Olympus has released a new version of its Olympus Studio software for Mac OS X 10.4 (aka Tiger).

Website: Download Olympus Studio 1.31

Photo District News have published the a brief hands-on review of the Mamiya ZD digital SLR, a 22 megapixel digital SLR that will cost around £8,000 body only.

“The Mamiya ZD, even in its current iteration is a powerful camera. Engineers in Japan will need to ensure that the image processing time is short enough to make the camera a viable option in the studio or in the field, but aside from the buffering times and the image-quality quirks of the early version firmware, the Mamiya ZD is already good to go.”

Website: Photo District News - Mamiya ZD Digtial SLR Review

TrustedReviews have published their review of the Sony DSC-W7, a 7 megapixel digital camera with a 2.5 inch LCD screen, battery life of 380 shots between power charges and 32 megabytes of internal memory.

“Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-W7 represents a good middle ground in the new 7 megapixel snapshot market. Image quality could be a little better, but overall performance, build quality and handling are everything we’ve come to expect from Sony. At a price point of around £239 it represents excellent value for money, and will not disappoint.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Sony DSC-W7 Review

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Leica Press Release

The Extraordinary General Meeting of Leica Camera AG on May 31, 2005 has approved the capital measures proposed by the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board, in each case with a vast majority of more than 90%. As announced in essential outline in the electronic Federal Gazette (elektronischer Bundesanzeiger) of April 20, 2005, the measures consist of a simplified capital reduction, an increase of the share capital against contributions in cash and a creation of authorised capital. At the General Meeting, Dr. Josef Spichtig, Chairman of the Board of Management of Leica Camera AG since April 18, 2005, described these measures as being “indispensable for the existence of the Company”. He rated the consent given by the shareholders as “a declaration for the preservation of the Company and a positive attitude to its perspectives in the future”. The Company now plans to issue 13.5 million new shares at a price of € 1.70 per share. The new shares will initially be offered to the existing shareholders of the Company.

Sony Europe Press Release

SONY ADDS VIRTUAL EXPANDER TO MICRO VAULT™ USB STORAGE MEDIA

PARK RIDGE, N.J., May, 31, 2005—Sony’s latest enhancements to its Micro Vault™ USB storage media line include a new Virtual Expander feature that stretches the virtual capacity of the device to store as much as three times more data.

The Virtual Expander feature is included in the latest Classic and Mini Micro Vault designs.

In addition, Sony is introducing the Micro Vault Turbo with a rapid 28MB/sec maximum transfer speed. Together, these products create a comprehensive offering for increasingly storage-hungry users who need to take more data and high quality multimedia content wherever they go.

CNET have just posted their review of the Fuji FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR.

“The Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR (dSLR) replaces the S2 Pro, which enjoyed some modest success among photographers who prized its image quality. Like its predecessor, the S3 Pro uses Nikon F-mount SLR lenses and a (debatably) 6-megapixel Fujifilm sensor. But the sensor, called a Super CCD SR II, is an all-new design that uses two photodetectors per pixel to deliver the widest dynamic range we’ve seen in a dSLR. The camera’s performance is mediocre, but if you hate blown-out highlights and love rich colors, the S3 Pro is worth a close look.””

Website: CNET - FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro Review

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The Danish website Akam.dk 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: Akam.dk - Casio EX-Z750 Exilim Zoom Review

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A new article over on Luminous Landscape presents a legal view on the recent issue of RAW file encryption.

“In this exclusive article one of Canada’s leading competition law lawyers, Andrew J. Roman, takes a look at issues such as Tied Selling, Refusal to Deal, and Abuse of Dominant Position. While these observations pertain to Canadian law in these matters, Mr. Roman makes it clear that most countries have similar laws, and so these practices may well be found to be contrary to laws and regulations in other countries as well. And, unlike much of the posturing and opinions that appear in web commentaries, these are from an experienced litigator who has presented cases to the Supreme Court of Canada. Camera makers would be advised to take his observations with greater seriousness than they have thus far shown to the concerns of their customers.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - RAW File Encryption and Competition Law

Canon have released a new firmware update (version 1.0.2) for the 8 megapixel Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT DSLR.

This firmware update (version 1.0.2) incorporates the following improvements:

  1. Fixes the phenomenon of extreme underexposure when using some lenses.
  2. Fixes the phenomenon of auto power off function failure when auto power off is set more than 2 minutes.
  3. Fixes the phenomenon of incorrect white balance when using an external flash.

This firmware update applies to cameras with firmware versions up to 1.0.1 installed. By installing this update, the phenomena will be fixed, and the affected cameras can be used without these problems. If your camera’s firmware is already version 1.0.2, it is not necessary to perform this update.

Website: Firmware Update Version 1.0.2

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Canon have released a new firmware update (version 1.1.2) for the EOS-1Ds Mark II DSLR.

This firmware update (version 1.1.2) includes the following additional functons and improvements:

1. When pressing the DISPLAY button immediately after shooting, the LCD monitor would turn completely white, the camera would hang, and the images in the buffer memory would be lost. Countermeasures for this issue have been incorporated into this update.
2. Errata in the German and Russian language displays have been corrected.

