Tabblo Press Release

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—A significant percentage of Americans have turned into shutterbugs according to an Internet survey conducted by Tabblo this month. Fully 11 percent of respondents indicated they have more than 10,000 digital photos. The largest group of survey respondents (27 percent) has between 1,001 and 5,000 digital photos. If this data is extrapolated to the general public, it translates into Americans having almost 500 billion digital photos. Additionally, when asked how they were going to photograph the holiday and New Year’s parties they planned to attend, point and shoot cameras remain the preferred choice, with 55 percent of survey respondents indicating they planned to use them. Digital SLRs were a popular second choice, with 37 percent of respondents indicating they planned to use them to capture holiday memories. Despite the dramatic growth in the number of camera phones, only 3 percent of respondents indicated they planned to use them to take pictures at upcoming parties.

Sharpcast Press Release

Company delivers completely new experience for viewing and sharing PC and web photos on mobile phones, Partnership with Alltel Wireless marks first wireless operator deployment for award-winning service

PALO ALTO, CALIF. (December 13, 2006) —Sharpcast today introduced a powerful new version of Sharpcast Photos mobile edition, delivering a completely new way to view entire photo collections on mobile phones, share desktop PC and web photos from anywhere, and get camera-phone photos automatically to a person’s PC and the web where they can be enjoyed more easily. The new Sharpcast Photos mobile edition, available today as a free download at www.sharpcast.com/download, gives consumers fast, fully automatic synchronization of their photos between their mobile phone or wireless PDA, all the PCs they use, and the web. Sharpcast Photos is the debut service built on the company’s patent-pending universal push synchronization platform, which marks the first instance where Blackberry-like push synchronization capability is available to the average consumer, outside of an enterprise setting. It automatically backs up photo collections online, organizes them into web albums, and keeps the collection constantly up to date across all of a person’s mobile phone, all their PCs and the web.  Sharpcast eliminates the every-day hassles of manual uploading, tedious sharing processes, forgotten backups and sync cables so people can get on with creating and enjoying their media.

Photobird.com Press Release

San Francisco, CA - December 12, 2006 - Photobird.com, the easy way to share your photos, today announced that the new Photobird Photo Contest will start January 1, 2007.  This monthly photo contest will be free to enter and everyone who visits Photobird.com will be able to see and vote for as many contest photos as they would like.  Each monthly photo contest will have two winners who will receive several exciting, high-quality prizes.  Details about the Photobird Photo Contest are available at www.photobird.com/contest/ . “Photo contests should be free to enter, offer high-quality prizes, and allow everyone to see the photo entries.  The new Photobird Photo Contest gives you all of those features, plus your friends can vote for you,” said Ed Krimen, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Photobird.com.  “I’m looking forward to seeing the gorgeous photos that contestants will submit and to award great prizes that the winners will truly enjoy.”

Medea International Press Release

The people at Medea International have done it again with the launch of their innovative Print’n’Save range of inkjet printer inks. The Print’n’Save system is an extension of the unique Inkrite PhotoPlus cartridge design, combining the use of the patented ‘sponge-less’ ink tank and unique diaphragm regulator (which results in a page yield of up to 30% more than other 3rd party manufacturers) whilst using the 2-part construction of the ink cartridge to its full potential.

O’Reilly Press Release

Sebastopol, CA—It makes total sense—with prices of digital cameras rapidly shrinking—that more folks than ever will be wrapping and unwrapping these fervently craved devices in the weeks to come. Yes, such pixel-packed stocking stuffers possess seductive new features—yet trying to create artful and arresting images straight out-of-the box can be frustrating. Happily, next month digital camera enthusiasts traveling to and in northern California can cure the digital blues and get their photography questions answered at a pre-Macworld bookstore reading and Macworld events: oreilly.com/go/macworld2007

PopPhoto have reviewed the Pentax K10D, which offers 10.2 megapixels, shake-reduction, dust removal system, 22-bit colour, three new shooting modes, 2.5 inch LCD screen and 11 point auto-focusing.

