TrustedReviews have reviewed the Casio EX-Z1050, a 10.1 megapixel digital camera which features a new 2.6-inch wide, 14:9 aspect ratio LCD display.

“I found the overall picture quality to be outstanding. The EX-Z1050 uses very low file compression, so it can take full advantage of the extra resolution generated by that big sensor. File sizes average around 5MB, but go as high as 7.5MB for some more detailed subjects. While the gain in fine detail over a seven or eight megapixel camera isn’t hugely significant, it is there if you look.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Casio EX-Z1050 Review

General Electric digital cameras, first announced at PMA back in March, will be available for the first time on the Home SHopping Network (HSN). On May 1 HSN will introduce the GE G1 as “Today’s Special.”  “The significance of our partnership with HSN is underscored by the fact that May is National Photo month,” said Rene Buhay, vice president of sales North America for General Imaging. GE cameras are expected to be on store shelves later in May.

Phase One have released version 3.7.7 of Capture One PRO, which adds camera support for the Leica DIGILUX 3, Fuji S5, Nikon D40, Pentax K10D, Pentax K100D and Olympus E-400

Website: Capture One PRO 3.7.7 (Windows)

Website: Capture One PRO 3.7.7 (Mac)

Ulead VideoStudio 11 and Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus are the newest versions of Corel’s award-winning consumer video editing and DVD authoring software. VideoStudio now includes the industry’s first AVCHD editing solution, whilst the Plus version provides an end-to-end solution for capturing, editing, authoring and burning HD DVD videos. Ulead VideoStudio 11 costs $89.99 USD for the standard version and $129.99 USD for the Plus version.

Genuine Fractals 5 and Genuine Fractals Print Pro 5 Photoshop plug-ins are now shipping. Genuine Fractals 5 enables you to enlarge digital images over 1000% with no loss in image quality. “Perfect for any photographer who needs to make sharp large format and poster sized prints as well as graphic designers, this complete overhaul of Genuine Fractals makes it easier than ever to produce prints with no loss of sharpness or details from their digital image files.” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. Pricing for Genuine Fractals 5 is $159.95 for new users and $69.95 for users upgrading from a previous version bought before December 18, 2006.

Nikon has once again teamed up with the London Wetland Centre to offer a special wildlife photography weekend at the London Wetland Centre on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May. As part of the weekend’s activities, wildlife photographer Chris Packham will be hosting a talk each day and leading a number of special wildlife walks around the reserve. John McDonald, Nikon’s Solutions Manager, will give a lecture on photography technique on both days to enable you to develop your wildlife photography and learn some useful hits and tips. Throughout the weekend Nikon specialists will be on hand to answer questions and there will also be the opportunity to try out the latest photography and sport optics equipment.

The new Digi-Slave Flex-Ring 6400 is a powerful, versatile LED ring light ideal for macro photography. Equipped with 64 oversized, super-bright white LEDs, 32 in the ring and two flexible arms with 16 each, the Digi-Slave 6400 features a variable power dial to quickly and easily optimize the light output. A larger inner diameter makes the Flex-Ring 6400 perfect no matter the lens size of your digital camera. It can be used as a continuous light source, and can also be triggered from a standard PC or hot-shoe sync. This compact, lightweight Digi-Slave Flex-Ring 6400 ring light is perfect for any kind of close-up photography and takes 4AA batteries or an optional power adapter. Contact SR Inc. at http://www.srelectronics.com for more information.

Xerox are working on a new “Color Language” that will allow users to adjust colours in a document simply by describing it. Users can type “make the sky a deeper blue” or give a voice command “make the background carnation pink” and the software does the work. “You shouldn’t have to be a color expert to make the sky a deeper blue or add a bit of yellow to a sunset.” said Geoffrey Woolfe, principal scientist in the Xerox Innovation Group. Wolfe found that common words used to distinguish different shades and colors could be mapped to the technical language of color created by engineers.

The Online Photographer have reviewed the Leica M8 digital rangefinder camera, which has a 10 megapixel sensor, focal factor of 1.33x and an ISO range of 160-2500.

“To sum up from above, the M8 doesn’t quite make it for me as an M camera. It’s physically similar to the film versions but misses the gestalt, perhaps unavoidably. To me it ends up feeling more like a weird replica of an M than a real one. And it’s a decent but not great digital camera, bettered by average DSLRs in both operability and, to a lesser extent, image quality.”

Website: The Online Photographer - Leica M8 Review - Part 1
Website: The Online Photographer - Leica M8 Review - Part 2

Latest Prices / User Reviews

PCMag have reviewed Adobe Photoshop CS3, a major upgrade offering new innovations in editing power and productivity for designers and photographers.

