The Minolta DiMAGE A1 was only announced in July 2003, but already it seems that the DiMAGE A2 is on the way. An eagle-eyed reader on the DPReview Minolta forum has spotted something interesting on the Minolta USA website:

“On the USA Minolta site:

http://www.minoltausa.com/eprise/main/MinoltaUSA/MUSAContent/CPG/CPGProducts

On the Dimage A1 page click on “Software” and you’ll see the ” DiMAGE Viewer Update Ver 2.2.2 - 01-30 2004 ” (Today !!! ), click on it and a window opens with:

DiMAGE Viewer Update Ver 2.2.2 - Win

Model: DiMAGE_5,DiMAGE_7,DiMAGE_7Hi,DiMAGE_7i,DiMAGE_A1,DiMAGE_A2, ....... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The full text actually reads:

DiMAGE Viewer Update Ver 2.2.2 - Win
Model:  DiMAGE_5,DiMAGE_7,DiMAGE_7Hi,DiMAGE_7i,DiMAGE_A1,DiMAGE_A2,
DiMAGE_F100,DiMAGE_F200,DiMAGE_F300,DiMAGE_G400,DiMAGE_G500,DiMAGE_S304,
DiMAGE_S404,DiMAGE_S414,DiMAGE_X,DiMAGE_X20,DiMAGE_Xg,
DiMAGE_Xi,DiMAGE_Xt,DiMAGE_Xt_Biz,DiMAGE_Z1,DiMAGE_Z2 
Description:  This is an update to the DiMAGE Viewer 2.x for Windows. 
Instructions:  This is an update to the OPTIONAL DiMAGE Viewer 2.x.  It is a general improvement for overall functionality.  A previous version of the OPTIONAL DiMAGE Viewer 2.0 or higher must exist in your computer in order to complete installation of this update. If a previous version is not found, installation of this update will fail.  If you do not have a full version of the OPTIONAL DiMAGE Viewer 2.0, it can be purchased through Minolta?s on-line store. NOTE: While the DiMAGE Viewer is compatible with Windows 95 and NT, the DiMAGE cameras are not.  We suggest the use of a card reader when using the DiMAGE Viewer in those operating systems.

Minolta DiMAGE Z2 and Xg models are also listed, so maybe Minolta are set to announce updates to the A1 and Z1 models and a new Xg model at PMA?

Website: DPReview - Minolta Forum

The Norwegian website Akamera.no have reviewed the Fuji FinePix S7000, which is the successor to the popular FinePix S602 model. The S7000 uses Fuji’s 4th Generation Super CCD HR with 6.3 Million Effective Pixels output and 12.3 million recorded pixels. It costs around $799.99 and is available now.

Website: Akamera.no - Fuji FinePix S7000 Review

Website: Read my review of the Fuji FinePix S7000

Canon 2003 Group Pretax Profit Y448.2 Billion Vs Y330.0 Billion -5
[Dow Jones and Company, Inc.]
Dow Jones News Service via NewsEdge Corporation : The Japanese precision equipment maker said it expects another record net profit this year.

For 2004, Canon projects a group net profit of Y286 billion, up 3.7%. It expects group operating profit to rise 2.3% to Y465 billion this year, on a 4.1% increase in group revenue to Y3.330 trillion.

For this year, Canon estimates its digital camera sales will come to 15 million units, up sharply from 8.6 million units in 2003.

Canon said it expects the dollar to average Y105 and the euro Y130 for 2004.

Canon’s senior managing director, Toshizo Tanaka, said the company needs the dollar to trade between Y100 and Y105 to achieve profit growth this year.

“It would be difficult for us to lift profits if the yen becomes stronger than that,” Tanaka said.

Last year, Canon benefitted from its focus on a limited number of high-margin products, such as digital multifunction copiers and high-performance digital cameras, as well as from cost cuts at its manufacturing operations.

Among these products, the “EOS Kiss Digital,” a single-lens reflex digital camera designed for general users, sold well in Japan though the model is relatively expensive compared with compact-type digital cameras.

