HP Press Release

COLOGNE, Germany, Sept. 26, 2006 – HP today made a series of announcements marking the international expansion of its digital photography business and its efforts to further accelerate the photo industry’s transformation from analogue to digital technologies. The news, announced at the Photokina tradeshow, includes the expansion of HP’s online and retail photo businesses in Europe; an addition to its retail photo printing portfolio; new professional photo-printing systems with industry-leading colour output and management capabilities; and additional tools for HP Indigo digital presses that enhance photo-specialty printing. Collectively, these products, services and partners’ efforts enable new experiences for all of HP’s photography customers – from consumers, hobbyists and professionals to retailers and print service providers.

Canon USA Press Release

Canon Serves Up A Triple-Threat Large Format Line-Up - Now Offering Three 12-Color Wide Format Printers in 17, 44, and 60-Inch Widths

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., September 26, 2006 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of office imaging systems, inkjet technology and digital photography equipment, today unveiled the new 12-color imagePROGRAF iPF8000 pigment ink large format printer. Designed to produce stunning color for professional quality giclee prints and photographs, the iPF8000 utilizes Canon’s proprietary LUCIA pigment inks to print borderless images up to 42-inches wide, with a maximum paper width of 44-inches at amazing production speeds with outstanding archival image quality.  The iPF8000 debuts at SGIA, (Booth #0534) September 26th, in Las Vegas. Canon’s Graphic Arts line of large format printers now includes the imagePROGRAF iPF5000, iPF8000, and iPF9000 printers at 17-, 44-, and 60-inches wide respectively.  This expands Canon’s large format portfolio which includes their recently announced Corporate and CAD line of large format print solutions.  The new iPF8000 printer joins its two sister products by offering an extremely wide color gamut with a full 12-color inkset featuring LUCIA pigmented inks, along with the L-COA processor to quickly and accurately process high resolution image data.

The new HP DesignJet Photo Printer series is unveiled today at Photokina, offering an embedded spectrophotometer, advanced profiling solution and 200 year print life. The HP Designjet Z2100 features an eight-color HP Vivera pigment ink system, while the HP Designjet Z3100 uses a 12-ink HP Vivera pigment ink system with HP 70 Gloss Enhancer and HP Quad-Black Inks. Both printers come in two different sizes, 24 inch and 44 inch.

HP Press Release

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 26, 2006 – HP today announced it is changing the way graphics professionals create large-format images with the unveiling of the HP Designjet Z Photo Printer Series. Continuing to expand its professional printing portfolio, HP is leveraging its pigment ink technologies developed for the HP Photosmart Pro B9180 to create the first large-format printers employing HP’s Scalable Printing Technology. The HP Designjet Z Photo Printer Series is designed to deliver intuitive, dependable and repeatable color accuracy for 24- and 44-inch museum-quality prints with 200 years’ photo permanence.(1) “The HP Designjet Z Photo Printer Series enables photographers, graphic designers and artists to print their vision accurately and consistently,” said Enrique Lores, vice president and general manager, Inkjet Commercial Division, HP. “With our breakthrough color management features, graphics professionals can now leverage a truly intuitive and automated printing process that expands both their business opportunities and their creative boundaries.”

Colour Confidence Press Release

Photokina Cologne, Germany, 26th September, 2006 - Colour Confidence, the leading independent colour management specialists, have today announced details of their newly revamped dealer programmes. Designed to expand the uptake of colour management solutions across Europe, the overall structure includes the new ‘ColorStore’ programme, an update to the Confident Reseller programme and details of the new Affiliate programme. To find out more visit Colour Confidence at Hall 4.1 Stand D-051 throughout Photokina, or alternatively go to www.colourconfidence.com/partners . “When we reviewed the European market for colour management solutions, it was either difficult to find companies selling products at all, or we identified dealers offering products only from a single manufacturer – leading to a lack of choice for end-users and often people being offered the wrong solutions, ” commented Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director Colour Confidence. “We will address this by creating a network of ‘ColorStores’ where customers can see a range of products and make an informed decision – all over Europe.”

Sigma Press Release

EX series large aperture zoom lens designed specially for use with digital SLR cameras with a minimum focusing distance of 20cm.

