ePhotoZine are currently running a photography competition. So what, you might say? What caught my eye was the amazing prize on offer - a Canon CanoScan FS4000US film scanner worth around ?650!

Website: ePhotoZine: February Competition

Produce a photograph that you consider to be sensual or erotic, but to make it a little more interesting the photograph cannot be a nude! To help here’s a dictionary description of sensual:
1. Of or relating to any of the senses or sense organs; bodily.
2. Strongly or unduly inclined to gratification of the senses.
3. Tending to arouse the bodily appetites.
This competition closes on 01 Mar 2003.

DPReview has just taken it’s usual in-depth-look at the HP Photosmart 850, which competes with the Canon G3 amongst other diigial cameras. Can HP betray their non-photographic roots and produce a photographer’s camera? Find out by visiting DPReview.

Website: DPReview

“Just posted! Our full review of HP’s four megapixel, eight times zoom Photosmart 850. The 850 is the second of the ‘new generation’ of HP digital cameras and marks an improvement in both image quality and feature set since the 812. In our review the 850 is compared to the current king of the four megapixel class, the Canon PowerShot G3. Come in and see how the 850 performed in our tests.”

ePhotoZine has also recently posted a review of this camera, if you need another opinion:

Website: ePhotoZine

The very first PhotographyBLOG review has just been published! I’ve taken an in-depth look at 2Flyer Screensaver Builder Pro, the program that was used to create the screensaver that is free for all new PhotographyBLOG members. If you are looking for an affordable, easy to use screensaver program then 2Flyer is well worth checking out.

Read the Review

This is one of the most interesting and well executed photography portfolio websites that I’ve ever seen. And I’m not exaggerating that much.

Website: Paul Anton

The site layout mimics a traditional photography lightbox, with the visitor being able to click on negative strips to view images. Very simple but very effective.
Somewhat bizarrely I saw this site mentioned on a web design discussion list, buried in a thread about auction websites!

Visitors to this site may have noticed one of the following display problems since we launched a few weeks ago:

• in Internet Explorer 6, on the first page, the text was cut off at the bottom in line with the navigation menu on the right-hand side
• in Netscape Navigator the navigation menu appeared below the main content of each page, rather than on the right-hand side

About a week ago I fixed the first IE issue, but this in turn caused the Netscape problem. Happily, thanks to Jeffrey Zeldman, I’ve now (fingers crossed) fixed both problems. An Internet Explorer 6 bug was to blame…

Each month ePhotoZine publishes 6 new photographic techniques, which encompass a wide range of topics and are always interesting to read.

This month you can find out how to combine bracketed images in Photoshop, why you should get up early to take landscape photos, and how to cost-effectively make panoramic prints, amongst other things.

Nikon have announced two new entry-level digital cameras ahead of PMA in March.

Nikon are currently running a teaser advert on their website which doesn’t give much away about the new Coolpix, other than the cryptic clue “Starting February 3, meet a fascinating stranger.”

However, someone has spilled the beans over on the DPReview forums so it seems that everyone who was hoping for a high-end Nikon 6700 may be disappointed…

The very first, completely free PhotographyBLOG screensaver has been released and is now available to all registered members.

If you are already a PhotographyBLOG member you should shortly receive an email containing download instructions. If you’re not a member then what are you waiting for? Register now to receive your free screensaver…

I literally stumbled across this excellent photo-sharing site called PhotoForums at Yahoo. It’s the kind of site that I wish I ‘d designed myself. I’ve already signed up and will be posting some photos in the near future…

Website: PhotoForums

PhotoForums is an online community for those people interested in sharing their passion of photography, videography and the creation of images. It’s free. It’s easy and it’s for you.

Okay, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration designed to catch your attention, but here in deepest Hertfordshire (just north of London) we’ve had several inches of snow this afternoon.

What has this got to do with photography, you may be asking? Well, I’ve ventured out to take a few snaps with my Olympus Mju II compact, and I’m now wondering if the camera will have exposed for the snow correctly. If I had my digital or film cameras with me then maybe my chances of getting some good pcitures would have been increased.

So what sort of camera do you carry round on a daily basis? Do you even carry a camera all the time? How many times have you missed that amazing photographic opportunity? Leave a comment and let us all know.

