Sony Press Release 20/07/04

SONY’S NEW CYBER-SHOT DSC-P150: WORLD’S SMALLEST 7.2 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA

SAN DIEGO, July 20, 2004 - Sony’s new Cyber-shot DSC-P150 is the world’s first compact point-and-shoot digital camera in the marketplace loaded with 7.2 megapixels, putting breathtaking, near-professional-quality photos in your shirt pocket or handbag. It will be available in September for less than $500.

The P150 camera yields an image size of 3072 x 2304 - making it the first pocketable camera capable of capturing enough pixels to make 300-dpi 8” x 10” enlargements.

The P150 has also been empowered with Sony’s own recently introduced Real Imaging Processor? circuitry that ensures fast start-up and shot-to-shot times, and puts extra speed and performance behind automatic features such as auto focus and auto exposure. That means you’ll never miss that one-in-a-million shot because the camera is always ready to take great pictures.

“Not only does the Cyber-shot P150 camera offer tremendous value, it takes incredibly vivid and lifelike digital photos, capturing color and detail previously unavailable in such a compact camera,” said Greg Young, general manager for Sony Electronics Digital Still Camera marketing.

Panasonic USA Press Release 21/07/04

THREE NEW 12X ZOOM MODELS WITH OPTICAL IMAGE STABILIZER LEAD OFF PANASONIC’S LUMIX DIGITAL CAMERA LINE

First Company to Utilize Leica Lenses in Digital Still Cameras Is Also First To Combine 12x Zoom with an Optical Image Stabilizer

Secaucus, NJ (July 21, 2004) - Panasonic introduces the first digital cameras to combine 12x optical zoom with an optical image stabilizer.  Integrating unrivalled optical and digital technologies with ergonomic design, Panasonic’s three new 12x zoom Lumix models achieve a level of performance never before seen in digital cameras.  New models DMC-FZ3 (3-Megapixel), DMC-FZ15 (4-Megapixel) and DMC-FZ20 (5-Megapixel) feature a versatile, high-performance Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens with powerful 12x zoom (equivalent to a 35 ? 420mm zoom lens on a conventional 35mm film camera) and F2.8 brightness throughout the entire zoom range.  With their extraordinary telephoto features and precision image stabilizers, these cameras are engineered to capture every detail of distant or quick-moving subjects with superb brightness and clarity.

Panasonic’s MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer automatically detects and optically compensates for hand movement by shifting internal lens elements, enabling the user to capture crisp, clear, distortion-free ultra-telephoto or macro shots of distant or moving subjects, even in low lighting conditions.

“Photographers, especially those who shoot sports, wildlife or live performances, know that it’s difficult to get sharp images if they are using a long lens on a handheld camera. The zoom accentuates every little movement of the hand,” commented Monica Helmer, Marketing Manager for Panasonic.  “We?ve incorporated the technology we developed for our camcorders to create Panasonic?s MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer, a true optical image stabilizer that uses the full capacity of the camera?s CCD to compensate for hand jitter.” 

Panasonic USA Press Release 21/07/04

PANASONIC INTRODUCES NEW LUMIX 5 MEGAPIXEL, ULTRA COMPACT CAMERA WITH OPTICAL IMAGE STABILIZER

Secaucus, NJ (July 21, 2004) - Panasonic’s new model DMC-FX7 5-megapixel Lumix digital camera packs a wealth of advanced technology and easy-to-use features in a sleek, compact package.  It’s the first compact digital camera to feature both an Optical Image Stabilizer, and 2.5” LCD.  Incorporating a high-performance Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens,  the DMC-FX7 combines the ease and convenience of digital utility with the expressiveness of film photography.

Scheduled to begin shipping to retailers in August, the DMC-FX7 will be available in black or silver.  The unit will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $499.95.

“Everything about the DMC-FX7 is designed to allow anyone to get high-quality results, whether composing a scene or catching the action on the fly,” said Monica Helmer, Marketing Manager for Panasonic?s Optical Group.  “Consumers who use a camera this small and lightweight are particularly troubled by image quality problems due to inevitable hand movement.  With the DMC-FX7, Panasonic has corrected this problem by including an optical image stabilizer.  It intuitively compensates for any hand movement, so that every shot is beautifully crisp and clear.”

