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

“Another note on low light shooting. In the standard shooting mode, the maximum shutter speed is 1 second. The only way to get longer shutter speeds is in Night Scenery mode (up to 8 seconds) or Starry Sky mode (which ONLY lets you choose speeds of 15, 30, or 60 seconds). The TZ1 seems to be lacking in enough white balance setting choices, with only 3 preset values. I found that in my home, the only way to get reasonable white balance was to do a custom setting, which fortunately it is able to do.”

Website: TopicPoint - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

Website: Read my Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

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This week’s Gary’s Parries topics are:

1. Hesitant To Buy Noisy Panasonic LX1
2. Have Lens, Will Travel
3. Ramblin’ Man

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, 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 (unless you request otherwise). 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.

Earlier this week Casio announced the 10.1 megapixel EX-Z1000 compact digital camera. The day before that, Kodak unveiled the 6 megapixel V610. These two new cameras typify the differing approaches of camera manufacturers. Whilst Casio grabbed all the headlines with the largest megapixel count ever for a compact digital camera (although Vivitar actually beat them earlier this year), Kodak made the news by using its dual-lens technology to squeeze a 38-380mm focal length into a camera just 19mm thick. So which approach do you think is the right one - expansion or innovation? Is the megapixel war still relevant? What is the “best” number of megapixels for a compact digicam? Should the manufacturers concentrate on real photographic features instead? Shout out now…

Here are the stand-out news stories from the last 7 days:

New Cameras
KODAK EASYSHARE V610
10 Megapixel Casio EX-Z1000
6 Megapixel Update of Kodak Easyshare One
Nokia N93
Nokia N73
Nikon Coolpix DigiScope 8.1 Photo Package
BenQ C530 and BenQ C630

New Accessories
750GB Seagate Hard Drive
Apple 17-inch MacBook Pro
Lexmark X3470, X2470 and X1270 All-In-Ones

New Software
ACDSee 8 and ACDSee Pro Photo Manager Updated

Other Headlines
Mamiya Sells Off Camera Division
57% Profits Drop for Fuji Photo Film
Canon Profits Rise Again
Sony Annual Profits Rise 68%
2006 RAW Survey Results

Here are the sample photos from my upcoming review of the Kodak V570, a few days before the full review is online. The 5 megapixel Kodak V570 has two lenses, an ultra-wide angle lens (23 mm) and an optical zoom lens (39 – 117 mm), that fit into a camera body less than an inch thin.

Website: Kodak V570 Photos

Back in early February I got the opportunity to try out a pre-production version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1, the smallest camera in the world with a 10x zoom lens. The pocketable Panasonic TZ1 offers a focal length of 35-350mm, 5 megapixels, a 2.5 inch LCD screen and ISO 80-1600. Today PhotographyBLOG brings you the full review of the Panasonic TZ1.

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

Fuji Photo Film yesterday reported a 57% fall in its annual operating profits fro 2005/6, reports Reuters. The decline of the film camera market, restructuring costs and the rising costs of manufacturing printing plates were to blame for the losses. Fuji Photo still maintain their committment to film, however, commenting “We will continue our film business until we become the last one”.

” The company has halved losses on digital cameras in the last business year compared with a year ago, Chief Financial Officer Toshio Takahashi said. Fuji Photo has struggled to profit from digital cameras, as its line-up is heavy on low-margin compact models. “We hope the current business of improvement will continue this year,” Takahashi said. “We’re not sure if it turns to a profit this year, but it would be good if we could.”

Website: Reuters - Fuji Photo profit falls, sees slow recovery

Fuji Photo Film Press Release

April 27, 2006 - Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Shigetaka Komori; hereinafter Fujifilm), announced today that it resolved a decision at its Board of Directors meeting to start a holding company structure on October 1, 2006, launching a new holding company and new operating companies. The names of the new companies have also been decided along with candidates for membership of the Board of Directors. The administration will be launched under the new structure on October 1, subject to approval at the annual Shareholders’ Meeting, to be held on June 29, 2006. On October 1, the current Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. will become the holding company, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (hereinafter FUJIFILM Holdings) to provide strategic management of the entire Fujifilm Group. Through this change, the Fujifilm Group will shift to a new group management structure. FUJIFILM Holdings will be directly responsible for the two major operating companies, FUJIFILM Corporation and Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd

Canon have just announced quarterly operating profits of 18.7%, boosted by the weak Yen and strong sales of digital cameras and printers.

