Several PhotographyBLOG readers have let me know about a 1 Gigapixel picture created by Dutch research and technology laboratory TNO, which is made up of 600 component images. The giant-sized image is available on their website, where you can zoom in to see how much detail the image contains.

“The largest digital panoramic photo in the world has been created by researchers in the Netherlands. The finished image is 2.5 billion pixels in size - making it about 500 times the resolution of images produced by good consumer digital cameras.”

Website: BBC - How to make a gigapixel picture

Website: Gigapxl Project

Kodak has caught up with Sony in the USA digital camera market, according to an IDC report. selling only 10,000 less units than Sony’s 1 million during the third quarter of the current financial year. Canon was third with 800,000 sales.

“The investments that Kodak has made in digital imaging are really starting to pay off,” Chute said. “They’re not just the low-cost guys now; they’re starting to get higher marks for product quality. And Kodak is much more aggressive in pursuing a proliferation strategy with partners like Dell.”

Website: CNET News - Kodak catches up with Sony in camera sales

CNET have published a review of the new Panasonic DMC-FZ20 digital camera, which has a 12x optical zoom lens from Leica.

“We suspect that Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FZ20—clad in either cool black (FZ20K) or shiny silver (FZ20S)—will soon replace the DMC-FZ10 as a bit of a cult favorite among megazoom aficionados. The new model offers a stunning, optically-stabilized 12X Leica zoom lens that reaches out to 432mm (35mm equivalent), 5-megapixel resolution, and some worthwhile performance improvements. If you love supertelephoto photography, this Panasonic looks like the camera to beat.”

Website: CNET - Panasonic DMC-FZ20 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Panasonic DMC-FZ20

CNET have published their review of the Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom digital camera.

“We got the same good image quality with this camera as with the C-770 Ultra Zoom: consistent exposures; rich, detailed shadows; and highlights that didn’t wash out easily. This camera, however, offered just 320x240-pixel, 15fps movies with adequate sound. If you’re looking for 640x480, 30fps clips, spend the extra $100 and get the C-770.”

Website: CNET - Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom

DP-Now editor Ian Burley has let me know about a rather unique event, the Olympus-sponsored Fashion Acts charity auction, which is selling photos taken by celebrities on Ebay next week.

“The annual Fashion Acts fund raiser to support AIDS/HIV charities kicked off this year with the auction, last night, of 42 framed photos snapped by a selection of celebs from Carole Vorderman to David Bailey. A further 42 photos will be auctioned publicly on eBay, starting from next Tuesday, 23rd November. If you want to own a unique photo taken by someone famous, this is your chance!”

Website: DPNow - Unique photos by celebrities auctioned for charity

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ANW/Crestwood and Innova Art Ltd. Press Release

ANW/Crestwood and Innova Art Ltd. Announce the Introduction of Innova Digital Papers in US Market

ANW/Crestwood, Inc., Lincoln Park, NJ, and Innova Art, Ltd. announce the introduction of the Innova brand digital art papers in the U.S.A.

With over 100 years experience in the fine art paper field, ANW was one of the earliest paper companies to supply digital fine art printmakers. ?ANW is very excited about our relationship with Innova and we are looking forward to introducing a paper of this caliber to the US market,?stated Mark Caliguire, President.  An importer and converter of paper products from around the world, ANW addresses a wide range of digital and traditional art applications in addition to a vast array of stationery, hobby and craft products.

Innova Art Ltd. is a producer of digital papers for fine art and photography. Based in Epping, England, with an office in New Jersey, Innova manufactures a range of papers in both smooth and textured surfaces in 100% cotton and alpha cellulose base fiber. 

Oregon Scientific Press Release 15/11/04

Oregon Scientific Makes Its Directorial Debut with the DV100 MPEG-4 Digital Video Camera
 
Taking centre stage on the red carpet is the Oregon Scientific DV100. Delivering an Oscar-winning performance, this stunning digital video camera features high quality MPEG-4 digital video recording, 4.0 mega pixels digital camera, 16Mb internal memory, 6 x digital zoom for photo capture and 8 x zoom photo playback. The sleek and compact silver unit houses a 1.8-inch rotating colour photo preview LCD screen, ensuring that Steven Spielberg wannabes don?t miss a moment of potential cinematic history! Given its superb 30 frames per second movie frame rate, the DV100 retails at just £199.99! Available at Argos and other leading retailers.

The German website Photoworld.de have posted their review of the new 7 megapixel Canon PowerShot G6.

