Perhaps not the most interesting review that you will ever read, but if your camera relies on AA sized batteries, then you should take a look at Photo-i’s review. Vincent Oliver has taken a look at the latest 2100 and 2300 NiMH batteries from Uniross and a BatteryLogic Ultra Fast Charger.

“I tested two fully charged Uniross 2100 batteries on a Microtek S1 digital camera and after 220 shots the two batteries showed no sign of losing power. The batteries were recharged, I then ran a model train around a track, the train uses a single AA size battery and it ran continuously for 1hr 12minutes before grinding to a standstill. The same train with a fresh Duracell battery ran for 45 minutes.”

Website: Photo-i - Uniross Battery Review

Canon USA Press Release

CANON ENHANCES ITS LOW-PRICED 35MM FILM AND PHOTO SCANNER

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., October 27, 2003 - Canon’s new CanoScan 3200F Color Image Scanner allows consumers to scan 35mm slides or negatives as well as photos and documents quickly with a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface*. Both Windows and Macintosh computer users will enjoy the simple scanner operation as they create photo albums, scan text for OCR applications, scan photos for e-mail or copy and scan receipts for archiving.

“Our new CanoScan 3200F scanner delivers the versatility, ease-of-use and quality demanded from today’s consumers who have the need to e-mail, copy, scan, and file photos and documents.” said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE CAJ). “The 3200F scanner joins Canon’s lineup of award-winning products to provide comprehensive solutions for the novice user to the professional.”

The CanoScan 3200F scanner is one of the world’s fastest film capable flatbed scanners flying through a 600 dpi color scan of a letter size document in approximately 15 seconds. With a maximum optical resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi and an enhanced resolution of 9600 dpi, the CanoScan 3200F scanner brings high-quality to a variety of applications. A built-in 35mm film adapter allows users to scan single frame slides or negatives to enlarge precious photographs. Book and magazine scanning is made easy with Canon’s exclusive Z-Lid? Expansion Top. The Z-Lid Expansion Top automatically lifts vertically and lays flat on the item being scanned.

Canon Press Release 27/10/03

CANON PACKS PHOTO QUALITY WITH FAST PRINT AND COPY SPEEDS IN ITS NEW ENTRY-LEVEL MultiPASS MP370 AND MP360

MultiPASS MP370 Model Is The First PictBridge-enabled Multifunction Product to Market

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Oct. 27, 2003 - Canon’s new MultiPASS MP370 and MP360 Multifunction desktop photo printers deliver high-quality photo printing, copying and scanning to consumers with a stylish and compact design. From printing photos, text and web pages to scanning images for homework projects and copying receipts for household use, the new MultiPASS products deliver the versatility needed by today’s consumers.

“The multifunction market is rapidly expanding. Canon is finding more customers are asking for products that can provide multiple solutions in a single product,” said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A., Inc. “The MultiPASS MP370 and MP360 Multifunction desktop photo printers meet the needs of these consumers by combining multifunction convenience with high-quality, simplicity, and features they are looking for.”

Both the MultiPASS MP370 and MP360 printers have very fast printing speeds with up to 18 pages-per-minute (ppm) in black and up to 12 ppm in color.* Quality is delivered through a print head that uses both five picoliter nozzles for fast printing speeds and microscopic two picoliter nozzles that significantly reduce the size of dots on the page. Combining the small droplet size with printing at a maximum resolution of up to 4800 x 1200 color dots-per-inch (dpi)** allows users to create photo prints that rival minilab prints.

Adobe Press Release 27/10/03

New Full-Upgrade Versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and GoLive Hit the Streets Soon

SAN JOSE, Calif. ? October 27, 2003 ? Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: ADBE) today shipped Adobe? Creative Suite. Adobe Creative Suite combines new full-version upgrades of the company?s market-leading creative professional software ? Adobe Photoshop? CS, Adobe Illustrator? CS, Adobe InDesign? CS, and Adobe GoLive? CS. It also incorporates Acrobat? 6.0 Professional, and introduces the innovative Version Cue? file version manager. The all-new Adobe Creative Suite is a complete design environment that gives today?s creative professionals everything they need to create and publish content to print and the Web faster, more easily, and more efficiently than ever.

