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

PhotographyBLOG has teamed up with muvee to give you the chance of experiencing the fastest, easiest, most fun way to transform your videos and pictures into slick productions… in seconds!

5 winners will each receive a copy of muvee autoProducer 5 (worth $99.95) AND a photoCentric stylePack (worth $19.95) (PC Only)

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On Friday 14th July 2006, 10 names will be randomly selected from the list of PhotographyBLOG Newsletter subscribers.

All you have to do to enter is subscribe to the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter before July 14th 2006.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology is pleased to announce the launch of EOS Discovery – a series of free shows aimed at photography enthusiasts. The series is designed to inspire participants about photography and develop their knowledge of the EOS SLR camera system. The shows will take place at London’s Business Design Centre in Islington. Participants can choose between sessions on Thursday 3 August at 6.00–8.00pm, and on Saturday 5 August at 9.00am–12.00pm or 2.00–5.00pm.

Medea International Press Release

Medea International have been awarded exclusive UK partner distribution of the an innovative new “Scratchless” disc from the USA. ScratchLess disc is a totally new patented innovation that virtually eliminates the problem of surface damage to discs. For professional photos, important video and critical data applications, demand is expected to be substantial. Demand is also expected from applications where discs are handled frequently, and where damage potential is therefore higher. The ScratchLess Disc was designed to protect data or media stored on discs from physical damage caused by everyday use and handling.  The disc has 20 small, patented bumps (Aero-Bumps(TM)) that elevate the disc to avoid contact with any flat surface, thereby eliminating damage.  Co-developed with General Electric, the disc’s secondary layer of protection is achieved by adding a polymer coating, which gives it an extra glass-hard layer of protection.

Print Fair Press Release

Print Fair has already shown some of the country’s leading football clubs how to harness the power of photography, the Internet and print-on-demand technology is offering professional and serious amateur photographers in other sectors the opportunity to secure a new income stream from their existing images at no cost to themselves. Print Fair.com takes digital images from photographers and produces the images as one-off personalised printed items, including greetings cards and posters. The company manages the order processing, production and delivery of each item. All the photographer has to do is supply the images.

Adobe has released an FAQ which provides some more information about its recent acquisition of Pixmantec.

Q: Why has Adobe acquired Pixmantec?
A: One of the great advantages of working with raw images is that, as the technology for raw processing continues to improve, the quality you can bring out of even your older images continues to improve as well. It is for this reason that Adobe continues to invest in our own raw processing technology. The acquisition of Pixmantec will allow Adobe to accelerate our rate of improvement and sets us up to deliver the world’s best raw processing solutions. Combining the best of Adobe’s existing raw technology with the best of Pixmantec’s technology will deliver noticeable improvements to photographers. More importantly, the expertise of Pixmantec founders Kenneth Tang Laerke and Michael Jonsson—developed through their work creating the RawShooter products as well as through their work on Capture One software—will be a great complement to our own expertise and promises substantial technology advances in the future.

Q: What are the plans for the RawShooter line of products?
A: The RawShooter | Premium product has been discontinued and is no longer available for sale. The free RawShooter | Essentials product will remain available as a download from the Adobe Web site until shortly after Lightroom 1.0 is released as a shipping product. The RawShooter | Color Engine will be taken off the market as soon as existing obligations to partners are fulfilled.

Fujifilm Press Release

July 12, 2006 - Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Shigetaka Komori; hereinafter Fujifilm) has introduced its new corporate brand logo. Fujifilm will take on a new holding company structure starting on October 1, launching FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, which will provide strategic management of the entire group, including the two major operating companies: FUJIFILM Corporation and Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Fujifilm is taking this opportunity to change the corporate brand logo for FUJIFILM Corporation, an operating company which will take on the current business of Fujifilm. The logo will be adopted on October 1.

Minox Press Release

With the release of the DMP-3 media player, MINOX adds yet another professional multi-talent to its product range. High-tech in a compact size, with an extremely attractive housing – the MINOX DMP-3 is another result of the successful and multi-award-winning cooperation between MINOX and Volkswagen-Design. Its real assets are the MPEG4 video player and the AV-recorder; but a digital photo album, MP3 player, voice recorder and USB memory are additional features. Playing and recording of videos via the integrated interface is a key function of the DMP-3. Films can be recorded and stored directly from a TV or DVD onto the tiny device by using a cable. MINOX uses the cutting-edge MPEG4 format with high quality for both pictures and sound despite the comparatively small file size. A built-in 128 MB flash memory and a slot for an SD card with a storage capacity of one gigabyte – which is sufficient for playing one film – serve as an electronic media-depot.