To help celebrate the successful launch of PhotographyBLOG, we are offering a completely FREE Screensaver to everyone who registers as a member.

The Windows screensaver features the first 9 photos that have been posted on PhotographyBLOG and will be available to download in the next few days. All PhotographyBLOG members will receive an email with instructions for downloading the screensaver.

PhotographyBLOG members will also be eligible for future giveaways, including Wallpaper images and more screensavers.

So register with PhotographyBLOG now to receive your free screensaver!

I’ve just stumbled across this excellent digital photography site - photo-i. There’s an in-depth review of the recently announced Canon i950 printer, which will be available from 1 February 2003 for around ?289 inc VAT.

Website: photo-i

Welcome to photo-i, a dedicated site for digital photographers. The new Canon i950 interactive review is generating a lot of interest. Is this printer going to set new standards by which all other Photo printers will be judged or is it just another photo printer?”

UPDATE: It seems that the Canon i950 printer is now on sale in the USA. John on the Minolta Dimage Yahoo mailing list had this to say:

“Just thought I would let some of you who might be looking for a new printer that the Canon i950 is in the USA as I just received one today from PC Connection and its nice, had a s900 and the i950 is better.  Even printing from a 3.1 kodak I can see the difference and from the Minolta 7i photo’s are really really nice. So just thought I would let some of you know that its in the USA now. Have a nice day.”

Following on from yesterday’s Luminous Landscape comparison of the Canon 1Ds and medium format film, Michael Reichmann has published a selection of the comments that he received regarding the article.

Website: Luminous Landscape

“My article comparing high-end 35mm digital to medium format, titled The Ultimate Shootout, generated considerable discussion. I’d have been surprised if it hadn’t. Based on some comments I’ve read online I’ve managed to gore several people’s sacred cows.”

There’s also an interesting and extensive thread about Michael’s comparison over at DPReview.

The second module in the City and Guilds Photography course that I’m attending is “Exploring Colour Photgraphy”. Again there is a choice of 2 themes and I’ve chosen Colour and Pattern, focusing on the Urban environment.

According to the prospectus, I’m supposed to “use carefully selected viewpoints as well as the appropriate focal length lenses in order to flatten the perspective effect, helping to draw the elements within the pattern closer together”. Judge for yourself whether I’m on the right tracks from the following images, which were taken on a freezing Sunday afternoon in central London (near St Paul’s Cathedral)...

London #1	London #2	London #3
Comments	Comments	Comments

It seems that we had a slight problem with Comments not being correctly assigned to PhotographyBLOG members.

Now if you login and leave a comment, then go to the Members screen, you should see that the Comment column has incremented by 1.

Apologies for this small glitch, and thanks to Rick Ellis at pMachine for the very quick fix! Also thanks to Sue at My Digital Pictures for her assistance in debugging the problem.

Here’s a quick reminder of the benefits of registering yourself as a member of PhotographyBLOG. When you post a comment, you won’t have to enter your details - just type in and submit your comment. You will appear on the Members screen and be able to see your site statistics e.g. how many comments you’ve actually made. You will also receive the regular PhotographyBLOG Newsletter, starting very soon!

I’m currently looking for a photo cataloging/management software package, as my library of images from the last few years is starting to become unmangeable. For example, I don’t actually know how many images I’ve taken and kept!

I’ve seen a lot of posts on various photography forums asking for opinions on this software application or that one, so it struck me that a comparitive review of a few packages would be a good idea. So far I’ve downloaded and started using IMatch, Jasc Paint Shop Pro Abum and Picasa.

If you have any suggestions for possible contenders, please email and let me know or leave a comment on this post.

Michael Reichmann over at Luminous Landscape has posted a fascinating comparison between the high-end digital Canon 1Ds and medium format film. He’s recently sold almost all of his medium-format kit and now solely uses the Canon. As all keen amateur photographers know, medium format is commonly held up as the format to move to when you want greater picture quality than 35mm film offers. The fact that Michael is comparing a digital camera against medium format would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Now the ?7000 Canon may be slightly out of reach for the average photographer, but Michael’s in-depth and refreshingly personal article acts as a taste of what will become a lot more affordable in the near future. You can read that article and probably buy a similar camera to the Canon 1Ds within the next 2 years. I hope so anyway!

