HP Press Release

PALO ALTO, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—July 17, 2006—HP (NYSE:HPQ) (Nasdaq:HPQ) today announced that its researchers have developed a miniature wireless data chip that could provide broad access to digital content in the physical world. With no equal in terms of its combination of size, memory capacity and data access speed, the tiny chip could be stuck on or embedded in almost any object and make available information and content now found mostly on electronic devices or the Internet. Some of the potential applications include storing medical records on a hospital patient’s wristband; providing audio-visual supplements to postcards and photos; helping fight counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry; adding security to identity cards and passports; and supplying additional information for printed documents.

Corel Corporation Press Release

Maidenhead, UK - 17 July 2006. Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE) and Sony Media Software today announces the availability of a new software bundle in the UK that will help users transform their digital photos and videos into keepsakes - Visual Creation Studio Pro™ - at a considerable saving over standalone products. During the summer holidays, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of photos and video that will sit in video and digital cameras or on computer hard drives. Available now directly from Amazon.co.uk and the Corel Store (www.corel.co.uk/store), the bundle features award-winning software from Sony and Corel that provides easy-to-use, affordable solutions for video production, photo editing and management and DVD creation all in one box.

Sharpcast Press Release

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 13 /PRNewswire/—Sharpcast, Inc., a pioneer in personal media synchronization and management, today released Sharpcast Photos Beta, an all-in-one solution that delivers the absolute simplest way to share, sync, back up and access digital photos from anywhere. Sharpcast Photos keeps PCs, the web and mobile phones automatically in sync, so people can view and manage their photo collection from any time and anywhere they want, whether they are online or off. Sharpcast Photos Beta is available for free at www.sharpcast.com. Current Sharpcast Photos Alpha users can upgrade by simply launching Sharpcast Photos Alpha on their desktop to begin the quick auto-update.

Sony Press Release

Tokyo, Japan, July 13, 2006 - Panasonic, the brand name for which Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is known and Sony Corporation (hereafter Sony) announced jointly today the commencement of licensing for “AVCHD,” the high definition (HD) digital video camera recorder format, as well as expansion of the format’s specifications. Panasonic and Sony announced basic specifications for “AVCHD” on May 11th this year, and since then have extensively promoted the format throughout the industry while preparing for licensing. Then, the two companies have decided to include memory cards (SD Memory Card and Memory Stick) and hard disk drives as applicable recording media of the format in addition to previously-announced 8cm DVD. This is for the purpose of broadening the range of applicable media, thereby allowing wide variety of products to be developed by various manufacturers. The new specification was defined as “AVCHD” format Version 1.0.

PictureCode Press Release

Version 2.1.1 of the Noise Ninja standalone application and version 2.1.3 of the plug-in version have been officially released. The plug-in update fixes a bug in the Noise Brush that sometimes resulted in corruption of the brush mask. The standalone update introduces Linux x86 support and Mac Intel support. It also adds profile annotation auto-fill support for image quality and adds jpe as a valid jpeg extension on all platforms. Both the plug-in and the standalone have added support for reading ISO information from EXIF Makernotes of recent Canon point-and-shoots. The updates are available on the download page.

Kingston Technology Press Release

National Geographic Photographer Gerd Ludwig Offers Tips for Photographing Life’s Expeditions at Kingston.com - Confidence in Equipment and Knowledge of Surroundings is the Key for Taking Great Photographs

Fountain Valley, CA – July 14, 2006 – Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, will feature photography advice from world renowned National Geographic photographer Gerd Ludwig on its Icons of Photography Web site beginning today. Each month, Kingston® spotlights a world-class photographer who provides helpful tips and interesting anecdotes for taking better pictures. Photographers previously featured at Kingston.com include Colin Finlay, Douglas Kirkland, Barbara Bordnick, Chris Rainier, Peter Read Miller and Harry Benson. These accomplished Icons of Photography deliver useful suggestions that photo enthusiasts at all levels can apply to their own photography as they learn to make digital imaging a natural part of their workflow, or learn a unique process or trick the Icon has provided to give them a competitive edge.

CameraLabs have just reviewed the new 10.2 megapixel Sony A100 DSLR camera.

“There’s no denying Sony’s Alpha DSLR-A100 is an impressive camera for the money. Simply having 10.2 Megapixel resolution and built-in anti-camera-shake is enough to elevate it beyond most budget digital SLRs. Throw in a high resolution 2.5in screen and some neat image processing options along with a kit lens which zooms-in further than the competition, and it’s looking even stronger.”

