News
The May 2006 Giveaway has now ended - here are the 5 lucky winners who each win a prize.
Joachim Rehmet, Ronnie Miller, Sébastien Noir, Sum Yew Fai and Andy Mohan all win a copy of Photo Finale 4 Premium (worth $49.95) AND a 1 year photo album membership (5Gb) (worth $19.99).
Prizes kindly donated by Trevoli
Don’t worry if you didn’t win this time - a brand new contest will be starting soon…
The May 2006 Giveaway has now ended - here are the 5 lucky winners who each win a prize. Joachim Rehmet, Ronnie Miller, Sébastien Noir, Sum Yew Fai and Andy Mohan all win a copy of Photo Finale 4 Premium (worth $49.95) AND a 1 year photo album membership (5Gb)…
Nikon’s European support website has released details of a number of forthcoming firmware updates for three of the company’s DSLR cameras, pincluding the 10.2 megapixel Nikon D200 digital SLR (pictured). The other two cameras will be the D2X and the D2Hs. You can read the full details for your camera on the following pages:
Website: Notice of future D200 Firmware Update
Website: Notice of future D2X Firmware Update
Nikon’s European support website has released details of a number of forthcoming firmware updates for three of the company’s DSLR cameras, pincluding the 10.2 megapixel Nikon D200 digital SLR (pictured). The other two cameras will be the D2X and the D2Hs. You can read the full details for your camera…
InfoTrends Press Release
(Weymouth, MA) June, 13 2006… According to consumer survey research conducted by InfoTrends, 34% of U.S. digital camera owners are repeat buyers, representing an increase of 10% over the previous year. In addition, 20% of digital camera owners surveyed were planning to purchase another digital camera within the next year. Today, digital camera owners who have more than one digital camera tend to be more technology-savvy. In many cases, they have replaced or supplemented their original digital camera, so their behaviors are more reflective of the early adopters. A significantly higher percentage of these consumers own CE devices like portable music players and DVD burners. As consumers continue to upgrade their existing cameras, purchase additional cameras, and become more familiar with the various features and functions, InfoTrends believes that the penetration of technologies complementing digital photography will rise as well.
InfoTrends Press Release (Weymouth, MA) June, 13 2006… According to consumer survey research conducted by InfoTrends, 34% of U.S. digital camera owners are repeat buyers, representing an increase of 10% over the previous year. In addition, 20% of digital camera owners surveyed were planning to purchase another digital camera within…
Strobist have just started a virtual boot camp for anyone interested in improving their lighting skills.
“The main point of SBC is to nudge those photographers out there who have not made the transition to actually trying this lighting stuff out to make the jump. Secondarily, we will hopefully all get a chance to see what many different photogs - from all around the world - do with the exact same assignments. You’ll also be able to ask “how’d you do that?” questions to your fellow photographers. Using Flickr, we will effectively become a virtual classroom.”
Website: Strobist Boot Camp
Strobist have just started a virtual boot camp for anyone interested in improving their lighting skills. “The main point of SBC is to nudge those photographers out there who have not made the transition to actually trying this lighting stuff out to make the jump. Secondarily, we will hopefully all…
DIWA member Steves Digicams 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.
“I was pleased with the S3’s results outdoors. The power of the 12x zoom lens gets you close to the action, allowing well-composed shots even from the spectator areas at sports events. The accurate autofocus system and lens combined to produce consistently sharp results. 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. Image noise was very low at sensitivity settings of ISO 80 and 100. Noise becomes detectable in shadow areas at ISO 200, and noticeable at ISO 400.”
DIWA member Steves Digicams 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. “I was pleased with the S3’s results outdoors. The power of the 12x zoom lens gets you close to the…
DIWA member Steves Digicams have published their review of the SD700 IS (also known as the Canon Digital IXUS 800 IS), a 6 megapixel camera with an image stabilized 4x zoom lens (first time on an IXUS camera).
“Despite its small size, the SD700’s ergonomics are good. At about the size of a deck of playing cards, it can easily be tucked away in any pocket, yet still fits comfortably in your hands. The well positioned controls fall naturally underneath your fingertips, and we especially like the zoom controls being mounted around the shutter release. The 2.5-inch LCD takes up a large percentage of the back of the camera, but Canon was able to squeeze a small optical viewfinder in above it. I noticed it was a bit more reflective than we have seen on other Canon models, however it was still very useable outdoors in bright sunlight.”
