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News Archive - February 2005
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Monday, February 28, 2005

PMA Wrapup - 23 booth reports, exclusive videos, and more
22:50 EST -

Our coverage of the Photo Marketing Association's Spring 2005 tradeshow is now complete, and our PMA report pages have been finalised.

Amongst our detailed show coverage - our biggest yet from a PMA show - you'll find a whopping 23 booth reports containing almost 500 images shot by Imaging Resource photographers around the show floor, and at side events such as Sneak Peek and Digital Focus. There's also almost 100 other news items covering the products as they were announced, and the most interesting items we found in our treks around the convention hall.

A first for this year, we also provided video coverage of the show - allowing readers to get up-close with products and get an authentic feel for what a busy tradeshow like PMA is like in person. All four videos we've posted, covering the Sneak Peek event, Opening Day at the show, Canon's Digital Rebel XT, and Kodak's EasyShare-One digital camera can be found on our PMA 2005 Video Coverage page.

Following is a list of some of what we think are some of the most interesting articles and products from the show (of course, your needs may mean another product is more interesting to you - so feel free to browse through all the items and make your own list!)

Finally, following is a list of all 23 booth reports we posted, many of which include dozens of photos and numerous products apiece:

To all of our readers who offered comments and corrections during the show, our heartfelt thanks. Our show coverage may be over, but you can still discuss everything we saw in our forums - and we're already beginning our early plans for equally in-depth coverage of next year's show. Until then, you'll find all the latest digital imaging news on our news page, and you can expect detailed reviews of many of the products we saw at PMA in the coming weeks...

Booth Report: Concord
21:55 EST - Concord Camera Corp. showed a wide range of digital cameras on its booth at PMA - some brand new, and others announced late last year.

The company achieved a measure of success with its 3346z digital camera, a three megapixel model that won an award as the "Best Digital Camera under $100" in the DIMA Digital Camera Shoot-Out.... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: 400 Digital Camera Tips - Get More Enjoyment Out Of Photography
12:02 EST - Knoxville, TN - Digital camera and computer help website MalekTips (http://malektips.com/camera/) today announced the expansion of its digital camera help library, now numbering at 400 tips. Bringing its total computer and technology tip count to over 2,300, MalekTips now has an increased number of articles on pertinent subjects such as digital camera purchasing advice, photo composition, and photo... (More)

Sunday, February 27, 2005

SeaLife universal external digital flash for dive photography
23:42 EST - Having reviewed a few underwater cameras, including a SeaLife ReefMaster, I'm always interested to see what they have up their sleeve. This time it was a universal digital flash designed to shed a little more light on a scene than most digital cameras are capable of. Since it's universal, it can be used with most digital cameras in waterproof housings.

Most digital cameras use some sort of preflash to determine how they're going to light a particular scene, and external slave flashes have to know about this and compensate for them, not blowing their... (More)

Microtek 12 x 17 inch large format scanner
23:30 EST - When I saw it yawning over on the corner table, I thought it might attack. The Microtek ScanMaker 1000XL 3,200 dpi scanner is called "the highest resolution tabloid-size flatbed scanner on the market" in the press release.

Folks passing by marveled at its potential uses. With all the 13 x 19 printers coming on the market, it was nice to see a scanner approaching the same size. Two models are available, one with a Transparent... (More)

New Pentax Pancake and Zoom lens
18:25 EST - Pentax, one of the big five film SLR manufacturers, now makes two digital SLR cameras, and they're building their digital-specific lens collection just about every show.

What caught my eye at PMA 2005 was a lens I'd previously missed, announced last December: the Pentax DA 40mm F2.8 Limited lens. I'm not too far behind though, because it's just started shipping in February.... (More)

Booth Report: Wacom
17:35 EST - Every year at PMA, we see a couple of products that are just so cool, we want one yesterday if not sooner.

This year, one such product that's on News Editor Mike Tomkins' wishlist is the Wacom Cintiq 21UX pen display. Based on a 1600 x 1200 pixel color-accurate 21.3" LCD display, the Cintiq 21UX offers... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: New 21.3" Wacom Cintiq is World's First Interactive Pen Display with a Seamless Surface, ExpressKeys, and Zoom/Scroll Touch Strips
16:41 EST - Other Key Features Important to Photographers, Designers, and Artists Include 1,024 Levels of Pressure Sensitivity, Pen Tilt Sensitivity, and High-end LCD Color Accuracy VANCOUVER, WA., Feb. 15, 2005 - Wacom Technology Corporation today announced its eagerly anticipated Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display that allows users to work with a pen directly on a 21.3" color-accurate LCD. The Cintiq 21UX... (More)

Booth Report: SanDisk
16:34 EST - On SanDisk's booth at this year's show, the company presented a number of new storage products that set new capacity highs, or brought new features to make them easier to use.

Amongst the announcements of interest to owners of products based on Sony's Memory Stick Duo media were the two gigabyte Memory Stick PRO Duo, bringing the company's offerings to 128MB, 256MB, 512MB,... (More)

Sprint PictureMail manageable from Sanyo MM-5600
15:59 EST - We don't spend a lot of time on camera phones here at Imaging Resource, but every once in awhile a company does something we recognize as interesting, and relevant to the digital photography industry overall.

Sprint PCS's expanded PictureMail online service is just such a product, offering easy organization of not just photos taken with the camera phone, but all digital photos on a user's home computer. The... (More)

Booth Report: Rollei
15:18 EST - Rollei USA had quite a few announcements before this year's PMA show, including a restructuring of the brand in the US market.

Rollei's digital camera products have been available in Europe and Asia for some time now, but they've been rather harder to come by in the USA. That is apparently set to change, with Rollei USA LLC being... (More)

Concord: Two impulse-buy digicams
12:37 EST - Wrapping up Concord Camera Corp.'s PMA announcements are two new digicam models aimed at impulse buying by first-time digicam users.

The Concord 4042 is a $99 four megapixel CCD-based camera with a 36mm-equivalent fixed-focal length lens. It offers both an optical viewfinder and 1.5" LCD display, and stores images on either SD... (More)

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Booth Report: Hi-Touch Imaging
19:50 EST - On the booth of Hi-Touch Imaging Technologies this year, we saw an impressively wide range of dye diffusion thermal transfer printers, including one model that offered the rather unusual ability to print a true, reflective (shiny) gold color.

We're not sure exactly how useful the average user would find this ability to be, but it certainly offered the ability to add an interesting (and very eyecatching) touch to photo prints, and we can't... (More)

Booth Report: Creo Inc.
18:29 EST - Creo Inc.'s big news in the runup to this year's PMA show was that the company is in the final stages of acquisition by imaging giant Kodak, in a deal valued at some $980 million.

Creo's board has recommended the acquisition to shareholders, and the deal looks set to go ahead - meshing the company's strengths in digital pre-press products and its commercial printing customer base... (More)

Booth Report: Adobe Systems Inc.
17:42 EST - Adobe may not have had any new announcements in the runup to this year's PMA show (the most recent announcement being updates to the company's RAW converter products), but there were still plenty of interested customers eager to see live demonstrations of Adobe software products.

The Adobe Camera Raw plug-in and DNG Converter products were recently upgraded to offer support for the Canon EOS 20D, Canon PowerShot S70, Canon PowerShot G6, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, Konica Minolta DiMAGE... (More)

Concord: Two new ultracompact digicams
17:21 EST - Following on from the previous article, Concord Camera Corp. has announced two new ultracompact digital cameras at PMA which we're only now getting time to mention.

