News
DIWA member and Norwegian website digIT have published their review of the 6 megapixel FujiFilm FinePix F810 Zoom.
Website: digIT - FujiFilm FinePix F810 Zoom Review
Website: Read my Fujifilm Finepix F810 Review
DIWA member and Norwegian website digIT have published their review of the 6 megapixel FujiFilm FinePix F810 Zoom. Website: digIT - FujiFilm FinePix F810 Zoom Review Website: Read my Fujifilm Finepix F810 Review Check the Latest Prices for the FujiFilm FinePix F810 Zoom Write a Review of the FujiFilm FinePix…
IT-Enquirer have published a brief review of the new A3+ printer from the HP, the Photosmart 8750, which was announced at PMA in February. Thanks to Louis Montrose for letting me know.
“The two main and most important improvements with this new model are the 9-ink (Vivera inks) system and the A3 capabilities. The ninth ink provided with the printer is an extra blue. According to HP, next to gray tones, blue is the most often used ink colour, and the one with the most visible improvements in photo quality. I compared the output of the 8750 with the output of the 8450, HP’s current flagship photo printer. There is hardly any difference, except in blue skies and green areas. I expected the improvement in the blue sky areas, but not in the green colour areas. However, in both cases the improvements are marginal. I did notice the 8750 to output slightly sharper photographs when printing from the camera directly.”
Website: IT-Enquirer - HP Photosmart 8750 Review
IT-Enquirer have published a brief review of the new A3+ printer from the HP, the Photosmart 8750, which was announced at PMA in February. Thanks to Louis Montrose for letting me know. “The two main and most important improvements with this new model are the 9-ink (Vivera inks) system and…
Corel UK Press Release
COREL OFFERS 10% OFF CorelDRAW® GRAPHICS SUITE 12
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 now over 50% cheaper than other suites
London, UK - 6 April 2005 - Corel, a leading technology company specialising in graphics and office productivity software, today announced a 10% discount offer on the price of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 for its customers.
All customers will receive £40* off the standard full edition price of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12** between 1st April and 30th June 2005. The offer is available through all of Corel’s sales channels including its resellers and online eStore. The award-winning image-editing and design software package usually offers great value at £359 but with this offer, the price is cut to £319.
“CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 has always been excellent value for our customers - whether they are individuals or small businesses - and this offer makes it more than 50% cheaper*** than some of the other leading professional graphics packages,” says Dan Weisbeck, marketing director, international - Corel. “Using Corel software, it has never been easier to create professional-looking graphics and documents at truly affordable prices - it’s like a complete design agency in a box.”
Corel UK Press Release COREL OFFERS 10% OFF CorelDRAW® GRAPHICS SUITE 12 CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 now over 50% cheaper than other suites London, UK - 6 April 2005 - Corel, a leading technology company specialising in graphics and office productivity software, today announced a 10% discount offer on the…
Impression Press Release
Impression automates data and asset archiving for OS X by specializing in moving large amounts of plain-file data to spanned DVD/CD sets for offline storage. Photographers, DAM engineers and other professionals who deal with high volume data transfer to offline storage media find Impression invaluable in managing their archiving operations.
Other noteworthy features include the preservation of all file meta-data, after-write file verification and bookmark-based management features.
Impression costs US$49, and a 15-day trial version is available from the Babel Company’s website through this address:
http://babelcompany.com/impression/index.html
Volume licensing and educational discounts are available. Pertinent details are available on Impression’s web site.
Impression Press Release Impression automates data and asset archiving for OS X by specializing in moving large amounts of plain-file data to spanned DVD/CD sets for offline storage. Photographers, DAM engineers and other professionals who deal with high volume data transfer to offline storage media find Impression invaluable in managing…
The Fujifilm FinePix F440 is the 4 megapixel version of the Finepix F450 that I recently reviewed. The Finepix F440 also replaces the 3 megapixel Finepix F420 that I reviewed back in August 2004. The F440 adds a number of extra features, the most obvious being a new larger 4 megapixel sensor. In addition, the F440 is even smaller and lighter than its predecessor, yet can still squeeze in a bigger 2 inch LCD screen. Fujifilm have also extended the range of the optical zoom lens on the F440 to 3.4x, equivalent to 38 - 130mm on a 35mm camera, and added a low sensitivity setting of ISO 80. I really liked the older Finepix F420, so have the improvements to the Fujifilm FinePix F440 resulted in an even better camera? Read my extensive review to find out.
