Realviz Press Release

New Product For the Creation of Photo-real 3D Virtual Tours Available from Februrary 2006

Sophia Antipolis, France (January 30, 2006) - REALVIZ, a leader in image processing software development, will launch VTour, the latest addition to their software portfolio for content creation, at IMAGINA in Monaco this week. VTour draws on the award-winning technology of Stitcher and ImageModeler and offers users of all levels an innovative and effective solution for the creation of photo-real 3D environments from 2D pictures or panoramas. The REALVIZ team will be demonstrating VTour, along with a selection of their other applications at IMAGINA, which takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo from 1-3 February 2006.

Pentax have released a new firmware version, 1.01, for the Pentax Optio SVi and SV digital cameras.

Version 1.01 includes the following improvements:
Improved the performance of Metering when using a Interval shooting.

Website: Pentax Optio SVi and SV v1.01 Firmware Update

Sigma UK Press Release

Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd is pleased to announce the launch of the new Sigma Micro Fibre Lens Cleaning Cloth. This cleaning cloth has been optimised for use with both digital and analogue lenses making it the perfect accessory for film and digital SLR owners. The advanced structural qualities of this cloth make it suitable for both left and right-handed people. New Low Energy (LE) system utilises the power of kinetic energy, so when your DSLR batteries are running low, the cleaning cloth will keep going and going!

• Unique triangle knitting structure, eliminates dust, finger-prints and oil.
• Excellent water absorbing power and cleaning effect.
• Optimised for both film and digital lenses.
• Incorporates new Low Energy (LE) technology.

DIWA member Steves Digicams have reviewed the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T9, which offers a 3x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens, 6 megapixels, an optical image stabilizer, highest ISO speed of 640 and a 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“I was pleased with the T9’s outdoor shooting results. The lens produced sharp results throughout its 38 – 114mm (35mm equivalent) optical zoom range, with a moderate amounts of barrel distortion at extreme wide-angle and pin cushioning at full telephoto. It zooms smoothly and nearly continuously throughout its 3X range; I counted 21 steps between full wide angle and full telephoto, more than enough for precise shot composition. Our outdoor test images were both well exposed and richly saturated, and had very little chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in high contrast areas.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T9 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

CameraLabs have just reviewed the Panasonic DMC-FZ30. This is an 8 megapixel compact digital camera with a 12x Leica optical zoom lens equivalent to 35-420mm, optical image stabilizer, addition of a manual zoom ring and rotating LCD screen with 235,000 pixels.

“So how does it compare against specific models such as its closest rival, the Fujifilm S9500 / S9000 which costs virtually the same price. In its favour, the FZ30 has a more powerful telephoto, optical stabilisation, better build quality and a screen which flips and twists in every direction. On the other hand the Fujifilm has a wider angle lens and much higher sensitivity. In terms of image quality, our Results page shows each camera taking the lead in certain respects but coming out very similar overall.”

Website: CameraLabs - Panasonic DMC-FZ30 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

CNET 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.

“With Wi-Fi networking integrated into most new laptops sold today and industry-standard add-on adapters available to easily upgrade older notebooks and desktop machines, the ability to use Wi-Fi to transfer photos from digital cameras is becoming an increasingly attractive option. Though not the first manufacturer to produce a consumer-level camera with wireless capabilities—Kodak and Nikon came to market before—Canon has created a boon for remote-shooting fans with its PowerShot SD430, a 5-megapixel ultracompact that is basically a PowerShot SD400 with a slightly different body and a built-in Wi-Fi transmitter.”

Website: CNET - Canon PowerShot SD430 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

PCMagazine have just reviewed the 6 megapixel Olympus Mju Digital 600 camera.

“Back in the days before “talkies,” the Olympus Stylus 600 ($299.95 list) might have found an audience. Today, when the majority of consumers expect sound with their video, this ultracompact performer might fill attics, but it won’t fill theaters. True, this isn’t a video camera, so people buy it for its still-image capabilities—but when you find nothing outstanding there either, can anything else recommend it? Maybe.”

Website: PCMagazine - Olympus Mju Digital 600 Review

Website: Read my Olympus Mju Digital 600 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

PCMagazine have reviewed the Lexmark P450, a 4x6 inch photo printer with a unique feature, a built-in CD burner.

