Sandisk Press Release 09/11/04

SANDISK INTRODUCES 4 AND 8 GIGABYTE INDUSTRIAL CF CARDS AND 8 AND 16GB INDUSTRIAL PC CARDS

Speed, Reliability and Cost Efficiency Offer World-Class Flash Storage Solutions For Today’s Demanding Industrial Applications

Munich, Germany, November 9, 2004 - Providing a reliable storage alternative to hard drives, SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today announced significantly higher capacities and faster read/write times for its industrial product line including Industrial Grade and Standard Grade Flash ATA cards. These new cards now provide memory options of as much as 16 gigabytes (GB) for PC Cards and up to 8GB for CompactFlash cards. The announcement was made at Electronica 2004, where SanDisk is exhibiting in Hall A4, Stand 243 of the New Munich Trade Fair Center.

The new cards double the current maximum flash storage capacities of these form factors. The highest capacities for industrial CF cards, which are the more popular Type I form factors, are increased from 2GB to 4GB (industrial grade) and from 4GB to 8GB (standard grade). Likewise, the PC Cards, which are Type II form factors and are based on state-of-the-art 90nm (nanometer) NAND flash technology, will go from 4GB to 8GB for industrial grade and from 8GB to 16GB for standard grade. The cards are expected to be available starting in December. Pricing is being determined and will vary from region to region.

Fujifilm UK Press Release 09/11/04

Fujifilm today introduces its Worldwide Travel Charger, a new electrical accessory that can be used anywhere in the world, making it perfect for adventurous travellers and photographers alike.  The charger can be used again and again to help power batteries for a host of electrical equipment, from digital cameras to portable music devices to travel alarm clocks, which means it is not just economical but also environmentally friendly.

O’Reilly Press Release 09/11/04

The Many Dimensions of Mac OS X Explored at the 2004 O’Reilly Mac OS X Conference

Sebastopol, CA—Mac developers, system administrators, digital musicians, and users were treated to a thorough exploration of Mac OS X’s past, present, and future at the third O’Reilly Mac OS X Conference, which took place in Santa Clara, CA from October 25-28. Over 500 attendees filled sessions examining the many aspects and applications of Mac OS X: a Tiger preview, digital forensics, Podcasting, AppleScript, GarageBand, Mac hacks for the home, Mac OS X in a Unix environment, creating digital music, and much more.

In addition to tracks devoted to the needs of programmers and sys admins, two new tracks debuted at this year’s conference. The Insanely Great Mac track focused on cool and useful applications in mobile computing, home automation, creative networking, and digital media. The Digital Audio track, for musicians and tech gurus, explored fine tuning Macs for peak performance, designing workflows to manage huge amounts of content, how to work with professional applications, and how to get new music in front of audiences. “We added a digital audio track to this conference because we believe there are opportunities for developers in this arena,” noted conference program chair Derrick Story. “At the moment, the iPod and ITMS are grabbing the headlines. But a more complete understanding of the audio process—from how it’s created, managed, distributed, and consumed—can lead to further innovation in this area.”

“Photo Finish” is a new book from digital imaging experts Jon Canfield and Tim Grey which explores the different ways of presenting your photographs after you have taken them. Capturing a great image is only half the battle; showing it off to the rest of the world is also an essential part of any photographer’s workflow, whether it be to your family members, to clients or for an exhibition. Written from the viewpoint of the digital photographer, “Photo Finish” looks at a wide range of techniques, including printing using an inkjet printer, using traditional print labs and online print services, displaying images on the internet, creating digital slideshows, and finishing and exhibiting prints. During 316 pages, the authors clearly explain why and how you can present your work in the best possible way and make your photographs stand out from the crowd. Find out if “Photo Finish” can make your photographs shine by reading my review.

Website: “Photo Finish: The Digital Photographer’s Guide to Printing, Showing, and Selling Images” Review

Nikon USA have just announced a number of rebates on their DSLR cameras and lenses, including the D70 (pictured). Highlights include:

Nikon D70 - $100 Rebate
Nikon D100 - $200 Rebate
Nikon D1X - $500 Rebate

Website: Nikon USA - Bonus Holiday Cash (PDF)

The fourth (and hopefully final) preview of the new Olympus E-300/Evolt DSLR (UK price £699 with a lens) is from Steves Digicams. Seems like all there was some kind of embargo on publishing E-300 previews!

