Pentax USA Press Release 13/09/08

TWO CAMERAS IN ONE NOW OFFERS 4 MEGAPIXELS

PENTAX Introduces The OptioMX4

GOLDEN, Colorado (September 13, 2004)...PENTAX Imaging Company has introduced the new OptioMX4. A compact digital camera with a powerful 10X optical zoom and 4.0 effective megapixels, the OptioMX4 design captures both high quality still images and movies with telephoto capability.

The OptioMX4 meets consumer demand to capture distant subjects with 10X optical zoom through a focal range covering angles of view equivalent to those of a 37mm-370mm lens in 35mm format. The optional wide-angle conversion lens steps up the OptioMX4 angle of view to the equivalent of a 27.75mm lens in 35mm format. Comprised of 8 groups of 12 elements, the lens of the OptioMX4 features aspherical lenses and extra-low dispersion glass elements to minimize aberration. With 4.0 effective megapixels, the OptioMX4 has the power to achieve high-precision, vivid images at all zoom ranges.

Pentax USA Press Release 13/09/08

PENTAX Optio SV Packed With 5 Megapixels, A Powerful 5X Zoom And Advanced Features

GOLDEN, CO (September 13, 2004)...PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the Optio SV digital camera. With 5.0 megapixels, a powerful 5X optical zoom, and tiny dimensions, the Optio SV combines powerful digital with portability. 

The unique PENTAX Sliding Lens system in the Optio SV allows the powerful 5X zoom lens to retract and fully recede into the camera housing, flush with the body frame.  As result, the Optio SV boasts the ultra-compact body dimensions of 3.0 x 1.8 x 0.9 inches.  The novel lens system significantly reduces both the depth and length of the entire camera while it delivers a powerfully high zoom ratio for outstanding image quality. First incorporated in the Optio S digital camera launched last year, this innovative system is featured on select PENTAX digital cameras.

Pentax USA Press Release 13/09/08

PENTAX INTRODUCES THIRD DIGITAL LENS

PENTAX-DA Zoom 18-55 Perfect Fit For New Digital SLR

GOLDEN, CO (September 13, 2004)...PENTAX Imaging Company has introduced the smc PENTAX-DA Zoom 18mm-55mm F3.5-F5.6 AL lens. Exclusively designed for PENTAX digital SLR cameras including the newly announced PENTAX *ist DS SLR, the PENTAX-DA Zoom 18-55 lens is portable and affordable to ensure comfortable, well-balanced operations.  This compact, lightweight standard zoom lens features an image circle to match the camera?s large 23.5mm x 15.7mm image sensor.

PENTAX will unveil the lens and other new and exciting digital products on September 20 at the PEPCOM Holiday Spectacular in New York City.  The PENTAX-DA Zoom 18-55mm lens will ship to major camera retailers in November 2004. 

O’Reilly Press Release 13/09/04

A New Community for Digital Media Enthusiasts O’Reilly Launches Digital Media Web Site

Sebastopol, CA—If there’s been one particularly bright spot in the rebounding tech economy, it would have to be the adoption of digital media tools by just about everyone, especially digital photography and music. Sales of digital cameras rival their film counterparts, and downloading music has become as almost as simple as turning on the radio. Fine artists and graphic designers are also benefiting from the growing array of new gear and software now available.

To inspire digital media users to new heights of creativity and expertise, O’Reilly has unveiled its Digital Media web site: http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/. “We built this site to bring digital media influencers and enthusiasts together to share and learn,” explained Bill Takacs, Product Marketing Manager for O’Reilly. “Our intent is to deliver the best of all things digital media: what’s new, what’s cool, what’s fun, and what matters.”

Milwaukee,  Sept. 1 2004—- Mike Johnston’s The 37th Frame newsletter, formerly published on white paper with no illustrations, is in the process of switching over to .PDF format and e-mail delivery.

Adobe .PDF (Portable Document Format), an international, cross-platform standard for document transmission,  offers many advantages for newsletter publishing. With no printing costs, there are no longer any restrictions on length: the longest print version of the newsletter was 16 pages long, whereas the first electronic issue is 33 pages long. Printing costs make illustrations prohibitively expensive for a small-circulation newsletter, but can easily be added to a .PDF. 