The Concord 5040 is a five megapixel CMOS-based camera with a fixed-focus, fixed-focal length lens. It offers no optical viewfinder, instead featuring only a 1.8" LCD display. The camera stores images... (More)

Another video - A tour of the Kodak EasyShare-One!
17:00 EST - One more video (two more from PMA yet to come), this time a look at Kodak's unique EasyShare One camera/wireless photo sharing device.

Here's a video tour of a product that we first saw back at the CES show in January, but it's since moved further along the development path, apparently on track for retail availability in June. Kodak's... (More)

Booth Report: ACD Systems
16:59 EST - ACD Systems' booth at PMA promoted the company's latest versions of its award-winning software line, including both ACDSee and the ACDSee PowerPack.

ACDSee 7, announced last October, is a powerful photo management tool that supports 50 photo and multimedia formats, including RAW file support for Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, Minolta, Nikon and Olympus cameras.... (More)

Friday, February 25, 2005

Tokina Lighting Company: Handy, stowable "studio in a box" solutions.
19:18 EST - A line of lightweight, portable lighting setups were among Dave's favorites at the show.

Tokina Lighting Company: Handy, stowable "studio in a box" solutions. A line of lightweight, portable lighting setups were among Dave's favorites at the show. Lighting is one of the toughest... (More)

PMA booth reports - lots of updates!
19:00 EST - Our Photo Marketing Show 2005 Spring tradeshow coverage is continuing unabated, with updates aplenty and more articles on the way.

The show may have ended on Wednesday afternoon, but there's still a lot more to come here at the Imaging Resource. As well as the articles you may have seen posted over the last day or two, a good selection... (More)

GREAT black & white *and* color prints: A closer look at the HP 8570
18:08 EST - HP's new 8750 printer offers archival color and black and white. A three-tone black system yields beautiful gradations and neutral grayscale across the tonal range.

HP 8750 - A Printer for Fine-Art Black and White AND Color. HP's new 8750 printer offers archival color and black and white. A three-tone black system yields beautiful gradations and neutral grayscale... (More)

Portrait Weavers offers color photo blankets
17:45 EST - We ran a story about another photo blanket maker in our Opening Day PMA 2005 video. Shortly thereafter while combing the floor for other interesting items, I found Portrait Weavers. They also make blankets, but they were displaying blankets made in full color, whereas the other company's were only monochrome.

A visit to the Portrait Weaver's website reveals no more than the printed materials I collected from the booth. The blankets are impressive, though. They offer a 54 x 70 inch Tapestry Throw starting... (More)

Concord: Three new EasyShot digicams
17:15 EST - Concord Camera Corp. announced three new digital cameras for the company's EasyShot line in the runup to this year's PMA (unfortunately with the flood of PMA work, we're only just now getting to these).

The Concord EasyShot 500z is a five megapixel, 3x optical zoom camera with a fairly stylish compact body. It offers no optical viewfinder, in favor of a large 2.0" LCD display, stores images on either... (More)

Tamron announces two digital-specific lenses
16:35 EST - Tamron announced two interesting lenses for APS C-sized digital SLRs at PMA. Dubbed "Di" for Digitally Integrated design, the lenses are meant for 24mm x 16mm sensors, and are not intended for 35mm SLRs. A quick look at the zoom specs tells you that they'll be excellent for the intended audience.

The SP AF11-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Di-II LD Aspherical lens gives digital SLRs equipped with APS C-sized sensors a focal length equivalent of 17-28mm on a 35mm camera, offering the true wide angle many have been... (More)

Tamrac Expedition Series has pockets galore
13:50 EST - Tamrac showed off a few of their new digital camera packs and bags at PMA 2005. Their Expedition Series backpacks appeared to have many desirable features, including a nicely padded belt and oodles of pockets.

I liked the many lashing points for attaching various bags and pockets for extra lenses, water bottles, cards, cell phones, and whatever else you need along. Easily accessible from the front of the... (More)

Change your perspective in a BIG way with Elevated Photos
01:00 EST - In giving advice to amateur photographers who want better pictures, one of the key pieces of advice is to take initiative and change your angle on a subject. This is as true for kid photographs (get down to their level) as it is for just about anything else commonly seen from the adult point of view of about four to six feet off the ground.

Many photographers also use a ladder, and I've posed models on the ground for an unusual point of view. Well, now there's another option that looks high above crowds and gives an angle that even a ladder... (More)

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Booth Report: Sigma Corp.
14:09 EST - On the company's booth at PMA, Sigma Corp. showcased not only its SD10 single-lens reflex digital camera, but also a vast array of lenses offered in mounts compatible with cameras from quite a range of other SLR manufacturers.

In the runup to PMA, Sigma firmly declared its commitment to digital photography with a whopping thirteen lens announcements aimed at digital photographers. Of these new models, 10 were APO lenses which... (More)

PMA over, but coverage continues
11:36 EST - This year's Photo Marketing Association spring tradeshow may have wrapped up yesterday afternoon, but our coverage continues. We're working through a backlog of booth reports and articles, so you can expect a lot more to come over the next few days... Stay tuned! Visit our exclusive Photo Marketing Association Spring 2005 Tradeshow Coverage now!

Copyright © 2005, Imaging Resource. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Accessory Review: The Malibu Spotting Scope
16:13 EST - We take a look at an affordable spotting scope that easily mounts to a digicam.

Somewhere between the 10x magnification of a long zoom and a 60x entry-level telescope is the spotting scope. Designed for terrestrial viewing, it behaves more like a long zoom than a telescope, displaying... (More)

iView Multimedia Updates MediaPro to Support DNG 2.4
15:56 EST - Version 2.6.3, a free update, adds DNG 2.4 support and Sigma raw with improvements to Minolta and Fuji raw support. Lots of interface enhancements, too!

iView Multimedia has updated its $199 iView MediaPro organizer software to support version 2.4 of Adobe's Digital Negative format and Sigma's raw format, while improving Minolta and Fujifilm raw format... (More)

MORE VIDEOS ONLINE!
00:57 EST - Another day of hard labor brings forth two more videos. Check them out!

Thanks to the herculean effort of video editor extraordinaire Andrew Alexander, we have another two videos to share with you of the "PMA Experience." This time around, there's an exclusive hands-on "video... (More)

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Booth Report: Pentax
17:08 EST - The Pentax booth at PMA is packed with products, though all but one of these were announced before the show.

The company's only new announcement for PMA is the development of an smc Pentax DA 50 - 200mm F4 - 5.6 ED lens, shown under glass as a prototype on the booth. Pricing and availability for that lens have... (More)

Booth Report: Panasonic
15:44 EST - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., better known by its Panasonic brandname, has numerous digital cameras and camcorders on its booth at PMA as usual.

The company announced several interesting new models in the runup to PMA, all with either a four or five megapixel imager, and all featuring the company's image stabilisation technology. The long-zoom... (More)

Booth Report: Epson
14:57 EST - Seiko Epson Corp. is showcasing a range of the company's products including printers, digital cameras and its PhotoFine LCD display technology at PMA.

Products on the Epson booth range from low-cost existing digital camera models such as the entry-level Epson L500V digital camera announced last year, to impressive wide-format printers that offer a combination... (More)

Booth Report: Samsung
12:37 EST - Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung has a fairly large booth at this year's PMA, on which it is demonstrating quite a range of digital cameras.

In recent years, Samsung has gained a reputation as one of the companies that unveils the largest digicam lineups at PMA, with many models sharing a similar foundation (but with slight tweaks such to... (More)

Gepe Card Safe: Takes all cards and takes a beating
01:00 EST - HP Marketing Corporation, not to be confused with that other HP, Hewlett Packard, was showing off their Gepe Card Safe at both Sneak Peek and the tradeshow.

