Lexar Media Press Release

Digital Camera Users Unaware of Need for Safekeeping their Efforts - Study shows the need for archiving digital photos

(PRWEB) August 23, 2005—A recent digital imaging study has revealed that many photographers are unaware of the need to archive their work. According to the study released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), nearly 50 percent of all camera users shoot billions of pictures a year on a digital camera, but only 48 percent backup all or most of their images.

Lexar Media has simplified the solution for such photographer’s needs, whether a pro, semi-pro or simply a weekend warrior. Photo Mechanic is a program that facilitates organizing and managing hundreds or even thousands of photos at a time. Photo Mechanic is a workflow tool that assists in weeding out the preferred photos from a batch and allows very rapid browsing through a day’s or week’s images.

IDC Press Release

While Number of Digital Images Captured Increases Rapidly, Consumers’ Printing Behavior Changes, IDC Reveals

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., August 24, 2005 – The number of aggregate digital images captured per month continued to grow another 18 points in 2005, largely driven through cheaper flash memory card prices and increased capacities, IDC found in a new study of U.S. digital camera owners’ usage habits. As a result, the total number of average monthly prints is expected to increase by 29% in 2005. However, printing behavior is changing with home printing continuing to decline in favor of retail locations.

“Variability in printing behavior is obvious,” said Chris Chute, senior analyst, Worldwide Digital Imaging Solutions and Services. “While one-third of digital camera owners never print, over 10% print every image they keep. There are therefore distinct clusters of users who can be identified by their printing behavior.”

Imation Press Release

Americans Embrace Digital Convenience But Have Yet to Fully Master Digital Application Skills

OAKDALE, Minn., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—Admit it. Like most Americans, we’ve got shelves piled high with dusty shoeboxes of old photos and empty scrapbooks. And now, with the growth of digital cameras, we have CDs, DVDs, computer hard drives and e-mail boxes that are overflowing with digital photos and videos as well. It’s true, according to a national consumer survey of 2,000 American adults, sponsored by Imation Corp (NYSE:IMN) , Americans are embracing digital technologies to capture and share their memories. Even so, many Americans have yet to fully master the more complex digital application skills, such as editing or digital scrapbooking.

Focal Press Press Release

WINNERS OF THE FOCAL PRESS KEEPING IT UNREAL COMPETITION

Earlier on this year Focal Press ran a student digital imaging competition. Students were invited to submit up to 3 seamless 2D images created using Photoshop and other software. The content had to be an everyday setting that has been digitally manipulated to offer an unexpected vision, one that only digital software could create.

From retro to contemporary to futuristic, winning images had to be grounded in the familiar but celebrate how things might change…a spectacle that can stun viewers with its contrasts and audacity.

The winners with judges comments can be viewed here.

Many thanks to our kind and generous sponsors iStockphoto, Pure360, Olympus and the British Journal of Photography who donated prizes for the winners.

Image courtesy of Sukey Parnell, Thames Valley University.

Center for Photographic Art Press Release

Center for Photographic Art offers $21,600 in cash awards for its Annual International Center Awards.

The 15th Annual Center Awards is an international juried exhibition open to all media including digital and mixed media.

This is a non-thematic international call to entry competition open to all photographic media including digital and mixed media. Arthur Ollman, Director of the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California will be the presiding Juror of the event.

HP Press Release

Join in the Fun of Home Photo Printing - Easy photo printing with the new versatile HP Deskjet 5440 Photo Printer

HP today announced the launch of the HP Deskjet 5440 Photo Printer, a versatile printer that makes it easy for everyone to print high quality, long lasting photos and a range of documents from home. Designed for people who enjoy sharing photos with friends and want the printing process to be as easy as possible, the HP Deskjet 5440 Photo Printer offers the key benefit of being able to print photos as easily as it does letters, e-mail, postcards and greeting cards. With impressive print speeds users can produce a 10 x 15 cm photo in as fast as 27 seconds.  Users can also print on any size of photo paper from 10 x 15 cm right up to large panorama (215 x 610 mm).  By using HP Vivera Inks, users can print in 4-ink or in optional 6-ink colours for photos that will resist fading for generations1.

