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

Website: DigIT - Casio Exilim EX-Z40 Review

WebAperture have posted an interesting article that documents one photographer’s digital workflow using Breezesys Downloader Pro and Breeze Browser software (found via Digicamera.net).

“Downloader Pro is a downloading utility that I use to copy off my CF cards at the end of each day. Working with a 1Gb and 512Mb CF meant that on some full days, I have quite a bit of download to do. What I like about Downloader Pro is that I can customize the way it copies the card. I have two digital cameras, a SLR and a Point and shoot so it’s important to copy them off into separate folders. Then I used a job name to title say a segment of a trip; for example, Fremantle or Kalbarri-Denham.”

Website: WebAperture - Digital Workflow Experience with Breezesys Downloader Pro and Breeze Browser

Which one works best - colour, black and white, or secret option number three (neither of them)? I can’t decide…

After a couple of month’s break, the PhotographyBLOG Poll has returned - you can find it in the left-hand column of this page, underneath the Navigation links.

This month’s question is simply: “Which section of the PhotographyBLOG website do you visit most often?”.

Tom’s Hardware Guide have recently reviewed the 8-megapixel Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom digital camera.

“Olympus has a legacy of building on its prosumer camera know-how with each successive generation of its conventional and digital cameras. The Olympus Camedia C-8080g digital camera offers dazzling proof of this expertise.”

Website: Tom’s Hardware Guide - Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom Review

Website: Read my review of the Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom

The 31st 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 12th July. The Poll will then be closed and the overall winner announced.

Vote now for your favourite image from the Photo Of The Week 28th June - 4th July 2004 contest

The voting for the 30th Photo of the Week contest has now finished.

The joint winners of the contest are “Old Car” by alexeijanssen “Potatoe Point Sunrise 3” by tootsie, with 11 votes each. Congratulations to both of you!

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

The 32nd 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.

Mike Johnston’s monthly Sunday Morning Photographer column looks at the thorny issue of truth in photography:

“I’m a fundamentalist when it comes to truth in photographs. I think all pictures ought to be as true as possible, and that the only excuse for manipulation, beyond “fixing” the photograph technically, are changes meant to make it subjectively more truthful to the photographer’s perception of the subject. Changes for the sake of fit, “illustration,” decoration, or eye appeal make pictures not better photographs, but merely less photographic.”

Website: Sunday Morning Photographer: Comparisons and the Odious: Fakery, Actual and Conceptual

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have just reviewed the new HP Photosmart R707, a stylish 5 megapixel digital camera.

Website: Index Digicam - HP Photosmart R707 Review

The German website digitalkamera.de have posted their review of the Kyocera Finecam M410R, a 4.0 megapixel digital camera with a high-powered 10x optical zoom and high-speed lens.

Website: digitalkamera.de - Kyocera Finecam M410R Review

Digital Photography Blog have just reviewed the Canon Powershot S1 IS digital camera, which offers 10x image stablised zoom, 3 megapixels and high-quality 640 x 480 video at 30 frames/second with sound.

“I found the image quality of the many shots I took on the Canon Powershot S1 IS to be very good using a variety of settings. Images were generally sharply focused and well exposed in a variety of lighting condidtions.

I did notice a small amount of barrel distortion at the widest angle zoom settings and at the other end of the zoom there was some chromatic aberration (purple fringing) which is often a problem for cameras with large zooms like this. Colors were well represented and noise levels were reasonable for a camera in its class - although things get a little noisy at 200 ISO or over.”

Website: Digital Photography Blog - Canon PowerShot S1 IS Review

Fotoware Press Release 04/07/04

Take Full Control Of Your Digital Assets With FotoStation Pro.

Fotoware is Europe’s leading supplier of digital asset management software. Anyone working professionally with images and other digital media will agree that a powerful archive and retrieval system is essential.

FotoStation Pro has been designed for people who work professionally with digital assets. It puts you in command whether you work alone or in a large organization and whether you have just started building your archive or need a fast, powerful solution to organize your existing one. FotoStation Pro offers powerful group collaboration tools and adapts perfectly to even the most complex workflow requirements.

A few more photos from in and around the futuristic Bullring Centre, Birmingham, England.

