The waterproof Pentax Optio W20 will ship in September 2006 in the US for under $300, and in the UK for £229.99

Pentax USA Press Release

GOLDEN, CO. (August 7, 2006) PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the new PENTAX Optio W20, a compact digital camera featuring excellent waterproof performance with a slim, flat body design. The Pentax W20 is the latest model in the PENTAX Optio W series of cameras that are capable of underwater photography without requiring a waterproof case or other accessories.  The waterproof design of the Pentax W20 meets the JIS Class 8 waterproof standard, enabling it to withstand up to 30 minutes of continuous operation at an underwater depth of up to five feet. In addition, the Pentax W20 features a new Blur Reduction High ISO mode that selects ISO up to 1600, and an upgrade to 7.0 effective megapixels to offer improved image quality in a fun, easy-to-handle package.

Fujifilm UK Press Release

Fujifilm today announces the launch of a new 2GB version of its compact xD-Picture Card, doubling the storage capacity of the current highest capacity xD-Picture Cards. The xD-Picture Card TypeM M2GB will be compatible with Fujifilm’s latest range of compact digital cameras and all future models launched *. The 2GB xD-Picture Card has been developed to meet the requirements of consumers who are making use of the increasingly sophisticated functions of compact digital cameras. Features such as higher megapixel counts, longer battery life, and continuous shooting all make specific demands on the storage capacity of a media card. The new Fujifilm F30 Zoom, for example, is the world’s first digital camera to deliver ISO 3200 sensitivity at full resolution, and gives class-leading battery life of 580 shots from a single charge. The increased storage capacity also gives users the freedom to take more photos, without having to resort to deleting images to free up space on the card.

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

1st Place
“fading innocence” by stewart
View this entry

Prize: 1 x 24x24” or 24x18” Canvas Print of a Photo of Your Choice
Kindly donated by Pixel Outpost.
http://www.pixeloutpost.com

In a brand new series, we cast the spotlight on members of the PhotographyBLOG Gallery and ask them about their photography. The fifth member to sit in the interview chair is Rachel Scott-Renouf.

“I love taking close up photos of insects etc because you can often see a lot more detail when enlarging the photo on the computer than you can with your own eyes and that fascinates me. What just looks like another bug can turn out to be very beautiful and interesting.”

Website: Gallery Member Spotlight - Rachel Scott-Renouf

This week’s Gary’s Parries topics are:

1. DSLR Dynamic Range Needs Improvement
2. Digital Shutter Lag Versus 35mm
3. Newbie Seeks Camera That Rocks

[Note: I try not to let work interfere with my hobbies, but sometimes it happens. This is one of those times. As such, the answers to this week’s questions will have to be postponed until next week, which is unfortunate due to the especially pertinent questions that were submitted for immediate attention. To that end, I have posted JUST THE QUESTIONS in this week’s column, with the hopes that our knowledgeable readers will offer their own comments and suggestions in order to tide the submitters of the questions over until next week … at which time I will endeavor to provide the ‘correct’ answers to their questions.]

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 Samsung Digimax L70 is announced today. This 7 megapixel digital camera features a 2.5 inch LCD screen and innovative nine button touch and click control pad. The Samsung L70 is expected to be available in September for around £230.

Samsung UK Press Release

4 August 2006, London, UK - Samsung Cameras is adding to its popular Digimax range of digital compact cameras with the launch of the stylish yet user-friendly Digimax L70.  Featuring 7 mega pixels the Samsung L70 can be used by photographers of all levels to produce high quality results. With its sleek look and slim 17.5mm design the Digimax L70 boasts a large 2.5” LCD screen for great viewing of pictures. The brightness of the LCD is automatically adjusted to the intensity of the environment helping to prolong battery life. For enhanced picture quality the Samsung L70 comes complete with three times optical zoom lens barrel to allow for brighter, faster and more professional results.

The Minox DC 8122 is a new 8.1 megapixel camera with 6x zoom and image stabilizer. Price and availability to be announced.

Minox Press Release

For the new MINOX DC 8122 our slogan is: “Take a look – its worth it”! For any macro, zoom or portrait snapshot – the innovative optical system allows close focussing to just 20 millimetres with a 6x optical zoom, giving outstanding versatility. The small and handy Minox 8122 offers a wide range of applications for both for the casual and creative photographer with 8 mega pixels. A new standard feature is protection against blurred images, especially when using the long zoom range, by the built-in image stabilizer. Any unintentional shaking of the DC8122 as the shutter is released is registered by the electronics and automatically balanced. The CCD image sensor with a resolution of 8.1 million pixels provides all the necessary performance.  The high-speed autofocus MINOCTAR lens ensures that detailed images are produced so big enlargements of excellent quality can be expected. Lens, image sensor and software are perfectly coordinated to ensure sharp, brilliant and true colour images, even under difficult light conditions.