Website: Fujifilm Finepix F440 Review
The Fujifilm FinePix F440 is the 4 megapixel version of the Finepix F450 that I recently reviewed. The Finepix F440 also replaces the 3 megapixel Finepix F420 that I reviewed back in August 2004. The F440 adds a number of extra features, the most obvious being a new larger …
DPReview have published their review of the 3 megapixel Canon PowerShot A510 digital camera.
“The build quality is excellent, the results - though probably a little ‘over-processed’ for purists (and almost all are in need of a little sharpening in post processing) are perfect for the target market; bright, colorful and contrasty. Our only serious complaints are to do with some aspects of the speed of operation - focus can struggle in low light at the long end of the zoom (sometimes taking up to two seconds to find its mark), the shot-to-shot time (when not in burst mode) feels very slow if you’re trying to grab shots quickly, and the flash recycle time is frankly unacceptable.”
Website: DPReview - Canon PowerShot A510 Review
DPReview have published their review of the 3 megapixel Canon PowerShot A510 digital camera. “The build quality is excellent, the results - though probably a little ‘over-processed’ for purists (and almost all are in need of a little sharpening in post processing) are perfect for the target market; bright, colorful…
The Spanish website Quesabesde have published their review of the new 12 megapixel Nikon D2X digital SLR.
Website: Quesabesde - Nikon D2X Review
The Spanish website Quesabesde have published their review of the new 12 megapixel Nikon D2X digital SLR. Website: Quesabesde - Nikon D2X Review Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon D2X Write a Review of the Nikon D2X
Trusted Reviews have published the first online review that I have seen of the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20.
“Picture quality is extremely good, with bright natural colours, lots of fine detail and very little lens distortion even at wide angle. There is a little bit of purple fringing on very high contrast edges, but it is not a major problem. Noise levels are very low at ISO 50, 100 and at 200 a smidgen is noticeable. At the maximum (ISO 320), noise is evident although it’s within acceptable limits. The camera’s exposure system copes well with unusual lighting such as scenes that are backlit and have high contrast, plus the fill-flash works well to brighten up dark foregrounds, although it can be a bit harsh on close range shots.”
Website: Trusted Reviews - Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20 Review
Check the Latest Prices for the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20 Review
Trusted Reviews have published the first online review that I have seen of the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20. “Picture quality is extremely good, with bright natural colours, lots of fine detail and very little lens distortion even at wide angle. There is a little bit of purple fringing on very…
CNET have just reviewed the 7 megapixel Pentax Optio750Z.
“Thanks to the recent spate of fully featured, pocket-friendly 7-megapixel cameras from Pentax, Olympus, Sony, and Canon, serious photographers don’t have to trade must-have capabilities for compact size. Pentax includes the fine-tuning control over exposure and focus that photo enthusiasts need, along with some stand-out features such as a flip-out swiveling LCD, a 3D stereoscopic shooting mode, and a time-lapse interval recording option. Unfortunately, mediocre performance and imaging artifacts in the photos seriously crimp the Pentax Optio 750Z’s upscale appeal.”
Website: CNET - Pentax Optio750Z Review
CNET have just reviewed the 7 megapixel Pentax Optio750Z. “Thanks to the recent spate of fully featured, pocket-friendly 7-megapixel cameras from Pentax, Olympus, Sony, and Canon, serious photographers don’t have to trade must-have capabilities for compact size. Pentax includes the fine-tuning control over exposure and focus that photo enthusiasts need…
Pocket-Lint have just posted their review of the Fuji FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR.
“I’ve been in the fortunate position to have reviewed the S1 Pro, then this Digital-SLR’s (D-SLR) predecessor, the S2 Pro (twice in fact, as I compared it to its peers (which it beat) a year later) and I then wrote the First Look article on the new, S3 Pro D-SLR for Professional Photographer: I’m familiar with it’s evolution therefore. Although the S3 Pro looks overpriced compared to many of the D-SLRs appearing on the market, it must be remembered this is not a sports photographer’s snapper. It offers uniqueness with its wide dynamic range thanks to the dual pixel layout that makes it a real social photographers tool where skin tones and whites (of wedding dresses) are the key to a good shot. A corker then, but one for a niche within niche of the photo market.””