Website: Steves Digicams - Canon SD700 IS Review
Website: Read our Canon SD700 IS Review
DIWA member Steves Digicams have published their review of the SD700 IS (also known as the Canon Digital IXUS 800 IS), a 6 megapixel camera with an image stabilized 4x zoom lens (first time on an IXUS camera). “Despite its small size, the SD700’s ergonomics are good. At about the…
DIWA member and Polish website Fotopolis have just reviewed the Panasonic DMC-FZ30. This is an 8 megapixel compact digital camera with a 12x Leica optical zoom lens equivalent to 35-420mm, optical image stabilizer, addition of a manual zoom ring and rotating LCD screen with 235,000 pixels.
DIWA member and Polish website Fotopolis have just reviewed the Panasonic DMC-FZ30. This is an 8 megapixel compact digital camera with a 12x Leica optical zoom lens equivalent to 35-420mm, optical image stabilizer, addition of a manual zoom ring and rotating LCD screen with 235,000 pixels. Website: Fotopolis - Panasonic…
CNET have reviewed the new 10x zoom, 5 megapixel, compact Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 digital camera.
“Images from the Lumix DMC-TZ1 showed accurate, natural colors, with plenty of saturation. Plus, exposures were generally accurate, though it had a tendency to clip detail from the brightest portions of our field test images. Unfortunately, we also saw moiré in the finer details of our test images, which were noticeably soft and suffered from JPEG artifacts and fringing. More troubling, though, was that like a lot of Panasonic cameras, the DMC-TZ1 had a tough time keeping noise in check.”
Website: CNET - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Review
CNET have reviewed the new 10x zoom, 5 megapixel, compact Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 digital camera. “Images from the Lumix DMC-TZ1 showed accurate, natural colors, with plenty of saturation. Plus, exposures were generally accurate, though it had a tendency to clip detail from the brightest portions of our field test images…
TrustedReviews have just reviewed the Olympus mju 720 SW, a 7.1 megapixel, 3x zoom, 2.5 inch LCD, weatherproof digital camera.
“I hope nobody from Olympus is reading this, because I took the brand-new £230 camera that the company had entrusted to my care and deliberately dropped it several times from head height onto a variety of different surfaces, including carpet, lino and a hard wooden floor. I stopped short of concrete because I didn’t want to mark the case, but I’m happy (and relieved) to report that it survived the ordeal apparently unscathed.”
TrustedReviews have just reviewed the Olympus mju 720 SW, a 7.1 megapixel, 3x zoom, 2.5 inch LCD, weatherproof digital camera. “I hope nobody from Olympus is reading this, because I took the brand-new £230 camera that the company had entrusted to my care and deliberately dropped it several times from…
DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 800 IS digital camera, which offers 6 megapixels, image stabilized 4x zoom lens (first time on an IXUS) and ISO 800.
“Personally, I find very little fault with the Canon IXUS 800 IS camera. The design is remarkably solid and durable, and the structure of the menu is clear and can be easily navigated. However, there are several small comments to be made about the actual housing, such as its slippery surface, as well as the small mode dial on the side of the camera, which turns out slightly uncomfortable to touch. Overall however, the Canon IXUS 800 IS simply is a very pleasant camera to work with.”
Website: LetsGoDigital - Canon Digital IXUS 800 IS Review
DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 800 IS digital camera, which offers 6 megapixels, image stabilized 4x zoom lens (first time on an IXUS) and ISO 800. “Personally, I find very little fault with the Canon IXUS 800 IS camera. The design is remarkably solid and durable…
PCMagazine have just reviewed the new Fujifilm FinePix V10 Zoom, a 5 megapixel camera with 3 inch LCD screen that can also play games!
“It’s not every day you come across an ultracompact digital camera that has a very large screen and also plays games. The Fuji FinePix V10 ($349 list) is a 5.1-megapixel camera that offers a distinctive 3-inch, 230,000-pixel color screen—perfect for viewing 30 thumbnails at once and playing the camera’s four included games. Although the picture quality isn’t perfect, this ultracompact takes good pictures and offers a lot of features.”
