Photo&Cameras

The Pentax K200D is a new entry-level digital SLR camera aimed at people dipping their toes into the DSLR market for the first time. The K200D is the successor to the K100D Super, itself an excellent camera that we awarded an Essential rating to back in October 2007. The new K200D model throws some features from the K10D DSLR into the mix, most notably a 10.2 megapixel sensor and a weather-proof body. Mark Goldstein discovers if the Pentax K200D is still a compelling proposition.

Website: Pentax K200D Review

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The Nikon D700 is a 12.1 megapixel full frame (FX), professional DSLR. It’s bundled up in a body that is virtually the same as the Nikon D300. In essence it’s the Nikon D3 feature wise (with a few modifications) in a smaller magnesium alloy body.

The Nikon D700 features five frames per second shooting, image sensor cleaning (vibration cleaning) and the first professional DSLR to come with an in built flash. It has an ISO range of 200-6400 (boostable up to 25600 and down to 100), support for DX lenses, a viewfinder with 95% coverage and a 3.0 inch LCD.

The Nikon D700 will have a retail price of $2999 USD when it goes on sale in July (body only).

Learn more about the Nikon D700 in the following promotional material from Nikon. We’ll post reviews of the camera below as they come to hand.

Nikon D700 News Release

Nikon broadens FX-format DSLR camera range with the new D700

Nikon Europe is pleased to announce the introduction of an all-new FX-format digital SLR: the 12.1 megapixel Nikon D700, designed to enable many more photographers to enjoy the acclaimed image quality of the Nikon D3, but in a smaller form factor.

”The Nikon D3 has taken the action photography industry by storm, motivating many pros to change brands and we expect the D700 to contin5ue that trend,” said Robert Cristina, Manager Professional Products and NPS at Nikon Europe. He added: “The D700 excels in the extreme low-light and high-contrast conditions under which today’s cameras are judged and affirms Nikon’s ongoing commitment to meeting tomorrows imaging needs too.”

D3 DNA

The D700 inherits the ‘must have’ image quality of the D3. Using the same core technologies such as the highly-sensitive 12.1 effective megapixel CMOS image sensor with large pixel pitch and gapless micro lens array that affords bright, clean files across a broad ISO range. The D700 also features the same innovative EXPEED high-speed image-processing system, 14-bit A/D conversion and 16-bit processing pipeline to provide the detail and smooth gradation necessary for outstanding print enlargement and reproduction.

FX on the move

The D700 is ideal for those seeking a perfectly-balanced DSLR on the move, without compromising durability or environmental resistance to moisture and dust. The D700 incorporates an image sensor cleaning system that uses high frequency vibrations to reduce the accumulation of dust on the image sensor surface. A responsive 5fps is possible with the compact 1500mAh EN-EL3e lithium-ion battery, with up to 8 fps possible by attaching the optional MB-D10 battery pack to use the powerful 2500mAh EN-EL4a battery if desired. This offers complete power supply integration for those already using the D3 and D300. Another first is the practical i-TTL built-in pop up flash with 24mm lens coverage, ideal for discrete flash lighting when a full size Speedlight might be too cumbersome.

Getting the shot right

Despite its attractive price tag, the D700 makes no compromises in its comprehensive feature array with a highly responsive shutter release time lag of just 40ms, the acclaimed accuracy of the 51-point MultiCAM3500 AF system, DX Crop Mode and Live View with contrast-detect AF displayed on the same high-definition 3-inch TFT monitor used on the D3 and D300. One of the most important advantages of FX format cameras is the viewfinder experience and the D700 features an outstanding solid glass pentaprism, 95% coverage and adjustable AF point LED illumination for a bright, uninterrupted view. A clever new feature is the ability to display the Virtual Horizon level indicator during Live View mode to determine camera orientation at arms length.

