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Thursday, December 21, 2006

Samsung 1/4 inch 3-megapixel CMOS SensorSamsung Press Release

Samsung Develops ¼-inch 3-megapixel CMOS Image Sensor for Ultra Slim Camera Phones

SEOUL, South Korea—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced the world’s first 3-megapixel (M-pixel) CMOS image sensor (CIS) with a 1/4-inch lens aperture that is well suited for ultra slim camera phones. “The rapidly evolving trend of user created content, blogs, and personal web pages is triggering demand for constant access to high-resolution images, bringing the consumer’s attention to high-resolution camera phones,” said Yong-Hee Lee, vice president of Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Division. “Our 1.75um-pixel, 1/4-inch lens aperture 3M-pixel CIS is a unique combination of Samsung’s high resolution sensor technology and high speed serial interface that brings digital still camera-level picture quality to mobile handsets.”

Samsung Press Release Samsung Develops ¼-inch 3-megapixel CMOS Image Sensor for Ultra Slim Camera Phones SEOUL, South Korea—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced the world’s first 3-megapixel (M-pixel) CMOS image sensor (CIS) with a 1/4-inch lens aperture that is well suited for ultra slim…

Epson Stylus Pro 3800Luminous Landscape have reviewed the new Epson 3800 A2 printer with UltraChrome K3 ink and the smallest footprint on the market.

“Just as a matter of curiosity I made some comparison test prints against the 12 ink Canon iPF 5000, using custom profiles which I made with an Eye One spectrophotometer on Innova F Gloss paper. The prints were so close in appearance as to be uncanny. The Canon showed maybe a smidge more shadow detail and a bit of extra separation in the red step wedge, but it was essentially impossible to tell the prints apart. Excellent performance on the Epson 3800’s part, because the Canon 5000 has heretofor produced the best image quality that I’ve yet seen from any printer.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Epson 3800 Review

Website: Read our Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Review

Luminous Landscape have reviewed the new Epson 3800 A2 printer with UltraChrome K3 ink and the smallest footprint on the market. “Just as a matter of curiosity I made some comparison test prints against the 12 ink Canon iPF 5000, using custom profiles which I made with an Eye One…

Nikon D40DPReview have published their review of the new Nikon D40 entry level DSLR camera.

“The D40 is perhaps one of Nikon’s most important digital SLRs. It’s certainly their smallest and lightest, their most affordable and ships with a fairly decent kit lens too. But noteworthy is the fact that it’s their first digital SLR not to provide Auto Focus to their large range of lenses which do not have built-in AF motors. This was a move which in the grand scheme of things was not unexpected and although disappointing to some is unlikely to be of too much consequence for the average D40 buyer.”

Website: DPReview - Nikon D40 Review

Website: Read our Nikon D40 Review

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DPReview have published their review of the new Nikon D40 entry level DSLR camera. “The D40 is perhaps one of Nikon’s most important digital SLRs. It’s certainly their smallest and lightest, their most affordable and ships with a fairly decent kit lens too. But noteworthy is the fact that it’s…

Kodak Easyshare C875DCResource have reviewed the new 8 megapixel Kodak Easyshare C875 digital camera.

“There’s very little difference between the ISO 64, 100, and 200 shots, and that’s a good thing. At ISO 400 we see some noise reduction artifacts (smudged details), but you should still be able to get a midsize print at that setting. There’s heavy noise reduction artifacting at ISO 800 so I’d save that one for desperation only. It’s interesting to compare these samples with those taken with the Canon PowerShot A710. You can see the different approaches used by each manufacturer. Canon uses very little noise reduction, which makes the high ISO shots look pretty noisy. Kodak, on the other hand, uses a lot of NR, which gets rid of the noise, but at the expense of details.”

Website: DCResource - Kodak Easyshare C875 Review

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DCResource have reviewed the new 8 megapixel Kodak Easyshare C875 digital camera. “There’s very little difference between the ISO 64, 100, and 200 shots, and that’s a good thing. At ISO 400 we see some noise reduction artifacts (smudged details), but you should still be able to get a midsize…

Pentax Optio M20DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the new Pentax Optio M20 compact digital camera.

