Canon have today announced the PowerShot S60, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a wide-angle 28mm-100mm lens and a new thin body.

You can view some sample images here:
http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/pss60/sample-e.html

Canon Europe Product Info
Fast, powerful and intuitive: the 5.0 Megapixel PowerShot S60 bursts with professional features, yet is compact enough to take everywhere. A finely crafted tool with which to indulge your creativity.

Features
5.0 Megapixels
3.6x wide angle optical zoom lens
Canon UA glass-moulded aspherical lens ensures slim body
13 shooting modes
DIGIC and iSAPS
9-point AiAF
Print/Share button
PictBridge/Canon Direct Print compatible
Wide range of accessories
CIG* access

As big as your imagination, as small as your pocket

Steves Digicams have posted their review of the Samsung Digimax U-CA 3, a 3 megapixel digital camera aimed at the young photographer or the budding photo enthusiast.

“Bottom line - the Samsung Digimax U-CA 3 is a great all-round camera. It’s a good choice for anyone who wants an affordable, easy to use digicam. With the ability to take great pictures, “cool” avatar feature, and compact size, it’s sure to be at the top of our young digicam users’ gift list. And it will also make a great summer vacation camera for mom and dad too!”

Website: Steves Digicams - Samsung Digimax U-CA 3 Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the 8-colour Canon i9900 printer, which can create a 13 x 19-inch borderless photograph in under three minutes and has a maximum resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi. The printer is available now for a suggested list price of $499.

“Everytime I think that it just can’t get any better - it does!  Canon has improved the color gamut, the output resolution and made print even faster.  I personally own the Canon i9100 and the output from the new i9900 is noticeably more impressive, especially the reds and greens. It’s not the same as using the vivid printing effect or increasing the overall saturation, these prints just have more visual “punch.”  There’s no doubt that the addition of the Red and Green inks have expanded the already photo-realistic output of Canon’s 6-color printing system. The only downside is that you now have to buy more ink tanks, eight versus six, but thankfully they’re replaced individually and only when needed.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon i9900 Printer Review

Mike Johnston’s Sunday Morning Photographer column returns this week with a look at finding the best archival blank CD-Rs.

“There’s not really one “best” type of disc. There are several good ones. The problem is, how do you know what you’re buying? Most CD-R blanks that are available in most stores are only marked with the brand name (which is irrelevant - I’ll get to that in a minute) and the country of origin (this can be marginally helpful, as most “Made in Japan” discs are Taiyo Yuden, a dependably good factory. But it’s not much to go on).”

Website: Sunday Morning Photographer: “Finding the Best CD-Rs”

Imaging Resource have just published their full review of the new 8-megapixel Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom digital camera.

“When I first set eyes on it, the C-8080 Wide Zoom’s large lens and chunky body made it seem a little bulky and ungainly. Once I began shooting with it though, any such impression quickly departed, and I learned to love the corner to corner sharpness and wide aperture that the large lens afforded. The camera’s fit, feel, and finish are excellent, the overall feel of the camera more “pro” than “consumer.”“

Website: Imaging Resource - Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom Review

Website: Read my review of the Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom

According to a brief report on the Forbes website, Olympus shipped 7.4 million digital cameras during their last business year (ending March 31st 2004). This makes it the third largest digital camera brand after Sony and Canon. Olympus has stated that it expects to ship 11 million digicams in the coming financial year (found via Digital Photography Blog).

The Czech website Digineff have just reviewed the new 3.2 megapixel Canon PowerShot A75.

Website: Digineff - Canon PowerShot A75 Review

The Norwegian website Akamera.no have today reviewed the 6 megapixel Casio EXILIM PRO EX-P600 digital camera.

Website: Akamera.no - Casio EXILIM PRO EX-P600 Review

Ricoh makes history with the launch of Caplio GX - a slim 5-megapixel 28mm wide-angle zoom digital camera with exceptional lens construction and the world’s fastest* shutter response time.

May 6, 2004. Ricoh is very pleased to announce the release of the Caplio GX, a superbly built 5-megapixel, 28mm-85mm wide-angle zoom lens digital camera that will most certainly top of the ‘must have’ lists of avid professionals and photography enthusiasts alike.

The Caplio GX debut marks a significant achievement in Ricoh’s long, dedicated history of manufacturing superior optical devices that began in 1938. To fully appreciate the significance of the Caplio GX launch, one must look to the year 1998 when Ricoh took the world by storm with the unveiling of the Ricoh GR1, an automatic high-performance 28mm compact camera that became an instant sensation winning numerous awards such as the TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) Best Compact Camera of the Year.

The Caplio GX combines the traditional craftsmanship expertise of the GR series with further enhanced high-performance technology found in the Caplio RX digital camera that was just released in March 2004.

Steves Digicams have just reviewed 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.

“Pentax’s new Optio S4i is a full-featured “credit-card size” camera that packs a 4-megapixel imager with a 3x Pentax optical zoom lens in an all-metal body. Its unique size makes it easy to take anywhere. The S4i includes many of the features found on the Optio S4 , but adds new features like a larger 1.8-inch LCD and a charging base unit. It also complies with PictBridge technology, so you can print directly to any PictBridge compatible printer.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Pentax Optio S4i Review

Steves Digicams have posted their review of the Pentax Optio S40, a 4 megapixel, 3X zoom digital camera sporting a sleek aluminum design.

“Another new camera from Pentax this year (2004), the Optio S40 is a compact, stylish, and extremely durable camera that is loaded with features usually found on larger, more expensive digicams. It combines a 4-megapixel imager with a smc (super multi coated) Pentax 3x optical zoom lens. It offers the less-experienced user with a wide variety of fully-automatic recording modes, plus includes a Help function that describes various key functions as well as shooting modes.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Pentax Optio S40 Review

Steves Digicams have just reviewed the 3.2 megapixel Pentax Optio 30, which is a simple digital camera aimed at photography beginners.

