ePhotoZine have added 6 new articles to their Techniques section for the month of October. “Storing your digital images” should be read by every new digital photographer, as it gives a useful overview of an often confusing topic. “Creative silhouettes” shows you how to control your camera’s exposure so that the main subject is recorded as an effective, moody silhouette.

Website: ePhotoZine - October Techniques

DP-Now editor Ian Burley is currently in Dubrovnik, Croatia to take a look at the latest digital cameras from Fuji. He’s started a thread on the DP-Now forums inviting you to ask questions about the S7000 camera; Ian will then do his best to answer them :-)

As a reminder, the S7000 uses Fuji’s 4th Generation Super CCD HR with 6.3 Million Effective Pixels output and 12.3 million recorded pixels. The electronic viewfinder has been upgraded from 103,000 pixels to a much-higher resolution 235,000 pixels and now uses the xD-Picture Card format instead of SmartMedia that the S602 Zoom used. The Fuji FinePix S7000 will cost $799.99 and be available in October.

Website: DP-Now - Fuji FinePix S7000 Hands-On

digitalkamera.de have posted a new article looking at the Olympus E-1 and the concept of the Four Thirds system. It’s a useful refresher if you haven’t already read this somewhere before (and you probably have…).

Website: digitalkamera.de - Olympus E-1 Article

The flood of articles looking at the new features in Photoshop CS continues with a PDF article from Martin Evening called “What’s new in Photoshop CS”. You should fight off the Photoshop fatigue and read this because it’s actually Chapter 1 of Evening’s upcoming book, “Photoshop for Photographers”.

Website: Imaging Revue - Photoshop CS Article

ACD Systems Press Release 30/09/03

ACD Systems Releases Latest Version of its Flagship Digital Imaging Software - ACDSee 6.0?

New features deliver innovative selective browsing and image rating technologies that streamline workflow

VICTORIA, British Columbia ? September 30, 2003 - ACD Systems International Inc. (TSE:ASA), the digital imaging company and makers of ACDSee? and Canvas?, today released ACDSee 6.0, the newest version of its flagship digital imaging software program for consumer and corporate markets.  ACDSee is known for its speed, ease-of-use and powerful image management capabilities including features for viewing, organizing, searching, printing and sharing digital image collections of any size. New features in ACDSee 6.0 include the ability to rate images, burn photos to CD/DVDs and quickly view and locate photos from different folders and categories with the Easy Select and Selective Browsing features.

ACDSee 6.0 solves the problem facing the escalating digital imaging market by offering an easy solution for managing large volumes of images. The new Easy Select feature allows users to select multiple folders and categories to get a combined view of all images that are contained in them.  The robust Selective Browsing feature, unique to ACDSee 6.0, takes the frustration and time out of looking for images by combing the search results from different folders and categories simultaneously and then displaying all the images in one window.

After easily finding their images, users can place their selection in an Image Basket where they are temporarily ready for editing, creating an HTML album ready to share on the web or email to friends and family. ACDSee 6.0 also boasts a new Image Rating system, in which photos can be assigned a numerical rating.  Image Rating assists users in sorting and searching their images and helps them to distinguish the quality of their photos.

ePhotoZine are the third website today to post a review of Photoshop CS.

“Photo filters is a feature that many photographers have been crying out for. Automated colour correction filters. Applying a filter adds a preset such as an 81 warm up or 80 blue while you can select any colour you like using the colour picker. The strength of the filter can be reduced using the opacity slider and faded using Edit>fade option.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Photoshop CS Review

Olympus Press Release 30/09/03

Less waiting, more picture-taking

The Olympus CAMEDIA C-5060 WIDE ZOOM

Olympus announces the high-end C-5060 WIDE ZOOM compact digital camera.  The C-5060 WZ offers a 27mm-110mm equivalent wide angle zoom - the widest currently available - and is packed with a full compliment of features and manually-adjustable photographic functions. The 5 megapixel C-5060 WZ is one of the fastest digital cameras on the market today, with a start-up time of just 3 seconds and a release time lag (including Auto Focus time) of 0.4 seconds.  Available from November 2003, RRP ?599.99.  For stockist information call freephone 0800 072 0070 or visit www.olympus.co.uk. 

The C-5060 WZ boasts a bright f2.8-4.8, 4x optical zoom [3.5x digital zoom] lens. At 27mm [35mm equivalent] the wide-angle of the zoom range extends to 110mm; this increases to a super wide 19mm with the new wide-angle converter. At the other of end of the scale, the C-5060 WZ?s macro mode records the tiniest of detail close-up. Furthermore, the dual Auto Focus system will ensure that a subject is perfectly focussed in order to achieve precise, bright, colourful results.

