The Norwegian digital photography website DigIT have reviewed the Fuji FinePix F700, which has a 6.2-megapixel Super CCD SR. As a reminder, the F700 CCD improves image quality by widening the dynamic range, rather than just increasing the number of pixels. This should mean more detail in the shadow and highlight areas of an image than Fuji cameras have previously captured. Or at least that’s what Fuji claims anyway…

Website: DigIT - Fuji FinePix F700 Review

Website: Read my review of the Fuji FinePix F700

DCResource have reviewed the 3.2 megapixel Minolta DiMAGE Z1. This digicam has a 10x optical zoom lens, equivalent to a 38-380mm 35mm camera zoom, which in combination with the digital zoom offers a 40X zoom range.

“The DiMAGE Z1 is a unique looking camera, with a silver plastic body. I’d rate the build quality as average, reminding me of the Toshiba PDR-M700. It’s definitely not as well built as the plastic Kodak DX6490 or the all-metal Olympus C-750UZ. Something else I notices is that the lens rattles if you give the camera the slightest shake. I’m not sure if this actually affects camera operation, but it’s food for thought.”

Website: DCResource - Minolta DiMAGE Z1 Review

The new RAW convertor software Capture One DSLR Rebel Edition, which is specifically designed for the Canon EOS 300D/Rebel digital SLR, is now available for the bargain introductory price of just $29 from the PictureFlow website. If you have a Canon EOS 300D and use RAW files, this may be the best $29 that you ever spend on your digital camera…

Website: PictureFlow

Imaging Resource 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.

“Eastman Kodak’s “EasyShare” line of digital cameras have consistently impressed me as living up to their name, being one of the most unfailingly easy to use line of digicams out there. With the new EasyShare DX6490 though, Kodak moves beyond pure ease of use (although the camera is still very easy to use in full-auto mode) to encompass a range of capabilities that allow the DX6490 to satisfy the desires of “enthusiast” photographers as well.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Kodak EasyShare DX6490 Review

Pinnacle Systems Press Release 15/10/03

Pinnacle Systems Helps Consumers Preserve And Enjoy Their Memories With New Music, Photo And Video Disc Burning Products

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. 15/10/2003? Pinnacle Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLE) today announced the availability of three new products in its Instant product family which are designed to help consumers easily customize and burn their video, photo, and audio discs to enjoy on their CD or DVD player. Pinnacle Instant PhotoAlbum and Pinnacle Instant VideoAlbum let digital camera and camcorder users burn their digital images or video on a disc, along with editing capabilities. Pinnacle InstantCD/DVD version 8 is a suite of software applications that gives users everything they need to duplicate DVDs and CDs, create MP3 and audio CDs, author photo and video discs, and backup, restore and manage their data.

?Gone are the days where people have to crowd around a computer to share memories from a family wedding, a baby?s first steps, or last summer?s European vacation,? said Bill Loesch, vice president, product management and engineering for the Business and Consumer Division at Pinnacle Systems. ?Our Instant product family lets consumers experiment with their creativity while preserving their life?s memories in a format that will outlive their VHS tapes and will not bog down their hard drive.?

ePhotoZine have posted their review of Fuji’s new ISO 100 slide film, Fuji Velvia 100F, available now. Tomoko Yamamoto, a Japanese artist living in the USA, tested the new film for ePhotoZine:

“Over the past month I have been thoroughly testing Velvia 100F, one of three new professional slide films put out by Fuji in the summer. Although the test is not scientific, I have tried to be consistent. The results are from using two camera systems, the Olympus OM SLR and the Mamiya 6MF rangefinder, with their unique metering characteristics.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Fuji Velvia 100F Review

I’ve just posted my review of the Vosonic X’S-Drive portable storage device. Storage is one of the main problems that digital photographers face. Memory cards quickly fill up and are relatively expensive to buy. Find out why I bought a Vosonic X’S-Drive and what I think about this portable storage solution.

