PC Magazine has reviewed the Microsoft Digital Image Suite 10, which contains Microsoft Digital Image Library 10 for organizing your digital photo collection and Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10 for editing photos.

“To help in sorting and grouping your photos, you can assign keywords, star ratings (1 through 5), and new user-definable flags to individual images. Unfortunately, Digital Image Library gives you no way to organize the keywords themselves. Over time you can easily end up with scores of keywords assigned to thousands of images, but the only way the program lets you arrange your keywords is in one long alphabetical list. Compared with the keyword hierarchies offered by Adobe Photoshop Album 2 and Jasc’s Paint Shop Photo Album 5, this is too unwieldy.”

Website: PC Magazine - Microsoft Digital Image Suite 10 Review

PC Magazine has reviewed the Canon CanoScan 3000ex flatbed scanner, which features a maximum optical resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi and an enhanced resolution of 9600 dpi.

“Photo scan quality was a bit better than good. Prescans for 4-by-6 and 5-by-7 photos took 11 to 39 seconds, depending on how much the scanner had to warm up. At resolutions of 300 to 400 ppi, the 3000ex took 18 to 20 seconds to scan to the bundled Arcsoft PhotoStudio and save the scans. That’s slower than some other scanners, but faster than our current Editors’ Choice, the Microtek ScanMaker 6100 Pro.”

Website: PC Magazine - CanoScan 3000ex Scanner Review

Casio USA Press Release 06/08/04

CASIO’S EXILIM DIGITAL CAMERAS WIN PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS FROM PC MAGAZINE AND AMERICAN PHOTO

Stylish, Compact EX-P600 and EX-Z40 Digital Cameras Are Named “Editor’s Choice” Winners

DOVER, NJ, August 6, 2004 - Camera buffs in the market for stylish and compact digital that offers award-winning performance, features and value may want to take a recommendation from two leading industry publications and choose one of Casio’s affordable EXILIM digital cameras. PC Magazine and American Photo both awarded Casio’s top-of-the-line 6-megapixel EXILIM PRO EX-P600 “Editor?s Choice” honors in their July 2004 issues. American Photo also cited Casio’s 4-megapixel EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z40 as an “Editor?s Choice” in its look at the top Digital Point and Shoots.

SanDisk Corporation Press Release 09/08/04

SANDISK’S ULTRA II COMPACTFLASH CARDS WIN PRESTIGIOUS DIGITAL IMAGING AWARD FOR SPEED AND PERFORMANCE

SanDisk’s Ultra II CompactFlash Cards Win TIPA Award - Europe’s Highest Award For Best Photo Products

Sunnyvale, CA, Aug. 9, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced that the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), an association made up of 30 top photography publications from across Europe, has awarded its Best Imaging Storage Media Award to the SanDisk Ultra II CompactFlash line of high-speed storage cards. The SanDisk Ultra II cards were recognized by leading editors, many of whom are professional photographers, as setting “a new standard for industry performance.” TIPA editors judge on quality, performance and value - criteria that are very important to all photographers.

“We have worked very hard to take the leadership position in the digital camera storage card market,” said Nelson Chan, senior vice president and general manager of SanDisk’s retail business unit. “It is a real honor for our efforts to be recognized by such a distinguished panel of experts and one that makes all of us here at SanDisk very proud. The TIPA Award is further assurance that SanDisk’s Ultra II cards will meet the rigorous demands of digital photographers around the world.”

Another take on the London seaside idea - I actually prefer this shot to the one that I posted yesterday, as it shows more of the skyline.

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

The 36th Photo of the Week contest is now closed.

I have choosen what I think are the best photographs in my opinion. Now it’s your turn to vote for the overall winner of the contest. A Public Poll has been setup on the PhotographyBLOG Forums and you have 7 days during which you can vote for your favourite photo from the ones that I have chosen. Voting will end on Monday 16th August. The Poll will then be closed and the overall winner announced.

Vote now for your favourite image from the Photo Of The Week 2nd-8th August 2004 contest

The voting for the 35th Photo of the Week contest has now finished.