Kingston Technology Press Release

[11 July 2006], Kingston Technology, the world’s leading memory manufacturer, today announced the launch of it’s new 2GB capacity miniSD and MMCmobile Flash Memory Cards to support the growing storage demands of feature-rich mobile phones.  The new mobile memory cards are immediately available in 2-GB capacities. Jim Selby, Product Marketing Manager EMEA, Kingston Technology comments,  “As consumers become more sophisticated in their use of the many features available on new multi-functional mobile handsets, the need for higher capacity Flash memory increases in order to allow end-users to maximize the phones full capabilities.”

Unibind Press Release

XU138 is Great Add-on for Professional Wedding Photographers & Consumers Alike – Creates On-the-Spot High-Quality Bound Wedding Photo Album Gifts to Give Out to Guests at the Reception

July 11, 2006, Alpharetta, GA—Unibind http://www.unibind.com, the leading binding, laminating, and presentation system company, announced today The Professional Series XU138 Book Creator. This do-it-yourself binding system is perfect for weddings or other special occasions.  Priced at $455.00, XU138 binding machine is the perfect system to add-on for photographers to generate additional income by offering their wedding customers hard-cover 8 ½” x 11” personalized wedding photobooks/albums during or after photographing an event.  The wedding party can also quickly create their own wedding photobooks/albums the day of the wedding to give out at the reception using a digital camera, photo printer and Unibind XU138 at the wedding.

Orange Press Release

LONDON, July 12/PRNewswire/—Looking through photo albums makes you happier than chocolate, music, TV or even your favourite tipple, according to research revealed today by Orange. The results show that the mood of those viewing photographs was consistently lifted by 11% during mood measuring tests whilst the groups who tried to eat, listen, watch, or drink their way to happiness registered a mere 1% increase. The study, carried out for Orange by Peter Naish, Doctor of Psychology at The Open University compared the moods of people using four typical cheer-up treats with those browsing their favourite snaps. The tests demonstrate that looking through personal photo albums produces an improvement across all measurements including a person’s sense of relaxation, brightness, calmness and alertness and even their sense of being valued and popular - resulting in a higher happiness score overall.

Nikon UK Press Release

Nikon is pleased to sponsor Cover Story: The History of The Sunday Times Magazine Cover 6th September – 1st October 2006

Wednesday July 12, 2006 - Since its launch 44 years ago, The Sunday Times Magazine has consistently showcased the cream of international photojournalism and illustration. Selected from over 2,000 editions, Cover Story at Proud Camden will exhibit the covers that shocked, awed and entertained generations of readers. The Sunday Times Magazine has commissioned many of the most important photojournalists, from Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and Eve Arnold to Don McCullin, Tom Stoddart and Terry O’Neill, and has repeatedly nurtured young talent, helping to influence the careers of David Bailey, Brian Duffy, Terence Donovan, Alan Parker, David Puttnam and Ridley Scott. These are just some of the names who have contributed to the peerless archive of classic cover images that appear in Cover Story. The exhibition at Proud features a series of celebrated Sunday Times Magazine covers, and embraces a range of visual styles, from Alan Aldridge’s classic Automania, the 1965 illustration of a Mini Cooper contrasting the lifestyles of boy racer and suburban housewife, to Don McCullin’s 1968 photo essay that revealed, effectively for the first time in the western press, the doubt faced by US troops over the legitimacy of war in Vietnam.

DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have reviewed the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, a 6 megapixel camera with an image stabilized 12x zoom lens, ISO 800 and a 2 inch LCD screen.

“The best thing about the update from PowerShot S2 IS to S3 IS is the colour. Everything else is either unneccessary, like the increase of resolution from 5 MP to 6 MP and the higher sensitivity to ISO 800, or insufficient, such as the enlargement of the LCD screen from 1.8” to 2” without solving the real problem, namely the fact that the screen is virtually useless in bright sunlight. However, the camera has a heap of features and nice qualities, it is user friendly, fast, extremely well equipped and should win many buyers with its fast 12x zoom lens with optical stabiliser in a compact body. Image quality is generally good for people with ample requirements to perfection and who will use it the same way as their film based camera, making prints directly from the original file. The lens on our test sample did not meet 6 MP resolution, colour fringing was quite disturbing at both wide angle and telephoto, sharpness at telephoto was disappointing and even though JPEG compression is lowered slightly, it is a shame that the camera lacks RAW format option. Despite an excellent software package, we dislike that the full instruction is now available in electronic form only, that rechargeable batteries and charger must be purchased separately and that the capacity of the supplied memory card is a laughing matter. 16 MB internal memory would be far better. Nevertheless, the PowerShot S3 IS is a very fine camera, indeed, only a pity Canon didn’t take the full step in improving the final details to make it perfect.”

Website: Digit.no - Canon PowerShot S3 IS Review

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