News Archive - August 2004 Return to: Current News Archive Index Monday, August 30, 2004 Sony announces Cyber-shot DSC-L1 00:06 EDT - Alongside today's announcements of updates to the T- and V-series of digital cameras from Sony, the company has introduced a model that begins a new L-series lineup. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-L1, says the company, is aimed at users who want an ultracompact digital camera but don't want to compromise on feature-set or image quality. The new camera is somewhat reminiscent... (More) Sony extends its Cyber-shot T-series 00:04 EDT - Sony USA has today announced a new digital camera model for its popular DSC-T series, in the form of the Cyber-shot DSC-T3. The most obvious change compared to the existing DSC-T1 model is the removal of the sliding lens barrier on the front, trimming a little size and weight off the camera. In place of the old lens barrier... (More) Sony updates the Cyber-shot DSC-V1 00:03 EDT - Sony USA has today announced a new digital camera model that updates its existing Cyber-shot DSC-V1 model, first announced on February 24, 2003. The new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V3 is completely restyled, and in some ways - particularly given the black body color - is more reminiscent of the DSC-S85 model from 2001. The DSC-V3 is still a fairly compact... (More) Thursday, August 26, 2004 PRESS RELEASE: Photoflex Small-Product-Photography Lighting Kit debuts for pro-caliber digital photos of small objects 17:58 EDT - Watsonville , Calif. — Photoflex Inc. has introduced a Small-Product-Photography Lighting Kit to provide a complete lighting system and lessons for taking properly lighted digital photographs of many kinds of small products, President Sharon Reeves announced today. Photoflex's new kit includes two each of the Starlite 3200™ lighting system, SilverDome nxt ™ softbox , and four-section... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Comcast Enables Customers to Become Directors of Their Own Photo Slideshows and Makes Organizing & Sharing Personal Digital Photos Easier Than Ever - with the Launch of Comcast PhotoShow Deluxe 15:19 EDT - PhotoShow Deluxe is the latest built-for-broadband application now available to Comcast's 6 million High-Speed Internet customers via Comcast.net, the nation's #1 broadband portal* PHILADELPHIA, August 24, 2004 – Comcast, the nation's number one broadband Internet provider, announced the launch of Comcast PhotoShow Deluxe – which answers the need for a simple way to organize and share... (More) Wednesday, August 25, 2004 PRESS RELEASE: EDGE Tech Corp Releases 9-in-1 Card Reader w/ xD Slot - New EDGE™ 9-in-1 Readers Now Shipping 16:11 EDT - Dallas, TX- August 23, 2004 EDGE Tech Corp, a leading supplier of RAM and Flash memory upgrades, portable computing products, storage devices, and other experience-enhancing technology solutions announced today the launch of a 9-in-1 Card Reader w/ xD Slot. This new product is the latest addition to the company's fast-growing digital media product line. The new 9-in-1 Card Reader w/ xD Slot is... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Konica Minolta's DiMAGE A2 Digital Camera and Anti-Shake Technology Receive Top 2004-2005 Honors 16:03 EDT - Mahwah, NJ (August 25, 2004) - Konica Minolta announces that their CCD-Shift Anti-Shake technology has received a 2004-2005 European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) award in the "Innovation" category. In addition, the new Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 8 megapixel digital camera featuring the Anti-Shake technology has won the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Award for "Best Digital Prosumer... (More) PRESS RELEASE: PictoColor Releases iCorrect ® EditLab™ Pro 4.5 15:57 EDT - The Fast and Easy Professional Digital Photo Color Correction and Color Management Software Now Only $124.95 (List $149.95 - valid through August 31, 2004) High Speed Professional Color Correction iCorrect EditLab Pro is the fastest, easiest, and most accurate way to color correct your digital photos. iCorrect EditLab Pro combines the highly-acclaimed, easy-to-use iCorrect technology by Pictographics... (More) Casio announces first ceramic-lens digicam 09:35 EDT - Casio Japan and Casio USA have today simultaneously announced the first digital camera featuring a lens made from a transparent polycrystalline ceramic material. Thanks to the use of Lumicera, a material developed by Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. that offers a higher refractive index and better strength than optical glass, Casio says it's EXILIM EX-S100 is the... (More) Casio announces two new EXILIM digicams 09:32 EDT - Announcements from Casio Japan and Casio USA today simultaneously unveil two closely related EXILIM digital cameras that share a Pentax 