PMA 2007: The Panasonic DMC-FZ8 features a 12x optical zoom Leica lens equivalent to 36mm to 432mm, with an Optical Image Stabiliser, 7.2 megapixel CCD, RAW mode and joystick control for manual adjustment of focusing and exposure setting. Replacing the DMC-FZ7 model, the DSLR-like Panasonic DMC-FZ8 will be available from March 2007, price to be confirmed.

PMA 2007: The Panasonic DMC-TZ3 and Panasonic DMC-TZ2 both fit a 10x optical zoom in a compact, stylish body, equivalent to 28-280mm focal range. The TZ3 offers 7.2 megapixels and 3 inch LCD screen, whilst the TZ2 has a 6 megapixel sensor and 2.5 inch LCD. The Panasonic DMC-TZ3 and Panasonic DMC-TZ2 replace the original TZ1 model and will be available in May 2007, pricing to be confirmed.

PMA 2007: The Panasonic DMC-FX30 is the world’s slimmest digital camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens. There’s also an Optical Image Stabiliser, ISO 1250 and Intelligent ISO Control for shake-free photos. The Panasonic DMC-FX30 will be available in March, price to be announced.

PMA 2007: The new Panasonic DMC-FX12 and Panasonic DMC-FX10 digital cameras both offer a 3x optical zoom (35-105mm) Leica DC lens with f/2.8, 2.5 inch LCD screen, optical image stabiliser and Intelligent ISO Control, plus ISO 1250 at full resolution. The 7.2 megapixel DMC-FX12 and 6.0 megapixel DMC-FX10 will be available from March 2007, prices to be confirmed.

PMA 2007: The Panasonic DMC-LZ7 and Panasonic DMC-LZ6 cameras both offer a 6x zoom lens (37mm to 222mm), Easy Zoom feature which shifts the lens instantly to full zoom, 7.2 megapixels, Optical Image Stabilizer and Intelligent ISO Control. The DMC-LZ7 has a large, bright 2.5 inch LCD, whilst the LZ6 has a 2 inch model. The DMC-LZ7 and DMC-LZ6 are available from March 2007, prices to be confirmed.

PMA 2007: The entry-level Panasonic DMC-LS75 and Panasonic DMC-LS60 cameras offer 7.2 megapixels and 6.0 megapixels respectively. Replacing the DMC-LS2, both models have a 3x optical zoom lens, new Easy Zoom feature which shifts the lens instantly to full 3x zoom, optical image stabilizer, Intelligent ISO Control and run on widely available AA batteries. The DMC-LS75 has a 2.5 inch screen, whilst the DMC-LS60 has a 2 inch LCD. The DMC-LS75 and DMC-LS60 will be available from March, prices to be announced.

PMA 2007: The Panasonic KX-PX20 and Panasonic KX-PX2 are easy-to-use, dye-sub home photo printers with print life of up to 100 years. The KX-PX20 features a 3.6 inch colour LCD screen, the biggest in its class. Both printers can read extra information that is unique to Lumix digital cameras from the recorded EXIF data, and both can print 16:9 wide aspect images.

The Epson P-5000 Multimedia Storage Viewer is a new portable storage device that allows you to view, store and manage digital photos, music and movies. The P-5000 has a 4 inch Photo Fine Ultra colour LCD, which features the world’s first 4-colour filter system. Both JPEG and RAW files can be stored on the 80GB hard drive, and there are built-in card slots for Compact Flash and SD / SDHC memory cards. Epson have revamped the overall design and user interface, resulting in a more rugged unit. So is the Epson P-5000 a worthy successor to the older P-4000, and is it still a good investment for the keen photographer? Read our review to find out.

Website: Epson P-5000 Review

This month there is some fantastic photography software up for grabs, courtesy of ACDSee Systems, who are offering 4 copies of ACDSee Pro, and Ulead Systems, who are offering 2 copies of Ulead PhotoImpact 12.

On Friday 2nd February 2007, six names will be randomly selected from the list of PhotographyBLOG Newsletter subscribers.

First, Second, Third and Fourth Prizes - ACDSee Pro
ACDSee Pro allows you to view, process, edit, organize, catalog, publish, and archive your photo collections.

Fifth and Sixth Prizes - Ulead PhotoImpact 12
The latest version of Ulead PhotoImpact adds innovative features that allow beginners to immediately enjoy success in editing their digital photos.

Entering the competition is simple - just subscribe to the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter before Friday 2nd February 2007.

