On the back of the latest issue of Amateur Photographer magazine (9th August 2003) is a full-page advert for the Fuji FinePix F700 zoom digital camera. Nothing unusual in that, you might say, except that the launch of the F700 has been delayed several times since it was first announced in February, just before PMA 2003. It seems that the F700 will finally hit the shops in the next month or so, although there’s still no official word of a launch date or price.

Interestingly Fuji have also just added the F700 Brochure and the Owners Manual to their website as downloads.

Here’s a reminder of why the Fuji F700 could prove to be a significant development in digital photography:

“The first digital camera to incorporate Fujifilm’s innovative Fourth Generation Super CCD SR technology. Set to be a hot topic amongst enthusiasts, this new sensor technology enables the user to capture highlight and shadow detail missed by conventional digital cameras, resulting in images of stunning quality. Fujifilm has dubbed this advance ‘High Fidelity Photography?’, a reference to the sensor’s extraordinarily faithful rendition of detail.”

Website: http://www.highfidelityphotography.co.uk

Website: Fuji F700 Zoom webpage

Canon have just announced the Bubble Jet i560 A4 inkjet printer, which uses single ink technology to provide individually replaceable ink tanks for all colours.

The Bubble Jet i560 is the first Bubble Jet printer released by Canon to support the new PictBridge standard for connecting digital cameras and digital camcorders direct to printers via a USB cable ? providing convenient, quick and easy photo printing.  Any PictBridge compatible camera ? regardless of manufacturer ? can now be connected directly and used to drive the printer without the need to first transfer images onto a PC. The i560 delivers print speeds of 22ppm mono and 15ppm colour and is capable of producing 19 million droplets of ink per second at true 4800 dpi resolution.

Full colour 4? x 6? borderless photographs can now be printed in just 50 seconds, three times faster than competing products.  Each row of dedicated 2 pl nozzles is matched with a row of 5 pl nozzles to allow high speed printing of graphics and solid areas of colours.  Unlike competitors, the Bubble Jet i560 can eject large ink and small ink droplets at the same time, permitting high speed printing in high-resolution mode.

The Bubble Jet i560 will be available from September 2003 for around ?149 inc VAT.

Website: Canon - Bubble Jet Printers

Photoxels have also just reviewed the 5 megapixel Canon PowerShot S50, an updated version of the 4 megapixel S45.

“Overall, I enjoyed using the S50. Even after two weeks of use, there are still features of this camera I haven’t tried yet. The Canon PowerShot S50 is a digital camera a beginner amateur photographer will enjoy growing into. For serious amateur photographers, the Canon PowerShot S50 provides all the exposure control they need for quality creative photography.”

Website: Photoxels - Canon PowerShot S50 Review

ePhotoZine have published another review of a portable storage solution, following their recent review of the X’S Drive II. This time they take a look at the Innoplus Phototainer, a device with a large 20Gb hard drive and 3.5” LCD screen so that you can view the images that you have copied onto it.

“The Phototainer is certainly an interesting device which will no doubt appeal to many photographers. The ability to check your photos have actually been safely stored onto the device and to be able to check them on such a large screen is a distinct benefit.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Innoplus Phototainer Review

Website: Innoplus Phototainer Specification

DPReview have today published their review of the HP Photosmart 935, a 5 megapixel digital camera with 3x optical zoom lens.

“Image quality is certainly an improvement over previous HP models, with each iteration of cameras HP address issues raised and improves, the 935 has actually only a couple of image processing related issues (moir? color artifacts for one) which I’m sure we’ll see solved in the next camera.”

Website: DPReview - HP Photosmart 935

DPReview have today published their review of the 5 megapixel Canon PowerShot S50, an updated version of the 4 megapixel S45.

“While it’s true that the S50 carries all of the excellent features, control and image processing from the S45 it can’t be said that the lens is as good a match for the sensor as it was with the four megapixel unit. This is clearly visible in the strong chromatic aberrations which can occur (this is the same thing we experienced with the G5).”

