digitalreview.ca have published a first look at the new Nikon D2X digital SLR.

“The auto image-rotation function made popular with the Nikon D70 automatically rotates images captured in portrait (tall) orientation so that they are displayed in the same portrait orientation in the rear LCD monitor during playback. Especially useful when the D2X is set to Slide Show mode and images are displayed on a monitor or conventional TV screen. Images captured in portrait (tall) orientation are also automatically rotated for correct display in PictureProject and Nikon Capture 4 software.”

Website: digitalreview.ca - Nikon D2X First Look

Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon D2X

The Norwegian website Digit.no have published an extensive review of the 8 megapixel Canon EOS 20D DSLR.

Website: Digit.no - Canon EOS 20D Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Canon EOS 20D

Apogee Photo have just reviewed the new image management software Extensis Portfolio 7 (found via Cameratown).

“Portfolio is a product for the professional user and not the casual digital photographer who doesn’t have time to delve into a powerful program. Yes, it is more expensive and harder to learn, but accepting those drawbacks is often the trade-off that’s necessary when you’re dealing with a product that must meet the demands of a professional power user.  For that user, both the money spent on this program and the time dedicated to mastering it will be quickly recouped through more efficient use of production time and fewer headaches.”

Website: Apogee Photo - Extensis Portfolio 7 Review

Apogee Photo have published their review of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0, written by well-known author Scott Kelby.

“Elements 3 now supports the direct importing of digital camera photos taken in the high quality Raw format though a built-in Camera Raw plug-in (shown above), and you can also now work with 16-bit images directly within Elements (although the number of things you can do is limited, just like Photoshop 7’s support for 16-bit images). The Camera Raw plug-in enables you to do the processing of your Raw digital negative to create your own custom prints, and you can control everything from the white balance to the color tint. This is a big feature for serious photographers who demand the highest quality and flexibility.”

Website: Apogee Photo - A Look at Photoshop Elements 3

Apple Press Release 26/10/04

Your Entire Music & Photo Library in Your Pocket

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—Apple(R) today introduced iPod(R) Photo, the newest member of the iPod family that lets you take your entire music and photo library with you wherever you go. iPod Photo holds up to 25,000 digital photos alongside your music library and displays them on its stunning high-resolution color screen, allowing you to scroll through your photo library almost instantly using iPod’s patent pending Click Wheel. iPod Photo lets you combine your music and your favorite photos to create magical slideshows on your iPod, and features TV-out for sharing your slideshows on big screen televisions and projectors. iPod Photo comes in 40GB or 60GB models which hold up to 10,000 or 15,000 songs, and its extended battery life gives users up to 15 hours of music playback or up to 5 hours of slideshows.

“Having both your entire photo and music collections with you wherever you go is the next big thing,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Everyone has a digital camera and wants to enjoy and share their growing library of digital photos wherever they are. Unlike video content, photo content is free and abundant, and there are no copyright issues to deal with.”

Check the Latest Prices for the Apple iPod Photo

Last week DPNow reported that you could download an accurate replica of a resolution target for free. This week they attempt to print the free version and see if it matches up to the professional version:

“I doubt that an optics expert would be totally satisfied with our testing methodology or the absolute quality of the results we obtained with our ‘version’ of the Westin target. But we’re not suggesting those that require high quality, professional level, test data replicate our method. If you want a professional result, the best advice is to buy a professionally produced target like the Edmunds Optics one.

However, we hope we have demonstrated how you can get close to professional results using an ordinary printer, that you get a feeling for the limitations of printed resolution and maybe have a bit of fun and learn a few things on the way.”

Website: DPNow - Project: make your own digital camera resolution test chart

Zenit Press Release 26/10/04

JSC “Krasnogorsky zavod” has started a serial production of the new “HORIZON S3pro” panoramic camera. This camera will be on the market at the beginning of March, 2004.
“HORIZON S3pro” panoramic camera opens new horizons before you. There are landscapes, indoor scenes, sport events, architecture, reports of an absolutely another size. Using the 35mm standard film you are taking pictures of everything in your view without losses. It’s the amazing opportunity for an experiment.

Also from DPReview is news of a rather surprising development from Mitsubishi - a new camera module that features Fujifilm’s SuperCCD SR technology, which is designed to boost dynamic range in photos. This was actually announced last week, but it seems that only DPReview have picked up on the use of Fuji’s unique technology.