It's an innovative card holder that's compatible with nearly all memory card shapes without having to change a thing. Just orient the card the right way and it's held securely in a very hard enclosure.... (More)

Monday, February 21, 2005

FotoChute grabs pictures with simple interface
22:48 EST - Well known for it's color flip-screen mobile image storage and playback device called FlashTrax, SmartDisk has launched a new, smaller and less expensive solution for photo retrieval and storage, and they call it FotoChute.

The device is quite a bit smaller than the Flash Trax, and couldn't be simpler. Using the USB cord of your digital camera, just connect the camera to the FotoChute, press a button on the device and images... (More)

Booth Report: Olympus Corp.
22:00 EST - As you might expect, Olympus Corp. has one of the larger booths at PMA, with the company showing off pretty much its entire range of imaging products.

Olympus had a whole raft of announcements in the leadup to PMA, with standouts including three fixed aperture zoom lenses for the E-System digital SLR family, and additions to the company's "Total... (More)

Booth Report: Leica Camera AG
15:40 EST - Leica Camera AG's booth at PMA is highlighting the company's M-system and R-system film cameras, as well as the Digital Module R digital camera back.

The Digital Module R allows users to convert the R8 and R9 35mm film cameras quickly and painlessly to a digital camera with a whopping 10 megapixel sensor resolution. The speed with which the back can... (More)

Booth Report: Nikon Inc. (UPDATED)
14:51 EST - Though it is surprising to see a high-end SLR with a 4.1 megapixel sensor in 2005, Nikon Inc. was unabashed introducing the D2Hs with just such a sensor.

Speed is the main purpose of the D2Hs, with an 8 frame per second shutter and a buffer that can handle 40 RAW images or 50 JPEGs, and Nikon is betting that its target market of reporters and sports photographers... (More)

Speed portrait studio workflow with Wi-Pics
14:01 EST - More and more the technological push is toward innovative use of wireless technology to ultimately relegate cards and cables to use as backup devices, while freeing the photographer to shoot more naturally without a long cable attached to their camera.

Two major camera manufacturers have addressed that need for their cameras, but DiceAmerica has aimed more specifically at the high-volume portrait studio creating a solution that's compatible with most... (More)

Booth Report: Sony Corp. (UPDATED)
13:52 EST - As usual, Sony Corp. has amongst the larger and more visually impressive booths at PMA with numerous areas offering demonstrations of a wide variety of consumer electronics products, from digital cameras through camcorders, printers, storage devices and Memory Stick products.

Amongst the digital camera announcements, the long-zoom stabilised lens Cyber-shot DSC-H1 stands out as interesting - mostly for the fact that it brings Sony into a market it has been conspicuously absent... (More)

KlearVision available for consumers, pros, and labs
13:42 EST - I spent a little time with Moshe Keydar, Chairman of KlearVision Digital, and learned about their Photo-D Automatic Image Correction System.

In all three iterations, Photo-D uses what the company calls a rule-based expert system to enhance digital image files "that are accurate in every way," according to the press release. We've obtained the... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Phase One to offer additional tethered support for Canon EOS DSLRs in Capture One RAW Workflow Software
12:37 EST - February 20th, 2005, PMA, Florida, USA: Phase One®, a world leader in professional digital imaging camera backs and software, announces tethered support for all Canon® EOS DSLR cameras (1Ds MKII/ 1D MKII / 1Ds / 1D / 20D/ 10D / 300D / D60 / D30) in their Capture One RAW Workflow Software. This extended tethered support will be available in Capture One PRO v3.7 and will be a free update for... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: PNY Technologies Gives Digital Storage Solutions A Speed Boost
06:00 EST - New, High-Speed Compact Flash Cards and Secure Digital Cards Capture More Data—Faster ORLANDO – February 21, 2005 –With the emergence of higher performance cameras and other multi-functional devices, PNY Technologies®, Inc. introduced several, new higher-speed, higher-capacity digital storage solutions that support them. Announced today at PMA 2005 (Booth # 4172), PNY Technologies’... (More)

VIDEO COVERAGE ONLINE!
02:57 EST - Apologies for "shouting," but we're pretty excited about this: After much work (and at just before 3 AM local time), we now have our first video segment online!

What started out as a simple idea to bring our readers more of the feel of actually being at the show ended up turning into huge effort. - But one we hope will be well worth it. We're proud to present... (More)

Booth Report: Eastman Kodak Co. (UPDATED)
01:56 EST - Without a doubt, one of the biggest stories in the entire photo industry over the last couple of years has been the resurgence of Eastman Kodak Co.

Looking at the company's heavy dependence on its film business, and what many viewed as a moribund, ingrown corporate culture, many analysts had largely written the company off as a serious player in... (More)

Booth Report: Hewlett Packard (UPDATED)
01:10 EST - Probably the first item of greatest interest at the Hewlett Packard booth is something we'll be covering at length, the HP PhotoSmart 8750 printer.

Billed as a Professional Printer, the 8750 has nine inks and 13x19 print output. Two of the nine inks are light grey and dark grey, which combine with black to produce greater range in black and white... (More)

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Booth Report: Canon Inc. (UPDATED)
23:46 EST - With the usual large and impressive presentation, Canon's booth is filled with things to do. There's a portrait photography presentation, a rack of 20D's with huge, white Canon lenses mounted on swivel-arms for passers-by to try the combo out on unsuspecting victims yards away.

The key product featured was of course the Rebel XT. With an 8 megapixel sensor, a new, smaller body, and a 14 frame buffer, the XT does impress. Though we saw the XT earlier, that didn't include the... (More)

Booth Report: Konica Minolta (UPDATED)
18:29 EST - Konica Minolta's booth at PMA this year includes a number of interesting products.

Not new for the show, but the Maxxum 7 Digital which recently started shipping around the world, is drawing a lot of attention - in particular because of its use of in-camera anti-shake that works with... (More)

Booth Report: Fujifilm
18:08 EST - Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd. has the usual vast booth directly inside the entrance to the show hall - as always located directly adjacent to major competitor Canon Inc.

The company announced a whole raft of products in the runup to PMA, including four digital cameras, the 1GB xD-Picture card, a wireless infra-red printer for cameraphones, new papers and more. Two of... (More)

Booth Report: Casio Inc.
17:00 EST - Casio Inc. has a medium-sized booth at PMA this year, and the company is showing off three brand-new digital camera models.

The Casio EXILIM Pro EX-P505 is without doubt the company's flagship digital camera announcement for the show, marking the company's first footsteps into the "SLR-style" digital camera market.... (More)

Hardigg Storm Case iM2050
11:47 EST - Complete with an automatic pressure release valve, Hardig's new iM2050 brings extreme protection to a small case.

The new Storm Case has a Vortex auto pressure release valve that adjusts air pressure while keeping water out. The traditional cubed foam can be adjusted to meet your needs, or cases can be custom cut... (More)

HP and BMW Williams offer F1 digicam
05:50 EST - Hewlett Packard's final digital camera announcement of PMA isn't a new model, per se - just a variation on an existing camera.

In a move reminiscent of that seen by Olympus (who've released two limited edition versions of their digital cameras customised to honor their sponsorship of the Ferrari Formula One racing team), HP have... (More)

HP: 6.2mpix PhotoSmart R717
05:48 EST - Wrapping up HP's new digital camera announcements for PMA is the 6.2 effective megapixel, 3x optical zoom Photosmart R717.

The camera features the by-now familiar HP styling cues, plus a raft of HP's technologies, such as red-eye removal, adaptive lighting and in-camera panorama preview. The camera offers both an optical... (More)

HP announces 5mpix Photosmart M417
05:46 EST - Amongst HP's four new digital camera announcements at PMA is the 5.2 effective megapixel, 3x optical zoom Photosmart M417.