Website: DPReview - Canon PowerShot S50 Review

Olympus have announced to a new addition to their range of stylish digital compact cameras.

“The C-450ZOOM is ideal for capturing spontaneous moments at parties or on holiday in fantastic quality. To let you snap away without worrying about the settings, it is packed with an array of precision metering functions plus a selection of scene programs, including landscape and night scene. Thanks to the four megapixel resolution and image optimisation functions the results impress with their clarity, even when printed in large format. Ideal for newcomers looking for a first-class start in digital photography, this 3x compact zoom is topped by an attractive price.”

The main features of the CAMEDIA C-450ZOOM are:

- 4.0 million pixels for image processing
- 3x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 35-105 mm) and 4x digital zoom
- Large LCD monitor (1.8 inch) 
- Full auto program and four scene programs for easy shooting
- Multi-language menu
- QuickTime motion JPEG for movie recording
- Multiple functions such as image rotation, B/W, sepia, panorama and 2-in-1
- Saves images on the ultra-compact xD-Picture Card
- USB AutoConnect for fast data transfer and video out

Website: Olympus Press Release

Website: DCViews

28MM is an online photography magazine that showcases traditional, digital, and lo-tech photography by amateur, hobbyist, and professional photographers. The new August issue is now online, featuring some great photography by the likes of Emsese Gaal (Photote), Sean Slavin (NoWhere Photography) and Sensiti (Sensitive Light).

Website: 28mm.org

PhotographyBLOG reader Mike Strock has reminded me that Lexar have started shipping a 4Gb compact flash card. Retailing at $1,499 and capable of storing around 600 RAW files froma digital SLR like the Canon EOS 10D, this card is aimed firmly at the professional photographer. Here’s an eye-opening quote from Gizmodo.com:

“Four gigabytes is enough to store as many as 45,000 JPEGs, which is probably more photographs than the average person will take in their entire lifetime.”

Website: DPReview - Lexar ships 4 GB 40x Compact Flash

Website: Gizmodo - 4GB CompactFlash memory card

7dayshop.com are now selling the new 100 speed version of Fuji Velvia. The UK RRP is ?5.95 per 35mm roll, but 7dayshop are selling it for just ?3.29.

“Fuji’s brand new and multi award winning Velvia 100F has now arrived at 7dayshop.com…

...enthusiast and professional photographers everywhere will appreciate the extra speed
and versatility that this superb new Fuji professional colour slide film offers.

Already voted as “Slide Film of the Year” by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) and Practical Photography Magazine this film is sure to be the new standard by which all others will be judged. Certainly if 7dayshop.com pre-sales are anything to go by, we have yet another best selling Fujifilm product in our product line up too !”

Website: 7dayshop.com - Fuji Velvia 100F

Digital Camera Magazine is running a feature about British landmarks in it’s next issue (September), and is asking its readers to submit their photographs. There are no prizes for submitting, but you could get to see your photograph in print. Here’s the details:

“This week, we’re giving you the chance to feature your photographs in the magazine. Our next Top 10 feature is all about great British landmarks - and we want to see your best efforts! They could be shots of Big Ben, Stonehenge, The Angel of the North or the BioDomes at The Eden Project - whatever’s your favourite landmark.”

Website: www.dcmag.co.uk

Epson have just announced the PhotoPC L-400, a 4 megapixel digicam with 3x optical zoom. The L-400’s battery life certainly sounds promising:

“To offer the user maximum flexibility and cost effectiveness, the Epson PhotoPC energy management system allows standard AA batteries to take 500 Photos before they need replacing or recharging - useful for families abroad or away from electronic retail outlets.”

The Epson PhotoPC L-400 will be available at the start of September and will cost around ?329.

