The winners of the November 2006 PhotographyBLOG Competition have been announced. The theme for November was “Fireworks” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
“A Capitol 4th” by clefevre
View this entry

Prize: 1 x 24x24” or 24x18” Canvas Print of a Photo of Your Choice
Kindly donated by Photo Artistry.
http://www.photoartistry.co.uk

The November 2006 Giveaway has now ended - here are the 6 lucky winners who each win a prize.

Steve Daley, Sergio Goncalves and Greg Gasperoni have each won a copy of DxO Optics Pro v4
DxO Optics Pro v4 is a powerful tool for automatically improving the quality of the images from your Digital SLR or compact cameras.

Robert Gooch has won a copy of SilverFast DCPro
SilverFast DCPro high-end Digital Camera Software addresses the specific needs of the digital photographer.

Mike Campo and Miguel Silva have each won a copy of Ulead PhotoImpact 12
The latest version of Ulead PhotoImpact adds innovative features that allow beginners to immediately enjoy success in editing their digital photos.

Don’t worry if you didn’t win this time - a brand new contest will be starting soon…

The Nikon Coolpix S9 is a stylish and affordable compact digital camera which offers a 6 megapixel sensor, large 2.5 inch LCD screen and a 3x zoom lens equivalent to 38-114mm. There are the usual Nikon technologies - In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, Face-Priority AF and D-Lighting - to help you take better photos, plus 15 different scene modes to cover most shooting situations. Find out if the Nikon S9 would make the perfect Christmas gift in our in-depth review.

Website: Nikon Coolpix S9 Review

DIWA Press Release

Canon cameras come in all shapes, sizes and price levels, from easy-to-use amateur models to professional D-SLRs. Three of the most popular models have recently passed the merciless DIWA testing procedure with excellent results. The semi-professional EOS 30D, the high-zoom PowerShot S3 IS and the stylish and compact Digital IXUS 800 IS all ranked high in their respective classes, and proved well within the demands of a DIWA Gold Award.

Amsterdam, December 2006, 15:00 CET : DIWA (Digital Imaging Websites Association), a world-wide organisation of collaborating websites, today has the pleasure of announcing DIWA Gold Awards to three high quality Canon models; the EOS 30D, the PowerShot S3 IS and the Digital IXUS 800 IS. The Canon EOS 30D is based on the DIWA Gold winning predecessor, the EOS 20D. At first glance, their appearance may seem identical, apart from the larger 2.5-inch LCD screen. Inside the ergonomic and solid body, however, a number of advanced improvements have been made, such as the implementation of Canon’s revolutionary “Picture Styles” image processing parameters. Spot metering and other useful features are also among the improvements.

onOne Software Press Release

Portland, OR - December 1, 2006 - onOne Software, Inc., announces the immediate availability of the new Pro Digital Frame Bundle featuring nearly 100 custom-designed frames by well respected professional photographers and Photoshop trainers. This new bundle makes it even easier and more affordable for users of onOne Software’s PhotoFrame Pro 3 and PhotoFrame 3 (designed specifically for Photoshop® Elements) to add to their already extensive library of easy-to-use border and edge effects.
“We are thrilled to provide our PhotoFrame customers with this new onOne Software Pro Digital Frame Bundle,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “By incorporating all of our Digital Frame Collections into one convenient and very affordable package, our goal is to help photographers expand their creative horizons while spending more time behind the camera.”

Sony Press Release

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 30, 2006 – Sony announced today that its first dedicated Blu-ray Disc™ player, the BDP-S1 model, has begun shipping to major consumer electronics retailers and specialty dealers nationwide. This next-generation device, which is capable of playing both high-definition Blu-ray Disc (BD) prerecorded titles as well as traditional DVDs, adds an exclamation point to Sony’s full HD 1080 line of products, which ranges from BRAVIA™ flat-panel LCD and Grand WEGA SXRD® rear-projection televisions to the new PlayStation® 3 game console, Blu-ray Disc enabled VAIO computers, PC drives and recordable BD media. “I’m thrilled that it’s here just in time for the holidays,” said Randy Waynick, senior vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Home Products Division. “Combining a Sony 1080p HDTV set and our new BD player with an HDMI™-enabled A/V receiver and surround sound speakers provides the epitome of the high-definition lifestyle.”

Jessops, the UK’s biggest photography retailer, has predicted a rather cautious outlook for itself, against a backdrop of falling digital camera prices and flat in-store sales. The average price of a digital camera has fallen to £161 in the last year, whilst 60% of UK households already own a digicam, making it more difficult to sell ever-cheaper cameras. Jessops did increase it’s market share to 18.7%, mainly thanks to massive growth in its online business. In line with the rest of the market, Jessops sees SLR cameras as the future, with sales growing by 60% in the last year.

