News
The Polish website Fotopolis have just reviewed the Sony DSC-W12, which is exactly the same camera as the DSC-W1, but it has a Special Edition black body, black leather case and is supplied with 4 x NiMH batteries.
The Polish website Fotopolis have just reviewed the Sony DSC-W12, which is exactly the same camera as the DSC-W1, but it has a Special Edition black body, black leather case and is supplied with 4 x NiMH batteries. Website: Fotopolis - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W12 Review
My German is a little shaky to say the least, but an article over on digitalkamera.de seems to be suggesting that the black version of the Canon EOS 300D, until now only sold in Japan, is making its way to Europe. I’d be grateful if all you German speakers out there could help me out with the translation…
Website: digitalkamera.de - Neue Canon EOS 300D-Kits bringen Abwechslung ins Spiel
My German is a little shaky to say the least, but an article over on digitalkamera.de seems to be suggesting that the black version of the Canon EOS 300D, until now only sold in Japan, is making its way to Europe. I’d be grateful if all you German speakers out…
DCResource are the first website to post a review of what is sure to be a popular camera, the 5 megapixel Canon PowerShot A95:
“The PowerShot A95 is a worthy follow-up to the extremely popular A80. There wasn’t much that needed improvement on the A80, and admittedly some of the changes are pretty unexciting. The most important changes are the higher resolution CCD and larger/sharper LCD display. So what I’m saying is that the A95 is even better than an already great camera.”
DCResource are the first website to post a review of what is sure to be a popular camera, the 5 megapixel Canon PowerShot A95: “The PowerShot A95 is a worthy follow-up to the extremely popular A80. There wasn’t much that needed improvement on the A80, and admittedly some of the…
Imatest is shaping up to be an interesting development for the photographer who likes to know everything about their equipment. It is a suite of programs for testing the sharpness and image quality of lenses, digital cameras, and digitized film images using inexpensive, widely available targets. Imatest has now been released - you can now download an evaluation version that allows up to 20 runs of the individual modules (SFR, Colorcheck, or Q-13). Online purchase and registration is available. The introductory price is $59 US.
“With Imatest you can:
- test lens performance at different focal lengths and apertures to learn where each lens works best;
- examine the effects of camera and post-processing settings, such as mirror lock, ISO speed, white balance, RAW converter, and sharpening;
- compare the performance of different cameras, even if they have different amounts of built-in sharpening;
- compare your camera and lenses with results derived from websites such as imaging-resource.com, dpreview.com and others. This is important because quality control is far from perfect. Even premium lenses from reputable manufacturers may fail to meet expectations. With Imatest you can find out fast and return them if they are substandard. “
Website: Imatest
Imatest is shaping up to be an interesting development for the photographer who likes to know everything about their equipment. It is a suite of programs for testing the sharpness and image quality of lenses, digital cameras, and digitized film images using inexpensive, widely available targets. Imatest has now been…
I only bought this lens myself a couple of months ago, and it was only released by Canon last year, but rumours are cirulating that the popular 17-40mm f/4 L lens has been discontinued ahead of the Photokina show. Canon USA are apparently saying this via their 800 consumer information number, and the lens has been taken off the Canon USA website (although it is still on the German and Japanese sites.
“This is quite surprising if true. I can only guess it might be a prelude to a similar lens to be announce at Photokina at the end of the month. It was only introduced in May of 2003 and so it it really has been discontinued, it must set some sort of record as the shortest lived “L” series lens, just 16 months.”
Website: Bob Atkins - Canon EOS Rumours
I only bought this lens myself a couple of months ago, and it was only released by Canon last year, but rumours are cirulating that the popular 17-40mm f/4 L lens has been discontinued ahead of the Photokina show. Canon USA are apparently saying this via their 800 consumer information…
Connected Home Media 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.
“The first thing that strikes you about printing on the Canon i9900 is its speed. I printed a gorgeous borderless 13?x19? poster of a Colorado mountain scene, using my USB 1.1 port, in just under 5 minutes. Using the high-speed USB 2.0 port, I managed a similar print of the same size in an incredible 3 minutes. I printed a borderless 8?x10? shot from my sister?s wedding in about a minute. I cranked out a borderless 4?x6? shot of my beautiful daughter in just over 30 seconds. I found myself searching for my very best digital photographs, wanting to print out more and more gorgeous reproductions. I ended up with a plethora of large photos that I?ll now have to buy a bunch of frames for.”