“In the hands, the camera feels satisfyingly solid. The concave lip/grip below the K10D logo is a great little consideration for times when it’s necessary to hold the camera with the left hand. For those unfamiliar with the floating sensor stabilization design, it can be a bit unsettling to hear the sensor rattle around when the camera is off, but you’ll get over it when you see the image results, especially at slow shutter speeds in low light.”

Website: PopPhoto - Pentax K10D Review

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Imaging Resource have reviewed the 7 megapixel, 10x optical zoom Olympus SP-510 UZ.

“The Olympus SP-510 does capture very nice images in daylight and under adequate indoor lighting conditions. Macro shots I took of the few flowers in my neighborhood still growing this late in the season had lively but not overly saturated color. The Olympus ED 10x f/2.8-f/3.8 aperture optical zoom lens provides very good sharpness, though because the camera uses digital image stabilization instead of hardware-based optical image stabilization, some shots I took at the full 10x zoom were not very sharp, especially in low light conditions when the camera automatically boosts the ISO.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Olympus SP-510 UZ Review

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Apple have just released Apple Aperture 1.5.2, which addresses some issues related to overall reliability and performance in a number of areas of the application (see list below). The download is 131Mb. This update is recommended for all Aperture users.

What’s New in this Version
• Contact sheet printing
• Smart Albums
• Watermarks
• Lift and stamp
• Image export
• Versions created using an external editor

Sharpcast Press Release

Sharpcast Photos iPhoto uploader is an ideal solution for people who use both a Mac and a PC; delivers a completely new way to back up and share photo albums online

PALO ALTO, CALIF. (December 12, 2006) – Sharpcast today introduced a completely new and effortless way for Mac owners to back up and share their iPhoto albums online, and to view their iPhoto albums on a mobile phone or Windows-based PC. With the Sharpcast Photos iPhoto uploader, Mac owners can export iPhoto albums directly from their Macs into their Sharpcast Photos Web albums in just a few clicks, where they are backed up, easy to share, and automatically synced all the way down to the person’s mobile phone and PC desktop.  Sharpcast’s iPhoto uploader is available as a free download at www.sharpcast.com/download.

Olympus Press Release

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/—For most of us, red eye in our photos is nothing to be proud of. But for scientists around the globe, a brilliant crimson image of the inside of a mouse’s eye has set a new standard as one of the most beautiful and striking photos in the world. The image, captured by San Diego researcher Thomas Deerinck, triumphed over more than 1200 other entries to become the top prizewinner in the international 2006 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition—the world’s foremost forum for showcasing microscope photos and videos of life science subjects.

OnAsia Press Release

Bangkok , THAILAND -  December 12th, 2006 - Kashmir-based OnAsia Photographer Yasin Dar has won the People in the News category of the prestigious India Press Photo (IPP) Awards 2006. His winning photo essay offers a poignant description of the lives of children orphaned by the ongoing conflict in Kashmir (click here to view Yasin’s winning story: http://www.onasia.com/content/story.aspx?storyID=262&page=3 ) “Yasin Dar’s images combine an understanding of the situation in Kashmir with a strong photojournalistic vision. His pictures show the human cost of the conflict in Kashmir. Much of their strength is derived from the fact that they are powerful without being sensational,” said OnAsia’s Chief Editor Olivier Nilsson who works regularly with Yasin.

Our Australian friends over at Buy-n-Shoot.com have just informed us that they’ve turned 5 years old this month. The site, run by photographer Michael Gazzola has for quite a while dominated the Australian market for photography news but in more recent times has been noticed by the larger global audience who are starting to add Buy-n-Shoot.com to their web browser’s ‘favorites’.

Olympus have released a new firmware update for the FE-200 digital camera, which improves USB connectivity, power and zoom operations (no more details are forthcoming).

Website: Olympus FE-200 v1.1 Firmware Update

PCMagazine have reviewed the new 8 megapixel Kodak Easyshare C875 digital camera.