To avoid the problem of corner shading (a loss of picture quality at the edge of the frame), often seen when using a wide-angle lens with a digital camera, the C-5060 WZ boasts first-class optical elements, arranged to permit the ?telecentric? transmission of light. This ensures that light hits the camera?s sensor at a right angle.

Not only does the C-5060 WZ take just a fraction of a second from pressing the release to taking the picture, it also boasts a shooting speed of three HQ frames per second in speed sequence mode. Users can also experiment with the six different scene programmes such as landscape and sports, as well as a movie recording function

The camera’s four different exposure modes (programme, shutter priority, aperture priority and fully manual) are not only easy to use but give you room for professional creativity.  Additionally, the new high power Lithium Ion battery supplied with the C-5060 WZ will allow up to 600 shots; an optional power grip over 1000 shots.

However you are positioned to take a shot, you can see your subject clearly thanks to the C-5060 WZ’s multi-angle high-resolution LCD monitor.  This is fixed to a flexible hinge which can be tilted up and swivelled round by 270?.  The C-5060 WZ looks great too with a full magnesium body and sleek black finish perfectly reflecting the model’s pro capabilities.

The C-5060 WZ is also compatible with a range of CAMEDIA system accessories such as a hot shoe, external flash systems, a power grip, filters plus a tele and wide angle lens converter.  A variety of newly-developed accessories are also available including a direct filter mount and bayonet conversion lens system.

Steve’s Digicams has just reviewed the Canon Bubble Jet i900D printer (known as the i905D outside the USA). The 4800 x 1200 dpi Bubble Jet i900D is a six-colour photo printer with card slots for the most popular brands of memory cards. It’s also compliant with the new industry standard PictBridge protocol, allowing it to print directly from any PictBridge compatible digital camera without the need for a PC.

“The Canon i900D is a very versatile printer allowing you to make photo-quality borderless prints with or without the need of a computer.

The i900D’s print quality is equal that of Canon’s i960 but it isn’t as fast because its print head only has 1,536 nozzles versus 3,072 nozzles on the i960. If speed is your thing and you don’t need the standalone features of the i900D then go with the i960 instead.”

Website: Steve’s Digicams - Canon i900D Printer Review

Luminous Landscape owner Michael Reichmann has just published his review of the Canon EOS 300D digital SLR. Find out how the EOS 300D fared in the hands of an experienced professional landscape and wildlife photographer.

“Rather than provide a bells and whistles review, which sites like DPReview do with mind-numbing detail, it’s my intention here to see how well the Rebel accomplishes its goals, both from the consumer’s as well as Canon’s perspectives. Of course I will be comparing the Rebel to Canon’s 10D, which from an image quality perspective is almost identical, yet which costs nearly twice as much.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Canon EOS 300D Review

On Sunday DPReview posted a new gallery of sample images from the Olympus E-1, taken at the USA Formula One Grand Prix in Indianapolis. Now Imaging Resource have joined in by posting their own gallery of photos taken at the same event with the same camera.

“All of the following photos were taken with the E-1 camera body and either the 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens or the 300mm f2.8 Zuiko Digital Telephoto Lens last Friday. We also had access to the 50mm f2.0 Zuiko Digital Macro Lens and 1.4x Zuiko Digital TeleConverter Lens, and will be sharing photos taken using these items shortly.

We captured around 2000 images with the camera throughout the course of the weekend. Tomorrow, we will bring you a selection of the images taken during Saturday, and shortly thereafter we’ll have the photos from Sunday - the day of the race itself.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Olympus E-1 Samples

DPReview are the second website to post a review of Photoshop CS. Site contributor and author of the “123 of digital imaging Interactive e-book”, Vincent Bockaert has used his extensive knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and his involvement in the Adobe Photoshop CS Beta test team to produce this article which covers the major points of Photoshop CS from a digital photographer’s perspective.

“With the introduction of Photoshop CS, Adobe has taken a great step in the digital photography direction. Just like the Healing Brush Tool introduced with Photoshop 7 made retouching an order of magnitude easier and better, Adobe has done the equivalent to digital photography with Photoshop CS for prosumers and professionals alike.”

Website: DPReview - Photoshop CS Review

Several websites have published articles looking at the new Photoshop CS from a photographer’s point of view. First up is Digital Outback Photo, who have published a very nice round-up of the features that you will be most interested in.

“PS8 inherited the Photomerge tool from PS Elements 2.0 but allows (of course) the use of 16 bit images. We only looked into early versions and cannot tell about the stitching quality.

But probably the most powerful feature of Photomerge is the following:

Photomerge can leave the stitched images in layers so that you can do final tweaking yourself.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - All new Photoshop CS

DCResource have reviewed the 4 megapixel EasyShare DX6490 digital camera, a digital camera which features a 10x optical zoom lens (38-380mm focal length). The Kodak EasyShare DX6490 has a suggested retail price of ?399.99.