Adobe will announce shipment of new full-version upgrades of its market-leading creative applications later this week. Photoshop CS, the feature-packed successor to the highly popular Photoshop 7, will soon be available along with Illustrator CS, InDesign CS and GoLive CS ? all already hailed as significant enhancements on previous versions. Instead of traditional version numbers, Adobe is now using ?CS? to identify these new versions, in order to better reflect the deep level of integration between its creative tools. Pricing and complete product information for Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, InDesign CS and GoLive CS can be found at: www.adobe.co.uk.

?Adobe Creative Suite is a platform for the future of design and publishing, something creative professionals around the world can rely on to build their businesses and perfect their craft,? said Jim Heeger, senior vice president of Creative Professional Products at Adobe. ?With powerful new hardware hitting the market and Adobe Creative Suite pushing the boundaries of software innovation, the technology available to the creative industries has just taken a huge leap forward.?

ACD Systems Press Release 27/10/03

ACD Systems Releases Latest Version of its Photo Editing Software ? ACD FotoCanvas 3.0

Easy step-by-step Photo Correction Wizard guides users through common editing tasks

VICTORIA, British Columbia ? October 27, 2003 - ACD Systems International Inc. (TSX: ASA), the digital imaging company and makers of ACDSee? and Canvas?, today released ACD FotoCanvas 3.0, the newest version of its photo editing software program.  ACD FotoCanvas is an affordable and easy-to-use program with all of the essential tools needed to enable users to make edits to their digital photos and create simple web graphics. New workflow enhancement features in ACD FotoCanvas 3.0 include the Dodge and Burn tool, the ability to add Bubble Talk to images, an easy step-by-step Photo Correction Wizard and a Professional Color Management system.

ACD FotoCanvas 3.0 quickly fixes digital photo lighting errors, such as lightening a person?s face or darkening an outdoor image, with its Dodge and Burn tool. The new Bubble Talk and Thought Text features allow users to personalize their images with quotes or comic-strip effects. The easy step-by-step Photo Correction Wizard quickly guides users through a series of common photo editing and photo enhancing tasks. These include rotate, crop, sharpen, adjust color levels, red-eye reduction and fix color cast for removing unwanted hue from images.

Phase One Press Release 27/10/03

Phase One A/S Creates ‘C1 Product Group’

- Rapid growth of company’s acclaimed RAW Workflow software creates need
- Neilson/Clyne, Inc. appointed to handle Press & Public Relations
- New dedicated Web site announced

NORTHPORT, NY, October 24, 2003 ? Denmark’s Phase One, the photographic industry’s leading manufacturer of high-end digital imaging backs, is pleased to announce the formation of its new software division, the C1 Product Group, effective immediately. All activities related to Capture One DSLR software products (C1 DSLR ) will continue to operate out of the 10-year-old firm’s Copenhagen headquarters as well as its North American Sales headquarters based in Northport (Long Island), NY.

Phase One’s management team has moved quickly to accommodate the aggressive growth of its critically-acclaimed and patent-pending RAW Workflow Image Processing Software products and to stay abreast of the rapid introductions of new DSLR cameras from leading manufacturers (Canon?, Nikon?, etc .), as indicated by this week’s release of the C1 REBEL RAW Workflow software for Canon’s new price-breakthrough “Digital Rebel” (300D) DSLR.

Over the past year, the Capture One DSLR PRO and LE software products have not only enjoyed rapidly escalating sales, but garnered impressive product reviews throughout the photographic industry trade and consumer press. C1 RAW Workflow software has also received praise on critical user forums and is used daily by thousands of photographic pros and enthusiasts worldwide.

