-- Top News Stories -- Adobe Camera Raw 2.2 Update Canon Digital Photo Professional Canon Powershot S60 Delkin USB Bridge DXO Optics Pro Software Kodak DX7440, CX7530, CX7430, CX7330 LumaPix FotoFusion V3 Nikon Coolpix 4100 Nikon USA Spring/Summer Rebates Olympus Ferrari Digital 2004 Olympus Lowers Price of E-1 SLR Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F88 Triscape FxFoto Software April 2004 News Index March 2004 News Index February 2004 News Index Steve's "Best Cameras" List PMA 2004 Special Report Sunday Morning Photographer Check out our camera

05-28-2004

LumaPix Announces FotoFusion V3 Rollout -- Amazing Tools for Pro Photographers and Scrapbookers Alike Montreal, May 28 2004 - LumaPix is pleased to announce the immediate availability of LumaPix::FotoFusion version 3.0. This elegant and powerful application for image manipulation sets the price/performance standard and is the latest “must have” tool for image professionals and enthusiasts. Professional photographers use FotoFusion Pro to assemble image compositions ranging in size from wedding albums to wall portraits. A unique user interface turns tedious image arrangement tasks into a pleasure; users can choose templates or automated layout tools to assemble unique multi-image compositions that increase the value and visual sophistication of their work. The results can be emailed to clients as watermarked proofs, uploaded to online galleries using custom HTML styles to match existing website designs, or printed at extreme resolutions on large-format output devices. FotoFusion Standard optimizes the feature set for more price-conscious home photography and scrapbooking enthusiasts. The unique layout mechanism assembles scrapbooks and photo collages in a snap, ready for printing, editing in other packages, sending by email to friends and family, or publishing on web pages with the integrated email and FTP tools. FotoFusion v3 is available in Standard and PRO variants for $39.95 and $89.95 USD respectively. Existing FotoFusion users are entitled to upgrade for as little as $19.95, or at no charge if they purchased FotoFusion after January 17 2004. Trial versions of FotoFusion can be downloaded at no charge from www.lumapix.com.

05-28-2004

Simple Star Announces the Release of PhotoShow Deluxe 3.0 and Partnership with Snapfish San Francisco, CA (May 28, 2004) Simple Star, Inc., the creators of easy to use consumer software and services, announced today the release of PhotoShow Deluxe 3.0. Feature-rich PhotoShow Deluxe 3.0 combines powerful new capabilities to enable users to get more enjoyment from their digital photos than ever before. PhotoShow Deluxe 3.0 allows users to quickly organize and edit their photos, create and share musical shows with their digital photos and music and print pictures with ease. Users can also create and order an entertaining photo experience on DVD through Simple Star's integrated DVD service. San Francisco, CA (May 28, 2004) Simple Star, Inc., the creators of easy to use consumer software and services, announced today they have partnered with Snapfish, a leading online photo service, to provide Snapfish customers with Snapfish PhotoShow Express and Snapfish PhotoShow Deluxe. Read the full Simple Star press release.

05-28-2004

Nikon Announces New 4.0 Megapixel Coolpix 4100 MELVILLE, NY, May 28, 2004 – Today’s digital photographers want more camera, less hassle and great pictures. The new Nikon Coolpix 4100 digital camera answers that call with a host of user-friendly features like Scene Assist and Blur Warning designed to help “get the perfect shot” the first time without relying on a computer to fix mistakes. The Coolpix 4100 is a powerful, capable, PictBridge™-enabled digital camera that can transfer beautiful pictures directly to compatible printers for prints at sizes of up to 11 x 17-inches. Generous 4.0-effective megapixel power, Scene Assist and In-Camera Cropping each work seamlessly together to make creative composition a reality, without sacrificing print quality. Families and fun-loving digital photographers will love the freedom of shooting wider and cropping tighter with the Coolpix 4100. The Coolpix 4100 will have an MSRP of $299.95 and will be available nationwide in Summer 2004. Read the full Coolpix 4100 press release

