Wacom Cintiq 21UX is an interactive pen display based on a 21” LCD display. I saw the Cintiq 21UX demoed at Focus on Imaging last week and it did look like a great way to edit your images in Photoshop. The Cintiq 21UX has an estimated street price of $2499.

Wacom Press Release

New 21.3” Wacom® Cintiq® is World’s First Interactive Pen Display with a Seamless Surface, ExpressKeys™, and Zoom/Scroll Touch Strips

Other Key Features Important to Photographers, Designers, and Artists Include 1,024 Levels of Pressure Sensitivity, Pen Tilt Sensitivity, and High-end LCD Color Accuracy

VANCOUVER, WA., Feb. 15, 2005 — Wacom Technology Corporation today announced its eagerly anticipated Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display that allows users to work with a pen directly on a 21.3” color-accurate LCD. The Cintiq 21UX offers “more” of everything that makes using a Wacom Cintiq such a natural way to work: more screen area, more pressure sensitivity, more pen control, more resolution, more comfort, more productivity. At a estimated street price of $2499 the Cintiq 21UX delivers more of everything with no price increase over the previous generation. The Cintiq 21UX will begin shipping in March, but customers can register at www.cintiq.com now to be at the head of the line for units.

Wacom Intuos3 pen tablets are now shipping with Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 software. The Wacom Intuos3 tablet comes in three sizes and is priced from $219.

Wacom Press Release

Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 now included with every Wacom Intuos3 pen tablet

Photoshop Elements 3, a $100 Value, is the Leading Editing Software for Photo and Art Enthusiasts

Vancouver, Wash., March 8, 2005 - Wacom® Technology Corporation today announced that Adobe® (Nasdaq: ADBE) Photoshop® Elements 3 is now included with all sizes of its Intuos®3 pen tablets. This software offers photo enthusiasts powerful tools that are designed to be used with a Wacom pen to quickly and easily edit digital photos and create original artwork.

Polaroid x530 is now available in the USA in Circuit City and Walmart stores. The Polaroid x530 is the first compact digital camera to feature the Foveon X3 direct image sensor. The x530 has a 4.5 Megapixel image sensor and a 3X optical zoom. The X530 will also be available in Canada , Japan , Germany and the UK by March 31, 2005.

Polaroid Press Release

Polaroid Corporation announced today, the availability of Polaroid’s new x530 digital camera

Orlando, Florida February 20, 2005 - Polaroid Corporation announced today, the availability of Polaroid’s new x530 digital camera through Circuit City’s on-line store: www.CircuitCity.com and Wal-Mart’s on-line store: www.walmart.com . The announcement was made at the 2005 Photo Marketing Association (PMA) International Annual Convention, Booth #3532, in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando , Florida .

The x530 will also be available in Canada , Japan , Germany and the UK by March 31, 2005 . Additional US outlets will be announced soon.

Sigma UK Press Release

Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd is pleased to announce the launch of a FREE two year extended UK based warranty with all EX series lenses imported through Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd.

You’d expect the world’s number one independent lens designer and manufacturer to offer something a little extra – and that’s just what we’ve done - extending the traditional one year international warranty of our world class EX lenses by two years free of charge, to provide Sigma UK customers with an unrivalled three years of cover in the UK.

From 1st March 2005 all new Sigma EX lenses come complete with a warranty leaflet, customers simply have to fill in the relevant information and return it to Sigma UK to register for their extended cover.

SellFolio Press Release

SellFolio: First software for stunning web and CD photo presentations in 15 minutes

Lake Forest, IL 3/7/05 - Just as digital camera users wanted better photo editing capabilities, digital camera and photo editor users now want better ways to present their photos.  With SellFolio, anyone who can read English and browse for a file in Windows can create a multimedia photo portfolio in minutes.  According to Russ McNeilly, SellFolio VP of Sales and Marketing, “SellFolio users just add photos, text and sound for a stunning multimedia portfolio literally in minutes.  After people do photo editing in their favorite software, the smart next step is to take the photos they edited and show them off in a beautiful SellFolio presentation.”  Now with new SellFolio 3.0, users get more communications power, with the ability to add background music, narrations, web links and .PDF documents for a very rich media experience.  A downloadable trial version of SellFolio is available on www.sellfolio.com.

