News Archive - December 2005 Return to: Current News Archive Index Friday, December 30, 2005 Boinx Releases FotoMagico 1.5 Beta 13:52 EST - Ten new transitions, screen selection, set slide duration to audio and export improvements highlight the beta. Boinx software has released a beta version of its $79 FotoMagico, animated slide show software for Mac OS X. Favorably reviewed in our April 1 newsletter, Fotomagico provides a slick interfact for zooming,... (More) Thursday, December 29, 2005 Aperture Diary: Third Installment 21:30 EST - We take Aperture on a test drive, importing 94 images and buildling a Web gallery. Piece of cake. We lost a couple of days to a nasty little cold but made up a good chunk of ground on our third installment of our Aperture Diary. We restricted ourselves to the JPEGs we shot with the Kodak EasyShare-One... (More) Wednesday, December 28, 2005 Blue Crane Digital Releases D70 inBrief Field Guide 13:22 EST - Small enough to pack in your camera bag, the guide summarizes the camera's buttons and controls for quick reference in the field. OmegaSatter has announced a new field guide from Blue Crane Digital, the Nikon D70 inBrief: A Quick Field Reference for your Camera Bag. This is the second inBrief to be produced by Blue Crane Digital,... (More) Tuesday, December 27, 2005 LFI magazine discusses upcoming Leica Digital M 15:57 EST - An online teaser for Leica's LFI Magazine (Leica Fotografie International) includes a few quotes that name the Leica Digital M as more than just grist of the rumor mill. Stefan Daniel, Leica Camera AG's chief of product management, is quoted: "The Digital M will be introduced as a complete package that will include new wide-angle lenses." In an interview titled "Leica... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Bibble Labs Releases Holiday 4.5 Update 15:33 EST - Adds support for the Nikon D200 and a major improvement to Canon .CR2 Color AUSTIN, Texas (December 23rd, 2005) -- Bibble Labs today announced availability of version 4.5 of its popular Raw Workflow software. Now supporting close to 70 of the most popular DSLR and prosumer cameras, this update includes support for the eagerly anticipated Nikon D200, as well as the Olympus EVolt E-500, SP310, SP350,... (More) Thursday, December 22, 2005 Apple Updates Aperture 13:01 EST - White balance, export quality and auto-stacking performance get some attention. Apple today released its first update to Aperture, its professional photo application. The 11.4-MB Aperture 1.0.1 Update "addresses a number of issues related to reliability and performance. It also delivers... (More) Wednesday, December 21, 2005 Nikon Coolpix L1 Reviewed 11:55 EST - The Coolpix L1 is a good choice for anyone who wants an easy to use camera that delivers good-looking pictures with pleasing color and plenty of resolution. With its 6.2-megapixel CCD and firmware goodies like Face Priority AF, D-Lighting, and BSS, Nikon still managed to simplify the user interface. For those willing to delve just slightly deeper than "just pushing the button," its extensive scene... (More) Aperture Diary: Second Installment 23:46 EST - After due diligence, we roll up our sleeves.... In the second installment of our Aperture Diary, we go through the training materials and take our first look at the program. The manual is well organized and clearly written. And the DVD tutorial is... (More) Canon Updates EOS-1D Mark II N and EOS 5D Firmware 14:27 EST - Brighter screens and a few bugs and typos fixed, too! Canon has released firmware updates for the EOS-1D Mark IIN and the EOS 5D to improve the brightness of the LCD monitor and fix typos in some Menu displays. The EOS-1D update also fixes a file numbering... (More) Iridient Digital Releases RAW Developer 1.4.1 14:03 EST - The update adds support for four new cameras and fixes a few bugs, too. Iridient Digital has updated its Mas OS X $69.95 RAW Developer image conversion software to fix a bug with the Send to Batch button and add support for the Nikon D200, Sony DSC-R1, Fujifilm S5200 and Fujifilm... (More) Roxio Releases Toast 7.0.2 Update 13:55 EST - The venerable Mac OS X CD/DVD software package gets an update to three components. Roxio has updated its $99.95 CD/DVD burning software package for Mac OS X with Toast Titanium 7.0.2, CD Spin Doctor 3.0.2 and Motion Pictures 2.1.1. The new release prompts for a re-burn during disc spanning... (More) Zeiss slowly teases SLR photographers 11:08 EST - The Zeiss Germany website has been teasing site visitors