Panasonic USA Press Release 21/07/04

PANASONICS NEW 5-MEGAPIXEL POINT-AND-SHOOT LUMIX CAMERA COMBINES SOPHISTICATED FEATURES WITH SIMPLE OPERATION

SECAUCUS, NJ (July 21, 2004) - Joining Panasonic’s celebrated Lumix camera line is the new DMC-LC80.  Compact and lightweight, this 5-megapixel model packs some of today’s most advanced digital camera technology into a fun, easy-to-use camera that anyone can enjoy.

“Sophisticated features coupled with simple operation make this camera perfect for first-time digital camera users as well as experienced photographers,” said Monica Helmer, Marketing Manager for Panasonic?s Optical Group.

The DMC-LC80 Lumix camera will be available beginning this August and will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $349.95.

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have posted their review of the new 8 megapixel professional DSLR from Canon, the EOS 1D Mark II.

Website: Index Digicam - Canon EOS 1D Mark II Review

Photobird.com Press Release 21/07/04

Beautiful photos by vacationers, mothers, hobbyists, photographers, updated every hour

San Francisco, CA - July 21, 2004 - Photobird.com, the easy way to share your photos around the world, today announced the immediate availability of the Photobird Photo of the Hour.  The Photobird Photo of the Hour is the perfect opportunity for vacationers, mothers, hobbyists, photographers, and everyone with a digital camera to share their best photos.  The Photobird Photo of the Hour is shown on the Photobird.com home page giving everyone who visits Photobird.com the ability to see some of the absolute best digital photos.  A free trial to Photobird.com and more information about the Photobird Photo of the Hour announced today are available at www.photobird.com

“So many beautiful photos are taken by digital camera users that we wanted to provide an easy way for customers to show off their best photos to everyone around the world, not just friends and family.  To achieve that goal, the Photobird Photo of the Hour is very clearly
shown on the Photobird.com home page for everyone to see,” said Ed Krimen, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Photobird.com.  “Some websites pick a different photo every week or every day.  We show a different photo every hour because there are so many amazing photos to share.  Best of all, submitting photos for Photo of the Hour is done by simply clicking a checkbox.”

How2Share Technologies Inc. Press Release 20/07/04

PiXPO image sharing software enables instant photo sharing, chatting and now adds free web-hosting of shared images

New version offers instant photo sharing with no uploading, no resizing and no waiting

Victoria, British Columbia - July 20, 2004 How2Share Technologies Inc. announced today the release of the PiXPO 1.5.  PiXPO combines photo album management, secure photo sharing, and instant messaging to enable fast photo sharing without delays.  With PiXPO 1.5 users can now send web hosted invites by e-mail to their to their friends, family and business contacts inviting them to view their sample albums online, or to chat and share their entire photo collections instantly over PiXPO’s private network.

Unlike other photo sharing methods, PiXPO enables people to share photos instantly without selecting, resizing, or uploading images.  With PiXPO users can browse, preview and download pictures directly from another PiXPO users’ computer, thus making the sharing of pictures, photos and graphic files easier, faster and more secure.  Built on How2Share?s hybrid technology PiXPO 1.5 combines the best features of Web and peer-to-peer software sharing models to make it even easier for both the picture publisher and the viewer to instantly share and chat about their digital photos.

Canon UK Press Release 20/07/04

Canon announces special edition Digital IXUS i with Furla designer camera case

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce two special editions of its Digital IXUS i. In a special promotion celebrating the fashionable nature and chic design of Canon’s digital cameras, the limited edition packages include a Digital IXUS i with an exclusively designed Furla camera case, available from Harrods and Photo Optix.

The ultimate accessory
Italian fashion house, Furla, is famous worldwide for its luxury leather goods and the Furla brand is synonymous with quality and elegance. Furla has designed the sophisticated black leather camera case especially for the Digital IXUS i. The stylish, high quality case will protect the camera, while also complementing its design.