Sanyo Xacti Digital Movie C5 is announced. The Sanyo C5 has 5 megapixels, 2 inch LCD screen and can record MPEG4 format movies with VGA resolution at 30 frames per second. The Sanyo Xacti Digital Movie C5 replaces the Sanyo Xacti C1 that I have previously reviewed. The Xacti C5 will cost 699 Euros and be available at the end of March 2005.

Sanyo Press Release

SANYO XACTI Digital Movie C5: Brilliant Companion for the Technologically Avant-Garde

SANYO’s Digital Movie Family has a new member: The XACTI Digital Movie C5 has the same self-confident appearance and sets bold new standards with its unique design. The interior of the youngest member of the C Series is refined and mature as well. The multi-talented C5 combines a dual purpose video and photo camera with the finest technology: a resolution of 5 Megapixels, a 2-inch LCD display (diagonal measurement) - all in an extremely compact and light case. The 23 mm deep aluminum body makes the XACTI Digital Movie C5 one of the slimmest photo-video combinations in the world.

It seems that the price of the new Tamron SP AF11-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF), a new high performance ultra wideangle zoom lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras using APS-C size image sensors, will be $981.95 in the USA. That’s a lot higher than the $550 price that I was told by a Tamron rep at PMA last month, and a lot nearer to the price of the Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens. Have Tamron pitched too high - will all the Canon, Nikon and Konica Minolta owners out there choose the Tamron as their wide-angle lens, or the Sigma 10-20mm (price to be confirmed)? I’m guessing that owners of the Canon EOS 20D and Digital Rebel DSLRs will opt for the Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens instead…

Thanks to Simon Heard for letting me know.

Meanwhile, take a look at some exclusive sample shots and my initial thoughts on the new Tamron 11-18mm lens.

Just Show Me How Press Release

The Just Show Me How Professional Seminar Series Sells Out in the First Four Cities of its Ten City Tour

NEW YORK, March 7, 2005 – It was standing room only in New York, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles - the first four stops of the Just Show Me How Professional seminar tour, where attendees learned a variety of tools and techniques that address digital workflow issues of the professional photographer.  Only six cities remain on this popular ten city tour, so only a limited number of attendees will get to benefit from this valuable information.  The remaining cities are:

Dallas, TX:            March 13th
Boston, MA:            April 3rd
Washington, DC:      April 10th      
San Diego, CA:        April 17th
San Francisco, CA:  May 1st
Orlando, FL:          May 15th

Casio EXILIM QV-R52 is to be released in a new black colour-scheme. This new version of the Casio EXILIM QV-R52 is no different to the silver QV-R52 in terms of specification. The black EXILIM Zoom QV-R52 will be available from April 2005.

Casio Europe Press Release

Norderstedt, March 2005 - The new QV-R52 from CASIO is irresistible in the ever-popular trend colour black. Just like its sister in the silver metal body, the digital camera is equipped with 5.0 megapixels and 3x optical zoom. With the Direct On function the little black wonder is ready for use in only 1 second* and is ideal for every snapshot thanks to its shutter release time lag of only 0.01 second**.

Motifs can be easily viewed on the large 2-inch TFT colour display. The compact*** camera’s simple menu guide makes child’s play out of photography: 21 CASIO typical BESTSHOT functions offer pre-recorded scenes for different photo situations. In addition, they can also be supplemented by the user’s own motif programs. The integrated flash with red eye-reduction also provides fantastic photos in those moments of low light intensity. The features of the ultra light 168 g**** QV-R52 are completed by self-timer, Macro function, automatic calendar and world time, as well as alarm with picture and sound function. The camera’s almost 9.7 MB internal memory can be increased using commercially available SD/MMC cards. Despite all this functional diversity, CASIO’s own electronics enable a considerable reduction in the power consumption, thus giving the camera staying power over long periods.

Casio EXILIM EX-Z57 is to be released in a new black colour-scheme. Dubbed “Black Metal”, this new version of the Casio EXILIM EX-Z57 is no different to the silver EX-Z57 in terms of specification. The EXILIM Zoom EX-Z57 “Black Metal” will be available from April 2005.