05-27-2004

Triscape Introduces FxFoto Software Suites for Imaging Enthusiasts - Standard Edition is Free CEBIT AMERICA, NEW YORK, May 26, 2004 - Triscape, Inc. today announced the release of its most comprehensive software suites, FxFoto 2.0 Standard, Deluxe Collage, and Pro Media Editions. The FxFoto 2.0 titles are targeted at photography enthusiasts and advanced multimedia users giving them full control over their pictures and the tools to create stunning and captivating presentations and movies. FxFoto Standard Edition is a highly complete package for organizing, correcting, and sharing digital photos. It organizes photos visually and by timeline, which is the most natural way people work with photos. The Standard Edition also includes editing and correction tools that go way beyond typical entry-level packages, yet are very easy to use. Sharing includes printing and emailing with smart compression of photos for efficient email and more. FxFoto Deluxe Collage Edition adds creativity features to the Standard Edition, which include multi-photo collages, scrap-booking, slide shows with many 2D and 3D special effects, soundtracks, and photo stitching for multi-photo panoramas and documents with multiple pages. All creations can be e-mailed or prepped for CD burning for playback on any PC without the need for additional "player" or "reader" software. FxFoto Pro Media Edition builds on the Deluxe Edition by enabling the creation and publishing of photo-based movies and slide shows, complete with effects, soundtracks, and text. Slide shows and MPEG movies can be created for CD-ROM (VCD and SVCD format) and DVD, which can play on most standard home DVD players. Titles can also be published directly to Web sites without additional software. Music files including MP3 and OOG format are also supported. FxFoto Standard Edition is free without usage or time limits. The Deluxe Edition and the Pro Media Edition are available for $29.99 and $39.99 respectively from the Triscape, Inc. web site.

05-26-2004

Sandisk Announces New 6-in-1 PC Card Adapter for Laptop / Notebook Computer Users May 24, 2004 – SanDisk Corporation today introduced the world’s first 6-in-1 PC Card Adapter, giving notebook computer users the largest number of card formats for moving files to and from flash memory devices such as digital cameras, PDAs, MP3 players and mobile phones. The announcement was made at the Digital Experience media conference in New York. The new adapter offers easy, plug-and-play compatibility with no software needed, and works with six different memory card formats: SD, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card, and SmartMedia. To read a card, users simply insert it into the adapter, and then slide the adapter into any computer with a PC Card slot. In this mode, the adapter works like a removable hard drive. Protected by a rugged, stainless steel cover, the adapter replaces SanDisk’s 4-in-1 Adapter but will sell at a comparable suggested retail price of $29.99. Units are planned for shipment to stores by early summer.

05-20-2004

Nikon D70 Named Winner of the Camera Grand Prix 2004 Award May 20, 2004 - TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce that the D70 has been selected to receive the coveted Camera Grand Prix 2004 award. The Camera Grand Prix is the most prestigious award presented to a camera in the Japanese photo industry. It is sponsored by the Camera Press Club, an organization founded in September 1963 and comprised of writers from thirteen of Japan's leading photography and camera publications. Read the Nikon press release

05-19-2004

New Camera and Printer Reviews Posted Just posted is our latest digicam trio, this time it's Kodak in the spotlight. First up is the EasyShare LS743, a compact 4-megapixel camera with a 2.8x optical zoom and 1.8" LCD, all housed in a stylish and durable metal body. Next is the affordable EasyShare CX7430, a 4-megapixel 3x optical zoom camera with a 1.6" LCD that's loaded with features like 9 scene modes and lots of user-settable exposure options. And finally the entry-level EasyShare CX7300 with 3.2-megapixel resolution and a 1.6" LCD that makes a great starter camera for those that want to get into digital photography without spending much. And last but not least, looking like a Borg spaceship out of Star Trek, the new Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer, a compact and speedy personal dye-sub printer. It can make either 3.5x5" or 4x6" size prints in about 45 seconds that last as long as conventionally processed prints.