Website: CameraLabs - Sony A100 Review

Website: Read our Sony A100 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have just reviewed the Olympus mju 720 SW, a 7.1 megapixel, 3x zoom, 2.5 inch LCD, weatherproof digital camera.

“The Olympus Mju 720SW is a unique mini camera, not primarily because of its 7.1 MP image resolution and fully integrated 3x zoom lens, but thanks to its water-proof and shock-resistant casing of steel and aluminium. The camera seems to be the ideal choice for any outdoor activities, both on land and at sea, regardless of event or weather conditions. Also parents may now leave the picture taking to careless kids without fear of expensive consequences. Although the price is slightly higher than for ordinary mini cameras, we raised a question whether the extreme exteriour has come at the cost of its inner qualities. Not at all, in most respects the image quality is higher than usual for this type of camera, although the folded lens design does have its weaknesses. Also, the buttons and controls are too small for comfort and the grip is too slippery. At times, the lack of an optical viewfinder is also missed, as the LCD screen does not provide optimum viewing clearity in bright sunlight. Its weak points are too minor to influence on our general impression that the Olympus Mju 720SW has what it takes to satisfy its targeted audience. We have yet to see a mini-compact digital camera in a more versatile, robust and family-friendly package.”

Website: Digit.no - Olympus mju 720 SW Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DPReview have published their review of the SD700 IS (also known as the Canon Digital IXUS 800 IS), a 6 megapixel camera with an image stabilized 4x zoom lens (first time on an IXUS camera).

“The SD 700 IS is, in essence, everything a pocket camera should be; fast, easy to use, well designed and - above all - reliable. When you’ve got little or no manual control the reliability and accuracy of the automatic focus, exposure and white balance systems is of paramount importance, and it is here where the SD 700 IS really shows its mettle; out of the 750+ shots we took for the gallery no more than a handful had any problems at all with exposure, focus or color.”

Website: DPReview - Canon SD700 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon SD700 IS Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Sony DSC-H5 ultra-zoom digital camera, offering a 12x optical zoom lens, 7.2 megapixels and a 3 inch LCD screen.

“Like the preceding Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H1, the Sony DSC-H5 offers optical image stabilization with a very long zoom lens. The Sony H5 provides more manual exposure control than many other long zoom digital cameras, yet is easy to use in full-auto mode, and its seven pre-programmed scene modes help with tricky subjects. The design and layout of the H5 is very user-friendly, and the camera boasts accurate EVF and LCD displays.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Sony DSC-H5 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

This week’s Gary’s Parries topics are:

1. Digital Dust Problem 100x Worse Than Film
2. A Little Bit Rock ‘N’ Roll

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.

With a massive 7x optical zoom lens that is equivalent to 28-200mm on a 35mm camera, a CCD anti-shake system, ISO 64-800, 1cm macro mode and a body that is only 26mm thick, the Ricoh Caplio R4 certainly stands out from the crowd. But is the Ricoh Caplio R4 worth considering if you’re looking for a point and shoot compact digicam? Read our latest review to find out.

Website: Ricoh Caplio R4 Review

Fujifilm have announced the FinePix F20, a 6 megapixel digital camera with a 3x zoom lens, ISO 2000 and 2.5-inch LCD screen. The Fujifilm F20 will be available in the USA in August for $299.95, in Europe from mid-September for 279 €, and from UK retailers in September 2006 (price TBC).

Fujifilm UK Press Release

Fujifilm today announced the launch of the FinePix F20, an affordable and slimline 6.3 megapixel camera that reflects the company’s commitment to producing a wide range of high-end, high sensitivity digital cameras that work in low light. The Fujifilm F20 refines the body shape of the acclaimed FinePix F30. However its convenient, pocketable dimensions do not prevent it from featuring the same powerful sixth generation Super CCD HR sensor and Real Photo Processor II technology as its bigger brother.

Fujifilm USA Press Release

Valhalla, NY, June 12, 2006 - The advanced Face Detection Technology system built into Fujifilm’s new FinePix S6000fd digital camera is based on the Image Intelligence technology found in Fujifilm’s Frontier Digital Lab Systems, used by photofinishers to produce large volumes of top-quality photo prints. Face Detection is a selectable option the camera user can turn on whenever human subjects are the focal point of a picture. Once Face Detection is activated, it automatically identifies faces in the scene and prioritizes them—in as little as 0.05 seconds. It simultaneously displays a green rectangle around the top-priority face, and a white one around other faces before the picture is taken. Using this information, the FinePix S6000fd is able to focus more precisely on the main subjects and execute the best possible exposure. The end result is sharper, more natural looking people pictures. Since Face Detection is an integral part of Fujifilm’s Real Photo Technology system, it also is linked to Fujifilm’s i-Flash intelligent flash system, for the proper exposure of flash pictures taken indoors and in low light.

