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.”

More than 110,000 people have lost their lives in East Africa and South Asia in the aftermath of the earthquake and resulting tsunamis on December 26. The American Red Cross reports that emergency assessment and first-aid teams were on the ground quickly and are already working with local groups to support relief efforts. If you would like to help, you can make a financial donation to the American Red Cross using the Amazon Honor System. One hundred percent of donations made will go to the American Red Cross disaster relief efforts.

I haven’t posted too many of my own pictures lately - been experiencing a little photographer’s block here in Paris. But an inspirational Christmas present (The Great LIFE Photographers, 600 pages read on Christmas Day) and a visit to the Robert Capa exhibition today at the Bibliotheque nationale de france have hopefully made me turn a corner. I have been taking some photos, just not as many or with the quality that I would have liked. This is one of the ones that I am pleased with - taken in the Samaritaine restaurant on the 5th floor, looking out over the Seine, against the light, with my Canon G3 resting on the table. I was also slightly drunk at the time after one too many lunchtime aperitifs - maybe this is a tactic that I could adopt for the future? (not that I’m advocating alcohol you understand…).

Click on the image to view a larger version in a new window.

“Troubleshooting Your Images” is PCMagazines in-depth guide to solving some of the common issues that affect new diigcam owners in particular; blurry and grainy images, over and under-exposed, dodgy colour. It might just stop you actually tearing your hair out in frustration (no guarantees though…).

“Nothing is more frustrating than looking at a photo you took of a once-in-a-lifetime event only to find that it didn’t turn out. Maybe it is blurry, dark, or “noisy.” Many new digital-camera owners become so frustrated that they give up entirely, or keep replacing their cameras, hoping to find one that magically takes the photo they want every time.

Instead of throwing your hands up, if you spend a little time looking at your problem images, thinking about what might have happened, and practicing with your camera on your pets, children, or garden, you’ll be ready to grab those images of a lifetime when it really matters. In this article we discuss a variety of common causes of poor digital images, and present some tips on diagnosing and correcting the problems.”

Website: PCMagazine - Troubleshooting Your Images

DCResource have published their review of the 4 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-L1.

“Overall I’d rank the L1’s image quality as just okay. While my real world photos were well-exposed with accurate colors, details in the pictures seemed soft and fuzzy. Even the sky seemed unusually blotchy. In addition, there was vignetting to be found in many of my photos. I’ve seen this before on other ultra-compact cameras (the Minolta DiMAGE X-series comes to mind), and I think it’s just one of the tradeoffs that comes with a tiny camera like this. Still, you’ll be able to get nice small prints or web-sized photos from the L1. Those with larger print needs or higher expectations should look elsewhere.”

Website: DCResource - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-L1 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-L1

Every photographer has been confused by the subject of digital image sizes - pixels, resolution, ppi, dpi - what are they and how on earth do they relate to each other? Bob Atkins has a handy guide which answers all of these questions:

“The way you control how large an image appears on someone’s monitor screen when viewing your images on the web is by changing the height and width in pixels If your original image is 1600x1200 pixels it will probably be too large to see all at once on 95% of the video monitors out there. It will also be slow to load since it will be a large file. If you want someone using an 800x600 display to be able to see your image clearly, you need to change the size to, say, 600x400 pixels (remember the browser window is smaller than the full monitor display).”

Website: Bob Atkins - Digital Image Resizing

Concord Camera Corp. Press Release

CONCORD CAMERA CORP. WINS AMERICAN PHOTO MAGAZINE’S EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD

5 Megapixel Digital Camera Wins for the Most Pixels for the Price

Hollywood, FL, December 29, 2004 - Concord Camera Corp. (“Concord”) (Nasdaq:LENSE), a leader in award-winning, high-quality, affordably-priced cameras, announced today that the Concord Eye-Q 5062 has won the coveted American Photo “Editor’s Choice” Award.

In awarding the Concord Eye-Q 5062 with their prestigious Editor’s Choice, American Photo stated, “In terms of pixels per penny, it’s hard to beat this five-megapixel single-focal-length entry – and you also get 16MB of internal memory to back up your SD card, continuous shooting and macro modes, and 30fps video at QVGA, with sound.”

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas, US, starts on January 6th. DIWA member website LetsGoDigital will be there to cover all the new photography announcements from the show floor - they even have a website dedicated to the show.

Website: LetsGoDigital - CES 2005

PhotoScala are reporting that Kyocera Japan will be discontinuing some of its 35mm film cameras and lenses. The affected cameras are: 35mm SLRs Contax RX2, Aria, Aria-D, and 35mm view finder cameras T3 and TVS III. The affected lenses are Distagon 2.8/16mm, 2.8/25mm, 1.4/35mm, 2.8/35mm and the Macro Planar 2.8/60mm.

Website: Photoscala - Kyocera to reduce analogue Contax model range

Canon have had a busy Christmas - they’ve also just released Zoom Browser 5 for Windows.

“ZoomBrowser EX 5.0, as well as managing images shot using a digital camera, also enables you to take full advantage of your camera’s built-in functions. Not only does ZoomBrowser EX 5.0 provide a simple straightforward procedure for everything from downloading, organizing and editing images through to printing your images or sending them as e-mail attachments, it also offers a range of features specifically designed to combine with and make the most of your camera’s functions. Some of these features are RAW image processing, panorama image composition, and a remote shooting function that lets you control the camera from your PC. ZoomBrowser EX 5.0—software that knows your camera and will change your total digital camera experience.”

Website: Canon - ZoomBrowser 5.0 for Windows

Luminous Landscape have followed up their review of the Epson RD-1 digital rangefinder camera with a look at the lenses that are available for it.

“All of the lenses in this test look and feel much better built than typical consumer SLR lenses. Many of them are also extremely compact, as the dimensions information below will demonstrate. They have a wonderful mechanical feel to them that is very refreshing to me after several years of working with well-performing but lightly-built plastic Canon primes such as the 24/2.8, 35/2.0 and 50/1.8 Mk1. (In all fairness, most of the Canon L lenses are very well built but they are generally much larger and heavier than the rangefinder lenses in this test.) The Leica lenses have the best overall build quality and feel of this bunch but the Voigtlanders aren’t far behind. In fact, the aperture rings on some of the Voigtlanders feel more solid and precise than those on the Leicas. The Leicas’ focus damping is buttery smooth; the best of any lens I’ve tested or used.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - 35mm and Wider Lenses for the Epson R-D1

Imaging Resource are reporting that Sony USA are set to introduce a black version of their 1Gb Memory Stick PRO. In addition to being a different colour, the new version will also have an increased operating temperature (good news for cold weather photographers). Price is $150.

Website: Imaging Resource - Sony readies black 1GB Memory Stick PRO