It seems that Sony are set to release an updated version of the DSC-F717. Someone has posted a photograph of the new Sony DSC-F828, claiming that it will be announced on the 16th August. As usual with Internet rumours, we’ll have to wait and see, but the photograph doesn’t look as though it was created in Photoshop to me…

Website: DP-Now Forums

About.com has enthusiastically reviewed the image management software program IMatch 3 from photools.com. This is the program that I will probably purchase and use to manage my own growing photography collection (especially after reading this review).

“If you are a photographer using a Windows system and create large numbers of image files, you will need software to organise these. IMatch looks to be one of the best systems around, with a good interface and powerful indexing and is well worth a look.

Most reviews I read of hardware and software come largely from the press releases and often include the product shots from these. This one is different, and has incurred considerable sweat and tears if not blood. I’ve installed the software and started to use it to catalogue my own collection. Previously I’ve tried most of the other software available, from cheap to expensive, and this beats them all.”

Website: About.com - IMatch 3 Review

Imaging Resource have today posted some side by side examples of shots taken with the Fuji FinePix S5000 and FinePix F700. The F700 uses Fuji’s new “SR” technology SuperCCD sensor, which pairs high and low-sensitivity photodetectors in each pixel. According to Fuji, the F700 will allow you to “capture pictures as real as life, approaching that of film for the first time…ensuring a dynamic range that is four times that of previous Super CCDs”. Imaging Resource is the first website that I know of to put this bold claim to the test, and their preliminary results certainly seem to back it up:

“As it happened, I had both a Fuji S5000 and the F700 in-house at the same time, so I shot the same subject with the two cameras just a few minutes apart. The results are impressive, nicely validating the rationale behind Fuji’s SR technology. While the S5000 quickly lost all detail in the highlights (as do most, if not all, digicams on this shot), the F700 retained a surprising amount of detail in Marti’s shirt. What I hadn’t expected, but that should have been perfectly obvious, is that the F700 had much more exposure latitude than the S5000 or other digicams I’ve shot this with. The extended tonal range means that I could get acceptable-looking images over a much broader range of exposures than is normally the case.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Fuji’s SR sensor technology - side by side results

Steve’s Digicams have take a First Look at “the world’s smallest and lightest 2-megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom”, the Minolta DiMAGE X20.

“Minolta’s legendary expertise in optical lens design has led to the creation of a unique compact folded 3x optical zoom lens with a depth of only 0.8 inches. By using a high quality prism that folds the optical path, the entire lens is positioned vertically within the body.”

Website: Steve’s Digicams - Minolta DiMAGE X20 First Look

Kyocera have announced an updated version of their FineCam S5 digital camera. The FineCam S5R is basically the same as the S5 but it “provides high-speed, full-memory consecutive shooting at approximately 3 frames per second, and features high image quality thanks to the new image processor, RTUNE.”

“High-Speed, High-Quality Photography Thanks to the New Image Processor, RTUNE
The world’s fastest full-memory consecutive shooting*1
The Finecam S5R provides the combined features of full-memory successive shooting at approximately 3 frames/second and the high pixel value of 5 million effective pixels. Furthermore, the liquid crystal monitor follows to display images in real time during consecutive shooting, so you can take photographs naturally.

*1) Compared to other compact digital cameras as of July 1, 2003
* Full-memory consecutive shooting means shooting successively until the full capacity of the memory card is used. It is available when using an SD memory card with a recording speed of at least 10MB per second for high-speed recording.”

Website: DCViews

Website: DPReview

Imaging Resource have posted their First Look at the 5 megapixel Minolta DiMAGE A1, which was announced on Thursday.

“With its panoply of features and flexible control, the new DiMAGE A1 demands serious consideration from anyone shopping at the high end of the “prosumer” digicam market.”

Website: Imaging Resource - DiMAGE A1 First Look

DCResource have reviewed the 3.2 megapixel Kyocera Finecam L3v, whose main defining feature is its large 2.5” LCD display.

“Image quality on the L3v is good, but not great. Color and exposure were both good, in most cases. My two biggest complaints are that images have a soft look to them, and that many edges are jagged, rather than smooth. Cranking up the in-camera sharpening would fix the first problem, but it may worsen the second one. Purple fringing did make an appearance, but it wasn’t a major problem. Overall I’d rate the L3v’s photos as average for the price.”

Website: DCResource - Kyocera Finecam L3v Review

I’ve posted a new PhotographyBLOG article called “Wolfgang Tillmans: Artist, Photographer, or neither?”, in which I explore my reponse to the Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition currently being held at Tate Britain in London.