Canon’s Digital IXUS cameras are already recognized as design icons of the early 21st century ? especially the small, sleek Digital IXUS i, which is available in four fashion colours:  Platinum Silver, Piano Black, Classic Bronze and Pearl White.

The Digital IXUS i with Furla case package is available in the following combinations:
? Platinum Silver Digital IXUS i with Furla case - £279 RRP inc VAT.
? Piano Black Digital IXUS i with Furla case - £279 RRP inc VAT.
(Digital IXUS i camera only - £249 RRP inc VAT)

SanDisk Press Release 20/07/04

SanDisk Extreme Flash Memory Cards Taken to ‘Extremes’ in Expeditions to the Sahara Desert and North Pole

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—July 20, 2004—Rugged Cards Capture Dramatic Images in Oppressive Heat and Sub-Zero Cold  

From the searing heat of the Sahara Desert to the piercing cold of the North Pole, two recent American expeditions have demonstrated that SanDisk’s Extreme(TM) line of digital photographic flash memory cards can withstand brutal temperatures to safeguard precious images, even when humans are pushed to the limits of physical endurance.

Designed for harsh weather and rapid-fire shooting, SanDisk Extreme cards, with their rugged construction and fast write and read speeds, have become the flash memory cards of choice for many outdoor photographers and adventurers. They have been tested to operate in climates that range from a low of -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 degrees Centigrade) to a high of +185 degrees Fahrenheit (+85 degrees Centigrade). But in the past two months, they have been subjected to some truly “extreme” environments.

Every year in London, various buildings open their doors to the public, so that we, the great unwashed, can have a good nose around places like the Lloyds Building in the heart of the financial district. Most of the photos that you see of this famous landmark are night shots of the illuminated exterior, so these interior shots are perhaps a little more unusual. Although the throngs of photographers that were also there probably took identical shots to me! As an interesting aside, it seems that digital photography doesn’t always have a quick turnaround, as these photos were taken last year. Or maybe it’s me that doesn’t have a quick turnaround…

You can click on each image to view a larger / better quality version over on my personal website, markgoldstein.co.uk

Editorial Comment: I don’t usually comment too much on official press releases, but this one from BenQ made me chuckle. Their new E40 digital camera is aimed at “fun, fearless females”, surely something of a niche market - I’m not sure if you’re entitled to buy the camera if you don’t fall into that category. A little more seriously (but not much), BenQ have allegedly made their new digicam more female-friendly by adding the ability to “scrawl on photos” (their words, not mine), add built-in photo frames to your images, and ermmm, that’s it, apart from the stylish red case. Now far be it for me to give BenQ advice on marketing, but surely what a female digital photographer wants is exactly the same as any photographer, regardless of their sex - a 20 megapixel compact digital with image quality that matches DSLRs? :-)

BenQ Press Release 19/07/04

Sweet ‘n Stylish - BenQ’s E40 Digital Camera with a female touch

Europe, 19th of July, 2004 - BenQ announces the release of the BenQ DC E40 digital camera. Targeted at females, the E40 features an intuitive touch screen with photo framing and “scrawling” options and equipped with a 4 mega-pixel high sensitivity image sensor.

The E40 features BenQ’s first and innovative touch screen design that allows photo personalization. Offering users more than just photo playback, the E40’s touch screen allows users to choose from various built-in photo frames (also available to download at BenQ.com, E40 specifications link). Furthermore, you can also make creative “scrawling” directly on photos.

Last week Google bought the image management software Picasa. This week Google have announced that Picasa is now available as a free download (it previously cost $29.99). If you’re unsure if this product is right for you, then take a look at my review.

Website: Read my Picasa Review

Website: Picasa

Sigma Corporation Press Release 20/07/04

EX series, large aperture zoom lens designed specifically for use with digital SLR cameras.

