Adobe Press Release

Combined company to deliver software platform that redefines how people engage with digital information

LONDON. – Dec. 5, 2005 – Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the completion of its acquisition of Macromedia, Inc.  The transaction was finalised on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005.  As a result of the acquisition, Macromedia common stock is no longer being traded and shares of Macromedia common stock were converted into the right to receive 1.38 shares of Adobe common stock.

The combination of Adobe and Macromedia creates one of the world’s largest, most innovative and diversified software companies.  The acquisition brings together some of the industry’s strongest software brands and most ubiquitous technologies for creating, managing and delivering compelling content and experiences across multiple operating systems, devices and media.  The move also accelerates Adobe’s strategic initiative to advance a powerful software platform, based on PDF and Macromedia® Flash® technologies, that scales from mobile devices to high-end servers.

Adobe Press Release

New Adobe Design, Web and Video Bundles Combine Latest Creative Software From Adobe and Macromedia

New Product Configurations Deliver the Software Relied on by Millions of Creatives, Designers, Video Professionals and Web Developers

LONDON— Dec. 5, 2005 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced three new product bundles that combine the design and publishing prowess of Adobe® Creative Suite 2 and Adobe video tools with the interactive strength of just-released Macromedia® Flash® Professional 8 and Macromedia Studio 8 software.  Adobe acquired the Macromedia product line when the company purchased Macromedia, a transaction that formally closed on December 3, 2005.

DALSA Corporation Press Release

Mamiya Sets Shipping Date for Digital SLR Featuring DALSA 22 Megapixel Chip

Waterloo, Ontario, December 1, 2005 - DALSA Corporation (TSX:DSA), an international high performance semiconductor and electronics company, today announced that its customer, Mamiya, has set a shipping date for its new Mamiya ZD medium format camera. The professional grade camera, which integrates DALSA’s 22 million pixel image sensor chip, will be available in Japan on December 21st, 2005, and will be released world-wide in January 2006.

The Mamiya ZD is the world’s first medium format digital SLR camera that is both fully integrated and portable. Medium format cameras are used extensively by commercial photographers for advertising, wedding, portrait, and landscape work. Compared to the smaller 35mm format, the imaging area on a medium format camera is two times larger, providing sharper, higher quality images with significantly more detail. As in other areas of photography, medium format is rapidly transitioning from film to digital. The move is being fueled by the availability of viable digital camera and workflow solutions that allow commercial photographers to eliminate film costs and significantly increase productivity.

Kingston Technology Press Release

Kingston Launches New “Ultimate” Line of CompactFlash Cards - 100x Write Speed Helps Maximize Camera Functions and Gives Photographers Competitive Edge in High-Speed Shooting Conditions

Fountain Valley, CA – December 1, 2005 – Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of its new “Ultimate” line of CompactFlash cards.

With a sustained write speed rating of 100x, Kingston’s CompactFlash Ultimate cards offer the performance that high-end digital cameras and other fast capture and storage function devices need to perform at peak levels. The one, two and four-GB storage capacities of Kingston’s CompactFlash Ultimate cards meet the increased demands of today’s professional photographers by delivering reliability and dependability.

Snaps Magazine showcases the work of more than 20 photographers, who have submitted images based on a particular theme. Still going strong and now onto its 8th issue, the latest theme is Whatever You Want (keep it somewhat clean though). If you feel suitably inspired, you can submit up to 5 of your own photographs by 1st January 2006. Well worth checking out - thanks to Clay Jackson for letting me know.

Website: Snaps Magazine

Lyra Research Press Release

Why Do Some Consumers Say “No Thanks” to Third-Party Ink Jet Cartridges? New Lyra Report Answers with New Forecast, Demographics and Branding Data

Newton, MA (PRWEB) December 2, 2005—Lyra Research’s new report, Third-Party Ink Jet Cartridges: Challenges and Prospects in a Growth Market, provides unprecedented research and data on the highly competitive third-party ink jet cartridge market (www.lyra.com). This report focuses on the thousands of third-party ink jet cartridge vendors worldwide that are facing increasing challenges to their profitability. Continually refining their ink formulations to keep up with the OEMs, circumventing new cartridge electronics, sourcing empty cartridges, battling for consumer mind share, and worrying about patent infringement are just a few of those challenges, and aftermarket cartridge makers now face a new source of competition as numerous retail refill shops open worldwide.

The New Nude Press Release

September 1st, 2005 – The staff of THE NEW NUDE is proud to announce the shipment of our second issue to subscribers across the globe.  Issue #2 features over 100 full color pages of beautiful nudes, cutting edge articles, and insightful commentary for readers who are interested in the nude as a unique genre and art form.  With an emphasis on the international photographic community it is our mission to bring together photographers from across the globe into one publication.

Photographer Fazal Majid has published his initial impressions of Apple’s Aperture software.

“Aperture is not the lightning-fast RAW converter we have been dreaming of. Importing RAW files is quite a sluggish affair, taking 2 minutes 15 seconds to import a 665MB folder with 86 Canon Rebel XT CR2 RAW files. In comparison, Bridge takes about a minute to generate thumbnails and previews for the same images. The comparison is not entirely fair, as Aperture’s import process yields high-resolution previews that allow you to magnify the image to see actual pixels with the loupe tool, whereas Bridge’s previews are medium resolution at best. The CPU utilization on my dual G5 is far from pegged however, which suggests the import process was not particularly tuned for SMP or multi-core systems, nor that it even leverages OS X’s multithreading.”

