The Fujifilm FinePix F440 is the 4 megapixel version of the Finepix F450 that I recently reviewed. The Finepix F440 also replaces the 3 megapixel Finepix F420 that I reviewed back in August 2004. The F440 adds a number of extra features, the most obvious being a new larger 4 megapixel sensor. In addition, the F440 is even smaller and lighter than its predecessor, yet can still squeeze in a bigger 2 inch LCD screen. Fujifilm have also extended the range of the optical zoom lens on the F440 to 3.4x, equivalent to 38 - 130mm on a 35mm camera, and added a low sensitivity setting of ISO 80. I really liked the older Finepix F420, so have the improvements to the Fujifilm FinePix F440 resulted in an even better camera? Read my extensive review to find out.

Website: Fujifilm Finepix F440 Review

DPReview have published their review of the 3 megapixel Canon PowerShot A510 digital camera.

“The build quality is excellent, the results - though probably a little ‘over-processed’ for purists (and almost all are in need of a little sharpening in post processing) are perfect for the target market; bright, colorful and contrasty. Our only serious complaints are to do with some aspects of the speed of operation - focus can struggle in low light at the long end of the zoom (sometimes taking up to two seconds to find its mark), the shot-to-shot time (when not in burst mode) feels very slow if you’re trying to grab shots quickly, and the flash recycle time is frankly unacceptable.”

Website: DPReview - Canon PowerShot A510 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Canon PowerShot A510

Write a Review of the Canon PowerShot A510

The Spanish website Quesabesde have published their review of the new 12 megapixel Nikon D2X digital SLR.

Website: Quesabesde - Nikon D2X Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon D2X

Write a Review of the Nikon D2X

Trusted Reviews have published the first online review that I have seen of the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20.

“Picture quality is extremely good, with bright natural colours, lots of fine detail and very little lens distortion even at wide angle. There is a little bit of purple fringing on very high contrast edges, but it is not a major problem. Noise levels are very low at ISO 50, 100 and at 200 a smidgen is noticeable. At the maximum (ISO 320), noise is evident although it’s within acceptable limits. The camera’s exposure system copes well with unusual lighting such as scenes that are backlit and have high contrast, plus the fill-flash works well to brighten up dark foregrounds, although it can be a bit harsh on close range shots.”

Website: Trusted Reviews - Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20 Review

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CNET have just reviewed the 7 megapixel Pentax Optio750Z.

“Thanks to the recent spate of fully featured, pocket-friendly 7-megapixel cameras from Pentax, Olympus, Sony, and Canon, serious photographers don’t have to trade must-have capabilities for compact size. Pentax includes the fine-tuning control over exposure and focus that photo enthusiasts need, along with some stand-out features such as a flip-out swiveling LCD, a 3D stereoscopic shooting mode, and a time-lapse interval recording option. Unfortunately, mediocre performance and imaging artifacts in the photos seriously crimp the Pentax Optio 750Z’s upscale appeal.”

Website: CNET - Pentax Optio750Z Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Pentax Optio750Z

Write a Review of the Pentax Optio750Z

Pocket-Lint have just posted their review of the Fuji FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR.

“I’ve been in the fortunate position to have reviewed the S1 Pro, then this Digital-SLR’s (D-SLR) predecessor, the S2 Pro (twice in fact, as I compared it to its peers (which it beat) a year later) and I then wrote the First Look article on the new, S3 Pro D-SLR for Professional Photographer: I’m familiar with it’s evolution therefore. Although the S3 Pro looks overpriced compared to many of the D-SLRs appearing on the market, it must be remembered this is not a sports photographer’s snapper. It offers uniqueness with its wide dynamic range thanks to the dual pixel layout that makes it a real social photographers tool where skin tones and whites (of wedding dresses) are the key to a good shot. A corker then, but one for a niche within niche of the photo market.””

Website: Pocket-Lint - FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro Review

Check the Latest Prices for the FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro

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NAPP Press Release

Tampa, FL – April 4, 2005 – Today, immediately following Adobe’s announcement of Photoshop® CS2, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) launched the Photoshop CS2 Learning Center—the most comprehensive look at Adobe® Photoshop© CS2 available anywhere (http://www.photoshopuser.com/photoshopcs2.html). This extensive learning center, including free online videos, articles, reviews, news, a downloadable CS2 overview, and a CS2 discussion forum, provides an unparalleled resource for learning about this amazing new upgrade.

