We’ve now arrived in Cologne (Sunday evening here). Tomorrow is the Press day, ahead of the first day proper on Tuesday. Expect big announcements tomorrow from Apple, Epson and Fujifilm, amongst others…Make sure that you check our Photokina 2006 Report regularly for all the latest news live from the show.

Light Crafts Press Release

Light Crafts, Inc., a Palo Alto (CA) based photo editing software company, ushers in a new generation integrated digital workflow tool—Lightzone 2.0—to be announced formally at Photokina Cologne, September 27, 2006. LightZone 2.0 is a new intuitive tool which extends the capabilities of professional and amateur photographers, based on Ansel Adam’s Zone System. LightZone provides photographers with precise control over exposure, contrast and color, in a straightforward interface that streamlines workflow
and dramatically saves time. With LightZone, photographers regain the use of their intuition in processing their images.

Epson P-3000 Multimedia Storage Viewer - Transform the way you look at photos and movies

Store, manage and share your photos and movies with this sleek, powerful, compact multimedia viewer. It’s perfect for sharing memories with friends, or as a portable, professional photo assistant. Experience the benefits of digital photography with the Epson P-3000. This powerful, compact device brings new flexibility and performance to digital photography. Watch movies in various formats, store and view photos through the the new crystal clear 4” Photo Fine Ultra LCD. There’s a 40GB internal memory for image storage and back-up, long battery life for true portability and built-in CF and SD memory card slots. You can even listen to music on its built-in audio player.

Think Tank Photos Press Release

For photographers, having to check their gear before boarding an airline exposes them to one of their greatest fears: the theft of their equipment and possibly their livelihood. Think Tank Photos (www.thinktankphoto.com) newest additions to their air travel line the Airport Check In briefcase and the Airport Antidote Airport Acceleration, and Glass Taxi backpacks allow photographers to carry their bodies, lenses, and accessories onto planes with different carry on requirements and legally store them in overhead bins or under the seat. Being able to travel through airports with the least amount of hassle is of utmost importance to photographers. When combined with Think Tank Photos breakthrough large backpack, the Airport Addicted, and revolutionary roller, the Airport Security, these new bags provide photographers with a complete menu of options for complying with airline requirements for bag size and weight, as well as the maximum number of bags allowed they can carry onto the plane.

Gepe Press Release

At Photokina 2006 in Cologne (Germany), Gepe Produkte AG presents a new part of its product range: the Gepe Card Safe Store. It is the ideal tool to archive digital memory cards. At a first glance, the Card Safe Store looks like a DVD cover. Inside it consists of a foam rubber insert where memory cards can be safely kept in specific compartments. Gepe’s EasyGrab™ ensures easy and quick removal of cards. The new Card Safe Store is available in two versions: the black version features an index sheet on the outside and flaps on the inside where index prints or other paper can be kept. The second version is transparent without index sheet or flaps. As it is transparent, users can see which cards are stored even if the Store is closed. At Photokina, Gepe will introduce the Card Safe Stores for Compact Flash cards and SD cards. The CF store can hold up to 6 cards, in the SD store you can archive up to 9 cards.

This week’s Gary’s Parries topics are:

1. Comparing Apples And Windows
2. When 4 x 6 Is Really 3.98 x 6
3. Camera Bug Not Covered By Warranty

Introducing this week’s Gary’s Parries column. Everything you always wanted to know about digital cameras, but were afraid to ask. No question too difficult, or too easy. As a Senior Principal Software Engineer, and a former Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems, as well as a recording studio owner/operator, inventor, and now, a digital camera enthusiast, GARY has more digital camera knowledge in his entire brain than most people have in their little finger. In the unlikely event that GARY would not know the answer to your question, he will answer it anyway, true to the spirit of the word “Parries”, a fencing term which, in this context, implies “cleverly evasive answers”. So let your imagination run wild. Email all your nagging digital camera questions to: [email protected] , and then, En Garde!

You may also attach to your email an ORIGINAL PHOTO of your choosing. A preview of the photo will be displayed with your question, and a full-sized version will be just a click away. No personal information will be published with your question unless you specifically include it in the text or attached photo of your email, which may be further edited for grammar, content, or other reasons.

The Ricoh R5 is the latest version of Ricoh’s 7x wide-angle zoom compact cameras, with an upgrade to 7 megapixels and a new Smooth Imaging Engine II image processing engine which promises to reduce noise at faster ISO speeds (ISO 1600 is now available). The 2.5 inch LCD screen on the Ricoh R5 now has 230,000 pixels, battery life has increased to 380 shots and the improved video mode provides 640x480 movies. So is the Ricoh R5 worth considering if you’re looking for a point and shoot digicam, and is it any better than the 6-month old Caplio R4?