The camera features the same styling we've seen on several other recent HP models, with a prominent groove at the front which helps you grip the camera firmly, and offers both an optical viewfinder and... (More)

HP Photosmart M22 / M23 digicams revealed
05:43 EST - Hewlett Packard has four new digital camera announcements for PMA; of these, two are very closely related - the HP Photosmart M22 and M23.

The two cameras share an essentially identical weather-resistant chassis (the only notable difference being the color of the body panels - silver for the M22, and bronze for the M23). The 1/2.5"-type... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: HP Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer
01:27 EST - Overview The HP Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer is designed for the professional, fine art, portrait and serious amateur photographer who wants finished, professional-quality photos to sell, exhibit or admire for generations. (1) The HP Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer produces nine-ink prints up to 13 x 19-inches with color management tools and remarkable printer flexibility to... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Pixel Genius LLC announces the release of PhotoKit-EL3
00:19 EST - PhotoKit-EL3 is a Photoshop® Elements® 3.0 Automate Plug-in that gives youall the wonders of a darkroom without the chemicals, letting you achieve thesame effects on digital images that you once could only do in a darkroom,With a retail price of $39.95, PhotoKit-EL3 offers a comprehensive toolkitfor all Elements 3.0 users on both Macintosh and Windows. PhotoKit-EL3 is an Automate Plug-in, a... (More)

Saturday, February 19, 2005

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk Introduces Ultra II SD Plus, A Dual-Purpose SD Memory Card With Built-in USB Connectivity
16:06 EST - New Twin Functionality Card Is Added To SanDisk's High-Performance Ultra II Product Line Orlando, FL, FEB. 19, 2005 - SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced the SanDisk Ultra™ II SD™ PLUS, an innovative SD flash memory card with built-in USB connectivity. The new card, which works seamlessly in any SD card slot, also can be used as a high-speed USB 2.0 flash drive. The... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk Introduces World's First 2-Gigabyte Memory Stick Pro Duo Card And Launches High-Speed Ultra II Memory Stick Pro Duo Line
16:04 EST - Memory Stick Format Expands Beyond Digital Cameras To Other Electronic Devices, Spurs Demand For More Memory and Faster Performance Orlando, FL, February 19, 2005 - With growing sales of high-resolution digital cameras, video camcorders and other electronics devices that require more memory and speed, SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today announced a 2-gigabyte (GB)* Memory Stick PRO Duo™... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SanDisk Introduces A 200-Picture, 128 Megabyte Shoot & Store CompactFlash Card
16:02 EST - Company Also Launches Shoot & Store Version Of the SanDisk Photo Album Orlando, FL, Feb 19, 2005 - SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today introduced a new 200-picture (128 megabyte)* CompactFlash® card in its Shoot & Store™ line of affordable digital memory cards. The announcement was made at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show in the Orange County Convention Center,... (More)

Sony announces long-zoom DSC-H1
16:00 EST - Sony USA has today announced its new DSC-H1 digital camera, a model that marks a step into territory from which they've been conspicuously absent until now - the so-called "SLR-style" long-zoom high-resolution digital camera.

Sony has certainly had its share of long-zoom digital cameras, but those models have either been models from the company's Mavica series (known for their floppy diskette-based storage and relatively low... (More)

Sony announces two new W-series Cyber-shots
16:00 EST - Sony USA has today taken the wraps of its Cyber-shot DSC-W5 and DSC-W7 digital cameras.

The DSC-W5 may seem familiar, as it was already announced by Sony Europe a couple of weeks ago. The W7 is largely similar to that model, but with the inclusion of a seven megapixel CCD sensor in place... (More)

Sony announces Cyber-shot S60, S90
16:00 EST - As part of a batch of new digital camera announcements for this year's Photo Marketing Association tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, Sony has unveiled its new Syber-shot DSC-S60 and DSC-S90 models.

The cameras are closely related, with both featuring a similar body design, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens, and four megapixel imager. Unusually (and we'd say laudably, given the fact that... (More)

Sony announces Cyber-shot DSC-S40
16:00 EST - Sony USA has today announced its new Cyber-shot DSC-S40 digital camera, a 4.1 megapixel entry level model scheduled to ship in mid-March for $199.

The S40 features a 3x optical zoom lens, branded as a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar, and similar to that used in the previous DSC-L1 model. Other features include an eye-level viewfinder, 1.5" LCD, 32MB... (More)

Kodak: Two new EasyShare digicams, camera / printer docks
09:00 EST - Eastman Kodak Co. has today announced two new digital cameras, the EasyShare C300 and C340.

The entry-level C300 model offers three megapixel resolution coupled with a fixed focus lens, and includes a movie clip mode. The C340 offers an all-glass KODAK RETINAR 3x optical zoom lens and five megapixel... (More)

Kodak's Picture Kiosk. Courtesy of Eastman Kodak Co., with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins.

PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Expands Opportunity for Retailers Entering Digital Picture Printing Market; Extends Kiosk Range with New Digital System
09:00 EST - Extension to KODAK Picture Maker G3 Kiosk Family and Kiosk Enhancements Help More Retailers Capitalize on Surging Global Digital Printing Market ORLANDO, Fla., February 20 — Eastman Kodak Company today announced a new, lower cost digital printing kiosk product to make it easier for traditional and non-traditional retailers alike to gain entry into the rapidly growing digital printing space.... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Equips KODAK DLS Software Enabled Minilabs with KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology for Better Pictures
09:00 EST - NORITSU and KIS Digital Minilabs First to Benefit from New KODAK DLS Software; Provides Improved Image Quality and Workflow ORLANDO, Fla., February 20 — Leveraging its strong relationships with Noritsu and KIS, Eastman Kodak Company today announced enhancements to both the NORITSU System 33 DLS Series and KIS System 80 DLS Series digital minilabs. Both digital minilabs will be available with... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Extends KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology to In-Store, In-Home Digital Picture Printing Worldwide
09:00 EST - KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology Now Available at Retail with KODAK Kiosks and DLS Minilabs, at Home with KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus, and Online with the KODAK EASYSHARE Gallery ORLANDO, Fla., February 20 — Eastman Kodak Company today announced that its KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology would be offered across an expanded set of digital printing systems worldwide, including KODAK Picture... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Helps Improve Productivity with New KODAK PROFESSIONAL Inkjet Photo Paper Rolls
09:00 EST - ORLANDO, Fla., February 20 - Responding to the positive response by professional photographers to Kodak's introduction of professional cut sheet inkjet paper in mid-2004, Eastman Kodak Company today announced KODAK PROFESSIONAL Inkjet Photo Paper in long-roll sizes for professional and advanced amateur (AdAm) photographers. The new inkjet long-roll format will further meet the demands of professional... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Consumer Web Site Created for New IMAGELINK Print System
09:00 EST - One-Touch, At-Home Picture Printing System Supported by Kodak, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Ricoh and Sanyo ORLANDO, Fla., February 20 - A consumer Web site dedicated to the IMAGELINK print system, the new, multi-manufacturer specification designed to simplify at-home picture printing, will go live this March. The site - www.imagelinkprintsystem.com - includes links to compatible digital... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Delkin Introduces SD-Xtra Card That Allows Effortless Data Transfer Between PCs and Portable Consumer Electronics
00:51 EST - Poway CA, February 18, 2005 Delkin Devices Inc., maker of premium quality eFilm memory cards and other innovative digital photography products, today announced the SD-Xtra card which allows effortless transfers between any SD slot and any USB port. The innovative design allows photos, music or data to transfer easily without the use of a reader/writer or cables. Built into this SD card format is... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Delkin Devices Introduces Faster, Less Expensive Cardbus Adapters Including Multi-card Version With Mac Support
00:18 EST - Poway CA, February 18, 2005 Delkin Devices Inc., maker of premium quality eFilm memory cards and other innovative digital photography products, announces three enhancements to their line of eFilm® CardBus adapters. CardBus adapters enable memory cards to work in the PC Card slot on most Windows and Mac based laptops, and uses the high speed CardBus PCMCIA standard. New drivers are now available... (More)