“As for digital cameras, Canon maintained its sales forecast of 19.2 million units, citing uncertainty amid growing price competition in the sector.”

Website: Reuters - Canon says Q1 profit up 19 pct, raises outlook

Sony have announced the largest profit rise, 68% for 2005/6, on the back of good sales of PSPs, LCD screens and Vaio PCs. The Reuters report doens’t contain much information about the company’s dgital camera division.

“Sony plans to boost capital spending by 20 percent this year to 460 billion yen, with a good chunk of that going to image sensor chips. As a result, its depreciation and amortisation burden will rise 7 percent to 410 billion yen.”

Website: Reuters - Sony’s profit jumps 68 pct, sees PlayStation costs

ACD Systems Press Release

ACD Systems Updates ACDSee 8 and ACDSee Pro Photo Manager - Company renews commitment to customers with added RAW support and feature improvements

VICTORIA, British Columbia – April. 27, 2006 – ACD Systems International Inc. (TSX: ASA), today announced updates to its two flagship products, ACDSee 8 Photo Manager and ACDSee Pro Photo Manager. The enhancements are designed to improve speed, performance and productivity, and include advanced support for RAW formats that meet and exceed industry demands. “In our continued commitment to our customers, these updates allow them to take full advantage of the powerful capabilities that the RAW format offers,” said James Latham, vice president of marketing for ACD Systems. “Professional photographers depend on the latest RAW format support and feature improvements, while photo enthusiasts are just beginning to discover this format. These releases underscore our commitment to delivering the very best in product integrity and flexibility, and providing feature improvements that make the user experience and workflow both smoother and more enjoyable.”

Nikon USA Press Release

Nikon continues to break new ground in the world of digiscoping — not only with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, but with how simple it has made matching up the proper components in a digiscoping system. The new Nikon Coolpix DigiScope 8.1 Photo Package is the simplest, most versatile digiscoping system ever, putting extreme high power, high-resolution digital photo capabilities into the hands of wildlife photographers of every level. This new package includes the latest in Nikon’s digital cameras—the Nikon COOLPIX P4 digital camera, a Nikon 16x/24x/30x wide Digiscoping Eyepiece, and a Nikon DigiScope P4 Digital Camera Adapter Bracket.  MSRP for this package is $729.95. The only thing you need to add to complete the system is your choice of Nikon Fieldscope body: whether it’s the award-winning 82mm Fieldscope ED, 60mm Fieldscope or 60mm Fieldscope ED or the incredibly compact, new 50mm Fieldscope ED (awarded Outdoor Life magazine’s 2006 Editor’s Choice in spotting scopes).

Samsung Press Release

Samsung Techwin has announced the selection of its convergence camera Digimax i6 PMP as the “Best Multimedia D-Camera” by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) of Europe. TIPA is an association of expert editors from 31 major camera and video related professional magazines throughout 12 European countries, and TIPA Awards are given annually to some of the world’s best products. The “MULTIMEDIA D-CAMERA” category was added this year as the convergence products gain popularity in the digital industry, and Korea’s “Digimax i6 PMP” was selected to be its very first recipient.

Digital Trends have the first review of the Kodak Easyshare V610, the world’s smallest 10x zoom digital camera.

“Since the V610 has built-in Bluetooth capability, I couldn’t resist beaming an image or three to a Kodak Printer Dock Plus Series 3. It’s as easy as can be. By hitting the Share button and entering the Bluetooth menu, 4x6 prints were churned out with nary a wire to be seen. This is a very nicely implemented function. After going through the tediousness of setting up a Bluetooth USB adapter on my laptop and PC, I was able to send images to them as well.”

Website: Digital Trends - Kodak Easyshare V610 Review

Website: Read my Kodak Easyshare V610 Review

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CNET have published the first online 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).

