epic software group Press Release

Universal Tripod Tray Keeps Your Photo Gear Handy and Safe

The Woodlands, Texas, June 28, 2006 – Photographers are always looking for gadgets that will make their work easier. The epic Tripod Butler is one of those photo accessories you never realized you needed, but just use it once and you’ll never want to be without it.  Perfect for holding lenses, strobes, batteries, or anything else you need to keep handy, the epic Tripod Butler is designed to stand up to the rigors of both studio and field use.

World-Renowned Photographer Kevin Ames Set to Teach Nationwide Pro Digital Workflow Seminar Series Presented by Blue Pixel - Attendees Will Benefit Greatly from Hearing Valuable Secrets of Professional Digital Imaging Workflow First-Hand

Annapolis, MD – June 27, 2006 – Still trying to strike the balance of efficient digital photography workflow and ending up with high-quality results? Learn how as Blue Pixel presents the Pro Digital Workflow Tour with Kevin Ames. Beginning Sunday, September 17 in Washington, D.C., talented digital photographer and author Kevin Ames will teach professional and advanced amateur photographers how to get the most out of their digital photography using the fewest steps for the least amount of work, by improving their digital workflow.

Digital Railroad/APA Press Release

Alliance will provide new programs and services to increase market opportunities for advertising and commercial photographers

New York, NY and White Plains, NY -  June 27, 2006 - Digital Railroad, Inc., and the Advertising Photographers of America (APA) today announced they have partnered to provide new programs and services that will increase market opportunities for APA membership. The APA is the leading national organization run by and for professional photographers, focused on providing support and tools essential to creative achievement and business success. Digital Railroad is the recognized technology leader in enabling professional photographers to successfully manage, market, and sell their photography online.

Colour Confidence Press Release

Birmingham UK, 27th June, 2006 - Colour Confidence, the leading independent colour management specialists, have today announced a new development in their product offering. Customers visiting www.colourconfidence.com will now have the chance to purchase a range of high-quality Pantone and PermaJet consumables which will be valuable additions to the digital workflow of many users. “At Colour Confidence we feel this is an obvious development; our customers have been asking us to provide recommendations on consumable products and by selecting PermaJet and Pantone as key partners we are recognising the quality of their solutions.” Commented Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director, Colour Confidence. “We aim to be a one-stop-shop when it comes to accurate colour and will continue to respond to our customers in order to achieve this.”

Ricoh UK Press Release

Introducing the new Ricoh Caplio RR660. Ricoh’s unique ease of use and portability now shoots at 6.16 megapixels. A masterpiece maker – in your pocket! Available in July with an RRP of £129.99.

Ricoh is thrilled to announce the release of the new Ricoh Caplio RR660 – a sleek new entry-level digital camera that adds more exciting, new user-friendly features to its extremely popular RR630 predecessor. The new 6.16-megapixel Ricoh RR660 digital camera is even lighter and more compact than its predecessor, and yet is equipped with a crystal-clear 2.4” colour TFT-LCD monitor for even easier viewing. The Ricoh RR660 is the newest addition to Ricoh’s popular, award-winning range of digital cameras, whose outstanding performance, value for money and stylish designs have won favour with both professional and amateur photographers around the world. The RR660 consistently produces striking, crystal-clear images that simply stand out above pictures from other cameras in its class. Equipped with a 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, for a combined 12x zoom, the RR660 can effortlessly handle any photographic situation.

Casio Europe Press Release

Norderstedt, June 26, 2006 - CASIO EUROPE GmbH and its parent company, CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD., have announced the release of the EXILIM CARD EX-S600D, an ultra-slim, card-sized, high-resolution digital camera. This latest 6.0 megapixel addition to the stylish EXILIM digital camera series can also take high-quality movies in DivX® format, a video compression technology developed by DivX, Inc. of the United States. Fitting easily into a pocket, EXILIM CARD digital cameras are ready to go wherever their users go, so no one has to miss a once-in-a-lifetime photographic moment again. CASIO has previously released the EX-S600, which shoots 6.0 megapixel photos and takes high-quality movies in MPEG-4 format. The EX-S600 has been a hit among people who want a digital camera that makes it a snap to shoot both still pictures and movies. The new EX-S600D has all the features of the EX-S600, but it can take movies in the DivX® format. The new model will be sold primarily online in Europe.

