Casion Press Release 25/10/04

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Casio’s Newest Digital Cameras Consolidated In One New Easy-To-Navigate Website

DOVER, NJ, October 25, 2004 - CASIO, Inc. is making it easier than ever for digital camera buffs and potential buyers to find out everything they need to know with the launch of the new http://exilim.casio.com website.  The website is specially dedicated to provide consumers with invaluable information about Casio> ‘> s newest EXILIM line of digital cameras, from its Pro to its Zoom and Card lines, including the EXILIM EX-P600, EX-Z30, EX-Z40, EX-Z50, EX-Z55 and EX-S100. 

The exilim.casio.com easily guides you to quickly find information such as dealer location, special promotions, awards, and product reviews.  You can even learn about the history of Casio’s digital cameras on this informative site.  What’s more, if you cannot decide which camera is best for you, the website conveniently gives you the ability to do some comparison-shopping.  Using the Casio Advantage feature, you can learn all about the numerous camera features, compare key features and advantages and then decide which camera best suits your needs. 

Kingston Technology Press Release 25/10/04

25 October 2004 - Kingston Technology, the world’s leading independent memory manufacturer, has announced the launch of its new Digital Memory Website, www.kingstonflashmemory.com. The site is the first of its kind to feature a built in memory configurator, allowing users to instantly find out the type and speed of memory their digital product requires and enabling them to make an informed and quick decision when purchasing.

The site has been specifically designed to provide customers with straightforward access to the latest information regarding Kingston Technology’s full range of digital memory products. Linking directly to Kingston Technology’s ‘where to buy’ section and also to the company’s product e-tailers, the website has been designed so that customers are able to order online. The site also features a ‘find your nearest stockist’ section, making it even easier for customers to source the exact Kingston Technology digital product they require.

Bytesector have published a review of the new HP Scanjet 4070 Photosmart digital flatbed scanner, a stylish device with a unique photo door to hold photos in place and make scanning simple.

“Scanning negatives is very simple as it basically involves just inserting your negatives into a special holder on the lid of the scanner and then hitting the scan negatives button. Again, the scanner is very particular about any type of damage to the negatives. Even the smallest of scratches will be picked up and become a part of the digital image. This isn?t the scanner?s fault, if anything, it proves the scanner is doing a good job, but it is something you need to be aware of. The scanning of negatives can be completed very quickly, and the Scanjet 4070 does a very good job in that short amount of time.”

Bytesector - HP Scanjet 4070 Photosmart Review

The Spansih website DeCamaras have published a review of the 8 megapixel Canon EOS 20D DSLR.

Website: DeCamaras - Canon EOS 20D Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Canon EOS 20D

DpNow have just reviewed the Vosonic IC Drive VP3610, a 9 in 1 Portable Storage Device with either 20GB or 40GB capacity.

“An internal lithium ion rechargeable battery can power the IC Drive for just under an hour, which is rather tight if you expect to need to copy two 1GB CF cards, taking about 50 minutes in total, without recharging. If using the MP3 player function in conjunction with a memory card, the battery life extends to about two hours. “

Website: DPNow - Vosonic IC Drive VP3610 Review

The 47th 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 1st November. The Poll will then be closed and the overall winner announced.

Vote now for your favourite image from the Photo Of The Week 18th-24th October 2004 contest

The voting for the 46th Photo of the Week contest has now finished.

The winner is “Doe & Fawn” by Gary55.

Congratulations to the winner!

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

The 48th 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.

The latest Sunday Morning Photographer column from Mike Johnston discusses the future of full-frame DSLRs:

“Nikon, meanwhile, with the introduction of its professional uber-kamera the D2x, has shown its firm allegiance to the APS-size sensor that gives a 1.5X effective crop. Its digital “format” is uniform, from the entry-level D70 to the D2’s (yes, there’s the choice of a further crop with the D2x, but that doesn’t count because the whole sensor is still 1.5X). Nikon has also quietly begun building up a collection of its DX lenses, made expressly for its digital format.

