The Olympus Camedia C-310Zoom is a new budget-priced 3.2 megapixel digital camera that aims to be extremely easy-to-use for first-time buyers. Stand-out features include 5 scene modes so that you can easily capture images in a wide variety of locations and conditions, and the Super Macro mode, which lets you shoot from just 2cms away from your subject. The Olympus Camedia C-310Zoom currently costs just ?114.99/$179.94, so have Olympus cut any corners to get the camera down to this price-point? Find out by reading the rest of my review.

Website: Olympus Camedia C-310Zoom Review

Photographic magazine have posted their review of the new 8 megapixel professional DSLR from Canon, the EOS 1D Mark II.

“One of the great joys of working for a photo magazine is getting to use all the latest and greatest gear. One of the great sorrows is having to return it when we’re through testing it. Never has having to return a piece of equipment been more painful than with the new Canon EOS-1d Mark II. This digital SLR that can shoot 8.2-megapixel images at 8.5 per second - up to 40 in a row if you wish - is truly a joy to use.”

Website: Photographic - Canon EOS 1D Mark II Review

Photographic magazine have just published their review online of the 5 megapixel Leica Digilux 2.

“One reason that the Digilux 2 is so easy to use is its classic, “analog-style” control layout. There’s an aperture ring on the manual-zoom lens, an EV-compensation button on the back of the camera, and a shutter speed dial and a metering mode selection switch on the top deck. As a result, it’s rarely necessary to cycle through menus on the LCD panel once you’ve completed the initial setup to conform to your particular style of shooting. In short, while the Digilux 2 features the latest digital technology, it closely resembles a classic analog professional camera in operation.”

Website: Photographic - Leica Digilux 2 Review

Canon have posted a new firmware version for the Canon Powershot S1 IS digital camera, which offers 10x image stablised zoom, 3 megapixels and high-quality 640 x 480 video at 30 frames/second with sound.

Version 1.0.1.0 includes these changes:

- Specification changes for the way images are displayed in Continuous AF Mode.

- Improvements for the overexposure phenomenon that occurred during daytime synchronized shooting.

You can download the firmware from the following website.

Website: Canon PowerShot S1 IS Firmware

The Spanish website quesabesde.com have just reviewed the new 5 megapixel Sony DSC-P100 digital camera.

Website: quesabesde.com - Sony DSC-P100 Review

CNET have posted their review of the new 5 megapixel Sony DSC-W1 digital compact camera.

“Its 2.5-inch LCD may look like it belongs on a handheld PDA, but this compact 5.1-megapixel photomachine is all camera, with enough manual settings to please nascent enthusiasts, and most of the automated features snapshooters can’t live without. A crisp 3X optical zoom, excellent macro capabilities, and a relatively high-powered MPEG movie mode make the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W1 fun to drive. Unfortunately, several flaws, including relatively average performance, overly processed images, and the absence of some common scene modes (such as one for fast action and sports) keep this Sony from getting higher marks.”

Website: CNET - Sony DSC-W1 Review

CNET have just reviewed the new 5 megapixel Sony DSC-P100 digital camera.

“Despite its compact, popsicle-shaped design and strong video-capture qualifications, Sony’s 5-megapixel Cyber Shot DSC-P100 ultimately disappoints. As we find with many of its siblings, the P100’s control layout and menu system needs work, and it delivers subpar image quality.”

Website: CNET - Sony DSC-P100 Review

CNET have reviewed the Kyocera FineCam S5R, which is basically the same as the older S5 model but with added high-speed, full-memory consecutive shooting at approximately 3 frames per second.

“Unfortunately, the S5R’s photos look subpar. Its white balance is generally acceptable, though in auto mode, it couldn’t handle our indoor lighting test. Exposure and dynamic range were also pretty good. But excessive postprocessing artifacts make the photos look noisy and fuzzy. All in all, camera shoppers could probably do better for the money. “

Website: CNET - Kyocera Finecam S5R Review

Epson USA Press Release 13/07/04

EPSON SOAKS THE COMPETITION WITH NEW DURABRITE SCAN-PRINT-COPY DEVICE - EPSON STYLUS CX4600

Newest Epson All-in-One Features Water/Fade/Smudge-Resistant DURABrite Inks,

Color Restoration, Standalone/One-Touch Color Copying and Scanning, Individual Ink Cartridges and Multiple Memory Card Inputs

LONG BEACH, Calif.—July 13, 2004—Epson has successfully splashed down on the scan-print-copy market again with a new value-focused product ? the EPSON Stylus CX4600.  This all-in-one features Epson’s exclusive water/fade/smudge-resistant DURABrite inks and offers an optimum balance of image quality and speed to satisfy the imaging needs of busy households, personal offices and today’s ever-growing number of beginning to intermediate-level digital photographers.

