The Zeiss Ikon SW superwide 35mm camera is announced, available in October 2006 for 799,00 €.

Carl Zeiss AG Press Release

Oberkochen, August 15, 2006. The Zeiss Ikon SW is the 35mm precision camera for uncompromising superwide photographers. Its lens mount takes any lens with M bayonet, in particular the ZEISS high performance superwide-angle lenses Distagon T* 2,8/15mm ZM and the Biogon T* types from the ZEISS ZM range. An accessory shoe directly above the lens takes the corresponding superwide Viewfinder. A second shoe is built in to take a flash, a bubble level or other accessory. The electronically controlled metal focal plane shutter offers speeds ranging from 1/2000 sec. – 8 sec. in automatic mode (AE-lock is available) and 1/2000 - 1 sec. + B in manual mode. Fastest flash synchro speed is 1/125 sec.

Carl Zeiss Ag Press Release

Oberkochen/Germany, August 15, 2006. The Zeiss Ikon Side Grip makes right-hand gripping and holding the Zeiss Ikon rangefinder or SW camera easier and safer. It also offers a standard ¼” tripod bushing exactly under the optical axis. The Zeiss Ikon Side Grip is made of a special durable synthetic material with a low weight of only 38 grams (1.4 oz.). The Zeiss Ikon Side Grip will be available from October 2006 for 75 EUR (not including VAT).

Carl Zeiss AG Press Release

Oberkochen/Germany, August 15, 2006. Now there is a genuine leather ever-ready case available for Zeiss Ikon cameras. It protects the camera and any of the lenses from 21 to 50mm against normal shock, vibration, rain splashes during transport and while the camera is not in service. However, the bottom part of the case may remain on the camera while shooting, as the front flap is simply and quickly flipped open, or can be easily detached and reattached. The camera is securely screwed into the case. The Zeiss Ikon ever-ready case is made of high-quality genuine black leather with internal black velvet lining. Shipping starts October 2006, list price will be 125 EUR without VAT.

Epson UK Press Release

EISA chooses Epson for professional photo scanning - EISA European Scanner 2006-2007 is the Epson Perfection V700 Photo/V750 Pro

15 August 2006 – The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), Europe’s biggest multimedia press organisation, has singled out the Epson Perfection V700 Photo/V750Pro professional scanner series as best “European Scanner 2006-2007”.  The Perfection V750 Pro is ideal for the professional photographer while the Epson Perfection V700 Photo is suitable for the photo enthusiast or advanced amateur photographer. The Photo Panel, responsible for judging and selecting the best products for the photography industry is made up from editors of 16 leading photography magazines across Europe.  The reasons for choosing the Perfection V700/V750 series were based upon its features and professional performance.

Sony Europe Press Release

The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) has selected Sony Europe as the recipient of its EISA Award in five product categories. The awards span a broad diversity of digital age design concepts from consumer product design to internet-based streaming concepts. Media consumption patterns are evolving rapidly, so that passive linear TV viewing on a standard definition small screen TV will rapidly become antiquated. The ability for savvy consumers to develop sophisticated networks for capturing, storing and re-presenting digital media is reflected in the make-up of Sony’s award winning products. Sony’s EISA Awards for 2006-2007 include European Streaming Concept (Sony LocationFree TV, LF-PK1), European High-End Video Projector (VPL-VW100), European LCD TV (KDL-32V2000), European HDV Camcorder (HDR-HC3E HDV Camcorder) and European Consumer Camera (DSLR-A100 Digital-SLR Camera).

Canon UK Press Release

Canon has been awarded European Professional Camera 2006-2007 for the EOS 5D and European Photo Printer 2006-2007 for the PIXMA iP6600D by the prestigious European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA). The camera award is the second major honour for the EOS 5D, coming on the back of a Best D-SLR Professional in Europe 2006 award in April from the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA). “The breakthrough EOS 5D and advanced direct printing PIXMA iP6600D represent the ultimate consumer imaging devices, from image capture to printing,” remarked Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “Photography is at the core of our business, and we strive to always push the boundaries of imaging technology. We are delighted to receive this recognition from the EISA members.”