Sanyo have quietly added 2 new digital cameras to their range, the Sanyo VPC-E7 and Sanyo VPC-S7. There’s little to choose between them - both offer 7 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.5 inch LCD screen. The main differences seem to be that the Sanyo VPC-E7 also offers a red-eye reduction mode, a couple of extra metering modes, and longer battery life and less weight than the VPC-S7. The body design of each camera is also different, although they both look very conventional.

http://www.sanyo-dsc.com/english/products/vpc_e7/index.html

http://www.sanyo-dsc.com/english/products/vpc_s7/index.html

Stock Artists Alliance Press Release

July 11, 2006. Photographers losing money from copyright infringement; editors scrapping photos from layouts because they lack caption information; librarians struggling to make burgeoning digital asset collections publicly available-Diverse problems, but they share a common solution: metadata. Anyone who has searched for images on stock photography web sites has benefited from metadata, but once the image is removed from the site, that information is usually lost unless it’s been embedded into the image file. That metadata can provide critical ownership and usage information, as well as descriptive caption information that can be used to help search and identify image subjects.

To raise awareness about metadata and encourage its adoption, the Stock Artists Alliance is releasing its Metadata Manifesto. The Manifesto provides guiding principles and practices for anyone who creates, uses, or manages electronic images, as well as those developing digital hardware and software. Highlighting the efforts of international standards bodies and industry groups (such as IPTC and PLUS), the Manifesto stresses the urgency for industry-wide metadata adoption.

Morpheus Software Press Release

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Morpheus Software, a leading publisher of digital photo animation software, today announced that it’s launching three new software products, Morpheus Photo Warper for distorting photos, Morpheus Photo Mixer for blending two photos together and Morpheus Photo Animation Suite.  In addition, the company is releasing Morpheus Photo Morpher v3.00, the latest version of its popular photo morphing software. “Today’s digital camera users want to get more entertainment value and enjoyment from their digital photo collections,” said Dan Engel, CEO at Morpheus Software.  “Our new line of digital photo animation software titles meets that need for personal expression, fun and creativity through digital photography head-on.”

InfoTrends Press Release

(Weymouth, MA) July, 12 2006… A recent InfoTrends study shows that the percentage of digital camera owners who print at home declined by 10% between 2004 and 2006. Meanwhile, 31% of digital camera owners who print their photos have used retail locations, reflecting an increase of 22% over the past two years. Nevertheless, the home remains the most popular printing location by far, and the majority of users still assign it the most positive attributes. Home printing is perceived as more affordable, more convenient, faster, and easier than other printing methods. “Although consumers are still mainly printing at home, the number of those who do so decreases every year due to the gaining popularity of online photo services and retail locations,” commented Sandra Collins , a Consultant at InfoTrends. “The home will remain the most popular printing location for at least the next two years, but home printing volume will decline as prices for online and retail printing continue their downward trend.”

Some more Pixmantec / Adobe merger news for you today, courtesy of an email Newsletter from founders Kenneth Laerke and Michael Jonsson.

Dear RawShooter!

As you may have noticed, Adobe Systems Inc. recently acquired the technology assets of Pixmantec. Pixmantec’s technology and expertise will be incorporated into Adobe’s products. Specifically, some of Pixmantec’s raw processing technology will be incorporated into Adobe’s raw processing engine which is shared by Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom. We, the founders of Pixmantec, will join the Adobe team, integrating our expertise into their products, and continuing to be able to serve the photographic community.

As the founders of Pixmantec, we’d like to express how gratifying it has been to see the level of support and praise we have managed to gain through the introduction of the RawShooter product line to the market. We had a vision of making top-notch raw processing capabilities truly accessible to a wide audience of photographers, and the number of devoted users that developed tells us that we made significant progress towards that goal.

The new Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 leads the way in the megapixel wars, with no less than 10 megapixels on offer from this compact model. Casio have included a host of other standout features on the EX-Z1000, including a 2.8 inch LCD screen, anti-shake mode, stainless steel body, high sensitivity mode (ISO 3200) and 37 different scene modes. The Casio EX-Z1000 is the company’s top-of-the-range point and shoot digital camera, but can it find a place at the top of your shopping list? Carry on reading to find out…

Website: Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 Review