With a suggested retail price of $149 ($129 following a $20 rebate), the Stylus CX4600 triples as a scanner, photo printer, and black and color copier, in a new space-saving design that is only 6.7 inches tall and 13.5 inches wide.  When used as a stand-alone product (PC-free), it can produce up to 13 black/color copies per minute (cpm)*, print up to 15 pages per minute (ppm)* in black and can scan images up to 600 x 1200 dpi with 48-bit color depth.  Other advanced features include Epson?s photo restoration technology, quiet operation and an easy-to-navigate controlpanel.  It also incorporates Epson’s renowned DURABrite inks and a variety of input slots for today’s most popular memory cards.

Imaging Resource have just reviewed the new 8-megapixel Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 digital camera.

“Another area in which the A2 rises above the competition is in its anti-shake image stabilization system. It’s hard to overemphasize the benefit of image stabilization on a camera with a long-ratio zoom lens. A sharp lens and an 8-megapixel sensor are worthless if you can’t hold the camera steady enough to take sharp photos. - And with 8 megapixels of resolution, it takes surprisingly little shake to produce visible blurring. I don’t have any way of quantitatively evaluating the A2’s anti-shake system, but my gut sense is that it provides about a three-stop advantage when it comes to handholding a camera.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 Review

Google Inc. Press Release 13/07/04

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—July 13, 2004—Google Inc. today announced it acquired Picasa, Inc., a Pasadena, Calif.-based digital photo management company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Picasa enables users to easily manage and share digital photographs, and its technologies complement Google’s ongoing mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” said Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president, Product Management. “Picasa is an innovator in the field of digital photography, and we’re excited that the Picasa team is joining Google.”

Picasa was founded in October 2001. In May 2004, Picasa announced a technology partnership with Google’s Blogger service to make publishing digital photos with Blogger faster and easier. Further product integration plans have not been announced. Picasa users will not experience any interruption in service.

Popular Photography have reviewed the latest crop of 8 megapixel digital cameras, including the Canon PowerShot Pro1 (pictured).

“So what’s not to like? A number of things, actually. The major two are lens limitation and viewfinder clarity. As good as it may be, the lens you get is all the lens you get, save for a few front-mounting auxiliary optics (see chart for details). And even the best EVFs show some grain and jumpiness, particularly compared with the crystal-clear, real-world view through an optical prism finder. (We compare the pluses and minuses of EVFs and SLRs on the next page).”

Website: Popular Photography - Great 8-megapixel Shootout!

The latest issue (July) of the online magazine Rangefinder is stuffed to the gills with photography goodness. Or to put it another way, there’s lots of new photography articles in the new issue of Rangefinder magazine :-) Here are some handy links to my picks of the bunch…

- Digital Quality Not Questioned
“I believe this claim indicates that image quality is no longer an issue with digital imaging. There are now enough digital cameras on the market that supply high enough image quality for all the different facets of the marketplace. From here on out, features and pricing will determine one?s choice in digital cameras, as much as anything. The quality of pixels will become more important than the number.”

- First Exposure: Canon EOS 1D Mark II
“There are virtually no tradeoffs with the Mark II. That?s why you?ll find Canon promoting the camera as the solution for wedding and portrait photographers as well as sports photographers. Priced at $4500, it is hitting the marketplace at $1000 less than its predecessor did when it first appeared. However, it is three times the cost of the very capable 6.0-megapixel EOS-10D camera.”

- Images That Speak
“Have you ever been in the company of someone that just “hung around”? These people are just there - generally with nothing to say or contribute, no opinions. They would be the equivalent of the color beige. In other words - they are very boring! Eight years ago, when searching my soul for where I wanted to be in the future as an imagemaker, I made a decision - a simple decision in theory, but a challenging one in practice. I no longer wanted my images to merely “hang around.” I wanted my images to speak!”