Website: Photoworld.de - Canon PowerShot G6 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Canon PowerShot G6

Reuters has an interesting report on falling profits in the digital camera industry, particularly at the entry-level end of the market, as prices are slashed to remain competitive. Bad news for the manufacturers, good news for us consumers.

“Even makers with hit products have fallen on hard times. Nikon Corp. is making money on a new digital SLR launched in March, but still expects profits in its camera division to fall as prices of compact models slide.

“We expect prices to keep falling. But we are shifting our product line-up towards the high end,” said Nikon Chief Financial Officer Kenji Enya.

The problem with that strategy is that every digital camera company is doing the same thing: avoid the low-end of the market where price competition has made margins razor-thin.”

Website: Reuters - Profits fading in digital camera industry

CNET have published their review of the 8 megapixel Canon EOS 20D DSLR.

“Canon has produced a worthy successor to the EOS 10D with this model, endowing it with class-leading 8-megapixel resolution, excellent image quality across a broad range of ISO settings, and fast performance. With a sturdy, well-designed body and an intuitive control layout, the EOS 20D is a pleasure to shoot with.”

Website: CNET - Canon EOS 20D Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Canon EOS 20D

Epson Japan Press Release 19/11/04

Epson Sets New Record with World’s Largest Digital Imaging Photo and Graphics Contest

- TOKYO, Japan, November 19, 2004 - Seiko Epson Corporation (“Epson”) today announced the final selection of winners in the 2004 Color Imaging Contest, an Epson-sponsored event for digitally output photographs and graphic works. Held since 1994, the contest is a way for Epson to help promote new forms of expression via digital printing and help create a rich, fun digital culture. Last fiscal year there were a total of 45,668 entries, making it the largest* worldwide contest restricted to digitally printed photos and graphics.

Dell Press Release 18/11/04

Dell Goes Wireless with Home and Office Printers; New Wireless Printer Adapter and Multifunction Inkjet Product Make Printing Easier

ROUND ROCK, Texas - (Business Wire) - Nov. 18, 2004 - Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) is adding a new level of convenience to home and office printing with today’s introduction of the Dell Wireless Printer Adapter 3300 and the Dell Photo All-In-One Printer 962.

The Dell Wireless Printer Adapter 3300 allows consumer and small business customers to take advantage of the full capabilities of the 962—printing, scanning, copying and faxing—without being connected to the printer(a). Priced at $99, this Wi-Fi(R) (802.11b/g) network adapter also is compatible with the Dell Personal Laser Printers 1700 and 1700n, eliminating the need for these printers to sit next to a computer system, and freeing up desk space without compromising performance or functionality.

Print, copy, scan and fax with the Photo All-In-One Printer 962, priced at $179 and also introduced today. Advanced features such a 50-page automatic document feeder and a built-in fax modem make the 962 an ideal home- or small-office solution. It also makes photo printing easier by incorporating a PictBridge connection that attaches directly to a digital camera. And an optional photo ink cartridge helps create high-resolution, long-lasting pictures.

Transcend Press Release 16/11/04

Enjoy Your Digital Life With Transcend’s 1 GB High-Capacity MMC

Taipei, Taiwan, November 16, 2004 /Various Agencies—- High-resolution digital cameras and growing multimedia appliances have catapulted flash memory cards to a much higher capacity than before. Transcend Information Inc., a world leader in flash memory devices, recommends the 1GB Multimedia Card, the highest capacity of any MMC card in the world. 

The card measures 32x24x1.4mm and only weighs 2g. Multimedia Cards are easy to transport and use in modern-day devices. More than thirteen thousand JPEG photos with 640x480 pixel-resolution can be stored with this high-capacity MMC card. Now you can save pictures, MP3?s, or MPEG 4 video clips to one MMC card and utilize these files through digital audio players, digital cameras, and PDA?s. Thru the testing of many digital cameras and cell phones that have a SD/MMC slot, Transcend?s 1GB MMC has the best compatibility and durability.

The Spanish website quesabesde.com have today posted their review of the Sigma SD10 digital SLR.

Website: quesabesde.com - Sigma SD10 Review

Jessops Press Release 17/11/04

Jessops add a selection of handsets from network providers Orange, O2 and 3, alongside its existing Vodafone range.

The new additions grow the range of state-of-the-art camera phones offered by Jessops to fourteen, and include some of the latest handsets on the market - the Sharp GX15, Sagem myX5 and the 02 X3.  All are offered on a pay as you go, non-contract basis.

