The Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical lens that I first reported last week has now appeared on the official Sigma website. This lens is quite slow but it will translate to a 19-38mm lens on a Canon EOS 10D/300D, for example.

The large angle of view (122 degrees super wide angle of view at 12mm along the diagonal axis) is ideal for shootings indoor as well as landscape photography. It has a variable angle of view from 122 degrees at 84.1 degrees. Four Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements are provided for effective compensation of color aberration, which is a common problem with super-wide angle lenses. Two pieces of Glass Mold and one-piece hybrid aspherical lenses offer excellent correction for distortion as well as all types of aberration. By effective arrangement of lens elements and advanced technology this lens has Super Compact dimensions of 3.9 inches full-length, and 3.4 inches maximum diameter.

It is equipped with Inner focusing system that will keep the length of the lens unchanged while controlling aberration. The models, which are equipped with HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor, available for Sigma, Canon and Nikon camera mount lens) system offer Full Time Manual Focusing. It has a minimum focusing distance of 11 inches (28cm) at all focal lengths. This lens is equipped with an integral Petal-type hood to block out extraneous light.

Available for SIGMA AF, Canon AF and Nikon AF: October 2003,
For Minolta AF and Pentax AF: November 2003

Website: Sigma

Steve’s Digicams 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 most dominant feature of the Minolta DiMAGE Z1 is its Minolta 10X optical zoom lens. Ranging in focal length from 38 to 380mm in 35mm equivalence, it offers the photographer enormous versatility in image composition; the 38mm wide-angle covers most interior shots, while its 380mm telephoto magnification will please the nature and sports photographer.”

Website: Steve’s Digicams - Minolta DiMAGE Z1 Review

Steve’s Digicams 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.

“The Minolta DiMAGE G500 is a very compact “pocket size” point-n-shoot 5-megapixel digital camera. It’s physically identical to its Konica siblings (KD-500Z, KD-400Z) and employs the same high quality Hexanon 3x optical zoom lens, state of the art image processing hardware, and adjustability of the image contrast, sharpness and color (with adjustments for the red, green and blue channels).”

Website: Steve’s Digicams - Minolta DiMAGE G500 Review

The Slovenian website e-FotoPortal have tested the Canon EOS 300D in a number of different situations; studio, night, club scene, landscape etc. The first part of the review, focusing on landscape photography, has just been published. There’s a great shot of a boulder in a stream using a long exposure that shows just what the 300D is capable of.

Website: e-FotoPortal - Canon EOS 300D Review

Dane-Elec Press Release 01/10/03

Paris, the 1st of October 2003 - DANE-ELEC MEMORY, an active worldwide player in the manufacturing and distribution of memory modules and Flash cards for the IT, e-phony communications, and digital camera sectors, presents in exclusivity on the European market the new Media Gear Combo 9 in 4 reader/writer which is able to read 9 types of card used in mobile equipment in general.

Light, 28 grams, compact, 9,7 cm3 (L: 125 mm, l: 60, e: 12,9) with a brand new design, this reader/writer has four slots to accommodate CompactFlash? I and II or Microdrive?, SmartMedia? or XD Picture Card?, MultiMediaCard? or Secure Digital? cards and finally Memory Stick? or Memory Stick Pro?. The Combo 9 in 4, is equipped with a USB 2.0 link and is directly connected to a PC or a portable. A flashing light indicates the transfer of data (images, videos, files, etc?) with a speed higher than 40 MB/s (33x).

This reader/writer is compatible with Windows 98/98SE, ME, XP and MAC OS 9.2.2, 10.1.5 and 10.2.3. It needs the down-loading of a driver available on a CD in the packaging, for Windows 98/98SE. Its power consumption is less than 500 mA.

The Combo 9 in 4 reader/writer is delivered with a one-meter long lead and an English installation guide too.

AVAILABILITY AND PRICE
The MEDIA GEAR Combo 9 in 4 reader/writer is available across the counter in retail stores and from specialized stockists for the recommended price of 49 EUR (ttc).

Website: Dane-Elec

The 4-megapixel Olympus ?[mju:] 400 Digital is the top-of-the-range camera in what Olympus call their “Stylish” category. It’s also the first ever product that I’ve reviewed on PhotographyBLOG that I haven’t actually purchased for myself. Read this review to find out if I was impressed by the Olympus ?[mju:] 400 Digital camera.

Website: Olympus ?[mju:] 400 Digital Review

Adobe have today announced a major upgrade to its popular software package, Photoshop Album. The estimated street price of Photoshop Album 2.0 is US$49.99. Registered users of the previous version of Adobe Photoshop Album or a competitive product also qualify for a US$15 mail-in rebate. Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 plus Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 are available together for an estimated street price of US$129.99.