3x optical zoom lens that shifts elements out of the optical path when powered down, to reduce camera thickness. Closely related to the existing Casio EXILIM EX-Z40, the new EX-Z50 and EX-Z55 update the imager to a 1/2.5" five megapixel RGBG CCD, increasing resolution to a maximum of 2560 x 1920 pixels. Other changes... (More) Tuesday, August 24, 2004 Sony announces high capacity, high-speed MS / MS Duo 14:27 EDT - Sony USA has today announced a planned update to its line of Memory Stick media cards, including higher capacities and higher potential speeds. Beginning in October, the company will begin shipping new "High Speed" Memory Stick PRO cards in both standard and Duo form factors. The Memory Stick PRO High Speed cards will feature an easy-to-recognize... (More) Pentax announces Optio X digital camera 11:00 EDT - Pentax USA has today announced a completely new Optio digital camera that combines the unusual 3x optical zoom lens found in some past Optio models (which reduces powered-down size by sliding lens elements out of the optical path), along with a completely new swivel-bodied design. When seen from the front, the Pentax Optio X consists of two almost square sections - one with lens, flash, wrist strap connector, and speaker, while the other contains a large 2.0" LCD display and a... (More) Pentax announces Optio S5i digital camera 11:00 EDT - Pentax USA has today announced an Optio digital camera that updates its existing Optio S4i model with a five megapixel imager. The Pentax Optio S4i, which retains its predecessor's unusual 3x optical zoom lens (which reduces powered-down size by sliding lens elements out of the optical path), looks to be mostly identical to... (More) Monday, August 23, 2004 Sanyo announces Xacti DMX-C4 23:37 EDT - Sanyo Japan has today announced the new Sanyo Xacti DMX-C4 "cameracorder", an update to the DMX-C1 model that is sold in the USA as the Fisher FVD-C1. The DMX-C1 was described by the company as the smallest and lightest digital video camera with movie recording at VGA resolution or above when it was announced last year, and the new model retains the... (More) Jasc Releases Two Paint Shop Pro 9 Public Betas 4:54 EDT - Noting that "47 percent of Paint Shop Pro users wanted the new Version 9 to have more power," while another "48 percent wanted it to be easier to use," Jasc Software today released two public betas, one for each group. Public beta testing has always guided development of the popular Paint Shop Pro (recent reviewed by Newsletter Editor Mike Pasini). By offering Paint Shop Pro 9 and Paint Shop Pro Studio,... (More) Canon EOS-20D test images and "gallery" shots 12:05 EDT - Finally, a smattering of test and gallery photos, including some shots across the full range of ISO settings. While it's still just a prototype model, we've gone ahead and shot a small sampling of test photos with the 20D unit we've had here for initial evaluation. Because it's only a prototype, we've not shot... (More) Friday, August 20, 2004 PRESS RELEASE: Reindeer Graphics Releases Free Select Edges Plug-in 11:34 EDT - ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Reindeer Graphics, Inc., developers of Optipix and FoveaPro and the number one Google site for free Photoshop plug-ins on the web, have released a new free plug-in, Select Edges, for Photoshop 5.x through CS on Mac OS9.2, X 10.1+ and Windows 9x/NT/2K/XP. This plug-in includes a PDF file documenting installation and usage and can be downloaded from the Reindeer Graphics site. Select... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Extensis Updates Portfolio for Windows and Macintosh 11:27 EDT - Portfolio 7.0.1 is a free update to Portfolio 7.0 and is recommended for all users. It resolves three Mac-specific issues: 1) an issue regarding the cataloged volume name when cataloging multiple volumes (as described in Knowledge Base article 1102201), 2) an issue with assigning master keywords in Cataloging Options, and 3) an issue where "Create Webpages" did not function properly with upgraded... (More) Thursday, August 19, 2004 Canon EOS 20D: first samples 20:56 EDT - Canon Japan has posted the first sample photos from the EOS 20D digital camera that we've seen on the web. Few details about the conditions the photos were captured under, and whether they've been edited in any way, are available. Certainly at this stage the pictures will be from a preproduction camera, so that's worth bearing in mind. Still, they make for interesting viewing! First Look: Canon EOS-20D (UPDATED) 17:36 EDT - The engineers at Canon displayed an amazing sense of self-control designing the new EOS 20D. They gave it such a sensible, practical, and usable exterior, with no frills or flashy graphics, that you'd never suspect that such incredible imaging technology lay underneath. 