“The new Pentax Optio 30 is an affordable compact camera that combines a 3.2 megapixel imager with a Pentax 3x optical zoom lens. When you first look at this camera, you might think the stylish body is metal, but with a touch or a tap you will find that it’s really made from high-impact plastic. Even so it seems to be very well built and should hold up well under normal use. This is a simple to use camera that offers beginners and anyone a wide variety of fully- automatic record modes. “

Website: Steves Digicams - Pentax Optio 30 Review

In his latest article Michael Reichmann shares his experience of photographing a bullfight in southern Spain:

“Bullfighting is a traditional sport in many parts of Spain, as well as in Mexico and other parts of the world. Its historical roots are an the province of Andelucia and its heart is in Seville. I attended my first bullfight there last week, and in Death in the Afternoon describe photographing a bullfight as well provide a small portfolio. If you’re squeamish or have objections to bullfighting, you are under no obligation to view this page.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Death in the Afternoon

Imaging Resource have reviewed the 4.0 megapixel Canon Powershot S410 (known as the Digital IXUS 430 outside North America).

“Image Noise: Noticeable even at ISO 50, but probably not objectionable for most users until ISO 400. With higher CCD resolutions, the pixels are getting smaller, and so image noise is becoming more apparent than in earlier generations of cameras. The S410 exemplifies this trend, in that there is slight but visible image noise, even in its ISO 50 images. For most users though, the results at ISO 50 and 100 will likely be OK, 200 marginal, and only ISO 400 really objectionable. Also, as you’d expect due to its slightly larger pixels, the S410 shows slightly less noise than its higher-resolution sibling, the S500.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Canon Powershot S410 Review

Imaging Resource have just reviewed the new flagship model of the Canon Digital IXUS fleet, the 5.0 megapixel Powershot S500 (known as the Digital IXUS 500 outside North America), which was announced at the start of February.

“The quality and versatility of the ELPH series has impressed me from the start, and the 5.0-megapixel S500 doesn’t disappoint. The camera’s tiny size makes it a travel worthy companion, and the range of features give the camera an edge over many point-and-shoot style digicams in the marketplace.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Canon Powershot S500 Review

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have just reviewed the 3-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 3200 and the 2-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 2200 compact digital cameras.

Website: Index Digicam - Nikon Coolpix 3200/2200 Review

Shortcut Press Release 06/05/04

NEW RELEASE: Shortcut(R) PhotoArtist(TM) - Turn your Photos into Art.

ARNHEM, May 6, 2004—The official release of Shortcut PhotoArtist is now a fact. Following to its successful showcase introduction at CeBIT 2004, Shortcut just put the finishing touch to their PhotoArtist software.

Shortcut PhotoArtist is a unique, creative tool that lets you make fantastic artwork based on digital photos. For example, you can create a watercolour painting, or give your photo an oil paint effect. Maybe you would like to add contour with fine sketches, and have your work on a
canvas background; by combining different effects and blending modes, artistic possibilities are endless.

Characteristic for PhotoArtist is the focus at fun and creativity. That makes it such a valuable addition to the Shortcut Photo Series. Like the rest of the Series, PhotoArtist offers typical high quality and ease-of-use standards.

PhotoArtist is available for both Macintosh and Windows platforms. The software can be downloaded at http://www.trulyphotomagic.com/downloads

Canon Press Release 05/05/04

Canon delivers new levels of scanning performance for photo-enthusiasts

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology,is pleased to announce the 2400x4800 dpi, 48-bit colour depth CanoScan 5200F film and document scanner. A 6-frame Film Adapter Unit (FAU) allows high volume film scanning. Dust and scratches on spoiled film are automatically detected and removed with Canon’s highly accurate infra-red FARE Level 2 technology. A striking, sleek new design matches the scanner’s strong technical specifications.

Many of the CanoScan 5200F’s features are designed to save time. An enlarged FAU allows up to six 35mm unmounted negatives or four 35mm mounted slides to be scanned in a single operation. A USB 2.0 Hi-Speed connection works together with a new, faster scanning engine to deliver excellent scan speeds on both Windows and Mac operating systems. Fast Multi-Photo mode creates separate de-skewed files from a single pass scan of multiple photographs. ‘EZ’ buttons provide single step functionality for common operations, such as scanning to PDF file or email.

Following my enthusiastic review of the Lensbaby a few weeks ago, Photo.net have also given this unique product a glowing report.

“It takes a bit of manual dexterity to use the “lensbaby:. You have to compress the lens to focus it, and apply tilt if you want an extra “effect” and that’s most easily done by holding the camera body in both hands and using the two middle fingers of each hand on either side of the lens. You can then get the index finger of your right hand on the shutter release, but it can be a bit of a struggle, or at least require a little practice. This is more of an art than a science.”

Website: Photo.net - Lensbaby Review

Website: Read my review of the Lensbaby

“How to determine the best exposure for a specific photograph with film and digital capture” is the sixth part of Alain Briot’s Aesthetics and Photography series over on the Luminous Landscape website.

“Exposure. The word contains a certain notion of risk and a certain amount of irremediable commitment. Once the exposure has been set on a camera and the subsequent photograph taken there is no way to physically change this exposure. You are done, set and have to live with the consequences. Hopefully the exposure is ?right on? and the photograph holds details everywhere.

But what if the photograph does not hold detail everywhere? What if your calculated exposure isn?t absolutely, 100% correct? What if your calculations were off, what if you made a mistake! Then what? Is there a way out, a way back to a great image despite the fact you could have done better in the field exposure-wise?”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Aesthetics and Photography Part 6