Website: Adobe.co.uk - Photoshop Album 2.0

Website: Adobe.co.uk - Photoshop Album 2.0 Overview

Adobe Press Release 06/10/03

Adobe Raises the Bar on Consumer Digital Photography Software with Photoshop Album 2.0  
 
Simple User Interface, New Calendar View, Sharing with Mobile Phones, Handhelds, TiVo Make Photoshop Album 2.0 a Perfect Digital Camera Companion

SAN JOSE, Calif. ? Oct. 6, 2003 (NASDAQ: ADBE) ? Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced Adobe? Photoshop? Album 2.0, a dramatic upgrade packed with new features and usability enhancements that allow consumers to quickly and easily find, fix, share and preserve digital photo memories. With a streamlined user interface, digital photographers can utilize the Microsoft? Windows?-based software to easily organize photos, fix common photography problems and create a wider variety of greeting cards, photo books, calendars and slide shows. Sharing photos with friends and family anywhere is simple with new options that provide the industry’s most comprehensive support for sending images to mobile phones, Palm OS handhelds and TiVo? Series2 digital video recorders.

First introduced in early 2003 Photoshop Album extends Adobe’s legendary Photoshop brand to consumers and new digital camera owners.

“Digital cameras will again be the hot holiday gift item this year and Photoshop Album 2.0 is the perfect companion to round out that purchase,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Video Products at Adobe. “We’ve simplified the user interface and added more options that make organizing, editing and sharing photos with anyone, anywhere easier than ever.”

It was only announced just over a week ago, but already Steve’s Digicams has posted a First Look review of a pre-production version of the Olympus CAMEDIA C-5060 camera.

“The C-5060 sports a fast F2.8 and W-I-D-E “made to be digital” Olympus 4x zoom lens with a 27-110mm focal length (35mm equivalent.) It’s an all-glass, aspherical lens that’s further enhanced by a digital zoom function with 3.5x possible. With an optional lens adapter you can attach Wide Angle and Tele Converter lenses and filters.”

Website: Steve’s Digicams: Olympus C-5060 First Look

Digital Outback Photo have reviewed Fred Miranda’s latest software plugin for photographers, ISOx Pro, which aims to reduce noise in digital photographs captured by both digital camera files and scanned film. Find out if ISOx Pro does the job in Digital Outback Photo’s review.

“Fred got some good reputation to make noise removal easy. His latest plug-in IsoX Pro helps you to get rid of some noise. We say “some” noise as you should not try to get rid of all the noise. Why? Because noise removal and keeping the details are at odds. The more aggressive you remove the noise the more you will lose detail. Fred’s plug-in does a nice job in keeping as much detail as possible.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - ISOx Pro Plugin Review

After Photoworld.de’s recent review of the Fuji FinePix S5000 a couple of days ago, another German digital camera website, digitalkamera.de, has posted its review of the S5000. This mid-range digital camera looks like a traditional SLR (but isn’t) and has a massive 10X optical zoom that is equivalent to equivalent to 37-370mm on a 35mm camera.

Website: digitalkamera.de - Fuji FinePix S5000 Review

Professional photographer Clint Thayer has just reviewed the Nikkor 12-24mm f4 AF-S DX, which promises to give Nikon DSLR owners a wide-angle lens for the first time in a long time, albeit at a cost of $1,000 or so.

“Most digital SLR photographers are not accustomed to shooting with a true wide angle lens. For most of us, we have come to call wide angle about 25-35mm or so at the bottom end of our zooms. There has been a fairly large market for second party ultra-wide zooms, but many folks have been waiting for Nikon to come along with something very special. And they have.”

Website: Stereografx - Nikkor 12-24mm f4 AF-S DX Lens Review

Website: Stereografx

Digital Outback Photo have tested the popular Canon EF 28-135mm IS lens in conjunction with the popular Canon EOS 300D digital SLR camera, comparing this combination with the much, much more expensive Canon EOS 1Ds and Canon 70-200mm IS L lens.

“To find the right partner lens for the 300D is not trivial. Many think that the 28-135 IS lens is the right compromise for the best travel lens:

price
size
weight
reasonable optical quality
IS (image stabilization)
 
The following pictures should illustrate the situation…”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - 300D with Canon EF 28-135mm IS

CNET have published a number of digital camera reviews recently, which I didn’t notice because they keep changing the URL for their main page :-( Anyway, here are the links:

- Olympus Camedia C-740 Ultra Zoom
- Olympus Camedia C-750 Ultra Zoom
- Ricoh Caplio RR30
- Fujifilm FinePix F700

Website: CNET - Digital Cameras

Meanwhile Imaging Resource have added the second part of their “Oly E-1 in action at the US Grand Prix” article, with another 20 sample images for you to look at. The third and final part should be following “soon”...

“We’ve finally managed to finish the second part of the article now though, and present another 20 photos taken at the F1 race in Indianapolis with an Olympus E-1 digital SLR. If you’ve not read the first part of the report, we’d suggest clicking here for some background and the first batch of photos before you continue any further.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Oly E-1 in action at the US Grand Prix

DPReview have added a new section to their Olympus E-1 preview, courtesy of Les Freed, the photographer who used the E-1 at the USA Formula One Grand Prix in Indianapolis last week. Called “A Day (or three) at the Races”, this is a professional photographer’s personal observations of the E-1:

“Although I had previously used an E1 for a week, the F1 race was the first extended, all-day shoot I’ve done with the camera. Unlike the paid pros working the race, my career wasn’t on the line. But I was there to put the E-1 to the test, so I treated the race weekend as I would any other assignment - which meant that I had to get some decent pictures.