“It seemed to me that Tillmans has somehow managed to forge a lucrative career out of taking snaps of his normal, everyday life…I can’t help feeling that this lack of photographic competence may have contributed to Tillmans being considered to be an artist, rather than a photographer.”

PhotographyBLOG Article: “Wolfgang Tillmans: Artist, Photographer, or neither?”

I’d almost forgotten about Pentax’s new DSLR, the *ist D, which back in May was officially delayed until the end of August due to “a delay in the procurement of material required”.

It now seems that Pentax have procured whatever it was that they needed, as this morning they have officially announced that the *ist D will begin shipping in September. So all you Pentax owners out there can now breathe a big sigh of relief!

Here’s an excerpt from the US press release:

“PENTAX U.S.A., Inc. announced that the long anticipated digital SLR *ist D camera (pronounced ist-dee) will begin shipping in September 2003* to the United States.

Housed in one of the world?s smallest, lightest SLR camera bodies, the *ist D comes equipped with an array of advanced functions and user-friendly features, including an APS-sized CCD with impressive 6.1 effective megapixels, a responsive SAFOX VIII autofocus system with 11-point AF sensor, a sophisticated 16-segment multi-pattern metering system, a bright viewfinder with a newly developed compact glass pentaprism, an innovative ?Hyper? operating system and 22 user-adjustable custom functions. The *ist D is compatible with existing PENTAX 35mm-format interchangeable lenses and accessories.*
* Some restrictions and conditions may apply to certain lenses and accessories.”

Pentax are also releasing 2 new lenses at the same time as the *ist D:

- smc PENTAX-FA J Zoom 18mm-35mm F4-F5.6 AL
- smc PENTAX-DA Zoom 16mm-45mm F4 ED AL

The DA part of the 16mm-45mm is very important. Pentax have also announced that they are developing a new DA Series of interchangeable lenses for the *ist D, with the smc PENTAX-DA Zoom 16mm-45mm F4 ED AL being the first ever lens in the DA series. The image circle in the DA-series lenses is designed to perfectly match the size of the CCD (23.5mm x 15.7mm) incorporated in Pentax’s digital SLRs, optimizing the performance of these cameras. The new design also contributes to a drastic reduction in size, weight and production cost, compared to 35mm-format counterparts with similar specifications.

No prices have yet been announced for either the *ist D body or the new lenses.
UPDATE: Luminous Landscape is reporting that the *ist D body will cost $1699 in the USA, or $1899 with the 18-35mm zoom lens (which seems like an excellent deal to me).

Website: Luminous Landscape

Several websites already have the news and the usual first looks and previews:

Website: BytePhoto

Website: DCResource

Website: DP-Now

Website: DPReview - Pentax *ist Preview

Website: Imaging Resource

Website: Steve’s Digicams

DPReview are reporting today that Foveon have released specifications for a new variant of their X3 sensor, until now only used in the Sigma SD-9 DSLR. The new sensor is 1/1.8” in size, which is the most commonly used sensor size in today’s compact digital cameras.

“The Foveon X3 5M is a 1/1.8-inch CMOS image sensor that incorporates the breakthrough Foveon X3 technology. Foveon X3 image sensors capture full-measured color images through a unique three-layer pixel sensor design. By capturing fullmeasured color images, the need for color interpolation and artifact-reducing blur filters is eliminated. As a result, the Foveon X3 5M delivers the highest effective resolution possible without color artifacts for the 1/1.8-inch optical format.”

Website: DPReview - Foveon X3 5M 1/1.8” type sensor

Luminous Landscape have taken a look at Focal Blade, a PC-only sharpening plugin for Photoshop, and have given it a glowing report:

“If you care about producing the finest possible prints of your photographs, then sharpening them appropriately is a must. With FocalBlade you are provided with the most powerful and flexible tool yet produced for image sharpening. The only problem is that you’re going to now want to go back and resharpen and reprint every image in your portfolio. It’s that good!”

Focal Blade is priced at $49.95 download only.

Website: Luminous Landscape - FocalBlade Review

Website: FocalBlade

According to Peter Sills of digitalfocus.net, Canon will announce an updated version of its EOS 1D digital SLR at the end of August.

“Canon will shortly announce a new camera, called of all things the 1Dx. According to our own sources, this new camera will be a refresh of the venerable 1D and will feature an improved 8 mpixel sensor, but the same FOV crop as the 1D. Framerate will remain unchanged as the camera gains double the number of megapixels.

