News
Digital Outback Photo have taken a look at the image resizing software SizeFixer.
“I have been working with Sizefixer since mid November 2005 and have used it to upsize over 100 different images. I have found that I can get excellent results from a 2.74mp D1 shot all the way to a 16mp 1DSMKII file. Each time I have found that the output from Sizefixer has amazingly accurate details. Even with the issues that have been pointed out, I prefer the output enough to develop work a-rounds to overcome these problems.”
http://www.outbackphoto.com/workflow/wf_92/essay.html
Digital Outback Photo have taken a look at the image resizing software SizeFixer. “I have been working with Sizefixer since mid November 2005 and have used it to upsize over 100 different images. I have found that I can get excellent results from a 2.74mp D1 shot all the way…
Kodak are set to raise the prices of some of its film products by as much as 17%, reports BusinessWeek. There are no details yet about which specific products are affected, but the cost of consumer and professional films will rise between 3% and 17% from May 1st this year. The rising costs of raw materials and transportation are apparently to blame. Good news for Kodak shareholders, bad news for film users.
Website: BusinessWeek - Eastman Kodak announces film price hikes
Kodak are set to raise the prices of some of its film products by as much as 17%, reports BusinessWeek. There are no details yet about which specific products are affected, but the cost of consumer and professional films will rise between 3% and 17% from May 1st this year…
Nikon Press Release
Capture NX and Nikon View Pro software release dates changed
Nikon Corporation announced on 21st February that Capture NX and Nikon View Pro software would be released in spring and in May respectively. However, the release schedule for these products has been changed due to a slight delay in their development schedule.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause for customers waiting for the product release due to the delay from the original date projected in the initial announcement. We are working hard on completing the development process and we appreciate your patience and kind understanding.
Nikon Press Release Capture NX and Nikon View Pro software release dates changed Nikon Corporation announced on 21st February that Capture NX and Nikon View Pro software would be released in spring and in May respectively. However, the release schedule for these products has been changed due to a slight…
JP Distribution Press Release
JP Distribution are pleased to announce the new Studio Deluxe III L-398A Light Meter from Sekonic. The Studio Deluxe III L-398A has been modified from the discontinued L-398M, so, whilst maintaining all of the original features, it also has a number of new features that will make this a much-needed accessory for all photographers. Stock of the Studio Deluxe III L-398A will be available from the end of May and the suggested retail price is £129.99 inc vat.
JP Distribution Press Release JP Distribution are pleased to announce the new Studio Deluxe III L-398A Light Meter from Sekonic. The Studio Deluxe III L-398A has been modified from the discontinued L-398M, so, whilst maintaining all of the original features, it also has a number of new features that will…
Digital Foci Press Release
Los Angeles, CA, April 17, 2006 – Digital Foci announced today Memory Card Gateway, a high-speed USB 2.0 memory card reader/writer for virtually all memory card formats, including CompactFlash Type I/II, MicroDrive, SmartMedia, MultiMedia Card, SD Card, miniSD, Memory Stick,MS PRO, MS Duo, MS PRO Duo, and MagicGate MS. The Digital Foci Memory Card Gateway is the central access point for your digital camera, MP3 player, cell phone, PDA, digital video camera, and computer. With USB 2.0 connectivity, Memory Card Gateway lets you easily access pictures on your digital camera memory card and transfers those pictures to your computer at high speed. You can also easily share photos, music, and other data files with your friends by transferring files from your computer to their memory card. Available in 3 stylish colors: Lucid Purple, Midnight Gray, and Crystal Blue, Memory Card Gateway is compact, lightweight, and completely self-powered via USB port. The included velcro mounting pads also let you place it wherever you want.
Digital Foci Press Release Los Angeles, CA, April 17, 2006 – Digital Foci announced today Memory Card Gateway, a high-speed USB 2.0 memory card reader/writer for virtually all memory card formats, including CompactFlash Type I/II, MicroDrive, SmartMedia, MultiMedia Card, SD Card, miniSD, Memory Stick,MS PRO, MS Duo, MS PRO Duo…
Gitzo Press Release
Ramsey, New Jersey (April 17, 2006) – Gitzo, revered throughout the world for its precision, quality and innovation in bringing new products to market for both the professional photo and video markets, is introducing the G2180 Fluid Head. Developed with a unique ergonomic design and with two individual uses, the low profile G2180 is ideal for compact DV camera equipment. With a sophisticated new design, the new G2180 features a curved handle that is fully adjustable to any angle for video applications. The handle can also be removed for use in still photography and is reversible for left and right-handed users. And, with every aspect of design in mind, Gitzo includes a cap to replace the handle attachment and preserve the sophistication of this piece. The G2180 head is crafted from a lightweight techno-polymer material and allows for easy transportation and travel, making the weight of the head a mere 1.19 pounds.
