Printing camera phone photos at retail over the counter nearly doubled between 2007 and 2008, according to a new study from InfoTrends. “As more retailers are adding photo printing capabilities to their stores and awareness about these capabilities has increased, InfoTrends expects continued growth in the printing of camera phone photos at retail locations. Retailers can capitalize even more on this growth by marketing their digital photo printing capabilities, particularly in relation to printing directly from camera phones.” commented David Haueter, an Associate Director at InfoTrends. Photo kiosk print stations also increased in popularity, realizing almost the same level of growth.

Buy-n-Shoot have reviewed the new Samsung NV4 camera, which features dual image stabilization and improved noise reduction.

“There is no doubt that the multiple functionality of the Samsung NV4 is highly likable and suitable for today’s lifestyle considering it is one compact unit that acts as three or four different multimedia devices yet it is portable enough to carry at all times. I highly recommend this unit for a person who is somewhat technically proficient and looking for an entry-level camera that provides solid results with minimal effort.”

Website: Buy-n-Shoot - Samsung NV4 Reviewtarget=“_blank”

PopPhoto have reviewed the Sony A200, a 10 megapixel, entry-level DSLR camera with 2.7 inch LCD screen and a maximum ISO speed of 3200.

“Overall, image quality was Excellent from ISO 100 through 800. It slipped to Extremely High at ISO 1600-3200, when noise reduction, a default setting, kicked in at the expense of resolution. This dropped to 1725 lines at ISO 3200 from 2150 lines on average at lower ISOs. The A200 also fared very well in our noise tests, slightly edging out Canon’s Rebel XSi from ISO 100 through 800. But even at lower sensitivities, its noise advantage costs the Sony resolution: The Canon beats it by about 100 lines at ISO 100.”

Website: PopPhoto - Sony A200 Review

Website: Read our Sony A200 Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Canon PIXMA iP100, a new compact and portable printer offering exceptional print quality.

“Despite its high running costs, and to some extent the high purchase price if you include the lithium ion battery, this is an excellent portable printer. To those that need to print away from the mains, perhaps in a car or even on-site, in the middle of a field, the Canon PIXMA iP100 produces prints close to the quality of its desktop siblings, at very respectable speeds and with a minimum of fuss. It can even be hitched up as a Bluetooth printer with an optional USB adapter.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon PIXMA iP100 Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Nikon P80, a 10 megapixel digital camera with an 18x zoom lens.

“As bridge cameras go, the Nikon Coolpix P80 is okay, but there are reservations. While the handling is generally good and instinctual, it feels a bit of a lightweight and it’s not the most responsive in the world. Image quality is average too, with good exposure and colour, but it’s let down by fringing and noise.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Nikon P80 Review

Website: Read our Nikon Coolpix P80 Review

DigiCamReview have reviewed the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35, a new 25mm ultra wide-angle compact camera.

” Image quality is very good - with excellent colour, and high levels of saturation, contrast and detail. Noise levels were higher than average, but results were good at ISO400 or below and prints made from this camera looked excellent, and detail was very good. There was some red eye in group photos, but purple fringing was very low.”

Website: DigiCamReview - Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 Review

The winner of the 2008 Fujifilm Student Awards is David Wala from Newcastle College. This year’s Awards were run in conjunction with Penguin Books and the brief was to provide a cover for the re-issued version of Ralph Ellison’s 1952 masterpiece, Invisible Man. David’s winning image will now grace the cover when the book is released as part of Penguin’s Modern Classics series, and he also wins £200 of Fujifilm Professional film, a library of 100 Penguin Classics titles and a copy of the book, ‘Seven Hundred Penguins’. The 2009 Fujifilm Student Awards will be launched in September.

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Casio EX-F1 camera, which features the world’s fastest burst shooting performance of 60fps.

“Casio’s EXILIM EX-F1 promises features no digital camera on the market has offered before, and it delivers - with some reservations. The camera’s strongest suit is the option to shoot up to 60 full-res 6-megapixel images in a second. Combined with a sophisticated prerecord capability that continually captures images to a buffer when you half-press the shutter and saves the most recent ones to memory when push the shutter all the way, the tools you need to never miss another great shot are at hand.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Casio EX-F1 Review

Kata has added 7 new holsters and pouches to its DPS range of camera bags. The new Kata DH-421 is designed to fit most compact camera sizes, whilst the Kata DH-423 and Kata DH-425 provide protection for small to medium DSLRs. There are also four new point and shoot pouches (the Kata DF-404, DF-406, DF-408 and DHP 485. Prices range from £9.95 for the Kata DF-404, to £29.95 for the Kata DH-425.

The Inside Digital Photo radio show has added The McNamara Report, which will feature reviews and industry analysis from Michael J. McNamara. With over 25 years as a professional photographer and over 17 years experience testing film, digital cameras, and imaging products, McNamara has written hundreds of articles and had thousands of his photographs published (including over two dozen Pop Photo covers). “Mike’s expertise, reviews, and analysis on photography trends and issues is sure to get the attention of our growing global audience of 70,000 professional photographers. The segment is also a perfect resource for our other technology audience base of 250,000 Inside Mac and Inside Digital Design Radio Show listeners.” commented Inside Digital Photo CEO/Anchor Scott Sheppard.

Ricoh have released a new firmware update, version 2.10, for the GR Digital II compact digital camera. Version 2.10 adds a number of new features, including Auto Aperture shift in the A mode, a noise reduction option depending on the ISO sensitivity, and correcting white balance during both shooting and playback.

