Project World Photo Day 2005 is rapidly approaching. On June 01, 2005 photographers from across the planet will submit one photo each depicting people and every day life where they live, and as seen through the lense of the camera.

WPD founder Drew Rossman says, “My hope is that we all gain a better, more positive insight into the circumstances that dictate our daily lives, the difficulties, the triumphs, the beauty, the pain, the good and the bad, all of this in just one 24-hour period”.

Pre-registration is still possible and the photos will be available for viewing as they are recieved beginning June 1st.

Website: World Photo Day 2005

Fujifilm UK Press Release

Expanded media card range now offers formats for every device

Fujifilm, the market leader in memory cards for digital devices, has announced the introduction of new media card formats aimed at both the professional photographer and the consumer.

The professional and consumer ranges will feature separate and distinctive packaging, and the extended portfolio means that almost every media card on the market can now be found under the Fujifilm brand - offering customers a straight forward path to whichever format they require.

Fujifilm Professional Media
Every single media card in Fujifilm’s Professional Media range comes complete with a Lifetime Guarantee.

Kicking off the new range, Fujifilm’s High Speed SecureDigital(tm)  (SD) card is available in 60x and 133x speeds.  The 60x speed comes in 256MB, 512MB and 1GB sizes.  The 133x speed card (offering up to 20MB/second transfer rate) is available in 512MB and 1GB sizes, and has undergone a rigorous and specially designed testing process to ensure it can withstand extreme conditions, including a temperature range of -25 to +85 degrees Celsius.  This makes it the perfect format for snow sports and extreme pursuits.

Nikon Coolpix S2 is announced today. The Nikon Coolpix S2 is an updated version of the S1 digital camera (which is only just starting to appear in stores). The main changes to the 5 megapixel Nikon S2 are the addition of a weather-proof body and a sliding lens mechanism. The Coolpix S2 is also slightly bigger and heavier than its predecessor. Release date for the Nikon COolpix S2 is 10th June 2005 and price £299.99 / €448.00 / $429.

Nikon UK Press Release

Nikon UK is pleased to announce the introduction of the COOLPIX S2 which boasts stylish, slim dimensions (it’s just 22mm deep), a bright 2.5 -inch LCD screen and a range of innovative, highly intelligent Nikon functions. 

Great images, whatever the weather
The aluminum exterior of the COOLPIX S2 is both stylish and practical, it provides a splash-proof* water resistance facility for outdoor use which ensures great photographs, even in the rain. Thanks to the 5.1 megapixels and a versatile 35-105mm 3x Optical Zoom-Nikkor ED† lens (35mm equivalent), the COOLPIX S2 guarantees sharp, clear results and faithful colour.

Further evidence that the digital camera market is reaching saturation point as most of the big manufacturers say that shipments will fall or slow considerably compared with the previous year. Even Canon are saying this, so it must be true :-) According to the report on Bloomberg.com half of the population of Japan already own a digicam…

“The rush for digital cameras in Japan had its peak last year, and the U.S. is about a year behind that,’’ said Mitsuhiro Osawa, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. who covers precision-instrument makers. About a third of consumers in the U.S. have a digital camera, compared with about a quarter in Europe, he said.”

Website: Bloomberg - Canon, Sony, Olympus Expect Digital Cameras Shipments to Slow

Minox Press Release

The company MINOX GmbH, based in Wetzlar, has broken free from its co-partner, Leica Camera AG, and has made itself fully independent. General manager Thorsten Kortemeier already took over the traditional brand when he acquired 51 percent of the MINOX partnership capital in 2001 – at that time 49 percent were left in the possession of Leica.

Small and adaptable, defying the difficult market environment – this company concept launched four years ago worked. Boasting a high level of flexibility the new MINOX GmbH has been able to systematically expand its activities and also the profits. Primarily known as manufacturer of the famous miniature camera MINOX now focuses on new product lines and special forms of marketing. These small and ingenious MINOX products are in strong demand, also as high quality rewards and advertising gifts. The top seller is the sport optics sector – this is where sales have actually doubled over the previous four years. And just recently, MINOX was presented the German Design Award for its successful binocular development.

Thorsten Kortemeier comments: “It was the right decision to focus on new sales channels and lucrative niche markets. More innovative products will be launched this year securing the ongoing growth of MINOX GmbH.”

DCResource have just reviewed the new Casio EX-Z750 Exilim Zoom, which has a 7.2 megapixel CCD sensor, large 2.5-inch LCD screen and offers a battery life of 325 shots.

“The EX-Z750 has plenty of features to talk about as well. It has tons (and I mean tons) of scene modes that even extend to movie mode. If you want manual controls, they’re all here, though I don’t like the limited aperture choices. Speaking of movie mode, the Z750’s is excellent. You can record high quality VGA (30 fps) video until the memory card is full. Thanks to Casio’s use of the MPEG-4 codec file sizes are small and a high speed memory card is not required. The downside is that Mac compatibility isn’t the best. The camera offers several movie modes and you can edit your “films” when they’re done or grab frames from them.”