05-19-2004

SMaL Camera Technologies Introduces Ultra-Pocket 5 Rapid Development Kit to Enable World's Slimmest 3-Megapixel Digital Cameras Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (May 19, 2004) – SMaL Camera Technologies, a developer of electronic imaging solutions and enabler of award-winning super-slim digital still cameras, announced today its new Ultra-Pocket(R) 5 rapid development kit for 3-megapixel credit card cameras with color TFT display. The Ultra-Pocket 5 kit enables manufacturers and brands to rapidly enter the heart of the mass consumer market – 3-megapixel – with unparalleled thinness, style, wide dynamic range, and worry-free battery life, in the sub-$129 retail price range. Despite the many advancements in digital photography over the past decade, standard digital cameras still fall far short of film cameras due to extremely short battery life and limited dynamic range. All SMaL credit card camera kits – including the Ultra-Pocket 5 kit – feature two proprietary technologies that not only resolve these vital power and dynamic range issues, but are also unmatched by any other CCD or CMOS-based solution. The Ultra-Pocket 5 kit includes everything OEMs require for fast time-to-market: a 3-megapixel color CMOS image sensor with Autobrite, ASIC controller, lithium-polymer rechargeable battery, taking lens, optical viewfinder and complete reference design specifications. The kit is available now to qualified OEMs looking to ship products into the marketplace in the second half of 2004. For more information on SMaL Camera Technologies and its products, visit the company's web site.

05-18-2004

Olympus Introduces Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL 2004 Melville, New York, May 18, 2004 – Olympus, official sponsor of the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team, proudly introduces the Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL 2004™, the second in the Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL series of Olympus cameras to be officially sanctioned by Ferrari S.p.A. Approximately 1,000 of these limited-edition models will be sold at select retailers throughout North and South America, of the 10,000 total units being sold worldwide. The 3.2-megapixel Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL features several Olympus innovations housed in an aluminum body finished in distinctive Ferrari Red that exudes the aura of beauty, quality and advanced technology that are hallmarks of the Ferrari racing machines. The result is a camera specially crafted to appeal not only to all Ferrari and F1 racing fans, but also to anyone who appreciates fine design, superior performance, and the pleasure of owning a true limited-edition original. Read the full Olympus press release

05-18-2004

Canon Will Make Digital Photo Professional, EOS Viewer Software Available May 20 According to our friends at Rob Galbraith's, Canon will be releasing the Digital Photo Professional and new EOS Viewer software worldwide on May 20 from one or more Canon websites. This software is being provided with the new EOS-1D Mark II SLR and lets you adjust and convert RAW files taken with Canon pro digital SLRs. The inital release supports RAW files from EOS-1D, EOS-1Ds and EOS-1D Mark II only, Canon says it will support the EOS 10D and Digital Rebel with a future upgrade, there are no plans to support the D30 or D60.

05-18-2004

Sony Announces New Swiveling-Lens DSC-F88 Sony has blended the fun of a rotating lens with the speed and clarity of a five-megapixel Cyber-shot digital still camera in the new DSC-F88 model. The F88's compact, all-metal body is fitted with an internal Carl Zeiss 3X optical zoom lens that allows it to rotate 300 degrees, so you can see your pose in the camera’s 1.8-inch LCD screen before snapping the picture, providing you with a flexible shooting style. Priced at about $450, the DSC-F88 digital camera will be available in July. Read our full Sony F88 User Review

05-14-2004

Canon Powershot S60 First Look Posted For those interested in new and upcoming things -- just posted is our Canon Powershot S60 first look. There's no conclusion or sample photos but the rest of usual review information is all there. This is an excellent camera, great lens and faster than last year's S50 model and it's $200 less expensive.

05-12-2004

Pentax Delivers Compact, Lightweight 14mm DA-Series Lens for *ist D GOLDEN, Colorado (May 12, 2004)…PENTAX Imaging Company has announced a second lens designed for the *ist D digital SLR will ship later this month. The smc PENTAX-DA 14mm F2.8 ED [IF] interchangeable wide-angle lens was developed as a second model of the new DA-series lineup. At 14.8 ounces and measuring just 2.7 inches long and 3.3 inches in diameter, the lens is one of the lightest in its category. The lens features a standardized DA-series design incorporating high-grade metallic components with green accents. Featuring a focal length of 14mm (equivalent to 21mm in the 35mm format) and a 90° angle of view, this high-performance wide-angle lens incorporates a high-refraction, low-dispersion glass element and an Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass element to produce high-resolution, true-to-life images in advanced digital photography. The lens offers a minimum focusing distance of .56 ft. for a maximum magnification of approximately 0.19 times. The image circle is designed to perfectly match the 23.5mm x 15.7mm size of the CCD used in the *ist D, contributing to a drastic reduction in size, weight and production cost. This new lens also features the responsive “Quick-Shift Focus System,” to allow photographers to instantly switch the focus mode from auto-to-manual with a slight twist of the focus ring. Coupled with the a large-sized focus ring that remains locked during autofocus operations and the elimination of the aperture ring, this mechanism enhances *ist D operation in autofocus and manual-focus modes. While competing models in the same category only allow for the installation of gelatin filters at the rear end, this lens is designed to accept 77mm-diameter filters, including a circular polarizing filter. The lens is equipped with a detachable lens hood with a window used for easy adjustment of a circular polarizing filter.