“Where the DX6490 really stands out is in terms of ease-of-use. The Kodak EasyShare system lets you easily share pictures, whether via e-mail or prints. The one-of-a-kind album feature is intriguing as well. The software that runs on your Mac and PC is very nice—the whole thing is tied together nicely. Throw in the printer dock for another $200 and you’ve got a complete system for sharing and printing your photos. Nobody, with perhaps the exception of HP, comes close to Kodak in this area.”

Website: DCResource - Kodak EasyShare DX6490 Review

Olympus Press Release 30/09/03

Olympus celebrates Ferrari F1 sponsorship with limited edition Mju 400.

- The first digital camera in the world to be officially authorised by Ferrari SpA
- Sleek, stylish, all-weather metal body with official Ferrari team colours and logo

Just in time for Christmas, Olympus launches the first, and only, digital camera in the world currently branded by Ferrari SpA. The ?Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL 2003? is a limited-edition camera, developed to celebrate the Olympus sponsorship of the Ferrari Scuderia Formula One Racing Team. The camera will be available in the UK by mid-November 2003. 

Olympus became an official sponsor of the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro F1 racing team at the start of the 2003 Formula One racing season.

The Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL 2003 is based on the all-weather Mju 400 digital camera. Its distinctive design reflects the style and quality that are hallmarks of Ferrari craftsmanship. The body of the camera is finished in distinctive Ferrari Red, and the lens barrier is adorned with the world famous “Cavallino Rampante - Prancing Horse” logo, featured on Ferrari road cars and F1 racing cars.

When the camera is switched on, the built-in colour LCD monitor displays the Ferrari name and logo, as well as an image of a Ferrari F1 racing car. As a limited-edition model with a production run of only 10,000 units worldwide, each camera is stamped with a unique production number.

The Ferrari Red finish was subjected to approximately five times as many checks as usual to ensure colour accuracy, and the external aluminium parts were hand-polished and given a special coating to ensure a level of lustre and durability which are extremely difficult to achieve through ordinary mass-production methods.

A limited-edition camera designed to appeal to both motor sport fans and the style conscious photographer, the Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL 2003 comes complete with a red-toned suede-textured camera case and custom-designed camera strap, both of which are emblazoned with the Ferrari logo. A Certificate of Authenticity bearing the serial number is also included, along with a greeting card featuring autographed photos of the Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

Canon have just announced the new imagePROGRAF W8200, a large-format printer solution designed for graphic imaging professionals. With a price tag of $7995, most photographers are obviously not going to consider this when they are shopping for a home printer :-)

What is interesting about this announcement, however, is that the imagePROGRAF W8200 uses Canon’s first complete six-color (C/M/Y/K, Bk, PC/PM) pigment ink set. “Engineered for superior quality and with a color reproduction equivalent to that of dye ink, Canon has formulated a pigment ink solution of ultra fine particles that boasts both light fastness and high ozone resistance - elements vital to the digital imaging, fine art and proofing markets. The question is, will this new pigment ink make its way down the Canon printer line-up to the consumer models? And how soon will that happen?!

Here’s another quote from the press-release to whet your appetite:

“Canon’s pigment ink has a super-fine pigment diameter of approximately 0.1 micron, and generates ultra-sharp images at 600x1200 dpi in Standard Mode and up to 1200x1200 dpi*. Suited for Fine Art and indoor signage, lighter density Photo Cyan and Photo Magenta inks are coated with an extra high polymer compound to protect the colors from fading with exposure to light, ensuring the sharpness and subtlety of prints for years to come.”

Website: Canon USA - imagePROGRAF W8200 Press Release

Chinese Moon Festival #11	Chinese Moon Festival #8	Chinese Moon Festival #14
Chinese Moon Festival #2	Chinese Moon Festival #1	Chinese Moon Festival #3

“On the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the moon is round and the Chinese people mark their Moon (or Mid-autumn) Festival. The round shape to a Chinese means family reunion. Therefore the Moon Festival is a holiday for members of a family to get together wherever it is possible. On that day sons and daughters will bring their family members back to their parents’ house for a reunion. Sometimes people who have already settled overseas will come back to visit their parents on that day.

As every Chinese holiday is accompanied by some sort of special food. On the Moon Festival, people eat moon cakes, a kind of cookie with fillings of sugar, fat, sesame, walnut, the yoke of preserved eggs, ham or other material. In Chinese fairy tales, there live on the moon the fairy Chang E, a wood cutter named Wu Gang and a jade rabbit which is Chang E’s pet. In the old days, people paid respect to the fairy Chang E and her pet the jade rabbit.

The custom of paying homage to the fairy and rabbit is gone, but the moon cakes are showing improvement every year. There are hundreds of varieties of moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of the Moon Festival this year. Some moon cakes are of very high quality and very delicious.”