Casio Europe Press Release

The new EXILIM EX-Z57 “Black Metal” with 2.7-inch TFT colour display

Norderstedt, March 2005 - The new EXILIM Zoom EX-Z57 “Black Metal” in its black aluminium body feels good in the hand. The 2.7-inch TFT colour display, which can be comfortably set to two brightness levels, is an immediate eye-catcher. 5.0 megapixels and 3x optical zoom make the small digital camera a power package for any photo situation.

Thanks to its SUPER LIFE battery, the EX-Z57 “Black Metal” is extremely powerful. The black-compact takes up to 400 pictures1 after only one charging of the SUPER LIFE battery. It also impresses with user-friendly elements like the Auto Macro function, an integrated 4-function flash with red eye-reduction and the Flash Assist function. Various pre-recorded scenes are available with CASIO’s typical BESTSHOT function for all different kinds of picture situations, such as portrait or retro. Additionally, the lifestyle photographer can expand already existing motif programs with his very own BESTSHOT scenes. Hobby directors discover their talent for films with the Movie function and can record movies with sound without time limit2. The internal 9.3 MB flash memory can be increased to any size with commercially available SD/MMC cards.

Epson Press Release

Epson to Guarantee Longevity of Fine Art Prints; UltraGiclee Print Certification Program To Give Printmakers, Confidence Selling Work

LONG BEACH, Calif.—(Business Wire)—March 4, 2005—Fine art printmakers and their customers will soon have a guarantee on the longevity of certain Epson fine art prints through Epson’s new UltraGiclee(TM) print certification program. This certification will enable printmakers to sell their work and enable customers to buy these prints with confidence that the prints will last.

UltraGiclee certified fine art prints, which can only be created on selected Epson professional printers using select professional media and EPSON UltraChrome(TM) ink, will be warranted to resist noticeable fading for 80 years from the original date of purchase when the print is printed, framed, handled and displayed according to warranty conditions. If a warranted print fades, Epson will provide the ink and paper needed to make a replacement print. Current certified printers include the EPSON Stylus Pro 4000, 7600 and 9600 printers, and certified media include UltraSmooth(TM) Fine Art Paper, Textured Fine Art Paper and PremierArt(TM) Water Resistant Canvas for Epson.

StudioLine Photo 2.7 is released today. StudioLine Photo 2.7 allows you to manage and edit digital image collections quickly and efficiently. StudioLine Photo has an RRP of $49.00 / $49.00.

H&M Systems Software, Inc. Press Release

StudioLine Photo 2.7 Adds Double Digit Increases to Image Archiving Speed, Making it One of the Fastest Image Management Tools Available; Users Can Freely Design Album Layouts

High-Speed Archiving and Unlimited Designs From Album Pages to Flyers Attract Photographers and Designers At All Levels

Upper Saddle River, NJ; March 7, 2005—H&M Systems Software, Inc. today introduced Release 2.7 of its flagship StudioLine Photo 2 digital imaging software. This latest release enables users to archive and browse the image database up to 25 percent faster. Photographers and designers of all skill levels can also freely design custom pages for photo albums and create other print pieces. StudioLine Photo 2 is an economical, yet versatile tool designed to meet the demands of professional and novice photographers, stock houses, graphic designers, and others needing an all-in-one solution for editing, storing, and managing digital images.

Today 7 names were randomly selected from the list of PhotographyBLOG Newsletter subscribers. If you are one of the winners, you will already have received an email from me ([email protected]). In order to protect the winners’ email addresses, I’m not going to publish them here.

- Two people each won 1000 A5 colour postcards (worth £175 each), printed with an image of their choice from ColourCards
- Two people each won 1000 A6 colour postcards (worth £95 each), printed with an image of their choice from ColourCards
- Three people each won a copy of “Adobe Photoshop CS One-on-One” by Deke McCelland (worth £26.95 each) from O’Reilly

If you haven’t won anything, then don’t worry, as a brand new contest for March has just started!

To have any chance of winning, you must subscribe to the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter.

Olympus Press Release

OLYMPUS ANNOUNCES REBATES FOR EVOLT E-300 DIGITAL SLR, LENSES, AND ACCESSORIES

Now Until March 31, 2005 Purchase EVOLT E-300 SLR and Two Lens for Under $1000 with Rebate

Melville, New York, March 4, 2005 – Olympus Imaging America Inc. announces a $100 rebate on its EVOLT E-300 Digital SLR system both with and without its consumer Zuiko Digital Specific™ lenses. Now, when consumers purchase one of the following items from an authorized OLYMPUS SLR dealer or log on to www.OlympusAmerica.com/rebate they can receive a mail-in rebate coupon for $100 cash back from Olympus:

·      The EVOLT E-300 body on its own
·      The EVOLT E-300 Kit (that includes the 14-45mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Specific lens) or
·      The EVOLT E-300 Two Lens Kit (includes both the 14-45mm f3.5/5.6 and 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses)

The offer applies to all EVOLT bodies and EVOLT Kits purchased from February 7 until March 31, 2005 in the US and Canada (rebates must be postmarked by April 30, 2005).

The winners of the February 2004 PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for February was “The Countryside” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 3 winners:

1st Place
“Making Tracks” by dapa_group
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
“Civilization” by Zenonas
View this entry

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

3rd Place
“Lincolnshire Winter” by pstubbs50
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 March 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 March’s theme, which is “Water”.

The PMA Show 2005 was held last week in Orlando, Florida. PhotographyBLOG was there for an entire week to cover the show, attend various press events and go on the rides at the Universal Studios “Islands of Adventure” theme park (I can’t work all the time you know…). All in all the Show was a quiet, understated affair compared to previous years, with the general concensus being this was a year of consolidation in the industry, rather than innovation. There were still a lot of new products introduced, however, so here is my personal roundup of the hits, misses and maybes.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce that digital camera owners can now print their photos for as little as 22p* per print with the SELPHY CP Compact Photo Printer range. In an announcement that coincides with the launch of its new flagship, the Compact Photo Printer SELPHY CP600, Canon is offering its KP-108IP Colour Ink/Paper Set – which includes 108 popular 4 x 6”+ size photo prints – for the highly competitive recommended retail price of just £23.99.

Fujifilm UK Press Release

Fujifilm has today announced a firmware update and software update for the FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR.

The firmware update can be downloaded at: http://home.fujifilm.com/products/digital/download/s3pro/fupd.html

This update incorporates the following:

1) Updates the Auto Rotate function
2) Enables lens interchange while camera power is left on (applies to some
AF-S Nikon and AF-VR Nikon lenses)
3) Updates the compatibility for high capacity storage media

FujiFilm UK Press Release

‘Clip and clean’ with Fujifilm’s multi-purpose cleaning kit

Don’t let smears and smudges soil your vision!

Fujifilm’s extensive range of digital accessories is soon to expand with the arrival of a multi-purpose cleaning kit product, the ‘Fujifilm Lens Cleaning Kit’. This handy gadget attaches easily to belts or bag handles - perfect for those who want to be smudge-free whilst out and about.

Ideal for removing smears or dirt from camera lenses, mobile phones, spectacles, binoculars, computer screens and laptops, the cleaning kit is easy to use and light to carry. The practical travel kit includes a high quality, soft cleaning cloth and anti-reflective lens cleaning fluid - perfect for those photographing muddy outdoor sports, or when working in difficult outdoor conditions. An essential item for the maintenance of precision optical equipment like digital cameras - or anything made of glass.

The Fujifilm Lens Cleaning Kit is available now from photographic retailers at an SRP of £7.99 including VAT.

HP UK Press Release

Display Your Art with the First 9-ink Professional Photo Printer, the HP Photosmart 8750 including HP Vivera Inks

Advanced photo printing up to A3+ and built-in network capability for professional photographers

BIRMINGHAM, UK, February 28, 2005 - HP today announced the launch of its new HP Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer, a high performance device developed for professional photographers. With nine HP Vivera Inks, photographers can produce studio quality prints in colour and in black and white, on paper up to A3+ size with a printable area of 330 x 483mm. This printer provides all the convenience of developing photos at home and also offers photographers a brilliant combination of image quality, built-in networking, fade resistance and speed.

The 9-ink HP Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer uses specially formulated inks in three inkjet print cartridges at the heart of its system: the new large body HP 102 Grey Photo Inkjet Print Cartridge, HP 101 Blue Inkjet Print Cartridge and the existing HP 344 Tri-Colour Inkjet Print Cartridge1. Using these cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, light magenta, blue, light grey, medium grey and photo black inks together, produces studio quality printing in colour and in black and white.