Casio have rather confusingly released not one, but two firmware updates for the 8.1 megapixel EX-Z850 camera. You can now choose from either v1.10, which just adds SDHC memory card support, or v1.1B, which also includes better HQ Mode movie quality, but with a 40% narrower field of view angle than the previous firmware version. Choices choices…

Canon UK Press Release

Véronique de Viguerie wins the Canon Female Photojournalist Award 2006

French photographer Véronique de Viguerie has become the sixth woman to win the Canon Female Photojournalist Award for her project on Communist Militiawomen in Nepal. The award, which includes a Canon grant of €8000, will be given by the French Association of Women Journalists (AFJ) at the 18th International Festival of Photojournalism Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan, France, on 9th September 2006.

PicaJet Press Release

Picajet is proud to announce the release of RoboImport. This is a powerful, but intuitive, solution for digital camera users at all levels from novice to professional. The major problem encountered by anyone who stores their photos on a PC is: How to import and organize a rapidly growing library of photographs in a logical and easy to access manner. Professional photographers will be especially interested in the RoboImport features that streamline and efficiently automate their digital image processing workflow. RoboImport takes an innovative approach to this camera to PC image transfer problem. It automatically starts up, downloads images from the camera, renames them and transfers them to a well organized folder structure according to a preselected naming scheme. When RoboImport file transfer is complete another application, such as the PicaJet Photo Organizer, can be automatically started.

Fujifilm UK Press Release

Experience the deep blue see with Fujifilm FinePix cameras and underwater housings - Freedom for your sub-aqua photography with new underwater housings for the FinePix F30 Zoom and FinePix A500 and A400 Zoom cameras

3 August 2006 - Fujifilm today announced the release of a durable underwater housing unit for the TIPA and DIMA award-winning* FinePix F30 Zoom. The WP-FXF30 is a sturdy, watertight casing that keeps the camera dry and copes with the pressure of dives as deep as 40 metres. It also gives protection on a sandy beach, from splashed water or bad weather on boats and in snowy conditions. So once you’re done diving in summer you can ride the slopes with it in winter. In addition, Fujifilm has released its first waterproof case for entry-level cameras. The WP-FXA500 is suitable for the FinePix A400 and A500 Zooms and is waterproof at depths of up to 3 metres.

Point101 Press Release

Point101 launch new photography holiday combining culture with expert tuition; empowering people to create stylish art and enhance their home.

London 4th August 2006: Point101 is proud to announce the launch of their photography holidays to add to their art, photography and artistic holiday stable. The company will provide an artistic break with expert tuition, within the reach of every level of experience – from complete beginner to established snapper. Alongside the photography trips, this experience will allow people to create individual and personal artworks to display in their homes. Included in the price of the holiday is the chance to turn three favourite photos taken on the visit into large canvas art prints.

Datacatch Press Release

Extending Search beyond the Desktop and Internet - Datacatch Librarian, Seamlessly Integrated with Microsoft Windows Explorer, Makes Searching Removable Media as Easy as Searching Your Hard Drive or the Internet

PALO ALTO, California — August 2, 2006 — Datacatch Inc., an independent software company based in the U.S. and Australia, today formally launched Datacatch® Librarian®, a new application for managing and organizing information and data that is backed up, stored, or used through removable media.  With the increasing amount of data that is collected on a computer—including critical files, financial records, software programs, family photos, and music files— it is easy to get disorganized. Datacatch Librarian provides the tools necessary to search, retrieve, and manage a collection of removable media including removable hard drives, USB keys, photo memory cards, and optical discs such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray and HD-DVD. By effectively throwing a net over a computer, Datacatch Librarian recognizes whenever removable media is inserted or connected and in turn, catches and organizes details about the media and the files it contains, including file and folder details, as well as thumbnail images, so the data can be retrieved quickly.

Kingston Technology Press Release

Kingston Enters Personal Media Player Market with Introduction of K-PEX - Built-in 1 GB/2 GB Memory and miniSD Memory Slot Provide High Storage Capacities for Music, Video and Photos

Fountain Valley, CA – August 2, 2006 – - Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced its new line of Personal Media Players (PMPs). With its highly stylized design and ultra-slim form factor, K-PEX (Kingston Personal Entertainment experience) allows users to watch videos, listen to music, play video games and store/view photographs. The Kingston K-PEX is currently available in the North America, Latin America and Asia/Pacific Rim. With the launch of K-PEX, Kingston is leveraging its 18-year leadership position in the memory module market to bring new Portable Media Player technologies to market.