Website: Ricoh Caplio R5 Review

The Sony A100 is a new DSLR from a company better known for its digital compact cameras. Sony are taking on Nikon and Canon, boldy predicting that they will be the number 2 player very shortly, and the A100 has been heavily promoted by the Sony marketing machine. With good reason too - the list of technologies that the Sony A100 offers is certainly comprehensive. A 10 megapixel sensor, Bionz Image Processor, Dynamic Range Optimiser, and anti-dust, anti-shake and eye-start auto-focus systems are all here. But does the Sony A100 make the grade as a great DSLR camera? - read our review to find out.

Website: Sony A100 Review

The Panasonic DMC-FZ50 is a 10 megapixel digital camera with a 12x ultra-zoom lens equivalent to a focal length of 35-420mm. It also offers an optical image stabilisation system to help give you sharp results. The DMC-FZ50 has improved on its popular predecessor, the DMC-FZ30, with more megapixels, new Venus III processing engine, and ISO 800 and 1600 speeds at full image resolution. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 also offers a mechanical zoom and focus ring, which you won’t find on its competitors. Read our review to discover if the DMC-FZ50 makes the grade.

Website: Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review

XS Drive Press Release

XS Drive Ltd who pionnered the portable storage concept in 2002 with the Xs-Drive1, presents at Photokina 2006 the XS Drive Centre which is the latest Multimedia backup solution for photographers. Needs for higher photo storage capacity is dramatic with performance increases of digital photography technologies. The XS-Drive Centre VP6250 is the right answer for those who needs to backup sleek of images on the go via their memory cards, thanks to his high capacity 2.5” hard disc drive range from 40 to 120 GB. Using the control buttons, you can copy images from your memory card and navigate through the names of files stored on your XS Drive Centre, view videos, play music files or simply check and organize your backed up files on the Hard Disk. You may also access the content of the insert memory card.

FotoNation Press Release

September 22, 2006, Galway, Ireland – FotoNation, (www.fotonation.com), a world-leading imaging and connectivity solutions company for the digital photography industry, announced today that its patented in-camera red-eye detection and correction technology has surpassed an installed base of over 50 million digital cameras.  FotoNation red-eye reduction technology is shipping in digital cameras from the industry’s leading brands, including Kodak, Nikon, Pentax, Sanyo and Samsung among others. “164 million digital cameras with 4 megapixels or more have shipped since 2004,” said Ron Glaz, Program Director for IDC’s Digital Capture Devices and Photofinishing Research. Based on this finding, the FotoNation red-eye reduction technology is commanding over 30% of this market segment.

The-Digital-Picture have reviewed the new Canon EOS 400D (Canon Digital Rebel XTi in the USA), which offers 10 megapixels, a large 2.5 inch LCD screen and new integrated dust removal system.

“The image quality coming out of the Canon EOS 400D Digital Rebel XTi is excellent - We expect nothing less from Canon and they have delivered. Image quality is, however, different from Canon’s other recent DSLRs. Since a change such as this takes time to get used to (post processing-wise), I will continue to evaluate my results. But, what I am seeing is a new tone curve. Reds, yellows, and oranges seem to be slightly darker while blues seem slightly lighter. The tone curve seems to push shadows darker - but the detail remains. In addition, the 400D/XTi meters 1/3 stop darker than the 30D. Maybe Canon got tired of looking at our blown highlights. “

Website: The-Digital-Picture - Canon EOS 400D Review

Website: Read our Canon EOS 400D Review

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Imaging Resource have reviewed the Sony T10, a 7 slim megapixel digital camera with a 3x zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD screen, optical image stabilization and a fastest ISO speed of 1000.

“Even if the T10 looked like debris from a Soviet space capsule, its image stabilization would make it a winner. Toss in sensitivity that goes into orbit at ISO 1000 and you have a serious toy. And add that fashion statement to make it too compelling to ignore. “I always liked Sony,” Mom said. She could be on to something there.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Sony DSC-T10 Review

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Bibble Labs Press Release

Bibble Labs Releases Version 4.9 Upgrade, Including Clone & Healing Tool, Sensor Correction and 5-Star Ratings - Last major upgrade before 5.0 supports Sony Alpha a100, Nikon D80, Canon 400D Rebel XTi, and localized interface. 