Henrik O. H?konsson, CEO of Phase One, explained, “We are very pleased with the rapid acceptance of our Capture One DSLR software by photographic professionals. The creation of a sophisticated and powerful RAW image workflow solution for our customers was a timely addition; it’s a natural progression to our company’s highly regarded digital imaging backs. We knew that the benefits of better RAW file image manipulation and management would not only be important to professionals, but also to the fast-growing market of DSLR enthusiasts who continue to invest in more powerful digital SLR cameras. Phase One’s new C1 Product Group was specifically created to better serve not only our loyal professional users, but these increasingly important new customers.”

The new C1 Product Group will be responsible for all development, sales, marketing, and support involving C1 PRO,LE, and the just-released C1 REBEL edition. Additionally, joint software R&D efforts will continue between the teams of the newly established C1 Product Group and the firm’s digital back developers.

Kenneth T. L?rke, Phase One’s Vice President in charge of the new C1 Product Group, added, “By focusing our software efforts into a single new division and adding additional resources in both engineering and customer support, Phase One will be able to stay at the forefront of digital SLR RAW workflow solutions. Consistent with the company’s beginnings over a decade ago, that’s precisely where we want to remain, the leader in direct digital imaging solutions.”

Delkin Press Release 27/10/03

BUY DELKIN FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND GET A FREE 2004 IMAGES OF DISTINCTION CALENDAR

Poway CA, October 27, 2003 Delkin Devices, Inc. has created a stunning 2004 calendar for a FREE consumer giveaway this holiday season. The ?Images of Distinction? eFilm PRO 2004 Calendar will be available at independent camera stores worldwide and at Delkin?s website.  Thirteen of the world?s most recognized photographers from the fields of nature, portrait, sports, entertainment, and people photography are presented together and uniquely showcased.  All of the photographs were captured on Delkin?s eFilm PRO CompactFlash (CF) Card using a variety of different SLR digital camera brands, and are striking in their beauty and distinction. The calendar is comprised of 28 full color pages on spiral bound high quality paper stock measuring 11 ? x 9 (folded) and features photographs from:

Jerry Avenaim ? His famous celebrity photographs are seen in major magazines worldwide including Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair and Newsweek.

Jim Brandenburg ? National Geographic?s premier nature photographer for over 25 years.  His work has been featured in over 19 magazine stories, television specials and many influential nature photography books.

Bambi Cantrell - One of America?s leading portrait photographers, celebrated for her creative wedding imagery.  Her cutting edge images appear in numerous high profile magazines around the world.

John Paul Caponigro ? The author of ?Adobe Photoshop Master Class? is recognized internationally for his images of the natural world.

Christine and Michel Denis-Huot - France?s leading African Wildlife photographers and authors of many best selling animal photography books.

Bill Fortney ? One of the best known nature photographers in America and author of the popular ? America From 500 Feet.?

Karl Grobl ? Award winning photojournalist known for his work with humanitarian organizations throughout the developing word.

Douglas Kirkland ? A career spanning over 50 years as the consummate celebrity and fashion photographer, resulting in many of the most recognizable portraits of our time.     

Tony Leonard ? One of history?s greatest Thoroughbred photographers and winner of the acclaimed Eclipse Award for Photography.

Arthur Morris ? Considered the worlds foremost bird photographer whose images appear in books and magazines around the globe.

Jack Reznicki ? One of America?s best known children photographers whose work has been featured on several Time Magazine covers and many national ad campaigns.

Gil Smith ? An internationally recognized advertising photographer who has created dramatic campaigns for Porsche, Coca-Cola, and Apple, to name a few.

Monte Zucker ? The dean of wedding and portrait photographers whose signature style earned him Portrait Photographer of the Year 2002 from the United Nations.

“FujiFilm UK Press Release 27/10/03”

Chance to win great prizes by getting up close and personal with Fujifilm’s FinePix S7000 Zoom

Website shows off latest SLR from Fujifilm

Fuji’s digital camera website (www.fujifilm.co.uk/di) now has a ‘learning centre’ to show off the impressive range of features and technology behind their new digital SLR - the FinePix S7000 Zoom.

