PMA 2006: The Samsung Digimax L60 is introduced today. 6 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lens, MPEG4 video recording, 2.4-inch LCD screen. Available in March.

Samsung UK Press Release

Samsung is announcing the new Digimax L60. Part of the L series featuring sleek designs and user-friendly advanced features, the L60 features a 3x optical zoom SHD lens, a 5x digital zoom and a large 2.4-inch color LCD display. Set to hit the shelves in March the Samsung L60 is perfect for those who demand easy to use features and high quality optics. The Samsung L60 packs advanced features such as MPEG4 into a sleek, stylish body. MPEG-4 is a high-compression, high-quality video format, which can record up to 4 times longer than traditional video formats commonly used in other digital cameras. This means the user can record in VGA (640x480) at 30fps, for smoother video and a bigger view of the movie on LCD and TV screens.

PMA 2006: The Ricoh Caplio R4 is announced today. 6 megapixels, 7x zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD screen, Vibration Correction function. The Ricoh R4 will be available from March for £249.99.

Ricoh UK Press Release

London –UK February 23rd 2006. – Ricoh has announced the release of the new Caplio R4 compact digital camera featuring a 7.1x optical wide zoom, (28–200 mm in 35 mm camera format), the largest in the compact class* and vibration correction function. With a smaller body, the new Ricoh R4, has a 7.1x (28—200 mm) wide-angle, high-powered zoom lens, the biggest in its class. Building on the highly successful R3, the new Ricoh R4 boasts 6 megapixels, longer battery life and a high resolution LCD. The R4 will be available in both Black and Silver.

PMA 2006: The Ricoh Caplio RR630 is announced today. 6.1 megapixels, 3x zoom lens, 2 inch LCD screen. The Ricoh RR630 will be available from March for £129.99.

Ricoh UK Press Release

London – UK February 23rd 2006. – Ricoh is delighted to announce the release of the Caplio RR630 - a compact 6.1-megapixel digital camera that brings the joy of digital photography within reach of even first time users. The Ricoh RR630 is the latest addition to Ricoh’s popular, award-winning range of digital cameras, whose outstanding performance, value for money and stylish designs have won favour with photographers around the world. The Ricoh RR630 consistently produces vivid, crystal-clear images that place it a touch above other cameras in its class. Equipped with a 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, for a combined 12x zoom, the Caplio RR630 is ready to take on any photographic challenge.

PMA Show: The Ricoh GR Digital Creative Set is introduced today. This consists of the Ricoh GR Digital camera, wide conversion lens, external viewfinder, hood and adapter, camera case and neck strap. The GR Digital Creative Set Package will be available from March for £699.

Ricoh UK Press Release

London – UK February 23rd 2006, RICOH EUROPE B.V. have announced the launch of the “GR DIGITAL Creative Set” including the award winning GR DIGITAL combined with an exciting package of accessories (consisting of wide conversion lens GW-1, external viewfinder GV-1, hood and adapter GH-1, and camera case and neck strap) designed to maximise the camera’s already superb performance. The new GR Digital inherits the superb image quality that made the award winning GR Series (first launched in 1996) of 35mm compact film cameras so popular, as well as the depictive performance to satisfy professional photographers, distilled into a compact 25-mm thin body. With a high-quality feel and superb expandability, this is the perfect tool for both professional photographers and advanced amateurs.

PMA 2006: The Ricoh Caplio GX8 Creative Set is announced. It includes the Caplio GX8 digital camera, wide conversion lens, hood and adapter, rechargeable battery, charger, camera case and neck strap. The Caplio GX8 Creative Set Package will be available from March for £349.99.

