LetsGoDigital and DCViews are both reporting this morning that Minox have announced their second new digital camera of the week, following
yesterday’s announcement of the DD1 Diamond camera. Thankfully the Minox DC5211 is a little more grown-up than the DD1 Diamond (which has 8 synthetic diamonds built into the camera body). The DC5211 has 5 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom and a 1.5 inch LCD screen, all squeezed into a very compact body (93 x 35 x 58 mm to be exact). According to Minox the new camera will be in the shops in time for Christmas. A quick search on Google reveals that European retailers are listing the DC5211 for between 395 and 450.00 Euros.

Website: Minox

Website: LetsGoDigital - Minox DC5211

Website: DCViews - Minox DC5211 Press Release

Photo.net have published an extremely comprehensive and useful overview of underwater housings for various film and digital cameras - essential reading if you ever intend to take your camera diving with you.

“Every housing works fundamentally the same way. It’s a metal or plastic case, usually molded to fit a specific camera, and uses silicone O-rings to create a watertight seal at the joints. Trusting a $5 O- ring to preserve your $2000 camera seems like madness, but the simplicity is what makes it work. Unless the O-ring is damaged or contaminated, it can work remarkably well. Ironically, as you dive deeper, the O-ring compresses under pressure and the housing becomes even more watertight.”

Website: Photo.net - Underwater Housings

Imaging Resource have completed their review of the Pentax Optio 555, a 5 megapixel updated version of the popular 550 model.

“Now, the Optio 555 broadens the line even further, with a 5.0-megapixel CCD and 5x zoom lens, in addition to a well-rounded feature set. It’s very similar in design and function to the Optio 550 model, but features a longer maximum shutter time (15 seconds) and movie recording limited only by the card capacity. (The Optio 550 had a maximum recording time of 10 minutes per movie clip.) The Optio 555 offers a lot of functionality and good image quality in a tidy little package.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Pentax Optio 555 Review

The winner of the 5th PhotographyBLOG Photo of the Week contest is JonRead with the entry “Lone Boat”. 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.

The 6th Photo of the Week contest is now open. This is a weekly photography challenge where you decide who the winner is by voting for your favourite photos. It’s an open contest with no set theme and you can enter as many photos as you like.

Apparently Minox have decided to add a bit of style and pizzazz to their DD1 digital camera by adding synthetic sparkling diamonds to the design! The DD1 Diamond, which is round in shape, has 8 small diamonds set around its edge. Guaranteed to be a talking point down the pub, the Minox DD1 Diamond certainly stands out from the digital camera crowd.

Website: Minox

Website: LetsGoDigital - Minox DD1 Diamond

Website: digitalkamera.de - Minox DD1 Diamond

There are a couple on interesting articles in the latest issue of Nature Photographers Online Magazine that will appeal to nature and non-nature photographers alike:

Catching the Cold by Jess Lee
“Winter photography gives us an opportunity to capture scenes that are unique to many viewers. Streams, rivers and lakes can be covered with pancake layers of ice or blanketed with pillows of powder snow. Animals covered in hoary frost appear ghostlike in early morning ice fog. Even in the southwest you can find icicles hanging against the red rocks. The variety of subjects is only limited by our imagination.”

Nature Photography Best Sellers - What Sells and Why? by Darwin Wiggett.
“There is a huge disparity between what photographers think is a great image and what photo-buyers think is great. Photographers are impressed by images that show mastery of technical skills, artful compositions, sublime light, and refreshing creativity. Photo buyers, on the other hand, look for images with a strong story, powerful mood, and universal appeal…”

Website: Nature Photographers Online Magazine

The UK website Photo-i, run by Vincent Oliver, is starting an interactive review today of the highly anticipated Epson Stylus Photo R800 printer. The R800 printer, which uses UltraChrome pigment inks, will cost $399 and will ship in February 2004.

Website: Photo-i - Epson Stylus Photo R800 Interactive Review

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have published their review of the Hewlett Packard Scanjet 5530 flatbed scanner.

Website: Index Digicam - HP Scanjet 5530 Review

Digital Outback Photo have concluded their report on the Olympus E-1 digital SLR with a look at the 50mm macro and 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 lenses.

“As we like closeups and near macro shots the 50mm would be a must if we would own an E-1. The 50mm Macro allows only 1:2 magnification. This may be not large enough for some macro fans but is no problem for our style of work. Also to note is that AF can be problematic as the auto focus starts hunting with low light and less textured objects.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Olympus E-1 Experience Report

The winners of the first ever PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for November was “Autumn Colour” - you can view all of the 43 entries in this gallery.

