well, it’s a sexy beast and no mistake, with the rotating, touch-enabled screen adding even more style. Build quality is high and it looks great. It’s very easy to use with that large, touch-sensitive screen. Performance wise, it’s pretty average and you don’t have to go far before the frailties start to show. The ISO performance is poor and detail resolution for landscapes is indifferent at best.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Olympus E-510 Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Casio EX-Z75, which features a 7.2 megapixel sensor, Anti-Shake DSP mode and other advanced functions.

“Basically, though the Casio Z75, with its standard 3x optical zoom (38mm-114mm/35-mm equivalent) is your basic snapshot camera with some useful extra features and decent, albeit not great, image quality (as long as you avoid high ISOs and the noise-inducing Anti-Shake DSP, which automatically boosts the ISO). The combination of the camera’s small and stylish design, ease-of-use, affordable price and respectably fast performance will appeal to point-and-shooters who want a camera without a steep learning curve to capture their snapshots.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Casio EX-Z75 Review

The FujiFilm S5 Pro is a very specific DSLR camera targeted squarely at wedding, portrait and studio photographers. The S5 Pro offers an expanded dynamic range of up to 400% via the double pixel technology (6.17 million S-pixels and 6.17 million R-pixels) of the camera’s Super CCD SR Pro sensor. A fastest ISO sensitivity of 3200, three new Film Simulation Modes for varying skin tones. and Face Detection are also available. The Fujifilm S5 Pro is based on the Nikon D200 and inherits almost all of that DSLR’s feature set. Does the FujiFilm S5 Pro have what it takes to compete against the likes of the Nikon D200 and Canon EOS 30D? Gavin Stoker finds out.

Website: FujiFilm S5 Pro Review

Canon has developed a new firmware update, version 1.0.9, for the EOS-1D Mark III DSLR camera. This firmware update incorporates the following improvements and fixes:

Improves the look of images when enlarged on the LCD monitor. Applies a slightly stronger sharpness setting to the LCD monitor when images are enlarged.
Improves the consistency of AI Servo AF under certain conditions. Reduces the tendency of the camera to autofocus on high-contrast backgrounds when shooting in conditions where AF detection is difficult, such as when the main subject is not completely covered by the AF frames or if the main subject’s contrast is low.
Provides countermeasures for Main Dial response errors (Main, Quick Control, Vertical-grip Main). Fixes a rare response error in the Main Dials in which they either did not respond when rotated or would change several clicks’ worth even if only clicked once.
Corrects errors in the Italian and Simplified Chinese menu screens.

The new firmware will be made available for download from the Web at the end of July.

The new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G1 digital compact camera is a radical departure from the norm. How many other cameras can you think of that offer a 3.5 inch, 921,000 pixel LCD screen, Wi-Fi connectivity, MP3 player, optical image stabilisation and 2Gb of internal storage? On the other hand the Sony G1 also has some more regular features in the shape of a 6 megapixel sensor and 3x zoom lens equivalent to 38-114mm. To top it all off, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G1 has a suggested retail price of £449 / £600, putting it in direct competition with an entry-level DSLR with kit lens. Is the Sony G1 worth that hefty price premium? We find out in the world’s first online review of the Sony Cybershot DSC-G1.

Website: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G1 Review