“For anyone who doesn’t want to mix photography and computing, the Lexmark P450 ($199.99 direct) provides an easy way to print and store digital photos. The P450 doesn’t even offer an option to connect to a computer. Instead, it lets you print directly from a camera, memory card, USB flash drive, or even a CD, using its built-in CD-R drive. It also lets you copy files to a CD-R disc, so you can store the photos and free up memory on a card.”

Website: PCMagazine - Lexmark P450 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

This week Olympus announced the world’s first digital SLR camera with live preview on the LCD screen. This innovation enables framing of shots without the need to look through the viewfinder, and will prove an attractive proposition to anyone who is used to compact digicams. The E-330 is based on the previous E-300 design, however, which didn’t prove too popular with consumers, and the new model will set you back £900, which is more than a Canon EOS 20D. So does the new E-300 get your blood racing, or do you think it will go down in history as the first, but not the best? Would you pay £900 for it? And do you think all the other manufactuers will quickly follow suit and release their own live-view SLR cameras? Shout out now…

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

New Cameras
Pentax *ist DL2 DSLR
Olympus E-330 DSLR (pictured)
Olympus SP-320
Olympus mju 810
Olympus mju 720 SW
Olympus mju 700
Olympus FE-160
Olympus FE-150
Olympus FE-140 and Olympus FE-130
Olympus FE-115
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7
Casio Exilim EX-Z600

New Accessories
Olympus Underwater and Outdoor cases
Wolverine MVP 9060

Other Headlines
£50 Cashback on Samsung Pro 815
Sony DSLR in Summer 2006

ePhotoZine have reviewed the Plustek OpticFilm 7200i film scanner, which incorporates SilverFast’s Infrared Smart Removal of Defects (iSRD) technology and is priced at just £199/$399.

“The scanner turns out very detailed scans from black & white film, producing a good range of tones. It does struggle to reproduce extreme tones from the darkest areas of the film because of its limited Dmax, but this problem doesn’t detract much from the overall quality of the scanned image. The iSRD function will not work with black & white film and has to be disabled. This is common for most scanners employing an infrared dust and scratch removal system, only Digital ICE 4 available on the Nikon Coolscan V has overcome this problem.”

aePhotoZine - Plustek OpticFilm 7200 Review

PMA 2006: The Pentax *ist DL2 digital SLR camera is announced today. New features include 8 scene modes, 5 point wide-area AF system, and a new digital preview function which allows confirmation of depth of field, exposure level, image composition and flash lighting effect, on the LCD monitor.

Pentax Press Release

PENTAX Corporation is pleased to announce the marketing of the PENTAX *ist DL2 lens-interchangeable digital SLR camera to offer the fun and excitement of high-quality digital SLR photography to many levels of photographers — especially first-time digital SLR users. Developed as a proud successor to the popular *ist DL, this new digital SLR inherits many of its predecessor’s popular features, including a compact, lightweight and easy-to-hold body and a simple, accessible operation system. At the same time, it provides several improvements and additions, such as an increased number of AF sensor points and eight user-friendly Scene Modes. As a result, it delivers greatly enhanced overall cost performance to its users. PENTAX believes that the new *ist DL2 is an ideal starter camera for many different users around the globe, ranging from photographic novices and family snapshot enthusiasts to current digital-compact and film-SLR users who want to take up digital SLR photography.

Cobra Digital Press Release

Cobra Digital Debuts Value-Priced DC7550Z Digital Camera Featuring Power Zoom, 7.0 Megapixel Output - Sub-$200, High Performance Camera for Personal Use Includes 2.4” Color Display, Autofocus, 3X Optical/5X Digital Zoom

Cobra Digital, makers of affordable digital imaging products, announced today its new DC7550Z digital camera, a powerful combination of performance and value for the hobbyist or anyone interested in capturing top quality photos.  Incorporating a 3X optical and 5X digital power zoom lens, the DC7550Z delivers exceptional photographic images in resolutions as high as 7 megapixels, with a wide range of convenience features also included. Cobra Digital’s DC7550Z offers users a large, 2.4” TFT (110K pixel) liquid crystal display, making it easy to compose any kind of shot.  The 32MB flash memory and SD slot (card not included) with mass storage driver support ensures enough storage for a full day’s shooting, while the 2,592 x 1,944 pixel CCD sensor provides razor sharp imaging.