“Interesting to see Fujifilm’s SuperCCD SR technology in a camera phone module, although it’s not clear from the press release whether Mitsubishi is licensing the design or buying SuperCCD’s direct from Fujifilm (they do appear to have done this before).

A little further investigation and we discover that this isn’t the first SuperCCD SR camera module from Mitsubishi, there is also the CMO41 (816 x 612 x 2) and CMO11 (648 x 486 x 2). We’ll pre-suppose that Fujifilm hasn’t talked about this in great detail before because the image quality from this tiny modules won’t be up to their standards.”

Website: DPReview - Mitsubishi’s SuperCCD SR camera module

DPreview are exclusively reporting that Sharp have just announced an 8.5 million total pixels (8.3 million effective), 1/1.8” CCD sensor, which will no doubt feature in many compact digicams next year.

“Further indication that the pixel race certainly isn’t over, my guess is that this is just the tip of the iceberg with ten million pixel compact cameras before the end of next year. Once again I’ll place my stake in the ground and say I’d rather see manufacturers spending time and money on better lenses, better AF, faster cameras, better auto WB, and some real innovation.”

Website: DPReview - Sharp’s eight megapixel 1/1.8” CCD

Luminous Landscape’s Michael Reichmann has published a preliminary hands-on review of the Konica Minolta Dynax 7D DSLR.

“I found that AS worked very well. After shooting many hundreds of frames, at least half of which were with the Minolta AF Apo Tele Zoom 100-400 f/4.5-6.7, I found that AS provided at least a couple of stops of additional hand-holdability. I have no rigorous comparisons to offer, only the judgment of my own eyes. But it seemed to me that Canon’s IS, with which I have greater familiarity, provides possibly a bit more stabilization, and also the versatility of being able to select unidirectional as well as multidirectional stabilization settings. Konica Minolta’s offset to this is that the Anti-Shake technology is in the body, and therefore works with almost all lenses (except those with focus limiters, if set), while Canon and Nikon’s solutions require that it be built into special lenses.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Konica Minolta Dynax 7D Hands-on Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Konica Minolta Dynax 7D

Kyocera Press Release 26/10/04

In association with the Contax User Forum (www.contaxinfo.com), Kyocera will soon release a limited edition of the Contax U4R. The edition will be restricted to only 300 pieces. This page will be updated over the next few days and weeks to provide more details, available colours, prices etc. It will also shortly be possible to pre-order this very special editon from this section on the web site.

InfoTrends/CAP Ventures Press Release 26/10/04

Growth in Photo Kiosk and Digital Minilab Placements Expected to Expand Availability of Digital Print Services, According to a New Report by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures

(Weymouth, MA) October, 26 2004… According to a new forecast report from InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, 50% of the minilabs installed in the U.S. are expected to be digital by the end of 2004. Meanwhile, photo kiosk sales are expected to demonstrate a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% over the forecast period between 2003 and 2008. Kiosks continue to prove that they are a successful solution in the retail environment.

Most importantly, alternative channels for photo kiosks such as hotels, resorts, amusement parks, and consumer electronics stores continue to develop, and still provide significant growth potential. By the end of the year, about 4% of all kiosk placements will be in unconventional locations. Although the success of photo kiosks in many of these new venues remains to be seen, this continues to be an important market for vendors to consider as they work to increase their sales.

Professional Photographers of America Press Release 26/10/04

325 per day. 9750 per month. 117,000 per year.* That’s how many times people are conducting searches for photographers on the “Find A Photographer” search engine at www.ppa.com. These numbers are staggering! On average 19,107 names are included in response to these searches every single day.

“Find A Photographer” is an awesome indicator of the massive impact the Internet has had on how consumers and businesses look for professional photography. Several years ago when PPA took most referral requests over the phone, the number of monthly requests peaked at just over 1,000. “Find A Photographer” does that in less than four days!

BenQ Press Release 2510/04
 
Europe, 25th ofOctober, 2004 - BenQ launched five new models to further complete its lineup of digital cameras. Sporting an array of uniquely styled exterior designs, BenQ’ new digital cameras are also equipped with great features such as touch-screens, large-sized LCD screens, hand-writing function, PASM modes, and more. With a comprehensive line of digital cameras, BenQ provides camera models that fit different lifestyles.

“While we are committed to offering users product that give unparalleled enjoyment, we also hope to offer consumers? the freedom to choose a camera that best fits the way they live,” said William Wang, Vice-President and General Manager of the Imaging Network Business Group. 