In the October-December quarter, Canon’s group net profit rose 25% to Y74.96 billion from Y60.07 billion a year ago, with group revenue growing 3.9% to Y894.89 billion from Y861.66 billion.

Imaging Resource have posted a very indepth and handy guide to the new Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera, including a feature-by-feature comparison with its predecessor, the EOS 1D, and its direct competitior, the Nikon D2H.

“Given the major resolution increase, it is extremely impressive that Canon has managed to not just maintain the speed and burst depth of the camera, but actually increase it as compared to the EOS-1D to 20 RAW or 40 JPEG frames at 8.5 frames per second. The speed comes courtesy of the new CMOS sensor coupled with a doubling of the amount of buffer memory, the choice of DDR-SDRAM for that buffer memory (a first for a digital camera), and the new DIGIC II processor (now a single board instead of two) which reads 8 channels of data off the sensor at a time instead of the usual 2 channels.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Canon EOS 1D Mark II Analysis and Comparison

DPReview are reporting that both the Pentax *ist D and the Olympus E-1 have had their prices cut in the USA. Pentax have reduced its only DSLR by $300, effective from February 1, 2004 through June 30, 2004. There are also a number of smaller discounts on other Pentax cameras. Meanwhile Olympus USA have apparently announced a $300 trade-in promotion on the E-1 DSLR and 14-54 mm lens kit, via a trade-in system. You can take in any digital or film SLR camera and get $300 off, available until March 31st 2004. The E-1 kit after the trade-in costs $1,999. Both of these cameras have only been on the market for a few months, so it’s great news for us consumers.

Website: DPReview - Pentax *ist D Price Cut

Website: DPReview - Olympus E-1 Trade-in

Digital Outback Photo have started selling a new filter called PreSharpen 3D which apparently gives some photographic images a more 3D feel. There’s a free demo version available to download and try for yourself.

“Kevin Dobson implemented this concept as a pre sharpening filter. This filter gives the impression of a more 3D like feel to some images. Because it is a pre sharpening filter you can use your sharpening tool of choice for your final sharpening. PreSharpen 3D is best used just after your raw conversion or on your JPEG files right out of the camera. Always 16bit is better than just using 8bit.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - PreSharpen 3D

PhotographyBLOG visitor John P. Yuda has let me know about a new group photography project that he has started which is designed to combat the effects of Winter:

“Winter can be a difficult time for photographers. It’s cold, the days are shorter and often overcast;conditions just make it difficult to get out there and shoot. Almost every photographer - of all skill levels from beginner to pro -  shoots considerably less in the time between the holidays and spring.

To help alleviate this, I’ve started this project. The idea is simple: there are 29 days in February this year. Every day, participants will get out and shoot at least 29 photographs. That’s the only requirement. They can be digital or film, colour or black & white. Feel free to switch cameras, or use different film emulsions every day. At the end of the month, we’ll all collect our work into photo essays.”

Website: 29 Frames for 29 Days

These photos are my 3 entries in the first round of the 2004 Practical Photography Competition. I nearly didn’t bother entering, as the closing date is 2nd February, I was tired last night and I would have preferred to play a round of Tiger Woods 2004 golf on the PS2 (not that I’m addicted to it or anything).

Fortunately I made myself dig out some photos to fit the theme of “Patterns in the Landscape”. These images were all originally shot in colour, the first 2 on the Canon EOS 10D and the last one on negative film. I thought I would try converting them to black and white to help concentrate on the pattern, and I think all 3 shots have definitely benefited from the conversion. The first two in particular have printed out well on the Epson Stylus Photo 2100 printer on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper - the 3rd one looks a little soft and I probably shouldn’t have entered it.

I don’t think there’s a winner here, but entering the compeititon has had the happy side-effect of showing all 3 photos in a better, black and white light. I’ll definitely be trying out this conversion on some more shots to see if they are improved too.