There are 3 joint winners of the contest this week - they are:

”@Crummock” by Onion Club
“Fringe Lily” by tootsie
“u bein bridge amarapura mandalay myanmar” by asasasasas11

Congratulations to all 3 winners!

You can view all of the entries that were submitted in this gallery.

The 37th Photo of the Week contest is now open. This is a weekly photography contest with no set theme and you can enter as many photos as you like.

Click here to read the Photo of the Week Rules.

Pentax Press Release 08/08/04

Pentax Introduces Two Compact, Lightweight Macro Lenses: First Models Of High-Performance smc Pentax-D FA Series Optimize Digital SLR Image Quality

GOLDEN, Colorado (August 8, 2004) PENTAX Imaging Company will bring the best of both worlds to photographers with two smc PENTAX-D FA interchangeable lenses - the smc PENTAX-D FA Macro 100mm F2.8 and the smc PENTAX-D FA Macro 50mm F2.8. The latest series is designed to optimize image quality in both digital SLR and film photography. Each lightweight macro lens features an image circle to accommodate 35mm format and offers close-up to life-size magnification.

Popular Photography have been busy posting a lot of new reviews and articles on their website, including a review of the Fujifilm Finepix S20 Pro (pictured). So in no particular order…

- Fujifilm Finepix S20 Pro Review
- Blur Busters!
- Snapshot Print-Off
- Kodak EasyShare DX7630 Review
- Epson Stylus Pro 4000 Review
- Digital Toolbox: Divorce, Digital Style
- Digital Toolbox: The Photoshop Makeover
- Sigma 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX OS APO AF
- Canon 28-105mm F/4-5.6 AF
- Flash Battery Packs Review

DigiTimes are running a story about yet another new memory card format, confusingly named the ucard (how do you pronounce that?). What sets it apart from all the other formats on the market is its maximum storage size - a massive 2 terabytes! Apparently the new format will go into mass production in early-2005. We’ll wait and see if it can make an impression in the digicam market, and just how expensive a 2 terabyte card will actually be…(found via Engadget)

“The cards will be able to transfer 120MB of data per second, 10 times faster than Secure Digital (SD) memory cards, sources said. Additional features for the new card include USB 2.0 compatibility, low power, fast I/O and a compatible interface with existing memory cards, the sources added.”

Website: DigiTimes - Taiwan to produce a new type of memory storage device

The Danish website Digital Magasinet have just reviewed the 4-megapixel, 10x zoom Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2.

Website: Digital Magasinet - Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2 Review

ByteSector have published their review of the HP PSC 2510 Photosmart all-in-one printer/scanner.

“The HP PSC 2510 Photosmart all-in-one delivers all you could really need in a printer. With printer, fax, scanner, and copier all built in and incredibly easy to use, this multi-function printer is a great choice for everyone. The printer is a breeze to integrate into any network especially with its 802.11b wireless capabilities. Even with all these features, HP has not lost sight of the ultimate goal: impeccable image quality. The 2510 prints almost every document in a near perfect fashion and you will likely not be disappointed, especially with high resolution pictures.”

Website: ByteSector - HP PSC 2510 Photosmart Review

It’s been sweltering hot here in London this weekend (although somewhat inevitably a storm is supposed to be on the way…). A few people and a dog were making the most of the summer sun by pretending that this thin strip of sand and pebbles by the Thames was a proper grown-up beach. In the background are some of London’s most famous landmarks, including St. Pauls. The contrast between the built-up skyline and the sandy beach is what I was trying to achieve in this shot.

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

Imaging Resource have just reviewed the intriguing 93 Photo Street, a web application that lets you download a free map of any place in the USA, drag virtual thumb tacks onto the map where you took photos, and then link your images to a location so other people can see what’s there. Anyone care to develop something similar for the UK?!

“Even for those of us who have seen it all before, know where we’re going and never have to ask directions, a map is a handy thing. And with the extra dimension of a slide show, it may soon become impossible to get lost. You can think of 93 Photo Street as a way to illustrate your maps or as a way to arrange your images by location. But whether you’re a tourist, a real estate agent, a visual blogger or just someone who leaves their house every now and then, this is one tool you’ll use. And delight in using, too.”

