Digital Outback Photo have updated their experience report on the Nikon D2H DSLR with two new entries. The first contains sample images from a recent trip to Santa Cruz Pier, whilst the second compares the D2H with the Canon 1D in terms of the noise at high ISO settings.

“We used the Nikon AF-S 28-70mm f/2.8 and Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses which are both excellent zooms. The Canon 1D shots came out a bit brighter and the Nikon D2H shots have more contrast. Sharpening was done in both case with PhotoKit SHARPENER (only basic Capture Sharpening).”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Nikon D2H Experience Report

A New firmware version has just been released for the Minolta DiMAGE A1. Version 101e corrects the following issues:

- When using DiMAGE Capture, the camera stops while interval recording.
- When using a 2GB or larger storage media, the camera cannot record movies.

The new firmware is available for both Windows and MAC platforms.

Website: Minolta Support

The New FotoStation Pro for Microsoft Windows started shipping November 20th.

Read about all the new features, such as the new fully integrated Color Management, the workflow-oriented interface and the configurable ?Actions?.

“Take full control of your digital assets”
- The most powerful, yet easy to use DAM workstation available
- Fully integrated Color Management
- Intuitive, workflow-oriented interface
- Configurable ?Actions? for automation of time-consuming operations
- Advanced printer output with configurable templates
- Compatible with all major publishing software (QuarkXPress?, Adobe PageMaker?, Adobe InDesign?, Microsoft? Office)

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 an archive or need a fast, powerful solution to organize you existing one. FotoStation Pro offers powerful workgroup collaboration tools and adapts perfectly to even the most complex workflow requirements.

HP UK Press Release 27/11/03

No strings attached with the HP Deskjet 5850: wireless connectivity wherever you are

-?Wirelessly connect to up to five computers
-?Fast printing in professional colour or black and white
-?Ideal for home or small office

London, November 27 2003 ? HP (NYSE: HPQ) today unveils the HP Deskjet 5850, fast and versatile, networkable printer for the home or small office - offering photo quality and laser quality text printing at high speeds, all without wires.

If your small office resembles an assault course more than an organised working space, the HP Deskjet 5850 could be for you. Ridding your office of cluttering cables, you can wirelessly connect up to five computers. There?s no fiddly wiring connections, just simply place your new printer where you want it, make the wireless connection and hit the print button.

If you?re working from home and are worried about the children rampaging through your office and tripping up on wires, there is a solution. Why not take your laptop into the garden with your children and send your print jobs wirelessly back to your home office? You can be much more flexible with the HP Deskjet 5850 and maximise the time and enjoyment you have with your family.

The HP Deskjet 5850 is the ideal printer to fully prepare you and enhance your business? image. From colour presentations to take to a pitch, to photos that will really sell your products, the HP Deskjet 5850 will print fast,  professional images and documents in black and white and in colour. You can even print leaflets or pages automatically on both sides with the built-in two-sided printing accessory. With this printer?s professional photo quality colour printing, you can work comfortably without the worry of poorly printed documents or grainy photos - leaving you with great documents that are sure to impress.

For those looking to expand their small business, you?ll need to ensure your office systems are able to cater for the extra staff you may have - from an extra computer and more space, to additional printing. The HP Deskjet 5850 will have no problems,  allowing you to simply add another user to its wireless network without having to re-route cables or buy another device.

The HP Deskjet 5850 is available at the recommended street price of ?199 (actual prices may vary).

Picasa is a software program from Picasa Inc. that allows you to manage and organize your digital photos. Hello is a program from the same company which enables instant sharing of photos. Together Picasa and Hello offer a unique two-part solution. Are Picasa and Hello the ideal combination for you? Find out in my review.

Website: Picasa and Hello Review

I’ve now finished adding products to 5 of the 6 categories in the PhotographyBLOG User Reviews section. The latest category to be completed is Scanners (both flatbed and film). There are currently 391 products available in the Digital Compact Cameras, Digital SLR Cameras, 35mm Film SLR Cameras, Printers and Scanners categories, so please stop by and write a short (or long!) review. If your particular product isn’t listed, please let me know and I’ll add it asap.

After 3 weeks and over 1000 votes, Adobe Photoshop was by far the most photo editing software in the PhotographyBLOG Poll with 498 votes. Adobe continued its domination of this market as Photoshop Elements came second with 175 votes. Jasc Paint Shop Pro just pipped GIMP to third place, 103 votes to 97.

The new PhotographyBLOG Poll asks the question: “Is the Canon EOS 300D the most important product of 2003?”. Do you think it’s a winner or a loser? Have you already bought one, or will you continue to use film? Is a more compact digicam a better idea in your view?

Photoxels have reviewed the Canon i860 printer, which allows you to create prints up to 8.5x11 inches in size.

“I find that printing my own pictures beats just giving them to the lab for printing. I get to select the ones I really want to print, mostly 4x6 in. prints for my family album or to give to family and friends, and larger 8.5x11 in. prints suitable for framing. And the Canon i860 Desktop Photo Printer makes it a snap.”

Website: Photoxels - Canon i860 Printer

Norman Koren has written a very useful article which explains how to extract the greatest tonal quality and dynamic range from your digital photos, which in turn will help you to make better prints.

“Prints made from images captured on digital cameras can have extraordinary tonal quality, comparable to the finest full-toned traditional prints. But to reach their full potential they must be processed properly, which involves changing default camera settings and moving away from standard file formats. This page covers the key steps for achieving ultimate tonal quality, which include,

- Storing images in RAW format—the image sensor’s native format,
- Converting and editing images using file formats with a bit depth of 16 (48-bit color or 16-bit B&W), and
- Using curves to adjust tones.”

