The 29th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Tom Hall.

“This is a collection out of my vast library of varied topics. Most of them were taken over the last year and all are taken with my Canon 300D. I have a minolta maxxum 7 and am thinking of purchasing the new Canon 20D to get a bit more functionality and a more rugged camera. I work as a self-employed infosecurity consultant and this year I have started making some money on the side by freelancing as a photographer. A number of photographs have been published by two Dutch newspapers, I had my first small exibiton and just started working together with a number of companies in the graphical/ marketing field. My favourite “targets” are urban life and architecture, nature, sports and outdoors activities, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I hide from other topics. I want to keep on evolving and like to experiment. Experimental photography is therefore a huge driving force behind my work. A good example for this experimental work are the laundrymachine photos you see when you visit the website. These were shot during a laundrysession in Manhattan, New York and are part of a larger serie called One and a half hours in the life of a washing machine.”

Website: http://www.photografix.nl

Website: Portfolios: Tom Hall

HP Press Release 27/08/04

HP FULFILS THE NEED…THE NEED FOR SPEED

HP Releases Next Generation Inkjet Print Cartridges Giving Fastest Printing Ever and Longer Life Prints

London, UK, 27 August 2004; HP today announced it had achieved the UK’s fastest ever printing speeds with its new breakthrough technology increasing printing speeds by up to 40%. The groundbreaking range of inkjet cartridges also incorporates a new ink formulation that extends lightfastness to record lengths of more than 100 years(1) and delivers unsurpassed print quality.

“This is a major breakthrough in the quest for faster, more vibrant, longer lasting printing. Whether you’re printing photos or business documents, the new range means time waiting by the printer is dramatically reduced, print-quality is at never-before seen levels, and prints will last significantly longer. This breakthrough makes photo and office printing more efficient than ever.” explained Kerry Hogarth, HP UK Supplies Product Manager. “These advances strengthen HP’s leadership position in the printing market - both hardware and supplies - and illustrate HP’s commitment to research and development for the benefit of HP’s customers.”

You probably won’t have seen this camera on any other website (unless you read Engadget yesterday…). The Oregon Scientific PV100 is a pretty unremarkable 3 megapixel digicam with a fixed lens. So far, not much to write home about. But then you look at the back of the camera and can’t help but notice the massive 3.5” colour LCD screen! The PV100 is available exclusively at Argos stores in the UK for ?199.99.

Website: Oregon Scientific - PV100 Digital Camera

DPReview have reviewed the new 5 megapixel Sony DSC-F88 digital camera.

“Overall image quality from the F88 is good, though by no means class-leading. Despite the Carl Zeiss lens there is a lack of critical sharpness in scenic shots containing a lot of fine detail (foliage in particular can look a little mushy). For prints at ‘normal sizes’ (up to about 5x7 inches) this is unlikely to be seen, and scenes with less fine detail - portraits and close ups in particular - look superb. There is little or no evidence of Chromatic aberration, and color and exposure are generally excellent. The default settings tend to produce images that look a little flat, and which benefit from some judicious sharpening and saturation boosting. For the kind of point and shoot audience the F88 is aimed at the results are unlikely to cause concern.”

Website: DPReview - Sony DSC-F88 Review

DPReview have published their review of the new 5 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5200 compact digital camera.

“The Coolpix 5200 is a little gem of a camera that proves Nikon is not merely dabbling in consumer-level cameras, and it’s the best proper compact they’ve produced in years. Design, build and ease of use are excellent, and there is a surprising amount of power hidden in the well-designed menus, offering control over focus, metering, white balance and so on for those who like to tweak. The novice market the 5200 is aimed at will surely welcome the hand-holding approach of the scene and scene assist modes, and the overall responsiveness makes using the 5200 a real pleasure.”

Website: DPReview - Nikon Coolpix 5200 Review

An interesting article on creativepro.com looks at the various options for storing digital photos whilst on an extended stay. They’ve reviewed 3 different portable storage devices; SmartDisk FlashTrax,Belkin Media Reader for iPod and the Epson P-1000 Photo Viewer.

“With the emergence of professional digital cameras, photographers have moved away from film to solid-state digital cards as their electronic version of film. Though significantly smaller and easier-to-store, media card-equipped digital cameras create a new kind of problem: where to download images and where to store them when you’re on a long-term assignment.”

Website: creativepro.com - Bit by Bit: On the Road with Digital Storage Devices

CNET have published their review of the new Canon EOS 1D MKII.

“Canon ups the ante with its 8-megapixel EOS-1D Mark II, the fastest-shooting digital SLR on the market. Made for magazine photographers covering news and sports, the Mark II also works well for portrait shooters who want a versatile, small-format digital camera. The Mark II replaces the EOS-1D—which was already at the top of its class—and makes improvements across the board.”

Website: CNET - Canon EOS 1D Mark II Review

DigiCamReview.co.uk have published their review of the new Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom digital camera.