PCMagazine have just reviewed the new Fujifilm FinePix V10 Zoom, a 5 megapixel camera with 3 inch LCD screen that can also play games! “It’s not every day you come across an ultracompact digital camera that has a very large screen and also plays games. The Fuji FinePix V10 ($34…
DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Nikon Coolpix S6, a 6 megapixel, 3x optical zoom len, 3 inch LCD digital camera.
“The slim and sexy Nikon Coolpix S6 was announced in February, along with its compatriot, the S5. Both cameras share similar specs, like 6 megapixels on a 1/2.5-inch CCD and a 3x optical zoom lens, with the main difference being the wireless capability on the flagship S6. The WiFi enabled digital camera allows users to send photos and videos to profiled computers and printers without a USB cable in sight. Still, the camera comes with plenty of wires in the package.”
Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Nikon Coolpix S6 Review
DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Nikon Coolpix S6, a 6 megapixel, 3x optical zoom len, 3 inch LCD digital camera. “The slim and sexy Nikon Coolpix S6 was announced in February, along with its compatriot, the S5. Both cameras share similar specs, like 6 megapixels on a 1/2.5-inch CCD and a…
PhotographyBLOG has teamed up with Trevoli to give you the chance of winning the award-winning premium desktop software Photo Finale 4 Premium.
5 people will each win a copy of Photo Finale 4 Premium (worth $49.95)
AND a 1 year photo album membership (5Gb) (worth $19.99)
http://www.trevoli.com/
On Wednesday 14th June 2006, 5 names will be randomly selected from the list of PhotographyBLOG Newsletter subscribers.
All you have to do to enter is subscribe to the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter before June 14th 2006.
PhotographyBLOG has teamed up with Trevoli to give you the chance of winning the award-winning premium desktop software Photo Finale 4 Premium. 5 people will each win a copy of Photo Finale 4 Premium (worth $49.95) AND a 1 year photo album membership (5Gb) (worth $19.99)http://www.trevoli.com/ On Wednesday 14th June…
Adobe have just released Lightroom Beta 3, which has the following new features:
* Support for new raw camera file formats (complete list of supported formats)
* Before and After views in Develop
* History of Develop edits provided
* Live preview of HTML/Flash web output in new Web Module
* Auto Import or Hot Folder support
* Better handling of PSD and TIFF files
* Resolution control in Export
* Additional straighten tool
* Saving module settings with collections and shoots
* Keyword import/export
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom/
Adobe have just released Lightroom Beta 3, which has the following new features: * Support for new raw camera file formats (complete list of supported formats) * Before and After views in Develop * History of Develop edits provided * Live preview of HTML/Flash web output in new Web Module…
Fujifilm USA has announced a $100 price drop for the FinePix S5200, which is now available for $299. The FinePix S5200 is an excellent choice for photographers looking to make their first venture into the world of SLR-styled cameras. The camera has a 10x optical zoom lens, a five MegaPixel Super CCD HR sensor and full-resolution ISO sensitivities as high as 1600.
Fujifilm USA has announced a $100 price drop for the FinePix S5200, which is now available for $299. The FinePix S5200 is an excellent choice for photographers looking to make their first venture into the world of SLR-styled cameras. The camera has a 10x optical zoom lens, a five MegaPixel…
Colour Confidence Press Release
Birmingham UK, 12th June, 2006 - Colour Confidence, the leading independent colour management specialists have today unveiled their brand new colour management package, the Studio XR. Unique to Colour Confidence, it includes a monitor profiling package based around the Monaco Optix XR, the Kodak Color Management Check-Up Kit, and an inkjet paper test pack. Studio XR is available at an introductory price of £99/€149 ex. VAT from www.colourconfidence.com . Studio XR is designed to provide users with an easy-to-use colour management solution in a box.
