Canon Press Release 09/07/04

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 9 July, 2004: Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, today announces two 4800 x 1200 dpi personal photo/document printers to open its new PIXMA range - the 20 ppm PIXMA iP2000 and 18 ppm PIXMA iP1500. The printers offer remarkable 2 picolitre photolab print quality at entry level price points from Canon?s unique FINE (Full-Photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) print head technology.

The 4 ink iP1500 and iP2000 represent new levels of price performance, with print quality that was until recently only available in dedicated 6 ink photo printers.

“With these new PIXMA printers, Canon confirms a commitment to bringing consumers true photo performance, consistent reliability and superb design across the entire range,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “The introduction of 2 picolitre photolab quality at this price point brings a new level of performance to range-opening printers that will change consumers? expectations of personal photo printing standards.”

Canon Press Release 09/07/04

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 9 July 2004. Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, today unveils two range-leading PIXMA ‘all-in-one’ devices: the PIXMA MP750 and PIXMA MP780 Multifunctionals. Featuring a stylish, futuristic new design, the devices unify every required home?office product feature and more, into a single unit:

- 25 ppm mono / 17 ppm colour document printer
- Photo printer - 4800 x 1200 dpi, 2 picolitre ink droplets, PictBridge compatible
- Colour Copier - 22 cpm Mono / 17 cpm Colour, 35 page Automatic Document Feeder
- Flat bed scanner - Full colour, 2400 x 4800 dpi optical resolution, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface
- 2 way paper feeding - Sheet feeder and cassette
- CD-R/DVD printer
- Fax (MP780) - Super G3, full colour, 250 page memory
- Large backlit LCD with icon display for easy of use
- Camera Direct Printing

Canon Press Release 09/07/04

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 9 July, 2004. Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, today unveils a radical new design concept for its range-opening multi-function devices, the PIXMA MP110 and PIXMA MP130. With a gleaming white finish and clean lines, the compact, integrated units represent a daring departure from the look of traditional print devices to combine scanner, copier and a photolab printer into a single unit.

- 18 ppm mono / 13 ppm colour document printer
- Photo printer - 4800 x 1200 dpi, 2 picolitre ink droplet size, FINE (Full-Photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering technology)
- Colour Copier
- Flat bed scanner - Full colour, 1200 x 2400 dpi optical, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface
- Card Direct Printing with Photo Index sheet (MP130 only)

“We studied the success of our Digital IXUS cameras, which is based on the combination of technical mastery with purity of design,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “Although technical superiority is a critical side of the equation, people also want their products to reflect a contemporary and desirable look and feel.”

Imaging Resource have reviewed the brand new Sony DSC-P93, a 5-megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom.

“Better than average noise levels, but somewhat heavy-handed noise-suppression. Like most of the current crop of 4-and 5-megapixel consumer-level cameras, the DSC-P93 shows some image noise even at its minimum ISO of 100. As the ISO is increased though, the noise doesn’t seem to increase as rapidly as in some competing models. That said, the cost of this is somewhat heavy-handed noise-suppression processing, which tends to flatten-out detail in areas of subtle contrast. So, good marks to the P93 for low image noise, but some points deducted for the subject detail lost in the process.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Sony DSC-P93 Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the brand new Sony DSC-P73, a 4-megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom.

“The 4-megapixel, 3x-zoom DSC-P73 is a fairly impressive upgrade to last year’s P72 model, including a higher-resolution CCD, and greatly expanded features, all for a lower introductory price than the P72 carried. The DSC-P73 is thus a strong competitor in the hot “midrange” digicam market, offering good image quality, an excellent range of capability, an attractive, compact case style, and very good ease of use, all at an affordable price. It provides more manual exposure control than do many midrange camera models, yet is easy to use in full-auto mode, and its six preprogrammed scene modes help with tricky subjects.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Sony DSC-P73 Review

Digital Outback Photo have a new article from contributor Rick Decker that looks at using a product called the Sensor Brush to clean the sensor inside a digital SLR camera.

“My sensor on my SD9 had been getting dirtier and dirtier. I admit I am not the most careful when it comes to changing lenses. I had some success with methanol-based products early on but as the camera got more and more dust, I just couldn’t get it clean and often felt like I was just moving dust around. With my SD9, I had pretty much given up and just spent time with Photoshop using the clone tool and healing brush; this process was getting longer and longer and naturally more painful! My SD10 was starting to get more dust in addition. Desperate to find a solution, I tried the Sensor Brush from Visible Dust…”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Cleaning your Sensor with the Sensor Brush

Ever wondered why the image displayed on your monitor bears little resemblance to the scene that you photographed? Or why the colours in the the print that you’ve just made are not true to life? The single biggest cause of poorly adjusted photographs, whether on screen or in print, is an uncalibrated monitor. ColorPlus, a new product from Pantone and ColorVision, is the most affordable hardware calibration device on the market, retailing for under $100/?100. It works with CRT, LCD and notebook displays, although it is currently only compatible with the Windows platform. Is ColorPlus the answer to your colour nightmares? Find out in my review.