Website: Citywire - Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX50 Review

Corbis Press Release

Exciting extension to well-known lifestyle collection now available

Düsseldorf, 01 December 2006: It´s zefa, and it´s Royalty-Free. This message will please all fans of the zefa collection which is known for its stylistic breadth of imagery. The lifestyle brand, heavily featuring European content, is particularly popular among European creatives looking for fresh fashion-forward imagery. Building on the well known rights managed offer, zefa Royalty-Free is a dynamic collection ideal for creative projects. Fast and uncomplicated, it represents unlimited possibilities for the creative community. The collection includes a breadth of lifestyle imagery exploring subjects such as ‘Afternoon Cool’, ‘Hip Hop Party Around’ and ‘Wealthy Decadence’. Those looking for stylish beauty motifs will be particularly excited by ‘Eyes of the Beholder’ and ‘Japanese Spa’.

Nikon USA Press Release

The exclusive Temperley for Nikon camera case is available for a limited-time this holiday season.

MELVILLE, NY (November 27, 2006) - For a limited-time offer this holiday season, Nikon has partnered with Alice Temperley to create a stunning new accessory for the tech-savvy and style-conscious consumer. From November 26, 2006, consumers purchasing the COOLPIX S9 digital camera will receive an exclusive, Temperley for Nikon camera case while supplies last. A national retailer will have extremely limited quantities of this special accessory incorporating one of Temperley’s signature prints and promise to go quickly. Consumers are encouraged to scan their holiday circulars to determine which local retail chain will be carrying this item.

TrustedReviews have just reviewed the Ricoh Caplio R5, a 7 megapixel camera with a 7x optical zoom lens.

“In fact image quality overall is very good, with that remarkable lens producing images that are sharp and well detailed right across the frame, with only a little blurring in the very corners and surprisingly little spherical distortion at wide angle. As is often the case with small high-powered sensors, there is significant blue fringing alongside high-contrast edges, but it’s not too obtrusive in most shots. All in all, an impressive performance from a very useful camera.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Ricoh Caplio R5 Review

Website: Read our Ricoh Caplio R5 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

Steves Digicams have just reviewed the Canon SD800 IS digital camera.

“Image quality was what I expected from a Canon model, excellent. The SD800 captures beautiful images both indoor and out. Our outdoor samples were sharp with pleasing color saturation. The exposure system did very well, capturing nice sky detail. Some people may ask “Why have IS (Image Stabilization) on a short zoom camera?”. For one, it will help you capture sharper hand-held shots in marginal lighting conditions where you would normally need to use the flash, and second, it will allow you to record steady movie clips.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon SD800 IS Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

Steves Digicams have published a review of the new 10 megapixel Canon PowerShot SD900 (also known as the Canon Digital IXUS 900 Ti).

“Ergonomics are good. This is a very compact model, about the size of a deck of playing cards, that can be tucked away in any pocket, yet still fits comfortably in your hands. The controls layout hasn’t changed much, with only the DISPlay button being moved. I found they were in a comfortable position, just within reach of your fingertips. While we love to see the Zoom controls mounted around the shutter, I was a little disappointed with the control on this model. Due to the more round profile of this camera, and the fact that the “nub” on the control switch is so small, made it uncomfortable at times. I have larger hands than most, so this may not effect everyone.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon PowerShot SD900 Review

Website: Read our Canon Digital IXUS 900 Ti Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

PCMagazine 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.

“Overall, the test shots had very good color saturation and accuracy. There was hardly any fringing in my lab test shots, although the contrast may have been a bit too strong. No highlights were blown out in the flash shots. The exposures were also quite good, and the colors were vibrant and accurate. Even better, images were incredibly sharp, with the average resolution 1,975 lines, excellent for a 10MP camera.”

Website: PCMagazine - Canon G7 Review

Website: Read our Canon Powershot G7 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

PCMagazine have reviewed the 7 megapixel, dual-lens Kodak Easyshare V705 camera.

“Kodak’s EasyShare V705, the follow-up to its highly innovative, decently performing dual-lens/dual-sensor EasyShare V570 ultracompact digital camera, is not going to set the world on fire. Though it’s true that the new 7.1-megapixel V705 is now available in three colors (pink, black, or silver), Kodak didn’t otherwise deviate much from the original design. Worse, because it has more pixels on the CCD but keeps the same size sensor, the V705 suffers noise at lower ISOs than the previous model does—even photos taken at a relatively low ISO of 400 had way too much noise.”