“Though it’s the first SD-series Digital ELPH to use Canon’s optical image stabilization system, the SD700 IS does a very good job of minimizing blur. Zoomed-in photos look crisp and clean with image stabilization, and wide-angle, low-light photos suffer less blur than usual.”

Website: CNET - Canon SD700 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon SD700 IS Review

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DIWA member Steves Digicams have the first review of the wireless Canon PIXMA MP800R all-in-one printer.

“The Canon PIXMA MP-800R Photo-All-in-One can do everything that other “multi purpose” photo devices can do plus it can also scan and print 35mm slides and film too. It’s a 1200dpi flatbed scanner, a one-page color copier and a high quality photo printer. You can make digital prints directly from flash memory cards, PictBridge-enabled digital cameras or from a computer. The only thing it doesn’t do is transmit and receive faxes. Equipped with Canon’s FINE printhead and 5-color individually replaceable ink tanks, it’s an economical photo inkjet printer with exceptional print quality. It’s also a very speedy all-purpose printer with both a top and bottom paper source.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon PowerShot SD630 Review

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DigitalCameraInfo have taken a look at the new 6 megapixel Sony DSC W30 which offers a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“Built with the technologically disadvantaged in mind, the W30 comes with a function guide that explains what each mode is for and how to make large prints from each image size. A High Sensitivity mode also allows entry-level photographers to grab a low-light shot without the flash. This mode utilizes the high end of the wide 80-1000 ISO range included on the Cyber-shot W30. While its inclusion is a bonus for such an affordably priced digital camera, the mode itself yields less than lovely pictures. Even with Sony’s noise reduction system at full throttle, a lot of noise comes through.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Sony DSC-W30 Review

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Imaging Resource have just reviewed the Canon PowerShot SD430 (also known as the Digital IXUS WIRELESS), which features automatic wireless image transfer, wireless control of camera shooting functions from a PC and ships with a wireless print adapter.

“The Canon ELPH series of digital cameras continues to be a popular option for many consumers, given its tiny size and reputation for great quality. Although exposure control is mainly automatic, the availability of exposure times as long as 15 seconds and adjustable ISO increases the Canon PowerShot SD430’s exposure versatility a great deal. The uncomplicated user interface and smooth styling help novices and more advanced amateurs alike feel at home, with enough control over the exposure to make both happy. And when it comes time to print, the Canon SD430 can do it effortlessly without a cable. It really is ridiculously simple. It makes a great all-around camera for anyone, and would make a good second camera for enthusiasts who don’t want to lug along their full-size all-the-bells-and-whistles camera. All in all, it’s one of the better subcompact digital cameras currently on the market.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Canon PowerShot SD430 Review

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Seagate Press Release

First-ever 750GB External Hard Drive can Store it all - Your Entire Digital Music, Movie, Photo and Data Libraries in the Same Desk Space as a Stapler

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.—27 April 2006— Seagate Technology (NYSE:STX), the world’s number one hard drive maker, today introduced the world’s first three-quarter Terabyte external hard drive - the Seagate 750GB Pushbutton Back-up Hard Drive. As the newest addition to Seagate’s award winning line of consumer products, the stylish 750GB Pushbutton Back-up Hard Drive is designed to offer the most convenient way for consumers to store all of their treasured digital content right on their desktop. For the first time, digital aficionados can easily manage their ever-increasing digital content on one small desktop device that can hold all of the following: 15,000 digital songs, 15,000 digital photos, 50 hours of home videos, 50 computer games, and 25 DVD movies - with 300GB of additional space left over to easily backup their notebook and desktop computers. What previously would have resided on multiple hard drives in a large enclosure on the floor has now been replaced by Seagate with a sleek, stylish desktop design that takes up as little space as a tape dispenser.

Ricoh have released a new firmware version, 2.02, for the Ricoh GR Digital, an 8 megapixel compact digicam based on the GR Series of 35mm compact film cameras.

- Improved accuracy of the AF algorithm when used the AF Target Shift Function.

Website: Ricoh GR Digital v2.02 Firmware Update (Windows)

Website: Ricoh GR Digital v2.02 Firmware Update (MAC)