The winners of the February 2004 PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for February was “The Countryside” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 3 winners:

1st Place
“Making Tracks” by dapa_group
View this entry

Prize: Photobird.com one-year subscription with 100 megabytes of storage space
Kindly donated by Photobird.com.
http://www.photobird.com

2nd Place
“Civilization” by Zenonas
View this entry

Prize: 1 copy of Powerretouche Full Pro Pack
Kindly donated by Powerretouche.
http://powerretouche.com

3rd Place
“Lincolnshire Winter” by pstubbs50
View this entry

Prize: 1 copy of Digital Photography Expert Techniques by Ken Milburn
Kindly donated by O’Reilly.
http://www.oreilly.com

Congratulations to the 3 winners and thanks to everyone who took part!

The March 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 March’s theme, which is “Water”.

The PMA Show 2005 was held last week in Orlando, Florida. PhotographyBLOG was there for an entire week to cover the show, attend various press events and go on the rides at the Universal Studios “Islands of Adventure” theme park (I can’t work all the time you know…). All in all the Show was a quiet, understated affair compared to previous years, with the general concensus being this was a year of consolidation in the industry, rather than innovation. There were still a lot of new products introduced, however, so here is my personal roundup of the hits, misses and maybes.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce that digital camera owners can now print their photos for as little as 22p* per print with the SELPHY CP Compact Photo Printer range. In an announcement that coincides with the launch of its new flagship, the Compact Photo Printer SELPHY CP600, Canon is offering its KP-108IP Colour Ink/Paper Set – which includes 108 popular 4 x 6”+ size photo prints – for the highly competitive recommended retail price of just £23.99.

Fujifilm UK Press Release

Fujifilm has today announced a firmware update and software update for the FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR.

The firmware update can be downloaded at: http://home.fujifilm.com/products/digital/download/s3pro/fupd.html

This update incorporates the following:

1) Updates the Auto Rotate function
2) Enables lens interchange while camera power is left on (applies to some
AF-S Nikon and AF-VR Nikon lenses)
3) Updates the compatibility for high capacity storage media

FujiFilm UK Press Release

‘Clip and clean’ with Fujifilm’s multi-purpose cleaning kit

Don’t let smears and smudges soil your vision!

Fujifilm’s extensive range of digital accessories is soon to expand with the arrival of a multi-purpose cleaning kit product, the ‘Fujifilm Lens Cleaning Kit’. This handy gadget attaches easily to belts or bag handles - perfect for those who want to be smudge-free whilst out and about.

Ideal for removing smears or dirt from camera lenses, mobile phones, spectacles, binoculars, computer screens and laptops, the cleaning kit is easy to use and light to carry. The practical travel kit includes a high quality, soft cleaning cloth and anti-reflective lens cleaning fluid - perfect for those photographing muddy outdoor sports, or when working in difficult outdoor conditions. An essential item for the maintenance of precision optical equipment like digital cameras - or anything made of glass.

The Fujifilm Lens Cleaning Kit is available now from photographic retailers at an SRP of £7.99 including VAT.

HP UK Press Release

Display Your Art with the First 9-ink Professional Photo Printer, the HP Photosmart 8750 including HP Vivera Inks

Advanced photo printing up to A3+ and built-in network capability for professional photographers

BIRMINGHAM, UK, February 28, 2005 - HP today announced the launch of its new HP Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer, a high performance device developed for professional photographers. With nine HP Vivera Inks, photographers can produce studio quality prints in colour and in black and white, on paper up to A3+ size with a printable area of 330 x 483mm. This printer provides all the convenience of developing photos at home and also offers photographers a brilliant combination of image quality, built-in networking, fade resistance and speed.

The 9-ink HP Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer uses specially formulated inks in three inkjet print cartridges at the heart of its system: the new large body HP 102 Grey Photo Inkjet Print Cartridge, HP 101 Blue Inkjet Print Cartridge and the existing HP 344 Tri-Colour Inkjet Print Cartridge1. Using these cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, light magenta, blue, light grey, medium grey and photo black inks together, produces studio quality printing in colour and in black and white.

HP UK Press Release

New brand reinforces image quality, fade resistance and cost benefits

BIRMINGHAM, UK, February 28, 2005 - HP today announced the launch of its new ink branding, HP Vivera Inks, in the UK following the successful launch in the US last year.  Vivera, a coined name combining the elements of “viva” and “era”, means one of life, true-to-life colour and longevity.  The new brand is aimed at further driving recognition of the superior image quality and fade resistance of prints created using HP inks in conjunction with HP printers and media. 

The HP Vivera Inks brand will be incorporated onto the packaging of select HP inkjet print cartridges and HP ink cartridges. There are also several HP products - such as HP Premium Plus Photo Paper and select HP printers - that are optimised for use with HP Vivera Inks. These products will carry a new HP wordmark on their packaging to reflect their suitability for use with HP Vivera Inks. Over the coming months, consumers will also see the new brand at points-of-sale, in retail channels, advertisements, public relations and marketing collateral as well as on the hp.com website.

