In a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey, photographers were most satisfied with the Canon EOS and Nikon D series of DSLR cameras. Each received a score of 823 out of 1000 in the 2008 Digital Camera Usage and Satisfaction Study, with Canon being praised for picture quality, and Nikon for ease of operation, performance, and appearance and styling. In the other categories, the Fujifilm Finepix S series was the highest point and shoot model, the Canon PowerShot G series and the Lumix (Panasonic) DMC-TZ series tied in premium point and shoot, and Sony Cyber-shot T series topped the ultra slim segment.

The Sigma HC-11 is a new dedicated hard case for the Sigma DP1 compact camera. Th HC11 hard case is specifically designed to protect the DP1 from damage, and is made from genuine leather with accentuated red lining and stitching. The HC-11 conforms to the shape of the DP1 body, it provides good handling and does not hinder the operation of the camera when fitted. It is also possible to remove the case whilst the camera strap is still attached. Price and availability of the HC-11 Hard Case to be announced.

The ExpressDigital Template Marketplace is a new e-commerce solution which provides access to hundreds of graphic templates and borders. “ExpressDigital and its selected partners are thrilled to unveil the new ExpressDigital Template Marketplace, which puts the power in the hands of the photographers to increase their product offering with a variety of creative content,” said Graham McFarland, Founder and CEO of ExpressDigital.  “Templates are a proven way to turn photos into profits, and now we are providing a one-stop-shop to enable easy access to the best content out there and make them more accessible to professional photographers.” The ExpressDigital Template Marketplace is available in Darkroom v8.9.

The-Digital-Picture have reviewed the Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi, a 12 megapixel compact DSLR camera.

“The number of people moving up to digital SLR cameras has been amazing - but so are the images these cameras can deliver. Even compared to the not-very-old Canon Rebel XTi / 400D, the Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D delivers better image quality from a more attractive body with more features ... I’m very pleased (actually somewhat surprised) with the improvements delivered by the Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D. It will be a worthwhile upgrade for many XTi / 400D owners - it is a lot of camera for the money for anyone purchasing it. “

Website: The-Digital-Picture - Canon Digital Rebel XSi Review

Website: Read our Canon Digital Rebel XSi Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd, a new 10 megapixel compact camera with MPEG-4 video technology.

“The Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd is small and fun, and offers good capability for its tiny size. The 10-megapixel CCD picks up a lot of fine detail, and both color and exposure performance are generally good. Noise handling isn’t great at the highest sensitivity settings, but results are fine at the normal ISOs. Blurring in the corners of the frame will definitely detract from compositions with a lot of fine detail in these areas, but for average day-to-day snapshots, the Z20fd’s performance should be just fine.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd Review

The Sanyo DMX-HD800 is a new slim high definition camera that can shoot both stills and videos. The Sanyo HD800 (also called the Sanyo VPC-HD800 in some regions) records 1280 x 720p movies and 8 megapixel still photos on a 1/2.5 inch CMOS sensor with a new ‘3-dimension Noise Reduction’ filter. “The DMX-HD800 has not only has it been designed to be sleek and stylish, but it now offers our unique three-dimensional digital noise reduction (3DDNR) filter, which allows clear, beautiful images with simple operation of a dual camera offering high resolution stills and HD videos in a single unit.” commented Hideki Toyoda of Sanyo. The DMX-HD800 will be sold in Japan starting from August 22, 2008, price to be announced.

Adobe Photoshop Express has just been updated with a number of new features.

- New Photoshop Express Uploader powered by Adobe AIR that enables seamless photo uploading from the desktop of any Internet-connected computer.
- Adobe AIR technology bridges the real-time, dynamic capabilities of the Web with the computing power and data capabilities of the desktop computer.
- Users can now quickly browse through thumbnails of their photos and easily drag and drop their favorite selections directly from the desktop of their preferred photo management applications into Photoshop Express.
- Ability to print photos through Shutterfly, a leading online printing service provider, that is available to all Photoshop Express users and anyone who receives shared photos.
- To enhance dynamic slideshows, users can now incorporate music created exclusively for Photoshop Express. For organizing, the addition of tags allows for easy viewing and searching by name, party, venue, subject and anything else customers find useful.
- One-click Resize tool with presets for mobile, Web, e-mail or online profiles.
- Users can also download photos from anyone’s public album and keep a collection of their favorites.

Website: Adobe Photoshop Express

Nikon are now offering to upgrade the buffer of your Nikon D3 DSLR so that it can capture more shots with a single burst of continuous shooting. In the highest quality RAW format, the number of shots is increased from 16 to 36, quite a significant improvement. The service costs $500 plus state tax and all shipping costs in the US, and £352 in the UK, and will take up to two weeks to be completed. Requests for the Buffer Memory Expansion service will be accepted beginning July 30th, 2008.

Website: Nikon USA - D3 Digital-SLR Camera Buffer Memory Expansion Service

Website: Nikon Europe - D3 Digital-SLR Camera Buffer Memory Expansion Service

The Box That Changed Our Lives is a new photography contest aiming to raise awareness of the impact that container shipping has on our lives. Last year alone, the equivalent of about 141 million twenty-foot containers moved around the oceans loaded with goods. Aimed at amateur or ‘have-a-go’ photographers, the competition will run throughout August and September 2008. The overall best entry will be picked by a panel of judges, including US based professional photographer Nick Souza, and awarded the winning prize of a top-of-the-range Nikon SLR digital camera. Closing date for entries is Friday 12th September 2008.

