Olympus Europe Press Release

First Olympus µ DIGITAL 800 goes to Duran Duran

Hamburg, 13 June 2005 – The legendary Duran Duran are currently on a world tour promoting their latest album “Astronaut”. When they stopped by in Hamburg, Olympus had a special surprise in store for them: an 8.0 million pixel µ DIGITAL 800. The Japanese camera manufacturer presented Nick Rhodes, head of the band and avid photographer, with the first available model of this series in Europe. Incorporating BrightCapture Technology, the µ DIGITAL 800 is particularly suited for taking shots in challenging lighting conditions, such as at concerts. In situations of low light – where other cameras frequently disappoint – the built-in LCD automatically increases brightness to ensure accurate framing and deliver crystal clear images. And that’s sure to hit the right note with Duran Duran! The first of Nick’s shots can now be seen at www.duranduran.com.

Olympus have announced a new firmware update with enhanced functionality for their 8 megapixel Olympus E-300 / Evolt DSLR.

Website: Read my Olympus E-300 / Evolt Review

Olympus UK Press Release

Providing even more performance - Olympus announce version 1.3 firmware update for the E-300

London, 19th July 2005

Olympus has a well founded reputation for revolutionising the design and construction of cameras, most recently with the design and introduction of their E-system range. The fully digital SLR cameras are based on the TIPA Award-winning FourThirds Standard and have set new standards in SLR photography.

The Sigma 28-300mm F3.5-6.3 DG MACRO is announced. The new Sigma 28-300mm lens is designed for digital SLR cameras and provides a high zoom magnification of 10.7x and a minimum focusing distance of 50cm at all focal lengths. Available in Sigma, Canon and Nikon fittings, the Sigma 28-300mm Macro lens has a price tag of £229.99 in the UK.

Sigma UK Press Release

Digitally optimised super zoom lens with a 10.7x zoom magnification.

l New multi layer lens coating minimises flare and ghosting, a common problem with Digital SLR cameras.
l Wide angle, Standard, Telephoto and Close up, the all-purpose zoom lens.
l Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements and four Aspherical Lenses produce superior optical performance.

Phase One Press Release

New “world records” in professional digital imaging.

Phase One A/S, Copenhagen, July 18th, 2005: Phase One, the world leader in digital imaging solutions, has yet again lifted the standards in professional digital photography.

Important benefits for Pros
The new opportunities for professional shooters are huge, now they can:
- Much better evaluate and protect the value of their digital camera investment. This is ensured with the new ability to upgrade existing digital solutions, and by having full insight into the product roadmap from top suppliers of digital solutions. This is especially important since the digital development is much faster than for camera bodies and lenses.
- Deliver higher image quality than ever before in advertising, fashion and portrait
- Dramatically increase the productivity of their workflow, this includes better teamwork with art directors, models and clients.
- Completely rely on the digital storage media for the data integrity, as they now guarantee that any captured image data can be retrieved.

Amazon.com are offering a free memory card worth $18.99 when you purchase one of the 60+ digital cameras that are part of this special promotion, which includes the new Canon PowerShot S2 IS (pictured). The offer is valid until July 31, 2005.

Website: Amazon.com - Memory Card Offer

Nikon Europe Press Release

Award-winning communication tool for professional photographers celebrates 10th anniversary

Amsterdam, 18 July 2005. Nikon toasts the enduring success and appeal of its award-winning NikonPro magazine, 10 years old this month and still going strong.

With ever-improving technology at their disposal, European photographers are today faced with steep learning curves and accelerating product turnover. Consequently, they need a guiding hand and constant reassurance that they are backing the right brand and products. NikonPro provides for this by showcasing the best images from some of the world’s leading photographers taken with the latest Nikon equipment. The aim of NikonPro is to demonstrate Nikon in action and to highlight its potential, supplying information and advice to users which goes into the heart of the image, to the very essence of photography.

Digitalcamerareview have reviewed the new 5 megapixel Samsung Digimax U-CA5 camera.

“Overall, the U-CA5’s image quality is a bit below average. The zoom is super sharp, but color is flat and under-saturated. Images look washed out because the U-CA5 has a consistent tendency to overexpose. Outdoor images often show burned out highlights and lack of detail in shadow areas. Pattern noise is noticeably above average, but well managed in ISO 100 and ISO 200 images. ISO 400 images show well above average noise levels.”

Website: Digitalcamerareview - Samsung Digimax U-CA5 Review

DIWA member Steves Digicams have reviewed the entry-level Fujifilm Finepix A345 digital camera.

“Image quality when using 4M Fine mode was average for a camera in this class. Outdoors, the majority of our samples showed good overall exposure and colors seem to be nicely saturated. I did however notice visible edge blurring present in many of our sample photos as well as some exposure issues when shooting outdoor portraits. You can see what I mean by looking at our Samples. Noise levels were very low in high/low contrast areas and we didn’t see much purple fringing (aka Chromatic Aberration) around highlights.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Fujifilm Finepix A345 Review

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DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have just reviewed the new Casio EX-Z750 Exilim Zoom, which has a 7.2 megapixel CCD sensor, large 2.5-inch LCD screen and offers a battery life of 325 shots.

Website: Digit.no - Casio EX-Z750 Exilim Zoom Review

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Olympus have released a new firmware update fo the C-480 Zoom, a 4 megapixel digital camera with 3x zoom lens equivalent to 38-114mm and 15 scene modes (called the D-545 in the USA).