Also new from Australian photographer Jeremy Daalder is a step-by-step guide to building your very own lightbox.

“There are of course lots of light boxes to be bought if you’ve got cash burning a hole in your pocket. The best models have wonderfully even light, are about 3 inches thick and cost about as much as your first car. Locally made alternatives exist but are still in the region of at least $300 for an A2 sized model (about 70 by 50 cm).

However, light boxes are pretty simple things in the end, so why not build it yourself? You can make it exactly the right size to cover your table or suit your purposes - or add some legs and it can even be the table! You can build your own quality light box for half the price or even less, and in just a couple of hours. And there is always something nice about building your own tools.”

Website: Jeremy Daalder - Building Your Own Light Box

Australian photographer Jeremy Daalder has a great tutorial that dicsusses techniques for imitating classic photographic effects and film types in Photoshop.

“The Bleach Bypass is a film laboratory technique where, by skipping the bleach stage in the color processing sequence, silver is retained in the image along with the colour dyes. The result is effectively a black and white image superimposed on a color image. Bleach Bypass images have increased contrast, reduced saturation, often giving a pastel effect. This technique (combined with digital grading) is VERY popular on shows like CSI etc.”

Website: Jeremy Daalder - Simulating Classic Film Effects in Photoshop

The Consumer Electronics Association’s report “Digital Imaging Trends in 2003-2004” contains some interesting observations on the the digital camera market in America.

“The resolution race that defined the early growth of the digital camera market is dying down and pricing is beginning to flatten for the various megapixel camera categories. The tech-savvy consumer understands that a 3-megapixel camera delivers far better resolution for enlargement than do the 1- and 2-megapixel cameras, and they are willing to pay for the better output. Two out of five consumers are willing to pay the premium, according to PMA.”

Website: Consumer Electronics Association - Digital Imaging Trends in 2003-2004

A recent visit to Birmingham produced these shots of what must by now be something of a photographic cliche. The Bullring Centre was recently pulled down and rebuilt in this outlandish, space-age style, and has quickly become one of the most photographed buildings in the Midlands, if not England. Black and white seemed to suit the building better than the original colour images.

Well, UK-based Digital Camera Magazine certainly thinks so, as their latest email newsletter that I got today has this interesting tidbit of information:

“PRODUCT NEWS: Yet another monster zoom DiMAGE

It seems like only yesterday that we got review samples of the 10x zoom DiMAGE Z2, but Konica Minolta has already announced its successor - you’ve guessed it, kids, the DiMAGE Z3. Anyone who’s just bought the Z2 will be cheesed off, as the Z3 has an even beefier 12x optical zoom, as well as anti-shake technology and predictive focus control, for the same money. The all-glass GT APO lens bodes well, too, as does the proprietary CxProcess II image processing technology. The Z2 gets a ‘Best Value’ award in a group test of power zooms in the new issue of Digital Camera Shopper, so we can’t wait to test this new one!”

So if the Z2 is currently on your shortlist of possible new purchases, you may want to wait a while to see what develops…

Archos Press Release 02/07/04

ARCHOS UNVEILS THE NEW POCKET VIDEO RECORDER AV400, MAKING HOME ENTERTAINMENT PORTABLE

The Ultimate Handheld Digital Video Recorder Offers TV Recording and a Portable Home Entertainment Centre in one Pocket-Sized Device

UK - JULY, 2004 - ARCHOS, the pioneer and technology leader in pocket-sized audio and video digital media solutions for mobile consumers has introduced a new pocket-sized digital video recorder and player that offers both portable and home entertainment. The ARCHOS Pocket Video Recorder AV400 (20GB) is the industry?s first and only portable digital video recorder with television recording and scheduling capabilities, and audio, photo and data storage in one compact device.

Geared towards families, TV enthusiasts and gadget lovers, the Pocket Video Recorder AV400 experience starts in the living room where you can record television shows and movies directly from a TV, VCR, or cable/satellite receiver with a convenient one-time set-up TV Cradle. At the same time, the AV400 (20GB) takes personal entertainment enjoyment far beyond the living room, where consumers can watch videos and view photos on a large color LCD screen, listen to and record music, and transfer photos from a digital camera and data files from a PC or Macintosh.