about an upcoming product that will interest "SLR Photographers." Until the morning of December 21, a simple graphic graced the front page: a photo of a pad of paper and a cup of coffee, as seen from above. Scrawled on the pad: "Millions of SLR Photographers Will Soon... (More) Sony halts camera shipments to China 01:51 EST - Several Sony cameras that failed a standards test in the Zhejiang province in China will no longer be shipped to stores in China, according to Sony; at least temporarily. For its part, the Zhejiang province authorities have banned sales of the cameras. The rest of the story has been at times vague and unclear, and even includes some intrigue, with alleged anonymous callers offering bribes if newspapers ignored the story. In an effort to see how relevant... (More) Printer Review: Kodak EasyShare photo printer 500 00:09 EST - How about an EasyShare 4x6 printer for everyone who doesn't own a Kodak digicam? The 500 is the most accommodating 4x6 dye sub we've seen, with an 8-in-1 card reader, PictBridge compatibility, USB-to-computer cabling and WiFi connections. The large 3.5-inch LCD is a big help, too.... (More) Tuesday, December 20, 2005 PRESS RELEASE: DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition on Sale Online and Through Selected Retailers 17:38 EST - DxO Labs puts its award-winning DxO Optics Pro technology in the hands of high-end digicam users NEW YORK, NY, December 20, 2005 -- DxO Labs announces today that DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition is on sale via the company's e-store. DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition will be available through selected retailers starting late in January 2006. Specifically designed for advanced digicams, also known as "ZLR",... (More) Tow Releases Annoture for Aperture 11:23 EST - If you want to convert your iView MediaPro catalog annotations to Aperture projects -- or vice versa -- this program makes it easy. Adam Tow has released his $15 shareware Annoture 0.9.2 to transfer 22 IPTC annotations from iView MediaPro to Aperture and back. System requirements are simply Mac OS X 10.4.3, Aperture and iView MediaPro.... (More) Monday, December 19, 2005 Aperture Diary 23:52 EST - Apple makes no bones about it. Its new photo application redefines the professional workflow. What better way to describe this new approach than by tracking our experience with it. After all, learning how to use a new approach is half the battle. So we invite you to look over our shoulder as we... (More) Full Review Posted for Kodak EasyShare P850 23:06 EST - The 5-Mp P850 lives up to the EasyShare legacy but takes it a little further with a wide range of exposure and creative control. Kodak's EasyShare line of digital cameras has long been a favorite among a wide range of consumers, as they pretty universally live up to the "Easy" part of their name. While somewhat more advanced than... (More) Full Review Posted for Canon PowerShot A610 23:01 EST - Low noise in a 5-Mp digicam that throttles up from easy-to-use Auto to true Manual to deliver that great Canon color. Canon's PowerShot line of digital cameras have always been big favorites of IR readers, valued for their user-friendly design, excellent photo characteristics, and good build quality. We just finished... (More) Printer Review: Kodak EasyShare printer dock plus series 19:31 EST - What's in a name, anyway? What's in a name, anyway? You'd expect reviewers who get paid by the word to love the Kodak EasyShare printer dock plus series 3 Review. But it really is sweet. Pop a WiFi SD card in it and everybody on... (More) New version of MS RAW Image Thumbnailer released 12:34 EST - Microsoft today released a new version of their Windows XP-based RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer. Many professional photographers shoot RAW files to get all the "raw" information from the camera's sensor so they can directly maniuplate it on a personal computer, rather than trusting the camera's onboard... (More) Friday, December 16, 2005 PRESS RELEASE: DxO Image Masters Gallery Goes Online 11:58 EST - PARIS, France, December 12, 2005 -- DxO Labs today announces the DxO Image Masters photography showcase is now online. The electronic gallery features photographs by professionals and rising stars from around the world. The gallery is dynamic in nature and will be evolving over time. DxO Image Masters allows visitors a privileged "behind the scenes�" experience of original, unedited images and enhancement... (More) JAlbum