HP Press Release

The Everyday Printer that Enjoys Printing Photos - From impressive photos to high speed everyday printing, the HP Deskjet 5940 Photo Printer meets the needs of the whole family

HP today announced the launch of the HP Deskjet 5940 Photo Printer, a versatile, all round device designed for families who want to print everything quickly, from high quality photos to documents –
and anything in between.

The HP Deskjet 5940 Photo Printer provides outstanding versatility at breakthrough speeds, with documents produced at up to 30 pages per minute (ppm) in black and 24 ppm in colour, making the printer ideal for families who need to print documents quickly.  Users can print on a range of paper types and sizes to complete a wide variety of tasks, from web pages and school projects to greeting cards and address labels.

HP Press Release

HP Introduces an Affordable Complete Business Solution - Print, fax, scan and copy with high quality, at an affordable price with the HP Officejet 5610 All-in-One

HP today announced the launch of the HP Officejet 5610 All-in-One, an affordable, versatile printer, fax machine, scanner and copier in one neat compact package. Ideal for businesses looking for a complete all-in-one solution, this device features fast printing, scanning and copying capabilities as well as an integrated junk fax barrier for added day-to-day efficiency.

Whether the source is a book, photo, report or even a 3D object, the HP Officejet 5610 All-in-One makes high quality scanning simple. At 1200 x 4800 dpi optical resolution and 48-bit colour, photos, images and documents can be captured and stored digitally for long periods.

Due to some database issues, the PhotographyBLOG Forums have been offline for the last couple of weeks. Also, if you registered as a new user yesterday (23rd August), you will have to register again. If you posted a photo in the Gallery yesterday, it has been lost and you will have to upload it again. Please accept my sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused.

The upside is that the Forums have been upgraded to a more advanced version with lots of new features.

Please let me know if you encounter any unusual behaviour by emailing [email protected]

Nikon Press Release

Nikon Capture 4 (Version 4.3.1 Update)

The latest update to Nikon’s powerful photo finishing software with improved RAW(NEF) image processing enables faster processing of image data with stress-free handling for image display and data saving.

Amsterdam, 22 August 2005. – Nikon is pleased to announce an update of Nikon Capture 4, version 4.3.1, which became available for download from August 22nd 2005. In response to users’ requests, the latest version of Nikon’s post-production tool has realized faster processing and stress-free handling of image data more than ever. Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) is also supported.

Nikon Press Release

Nikon Capture 4 (Version 4.3.1 Update)

The latest update to Nikon’s powerful photo finishing software with improved RAW(NEF) image processing enables faster processing of image data with stress-free handling for image display and data saving.

Amsterdam, 22 August 2005. – Nikon is pleased to announce an update of Nikon Capture 4, version 4.3.1, which became available for download from August 22nd 2005. In response to users’ requests, the latest version of Nikon’s post-production tool has realized faster processing and stress-free handling of image data more than ever. Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) is also supported.

Hasselblad Press Release

Four new products address needs of both general and specialist professional photographers

A year from the launch of the new Hasselblad, the company is setting a new benchmark for digital professional photography with the announcement of new flagship digital cameras and camera backs based on a new digital platform, satisfying the needs of both the general and specialist professional photographer. 

Building on the success of the H1 range of products, Hasselblad has developed the H2 cross-platform camera and the H2D fully integrated digital camera.  Both the cameras include a series of brand new features, and are fully compatible with Hasselblad’s existing H system lenses. 

New products in the Ixpress digital back line include the Ixpress CF and Ixpress CFH, bringing new levels of flexibility to specialist professional photographers, enabling them to take full advantage of everything that leading-edge digital photography can offer.

Rob Galbraith are the third site today to share their initial impressions of the Canon EOS 5D.

”“The Canon EOS 5D looks to be everything I’ve been waiting for in a DSLR camera. If the image quality is everything that I anticipate from Canon, then I will most likely acquire two as soon as they’re available. The pixel count, buffer size, feature list and weight are all very appealing and the price makes acquiring one seem more like a buying a camera and less like buying a car.”“

Website: Rob Galbraith - Canon EOS 5D to ship in October for US$3299

DIWA member LetsGoDigital have published a preview with lots of glossy pictures of the Canon 5D, a new 12.8 megapixel full-frame digital SLR camera.