Through separate interactive sections, the website highlights the camera’s macro capabilities and PictBridge printing functions, its powerful 6x optical zoom lens and the weighted lens ring providing manual zoom control. It also provides a clear explanation of how the SuperCCD HR sensor works.

In addition, Fuji has created its own game on the website - “Capture the Detail” - and visitors to the site can win a range of fantastic prizes. The highest scorer will win a 20GB iPod, whilst a randomly selected visitor to the site will win an 17” Titanium Apple Powerbook.

PhotographyBLOG reader Paul Robinson has emailed me to let me know about one of the stranger photography websites out there. Human Clock does exactly what it says on the tin - photographs of humans forming the time.

“This website consists of about 3500 pictures, each representing a single minute of the day in some shape or fashion. This website has three clocks. The analog clock is a true “human clock” if there is such a definition. These photos don’t change as much since there is a lot more preparation involved in creating analog clock photos. The digital clock is the most popular clock on this site. It contains multiple photographs for all 1,440 minutes in the day (at least in our solar system). The text clock is a clock made out of staight ASCII text…so you can even view the clock on a text browser.”

Website: Human Clock

Paul’s personal blog:
Website: Elastic Rat

Sigma Corporation Press Release 27/10/03

Compact - Lightweight zoom lenses designed to suit the characteristics of digital cameras

18-50mm F3.5-5.6 DC
Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 18-50mm F3.5-5.6 DC. This zoom lens was exclusively designed to suit the characteristics of digital SLR cameras. The image circle was designed to match the size of the image sensors of digital SLR cameras, and this produced a compact lens with a maximum diameter of 60mm (2.3in.), overall length of 67.5mm (2.6in.) and weight of only 245gr (8.6 ounces). It has a variable angle of view of 76.5degree-31.7degree. The use of aspherical lenses provides correction for various aberrations throughout the entire zoom range and produce high level of optical performance. 18-50mm F3.5-5.6 DC lens has a minimum focusing distance of 25cm (9.8in.) at all focal lengths and is capable of macro photography with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.5.

50-200mm F4-5.6 DC
Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 55-200mm F4-5.6 DC. This compact telephoto zoom lens was exclusively designed for use with digital SLR cameras. The image circle was designed to match the size of the image sensors of digital SLR cameras that also allows compact body and lightweight with overall length of 84.6mm (3.3in.), and weight of only 310g/10.9 ounces. It has a filter size of 55mm, maximum diameter of 70mm (2.7in.). This remarkably compact high performance zoom lens is ideally suited to a wide range of subjects. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 110cm (43.3in.) and maximum magnification of 1:4.

*They cannot be used in SA-7 and SA-9 35mm film SLR cameras. Combination with these cameras may cause vignetting on the picture surface.

*If SD9 or SD10 digital cameras are used, the angle of view will be equal to 30-85mm focal length. The angle of view varies depending on the camera.

Foveon Inc Press Release 27/10/03

Foveon Introduces Newly Improved 10.2 Mp Direct Image Sensor
SIGMA SD10 digital camera the first to incorporate improved Foveon image sensor

Santa Clara, CA (October 27, 2003) - Foveon Inc., a technology leader in high-quality digital photography, announces the immediate availability of the F7X3-C9110, an enhanced version of the Foveon X3? PRO 10M direct image sensor. The improved 10.2 megapixel (red + green + blue pixels) image sensor doubles the sensitivity and maximum exposure times and offers increased dynamic range over its predecessor. The new Foveon sensor is used in the Sigma SD10 digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. The new Foveon X3? PRO 10M direct image sensor will allow users to capture outstanding photographs at higher shutter speeds ideal for sports action as well as in low light situations requiring long exposures up to 30 seconds.

The new Foveon image sensor is a result of design and fabrication process improvements that result in higher image quality and superb color fidelity. “These improvements demonstrate the speed at which we are evolving the technology and support our confidence that X3 is the most advanced image sensor technology for capturing color images,” said Federico Faggin, Foveon’s CEO.