“This digital camera offers a 2.5-inch, 115,000-pixel LCD screen, a Pentax 3x optical zoom lens, connectivity options to either PictBridge or ImageLink printers, and a number of preset shooting modes. Manual controls on the M20 include EV compensation, ISO up to 1600, flash, and white balance. Fully automatic settings are only available for controls like aperture, shutter speed, and metering. With a limited maximum aperture of just f/3.1 and questionable construction, image quality will again determine the value of this new point-and-shoot. “

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Pentax Optio M20 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the new Pentax Optio M20 compact digital camera. “This digital camera offers a 2.5-inch, 115,000-pixel LCD screen, a Pentax 3x optical zoom lens, connectivity options to either PictBridge or ImageLink printers, and a number of preset shooting modes. Manual controls on the M20 include EV compensation, ISO…

Nikon D80DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have reviewed the new 10 megapixel Nikon D80 DSLR camera.

Website: Digit.no - Nikon D80 Review

Website: Read our Nikon D80 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have reviewed the new 10 megapixel Nikon D80 DSLR camera. Website: Digit.no - Nikon D80 Review Website: Read our Nikon D80 Review Latest Prices / User Reviews

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Ricoh GR DigitalDIWA Press Release

The first DIWA Gold Award to Ricoh for their GR Digital camera

A decade ago, Ricoh launched their classic GR1 camera for 35 mm film, a durable and robust camera that offered a professional performance and a high-quality 28 mm lens. The Ricoh GR Digital is a modern, digital version of the GR1 with many high-tech modifications, yet based on the same unique philosophy. This puts the GR Digital in a class of its own, a perfect photographic companion for the photographic connoisseur.

Amsterdam, December 20, 2006: DIWA (Digital Imaging Websites Association), a world-wide organisation of collaborating websites, today has the pleasure of announcing a DIWA Gold Award to the remarkable Ricoh GR Digital semi-pro compact camera.

DIWA Press Release The first DIWA Gold Award to Ricoh for their GR Digital camera A decade ago, Ricoh launched their classic GR1 camera for 35 mm film, a durable and robust camera that offered a professional performance and a high-quality 28 mm lens. The Ricoh GR Digital is a…

Epson Picturemate 280In our third portable printer review of December, we take a look at the Epson Picturemate 280, which boasts a resolution of 5760x1440 dpi, support for 16 different memory card formats, built-in DVD-ROM/CD-RW/CD-R drive and a 2.5 inch colour LCD screen. At £199, the Picturemate 280 is expensive for such a specialist printer, so can it justify the cost? Carry on reading to find out…

Website: Epson Picturemate 280 Review

In our third portable printer review of December, we take a look at the Epson Picturemate 280, which boasts a resolution of 5760x1440 dpi, support for 16 different memory card formats, built-in DVD-ROM/CD-RW/CD-R drive and a 2.5 inch colour LCD screen. At £199, the Picturemate 280 is expensive for such…

Samsung D103Samsung UK have quietly added a new digital camera to their lineup, the D103, just in time for Christmas. The Samsung D103 is a 10 megapixel model with 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD screen, MPEG-4 movies and ISO 1000 mode. The “D” series is a new addition to Samsung’s point and shoot range of cameras.

Website: Samsung D103

Samsung UK have quietly added a new digital camera to their lineup, the D103, just in time for Christmas. The Samsung D103 is a 10 megapixel model with 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD screen, MPEG-4 movies and ISO 1000 mode. The “D” series is a new addition to…

REALVIZ Stitcher UnlimitedREALVIZ Press Release

REALVIZ Announces Availability of Latest Patch Up-date for Stitcher Unlimited, including Flash Panoramas & Improved Fish-eye Stitching

Sophia Antipolis, France (December 20, 2006) – REALVIZ®, a leader in image processing software development, is pleased to announce the availability of a new patch up-date to their acclaimed software, Stitcher® Unlimited. Stitcher Unlimited, which released in July 2006, is targeted at professional panorama creators looking to produce multiple panoramas of the highest quality and with maximum productivity. This latest up-date (version 5.5.2) is available free of charge to existing Stitcher Unlimited owners on both Macintosh® and Windows®, and includes export of projects in Flash 9 and Java, using ImmerVision’s PURE Player, as well as improved stitching of fisheye images (including the Nikkor 10.5 mm lens), for astonishing high-quality results.

