Minox Press Release 19/05/04

MINOX DD100 - Compact digital camera with stainless steel look

The MINOX DD100 is a true companion for every occasion and comes in a distinguished stainless steel look. But this small, flat camera features more than an excellent design. All the sophisticated controls you need are ready at your command.

With a resolution of 3 million pixels and 4x digital zoom, excellent imaging results are guaranteed. Despite ultra compact dimensions of just 94 mm x 56 mm x 26 mm the new MINOX DD100 features a 1.6” TFT colour monitor which allows instant assessment of the image during and after the shot. A fast picture sequence and minimal release time lag capture spontaneous snap shots in every situation. The integrated flash switches on automatically when needed and guarantees perfect illumination, even in critical light conditions.

dotPhoto Press Release 24/05/04

DOTPHOTO PHOTO PROCESSING SITE WINS HI-TECH PIONEER AWARD

First Site to Email Photos Directly from Any Camera Phone with Patent Pending Technology - No Software to Email Photos from Camera Phone to Internet

West Trenton, NJ, May 24, 2004 - dotPhoto announced today that it has been honored with the 2004 Hi-Tech Pioneer Award for its innovative online photography site at www.dotphoto.com.  Selected by Hale and Dorr LLP, KPMG LLP, NextStage Advisors, and Silicon Valley Bank, dotPhoto was one of only four companies chosen as the tri-state’s top emerging technology companies, based on uniqueness, market desirability, management team quality, funding, and technological/market success.

Winner of numerous awards, including the 2004 DIMA Innovation Award, dotPhoto is a pioneer in online photo-printing and sharing.  The first site to offer online photo processing and storage directly from any camera phone without special software (as well as from digital and film cameras and computers), dotPhoto has provided wireless connectivity services since February 2001.  dotPhoto has also created unique technology to allow users to add sound, text and voice to their online images; as well as edit and organize them into their own portfolio, album or sound-captioned slide show.

First announced at the PMA photography trade show in February, the Olympus Camedia C-8080 Wide Zoom is one of a new breed of 8-megapixel digital cameras. It also offers a fast and wide f/2.4-3.5, 28-140mm integrated lens in a tough magnesium body, complete with a tilting LCD monitor and a host of photographic options that make it most suitable for the advanced amateur or professional photographer. So is the C-8080 Wide Zoom a better option than a DSLR like the Canon EOS 300D or Nikon D70? And are 8 megapixels really necessary? Read on to find out.

Website: Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom Review

The 12th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Jon Read.

“The theme is “Cuban Candids” - you may have seen some of them before! All shots were taken on my holiday last year in Cuba, mostly in old Havana. The place really is totally unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been, and is a photographer’s paradise. Old cars, crumbling buildings, peeling paint, musicians in every bar - and relatively few tourists, especially out of season. For this portfolio I’ve chosen to concentrate on my favourite topic, candid portraits, of the people of Havana.”

Website: Portfolios: Jon Read

The 26th 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.

There have been some significant changes to the way in which the Photo of the Week contest which affect how the contest is judged. The following rules have been added:

10. After the contest has closed, I will choose what I think are the best photographs in my opinion. I will not choose a specific number of images - it could be 5 one week, 13 the next and so on. Please note that my decision is final and I will ignore any attempts to question it!

11. The overall winner of the contest will then be voted for by you. A Public Poll will be setup on the PhotographyBLOG Forums and you will have 7 days during which you can vote for your favourite photo from the ones that I have chosen. The Poll will then be closed and the overall winner announced.

Click here to read the new Photo of the Week Rules.

The winner of the 25th PhotographyBLOG Photo of the Week contest is daniel with the entry “Golden Gate”. There are no prizes as such for this contest, but the winning photo is displayed on the PhotographyBLOG homepage for a week, and the winner can display the Photo of the Week logo on their website if they wish.

SanDisk Corporation Press Release 24/05/04

SanDisk Introduces World’s First 6-in-1 PC Card Adapter; Easy Solution to Transfer Images, Music and Data from Flash Memory  

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—May 24, 2004—SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today introduced the world’s first 6-in-1 PC Card Adapter, giving notebook computer users the largest number of card formats for moving files to and from flash memory devices such as digital cameras, PDAs, MP3 players and mobile phones. The announcement was made at the Digital Experience media conference in New York.

The new adapter offers easy, plug-and-play compatibility with no software needed, and works with six different memory card formats: SD, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card, and SmartMedia. To read a card, users simply insert it into the adapter, and then slide the adapter into any computer with a PC Card slot. In this mode, the adapter works like a removable hard drive.

DigiTimes are reporting that a Taiwanese company called Ability Enterprise is currently developing a 6 megapixel digital camera with MPEG4 support for Panasonic.

“According to Ability Enterprise, the company is developing 6-megapixel digital cameras mainly targeting channel distributors in the US and Europe. The company indicated that Casio is its main Japanese client and it has not received any OEM orders from Panasonic. The production of 6-megapixel digital cameras will begin sometime in the second half of this year, the company added.”