Website: Imaging Resource - 93 Photo Street Review

Despite all of its recent well-documented troubles, the photography giant Kodak seems to be turning the corner, at least in the USA anyway. An article on the website BizReport shows that Kodak is the second largest digital camera company in terms of market share, just behind Sony, with Canon in third place.

“In the first six months of this year, Kodak shipped 1.47 million point-and-shoot digital cameras in the United States - 80 percent more than in the first half of 2003 - and its market share jumped from 15.3 percent to 18.3 percent, the market research firm IDC said Friday.

While Sony shipped 1.73 million cameras, up 48 percent from the first half of 2003, its slice of the U.S. market slipped from 21.9 percent to 21.5 percent, according to IDC, which is based in Framingham, Mass.”

Website: BizReport

Digital Outback Photo have today released EasyMask 1.0, a new Photoshop plugin (PC only) that aims to prevent noise being increased when sharpening an image. EasyMask 1.0 costs $24.95 and there is a demo version available so that you can try before you buy.

“Unfortunately during sharpening you may also amplify noise as it looks like detail to the sharpening algorithm. A common practice is to use edge masks to prevent sharpening the noise. Our EasyS sharpening plugin comes with actions that allow to use such masks and will reduce the sharpening of noise.

With EasyMask we now have a tool that creates some more sophisticated masks and is still easy to use. From the documentation: “It goes beyond the simple edge-creation built-into Photoshop by allowing more control over the detection process, plus adds the ability to reject noise from being included in the mask.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - EasyMask 1.0

ByteSector have published a short review of Jasc’s Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 5, which allows you to get your photos from camera to computer and then enhance, organize, and share them with Photo Album’s fast and easy-to-use tools.

“Photo Album 5 builds on the previous version by providing an easily navigable interface and allowing excellent control over moving, renaming, and previewing your pictures.  You can add keywords to your pictures so that you can easily find them afterwards, and you can also view them by the date you captured them from your camera.  From this tab you can also archive your photos, join together various to make a panorama, and do some editing to groups of photos at a time.”

Website: ByteSector - Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 5 Review

Website: Jasc Software

Konica Minolta Europe are doing a great job promoting their Konica Minolta Dynax 7 Digital DSLR, which will probably be officially unveiled at the Photokina show in Germany at the end of September. The company has just launched a new website to promote the new DSLR; the first topic is about the new anti-shake system:

Anti-Shake differs from the lens-based systems conventionally used in camcorders and digital cameras. Unlike such systems, which move a part of the lens to reduce the effects of camera shake, Anti-Shake stabilizes images by shifting the CCD sensor inside the camera body.

As a result, you can look forward to stable images with a wide array of Dynax/Maxxum lenses-not only with telephoto zoom lenses, but also with lens types that until now did not offer camera shake compensation, such as wide-angle fixed focal length lenses and macro lenses.

Website: Konica Minolta Dynax 7 Digital Website

Timo Arnall has just made available the first prototype of a system that uses digital cameras combined with a GPS receiver to make image travelogues. Sounds techy but kind of intriguing.

2At the Iceland inside and out workshop Even Westvang and Timo Arnall collaborated on a project looking at ways of contextualising photographs by time and geography. We chose to shift the balance of representation away from location, towards image and time. This is a summary of our ideas and process, with an initial working prototype.”

Website: ElasticSpace

Coincidentally, there’s a new article over on MacDevCenter about GPS - you may want to read this one first as it’s more introductory in nature.

“Do you ever look back through your vacation photos and wonder where all of the photos were taken? What if there was a way to have all those images automatically show up as pins on a map or an aerial photograph? It may seem too good to be true, but it can be done. No mirrors or smoke; it’s just making use of existing GPS technology.

As you are out recording pictures, your GPS receiver is busy making a digital popcorn trail of your movements. Then when you’re back on the computer, a topo map or aerial photograph is pulled from a terraserver on the Internet, and your shots show up on the map as clickable links to your photographs.”

Website: MacDevCenter - A Brief Introduction to GPS Photo Linking