Connected Home Media 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. “The first thing that strikes…
Connected Home Media have reviewed the Canon EOS 300D digital SLR.
“The Canon EOS Digital Rebel ($999) is a fabulous camera for photographers who desire more than the basics. If you have the time and inclination and curiosity to explore the myriad capabilities of this striking piece of equipment, I think you?ll find that very few cameras at this price point can match the professional image quality and sheer usability of the Digital Rebel. Best of all, in my testing of the Rebel, I found that I could swap out the included 18-55mm lens and affix my old lenses, meaning this is a camera that gives me the best of SLR functionality in the digital realm.”
Connected Home Media have reviewed the Canon EOS 300D digital SLR. “The Canon EOS Digital Rebel ($999) is a fabulous camera for photographers who desire more than the basics. If you have the time and inclination and curiosity to explore the myriad capabilities of this striking piece of equipment, I…
I reported a couple of weeks ago that Ilford UK had gone into receivership, citing “the decline in the black and white photography market” as the main reason for its losses. Whilst Ilford’s inkjet digital business, which is based in Switzerland, was unaffected, it seems that Ilford UK’s demise had a knock-on effect, as Ilford Germany has also closed its doors.
Despite this news, there does seem to be some cause for hope, as Ilford Germany has released a press statement on its website, which according to the website PhotoScala says “But after a first examination at the figures for Germany and UK it is certain, says Ilford Germany, that Ilford’s products will exist further on. It is planned to carry on with the production of black-and-white films and papers as well as with ink-jet papers.” and “But customers should assume that there will be some tightening in Ilford’s product range. What will remain and what will be abandoned is unsure at the moment.”.
So mixed news for all the film-lovers out there, which I guess is better than plain old bad news.
Website: Ilford Germany
Website: PhotoScala - Ilford: It’s going on
I reported a couple of weeks ago that Ilford UK had gone into receivership, citing “the decline in the black and white photography market” as the main reason for its losses. Whilst Ilford’s inkjet digital business, which is based in Switzerland, was unaffected, it seems that Ilford UK’s demise had…
Engadget have reviewed the tiny Philips’ Wearable Digital Camera, which retails for $117 on Amazon for the 128Mb version.
“We picked up the Philips Wearable Digital Camera mainly to take apart and make some cool hack projects with, as its strong and compact casing makes it ideal for that kind of thing. But as we used it more and more we discovered this is a handy camera to keep attached to your keyring so that you?ll always have with it you. With one hand and one motion you can take pictures in some places where whipping out that 6 megapixel monster or even a cameraphone isn?t appropriate. The camera doesn?t do that well in low light conditions and doesn?t have a flash, so the best pictures will likely be outdoors.”
Website: Engadget - Spend some time with Philips’ Wearable Digital Camera
Engadget have reviewed the tiny Philips’ Wearable Digital Camera, which retails for $117 on Amazon for the 128Mb version. “We picked up the Philips Wearable Digital Camera mainly to take apart and make some cool hack projects with, as its strong and compact casing makes it ideal for that kind…
A number of websites have posted previews of the Olympus Mju (?) - mini DIGITAL which was announced yesterday.
- DigiCamReview.co.uk
- Digit.no
- Digital Camera Resource
- DP-Now
- Imaging Resource
A number of websites have posted previews of the Olympus Mju (?) - mini DIGITAL which was announced yesterday. - DigiCamReview.co.uk - Digit.no - Digital Camera Resource - DP-Now - Imaging Resource
The 31st PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Lior Schejter.
“My name is Lior Schejter. I’m a photography hobbist. I usually take pictures on trips I make around the world and in Israel, where I live.
The photos are all from a trip to Ireland I made about a year ago. Most of them are scenery photos, trying to capture the awe of seeing it first hand.
These photographs were taken using a Minolta 505si and a Fuji Finepix 602z.”
Website: Portfolios: Lior Schejter
The 31st PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Lior Schejter. “My name is Lior Schejter. I’m a photography hobbist. I usually take pictures on trips I make around the world and in Israel, where I live. The photos are all from a trip to Ireland I made about a year…
The Epson UK press release below mentions a new film scanner, the Epson F-3200. I’ve not heard of this model before, so a quick Google search revealed that the “I Love Epson” Japanese website have a new F-3200 section. The Epson F-3200 scanner seems to have negative holders for all film sizes, including 5x4”, a DPI of 3200 and a built-in LCD screen. There is also a memory card slot that accepts MemoryStick, Compact Flash, SD and xd-Picture memory cards. So expect to see another press release soon!