Website: Vosonic X’S-Drive Review

Epson Press Release 15/10/-03

EPSON(r) launches the first all-in-one home photo centre in Europe

EPSON’s Stylus Photo RX500 is the first all-in-one home photo centre - scan, copy and print premium quality photos from digital or analogue collections. Technically, no compromises have been made - the Stylus Photo RX500 offers premium quality photo printing and high performance scanning in one space and cost saving solution. Faded photographs and damaged negatives can be restored and images can be easily stored and shared by scanning direct to memory cards even without being connected to a PC.

October 15, 2003: The EPSON Stylus Photo RX500 offers a premium photo printing solution for semi-professional photographers and photo enthusiasts. With the ability to print, scan and copy photographs and film, the Stylus Photo RX500 combines a wide range of features and support with maximum flexibility, ease of use and cost effectiveness.

The Stylus Photo RX500 uses a 6-colour, separate ink cartridge system to deliver market leading 5760*x1440dpi premium photo quality photos with smoother tones and improved image definition. Separate ink cartridges provide cost effectiveness, while a special dye based ink, optimised for performance on photo specialist media, produces highly durable photos and gives the best combination of ozone, light and water fastness. Combined with the latest EPSON MicroPiezo(tm) print head, which can produce a droplet size of as little as 3pl for higher definition photo prints, the Stylus Photo RX500 achieves results comparable with a professional photo lab. The new print head also means that there is nearly double the number of nozzles, which results in much faster output.

Another market first for EPSON, the Stylus Photo RX500 includes an integrated transparency unit and scanner for high-resolution photo and film scanning. The MatrixCCD 2400dpi scanner allows users to capture their analogue photos into digital format for restoration and manipulation via bundled software and drivers.  The integrated transparency unit allows scanning from both positive and negative film for safely archiving images and creating copies of photos.

Olympus Press Release 15/10/03

A sneak preview of the latest Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL lens range for 2004

Olympus announces the expansion of its E-System portfolio, with the introduction of five new interchangeable ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses, available next year. Among the new models planned for release is a ZUIKO DIGITAL 11-22mm, F2.8-3.5 lens (35mm camera equivalent: 22-44mm), plus three further zoom lenses and a bright lens with a fixed focal length.

The first Olympus E-1 body and four ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses were launched in October 2003. With the release of these five lenses in 2004, Olympus demonstrates its commitment to extend the Olympus E-System, which is based on the FourThirds standard. The company?s R&D department is not stopping there; it is busy developing more lenses due to be released in 2005 and beyond.

The 11-22mm lens (22-44mm) will be followed by an ultra-wide-angle lens line-up to meet today’s strong demand for these lenses. A second fast single focal length telephoto lens will join the current 300mm F2.8 lens (600mm) in 2004. This combination of light gathering power and telephoto performance in a compact form is one of the great advantages of the Olympus E-System. In the bright zoom line up, the 50-200mm lens (100-400mm) will also be joined by further lenses.

The TIPA award-winning FourThirds Standard permits full lens inter-changeability among camera systems that comply with the standard. All ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses are specifically designed to maximise the performance of digital SLR systems that are based on the FourThirds Standard. Telecentric optics ensure that the images have perfect colour, clarity and brightness from the centre to the periphery of the frame. The lenses? high resolving power guarantees that the image sensor obtains the detail it needs to produce stunning images expected by professionals.

Peter iNova, who runs the DigitalSecrets website, has just returned from a long trip to Europe, where he put no less than 6 different digital cameras through their paces, including the Sony DSC-V1 shown on the left.

“When you lug a trunkload of digital cameras into the hinterlands, you expect results, results, results. And with a number of cameras to choose from, results are pretty much guaranteed, but what if you don’t want to carry a fifteen pound bag of technology around with you, the way the working pros do, and you still want results?

Then the one camera you carry had better deliver.

