Photo-i have reviewed SilverFast Ai, high-end scanning and imaging software from LaserSoft Imaging AG, in conjunction with the CanoScan 9950F desktop flatbed scanner.

“The Canon 9950F promised to be the ultimate in consumer flatbed scanners, a Canon spokesperson even told us that it was so good that they were discontinuing their film scanner. I was eager to put this scanner to the test and despite a few difficulties during the review the scanner didn’t deliver its full potential. This was mainly due to the limitations of ScanGear software. Now Lasersoft have released a full Ai version of SliverFast, this breathes new life into the Canon 9950F and finally we can see just how much detail can be extracted from film scans.”

Website: Photo-i - SilverFast Ai Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the new Nikon Coolpix 7900, a 7 megapixel digital camera featuring a 2.0-inch LCD screen, new graphical user interface and a 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED lens equivalent to 38-114mm lens in 35mm format.

“Shooting performance was good for a camera in this class. Power up to first image captured measured 2.6 seconds. Shutter lag measured less than 1/10 of a second when pre-focused and 4/10 second including autofocus; add about 1/10 second to those times if you are using the LCD as a viewfinder because of the delay in presenting the live image. The shot to shot delay averaged about 1.7 seconds between frames without the use of the flash and between 2 and 6 seconds with the flash, depending on subject distance. When battery is not fully charged, the LCD goes blank while the flash recharges.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Nikon Coolpix 7900 Review

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Steves Digicams have posted their review of the new 5 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5900 digital camera.

“Despite the 5900’s small size, the ergonomics are good. The well-shaped handgrip allows for a comfortable feel even in my large hands, and the controls are well organized for ease of use but located so that they won’t be accidentally activated. Nikon placed only a limited number of buttons on the 5900’s body. As a result, many functions that are accessed directly via dedicated buttons on other cameras are implemented in the 5900’s menu system. This compromise in the 5900’s design allowed the production of a very compact camera, but its operation seems cumbersome at times.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Nikon Coolpix 5900 Review

Website: Read my Nikon Coolpix 5900 Review

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Photoxels have reviewed the new Nikon Coolpix 7900, a 7 megapixel digital camera featuring a 2.0-inch LCD screen, new graphical user interface and a 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED lens equivalent to 38-114mm lens in 35mm format.

“The Nikon 7900’s Auto Mode is more like Programmed Auto, allowing you to set ISO and dial in exposure compensation. It also allows the more advanced amateur photographer to set manual White Balance (WB), move the AF area to one of 99 positions, select image sharpening, image saturation, and even bracket the WB. For those desiring P&S simplicity, the Nikon 7900 has lots of useful Scene Modes to automate the most common picture-taking situations.”

Website: Photoxels - Nikon Coolpix 7900 Review

Website: Read my Nikon Coolpix 7900 Review

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The Hungarian website Index Digicam have posted their review of the new 8 megapixel Olympus E-300 / Evolt DSLR.

Website: Index Digicam - Olympus E-300 / Evolt Review

Website: Read my Olympus E-300 / Evolt Review

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

“The Canon Digital Rebel XT builds on the huge success of the original Digital Rebel, a camera that literally turned the digital camera world on its ear when it was first introduced. A six-megapixel digital SLR that sold with a lens for less than $1,000, the Digital Rebel not only challenged Nikon, Olympus, and Fuji in the D-SLR business, but promised to cut drastically into the all-in-one “prosumer” market. Borrowing its name from their highly popular “Rebel” line of entry-level film SLRs, the Digital Rebel offered many of the same exposure features and improvements as the 10D, but slightly scaled back to keep costs under control and to provide some differentiation between the Rebel and its higher-priced sibling.”

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

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DIWA member and Danish website DigitalMagasinet.dk have reviewed the HP Photosmart R717, a 6.2 megapixel digicam with a 1.8 inch LCD screen and 3x optical zoom lens in a stylish stainless steel body.

Website: DigitalMagasinet.dk - HP Photosmart R717 Review

Website: Read my HP Photosmart R717 Review

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DCResource have published their review of the new Sony DSC-H1 digital camera. The DSC-H1 has a 12x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 36-432 millimeters), 5 megapixel CCD and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“Overall the photo quality on the DSC-H1 is very good, kept from excellence by above average purple fringing levels. While most ultra zooms suffer from this annoyance (see the flag pole in this picture for an example), the DSC-H1 has it worse than the competition. In most cases using a smaller aperture (higher F-number) reduces this, but I didn’t find this to be the case on the H1. Even at F8.0 the purple fringing was still very visible, and not much better than with the aperture wide open. Purple fringing won’t really affect your print quality unless you’re printing huge, and you probably won’t even notice it unless you’re viewing at 100% on your computer screen.”

DCResource - Sony DSC-H1 Review

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DIWA member and Turkish website Diginorm have published their review of the 5 megapixel, 10x zoom Kodak EasyShare Z740 digital camera.

Website: Diginorm - Kodak EasyShare Z740 Review

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Tom’s Hardware Guide have published a great roundup of compact photo printers, including the HP Photosmart 375 (pictured).