Update Speeds FTP Transfers 11:53 EST - The free Web album tool adds interface improvements and bug fixes to the latest release for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux systems with Java VM. JAlbum, an easy-to-use, cross-platform Web photo album generator, has been updated with a new FTP engine, multiple processor support, improved text field handling and other interface improvements, as... (More) Thursday, December 15, 2005 In-depth review posted for Fujifilm FinePix S9000 21:36 EST - As time goes on, the falling prices of digital SLRs make it harder and harder for high-end all-in-one cameras to find a place in the market. That said though, the Fujifilm FinePix S9000 makes a pretty compelling case for itself, offering an excellent 10.7x zoom lens (that extends to a very useful wide angle equivalent focal length of 28mm)... (More) PRESS RELEASE: KODAK ROYAL Digital Color Paper 21:29 EST - Name change reflects consumer demand for high-quality digital prints at retail ROCHESTER, NY - Dec. 6, 2005 - Meeting the demands of today's digitally savvy consumer, Eastman Kodak Company today announced that KODAK ROYAL Paper, Kodak's highest-quality consumer photofinishing paper, is now KODAK ROYAL Digital Color Paper. This change will enable photofinishers to better communicate to consumers that... (More) PRESS RELEASE: DALSA Presents Technical Paper on Innovative 28 Megapixel CCD Image Sensor at IEDM 2005 Conference 21:21 EST - DALSA Corporation (TSX:DSA) presented a technical paper at last week's 2005 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in Washington, D.C. describing an innovative new CCD image sensor for professional photography. DALSA Scientist Cees Draijer presented the paper, "A 28 Mega Pixel Large Area Full Frame CCD with 2x2 On-Chip RGB Charge-Binning for Professional Digital Still Imaging." The paper... (More) Wednesday, December 14, 2005 PRESS RELEASE: HP to Acquire European Online Photo Service PIXACO 09:23 EST - PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 13, 2005 - HP today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire bilderservice.de GmbH, which operates PIXACO - a leading online photo services and products site in Europe. The acquisition of the privately-held company will enable HP to rapidly extend the reach of its online photo services throughout Europe, building on the purchase of Snapfish earlier this... (More) PRESS RELEASE: The Plugin Site Released ColorWasher for MacOS X 08:59 EST - August 26, 2005 - The Plugin Site (www.thepluginsite.com) is pleased to announce the release of the MacOS X version of ColorWasher. ColorWasher is a plugin for correcting the colors, contrast, exposure and saturation of 8bit and 16bit photos. It works with various Adobe applications, e.g. Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Image Ready and Illustrator. ColorWasher takes photo correction to a new level of... (More) Tuesday, December 13, 2005 SR Electronics adds to Digi-Slave line 08:43 EST - SR Electronics, a company offering quite a range of digital camera accessories and flash strobes, has unveiled a new addition to its Digi-Slave line of macro ring lights. The Digi-Slave L-Ring 3200 provides illumination from 32 oversized, super-bright white LEDs, with user control over output strength via a power dial that sets the required light output. As well as increased... (More) Monday, December 12, 2005 PRESS RELEASE: Cypress Forges Foundry Agreement with Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation; Launches Flexible Manufacturing Strategy; Capacity Increase to Support Fast-Growing Consumer, Computation Products 16:54 EST - SAN JOSE, Calif. & SHANGHAI, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2005--Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:CY) and Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (Grace) today announced that they have entered into a strategic foundry partnership. Under terms of the agreement, Cypress will transfer its Programmable System-on-Chip(TM) (PSoC(R)) mixed signal array, CMOS image sensor, WirelessUSB(TM), and PC... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Phase One Starts Shipping The Ultimate Digital Camera Back - The P 45 15:34 EST - The first and only 39 MP digital camera back - the best image quality in the industry Phase One A/S, Copenhagen, (Tuesday, December 13, 2005): Phase One®, today begins shipping the highest quality digital camera back ever - the P 45. The P 45 - the world's only digital camera back with a 39 Mega Pixel sensor - captures images that are sharper and more detailed than ever before. It is the latest... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Breakthrough Chip Delivers Better Digital Pictures For Less Power 13:08 EST - The next advance in cameras is becoming a reality at the University of Rochester. Imaging chips revolutionized the photography industry, and now the chips themselves are being revolutionized. A pair of newly patented technologies may soon enable power-hungry imaging chips to use just a fraction of the energy used today and capture better images to boot - all while enabling cameras to shrink to the... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Photodex Releases Feature-Rich Upgrade to ProShow Gold 09:45 EST - Austin, TX December 8, 2005- Photodex Corporation today announced a new upgrade to its award winning slide show software, ProShow Gold. Version 2.6 is loaded with new features that give a user more control over their slide shows and allows for more customizability than ever before. New features include: image transparency support, a new slide show menuing system, built-in audio and video trimmers,... (More) Friday, December 9, 2005 Nikon View updated 12:37 EST - Nikon USA has released updated versions of its Nikon View software on its support website in the last few days. Available to download for both Windows and Macintosh platforms, the new software shares the following updates regardless of operating system: Support for RAW images captured with the D200 has been added.... (More) PRESS RELEASE: CameraBright Introduces Two New Products that Address the Growing Digital SLR Camera and High-End Camcorder Markets 10:27 EST - The Extended Range Plus CameraBright!TM ER+ light Delivers Durability for Digital SLR or Camcorder users, while the HS1 Hotshoe Mount Adds Versatility for Connecting any CameraBright!TM Light to a universal shoe mount. ARVADA, CO - December 5, 2005 - CameraBright, Inc. expands its product line of the world's only consumer-based photographic lighting accessory product line by introducing two new products,... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Hurricane Charity Art Auction Sponsored By The National Association Of Photoshop Professionals Launches 09:42 EST - Over 40 signed fine art prints from well-known artists are up for bid Tampa, Fla. - Dec. 6, 2006 - For many people, this is the season for giving and receiving. So it seems like an excellent time to do a little of both. Until December 12, art lovers can bid on wonderful photography, illustrations and even a commission from a famous portrait artist at an auction hosted by the National Association of... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Kodak and Ritz Camera Centers Partner to Bring Kodak's New Digital Photo Kiosks to 1100 Stores Nationwide 09:32 EST - Just in Time for the Holidays, the New KODAK Picture Kiosk G4 Makes Digital Photography Faster and More Convenient for Consumers NEW YORK, Dec. 8 - Eastman Kodak Company and Ritz Camera Centers, the largest retail camera and imaging photo chain in the U.S., today announced a partnership to deploy Kodak's new digital photo kiosks in all Ritz Camera stores across the country, totaling approximately... (More) Thursday, December 8, 2005 PRESS RELEASE: Phanfare, Inc. Announces Lifetime Membership Program 10:56 EST - Company now offers a single lifetime subscription to its ad-free online sharing service -storing photos and videos for life Metuchen, NJ (December 6, 2005) - Online photo and video sharing service Phanfare, Inc. announces a new single-payment lifetime membership program for consumers that offers personalized Internet album hosting, sharing (up to 8GB per month) and archiving of all member photos and... (More) Maha announces MH-C808M charger 09:58 EST - A press release from Maha Energy Corp. has announced the launch of its new MH-C808M eight-cell multi charger. The MH-C808M shares the unusually attractive and user-friendly design traits of the recently launched MH-C801D model, but where that charger accepted any combination of one to eight AA or AAA cell batteries... (More) PRESS RELEASE: New Take Control ebook offers essential advice for digital camera buyers 09:12 EST - Ithaca, NY USA (December 6, 2005) -- Digital camera buyers who need help understanding camera reviews or putting all the info together to make a purchase can now find up-to-date advice in the the second edition of "Take Control of Buying a Digital Camera." Written by professional photographer and instructor Larry Chen, the $10 ebook provides a soup-to-nuts guide to the process of purchasing a camera... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Phase One P 30: 31.6 Mega Pixels Unmatched Digital Back - Now Shipping 08:21 EST - Phase One A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark (December 6, 2005): Phase One, the world leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to announce the shipment of their newest addition to the P-series - the P 30 digital back with an amazing and unmatched 31.6 Million Pixels. Only a few months ago, many people would not have believed this possible! But yet again, Phase One has broken another barrier in the world... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Openings Still Available For Sixth Digital Photography Workshop Cruise 07:49 EST - Openings are still available for an 8-day Digital Photography & Imaging Cruise featuring workshops for beginning and intermediate photographers embarking from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on March 1, 2006. The cruise is the sixth of a highly successful series offering instruction in photodigital technologies in a relaxed learning environment. Scheduled ports of call include St. Maarten, Barbados, and... (More) Wednesday, December 7, 2005 Full review posted for Olympus E-500 SLR 07:54 EST - The Olympus E-500 is the third interchangeable-lens digital SLR developed by the company, and is easily their best one to date. The E-500 digital SLR enters an increasingly crowded market, with aggressive price and feature competition among a number of SLR manufacturers, but with an eight-megapixel sensor, rugged build quality,... (More) Tuesday, December 6, 2005 November POTD Winners Chosen! 17:25 EST - "My Angel Anthony," "weevil," and "Bass Harbor Light" were chosen as this month's winners. Congratulations to Caran M. Brosnan, Ken Deitcher, and Neil R. Shapiro! Such a wide selection of great shots for November, your creativity and talent are overwhelming. We sure enjoy looking through all these photos, so please continue to send them in. Our three top winners... (More) Nikon expands battery recall 12:04 EST - Updates on the websites of Nikon Corp. around the world have today expanded last month's recall of some of the batteries used in the company's SLR digital cameras. The recall affects EN-EL3 batteries manufactured with one of over a hundred different lot numbers, which can be found as a four-digit alphanumeric code printed on the side of the battery. It should be... (More) Sigma: New super-wide zoom lenses 11:24 EST - A press release from Sigma Corp. in Japan has announced two new lenses that offer super wide angle zoom capability in Konica Minolta and Pentax mounts. HSM versions of the same lens were announced last February for the Sigma, Canon and Nikon mounts, and have been shipping for a while now. Specifications of the new variants are largely similar, with... (More) Monday, December 5, 2005 PRESS RELEASE: Myphotopipe.com Successfully Launches 94 Print Options Nationally for Owners of Digital Cameras; Company Offers Internet's First 4-foot-by-8-foot Prints 08:55 EST - ATLANTA and LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Myphotopipe.com (http://www.Myphotopipe.com) today announced the completion of the national rollout of its 94 Print Options for owners of digital cameras using online web sites for print processing. Targeted towards serious amateurs and professional photographers, 94 Print Options tested for three months to exceptionally strong results. "Since the... (More) Friday, December 2, 2005 Canon PowerShot A620 review posted 11:24 EST - Canon's PowerShot line of digital cameras have always been big favorites of IR readers, valued for their user-friendly design, excellent photo characteristics, and good build quality. The Canon A620 is an estimable addition at the top of that line, sporting a 7-megapixel CCD and a very good quality 4x optical zoom lens. It offers everything from fully automatic to fully manual exposure... (More) Review posted for Canon PowerShot S80 11:01 EST - Canon's PowerShot line of digital cameras have been perennial favorites with our readers, and the Canon S80 seems destined for similar status. This is an exceptionally full-featured digital camera, with all the bells and whistles apart from a flash hot shoe, a tilt/swivel LCD, and perhaps an internal neutral density filter. Everything else about... (More) Mamiya sets 22mpix SLR ship date 10:34 EST - A press release published by Ontario-based