2006.9.26 - The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC MACRO lens. This lens has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, a minimum focusing distance of 20cm (7.9”) and a maximum magnification of 1:3, making it ideal for close-up photography. Specially designed to suit the characteristics of digital SLR cameras this lens provides a high level of optical performance.Its design incorporates both glass-mold and hybrid aspherical lens technology which offers superior peripheral brightness, extremely high image quality as well as a compact and lightweight construction. Special Low Dispersion (SLD) and Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) glass elements provide excellent correction of color aberrations. The super multi-layer lens coating reduces flare and ghosting, a common problem with digital cameras. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. An inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the lens particularly suitable for using the petal-type lens hood (supplied) plus circular polarizing filters.

Sigma Press Release

2006.9.26 - The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the new 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS lens. This high zoom ratio lens is exclusively designed for digital SLR cameras and is capable of covering a wide range of focal lengths from wide angle to telephoto. It is equipped with Sigma’s own unique technology OS (Optical Stabilizer) function. This function uses two sensors inside the lens to detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera and works by moving an optical image stabilizing lens group, to effectively compensate for camera shake. It automatically detects movement of the camera and compensates for camera shake when shooting moving subject such as motor sports. Two SLD?Special Low Dispersion?glass elements and two aspherical lenses provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. UK price is £439.99 and it will be available in April / May 2007.

Sigma Press Release

2006.9.26 - The new Sigma lens line-up for the Four-Thirds system comprises the large aperture wide-angle 24mm F1.8 EX DG ASPHERICAL MACRO, the compact telephoto zoom lens APO 135-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG, the large aperture ultra-telephoto zoom lens APO 300-800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM and the large aperture zoom lens 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC MACRO. The introduction of these new lenses increases our lens line-up for Four Thirds mount to a total of eleven models.

Pretec Press Release

COLOGNE, Germany—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Pretec, world record holder of the highest capacity flash memory cards of CF card (12GB), USB Flash Drive (16GB), and SD card (8GB), has now released 16GB CF card, the first and highest capacity CF card in the world today at Photokina (Booth Hall 6, A069). The demand for higher capacity and better performing flash cards has been increasing in our daily lives with introduction of ever higher resolution digital cameras and the emergence of new multimedia appliances and industrial applications. Over the last 10 years CompactFlash has seen a 4,000 times increase in capacity from the first announcement of Pretec 4MB CF card (http://www.compactflash.org/pr/960220a.htm) to today’s 16GB. Pretec has consistently demonstrated the highest capacity and fastest speed CompactFlash in the world such as 3GB (Nov. 2002, Las Vegas, Comdex), 6GB (March 2003, Hanover, CeBIT), 12GB (March 2004, Hanover, CeBIT) and 16GB (Sept. 2006, Photokina).

Apple Press Release

Major Update Adds Open Library Option and Extends Workflow

PHOTOKINA 2006, COLOGNE, Germany—September 25, 2006—Apple® today released Aperture™ 1.5, a major update to the all-in-one post production tool for photographers that delivers enhancements across each phase of the entire workflow. Aperture 1.5 delivers a powerful new open library, seamless iLife® ‘06 and iWork™ ‘06 integration, XMP metadata support, powerful new adjustment tools and an export API that makes it easy to extend the Aperture workflow to third party applications and services. “Aperture has given photographers around the globe the confidence to work in exciting new ways,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. “Now with Apple Aperture 1.5, we’ve opened the library and extended the workflow to provide a solution that is as flexible as it is powerful.”

DxO Labs Press Release

Automatic image enhancement software introduces advanced color features, new optical and image geometry corrections, improved workflow and speed as well as plug-in compatibility with Adobe® Photoshop®

Cologne, Germany, Photokina Hall 4.1, Aisle F, Booth 036 (September 25, 2006) – DxO Labs announces today the immediate availability of the Windows PC release of DxO Optics Pro v4 on the DxO Labs Web site (www.dxo.com).  A free, fully functional demo version is available in addition to the commercial version. DxO Optics Pro software improves the image quality of Digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras and advanced digicams. The Mac and Intel Mac release of DxO Optics Pro v4 is expected to be available for download at the end of October. Purchasers of the current Macintosh version (v3.55) are entitled to a free upgrade when version 4 Macintosh ships. DxO Optics Pro is the award-winning digital image enhancement tool incorporating revolutionary optics, noise and exposure corrections in an easy-to-use, feature rich application for Mac and PC users. “DxO Optics Pro v4 brings a wealth of true innovations that are simply not available in other products,” said Luc Marin, vice president of the Photography Business Unit at DxO Labs. “In the ten months since releasing the previous (v3.5) DxO Optics Pro software, our engineers have worked diligently to add the kinds of improvements photographers world wide have been requesting.”