So I packed up no less than six champion digital cameras and set out for views unknown where the treasures of travel awaited…”

Website: DigitalSecrets - Special Travel Report

The price of the 5 megapixel Minolta DiMAGE A1 digital camera has been drastically reduced by some retailers in the UK and USA. The UK photography website digitalfirst.co.uk is now selling the A1, which improves upon the DiMAGE 7 series of digital cameras, for ?638.49 including VAT - that’s over ?150 less than the camera was originally selling for when it was launched a few weeks ago. The A1 has also had its price slashed by $200 in the USA. The Canon EOS 300D has a lot to answer for!

Website: digitalfirst.co.uk

Website: DPReview Forums - USA Price Reduction

This isn’t directly related to photography, but it will interest everyone who has a DVD rewriter…

Philips will demonstrate its new dual-layer DVD recordable technology at the DVD+RW Alliance booth at the CEATEC* JAPAN 2003 exhibition in Makuhari (Chiba, Japan) from October 7 to 11. Developed by Philips Research in cooperation with MKM (Mitsubishi Kagaku Media)/Verbatim, the technology virtually doubles data storage capacity on DVD recordable discs from 4.7 Gbyte to 8.5 Gbyte while remaining compatible with existing DVD Video players and DVD-ROM drives.

Both Philips and MKM regard the introduction of dual-layer DVD+R technology as the next important milestone in the drive to continually improve and expand the optical data storage options available to consumers. Users will benefit from the additional storage capacity of the DVD+R disc as it will enable them to record 4 hours of DVD-quality video or 16 hours of VHS-quality video, without the need to turn over the disc. PC users will be able to archive up to 8.5 Gbytes of computer files on a single disc, which almost doubles the storage capacity compared with the 4.7Gbytes for the single-layer DVD+R discs currently available.

Website: DVD+RW Alliance

Konica Minolta Press Release 14/10/03

Konica Minolta Introduces Stylish New DiMAGE G400
Easy to use 4.0 megapixel camera features fully automatic operation as well as creative capabilities for enhanced picture taking

Mahwah, NJ (October 14, 2003) ? Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc., announces today the new high-performance compact DiMAGE G400 4.0 megapixel digital camera.  The ergonomically designed Konica Minolta DiMAGE G400 creates beautiful images at the touch of a button. Featuring a built-in 3x optical zoom lens, sleek metal exterior with an impressive 0.7-second startup time, autofocusing, autoexposure, auto white-balance, and other creative capabilities this new compact camera is ready to go at a moment?s notice.

?It?s appropriate that this fashionable and easy-to-use DiMAGE G400 digital camera is the first to be introduced by our newly formed company,? said Jon Sienkiewicz, vice president of marketing, Konica Minolta?s Camera Division. ?The new fully-featured DiMAGE G400 is the perfect companion for any photo enthusiast.?

The DiMAGE G400 features a 4.2 megapixel CCD for sharp, clear pictures as well as a 3x GT Hexanon optical zoom lens incorporating seven elements in six groups to provide sharp, high-contrast images. The lens is designed to minimize flare and unwanted aberrations so that the tonal range and detail in the scene are apparent in the final image.

A newly designed signal-processing engine makes this compact camera twice as fast as the DiMAGE G500. In fact, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE G400?s rapid startup (0.7 seconds) and fully-automatic picture taking and shut down cycles in only 1.5 seconds. This allows users to take a properly exposed and in focus picture in the blink of an eye.

The German website digitalkamera.de has reviewed the full version of Jasc’s Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 4, which allows you to get your photos from camera to computer and then enhance, organize, and share them with Photo Album’s fast and easy-to-use tools. In other words it’s a direct competitor to Adobe Photoshop Album.

Website: digitalkamera.de - Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 4 Review

You wait a while for one Steve’s Digicams review, then three come along at once!

