If you’ve already read my article on “Beating the Photography Blues” and are still searching for inspiration, then Photographic Magazine’s article “How to Stay Motivated in Photography” may be just what you need to get out there and taking some great shots.

“Buy an Inexpensive Camera
You may be out and about on the weekend with your prized camera. But what about the rest of the time, like a workday or chore time? You may not take your good camera to work or the grocery store. But what if you had a simple camera, inexpensive enough that you can slip it in a bag or purse? Then you’re ready for anything. You can make pictures during those brief moments when you’re early for a meeting, when you have 15 minutes to kill before the next event, or when you just have some free time and see something worth photographing.”

Website: Photographic - How to Stay Motivated in Photography: Seven New Year’s Resolutions

DIWA member and Danish website Digital Magasinet have just reviewed the Hi-Touch 640PS Photo Printer. This dye-sublimation printer features stand-alone, direct printing of 6x4 inch lab-quality photos at an increased 403dpi (equivalent to inkjet 6400dpi) in only 75 seconds.

Website: Digital Magasinet - Hi-Touch 640PS Photo Printer Review

DigitalCamerInfo have posted their first impressions of the 5 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T33 digital camera.

“Another lean Cyber-shot T-model made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The DSC-T33 will go on sale in March for $450 (USD)—fifty bucks cheaper than its vanished predecessor, the Sony Cyber-shot T3. The T3 was announced last August, but never hit the market in the United States. Sony hopes to make it up with the Sony Cyber-shot T-33, which is nearly identical to the T3. Both cameras have 5.1 megapixels on their 1/2.4-inch CCDs. Both models share the same shooting options, 2.5-inch LCD, and 3x optical zoom lens. The only difference is the size.”

Website: DigitalCamerInfo - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T33 Preview

Olympus are set to release “several” new DSLRs during 2005, along with no less than 7 new e-system lenses, at least according to a recent report on the Photo Imaging Council of Australia website. Presumably there will be a replacement for the ageing (in digital terms anyway) E-1, and maybe 2 models to fit in between the entry-level E-300 (pictured) and the new top-end professional model (that’s just my educated guess though). Great news for all current E-system owners as Olympus continues to invest heavily in its DSLR product-range.

I’m not sure if the Olympus product manager for Australia who spilled the beans is going to be in trouble or not for this :-)

“Our aim is to aggressively continue our growth in the DSLR category by investing heavily in our E-series range. 2005 will see Olympus building on the success of the E-1 and E-300 cameras with the launch of several new DSLR bodies and seven more digital lenses,” said Austin Kazami, Olympus DSLR Product Manager.”

Website: Photo Imaging Council of Australia - Olympus vying for second position in DSLR market

Marketing people are always emphasising just how many megapixels their latest, greatest camera has got. You, the consumer, still primarily buy a camera based on the number of megapixels it has (at least according to a recent report). So you would expect a compact digital camera with 8 megapixels to be “better” than a digital SLR with 6 megapixels, right? PhotoReview.com.au compares the technical aspects of the sensors in each type of camera to discover if this is true or not (found via Digicamera.net).

“On the basis of new cameras announced in the past couple of months we can state with confidence that by the middle of this year there will be at least five 6-megapixel DSLRs and five 8-megapixel, non-interchangeable compact-type digicams on the Australian market. This creates a quandary for photographers who plan to invest in a new digital camera: which type to buy? Going on the pixel count alone, the 8-megapixel digicams seem to have a significant advantage. But high pixel counts aren’t everything: you need to check ‘beneath the bonnet’ to understand the pros and cons associated with both camera types before you can make a well-thought-out decision. The best place to start is with the sensor.”

Website: PhotoReview.com.au - 6-megapixel DSLR or 8-megapixel Digicam – Which Should You Buy?

Ever wondered why some of your digital photographs have coloured fringes along the edges of your subject? PhotoReview.com.au explains that this is caused by one of two things; chromatic aberrations and blooming, and suggests a couple of software packages that will remove the unwanted effects (found via Digicamera.net).

“If the picture was captured on film, deciding what caused the coloured fringing is easy: only chromatic aberration can be blamed. It’s more difficult if the shot was taken with a digital camera because both blooming and chromatic aberration can create coloured fringes. Teasing out which one is relatively easy once you understand how the fringes are produced.”