DPReview have reviewed the new 10x zoom, 5 megapixel, compact Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 digital camera.

“Putting aside all talk of noise reduction and other image quality metrics I should firstly say that I really liked the DMC-TZ1; it offers a unique twist on the popular ‘super zoom’ concept, and having such a huge focal range in an (almost) pocketable package is an appealing proposition. The photographic versatility that comes from being able to shoot everything from wide landscapes to tightly cropped telephoto shots - fairly free of the risk of camera shake, thanks to Panasonic’s excellent OIS system - in a camera you can carry everywhere, cannot be underestimated.”

Website: DPReview - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

Website: Read my Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DCResource have just reviewed the Casio EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z850 camera, which offers 8.1 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lens, manual exposure and advanced flash options.

“The Z850 is packed with every feature you could ever think of, and then some. Some of them are quite useful, while others left me scratching my head. Point-and-shoot users will be thrilled with the camera’s selection of scene (Best Shot) modes, which cover everything from sunsets to eBay product photos. There’s a high sensitivity mode here, but I wouldn’t recommend using it unless you’re absolutely desperate, as the resulting images are really too noisy to be worth keeping. The camera has a digital anti-shake system, and it seems to work okay, though a true optical-based stabilizer will do a better job, and without degrading the image. In playback mode you’ll find some handy tools, including keystone and white balance correction and the usual things like rotation/cropping/resizing.”

Website: DCResource - Casio EX-Z850 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

Steves Digicams have reviewed the new Kodak Easyshare Z650, which has a 6.1-megapixel sensor and 10x zoom lens.

“Image quality was what we have come to expect from Kodak, very good for a 6-megapixel consumer model. Just about every shot we took outdoors was sharp and showed pleasing color saturation. The exposure system consistently produced properly exposed images, and also did very well at capturing sky detail, making for beautiful landscapes. Noise levels were average, becoming more noticeable at ISO 200 and above. While the Z650’s 10x optical zoom is fast with a wide open aperture of f2.8, it would greatly benefit from some sort of image stabilization. “

Website: Steves Digicams - Kodak Easyshare Z650 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DxO Labs Press Release

DxO Labs Announces Availability of DxO Optics Pro v4 Public Beta Release - Automatic image enhancement software introduces advanced color features, new optical corrections, improved workflow and speed as well as plug-in compatibility with Adobe Photoshop

New York, NY and Paris, France – August 3, 2006 – DxO Labs announces today availability of a free, Windows PC public beta release of DxO Optics Pro v4 for all digital photographers to download from the DxO Labs Web site (www.dxo.com).  DxO Optics Pro software improves the image quality of Digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras and advanced digicams. 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 including faster throughput and significantly improved control over color and optical performance,” said Luc Marin, vice president of the Photography Business Unit at DxO Labs. “In the eight 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.”

Breeze Systems Press Release

BreezeBrowser Pro v1.5.2.1 adds support for reading and writing Adobe XMP data, new keyword, IPTC scene and subject code editors and picture frames for slideshows and proofs. New in BreezeBrowser Pro v1.5.2.1:

  * Added support for reading and writing Adobe XMP data for raw files (using XMP sidecar files) and JPEG, TIFF, DNG, PSD, PNG and JPEG 2000 image formats
  * Added picture frame from image option to proofs and slideshow
  * Added Adobe Photoshop PSD 8-bit and 16-bit file output options to proofs and raw conversion
  * Added new keyword editor
  * Added new IPTC scene and IPTC subject code editors which use the IPTC’s NewsCode XML topicsets
  * Improved color when converting Nikon D200 raw files

http://www.breezesys.com/index.htm

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Sony DSC-W100, an 8 megapixel camera with 3x zoom lens and ISO 1250.

“Ergonomics are excellent, the body is stylish, yet still durable and functional. Controls are well- placed, offering a comfortable feel while capturing your photos. We especially liked the zoom controls mounted around the shutter release. The tripod mount is metallic and provides a secure mount, and we were glad to see the multi-connector I/O port was moved to the side of the camera is relocated. (On past models it was too close, preventing the camera from being mounted to a tripod while connected to either a computer or video device.) The menu system is easy to navigate, and will be very familiar to users of other SONY models. Also, the size of its display means a larger and more legible text.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Sony DSC-W100 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews