INKE Press Release

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/—CES INTERNATIONAL—INKE, manufacturer of the world’s first auto inkjet cartridge refilling system, will preview their latest models and a new form factor at the CES 2005. With INKE HS-56 for HP 56 (C6656) and HP 27 (C8727), INKE CN-03 for BCI-3e and BCI-6 for Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow cartridges, INKE LX-16 for Lexmark 16 (10N0016) and INKE LX-82 for Lexmark 82 (18L0032), INKE now covers 75% of inkjet printers in the world.

Hagiwara Sys-Com Press Release

Hagiwara Sys-Com Announces Live Demonstration of UD-RW (USB 2.0 High-Speed Flash Drive With CD-RW Capability) at 2005 International CES, Las Vegas

UD-RW Combines the Flexibility of USB Flash Drive and the Benefit of CD-RW Into One Compact Package

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/—Hagiwara Sys-Com, the industry leader in semiconductor application products for cutting-edge consumer and industrial electronics—today announced their participation at 2005 International CES to demonstrate different applications of UD-RW, an USB Flash Drive with CD-RW Functionality. (Booth # 70533M, Innovation Plus USB TechZone)

The UD-RW’s innovative Dual Zone Technology combines the flexibility of a USB Flash Drive and the benefit of a CD-RW in one compact package. By inserting the UD-RW into a system’s USB port, two drive icons, a CD-ROM drive and a Removable drive, will appear under “My Computer.” This technology protects data in the Read Only Zone from accidental erase or deletion while still gives users the ability to modify the contents in the Flash Drive Zone.

30 Minute Photos Etc. Press Release

Kodak, Sony, Canon and all other Used Digital Camera Models Finding New Life and Bringing Military Families Closer Together

Irvine, CA (PRWEB) January 3, 2005—“Operation Photo” collecting all used digital cameras nationwide so military families can share family photos as a tool for boosting morale and staying close during the New Year.

Mitch Goldstone a well-known leader in the photo industry, is also recognized for his national grassroots campaigns, such as www.epiccusa.com , which brought thousands of people to New York City to support the airlines and commerce in the Big Apple after 9/11. Among other humanitarian campaigns was last summer’s www.supportthegames.org which was also organized with his partner, Carl Berman, to bring business leaders to Athens for the Olympic games.

This time, Goldstone is reaching out to picture-takers across the U.S. with “Operation Photo”—a program appealing for photographers to donate their older model digital cameras to families of service members distanced during the New Year.

Another new calendar year, another new article about the demise of film and the triumph of digital. This one is a little different, however, as it points out that many photographers are continuing to use film.

“At night, when the shooting is done,” he said, “I come back and I have loads of film. I put it away. I say, let’s go walk around. They say, no, we’re going back to the motel, and we’re downloading our images onto our laptop. ... I’m out there communing with nature and these guys are playing with zeroes and ones.”

So what are you currently using in 2005 - a film or digital camera?

Website: ColumbiaChronicle.com - Digital photography lightens up darkrooms

The Plugin Site Press Release

The Plugin Site Released LightMachine For Achieving Breathtaking Photo Corrections

January 3, 2005 - The Plugin Site (www.thepluginsite.com) is proud to announce the release of LightMachine, a plugin for performing all kinds of light adjustments in photos. It combines shadow/highlight, virtual lighting and color-based correction tools for performing sophisticated corrections without the need for time-consuming selections and layer stacks. It lets you selectively correct photos taken under bad light conditions or with inadequate camera settings and achieve results that rival photos taken under the best circumstances. Additionally LightMachine can achieve special effects like glows, sunsets, high key and selective b/w effects, replace one color with another and simulate polarizing filters. LightMachine works in dozens of graphics applications including Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, IrfanView, Photoshop Elements, PhotoImpact, Photo-Paint and Fireworks. LightMachine can be applied to 8bit and 16bit RGB images.

Photoshop Elements Techniques Adds Exclusive Subscriber-Only Benefits To Their Website

KW Media Group Press Release

TAMPA, Fla.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Dec. 31, 2004—KW Media Group has announced the launch of the much anticipated subscriber-only area of the Photoshop Elements Techniques website, http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com . This valuable benefit complements the newsletter and allows subscribers to take full advantage of exclusive Photoshop Elements tutorials, video tutorials, tips, and techniques written by leading Photoshop Elements instructors and authors. The content rich Photoshop Elements Techniques newsletter and website are the leading resources available to Photoshop Elements users today.

KW Media Group is a leading provider of Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and digital imaging education, training and news. The company publishes digital imaging and Photoshop magazines, books, DVDs, and conducts training seminars and conferences in the U.S. For more information about KW Media Group visit http://www.kwmediagroup.com, or call 813-433-5000.

About Photography have just published a review of the software package Panorama Factory.

“I started using Panorama Factory with some images I’d previously used testing panoramic software. The first was a simple two image scene on a canal, its rippling water giving a tricky blend with pictures a second apart, and a large modern warehouse with straight lines shows up any alignment problems. The wizard walked me through the process, and five minutes later I was looking at an almost perfect panorama.”

Website: About Photography - Panorama Factory v3.3 Review

The Spanish website Quesabesde have published their review of the 5 megapixel Pentax Optio S50 compact digital camera.

Website: Quesabesde - Pentax Optio S50 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Pentax Optio S50

Panasonic Press Release

Panasonic’s Pro High Speed Series SD Memory Cards Achieve World’s Fastest Data Transfer Speed

Panasonic has recently introduced the new Pro High Speed Series 1GB and 512MB SD memory cards. These Memory Cards boast Panasonic’s new LSI architecture and proprietary high speed technology to double the data transfer speed from 10MB/s to the world’s fastest* data transfer speed of up to 20MB/s**.

The increased data transfer speed is important for handling larger content files due to the functions and performance of digital equipment becoming more and more advanced. The Panasonic Pro High Speed SD Cards provide the speed necessary to easily record and replay high quality video images. In the future, it is expected that more and more users will enjoy recording TV programs on SD memory cards for playback on different SD-enabled products. Since video data entails an extremely large file size, it stands to reason that there will be an increased need for high speed data transfer.

Digital Outback Photo have published a good article about correcting colour in your images using a gray card, a technique that works equally well for both digital and film cameras.

“In the real world, the lighting conditions are usually less than idea for color correction; outdoor or indoor lighting is seldom close to the photographic ideal color temperatures for ‘daylight’ or ‘tungsten’. This can be resolved fairly easily by capturing a photo of a gray card in the same lighting conditions and correcting to the gray.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Color Correction using a Gray Card

DigitalCameraInfo have just posted their review of the diminutive and stylish 4 megapixel Olympus Mju Mini digicam (called the Stylus Verve in the USA).

“The Olympus Stylus Verve contains an aspherical glass 35-70mm (equivalent) variable focal length lens with 2x optical and 4x digital zoom capabilities. The focal length is easily altered using the small zoom toggle controls on the back of the camera. While these control buttons are a bit cumbersome to access with their meager dimensions, application is simple and strait-forward and adjustments are registered almost instantly. For a pocket-sized point-and-shoot camera, the zoom range will offer the user some flexibility in the type of shot available; however, the fully extended telephoto view of the Verve does not quite parallel its competitors, many of which extend up to 114mm and beyond.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Olympus Mju Mini Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Olympus Mju Mini

DigiCamReview have posted their review of the 4 megapixel HP Photosmart R507 digital camera.

“The camera has an okay flash, and copes fairly well with group photos - HP’s Adaptive Lighting is recommended here, as this brightens up the darker areas of the image. Red eye was noticable on some photos of people - this can be removed in camera using HP’s red-eye reduction. Some of the images looked a bit soft, especially to the left of the image, and had fairly low contrast. The camera did okay focusing in low light - but did fail on some occasions. Skin colour was quite good.”

Website: DigiCamReview - HP Photosmart R507 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the HP Photosmart R507

If you’re a fan of all things Nikon, you will be extremely interested in Thom Hogan’s latest article about the Japanese photography giant, which is subtitled “What Nikon should have set as goals for 2005”.

“2005 is a very important year for Nikon. In the DSLR marketplace, Canon has stolen the professional thunder and re-established a dominant market share. Fortunately for Nikon, the D70 has held off the same thing from happening at the consumer end. In compact digital cameras, other than the 8800, Nikon seems to be falling behind and losing energy. 2005 is the last year of the huge DSLR unit volume growth, so keeping or adding to market share is important there. 2005 is the year in which compact camera unit growth stalls worldwide and becomes more like a normal market in terms of volume growth, so keeping or adding to market share there is even more important.”

Website: Thom Hogan’s Nikon New Year Resolutions

Bob Atkins has published a short, technical guide to digital sensor size, looking at several digital cameras with different physical sensor sizes but all with a nominal 3 megapixel (3MP) pixel count.

”“So what” you might think, “if you have enough pixels, what does the sensor size matter?”. Cameras with smaller sensors use shorter focal length lenses to get the same angular coverage as cameras with larger sensors do with longer focal length lenses. So if you have a 28-105mm zoom on a Canon D30,  a 10-37mm zoom on a Nikon 995 or a 7.4-28mm zoom on a Minolta Xi, you get approximately the same shot. What’s the big deal about the physical size of the sensor? Why does it matter?”

Website: Bob Atkins - Digital Sensor Size - Why Size Matters

JVC Press Release

Ultra-Compact & Compact models deliver a 30% smaller design

LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2005 – JVC today introduced a new Mini DV digital camcorder line, distinguished by a new compact design that’s easier to use and small enough to take anywhere. For 2005, JVC offers a wider range of camcorder options, from value-packed entry-level models to feature-rich units.

“From top to bottom, this year’s camcorder lineup offers more features per model than anything that has come before,” said Dave Owen, General Manager, Consumer Video, JVC Company of America. “As in previous years, JVC continues to dominate the market in offering a unique, compact design, 30 percent smaller than 2004 models, while still paying special attention to comfort, usability, convenience and style throughout the 2005 line.”

NikonNet Press Release 03/01/05

NikonNet and ‘Legends Behind the Lens’ Honor the Work of Veteran Commercial Photographer John Huet

MELVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 1 /PRNewswire/—Sometimes the moment elicits more inspiration than all the preparation in the world.  For over 20 years,
renowned commercial photographer John Huet has lived by this concept. Considered to be one of the most successful commercial photographers working today, Huet’s images have been seen throughout the world. However, it’s his unique style that often raises eyebrows.

This January, NikonNet’s inspiring monthly, “Legends Behind the Lens,” honors the work of veteran advertising and commercial photographer John Huet. He has photographed some of the most recognizable images in national advertising campaigns for Nike, Adidas, BMW Motorcycles, Microsoft, the NBA, Wrangler, Nikon, and many others.

About.com has a handy list of tips to help out new digital camera owners with their recent purchase/gift.

“Digital cameras are great! They let you experiment and learn without the hassle and expense of film developing. They give you the freedom to take more pictures—lots more pictures! But they also open up a whole new world of technology and terminology that even proficient film photographers may not be familiar with. Fortunately, you can bypass the confusion by visiting the links in this article to learn about and avoid the most common pitfalls and mistakes many new digital camera owners make.”

Website: About.com - Top 7 Digital Camera Newbie Mistakes to Avoid

Wind-Up Labs Press Release

So you have a new digital camera. Now what? Tips to enjoy digital photography and safeguard holiday memories

BOSTON—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Dec. 30, 2004—An estimated 10 million digital cameras were sold nationwide this holiday season and experts agree new camera owners will take hundreds of photos each in the first weeks. Yet most consumers have no idea how to manage, properly save or get the most enjoyment out of these photos. Here are tips to organize and share digital photos from Wind-Up Labs, maker of HeyPix!, a new digital photo organizer and sharing service.

10 Tips to Enjoy Digital Photography

1.  Think of your new purchase as more than a camera.  Think beyond simply taking and printing photos.

2.  When taking photos, keep elbows close to your body for stability, and pre-focus the camera by pressing the button halfway down
  before taking the shot to avoid the second or so of shutter lag time.

And I thought my camera bag was too heavy - it looks positively feather-weight compared to all the kit that Michael Reichmann carries around, which he shows us in his latest article over on Luminous Landscape:

“For 13 days in early January, 2005 I will be leading a photographic expedition / workshop in Bangladesh. Together with about a dozen other photographers we will be exploring this little-known but fascinating country – by boat, road and on foot. This workshop has been planned for more than half a year, and though my colleague Pierre Claquin has lived, worked and photographed there for some dozen years, and has provided everyone with equipment advice, actually deciding what to bring (as well as what’s possible to bring) is an interesting challenge.

I thought that I’d share the thought process with you, as it is one that all photographers go through when heading off on a shooting trip. There are so many factors involved, from intended as well as potential subject matter, to flying restrictions, to weight and bulk concerns.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - What’s in the Bag – And Why?

LifePics Press Release 30/12/04

LifePics announced today that it has won Photographic Processing magazine’s 2004 Reader’s Choice award for best online photofinishing service. Photographic Processing magazine is one of the top sources of product and industry news for photofinishers in North America. Readers were asked to vote for their favorite product in 25 categories, and LifePics was selected by readers as the top online service.

“We are thrilled to receive The Reader’s Choice award,” said Rick Patch, LifePics CEO. “The number of consumers using our service has absolutely exploded. This award further demonstrates that customers appreciate the ability to print via the Internet to their favorite retail photofinisher.”