DPReview have just posted their review of the 4 megapixel, 8.3 optical zoom Nikon Coolpix 4800.

“Viewed in isolation the Coolpix 4800 would be a very impressive camera indeed (and as you can see from the samples gallery on the next page it’s capable of great results). There’s little to really complain about here - especially given the sub-$400 price point, and it is capable of excellent results in the right conditions. But the 4800 doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and - even with its extra megapixel - it simply doesn’t feel as accomplished as the Canon PowerShot S1 IS or the Panasonic FZ3, both of which feature significantly more control and the invaluable addition of image stabilisation systems.”

Website: DPReview - Nikon Coolpix 4800 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon Coolpix 4800

Sangers Group Press Release 10/11/04

Gmini400 Provides the Ultimate Portable Entertainment Experience with Music, Video, Photo and Gaming Capabilities

A revolutionary new hard-drive-based digital audio player, the Gmini400 features the industry’s first 2.2-inch colour LCD screen and advanced features such as video playback, photo viewing, and gaming for the ultimate portable entertainment experience.

The Ultimate in Portable Entertainment
The new Gmini400 allows consumers to enjoy:
Pocket Music ? record, listen to and archive entire music collections (MP3, WMA, and WAV files) ? up to 300 hours*. Make a playlist directly on the device and organise music without the need for a computer.

The German website Digitalkamera.de have published the Internet’s first review of the 8 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 8400.

Website: Digitalkamera.de - Nikon Coolpix 8400 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon Coolpix 8400

About Graphics Software have published their review of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0.

“Regular readers of this site probably know that I’m a big fan of Adobe Photoshop Album for photo organizing. Now all the features of Album are included in Photoshop Elements for Windows, making it a perfect all-in-one solution for the majority of digital photographers. The Photo Browser is essentially Album, fully integrated, and with several enhancements. Now users can stack similar photos under a single thumbnail to save space in the photo browser. Similarly, Elements tracks variations of the same edited photo, and saves them all together in a “version set.” The Photo Browser also lets you easily review and compare photos.”

Website: About Graphics Software - Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 Review

Check the Latest Prices for Adobe Photoshop Elements 3

ProFotoSoftware Press Release 11/10/04

ProFotoSoftware have today released version 1 of PFS Image Darkroom for Windows, a program for converting Canon RAW images from EOS Digital SLRs into 16 bit and 8 bit TIF files as well as 8 bit JPEG files.

PFS Image Darkroom improves digital photographer’s workflow by removing the frustrating delays associated with Raw image processing. The software remains fully operational during Raw processing, enabling users to prepare the next image or set of images for processing instead of pausing whilst the processing is performed.

Olympus have announced that they are planning to produce more digital cameras themselves, rather than outsource to other companies like Sanyo, in a bid to turn aorund a recent decline in profits (found via DigiCamReview.co.uk).

“Japanese precision equipment maker Olympus Corp said on Tuesday it will boost in-house production of digital cameras to 50 percent in one or two years to help nurse its loss-making camera division back to health.

Olympus currently outsources 60 per cent of its digital camera production to other firms including Sanyo Electric Co, giving it less flexibility to adapt to market changes than rivals such as Canon Inc, which produces all its cameras in-house.”

Website: Hindustan Times - Olympus to hike in-house digital camera output

Casio Europe Press Release 10/11/04

Proven technology, new look: The new Special Edition EXILIM Zoom EX-Z50 “Blue Ice” 
 
Norderstedt, November 2004 - Let the winter fun begin! Whether you’re snowboarding in the mountains or enjoying an evening in a mountain hut: the new Special Edition EXILIM EX-Z50 “Blue Ice” in winter-blue captures the mood perfectly. The high resolution with 5.0 megapixels and 3x optical zoom take care of this. The “cool blue one” conjures up sharp photos in a jiffy.