Extensis Press Release

World-renowned photographer uses Portfolio to archive and manage more than 45,000 images.

Tuesday 1st March 2005 – Extensis Inc. today announced that world-renowned photographer, Mary Ellen Mark, uses Portfolio as her digital asset management solution for managing her photo library of more than 45,000 images. Mary Ellen Mark is best known from her portrayals of Mother Teresa, Indian circuses, and brothels in Bombay to her award winning essay on runaway children in Seattle. Mark utilizes Extensis’ complete Portfolio solution including Portfolio Server with SQL Connect for Microsoft SQL Server, which manages her entire studio’s cross-platform needs for managing, accessing and organizing photographs.

Sybex have announced a photography contest which has a main prize of $1,000 and publication of your winning photo in a Sybex book.

Sybex Press Release

WIN $1,000 FROM SYBEX!

We’re pleased to announce the launch of the SYBEX DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST. Send us your best digital photos (max. 3) between now and 4/1/05 for a chance to win up to $1,000 and publication of your image in a Sybex book. The judge will be Tim Grey, author of Color Confidence and Photo Finish. Tim will also comment from time to time on selected photos throughout the contest period, so check back regularly for feedback on your entries. Visit us at www.sybex.com for details!

Sanyo Press Release

Sprint PCS Vision Multimedia Phone MM-5600 by SANYO Captures High Honor by Digital Imaging Marketing Association

CHATSWORTH, CA. – The Sprint PCS Vision Multimedia Phone MM-5600 by SANYO was selected out of the hundreds of digital products on display at the Photo Marketing Association 2005 Convention and Trade show in Orlando, Fla, to receive the prestigious DIMA (Digital Imaging Marketing Association) Innovative Digital Product Award. The award is presented by DIMA based on a comprehensive evaluation by a blue-ribbon panel of digital imaging editors and writers.

An Innovative Digital Product of PMA 2005 was defined by the judges as a product utilizing new technologies and/or applications in such a way as to make it either unique or the first of its kind. The MM-5600 by SANYO was introduced in the United States as SANYO’s first 1.3-megapixel camera phone with flash, digital zoom and macro setting for capturing close-ups, and a video camcorder for catching special moments. The device comes packaged with a 16MB removable miniSD memory card and adapter, and USB cable for printing photos directly from the phone to any PictBridge-enabled printer.

Hama Mobile DataSafe III is announced before CeBIT 2005. The Mobile DataSafe III allows you to copy the contents of your memory cards onto blank CDs or DVDs. The Mobile DataSafe III will be available in March - price to be announced.

Hama Press Release

Just recently available on card – now already on DVD

Hama will present a king among the portable burners at this year’s CeBIT: the Mobile DataSafe III. Equipped with a DVD burner, the big brother of DataSafe II is even more flexible. It burns the data of the most common memory card types on DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW and CD-R/-RW, even without a computer thanks to the powerful battery.

It is also a mobile DVD, MP3 and media player for JPEG, MPEG 1 and 2 formats and is a USB 2.0 multi-card reader as well. Once connected to your computer via USB, DataSafe III is immediately recognized as an external DVD burner and card reader.

inCamera 4 is announced by PictoColor. inCamera 4 is a plugin for Adobe Photoshop that creates ICC profiles for digital cameras and scanners. PictoColor inCamera is available for $149.95.

PictoColor Press Release

PictoColor Releases inCamera® 4.0 Digital Camera and Scanner ICC Profiling Software

New version of acclaimed Photoshop Plug-in features support for the new GretagMacbeth ColorChecker SG chart for digital camera profiling and HutchColor HCT target for scanner profiling

March 1, 2005-Burnsville, MN-PictoColor Corporation, a leading developer and distributor of color management products, has released inCamera® 4.0, a new version of the acclaimed digital camera and scanner ICC profiling plug-in for Adobe Photoshop.  Based on an enhanced version of the widely acclaimed inCamera color management technology licensed from Pictographics International Corporation, inCamera 4.0 features support for the new GretagMacbeth ColorChecker SG and the HutchColor HCT target for scanners.  This proven digital camera and scanner profiling software features an easy to use interface and a User Guide that explains how to successfully create and use ICC input profiles in Photoshop. inCamera is available for $149.95 at PictoMarketplace, PictoColor’s new online store featuring color management products for digital photographers.  PictoMarketplace is located at www.pictomarketplace.com.