REALVIZ Press Release REALVIZ Announces Availability of Latest Patch Up-date for Stitcher Unlimited, including Flash Panoramas & Improved Fish-eye Stitching Sophia Antipolis, France (December 20, 2006) – REALVIZ®, a leader in image processing software development, is pleased to announce the availability of a new patch up-date to their acclaimed software…

Corel Snapfire PlusCorel Press Release

Corel Snapfire DVD Maker Turns Photo and Video “Snapfire Shows” Into DVDs

OTTAWA—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE) today announced Corel® Snapfire™ DVD Maker, the first add-on for the new Corel Snapfire Plus – the smart alternative to traditional digital camera software. With Corel Snapfire DVD Maker, it is easier than ever to turn fun and creative slide shows of your photos and videos into DVDs and play them back for friends and family on television DVD players. Snapfire Plus, the enhanced version of the free Snapfire download (www.snapfire.com), provides all the tools users need to easily organize, enhance and share digital photos and video clips. Snapfire Plus allows even novice users to take their creativity to new levels with “Snapfire Shows” – highly entertaining and customized photo and video slide shows set to the music soundtrack of their choice and accompanied by customized transitions, captions and unique motion effects.

Corel Press Release Corel Snapfire DVD Maker Turns Photo and Video “Snapfire Shows” Into DVDs OTTAWA—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE) today announced Corel® Snapfire™ DVD Maker, the first add-on for the new Corel Snapfire Plus – the smart alternative to traditional digital camera software. With Corel Snapfire DVD Maker, it…

NEC Display Solutions Press Release

Munich, December 14, 2006 – NEC Display Solutions offers discerning users even more class with the new NEC MultiSync® LCD2690WUXi: the widescreen format and high resolution of 1920 x 1200 ensures particularly ergonomic, comfortable viewing. Details and texts are 7.5% larger than on a 24” monitor, which significantly reduces eye strain when viewing. Specially designed for professional use in the fields of CAD/CAM and DTP, banking and insurance, the NEC MultiSync® LCD2690WUXi is also perfect for multi-media applications. The H-IPS A-TW Pol. (Horizontal IPS with Advanced True Wide Polarizer) panel ensures glossy, high-quality pictures. The monitor itself is also remarkable for its innovative X-Light® Pro feature, specially developed by NEC. This constantly monitors variations in background lighting, brightness and colour reproduction and automatically corrects them internally, which is ideal for colour-critical applications.

NEC Display Solutions Press Release Munich, December 14, 2006 – NEC Display Solutions offers discerning users even more class with the new NEC MultiSync® LCD2690WUXi: the widescreen format and high resolution of 1920 x 1200 ensures particularly ergonomic, comfortable viewing. Details and texts are 7.5% larger than on a 24”…

Pentax K100D DSLRPentax have released a new firmware update for six of their DSLR cameras, including the Pentax K100D (pictured) which expands support for additional SDHC memory cards. The six models are: K100D, K110D, *ist DL2, *ist DS2, *ist DL and *ist DS.

Website: Pentax Download Page

Pentax have released a new firmware update for six of their DSLR cameras, including the Pentax K100D (pictured) which expands support for additional SDHC memory cards. The six models are: K100D, K110D, *ist DL2, *ist DS2, *ist DL and *ist DS. Website: Pentax Download Page

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Digital SLRCanon have released a new firmware update (version 1.1.6) for the EOS-1Ds Mark II DSLR.

It fixes the phenomenon wherein the camera does not detect the capacity correctly when high-capacity recording media are initialized. 

a) SDHC cards with capacities exceeding 2GB (e.g., 4GB, 8GB) are now supported.
b) The phenomenon wherein the camera cannot correctly detect the capacity of CF cards with capacities exceeding 8GB (e.g., 12GB, 16GB) correctly when they are initialized has been corrected.

Website: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Firmware 1.1.6

Canon have released a new firmware update (version 1.1.6) for the EOS-1Ds Mark II DSLR. It fixes the phenomenon wherein the camera does not detect the capacity correctly when high-capacity recording media are initialized. a) SDHC cards with capacities exceeding 2GB (e.g., 4GB, 8GB) are now supported. b) The phenomenon…

Canon EOS-1D Mark II Digital SLRCanon have released a new firmware update (version 1.2.6) for the EOS-1D Mark II DSLR.

It fixes the phenomenon wherein the camera does not detect the capacity correctly when high-capacity recording media are initialized. 

a) SDHC cards with capacities exceeding 2GB (e.g., 4GB, 8GB) are now supported.
b) The phenomenon wherein the camera cannot correctly detect the capacity of CF cards with capacities exceeding 8GB (e.g., 12GB, 16GB) correctly when they are initialized has been corrected.