Website: Norman Koren - Tonal quality and dynamic range in digital cameras

The Norwegian website DigIT has exclusive news that Kyocera are releasing a version of its Finecam SL300R digital camera (pictured) under the Contax brand name. The Contax SL300R T* looks identical to the Finecam SL300R but will apparently have a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* lens. The new Contax is due out in Japan in December.

Website: DigIT - Contax SL300R T*

Tom’s Hardware has also published a round-up of three of the newest A4 inkjet printers on the market. The article compares the Canon i860, Epson C84 and HP Photosmart 7760.

“After spending years turning out the same products, the three major players in the inkjet market have now decided to go their separate ways. The new Canon printer has a raft of extra modules making it a bit like a tank, the HP has an LCD screen and integrated photo retouching, and the Epson has gone for cost-effectiveness with new ink and a model at half the price of the others. So which of them is right?”

Website: Tom’s Hardware - Inkjet Printer Roundup

Tom’s Hardware reviewed the Canon EOS 300D yesterday. As ever the cheapest digital SLR in the world receives a more than enthusiastic response.

“You read it here first: Canon has broken the $1000 price point barrier for SLR digital cameras. With Canon’s launch of the Canon EOS 300D, that magic price point of $1000 represents half of the cost of a top-of-the-range traditional camera. The competition, both SLR and compact cameras, will surely not be happy about this, but it represents a slam-dunk win for the user.”

Website: Tom’s Hardware - Canon EOS 300D Review

Index Digicam have just reviewed the 2 megapixel Samsung Digimax 240. The Digimax 240 is for those snappers who like substance and style and are comfortable with digital photography. A high quality SHD range will ensure clarity of shot while 2.0 mega pixels allow the smallest details to shine through and - for those who insist their own presence should be strong within shots - a 10 second self timer allows all faces in the frame.

Website: Index Digicam - Samsung Digimax 240 Review

A gentle reminder for you all that the first ever PhotographyBLOG Competition is due to finish in just 5 days time, at the end of 30th November :-)

This is a monthly photography competition with a specific theme and prizes for the top 3 photos. The winning entries will be decided by a panel of judges. You just have to submit a single photograph to the Competition Gallery that best interprets November’s theme, which is “Autumn Colour”.

Please make sure that you read the Monthly Competition Rules before submitting your entry. The competition is worldwide and open to everyone.

See the Competition Entries

FujiFilm Press Release 26/11/03

Fujifilm’s FinePix F610: The only way is upright

Release Date: 26 November 2003

World’s first compact digital camera to boast 6 million effective pixels

Fujifilm today launches the FinePix F610, the first compact digital camera to offer 6 million effective pixels.

Not satisfied with this outstanding resolution, Fujifilm has added its 4th Generation Super CCD HR sensor to the F610, allowing it to achieve a recorded output of 12 million pixels ? meaning users can enlarge to unprecedented print sizes without loss of quality.

Successor to the popular FinePix F601, the F610 adopts the same upright format and builds on its performance and handling to create a formidable camera for photography enthusiasts. Feature-laden, yet easy to use, the FinePix F610 encourages experimentation whilst also offering automatic modes for the less confident user.

The FinePix F610 is technically versatile and offers significant creative control over all elements of the picture-taking process. In addition to full manual, aperture and shutter priority modes, it also offers four special scene modes ? Portrait, Sports, Landscape and Night Scene ? to help select the most appropriate settings in difficult shooting conditions. In terms of design, the innovative Fujifilm upright format has a clear photographic advantage: the camera is less prone to shake when held one-handed.

Availability
The FinePix F610 will be available in the UK from leading photographic retailers in the first quarter of 2004.

Imaging Resource are reporting that Leica are set to announce a digital version of the classic M6 film camera. Apparently the new Leica Digilux 2 will have a 5 megapixel sensor and a Leica DC Vario-Summicron 28-90mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens. The lens will have manual operating rings for the zoom, focus and the aperture. The Digilux 2 will support both JPG and RAW formats and will have a massive 2.5” LCD screen on the back with with 211,000 pixels. It will also have an electronic view finder (EVF) with 235,000 pixels. The website DSpot has exclusive pictures of the new camera. The Digilux 2 is already listed at a German retailer for 1,800 Euros.

Website: DSpot - Leica Digilux 2

Website: Imaging Resource - Leica Digilux 2

DPReview have reported that Nikon have issued a warning about imitation batteries, some of which are not equipped with a safety feature that is required for rechargeable batteries. The counterfeit products could damage your camera or cause personal injury. There are some very handy pictures in DPReview’s report which clearly show the differences between the counterfeit and genuine batteries.

Website: DPReview - Nikon Imitation Batteries

digitalkamera.de have reviewed the 4 megapixel EasyShare DX6490 digital camera, a digital camera which features a 10x optical zoom lens (38-380mm focal length). The Kodak EasyShare DX6490 has a suggested retail price of ?399.99.

Website: digitalkamera.de - Kodak EasyShare DX6490 Review

CNET have just posted their review of the Minolta DiMAGE A1.

“Following in the footsteps of Minolta’s Dimage 7 cameras, the A1 combines a 7X zoom lens and a 5-megapixel resolution with a mind-numbingly comprehensive feature set. New tricks include an unusual image-stabilization system, extensive autofocus improvements, and a tilting LCD. The A1’s image quality, while not outstanding, is also reasonably good. If this thing won’t do the job, you probably need a digital SLR.”

Website: CNET - Minolta DiMAGE A1 Review

The Danish website Akamera.dk have posted their review of the Konica KD-510Z, a new 5-megapixel digital camera.

Website: Akamera.dk - Konica KD-510Z Review