Ricoh UK Press Release

London – UK February 23rd 2006, RICOH EUROPE B.V. announced the launch of the “Caplio GX8 Creative Set” including the Caplio GX8 digital camera, featuring high image quality with 8.24 effective megapixels, combined with an exciting package of accessories designed to enhance the enjoyment of photography. The accessory bundle includes a wide conversion lens DW-4, hood and adapter HA-1, rechargeable battery DB-43, charger BJ-2, and camera case and neck strap. The Caplio GX8 faithfully carries on the Caplio GX concept. Attaining even higher performance standards in a compact format, it meets the needs even most demanding users. Its CCD with 8.24 effective megapixels ranks it among the best compact digital performers, enabling the Caplio GX8 to accurately render details in stunningly vivid, high-quality images.

PMA 2006: The Epson Perfection V700 Photo and Epson Perfection V750-M Pro scanners are announced today. The Epson Perfection 750-M Pro will be available in May for $799. The Epson Perfection V700 Photo will be available in March for $549.

Epson America Press Release

Epson Perfection V700 Photo and Epson Perfection V750-M Pro Scanners include innovative 6400 dpi optical resolution and a Dual Lens™ System, along with a fluid mount accessory for the Pro model

LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 22, 2006 – The Epson Perfection V700 Photo and Epson Perfection V750-M Pro scanners are making their debut as the first scanners for photo studio applications that offer capabilities typically found in high-end commercial lab scanners, at a much more affordable price.  These two scanners were created with the professional and amateur photographer in mind and provide groundbreaking resolution that is achieved using a new Dual Lens System. In addition, a new fluid mount accessory (offered on the Pro model), allows photographers to perform wet scans on a flatbed scanner, which is especially valuable for enhanced scratch removal and grain reduction from black and white film.  The Epson Perfection V700 Photo and Epson Perfection V750-M Pro both incorporate the Epson Dual Lens System, which is a new double lens scanning system that enables super resolution (6400 dpi) scanning of 35mm, 2 ¼”, and 4”x 5” medium format film.  High resolution (4800 dpi) scanning is also available for transparency and reflective scanning. Depending on the resolution selected, the lens carriage will switch and the appropriate lens will be set in place.

Bonusprint Press Release

Digital camera users can now save even more on their prints when ordering images from www.bonusprint.co.uk.

Prices start at just 10p for a 4” x 6” single print when ordered online. They then drop to just 7p per print when ordering over 100 prints, and even further to just 6p per print when ordering over 400 prints. “Bonusprint continues to provide a competitive service without compromising on quality,” said Anthony Ward, Managing Director, Bonusprint. “We want our customers to have the flexibility of ordering the images they want without the expense of home printing or the high up-front cost of bulk buying print credits that may never be used. This is why we have reduced our prices and continue to produce quality prints and a range of photo gifts for customers to order online.”

Delkin Devices Press Release

Poway, CA. February 22, 2006- Delkin Devices, makers of high quality digital photography products and accessories, announced the addition of Scratch Armor to their Archival Gold line. They are available in both CD-R and DVD-R formats. Scratch Armor’s protective layer prevents scratches, scuffs, dirt, chemicals, and fingerprints; making it the best way to protect your precious memories, music, and important documents. The clear scratch resistant coating that comes on the Archival Gold media prevents damage from the daily grind that CD’s and DVD’s are faced with. Combined with Archival Gold’s established reliability, Archival Gold with Scratch Armor also increases the quality and lifespan of your recordable media.

PMA 2006: The Logitech NuLOOQ Professional Series offers a new method of control for Adobe Creative Suite. The NuLOOQ Professional Series costs $149.99 and will be available in March. The NuLOOQ tooldial can be purchased separately online for $49.99 at www.logitech.com/nulooq.