Website: Canon EOS-1D Mark II Firmware 1.2.6

Canon have released a new firmware update (version 1.2.6) for the EOS-1D Mark II DSLR. It fixes the phenomenon wherein the camera does not detect the capacity correctly when high-capacity recording media are initialized. a) SDHC cards with capacities exceeding 2GB (e.g., 4GB, 8GB) are now supported. b) The phenomenon…

Canon EOS-1D Mark II NCanon have released a new firmware update (version 1.1.2) for the EOS-1D Mark II N DSLR.

It fixes the phenomenon wherein the camera does not detect the capacity correctly when high-capacity recording media are initialized. 

a) SDHC cards with capacities exceeding 2GB (e.g., 4GB, 8GB) are now supported.
b) The phenomenon wherein the camera cannot correctly detect the capacity of CF cards with capacities exceeding 8GB (e.g., 12GB, 16GB) correctly when they are initialized has been corrected.

Website: Canon EOS-1D Mark II N Firmware 1.1.2

Canon have released a new firmware update (version 1.1.2) for the EOS-1D Mark II N DSLR. It fixes the phenomenon wherein the camera does not detect the capacity correctly when high-capacity recording media are initialized. a) SDHC cards with capacities exceeding 2GB (e.g., 4GB, 8GB) are now supported. b) The…

Olympus SP-500UZOlympus have released a firmware update for five compact cameras, including the SP-500UZ (pictured), which enables faster start-up speed when using an xD-Picture Card. The models are: SP-500 UZ, SP-700, SP-350, SP-320 and SP-310.

Website: Olympus Download Page

Olympus have released a firmware update for five compact cameras, including the SP-500UZ (pictured), which enables faster start-up speed when using an xD-Picture Card. The models are: SP-500 UZ, SP-700, SP-350, SP-320 and SP-310. Website: Olympus Download Page

Canon PowerShot A640DPReview have reviewed the new Canon A640, which has 10 megapixels, a 2.5 inch LCD screen and 4x optical zoom lens.

“It’s an ideal ‘first camera’ for anyone wanting to learn the craft of photography - it’s a very reliable ‘point and shoot’ that can grow with you as your experience and ability develops. It’s a pretty easy Highly Recommended and - though by no means flaw-free - is a perfect example of how far compact cameras have come in the last few years.”

Website: DPReview - Canon PowerShot A640 Review

Website: Read our Canon Powershot A640 Review

Canon A640 - Latest Prices / User Reviews

DPReview have reviewed the new Canon A640, which has 10 megapixels, a 2.5 inch LCD screen and 4x optical zoom lens. “It’s an ideal ‘first camera’ for anyone wanting to learn the craft of photography - it’s a very reliable ‘point and shoot’ that can grow with you as your…

Canon PowerShot G7Megapixel.net have reviewed the new Canon G7, which features a 10 megapixel, 1/1.8 inch sensor, DIGIC III image processor, Face Detection, 35-210mm lens and optical image stabilization system.

“The PowerShot G7 is a departure from the last G camera in that it no longer follows the path of its predecessor and is clearly designed as a compact-style camera. The G7 combines features that are well suited to advanced users — advanced modes and a fully manual mode — with some, such as multiple scene modes, face detection and automatic categorization of images, that are more the domain of point and shoot cameras. In other words, the G7 is yet another alternative for those that are looking to maximize the resolution and yet have the flexibility of a camera that can be both manual and automatic.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Canon G7 Review

Website: Read our Canon Powershot G7 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

Megapixel.net have reviewed the new Canon G7, which features a 10 megapixel, 1/1.8 inch sensor, DIGIC III image processor, Face Detection, 35-210mm lens and optical image stabilization system. “The PowerShot G7 is a departure from the last G camera in that it no longer follows the path of its predecessor…

Nikon Coolpix S10ePhotoZine have reviewed the new Nikon Coolpix S10, which has 6 megapixels, Vibration Reduction and a 10x, 38-380mm swivel lens.

“The autofocus wasn’t either fast or tenacious and the macro mode struggled where other compacts would be able to focus easily. The metering is generally good, being weighted, on landscape pictures, for the land so that exposure compensation is required to bring the sky in. However, colour accuracy is very good, as long as the tendency to cover everything in shadow in a magenta cast is avoided. It makes the camera very good for portrait shots.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Nikon Coolpix S10 Review

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ePhotoZine have reviewed the new Nikon Coolpix S10, which has 6 megapixels, Vibration Reduction and a 10x, 38-380mm swivel lens. “The autofocus wasn’t either fast or tenacious and the macro mode struggled where other compacts would be able to focus easily. The metering is generally good, being weighted, on landscape…