Sandisk Press Release 26/10/04

High Capacities and Small Size Make Cards Ideal for Digital Cameras, Mobile Phones and Other Electronic Devices

San Francisco, CA, Oct. 26, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today introduced the world’s largest capacities of Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD cards with 4-gigabyte (GB), 1GB and 2GB capacities respectively. These new cards are double the current maximum capacities and are designed to fit into a broad range of digital cameras, digital camcorders, music players, games, mobile phones and other consumer electronics devices. The announcement was made at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2004 trade show at Moscone Center where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Booth 924.

“SanDisk is leveraging to the fullest our leading edge flash memory and advanced controllers to once again raise the bar by introducing the highest capacities of Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo card and SD cards in the industry,” said Nelson Chan, executive vice president and general manager of the consumer and handset business. “These new capacity points will allow our customers who need maximum storage in their digital cameras, mobile phones and other electronics devices to use these new cards to store as many digital pictures, songs and other personal data as they desire.”

Sandisk Press Release 26/10/04

SanDisk miniSD and RS-MMC Cards Increase To 512-Megabyte Capacities; New Capacities Needed for Digital Music, Photos And Other Storage-Intensive Features On The Latest Mobile Devices

San Francisco, CA, Oct. 26, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) announced today that it is doubling the current maximum capacities of its popular SanDisk miniSD and SanDisk RS-MMC cards to 512 megabytes (MB). These storage cards are used in a growing number of mobile phones with multimedia capabilities such as digital cameras, music players and video recording and playback. The announcement was made at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2004 trade show at Moscone Center where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Booth 924.

“The number of mobile phones with storage card slots is growing rapidly since removable memory provides many advantages in mobile phones that feature digital cameras, digital audio players, games and other applications,” said Nelson Chan, executive vice president and general manager of SanDisk?s consumer and handset business. “We expect to continue to increase capacities for these cards as these storage-intensive mobile phone applications grow in popularity.”

DigitalCameraInfo.com have just reviewed the 4 megapixel Sony DSC-P41.

“The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41 is one of the more economically priced Cyber-shot models, retailing for around US $179.95. Containing a surprisingly large 1/2.7 inch, 4MP CCD, this model is armed to surpass most similarly priced models with higher image quality. However, this camera is only capable of 3x digital zoom, with absolutely no optical zoom capability. With limited custom control settings available, the Cyber-shot P41 is clearly made for the point-and-shoot consumer.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Sony DSC-P41 Review

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The Danish website Akamera.dk have reviewed the new Sony DSC-P93, a 5-megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom.

Website: Akamera.dk - Sony DSC-P93 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Sony DSC-P93

Roger Cavanagh has reviewed a plugin for Photoshop CS and PhotoShop Elements 3(Windows-only I’m afraid) that aims to brighten up the shadows in your images without causing too many unwanted side-effects.

“Unlike Photoshop Shadow and Highlight Adjustment, SI will only work on 8-bit RGB images. It is also very slow, which given what the manual says, is understandable:

“From the original image the software estimates the illumination field that illuminated the scene when the picture was taken. Then it corrects every pixel to produce a result that would have been seen if the scene were more uniformly illuminated. “

Not the most elegant or grammatical of phrasing, but it does describe what the plug-in does, and it does indicate that bigger files and more pixels means slower performance. The FAQ page does suggest users could experience memory problems, but all my tests have so far been on full-size 10D images, which have been processed successfully.”

Website: Roger Cavanagh - Shadow Illuminator Plugin Review

Rollei Logistics, Inc. Press Release 26/10/04

Just 3-Inches High, the New Rolleiflex MiniDigi Has the Look and Feel of the Original Twin Reflex Camera

CONCORD, CA (OCT. 26, 2004) - Two lenses, one above the other. The hand crank lever. The shutter release. The hooded viewfinder. The exposure meter. The coal-black casing. And the RolleiFlex logo. 

They?re all part of a new Rollei camera that will hit the US market in November. What?s different from the original, a classic that has attracted the world?s top photographers from its introduction in 1929 to this day, is that it?s much smaller and digital.

Much as auto manufacturers who have applied modern technologies to classic designs, such as the Jaguar ?S?series, the new RolleiFlex MiniDigi has the look and feel of the original, but easily fits in the palm of your hand or pocket. Most importantly, it?s a camera with features that are not only nostalgic, but also unique in the digital world.