The panel of 4 judges thought long and hard before deciding on the three winners:

1st Place
“Geese in Autumn” by spunwithtears
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“Beautiful muted colors give the feeling of a crisp autumn evening. Very effective contrast between the expanse of pale sunset and the cold blue-black water. The motion of the migrating birds captures a feeling of transition between the last glow of the sun and the cold winter to come.”

“Brilliantly composed with the geese filling the frame, and a lovely contrast between the warmth of the sunset and the dark water.”

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

2nd Place
“Autumn Red” by ses
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“Again the colour and the main focus - I feel it took skill to compose making the foreground stand out and the background fade away.”

“The translucency and glow of the leaves really evoke the dying embers of summer. Very good composition with the softness of the foreground and background effectively framing the subject.”

Prize: 1 copy of Photos on CD and DVD 2.0 Deluxe, kindly donated by FastTrak Software.
http://www.fasttrak.com

3rd Place
“playground” by patito
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“The mist creates a very mysterious and atmospheric mood. Beautiful soft, almost monochromatic, color. Interesting composition with the playground equipment disappearing into the background.”

“The fact that it shows the playground in a light that is not often seen, quiet and empty, lends interest to the shot - the colour due to the time that it was taken also adds to that
effect.”

Prize: 1 copy of Digital Photography Captured Volume 1, kindly donated by KnowledgeTrek.
http://www.knowledgetrek.com

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who took part. The judges commented on the high standard of entries, saying that it was difficult to choose just 3 photos from the 43 that were submitted.

December Competition
The theme for the December Competition has been decided. As the days are now so short here in the UK (it gets dark at 4pm!), the new theme is simply “Night”. Submit your best photograph that you think inteprets the theme, whether it be an urban cityscape or a moonlight landscape. If you’ve never attempted any night photography before, then grab your tripod, torch and a friend and get out in the dark!

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 December’s theme, which is “Night”.

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

Steves Digicams have published their first impressions of the Nikon D2H DSLR; the full review will be posted shortly.

“Just posted is our Nikon D2H SLR First Look. We’re really enjoying doing this review but it’s going to take a while to finish - in the meantime here’s a little teaser. This is a camera that will satisfy anyone’s “need for speed,” it’s so fast it’s unbelievable. It will spoil you forever though.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Nikon D2H First Look

Michael Reichmann, editor of Luminous Landscape, has published an open letter addressed to all DSLR manufacturers, calling for the addition of full-feature exposure histograms to all future DSLR models.

“In recent years I have been especially interested in digital SLRs, because these clearly represent the future of mainstream professional and advanced amateur photography.

Recently I have noticed a disturbing trend though ? as several companies bring their first DSLRs to market ? and it concerns histograms. Or, I should say, either the lack of or poor quality of histograms.”

Website: Luminous Landscape

The Norwegian website Akamera.no have reviewed the new Casio EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z4, which packs the first high-resolution 4-megapixel CCD of the EXILIM lineup into a stylish and thin card size body. The EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z4 retails for $399.99 and is available now.

Website: Akamera.no - Casio EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z4 Review

Several technology and photography websites, including Slashdot, Imaging Resource and BytePhoto, are reporting that Microsoft are going to enforce patents that it holds for the FAT file system. In effect this mean that Microsoft will charge a fee for use of a technology that was first developed way back in 1976.

The fee applies to any company that uses the FAT system, which includes manufacturers of solid state media cards and digital still and video cameras. Apparently the patents have been around for over 10 years, and only now when the use of the FAT system is widespread have Microsoft decided to enforce them and start charging a fee. There are two types of license, one for removable solid state media manufacturers (e.g. compact flash) and one for consumer electronics devices. Pricing for both licenses is US$0.25 per unit with a cap on total royalties of $250,000 per manufacturer. How generous of Microsoft to cap the total amount…

What does this mean for consumers? Well, the price of digital memory cards and cameras themselves may go up slightly. Alternatively, Imaging Resource editor Michael R. Tomkins suggests that “flash manufacturers could avoid paying the fees by simply offering their flash cards for sale unformatted - and we’d not be surprised to seem them do so, in a business where violent price wars have driven profits down to a bare minimum.” Hopefully most companies will choose to absorb this sudden new cost and not pass on any increase to the general public.