The Epson UK press release below mentions a new film scanner, the Epson F-3200. I’ve not heard of this model before, so a quick Google search revealed that the “I Love Epson” Japanese website have a new F-3200 section. The Epson F-3200 scanner seems to have negative holders for all…
Epson Press Release 03/09/04
EPSON - Beyond Photo
photokina 2004, September 28 - October 3
Put EPSON’s latest innovations to the test
Booth No. J/050, Consumer Hall 3.1
August 2004 - At photokina 2004, visitors seeking to experience the future of digital imaging either in business or the home, should ensure the EPSON stand is at the top of their list.
As well as demonstrating its comprehensive range of digital imaging products for the home and the office, EPSON is launching the EPSON P-2000 Photo Viewer, a portable media player that stores, organises and plays back digital photos, movies and music. It is also launching the EPSON L500, a combined digital camera and image viewer.
For the professional and advanced amateur photographers there is also the opportunity to see the new EPSON F-3200, dedicated film scanner.
Epson Press Release 03/09/04 EPSON - Beyond Photo photokina 2004, September 28 - October 3 Put EPSON’s latest innovations to the test Booth No. J/050, Consumer Hall 3.1 August 2004 - At photokina 2004, visitors seeking to experience the future of digital imaging either in business or the home, should…
Steves Digicams have published their review of the 5 megapixel Ricoh Caplio GX digital camera.
“The Caplio GX did not live up to Ricoh’s claim of professional image quality; its results were more in line with consumer digicams. JPG artifacts were present, and noise was noticeable at ISO 200, and objectionable at ISO 800 and 1600. While the higher ISO settings produced poor image quality, you’ll appreciate them when it makes the difference between capturing the shot and not. Aside from image noise and artifacts, the camera produced well-exposed and richly saturated shots both indoors and out.”
Steves Digicams have published their review of the 5 megapixel Ricoh Caplio GX digital camera. “The Caplio GX did not live up to Ricoh’s claim of professional image quality; its results were more in line with consumer digicams. JPG artifacts were present, and noise was noticeable at ISO 200, and…
The 30th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Alberto Turiel.
“Looking at “Salvador Moreno” August 6th, portfolio I’m remember my photo series about “Semana Santa”. This time is located on Valladolid, a city in the north-center of Spain. My personal view is slightly diferent of the typical photo of Valladolid Semana Santa, more focused on the historical “wood sculptures” that were carried by the “cofrades” along all the city.”
Website: http://perso.wanadoo.es/turi/series/index.html
Website: Portfolios: Alberto Turiel
The 30th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Alberto Turiel. “Looking at “Salvador Moreno” August 6th, portfolio I’m remember my photo series about “Semana Santa”. This time is located on Valladolid, a city in the north-center of Spain. My personal view is slightly diferent of the typical photo of Valladolid…
I was at the Olympus press conference for the launch of the Olympus Mju (?) - mini DIGITAL and managed to grab a few photos of this dimunitive camera.
Click on the image to view a larger version in a new window.
DigicamReview.co.uk also have a great preview of the new camera:
Website: DigicamReview.co.uk - Olympus Mju (?) - mini DIGITAL Preview
The Olympus Mju (?) - mini DIGITAL will be called the Olympus Stylus Verve in the USA (a much catchier name in my opinion).
I was at the Olympus press conference for the launch of the Olympus Mju (?) - mini DIGITAL and managed to grab a few photos of this dimunitive camera. Click on the image to view a larger version in a new window. DigicamReview.co.uk also have a great preview of the…
Olympus UK Press Release 03/09/2004 3.00pm CET
Dressed to impress
The Olympus Mju (?) - mini DIGITAL - Small and perfectly formed
The Mju (?) -mini DIGITAL from Olympus is a real showstopper. With a futuristic design and smooth contours, it is true to the Mju philosophy, by creating a perfect balance between design and technology. Its four million pixels deliver stunning picture quality, whilst a weather-proof* metal body is available in a choice of six striking colours (Silver, Pure White, Black, Crystal Blue, Velvet Red and Copper Orange), so you can select the one most in tune with your personality.