The first camera to incorporate the new image sensor is the Sigma SD10 digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. The camera supports an ISO range from 100 to 800, plus an extended mode option to ISO 1600, and exposure durations of up to 30 seconds.

“The choice of image sensor is becoming a top criterion, when choosing a digital camera, because it is the primary factor that determines the image quality. We believe that with Foveon X3 technology, the Sigma SD10 digital camera offers color resolution and color fidelity comparable to other cameras costing four times the price,” said Faggin.

The Foveon X3 PRO 10M direct image sensor has a total of 10.2 million red, green, and blue pixels that are organized into three layers (2268 x 1512 x 3 layers).

Foveon Inc Press Release 27/10/03

Foveon Enhances Digital Images With X3 Fill Light
New technology easily corrects lighting problems in digital photos

Santa Clara, CA (October 27, 2003) - Foveon, Inc., a technology leader in high-quality digital image capture, today announced the release of X3 Fill Light, a powerful new technology that dramatically improves the quality of digital images affected by difficult lighting conditions. The technology is incorporated as a new software feature in the Sigma Photo Pro 2.0 application for the Sigma SD10 digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera.

The X3 Fill Light feature simulates the photographic method of “dodging and burning” adding extra light to shadow regions, while preserving highlight detail. It is a powerful method for simultaneously adjusting overexposed and underexposed areas of a digital image with a single simple control. The feature is bundled exclusively with the new Sigma SD10 digital SLR (Single-Lens Reflex) camera, which uses a Foveon X3 direct image sensor.

X3 Fill Light is designed for images taken under lighting conditions such as indoor-outdoor scenes, backlit portraits, or scenes with mixed lighting. Use of the X3 Fill Light feature creates natural-looking images that can be faithfully reproduced in a print.

“Challenging lighting conditions, such as backlighting from a window or subjects in front of snow, can result in disappointing images. The X3 Fill Light technology allows photographers to make excellent prints from poorly exposed images which otherwise would have been discarded due to poor lighting and exposure.” said Eric Zarakov, Foveon’s vice president of marketing.

X3 Fill Light is implemented as a simple slider interface that allows the user to control the amount of correction. By increasing the amount of X3 Fill Light, the brightness and contrast of the shadow regions are increased to add visibility into areas that have been underexposed. Simultaneously, the contrast in highlight regions is automatically increased and the brightness is adjusted to avoid saturation.

The Sigma Photo Pro 2.0 software, incorporating Foveon’s X3 Fill Light, is shipping with the Sigma SD10 digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera from Sigma Corporation (www.sigma-photo.co.jp).

Website: Sigma X3 Fill Light

As usual with a new camera announcement, several websites have already got their sticky hands on a sample of the camera. Imaging Resource have already posted a full review of the SD10! Here in alphabetical order are links to other sites with SD10 news, previews and reviews:

Website: A-Digital-Eye

Website: DCResource

Website: Digital Outback Photo - SD10 Experience Report

Website: DPReview - SD10 Preview

Website: Imaging Resource - SD10 Review

Website: Steve’s Digicams - SD10 First Look

A thread from Barrie Harwood over on the ePhotoZine forums is indicating that Canon have dropped the price of the Canon EOS 1D DSLR by a massive ?1,300, which is approximately a third off the previous list price. Furthermore, if you buy an “L” series lens at the same time as buying the body, Canon will give you ?300 cashback. I’m guessing that such a generous offer must mean that the 1D’s successor is in the pipeline…

Website: ePhotoZine Forums

The German website digitalkamera.de have reviewed the 5 megapixel Minolta DiMAGE A1 digital camera, which has recently been drastically reduced in price by many retailers in the UK and USA, no doubt because of the Canon EOS 300D. The A1, however, is still proving to be quite a popular choice with consumers.