Website: PhotoReview.com.au - Colour fringing explained

CDH Productions Press Release

Create Professional Screen Savers in Minutes

CDH Productions has released GraFX Saver Pro v. 4.0, a powerful Windows application that lets you use your own images, video, and audio to create professional, royalty-free screen savers in record time. Unlike most screen saver creation applications that limit the file types that you can use, GraFX Saver Pro supports more than 20 popular image and video formats. It also supports the major audio formats (MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, etc) for adding background sound to your screen savers. The screen savers that you create can bedistributed, with no royalty payments.

Sybex Press Release

RICHARD LYNCH’S HIDDEN POWER TOOLS FOR PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 3

Sybex is pleased to announce the release of a powerful new e-product of special interest to your readers: RICHARD LYNCH’S HIDDEN POWER TOOLS FOR PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 3: http://www.sybex.com/sybexbooks.nsf/booklist/5028.

For just $19.99, this software upgrade allows your readers to download all the tools offered with Richard Lynch’s new book, The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 3.  That’s more than 60 tools—everything from Custom Masking and Vectors to Color Balance, Separations, and Enhanced Sharpening—designed to help photographers realize the full potential of the latest version of Photoshop Elements.

Newegg.com Press Release

E-Marketer Tops Four Out of Eight Categories Including Best Place to Buy Core Components, Software and Digital Gear; Runner-Up in Three Others

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/—Newegg.com(R),(www.newegg.com), a leading IT and consumer electronics e-commerce retailer serving more than 3 million customers, today announced that Computer Shopper’s readers overwhelmingly recognized the company in the magazine’s 2004 Shoppers’ Choice Awards, voting Newegg.com to first place in four out of eight “Best Places to Buy” categories, including “Overall Best Place to Buy Online.”

Kodak Press Release

Enhanced KODAK PROSHOTS Provides Broader Print-Ordering and Creative Options for Pro Photographers

Greater Product Range, Overall Ease-of-Use Contribute to Improved Workflow

January 25, 2005 Eastman Kodak Company today introduced new versions of KODAK PROSHOTS Studio Software Suite v6.3, KODAK PROSHOTS Basics Software v2.0 and KODAK PROSHOTS Online Services v7.0 that, via labs, will provide photographers with a broader range of templates for their print ordering process. Photographers will also have improved tools for previewing and selling their images to customers in-person or over the Internet.

The KODAK PROSHOTS System, a powerful set of image-management, design and ordering tools, serves professional wedding, social and portrait photographers whether they work with film or digital cameras. PROSHOTS System Participating Labs use hybrid and complete digital lab workflows to offer a broad range of products and services to photographers through the PROSHOTS System. The KODAK PROSHOTS System is the industry’s most-used service of its kind, with more than 40 labs, 11 album and frame companies and two studio management software companies integrating it seamlessly with existing lab products.

Rollei have unveiled the dr5, a 5 megapixel digital camera with 28-135mm 4.8x optical zoom lens, 1.8” LCD monitor and shutter lag of no more than 0.10 second.

Rollei Press Release

January 2005 - Powerful and Stylish - Rollei add an ultra-flat model with 5 megapixels to their line of digital cameras

The Rollei dr5 redefines the concept of the “go-everywhere camera”. With 25 mm, it is not only ultra-flat and will therefore fit any shirt pocket without a bulge, but its neat metal body also makes it a pleasure to look at. However, the digital camera has more to offer than a mere good look: Instant readiness and minimal shutter lag makes it an ideal candid camera. The camera with its wealth of practical features and sophisticated technology is available from March 2005 for Euro 299.

DxO Labs Press Release

DxO Labs New image Processing Technology breaks traditional optics limitations of cameraphones

NEW IMAGE PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY BREAKS TRADITIONAL OPTICS LIMITATIONS OF CAMERAPHONES

DxO Aperture™ allows cameraphones to collect up to 4 times more light, extending shooting latitude to dim light environments and higher motion scenes

Paris, France, January 25, 2005 - DxO Labs, a software editor focused on image processing research, announces DxO Aperture, a new technology that breaks the limitations of traditional optics design. DxO Aperture delivers ultimate image quality for cameraphones and dramatically extends their shooting latitude.

“Consumers want to take pictures in low light conditions and shoot moving subjects, which cameraphones have been unable to handle due to limited light collection capabilities,” explains Jerome Meniere, CEO of DxO Labs. “By breaking these limits, we believe that DxO Aperture’s revolutionary new approach will dramatically boost cameraphone usage.”

After a short break, PhotographyBLOG Portfolios are back! This is your chance to have your very best photographs published and viewed by thousands of people. I am looking for creative portfolios that reflect your particular photographical style. 