“Image quality is very good - the images have great colour, good detail, low noise, but seem a bit soft occassionally - there is some purple fringing, which unfortunately is quite normal for ultra zoom digital cameras at the moment. The macro mode is very good. The flash didn’t cause any problems in any of the pictures I took. The movie mode is very good but unfortunately you can’t use both sound and the optical zoom at the same time. I had some of the photos printed by www.photobox.co.uk and they all looked EXCELLENT.”

Website: DigiCamReview.co.uk - Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom Review

Photo Mechanic is an image browser for both MAC and Windows that is aimed at the professional photographer. Rob Galbraith has posted a great overview of the features in the new 4.2 version.

“Also added is a customizable color class assignment, which can be used to rank or categorize photos, the option of directing photos to a different external editor based on file type, optional automatic launching of Photo Mechanic when a camera card is inserted, a faster photo preview mode (this has been somewhat broken in recent releases), initial support for JPEG and RAW files from the Canon EOS 20D and numerous refinements intended to make the program quicker to use (including renaming of files directly on a thumbnail’s file name).”

Website: Rob Galbraith - Photo Mechanic 4.2

Website: Photo Mechanic

Photo.net have today published an interesting overview of the new EF-S lenses that were announced by Canon at the end of last week, courtesy of Bob Atkins.

“I was a little disappointed that the EF-S 10-22/3.5-5.6 USM was so expensive. I’d hoped that maybe Canon could have made a lens like this for $300 or so, but I guess it’s not easy making a lens of such a short focal length, and a 2.2x zoom at that. Canon seem to have gone for the “upscale” market with this lens, rather than the “low end” market at which the original EF-S 18-55 was targeted. Personally I’d have taken a small hit in performance for a large drop in price - but that’s just me! At $800, if you buy one you have to hope that Canon will stick with the 1.6x sensor size for a while, since this lens isn’t going to fit on any film body, or even any of the “pro” EOS 1 digital models.”

Website: Photo.net - Canon’s New EF-S lenses

The German website Photoworld.de have published their review of the new 5 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5200 compact digital camera.

Website: Photoworld.de - Nikon Coolpix 5200 Review

Digital Camera Info have reviewed the 4.0 megapixel Canon Powershot S410 (known as the Digital IXUS 430 outside North America).

“The Camera is pretty straight forward to handle when utilizing complete automatic mode settings. It is completely feasible to hold the camera and shoot with one hand when using the Canon PowerShot S410, though often images were blurred and out of focus. Even with digital image stabilization, it is recommended with most digital cameras to try to shoot with two hands, allowing one to be an added stabilizer. Most of the buttons are flush with the camera body and easy to access. The miniscule viewfinder, as mentioned before is completely useless, a pet peeve of mine. The small 1.5 inch LCD monitor is set slightly above the rest of the camera body and solarizes when turned slightly in any direction.”

Website: Digital Camera Info - Canon Powershot S410 Review

CNET have posted their review of the Nikon D2H digital SLR.

“The D2H replaces Nikon’s D1H, and almost everything about it has been updated—from the camera body itself to the autofocus system. I recently used the Nikon D2H on a few assignments for Sports Illustrated and was impressed in many ways and disappointed in others. Shooting a game for SI means you can’t miss a shot, and the D2H delivers, with a fast shooting speed, a large buffer, and the longest-lasting battery of any digital SLR available.”

Website: CNET - Nikon D2H Review

Casio UK Press Release 25/08/04

New EXILIM ZOOM Models With 5 Megapixels & Long Lasting SUPER LIFE Battery

2.5” LCD EX-Z55 and 2.02 LCD EX-Z50 models announced

August 25th, 2004, LONDON, UK - CASIO ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. today announced the release of the 5 megapixel EX-Z55 and EX-Z50, two new models in the EXILIM ZOOM range of digital cameras with extra long SUPER LIFE battery operation and large LCD viewing screens.

Designed to build on the success of CASIO’s 4 megapixel EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z40, both new models replicate the thin body construction with a large TFT LCD screen. This predecessor model offered high picture quality, high-speed response and power saving circuitry in a compact unit. Thanks to the incorporation of CASIO’s proprietary compact image processing module, the EXILIM Engine, the model also offered superior portability and exceptional performance, providing 2.5 times longer battery life, and representing a significant improvement over what remains a common drawback with conventional digital cameras. This attention to the needs of consumers in terms of features and usability ensured the EX-Z40’s extraordinary popularity.

Casio UK Press Release 25/08/04

CASIO Launches The World’s Smallest Digital Camera With Optical Zoom, The EXILIM CARD EX-S100

Stylish & Elegant EXILIM CARD pushes the boundaries of design and photography

August 25th, 2004, LONDON, UK - CASIO ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. has announced the world?s smallest* digital camera with an optical zoom (2.8x), the “EXILIM CARD” EX-S100. The camera owes its exceptionally compact design to another world first - the application of ceramic lens technology, providing a great advance in optical quality with a strength even greater than glass.