Steve’s first review is of the Toshiba PDR-5300, which has a 5 megapixel CCD sensor, 3X optical zoom lens (equivalent to a 35mm to 105mm 35mm zoom lens) and a stainless-steel body. The PDR-5300 has an RRP of $399.

Website: Steve’s Digicams- Toshiba PDR-5300 Review

Next up is the Pentax Optio 33WR, a compact 3-megapixel camera with a 2.8x optical zoom and a weather resistant case.

Website: Steve’s Digicams- Pentax Optio 33WR Review

Finally, Steve has reviewed the Casio EXILIM EX-S20, a 2-megapixel digital camera with a 1.6-inch color LCD monitor squeezed into a 0.44-inch thin body. The EX-S20 retails for $279.99.

Website: Steve’s Digicams- Casio EXILIM EX-S20 Review

Profesional photographer Michael Reichmann, who runs the popular website Luminous Landscape, has just returned from a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Michael used the Contax 645 and 16 Megapixel Kodak DCS Pro Back combination exclusively throughout the trip, and he’s published 2 articles that reveal what a pro photographer thinks of his surroundings and his equipment.

Website: The Rockies - 7 National Parks in 7 Days

Website: Medium Format Digital In The Field

The Norwegian photography website digit.no has spotted a new digital camera from Minolta. The Minolta G400 is now featured on the Konica Minolta Japan website (which is thankfully available in an English version). The G400 is a 4 megapixel camera with an F2.8-4.9 3x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 34-101mm on a 35mm camera). The G400 is very thin, 23mm to be precise, and weighs just 145g. Konica Minolta have already posted 5 sample images for you to judge the image quality for yourself.

Website: Konica Minolta Japan - G400

Website: Konica Minolta Japan - G400 Sample Images

The German photography website digitalkamera.de has just reviewed the ColorVision Spyder. This is is an all-digital, seven-filter colorimeter that works with both CRT and LCD monitors. Working together with the wizard-based PhotoCAL software, the Spyder calibrates your monitor to a universal standard for color and automatically creates a correct monitor profile. The end result ? a monitor that displays accurate color and lets you trust what you see on your screen. The Spyder currently costs 169 Euros.

Find out if what digitalkamera.de thought in their review:

Website: digitalkamera.de - ColorVision Spyder Review

Website: ColorVision Europe

CNET has posted its review of the Fuji FinePix S5000, a mid-range digital camera looks like a traditional SLR (but isn’t) and has a 10X optical zoom that is equivalent to equivalent to 37-370mm on a 35mm camera.

“If you’re looking for a megazoom digicam, Fujifilm’s 3-megapixel FinePix S5000 seems like an enticing proposition at first. It combines a 10X zoom lens with a compact body, decent overall performance, plenty of advanced features, and an affordable price. When you dig under the surface, however, you find some design drawbacks and disappointing image quality. In the end, the S5000 isn’t so attractive.”

Website: CNET - Fuji FinePix S5000 Review

Olympus UK Press Release 13/10/03

The first Olympus E-1 digital SLR in Europe goes to David Bailey

The Olympus E-1 digital SLR system hits the UK market this month and first on the list of expectant customers was none other than David Bailey. The world-famous photographer was presented with an Olympus E-1 by Graeme Chapman, President of Imaging Systems, Olympus Europa.

David Bailey, who has been an Olympus user for more than 20 years, was delighted with the new camera; “I am thrilled to be the first to get my hands on the camera. As a professional photographer the technology meets my needs for the highest quality and flexibility; this new system demonstrates huge advances in photography”.

Graeme Chapman comments, “We are delighted to present David with an E-1 and very much look forward to seeing the results. Our relationship with David extends back many years; his enthusiasm towards the camera is a fantastic endorsement as we enter the Digital SLR arena”.

Olympus has stuck to its promise to deliver the first Four Thirds product by the Autumn of this year, following its launch only 12 months ago at Photokina in September 2002. However, this is just the start; many more products are already in development, to be expected in 2004.

Website: Olympus UK