News
Imaging Resource have posted a quick review of the very futuristic-looking 3.2 megapixel Minolta DiMAGE Z1. This new 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.
“I was quite impressed though, with the way the Z1 combined a novice-friendly design with a surprising array of advanced features to satisfy more expert users. Both the price point and battery life are also impressive. Minolta also has a great track record for high-quality lenses on their digicams, so I’m expecting good things of the Z1’s optics. Final judgment will have to await my in-depth testing of a production model, but based on this First Look, the Z1 is definitely going to be a long-zoom digicam to watch.”
Imaging Resource have posted a quick review of the very futuristic-looking 3.2 megapixel Minolta DiMAGE Z1. This new 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. “I was quite impressed though, with…
Sony Japan have just released the first ever sample images from the new DSC-F828 8-megapixel digital camera, due to ship sometime in November. There are 2 ISO 100 images for you to take a look at and evaluate, with full-sized originals available. Unfortunately for Sony, both shots look very noisy for ISO 100, especially when compared with a digital SLR like the Canon EOS 300D. It seems as though they may have crammed too many megapixels into too small a sensor…
Thanks to Ryan Carter for the tip-off :-)
Website: Sony Japan - DSC-F828 Sample Images Index Page
Sony Japan have just released the first ever sample images from the new DSC-F828 8-megapixel digital camera, due to ship sometime in November. There are 2 ISO 100 images for you to take a look at and evaluate, with full-sized originals available. Unfortunately for Sony, both shots look very noisy…
Fujifilm Press Release 18/09/03
Fujifilm has announced a new range of digital card readers and storage products. These powerful devices, part of Fujifilm’s ever-expanding range of digital accessories and media, can be slotted straight into your PC or Mac for speedy file access and transfer.
Fujifilm xD-Picture Card(tm) USB Pen Drive & MP3 player - DPD-MP3
Music and images on the move
If you like gadgets, you’ll love Fujifilm’s new silver xD-Picture Card(tm) reader. At a price of less than ?50 you can use the reader as a smart digital wallet to store all types of files, whilst the in-built MP3 player allows you to listen to your favourite music tracks on the move.
Just plug the USB drive into your computer and transfer your files in one simple manoeuvre. Exclusive to the xD-Picture Card(tm), this wearable device comes complete with headphones, AAA battery and Roxio software (Windows 98, Me, NT4.0, 2000, XP), which allows you to convert music tracks to and from MP3, copy, play and burn digital music to CD/DVD.
Available late October / early November 2003. Price: ?49.99
Fujifilm Press Release 18/09/03 Fujifilm has announced a new range of digital card readers and storage products. These powerful devices, part of Fujifilm’s ever-expanding range of digital accessories and media, can be slotted straight into your PC or Mac for speedy file access and transfer. Fujifilm xD-Picture Card(tm) USB Pen…
PhotographyBLOG reader Sean McCormick is one of the first people in the world to own a shiny new Canon EOS 300D, and to mark the occasion he has allowed me to publish his initial impressions…
“My 300D just arrived and I let the battery charge halfway before starting to play with it. Here are my first impressions in no particular order:
1. It feels “good” to hold. The grip is just the right size and I love that they thought out a place to put your thumb on the back. The camera itself feels very rugged, despite the carping I’ve read about the plastic body.
2. The controls are all very easy for me to access. I think I could get used to manipulating them without having to look at them, as I do with my DiMAGE 7. I was able to figure out 90% of them without having to refer to the manual, including the menu system.
3. The LCD display on this thing is top notch, and fairly visible in bright light.
4. The metering at default settings in this camera is *very good*. I played around with some high contrast situations and the camera’s chosen setting were practically identical to what I came up with taking an incident reading on my Sekonic L-508 exposure meter. The camera does tend to overexpose slightly and I’ll dial it down to compensate when using the built-in meter.
5. Picture quality at 800 ISO and 1600 ISO is bloody amazing, at least for those of us who have spent the last two years using a Minolta DiMAGE 7. The idea of a digital camera that turns out high quality images above 200 ISO just boggles my mind.
6. The autofocus on this thing is *fast*. Keep in mind that I’m used to a Minolta Maxxum 7000 and a Minolta DiMAGE 7. Those of you with Nikon F4s may hate it.