“I loved Photoshop 7. I thought Photoshop CS was even better, but Photoshop CS2 blows them both away. This is clearly the most significant update to Photoshop in years,” said NAPP President Scott Kelby. “This update has something for everybody, but if you’re a photographer, it’s absolutely going to make your jaw drop. It’s that good.” Kelby added.

Hitachi Press Release

Hitachi lays groundwork for 20-GB Microdrive with century-old technology

Company Demonstrates 230 Gigabit Per Square Inch Data Density on Perpendicular Recording; Industry Luminaries Make History as Part of Worldwide Field Test Program

TOKYO – April 4, 2005 – Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is today announcing new advancements to a 100-year-old magnetic recording technology that will set the stage for ultra-high capacities such as a 20-gigabyte* Microdrive or a one terabyte 3.5-inch hard drive.

To achieve this, Hitachi has demonstrated the industry’s highest data density at 230 gigabits per square inch (Gb/in2) on perpendicular recording. Hitachi believes 230 Gb/in2, which represents a doubling of today’s highest longitudinal recording densities, will be implemented in commercial hard drive products in 2007. When fully realized over the next 5-7 years, perpendicular recording could enable a 10-fold increase in data densities over longitudinal recording, paving the way for new heights in capacity such as a 60 GB one-inch drive.

Staccato and Fujitsu Jointly Develop Industry’s First Wireless USB-Enabled Digital Still Camera Development Platform

First public showing of Staccato’s Ripcord™ UWB Development Kit and joint demonstration with the Fujitsu digital still camera development platform

Tokyo, April 5, 2005 — Staccato Communications, Inc. and Fujitsu Limited today announced their joint development of a wireless universal serial bus (USB) demonstration system comprised of Staccato’s new Ripcord™ UWB Development Kit (SC3100D) and the Fujitsu digital still camera (DSC) development platform. This system will be the first demonstration to show wireless USB connectivity to DSCs, one of the most popular applications of wireless USB.

Staccato and Fujitsu will jointly demonstrate this system in the Wireless USB Community at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) spring events to be held in Tokyo (April 7-8), Taipei (April 11-12) and Beijing (April 14-15). These developments are the first major marketing activities between Staccato and Fujitsu to promote the wireless USB and ultrawideband (UWB) markets.

Wacom Press Release

Artists and Designers Get Exciting New Artistic Controls through the Combined Efforts of Wacom and Corel

Vancouver, WA, April 4, 2005 - Wacom® Technology Corporation, with the support of Corel®, has successfully developed a 6D Art Pen that gives artists and designers six dimensions of pen control in Corel Painter™ IX. Available immediately, the 6D Art Pen is supported on Wacom’s Intuos3 pen tablets and new Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display. The pen has a suggested retail price of $69.95.

State-of-the-Art Pen The 6D Art Pen builds on Wacom’s patented cordless, battery-free technology to offer artists and designers six dimensions of creative control:

1. X-axis (left and right)
2. Y-axis (up and down)
3. Pressure (force with which pen is applied to tablet)
4. Tilt (angle at which pen is tilted)
5. Bearing (direction in which pen is tilted)
6. Barrel Rotation (orientation of the pen around its long axis)

LaCie 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme is announced. The new version of the Bigger Disk Extreme has 2 terabytes capacity and uses the FireWire 800/400 interface. The LaCie 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme has a built-in RAID 0 configuration that allows for instant high-speed data transfers of up to 85MB/s. The 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme will cost $2299 MSRP in the US.

LaCie Press Release

LaCie’s Bigger Gets Bigger: 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme

  * Professional choice for video/audio editing and imaging
  * Largest storage with up to 2TB capacity
  * Fastest throughput for optimal editing via FireWire 800
  * No setup required with built-in RAID 0 array

LaCie’s popular Bigger Disk Extreme with FireWire 800/400 gets a boost in capacity to 2TB. This compact and sturdy drive is designed to support multi-stream audio/video editing in a variety of formats with burst transfer rates reaching up to 85MB/s and unrivaled 2TB capacity.

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

1st Place
“on the Gange” by 21nico
View this entry

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

2nd Place
“winter web” by nordic
View this entry

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

3rd Place
“Wibbly-Wobbly-Boy” by Photofillers
View this entry

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

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

The April 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 April’s theme, which is “Black and White”.