I can’t think of a more demanding event to test a camera. During the three day event, our cameras were subjected to rain, dozens of lens changes, the occasional hard knock, and very heavy use. The weather ranged from clear and sunny to heavy rain - sometimes within minutes of each other. An Olympus technical representative was present to help with questions and offer suggestions, but we were otherwise free to shoot at our leisure. “

Website: DPReview - Olympus E-1 Update

The German website Photoworld.de has reviewed the Fuji FinePix S5000, which uses Fuji’s 4th Generation Super CCD HR and sports a massive 10X optical zoom that is equivalent to equivalent to 37-370mm on a 35mm camera.

Website: Photoworld.de - Fuji FinePix S5000 Review

The German website digitalkamera.de have spotted another new development from Panasonic, shown at the Japanese entertainment electronics fair CEATEC. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 seems to be a 5-megapixel digital camera with a 28-90mm Leica lens that has a constant aperture of f/2.0. It looks like being a very classy camera to me. The Lumix DMC-LC1 has not been officially announced yet and probably won’t be released until next year.

Website: CEATEC

Website: digitalkamera.de

UPDATE 05/10/03
This camera and a few more details about it is now appearing on some of the other photography websites:

Website: letsgodigital.org

Website: Photoxels

In addition to the DMC-FZ10 Lumix, Panasonic also announced two other new digital cameras yesterday. Here’s the official press release from Panasonic for all 3 cameras:

Panasonic Press Release 02/10/03

Tokyo, Japan - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., (NYSE and PCX: MC) best known for its Panasonic-brand products, announced today it will launch three new models of digital still cameras. A high-end single-lens reflex camera DMC-FZ10 featuring a 12x super optical zoom and a four-megapixel CCD will be introduced in the Japanese market this month. A compact, easy-to-use and stylish DMC-FX5, with a 3x optical zoom and a four-megapixel CCD, and DMC-FX1, with a 3x optical zoom and three-megapixel CCD, will be introduced in November with no suggested retail prices. These three models incorporate Panasonic’s MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer (MEGA O.I.S.). The company plans to ship the equivalent models to overseas markets.

“Digital still camera market is one of the fastest growing categories in Japan”, said Shunzo Ushimaru, Director of Corporate Marketing Division for Panasonic Brand in Japan. “We estimate that total number of digital still camera shipment in Japan will be 8.1 million units, 15% growth from 2002, in the fiscal year 2003 ending March 2004. The rapid growth of digital still camera market is realized by the significant improvement of its picture quality which gets closer to that of film cameras. Panasonic also helps expanding the market with networking applications with a wide range of digital audio-video products such as TVs, DVD recorders and printers through SD Memory cards.”

LUMIX is a line of digital still cameras that integrate the world-renowned optical technology of Leica Camera AG of Germany with Panasonic’s advanced digital video technology. The three new models feature the enhanced performance newly developed Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens and Panasonic’s MEGA O.I.S. which suppresses jitter that is more conspicuous when shooting in telephoto position and shooting night scenery with slow shutter speed without using tripod. The DMC-FX5 and DMC-FX1 are the world’s first 3x optical zoom compact digital cameras that are equipped with O.I.S.

These models also incorporate VENUS Engine, the digital signal processor developed by Panasonic which enhances the image quality, boosts the processing speed and shortens the interval time between shots down to less than one second. It also enables consecutive shooting to capture up to seven full-size images for DMC-FZ10 and DMC-FX5, eight full-size images for DMC-FX1 at the speed of four frames per second.

About Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., best known for its Panasonic brand name, is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the Company recorded consolidated sales of US$61.68 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003. Matsushita’s shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo, New York, Pacific, Euronext Amsterdam, Euronext Paris, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf stock exchanges. For more information, visit the Matsushita website at http://www.panasonic.co.jp/global/top.html

Vincent Oliver, editor of Photo-i.co.uk, has published an interesting look at the role of digital cameras in stock photography, using two of his own images as examples.

“A successful stock image should be able to convey many messages, a good art director will be looking for images that create a mood or visually deliver a story line. Our image could be used for a number of conceptual ideas, ideas that may not always be obvious at the time of shooting - so take lots of pictures. For this picture I used a 2.1 mega pixel Canon S10 digital camera.”

Website: Photo-i - Taking Stock

Digital Outback Photo have added another new section to their Canon EOS 300D Experience Report. This time they look at selecting lenses to use with the 300D and some of the things that you should consider.

“What about fixed primes?
 
Fixed primes always get you the best quality for your money. But of course they are not as flexible as zooms. Also the old saying that you should move your body and not the range on your zoom is not always valid as there are situations where you have few choices to move your vantage point. Last not least switching lenses can introduce more dust to your sensor.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Selecting Lenses with the Digital Rebel