Website: DigiTimes - Ability Enterprise reportedly makes 6-megapixel digital cameras for Panasonic

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

“Smaller than a dSLR but engineered like one, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 wins our OriGenial Seal of Approval for the most original and ingenious set of professional features to be seen in a prosumer digital camera. With its combination of practical and usable features, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 has redefined the feature set of a prosumer digital camera.”

Website: Photoxels - Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 Review

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have just published their review of the Sony Cybershot DSC U40, a stylish 2-megapixel digicam available in four colors (silver, black, dark blue and red), which costs around $200.

Website: Index Digicam - Sony Cybershot DSC U40 Review

The Danish website DigitalMagasinet.dk have reviewed one of Nikon’s top-of-the-range prosumer digital cameras, the 5 megapixel CoolPix 5400.

Website: DigitalMagasinet.dk - Nikon Coolpix 5400 Review

The Czech website Digineff have published their review of the new Olympus C-770 Ultra Zoom digital camera.

Website: Digineff - Olympus C-770 Ultra Zoom Review

The Danish website Akamera.dk have reviewed the Fuji FinePix F420 Zoom, the smallest Fujifilm camera to incorporate Super CCD HR technology and 30 frames per second video.

Website: Akamera.dk - Fuji FinePix F420 Zoom Review

Plants, macro and still-life aren’t really my main photographic interests, but the recent purchase of a Canon PowerShot G3 and a spare lunchtime made me go for a short walk near where I work. An hour later I had walked about 500 yards and taken 71 photographs :-) Composing via the LCD screen will take some getting used to, but so far the G3 has impressed me.

You can click on each image to view a larger / better quality version over on my personal website, markgoldstein.co.uk

You can also view the Spring album of 12 photographs

The Czech website FotoAparat.cz have recently reviewed Noise Ninja from PictureCode Software. This software package claims to effectively remove noise from digital camera and scanned images.

Website: FotoAparat.cz - Noise Ninja Review

Website: Noise Ninja

LetsGoDigital have published a First Look at the Ricoh Caplio GX, a slim 5-megapixel 28mm wide-angle zoom digital camera.

“The start-up time of the Caplio GX is very fast. It takes about 1.2 seconds to wake the GX and with an amazing fast shutter response of only 0.12 seconds even the most demanding photographer will be impressed with the fast response of this new Ricoh model. The Caplio GX uses a hybrid auto focusing system technology that proofs to be very responsive. The trigger happy photographers among us will be glad to see that Ricoh is capable of producing a compact high resolution camera that is able to capture action shots with a blink of an eye.”

Website: LetsGoDigital - Ricoh Caplio GX First Look

In this week’s Sunday Morning Photographer column Mike Johnston announces that he’s going monthly…

“When most publications say “NOW MONTHLY”! It’s usually a good thing. Ordinarily, it means they’re increasing their frequency from quarterly or bi-monthly, and they’ll be coming to you more often. But I know I’m going to hear some wailing and the proverbial gnashing of teeth (how exactly do you gnash your teeth, anyway?) when I make the following announcement (gulp): beginning two weeks from now, The Sunday Morning Photographer is going monthly. You’ll be able to find it right here, wherever you’re reading it now, on the first Sunday of every month.”

Website: Sunday Morning Photographer: “Do You Have a Color Balance?”

Photo-i are reporting that Epson have made their Gray Balancer software available for purchase for £39.99. This software allows you to precisely calibrate the Stylus Pro 4000, 2100 and 2200 printer for black and white output. Epson 2200 owners will be interested because Epson don’t ship the Gray Balancer with that printer in the USA, whereas here in the UK it is shipped with the 2100 (the 2100 and 2200 are the same printer).

Website: Photo-i - Epson Gray Balancer

The 11th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Alan Reid.

“Photo Canvas - The technique produces a truly unique look to photographic images by working with hand coated photo sensitive emulsions directly onto a stretched canvas surface. To complete the look of the canvases acrylic colour is applied in a variety of styles depending on client’s requirements. see www.photo-canvas.co.uk

From start to finish I have complete hands on creative control of the image. Using traditional printing techniques I project a black and white negative onto a hand crafted stretched canvas. Under darkroom conditions each canvas is photo sensitised with a hand coated emulsion and then processed to yield a unique silver image, the characteristics of which are both stunning and timeless, and have a unique warmth and charm impossible to achieve with digital computer based imaging. Each canvas is finished with acrylic varnish to allow for cleaning and to protect the image surface.

I have been involved in photography most of my working life and have studied photographic technology to degree level. My wide ranging experience and knowledge of photography and printing techniques having been complemented whilst working as a freelance printer in London for titles such as Country Living and Harpers and Queen.”

Website: Portfolios: Alan Reid

The technology website I4U have posted what they are calling a review of the new 5 megapixel DSC-T11 digital camera, but which is really a photographic comparison of the DSC-T11 with the slightly thicker DSC-T1 (found via Engadget).

Website: I4U - Sony DSC-T11 Review