Casio Europe Press Release 10/11/04

Simply dive in and take photos: The new EXILIM underwater casing EWC-55 makes it possible

Norderstedt, November 2004 - With the EWC-55, CASIO is bringing an underwater casing on the market especially for the digital camera EXILIM Zoom EX-Z55. One more reason to escape the snow and soft hail of the German winter: spontaneous holidaymakers are packing their cases and flying in the direction of the South Seas, where they take part in diving expeditions with the new underwater casing EWC-55 and EXILIM Zoom EX-Z55. The new duo turns the fascinating beauty of the world under water into a marvellous experience: corals and colourful fish are photographed and can be viewed particularly well on the extra-large 2.5 inch TFT colour display. The casing, which measures 128.0 ? 86.0 ? 70.5 mm, is ready for use up to 40 metres under water. The transparent eye-catcher with its orange-coloured accents only weighs around 270 g and also protects the EXILIM EX-Z55 above sea-level against dust, spray-water and dirt. The digital camera plus casing are a dream-team for impressive photos that will remind you for a long time in cold Germany of the spontaneous short trip to the sunny South. The EWC-55 is available from November 2004 in well-sorted specialist shops. The casing comes with a flash diffuser, a strap, silicon paste as well as an anti-mist kit.

Photo District News have published a review of the 8 megapixel Canon EOS 20D DSLR.

“The bottom line on the 20D (for those of you who hate suspense) is that it’s a solid camera with a broad market appeal. The consumer nature of the camera makes its application limited to those looking for a backup body or to those pros who don’t need the higher pixel counts or speed of something like a Canon 1Ds Mark II or Nikon D2X. Chances are though that if you need those features, then the 20D is off of your list and you’re looking elsewhere.”

Website: Photo District News - Canon EOS 20D Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Canon EOS 20D

Norwegian website Digit.no have just reviewed the compact 4.1 Megapixel Fuji FinePix F450 Zoom (which is the bigger brother of the F420 that I reviewed a couple of months ago).

Website: Digit.no - Fuji FinePix F450 Zoom Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Fuji FinePix F450 Zoom

DigiCamReview.co.uk have just reviewed the Konica Minolta DiMAGE X31, a stylish new 3.2-megapixel compact digicam that is easy-to-use and affordable.

“The camera is very compact, stylish and pocketable due to the internal lens. The screen updates smoothly and is clear. The camera is easy to use, the menu systems being easy to use. The 3x optical zoom is good. Camera handling, button layout and design are okay, the camera could do with some more buttons. The camera speed is good in use and has a quick zoom, shot to shot time is also quick, and the camera has an especially quick switch on time. Unfortunately there is no custom white balance, or manual ISO settings.”

Website: DigiCamReview.co.uk - Konica Minolta DiMAGE X31 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Konica Minolta DiMAGE X31

Casio USA Press Release 25/08/04

CASIO ANNOUNCES THE 7 MEGAPIXEL EXILIM PRO EX-P700 WITH 4X OPTICAL ZOOM

New Top-of-the-Line EXILIM Model Offers Enthusiasts And Casual Picture-Takers Superior Portability, High-Resolution, and High-Speed Shooting

DOVER, NJ, November 10, 2004 - Casio, Inc., in conjunction with its parent company, Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan announces the addition of the EXILIM PRO EX-P700 to the award-winning EXILIM series of digital cameras.  The EX-P700 has an ultra high resolution 7.2 million megapixel CCD with 4X optical zoom, an ultra-fast 0.01 second release time lag (with flash off, focus locked). This remarkable high-performance, high-resolution compact camera offers the operating ease users have come to expect from Casio?s EXILIM CARD, ZOOM and PRO ranges of compact cameras.  The EX-P700 will be available in January 2005, MSRP $599.99.

