PhotoshopNews are reporting that Nikon have encrypted the whilte balance data contained in NEF RAW files written by the new 12 megapixel Nikon D2X and D2Hs digital SLR cameras. This is a problem for all third-party RAW convertors, such as Adobe Capture RAW and Capture One.

“Adobe is still going to support the D2X in the upcoming Camera Raw 3.1 release. However, because of the white balance encryption, Camera Raw will not be able (unless Nikon backs down real soon) to read the “as shot” white balance from the camera, and users will be more likely to have to adjust the while balance manually in the Camera Raw dialog, since Camera Raw’s default white balance will not match the cameras default white balance.”

Website: PhotoshopNews - Nikon encrypts D2X white balance metadata

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Kyocera announced last week that they were discontinuing production of all Contax branded cameras, including the Contax 645 system. Find out why pro photographer Michael Reichmann believes there may be plenty of mileage left in the Contax brand yet…

“Contax is one of, if not the oldest and most venerable names in photographic history. Carl Zeiss owns the brand name, and Zeiss is very much a going concern. In fact there are few photographers who don’t appreciate, if not actually covet owning and using Zeiss lenses. For Zeiss to abandon the Contax brand and its flagship camera now doesn’t seem like a sensible thing that any company would do, (especially since it was Kyocera who took all the losses in recent years – which of course is why they bailed out). So, assuming that the designs and tooling for the 645 bodies and accessories are available to Zeiss (the lenses of course are), I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the 645 Contax camera either resurrected, or re-released in an updated form in the not too distant future.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - CONTAX 645 R.I.P. or Resurrection?

Canon USA Press Release

“CASH IN WITH CANON” REBATE PROGRAM RETURNS WITH AN ARRAY OF REBATES

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 15, 2005 — Baseball season, picnics, family gatherings and other outdoor activities are in full swing. Canon U.S.A. helps make it easy and affordable to capture and share memories of important activities and events with a digital camera system through “Cash In With Canon” Rebate Program from April 15 — July 15, 2005.

Canon is offering mail-in rebates from $10 to $500 on select products, including the professional EOS-1D Mark II, EOS 20D and a variety of EF lenses. Additionally, Canon is offering mail-in rebates on select EX-series Speedlites and IS (Image Stabilizer) Binoculars.

“The Cash in With Canon Rebate Program makes the speed and precision of SLR photography even more affordable to consumers,” stated Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ). “We feel that this type of rebate program expands the variety of photographic possibilities for photographers while keeping their experiences affordable.”

Imaging Resource have published a review of the Microtek ScanMaker i900 flatbed scanner.

“Looking for a scanner that can handle film as well as flats is like looking for a camcorder that can take great stills. If you ever did find one, no one would believe you. They really address different problems. But the i900 attacks the problem with a large dual bed design, adequate optical resolution precisely controlled for multiple scans and a high DMax to capture shadow detail. And Microtek supplies the IT8 targets you need to calibrate it. Our tests showed that whether we ran it from ScanWizard Pro, SilverFast Ai or VueScan, we were able to get excellent results with both flats and film (positive and negative). We’re starting to wonder about that dual-purpose camcorder and even the Fountain of Youth.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Microtek ScanMaker i900 Review

DIWA member and German website digitalkamera.de have just reviewed the ColorVision Spyder2 Plus. Dubbed the “Digital Darkroom in a Box”, Spyder2 Plus is a suite of tools for colour calibration and digital imaging. ColorVision Spyder2 Plus has a recommended price of $269.

Website: digitalkamera.de - ColorVision Spyder2 Plus Review

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the 5 megapixel, 8x zoom Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20.

“Design wise, the Z20 cuts corners in terms of visibility, offering a choice between a 1.5 inch, 113K pixel LCD screen and an equally inept viewfinder that displays images appearing as if projected through a sequence of screens. The lack of image quality and uncomfortable design make the viewfinder unsuitable for prolonged use. Potential consumer should not overlook these flaws, as they will certainly compromise the recorded image at times as well as the shooting experience, but the Z20 will offer full manual control, long zoom, and a lower price than other models on the market with the same size CCD.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20 Review

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Samsung Digimax A402 is announced. The Samsung Digimax A402 is a 4 megapixel camera with a 4x digital zoom (no optical zoom) and 1.8 inch LCD screen. The Samsung A402 uses SD/MMC memory cards and has 16MB internal flash memory. Perhaps the biggest attraction of the Samsung Digimax A402 is its price - likely to be under £100.

Samsung UK Press Release

Samsung Cameras has taken another giant leap forward with the launch of the incredibly stylish Digimax A402. Available in Black, Red or Silver, the 4 mega-pixel A402 certainly has plenty of wow factor.

With a street price likely to be under £100, the new addition to the A Series is at the forefront of Samsung’s commitment to designing great digital cameras suited to how you want to take pictures.

CNET News has a good roundup of portable storage devices for photos, inlcuding the Epson P-2000 that I enthusiastically reviewed a few weeks ago.

“Most have a slot only for Compact Flash cards. If your camera uses a smaller type, you’re expected to provide your own card adapter. Only the Epson P-2000 also offers a slot for SD cards. Nor is that the only virtue of the sleek black Epson ($500 online). The size, brightness and clarity of its 3.8-inch screen blows its competition off the equipment rack. Thanks to its supercrisp 640 pixels by 480 pixels (four times the resolution of its rivals), photos look like glossy drugstore prints. Photo transfer is fast: just under two minutes for a 256MB memory card filled with 103 pictures.”

CNET News - Photo vaults shoot, store, show

Thanks to Sanj for letting me know.

SmartDisk FlashTrax XT is announced today. The SmartDisk FlashTrax XT is a portable storage device with a folding 3.6” LCD screen. The SmartDisk FlashTrax XT costs $399.99 for the 40GB version and $499.99 for the 80GB version.