Firmware Ver.1.1 has incorporated the following upgrade.
- Printing pictures with the date via a PictBridge connection has been improved.

Website: Olympus C-480 Zoom Firmware v1.1

Olympus have released a new firmware update for the 7 megapixel Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom.

C-7070 Wide Zoom Firmware Ver.1.1 has incorporated the following upgrade.
- Printing pictures with the date via a PictBridge connection has been improved.

Website: Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom Firmware v1.1

Shutterbug have taken a look at the Wacom Intuos3, a pen tablet that replaces the traditional keyboard and mouse combination for a wide variety of computer-based tasks, including photography related programs like Adobe Photoshop.

“Graphic tablets have come a long way from their early beginnings. Easier to use and more suited to digital image editing than ever, the tablet is a standard feature of many photographers’ digital darkrooms. I continue to find new uses for my tablet and can’t imagine doing any serious image editing without one.”

Website: Shutterbug - Wacom Intuos3 Pen Tablet Review

Website: Read my Wacom Intuos3 Pen Tablet Review

TopicPoint have published their review of the 8 megapixel Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT DSLR.

“I’m happy to say that in use, the 350D performs extremely well. It turns on almost instantly, wakes up almost instantly, has an imperceptible shutter delay, and feels fast and snappy in use. This is a huge improvement over my older Canon 10D. In addition, uploading pictures over the USB cable is noticeably faster than the 10D. Shooting continuously, it can do approximately 3 frames per second for 14 JPEG images in a row or 4 RAW images in a row. In use, the camera is moderately quiet- the shutter is definitely quieter than the rather noisy Canon 20D, but, slightly louder than the Canon 10D. “

Website: TopicPoint - Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT Review

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Luminous Landscape have an exclusive report on 3 new digital backs from Phase One, including the 39 megapixel P45. The report is so exclusive that Phase One haven’t actually published the news themselves yet… Price is a mere US $29,995.

“No, it doesn’t have a 45 Megapixel chip, just like the current P25 doesn’t have a 25 Megapixel chip, rather being 22MP. The P45 does though have a 39 Megapixel (usable) chip, making it the highest resolution single-shot imaging device ever made. This produces a 112 Megabyte file in 8 bit mode, and a 224 megapixel file in 16 bit mode. Yes – almost a quarter Gigabyte file from a single one-shot frame. Using Phase One’s IIQ Large lossless file format each image will occupy approximately 47MB in the CF card.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Phase One Takes the High Ground

About Photography have reviewed the DSLRClean, a sensor cleaning product that uses a unique micro-pore swab to create a mini vacuum effect, gently lifting dust from both CCD and CMOS type sensors.

“DSLRClean provides a reasonably simple and effective method for cleaning the sensor of your dSLR camera, but it is not a miracle cure. My problems may well be a result of inexperience, but the average user is never going to become particularly proficient, as sensors should only be cleaned when necessary.”

Website: About Photography - DSLRClean Review

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have posted their review of the Nikon Coolpix 7600, a 7.1 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical lens equivalent to 38-114mm lens in 35mm format.

Website: Index Digicam - Nikon Coolpix 7600 Review

Website: Read my Nikon Coolpix 7600 Review

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DIWA member and Polish website Fotopolis have also published a preview of the new entry-level Konica Minolta Dynax 5D digital SLR camera that was announced yesterday.

Website: Fotopolis - Konica Minolta Dynax 5D Preview

Delkin Press Release

DELKIN DEVICES® INTRODUCES POP-UP SHADE LINE TO PROTECT EXPENSIVE DIGITAL CAMERA LCD SCREENS AND TAKE BETTER PICTURES!

Delkin Devices, Inc., maker of premium quality eFilm® memory cards and other innovative digital photography products, today introduced its new line of innovative eFilm® Pop-Up Shades™. Pop-Up Shades are LCD screen protective covers, which double as glare guards. These sturdy, lightweight covers are easily installed (and removed), protect a digital camera’s expensive LCD screen in the closed position, and pop up to provide easier viewing of the display in bright sunlight. Delkin begins shipping Pop-Up Shades to camera store dealers and distributors worldwide today, and the product is now available to the public at www.delkin.com.

CNET have published their review of the Canon PowerShot S2 IS, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 12x optical zoom equivalent to 36–432mm on a 35mm camera.

“The successor to the image-stabilized S1 IS has more than just a slightly expanded waistline. The Canon PowerShot S2 IS boasts an upgrade to a 5-megapixel sensor (from 3.2), a 12X zoom lens (up from 10X), and a 1.8-inch LCD (vs. 1.5 inches). A Digic II processor and a high-speed USB connection speed things up. Add a full complement of manual controls, as well as high-quality video with stereo sound, and the S2 IS is sure to find its way into the hands of photo enthusiasts who want to shoot long and print big.”

Website: CNET - Canon PowerShot S2 IS Review

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Shutterbug have just reviewed the new Canon PIXMA iP8500, which is is Canon’s first ChromaPLUS eight-color ink A4 format photo printer.

“Although this is a high-end photo printer that will satisfy imaging enthusiasts, the PIXMA iP8500 is surprisingly uncomplicated in its basic operation. I was pleasantly surprised with the overall look of the letter-size color glossies. They’re bright, sharp, and richly colorful with great clarity and definition of fine detail. Some of the prints are a bit too light overall, but they’re better than those I would expect from a conventional enlargement made by a high-volume photofinishing lab.”

Website: Shutterbug - Canon PIXMA iP8500 Review

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