What NIKKORS have been waiting for

The D700 is designed for the future without ignoring the past. As Nikon celebrates the 75th anniversary of the very first NIKKOR lens, and with well over 40 million sold, intelligent image processing technologies to control peripheral illumination (Vignette) and chromatic aberration enable photographers to rediscover the creative possibilities of their existing NIKKOR F mount lenses. For newcomers, the ever-expanding Nikon Total Imaging System provides lenses, Speedlights, Software and accessories for every photographic challenge both now and in the future.

The D700 is supplied with battery EN-EL3e, charger, and Nikon Software Suite and will go on sale from 25 July 2008 with a MSRP guide price of €2599.

Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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The winners of the June 2008 PhotographyBLOG Competition have been selected. The theme for June was “Emptiness” – you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Emptiness by Amandart

Prize: CanvasRus 40 x 30” Canvas Print
Kindly donated by CanvasRus
http://www.canvasrus.co.uk

2nd Place
Wind Chimes by phototoad

Prize: ShutterPoint.com one-year subscription with 100Mb of storage space
Kindly donated by ShutterPoint.
http://www.shutterpoint.com

3rd Place
Lonely bin by armondos

Prize: 1 x 24×24” or 24×18” Canvas Print of a Photo of Your Choice
Kindly donated by Photo Artistry.
http://www.photoartistry.co.uk

4th Place
A town of death by Igor

Prize: Photobird.com one-year subscription with 500Mb of storage space
Kindly donated by Photobird.com.
http://www.photobird.com

5th Place
Time 2 Say Goodbye by Audah

Prize: 1 copy of Powerretouche Full Pro Pack
Kindly donated by Powerretouche.
http://powerretouche.com

Congratulations to the 5 winners and thanks to everyone who took part!

The July 2008 Competition is now open for entries. This is a monthly photography competition with a specific theme and prizes for the top 5 photos. The winning entries will be decided by a panel of judges. You just have to submit one photograph to the Competition Gallery that best interprets July’s theme, which is ”Here Comes the Sun”.

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Camera thieves have been apprehended after an Eye-Fi card uploaded pictures of them. Owner Alison DeLauzon looged onto her Eye-Fi account after her camera had disappeared while on vacation, only to find her holiday snaps uploaded along with photos of the two men who had stolen her camera kit. The wireless Eye-Fi SD card inside her Canon compact had automatically logged onto an available unsecured network and uploaded the images without the thieves even realising!

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Casio Exilim Pro F1 digital camera review : Casio have been active on the digital camera market for several years now. Although the majority of the people know Casio because of their watches and pocket calculators, many are unaware of the fact that Casio is a real pioneer in the camera world. When the camera market started to rise, Casio were the first to introduce a consumer digital camera; the QV10, which set the ball rolling. Surprisingly enough it took quite a while before renowned photo manufactures caught up. Nowadays, many manufacturers have been forced to adjust their strategy; they either merged or abandoned the photo market. Casio, on the other hand, have proven to be a pioneer and for a reason; they are still very much present in the game.

Casio Exilim EX-F1 Megazoom camera
Striking is the least you can say about a manufacturer as Casio. Their past has made it clear that Casio were always innovative; various innovations started by Casio were later on adopted as similar versions or a derivative version by their competitors. Still, not all is home-made. One example is the new Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 camera. A Megazoom camera as we know from the competition, however, with one great difference; the camera has an on-board ultra-fast CMOS image sensor that is able to achieve unparalleled speed performance.

Casio EX-F1 features ultra-fast CMOS image sensor
The Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 is a camera belonging to the Pro-series of Casio. This series never convinced us of a Pro status, however; with their new flagship, Casio try to establish their status as innovative camera manufacturer once again. The Casio F1 is equipped with a special CMOS image sensor that is developed by Sony. We call it special since it is a sensor able to manage data at an extremely high speed, resulting in a camera with a capacity of working with a frame speed of 1200 fps, incredible! The 1/1.8 inch CMOS sensor features ‘only’ 6 Megapixels which is not many compared to current resolution ratios, but in any case, it suffices to print photo realistic enlargements.

