Epson Press Release 30/06/04

100 days in the life of the UK’s most typical family?

July 19th sees the launch of ‘EPSON UK LIFE’, a unique photographic exhibition portraying a 100 days in the life of the UK’s most typical family.? The exhibition is a photo-documentary of the Wants and their day to day lives as a ‘real life’ British family. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to view how the Wants live their life via a collection of ‘fly-on-the-wall’ images taken between the 15th March and 22nd June 2004.? The exhibition is in effect, a celebration of the British social norm. 

IPIX InfoMedia Press Release 29/06/04

IPIX InfoMedia Announces IPIX Interactive Studio Product Line Enhancements

New Tools and Camera Support Extend Customer Options

Oak Ridge, TN, June 29, 2004 - IPIX InfoMedia, the world leader for the creation of Full-360 degree panoramic photography, today announced a new version of Interactive Studio which includes new features and functionality that expand the options for creating panoramic photography.

The IPIX Interactive Studio V1.2 now supports the Fujifilm FinePix s7000 and FinePix S20 Pro digital cameras. Both cameras feature ultra-high resolution sensors which are ideal for creating stunning, Full-360 degree panoramas. In addition, Interactive Studio V1.2 has new image editing and hot-spot tools that make annotating, correcting and linking panoramic images simple and fast. The hot-spot tool, a major upgrade to the popular IPIX i-Linker, is now offered for the first time on Windows and Mac OS X platforms.

The 16th PhotographyBLOG Portfolio has been submitted by Anthony Smith.

“I live on the Wirral, England, and use a Minolta 9000 film SLR, alongside my Minolta Dimage Z1. All these images were taken with my little Z1. I love sunsets, as you may be able to tell. The firework shot was pure luck. I was rained away from my usual spot at New Brighton, where the lighthouse is. Headed down to Seacombe Ferry, to try for some evening shots of the Liver Buildings. Whilst there, the firewoks started, and hey presto. I Like to try new things, and play with mycamera, not always taking it too seriously, and it is a very steep learning curve. Have been into photography for about 8 years now, and gone through a variety of camers before ending up with my lovely Minolta’s.”

Website: http://www.anthonys-minolta.co.uk

Website: Portfolios: Anthony Smith

This is a reminder that the June 2004 competition will end on Wednesday 30th June - today! The theme for the June Competition is “The Urban Landscape”. You just have to submit one photograph to the Competition Gallery that best interprets the theme. The winning entries will be decided by a panel of judges.

The following prizes will be awarded to the top 3 entries:

1st Place
Photobird.com one-year subscription with 100 megabytes of storage space
Kindly donated by Photobird.com.
http://www.photobird.com

2nd Place
1 copy of Ulead PhotoImpact XL
Kindly donated by Ulead Systems.
http://www.ulead.co.uk

3rd Place
1 copy of Picasa
Kindly donated by Picasa Inc.
http://www.picasa.net

PLUS
Each winner will also receive 15 digital prints, kindly donated by MyPIXmania.
http://www.mypixmania.com

Please make sure that you read the Monthly Competition Rules before submitting your entry. Note that you are only allowed to enter 1 photograph. The competition is worldwide and open to everyone.

Sony Press Release 29/06/04

TRAVEL LIGHT WITH SONY’S NEW THREE-MEGAPIXEL CAMCORDER

Enhanced Video Effects and Handycam Station Add Creativity and Convenience

SAN DIEGO, June 29, 2004 - Weighing less than a pound and easily fitting into a pocket or purse, the new Sony DCR-PC350 MiniDV Handycam camcorder packs advanced technical features and imaging power into a compact, vertical design.

This latest Handycam camcorder’s 3.31-megapixel, single CCD gives users the highest quality combination of video and still camera optics. It will be available in September, just in time for the holidays, for about $1,300.

And making it as handy as it is compact, the new unit will come with a Handycam Station—a tabletop cradle for charging and connecting to a TV or PC.

Rollei Press Release 30/06/04

6.3 megapixels and a 3x zoom lens for top results with the new Rollei Prego dp6300.

The imposing panorama from your last holiday, poster-size. A candid shot of your girlfriend, A3-size. Whoever would like to blow up his or her digital photos should turn to a high-pixel camera. Like the powerful new Rollei Prego dp6300 with its 6.3 megapixels. In its stylish and rugged stainless-steel body, with a 3x zoom lens and a 4x digital zoom as well as numerous custom modes and manual settings, the Prego dp6300 makes professional-quality photos accessible to amateur photographers.

The versatility of the Prego dp6300 is hard to beat: If you wish to send your friends a brief video message or record a particularly memorable scene from your holiday trip, capture a video clip with 320x240 pixels ? even with sound because a loudspeaker and microphone are built in. Your video clips or photos can be recorded on SD cards with up to 512 MB and transmitted to a computer or TV set via the USB or video port (NTSC, PAL). And of course, there is an ample choice of recording formats: from JPEG (EXIF 2.2) and TIFF right up to AVI.

Canon have released a new firmware version (1.0.2) for the EOS 1D Mark II DSLR.

This firmware update fixes/improves the following:

- The screen becoming magenta-colored when shooting bulb exposures
- The values being cleared when C.Fn-06 is set to “2” and the battery is removed
- Improves image quality of NTSC video output
 
This firmware supports cameras with firmware Version 1.0.1.  If the camera already has the Version 1.0.2 firmware, this update is unnecessary.

Website: Canon EOS 1D Mark II Firmware

Imaging Resource have reviewed the latest version of the popular alternative to Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro from Jasc Software. Version 8 includes several features aimed squarely at photographers, including the Perspective Correction, Straighten, One Step Photo Fix and Scratch Remover tools.