Gitzo Press Release Ramsey, New Jersey (April 17, 2006) – Gitzo, revered throughout the world for its precision, quality and innovation in bringing new products to market for both the professional photo and video markets, is introducing the G2180 Fluid Head. Developed with a unique ergonomic design and with two…
DIWA member Steves Digicams have reviewed the Canon PowerShot A700, a 6 megapixel camera with ISO 800, 2.5 inch LCD and a 6x optical zoom lens.
“I was very pleased with the overall image quality of the A700’s 6-megapixel Large SuperFine mode. Our outdoor samples were beautiful, showing good exposure and color saturation. Thanks in part to the Canon 6x optical zoom lens, just about every single shot I took was nice and sharp from edge to edge. In fact i saw almost no signs of edge blurring or softness; a common trait of consumer models. Noise is nonexistent at the lower ISO settings (80 or 100), but does become more noticeable as the sensitivity is increased. “
DIWA member Steves Digicams have reviewed the Canon PowerShot A700, a 6 megapixel camera with ISO 800, 2.5 inch LCD and a 6x optical zoom lens. “I was very pleased with the overall image quality of the A700’s 6-megapixel Large SuperFine mode. Our outdoor samples were beautiful, showing good exposure…
Shutterbug have reviewed the Olympus E-500, an 8 megapixel DSLR with a 2.5 inch LCD screen in a body with a classic penta-prism design.
“Although it’s one of the smallest and lightest digital SLRs on the market, the E-500 has a solid feel that exudes high quality. That was achieved with an aluminum and plastic exterior, aluminum die-cast chassis, and a metal lens mount. Although the body is compact, the handgrip is large and well sculpted. The viewfinder seems very small, however. The LCD monitor is oversized, great for image playback and for viewing the various menu items that are shown with easy-to-read symbols and numbers. The camera sports analog controls for most of the frequently used features, all conveniently placed. “
Website: Shutterbug - Olympus E-500 Review
Shutterbug have reviewed the Olympus E-500, an 8 megapixel DSLR with a 2.5 inch LCD screen in a body with a classic penta-prism design. “Although it’s one of the smallest and lightest digital SLRs on the market, the E-500 has a solid feel that exudes high quality. That was achieved…
CNET have reviewed the Canon PowerShot A700, a 6 megapixel camera with ISO 800, 2.5 inch LCD and a 6x optical zoom lens.
“Like its stablemate, the PowerShot A540, the compact Canon PowerShot A700 offers abundant manual controls, respectable image quality, and acceptable ISO 800 performance. Either camera should appeal to enthusiast photographers or serious beginners who want some control over exposure and focus. But the A700’s biggest edge is its 6X zoom lens, a nice step up from the A540’s 4X glass. Plus, the A700 includes macro focusing down to 0.4 inch, a higher-resolution 2.5-inch LCD, and a rear-sync flash that fires at the end of your exposure to keep car headlights from looking like laser beams.”
Website: CNET - Canon PowerShot A700 Review
CNET have reviewed the Canon PowerShot A700, a 6 megapixel camera with ISO 800, 2.5 inch LCD and a 6x optical zoom lens. “Like its stablemate, the PowerShot A540, the compact Canon PowerShot A700 offers abundant manual controls, respectable image quality, and acceptable ISO 800 performance. Either camera should appeal…
NE Asia Online has an interesting article about the development of an organic CMOS sensor by Fujifilm.
“The reason the organic CMOS sensor has been referred to as the ideal imaging sensor is its structure. Existing imaging devices extract only specific wavelengths, using color filters, and convert them to charges. In the green image, for example, blue and red light is discarded. The organic CMOS sensor, however, uses all visible light thanks to a vertical stack of organic photoelectric conversion films (Fig 3, p53). The per-pixel optical utilization is tripled, making it possible that sensitivity would be significantly higher than that of existing imagers.”
