TrustedReviews have reviewed the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, a 6 megapixel camera with an image stabilized 12x zoom lens, ISO 800 and a 2 inch LCD screen.

“Image quality is also superb. Despite only having a tiny 1/2.5in sensor, pictures are impressively sharp and detailed, far more than I would expect from a 6MP camera. In fact I’ve seen 8MP models that can’t match the S3 for fine detail, and this is undoubtedly due to the excellent lens. It is pin-sharp from edge to edge at all focal lengths, produces minimal wide-angle barrel distortion, and its fast maximum aperture ensures good shutter speeds at long focal lengths. Combined with the fast AF it provides pin-sharp shots even of distant moving subjects.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon PowerShot S3 IS Review

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Greer McNally reports back from the other event about the Blood Diamond industry this week.

Tuesday night at the Frontline Club saw Dutch photographer Kadir van Lohuizen host a talk about his work Diamond Matters, a series chronicling the conditions and conflict that surround the highly lucrative diamond business from the mines of South West Africa to the upmarket jewellers of Fifth Avenue. Striking because of his stature, strong eyes and curly hair, van Lohuizen has spent a great deal of his professional life photographing Africa, which is clear in a series of images from the 90s through to the present day.

PMA 2007: The new Hasselblad H3D-31 is a 31 megapixel version of the H3D-39, the world’s first 48mm full-frame DSLR camera system. The H3D-31 uses a 44×33mm sensor enhanced with micro-lenses to boost ISO rating one stop to a new maximum of ISO 800, and it offers a capture rate of 1.2 seconds per image in either mobile or tethered mode. The H3D31 is available immediately worldwide through Hasselblad’s national subsidiaries and channel partners with a retail price of £13,900, excluding VAT, or 19,900 Euros, or US$ 24,995.

PMA 2007: The Olympus SP-550 UZ is the first digital camera to offer an 18x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28-504mm! As you’d expect with such a massive focal range, the SP550 offers a Dual Image Stabilization system to help avoid the effects of camera shake. Also on offer is a 6.4cm LCD sceen, Super Macro mode (Icm focusing), PASM exposure modes and 23 scene modes. The Olympus SP-550 UZ will be available from February 2007 at around £375.

PMA 2007: The Olympus mju 770 SW digital camera is a new addition to their shockproof range of digicams. The Olympus 770 SW can survive falls from up to 1.5m, is waterproof to 10m depths, as well as being freezeproof to -10 degrees Celsius. It can also withstands loads up to a staggering 100kg. Available in three colours, Dark Blue, Titanium Grey, Mocca Brown, the 7.1 megapixel Olympus Mju 770 SW will hit the shelves in March 2007 at around £300.

PMA 2007: The weatherproof Olympus mju 760 is a 7.1 megapixel digital camera with 3x zoom (37-111mm), Dual Image Stabilization and a slim-line metal body. Available in Light Silver, Dark Blue and Ruby Red, the Olympus mju 760 has a 6.4cm LCD with 230,000 pixels, 23 scene modes and ISO 1600. The Olympus mju 760 will be available from March 2007 at around £200.

PMA 2007: The Olympus FE-250 digicam offers 8 megapixels, 3x optical zoom (35-105mm), large 6.4cm LCD with 230,000 pixels, Olympus’  BrightCapture Technology and stylish metal body. The Olympus FE-250 will be available from February 2007 with an estimated price of £200.

PMA 2007: The Olympus FE-240 digital camera features a 5x optical zoom lens (38-190mm), 7.1 megapixels, large 6.4cm LCD, slim metal body and a High ISO Setting mode with ISO 1000. The Olympus FE240 will hit stores in February 2007 with an estimated price of £180.

PMA 2007: Just 16.5mm slim, the new Olympus FE-230 digital camera has a smart stainless metal body and 7.1 megapixel sensor, plus a 3x zoom lens and large 6.4cm LCD screen. The FE230 also offers High ISO Setting mode with ISO 1250, Super Macro and a movie recording function with sound. The Olympus FE-230 will be available from February 2007 with an estimated price of £150.

PMA 2007: The entry-level Olympus FE-210 offers 7.1 megapixels and a 3x zoom lens (38-114mm), plus a large 6.4cm LCD and 15 scene modes. The Olympus FE210 will hit stores in February 2007 with an estimated High Street price of around £100.