HumanEyes Technologies Press Release

Jerusalem, Israel – April 4, 2005 – HumanEyes Technologies, a leading innovator in advanced production solutions for easy 3D photo capture through output; says that only ten months after launch it has signed 17 distribution partners throughout the world. CEO Gideon Ben-Zvi attributes the rapid pace to aggressive market demand for new and novel media vehicles.

“High quality 3D has tremendous, proven impact on the buyer,” Ben-Zvi says. “Brand managers, printers, prepress specialists and photographers recognize that we can equip them with this powerful, extremely appealing medium, and know that their clients will want it. As a result, we’ve signed some of the world’s biggest names in graphic arts distribution to meet demand.”

HumanEyes has patented unique 3D software technology allowing: 1) easy creation of natural 3D images; 2) output on any size paper through large format, backlit displays and 3D displays including cell phones; and 3) very comfortable, natural 3D viewing (no special glasses; no headaches). The software also incorporates conventional special effects functions such as flip, morph, and zoom.

DxO Labs Press Release

DXO OPTICS PRO ADDS SUPPORT FOR KONICA MINOLTA MAXXUM 7D / DYNAX 7D

Paris, France, April 4, 2005 – DxO Optics Pro, the award winning image enhancement software application from DxO Labs, now supports the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D digital SLR camera and an initial selection of compatible lenses. Support for the Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D is available immediately for both Macintosh and Windows as part of DxO Optics Pro “standard” edition.

- DxO Optics Pro automatically eliminates distortion, vignetting, lens softness and lateral chromatic aberrations on both RAW and JPEG images produced by the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D.
- DxO Optics Pro includes the advanced DxO Raw Engine module to convert RAW files into JPEG, TIFF or Adobe DNG files.
- DxO Labs has tuned DxO Optics Pro to be fully compatible with the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D’s innovative Anti-Shake Technology.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 is announced. New features in Adobe Photoshop CS2 include an enhanced Spot Healing Brush, one-click Red-Eye Correction, Smart Objects, Vanishing Point and Image Warping. The popular File Browser has been upgraded to Adobe Bridge and the new Camera Raw 3.0 is included.  Photoshop CS2 will begin shipping in May to customers in the United States and Canada and in late May / early June internationally. Adobe Photoshop CS2 has an estimated UK street price of £439.

Adobe UK Press Release

Adobe Pushes the Boundaries of Digital Photography and Imaging with Debut of Photoshop CS2

New Vanishing Point Feature, Dramatic Camera Raw Workflow Enhancements, Customisable Menus and Smart Objects Headline Milestone Photoshop Upgrade

SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 4, 2005 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® CS2, a major upgrade to the professional industry standard for digital image editing and creation. Available as a stand-alone software application or as a key component of Adobe Creative Suite® 2, also announced today, Photoshop CS2 software brings a new level of power, precision and control to the digital photography experience and to the overall creative process.

“Photoshop CS2 pushes the envelope with powerful features and simplified workflows that provide photographers and creative professionals the freedom to deliver stunning images,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Digital Video Products at Adobe.  “In light of the four million digital SLRs expected to ship this year, more photographers than ever will be making Photoshop CS2 their digital darkroom of choice.”

Adobe Stock Photos is introduced as part of Adobe Creative Suite 2. Adobe Stock Photos is accessed through Adobe Bridge, anew version of the File Browser, and contains more than 230,000 royalty-free images from five elite stock photography providers. Adobe Stock Photo image pricing is competitive with the prices that are available directly from the participating stock photography library providers.

Adobe UK Press Release

All-New Adobe Stock Photos Service Gives Access to Top Image Libraries

More Than 230,000 Royalty-Free Images Available for Purchase Directly Within Adobe Creative Suite 2

SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 4, 2005 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Stock Photos, a new stock photography service that offers designers one-stop shopping for high-quality, royalty-free images for layout and design.  Adobe Stock Photos is available in Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium and Standard Editions, Adobe Photoshop® CS2, Adobe InDesign® CS2, Adobe Illustrator® CS2 and Adobe GoLive® CS2 (all announced today).  Adobe Stock Photos provides a single destination point to access hundreds of thousands of images from some of the world’s leading stock photography providers, including: Photodisc® by Getty Images; Comstock Images® by Jupitermedia®; Digital Vision®; imageshop™ royalty free by zefaimages™; and amana.