Check the Latest Prices for the Casio EXILIM PRO EX-P700

Casio USA Press Release 10/11/04

CASIO’S EXILIM CARD EX-S100 SELECTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS 2004 ‘BEST OF WHAT’S NEW’ AWARD BY POPULAR SCIENCE

DOVER, NJ - November 10, 2004 - Casio, Inc., a global leader in digital imaging products, announced today that its 3.2-megapixel, super slim EXILIM CARD EX-S100 digital camera has been honored with a 2004 ?Best of What’s New’ award in the Photography Category by the world famous Science and Technology periodical, Popular Science.

Now in its seventeenth year, the 2004 Popular Science BOWN awards recognize consumer technology products that exhibit excellence in design and engineering. Product evaluations are based on several criteria including: the significance of the innovation; the quality of the design and the finished product; the originality of thought and the ambition and scope of the project.

Check the Latest Prices for the Casio EXILIM Card EX-S100

Casio USA Press Release 10/11/04

CASIO HONORED WITH THREE CES INNOVATIONS 2005 DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AWARDS

DOVER, NJ - November 10, 2004 - Casio, Inc., a leading innovator in digital cameras and timepieces, has been selected to receive CES Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Awards for three of its products.  Casio’s award-winning products include the EXILIM CARD EX-S100 and EXILIM PRO EX-P700 digital cameras, and the ANA-DIGI Atomic Solar G-Shock GW1200BA-1AV timepiece.

These prestigious annual awards are announced each year in advance of the Consumer Electronics show. The award-winning products will be featured as part of a special display in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2005 International CES in Las Vegas, January 6-9, 2005.

Check the Latest Prices for the Casio EXILIM PRO EX-P700

Check the Latest Prices for the Casio EXILIM Card EX-S100

The Slovenian website Slo-Foto.net have just reviewed the new 7 megapixel Sony DSC-P150 digital compact camera.

Website: Slo-Foto.net - Sony DSC-P150 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Sony DSC-P150

I’m pleased to be able to bring you a new PhotographyBLOG article today, courtesy of Phil Baker, who amongst other things writes a regular technology column for the San Diego Source newspaper. Phil’s article is called “Finding the Best Photo Printer”, in which he tries out some of the latest models of color ink-jet photo printers from Canon, Epson and HP, including the new HP PhotoSmart 8150 (pictured).

Website: Finding the Best Photo Printer

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

1st Place
“Bali Dawn” by kingdomd
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“Gorgeous - wish I was there.”
“Makes you wonder what’s behind those trees. Enchanting.”

Prize: 1 copy of Digital Photography Hacks by Derrick Story.
Kindly donated by O’Reilly.
http://www.oreilly.com

2nd Place
“Sunset at the Fountains at Eiffel Tower” by ddmckinney1954
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“I love the composition of the fountains with the Eiffel tower peeking out of the corner.”
“Proves that you don’t need to have all of the main subject in the frame to make a successful image.”

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

3rd Place
“Alone” by mates
View this entry

Judges Comments:
“Perfect composition and wonderful color!”
“There’s a great melancholy feel to this image.”

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

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

The November 2004 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 November’s theme, which is simply “Symmetry”.

Steves Digicams has today reviewed the 7 megapixel Pentax Optio750Z.

“The 750Z is the flagship model in Pentax’s line of Optio digicams for 2004. It offers users 7-megapixels of resolution, a high-quality 5x optical zoom lens, and a host of features that appeal to a broad range of users, from beginner to advanced. Beginners will enjoy using the 750Z’s Programmed Auto exposure and scene modes, while experienced photographers will appreciate its aperture-priority, shutter-priority and full manual exposure modes.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Pentax Optio750Z Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Pentax Optio750Z

The Spanish website quesabesde.com have posted their review of the new Panasonic DMC-FZ20 digital camera, which has a 12x optical zoom lens from Leica.

Website: quesabesde.com - Panasonic DMC-FZ20 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Panasonic DMC-FZ20

The Polish website Fotopolis have just posted their review of the 6 megapixel Fuji FinePix E550.

Website: Fotopolis - Fuji FinePix E550 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Fuji FinePix E550