Konica Minolta Press Release

Mahwah, NJ (March 1, 2005) – Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. announces that the Maxxum 7D and DiMAGE A200 digital cameras won 2005 DIMA Digital Camera Shoot-Out awards as announced during the PMA 2005 Convention and Trade Show in Orlando, Florida. The Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D won the Prosumer/Professional Digital SLR category and the Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200 (pictured) won the Prosumer/Professional $600 to $999 category.

Ten digital cameras were named winners in their category out of 35 digital camera entries from 13 manufacturers. The 9th annual Digital Camera Shoot-Out took place on Saturday, February 19, 2005 at the DIMA Annual Conference in Orlando, FL, which proceeded the annual PMA 2005 Convention.

Read my Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200

Write a Review of the Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200

Genuine Fractals 4 is announced. Genuine Fractals 4.0 is a plugin for Adobe Photoshop which allows you to create high-quality, print-ready enlargements of various sizes and resolutions from a digital image. Genuine Fractals 4.0 suggested retail price is $159.

LizardTech, Inc. Press Release

Seattle, WA — February 25, 2005— LizardTech, Inc., a leader in software solutions that make it significantly easier to manage, distribute and access digital content such as aerial photography, satellite imagery and scanned color documents, today announced the launch of Genuine Fractals 4.0.

Canon had the biggest stand and the biggest new range of products at PMA 2005 last week in Orlando, Florida. As promised here are some product shots from Canon’s stand.

Click on each picture to see a larger version.

Ricoh Caplio R2 is announced today. The Ricoh R2 is a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 4.8x optical zoom and 2.5 inch LCD screen. The Ricoh Caplio R2 is less than 26mm thick and has a battery life of around 500 shots. The Ricoh Caplio R2 is available now and costs £229.99 inc Vat.

Ricoh Press Release

Ricoh launches the Caplio R2 – a sublime 5.0 megapixel digital camera offering with a 4.8x optical zoom lens in a super slim body

Tokyo, February 28th, 2005. Ricoh Co., Ltd., is proud to announce the release of the new Caplio R2 digital camera—a 5.0 megapixel masterpiece featuring an incredible 4.8x optical zoom lens that guarantees top quality pictures, and an awesome 2.5-inch LCD for super high-resolution images as well as enlarged characters and icons that enhance functionality. The 25.8-mm stylishly thin body of the Caplio R2, a product of Ricoh’s innovative retractive lens system, packs a host of advanced technologies, while the user-friendly interface of the extra-large LCD empowers both professional photographers and photo enthusiasts to take full advantage of all these powerful features. Able to switch between the rechargeable battery and AA batteries, the Caplio R2 is the perfect choice for those on the move.

The Casio Exilim Card EX-S100 is a 3 megapixel digital camera with a 2.8x optical zoom lens that offers a focal length of 36-102mm and a large 2-inch LCD screen. On paper at least. In reality it is a super-compact, super-thin digicam that really has to be seen to be believed. Casio’s Exilim Card range of digital cameras has long been known for delivering incredibly small and slim models that are little bigger than a credit card. The Casio Exilim Card EX-S100 is no different. All of this is housed in a stylish and hard-wearing metal casing. But is the Casio Exilim Card EX-S100 just too small for its own good? Carry on reading my extensive review to find out if it’s actually a good camera or not.

Website: Casio Exilim Card EX-S100 Review

Mamiya ZD update - as promised, here are some shots of the Mamiya ZD DSLR live from the show floor here at the Focus On Imaging photography show in the UK. The ZD unit on show is a prototype mock-up that has been kept behind glass for the entire show - I got here early for an exclusive look at the camera.

Click on each picture to see a larger version.

I am still alive…just! After flying 4,000 miles to Orlanda and then 4,000 miles back to the UK last week, I am now in Birmingham at another photography show - Focus On Imaging in the UK. Internet access is scarce, so this is the first update in a few days. More normal service will resume on Thursday.

The PMA Show is over for another year, closing its doors yesterday. The concensus amongst journalists was that this was a year of consolidation on the part of the manufacturers, with less revolutionary products on show than at previous shows. Having said that, there were still some interesting cameras, printers, and other products, some of which I have already covered in my PMA Show Report. PhotographyBLOG’s PMA coverage will continue for the next couple of weeks, as I have interesting interviews with the likes of Nokia, Sigma and Casio to publish, plus some more Booth by Booth reports, articles on more of the stand-out products, and finally a roundup of the show.

I am actually still in Orlando and won’t be returning to the UK until tomorrow morning. My coverage of the latest photography kit isn’t over yet though. On Sunday the Focus on Imaging photo show starts in Birmingham, UK, and I will be there to cover the show and report back on anything new that hasn’t already been unveiled at PMA. News reached me this morning that the long-delayed Mamiya ZD digital SLR will actually be at Focus - I will do my best to try out this £8,000 DSLR.

Not forgetting that my 30th birthday is sandwiched between PMA and Focus - it’s definitely been (and still will be) a busy 2 weeks!