7. The diopter is useless for near sighted people. Guess I’m going to have to get contacts.
8. The basic kit includes the camera body, 18-55 mm lens, battery and charger, cheapie camera strap, manuals, video/USB cables, and software. The camera doesn’t come with a case, which is disappointing. The strap has already been thrown into my “cheap crap that I’ll never look at again” drawer.
That’s it so far. I’ll have some sample images up next week. So far I’m pretty blown away by the quality of camera and lens I’ve gotten for the money I paid.”
PhotographyBLOG reader Sean McCormick is one of the first people in the world to own a shiny new Canon EOS 300D, and to mark the occasion he has allowed me to publish his initial impressions… “My 300D just arrived and I let the battery charge halfway before starting to play…
Wouldn’t it be great if you could take photographs without using a camera or pressing the shutter release button? Wouldn’t it be even better if you could look cool and trendy at the same time?!
That idea could soon become a reality, as Hewlett Packard have created a prototype pair of sunglasses that have a camera built into them. The camera apparently takes a constant stream of photos of what the sunglass wearer is viewing, so there is no decisive moment as such. The camera uses a metadata system to record information about the composition and subject matter of each image, which helps to sort out the good images from the bad ones.
Somewhat predictably, some people are already up in arms about the potential misuse of this technology:
“It’s a cool piece of technology but frankly the idea of people wandering around wearing sunglasses photographing me all the time is really disturbing,” said technology analyst Bill Thompson.
“HP need to look at the implications on privacy and stuff like that before they flood the market with these.”
What do you think? Are HP onto a winner with the whole camera sunglasses idea? Or is it destined for the black hole of forgotten technology?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could take photographs without using a camera or pressing the shutter release button? Wouldn’t it be even better if you could look cool and trendy at the same time?! That idea could soon become a reality, as Hewlett Packard have created a prototype pair…
Olympus Korea have posted no less than 43 sample photos taken with the new Olympus E-1 and a variety of different lenses. There are full-sized original versions for each photo and the complete EXIF data has also been included.
Website: Olympus Korea - E-1 Sample Images
Olympus Korea have posted no less than 43 sample photos taken with the new Olympus E-1 and a variety of different lenses. There are full-sized original versions for each photo and the complete EXIF data has also been included. Website: Olympus Korea - E-1 Sample Images
Digital Domain Inc., the software company responsible for the popular printing application Qimage, have announced the availability of a new range of ICC printer profiles. There are printer profiles available for the Epson Stylus 2200, Epson Stylus 1270, Epson Stylus Pro 7600/9600 and Canon i950 printers and a number of different paper types. Each profile costs $25, with discounts available if you purchase a particular profile set.
“Perhaps you have discovered that the color of your prints is not accurate or that your prints do not match your monitor. With the myriad of different papers (and even inks) available for printers these days, there is a high probability that you will encounter problems with color accuracy in prints at some point…ICC profiles offer the ability to manage color properly to ensure accurate output on various devices. “
Digital Domain Inc., the software company responsible for the popular printing application Qimage, have announced the availability of a new range of ICC printer profiles. There are printer profiles available for the Epson Stylus 2200, Epson Stylus 1270, Epson Stylus Pro 7600/9600 and Canon i950 printers and a number of…
Fred Miranda has released 2 new software plugins which are compatible with Photoshop Elements 1.0 / 2.0, Photoshop 5.5, 6.0, 7.0 or higher and available for PC and MAC platforms.
Shadow Recovery Pro is designed for use with all digital cameras and scanned film. It can be used to recover hidden shadow detail. SR Pro replaces lengthy and complicated masking techniques, speeding your workflow and leaving you with very natural and reliable results.
Canon 10D Profiler is a package of 2 Photoshop actions and 2 custom ICC profiles, which can be used with 10D RAW files converted to 16-bit linear Tiff files or non-linear JPEG/Tiff files.
Website: Fred Miranda
Fred Miranda has released 2 new software plugins which are compatible with Photoshop Elements 1.0 / 2.0, Photoshop 5.5, 6.0, 7.0 or higher and available for PC and MAC platforms. Shadow Recovery Pro is designed for use with all digital cameras and scanned film. It can be used to recover…
After waiting patiently for the last 3 months, I’ve finally received the results of my City and Guilds Level 2 Photography course.