A number of websites have previews, interviews and, well, just views, about the new Olympus E-330 with its, ermm, live preview functionality. Here’s a roundup…

E330 Interviews
Website: Quesabesde
Website: DigitalCameraInfo

E330 Previews
Website: Quesabesde
Website: DPReview
Website: Imaging Resource

BonusPrint Press Release

Don’t say it with flowers - Create an original Valentine’s Day photo-gift online

Bonusprint is urging lovers across the UK to bin the flowers this Valentine’s Day in favour of something more original – a gift personalised with pictures of you and your special someone.

A personalised card, for example, can demonstrate how special your loved one is to you. An online tour at www.bonusprint.co.uk explains how to upload and create the high-quality cards, which cost from just 99p. You can choose the perfect photo, border, caption and message for your loved one and have it delivered straight to your door. Some of the best examples that customers have made include a picture of pink furry handcuffs with “Are you tied up for Valentine’s Day” on the outside and “Do you want to be?” as the message on the inside.  Another has a picture of a long chimney leaning at a slight angle with “Thinking of You” on the front…

DIWA member Steves Digicams 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.

“One of the most noticeable features on this model is the wireless capability. As stated above, this will allow you to transfer images to your PC, control the camera remotely or print images from your printer without having to get out a USB cable or download to a computer. I was very surprised at how well the SD430’s wireless system works. We had no problems connecting to our D-Link router to test the remote capture software.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon PowerShot SD430 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

PCMagazine have reviewed the new Kodak Easyshare P880 digital camera. The Kodak Easyshare P880 is an 8 megapixel model with wide-angle 24–140 mm zoom lens and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“Over the past year, however, with D-SLR prices falling to well under $1,000, we’ve started to wonder how long manufacturers will continue to make enthusiast lines. The P880s cost dangerously close to what you’d pay for some low-end D-SLRs. Our thinking is: If you’re going to pay this much, why not spend a pinch more for the superior picture quality you’d get with a D-SLR? To compete, enthusiast cameras have to be nearly flawless all around or offer unique functions—such as versatile video capabilities—that you won’t find on models in the next category up.”

Website: PCMagazine - Kodak Easyshare P880 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have published their review of the new Fujifilm FinePix E900 Zoom, a 9 megapixel digital camera with a 4x optical zoom lens equivalent to 32-128mm and an ISO range of ISO 80 to ISO 800.

Website: Digit.no - Fujifilm FinePix E900 Zoom Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

PMA 2006: The Olympus E-330 with live preview is announced today. 7.5 megapixels, 2.5 inch LCD, Supersonic Wave Filter, £900 in the UK, available in March.

Olympus UK Press Release

World’s first digital SLR with continuous live view*

London, 26 January 2006 – With its new E-330, Olympus introduces the fourth SLR body in the award winning Olympus E-System and expands the horizons of photography by including live view on the LCD screen of a digital SLR for the first time*. This ground-breaking innovation enables framing of shots without the need to look through the viewfinder, allowing users of the Olympus E-330 to remain aware of what’s going on around them while they shoot – a significant advantage for reportage or sports photographers. As the image is relayed live on a large bright LCD screen measuring 2.5”/ 6.4cm framing the subject is made much easier in situations when using a conventional viewfinder is too awkward, such as when photographing underwater. And as the large LCD on the Olympus E-330 can be tilted or swivelled to virtually any angle, the versatility of the Olympus E-330 is extended even further.

PMA 2006: The Olympus SP-320 is introduced. 7.1 megapixels, 3x zoom, 2.5 inch LCD, full range of shooting modes, RAW format, £230 in the UK, available in April.

Olympus UK Press Release

Explore your creative potential - the Olympus SP-320 giving control back to the photographer

London, 26 January 2006 – With the new Olympus SP320 ambitious photographers can let their imaginations run wild. In addition to an impressive 25 special scene modes, the camera has Programme, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and full Manual exposure control, plus manual and automatic focussing, leaving the photographer free to choose the settings they need, to achieve their desired effects. Boasting a 7.1 million pixel CCD the SP-320 has enough resolving power to record scenes in stunning detail. The precision 3x optical zoom of the SP320 gives even more flexibility and a histogram function enables exposure information to be displayed on the large 6.4cm LCD screen whilst the shot is being taken, to give expert photographers the opportunity to fine-tune their exposure for the perfect result. The SP-320 is a highly specified camera and for extra versatility a range of optional accessories is available, including lens converters and an underwater casing. Featuring a slim wedge-shaped design with ergonomic grip the SP320 is surprisingly robust for a camera with so many features that retails for just £230. Expect to see the Olympus SP-320 in all good camera shops April 2006.