PMA 2007: Two of the three lenses that Pentax first announced at Photokina last year have now made it to full production status. The smc PENTAX-DA* 16-50mm F2.8ED AL[IF] and smc PENTAX-DA* 50-135mm F2.8ED were both on the Pentax stand at this afternoon’s Sneak Peek event at PMA 2007, mounted on a K10D DSLR. These lenses are designed for use with PENTAX K- and *istD series of digital SLR cameras. They are positioned as premium, high-end ‘star’ (*) lenses, which will deliver exceptional performance and optimal image quality. They both feature the PENTAX KAF2 mount, which incorporates additional electrical contacts to drive a built-in supersonic motor used in auto focusing.

PMA 2007: The Olympus E-510 DSLR camera was on show at today’s Sneak Peek event at PMA (so-called because a large number of exhibitors show off their wares to the press). I got 5 minutes of hands-on time with a working sample of the E-510, which feels smaller than it looks in the glossy brochure shots, but still large enough to hold comfortably. Tomorrow morning Olympus are organising a dawn trip to the desert, so more pictures of the E-510 and E-410 (and maybe some sample photos) to follow…

PMA 2007: The Olympus E-410 DSLR camera was also on show at today’s Sneak Peek event at PMA. I got a few minutes of hands-on time with a working sample of the E-410, which I find a little too small for my largish sized hands, but will appeal to all the Olympus OM fans out there. Tomorrow morning Olympus are organising a dawn trip to the desert, so more pictures of the E-510 and E-410 (and maybe some sample photos) to follow…

PMA 2007: Delkin Devices have announced their new eFilm ExpressCard 54 CF and eFilm ExpressCard 34 mm 6-in-1 readers. The Delkin ExpressCard 54 CF reader is the first UDMA enabled ExpressCard reader, whilst the ExpressCard 34 6-in-1 reader offers transfers from Secure Digital and SDHC memory cards. The eFilm CompactFlash ExpressCard 54 will cost $59.99, available in early April, 2007. The eFilm ExpressCard 6-in-1 reader is $59.99, available immediately.

Nik Software’s noise reduction tool Dfine 2.0 now includes the company’s patented U Point technology for selective editing control and a completely new user interface. Dfine 2.0 addresses the issue of digital image noise with unprecedented selective control and a revamped image processing core, which provide superior noise reduction while maintaining detail and sharpness in an image. Dfine 2.0 will be available in Q2, 2007 for $99.95.

PMA 2007: PhotoPresets for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom are a free collection of 20 custom presets developed by Jack Davis that allow photographers who use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to instantly apply various adjustment settings. “These presets were designed for onOne Software by Jack Davis to further simplify a photographer’s workflow allowing them to spend more time taking pictures. These will be a perfect addition to any photographer’s toolbox” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. PhotoPresets for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom are free of charge and are immediately available from onOne Software’s website (www.ononesoftware.com).

PMA 2007: Essentials for Adobe Photoshop Elements includes technology from onOne Software’s highly acclaimed Intellihance Pro, Mask Pro, PhotoFrame Pro, and Genuine Fractals software products fine-tuned specifically for Adobe Photoshop Elements. Users can easily correct the color of their photos, cut out and separate foreground and background objects, add a unique border and edge around their photos and increase the size and resolution of their photos. onOne Software’s Essentials for Adobe Photoshop Elements is available for $59.95 in the first week of April 2007.

PMA 2007: The Mask Pro 4.1 beta release includes support for 16-bit images and the Macintosh version is a Universal Binary. The final version will be Photoshop CS3 compatible. Mask Pro 4 provides a complete collection of Photoshop plug-in tools for image masking jobs. Mask Pro 4.1 will be available as a free download to all registered owners of Mask Pro 4.0.

PMA 2007: The Kingston DataTraveler Reader is a USB 2.0 Flash memory drive that provides up to 4GB of storage and includes an onboard SD/MMC expansion slot for reading nine different Flash memory card formats (including SDHC). Available in storage capacities of 1GB, 2GB and 4GB, the Kingston DataTraveler Reader is compatible with both Mac (OS 10.x or higher) and Windows. Prices are $19.99 / £11.60 for 1GB and $34.99 / £19.60 for the 2GB DataTraveler Reader (price of the 4Gb version to be confirmed). Kingston’s DataTraveler Card Reader will be available by the end of March.

PMA 2007: Kingston introduces three new 8GB cards available in Class 2, 4 and 6 speed ratings as well as two new 4GB SDHC cards in Class 4 and 6 speeds. “Today’s higher resolution image devices require larger memory card capacity and faster Data Transfer Rate (DTR) to maximize overall performance,” said Jean Wong, Flash product manager, Kingston. “Our new 8GB SDHC cards, as well as the 4GB Class 4 and 6 cards, satisfy the growing demand to help consumers get the most out of their advanced digital devices.” The new Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 2 card will cost $109.99 / £65.25, Class 4 $114.99 / £71.80 and Class 6 $129.99 / £79.80.