Photokina 2006 Cologne, Germany (Sept 22, 2006) - Bibble Labs, Inc announces the immediate availability of version 4.9 of Bibble Pro and Bibble Lite. This upgrade to the Bibble 4 product line includes the frequently requested Clone / Spot Healing tool, sensor defect correction, image rating and support for the latest cameras. Provided as a free upgrade download for all current Bibble 4 customers, version 4.9 represents the ultimate version of Bibble 4. Digital photographers have been asking for a single tool to perform all their image adjustments - not several tools for specific jobs. Adding Noise Ninja technology and one-touch image optimization with Perfectly Clear in releases 4.6 and 4.7 went a long way to building a single tool for all digital darkroom needs; and with the Cloning & Healing tool in 4.9, Bibble Pro and Bibble Lite now offer the most complete and self contained workflow. “Many customers were telling us that cloning to remove blemishes and dust spots was the only correction they needed to perform in another application” says Eric Hyman, president and CEO of Bibble Labs. “Including Cloning and Healing, lens distortion correction, and stuck-pixel removal in one RAW-enabled application makes Bibble Pro and Lite the one-stop-shop for the digital darkroom.”

FotoNation Press Release

September 21, 2006, Galway, Ireland—FotoNation®  (www.fotonation.com), one of the world’s leading embedded imaging and connectivity companies, announced today that it will demonstrate its new patented FotoNation Dust Removal Technology at Photokina 2006, held in Cologne, Germany from September 26 - October 1st, 2006. The FotoNation Dust Removal Technology completely and automatically removes dust from digital images. FotoNation has been awarded a U.S. patent for this technology and has 10 additional patents pending in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.  FotoNation eliminates dust from images using in-camera software which distinguishes between dust and real detail in the photo.  The software dynamically builds a map of every dust-spec and then tracks changes and movement of the dust particles to distinguish dust from the details of the photograph.  The technology has been designed to scale across multiple platforms is optimized to run as embedded software in digital cameras and mobile phone cameras as part of image acquisition.

Extensis Press Release

PORTLAND, Ore. — September 21, 2006 — Extensis, a division of Celartem Inc., today released free updates to Portfolio 8 –– the leading Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution for creative professionals. The updates bring improved stability and performance,
updated Raw camera support, added InDesign CS2 support, and a QuarkXPress 7 Drag-and-Drop support filter for Mac users. Registered owners of Portfolio 8 are eligible to receive the free upgrades immediately through the Extensis website at http://www.extensis.com/portfolio .

Smartparts Press Release

Englewood, NJ (September 22, 2006) – Smartparts, Inc. (www.smartpartsproducts.com), one of the pioneers of the quickly growing Digital Picture Frame product category, announces an affordable easy-to-use Digital Picture Frame with a 5.6-inch LCD display that clearly showcases standard (JPEG) images and movie (.avi) files. Featuring three interchangeable 8” x 7” frames including a genuine walnut wood frame, automatic variable-speed slide show capability, infrared (IR) remote control for easy and interactive use, USB cable and AC adapter, this 8” x 7” digital picture frame is compatible with all memory cards including SecureDigital (SD), SmartMedia (SM), Memory Stick (MS), MultiMediaCard (MMC), CompactFlash (CF) and xD Picture Cards. It can easily be displayed on a desk or countertop.

Sigma User Press Release

The quality and popularity of SIGMA’s lenses, flashguns and other accessories along with their SD series of cameras goes hand in hand with the huge increase in the use of Digital SLR cameras over the last few years. Sigma are now leading the way with third party optics designed for these modern electronic cameras. With this vastly increased quality, along with the number of ‘new’ photographers, we at SigmaUser.co.uk thought it was about time for a dedicated, independent website where users of Sigma’s equipment can exchange views, techniques, ideas and generally share their knowledge and show off their images. So we have put one together!

Nik Software Press Release

The new Nik Professional Suite bundles the complete versions of Nik Software’s award-winning Nik Color Efex Pro™ 2.0, Nik Sharpener Pro™ 2.0 and Dfine® 1.0 and will be presented for the first time at photokina in Cologne. Come see us in hall 4.1, booth E-011/F-019, on 26th September – 1st October 2006. It is now easier and more affordable then ever for all photographers and digital artists to benefit from all that digital photography has to offer.

DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have published their review of the new Panasonic DMC-L1 DSLR camera.

“Considering that the Lumix DMC-L1 is a digital SLR camera, its appearance is quite unique. Behind its classic design that resembles an “old-fashioned” rangefinder camera, the L1 combines traditional camera controls with the latest digital technologies in a masterly fashion. Built on the stainless steel base of the Olympus E-330, strengthened with a magnesium alloy exterior shell, it is indeed a robust camera that meets professional requirements. Add to this a top-ranked Leica Vario-Elmarit zoom lens with optical stabiliser, a Live View NMOS image sensor with 7.5 MP resolution, a 2.2” LCD screen and a multitude of manual overrides, together making the L1 a desirable camera for many experienced photographers. Unfortunately, Panasonic has overlooked a few quite annoying details, and some useful features from the E-330 are missing. Despite of this, the Lumix L1 is a “one of the kind” camera that it is easy to fall in love with, if not by first sight, certainly after getting acquainted with its many good qualities.”

Website: Digit.no - Panasonic DMC-L1 Review

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