Ulead Press Release

Northampton, UK September 25th, 2006 - Ulead Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of InterVideo Inc. today announced the release of Ulead® PhotoImpact® 12, Ulead’s flagship image-editing software.  The latest version of PhotoImpact adds innovative features that allow beginners to immediately enjoy success in editing their digital photos and sharing images in creative projects. “PhotoImpact 12 does so many things in such an uncomplicated way, once users get started they never want to go back,” said Mark Wurdemann, Ulead European Marketing Manager. “What we’ve done with this new version is open the door wider to enter the exciting world of digital imaging.  We think users will find ExpressFix mode and the new photo projects invaluable additions to this award-winning product.”

I/OMagic Press Release

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—I/OMagic Corporation (OTCBB:IOMG), a leading provider of data storage products, announced today that it has expanded its mobile storage line-up with the availability of a GigaBank™ Ultra 120, a portable hard disk drive with a push-button back-up operation. The 2.5” 120GB(a) portable hard drive disk is perfect for the “on the go” lifestyle. The GigaBank Ultra 120 is small enough to take anywhere conveniently and will hold any data — from essential business files to photos and music. “The GigaBank Ultra 120 is ideal for high speed digital storage with maximum versatility and portability,” said Tony Shahbaz, president and Chief Executive Officer of I/OMagic Corporation. “With 120GB of storage capacity and ultra high-speed data transfer the GigaBank Ultra 120 is the ideal choice for users who want large storage capacity together with a stylish ‘look.’”

Kodak UK Press Release

LONDON and COLOGNE, Germany, September 25 — Eastman Kodak Company today announced the latest addition to its award-winning line of consumer digital cameras, the Kodak Z710 zoom digital camera.  With impressive 10X optical zoom, phenomenal picture quality, and a host of performance features, this new model bridges the gap between value and performance.  Intuitive enough for beginners and sophisticated enough for digital photography enthusiasts, the Kodak Z710 camera provides point-and-shoot simplicity with advanced features to easily get professional-looking results.  Available in September, the Kodak Z710 camera will retail for £279 (RRP). “The line of KODAK EASYSHARE digital cameras has won numerous accolades over the past five years for innovation, advanced technology, and ease-of-use,” said Carolyn Walsh, Product Sales Director Digital, Eastman Kodak Company. “With the release of the Kodak Z710 model we are setting a new price-to-performance benchmark making it incredibly simple for people to take, make, share, and organise pictures at a great value.”

Kodak UK Press Release

LONDON, and COLOGNE, Germany, September 25 – As digital cameras increase in feature and functionality, consumers need more powerful batteries to ensure maximum performance when taking pictures.  To support this need, Kodak today introduced a series of new batteries and chargers that increase the number of pictures consumers can take between battery charges and changes, and improving the picture-taking experience overall.  Kodak’s new batteries and chargers provide long life, fast flash, and long storage life, which combine to give consumers an outstanding picture-taking experience. “Consumers always want to be ready to capture that important life event through pictures, whether it’s a child’s first step, a high school graduation or a wedding,” said Joel Proegler, general manager one-time use camera and battery business, Eastman Kodak Company.  “With the new KODAK batteries and chargers, consumers can rest assured that they will have the power they need to take the best picture, wherever and whenever they want.”