“Just as 8½ x 11 / A4 printers use two technologies, laser and inkjet, two printing technologies are in competition in the 4"x6” printer market. Here though, they are inkjet and thermal (or dye) sublimation. But where the laser and inkjet markets are relatively compartmentalized in terms of objectives - laser for speed, inkjet for quality - the same isn’t true for 4"x6” printers. Whether you choose thermal sublimation or inkjet, the goal is the same: getting the best possible quality and photos that will hold up as long as possible over time.”

Website: Tom’s Hardware Guide - 4"x6” Printers: Your Own Photo Lab

Website: Read my HP Photosmart 375 Review

Website: Read my Epson PictureMate Review

DigitalCameraReview have published their review of the 7 megapixel Canon PowerShot S70.

“The S70 represents an overall excellent camera that makes a few compromises.  It’s strength lie in the overall flexibility of the camera and its ability to compete even with bargain dSLR cameras while remaining fairly compact.  The S70’s main weakness is the low light and nighttime performance especially for medium distance group photos or portrait shots and may require use of external flash or lighting units (although you can compensate a bit with a tripod and optimizing the settings in manual mode).”

Website: DigitalCameraReview - Canon PowerShot S70 Review

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DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the 7 megapixel Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom, which was announced at the CES show back in January.

“Olympus has brought an attractive camera on the market with this Olympus Camedia C7070 Wide Zoom that also has an appealing price tag on it. This makes the Olympus Camedia C7070 perfectly suitable as your first camera but also as a second camera besides a digital SLR for example. A fine image quality, a real wide-angle and a few very interesting functions let you forget the few minors that the camera has, and it makes you enjoy this Olympus camera to the fullest.”

Website: LetsGoDigital - Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom Review

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FlashFixers Press Release

The Orange County Register Selects ImageRecall To Safeguard Its Digital News Photos From Accidental Deletion and Corruption

The publication’s award-winning photographers take ImageRecall digital photo recovery software on the job everyday on wireless laptops to recover lost photos in the field.

Exeter, NH-June 6, 2005 - FlashFixers announces that the Pulitzer Prize-winning Orange County Register has selected ImageRecall as the image recovery software of record for its newsgathering organization.  After the transition to digital cameras, the Register’s technical staff noticed a number of digital images taken in the field were lost because of accidental deletions, corrupted memory
cards and errors caused by fast-writing professional cameras. Several staff photographers were given ImageRecall on a trial basis, and the situation immediately improved.

The winners of the May 2005 PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for May was “Speed” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 3 winners:

1st Place
“Speed Racer” by etfon911
View this entry

Prize: Photobird.com one-year subscription with 100 megabytes of storage space
Kindly donated by Photobird.com.
http://www.photobird.com

2nd Place
“Lost in Subway” by pip
View this entry

Prize: 1 copy of Powerretouche Full Pro Pack
Kindly donated by Powerretouche.
http://powerretouche.com

3rd Place
“In the road” by Zenonas
View this entry

Prize: 1 copy of Digital Photography Expert Techniques by Ken Milburn
Kindly donated by O’Reilly.
http://www.oreilly.com

Congratulations to the 3 winners and thanks to everyone who took part!

The June 2005 Competition is now open for entries. This is a monthly photography competition with a specific theme and prizes for the top 3 photos. The winning entries will be decided by a panel of judges. You just have to submit one photograph to the Competition Gallery that best interprets June’s theme, which is “Macro”.

Samsung Pro815 is unveiled. The Samsung Pro815 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 15x Schneider-KREUZNACH optical zoom lens equivalent to 28-420mm on a 35mm camera and a massive 3.5” TFT LCD screen and an electronic viewfinder. The Pro815 comes with the world’s largest-capacity 1900mAh, 7.4V lithium-ion battery which enables shooting of up to 500 frames on a full charge. In addition the Samsung Pro815 has a 1.44 inch LCD on the top of the camera to enable waist-level shooting. High speed mode ensures steady shooting even in tele-zoom, as the Pro815 automatically increases the sensitivity up to a maximum of ISO 800. Three rings surrounding the lens control manual zoom, manual focusing and EV compensation, providing you with direct control of manual operations on the Pro815. Price and availability of the Samsung Pro815 to be announced.

Samsung Press Release

Samsung Camera releases the best-in-class 8 mega-pixel digital camera - Pro815

Samsung Camera has announced that the company will release the world’s longest (15X) optical zoom 8 megapixel high-end digital camera (model name: Pro815), targeting enthusiast photographers, later this year. The Pro815, offers unrivalled features and performance and is beyond comparison to other cameras in the same class. This marks the pinnacle of Samsung Camera’s product range for 2005.

Samsung Digimax V800 is introduced. The Samsung Digimax V800 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 3x Schneider-KREUZNACH optical zoom lens and 2.5” colour LCD with 230,000 pixels. The Digimax V800 is even faster than the current 7 megapixel Digimax V700 in terms of operational speed - a picture can be taken as soon as the power is turned on. For an enhanced movie shooting experience MPEG-4 is used and the Samsung V800 can record in VGA(640x480) mode at 30 fps. The Samsung V800 also has movie stabilization, which helps maintain steady recording of a subject. Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual modes, as well as Manual Focus allowing detailed focus control, are all available. The Digimax V800 provides a Histogram showing a variety of shooting information, including brightness and contrast, to help adjust exposure. Price and avability of the Samsung Digimax V800 to be announced.