Website: NE Asia Online - Fuji Film’s Success with Organic Imaging Sensor
NE Asia Online has an interesting article about the development of an organic CMOS sensor by Fujifilm. “The reason the organic CMOS sensor has been referred to as the ideal imaging sensor is its structure. Existing imaging devices extract only specific wavelengths, using color filters, and convert them to charges…
Maxtor Press Release
Bringing Digital Content to Life, a Series of New Products Are Scheduled in 2006 to Help Consumers Organize, Share, Protect and Access Their Content Anytime, Anywhere
MILPITAS, Calif. - The way people access, share, view and experience digital content is quickly evolving, and storage pioneer Maxtor (NYSE: MXO - News) is introducing several new products to address these changing consumer needs. Mike Williams, vice president and general manager, Maxtor Branded Products, today presented the future of storage innovation, and outlined a series of new products that Maxtor will make available through its retail and distributor channels during the second quarter. “Maxtor’s goal is to help people bring their digital content to life through an extended family of simple, elegant and intuitive solutions that allow people to expand, protect, and now easily organize, personalize and share their digital lives,” said Williams. “Maxtor is well-positioned to provide groundbreaking solutions and services, building off our years of success in launching value-add products.”
Maxtor Press Release Bringing Digital Content to Life, a Series of New Products Are Scheduled in 2006 to Help Consumers Organize, Share, Protect and Access Their Content Anytime, Anywhere MILPITAS, Calif. - The way people access, share, view and experience digital content is quickly evolving, and storage pioneer Maxtor (NYSE…
Maxtor Press Release
Maxtor Introduces Sleek, Trusted Storage To Go - With Mobility on the Rise, the New Maxtor OneTouch™ III Mini Edition Delivers Safe and Easy Award-Winning Backup and Content Management in a Small, Stylish Package
MILPITAS, Calif., April 17, 2006 – To meet fast-growing market demand for portable storage, Maxtor Corporation (NYSE: MXO) today announced it is shipping the new Maxtor OneTouch III Mini Edition drive, the company’s first small form factor external storage solution. Designed with the mobile professional in mind, the slim, elegant and portable solution is the latest addition to the award-winning Maxtor OneTouch product family. Weighing in at approximately seven ounces, it is the first mobile storage solution in the industry that comes fully loaded with the latest software innovations to protect and manage digital content, including automated backup, data encryption, data synchronization and system rollback to restore applications and operating system while keeping digital files current.
Maxtor Press Release Maxtor Introduces Sleek, Trusted Storage To Go - With Mobility on the Rise, the New Maxtor OneTouch™ III Mini Edition Delivers Safe and Easy Award-Winning Backup and Content Management in a Small, Stylish Package MILPITAS, Calif., April 17, 2006 – To meet fast-growing market demand for portable…
Northlight Images have shared their recent experience with the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L Tilt-Shift lens, which is mainly used for architecture and wide landscape photography.
“Quite fascinating to use if you are from a 35mm SLR background. It takes some serious experimenting to get the hang of when to use the lens (and when not to). With a bit of trickery you can use various lens correction software for fixing vignetting and chromatic aberration. Vertical shifts (rise and fall) seem to produce the most noticeable vignetting and metering problems. Don’t forget that many of the shots I’ve included here, were taken at maximal shift, where distortions are at their greatest. Best results are probably going to come from using a combination of the lens shifting and Photoshop to get the very best results. Using the shift function gives about the same horizontal angular coverage as a 16mm lens, but with noticeably higher resolution.”
Website: Northlight Images - A Tilt and shift lens on your DSLR
Northlight Images have shared their recent experience with the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L Tilt-Shift lens, which is mainly used for architecture and wide landscape photography. “Quite fascinating to use if you are from a 35mm SLR background. It takes some serious experimenting to get the hang of when to…
Imaging Resource have just reviewed the new 8 megapixel Canon EOS 30D DSLR.
“As did the 20D, the new Canon 30D offers impressive noise performance at high ISOs, with the result that its images at ISO 1600 are remarkably clean-looking, and its shots at ISO 3200 are very usable. Simultaneous with the increase in resolution, the Canon EOS 30D also brings improved shooting speed, with a 5 frame/second continuous mode and unusually deep buffer memory. For all its technical sophistication though, the camera avoids any sense of needless technology for technology’s sake: The Canon EOS 30D is clearly focused on a single purpose: Helping photographers capture excellent images.”
Imaging Resource have just reviewed the new 8 megapixel Canon EOS 30D DSLR. “As did the 20D, the new Canon 30D offers impressive noise performance at high ISOs, with the result that its images at ISO 1600 are remarkably clean-looking, and its shots at ISO 3200 are very usable. Simultaneous…
CNET have reviewed the new Samsung GX-1S digital SLR, a 6 megapixel digital camera that uses the Pentax lens mount.