Delkin Devices Press Release 14/09/04

DELKIN’S PORTABLE BURNAWAY COMBINES A CD BURNER, CARD READER & DVD PLAYER IN ONE DEVICE

Poway CA, September 13, 2004 Delkin Devices Inc., maker of premium quality eFilm memory cards and other innovative digital photography products, is now shipping the BurnAway portable combo media player. The BurnAway is a versatile mobile CD burner that combines a number of today’s most popular digital electronic devices in one unit. The BurnAway features a Slim Type DVD/CD-R/RW Drive, and works as a memory card reader, a digital slideshow player that shows photographs on TV and a DVD/MP3/CD player. The unit operates independently of a computer and can be a lifesaver for traveling photographers looking for a quick and easy way to burn the contents of their memory card to a CD-R. Two built-in memory card slots support CompactFlash (I&II), Microdrives, SD, MMC, SmartMedia, Memory Stick and MS PRO. The BurnAway also supports XD cards with an adapter (not included). New high-resolution cameras need additional memory to accommodate larger file sizes, making the BurnAway a perfect solution for quickly clearing memory cards on the go so you can keep shooting. Connecting the BurnAway to a computer via High-Speed USB 2.0 also enables it to function as a card reader and external DVD/CD-R/RW Drive. You can share photos with family and friends in seconds by directly connecting the BurnAway to any television (NTSC or PAL), and display a slideshow of your images directly from either your memory card or CD-R. The unit’s remote control (included) allows you to customize your slideshow presentation with zoom, rotate and interval features. The BurnAway also functions as a DVD-ROM drive, which easily connects to a TV or stereo so you can watch DVDs or listen to MP3s and audio CDs.

The Slovenian website eFotoGrafija have published their review of the Canon PowerShot S60, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a wide-angle 28mm-100mm lens and a new thin body.

Website: eFotoGrafija - Canon PowerShot S60 Review

The Spanish website quesabesde.com have reviewed the 4 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-Z40, which was first announced at the end of February.

Website: quesabesde.com - Casio Exilim EX-Z40 Review

Epson USA Press Release 13/09/08

THE EPSON STYLUS PHOTO R320 OFFERS THE FLEXIBILITY TO PRINT INCREDIBLE PHOTOS AND PRINT DIRECTLY ONTO THE SURFACE OF CDS AND DVDS WITHOUT HAVING TO USE A COMPUTER

New Direct Photo Printer Includes a Built-in Color Monitor for Added Convenience and Costs Less Than $200  

LONG BEACH, Calif., Sept. 13, 2004 - Epson America Inc. has replaced its popular, award-winning EPSON Stylus R300M ink jet printer with the new EPSON Stylus Photo R320.  This printer is ideal for digital camera owners who want a flexible and easy to use photo solution without having to spend a lot of money.  The EPSON Stylus Photo R320 offers convenient and innovative features such as PC-free printing, 13 supported memory card types, a built-in color monitor for viewing and selecting images before printing them and the ability to print long-lasting photos in a variety of popular borderless sizes.  The printer also features Epson?s unique ability to print directly onto the surface of ink jet printable CDs and DVDs. 

“The EPSON Stylus Photo R320 is one of our most versatile photo printers to date. It not only prints incredible looking photos with ease and gives customers choices as to the sizes and quantities they want to print without ever having to use a PC, but also prints directly onto CDs and DVDs,” said Lowell Wolf, product manager, consumer ink jet printers, Epson.  “Whether you want to print out a personalized CD or print out photos for preserving important memories, sharing photo memories with friends and family has never been so simple and fun.”

60 Years of History, Excellence and Activism Celebrated on American Society of Media Photographers Anniversary Web Site

In 1944, a handful of the world’s leading photojournalists felt it necessary to come together in New York to form a group that would demand the establishment of professional rights and working conditions, as well as fair compensation for the use of their images.

Today, that group - the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)—has grown to more than 5,000 members in 40 chapters nationwide and in many foreign countries.

And as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, which will culminate in a major birthday event this coming autumn, ASMP has just put up a special area on its web site to honor the past, consider the present and look ahead to the future of photography and the Society.