The Fujifilm Finepix S6500fd (also known as the S6000fd) is a new ultra-zoom digital camera with a focal length of 28-300mm, 6 megapixels and a 2.5 inch LCD screen. The S6500fd features Fujifilm’s new Face Detection technology for better portrait shots, and there are aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual modes, plus RAW format support. Find out now if the Fujifilm Finepix S6500fd is the best ultra-zoom camera available.

Website: Fujifilm Finepix S6500fd Review

Microsoft Photo Info is a new software add-in which enables easy editing of “metadata” for digital photographs from inside Windows Explorer, supporting most of the common IPTC properties. It also provides enhanced hover tips for digital photographs in Explorer. Photo Info runs on 32-bit versions of Windows XP (with Service Pack 2 or later) and the Windows Vista operating systems. JPEG, TIFF, WDP, HDP (HD Photo), NEF, CR2, and CRW files are currently supported.

Website: Download Microsoft Photo Info

VisibleDust’s sensor cleaning products will soon be available in France, Germany, Japan and the UK, after Bogen Imaging and KATA UK agree to distribute their product range. These include VisibleDust’s most popular products, the Sensor Brush and Arctic Butterfly, a revolutionary sensor cleaning product that only requires two AAA batteries, and takes just a few seconds to get a spotless sensor. VisibleDust products remove and lift up dust particles away from the sensor leaving the surface of the sensor spotless, while decreasing the chances of scratches or dust returning to the sensor.

The YouSendIt Export Plug-In for Apple Aperture allows photographers to send photos directly from within the application. You can send multiple photos to multiple recipients, add comments, and select resolution, file size and file type before sending from within the plug-in. The YouSendIt plug-in will be available as a free download from www.yousendit.com by January 22, 2007.

PowerSnap 2.0 is a free, downloadable application that lets users automate photo sharing and enables digital photo organization so users can find all their pictures within a single easy-to-use application. For the first time users can manage all their photographs, automatically sending and receiving pictures in near real-time, and synchronize their uploaded albums with their desktop instead of struggling with multiple sites and applications.

The Casio Z1000 and S770 digital cameras have both received an iF Product Design Award for 2007, recognised around the world as one of the premier industrial design competitions. The iF product design award 2007 attracted 2,293 entries from 35 countries with 756 entries receiving awards.

ImagingResource have published their review of the 10 megapixel Panasonic DMC-FZ50 camera.

“The Panasonic FZ50 is more evolutionary than groundbreaking, which is actually good. Looking virtually identical to the FZ30, the Panasonic FZ50 has the same 12x optical (35mm to 420mm in 35mm format) lens as its predecessor but an uptick in resolution (of course), to bring it to the now de rigueur 10 megapixels. Also new on the FZ50 is the Venus Engine III LSI image processor which moves basic camera functions along at a fairly good clip while ostensibly reducing image noise when shooting at the camera’s maximum ISO 3,200 light sensitivity rating.”

Website: ImagingResource - Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review

Website: Read our Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review

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PMA 2007: It seems the build-up to the PMA show has started early this year, as the new Pentax T30 and Pentax M30 compact digital cameras are announced today. The Pentax T30 features 7.1 megapixels, a 3 inch touch-screen LCD display, Face Recognition Auto Focus and Auto Exposure, plus a high ISO Digital Shake Reduction mode. Available in March, the Pentax T30 will cost US $349.95. The Pentax M30 also offers 7.1 megapixels, Digital Shake Reduction and Face Recognition AF and AE in an ultra-slim body. Available in March, the Pentax M30 will cost US $199.95.

The Airport International is a new rolling carry-on backpack from Think Tank Photo designed specifically for the overhead lockers of international carriers and smaller regional aircraft. It can hold 300mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8, or 500mm f/4 lenses with hoods, multiple DSLR bodies, and other photography accessories. The stretchable front pocket can also hold a laptop. The Airport International backpack costs $319.00 and is available now.

PortraitProfessional 4 software allows you to dramatically improve a portrait photo in less than ten minutes. Improvements include individual control over all the separate facial features, and natural enhancements to skin just by moving a few sliders. PortraitProfessional 4 has just been released and is currently on offer at $39.95.