Finnish photographer Pekka Saarinen has published a great review of the new 8 megapixel professional DSLR from Canon, the EOS 1D Mark II (found via Digicamera.net).

“One of the most obvious changes when you upgrade 10D to Mark II is 1.3X crop factor. Wide angle is more like wide angle and on long lenses you loose some reach. Most lenses feel a bit odd first and it will take some time before you mentally tune yourself to the new focal system. Choice of lenses may change: with 10D you collected extreme wide angle and zoomed quite far with 200mm, now you can cope quite nicely with 17-40 and you start wishing for 300 and 400mm lenses. With Mark II L series lenses are very recommended, because fast AF needs fast and accurate lenses and sharp camera is not sharp without sharp lenses.”

Website: Pekka Saarinen - Canon EOS 1D Mark II Mini Review

Tom’s Hardware have just compared the 8 megapixel Canon PowerShot Pro1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828 digital cameras.

“As our results show, the Sony DSC-F828 and Canon Pro 1 are not ideal cameras for professional applications due to their slowness. It is interesting, however, that they can deliver A4 images at 300dpi, a standard that has typically been the domain of printed media. So who are these 8-million pixel high-end digicams really designed for? The answer is: informed amateurs (or prosumers, as they are now called). Serious professionals could also be interested in these for specific uses that are not related to photojournalism, where the SLR reigns supreme.”

Website: Tom’s Hardware - Canon PowerShot Pro1 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828

An interesting article by Reuters reports that the price of flash memory has recently been drastically cut by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Toshiba Corp, who are attempting to prevent new competitors from entering the market. This has in turn resulted in a decrease in compact flash card pricing (found via Digicamera.net).

“The average price of 512-megabit flash chips has tumbled to $9 from a $21.50 peak in October, according to www.dramexchange.com. For consumers, that has resulted in bargains such as a 512-megabyte SanDisk memory card reduced to $97.99 from $221.41 at www.buy.com.”

Website: Reuters - Flash Memory Prices Slump as Market Showdown Looms

Pixology Press Release 21/05/04

Pixology plc, (LSE:PIX) the digital photographic software expert, announces today the launch of Embedded Pixology IRISS, an automatic solution for removing the problem of red-eye instantaneously, at point of source, as the image is taken in the digital camera.

Developed six months ahead of schedule in a successful collaboration with Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI), the new product is now available on TI’s digital media processor, which manages the majority of a digital camera’s image processing once the image is captured.

Pixology and TI, the world leader in digital signal processing technology, have jointly developed a unique method of embedding Pixology IRISS onto a camera chip and have optimised it for the digital media processor. This enables Pixology’s award winning red-eye detection and correction technology to run automatically when a digital image is captured and is still in the camera.

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