In 2002, CASIO launched the first EXILIM digital camera, an ultra-thin credit card sized camera designed as the ultimate in point and shoot photography. The camera could be carried easily, and enabled photography for any occasion, anytime and anywhere, having a huge impact on the digital camera market overnight and helping the ultra-slim genre to become a major segment of its own. Since that first EXILIM, CASIO has continued to create even thinner cameras with more rapid responsiveness and superior performance, creating an EXILIM lineup that has expanded to become a trend setting force in the marketplace.

Casio UK Press Release 25/08/04

CASIO Introduces New 6 Megapixel Compact Digital Camera to its QV Range

August 25th, 2004, LONDON, UK - CASIO ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. today announced the QV-R61, a 6 megapixel digital camera in the popular QV-R range with improved image quality and responsiveness thanks to the incorporation of CASIO’s proprietary EXILIM Engine technology. In addition, several new advanced features have been included to enhance overall performance. This compact model is the flagship in the QV-R series, and features a large 2.0” TFT LCD screen and a 3x optical zoom lens in a compact aluminum body.

Pentax USA Press Release 24/08/04

OPTIO X CAMERA OFFERS SHOOTING FREEDOM AND VIEWING EASE

PENTAX DELIVERS A DIGITAL TWIST

GOLDEN, Colorado (August 24, 2004)...PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the new Optio X digital camera featuring a new twist in design innovation.  Offering twice the versatility in digital imaging, the PENTAX Optio X opens with just a twist of the hand and positions the lens on one side for shooting freedom and the generous LCD monitor on the other side for viewing ease.  With 5.0 effective megapixel clarity, a 3X optical zoom and a unique design that allows both above-the-head and hip-level shots, the Optio X also features a high-performance, 2.0 inch, low-temperature poly silicon TFT color LCD monitor.

Optio X users will not sacrifice size for innovation.  The Optio X body is a mere .7 inch thick making it the thinnest model in the entire Optio series.  The Sliding Lens system - a unique PENTAX feature that allows the lens to be completely retracted inside the body as soon as the power is turned off - makes the Optio X so easy to carry in a bag or pocket.

Along with the 5.0 megapixel clarity, a newly developed ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) improves image quality and enhances processing speed.  The Optio X also features a new “My Menu” function, which allows users to group together frequently used functions for easy future access.  With such wide-ranging capabilities and customized functions, the Optio X is a comprehensive personal digital imaging tool designed to be carried everywhere. 

PENTAX will unveil the Optio X and other new and exciting digital products on September 20 at the PEPCOM Holiday Spectacular in New York City.

Pentax USA Press Release 24/08/04

BIG STYLE IN A SMALL DIGITAL CAMERA

GOLDEN, Colorado (August 24, 2004)...PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the new Optio S5i. With 5.0 effective megapixels and a 3X optical zoom lens, the Optio S5i features a stylish design in an ultra-compact, lightweight digital camera. Following in the footsteps of the popular Optio S, the stylish Optio S5i features the highest megapixel count in this ultra-compact series.         

The Optio S5i is a perfect digital camera for action photographers.  The Optio S5i features a new Sport mode that sets the camera for shutter speed-priority to enable spur of the moment shooting while Pan focusing mode ensures optimal focusing from close range to infinity.  Both modes help offer optimal results for capturing fleeting action shots.  For additional user confidence, the Optio S5i battery charger stand is capable of simultaneously charging one rechargeable Lithium-ion battery housed inside the camera as well as a spare battery.  The Optio S5i is equipped with 10MB of internal memory and is compatible with SD memory cards.

PENTAX will unveil the Optio S5i and other new and exciting digital products on September 20 at the PEPCOM Holiday Spectacular in New York City.

Pentax USA Press Release 24/08/04

GOLDEN, Colorado (August 24,  2004)...PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER Magazine has awarded two HOT1 Awards to PENTAX Imaging Company for the two digital SLR lenses in the PENTAX DA-series. Positioned as the perfect companion lenses for the *ist D digital SLR camera, the magazine has recognized the smc PENTAX-DA 16mm-45mm F4 ED AL lens and the smc PENTAX-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF] interchangeable wide-angle lens.

The compact, high-performance, interchangeable smc PENTAX-DA 16mm-45mm F4 ED AL lens features a 3X zoom ratio with focal lengths covering ultra-wide to moderate-telephoto ranges for the angle of view equivalent to 24.5mm-69mm in the 35mm format.  The smc PENTAX-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF] interchangeable wide-angle lens is the second model of the DA-series lineup.  At 14.8 ounces and measuring just 2.7 inches long and 3.3 inches in diameter, the lens is one of the lightest in its category.

The German camera manufacturer Voigtlander has quietly announced a new 4 megapixel digital camera, the Virtus D4. There’s not too much information about it, just a picture and a specifications table. The Virtus D4 has a 4.2 megapixel sensor, 2” LCD and is quite light at 125g.