Website: Luminous Landscape

“And now for something controversial. I have just published a comparison between high-end 35mm digital (the Canon 1Ds) and medium format film. Since I have recently sold almost all of my medium format equipment you may find the results of interest. The article is entitled “The Ultimate Shootout.”

Of the many New Year product releases, one that particularly caught my eye was Epson’s breakthrough Perfection 3200 scanner.

Website: Epson UK

“The EPSON Perfection 3200 brings high quality film scanning with the flexibility of a flatbed scanner. Offering an optical resolution of 3200x6400 dpi, it also features a built-in 4"x9” Transparency Unit and a custom-developed ASIC for high-speed film scans.

The 4"x9” Transparency Unit makes the Perfection 3200 ideal for medium and large format film, and it can also scan up to twelve 35mm originals at a time, making it the ideal solution for both photography enthusiasts and professionals. It’s equally at home in businesses that require a flexible high quality scanner for general purpose use.”

I currently own the Nikon Coolscan IV ED film scanner, which in comparison to the Epson flatbed scanner only offers a resolution of 2900dpi, can only scan 4 frames or 1 slide at a time and is limited to 35mm film.

I also have a very cheap Black Widow flatbed scanner which is slow, noisy and has poor resolution.

And at only slightly over ?300, that’s why Epson’s new offering is so interesting. I’ll definitely be keeping a lookout for photography-biased reviews of the Perfection 3200 to see how it performs.

With the recently announced demise of the Canon D60, photographers looking for an affordable digital SLR currently have the choice of the Nikon D100, Fuji S2 and the Sigma SD9. The latter camera has been receiving a lot of attention recently due to it’s innovative use of the Foveon X3 CMOS sensor, which promises to deliver ‘twice the sharpness, better colour detail and greater resistance to unpredictable colour artifacts’.

The UK-based website ePhotoZine has reviewed Sigma’s first digital camera, which currently retails for ?1299 at Jessops.

Website: ePhotoZine

“Despite the negative issues we found with the SD9, Sigma have done a great job with their first Digital SLR. In some ways, this is a groundbreaking camera that puts many cameras to shame. Yet at the same time it can be embarrassed by its inadequacies in other important areas.

Taking into account the competitive price of the SD9, its good handling and specification and the generally very high standard of image quality, we’d certainly recommend it. However, do bear in mind the limitations with the ISO and shutter speed ranges. Also consider the workflow the SD9 forces you into by only using RAW files and whether you are prepared to add that extra amount of work into your photographic experience.”

From a personal point of view, I’ve probably discounted the Sigma as a potential DSLR (despite it’s very competive price), mainly because all of my current Canon kit and lenses would be incompatible with the Sigma. I’d rather wait to see what Canon announce as the replacement(s) for the D60. But if you don’t currently have a large investment in a film SLR then I think the Sigma is well worth a good, long look at.

Fuji released a press statement today announcing 2 new versions of its proprietary Super CCD.

Website: FujiFilm

“Tokyo, Japan, January 22, 2003, Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce the Super CCD HR and Super CCD SR - two significantly advanced 4th-Generation versions of the company’s proprietary Super CCD, a key device that has paved the way for exceptional digital camera imaging quality.

The high-resolution version of the Super CCD HR announced today incorporates a total of 6.63 million pixels* into a 1/1.7” chip, performance made possible through new strides in miniaturization. Cameras equipped with this imaging device can produce up to 12.3 million recording pixels, resulting in remarkably high-resolution images.

Incorporating the same miniaturization technology as the HR version, the Super CCD SR also features a new configuration that produces approximately four times wider dynamic range. Also measuring 1/1.7” in size, the new Super CCD SR incorporates 6.7 million total pixels* (3.35 million S-pixels and 3.35 million R-pixels).”

The Super CCD HR increases the number of pixels to 6.63 million (up to 12.3 million recording pixels), doubling the resolution of the current Fuji 6900/02 cameras.

In comparison the Super CCD SR only incorporates 3.14 million total pixels, for 6.0 million recording pixels. Its main innovation lies in expanding dynamic range. Apperently this new CCD will “produce smooth and wide tonal range without losing detail in dark areas or washing out in bright areas” by incorporating 2 distinct types of pixel.

Fuji haven’t yet announced any new cameras that incorporate either CCD.

DPReview have a very detailed analysis of this story, including a slide presentation from Fujifilm UK.