Friday, February 18, 2005

PRESS RELEASE: Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A. Inc. releases free trial version of DiMAGE Master v1.01 software.
10:00 EST - DiMAGE Master is optional software designed to improve the creative workflow of professional and advanced digital camera users. The software's newly developed 3D Lookup Table technology for RAW processing enables more accurate color reproduction and can process any RAW images taken by Konica Minolta DiMAGE digital cameras. Diverse image management operations, such as viewing, classifying, correcting,... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A. Inc. releases an update today to its optional image enhancement DiMAGE Master software.
10:00 EST - DiMAGE Master Ver.1.0.1 corrects for the following issues found after the initial release of DiMAGE Master Ver.1.0.0. DiMAGE Master Ver.1.0.0 might not start up on hyper-threading computers. Images with text imprint might not be printed correctly. (Mac only) Highlight area in a RAW image might have purple overcast after exposure compensation on Photofinisher window. DiMAGE Master Ver.1.0.1 is available... (More)

Kodak: Two new Z-series digital cameras
09:00 EST - Eastman Kodak Co. has today announced two new digital cameras for the EasyShare Z-series, the EasyShare Z7590 and EasyShare Z730.

Both cameras may look familiar, and for good reason. The EasyShare Z7590 seems to be absolutely identical to the existing DX7590 model except for the name, as far as we can tell from browsing the specs.... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Nikon Sponsors 2005 North American Police Ski Championship
01:31 EST - Charity Event to Raise Funds for Winter Special Olympics and TEAM USA MELVILLE, NY, FEBRUARY 17, 2005 - Nikon (www.nikonusa.com), today announced its continued sponsorship of the 16th annual North American Police Ski Championship (NAPSC). The NAPSC is a non-profit police ski-week that organizes athletic and charitable competition between law enforcement agencies from around the United States and... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: SeeFile Introduces Software For Making Online Catalogs Easy And Cheap For Designers, Photographers And Labs
01:29 EST - News Highlights... The Mac-based software allows users to easily post their photos, artwork, text files and PDFs online in minutes; As an introductory promotion, SeeFile and its dealers are combining a 10-user version of the software with Apple's new Mac mini for $995. For more information, please visit the SeeFile website (www.seefile.com) or contact their Boston offices at 617-262-2464. ORLANDO --... (More)

Photo Talk Radio: Dave Etchells, back by popular demand
01:24 EST - Imaging Resource Founder and Publisher Dave Etchells recently made a guest appearance on Photo Talk Radio, a live Internet talk show hosted by Howard Lipin and Michael A. Garcia.

Listeners had the opportunity to call and talk with Dave about the Imaging Resource during the show (which was broadcast live on Saturday, February 12th). The show can still be found in Photo Talk Radio's... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Lexar, Bogen, Quantum, and Dedolight sponsor Web Photo School lessons on retailers' websites
01:11 EST - Watsonville, Calif.-Digital-imaging lessons developed by Web Photo School for leading photography retailers' interactive websites are being presented through strategic partnerships with Lexar Media, Bogen Imaging, Quantum Instruments, and Dedolight, WPS Chief Executive Office Gene Kester announced today. Products made and distributed by these companies appear prominently in digital-imaging lessons... (More)

Epson announces RX620 all-in-one
00:01 EST - Epson America has today announced its new Stylus Photo RX620, an all-in-one device featuring a 6-color dye-based photo printer.

The Stylus Photo RX620, planned to retail for $299, features 5760 x 1440 dpi printing with a 3 picoliter droplet size, and 2400 x 4800 dpi scanning with a 35mm film-strip adapter (offering the ability... (More)

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Olympus announces IR-300 digicam, DVD / CD writer (UPDATED)
12:00 EST - Olympus has today announced two new additions to its "Total Imaging Solution".

The new products are the Olympus IsR-300 digital camera and S-DVD-100 DVD/CD reader/writer, planned to ship in April and May respectively. The $349.99 IR-300 is a five megapixel digital camera with 3x... (More)

Olympus updates the Stylus Verve
12:00 EST - A press release from Olympus today announces its new Stylus Verve S digital camera.

Based on the existing Stylus Verve model, the Stylus Verve S looks to be a fairly straightforward upgrade, with the changes relating to the new five megapixel image sensor (image size, burst speed, ISO... (More)

Olympus: New 5mpix, 3x zoom compact digicam
12:00 EST - Continuing its announcements in the runup to this year's Photo Marketing Association tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, Olympus announces its Camedia D-630 Zoom digital camera.

Coupling a five megapixel imager and 3x optical zoom lens, plus a large 2.0" LCD display, xD-Picture Card and 14MB internal storage, and power from a proprietary Li-40B Lithium Ion rechargeable battery.... (More)

Olympus announces Camedia D-595 Zoom
12:00 EST - Olympus USA has today unveiled its new five megapixel Camedia D-595 Zoom digital camera.

Featuring a 1/2.5" 5.1 megapixel CCD imager coupled with a 3x optical zoom lens, the Camedia D-595Z also includes a 1.8" LCD display, contrast detection AF system, ISO sensitivity from ISO 50... (More)

Olympus Camedia D-545Z announced
12:00 EST - Olympus USA has today announced its new Camedia D-545 Zoom digital camera.

Featuring a sensor resolution of four megapixels coupled with a 3x optical zoom lens, the Camedia D-545Z also includes a 1.8" LCD display, contrast detection AF system, automatic ISO sensitivity... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Olympus Announces The World's Fastest Fixed Aperture Zoom Lenses Ever Designed For Digital Photography
12:00 EST - Two Lenses Deliver an Unprecedented f2.0 Aperture through Entire Zoom Range, Third Lens Delivers Amazing f2.8 Aperture Over its 90-250mm (180-500mm) Range Melville, New York, February 17, 2005 – Olympus today announces the breakthrough development of the world’s fastest “Designed for Digital” interchangeable fixed-aperture wide zoom lenses. Designed for use with Olympus E-System... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Olympus Introduces New Underwater Housings For Evolt E-300 Digital SLR, Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses, And FL-36 Flash
12:00 EST - High Performance of a Digital SLR is Taken to a New Level with Camera Body, Lenses and Flash Reaching Depths of Up to 180 Feet in Heavy-Duty Housings Melville, New York, February 17, 2005 – Olympus today announced the PT-E01 Underwater Housing for the EVOLT E-300 Digital SLR, as well as a series of housings ports for several E-System Zuiko Digital Specific™ Lenses and the FL-36 Flash.... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Olympus Introduces New Underwater Housings For Stylus 500 And C-7070 Wide Zoom Digital Cameras
12:00 EST - Cameras Reach Depths of Up to 130 Feet Thanks to Heavy-Duty Housing Construction, LCD Hood Cuts Down Glare for Viewing and Shooting Images Melville, New York, February 17, 2005 – Olympus today introduced the PT-026 Underwater Housing designed for use with its Stylus 500 digital camera, and the PT-027 Underwater Housing for the C-7070 Wide Zoom. These stylish and durable transparent polycarbonate... (More)

Canon announces three new camcorders
08:10 EST - Rounding out Canon Inc.'s Photo Marketing Show 2005 announcements for the day, the company announces three new digital camcorders.