The 44th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Patrick McMullen.

“I am from Florida, U.S.A. I am trying to find a community of photographers who share the same passion and level as I do. I am tired of joining camera clubs where they do not recognize your talents. I hope that here I will find people who know the “art” of photography rather than just the mechanical side to it, such as sharpness,etc. I take pictures of anything that I find interesting and appealing to look at.

More images are available at http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallByMember.asp?mem=65401

Website: Portfolios: Patrick McMullen

The 45th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Alan Yuen.

”“My name is Alan YUEN, from Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a place for mix culture and with a lot of special vision, I hope to summit my portfolios on what I see and what I touch in different area of Hong Kong , I never touch the image on computer, I just like B/W and use B/W to tell what I saw.

I am a IT journalists work on a computer magazine in Hong Kong , most of my job is review and testing latest Digital Camera.”

Link to my web site:
http://homepage.mac.com/yuen

Website: Portfolios: Alan Yuen

The 46th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Niel Hirjee.

“My name is Niel Hirjee, I’m from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. I’m an amateur photographer and a web designer by profession. I have been a keen photographer since my teens and have started photographing seriously from early this year, 2004. I am currently doing a cityscape project on Kolkata and am experimenting with digiscoping.”

My work is online at:
http://www.indiax.com/photogallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=2

Website: Portfolios: Niel Hirjee

DIWA member and Norwegian website DigIT have posted their review of the new Konica Minolta Dynax 7D DSLR.

Website: DigIT - Konica Minolta Dynax 7D Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Konica Minolta Dynax 7D

Write a Review of the Konica Minolta Dynax 7D

Lastolite Press Release

The Covelite - Making Lite Work Of Difficult Subjects!

As all photographers are aware, highly reflective subjects like chrome and glass are notoriously difficult to photograph.

The new Covelite from Lastolite Ltd can now handle these items with ease. The Covelite is cleverly designed as a cove-like shape and has a smooth coated interior surface so that it encloses the subject in soft, white reflections. It also has a minimum number of seams (and those that are present are very subtle and carefully placed) so as not to interfere with the photograph.

My flight and hotel tickets are booked, bags are nearly packed, camera is at the ready. Yes, its nearly time for PMA 2005, the biggest annual photography show in the world. The Photo Marketing Association (PMA) Annual Convention and Trade Show takes place in Orlando, Florida USA and runs from 20th-23rd February 2005. This is the world’s largest annual photo imaging trade show, with more than 30,000 attendees from nearly 100 countries last year. More than 83% of exhibitors responding to the PMA survey plan to launch a new product or service at PMA 2005, so expect a lot of announcements to be made in the weeks leading up to the show. PhotographyBLOG will be there to bring you all the latest product news live from the show floor, with pictures and info on all the hot new photography products for 2005. To help you cope with the massive number of announcements that will be made both before, during (and probably after) the show, visit this webpage which will be constantly updated as new products surface:

Website: PMA 2005 Show Report

Cardmedia have announced the Super X USB OTG, the second portable storage device with the “On-the-go” label featured on PhotographBLOG today.

Cardmedia (Europe) Ltd Press Release

SUPER X USB OTG DATA STORAGE

- Portable Hard disk -
- USB Bridge -
- OTG connection -

Copy direct from a Digital Camera, USB Pen drive or any USB device to the internal Hard disk or to another USB device!

Cardmedia (Europe) Ltd, has announced the availability of the Super X USB OTG, a new Portable storage device providing from 20 to 80GB of storage.

This portable storage device which allows you to copy directly from a Digital camera, USB pen drive or USB Card reader to the internal hard drive using the USB OTG (On The Go) technology.

For the photographer with many cameras - Hama have announced what must surely be the world’s most format-compatible memory card reader - the new TravelDrive Card Reader supports no less than 22 formats!

Hama Press Release

22 Format TravelDrive Card Reader from Hama

Card reader and more

16-in-1, 20-in-1 and now – 22-in-1. Hama will introduce a card reader at CeBIT that can process 22 card formats. In addition to CF (type I & II), this includes Microdrive, SD, SM, MM, Memory Stick, Memory Stick MagicGate, Memory Stick Select, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Duo MagicGate, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Pro MagicGate, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo MagicGate and xD and the new MagicStore, MMC 4.0, RS-MMC, RS-MMC 4.0 and Mini-SD formats. Even the small TransFlash cards are no problem for the right adapter that is usually already provided with the cards.