The Mju1 (?) -mini DIGITAL from Olympus is planned for release in October 2004, priced £249.99 inc. VAT. It will be supplied with the new Olympus Master 1.0 software, and incorporates a range of features:
- 4.0 million pixels
- 2x optical zoom
- A 1.8 inch, high-contrast LCD to deliver bright, vivid colours and wide viewing angles even in bright sunlight
- The TruePic TURBO image processor boosts picture quality and processing speed
- The camera includes a movie recording function with sound
- Still image editing functions include new fish-eye and soft focus modes
Olympus UK Press Release 03/09/2004 3.00pm CET Dressed to impress The Olympus Mju (?) - mini DIGITAL - Small and perfectly formed The Mju (?) -mini DIGITAL from Olympus is a real showstopper. With a futuristic design and smooth contours, it is true to the Mju philosophy, by creating a…
Olympus UK Press Release 03/09/2004 3.00pm CET
Get organised with the new Olympus Master 1.0
Small effort, big results
The new Olympus Master 1.0 software makes light work of managing multiple images and movie clips. Features such as editing functions, multiple viewing options and online camera firmware updates are all available in a simple user-friendly format.
Olympus Master 1.0 will be included with all Olympus cameras shipped from October 2004. The updated Plus version will be available via the internet at the same time. Features include…
- Trouble-free, direct file transfer from camera
- Easy organisation of files by keyword, album, time or icon
- Image editing (incl. RAW image development), slideshow and movie viewing functions
- Auto-panorama capability
- Attach to e-mail function
- The Olympus Master Plus 1.0 version also offers a host of innovative additional capabilities such as movie editing and CD/DVD burning facilities.
Olympus UK Press Release 03/09/2004 3.00pm CET Get organised with the new Olympus Master 1.0 Small effort, big results The new Olympus Master 1.0 software makes light work of managing multiple images and movie clips. Features such as editing functions, multiple viewing options and online camera firmware updates are all…
BIOS Magazine have posted their review of the recently announced Canon PIXMA iP4000 inkjet printer.
“As expected, using high-quality Canon photo paper and spending a little time tweaking the driver settings improved print results, eliminated banding and added a whole new depth to photographs. Results still aren’t the best available however, but they’re good enough for the vast majority of today’s digital camera users looking for a relatively low-cost and versatile printer for printing 4x6in. prints and the occassional A4 letter.”
BIOS Magazine have posted their review of the recently announced Canon PIXMA iP4000 inkjet printer. “As expected, using high-quality Canon photo paper and spending a little time tweaking the driver settings improved print results, eliminated banding and added a whole new depth to photographs. Results still aren’t the best available…
Belkin Press Release 02/09/04
New Mobile Accessories from Belkin; Hi-Speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 Media Reader & Writer, TuneDok for iPod mini, and OmniDock-L
COMPTON, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Sept. 2, 2004—Belkin today announces new mobile computing and digital music accessories. The Hi-Speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 Media Reader & Writer works with 15 media cards including xD Picture Card, allowing you to drag and drop files, images, and music to your computer from your PDA or handheld, MP3 player, digital camera, or other device. The OmniDock-L(TM) for Handheld Devices holds your handheld device in your car’s cup holder so you can view your data in the vehicle. And, the TuneDok for iPod(R) mini mobile digital devices allows you to listen to the music from your iPod mini while keeping it secured in your car’s cup holder. All three devices are currently shipping in North America.
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 Media Reader & Writer (F5U249)—MSRP $39.95
The Media Reader & Writer lets you transfer files from one media card to another, or transfer files from all four media cards simultaneously at transfer speeds of up to 480Mbps. It features four dedicated slots to accommodate all popular types of media including: xD Picture Card, CompactFlash(R) I, CompactFlash II, SmartMedia(TM), Secure Digital, Mini Secure Digital (Mini SD), MultiMediaCard, RSMMC(b), IBM(R) Microdrive(TM), Memory Stick(R), Memory Stick Duo(TM)(b), Memory Stick Pro(TM), Memory Stick Pro Duo(TM)(a), Memory Stick MagicGate(TM)(a), and Memory Stick MagicGate Duo(TM).
Belkin Press Release 02/09/04 New Mobile Accessories from Belkin; Hi-Speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 Media Reader & Writer, TuneDok for iPod mini, and OmniDock-L COMPTON, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Sept. 2, 2004—Belkin today announces new mobile computing and digital music accessories. The Hi-Speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 Media Reader & Writer works with 15 media…