Logitech Press Release

Logitech Brings New Levels of Control to Adobe Creative Suite 2; NuLOOQ Navigator Device Places Controls at the Fingertips; NuLOOQ Tooldial Software Centralizes Tools under the Cursor

ORLANDO, Fla.—Feb. 23, 2006—Logitech (SWX:LOGN)(NASDAQ:LOGI) and Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) today announced the results of a collaboration to provide creative professionals and design enthusiasts new levels of control when using Adobe(R) Creative Suite 2 (CS2) and standalone CS2 applications: the NuLOOQ(TM) Professional Series. The new Logitech product line comprises the NuLOOQ navigator(TM), an innovative device used in conjunction with a mouse and a keyboard to manipulate images and documents, and the NuLOOQ tooldial(TM), customizable on-demand interface software that provides quick access to design tools. Both are designed for use with the Mac(R) versions of Adobe Creative Suite 2, Adobe Illustrator(R) CS2, Adobe InDesign(R) CS2, and Adobe Photoshop(R) CS2. The NuLOOQ Professional Series places the frequently used tools and options in the Adobe Creative Suite right at creative professionals’ fingertips, saving them time and giving them the ability to shift their focus to the most important aspect of design - imagery and layout.

Kodak Press Release

Nikon, Olympus, Pentax Debut IMAGELINK System-Enabled Cameras at PMA - Acceptance of Printing Standard Will Benefit Millions of Consumers Worldwide

ROCHESTER, NY, February 22—Nikon, Olympus and Pentax introduced five digital cameras designed to connect to Kodak’s EASYSHARE printer dock via the IMAGELINK system standard at the Photo Marketing Association International Convention and Trade Show this week. The IMAGELINK print system, introduced by Kodak and a consortium of leading digital camera manufacturers at Photokina in September 2004, is a standard that allows pictures taken with a digital camera to be printed directly on the KODAK EASYSHARE printer dock. The dock enables consumers to print outstanding quality snapshots at the press of a button without connecting to a computer—a task that many consumers find complicated and time consuming.

FujiFilm, Kodak and Konica Minolta Press Release

Orlando, February 22 - Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Inc. and Eastman Kodak Company, founding members of the former Picture Archiving and Sharing Standard (PASS), today announced the EVERPLAY standard designed to ensure compatibility of digital photos and motion images across a broad range of consumer products for future generations. Methods to organize and preserve digital images have evolved independently by many different companies and have lost interoperability among the different systems. There are also potential problems as time passes, systems evolve and formats change. The new EVERPLAY standard aims to resolve these issues and respond to consumers’ needs to protect images and enjoy widespread interoperability. The standard is designed to make it easy to implement and uses XML next-generation language in its specification.

PMA 2006: A Windows version of Lightzone is released today. LightZone is available for Windows and Mac OS X for $249.95.

Light Crafts Press Release

Award-Winning Photo Editing and Image Processing Software Now Available for Microsoft Windows - LightZone Delivers the Most Significant Advance in Windows-Based Photo Editing in More Than a Decade

Palo Alto, CA – February 23, 2006—Light Crafts, Inc. today announced that the Microsoft Windows version of its award-winning photo editing software – LightZone™ – is now available. Designed and built from the ground up for professionals and other serious photographers, LightZone for Windows is available as a free 30-day trial at www.lightcrafts.com . Light Crafts also announced its Charter Customer Program. Customers who purchase and register any version of LightZone by March 31, 2006, will receive lifetime upgrades at no charge. LightZone, which recently received a “Best of Show” award at the 2006 Macworld Expo, provides a better way to edit and correct digital photographs and create stunning photographic and fine art prints. With LightZone, a digital photograph can be developed and edited using light values and shapes in a true non-destructive editing environment. LightZone’s breakthrough patent-pending technology helps serious photographers achieve professional results and is easy and intuitive to use.

DigiCamReview have just reviewed the Ricoh GR Digital, an 8 megapixel compact digicam based on the GR Series of 35mm compact film cameras.

“mage quality is very good to excellent. Images have very good natural colour, with good saturation, contrast, detail, and low purple fringing. Images were slightly soft (although sharpness can be increased in-camera), and images were noisy when higher ISO settings were used. The camera did a good job focusing even in low light thanks to the focus-assist lamp - however macro focusing in low light was occassionally unsuccessful. I did not notice vignetting in photos, and there was very low barrel distortion considering the wide angle lens. There is a good range of image sizes, and a good choice of compression options. The macro mode is excellent, and provides good detail and colour. Auto white balance and metering seemed to be good the majority of the time. Red-eye was not a huge problem.”