Website: DCResource - Casio EX-Z750 Exilim Zoom Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Casio EX-Z750 Exilim Zoom

Write a Review of the Casio EX-Z750 Exilim Zoom

The PhotographyBLOG server was upgraded last night, which should result in faster and more reliable performance across the site. There are a couple of issues that I am aware of, notably the inability to upload photos in the Gallery (you can still leave comments on existing photos). Oh, and email is offline too, so don’t try emailing me! If you experience any other odd behaviour, please let me know by leaving a comment in reply to this post.

UPDATE Midday CET: The gallery is now fixed and you should be able to upload photos again. Plus my email is back, which is nice…

Kodak Easyshare V550 and Kodak Easyshare V530 digital cameras are announced today. The Kodak V550 and Kodak V530 both have 5 megapixel sensors, 3x optical zoom lenses and 2.5inch LCD screens. The Kodak V530 camera will be available in July 2005 for US$349. The Kodak V550 camera will be available in June for US$399.

Kodak Press Release

New KODAK EASYSHARE V-Series Digital Cameras Fuse Video and Still Photography; Sleek, Compact Models Smaller than a Deck of Cards

Kodak Pairs Style with Substance in KODAK EASYSHARE V550 and V530 Zoom Digital Cameras; Leave the Camcorder Behind with Built-In Video Capabilities

ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 17—Fresh for the summer season, KODAK EASYSHARE V-series digital cameras were unveiled today in cities around the globe. Two models—each smaller than a deck of playing cards—are designed for trendsetters who seek high-style, compact personal electronics that combine phenomenal quality, performance and simplicity.

Kingston Technology Press Release

Kingston Technology Launches New “Ultimate” Line of SD Cards

Aimed at professional digital users SD Ultimate Cards’ use 133X Speed

[17 May 2005] Kingston Technology today announced the further expansion of its Secure Digital (SD) Card product line with the release of new ultra-performing ‘Ultimate’ SD cards, initially shipping in 512-MB and 1-GB capacities.

The new SD Ultimate cards offer significant performance benefits over the current Standard and Elite Pro lines of SD cards, including 133X super-fast transfer rates of larger size files—ideal for the photographic demands of enthusiasts and professional digital camera users.

Canon USA Press Release

Canon Unveils imagePROGRAF W6400 and W8400 Large Format Printers Combined with New Software Solution  

PHILADELPHIA—(BUSINESS WIRE)—May 17, 2005—Canon U.S.A., Inc. (NYSE:CAJ)—Canon imagePROGRAF W6400 and W8400 Printers with New Proprietary Software Offer Complete Workflow Solution for Creating, Processing, and Printing

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of office imaging systems, ink-jet technology and digital photography, today announced the new imagePROGRAF W6400 and W8400 pigment ink large format printers. Engineered to satisfy the most demanding print applications, the recent additions to Canon’s large format portfolio bundle exceptional printing speeds and enhanced image quality with a brand new suite of workflow software. The new W6400 and W8400 printer systems address an expanded spectrum of large format output environments and requirements, including corporate, print for pay and photo retail operations as well as photography and the fine art markets.

Canon UK Press Release

Stylish Canon Digital IXUS 40 opens window into footballers’ lives

‘The Other Side of Football’ – beyond the beautiful game

Over 100 elite European footballers and football personalities including Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Francesco Totti and Andriy Shevchenko show us ‘the other side of football’ with images taken on a Canon Digital IXUS 40

LONDON, May 17, 2005 – More than 100 of Europe’s leading footballers, referees, sports commentators and pundits welcomed a stylish Canon Digital IXUS 40 into their lives to produce a collection of highly personal images, which offer true insight into what drives and inspires them, their lifestyle and interests beyond the ‘beautiful game’.

PhotoshopNews have a couple of great articles about the new Epson R2400 and 4400 photo printers.

“The R2400 is MUCH MORE NEUTRAL than the 2200 when printing in the Advanced B&W mode. The 2200 suffers from considerable hue wandering, particularly between green/magenta, throughout the luminance range from black to white. The R2400 does a MUCH better job of reaching the neutrality of that found in traditional silver gelatin prints.”

Website: PhotoshopNews - Epson R2400 and Ultrachrome K3 Ink Report

Website: PhotoshopNews - Interview with Greg Gorman about the New Epson Printers

The Czech website Digineff have published a short review with sample images of the new Nikon D70s DSLR camera.

Website: Digineff - Nikon D70s Review

Website: Read my Nikon D70s Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon D70s

Write a Review of the Nikon D70s

Bob Atkins has published a detailed and favourable review of the new Tamron SP AF11-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF), a new high performance ultra wideangle zoom lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras using APS-C size image sensors.