Adobe UK Press Release

Adobe Further Extends Leadership in Digital Photography Raw File Workflows - Adobe Acquires Technology Assets of Pixmantec ApS

LONDON — June 26, 2006 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced it has acquired the technology assets of Pixmantec ApS, makers of digital imaging software that provides advanced workflow management and processing capabilities for digital camera raw files. The acquisition strengthens Adobe’s leadership position in raw processing.Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. “With high quality digital cameras now within reach of every photographer, customers are gravitating to raw file formats that allow them to get more control over final results,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe®. “By combining Pixmantec’s raw processing technology and expertise with our own, we’re continuing to deliver on the promise that even your existing raw files can be processed with increasing quality as our software technology evolves.”

Fujifilm UK Press Release

Fujifilm today announces that it has appointed Hayley Buery as its new UK Public Relations Manager.  She will have responsibility for the implementation and management of consumer, trade and corporate PR for Fujifilm UK. Hayley joins Fujifilm from Canon (UK) where she held the position of Senior Public Relations Executive for Canon Consumer Imaging, responsible for the company’s range of consumer products, including cameras, camcorders and desktop printers.  During this time, she also took a brief secondment at Canon’s European Head Office in Amsterdam.  Prior to joining Canon, Hayley worked in the Internet industry.

Epson UK Press Release

26th June 2006 - By the 1st July 2006, the RoHS Directive (Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances) will have contributed to the removal of six hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment.  As a part of its environmental programme, Epson has already been working towards achieving the goals outlined in the RoHS Directive.  Eelco Smit, Environmental Specialist, Epson Europe says, “Chemical management has always been a priority for Epson and since 1999, four years before the RoHS Directive was approved in 2003, our engineering departments and factories have been researching and developing lead-free products.  It is our aim to develop premium quality products with minimum impact on the environment.  We welcome the regulations and are pleased to announce our global compliance with the Directive.”

HP UK Press Release

HP offers more value to customers by introducing and refreshing 2-pack inkjet print cartridges and HP Photo Packs

LONDON, 27 June, 2006 – HP today introduced two new 2-packs to its portfolio of inkjet print cartridges, and refreshed four existing 2-packs. These products – two inkjet print cartridges in one pack – will offer customers an increased saving of up to 20 percent(1), as well as the opportunity to employ industry-leading HP Vivera Inks, designed to work seamlessly with HP printers and media to provide crisp, sharp lines and vibrant colours. At the same time, HP is further reaffirming its commitment to offering its customers choice, value and cost transparency by extending and updating the highly popular HP Photo Packs range.

Luminous Landscape have a useful guide to soft-proofing; what it is, how to use it, and why it will make your prints look better.

“But, even with a proper profile for your particular screen, as well as printer / paper / ink combinations, many photographers are often disappointed with the results. What appears on screen simply doesn’t match what is seen on the print, especially with regard to colour intensity and saturation. There is a solution, and it’s known as soft proofing.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Understanding Soft Proofing

DIWA member Steves Digicams have reviewed the Sony DSC-H5 ultra-zoom digital camera, offering a 12x optical zoom lens, 7.2 megapixels and a 3 inch LCD screen.

“I was pleased with the H5’s results outdoors. The power of the 12x zoom lens gets you very close to the action, allowing well-composed shots even from the spectator areas at sporting events. The autofocus system and lens combined to produce sharp results, although the Continuous AF did have some difficulty keeping a moving subject in focus. Images were well-exposed and richly saturated right out of the camera, but you can override the degree of sharpness, contrast and saturation using the camera’s menu system.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Sony DSC-H5 Review

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DIWA member and Polish website Fotopolis have reviewed the new 10.2 megapixel Sony A100 DSLR camera.

Website: Fotopolis - Sony A100 Review

Website: Read our Sony A100 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DCResource have just reviewed the Kodak Easyshare V610, the world’s smallest 10x zoom digital camera.

