Syntax-Brillian Corporation Press Release

Acquisition Will Create New Opportunities for TV Maker in Digital Photography and Imaging, Optics and Enhanced International Distribution

TEMPE, Ariz.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Syntax-Brillian Corporation (Nasdaq:BRLC), a manufacturer and marketer of LCD and LCoS™ HDTVs and digital entertainment products, today announced that it has agreed to acquire Vivitar Corporation, an Oxnard, Calif.-based leader in the design, development and marketing of photographic, optical, electronic and digital imaging products, for $26 million in stock. The acquisition will give Syntax-Brillian full ownership over all Vivitar assets and creates for the TV maker an entrée into digital photography and Vivitar’s established global retail and distribution channels. This union will capitalize on key synergies between Syntax-Brillian’s leadership in LCD and digital imaging technology and Vivitar’s legacy of technological innovation in photography and optics. Vivitar will be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Syntax-Brillian.

Breeze Systems Press Release

BreezeBrowser Pro v1.6.2 adds support for the new Canon EOS 400D/Digital Rebel XTi/Kiss Digital X and Nikon D80.

New in BreezeBrowser Pro v1.6.2:

  * Canon EOS 400D/Digital Rebel XTi/Kiss Digital X, Nikon D80 and Nikon D2Xs raw conversion
  * Full support for Canon EOS 400D/Rebel XTi/Kiss Digital X shooting data and focus point overlay display
  * New “Advance on ranking/tagging” option in slideshow for faster ranking of large numbers of images

JP Distribution Press Release

JP Distribution is pleased to announce the new Ezybox Hotshoe from award winning manufacturer Lastolite. A new addition to their ever popular range of portable softboxes, the Ezybox Hotshoe is purpose built to work with shoe mount flashguns. It converts your battery operated tilt head flash gun from a harsh directional light into a soft light that can be mounted onto either a light stand or a camera bracket. It comes complete with Ezybox 15” x 15”, speedring and flash shoe bracket.

Adobe Press Release
 
Premier Global Student Competition Recognizes the Best Student Work in Design, Film and Interactive Content for the Web; Expands to Include 30 Countries

London — Nov. 1, 2006 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced its call for entries to the seventh annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA). The program honours and recognises the most talented and promising student designers, photographers, illustrators, animators and digital filmmakers from the world’s top design, film, interactive and Web higher education programs. This year, the competition will accept entries from 30 participating countries. “The Adobe Design Achievement Awards pay homage to the best and the brightest students around the globe who push the limits of creative innovation,” said Ann Lewnes, senior vice president of corporate marketing and communications at Adobe. “This program continues to cultivate new generations of design talent and reinforces Adobe’s commitment to design and film education.”

Smartparts, Inc. Press Release

New 10.4-inch and 5.6-inch viewable image frames permit automatic slideshow viewing of photos and videos.

Englewood, NJ (November 1, 2006) – Smartparts, Inc. (www.smartpartsproducts.com), one of the pioneers of the quickly growing Digital Picture Frame product category, announces today two new affordable and easy-to-use Digital Picture Frames that clearly showcase standard (JPEG) images. Available today are the 10.4-inch and 5.6-inch viewable image Digital Picture Frames. The new 12” x 10” Digital Picture Frame with a stylish acrylic bezel features a large hi-definition 10.4-inch LCD display, movie (.avi) file and MP3 capability, remote control access for easy operation and is compatible with all common memory cards including SecureDigital (SD), Memory Stick (MS), MultiMediaCard (MMC), CompactFlash (CF) and xD Picture Cards. In addition, the new genuine wood 8” x 7” Digital Picture Frame features a 5.6-inch LCD display and built-in SD/MMC and MS card reader. As with all Smartparts Digital Picture Frames, these two new frames also feature an automatic slide show function which scrolls through every picture on the user’s memory card. Both frames display clear sharp images without the need for a computer. Both can easily be displayed on a desk or countertop.

Inside Media Networks Press Release

Popular Photography & American PHOTO Magazines Partner With Inside Media Networks To Premier Innovative Broadcast Programming At PhotoPlus Expo - Inside Digital Photo Premiers with Full Coverage from the show floor at the Javits Center in NYC

NEW YORK, NY/CARSON CITY, NV – November 1, 2006 – Inside Media Networks and its official media content partners – Popular Photography & Imaging and American PHOTO Magazines along with publisher Hachette Filipacchi Media US – announce the launch of an innovative broadcasting concept at one of the industry’s most important tradeshows. “Inside Digital Photo” will launch with interviews and footage captured live at PhotoPlus Expo (PPE), November 3 – 5, 2006, the Javits Center in New York City.

shootexperience Press Release

This is your chance to win an Olympus digital SLR camera (E Kit 400 valued at over £800). Simply read the brief below and upload your photos onto the Shoot Experience website. Entry is FREE. Please register before uploading your photos.