Website: PCMagazine - Kodak Easyshare V705 Review

Website: Read our Kodak Easyshare V705 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

Epson UK Press Release

The Epson Stylus DX7000F all-in-one is the latest addition to the high-quality and versatile Stylus DX range. It incorporates a high-speed fax, fast printing and individual inks, making it ideal for the home or home office. Epson Stylus DX7000F – RRP including tax £119.99 – available November 2006.

30th November 2006 –The Epson Stylus DX7000F is a versatile printing system offering print, scan, copy and fax functionality, ideal for the home or home office.  It features Epson’s DURABrite™ Ultra ink, a print resolution up to 5760dpi on suitable media and Epson’s unique Micro Piezo™ technology. The laser-like print quality output is highly durable and is smudge, fade and water resistant on either plain or photo paper. Four individual ink cartridges at £6.99 each ensure it is designed with efficiency in mind - you save money and only replace the colour you use. The Epson Stylus DX7000F offers standalone photo printing with digital camera memory card slots and PictBridge. You can easily switch between copy, print and fax using the one-touch buttons on the control panel. Print speeds are fast, offering up to 27 pages per minute and a photo print speed of just 29 seconds.

Epson America Press Release

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Nov. 28, 2006 – When it comes to reproducing the highest level of shadow detail and mid-range gray values as quantified by optical density (OD), Epson scanners outperformed competitors in a recent National Software Testing Labs (NSTL) study. “Many people don’t realize the importance of optical density when it comes to choosing a flatbed scanner,” said Phil Amato, product manager, Consumer and Photo Imaging, Epson. “Optical density is really the true measuring stick for understanding how well a scanner can reproduce varying degrees of shadow and noise detail and a big factor in overall image quality.”

Nikon Europe Press Release

Amsterdam, November 2006. Nikon and iconic bag manufacturer Crumpler have joined forces to develop two camera bags specifically designed for owners of SLR cameras. The first fruits of the partnership are the ultra cool Nikon-Crumpler the ‘This’ & the ‘That’ bags, featuring Nikon’s world-renowned black and yellow colours, which accommodate Nikon’s best-loved products. Both bags can fit one compact SLR body, two lenses such as the AF-S DX 18-55 or the AF-S DX 55-200 and an external speedlight.

BenekDesign Press Release

Flash and XML powered photo gallery offers unique map-based interface; let’s users explore photos in geographical context.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, November 29, 2006 – BenekDesign has just released software that lets users embed photos into a map, placing each image at the exact location where it was taken. Navigating the map is as simple as clicking where you want to go. You can zoom in or out, drag the map to different regions, plus get a caption with the location, photographer and date of each photo. Each photo is represented by a small thumbnail on the map, which identifies where the photo was shot. When you click on a thumbnail, the screen zooms in and displays the embedded photo. Mouse over the top left corner of a picture to see its caption.

Rocky Nook Press Release

Santa Barbara, CA, November 28, 2006—Have you ever experienced the disappointment of capturing the perfect moment with your digital camera, only to end up with an off-color print? Did your rosy-cheeked baby appear green with envy? Color management is one of the essential elements, yet major stumbling blocks in digital photography. The vast majority of digital photographers really wish they didn’t have to be concerned with color management, yet the basic process of moving images from capture to print becomes impractical without it. And the more sophisticated the photography workflow becomes, the more important it is to manage colors from capture to print. In “Color Management in Digital Photography: Ten Easy Steps to True Colors in Photoshop”, Brad Hinkel simplifies the language of color management.

Corel Press Release

Just In Time for the Holidays: Corel® Partners with Vialta to Create a Photo Enhancement and Digital Picture Frame Bundle - The Ultimate Gift for Any Digital Camera Owner Combines Photo Enhancement Tools with Digital Picture Frames that Play Slideshows of Entire Photo Collections

OTTAWA - November 29, 2006 - Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE) today announced a special holiday bundle aimed at consumers with burgeoning digital photo collections: award-winning Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo XI digital photo enhancement software combined with new VistaFrame™ digital picture frames from Vialta, which display individual or entire collections of digital photos on a table top. The ultimate gift for any digital camera owner, this holiday bundle gives consumers all the tools they need to fix, enhance and display their digital photos. With this special holiday bundle, digital camera owners can perfect their digital photos and frame them in a unique and striking manner - either individually or in a slideshow format that showcases an entire photo collection.