Website: ColorPlus Review

The winners of the June 2004 PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for June was “The Urban Landscape” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery.

Once again, this month’s entries were excellent, making the judging particularly tough for the panel. Here are the winners:

1st Place
“Nob Hill Dawn” by imageneer
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“Amazing light, absolutely pin-sharp and excellent composition. The traffic trail completes the urban picture. “

“Captures the city waking up for a new day perfectly.”

Prize: Photobird.com one-year subscription with 100 megabytes of storage space
Kindly donated by Photobird.com.
http://www.photobird.com

2nd Place
“Rivers of Light” by mattyj
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“An almost impressionistic view of the urban landscape.”

“Excellent composition and good exposure, representing joining streets as rivers in the urban landscape.”

Prize: 1 copy of Ulead PhotoImpact XL
Kindly donated by Ulead Systems.
http://www.ulead.co.uk

3rd Place
“Roller man” by dodo
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“Lots to look at in this detail shot of the urban environment.”

Prize: 1 copy of Picasa
Kindly donated by Picasa Inc.
http://www.picasa.net

PLUS
All 3 winners get 15 free digital prints, kindly donated by MyPIXmania.
http://www.mypixmania.com

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who took part!

The July 2004 Competition is now open for entries. This is a monthly photography competition with a specific theme and prizes for the top 3 photos. The winning entries will be decided by a panel of judges. You just have to submit one photograph to the Competition Gallery that best interprets July’s theme, which is simply “Patterns”.

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have just reviewed a waterproof housing for the tiny 4 megapixel Pentax Optio S4i, which has a 3X optical zoom, 1.8 inch LCD monitor and features the first PENTAX digital cradle-style lithium ion recharge base unit.

Website: Index Digicam - Pentax Optio S4i Waterproof Housing Review

Digital Outback Photo have just started a diary-based review of the 5 megapixel Leica Digilux 2.

“Very first observations:

Very silent operation and this is just great
Feels good in our hands
We also like the manual mode
We won’t fall in love with any EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) right now. But this is one of the better ones.
LCD is large and easy to view
We like the live histogram that you can select with the Digilux 2”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Leica Digilux 2 Review

ExpoDisc Inc. Press Release 08/07/04

The ExpoDisc Digital White Balance Filter Provides An Easy, Inexpensive Way To Set White Balance for Photographers and Videographers

MORGAN HILL, CA, July 8, 2004 - ExpoDisc Inc., the pioneer in diffusion filters that allow photographers to fine-tune color balance and get accurate exposures without meters, gray cards or white cards, today announced the ExpoDisc Digital White Balance Filter.  The new ExpoDisc filter is designed for professional photographers and videographers, and serious amateurs alike.

The ExpoDisc Digital WB Filter is, in effect, a gray card in a lens cap, without all the hassles and inconsistencies of a gray card.  It lets you read and set white balance before shooting, thus eliminating the need for post-capture color adjustments.  The ExpoDisc filter works with film, digital cameras and digital video, and is available in six standard sizes from 58mm to 82 mm.  Prices range from $79.95 to $159.95. 

My Dad’s a keen gardener, growing both flowers and vegetables that put the tasteless supermarket varieties to shame (probably because of all the horse-dung that he’s spread on the ground over the years!). His garden also turns out to be a good place to take photographs - these shots were all taken in a quick 30 minute session, accompanied by shouts of “What on earth are you doing now?” from my onlooking family.

Just to prove that PhotographyBLOG isn’t entirely a website about digital cameras, here’s a link to a camera made from a paint can. Yes, you read that correctly, a paint can. Brought to you by Lomography.com, the Paint Can is a pinhole camera, the simplest of photographic devices. Available now for £43.27 / $65 / 65.00 EUR.

“An unbelievably simple tool to literally “paint” your photographic masterpiece. Hand-crafted out of a US-quart paint can, this pinhole camera creates dazzling images on massive large format sheet film with its natural roundness imparting a maniacal barrel distortion. Uses large format film for mind-blowing enlargements. Set includes Can Cam, nylon film changing bag, and 25 pcs of Forte black and white sheet film.