PMA 2007: The Samsung NV11 is an updated version of the NV10 featuring a Schneider lens, Smart Touch user interface, 2.7 inch high definition LCD, 10 megapixels and 5x optical zoom lens. The NV11 is also equipped with Samsung’s Face Recognition technology, 1600 ISO high-sensitivity capability and ASR image stabilisation system. The Samsung NV11 will retail at £299.99 and is available from leading high street and online retailers from mid-March 2007.

PMA 2007: The Samsung L74 Wide digital camera features a 3.0 inch touch screen LCD, 7 megapixels, 3.6x optical zoom and 28mm wide-angle lens. There’s also Face Recognition AF & AE, ASR image stabilisation system and MPEG-4 SVGA quality movies. The Samsung L74 Wide will retail at £229.99 and will be available from leading high street and online retailers from mid-March 2007.

PMA 2007: The Samsung i7 digital camera features a 3.0 inch touch screen LCD which rotates through 180 degrees, 7 megapixels, 3x optical zoom and integrated Portable Multimedia Player. The i7 also has 512 MB of internal memory and a Tour Guide function providing quick access to information about places to see and things to do in over 4,000 regions in 30 countries. The Samsung i7 will retail at £249.99 and will be available from leading high street and online retailers from mid-March 2007.

The Casio EX-Z75 is an updated version of the older EX-Z70 model. Featuring the same 7.2 megapixel sensor, Anti-Shake DSP mode and other advanced functions, the Casio EX-Z75 adds a new 2.6-inch wide, 14:9 aspect ratio LCD display, which can display information on the right side of the screen, separate from the subject shown on the monitor while shooting. The Casio EX-Z75 will have a retail price of $229.99 / £179.99 and be available in March in four colors – pink, blue, black and silver.

The Casio EX-Z1050 is a 10.1 megapixel digital camera which follows on from the EX-Z1000 model. The Z1050 features a new 2.6-inch wide, 14:9 aspect ratio LCD display, which can display information on the right side of the screen, separate from the subject shown on the monitor while shooting. There’s also a 3x, 38-114mm zoom lens, and 370 shot battery life. The Casio EX-Z1050 will have a suggested retail price of $299.99 / £229.99 and be available in March in four colors – pink, blue, black and silver.

In the latest installment of this regular series, we cast the spotlight on members of the PhotographyBLOG Gallery and ask them about their photography. The 28th member to sit in the interview chair is j.meehan.

“Photography has quite a strong pull on my life, and that really is not limited to any particular type. I am developing an interest in portraiture though, because I like images which convey emotion and the face is so unique and individual; so expressive.”

Website: Gallery Member Spotlight - j.meehan

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom will ship in mid-February and is now available for pre-order in the United States and Canada at www.adobe.com/store for a special introductory price of £125 (ex VAT) / $199. Photoshop Lightroom will later sell for an estimated street price of £175 (ex VAT) / $299. Users of Lightroom beta will have access to the program until its expiration on February 28, 2007. More than 500,000 photographers participed in the public beta program during the last 12 months.

The Colour Confidence Total Balance is an almost indestructible white and grey balance chart that’s ideal for outdoor use. The grey and white on either side of the Total Balance are both spectrally neutral in all types of lighting conditions. The Colour Confidence Total Balance is suitable for both film and digital photography, and available for £16.95 / €25.00.

ProShow MediaSource from Photodex is a new collection of royalty-free content, including audio, images, templates and more, which is aimed specifically at photographers. The Wedding Essentials title is an all-in-one solution that contains everything a photographer needs to create a compelling wedding themed slide show for a client. There are also six music compilations which provide photographers with professionally produced, royalty-free music for their presentations. All seven ProShow MediaSource titles are available immediately from www.photodex.com for $129.95.

Adobe have released an update, 5.0.2, for Photoshop Elements which provides compatibility with Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit versions only).

Website: Download the Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0.2 Update

DIWA member LetsGoDigital have a preview of the upcoming FujiFilm S5 Pro digital SLR camera.

“As well as enlarging the buffer, several other functions and components of the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro have been made faster. It is now possible to get a reproduction of a picture more or less immediately via the Quick Review setting and there is practically no pause between pressing in the Play button and seeing the picture. The possibility of deleting this picture directly in the preview mode is also very handy. One new feature is the face detection button which gives you a 100% zoom reproduction of the picture immediately. This part is incredibly handy and helps quickly when making portraits or photos that include people. The detection system works quickly and faultlessly and can detect a maximum of ten different faces!”

Website: LetsGoDigital - FujiFilm S5 Preview