Casio Exilim Pro EX F1 camera review
The camera features a 12x optical zoom lens and uses image stabilization to be able to guarantee a sharp picture. The Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 looks a lot like a LUMIX Megazoom camera, as far as model goes, of the Panasonic stable. The surplus value of the Casio EXILIM Pro F1 is, naturally, found in the frame speed specification. It will offer access to a world of action photography, which until now was inaccessible to amateur photographers, for a consumer price. I had the Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 in the office for a while. The camera was tested in practice and a sample was technically tested in our DIWA Lab in Norway, where extensive tests on techniques are carried out in lab circumstances. The results can be read in the following

Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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Album of the Damned: Snapshots from the Third Reich is one of the most unusual photographic/textual records ever published about the German people during Hitler’s twelve-year reign. This stunning record includes 400 photographs taken almost exclusively by amateur German photographers—soldiers and civilians–during WWII and covers a wide spectrum of life on both the home front and battle front. Paul Garson, a photographer, writer and teacher in Los Angeles, has viewed more than 100,000 images from more than a dozen countries to create this photographic record of the Third Reich. Album of the Damned: Snapshots from the Third Reich will be published later this year by Academy Chicago Publishers.

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Olympus SP-570 UZ digital camera review : In August 2005, Olympus introduced the very first camera from the new SP-5 series; the SP-500 UZ camera. At the time it was a Megazoom camera that certainly featured high specifications; six Megapixels, a maximum ISO of 400 and an optical zoom with a 38-380mm range. Three years later, the fifth model of the SP-5 series lays before me; the Olympus SP-570 UZ, the most recent Megazoom model by Olympus.

Evolution of the Olympus SP-570 UZ
Looking at the specifications, we clearly see the evolution this model underwent. Instead of six, there’s now room for ten Megapixels on the small image sensor, and the sensitivity of 6400, albeit with a limited resolution, surpasses the ‘high’ 400 ISO setting of that of its predecessor. The optical zoom lens also went through a real change; now offering a 20x optical zoom, resulting in a huge focal range (26-520mm) which is a powerful magnification factor even for the enhanced photographer.

Digital camera developments
In only a few years time the digital camera has undergone considerable changes and is, in fact, still going through this process. It looks like this trend will continue for a while. We are not always happy with the changes, but all in all it is a logical evolution. As long as the quality is ensured and improvements are visible, there is no reason to moan. Though it is a good motivation to keep a finger on the pulse, since a manufacturer’s marketing department sometimes tends to overdo it. One example that goes for nearly every brand is the race for the highest ISO setting possible. The latter is hardly ever useful in practice and only looks good on paper. Although Megazoom cameras tend to lean towards the features of digital SLRs, they are in fact compact cameras with the smaller sensors that come with these.

Olympus SP-570UZ Megazoom digital camera
The Megazoom digital camera market remains interesting to the manufacturer. While a number of manufacturers have left this concept alone in order to focus fully on their DSLR cameras, a considerable group of consumers really seemed to appreciate this Megazoom camera. The features; compact, lightweight and super zoom, form a powerful combination to give cameras like the Olympus SP-570UZ the right to exist.

Olympus SP-570 UZ camera review
The Olympus SP-570 was introduced in January of this year, just before the PMA 2008 in Las Vegas kicked off, and only recently became available to the consumer. Thanks to all its setting possibilities and all-round capacities, the Olympus SP-570 UZ camera seems to be the perfect alternative to a D-SLR camera. It’s a camera that is easy to take with you at all times. Read the following

Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 is an easy-to-use digital design and layout software application. New features include faster processing times, more custom creative tools and options for resizing, cropping and masking. “ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 has all the tools, inspiration and clear instruction users need to turn digital photos into truly captivating keepsakes.” said Mark Franklin, executive vice president for ACD Systems. ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 is available for a free 30-day trial and for purchase for $49.99.

ACDSee Press Release

ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 Enhances Creativity with New Design Options

VICTORIA, British Columbia – June 11, 2008 – ACD Systems International Inc. today released ACDSeeв„ў Photo Editor 2008, the next version of its easy-to-use digital design and layout software created especially for avid photographers and scrapbookers.