Samsung Press Release

Samsung Camera releases a high-grade 8 mega-pixel digital camera - the Digimax V800

The Digimax V800, newly released by Samsung Camera, is an evolution of the Digimax V700, which was released early this year and has enjoyed a strong market response. According to a source from Samsung Camera, the company aims to lead in the 8 mega-pixel compact digital camera market, satisfying both amateur and enthusiast photographers with the Digimax V800.

Samsung Digimax i5 is introduced. The Samsung Digimax i5 is a slim 5 megapixel digital camera with 3x optical internal zoom lens equivalent to 39-117mm and a 2.5” 230K-pixel high resolution LCD. The Samsung i5 will be available in silver, black, red and grey. The Digimax i5 supports the MPEG-4 video format and can record up to 30 frames per second at VGA resolution. It also has a movie stabilizer function. Samsung will release a compact waterproof protective housing for the Digimax i5. Price and availability of the Samsung Digimax i5 to be announced.

Samsung is also planning to release a new MP3-enabled product with an aluminum cover (model name: i50 MP3) as a follow-up model for the i5 later this year. Further details to come.

Samsung Press Release

Samsung Camera releases the slim digital camera - Digimax i5

Samsung Camera has recently announced the launch of a new 5 mega-pixel, 3X optical zoom digital camera with internal zoom technology adopted for the first time in Samsung digital cameras (model name: Digimax i5). With enhanced design and multimedia capabilities, the Digimax i5 will accelerate Samsung’s penetration into both the domestic and international slim digital camera market, where demand is surging among the young population.

Samsung Digimax L50 is released. The Samsung Digimax L50 is a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5 inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels.  For an enhanced movie shooting experience MPEG-4 is used by the Samsung L50 and it can record in VGA(640X480) at 30 fps. The Samsung L50 also has a movie stabilizer to reduce camera shake. Price and availability of the Samsung Digimax L50 to be announced.

Samsung Press Release

Samsung Camera releases a 5 mega-pixel digital camera - the Digimax L50

Samsung Camera has announced that it will release a 5 mega-pixel high-resolution digital camera with Samsung’s 3X optical zoom SHD lens(model name: Digimax L50) to strengthen its success in the expanding, 5 mega-pixel digital camera sector.

The Digimax L50, released by Samsung Camera, is a portable pocket-sized digital camera(93.3X52.1X22.3 mm) that provides faster operation speed and a variety of functions. Even though the Digimax L50 is small Samsung have managed to ensure it has a 230k-pixel 2.5” large LCD.

Samsung Digimax L55W is unveiled. The Samsung Digimax L55W is a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 4.8x optical zoom lens equivalent to 28mm-135mm and a 2.8 inch wide LCD that allows you to view in 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios.  The Samsung L55W uses the MPEG-4 video format and can record in VGA(640X480) mode at 30 fps. The Samsung L55W also has movie stabilization, which helps maintain steady recording of a subject. Price and availability of the Samsung Digimax L55W to be announced.

Samsung Press Release

Samsung Camera widens its range even further with the release of the Digimax L55W a 5 mega-pixel, 4.8X zoom digital camera with wide-angle capabilities

Samsung Camera has announced that the company will release a 5 mega-pixel, 4.8X optical zoom digital camera (model name: Digimax L55W) later this year marking Samsung’s entry into the market for compacts with a high zoom.

Most regular compact digital cameras have a 3Xoptical zoom, the Digimax L55W has a 4.8X optical zoom offering a focusing range of 28mm-135mm(35mm equivalent). The 28mm wide-angle lens provides a far wider field of vision than a regular camera, allowing you to capture sweeping landscapes or to fit a group of subjects into just one frame. The Digimax L55W is a unique advanced digital camera that supports both 28mm wide-angle and 4.8X telephoto zoom, extending the range of options available to the photographer.

Samsung Digimax A50 is released. The Samsung Digimax A50 is a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5 inch LCD screen. The Samsung A50 supports the MPEG-4 video format and can record in VGA(640X480) mode at 30 fps. The Samsung A50 can also reduce the camera shake that occurs during movie recording. Price and availability of the Samsung Digimax A50 to be announced.

Samsung Press Release

Samsung Camera releases a 5 mega-pixel digital camera with 3X optical zoom - the Digimax A50

Samsung Camera has announced that it will release a 5 mega-pixel high-resolution digital camera with Samsung’s 3X optical zoom SHD lens(model name: Digimax A50) to drive penetration of the important 5 megapixel category.

The Digimax A50 provides a 4X digital zoom in addition to a 3X optical zoom, achieving 12X total zoom when they are used together. It also provides 5X zoom during playback,. The Digimax A50 is equipped with a large 2.5” 200K high-resolution LCD to offer the best image quality for getting the right shot and reviewing your pictures.