DALSA Corp., supplier of the 22-Megapixel FTF4052C TrueFrame™ CCD sensor used in Mamiya's long-awaited ZD medium format digital SLR camera, predicts that the camera will being shipping very soon. First announced some fourteen months ago, the ZD SLR is styled similarly to the Mamiya 645 AF medium format camera, and is being described by DALSA as "the world's first medium format digital SLR camera... (More) Pentax Imaging issues service advisory 09:22 EST - Regular readers may remember a couple of months ago we told you about service advisories from a range of companies, all identifying similar problems with certain of their digital camera models. Japanese imaging company Pentax Imaging Co. has now followed suit with a service advisory on its global website that mirrors past advisories from Canon, Fujifilm, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Ricoh,... (More) Sanyo: Two new camcorder-like Xacti digicams 08:47 EST - A press release from Sanyo USA has announced a pair of digital cameras styled much like miniature camcorders, and scheduled to ship next month. The Sanyo Xacti VPC-C6 and VPC-C40 are closely related in terms of form factor, but under the skin there are quite a few differences. The less expensive C40 model - priced at $399 - is the larger and... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Kingston Launches New "Ultimate" Line of CompactFlash Cards 07:36 EST - 100x Write Speed Helps Maximize Camera Functions and Gives Photographers Competitive Edge in High-Speed Shooting Conditions Fountain Valley, CA – December 1, 2005 – Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of its new “Ultimate” line of CompactFlash cards. With a sustained write speed rating of 100x, Kingston’s... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Delkin Devices® Announces Universal Pop-Up Shade for Digital Point and Shoot Cameras 07:22 EST - Four Models Fit Most Digital Cameras, Block Glare, and Protect Expensive Camera Screen November 30, 2005 Poway, CA- Delkin Devices, Inc., maker of premium quality eFilm® memory cards and other innovative digital photography products, is now shipping the Universal version of their popular Pop-Up Shades. All Pop-Up Shades allow you to see your camera's LCD screen in the sun and protect it from... (More) PRESS RELEASE: HP's Snapfish Powers Publix's Online Photo Service 06:54 EST - PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 2005--HP's (NYSE:HPQ)(Nasdaq:HPQ) Snapfish today announced that it is powering a new online photo service for Publix, one of the largest volume U.S. supermarkets. The new service, available at www.publix.com/photo, enables Publix customers to upload digital photos to the site for free online photo sharing and editing, unlimited online storage and wireless... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Photoflex enters photo and video backdrop market with debut of muslin backdrops and backdrop kits 06:08 EST - Watsonville, Calif.-Photoflex has entered the market for photographic and video backdrops with a line of muslin backdrops and two backdrop kits, it was announced today by President Sharon Reeves. "Customers and dealers have been encouraging Photoflex to offer backdrops and backdrop kits, so we're entering this important part of the marketplace now as part... (More) Thursday, December 1, 2005 Pentax, Konica Minolta, and Vivitar lenses posted to SLRgear.com 18:49 EST - We've updated SLRgear.com to include even more fine SLR lenses for your review, bringing the site total to a whopping 285 lenses. We had a lot of requests for Pentax and Konica Minolta in particular, so we're looking forward to hearing what our readers think about lenses from these two manufacturers. And don't miss the third party lenses. The Sigma stack now numbers 52, rivaled only by Canon with its 62 lenses. We have a good number of Tamron and Tokina optics as well, and now Vivitar lenses are also... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Pentax Announces First Pentax DA Fish-Eye Lens 03:40 EST - Golden, CO. (November 30, 2005)...PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the smc PENTAX DA FISH-EYE 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED [IF] lens. Designed exclusively for use with the PENTAX line of digital SLRs, this interchangeable lens offers fish-eye (180° diagonal angle of view at a focal length of 10mm) to super wide-angle performance in a single unit. Mounted on the PENTAX *ist D series of digital SLRs,... (More) Return to: Current News Archive Index