This firmware update applies to cameras with firmware version up to 1.1.1 installed. If your camera’s firmware is already version 1.1.2, it is not necessary to perform this update.

Website: Firmware Update Version 1.1.2

Canon have released a new firmware update (version 1.2.2) for the EOS-1D Mark II DSLR.

This firmware update (version 1.2.2) includes the following additional functons and improvements:

1. When pressing the DISPLAY button immediately after shooting, the LCD monitor would turn completely white, the camera would hang, and the images in the buffer memory would be lost. Countermeasures for this issue have been incorporated into this update.
2. Errata in the German and Russian language displays have been corrected.

This firmware update applies to cameras with firmware version up to 1.2.1 installed. If your camera’s firmware is already version 1.2.2, it is not necessary to perform this update.

Website: Firmware Update Version 1.2.2

The Czech website FotoAparat.cz have reviewed the 5 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5600 that was announced back at PMA in February.

Website: FotoAparat.cz - Nikon Coolpix 5600 Review

Website: Read my Nikon Coolpix 5600 Review

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digitalreview.ca have published 7 sample images taken with a production version of the Nikon D50, a new affordable 6.1 megapixel digital SLR.

Website: digitalreview.ca - Nikon D50 Sample Images

The Norwegian website Akam.no have reviewed the Ricoh R2, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 4.8x optical zoom and 2.5 inch LCD screen. The Ricoh Caplio R2 is less than 26mm thick and has a battery life of around 500 shots.

Website: Akam.no - Ricoh R2 Review

Subscribe to the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter now to have a chance of winning one of five prizes in our May Contest. The contest ends today, so hurry! You can win:

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Gomma and JPG are two very new photography magazines that focus on photos rather than equipment and are both sold online - auspiciousdragon.net takes a quick look at both titles.

“Neither contains any advertising. JPG contains very little writing and Gomma almost none. Both are filled with pictures from photographers from (in JPG’s words) “....the great in between: not quite amateur, not quite professional. Some do it for art, some as a kind of visual journal, some because they want to become professional one day, and some just because we have to. It’s just what we do.”

Website: auspiciousdragon.net - Gomma & JPG Magazines Review

In this month’s Sunday Morning Photographer column Mike Johnston considers all things lens-related.

“Well, this is possibly the silliest and potentially least useful thing I’ve ever done in my life as a photo-writer, but I’ve decided to publish my personal list of BOKEH RATINGS. I’ve simply assigned a numerical ranking on a scale of 1-10 to some of the many of the camera lenses I’m familiar with, rating the subjective visual quality of the out-of-d.o.f. areas or bokeh.”

Website: Sunday Morning Photographer: Fun Stuff: Bokeh Ratings and Lens Awards

Good news for everyone who is waiting for the Leica Digital-Modul-R digital back - Leica have announced today that deliveries wil begin on June 15th. This news comes just a couple of weeks after Leica announced that shipments would be delayed, so it seems that the German company have been working hard to rectify last-minute problems.

“Deliveries of the LEICA DIGITAL-MODUL-R will start on June 15th 2005. The digital addition to the Leica R SLR range, developed in cooperation with Denmark’s Imacon A/S and Kodak’s sensor business Kodak ISS has fully met the stringent testing and acceptance conditions of Leica Camera AG and is now ready to market.

“The quality of the digital photographs taken with the LEICA DIGITAL-MODUL-R is even better than we expected. The new product shows that Leica is able to puts its special strengths in optics and product design into attractive, high-performance digital solutions. Our customers had to wait longer than planned for the unique digital solution from Leica, but are now rewarded with an outstanding product,“ says Mario Thurnherr, Manager of Leica Camera’s Photo Division.”

DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the Ricoh R2, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 4.8x optical zoom and 2.5 inch LCD screen. The Ricoh Caplio R2 is less than 26mm thick and has a battery life of around 500 shots.

“Concluding I can say that the Ricoh Caplio R2 left a good impression. The overall quality is fine and the settings offer the (beginning) photographer many creative possibilities. We did have some comments, but still we’d like to recommend the Ricoh Caplio R2 for those who look for a digital camera at which speed and ease are on par. Add to this the excellent quality of the housing, the beautiful optical range and you will find a compact 5 megapixel camera with sufficient potency to offer the beginning photographer a lot of photographic joy over a long period of time.”

Website: LetsGoDigital - Ricoh R2 Review

DigiCamReview.co.uk have published their review of the 4 megapixel Canon PowerShot A520 digital camera.

“Image quality is very good, the images have very good colour, saturation, contrast and good detail with farly low purple fringing - however there is high noise at ISO200 and ISO400, and images are a bit soft. The camera did a good job focusing. There is a good range of image sizes and a very good choice of compression options. The macro mode is good. Auto white balance and metering seemed to be good. Red-eye was controlled well. The movie mode is good but oudated due to the limited length videos and low frame rate.”

Website: DigiCamReview.co.uk - Canon PowerShot A520 Review

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