PMA 2007: Panasonic and Leica are developing a new Leica D large-diameter telephoto zoom lens designed specifically for digital SLR cameras. The LEICA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-150mm/ F3.5-5.6 ASPH./ MEGA O.I.S. lens offers a focal range of 28-300mm in 35mm terms and complies with the Four Thirds System. The Leica 14-150mm lens is the first to incorporate Extra Silent Motor (XSM) technology, which assures quick, quiet, accurate auto focusing control. No firm date has been set for the release of the new lens.

The new LEICA D SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 lens (35mm equivalent: 50mm) is a bright, large-diameter F1.4 standard lens. First announced at Photokina in Autumn 2006, the Leica 25mm F1.4 lens will be available in April at a suggested retail price of £749.99.

PMA 2007: The Tamron AF 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO zoom lens is the first ever lens from Tamron to feature built-in image stabilisation, dubbed Vibration Compensation. The new Tamron 28-300mm is suitable for both APS-C size or full size image sensors - when mounted on a DSLR with an APS-C sized sensor, the focal length is around 43-465mm! The proprietary Vibration Compensation mechanism developed by Tamron features a triaxial configuration using three pairs of driving coils and slide balls around the compensator group of the lens’ optical system. Since the compensator lenses are supported with rolling friction of the balls, the response performance is enhanced and the construction is simple, which results in the compactness of the lens. The Tamron 28-300mm lens also incorporates a highly accurate gyro sensor for detecting hand-shake. I’ll hopefully be trying out the new lens on my Canon EOS 5D tomorrow.

PMA 2007: The Kodak Z712, Kodak Z885, Kodak C763 and Kodak C613 digital cameras are unveiled at PMA. The new Kodak Z712 is positioned as an alternative to a DSLR, offering a 12x zoom lens (36-432 mm) and 7.1 megapixels. Available in April, the Kodak Z712 will cost £229. The Kodak Z885 boasts a 5X optical zoom lens (36-180mm) and 8.1 megapixel resolution and up to ISO 8000! Available in May, the Kodak Z885 will retail for £149. The Kodak C763 and Kodak C613 are two new entry-level models. Kodak have also announced the G610 Printer Dock, available in May for £129.99, and a new series of Ni-MH pre-charged batteries (2100mAh, 1.2Volts).

PMA 2007: At PMA, the new Kodak Z885 and Kodak Z712 IS digital cameras with high ISO and image stabilization for taking action pictures in any lighting conditions will be showcased. Kodak will also unveil a lineup of custom photo books, collages and digital photo merchandising products and services that can be produced in-store, on-line and at wholesale.

PMA 2007:Norcent announces new additions to their current line of flash media products. New Secure Digital and Compact Flash memory cards plus its SD Duo, SD Trio cards, Micro SD Reader/Adapter and USB Drive products will be at the PMA show this week. The CF, SD, SD Duo and Trio formats provide our customers with dependable media for almost every device,” stated Dennis Robinson, Norcent CFO.

PMA 2007: Norcent will showcase their 3 lines of digital cameras at this year’s PMA Show. The new Xias (pronounced Kí-as) camera line features a unique, sleek and ergonomic high-end design, whilst the 25 Series camera is an elegant silver color with a brushed metal finish and features a large 2.5” LCD display. The new 50 Series digital cameras will offer a large 3” color LCD screen, 3x optical zoom, Face Detection and Anti-Shake Reduction.

Pentax have released a firmware update, v1.11, for the Pentax K10D DSLR camera.

The following functions has been added in version 1.11:
  1. Correspond to development in the RAW data camera when multiple exposing.
  2. When built-in flash is used the luminescence control by the trailing-shutter-curtain sync was corrected.

Website: Pentax K10D v1.11 Firmware Update

A new firmware download for the LEICA M8 camera is now available. Version 1.092 includes user interface changes and enhanced operational reliability. Note that the planned adjustments for using the specialized UV/IR filters has not been included in this release. Firmware version 1.10 is expected to be available by the middle of April 2007.

The Archos 704 WiFi Portable Media Player is the only PMP with a 7 inch touch-screen and full wireless capabilities. The 704 WiFi offers 802.11g wireless networking, 80GB hard drive, 800x480 pixel resolution with 16 million colors, a touch-screen for simple navigation using fingertips or the included stylus, and video editing capabilities for trimming recorded video directly on the device. The Archos 704 WiFi will be available for $549.99 U.S from mid March.