“Lenses that are smart, that talk with the camera about their specific optical designs and imaging information. Lenses, particularly zoom lenses have some distortion. This is true of all manufacturers. Zuiko Digital Lenses store data in the header portion of the digital file allowing for software-assisted correction of anomalies including pin cushion and barrel distortion.

Shoot wide open or stopped all the way down and achieve superior results over 35mm film based lenses. Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses are about three times the resolution of ordinary film based lenses.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Olympus E-300/Evolt Preview

Steves Digicams are reporting that Toshiba have exited the digital camera building. No surprise really as Toshiba isn’t exactly the first digicam brand that springs to mind. What’s more surprising is that apparently they silently left the market back in March 2004, making all their digital camera staff redundant!

Website: Steves Digicams - Toshiba Quietly Exits Digital Camera Business

The third preview (!) of the new Olympus E-300/Evolt DSLR (UK price £699 with a lens) is from Imaging Resource.

“The E-300’s user interface is similar to those of the Olympus C-series digicams, with a multi-page menu system that’s easy to navigate. The standard Olympus Shortcut menu screen has been omitted, made unnecessary by the many single-purpose buttons for major functions on the camera body. The menu system is simple to navigate, even for users new to the interface. Menu layouts are straightforward. A Mode dial on top of the camera changes capture modes quickly. Once you get into the Record menu, options are organized by function, accessed by a series of tabs along the left side of the screen. This layout lets you quickly skip to the options you need without sifting through pages of menu items.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Olympus E-300/Evolt Preview

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have reviewed the Fujifilm FinePix A340 Zoom (pictured), a digital camera that offers 4 million effective pixel resolution, and the FinePix A330 Zoom, which has 3 megapixels.

Website: Index Digicam - Fujifilm FinePix A330/A340 Zoom Review

The second preview of the new Olympus E-300/Evolt DSLR (UK price £699 with a lens) is courtesy of DPReview.

“The rear of the E-300 features no less than thirteen more buttons, although it sounds daunting the use of these buttons to change camera settings becomes second nature, especially as they integrate nicely with the information display on the LCD monitor. For instance, press the ISO button and ISO is highlighted on the information display (or if off a dedicated selection screen is shown), now just turn the main dial to select ISO. In addition every adjustment (apart from flash mode) is repeated on the viewfinder LCD, so once you get used to the position of controls it’s easy to adjust settings without removing your eye from the viewfinder.”

Website: DPReview - Olympus Evolt Preview

WACOM Europe GmbH Press Release 08/11/04

Wacom updates Graphire3 Studio and Studio XL pen tablets with Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0

Krefeld 8.11.2004

WACOM Europe GmbH, the market leader in pen based digital imaging, today announces an update to the Studio and Studio XL versions of its Graphire3 range, aimed at digital photography and video enthusiasts. From mid-November, the Graphire3 package carrying the ‘promotion’ sticker on the front, will include an upgrade voucher for the recently launched Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0. Customers can go online and register by entering the code found on the voucher and the new software CD will be sent out from January 2005 onwards.

DCResource have published a preview of the new Olympus Olympus E-300/Evolt DSLR (UK price £699 with a lens).

“The Olympus EVOLT E-300 (it’s just called the E-300 outside of the U.S.) is the first consumer digital SLR to use the FourThirds system. The FourThirds system (co-developed by Olympus, Fuji, and Kodak) was first seen on the Olympus E-1, which was released last year. The E-300 takes many of the same features used on the E-1, removes a few manual controls, slows things down a bit, and boosts the resolution from five to eight million pixels. The E-300 has a rather unique design (to say the least), and build quality isn’t quite as nice as the E-1.”

Website: DCResource - Olympus Evolt Preview

The Czrech website Digineff have published their review of the Ricoh Caplio R1 digital camera.