“So where does PSP fit into the image editing software landscape?

Sort of where Clint Eastwood’s Frank Corvin fits into Space Cowboys. He’s good, real good, but not too modern (despite the user interface face lift). He can still get the job done, even if it’s the old fashioned way. And he doesn’t have to worry about getting the girl—he’s already been married for years (to 40 million users).”

Website: Imaging Resource - Paint Shop Pro 8 Review

The Slovenian website eFotoGrafija have published a review of the new 5 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5200 compact digital camera.

Website: eFotoGrafija - Nikon Coolpix 5200 Review

Apacer have quietly introduced a budget version of their popular CP100 and CP200 mobile storage devices. The CP80 Disc Steno only costs £115 in the UK - the main drawback is that it only supports the compact flash card format (although you can buy an optional 5-in-1 adapter for other card formats).

Website: ePhotoZine - Apacer launch CP80 Disc Steno

DPReview have posted their usual extensive review of the 14 megapixel Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c.

“Get it right, shoot RAW, good light, low to medium ISO’s and be careful about the development of your RAW images and you really can get some mind-blowing good resolution with rewarding image quality attributes (good dynamic range, good color). That’s just where the SLR/c fits in, it’s certainly not a camera for everyone, it’s not a point and shoot digital SLR, it’s a camera for enthusiasts who are ready to work around its quirks and utilize it as a photographic tool.”

Website: DPReview - Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c Review

Nikon have released a new version of firmware for their extremely popular D70 DSLR.

What is new/Content Description

Issues addressed with A firmware version 1.01:

- Images captured in Continuous mode at high shutter speeds sometimes displayed vignetting in upper portions of the image.  This problem has been corrected.
- When the built-in Speedlight was in its raised position but did not fire, the Automatic Sensitivity Adjustment function (ISO Auto: CSM 5) sometimes failed.  This problem has been corrected.

Issues addressed with B firmware version 1.02

- The camera now supports CompactFlash? memory cards with a capacity greater than 4GB.
- When images were captured in Continuous mode at an Image size setting of M and an Image quality setting of FINE, the memory card access lamp sometimes glowed continuously and the camera could not be turned off with the power switch.  This problem has been corrected.
- Text errors in display of Chinese menus and messages have been corrected

Compatible OS platform
Windows 98 SE
Windows 2000
Windows ME
Windows XP

What’s included in the download
AD700101.bin: Camera A firmware
BD700102.bin: Camera B firmware

Website: Nikon D70 Firmware

Website: Nikon D70 Firmware (Windows)

Website: Nikon D70 Firmware (Macintosh)

ByteSector have reviewed the HP Scanjet 4670 flatbed scanner, which retails for £179 here in the UK.

“In terms of quality, the 4670 is not a disappointment, image scans come out fairly sharp and rich in colour. However if the scanning surface has not been properly cleaned, a lot of dust particles get picked up in the scans. Unfortunately this is a deficiency present in all scanners; you must keep the surface clean to get a clean scan. I have had to scan the same picture 2-3 times (wiping the scanning surface each time) to make sure it came out clean. Other then that, scans come out smooth and undistorted; there are no lines or a heavy amount of noise present.”

Website: ByteSector - HP Scanjet 4670 Review

A-Digital-Eye have published some sample images taken with the new 5 megapixel Sony DSC-F88 digital camera, plus their initial impressions:

“Some of our initial impressions of the camera include that it does look very nice in a bright silver color and overall it is well built.  The camera is very very fast to start up as you just flip the rotating lens portion up into a shooting postion to power on the camera and in about one second its ready to take a picture.  We were able to find a shot, lift up the camera while turning it on, point and shoot, then flip the lens down and turn it off in just seconds.  The camera is very user friendly and quick.”

Website: A-Digital-Eye - Sony DSC-F88 Sample Images

The Norwegian website Akamera.no have published a useful roundup of the latest film scanners, including the Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 (pictured), the Nikon LS-50 and Nikon LS-5000.

Website: Akamera.no - Film Scanner Roundup

FlashFixers Press Release 29/06/04

FlashFixers Launches the PhotoSaver Service, A Professional Digital Photo Recovery Program for Photo Retailers

The program will enable retail labs to offer customers the piece-of-mind that their digital photos can be saved with ImageRecall software and professional support..

Exeter, NH -June 29 2004- FlashFixers, today, announces the launch of the PhotoSaver Service, a professional digital photo recovery program for camera stores, photo retail outlets, and computer stores. PhotoSaver benefits include an ImageRecall 2 commercial license, 24/7 technical email and phone support, upgrades to the latest version, and Free Recovery Service if the software fails to recover all the data. In addition, member companies will also receive discounts on additional copies of ImageRecall, educational marketing materials, and priority recovery service for their customers.

The Fuji FinePix S20 Pro is aimed firmly at the professional photographer, with an SLR-style body, full manual control, external flash option via PC sync socket or hot-shoe, a Firewire connection and bundled Hyper Utility HS-V2 software which allows RAW file data to be fine tuned. The FinePix S20 Pro also features Fuji’s new Super CCD SR sensor, which enables the user to capture highlight and shadow detail missed by conventional digital cameras, resulting in images of stunning quality. So is the Fuji FinePix S20 Pro a viable option for the professional photographer that it’s aimed at? Read my review to find out.

Website: Fuji FinePix S20 Pro Review

The 30th 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 5th July. The Poll will then be closed and the overall winner announced.

Vote now for your favourite image from the Photo Of The Week 21st-27th June 2004 contest

The 31st 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.

The voting for the 29th Photo of the Week contest has now finished.

The overall winner of the contest is “Cat Napping” by dapa_group. Congratulations!

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