Website: Pocket-Lint - FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro Review
Pocket-Lint have just posted their review of the Fuji FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR. “I’ve been in the fortunate position to have reviewed the S1 Pro, then this Digital-SLR’s (D-SLR) predecessor, the S2 Pro (twice in fact, as I compared it to its peers (which it beat) a year later)…
NAPP Press Release
Tampa, FL – April 4, 2005 – Today, immediately following Adobe’s announcement of Photoshop® CS2, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) launched the Photoshop CS2 Learning Center—the most comprehensive look at Adobe® Photoshop© CS2 available anywhere (http://www.photoshopuser.com/photoshopcs2.html). This extensive learning center, including free online videos, articles, reviews, news, a downloadable CS2 overview, and a CS2 discussion forum, provides an unparalleled resource for learning about this amazing new upgrade.
“I loved Photoshop 7. I thought Photoshop CS was even better, but Photoshop CS2 blows them both away. This is clearly the most significant update to Photoshop in years,” said NAPP President Scott Kelby. “This update has something for everybody, but if you’re a photographer, it’s absolutely going to make your jaw drop. It’s that good.” Kelby added.
NAPP Press Release Tampa, FL – April 4, 2005 – Today, immediately following Adobe’s announcement of Photoshop® CS2, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) launched the Photoshop CS2 Learning Center—the most comprehensive look at Adobe® Photoshop© CS2 available anywhere (http://www.photoshopuser.com/photoshopcs2.html). This extensive learning center, including free online videos, articles…
Hitachi Press Release
Hitachi lays groundwork for 20-GB Microdrive with century-old technology
Company Demonstrates 230 Gigabit Per Square Inch Data Density on Perpendicular Recording; Industry Luminaries Make History as Part of Worldwide Field Test Program
TOKYO – April 4, 2005 – Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is today announcing new advancements to a 100-year-old magnetic recording technology that will set the stage for ultra-high capacities such as a 20-gigabyte* Microdrive or a one terabyte 3.5-inch hard drive.
To achieve this, Hitachi has demonstrated the industry’s highest data density at 230 gigabits per square inch (Gb/in2) on perpendicular recording. Hitachi believes 230 Gb/in2, which represents a doubling of today’s highest longitudinal recording densities, will be implemented in commercial hard drive products in 2007. When fully realized over the next 5-7 years, perpendicular recording could enable a 10-fold increase in data densities over longitudinal recording, paving the way for new heights in capacity such as a 60 GB one-inch drive.
Hitachi Press Release Hitachi lays groundwork for 20-GB Microdrive with century-old technology Company Demonstrates 230 Gigabit Per Square Inch Data Density on Perpendicular Recording; Industry Luminaries Make History as Part of Worldwide Field Test Program TOKYO – April 4, 2005 – Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is today announcing new advancements…
Staccato and Fujitsu Jointly Develop Industry’s First Wireless USB-Enabled Digital Still Camera Development Platform
First public showing of Staccato’s Ripcord™ UWB Development Kit and joint demonstration with the Fujitsu digital still camera development platform
Tokyo, April 5, 2005 — Staccato Communications, Inc. and Fujitsu Limited today announced their joint development of a wireless universal serial bus (USB) demonstration system comprised of Staccato’s new Ripcord™ UWB Development Kit (SC3100D) and the Fujitsu digital still camera (DSC) development platform. This system will be the first demonstration to show wireless USB connectivity to DSCs, one of the most popular applications of wireless USB.
Staccato and Fujitsu will jointly demonstrate this system in the Wireless USB Community at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) spring events to be held in Tokyo (April 7-8), Taipei (April 11-12) and Beijing (April 14-15). These developments are the first major marketing activities between Staccato and Fujitsu to promote the wireless USB and ultrawideband (UWB) markets.
Staccato and Fujitsu Jointly Develop Industry’s First Wireless USB-Enabled Digital Still Camera Development Platform First public showing of Staccato’s Ripcord™ UWB Development Kit and joint demonstration with the Fujitsu digital still camera development platform Tokyo, April 5, 2005 — Staccato Communications, Inc. and Fujitsu Limited today announced their joint development…
Wacom Press Release
Artists and Designers Get Exciting New Artistic Controls through the Combined Efforts of Wacom and Corel
Vancouver, WA, April 4, 2005 - Wacom® Technology Corporation, with the support of Corel®, has successfully developed a 6D Art Pen that gives artists and designers six dimensions of pen control in Corel Painter™ IX. Available immediately, the 6D Art Pen is supported on Wacom’s Intuos3 pen tablets and new Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display. The pen has a suggested retail price of $69.95.