Jessops’ Brand Development Director Symon Powell said: “Camera phones offer a great way to capture spontaneous pictures.  We are fully committed to maintaining our position as a one-stop shop for every kind of photographic equipment, and as such it’s only natural that we should extend our camera phone range.”

The announcement follows the launch of Jessops’ camera phone photo printing service, PhonePrint.

iView Press Release 18/11/04

Now users can catalogue DNG files, including import and export of XMP and IPTC annotations

LONDON, November 18, 2004 - Dedicated to delivering the industry-standard media management solutions for creative professionals, iView Multimedia (iView) announced today that its flagship product iView MediaPro now supports the Digital Negative Specification (DNG), the new public archival format developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated for digital camera raw files. The digital photography market is a core area for iView, and immediate support of the DNG format is one of the ways it continues to demonstrate its responsiveness to the needs of its customers.

“We are so pleased with the overwhelming amount of support we have received to date for the DNG format and its adoption by established 3rd party, cross platform suppliers such as iView. iView shares our view of promoting interoperability and forward-looking compatibility between file formats,” said Kevin Connor, director of product management for professional digital imaging products at Adobe. “We developed DNG to address a real problem that our customers are facing and our hope is that companies will join us in ensuring photographers will be able to access their raw files in the future with an open standard supported by individual camera models.”

TrustedReviews have posted their review of the new 7 megapixel Canon PowerShot G6.

“First of all, let’s make it clear that all of Canon’s G-series digital cameras are relatively big and if you’re looking for something small to pocket on your travels, you may well find these cameras a little on the bulky side. However, the G6 is the most compact out of the range, representing a 30g saving in weight and around a 10 percent reduction in size over the G5. That said, when I first unboxed the camera and showed it to some friends they all commented on how chunky looking it was. This is largely down to the beefy rubber-coated grip, which provides a very well balanced and comfortable hold on the camera. The controls have also been reorganised thanks to some clever mounting technologies and fall neatly under my thumb and forefinger - but only if you’re right-handed.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon PowerShot G6 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Canon PowerShot G6

DCResource have just posted their review of the diminutive and stylish 4 megapixel Olympus Mju Mini digicam (called the Stylus Verve in the USA).

“While not my favorite ultra-compact camera, the Olympus Stylus Verve is a stylish point-and-shoot camera for those people making smaller prints and web photos. Let’s not beat around the bush here: the Verve is one of the most stunning digital cameras ever designed. On top of that, it’s even weatherproof! The downside is that the cool body is a little hard to hold steadily, and there’s no optical viewfinder to be found. Thankfully the 1.8” LCD is bright and visible in bright outdoor light or dimly-lit rooms. While the camera lacks an AF-assist lamp, it focused quite well in low light situations. The Verve is 100% point-and-shoot—there are no manual controls.”

Website: DCResource - Olympus Mju Mini Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Olympus Mju Mini

Snapfish Press Release 17/11/04

Snapfish Announces 2004’s Must-Have Holiday Photo Gifts All Under $25

New Photo Gift Superstore Offers More Than 70 Personalized Photo Gifts and Industry’s Best Price of $19.79 on Popular Photobooks

SAN FRANCISCO - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Nov. 17, 2004 -In anticipation of the holidays, Snapfish, the leading online photo service, today announced dozens of terrific personalized photo gifts for every member of the family, and a 34% price reduction on its wildly popular photo gift, the MemoryBook, now at the new low price of $19.79.

The MemoryBook is a professionally bound, cloth-covered book that users customize with their own photos and words. Introduced by Snapfish in early spring, the MemoryBook is just one of dozens of special holiday photo gifts that are now available. Snapfish’s line of more than 70 unique, customized photo products includes everything from apparel and housewares, to toys, games and novelties, with gifts perfect for every member of the family.

InfoTrends/CAP Ventures Press Release 17/11/04

Online Photo Service Usage Continues to Grow, According to Report from InfoTrends/CAP Ventures

(Weymouth, MA) November, 17 2004… This year, 26% of Internet users have had photos posted to an online photo service, up from 19% in 2003, according to a recent survey conducted by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures. There are currently over 825 million photos stored at online photo services, and sharing and printing activity continues to increase.

A new print method is introducing more users to the online space. It involves uploading photos to an online site, and picking up the prints at a local retail store. Just a few consumers are using this approach today, but it will help raise awareness of online photo services in general as retailers market their online-to-retail services to their regular customers.