Not to beat around the bush: I firmly believe that what Nikon is doing will prove to be smarter in the long run.”

Website: Sunday Morning Photographer: Thoughts About “Full Frame”

Interestingly this week, Luminous Landscape’s Michael Reichmann has issued a rebuttal to Mike’s column and given his own view!

“I’m no prophet. My crystal ball is fuzzy, and I rarely pick the right stocks. But it doesn’t take a clairvoyant to see that chip sizes and chip prices are headed in opposite directions ? the first one up, and the second one down. At some point the marginal cost differential between putting a full-frame chip in a 35mm format camera vs. putting in an APS-sized sensor will have diminished to the point that it won’t represent a significant manufacturing cost factor.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Some Further Thoughts on the Full Frame Issue

Which viewpoint do you agree with?

Imaging Resource have posted their review of the 5 megapixel, 10x optical zoom Kodak EASYSHARE DX7590 digital camera.

“Low image noise, but a lot of subject detail traded away to manage it. In common with a lot of consumer digicams these days, the DX7590 shows very low noise levels, but it’s obvious from its photos that it is trading away a lot of subtle (and some not-so-subtle) subject detail to achieve this. This effect isn’t too noticeable in shots at ISO 80 and 100, but by the time you get to ISO 200, areas of the subjects characterized by subtle contrast are very visibly smudged-looking. (Marti’s hair in the Outdoor and Indoor Portrait shots is a good example of this.) The camera works well enough under good lighting at low ISOs, but I really don’t consider it usable at ISO 400, and even ISO 200 is marginal.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Kodak EASYSHARE DX7590 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Kodak EASYSHARE DX7590

Fred Miranda has released Velvia Vision, a new Photoshop plug-in designed to enhance color and tone in your photographs.

It provides a 200% range of error-free color intensity as well as smart algorithms to increase contrast, create moods and expand tonal range. With this new tool, photographers can preview settings and tweak intensity results for maximum control over their work. Another feature unique to this plugin, is that you can save and load your own Velvia Vision profiles.

This plug-in is compatible with JPEG files straight from the camera or TIFF/JPEG files converted from RAW files. (Compatible with all digital camera or scanned film files)

Website: Fred Miranda

Just in time for Christmas, the Polaroid x530 digital camera that was first announced back in February has now turned up for sale on the UK shopping store Argos, of all places. I’m not really sure that Argos is the best place to sell a cutting-edge digital camera (at least in terms of the Foveon X3 sensor that’s inside it), but hey, at least it’s on sale somewhere (found via DigiCamReview.co.uk).

Website: Argos.co.uk - Polaroid x530

Trusted Reviews have just reviewed the 5 megapixel BenQ DC C50 digital camera.

“This is a camera that can only really justify its five megapixels of resolution when used in conditions of bright sunlight where the apparent noise was kept to a minimum. That said, when zoomed to 100% pixel noise is still discernable. More positively, shooting on a bright day revealed that the colour balance was commendably accurate and chromatic aberrations across the scope of the zoom were minimal. The digital zoom also appeared to work well but you?ll probably get better results by enlarging pictures within a photo-editing software package. The macro setting proved to be its only other plus point as I was able to get in close and maintain focus and a decent exposure even with the flash - albeit with a sprinkling of undesirable noise in the final result.”

Website: Trusted Reviews - BenQ DC C50 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the BenQ DC C50

As you would expect when 18,500 entries are made to a competition, there are some stunning images that won the various categories of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. BBC News have pictures online of the winners of the 5 categories.

“A stunning image of two sharks twisting through a baitball of sardines has earned Texan Doug Perrine the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

The judges described it as a “spectacle of light and movement” and were all agreed it should win the competition.