“The C875 has a very nice 5X optical-zoom lens that runs from 37mm to 185mm (with corresponding maximum f-stops of f/2.8 to f/4.4); I just wish Kodak had given the camera a slightly wider-angle lens. The menus were created to be very simple and clear. I especially like Kodak’s attempt to explain terms and features by including an “i” button that you press for more info. Explanations are then displayed on the camera’s 2.5-inch LCD.”

Website: PCMagazine - Kodak Easyshare C875 Review

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TrustedReviews have reviewed the new Canon G7, which features a 10 megapixel, 1/1.8 inch sensor, DIGIC III image processor, Face Detection, 35-210mm lens and optical image stabilization system.

“Image quality is, thankfully, superb. The G7 is equipped with Canon’s latest Digic III image processor, which is both fast and effective. As you’ll see from the sample shots, detail definition is approaching that of a 10MP DSLR. The new lens may be slower than the previous model, but it is nice and sharp right across the frame with virtually no wide-angle distortion. Purple fringing, a big problem on many 10MP compacts, is thankfully well controlled. Image noise, also sometimes a problem for this type of sensor, is also very well controlled. Images are very good at 200 ISO and quite good at 400, although quality does drop off noticeably at higher settings. That said, even at 1600 ISO colour noise is kept to a minimum.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon G7 Review

Website: Read our Canon Powershot G7 Review

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DCResource have reviewed the new Nikon Coolpix L5, which offers a 5x zoom lens, 7 megapixels and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“Overall, the L5’s photo quality was just okay. The good news is that the camera took well-exposed photos, with pleasing colors and not much purple fringing. The bad news is that photos are on the soft side, especially fine details (example), and there’s no way to adjust this on the camera. Furthermore, since the camera adjusts the ISO automatically, photos may end up being noisier than they could be. For smaller-sized prints none of this should matter, but for “big prints” you may want to consider another camera.”

Website: DCResource - Nikon Coolpix L5 Review

Website: Read our Nikon Coolpix L5 Review

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Megapixel.net have just reviewed the 10.2 megapixel Sony A100 DSLR camera.

“With an attractive price, the 10-megapixel Alpha 100 is deserving of the attention it has received. Purchased as a kit with one or two lenses, the Alpha is immediately useable, and will produce high quality photos at all but the widest angle of the 18 - 70 mm lens. Moreover, with its numerous advanced features and full compatibility with a wide number of Minolta A mount lenses in addition to the upcoming Carl Zeiss designed Sony lenses, the Alpha 100 should prove to be one of the most popular entry-level DSLR cameras.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Sony A100 Review

Website: Read our Sony A100 Review

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CNET have reviewed the new Epson 3800 A2 printer with UltraChrome K3 ink and the smallest footprint on the market.

“Like the other printers that use Epson’s K3 inks, the 3800 produces prints with accurate colors and minimal metamerism, and none of the bronzing that marred the performance of the Stylus Photo R2200. We also saw impressively deep blacks—Epson rates the maximum density (DMax) at as high as 2.3D. Of course, the depth of black, and more importantly, the brightness and neutrality of whites and lighter colors will vary based on the paper you choose, but we saw an impressive amount of color fidelity across various paper types. Plus, the ICC color profiles that Epson ships with the printer proved excellent.”

Website: CNET - Epson 3800 Review

Website: Read our Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Review

Steves Digicams have just reviewed the 10.2 megapixel Sony A100 DSLR camera.

“The A100’s ergonomics were excellent. The grip was comfortably sized, and the camera controls were well-placed, not getting in the way during shooting yet easily accessible when needed. The A100 marks the return of the Function dial, providing access to the camera’s metering, flash, focus, ISO, White Balance, Dynamic Range and color/DEC controls - simply turn the dial and hit the Fn button at its center for direct access to the control of your choice without wading through a menu system to find it. The look and feel of the A100 is more camera-like than most consumer dSLRs, a plus for those migrating from film SLRs.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Sony A100 Review

Website: Read our Sony A100 Review

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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 23rd member to sit in the interview chair is Amandart.

“When I first got interested in digital photography I went to the library, bought magazines, and did everything I could think of to learn what I could. Nothing beats looking at all the photos and reading the comments.”

Website: Gallery Member Spotlight - Amandart