It seems that that all the hard work, late nights and swearing back in April, May and June was well worth it, as I’ve passed with flying colours :-)
It’s also a good thing that the results have turned up, as I’m starting Level 3 tomorrow!
After waiting patiently for the last 3 months, I’ve finally received the results of my City and Guilds Level 2 Photography course. It seems that that all the hard work, late nights and swearing back in April, May and June was well worth it, as I’ve passed with flying colours…
I’ve updated PhotographyBLOG’s newest feature, the “Public Poll”, with a new question. The current question is now “What kind of cameras do you currently own?”. Select as many camera options as you own, then click Vote.
The Canon EOS 300D is the new digital camera that you are most excited about, after it won the first ever PhotographyBLOG Public Poll with 284 votes. The Sony Cybershot DSC-F828 was well-beaten in second place with 147 votes, with the Fuji Finepix S7000 third with 119 votes.
I’ve updated PhotographyBLOG’s newest feature, the “Public Poll”, with a new question. The current question is now “What kind of cameras do you currently own?”. Select as many camera options as you own, then click Vote. The Canon EOS 300D is the new digital camera that you are most excited…
On the 10th September I received this email from the Managing Director of BonusPrint, Anthony Ward:
“Hi Mark,
I enjoyed reading your photography blog review of online printing services. We have made an alteration to the colour database of our d-labs, and I would be very grateful if you would have another look at us. Please let me know what you think!
Agfa have made a change to the image database of the d-lab that only one of their top boffins would be able to explain. The practical effect of this is to remove some yellow!
Thanks
Anthony Ward
MD, Bonusprint”
So I submitted the same images again to try and find out if there was any noticeable difference in the print quality from BonusPrint. I’ve now received the prints, so read on to find out if the quality has improved or not…
On the 10th September I received this email from the Managing Director of BonusPrint, Anthony Ward: “Hi Mark, I enjoyed reading your photography blog review of online printing services. We have made an alteration to the colour database of our d-labs, and I would be very grateful if you would…
Imaging Resource have reviewed the Canon PowerShot SD100 (also known as the Digital IXUS II). This is a 3.2-megapixel compact digicam with a 2x optical lens, equivalent to a 35-70mm zoom on a 35mm camera, and SD memory card format support.
“With the same sharp design and a slightly smaller size than preceding members of the ELPH line, the SD100 features the characteristic ELPH styling that has proved so popular among consumers. The compact size is perfect for quickly stashing in a pocket or purse without worrying about damaging the rugged, all-metal body. The retracting lens is a smart design that keeps the camera front completely flat when the camera is off, underscoring the camera’s pocket friendly design, while an automatic lens cover means you don’t have to worry about smudging the lens or losing a lens cap.”
Imaging Resource have reviewed the Canon PowerShot SD100 (also known as the Digital IXUS II). This is a 3.2-megapixel compact digicam with a 2x optical lens, equivalent to a 35-70mm zoom on a 35mm camera, and SD memory card format support. “With the same sharp design and a slightly smaller…
DPReview 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…
“It seems a pity therefore that the first SuperCCD SR digital camera simply doesn’t produce images that visibly have any more dynamic range than other traditional CCD digital cameras. Certainly in technical side-by-side tests it is possible to detect a little extra dynamic range but it doesn’t extend as far as we had expected nor has it delivered smooth highlights or extended shadow detail. On the contrary Fujifilm appear to have chosen a particularly contrasty tone curve for the F700 which means that it clips shadows to black far earlier than we would like, in addition overexposed areas of the image tend to clip harshly with an almost immediate pixel level transition from detail to pure white.”
Website: DPReview - Fuji FinePix F700 Review
DPReview 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…
DPReview have today 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.
“The S5000 is a photographers camera, it is design to look and feel like a compact SLR with its deep hand grip, wide lens barrel, large eyepiece and rubberized body coating it appeals to the professional photographer element in all of us. In addition the camera will certainly be smaller and lighter than you expect, with its weight primarily in the palm of your hand (the four AA batteries) the camera also has good balance.”
Website: DPReview - Fuji FinePix S5000 Review
DPReview have today 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. “The S5000 is a photographers camera, it is design to look and feel like a compact…
A-Digital-Eye have got hold of a production version of the Canon EOS 300D and have posted their first impressions of the camera, along with a large number of sample images.