Evaluated by more than 3,700 ACDSee users, new software features of Photo Editor 2008 include:

* Faster processing time
* More custom creative tools and options for resizing, cropping and masking
* Quick optimization for the Web and advanced printing functions
* Artistic effects that can be added, modified or deleted at any time
* “Trim to shape” feature for quick-and-easy use of design templates
* Advanced journaling and text curving capabilities

“We are committed to designing products that fit the needs of our users, so we encourage them to be involved in the beta testing process,” said Mark Franklin, executive vice president for ACD Systems. “As a result, ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 has all the tools, inspiration and clear instruction users need to turn digital photos into truly captivating keepsakes.”

Powerful Layout Tools
With ACDSee Photo Editor, users don’t need technical expertise or a graphic design background to design artistic layouts. Templates created by top designers Andrea Gold, Maggie Lamarre and Vicki Stegall are starting points to inspire creativity. Users can also design their own layouts to save as templates for future use.

For image creativity, users can experiment with Dynamic Adjustments, which features 70 effects including Sepia and Gaussian Blur. These effects can also be modified without making any permanent changes to the original image, providing freedom to switch the order of the effects, add new effects and delete effects. Users can also crop images with shape tools, create their own contour with the Trim to Shape feature and blend images together using masks.

Advanced Text Features
To enhance layout versatility, ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 offers a variety of options for text integration. Custom text paths allow users to use drawing tools to create paths that can follow elements within the layout.

To complete projects even faster, preset text paths in designs including brackets, flowers or spirals are just a click away. With custom text shapes, words can even be wrapped inside of more than 400 shapes, or users can create their own. They can also add large journaling blocks into these shapes with ease.

Easy To Use
Other top features included in ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 are the built-in “How-to” guides for every activity. These guides allow users to fully utilize all of the software features with detailed and easy-to-follow instructions. The software also seamlessly integrates with ACDSee™ 10 Photo Manager, the company’s tool for viewing, organizing and managing growing photo and digital design collections.

Pricing and Availability
ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 is available for a free 30-day trial and for purchase for $49.99 (USD) at http://www.acdsee.com. Current ACDSee Photo Editor users and owners of other ACDSee products can purchase the program for $34.99 (USD) and users can bundle it with ACDSee 10 Photo Manager for the combined price of $79.98 (USD).

About ACD Systems
Headquartered in British Columbia since 1993, ACD Systems International Inc. (TSX: ASA) is one of the world’s leading developers and marketers of digital imaging software, including the renowned ACDSee image management tool and Canvas, an advanced cross-platform technical illustration and graphics program. ACD has delivered value to a global marketplace through Internet distribution and through partnerships with manufacturers and developers. ACD has millions of consumer and business users and over 33,000 corporate customers including many Fortune 500 companies. For further details, please visit us at our corporate web site: http://www.acdcorporate.com/.

ACD, ACD Systems and ACDSee are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACD Systems Ltd. in Canada, the United States, or certain other jurisdictions. Trademarks of ACD Systems Ltd. are used under license by ACD Systems of America, Inc. Canvas is a trademark or registered trademark of ACD Systems of America, Inc. in Canada, the United States, or certain other jurisdictions. Trademarks of ACD Systems of America, Inc. are used under license by ACD Systems Ltd.

Other trademarks, product names, company names, brands and service names mentioned herein are property of their respective owners.

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DxO Optics Pro v5.1 is now available for both Windows and Mac platforms. Version 5.1 offers considerable improvements in stability and extra features, including a more flexible Pace Interlok protection that doesn’t require installation of an Interlok driver. DxO Optics 5.1 also now supports 3 new cameras and 35 new DxO Modules, including the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D and Nikon D60. In addition, to celebrate DxO Optics Pro’s 4th birthday, and the arrival of version 5.1, all customers purchasing an upgrade to DxO Optics Pro v5.1 and activating it before 1st July 2008 will receive DxO Film Pack for free.