SmartDisk Press Release

SmartDisk Introduces FlashTrax XT—Today’s Digital Lifestyle Portable Multimedia Player/Recorder

FORT MYERS, Fla.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—April 18, 2005—SmartDisk Corporation today introduced FlashTrax(R) XT, a handheld portable device for storing, playing and sharing digital images, video and music. FlashTrax is being demonstrated in Booth SL5828 at the National Association of Broadcasters and RTNDA Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 18-21.

FlashTrax XT, a palm-sized, portable multimedia player and video recorder, stores high-resolution images transferred from any flash memory card or video device and displays them on its 3.6” LCD screen, on a TV or a projector. In addition, the user can enjoy music from a personal collection, listen to the built-in FM tuner, or watch slide shows while listening to music. A user-friendly screen display and control make video, image or music selection quick and easy. The LCD folds to ensure that both the screen and control buttons remain protected while on the go—a unique feature among portable multimedia players. With transfer speeds of up to 480MBps, FlashTrax XT can also serve as an external hard drive to transfer, store and access data. To facilitate portability, FlashTrax also includes a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery.

MobileBurn have published a review of the new 5 megapixel Samsung SCH-S250 cameraphone (found via Still Journal).

“Of course the reason we are here is not the killer display, nor the MP3 player, 3D games, or the phone’s 92MB of internal storage and RS-MMC card slot. Everybody wants to know about the camera. Well, I spent a decent amount of time with the camera, getting a good feel for it. The short version: it’s good, but not on par with a dedicated camera. The long version? Read on….”

MobileBurn - 5MP camera phone from Samsung

The curiously named Burns Auto Parts has a great article about photographers websites - essential reading if you have or would like your own website.

“Generally speaking, forget about the fancy Flash animated intro. These are particularly disliked, as evidenced by the survey ABs’ responses: 17% said they “always hate them” and 70% said they “bother them but it’s not too bad as long as there is a ‘skip’ button.” When 87% of your target market is at some level bugged by a part of your marketing, dump it. In fact, you might want to skip any use of Flash. It can be a memory hog and many people don’t like to have the plug-in on their machines at all. Flash can even crash some computers, especially if it is not done just right. And, contrary to some claims, it does not provide any real protection against someone using your images illegally (i.e., downloading the image from your site). So, think hard about using Flash, and if you do, make sure you have an HTML version of you site clearly available from the main page.”

Website: Photographers’ Websites – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Leica Press Release

The Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG, Solms, unanimously and jointly with the Company’s Board of Management, proposes measures to restore the capital base of the Company and to finance a restructuring. A simplified capital reduction by € 10.0 million to € 1.5 million will be proposed to the shareholders of the Company. Each three no-par-value shares are to be combined into one no-par-value share. Simultaneously, the capital reserve amounting to € 4.2 million will be released. Both measures will be implemented in order to offset depreciation and other losses totalling € 14.2 million.

DIWA member Steves Digicams have just reviewed the Casio Exilim EX-Z57, a compact 5 megapixel digital camera with a 2.7 inch LCD screen.

“Indoors it also performs well. Considering it lacks a focus-assist lamp, the AF system does an excellent job of focusing in low ambient lighting. Our indoor samples were sharp, well exposed, and skin tones appear natural. Its flash and 35mm wide angle equivalent zoom range are sufficient for most indoor situations; but don’t expect to illuminate the entire dance floor or reception hall. We achieved the best results shooting portraits of individuals or small groups. However, due to the position of the flash (just above the lens), you will notice that the majority of your “people” shots will have traces of Red eye, even when using its Red Eye Reduction mode. But a few seconds in any image editor/viewer will take care of this problem.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Casio Exilim EX-Z57 Review

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The Spanish website Fotopolis have posted their review of the 7.2 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200 digital camera.

Website: Quesabesde - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200 Review

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The Hungarian website Index Digicam have posted a review of the 5 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T33.

Website: Index Digicam - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T33 Review

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Imaging Resource have just reviewed the new slimline 5 megapixel Casio EXILIM Card EX-Z50 digital camera.

“The Casio Exilim EX-Z50 is one of the latest offerings from a company with a long history of innovation in the digital camera field. They promise the “Unexpected Extra” in their products, and the Casio EX-Z50 lives up to that billing, with no fewer than 23 special shooting modes, including ones for capturing and straightening images of white boards and business cards or other documents: Perfect for business or school note-taking. Compact, well-constructed, and stylish, the Casio Exilim EX-Z50 is a great “bring along” camera for casual outings, business, or vacation trips. Read on below for all the details on the Casio EX-Z50!”

Website: Imaging Resource - Casio EXILIM Card EX-Z50 Review

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DIWA member and Czech website FotoAparat have reviewed the 5 megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5. With a 12x image stabilized Leica lens, the DMC-FZ5 improves on the DMC-FZ3 by offering faster auto-focus and improved body design, as well as more megapixels.

Website: FotoAparat - Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 Review

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DIWA member and Danish website DigitalMagasinet have just posted their review of the new 5 megapixel Konica Minolta Z5 digital camera.

Website: DigitalMagasinet - Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 Review

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

“All things considered I’d say that the Canon Digital Rebel XT is the entry-level digital SLR to beat at this point in time. It offers nearly all of the features of the more expensive EOS-20D but for hundreds less. My biggest complaints are the soft images, especially using the kit lens at smaller apertures, and some build quality gripes that I’ll get into later. But for those ready to move up to something bigger and better, the Rebel XT is where it’s at.”

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

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DIWA member and Turkish website Diginorm have just posted their review of the 6 megapixel Pentax *ist DS DSLR.

Website: Diginorm - Pentax *ist DS Review

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