THE BRIEF: Take a photo representing the colour “FAMILY”. What does family mean to you? Stuck? See previous competitions to get an idea of the types of photos to submit. Deadline for entries is Monday 27th November and winners announced by Thursday 30th November.

Fujifilm USA Press Release

FUJIFILM U.S.A. has lowered its prices for the FinePix F30 and FinePix F20 digital cameras to $329 and $229, respectively.

The FinePix F30 broke new ground in digital photography earlier this year when it became the first compact camera to capture full-resolution images at ISO 3200. Such high light sensitivities translate to more natural looking pictures and outstanding low-light performance. It also means Picture Stabilization in a more traditional way with the high sensitivities matched with faster shutter speeds for less blurring due to camera shake and subject movement.

Light sensitivity of the FinePix F20 tops out at ISO 2000, and the camera shares many features with the FinePix F30, including a 2.5 inch LCD, the i-Flash system and a unique-to-Fujifilm Dual Shot mode that takes and stores two pictures in immediate succession – one with the flash and one without.

DIWA member Photoxels have just reviewed the new 10 megapixel Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX2.

“Image quality is very good to excellent at ISO 100, with low noise and images retaining most of the details. At higher ISOs, images suffer from noise and loss of detail, and the LX2 is therefore not recommended for snapshooters.

But, if you like—and know how to use—full manual control, the LX2 is a delight to use.”

Website: Photoxels - Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX2 Review

Website: Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 Review

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Does the 8 megapixel Canon EOS 30D DSLR (pictured) produce noisier images than its older sibling, the EOS 20D? Website Digit.no certainly seem to think so, as they have just published a whole article about it (in English).

“Does the EOS 30D deliver more image noise than the EOS 20D? I have analysed the results of all four cameras and the consice answer is: Yes. Although there are some variations between the two samples of each model, the tendency is clear: Both samples of the EOS 30D delivered more image noise than the two samples of the the EOS 20D.”

Website: Digit.no - More image noise in Canon EOS 30D than EOS 20D?

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ePhotoZine have reviewed the new Sigma APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC HSM lens.

“We have come to expect quite good quality from Sigma’s EX range of lenses of late, and there are no real disappointments with this offering. The resolution at the wider end of the zoom range is excellent and this only deteriorates slightly as the lens is pushed out to its longest focal length, a phenomenon that is quite normal. At the widest aperture of f/2.8 it is slightly more noticeable, but only in comparison to the excellent performance it gives at the short end when used wide open.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Sigma 50-150mm Lens Review

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Imaging Resource have reviewed the Casio EX-S600, a 6 megapixel ultra-slim digital camera with a movie stabilizer function that reduces camera shake when recording movies.

“A Casio EXILIM EX-S600 test unit arrived on my doorstep at about the same time as I purchased a new Motorola RAZR V3m cell phone from Verizon Wireless, and I was amazed at how strikingly similar in size and design these two models are. The RAZR, of course, is one of the most popular mobile phones on the market, so the EX-S600 is certainly in good company.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Casio EX-S600 Review

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PCMagazine have just reviewed the new Canon PIXMA iP6700D printer.

“When I reviewed the Canon Pixma iP6600D earlier this year, I gave it high marks as a photo printer—for its fast speed, high-quality photos, and features that made photo printing easy. I also pointed out that it could serve as an all-purpose printer, albeit a lackluster one. This year’s model, the Pixma iP6700D ($199.99 direct), keeps what was good about the iP6600D, delivers even better photo quality, and boosts text quality enough to make itself more useful for all-purpose printing.”

Website: PCMagazine - Canon PIXMA iP6700D Review

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The Canon Powershot A710 IS is the new top-of-the-range model in Canon’s popular A-Series digital cameras. The Canon A710 IS is the first A-Series camera to feature optical image stabilisation, which is a good thing as it also has a 6x zoom lens equivalent to 35-210mm. Add a 7 megapixel sensor, full range of creative shooting modes including Manual, a 2.5 inch LCD screen and optical viewfinder, and the Canon Powershot A710 IS looks like a serious contender, especially given the street price of just over £200 / $300. But do all of these features translate into a great camera? Read the latest PhotographyBLOG review to discover if the Canon Powershot A710 IS is the right camera for you.