Website: Lomography.com - Paint Can Camera Set

Shuttertalk have just reviewed Pixort, a software program dedicated to helping you sort and select your best images.

“On a recent wedding shoot, I took over a thousand photos - I bracketed a lot, and took many double and triple shots of the same scene just in case one didn’t turn out, or someone important was frowning in the photo. When I got back, I had a tedious task ahead of me - it was quite a pain comparing two photos with a normal image viewer. I had to flick back and forth between them, which was especially hard if they were not taken consecutively.

I notice too that a lot of packages out there focus on the image manipulation (Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, etc.) management and archival of photos (Adobe Photoshop Album, JASC Paint Shop Album), but not many actually focus on the image sorting, selection and rating process. Stepping in to fill the gap, JottoSoft has produced Pixort, which at the time of writing this article, is at Version 1.1.”

Website: Shuttertalk - Pixort Review

Website: Pixort

The Japanese website PC Watch have posted another batch of sample images taken with the Epson RD-1 rangefinder digital camera and a variety of different lenses. Text is in Japanese, but full-sized originals are available for all the images.

Website: PC-Watch - Epson RD-1 Sample Images

Canon Europe have just announced a new range of “designer” printers, dubbed the PIXMA range. Well, they have announced them according to the latest issue of the UK-based Amateur Photographer magazine (10 July 2004) - I’ve been unable to find any other source for them so far. Even the DPReview forums haven’t mentioned them!

In brief, there are 4 new PIXMA printers. The PIXMA iP4000 and iP3000 both have a resolution of 4800x1200dpi and are designed to print up to A4 borderless. Droplet size is 2 picolitres (pl). Both printers feature FINE print heads and are said to print a 6x4 inch print in just 36 seconds. The PIXMA iP4000 has a 5-tank system that includes a dye-based black ink.

There are also 2 entry-level models. The PIXMA iP2000 and iP1500 both have a resolution of 4800x1200dpi and 2 picolitres (pl) droplet size. Both are PictBridge compatible.

Finally, the PIXMA MP750 and MP780 are new multifunctional printers, which can scan, copy and print. The MP780 can also send faxes.

Price and availability are still to be confirmed.

PC Magazine have reviewed the full version 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. In other words it’s a direct competitor to Adobe Photoshop Album.

“Although previous versions of Jasc’s Paint Shop Photo Album had a lot to like, we were awfully frustrated with its interface, which was built on a hierarchical folder system. Competing products?namely Adobe Photoshop Album and Picasa?have proven there are better ways. Now Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 has followed their lead, providing a much improved interface.”

Thanks to Sanj for the link.

Website: PC Magazine - Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 5 Review

About Graphics Software also have a review, commenting “Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 allows you to import, organize, enhance, and share your digital photos. The printing and sharing features are exceptional, but there are better solutions for editing and organizing your photo collection.”

Website: About Graphics Software - Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 5 Review

Website: Jasc Software

Lensbabies Press Release 07/07/04

July 7, 2004   Portland, OR.  Lensbabies, LLC, expanded its lineup of lenses to include Original Lensbabies with camera mounts that will fit virtually all SLR bodies.  Lensbabies added Pentax K, Olympus OM, Minolta Maxxum, Canon FD, Universal Screw, Minolta Manual, and Contax/Yashika mount Lensbabies to its existing product line of Canon EF and Nikon F mount Lensbabies.

The Original Lensbaby, is a flexible camera lens that creates a ‘sweet spot’ area of focus which photographers move around the image by bending the flexible lens tubing.  The lens focuses like a mini-bellows on the front of an SLR.  The shooter focuses a Lensbaby by compressing the lens with their fingertips.  Lensbaby photographs have the roughed-up look created by Holga or Diana cameras, but using a Lensbaby on your SLR is convenient, versatile, and enables you to place the subject and the sweet spot of focus anywhere in the image.

All versions of The Original Lensbaby are available for sale now at www.lensbabies.com for $96.

Read my Lensbaby Review

The Slovenian website e-FotoGrafija have tested the Olympus CAMEDIA C-5060 Wide Zoom camera in conjunction with the 0.7x wide-angle convertor, at a Formula One race of all places!

Website: e-FotoGrafija - Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom and Wide-Angle Convertor Review

Yesterday one of the news stories here on PhotographyBLOG was featured on Slashdot, the immensely popular technology news/discussion site. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the sudden influx of visitors killed my server, knocking it offline for about 6 hours from 3pm onwards.

We’ve now made some server changes that will hopefully cope better with large traffic increases in the future. Fingers-crossed, touch wood etc.

So apologies to everyone if you visited PhotographyBLOG yesterday, only to find that it had temporarily disappeared…