05-11-2004

DO Labs Releases DXO Optics Pro Software Through E-Store Opening May 24th Paris, France (May 11, 2004) – DO Labs, a software company focused on applied mathematics for image enhancement, announces the availability of DxO Optics Pro – its revolutionary software solution for dramatically improving digital image quality. Designed for use by professional and discerning amateur photographers, DxO Optics Pro software delivers genuine and perceptible quality improvements by automatically correcting images for the following major optical faults: Distortion, Vignetting, Blur (lack of sharpness) and Lateral chromatic aberration. The modular design of DxO Optics Pro allows photographers to maximize performance of their existing and future equipment. In particular, DxO Optics Pro optimizes image quality when shooting conditions are difficult: wide aperture, extreme focal lengths on zooms, low-light, image edges, wide format sensors, etc... Traditional compromises no longer apply with DxO Optics Pro, photographers can now take full advantage of the possibilities their expensive digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and lenses offer. The complexity of DxO Optics PRO correction is hidden from the user by providing totally automatic correction. DxO Optics Pro automatically takes into account all the variable parameters that are relevant for the correction (focal length, aperture, ISO, white balance, etc). Correcting at approximately 2 Mpixel/second, DxO Optics Pro only takes seconds to correct even large images produced by high-end DSLRs. DxO Optics Pro will be available on the DxO Optics PRO E-Store beginning May 24th 2004. DxO Optics Pro will run on Windows 2000 or XP and on Macintosh (OS X). Read the DO Labs DxO press release (Adobe pdf) Read the Luminous-Landscape DxO review Read Imaging-Resource's DxO Coverage from PMA 2004

05-10-2004

Canon Announces New 5-Megapixel Powershot S60 Canon U.S.A. Inc., Lake Success, N.Y., USA, introduced its new PowerShot S60 digital camera, which combines 5-megapixel resolution and a newly developed 28-100mm UA wide-angle 3.6x zoom lens. The PowerShot S60 camera is equipped with a redesigned 3.6x zoom lens that goes from a wide-angle focal length of 28mm to a telephoto of 100mm (35mm film equivalent). This new lens features an Ultra high refractive index, which makes it thin and compact. The Ultra high refractive index Aspherical (UA) lens allows for a 28mm wide angle zoom while increasing image quality and slimming the body of the camera for a sleek design. The PowerShot S60 digital camera fashions a new, slimmer body with a redesigned sliding lens cover, transforming the camera's appearance when it is opened and closed. Canon achieved this slimmer design by using the new UA wide-angle lens. The PowerShot S60 digital camera offers a range of new printing features including Canon's Print/Share button, ID photo print, and movie print. The PowerShot S60 digital camera also offers a Direct Transfer feature, which allows users to instantly transfer images--one at a time or all at once--from the camera to a Windows computer using a USB connection. The Canon PowerShot S60 digital camera comes bundled with a battery pack NB-2LH and charger CB-2LT, USB cable and 32 MB Compact Flash card. It will be available in June for an estimated $499. See our Canon Powershot S60 first look

05-10-2004

Delkin’s USB Bridge Connects a Digital Camera Directly to a Storage Device Without a Computer Poway CA, May 10, 2004 -- Delkin Devices Inc., maker of premium quality eFilm memory cards and other innovative products, announces a revolutionary new device that connects two USB devices together without a computer. The USB Bridge fits easily in the palm of one’s hand, and enables users to copy files by attaching a digital camera directly to a variety of peripherals such as an iPod (and other MP3 players), USB Flash “Thumb Drives”, external hard drives, CD-R burners and memory card readers. It links your camera to a wide variety of USB mass storage devices without having to remove the memory card. The Bridge works with all the top camera brands including Canon, Fuji, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus and Sony. Delkin designed the Bridge for the traveling photographer who prefers the convenience of leaving their laptop at home but still needs a solution for storing and transferring files on the fly. Read the entire Delkin press release.