Website: BytePhoto - Microsoft Patent

Website: Slashdot - Microsoft to Charge for FAT File System

Website: Imaging Resource - Microsoft’s FAT fees add a little more to digicam costs

Photographer Thom Hogan has written one of the most interesting articles that I’ve read all year, and who knows, some of it may well turn out to be true. “What Will Happen in 2004?” is Thom’s personal predictions of what will happen in the photography world next year. Amongst other things, he predicts that there will be 9 new DSLRs released:

“The third new Nikon DSLR will shake up the industry. Last year I predicted the appearance of parts of the F6 (the autofocus system ended up in the D2h). Well, this year I’m going further, saying it will appear fully. Essentially, the F6 will be like a medium format camera in 35mm size. The main component will simply be a light-proof box with lens mount, shutter, and mirror mechanism. Perhaps that part will also have a power supply in it. But everything else (and perhaps the power supply) will be modular. You’ll have your choice of bolt-on film or digital backs and your choice of viewfinders. Backs and viewfinders can be interchanged mid-roll/mid-card. I’ll go further and point out that Nikon will use the Olympics in Greece to launch this hybrid.”

Website: Thom Hogan - What Will Happen in 2004?

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have reviewed the Kodak EasyShare DX6340 3.1 megapixel digital camera, which has an RRP of $329.

Website: Index Digicam - Kodak EasyShare DX6340 Review

The Slovenian website e-FotoPortal have published Part 1 of their review of the recently announced Sigma SD10 digital SLR, together with the Sigma 18-50mm and Sigma 55-200mm lens.

Website: e-FotoPortal - Sigma SD10 Review Part 1

Website: Slovenian Translator

Sekonic have announced a new top of the range lightmeter, the L-558 DUALMASTER, which retails for $769 in the USA and, according to DP-Now, ?399.99 in the UK.

Sekonic Press Release 04/12/03

New Sekonic L-558 DUALMASTER: Here?s why it may well be the best Light-measuring tool ever made.

Elmsford, NY: For starters, the remarkable new Sekonic L-558 DUALMASTER is the world?s most
sensitive multi-function meter, reading flash down to an astounding f/2 (at ISO 100), twice as low as any other multi-function meter in production. And with the optional PocketWizard* module inside, it becomes nothing less than a Master Control Center. You can use it to fire individual cameras and flash units remotely, without wires, using a 16/24 bit, security-encoded digital signal. And that?s just the beginning.

Here are some more cogent reasons why this is arguably the best meter Sekonic ? or anyone else ? has ever put on the market in this price class.
- The L-558 includes Sekonic?s unique built-in retractable Lumisphere. Simply turn the selector knob to extend it for 3D incident readings, or retract it for a narrow incident metering angle that?s ideal for brightness evaluations, lighting ratio setups or precise readings of flat subjects.
-  The L-558 is also a true 1-degree spotmeter, with a parallax-free viewfinder and in-finder, illuminated digital display showing apertures in tenths, shutter speeds up to 1/8000 sec, and exposure compensation values.
- The L-558 features an extra large, cool-green-illuminated full-information LCD panel that displays the complete range of readouts and modes as well as battery condition. It can memorize and recall up to nine readings in any mode, average them, and display them individually on an analog scale.
- The L-558 includes a flash/ambient analyzing mode that simultaneously reads both flash and ambient light automatically, and can display combined flash-ambient readings, percentage of flash in the total exposure, and simultaneous display of flash, ambient, and combined readings on an analog scale.
It also reads in shutter-priority, aperture-priority or EV modes, and makes cumulative flash readings in cord or cordless mode.
- The L-558 includes a broad range of custom settings so pros and enthusiasts can tailor it to their individual working methods. And its body and controls are so well sealed that it?s rated splashproof to JIS water-resistance standard ? so serious photographers can take control with confidence in any weather.
- The L-558 is competitively priced. It gives pros and serious enthusiasts exactly what they need ? nothing more and nothing less ? and represents a remarkable value. Suggested list price: $769.
*PocketWizard module: $25 at time of purchase only (a $99 value).

DCResource has posted a 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.

“The C-5060 Wide Zoom is one of the best Olympus cameras in recent memory, and it should be high on your shopping list if a full-featured 5 Megapixel camera is what you’re after. My main complaints about the camera are the above average noise levels at default settings (turning down the sharpness helps) and its intimidating user interface (buttons and menus). Everything else is good.”

Website: DCResource - Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom Review

CNET have reviewed one of Nikon’s top-of-the-range prosumer digital cameras, the 5 megapixel CoolPix 5400.

“The 5-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5400 delivers numerous key improvements on the Coolpix 5000, including a 4X zoom lens, enhanced image quality, and revamped controls. Nikon also added 15 scene modes, making this model more accessible to casual snapshooters. But make no mistake: with its wealth of features and manual settings, the 5400 should appeal primarily to photo enthusiasts. We only wish that the camera offered longer battery life and RAW-file support.”

Website: CNET - Nikon Coolpix 5400 Review