“Just about anyone who’s serious about using a computer as an art tool has Photoshop, or wishes to have it. This 800-pound graphical gorilla has been tooling up for a refresh for quite some time now, and the early signs were quite good, as my review of the beta showed. With Photoshop CS3, Adobe has delivered on that early promise—and then some.”

Website: PCMag - Adobe Photoshop CS3 Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the FujiFilm S5 Pro digital SLR camera.

“So does it work? Does the S5 Pro actually produce better colour and tonal range than an equivalent SLR with a conventional CCD? The short answer is yes, but at a price. I found that in exact comparison shots with the Nikon D40x which I still have, and with my own Sony A100, the S5 produced roughly two stops of extra dynamic range, with enhanced shadow detail and highlights.”

Website: TrustedReviews - FujiFilm S5 Pro Review

Website: Read our FujiFilm S5 Pro Review

The Sony S800 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 6x zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD screen and silver all-metal body. The S800 features a 1/1.8inch Super HAD CCD sensor, ISO 1250 mode and macro shooting up to 2cms. The supplied NiMH AA battery pack allows 390 shots between charges, and there’s 54MB of internal memory. The Sony S800 will be available throughout Europe from end of May 2007, pricing to be announced.

The Kingston Photo Loader Card is a 1Gb SD card that automatically transfer your photos from your PC to a Shutterfly account. Purchasers of the card also get 25 free 4” x 6” prints from Shutterfly. The Photo Loader Card costs $12.99 and is available only through Amazon.com.

Ricoh have released a firmware update, v1.36, for the Ricoh R6 camera.

Modified the following phenomenon.
If you playback a picture with the [Quick Review] button in the shooting mode, and then if you click [OK] button to playback it enlarged, the location window in the right corner of the LCD may dissappear.

Website: Ricoh R6 v1.36 Firmware Update

Nikon have published 20 different tips and tricks articles for their Nikon Capture NX digital image editing software. These downloadable tips and tricks documents are easy step by step guides which will allow you to get more from your software. All documents are provided in .pdf format for easy download and print.

Website: Nikon Capture NX Tips and Tricks

runningsports is running a photography competition from now until July, with the focus on the behind-the-scenes volunteers at sporting events. As well as the chance to have your photography featured in runningsports’ next advertising campaigns, you could win £250 worth of photography equipment.  Ten runners up will each receive a £15 Jessops vouchers. Closing date is Sunday 8th July 2007.

DCResource have reviewed the Canon Powershot SD1000 camera (called the Digital IXUS 70 in Europe), which is Canon’s slimmest optical zoom camera.

“Overall, the PowerShot SD1000’s photo quality is very good. The photos taken with the camera have accurate, saturated colors, pleasing sharpness, and minimal purple fringing. It did seem like my photos were overexposed by a 1/3 stop, and if you agree you may want to fool around with the exposure compensation on your own camera. There’s also the corner blurring that I mentioned earlier, though this won’t show up unless you’re making very large prints, or viewing the image at 100% on your computer screen.”

Website: DCResource - Canon Powershot SD1000 Review

Website: Read our Canon Powershot SD1000 Review

Thom Hogan has reviewed the new Nikon D40x DSLR, which features a 10.2 megapixel sensor, producing 3,872 x 2,592-pixel images, 3D Colour Matrix Metering II system and 2.5 inch LCD screen, all in the most compact Nikon DSLR ever.

“Amazingly, the D40x does a bit better than the D80 in the noise department, apparently due to slightly more aggressive noise reduction, as the level of detail is slightly lower at ISO 1600 on the D40x than it is on the D80. But again, ISO 100 to 1600 produced very usable images.”

Website: Thom Hogan - Nikon D40x Review

Website: Read our Nikon D40x Review

Megapixel.net have just reviewed the new Panasonic DMC-FZ8 camera.

“Clearly, the DMC-FZ8 seems to be a bit more prone to noise than we would like. It does offer, however, a RAW format that makes it possible to circumvent most of the problem with minimal effort using the software included with the camera. Moreover, an adjustment to the camera’s default settings — as long as the camera is used in the more advanced modes — usually produces good images, and will allow users to take full advantage of a good and powerful lens and and an effective stabilization system.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Panasonic DMC-FZ8 Review

CameraLabs have reviewed the Pentax 40mm (pictured) and 70mm prime lenses.

“There’s no denying the Pentax DA 40mm and 70mm Limited lenses are pretty special. Their incredibly compact design is pretty much unique to Pentax and unlike anything offered by other DSLR manufacturers. The DA 40mm f2.8 Limited is particularly impressive in this regard, measuring just 15mm thick. Indeed when viewed from the side you really have to give it a double-take and verify the photographer isn’t trying to take a shot using a hefty body cap.”

Website: CameraLabs - Pentax 40mm and 70mm Lens Review