Website: Canon Powershot A710 IS Review

DxO Labs Press Release

DxO Labs adds highly sought-after cameras and lens combinations to its DxO Optics Pro offering

New York, NY and Paris, France, October 31, 2006– DxO Labs announces today that DxO Optics Pro v4 Digital SLR and lens automatic image quality enhancement software now supports the recently released Nikon D80 and the Canon EOS 400D (also known as the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi) Digital SLR camera bodies. DxO Optics Pro v4 is the award-winning digital image enhancement tool incorporating revolutionary optics, geometry, noise, exposure and color corrections in an easy-to-use, feature rich application. Support for the new cameras is provided in both the ‘Standard’ and ‘Elite’ versions of DxO Optics Pro v4. DxO Optics Pro v4 for Windows is available immediately from www.dxo.com and selected resellers. The Macintosh (Universal Binary) version is slated for late November.

Bibble Labs Press Release

A minor maintence release of Bibble (4.9d) has been moved to the download area from the public testing section: http://download.bibblelabs.com/

This update fixes a number of issues with 4.9 including a severe problem with Sony A100 files. It adds support for the Lecia Dlux3, but mainly fixes problems and memory leaks. It is a recommended update for all users, but also, please keep a backup of your regular 4.9 install should you need it.

ILFORD Press Release

As the 10 million dollar investment programme in the ILFORD Swiss manufacturing site reaches its final stages, ILFORD looks back over an eventful year and towards a rosy future.

Marly, Switzerland, 30 October, 2006 – the future of ILFORD, a major player in the development and manufacture of photo quality media for inkjet printing and photographic processes, has never looked better. Following the overwhelming success at this year’s Photokina and the launch of several exciting new inkjet products, ILFORD is now in the final stages of part one of its expansion programme currently underway in Switzerland. Part two of the investment programme will begin in early 2007.

O’Reilly Press Release

Sebastopol, CA—Taking photos during a morning sunrise on a New Mexican mesa can be a once in a lifetime chance. Yet once you’ve captured the painterly image, how do you share the true colors and emotional veracity of the near outer-worldly palette with others? Because no matter which type of digital camera is used to shoot an image, the computer, software, monitor, and output device (printer, projector, or on the Web) must work together to reproduce the actual and intended color for display. Sound complicated? According to 2006 Photoshop Hall of Famer Eddie Tapp there’s no reason to get discouraged. The Georgia native, widely admired for his knack for making the photo editing process easier and more transparent, shares his expertise in his newly published “Practical Color Management” (O’Reilly, US $29.99).

DIWA member Digit.no have reviewed the Casio EX-Z1000 compact digicam, which offers 10 megapixels, 2.8 inch LCD screen, and IS0 3200.

“Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 is one of the most attractive mini cameras available. Beautiful design and elegant finish in a robust stainless steel body is the optimum base for building a good camera. Unfortunately, Casio have failed to maintain this excellent quality throuhout the process. For marketing reasons, they have fallen into the same pit as too many others, concentrating too much on megapixels and other sales promoting features rather that image quality. The lens suffers from considerable colour fringing, distorsion and lack of edge sharpness. It is also unable to define 10 MP resolution, making this fine camera delivering only 7 MP images in 10 MP files. What a waste! Furthermore, to meet other hot topics in todays camera market; image stabilisation and high sensititvity, Casio have pushed the limits beyond the conceivable. All ISO values above ISO 400 is practically worthless, either due to excessive image noise or lack of detail. My advice would be to leave the camera body unchanged, but replace its lens and interiour with optimised 7 MP components, rather than overambitious specifications with no other mission than to fool the public.”

Website: Digit.no - Casio EX-Z1000 Review

Website: Read our Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 Review

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Luminous Landscape have reviewed the Leica M8 digital rangefinder camera, which has a 10 megapixel sensor, focal factor of 1.33x and an ISO range of 160-2500.

“As far as shooting speed goes, the M8 isn’t going to win any contests against most current DSLRs in terms of frame rate, but it’s no slouch. In continuous mode it can shoot raw plus JPG at 2 FPS for up to 10 frames. Using a 2GB Lexar 133X SD card it took about 23 seconds to shoot 10 frames and have them completely saved to the card. A Canon 1Ds MKII took 22 seconds to similarly take 10 shots and save them. Naturally, the Canon shots at a higher frame rate, but overall wasn’t any faster in executing the entire shoot – save to card routine.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Leica M8 Review

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