For all those who are interested, I used a Photoshop action called “Johny’s B&W Package V2.0” to do the conversion from colour to black and white, available as a free download here:
http://www.jakerlund.net/index.php

Pixory Press Release 30/01/04

Pixory is the easiest and most powerful way to share photos online - it is freeware that will turn your own PC and broadband internet connection into a personal photo album server.

Pixory allows you to store your photos on your own PC but to access, compose into albums, and share them anywhere on the internet. It’s your personal online photo sharing service, running on your computer using your broadband internet connection. Pixory is a client and a server, a lightweight web application for browsing photo collections on your hardrive; an album server to your friends and family or anyone on the internet. It simplifies accessing and organizing photo collections on your home network.

This release introduces a new, more powerful, sharing model.

The application can be found here:
http://www.pixory.org

ZDNet are reporting that a new memory card format, smaller even than the postage sized SD memory cards, is due to be unveiled on February 5th. The Universal Transportable Memory Association (UTMA) are a consortium of electronics makers behind the as yet unnamed memory card format. Apparently “It will put two flash memory chips in a a single package, like existing high-density cards from makers such as SanDisk; but it will place the processors side by side instead of stacking them”. The first available cards will be 1Gb in size.

Website: ZDNet - Portable memory format gets set for launch

Website: Universal Transportable Memory Association

It was only announced by Nikon a couple of days ago, but Steves Digicams have already published their first look at the new 8-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 8700 digital camera.

“The Nikon Coolpix 8700 is for serious photographers who demand the highest level of quality and control from their compact digital camera. It features an 8.0 effective megapixel CCD (3,264 x 2,448-pixels) and an 8x Optical (35-280 mm) Zoom-Nikkor lens, with Nikon’s Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements. It has a high resolution (238,000 pixel) electronic viewfinder (EVF) for through-the-lens viewing and a 1.8” vari-angle color LCD monitor. The Coolpix 8700 is constructed with a compact, lightweight magnesium alloy body that has been designed for durability and portability.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Nikon Coolpix 8700 First Look

Luminous Landscape editor Michael Reichmann has recently returned from a safari in Tanzania, Africa (lucky *insert expletive here*). He has shared his experiences of both the location and the equipment that he used in a new article:

“Without sounding too romantic about it, there is something about the look, the smell and the sounds of the Serengeti that almost seems to be part of ones racial memory. Hard to describe, but shared by almost everyone that visits there. There is a ?rightness? about it that infuses ones spirit. Being immersed in it, along with the astonishing assortment of animals, all in their natural environment ? which they have called home for millennia ? is an experience that I wish more people could share.”

Website: Luminous Landscape: Tanzanian Photo Safari

Kodak Press Release 29/01/04

KODAK Ultima Picture Paper With New COLORLAST Technology Delivers Inkjet Prints That Last More Than 100 Years

ROCHESTER, N.Y., January 29 - Eastman Kodak Company today introduced the world’s longest lasting inkjet photo paper - new KODAK Ultima Picture Paper with COLORLAST technology. The vast majority of prints made on this paper using photo-quality home inkjet printers will enjoy brilliant color and resist degradation longer than prints made on any other inkjet paper. When used with the latest inks from various manufacturers, photos printed on the paper will last for more than 100 years in typical home display without protection from gas and humidity.

Unlike some competitive longevity claims that only consider the long-term effect of light on prints, Kodak also factors in three other variables that play a significant role in picture degradation: heat, humidity and ozone. Based on that science, Kodak formulated its new Ultima Picture Paper with COLORLAST technology for everyday home display conditions - left unprotected on a table, placed under glass in a frame, or tucked away in a photo album - not just for highly-controlled, dark storage environments.

“People are printing their pictures at home in record numbers, and they assume those pictures will survive for generations to come. It’s taken innovation from Kodak, the world’s most trusted picture company, to meet those expectations,” said Laurie Spring, vice president and general manager of inkjet media, Digital & Film Imaging Systems, Eastman Kodak Company. “A picture is only as good as the paper on which it’s printed. Choosing the right paper is as important as selecting the right camera, the right scene, and the right printer.”