Of the three, the Canon Optura 50 and Optura 60 are closely related models, while the ZR400 (as the name would suggest) is totally dissimilar. The Optura 50 ($799) and Optura 60 ($899) look to be identical... (More)

Canon PIXMA MP760 Photo All-in-One announced
08:10 EST - Canon Inc. continues its Photo Marketing Show 2005 announcements today after a brief pause, with the introduction of the PIXMA MP760 - an all-in-one device featuring a photo printer, scanner, and memory card reader.

The Canon PIXMA MP760, scheduled to go on sale this March at a price of $299.99, features USB 2.0 High-Speed connectivity and compatibility with both Windows / MacOS. The printer section offers 600 x... (More)

PMA coverage now live!
06:47 EST - PMA is the camera industry's most important show of the year, and we've laid out plans to cover it like never before. In addition to the digital cameras that will be our primary focus, we'll be bringing you stories about accessories, printers, scanners, services, software, and whatever else strikes our interest at the show.

Expect hands-on reviews, detailed photos, and continuous coverage from the show floor. Check back often and feel free to look in the forums to discuss the latest news. Our PMA items are also being mirrored... (More)

Canon announces EOS Digital Rebel XT (UPDATED)
06:05 EST - Canon has today announced its new EOS Digital Rebel XT, the long-rumored "successor" to the EOS Digital Rebel - although that word is rather of a misnomer, since the original Rebel is actually to remain in Canon's lineup at a reduced price.

Slated to cost just $899 body only, or $999 as part of a kit with the EF-S 18-55mm lens (exactly the same price as the original Rebel when announced eighteen months ago), the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT... (More)

Canon announces two new Digital ELPH cameras
06:05 EST - As part of its flood of announcements in the runup to this year's Photo Marketing Association tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, Canon Inc. has today announced two new cameras in its Digital ELPH series.

The Canon PowerShot SD400 and SD500 Digital ELPH are stylish compact models that are similar in name and size, but look quite different from each other and offer sensor resolutions of five and seven megapixels... (More)

Canon: New EF-S lens, wireless controller (UPDATED)
06:05 EST - Alongside today's announcement of the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, the company has announced a new EF-S 60mm macro lens compatible with the camera (as well as the older Rebel and higher-spec EOS 20D models).

The Canon EF-S 60MM F/2.8 Macro USM lens announcement shares a press release with a new wireless controller, the LC-5, scheduled to ship in June with pricing as-yet unannounced. The LC-5 is for EOS cameras... (More)

Canon SELPHY CP600 photo printer announced
06:05 EST - Canon USA has today announced a new compact photo printer model scheduled to make its debut at the Photo Marketing Association tradeshow in Orlando, Florida.

The Canon SELPHY CP600 is a dye sublimation printer which uses a protective overcoating, and is suitable for making borderless or bordered postcard, credit card label or mini label prints at a resolution... (More)

New tech extends LiIon battery life, charging in minutes?
04:59 EST - Reno, Nevada-based Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. has announced what it says is a breakthrough in Lithium Ion battery electrode materials that will allow faster-charging, longer-lasting Lithium Ion batteries.

Details can be found in the attached press release, but in brief the company says that its research into new electrode materials for Lithium Ion batteries will allow a tripling of battery life, and a reduction... (More)

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Another new ultracompact - Rollei's dp5200
16:48 EST - Rounding out the company's announcements in the runup to this year's Photo Marketing Association trade show in Orlando, Florida, Rollei USA has unveiled its second ultracompact digital camera model of the day.

The Rollei Prego dp5200 features a five megapixel imager and unbranded 3x optical zoom lens. Other features include an optical viewfinder and a large 2.5" LCD display, ISO sensitivities up to 200,... (More)

Rollei's dk4010 long-zoom digicam
16:40 EST - Rollei USA's third announcement of the day is the dk4010, a long-zoom digicam with a D-VarioApogon branded 10x optical zoom lens that reaches out to a maximum telephoto of 370mm (35mm equivalent).

The Rollei dk4010 offers both an electronic (ferroelectric LCD) viewfinder and 1.5" LCD display, ISO sensitivities up to 800, a choice of Program / Aperture Priority / Shutter Priority modes, SD... (More)

Rollei dr5100: 5mpix, 3x zoom
16:30 EST - Rollei's second new digicam announcement of the day is the dr5100, a five megapixel camera with a D-Vario-Apogon branded 3x optical zoom lens.

Slated for March availability in the US at a price of $400, the dr5100 offers both an optical viewfinder and 1.8" LCD display, ISO sensitivities up to 1600 from its 1/1.8" CCD sensor, three... (More)

Rollei announces dr5 digital camera
16:22 EST - A newly restructured Rollei USA LLC today announced four new digital cameras, each covered by its own press release (and hence given separate news items on our site).

The first of the four, the Rollei dr5, is a stylish ultracompact model with five megapixel imager and D-Vario-Apogon branded 4.8xoptical zoom lens. Scheduled to reach stores in March (with pricing as-yet... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Rollei is Back! First Single Lens Reflex Auto Focus Camera in 6x6 Medium Format to be Unveiled by Rollei at PMA
16:09 EST - Four Other New Cameras To Be Introduced ORLANDO, FL, (February 16, 2005) - Rollei, manufacturer of the classic twin-lens 6x6 Rolleiflex that has been a workhorse and a work of art for 85 years to professionals and enthusiasts, is back in the U.S.! And in a big way. Rollei will introduce five new cameras for professional photographers and digital camera enthusiasts, at the PMA 2005 Annual Convention... (More)

Nikon's D2Hs digital camera. Courtesy of Nikon, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins.

Nikon announces D2Hs digital SLR (UPDATED)
00:01 EST - Nikon USA has today announced an update to its D2H digital camera, in the form of the new Nikon D2Hs, currently slated to ship in March at an MSRP price of $3499.95.

The D2Hs, like the D2H (announced in July 2003) before it, features a 4.1 effective megapixel Nikon JFET LBCAST image sensor, in a rugged moisture / dust-sealed magnesium alloy body. Changes from the... (More)

Nikon announces Coolpix 5900 and 7900
00:01 EST - Nikon USA has today announced two new Coolpix models that differ mostly in their choice of imager - either 5.1 or 7.1 effective megapixels.

The lower-resolution of the pair is the Coolpix 5900, while the Coolpix 7900 sports the higher resolution. Both cameras share a similar body with Zoom Nikkor ED 3x optical zoom lens, 2.0" LCD display,... (More)

Nikon announces three new Coolpix digicams
00:01 EST - Nikon USA has today announced three new Coolpix digital cameras, all sharing somewhat similar styling (and grouped in a single press release).

Of the three, the Coolpix 4600 and 5600 are the most closely related, sharing essentially the same body and lens, but with differing imagers. The Coolpix 4600 offers a 4.0 effective megapixel resolution,... (More)

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

PRESS RELEASE: MediaGear's New Flash-HD to Go Wins American PHOTO Magazine's 2004 Editors Choice Award
12:57 EST - MediaGear Inc., (www.mymediagear.com), a manufacturer and marketer of digital camera peripherals for transfer, storage, archiving, and processing of digital photos, announced today that its popular Flash-HD to Go has won the prestigious 2004 American PHOTO Editors Choice Award. The portable Flash-HD to Go is a self-contained backup solution for Flash Memory Cards that reliably and quickly stores your... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Fujifilm Introduces Fujicolor Crystal Archive Professional Paper Super Type C And Type PD
11:59 EST - More Accurate Color Reproduction, More Brilliant Whites, Improved Highlight Detail and Image Stability Valhalla, NY, February 14, 2005 - Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of imaging products and services, introduces Fujicolor Crystal Archive Professional Paper Super Type C, and Fujicolor Crystal Archive Professional Paper Super Type PD at the PMA 2005 Annual Convention and Trade Show... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Fujifilm Unveils 1GB xD-Picture Card Type M
11:54 EST - Obtaining 1GB capacity, new architecture optimized for next generation cameras Valhalla, NY, February 14, 2005 - Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., a leading supplier of imaging and information solutions, today announced the April availability of the Fujifilm 1GB xD-Picture Card™ Type M and will unveil the new card design at their booth at the Photographic Marketing Association (PMA) show in Orlando,... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Concord Keystone Sales Corp. Signs Exclusive Agreement With Source Interlink, Expanding Impulse Purchase Distribution
11:50 EST - Concord's digital cameras and Polaroid One-time-use cameras will be made available nationally at the check-out counters of leading retail chains Hollywood, FL, February 15, 2005 - Concord Camera Corp. ("Concord") (Nasdaq:LENSE), a leader in award-winning, high-quality, affordably-priced imaging products, announced today a new distribution agreement between Concord Keystone Sales Corp. ("Keystone"),... (More)

Casio announces new Exilim digicams
11:11 EST - Casio has today announced two new ultra-compact digital camera models for its Exilim ZOOM series.