State-of-the-Art Pen The 6D Art Pen builds on Wacom’s patented cordless, battery-free technology to offer artists and designers six dimensions of creative control:
1. X-axis (left and right)
2. Y-axis (up and down)
3. Pressure (force with which pen is applied to tablet)
4. Tilt (angle at which pen is tilted)
5. Bearing (direction in which pen is tilted)
6. Barrel Rotation (orientation of the pen around its long axis)
Wacom Press Release Artists and Designers Get Exciting New Artistic Controls through the Combined Efforts of Wacom and Corel Vancouver, WA, April 4, 2005 - Wacom® Technology Corporation, with the support of Corel®, has successfully developed a 6D Art Pen that gives artists and designers six dimensions of pen control…
LaCie 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme is announced. The new version of the Bigger Disk Extreme has 2 terabytes capacity and uses the FireWire 800/400 interface. The LaCie 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme has a built-in RAID 0 configuration that allows for instant high-speed data transfers of up to 85MB/s. The 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme will cost $2299 MSRP in the US.
LaCie Press Release
LaCie’s Bigger Gets Bigger: 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme
* Professional choice for video/audio editing and imaging
* Largest storage with up to 2TB capacity
* Fastest throughput for optimal editing via FireWire 800
* No setup required with built-in RAID 0 array
LaCie’s popular Bigger Disk Extreme with FireWire 800/400 gets a boost in capacity to 2TB. This compact and sturdy drive is designed to support multi-stream audio/video editing in a variety of formats with burst transfer rates reaching up to 85MB/s and unrivaled 2TB capacity.
LaCie 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme is announced. The new version of the Bigger Disk Extreme has 2 terabytes capacity and uses the FireWire 800/400 interface. The LaCie 2TB Bigger Disk Extreme has a built-in RAID 0 configuration that allows for instant high-speed data transfers of up to 85MB/s. The 2TB…
The winners of the March 2005 PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for March was “Water” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 3 winners:
1st Place
“on the Gange” by 21nico
View this entry
Prize: 1 copy of Powerretouche Full Pro Pack
Kindly donated by Powerretouche.
http://powerretouche.com
2nd Place
“winter web” by nordic
View this entry
Prize: 1 copy of Digital Photography Expert Techniques by Ken Milburn
Kindly donated by O’Reilly.
http://www.oreilly.com
3rd Place
“Wibbly-Wobbly-Boy” by Photofillers
View this entry
Prize: Photobird.com one-year subscription with 100 megabytes of storage space
Kindly donated by Photobird.com.
http://www.photobird.com
Congratulations to the 3 winners and thanks to everyone who took part!
The April 2005 Competition is now open for entries. This is a monthly photography competition with a specific theme and prizes for the top 3 photos. The winning entries will be decided by a panel of judges. You just have to submit one photograph to the Competition Gallery that best interprets April’s theme, which is “Black and White”.
The winners of the March 2005 PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for March was “Water” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 3 winners: 1st Place “on the Gange” by 21nicoView this entry Prize: 1 copy of Powerretouche Full Pro…
HumanEyes Technologies Press Release
Jerusalem, Israel – April 4, 2005 – HumanEyes Technologies, a leading innovator in advanced production solutions for easy 3D photo capture through output; says that only ten months after launch it has signed 17 distribution partners throughout the world. CEO Gideon Ben-Zvi attributes the rapid pace to aggressive market demand for new and novel media vehicles.
“High quality 3D has tremendous, proven impact on the buyer,” Ben-Zvi says. “Brand managers, printers, prepress specialists and photographers recognize that we can equip them with this powerful, extremely appealing medium, and know that their clients will want it. As a result, we’ve signed some of the world’s biggest names in graphic arts distribution to meet demand.”
HumanEyes has patented unique 3D software technology allowing: 1) easy creation of natural 3D images; 2) output on any size paper through large format, backlit displays and 3D displays including cell phones; and 3) very comfortable, natural 3D viewing (no special glasses; no headaches). The software also incorporates conventional special effects functions such as flip, morph, and zoom.