Website: ePhotoZine - Epson PhotoPC L-400

Although no official announcement has been made by Kodak, the new 5 megapixel Kodak EasyShare DX4530 is set to hit stores in September. The new digicam is already listed on Amazon.com and has been spotted in Dixons stores in the UK, retailing for ?399.

Website: DCResource - Kodak EasyShare DX4530

According to a thread by Graeme Knox on the DP-Now.com forums, a new upgraded version of the popular Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi digicam has been seen in New Zealand. It will be called the Minolta DiMAGE A1 and will have the following specification:

SLR type 5 Megapixel Digital Camera
7 x Optical (28 - 200mm) zoom
Super-fast AF system
Flash sync terminal
Image Stabilizer
Pivoting Screen
Uses Proprietary Battries

DP-Now have also posted an article about the new DiMAGE A1:

Website: DP-Now

The DiMAGE A1 will apparently cost NZ$2499.00 (which converts to ?908.50 / $1,463.62 / 1,295.48 EUR) and be available in October.

The website Photography at About has published an interesting 5 part article which looks at the major new digital SLRs of 2003, the Pentax *ist D, Nikon D2H, Canon 10D and Olympus E1. If you’re currently trying to decide whether to make the leap to a digital SLR and which particular model you should buy, then this article provides a good overview of the current market.

“Although there seem to be several announcements of new digital cameras most weeks, few of these are of much interest to professional photographers. Progress in developing usable professional cameras often seems to be very slow. Pentax had a 6Mp ‘full-frame’ digital SLR in 2001, and some preliminary reviews based on prototypes appeared at the time, but we are still waiting to see an actual product.”

Website: Photography at About - “New Digital Cameras”

Bob Atkins from Photo.net has written a comparative review of 3 affordable Canon standard zooms, coupled with the Canon EOS 10D. As usual Bob’s article is very well-written and thorough, with lots of test shots and samples.

“Canon currently have a number of choices for a general purpose zoom lens. Three of the choices are the 28-90/4-5.6 (USM and non-USM), the 28-105/3.5-4.5 USM and the 28-135/3.5-5.6 IS USM and these span the range from around $100 to $400 - so one of these lenses will probably fit your budget!”

Website: Photo.net - Canon Consumer Zooms

Mike Johnston’s Sunday Morning Photographer column tidies up a few loose ends before he goes on vacation, including the replies that he received about his recent “Where the heck is digital black and white?” article.

“Perhaps predictably, I heard from more people who agreed than disagreed with what I had to say. Only four people who wrote professed to be totally happy with the way they make black-and-white prints from digital files.”

Website: Sunday Morning Photographer - “Odds and Ends”

Luminous Landscape has published a new article about an aspect of digital photography that is widely misunderstood; Photoshop’s Unsharp Mask filter. “Understanding the Digital Unsharp Mask” aims to clearly explain what this filter actually does, once and for all.

“Apparently, I have not been alone in feeling that the digital implementation of Unsharp Mask (USM) was one of the great mysteries of the universe. The USM dialogue has three sliders ? Amount, Radius, Threshold. They all have an effect, but finding an optimal setting seemed a hit and miss process because one never knew quite what the sliders were actually doing.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - “Understanding the Digital Unsharp Mask”

Digital Outback Photo have reviewed 2 new software plugins for Photoshop and other compatible programs, which they consider to be an essential part of their digital workflow. Colour Washer makes it easy to improve the contrast and the exposure of an image, whilst Focal Blade is a very flexible sharpening plugin. They are both priced at $49.95 download only, or $59.95 on CD, and both are only available for PC.

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Photoshop Plugins Review

Digital Camera Resource have posted their final review of a production version of the Nikon Coolpix 5400.

“The Nikon Coolpix 5400 is a vast improvement over the 5000, placing it among the best of the full-featured 5 Megapixel cameras. Photo quality is excellent, with low noise, purple fringing, and redeye. Exposures were also much better than on the CP5000.”

Website: DCResource - Nikon Coolpix 5400 Review