The Casio Exilim ZOOM EX-Z750 is a 7.2 megapixel, 3x optical zoom camera with 2.5" LCD and optical viewfinder, and USB 2.0 High-Speed connectivity, planned to cost $449.99. The EX-Z57 is a 5.0 megapixel,... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Olympus Announces One Gigabyte xD-Picture Card And New Mobile USB Reader/Writer Exclusively For xD Media
00:01 EST - USB Reader/Writer is an Inexpensive Way to Upgrade xD Card to a Portable Storage Device Capable of Sharing Images, Music, Video and Documents Melville, New York, February 15, 2005 – Olympus today announced the release of a One Gigabyte xD-Picture Card™ and a new Portable USB Reader/Writer for xD media. As one of the world's smallest storage media for digital cameras and digital voice... (More)

Monday, February 14, 2005

PRESS RELEASE: IMS DSLRClean Now Ships Worldwide A Revolutionary No-Liquid Way To Clean Digital SLR Sensors
17:05 EST - 2 February 2005 - Intelligent Mobile Solutions Limited (IMS), announce that its groundbreaking new product DSLRClean™ - a specially created cleaning stick for removing dust from digital SLR camera sensors - is now available worldwide. The DSLRClean™ sticks are designed for use without liquids using a unique micro-pore swab that creates a mini vacuum effect to gently lift dust from both... (More)

Olympus Japan: New E-1 firmware
16:59 EST - Olympus Japan has today released a new firmware version (v1.4) for its E-1 digital SLR.

The company's release notes list a number of changes: The S-AF speed in low luminance conditions has been improved. AF accuracy under fluorescent lighting has been improved. Images shot with the E-300... (More)

Olympus Japan: New E-300 firmware
16:53 EST - Olympus Japan has today released a new firmware version (v1.1) for its E-300 digital SLR, known in the US as the Evolt.

The company's release notes list a number of changes: [AUTO] of the white balance setting has been improved to better accommodate subjects containing yellows. Highlighted parts appeared pink when the color... (More)

Konica Minolta: New Maxxum 7D firmware
16:20 EST - Konica Minolta has today released a new firmware version (v1.10) for its Maxxum 7D digital SLR, known outside the US as the Dynax 7D.

The company's release notes list a number of changes: Added the remote storage function which can be used in combination with the DiMAGE Transfer software. Speeded up its access to a memory card. This... (More)

Canon Japan announces EOS 20Da
15:42 EST - Canon Japan has today announced a new variation on its EOS 20D digital camera targeted at astrophotography.

The Canon EOS 20Da is almost identical to the existing model, but with a couple of hardware and firmware tweaks to make the camera better suited to astrophotography. Most importantly, the infrared cutoff... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Konica Minolta Introduces DiMAGE Transfer Software For Studio Photography
10:00 EST - Mahwah, NJ (February 14, 2005) - Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. introduces DiMAGE Transfer - a free software download from the Konica Minolta Web site for Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D users. Konica Minolta's new DiMAGE Transfer makes it easy for studio photographers to transfer images directly to their PC's hard drive via a USB cable when shooting with Maxxum 7D. In addition to enabling the... (More)

Pentax announces new *ist DS variant (UPDATED)
01:06 EST - Pentax's third pre-PMA announcement of the day isn't a new camera per se - instead, the company is to release a new variation on an existing model.

The Pentax *ist DS, first announced last September in a black bodied version, will soon ship in another version sporting silver and black body panels. Specifications of the *ist DS Silver are otherwise... (More)

Pentax announces Optio S5n (UPDATED)
01:01 EST - In its second new camera announcement of the day, Pentax has today announced a new five megapixel model for its Optio S series.

The Pentax Optio S5n digital camera couples its 5.25 megapixels (total) CCD imager with an smc Pentax 3x optical zoom lens equivalent to 35.6 - 107mm on a 35mm camera. As with other recent S-series models,... (More)

Pentax announces Optio 50 (UPDATED)
00:52 EST - Pentax has today announced a new five megapixel digital camera model aimed at entry level users.

The Pentax Optio 50 digital camera couples its 5.19 megapixels (total) CCD imager with a 3x optical zoom lens equivalent to 32 - 96mm on a 35mm camera. Other features include a 1.8" LCD display with... (More)

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Sigma announces thirteen new lenses
19:00 EST - Sigma Corporation of Japan has today announced a whopping thirteen new lenses in the runup to this year's Photo Marketing Association Spring tradeshow, to be held in Orlando, Florida.

Of the thirteen lenses, three are designed with a reduced APS-C image circle and are solely for use on digital SLRs, while the remaining ten are 35mm lenses and can be used on either film or digital SLRs.... (More)

Saturday, February 12, 2005

PRESS RELEASE: Free Photoshop Elements Training Session Offered by KW Media Group and Adobe
15:09 EST - Tampa, FL - Feb. 1, 2005 - KW Media Group and Adobe Systems announced today that a free Photoshop Elements training session will be held Wednesday, Feb. 16th from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Photoshop Elements 3 Summit, hosted by Photoshop Elements Techniques newsletter and its companion website, www.photoshopelementsuser.com, will introduce the... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: ConvertToBW Pro v3.0 for Mac OS X
14:35 EST - theimagingfactory has just released ConvertToBW Pro v3.0 for Mac OS X. ConvertToBW Pro is a Photoshop plugin for highly customized color to B&W conversions mimicking conventional photography techniques. This popular plugin has now been updated to version 3.0 for Mac OS X. Featuring a completely redesigned user-interface experience, this next major incarnation of the plugin includes a variety of workflow-oriented... (More)

Friday, February 11, 2005

Dave Etchells to appear on Photo Talk Radio
10:18 EST - Imaging Resource Founder and Publisher Dave Etchells will be making a guest appearance on Photo Talk Radio, a live Internet talk show hosted by Howard Lipin and Michael A. Garcia.

Listeners will have the opportunity to call and talk with Dave about the Imaging Resource during the show (which broadcasts live tomorrow, Saturday February 12th, from 11AM - Noon Eastern Time at http://www.phototalkradio.com)... (More)

Epson announces Stylus Photo R1800 (UPDATED)
00:01 EST - Epson America Inc. has today announced a new photo printer for its Stylus Photo line.

The Epson Stylus Photo R1800 features a 5760 x 1440 dpi resolution, 1.5 picoliter droplet size, eight ink colors using UltraChrome Hi-Gloss inks, and a print longevity claims to be from 104 to 200 years... (More)

Wednesday, February 9, 2005

Matsushita announces MOS imager breakthrough
17:04 EST - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., the company behind the Panasonic brandname, yesterday announced a breakthrough in MOS image sensor design.