Website: digitalkamera.de - Minolta DiMAGE A1 Review

I’ve been working behind the scenes during the last month on a lot of new features for PhotographyBLOG, and at last they’re ready to share with you :-) So without any further delay, here’s a quick explanation of each one:

Gallery -:- PhotographyBLOG now has its very own Gallery where you can submit your photographs. There are several themed galleries in which you can share your photographs with everyone and get constructive feedback. Every member is automatically given 5Mbs of free storage space and there is a file size limit of 100Kb, which means that you can upload at least 50 photos.

Competition -:- 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 can only submit 1 photograph that best interprets the theme Autumn Colour, so choose wisely. Competition #1 starts on 1st November 2003 and ends on 30th November 2003. Please read the Monthly Competition Rules before entering.

Photo of the Week -:- A weekly photography challenge where you decide who the winner is by voting for your favourite photos. The photo with the most votes wins the coveted PhotographyBLOG Photo of the Week award. You can submit any photograph into the Photo of the Week competition. Competition #1 starts on 3rd November 2003 and ends on 9th November 2003. Please read the Photo of the Week Rules before entering.

User Reviews -:- Submit your own reviews of cameras, lenses, printers, scanners and lots more. Don’t agree with what PhotographyBLOG or some other website says about your camera equipment? Write your own review, good or bad. The User Reviews section is still being developed, so if the product that you want to review isn’t available, let me konw and I’ll add it asap.

Forums -:- The rather limited old forums have been replaced by some shiny new ones with a lot more features. You can still access the content of the old forums via this link, but you can no longer post new entries there.

PhotographyBLOG Membership -:- The membership of the site as a whole has changed. There is no longer any login required to add your comments to the weblog entries. You are only required to register as a member or login if you want to use the Gallery.

*If you are already a member of PhotographyBLOG, you have already been converted to the new membership scheme and you can use your existing username and password to login to the Forums / Gallery / Competition / Photo of the Week / User Reviews.

As these are all new features, there may be some initial teething problems, so if you experience anything strange then please let me know by emailing:

[email protected]

Many thanks to Sue for helping out with the coding :-)

DCResource have reviewed the 5 megapixel Minolta DiMAGE G500, which has a 3x zoom lens with a range that is equivalent to 39 - 117mm on a 35mm camera.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the photo quality on the G500. For a compact camera, they are very good. Minolta definitely has the sharpness cranked up, which adds a tiny bit of noise to the images. Color and exposure were also good. Purple fringing / chromatic aberrations were nowhere to be found (except for a little in the torture test). I guess the blurry corner is my only real complaint—good job Konica/Minolta!”

Website: DCResource - Minolta DiMAGE G500 Review

The Norwegian website DigIT have reviewed the Sony DSC-V1 compact digital camera, which features 5 megapixel resolution, 4x optical zoom, flexible exposure control and an infrared laser hologram.

Website: DigIT - Sony DSC-V1 Review

Popular Photography have reviewed two light-weight light meters, the Minolta VF and Sekonic L-358 models. Find out which one came out on top in this head-to-head challenge.

“For most of my career, a Minolta has been my meter. In recent years, it?s been the Auto Meter IVF (that?s ?four F?) because of its light weight. But when they introduced the Minolta VF (that?s ?five F?) and Sekonic came out with the new L-358 Flash Meter, I wondered if the new Sekonic had the mettle to dethrone my Minolta dynasty. I decided to put the two new meters to the test, and since September ?02, the Sekonic has joined the Minolta in my arsenal.”

Website: Popular Photography - Light Meters Review

Popular Photography have published their 5-page review of the Olympus E-1 digital SLR camera.

“As for image quality, there?s very good news and a tiny bit of bad news. The good news is that the camera captures images with extremely high color accuracy and resolution. And, as promised, images shot at wide angle, using the 14?54mm Zuiko lens at a wide-open aperture, f/2.8, showed no measurable resolution falloff in the corners. Impressive! Contrast was also normal and adjustable, and JPEG artifacts were minimal at the highest-quality settings.”

Website: Popular Photography - Olympus E-1 Review