“Overall, we found the camera performed wonderfully and the final image quality is very comparable to the Canon 10D. We like the slightly more saturated colors along with the overall look obtained as the outdoor white balance is excellent and metering was very accurate. The images we obtained still looked neutral and mostly similar to the great results many get with the 10D. We did note that in some situations the camera can slightly overexpose the picture by about 1/3 of an F-Stop, with slightly blown out whites in a few instances (which we also noted in the 10D).”
A-Digital-Eye have got hold of a production version of the Canon EOS 300D and have posted their first impressions of the camera, along with a large number of sample images. “Overall, we found the camera performed wonderfully and the final image quality is very comparable to the Canon 10D. We…
Nikon USA have announced prices for the new professional D2H DSLR and associated accessories. The D2H body only will retail for $3,999.00 - Imaging Resource has posted the complete price list.
Website: Imaging Resource - Nikon D2H Pricing
Meanwhile, Imaging Resource have removed the sample images that they posted at the weekend. Apparently the cameras that they were given to use by Nikon USA were very early pre-production samples and therefore not at all indicative of the final finished product.
“While I and the other journalists attending Nikon’s “Gravity Games” event were told that the cameras we were shooting with were “very close” to final production, I have since been informed that they were in fact much earlier-stage prototypes than we were initially told. Accordingly, Nikon has asked that I remove the images previously posted here until such time as final production-level units are available to test.
Apologies for the confusion over this, it appears that Nikon US was as much surprised by this as all of us are.”
Nikon USA have announced prices for the new professional D2H DSLR and associated accessories. The D2H body only will retail for $3,999.00 - Imaging Resource has posted the complete price list. Website: Imaging Resource - Nikon D2H Pricing Meanwhile, Imaging Resource have removed the sample images that they posted at…
Rob Galbraith’s website is reporting that Canan Canada have recently reduced the prices of several digital SLR cameras, “L” series lenses, teleconvertors and the 550ex Speedlite flash unit. The EOS 10D, EOS-1D and EOS-1Ds have all dropped in price by several hundred dollars. No similar price decreases have (yet?) been announced in the USA or the UK. Let me know if Canon have made a similar announcement in your part of the world…
Rob Galbraith’s website is reporting that Canan Canada have recently reduced the prices of several digital SLR cameras, “L” series lenses, teleconvertors and the 550ex Speedlite flash unit. The EOS 10D, EOS-1D and EOS-1Ds have all dropped in price by several hundred dollars. No similar price decreases have (yet?) been…
If this thread over on the DP-Review forums is anything to go by, it seems that the Canon EOS 300D has started to ship and should be in your local store very soon. Well, at least if you live in the USA, anyway. The first post features the usual cat photos that all new digital camera owners seem to take :-) I’m awaiting the first “My 300D doesn’t focus properly” thread with baited breath…
If this thread over on the DP-Review forums is anything to go by, it seems that the Canon EOS 300D has started to ship and should be in your local store very soon. Well, at least if you live in the USA, anyway. The first post features the usual cat…
As part of their interactive preview of the new Olympus E-1 DSLR, DP-Now have just posted 7 sample images taken with a pre-production unit at a variety of different ISO speeds.
“A Zip archive of seven original E-1 images taken by me is now available for download.
The archive is 23MB and will take at least an hour to download using a typical dial-up connection, though rather more quickly over a broadband connection.
If the bandwidth hit is excessive, I can’t guarantee the download will remain available.
Please share your thoughts on the images once you have downloaded them here on this forum!”
Website: DP-Now - Olympus E-1 Sample Images
As part of their interactive preview of the new Olympus E-1 DSLR, DP-Now have just posted 7 sample images taken with a pre-production unit at a variety of different ISO speeds. “A Zip archive of seven original E-1 images taken by me is now available for download. The archive is…
Toshiba have announded their most advanced digital camera to date. The PDR-5300 boasts 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 accommodates different types of users and levels of skill, from the discerning photographer requiring total manual control over shooting functions to the weekend digicam enthusiast who wants a high-performing, easy-to-use camera to capture special moments,? said Doug Freck, Vice President/General Manager, Toshiba Imaging Systems.”
The PDR-5300 has an RRP of $399 and will ship later this month.
Website: Toshiba USA
Toshiba have announded their most advanced digital camera to date. The PDR-5300 boasts 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 accommodates different types of users and levels of skill, from the discerning photographer…