“Overall the Tamron SP AF11-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) shows good performance. Sharpness is consistant across all apertures and focal lengths, flare is very well controlled and vignetting is very slight. There is visible chromatic aberration and barrel distortion, especially at the shorter focal lengths. However in extreme wideangle lenses of this type such aberrations are probably to be expected.”

Website: Bob Atkins - Tamron SP AF11-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Review.

Pocket-Lint have reviewed the new Nikon Coolpix 7900, a 7 megapixel digital camera featuring a 2.0-inch LCD screen, new graphical user interface and a 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED lens equivalent to 38-114mm lens in 35mm format.

” Nikon has distilled most of the good bits from this camera’s Coolpix predecessors, creating an almost perfect point and shooter. Image stabilisation would be nice and some perfecting of the AF system would be even nicer, but otherwise the Coolpix 7900 is very accomplished, particularly when you realise you can make prints up to A3, at an output resolution of 200dpi, or even bigger if you know what you’re doing thanks to its 7MP sensor. A near perfect Nikon point and shooter at a neat price too.”

Website: Pocket-Lint - Nikon Coolpix 7900 Review

Website: Read my Nikon Coolpix 7900 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon Coolpix 7900

Write a Review of the Nikon Coolpix 7900

Nikon have released a new firmware version for the 6 megapixel D70 digital SLR.

Issues addressed with firmware version 2.0

1. Performance of the 5-area AF system has been improved (Dynamic area and Closest subject AF-area modes).
1. Changes have been made to the design of menu displays.
2. Page-size settings can now be applied from the camera with direct printing from a PictBridge-compatible printer.
3. The number of exposures remaining, displayed in the control panel and viewfinder, when shooting at an image-quality setting of NEF (RAW) or NEF+JPEG Basic has been changed (the number is calculated based on the size of compressed RAW file).
Maximum number of exposures displayed when a 256-MB CompactFlash memory card is used:
Version 2.00:  NEF (RAW):  approx. 44 exposures; NEF+JPEG Basic:  approx. 39 exposures
Version 1.03 or earlier:  NEF (RAW):  approx. 23 exposures; NEF+JPEG Basic:  approx. 21 exposures
4.  The default setting for camera clock has been changed from 2004.01.01 to 2005.01.01. Now you cannot set the clock back to a date before 2004.12.31.
5. A problem that sometimes caused communication between the camera and computer to be unexpectedly terminated when using Nikon Capture Camera Control has been corrected. (Windows)

Website: Nikon D70 Firmware (Windows)

Website: Nikon D70 Firmware (MAC)

DIWA member and Norwegian website Digit.no have reviewed the new Fujifilm FinePix F10 Zoom, which has an ISO range of 80 to 1600, Super CCD sensor with 6.1 megapixels and a 2.5 inch LCD screen.

Website: Digit.no - Fujifilm FinePix F10 Zoom Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Fujifilm FinePix F10 Zoom

Write a Review of the Fujifilm FinePix F10 Zoom

DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the Nikon Coolpix S1, a 5.1 megapixel digital camera with a 35-105mm 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED lens.

“The overall conclusion is that there are hardly any disadvantages on the Nikon Coolpix S1. Bearing in mind the target group at which the Nikon is aimed at, there are no comments from our side. Regarding the speed, the Nikon S1 could be optimised here and there. An enhancement of the shutter speeds, to a slower and faster shutter speed would be desirable. Also speed could be gained with focussing, it takes a while before the flash is recharged completely and the camera has a limited range of ISO sensitivities up to ISO 400. Besides this, the optical zoom lens could do with more stops when zooming from wide angle to telephoto and vice versa.”

Website: LetsGoDigital - Nikon Coolpix S1 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon Coolpix S1

Write a Review of the Nikon Coolpix S1

Bonusprint Press Release

~ Save, back-up and print to keep photos safe ~

Digital camera users are in danger of losing their precious memories if they do not take steps to preserve their photos, warns Bonusprint. To keep them safe, they must learn to save, back-up and print their images.

According to the photo printing company, the growing popularity of digital cameras has given people a false sense of security - that storing images on the computer or digital camera is enough. However, what is overlooked is what happens to their priceless memories if the camera or computer is lost, stolen or corrupted, for example.

Bonusprint Press Release

~ Save, back-up and print to keep photos safe ~

Digital camera users are in danger of losing their precious memories if they do not take steps to preserve their photos, warns Bonusprint. To keep them safe, they must learn to save, back-up and print their images.

According to the photo printing company, the growing popularity of digital cameras has given people a false sense of security - that storing images on the computer or digital camera is enough. However, what is overlooked is what happens to their priceless memories if the camera or computer is lost, stolen or corrupted, for example.