Website: DigiCamReview - Ricoh GR Digital Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

ByteSector have just posted their review of the diminutive and stylish 4 megapixel Olympus Mju Mini digicam (called the Stylus Verve in the USA).

“I must say that the camera worked wonderfully. Of all the cameras I have tested, this one had the most comfortable button arrangement and menu organization. I particularly enjoyed having the thumb scroll bar on the top right, changing between the modes was very easy, and could be done with the camera powered off, so you can start off in whichever mode you wanted. The camera’s load up time was average for its category, and didn’t feel obstinately long.”

Website: ByteSector - Olympus Mju Mini Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DCResource have just reviewed the new 10.2 megapixel Nikon D200 digital SLR camera.

“Photo quality was excellent as well. Photos were properly exposed, with vivid colors and low purple fringing and noise levels. As is typical with D-SLRs, images are very smooth, and some folks may want to sharpen things up a bit. My only real photo quality complaint is that noise levels are higher than I would’ve liked at ISO sensitivities above 640. They’re not horrible by any means, but after just reviewing the Canon EOS-5D, I’m a bit spoiled. Then again, the 5D costs $3299 and the D200 is $1699.”

Website: DCResource - Nikon D200 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DPReview have also reviewed the new 10.2 megapixel Nikon D200 digital SLR camera.

“Next we’ll talk megapixels, or I guess the marketeers would like that, but to be frank there’s really little to gain or lose in two megapixels either way, hence in a neutral comparison (as we did here, shooting RAW and using the same converter) you really can’t see any significant advantage or disadvantage going either way (8 to 10 or 10 to 12). You really wouldn’t be able to see a difference in print even at very large sizes.”

Website: DPReview - Nikon D200 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DIWA member and Czech website Fotoaparat have reviewed the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 which combines a 12x optical zoom lens with MEGA O.I.S. in a compact body.

Website: Fotoaparat - Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

muvee Press Release

Photo and video-sharing portals benefit from being able to offer end users a more compelling, emotive way of displaying and sharing their digital media

Singapore and New York, NY - February 22, 2006 - muvee, the pioneer and leader in Instant Personal Video, launches its new muveeOnline web service at the 2006 Photo Marketing Association (PMA) Convention in Orlando, Florida.  The first and only of its kind, muveeOnline is a back-end Web service that brings muvee’s award-winning automatic video production capabilities to photo-/video-sharing portals, as well as a host of other online web communities where digital media content is uploaded and shared. When integrated with these portals, muveeOnline enables end users to automatically create polished, edited video productions using their personal photos and video clips that are hosted on the portal, without having to download and install any software.  Users have over 100 unique production styles to choose from and the finished productions, called muvees, are intelligently cut to the beat of the music with synchronized style effects and transitions.

SeeFile Press Release

ORLANDO—February 22, 2005—At the Photo Marketing Association’s (PMA) annual conference, SeeFile will be showing a major upgrade to their software package, fulfilling on a promise to improve often and well a product that was deemed best of show last year by, among others Joe Farace of Shutterbug and Liz Cunningham of Cygnus Publications.

The Macintosh-based software is aimed at photographers, designers, and smaller graphic arts shops looking for a way to promote their work and interact with customers on the Internet. Traditional solutions to this problem have cost as much as $50,000. The SeeFile 2.0 system is being shown in booth 3280 at PMA at a complete price of only $995, including hardware that puts a Web server on an affordable platform. Once plugged in, it provides instant Web access for any images stored on the system.

PMA 2006: Canon announced no less than 39 new products today, including a new DSLR, new still and video digital cameras, professional, consumer, laser and multi-function printers, and projectors. PhotographyBLOG attended the UK press launch at the Worx Studios in South West London to try to make sense of it all. Here are some real-life product shots from the event that you won’t find anywhere else…