Matsushita's new sensor design allows a sensor resolution of two megapixels on a 1/4-inch MOS sensor, with a photodiode area ratio of 30% and sensitivity equal to previous one megapixel 1/4" MOS imagers.... (More)

January "Link to Us" contest winner!
14:32 EST - Thanks and congratulations to reader Patricia Haddad, winner of our first monthly "Link to Us" sweepstakes!

Amid the press of pre-PMA preparations, I'm finally getting around to awarding the January sweepstakes prize for our "Link to Us" contest. I put all the names of the people who'd told us about links to... (More)

Fujifilm ships infra-red equipped digicam
09:37 EST - Fujifilm Japan will today begin shipping a new digital camera model that features infra-red connectivity for use with the new Fujifilm MP-100 'Pivi' infra-red photo printer.

The Fujifilm Q1 DIGITAL 4.0 Ir shares a body similar to that in Fujifilm's Q1 compact APS film cameras, but with the optical viewfinder removed in favor of a 1.5" LCD display. The camera also features... (More)

Tuesday, February 8, 2005

PRESS RELEASE: Adobe Updates Camera Raw Plug-in and DNG Converter for Photographers
17:54 EST - Adding Support for New Canon and Konica Minolta Cameras, Updated Plug-in Works with Both Photoshop CS and Photoshop Elements 3.0 SAN JOSE, Calif. - Feb. 7, 2005 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced availability of an updated Adobe® Camera Raw plug-in that adds compatibility for six new camera models, bringing the total number of raw camera formats supported within Adobe Photoshop®... (More)

Sanyo Japan updates Xacti DSC-S4
17:09 EST - A press release from Sanyo Japan today announces that the company will soon roll out an update to its Xacti S-series of digital cameras.

The Sanyo Xacti DSC-S5 is largely similar to the existing DSC-S3 and DSC-S4 models, first announced nine months ago. It shares its lens and 1/2.5" sensor size with the DSC-S4 model, but where that... (More)

Panasonic: Two new long-zoom Lumix digicams
15:24 EST - The final two of five digital camera announcements today from Panasonic couple 4.0 and 5.0 effective megapixel CCD imagers respectively with a powerful 12x optical zoom lens manufactured with input from Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.

The lower-resolution Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ4 is almost identical to its higher-resolution DMC-FZ5, with the exception of the latter's larger LCD display, microphone (for movies and audio clips), sensor... (More)

Panasonic: Two new LZ Lumix digicams
10:24 EST - As part of its five digital camera announcements for the day, Panasonic has unveiled two closely related models featuring an image-stabilised 6x optical zoom lens coupled with 4.0 and 5.0 effective megapixel CCD imagers respectively.

The lower-resolution Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 is almost identical to its higher-resolution DMC-LZ2 sibling, with the exception of the latter's microphone (for movies and audio clips), sensor difference,... (More)

Panasonic: New 4mpix image stabilised compact digicam
10:22 EST - Panasonic has today announced a new digital camera model featuring an image-stabilised 3x optical zoom lens coupled to a 4.0 effective megapixel CCD imager.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS1 forgoes any form of optical viewfinder in favor of a 2.0" LCD display with 85,000 pixels. Images are stored on SD and MMC memory cards, or in 14MB of internal memory.... (More)

Fujifilm announces FinePix F10 (UPDATED)
00:01 EST - Fuji Photo Film USA Inc. has today unveiled a new compact camera model that combines a 6.3 effective megapixel SuperCCD HR imager and Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens.

Other features of the Fujifilm FinePix F10 digital camera include image resolutions up to 2848 x 2136 pixels, ISO sensitivities up to 1600, a choice of 64 Multi Point TTL, Average or Spot metering, VGA... (More)

Fujifilm announces FinePix Z1
00:01 EST - Fuji Photo Film USA Inc. has today unveiled a new ultracompact camera model featuring a 5.1 megapixel SuperCCD HR imager and Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens.

Other features of the Fujifilm FinePix Z1 digital camera include image resolutions up to 2592 x 1944 pixels, ISO sensitivities up to 800, 64-zone TTL metering, VGA movie mode, and Natural light, Sports,... (More)

Fujifilm announces two A-series digicams
00:01 EST - A press release from Fuji Photo Film USA Inc. today expands its A-series of FinePix digital cameras for the budget-conscious to include two new models.

Both cameras are obviously closely related; the camera body is essentially identical, and the main differences appear to relate to a slightly different sensor resolution. The Fujifilm FinePix A345 is... (More)

Sunday, February 6, 2005

PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Announces Agreement to Acquire Creo Inc.
15:00 EST - Transaction Accretive to Earnings in 2006; Strengthens Position in Graphic Communications Market ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 31 -- Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Creo Inc. (NASDAQ: CREO, TSX: CRE), a premier supplier of prepress systems used by commercial printers worldwide. Based in Vancouver, Canada, Creo is the world’s... (More)

PRESS RELEASE: Creo Board Recommends Acquisition by Kodak
14:53 EST - Vancouver, BC, Canada (January 31, 2005) – Creo Inc. (NASDAQ: CREO; TSX: CRE) announced today that the company has entered into an arrangement agreement to be acquired by Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK). The acquisition is to be completed by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under which Kodak will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Creo at a cash price of US$16.50... (More)

Kodak takes US digicam lead
14:49 EST - Eastman Kodak Co.'s strategy in the digital marketplace looks to be paying dividends, according to a new press release issued by the company.

According to market research firm IDC, Kodak has overtaken Sony in 2004 to assume the number one spot for total digicam market share in the USA. This is major news, as Sony has held the US number one spot... (More)

Friday, February 4, 2005

Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D review updated to full production status
06:27 EST - The Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D is easily one of the most eagerly-awaited digital cameras in the last year or so. Many thousands (millions?) of Minolta film SLR owners have been waiting and hoping for a digital SLR to use with their extensive collections of (typically excellent) Minolta optics.

Now that the Maxxum 7D has arrived, their wait is over, and the obvious quality and features of the new model appear to justify the long wait. While it has the usual "Green zone" full-auto mode for pure... (More)

Canon's EOS-1Ds Mark II digital SLR. Courtesy of Canon, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins.

Full Review posted for Canon EOS-1D Mark II
06:20 EST - From the "it's about time" department, we're pleased to finally bring you our full review of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II.

We've had this impressive camera for an embarassingly long time, its review kept getting bumped by the press of dozens of consumer models, leading up to last year's holiday season. We've finally finished... (More)

Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-W5 digital camera. Courtesy of Sony, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins.

Sony Europe unveils Cyber-shot DSC-W5
11:20 EST - A new digital camera model that briefly appeared on (and just as quickly disappeared from) consumer electronics giant Sony's shopping website SonyStyle a few days ago has now been officially announced by Sony Europe in Berlin.

Updating the popular DSC-W1 model, the DSC-W5 is set to ship later this month across Europe, with pricing set at €370 (roughly equivalent to US$483, ignoring exchange rate fluctuations, taxes and... (More)

Tuesday, February 1, 2005

January 2005 Photo of the Day Winners Announced!
12:08 EST - Another month, another great batch of photos, and another round of tough decisions for our judges!

Once again, our readers have proven themselves to be one of the most talented communities of photo buffs on the planet, as witness the excellent collection of daily Photo of the Day winners we had in January.... (More)

Canon replaces PowerShot A85
07:17 EST - Canon Inc. has today announced a new digital camera model that updates an existing model in much the same fashion as a similar announcement a couple of weeks ago.

The PowerShot A510 was a replacement for the PowerShot A75, and featured overhauled styling, a more powerful zoom lens, and improved power consumption. The new PowerShot A520 replaces the PowerShot A85... (More)

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