For members and non-members alike, the site can be found at http://www.asmp.org/60th/.

The 41st 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 20th September. The Poll will then be closed and the overall winner announced.

Vote now for your favourite image from the Photo Of The Week 6th-12th September 2004 contest

The 42nd Photo of the Week contest is now open. This is a weekly photography contest with no set theme and you can enter as many photos as you like.

Click here to read the Photo of the Week Rules.

The voting for the 40th Photo of the Week contest has now finished.

The winner is “Night Light” by etfon911.

Congratulations to the winner!

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

Tired of blurry photos caused by poor focusing? Then you may be in interested in wavefront coding, a recent military technology which may end up in camera-phones:

“Using wavefront coding, the system encodes the image so it always looks the same without losing any information.

Wavefront coding was originally proposed by Dr Edward Dowski of the University of Colorado for microscopy.

“Our system means that an image never goes out of focus; so if I want to take a picture of my nose with a tree in the distance, I can get them focused at the same time,” explained Dr Harvey.”

Website: BBC - Lens does away with blurry snaps

Nikon Press Release 13/09/04

New Protocol “PTP/IP” for Image Data Transfer from a Digital Camera via wireless LAN—Nikon’s joint development with FotoNation, to be supported by Microsoft Corporation

Tokyo - Nikon Corporation (COO: Teruo Shimamura) is pleased to announce the implementation of PTP/IP (Picture Transfer Protocol over Internet Protocol) - developed by FotoNation Inc. - as a new computer interface for more convenient image data transfer from digital cameras. Based on the current ubiquitous PTP technology (ISO 15740), which up until now has been limited to the USB transmission, it enables communication between a digital camera and a PC via wireless LAN.

By implementing PTP/IP in coming products, Nikon is pioneering the way in wireless digital camera connectivity. Nikon is collaborating with FotoNation and Microsoft Corporation on commercialization and enhancement of this technology, whose further refinements for professional use will be released soon. The technology will be also applied to products for general consumers in the near future.

Sanyo have just announced the new 5 megapixel Xacti VPC A5, featuring a 2.8 optical zoom lens and 2” LCD screen. DCViews comment “Some of you might think that they have seen this camera before and indeed, a closer inspection of the camera and its specification reveal a striking resemblance to the Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50…” So another case of a camera manufacturer “borrowing” another company’s design to cut corners and make a fast buck.

Website: DCViews - Sanyo announces the 5 megapixel Xacti VPC A5

Steves Digicams have published the first review on the web of the 7 megapixel Canon PowerShot S70.

“With an MSRP of $599, the Canon S70 presents an excellent value for families wanting a small camera that can be used by photographers of every experience level, and capable of producing large high-quality images. Its 7-megapixel images are stunning both in terms of resolution and quality, allowing you to make 8x10-inch prints of a heavily cropped image, or 13x19-inch prints of the entire shot.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon PowerShot S70 Review

There’s a bonus this month in the form of an extra Sunday Morning Photographer column from Mike Johnston:

“The future is here in that respect. Handling the truly nifty Nikon D70, I was struck hard by the extent to which it offers almost exactly what we all were saying we wanted six or eight years ago. That’s a short time for those of us of a certain age (I had weekends in college that seemed longer than whole seasons do now). Not being one to find any delight in lists of features and specifications, I would say that my overriding, if simplistic, conclusion about the N70 is this: it’s a good camera.”

Website: Sunday Morning Photographer: Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have published a review of the 4 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-L1 that was announced last week.

Website: Index Digicam - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-L1 Review

DPReview have just published a preview of the new Fujifilm DSLR, the S3 Pro.

“Just posted! Our detailed hands-on look at a pre-production Fujifilm S3 Pro. The successor to the popular S2 Pro this camera was first announced at PMA in February of this year. It features a new more rugged body with a built in vertical grip, a larger LCD monitor, support for CF and xD cards but most importantly an all new SuperCCD SR sensor designed to deliver extended dynamic range. There have been a few adjustments to both the design and features available since first announcement, including the ability to control the mix of the SR sensor’s double-pixels and hence dynamic range.”

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/fujifilms3pro/