Olympus UK Press Release

ZUIKO DIGITAL Top Pro lens range and Olympus µ 720 SW both win EISA Awards

London, 15 August 2006 – Olympus has received two of the recently-announced 2006 European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA) Awards. Honoured were both the water and shockproof µ 720 SW digital camera and the splash proof ZUIKO DIGITAL Top Pro range of lenses. Comprising five bright, fixed-aperture lenses, the ZUIKO DIGITAL Top Pro range is a part of the Olympus E-System and secured the “European Professional Lens 2006-2007” award on the basis of its professional quality and extreme performance attributes. Meanwhile, the compact µ 720 SW was crowned the “European Pocket Camera 2006-2007”. Waterproof to a depth of 5m* and shockproof against falls of up to 1.5m*, it represents the perfect partner for active photographers and those pursuing outdoor sports. EISA comprises 50 leading magazines in the areas of audio, mobile electronics, video and photography from 20 European countries. To reach their verdict, the jurors look for new products that combine the best in technology, features, design and ergonomics as well as value for money.

Fujifilm UK Press Release

EISA votes Fujifilm FinePix S5600 Zoom European Zoom Camera of 2006-2007 - Powerful mini-SLR style camera honoured by celebrated awards association

Fujifilm today announces that its acclaimed FinePix S5600 Zoom digital camera has been named ‘European Zoom Camera 2006-2007’ at this year’s prestigious European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) awards. The FinePix S5600 Zoom is the third generation of Fujifilm’s powerful mini-SLR style cameras with long zoom lens. It features a fast 10x optical zoom with fixed lens housing, and covers all settings from wide angle to telephoto. This gives the photographer optical power without the bulkiness and heavy body of larger cameras.

SanDisk Press Release

BERLIN, GERMANY, AUG. 15, 2006 – SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced that the European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA), Europe’s largest press organization, has named the new SanDisk Extreme® IV line of high-speed CompactFlash® cards as the European Memory Card of the Year 2006-2007. The SanDisk Extreme IV cards are the fastest storage cards in the world and are targeted at photographers who require the highest possible performance and the largest capacities for their medium format and high-end digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras.

Nokia Press Release

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced that its latest high performance multimedia computer, the Nokia N93, has been awarded the European Media Phone of the Year 2006-2007 by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), Europe’s largest multimedia press organization. The award is yet another industry recognition of Nokia’s continued commitment to innovation in mobile imaging. EISA commended the still image and video capture quality of the Nokia N93 plus the extensive internet and connectivity options, dubbing the device the “perfect example of a multimedia computer that can fit in your hands.” The judges also singled out the Nokia N93’s video editing and printing capability and its digital music player for particular praise.

snapmania Press Release

Obstacles Blocking Your Otherwise-Perfect Photo? Remove them with snapmania’s ‘Tourist Remover’ - First-ever Online Tool Removes Obstacles from Photographs -

SAN FRANCISCO – August 15, 2006 – snapmania (www.snapmania.com), a leading Web-based digital photo management service, announced the first-ever online tool application that removes unwanted moving objects such as tourists or passing cars from photographs. ‘Tourist Remover’ is a free application, available to users of snapmania’s online photo service that offers a new way to organize and share photos. Tourist Remover’s removal algorithm is fully automatic and requires only 3-10 photos of the same object taken in succession.

ILFORD Photo Press Release

Bringing a full photographic balance to the biennial Photokina show this year will be ILFORD Photo and parent company HARMAN technology, demonstrating how the very roots of photographic imaging are able to accommodate the latest techniques and market requirements. This year’s Photokina exhibition in Cologne (26 Sept - 1 Oct) promises to be the most successful event in the illustrious history of this event, with more exhibitors, more visitors, and more of everything which makes the photo imaging sector tick. Contributing to that success will be a major presence by HARMAN technology and ILFORD Photo (stand C36/38, Hall 10.1) making its first appearance at the show since the company’s reconstruction.

In a brand new series, we cast the spotlight on members of the PhotographyBLOG Gallery and ask them about their photography. The sixth member to sit in the interview chair is rjvc.

“Having no garden and working in an office 5 days a week means that the weekends are my only opportunity to photograph nature. This means that I now appreciate my surroundings more. I can think of nothing better than heading out to the country and spending several hours meandering through forest or field with camera ready to capture landscape or animal.”