A picture of a green lizard hiding among the leaves “like a velociraptor” gave Gabby Salazar, 17, of North Carolina, the coveted junior prize.

The competition has become one of the most prestigious in world photography.”

Website: BBC - Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photo.net have posted a report on Photo Plus Expo, an annual photography show held last week in New York, USA.

“My overall impression, and the impression that I got from talking with many of the exhibitors is that the photo industry in general is in pretty good shape - as long as you’re talking digital. If you’re in the film business, especially 35mm film, you may be in trouble if you don’t shift gears and move more into digital. Even medium format film work is in some trouble, with previous users (like wedding photographers) moving into 35mm digital. Right now large format camera sales aren’t being affected a lot by digital, but then large format work is a pretty small and specialized part of the photography pie.”

Website: Photo.net - Photo Plus Expo Report

Mac Design Magazine have published their review of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0.

“Features unique to the Mac
The Mac version of Elements 3 doesn’t have the new Organizer so Adobe has added some features to the Mac version, including a full-featured version of the File Browser from Photoshop CS (the Windows version of File Browser doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the CS version). Also included are additional Web Photo Gallery templates, more Picture Package editing options, and several other enhancements that won’t be available on the Windows version.”

Website: Mac Design Magazine - Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 Review

Popular Photography have published the first review that i have read of the long-delayed DSLR from Fuji, the FinePix S3 Pro.

“As we handled the camera, we noticed several ergonomic improvements, and found the S3 Pro to be a more compact, well-balanced body. In addition, rubberized surfaces surround the less obtrusive camera grip on the right side and in the back, making it much easier to hold safely with one hand. Fuji claims that the camera’s single-form (monocoque) polycarbonate body is more rugged than the S2 Pro body-and it appears to be a solid casing.”

Website: Popular Photography - Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro Review

Do you have a cupboard full of old manual Canon lenses that you want to try using with a newer autfocus EOS body? Don’t know if it will work or not? Bob Atkins has the answers:

“Clearly using a manual focus lens is inconvenient, but sometimes it can be worth it if the equivalent EOS lens is expensive, if you shoot mostly static subjects and if you don’t use the lens very often.

Most EOS bodies will give quite good exposure when using many manual focus lenses, but some lenses may need exposure compensation set on the EOS body. The only way to tell is to take some test shots and evaluate the results. Operation in manual or Exposure Priority (Av) mode is possible, but not in any program mode or in Shutter Priority (Tv).”

Website: Bob Atkins - Using Manual Focus Lenses on Canon EOS Bodies

Shutterbug magazine have reviewed the 8-colour Canon i9900 printer, which can create a 13 x 19-inch borderless photograph in under three minutes and has a maximum resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi. The printer is available now for a suggested list price of $499.

“My conclusion is that Canon has achieved a new level of photo ink jet performance with the new i9900 model. It prints finer images with greater color fidelity, particularly when reproducing natural greens and skin tones. This significantly improved image print performance is achieved with no loss of the fast print speed enjoyed with the previous i9100, and without any apparent loss in economy in ink cost per print. In addition, the $499 list price is competitive for a top of the line dye-type 13? wide photo ink jet.”

Website: Shutterbug - Canon i9900 Printer Review

Shutterbug magazine have posted their review of the Fujifilm Finepix S20 Pro digital camera, which sits at the top of the FinePix range.

“First, let?s look at some of this camera?s strong points. The lens is fabulous. I typically use a 28-105mm f/2.8 lens on my digital SLRs and it?s heavy; this thing is a featherweight. You do have to use the buttons on the camera back for zooming operation so it?s a little slower than turning a lens manually, but it?s no big deal. My files all looked sharp with great contrast and the focus seemed more accurate and quicker than my FinePix S2 Pro.”

Website: Shutterbug - Fujifilm Finepix S20 Pro Review

Website: Read my Review of the Fuji FinePix S20 Pro

Check the Latest Prices for the Fuji Finepix S20 Pro