F2.8 large aperture standard zoom lens designed specially for use with digital SLR cameras.
The characteristics of digital SLR cameras were taken into consideration when designing the lens power layout. The new advanced lens design corrects various aberrations. This lens provides the utmost correction against lateral chromatic aberration which is a serious problem for digital SLR cameras.

This lens is specially coated to get the best color balance whilst cutting down flare and ghost caused by reflections from the digital image sensor and lens. It has excellent correction for vignetting and superior peripheral brightness is ensured.

Nikon USA have today released a new firmware update for their pro DSLR, the Nikon D2H. Version 2.0 has no less than 20 improvements and fixes, so it’s definitely worth installing!

Website: Nikon USA - D2H Firmware Update

I don’t often feature non-Windows or Mac based products here on PhotographyBLOG. Indeed, I think NewsForge’s review of the image management software imgSeek is the first ever Linux product that has appeared on this website. imgSeek has a rather unique feature to help you find your photos:

“When imgSeek added your pictures to its collection, it extracted the metadata tags and cached thumbnails for easy viewing, but it also calculated the wavelet transform of the image, which is sort of a hash of the visual information in the picture. And that gives imgSeek the unique ability to search through files based on their appearance.

For instance, you can select any image in the browser, right-click on it, and from the context menu choose “Query for similar images.” This query will return every image in your collection with a similar wavelet transform, to an adjustable threshold level.”

Website: NewsForge - imgSeek Review

HP has launched its first ever digital camera in China, choosing the top-of-the-range 5 megapixel PhotoSmart R707 as the inaugural product. According to the brief report on Forbes.com, this is only the beginning for HP, who are aiming to “drive a digital revolution into the home’ in China”.

Website: Forbes.com - HP launches first digital camera in China

DP-Now have posted a First Look at the Samsung Digimax U-CA 3, a 3 megapixel digital camera aimed at the young photographer or the budding photo enthusiast.

“Although the Samsung U-CA 3 is a plastic-bodied camera, the mouldings are of a very high quality and appear to be more resistant to wear and tear than many other cameras in this class. Complementing its cool and trendy ambience, the body is finished in a sparkling metallic paint job. A really cool pouch case is supplied to protect your U-CA 3 anyway.”

Website: DP-Now - Samsung Digimax U-CA 3 First Look

Josh Waller has just reviewed the 3.2 megapixel Pentax Optio 30, which is a simple digital camera aimed at photography beginners.

“Great image quality, thanks to the excellent Pentax lens - the camera produces good colours both inside and outside. Good sharpness, saturation, and low noise as well! The camera has an EXCELLENT macro mode - which I wasn’t expecting, as it doesn’t seem to be especially marketed by Pentax.”

Website: Josh Waller - Pentax Optio 30 Review

Kodak Press Release 19/07/04

Rochester, N.Y., July 19—“Kodak is a very important member of the Olympic Family. It takes a very active role in helping us stage the world’s greatest event. And through its various marketing efforts, Kodak helps us share the Olympic spirit with the world.”

—Jacques Rogge, President International Olympic Committee

When the first Modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896, Kodak, then just 16 years old, was there.  More than a century later, the Olympic Games remain the pinnacle of athletic endeavor - and Kodak, a long-standing Olympic Sponsor, will again be there, this time providing security badges for all participants, digital medical imaging equipment in the athlete?s clinic, and support for the more than 1,000 professional photographers who will capture the drama of the world?s most photographed competition using both film and digital technologies. Indeed, Kodak will digitize all images -including film - for rapid dissemination around the world.

Launched at the start of May 2004, the Ricoh Caplio GX is the new flagship model in the Ricoh digital camera range. The Ricoh Caplio GX has gained a lot of attention because of its unique combination of a 5-megapixel CCD sensor, wide-angle 28mm lens, having the world’s fastest shutter response and start-up times, and an affordable price-tag of ?279.99. Previous Ricoh cameras that I’ve reviewed have offered great handling, but have been rather let down by the image-quality. So has the Caplio GX rectified this crucial problem? Read on to find out.

Website: Ricoh Caplio GX Review