Website: Ricoh GR Digital II Firmware Update 2.10

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Casio EX-Z100, a new 10.1 megapixel digital camera with a wide 28 mm lens and 4x optical zoom.

“The overall level of detail from the 10.1-megapixel sensor is very good, and the compression rate is very low, with some image files over 7MB, very large for a point-and-shoot compact camera. Dynamic range and colour depth could be a little better, but they are no worse than average for a camera in this class. The exposure system tends to preserve shadow detail at the expense of burned-out highlights.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Casio EX-Z100 Review

The Tokina ATX 11-16mm F2.8 PRO DX lens has just been launched in the UK. Tokina’ 11-16mm lens creates super-wide images without ‘fish-eye’ distortion, and is compatible with DSLR cameras with APS-C sized sensors. The AT-X 116 PRO DX features Tokina’s exclusive One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism, which switches between Auto Focus and Manual Focus by simply snapping the focus ring forward for Auto and back towards the camera to focus manually. The Tokina ATX 11-16mm F2.8 PRO DX lens is available in either a Canon or Nikon mount for £489.99 Inc VAT.

The Tokina ATX 35mm F2.8 Macro PRO DX lens is now available in the UK. Tokina’s 35mm lens can focus as close as 5.5 inches (14cm), yielding a macro ratio of 1:1 or life-sized reproduction, and is compatible with DSLR cameras with APS-C sized sensors. The AT-X M35 PRO DX features Tokina’s exclusive One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism, which switches between Auto Focus and Manual Focus by simply snapping the focus ring forward for Auto and back towards the camera to focus manually. The Tokina ATX 35mm F2.8 Macro PRO DX is available in either a Canon or Nikon mount for £369.99 Inc VAT.

LiveEdit is a new web-based software tool that allows photographers to cut costs and save time. LiveEdit was created by professional photographers for optimal creativity and time management, with its interface divided into to four sections: Edit, Retoucher, Archive and Stock. Users are able to track their entire archive in one place, which will enable them to showcase and sell more photos by creating a personal stock site. “The way in which professional photography is administered and disseminated is antiquated, inefficient and cumbersome,” says Lipman. “LiveEdit brings ease and efficiency to this process, vastly speeding up time to market for photography. Its features help bring the photo profession into the modern era, where the cycle from shoot to end product must happen in days - not weeks or months.” Pricing starts at $395/Year for the Photographer Package with 2GB of storage.

The Expose Your World photography competition is offering $70,000 worth of prizes. Finalists in all categories will also be part of an end of year winners’ exhibition with photos and video presented by Pixel Perfect Prolab. A selection of the winners’ images and stories will feature in the Australian Traveller magazine, be displayed in the RovingEye coffeetable book by Asukabook and have the opportunity to be represented by RovingEye. Entry is open internationally to all levels of photographers, writers and filmmakers in most categories, while nominations for the Young Australian Photographer of the Year and nominations for the Australian Adventurer of the Year are required to be Australian citizens. The closing date for entry is August 29 2008.

Portrait Professional 8 is the world’s first intelligent portrait airbrushing software that has been ‘trained’ in human beauty. The latest version of Portrait Professional is now Mac compatible and has been enhanced by further training in human appearance, particularly on the 3/4 views, in order to achieve the most realistic results possible. Portrait Professional 8 contains over 80 beautifying controls to give the user fine control over the appearance of the face and hair. The software is available in two versions: Portrait Professional 8 works on JPEG and Tiff files (priced at £39.95 or US $79.95), and Portrait Professional 8 Studio which also works directly on 16 bit Camera RAW files (priced at £69.95 or US $119.95).

PhotoReview have reviewed the Sony A300 DSLR camera, which has a 10.2 megapixel sensor and variable angle 2.7 inch LCD screen.

“Sitting between the DSLR-A200 and DSLR-A350 models (both of which have been reviewed on this website), Sony’s DSLR-A300 offers the resolution of the A200 model plus the Live View system of the A350. Initially the company had no plans to release the A300 in Australia but it obviously saw a need to compete with other manufacturers that offered live viewing in their entry-level models.”

Website: PhotoReview - Sony A300 Review

Buy-n-Shoot have reviewed the 10.1 mega pixel Samsung L110 digital camera, which combines Samsung’s Digital Image Stabilization and Intelligent Face Recognition Technology in a compact aluminium body.

“If you’re an amateur photographer in the market for a smart-looking, smart-operating digital camera that is quite compact (87.7mm x 56.3mm x 20mm) and lightweight but still hardwearing, the L110 is one to consider and if, for some reason, this model is not suiting your needs, have a look at the other digital compacts in the Samsung range and no doubt you will eventually find the unit best-suited for you.”

Website: Buy-n-Shoot - Samsung L110 Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Casio EX-Z200, a new 10 megapixel compact digital camera.

“Despite the many similarities between the Z200 and the Z100, for some reason the camera’s overall performance is very different, and not in a good way. It takes nearly three seconds to start up, and nearly as long to shut down again, which is very slow by current standards. In single-shot mode at maximum image quality the shot-to-shot time was approximately 2.5 seconds, which is again extremely slow. I thought that maybe the large size of the image files in this mode (over 7MB for some shots) was the cause, but the performance is the same in lower quality modes.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Casio EX-Z200 Review