“Proving that a Pentax by another name does shoot as sweet, Samsung’s *ist DS2 clone, the GX-1S, provides the same mix of picture quality, small size (for a dSLR), and ease of use that we saw in the Pentax-branded version. Beginners will appreciate its simplicity, while advanced amateurs should enjoy the bevy of manual features. But more advanced photographers, especially those who’ve used film SLRs, may be annoyed by the number of features tucked away in the camera’s menu system.”
Website: CNET - Samsung GX-1S Review
CNET have reviewed the new Samsung GX-1S digital SLR, a 6 megapixel digital camera that uses the Pentax lens mount. “Proving that a Pentax by another name does shoot as sweet, Samsung’s *ist DS2 clone, the GX-1S, provides the same mix of picture quality, small size (for a dSLR), and…
CNET have posted the first review of the Canon PowerShot SD630 (also called the Canon Digital IXUS 65), a 6 megapixel camera with 3x zoom lens, ISO 800, Widescreen (16:9) mode and a 3 inch LCD screen.
“It may be small, but the Canon PowerShot SD630 is fierce. This little 6-megapixel point-and-shoot manages to pack zippy performance and snappy photos into a package you can fit in your pants pocket. If you have large hands, you’ll probably find its control layout a little uncomfortable, and it doesn’t have an optical viewfinder, but the SD630 is still a great compact camera.”
Website: CNET - Canon PowerShot SD630 Review
CNET have posted the first review of the Canon PowerShot SD630 (also called the Canon Digital IXUS 65), a 6 megapixel camera with 3x zoom lens, ISO 800, Widescreen (16:9) mode and a 3 inch LCD screen. “It may be small, but the Canon PowerShot SD630 is fierce. This little…
DigitalCameraReview 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.
“The Optio A10 produced good images overall, but you may end up adjusting the default settings so images are more to your taste. In my opinion, colors were slightly oversaturated and images were just a hair underexposed. The images had good sharpness and detail across the entire frame. Chromatic aberration was also well controlled. Another type of image that I had trouble with (with the default settings) was a backlit subject. The multi-segment metering didn’t do a good job of handling a person against a bright sky. To remedy this, try another metering mode.”
DigitalCameraReview 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. “The Optio A10 produced good images overall, but you may end up adjusting the default settings so images are more to your taste. In my…
DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have just reviewed the new 8 megapixel Canon EOS 30D DSLR.
Website: Digit.no - Canon EOS 30D Review
DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have just reviewed the new 8 megapixel Canon EOS 30D DSLR. Website: Digit.no - Canon EOS 30D Review Latest Prices / User Reviews
DigitalCameraInfo have just reviewed the new 6 megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 camera.
“Panasonic expanded its line of inexpensive compacts with long zooms this winter at the Consumer Electronics Show with the Lumix DMC-LZ3 and Lumix DMC-LZ5. We gave the two cameras a close look at CES, and we’re glad to give you an even closer look at the 6 megapixel, 6x zoom LZ5. With a list price of $279.95, the LZ5 offers Panasonic’s class-leading optical image stabilization in a small (less than 4 inches wide, 186 grams), simple package at an affordable price.”
Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 Review
DigitalCameraInfo have just reviewed the new 6 megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 camera. “Panasonic expanded its line of inexpensive compacts with long zooms this winter at the Consumer Electronics Show with the Lumix DMC-LZ3 and Lumix DMC-LZ5. We gave the two cameras a close look at CES, and we’re glad to…
DCResource have just published their review of the new top of the range 8 megapixel HP Photosmart R927 digital camera.
“Photo quality turned out to be the R927’s weak point. While the camera took well exposed photos with vibrant colors, I was disappointed with the amount of noise and purple fringing on my photos. While these issues won’t make a difference if you’re making 4 x 6 inch prints, you will notice them in 8 x 10 prints or when viewing them onscreen. Redeye will not be a problem if you turn on the camera’s software-based redeye reduction system, though that will slow down shot-to-shot times a bit.”
DCResource have just published their review of the new top of the range 8 megapixel HP Photosmart R927 digital camera. “Photo quality turned out to be the R927’s weak point. While the camera took well exposed photos with vibrant colors, I was disappointed with the amount of noise and purple…