Kodak UK Press Release

LONDON, and COLOGNE, Germany, September 25 – Eastman Kodak Company is extending its partnership with Leica Camera AG to provide image sensors for the newly announced LEICA M8.  The new KODAK KAF-10500 image sensor was developed specifically for use with the M8, and marks Kodak’s second collaboration with Leica, building on the success of Kodak’s interaction with Leica on the LEICA DIGITAL-MODULE-R. The first digital camera to use the Leica viewfinder system, the LEICA M8 extends the Leica M series into the digital world.  By working closely with Leica, Kodak designed and optimised the new image sensor to meet the demanding needs of Leica photographers. With a resolution of over 10 million pixels, the KAF-10500 continues Kodak’s legacy of offering high performance imaging devices that leverage Kodak’s Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) technology for low noise, high sensitivity, and wide dynamic range.  Utilising a 6.8µm pixel architecture, the sensor uses an optimised microlens configuration to maximise centre to corner uniformity for improved image quality, particularly important for the broad incident light angles associated with M series lenses.  The sensor also includes anti-blooming protection to prevent against image corruption during high light level conditions.

Adobe Press Release

Adobe Brings Lightroom into Photoshop Family with Introduction of Beta 4 - New Round of Enhancements in Latest Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Beta Unites Feature Set for Macintosh and Windows Versions

SAN JOSE, Calif. and COLOGNE, Germany — Sept. 25, 2006 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced an update to the public beta of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom™ software at the Photokina tradeshow in Cologne, Germany. Available immediately for download from Adobe Labs (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom ), this update unites the product feature set for Windows® and Macintosh platforms, giving professional photographers a new way to import, manage and showcase large volumes of digital photographs. More than 325,000 people have opted to try Lightroom during the beta period and feedback has been fueled by over 3,400 of them sharing input in Adobe online forums. The final version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is expected to ship in early 2007.

Horseman Press Release

Horseman shows the SW-D2 Pro, a super wide angle camera, the LD Pro, a hgh-end camera back accessory for adding bellows functions, and the Horseman 3D Stereo Camera at Photokina.

Cologne, Germany (September 26, 2006) – The Horseman will highlight three new products at Photokina this week, including the SW-D2 Pro super wide angle camera, the LD Pro high-end camera back, and the Horseman 3D stereo camera. The SW-D2 Pro is a higher-end version of the SWD large format digital camera announced earlier this year. The SW-D2 Pro will feature additional mount compatibility for the SWD interchangeable digital back system, plus some new design improvements that open new dimensions for large format digital photography. In addition to the SW-D2 Pro, Horseman will also show the LD Pro, a high-end camera back accessory that is equipped with a slide-back mechanism to allow mounting of a high-end camera back to give full bellows functions, and allow you to convert the LD into a 4x5-inch film camera.  The LD Pro takes high-end digital backs, such as Phase One, Leaf, Imacon and Sinar.

Nokia Press Release

Showcasing its expanding assortment of multimedia computers and solutions, Nokia has an innovative and compelling story to tell to consumers and imaging professionals alike.

Cologne, Germany and Espoo, Finland - Nokia, the global leader in mobility, today kicked off a weeklong display of its latest imaging achievements at Photokina 2006. Highlighting the benefits that mobility brings to imaging, Nokia’s exhibition area is packed with the newest Nokia Nseries multimedia computers and the very latest experiences offered by them. Nokia is pleased to invite the media to attend a press conference at Photokina 2006 from 3 pm to 4 pm on Tuesday, 26 September, in the Offenbach Saal, Congress Centrum Ost. To learn more about Nokia’s comprehensive offering in multimedia computers and solutions, you can also visit Nokia at Photokina 2006 in hall 4.2, C 010/E 019.

Serif Press Release

Serif (Europe) Ltd, the UK’s leading independent desktop publishing, design and graphics software developer, is delighted to announce the release of PhotoPlus 11 Studio Pack. PhotoPlus 11 Studio Pack (List Price £59.99; upgrade prices available*) is the powerful new version of Serif’s digital image editor and it’s now more flexible and easy-to-use than ever. Combining an astonishing array of professional-level image correction and adjustment tools with enhanced usability features, PhotoPlus 11 Studio Pack is a superb choice for anyone wanting complete control over their photos and digital images. Also including AlbumPlus 4, Serif’s flexible digital image organiser, PhotoPlus 11 Studio Pack offers exceptional value-for-money too.

In the latest installment of this regular series, we cast the spotlight on members of the PhotographyBLOG Gallery and ask them about their photography. The 12th member to sit in the interview chair is Mark64.

“For me capturing a beautiful landscape as an image is an added bonus to actually being out there in that environment. Being there just seems to waken my senses to beyond that of what they are living day to day in a city.”

Website: Gallery Member Spotlight - Mark64