Website: Rangefinder Magazine - July 2004

London-based photographer Henry Reichhold has been comissioned by Nokia to use its 7600 and 7610 camera phones, according to an article over on the Reiter’s Camera Phone Report website and the BBC. Reichold has previously created huge panoramic images of events and places in London, both during the day and night. Now he will be using the Nokia phones to produce similar panoramic collages of several music festivals this summer, which will then be displayed at the Photokina exhibition to be held in Cologne in October. “I’ve always liked to be able to see pixels,” said Mr Reichhold, “I’m very interested in low resolution images because they look very different to traditional images. They have softer, rounded edges,” he said, “and a quality all their own.”

Website: Reiter’s Camera Phone Report - U.K. photographer commissioned by Nokia for camera phone collages

Website: BBC - Phonecam photos aspire to art

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Olympus Mju 410 Digital camera. The Mju 410 is encased in a full metal body with a silver finish, offers 4 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom. The Mju 410 is the first Mju Digital model to feature TruePic Turbo, a new image processor which sharpens image clarity, contrast and colour for life-like results.

“The latest Stylus Digital from Olympus, the 410 combines stylish design, a durable all-metal body, and the ability to take pictures no matter what the weather conditions are. It offers users 4.0 megapixels of resolution and a high quality 3x optical zoom lens. Its “P"rogram (Auto) mode allows any level user to capture great images without any fuss, and if you want to explore your creative side, simply select one of the eight pre-programmed scene modes (Portrait, Indoor, Beach/Snow, Cuisine, Landscape + Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Self Portrait) from the virtual mode dial.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Olympus Mju 410 Digital Review

Website: Read my review of the Olympus Mju 410 Digital

Steves Digicams have published their review of the 4-megapixel Olympus C-770 Ultra Zoom digital camera.

“Building on the success of the popular Olympus C-750UZ, the Olympus CAMEDIA C-770 Ultra Zoom is a compact, yet highly durable camera that can fit easily into any size handbag. It shares most of its features with the sibling, the Olympus C-765UZ, including the 4-megapixel imager and TruePic TURBO image processor, which improves image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds. The C-770UZ improves on the C-765UZ with its all metal body, larger image buffer, hot shoe for external flash equipment, a built-in speaker for audio playback, and the ability to record MPEG4 movies at 640 x 480 and 30 frames per second.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Olympus C-770 Ultra Zoom Review

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have published their review of the FujiFilm FinePix F610, a 6-megapixel digital camera that was first announced back in November 2003.

Website: Index Digicam - FujiFilm FinePix F610 Review

Website: Read my review of the Fujifilm FinePix F610

The Polish website FotoPolis have just reviewed the Trust 1490 PowerC@m, an affordable 5 megapixel digital camera with 3x optical zoom lens.

Website: FotoPolis - Trust 1490 PowerC@m Review

Website: Trust 1490 PowerC@m

Digital Outback Photo have reviewed Panorama Factory v3.3, a software tool for, you guessed it, creating panoramic images from digital photos.

“There are several tools on the market to create panoramic images. The granddaddy of them all is of course the free Pano Tools (created by Helmut Dersch), usually complemented by any one of a slew of (shareware) front-end interfaces. Adobe Photoshop CS also includes its own Photomerge tool. I find these tools difficult to use, often producing results that are far from perfect, and limited to 8-bit images. Interested in finding a good, easy-to-use, pano tool I came across Panorama Factory (available for Windows) and find it very easy to use, capable of producing automatically excellent results.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Panorama Factory Review

LaCie Introduces Largest and Fastest External Hard Drive: The 1.6 Terabyte Bigger Disk Extreme

Professional choice for video/audio editing and imaging
Largest storage with up to 1.6 terabyte capacity
Fastest throughput for optimal editing
No setup required with build-in RAID 0 array

PORTLAND, OR (July 2004) - LaCie expands its Extreme line of external hard drives with the Bigger Disk Extreme: up to 1.6 terabytes of storage with the fastest speeds on the market, available worldwide summer 2004. The Bigger Disk Extreme performs up to 50 percent faster than first-generation FireWire 800 drives*, pairing ultimate capacity and throughput to accommodate the editing needs of video and audio professionals.

“The Bigger Disk Extreme truly breaks barriers of both size and speed,” says LaCie Senior Product Manager Olivier Mirloup. “With burst transfer rates reaching up to 85 megabytes per second and unrivaled 1.6 terabyte capacity, this drive is designed to support multi-stream audio and video editing in a variety of formats.”