“Writing the conclusion for the Kodak EasyShare V610 isn’t as easy as I thought. There’s definitely much to like about the camera, like its slim design, MPEG-4 movie mode, Perfect Touch technology, and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. At the same time, it has more than its share of annoyances, including a non-continuous zoom (due to its dual lens design), so-so picture quality, and miserable battery life. And did I mention that it’s expensive?”

Website: DCResource - Kodak Easyshare V610 Review

Website: Read my Kodak Easyshare V610 Review

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DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have just reviewed the new 10x zoom, 5 megapixel, compact Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 digital camera.

“The price may seem high for a 5 MP camera, but considering a 10x Leica zoom lens with optical stabiliser (35- 350 mm f/2,8-4,2 eqv.), a comparable lens for an SLR camera would cost far more. Besides, its construction makes the camera exceptionally small and light weight, almost like a normal compact camera. It also has an attractive, comfortable and ergonomic design, and appears to be quite robust. Despite its amazing zoom range, the optical performance is very good. The only weaknesses worth mentioning are considerable colour fringing and soft edge sharpness at full telephoto. The overall image quality is surprisingly good, with accurate colours, reliable exposure and white balance controls, and insignificant image noise. Speeds and general camera performance is slightly above average, but the lack of an eye-level viewfinder is deplorable, as the LCD screen is very hard to see in bright sunlight. The TZ1 features numerous useful functions for demanding users, but lacks some advanced features, like RAW format, manual controls, individual parameter settings etc. Overall, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 is an amazing camera for a wide range of photographic situations, and is highly recommended for wildlife and nature lovers who wants to travel light.”

Website: Digit.no - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

Website: Read my Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review

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DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the new 6 megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 camera.

“The 6x optical Lumix DC Vario zoom lens performed superbly during the practice tests. The images are sharp, and excellent results are produced over the entire range. Although a certain degree of chromatic aberration and distortion is visible in the wide-angle mode, it is not insurmountable. Upon zooming in lightly, these small wrinkles are quickly evened out, which ensures you will be presented with a decent and attractive end result.”

Website: LetsGoDigital - Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 Review

Website: Read my Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

DCViews have just reviewed the Olympus mju 810 digital camera, which offers 8 megapixels, 3x zoom, 2.5 inch LCD, and a stainless steel, weatherproof body.

“Quite a unique feature is the Digital Image Stabilisation function. When there is a risk of camera shake at the capturing stage, pressing the DIS key will increase ISO sensitivity and set a fast shutter speed to avoid blur. Naturally, setting a high ISO value will increase image noise, but this could still be a better alternative than a blurry image. Also, if an image later appears to suffer from slight camera shake you can retouch the image right in camera by pressing DIS. A gyro sensor embedded in the camera detects the vertical and horizontal range of the camera shake in the shot and then uses this information to compensate and sharpen the blurred image. A copy is then saved to memory while the original is kept for future reference should you need it. Admittedly this is no cure for seriously blurred images but again it helps if no other solution is available. What this function does in fact is similar to unsharp masking in Photoshop, where contrast between edges is increased and the image appears sharper to the eye. Keep in mind that there is a limit as to what this function can achieve though.”

Website: DCViews - Olympus mju 810 Review

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Spanish website Quesabesde have taken a look at the new Pentax Optio A10, which features a shake reduction system, 8 megapixels and a 2.5 inch LCD screen.

Website: Quesabesde - Pentax Optio A10 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

BitShelter Press Release

NEW YORK - June 23, 2006 - BitShelter LLC, today announced that Major League Baseball has selected PhotoShelter as their online image archive and distribution system. PhotoShelter (http://www.PhotoShelter.com) is the industry standard for online image archiving and distribution for professional photographers. Using PhotoShelter’s MU (Multi-User) product, picture editors at MLB Photos are able to receive simultaneous image uploads from photographers stationed around the globe, and then quickly and easily dispatch images to multiple distribution channels.

This week’s Gary’s Parries topics are:

1. 100 Megapixels In Your Pocket
2. I Saw The Light

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.