Website: Apple Aperture First Impressions

DIWA member and Danish website Digital Magasinet have published their review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T7, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 2.5 inch LCD screen and a 3x optical zoom lens.

Website: Digital Magasinet - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T7 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DCResource have reviewed the Kodak Easyshare P850 camera which features a 12x, 36 – 432 mm, image-stabilised, f2.8 – f/3.7, SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON lens.

“The P850 is an average-sized ultra zoom camera that features a 5.1 Megapixel CCD, 12X optical zoom lens, optical image stabilizer, and 2.5” LCD display. This is Kodak’s first camera with image stabilization, and it helps to keep the P850 competitive in the crowded ultra zoom field. While the camera’s LCD is large, I found its resolution and low light visibility to be lacking. The camera’s electronic viewfinder was better in terms of resolution, but not low light visibility. Build quality on the P850 was quite good, and it fits well in your hand. About the only things I didn’t care for in the design department are the command dial/set button combination and the power switch.”

Website: DCResource - Kodak Easyshare P850 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

The Czech website Digineff have just reviewed the new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1, a 10.3 megapixel compact camera with an APS-C sized sensor that allows for a “live” preview.

Website: Digineff - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have just reviewed the Casio EX-Z500, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.7 inch LCD screen.

Website: Digit.no - Casio EX-Z500 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

The-Digital-Picture have reviewed the Canon Speedlite 430EX flashgun, which replaces the Speedlite 420EX and increases the guide number to 43.

“One of the primary differences between the 430EX and the 580EX is the amount of light each can provide. The 430EX has a Guide Number of 141’ (43 m) while the 580EX has a Guide Number of 190’ (58 m) (both at 105mm). The 430EX is not under powered for many uses, but the 580EX’s significant power advantage can become important when using a flash modifier such as an umbrella, softbox or diffuser - or bouncing light off a high ceiling. In addition to being more powerful, the 580EX allows 1/1 (full power) to 1/128 in 1/3-stop increments while the 430EX allows power settings from 1/1 to 1/64 in more granular 1-stop increments.”

Website: The-Digital-Picture - Canon Speedlite 430EX Review

The italian website Dphoto.it have published their review of the Nikon D50, an affordable 6.1 megapixel digital SLR.

Website: Dphoto.it - Nikon D50 Review

Website: Read my Nikon D50 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

The Italian website Dphoto.it 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.

Website: Dphoto.it - Panasonic DMC-FZ30 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

This week’s Saturday Shout considers the recent addition of Wi-Fi technology to digital cameras. Would you buy a 4 megapixel camera for £400? Probably not. Would you buy a 4 megapixel camera with WiFi capability for £400? Hmmmm. That’s exactly what Kodak are selling in the form of the new (and much-delayed) EasyShare One digital camera. The EasyShare One does have some other impressive features, including a 3 inch touch-screen LCD, but Kodak are mainly promoting the Wi-Fi aspect to help justify the high price. Nikon and more recently Canon have also launched Wi-Fi cameras, so it seems to be something of a growing trend. But is it a feature that consumers really want, or merely a marketing tool to help differentiate a camera in what is an incredibly crowded market-place?

So what do you think? Is Wi-Fi in a camera just a gimmick, or a must-have feature? Have you bought one, and how often do you use the Wi-Fi? Will Wi-Fi become the defacto standard for transferring files from cameras to computers? Shout out now…

Currently available for around £400 / $600, the 9 megapixel Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom is being heavily promoted by Fujifilm as a real, and in some ways better, alternative to an entry-level DSLR. Does it live up to its billing? Find out in my latest review.

Website: Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom Review

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

New Cameras
Blue and Red Casio EX-Z500

New Accessories
Pentax Fisheye 10-17mm Lens
Jobo GIGA Vu PRO evolution
StorVision miniVCR TV

New Software
Extensis Portfolio 8

Other Headlines
Pentax Issue LCD Screen Statement
Digital Camera Sales Fall at Jessops

Camera Labs, a new digital camera review website, has launched today.

Camera Labs is a new website featuring unbiased reviews of digital cameras and lenses, along with workshops and the latest news and views of the photography world. Whether you’re upgrading your camera, considering a new lens, or joining the world of digital photography, Camera Labs is here to help you make the right choice.

Camera Labs is edited by Gordon Laing, a British technology writer and former Editor of Personal Computer World magazine in the UK. Gordon is a Personal Computer columnist and regular contributor to PC Advisor, PC Pro, Active Home, MacUser and Computeractive magazines in the UK. He holds a degree in Physics from the University of Kent, specialises in digital imaging and has been a photographer for over two decades.

Website: Camera Labs

Pentax are one of the last manufacturers to issue a statement about the recent LCD screen issue that has affected most of the camera companies.

Pentax Japan Press Release

We have recently been found out that a limited number of our digital camera may appear the following symptom very uncommonly when capture the image.

  1. The LCD monitor become dark and the image does not display
  2. The image falls into disorder.

The following digital products may be affected; Optio330RS / Optio330GS / Optio33L / Optio43WR / Optio550 / Optio555