Expected announcement is end of August - early September.”

Website: DPReview - Canon SLR Forum

I’ve just added 9 new wallpapers and 1 new screensaver to the Members section of PhotographyBLOG.

There are now 18 wallpapers and 2 Windows screensavers in total which feature photographs that have been posted on PhotographyBLOG. There is a choice of 2 different screen resolutions for each wallpaper and screensaver; 800x600 and 1024x768.

They are now available to download for FREE by all PhotographyBLOG members.

PhotographyBLOG Screensavers

PhotographyBLOG Wallpapers

Minolta have today announced 4 new digital cameras and a new flash unit.

The first new camera is the 5 megapixel DiMAGE A1, which improves upon the DiMAGE 7 series of digital cameras.

“Minolta introduces its next generation SLR-type digital camera, the DiMAGE A1. Abstracting the best features from the DiMAGE 7 series, the DiMAGE A1 was re-designed for today’s digital photographer. With a 5 megapixel display and a 7X optical zoom, equivalent to a 28 - 200mm 35mm zoom lens, the DiMAGE offers quality and versatility in a compact, convenient package. Offering CxProcess II, the latest image-processing technology, this camera providing the tools to fully capture the power of digital imaging. “

The new Anti-shake function minimizes the effect of camera shake, a slight blurring of the image when the camera is handheld, to provide the sharpest image possible. The Anti-shake system is valuable when shooting at long focal lengths or in low-light conditions without a tripod. This allows the camera to be handheld with exposures approximately eight times longer than usual. When using the camera at the telephoto setting, approximately 90% of the images recorded will be sharp with a shutter speed of 1/25s.

To quote Phil Askey of DPReview “The DiMAGE A1 is (as far as I know) the only digital camera to implement image stabilization (Minolta call it ‘Anti-Shake’) by mounting the CCD sensor on a movable platform controlled by two actuators (x and y axis). The system works by analyzing input from motion detectors in the camera body and producing an inverse movement in the CCD. The system can be disabled (easily by pressing a very prominent button on the rear of the camera) and can also detect a panning movement and only compensate for movement on the opposite axis.”

The DiMAGE A1 has the world’s fastest AF speed among 5-megapixel SLR-type digital cameras with a non-interchangeable 5x or greater optical zoom. With continuous AF, the DiMAGE A1 uses the new 3-D Predictive Focus Control to track the subject from the time when the shutter-release button is pressed until the exposure is made, all while ensuring optimal focus. This new predictive focus control continually follows the subject through 3D space to not only provide the sharpest images possible, but to also reduce focusing time to catch the perfect moment.

The DiMAGE A1 has an incredible top shutter speed of 1/16,000 of a second. This is not only an advantage in sport photography, but also gives greater control over depth of field in brightly lit environs by allowing the entire aperture range to be used. In low-light conditions, shutter speeds up to 30 seconds can be selected as well as thirty-second bulb exposures.

The 5.3 megapixel resolution of the CCD will produce 32.5 X 43.3 cm 150dpi prints or 16.3 X 21.7 cm photo-quality prints, thereby printing sizes larger than both A3 and A5, respectively.

The redesigned Digital Hyper Viewfinder gives the camera the same feel as an SLR. It can be tilted between 0? and 90? for comfortable shooting at low angles or in confined spaces. The viewfinder has a new precision 235,000-pixel TFT monitor, and as the viewfinder LCD is shielded, it makes the perfect tool when working under bright light.

The DiMAGE A1’s real-time histogram shows the luminance distribution of the image before it is captured. Displayed with the live image, the histogram allows the subject brightness and contrast to be evaluated to optimize the camera’s exposure and contrast controls. The luminance distribution of recorded images can be checked with a playback histogram.

Price and availability are still to be announced.

Website: Minolta Press Release

Website: DPReview - DiMAGE A1 Preview

Website: Steves Digicams - DiMAGE A1 First Look

Minolta have today announced 4 new digital cameras and a new flash unit.

The second new camera is the futuristic-looking 3 megapixel DiMAGE Z1.

“The DiMAGE Z1 is the first in an innovative series of Minolta’s new user-friendly, powerful SLR-type digital cameras. Its 10X Mega zoom, equivalent to 38-380mm 35mm camera zoom, in combination with the digital zoom, offers a 40X zoom range. The DiMAGE Z1 comes complete with a 3.2 megapixel display and weighs in at only 305g. With Minolta’s new drive mode, Rapid AF, and minimal shutter release lag time, this compact, stylish digital camera has all the necessary imaging tools to capture high-quality digital images.”