Website: ChinaVista

The biggest news of the day by far is the release of the “Adobe Creative Suite” software, which includes new versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and GoLive. Adobe have dispensed with the version numbering system for all of these software products - instead they are now called Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS and so on.

“The complete design environment for print and Web publishing

The Adobe? Creative Suite is an integrated design environment that combines full versions of Adobe’s latest creative tools with innovative file-management features, a smooth Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) workflow, and comprehensive design resources to let you create and publish content for print and the Web faster and easier than ever before ? all at an unbeatable value. “

The entire suite costs US$1,229.00 for the Premium edition and US$999.00 for the Standard edition. Upgrade prices are US$749.00 (Premium) and US$549.00 (Standard). The difference between the two is that the Premium ediiton includes Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, InDesign CS, Golive CS, Acrobat 6.0 Professional, and Version Cue, whereas the Standard edition does not include Golive CS or Acrobat 6.0 Professional.

All of the software programs are also available to buy individually. Photoshop CS is obviously of most interest to photographers, so I’ll concentrate on that and leave you to find out more about the other programs from Adobe’s website.

Photoshop CS increases user control, with a redesigned File Browser enhancing search, sorting and sharing capabilities and a new Histogram Palette monitoring changes in the image as they are made. Additional advances include: Match Color, which reads color statistics to quickly achieve a consistent look across a series of photographs; Shadow/Highlight which radically improves the contrast of over- or underexposed digital images; and enhanced ImageReady? CS integration.

“Photoshop is the gold standard in digital imaging and a catalyst in the continuing digital photography revolution. This release empowers our customers to deliver their highest quality work, faster and more efficiently,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Video Products at Adobe. “For the millions of people worldwide who rely on Photoshop every day, our new CS edition will be a must-have upgrade to their digital imaging desktop.”

The Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in, which was released as a stand-alone product back in February 2003, has now been incorporated into Photoshop CS. The list of cameras that are currently supported has been expanded and now includes the Canon EOS-10D.

Adobe Photoshop CS will be available for an estimated street price of US$649. Registered users of any previous version of Adobe Photoshop can upgrade to Adobe Photoshop CS for an estimated street price of US$169.

Website: Adobe.com

Website: Adobe Photoshop CS

Website: Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw

The German digital photography website digitalkamera.de seems to have exclusive news this morning about a new digital camera from Olympus. The new C-5060 seems to be an updated version of the popular C-5050 camera. The C-5060 has a tilting, swivelling LCD screen, 5 megapixel CCD and 27.5-110mm optical lens. digitalkamera.de are even quoting a price - approximately 850 Euros. I’ll let you know more details when I find them…

Here’s a poorly-translated quote from the digitalkamera.de article:

“If the C-5050 zoom shot got only recently with the C-5000 zoom shot (in puncto form, equipment and price)“smaller” a model to the side posed, zoom shot a C-5xxx-Produktlinie develops at the latest now with the conception of the new C-5060. The C-5060 zoom shot extends this line upward; among other things with equipment characteristics such as wide angle zoom shot , trick and tiltable LCD color screen, optional battery handle and an adapter/converter system with bayonet connection.”

Website: digitalkamera.de - Olympus C-5060

UPDATE 15:22
As Mad@TT has kindly pointed out, DPReview are also now reporting the release of the C-5060, which will have a UK RRP of ?599.99.

Website: DPReview - Olympus C-5060

Rumours are circulating that the Canon Powershot G6 will be released before Christmas! The monthly Newsletter G Series User, “For Owners of the Canon Powershot G Series Digital Cameras”, has a few details on its website. It doesn’t seem like 5 minutes ago that Canon released the G5…(found via Digicamera.net).

“The G6 is on its way, although no one is exactly sure when. Unconfirmed reports for the G6:

- Mid November shipping
- 20% size reduction
- 5 x Optical Zoom (maybe higher?)
- 6.5 Megapixel sensor
- New case design”

Website: G Series User - Canon Powershot G6 Rumours

Digital Outback Photo have continued their Canon EOS 300D Experience Report with a brief roundup of 3 Canon telephoto lenses. They have taken a look at the EF 55-200mm f/4.4-5.6 II USM, EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS USM and EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM. I know which one I’d go for - the EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM is a great lens and a clear step above the cheaper Canon zooms. I like it so much that I bought one 2nd-hand a couple of months ago…

“Because many 300D buyers will get the kit with the EF-S 18-55mm lens they will look into the options for a longer range zoom. We looked into 3 popular options:

EF 55-200mm f/4.4-5.6 II USM
EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS USM
EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

These lenses all perform better than on full frame film or on the EOS 1Ds because the 300D only uses a smaller crop of the frame.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Canon EOS 300D Experience Report