05-09-2004

Worried About Your CD-R Disc Archive? This week's Sunday Morning Photographer column might just save you some major grief in the near future. Lately there has been a lot of talk about CD-R corruption and failures. Want to know what the best brand of CD-Recordable discs is and where to get the "gold?" -- give Mike's column a read.

05-08-2004

Canon i9900 Photo Printer Review Posted And the reviews just keep a coming ... this time it's the speedy new Canon i9900 wide-carriage inkjet photo printer. As the satisfied owner of last year's i9100 printer I just couldn't imagine how Canon was going to top what was already the fastest printer in its class. It took me only a couple of minutes to get my answer, two minutes and forty seconds to be exact -- that's how long it took to make a borderless 13 x 19" print. In addition to being a full two minutes faster than the i9100, it's also higher resolution printing. The i9900 is the first 8-color printer, it now has new red and green ink tanks to further extend its color gamut. If you're in the market for a wide-carriage photo printer then be sure you don't overlook this one.

05-06-2004

Pentax Optio S4i, S40 and 30 Reviews Posted Last week we posted a trio of Sony camera reviews, this week it's a trio of new Pentax camera reviews. First up is the tiny Optio S4i, a pocket-size 4-megapixel 3x optical zoom camera in a stylish and rugged metal body. Next is the Optio S40, a new mid-size but very compact 4-megapixel 3x optical zoom camera and last but not least, the most impressive Optio 30, a 3-megapixel 3x optical zoom, entry-level camera with very good image quality and a very affordable $199 price. Check them out!

05-06-2004

LetsGoDigital Posts Ricoh Caplio GX Intro Our friends at LetsGoDigital have posted a release announcement about the new Ricoh Caplio GX, a new 5-megapixel, 3x optical zoom camera with upper-end features. It has a 28-85mm equivalent wide angle zoom lens, manual settings for aperture, white balance, ISO and exposure levels. Super-fast 0.12 second shutter response and less than one second start-up time. As with many of the Ricoh cameras, it does not appear to be coming to the N. American market.

05-06-2004

Nikon USA Lowers Retail Price on Several Coolpix Cameras and Rebates Others We just received an email flier from Nikon USA stating that they have lowered the price of the Coolpix 2200 to $149.95, the Coolpix 3200 to $249.95 and the Coolpix 5400 to $599.95. Nikon USA is also offering a $100 mail-in rebate through July 31, 2004 on the popular Coolpix 3700. Nikon's Spring 2004 mail-in rebate is also valid through June 31, 2004, this is good for $50 off the price of the Coolpix 4300 and $150 off the price of the Coolpix 5700.

05-04-2004

Kodak Announces Three New EasyShare Cameras and a Printer Dock KODAK today announces the new 4-megapixel, 4x optical zoom EASYSHARE DX7440 digital camera, available in June 2004 for US$349. The 5-megapixel, 3x optical zoom EASYSHARE CX7530 in July 2004 for US$299. The 4-megapixel, 3x optical zoom EASYSHARE CX7430 for US$279.95. And the 3- megapixel, 3x optical zoom EASYSHARE CX7330 for just $199. All of these cameras and any 6000 or 7000 series EasyShare camera can be used with the sleek, portable, second-generation KODAK EASYSHARE printer dock, available in June 2004 for US$149 MSRP. It incorporates PICTBRIDGE technology for connecting to multiple brands of digital cameras, an optional external memory card reader, direct 4 x 6-inch thermal picture printing (full size and multiple images per sheet) with or without a computer. For full specifications read the Kodak press release.

05-01-2004

Olympus Lowers Price of E-1 SLR to $1499 and Announces Rebates on E-1 System Zuiko Lenses Melville, New York, May 1, 2004 – Olympus America today announced a rebate on five Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses for the E-1 Digital SLR System. Starting May 1 and continuing through to July 31, 2004, purchase one of the select Zuiko lenses from an authorized E-Professional System Dealer and get cash back from Olympus. The company also announced today a new estimated street price for the E-1 Digital SLR body of $1499.00, down from $1799.00. A rebate form for this special offer is available from an authorized E-Professional dealer, or online at www.olympusamerica.com. The rebate offer applies to the following lenses: 11-22mm F2.8-3.5 Wide-Angle zoom ($80), 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 ($50), 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 ($100), 50mm f2.0 1:2 Macro ($50), and EC-14 1.4X Teleconverter ($45).

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