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Olympus SP-570 UZ camera, which features a 20x zoom equivalent to 26-520mm.

“The Olympus SP-570 UZ is a decent camera to use, with some nice handling features such as a decent EVF, good zoom ring and plenty of control. It’s Raw capabilities are an eye catcher, but it lacks the finesse of some competitors, particuallry when it comes to the images, Apart from exposure, which is easily remedied, the fringing from the lens is appalling, while the noise is average. You may be buying the longest superzoom available but it’s hardly the best.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Olympus SP-570 UZ Review

Website: Read our Olympus SP-570 UZ Review

On the surface, the new Olympus E-520 DSLR camera looks very similar to the 1-year old E-510 model that it replaces. The E520 retains some key features from its predecessor; the same 10 megapixel LiveMOS sensor, Supersonic Wave Filter, and body-integrated image stabilisation are all present and correct. What have Olympus added then to tempt you to part with £500 / $750 of your hard-earned cash? There’s a bigger 2.7 inch LCD screen, 3.5fps continuous shooting speed, the introduction of Shadow Adjustment Technology, Face Detection and more convenient auto-focus options in Live View, and wireless TTL flash control. Zoltan Arva-Toth finds out if the evolutionary Olympus E-520 has enough new features to survive in the cut-throat world of the entry-level DSLR market.

Website: Olympus E-520 Review

The RAW development software Bibble Pro has just been updated to support the new Nikon D700 DSLR camera. Version 4.10.1 additionally supports new lenses and addresses a compatibility issue with upgraded firmware on the Pentax K20D. Bibble 4.10.1 is available now in both “Pro” ($129.95) and “Lite” ($69.95) versions for Windows, Macintosh (PPC/Intel as a Universal Binary) and Linux. Bibble Labs have also released further details about Bibble 5, which will be released later this year.

The Leaf AFi 10 is a new 56 megapixel medium format camera system. The new 56x36mm Leaf TWF sensor delivers 56 megapixel resolution across the entire width of the Leaf AFi 10’s 6x6 sensor area. Together with the new Leaf ‘Verto’ technology, the TWF sensor can be rotated internally, allowing you to take photos in both landscape and portrait orientations. The Leaf AFi 10 will cost £21,995 ex VAT and be available in Q4 2008.

Extend your Nikon DSLR shutter control up to 300ft with the Twin-1 R4 remote kit from Seculine. The new Twin-1 R4 wireless remote control can trigger your shutter from up to 300ft (100m) away from the camera. It can also operate a delayed shutter release and fire your camera in Bulb mode. The Twin-1 R4 for Nikon is compatible with Nikon cameras with a built in Electronic shutter release port and costs £39.99 in the UK.

Photo Iconic have unveiled their new photography courses for autumn 2008, which includes a course on shooting fireworks. Tuition is by award-winning photographers Chris Coe and Nick Meers, with digital imaging expertise provided by Photoshop guru Terry Steeley. Photo Iconic’s one, two and three-day photography courses start from £145.

Adobe have released the final candidate versions of Camera Raw 4.5 and DNG Converter 4.5 for both Windows and Mac platforms. Version 4.5 includes the following changes:

- Newly supported camera models include:
  * Olympus E 420
  * Olympus E 520
-  Compatibility with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 (Camera Raw)

Website: Adobe Camera Raw 4.5 (Windows)
Website: Adobe Camera Raw 4.5 (Mac)

TrustedReviews have reviewed the 10.1 megapixel Samsung L210 digital camera.

“The Samsung L210 is an ambitious camera, a budget ultra-compact with optical image stabilisation, a technology usually only found in more expensive cameras. While it does make an attractive package for the price the rest of the camera is still very much budget-level, and it doesn’t really compete with more expensive IS compact models from other manufacturers. Low light focusing and overall shooting performance are especially poor.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Samsung L210 Review

There are just 3 days left to enter! We’ve teamed up with Ricoh UK to offer one very lucky winner the chance to win the brand new Ricoh GX200 digital camera, complete with the VR-1 electronic viewfinder, worth a total of £399.

The Ricoh GX200 is a high-end, 24 mm super-wide-angle, optical zoom, digital compact camera featuring a high resolution 12 megapixel CCD coupled with the latest imaging engine SIE III. The Ricoh GX200 was awarded 4.5/5 - Highly Recommended in our recent review.

It’s simple to enter - just make sure you subscribe to the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter, and on Friday 1st August 2008, one name will be randomly selected to win this great prizes.

Website: Win a Ricoh GX200 Digital Camera!

The Pentax Optio M60 is a new 10 megapixel compact camera with a 5x zoom lens. The Pentax M60 has a metal body, 36-180mm lens, Advanced Auto Picture mode, High-speed Face Recognition and 2.5-inch LCD monitor. Designed to be easy to operate, the new Mode palette provides quick access to 24 shooting and 15 playback modes. Available in 3 colours, silver, pink and blue, price and availability of the Pentax Optio M60 are still to be confirmed.

The Pentax Optio E60 is a new entry-level, 10 megapixel digital camera. The E60 offers a 3x, 32-96mm zoom lens, Auto Picture, Face Recognition, High Sensitivity Digital Shake Reduction modes, and an Image Recovery function to retrieve accidentally-erased images. The Pentax E60 will be available in black in October for under US $140.00.