The 10X Mega-zoom is a fast f2.8 - f3.5 lens allowing fast shutter speeds for sport or natural-light photography. The ten-element, seven-group design employs two aspheric lenses to minimise aberrations and produce sharp images.

The Z1 has a 0.3 second focusing time at a focal length of 5.8mm and 0.4 seconds at 59mm, giving the DiMAGE Z1 the world’s fastest AF among digital cameras with a built-in 10X or greater optical zoom.

The Z1 has a new drive mode called Progressive Capture. Six frames are saved when using standard continuous advance, and 10 frames when using Ultra High Speed (UHS) continuous advance. Standard continuous advance records at approximately 1.5 fps at any image size or quality setting. UHS continuous advance records 1.2 megapixel images at 10 fps.

The DiMAGE Z1 is not limited to capturing static images - high-quality VGA (640 X 480) movies can be recorded at 30fps.

Price and availability are still to be announced.

Website: Minolta Press Release

Website: DPReview - DiMAGE Z1 News

Website: Steves Digicams - DiMAGE Z1 First Look

Minolta have today announced 4 new digital cameras and a new flash unit.

The third new camera is the 3 megapixel DiMAGE E323.

“The new DiMAGE E323 is Minolta’s latest 3.3 megapixel compact digital camera. Complete with extensive zoom capabilities, combining its 3X optical zoom with its digital zoom provides a 12X zoom range. Ideal for the casual photographer, it produces high-quality images and offers value-added features in a convenient and attractive package.”

Equipped with a 3X optical zoom, the DiMAGE E323 has a focal range of 5.6mm to 16.8mm, which is equivalent to a 36 - 108mm zoom on a 35mm camera. The maximum aperture of f/2.8 - 4.9 allows the camera to be used in less than ideal lighting conditions without the need of the flash. For those occasions requiring larger prints, the camera automatically resizes the captured data to create a 6-megapixel image. This allows the production of A3-size 150dpi prints or A4-size 300dpi prints.

Price and availability are still to be announced.

Website: Minolta Press Release

Minolta have today announced 4 new digital cameras and a new flash unit.

The fourth new camera is the 5 megapixel DiMAGE G500.

“The new DiMAGE G500 is a responsive, easy-to-use digital camera that provides high-quality 5 megapixel images. In spite of the small size of this stylish compact camera, the DiMAGE G500 packs powerful imaging controls for beautiful pictures and a dual memory-card slot for flexible storage solutions.”

Price and availability are still to be announced.

Minolta Europe don’t mention this on their website, but DPReview have picked up the news, so I’ll direct you to their website for the full details about the DiMAGE G500.

Website: DPReview - Minolta DiMAGE G500

Minolta have today announced 4 new digital cameras and a new flash unit.

The new flash unit is called the Program Flash 2500 (D) and is compatible with both Minolta film and digital cameras.

“Minolta is pleased to introduce the latest addition to its series of powerful flash units, the Minolta Program Flash 2500 (D). This flash is characterized by powerful, automatic performance enclosed in a compact, affordable unit. The Program Flash 2500 (D) is compatible with the Dynax SLR film cameras, the DiMAGE 7 series digital cameras, as well as the new DiMAGE A1.”

Price and availability are still to be announced.

Website: Minolta Press Release

“U.S. officials are preparing a warning to airlines alerting them to watch out for travelers carrying electronic devices that may be carrying small weapons or bombs.

The warning, which is due Tuesday, follows raids of al Qaeda safe houses which turned up evidence the group is trying to modify electronic devices to carry small weapons or explosives, administration officials told CNN.

A camera flash was found being modified to convert to, or carry, a stun gun, the officials said.

There is also, from interrogations, a concern about toys, specifically “stuffed animal toys.”

Several news agencies yesterday reported that US airport security staff have been instructed to check electronic devices as a potential terroist threat, including cameras and flash guns. So if you’re travelling to the USA fully expect to have your camera checked by airport officials when you check-in.

Website: MSNBC News

Website: CNN

Photo.net have published a review of the recently released Canon G5 by one of their readers, Jeff Spirer.

“It?s important to frame this review in the context of what and how I shoot. I don’t test cameras. Generally, I?m a street shooter, including people shots and my own twisted view of the world as we have built it. I don?t shoot nature (although I shot a tree for this review), sunsets, seascapes, or pets, but I do shoot portraits and I make some money doing music events and occasional photojournalism.”

Website: Photo.net - Canon G5 Review