Adobe Creative Suite 2 is announced. Adobe Creative Suite 2 includes new versions of Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat and GoLive. Creative Suite 2 also includes a brand new program called Version Cue, a powerful file-version manager and collaboration tool. Adobe Bridge is a new visual file browser and Adobe Stock Photos has 230,000 images from some of the world’s leading stock photography providers. Adobe CS2 will be available in two editions. The Premium Edition of Adobe Creative Suite 2 will cost £889. The Standard Edition of Adobe CS2 will cost £669. Adobe CS2 will be available in the United States and Canada in May, and internationally in late May / early June.

Adobe UK Press Release

Adobe Accelerates Print, Web and Mobile Publishing Workflows With Introduction of Adobe Creative Suite 2

Adobe’s Complete Design and Publishing Environment Integrates New Adobe Stock Photos Service, Introduces Adobe Bridge and Enhanced Adobe Version Cue CS2

SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 4, 2005 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq: ADBE) today announced a new release of Adobe® Creative Suite, the powerhouse design environment that revolutionised print and Web workflows for creative professionals worldwide. Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium Edition integrates new full-versions of indispensable design software — Adobe Photoshop® CS2, Adobe InDesign® CS2, Adobe Illustrator® CS2, and Adobe GoLive® CS2 (see separate press releases) — with the all-new Version Cue® CS2.  The recently released Adobe Acrobat® 7.0 Professional also is included, as a key application in this milestone software release.

HP Officejet 7210 All-in-One Printer is announced today. TThe HP Officejet 7210 All-in-One allows images to be printed directly from a Pictbridge-enabled digital camera or via the built-in memory card slot. Thre HP 7210 can use the HP No. 348 Photo Inkjet Print Cartridge for true-to-life photos and the the HP No. 100 Grey Photo Inkjet Print Cartridge for black and white images. The HP Officejet 7210 All-in-One printer, fax, scanner and copier will cost £279.

HP UK Press Release

Built-In Networking Delivers Intelligent Features to be Shared Across the Small Office and Home Office

The HP Officejet 7210 All-in-One Printer, Fax, Scanner and Copier offers outstanding features as well as uncompromising functionality, quality and reliability

LONDON, UK, 4 April, 2005. HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) today announced the launch of the versatile HP Officejet 7210 All-in-One printer, fax, scanner and copier which boasts HP’s renowned reliability and quality. Equipped with built-in networking capabilities, this All-in-One allows high performance tools to be shared across up to five computers, while helping people de clutter and save space.

Samsonite Trekking Pro and Trekking Premium camera bags are unveiled. The Samsonite Trekking Pro and Trekking Premium have both been redesigned. The Samsonite Trekking Pro comes in 13 different sizes with new colours available. The Samsonite Trekking Premium is also available in 13 sizes, all in black.

Samsonite Press Release

Samsonite expands its trekking range

Three – in One

Hama designed both the new Samsonite Trekking Pro and Trekking Premium camera case according to their expanding upon success principle. Those features that made the Samsonite Trekking series a bestseller, such as the covers for the equipment cases that open away from the body, still remain.

Trekking Pro
The thirteen most popular sizes of the original series were adopted for the Trekking Pro and the colour variations black, black and blue and black and grey were added. The durable nylon material was given a new trendy look and even the design was slightly changed. The new series has a soft fleece lining, an ultra flat front compartment and practical net pockets on the side.

Apacer Share Steno CD311 is introduced. The Apacer Share Steno CD311 is a portable storage device. Digital cameras and other USB devices can be connected to the CD311’s USB 2 interface. The Share Steno CD311 has password and hidden-file protection. The 40GB Share Steno CD311 allows you to store more than 40,000 3 megapixel photos.

ODS Distribution Press Release

ODS Distribution introduces the stand-alone Apacer Portable Photomate, the OTG USB Share Steno CD311, which is designed to copy image files from a digital camera without the need for a PC. At just 220 grams, the Share Steno CD311 is lightweight and easy to carry, even outdoors. The device has been nominated for the 2005 “National Gold Awards of Excellence”, for products made in Taiwan. The Share Steno CD311 allows users to access every precious moment captured with a digital camera anywhere, anytime. The Share Steno CD311 is a perfect solution for any digital storage requirement and aims to let everyone enjoy digital life to the full.