Website: Digineff - Ricoh Caplio R1 Review

Canon USA Press Release 08/11/04

CANON INKS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH WIMBLEDON CHAMPION AND POP-CULTURE ICON MARIA SHARAPOVA

‘Substance and Style’ Play Center Court as Canon Embarks on Multi-Year, Integrated Relationship with Teenage Global Superstar

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2004 - Canon today announced a global marketing relationship with Wimbledon Champion and pop-culture icon Maria Sharapova. The multi-year relationship will include global advertising, retail promotions and events.

Sharapova’s winning record on the court as well as her style, presence and elegance off it make her a natural global representative for Canon. From sleek digital cameras to reliable office products and everything in between, Canon products deliver a championship performance every time, just like the 17-year-old tennis phenom. Sharapova’s grueling travel schedule - up to 30 weeks each year - is more manageable with Canon products by her side, enabling her to capture and share her experiences with family and friends around the world.

“Maria Sharapova’s combination of style and substance is a natural fit for Canon,” said Debra Epstein, vice president and general manager of corporate communications at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ). “Her powerful game and approachable personality represent a perfect match for the Canon brand, and we are thrilled about the partnership. Canon and Maria Sharapova embody excellence, elegance and a winning team for our company, our retailers, and our global customers.”

Samsung Press Release 08/11/04

SAMSUNG BRIDGES GAP BETWEEN QUALITY AND “COOL” WITH LAUNCH OF U-CA 4 THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Designed for Today’s Young, Tech-Savvy Snap Shooters, the U-CA 4 Has it All

SECAUCUS, N.J., (November 8, 2004) - With the holiday shopping season rapidly approaching, millions of American consumers are turning their attention to the task of getting their hands on the hottest, most cutting-edge gadgets and gizmos for everyone on their gift list this year.  Finding the coolest high-tech gifts is difficult enough, but finding high-tech gifts for the kids that combine quality and cool has been nearly impossible—until now.  Samsung has bridged the gap between quality and cool with the launch of its new Digimax U-CA 4 digital still camera.  With 4 mega pixel resolution, MPEG 4 video compression, a stylish, compact design, the choice of three body colors and a street price of just $299.99, the U-CA 4 is sure to be a hit with parents as well as tech-savvy kids this holiday season.

M-ROCK Press Release 06/11/04

M-ROCK ANNOUNCES LINE OF LARGE SLR DIGITAL CAMERA BAGS FOR TRAVEL & OUTDOOR USE

M-ROCK?s Everglade & High Sierra Bags Protect SLR Digital Cameras with Attached Lenses up to 6 Inches Long

Centennial, CO, November 6, 2004, M-ROCK, the ultimate camera and accessory bag manufacturer, announced today the Everglade and Sierra bags, two additions to its popular line of camera and accessory bags especially built for digital camera amateur photographers, travelers and outdoorsmen.  The large Everglade and Sierra camera bags securely store and carry photographers? SLR digital cameras and lenses wherever they go, whether to the beach, hiking the Rocky Mountains, or through the Florida marshlands. 

The 49th Photo of the Week contest is now closed.

I have choosen what I think are the best photographs in my opinion. Now it’s your turn to vote for the overall winner of the contest. A Public Poll has been setup on the PhotographyBLOG Forums and you have 7 days during which you can vote for your favourite photo from the ones that I have chosen. Voting will end on Monday 15th November. The Poll will then be closed and the overall winner announced.

Vote now for your favourite image from the Photo Of The Week 1st-7th November 2004 contest

The voting for the 48th Photo of the Week contest has now finished.

The narrow winner this week is “Nutty for you…” by cramer.

Congratulations to the winner!

You can view all of the entries that were submitted in this gallery.

The 50th Photo of the Week contest is now open. This is a weekly photography contest with no set theme and you can enter any photograph that you like.

Please note that there has been an important change to the Photo of the Week rules:

“2. You can enter up to a maximum of 5 images.”

Click here to read the Photo of the Week rules.

Olympus UK have announced the UK price of their new DSLR, the E-300.

In the UK Olympus will sell the E-300 and the Zuiko 14-45mm lens as a kit for £699.99 inc VAT.

This puts it in direct competition with Canon’s entry-level DSLR, the EOS 300D, and cheaper than the Nikon D70.