DxO Labs Press Release

New: DxO Optics Pro v5.1 Mac and Windows
Version 5.1 marks an important step forward in the evolution of DxO Optics Pro and is now available to both Macintosh and Windows users.

Macintosh users are going to be able to discover the much-awaited features of version 5 like the latest generation RAW convertor allowing reproduction of very fine detail, even at high ISO settings, and the dust removal tool.

In comparison with the previous 5.0.x versions, 5.1 brings Windows users considerable improvements in stability and extra features, including a more flexible Pace Interlok protection that doesn’t require installation of an Interlok driver.

Support for 3 new cameras and 35 new DxO Modules
DxO Optics Pro v5.1 supports 3 new cameras:

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III with 15 lenses
(Elite Edition)
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D with 8 lenses
(Standard and Elite Editions)
Nikon D60 with 9 lenses
(Standard and Elite Editions)
and other new DxO Modules.

Click here to see the complete list

Special DxO Optics Pro 4th anniversary offer
To celebrate DxO Optics Pro’s 4th birthday, and the arrival of this version 5.1, we’re delighted to offer DxO Film Pack free to all customers purchasing an upgrade to DxO Optics Pro v5.1 in the DxO on-line store or from a photo dealer, and activating it before 1st July 2008.

DxO FilmPack exists as a plug-in for Photoshop or DxO Optics Pro, or a stand-alone application, reproducing very accurately the colour and grain of traditional films onto digital images, thereby allowing you to capture all the magic of film in your digital images.

Click here for more details

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Image Keyworder now includes a customized �Alamy Mode’ for users submitting images to the UK-based photo agency Alamy. Contributors can work on batches of images, speeding up the workflow for getting their images online. Image Keyworder comes bundled with a thesaurus comprising over 40,000 terms, including synonyms, alternate forms, spelling variations and singulars and plurals. An Image Keyworder license for two computers costs just US$79.99 including a 12-month thesaurus subscription valued at US$39.99.

OnAsia Press Release

Image Keyworder Releases �Alamy’ Upgrade

Singapore, May 29th 2008 – OnAsia has announced the release of a significant upgrade to its Windows-based Image Keyworder software. The new version, currently available at http://www.imagekeyworder.com, includes a customized �Alamy Mode’ for users submitting images to the UK-based photo agency http://www.alamy.com.

The new functionality for Alamy contributors means that Image Keyworder is currently the only commercially available software that has been tailor designed to accommodate the specific annotation requirements of Alamy. The tool enables Alamy contributors to work on batches of images; speeding up the workflow for getting their images online.

“When Alamy announced that it was changing its metadata requirements a few months ago, we saw an opportunity to customize our Image Keyworder tool for a very specific group of users,” explained Yvan Cohen, Director at OnAsia.  “Alamy was extremely supportive throughout this process and we now hope that their contributors will see the benefits of the customized functionality we are providing for them,” he added.

“Throughout the development of Image Keyworder we have aimed to create a tool that is tailored closely to the needs of digital photographers faced with the challenge of indexing their images and submitting to online agencies,” said Mr. Cohen.

One of the most comprehensive and competitively priced keywording programs on the market, Image Keyworder comes bundled with a thesaurus comprising over 40,000 terms, including synonyms, alternate forms, spelling variations and singulars and plurals. The thesaurus is continually being enriched and updated to ensure that users have access to a growing pool of terms.

“The thesaurus function means that with a single click you can add several relevant terms to an image. It’s much easier and faster than keywording manually,” explained Mr Cohen.

Having grown out of OnAsia’s experience as a professional keywording service, Image Keyworder also offers users a number of features aimed at combining comprehensive keywording with productivity. Groups of images can be processed in batches, templates can be created and saved for repeat image types and keywords can be selectively added and removed from sets of images.

Image Keyworder can be downloaded for a free 30-day trial from http://www.imagekeyworder.com. The trial includes full functionality and access to Image Keyworder’s comprehensive built-in thesaurus.

An Image Keyworder license for two computers costs just US$ 79.99 including a 12-month thesaurus subscription valued at US$ 39.99.

For more information contact

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