HumanEyes Technologies Press Release Jerusalem, Israel – April 4, 2005 – HumanEyes Technologies, a leading innovator in advanced production solutions for easy 3D photo capture through output; says that only ten months after launch it has signed 17 distribution partners throughout the world. CEO Gideon Ben-Zvi attributes the rapid pace…
DxO Labs Press Release
DXO OPTICS PRO ADDS SUPPORT FOR KONICA MINOLTA MAXXUM 7D / DYNAX 7D
Paris, France, April 4, 2005 – DxO Optics Pro, the award winning image enhancement software application from DxO Labs, now supports the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D digital SLR camera and an initial selection of compatible lenses. Support for the Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D is available immediately for both Macintosh and Windows as part of DxO Optics Pro “standard” edition.
- DxO Optics Pro automatically eliminates distortion, vignetting, lens softness and lateral chromatic aberrations on both RAW and JPEG images produced by the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D.
- DxO Optics Pro includes the advanced DxO Raw Engine module to convert RAW files into JPEG, TIFF or Adobe DNG files.
- DxO Labs has tuned DxO Optics Pro to be fully compatible with the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D’s innovative Anti-Shake Technology.
DxO Labs Press Release DXO OPTICS PRO ADDS SUPPORT FOR KONICA MINOLTA MAXXUM 7D / DYNAX 7D Paris, France, April 4, 2005 – DxO Optics Pro, the award winning image enhancement software application from DxO Labs, now supports the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D / Dynax 7D digital SLR camera and…
Adobe Photoshop CS2 is announced. New features in Adobe Photoshop CS2 include an enhanced Spot Healing Brush, one-click Red-Eye Correction, Smart Objects, Vanishing Point and Image Warping. The popular File Browser has been upgraded to Adobe Bridge and the new Camera Raw 3.0 is included. Photoshop CS2 will begin shipping in May to customers in the United States and Canada and in late May / early June internationally. Adobe Photoshop CS2 has an estimated UK street price of £439.
Adobe UK Press Release
Adobe Pushes the Boundaries of Digital Photography and Imaging with Debut of Photoshop CS2
New Vanishing Point Feature, Dramatic Camera Raw Workflow Enhancements, Customisable Menus and Smart Objects Headline Milestone Photoshop Upgrade
SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 4, 2005 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® CS2, a major upgrade to the professional industry standard for digital image editing and creation. Available as a stand-alone software application or as a key component of Adobe Creative Suite® 2, also announced today, Photoshop CS2 software brings a new level of power, precision and control to the digital photography experience and to the overall creative process.
“Photoshop CS2 pushes the envelope with powerful features and simplified workflows that provide photographers and creative professionals the freedom to deliver stunning images,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Digital Video Products at Adobe. “In light of the four million digital SLRs expected to ship this year, more photographers than ever will be making Photoshop CS2 their digital darkroom of choice.”
Adobe Photoshop CS2 is announced. New features in Adobe Photoshop CS2 include an enhanced Spot Healing Brush, one-click Red-Eye Correction, Smart Objects, Vanishing Point and Image Warping. The popular File Browser has been upgraded to Adobe Bridge and the new Camera Raw 3.0 is included. Photoshop CS2 will begin shipping…
Adobe Stock Photos is introduced as part of Adobe Creative Suite 2. Adobe Stock Photos is accessed through Adobe Bridge, anew version of the File Browser, and contains more than 230,000 royalty-free images from five elite stock photography providers. Adobe Stock Photo image pricing is competitive with the prices that are available directly from the participating stock photography library providers.
Adobe UK Press Release
All-New Adobe Stock Photos Service Gives Access to Top Image Libraries
More Than 230,000 Royalty-Free Images Available for Purchase Directly Within Adobe Creative Suite 2
SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 4, 2005 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Stock Photos, a new stock photography service that offers designers one-stop shopping for high-quality, royalty-free images for layout and design. Adobe Stock Photos is available in Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium and Standard Editions, Adobe Photoshop® CS2, Adobe InDesign® CS2, Adobe Illustrator® CS2 and Adobe GoLive® CS2 (all announced today). Adobe Stock Photos provides a single destination point to access hundreds of thousands of images from some of the world’s leading stock photography providers, including: Photodisc® by Getty Images; Comstock Images® by Jupitermedia®; Digital Vision®; imageshop™ royalty free by zefaimages™; and amana.
Adobe Stock Photos is introduced as part of Adobe Creative Suite 2. Adobe Stock Photos is accessed through Adobe Bridge, anew version of the File Browser, and contains more than 230,000 royalty-free images from five elite stock photography providers. Adobe Stock Photo image pricing is competitive with the prices that…