“Today we were invited to join Canon with their presentation of the 2nd digital wave that will hit the world. Amazing, how many products Canon have launched this year, every 4 days they have launched a new digital imaging product! During the presentation I was able to get my hands on the new Canon 5D digital SLR camera. Although it was only for a short moment I was able to get a first impression and the following article gives you a closer look at the already famous new Canon EOS 5D D-SLR. For those of you who already start ordering their own Canon 5D, the price in the Netherlands is set at EUR 3299,- including VAT. Expect the Canon EOS 5D digital reflex camera to be available on the market in September 2005.”

Website: LetsGoDigital - Canon EOS 5D Preview

Luminous Landscape have published their first impressions of the Canon 5D, a new 12.8 megapixel full-frame digital SLR camera.

“In a nut-shell, the 5D is a 13 Megapixel full-frame DSLR. What sets it apart from any prior full-frame DSLR, such as the 1 Ds Series Canon’s or the now-defunct Kodak DCS 14n and Pro n models is that it is about the physical size of the current generation of 6 and 8 Megapixel cameras, as well as current film-based SLRs such as the Canon 1V. It’s the first high-resolution full-frame digital SLR that can make this claim. The price of course is the other differentiator. Though street price isn’t yet certain, it will likely be just slightly more than US $3,000, which makes it expensive in many people’s books, but a bargain compared to the Canon 1Ds MKII which is US $7,000, and the only other full-frame DSLR currently available.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Canon EOS 5D First Impressions

The Spanish website Quesabesde have reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 50, a 5 megapixel digital camera with stainless steel finish that is Canon’s smallest ever 5.0 Megapixel optical zoom camera (also known as the SD400).

Website: Quesabesde - Canon Digital IXUS 50 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Canon Digital IXUS 50

Write a Review of the Canon Digital IXUS 50

DigiCamReview have published their review of the Ricoh Caplio GX8, an 8.24 megapixel update of the Ricoh Caplio GX.

“Ricoh’s Caplio GX8 is a slim and compact 8.2-Megapixel digital camera that commands one of the world’s fastest shutter response time, super-close macro mode and a fast start-up time of 1.3 seconds. The wholly-black camera is quicker, lighter and even easier to use than its wide-angle lens predecessor, the Caplio GX, but only offers a 3x optical zoom lens. Nevertheless, it can easily slip into a jacket pocket, is a snap to use and produces excellent quality images. You’ll struggle to find a camera in this price bracket that offers so much functionality or that produces such good images.”

Website: DigiCamReview - Ricoh GX8 Review

Website: Read my Ricoh Caplio GX8 Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LZ1, which has a 6x optical zoom lenses and an Optical Image Stabilizer to combat camera shake.

“Priced about $50 less than its 5-megapixel Lumix DMC-LZ2 sibling, this affordable point-and-shoot offers the same 6X zoom lens with a 37mm-to-222mm reach (35mm-camera equivalent) and the same highly desirable optical image stabilization to counter shaky hands at slow shutter speeds or high magnifications. Panasonic trimmed about a million pixels to create this 4-megapixel version, but its image quality is almost as good as the higher-res model’s. The only key feature missing is a microphone to record video sound clips.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1

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DIWA member and Czech website FotoAparat have reviewed the HP Photosmart R717, a 6.2 megapixel digicam with a 1.8 inch LCD screen and 3x optical zoom lens in a stylish stainless steel body.

Website: FotoAparat - HP Photosmart R717 Review

Website: Read my HP Photosmart R717 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the HP Photosmart R717

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DIWA member and Czech website FotoAparat have published their review of the Fujifilm FinePix Z1 Zoom, a 5 megapixel compact digital camera with a large 2.5inch LCD screen and 3 optical zoom.

Website: FotoAparat - Fujifilm FinePix Z1 Zoom Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Fujifilm FinePix Z1 Zoom

Write a Review of the Fujifilm FinePix Z1 Zoom