Colour Confidence Press Release Birmingham UK, 12th June, 2006 - Colour Confidence, the leading independent colour management specialists have today unveiled their brand new colour management package, the Studio XR. Unique to Colour Confidence, it includes a monitor profiling package based around the Monaco Optix XR, the Kodak Color Management…
muvee and Atlantic Records Announce ‘Geek and Me’ muvee-Making Contest with Recording Artist Jason Mraz - Contest debuts muveeOnline web service for online creation of muvees, as well as a customized style that incorporates artist music video elements
Singapore and New York - June 13, 2006 - muvee, the pioneer and leader in Instant Personal Video, has teamed with recording artist, Jason Mraz, to launch an online muvee-making contest that gives fans the chance to create muvees that weave their own footage into the artist’s original ‘Geek In The Pink’ music video. Jason Mraz fans can now enter the ‘Geek and Me’ muvee contest at www.jasonmraz.com/multimedia. Fans simply need to upload their own video and/or pictures, up to maximum combined file size of 20MB. On the back-end, the muveeOnline web service will then automatically blend and synchronize the fan’s footage with footage from Jason Mraz’s music video to create a unique finished production. The user is then sent an email with a link to play and watch their ‘Geek and Me’ muvee. They can also opt to have their muvee posted on the ‘Geek and Me’ muvee gallery for voting, or make more muvees.
muvee and Atlantic Records Announce ‘Geek and Me’ muvee-Making Contest with Recording Artist Jason Mraz - Contest debuts muveeOnline web service for online creation of muvees, as well as a customized style that incorporates artist music video elements Singapore and New York - June 13, 2006 - muvee, the pioneer…
Transcend Press Release
Transcend launches the Compact Card Reader and the Multi Card Reader M1, two new portable devices ideal for plug and play data transfer. These innovative products are extremely practical and thanks to their pocket size you can always take them with you. These two new products together with the Multi Card Reader form an exclusive trio of indispensable gadgets for reading movies, photos, and e-data from any flash card. Choose the Multi-Card Reader for larger flash cards, the Multi-Card Reader M1 for smaller cards, or if you don’t want to use any cable, choose the Compact Card Reader that can be directly plugged into the USB port. Transcend’s Portable Multi-Card Readers do not require any installation, and simply connect to your PC, Mac, or notebook computer. In addition, the fast transfer rates, reduced dimensions, and captivating designs will enhance your photo, music, and data transfer experience.
Transcend Press Release Transcend launches the Compact Card Reader and the Multi Card Reader M1, two new portable devices ideal for plug and play data transfer. These innovative products are extremely practical and thanks to their pocket size you can always take them with you. These two new products together…
Fujifilm Press Release
The whole field of holography is about to undergo a major advancement with the introduction of FUJIFILM holographic film which sets new standards in quality, consistency, and speed.
The world of three-dimensional holography has been quite dormant over recent years save for its continued progress in security packaging, credit cards, and other types of authentication, and the foray into 3D portraiture as witnessed by the recent ‘blue’ portrait of HM The Queen. However, a major development by Fujifilm looks set to revive the field of hologram creation across a wide section of commercial and artistic applications. Fujifilm of Japan has entered the holographic film market straight in at the top of the tree with the highest quality, highest consistency and highest speed film now available.
Fujifilm Press Release The whole field of holography is about to undergo a major advancement with the introduction of FUJIFILM holographic film which sets new standards in quality, consistency, and speed. The world of three-dimensional holography has been quite dormant over recent years save for its continued progress in security…
ePhotoZine have reviewed the new Samsung GX-1S digital SLR, a 6 megapixel digital camera that uses the Pentax lens mount.
“Noise levels at ISO200 and ISO400 are low, as you would expect from an APS-C digital SLR of this level. Shots taken at ISO800 display a little more noise, but the images are still very usable. At ISO1600 chroma noise starts to become more prevalent, with midtone areas gaining a fairly strong pattern of multi-coloured speckles. By ISO3200 things start to get messy. The grey area of our QP card has no grey left in it, instead large flecks of red, green and blue are dominant. However if pictures taken at the ISO setting are converted to black & white, then they still display a good amount of detail and the noise levels are better controlled.”
Website: ePhotoZine - Samsung GX-1S Review
ePhotoZine have reviewed the new Samsung GX-1S digital SLR, a 6 megapixel digital camera that uses the Pentax lens mount. “Noise levels at ISO200 and ISO400 are low, as you would expect from an APS-C digital SLR of this level. Shots taken at ISO800 display a little more noise, but…