Website: Gallery Member Spotlight - rjvc

FixerLabs Press Release

FixerLabs, developers of award winning software for digital image enhancement and enlargement, today released a Windows version of their flagship programme for image enlargement - SizeFixer XL. Based on their patented Super-Resolution technology, SizeFixer XL
can enlarge images to 500 MPixels and beyond with unprecedented levels of quality. SizeFixer XL is a stand-alone ‘upsizing’ tool for serious Photographers and Graphic Designers who demand the very best quality.

DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the new 10.2 megapixel Sony A100 DSLR camera.

“With 10 Megapixels, the Sony Alpha is at the top of its range. Although, fortunately, more attention is being paid to quality rather than pixels, high numbers always sell well. Luckily, Sony knows how to get a great result from the pixels. The focus, colour reproduction and detailing are good. I have to say that I was not impressed by the noise at ISO 800 and 1600, although I suppose it is acceptable.”

Website: LetsGoDigital - Sony A100 Review

Website: Read our Sony A100 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

Camera Labs have reviewed the new 10x zoom, 5 megapixel, compact Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 digital camera.

“Of course packing the equivalent of a 35-350mm lens into a body only slightly larger than a pack of cards inevitably results in some compromises. The TZ1’s lens isn’t particularly sharp in the corners when zoomed-in for example, although it does perform surprisingly well in terms of geometric distortion and coloured fringing.”

Website: Camera Labs - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

Website: Read my Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

This week’s Gary’s Parries topics are:

1. DSLR Dynamic Range Needs Improvement
2. Digital Shutter Lag Versus 35mm
3. Newbie Seeks Camera That Rocks

[Note: Here are the answers to last week’s questions. I am still one week behind, so if you recently submitted a question, you should receive an answer by next week. Thank you for your patience. – Gary]

Introducing this week’s Gary’s Parries column. Everything you always wanted to know about digital cameras, but were afraid to ask. No question too difficult, or too easy. As a Senior Principal Software Engineer, and a former Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems, as well as a recording studio owner/operator, inventor, and now, a digital camera enthusiast, GARY has more digital camera knowledge in his entire brain than most people have in their little finger. In the unlikely event that GARY would not know the answer to your question, he will answer it anyway, true to the spirit of the word “Parries”, a fencing term which, in this context, implies “cleverly evasive answers”. So let your imagination run wild. Email all your nagging digital camera questions to: [email protected] , and then, En Garde!

You may also attach to your email an ORIGINAL PHOTO of your choosing. A preview of the photo will be displayed with your question, and a full-sized version will be just a click away. No personal information will be published with your question unless you specifically include it in the text or attached photo of your email, which may be further edited for grammar, content, or other reasons.

The Fujifilm Finepix F30 attempts to improve on what is already a great camera, the Finepix F11. The F30 offers an increased ISO speed of 3200, longer battery life, new anti-blur and intelligent flash modes, higher resolution LCD screen and a refined user interface. So can the Fujifilm F30 take the F11’s crown of best compact digital camera? Read our latest review to find out…

Website: Fujifilm Finepix F30 Review

Win copies of three new digital photography books, courtesy of Ilex Press, in the PhotographyBLOG July 2006 Prize Giveaway!

On Monday 14th August 2006, 3 names will be randomly selected from the list of PhotographyBLOG Newsletter subscribers.

3 winners will each receive a copy of the Birdwatcher’s Guide to Digital Photography, the Book of Digital Photography and the Digital Photographer’s Guide to Photoshop Elements 4.

Prizes kindly donated by Ilex Press (http://www.ilex-press.com)

All you have to do to enter is subscribe to the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter before August 14th 2006.

Sigma Press Release

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC HSM lens. Specially designed for digital SLR cameras with an APS-C size image sensor, this large aperture F2.8 lens has a compact and lightweight construction of 76.3mm (3.0”) in diameter, 132.6mm (5.2”) in length and weighing just 780g (27.5oz) (Nikon Mount). The incorporation of the very latest optical technology gives optimum lens performance providing excellent correction for flare, ghosting and all types of aberrations. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. Four SLD(Special Low Dispersion)glass elements are used for utmost correction of chromatic aberrations. The HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) system ensures quiet and high-speed auto focusing with full time manual focus override. The addition of the 1.4x EX DG APO or 2x EX DG APO Tele Converters (optional extras) produces a 70-210mm F4 AF tele-zoom lens and a 100-300mm F5.6 AF ultra-telephoto zoom lens respectively.