Nikon Press Release 29/01/04

[Dow Jones and Company, Inc.] Dow Jones News Service via NewsEdge Corporation : “The digital SLR market is where we have a competitive advantage over our rivals,” said Yoshida. “The market will help us expand our digital camera sales, and it will become a big pillar of our overall imaging business.”

With the worldwide release of the D70 March 19, Nikon hopes to match the success of its archrival Canon Inc. (7751.TO), whose “EOS Kiss digital” SLR proved extremely popular.

For the fiscal year through March, Nikon’s global market share in digital SLR cameras is expected to have fallen to around 30%, behind Canon.

Nikon expects the global SLR market to grow to 5 million units a year in the next three years from about 1 million now.

For the year through March, Nikon’s in-house imaging company is expecting to book Y315.0 billion in sales, up from Y271.9 billion last fiscal year.

In the digital camera market, including SLR models and compact models, Nikon reckons its global shipments will reach 5.5 million units for the year through March, up about 64%. That would mean it maintained a 12% global market share during the year in shipment terms, while its share in value terms remained flat at 15%.

For the business year starting in April, Makoto Kimura, Nikon’s imaging company president, said the company would target worldwide digital camera shipments of 8.6 million units, giving it a 14% global share in unit terms. In value terms, that would translate to about a 19% global market share, Kimura added.

TOKYO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Japan’s Canon Inc said on Thursday that its net profit rose 45 percent in 2003 thanks to healthy demand for office copiers and booming sales of digital cameras and it forecast a fifth straight record profit this year.

Canon posted a consolidated net profit of 275.7 billion yen ($2.60 billion) for calendar year 2003, beating analysts’ consensus estimate of 264.5 billion yen, on revenue of 3.2 trillion yen, up 8.8 percent from the previous year.

Profits at Canon are being powered by healthy demand for multi-function network copiers and hot-selling digital cameras, where it commands about 20 percent of the global market, running neck and neck with Sony Corp for top spot.

Japan’s largest office equipment maker said it expected the good times to keep on rolling, projecting that group net profit would rise another 3.7 percent in 2004 to 286 billion yen. Revenue is seen up 4.1 percent at 3.3 trillion yen.

The German website digitalkamera.de has posted its review of the Olympus CAMEDIA C-5060 Wide Zoom camera, an updated version of the popular Olympus CAMEDIA C-5050 model, with a wider-angle lens that is equivalent to a 27-110mm lens on a 35mm camera.

Website: digitalkamera.de - Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom Review

I managed to sneak down to Parliament Hill for 20 minutes or so earlier today, just before the sun started to set. There’s a great view over the city of London, spoilt only by the permanent haze that sits above the skyline. By this time the snow was starting to melt, but there were still plenty of kids with their parents in tow, sledging and generally having the time of their lives.

This is a reminder that the January competition will end on Saturday 31st January. There are currently over 50 entries so far. The theme for the January 2004 Competition is simply “Reflections” - submit one photograph that you think best interprets the theme.

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 January’s theme, which is “Reflections”.

Please make sure that you read the Monthly Competition Rules before submitting your entry. The competition is worldwide and open to everyone.

You can now start submitting entries to the January Compeitition here:
January 2004 Competition

After 4 weeks and over 300 votes, Digital Camera narrowly pipped “Some fruit and nuts!” as the number one present for Christmas 2003 :-)

The new PhotographyBLOG Poll asks the topical question: “Which camera are you most excited about - Nikon D70, Nikon Coolpix 8700 or the Canon EOS 1D MKII?”.

Courtesy of ColorVision, I have published a new article today. “Ensuring Color Accuracy For Your Digital Photos” is an overview of colour accuracy, its role within digital photography and why you should do something about it now rather than later. If you’ve always wondered what all the fuss is about colour management, take a look at this article to find out more.

Website: PhotographyBLOG Article: “Ensuring Color Accuracy For Your Digital Photos”