8.2 megapixels, all new... (More) Canon announces EOS 10D replacement 17:00 EDT - Canon USA has today announced its new EOS 20D single-lens reflex digital camera, a replacement for the existing (and extremely popular) EOS 10D model that was announced back in February of 2003. The EOS 20D is externally very reminiscent of its older sibling, but under the hood there have been a lot of changes, and a number of updates that made their debut on the professional EOS-1D Mark II model... (More) Canon announces PowerShot G6 digital camera (UPDATED) 17:00 EDT - Canon USA has today announced the new PowerShot G6 digital camera. An update to the existing PowerShot G5 model that was announced on June 2, 2003, the G6 joins the line with a 7.1 megapixel CCD imager, coupled with the same 4x optical zoom lens found on the previous... (More) Canon announces PowerShot S70 digital camera 17:00 EDT - Canon USA has today announced the new PowerShot S70 digital camera. An update to the existing PowerShot S60 model that was announced on May 10, 2004, the S70 updates the line with a 7.1 megapixel CCD imager, coupled with the same 3.6x optical zoom lens found on the previous... (More) Canon announces three PowerShot A-series digicams (UPDATED) 17:00 EDT - Canon USA has today announced three new PowerShot A-series digital camera. The Canon PowerShot A85 and A95 feature similar - but not identical - styling and have slightly differing 3x optical zoom lenses, with resolutions of four and five megapixels respectively. Full specifications... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Canon widens options for EOS 20D and Digital Rebel shooters with three new EF-S wide angle zoom lenses 17:00 EDT - New EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Zoom Lenses Offer Wide Angles of View For Small Sensor Digital SLRs LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. Aug. 19, 2004 – Canon broadens its EF-S-type lens offerings to include three new wide-angle zoom lenses. The EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM zoom lenses will be... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Canon sheds new light on digital photography with flagship Speedlite 580EX and accessories 17:00 EDT - EOS System Photographers of All Levels Benefit From a Powerful Flash Featuring E-TTL II Compatibility, Small Size, and Fast Recycle Time LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Aug 19, 2004 – The long awaited evolution in Canon's Speedlite family of EOS system flashes is here. The Speedlite 580EX flash takes its place as Canon's new flagship Speedlite, replacing the popular Speedlite 550EX model. A more powerful... (More) Wednesday, August 18, 2004 PRESS RELEASE: Hasselblad, Imacon Merge to Enter Professional Digital Market 19:49 EDT - Shriro Sweden, the holding company of Victor Hasselblad AB, and part of the Hong Kong-headquartered Shriro Group, has announced the acquisition of leading international high-end scanner and digital cameraback manufacturer, Imacon. The move will see Imacon and Hasselblad merge to accelerate Hasselblad's ambitions in the professional digital photographic sector, and creates what the new company believes... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Sony Debuts Compact DPP-FP30 Photo Printer 19:48 EDT - Compact Size, Lab Quality Prints SAN DIEGO, Aug. 18, 2004 -- With a footprint smaller in size than an 8x10" portrait, Sony's new PictureStation DPP-FP30 printer makes it easy to print and share lab-quality photos with or without the use of a personal computer. About the size of a standard paperback the compact FP30 printer will be available in October with an included 40 sheet print pack for about... (More) PRESS RELEASE: EFS Releases Easy File Sharing Web Server 19:46 EDT - EFS Software, Inc. has released Version 1.25 of Easy File Sharing Web Server, a Windows application that allows you to share files with friends or colleagues easily through a Web browser. Easy File Sharing Web Server is a file sharing program that allows visitors to upload/download files easily through a Web Browser (IE, Netscape, Opera etc.). It can help you share files with your users, customers... (More) Tuesday, August 17, 2004 PRESS RELEASE: Q-Technologies Releases PictureTheBatch 1.1 14:42 EDT - Transform your digital images quickly and easily Melbourne, Australia -- Q-Technologies has released PictureTheBatch 1.1 for Windows and Macintosh, an easy-to-use tool to transform batches of digital photos quickly and reliably. PictureTheBatch 1.1 introduces the ability to drop a directory of images for processing and an option to keep the file modification date the same as the source image. PictureTheBatch... (More) PRESS RELEASE: SceneMachines Launches LivingPicturePC 14:30 EDT - Cambridge, UK -- SceneMachines, a division of Cambridge-based Gameware Development, today announced the release of their LivingPicture packages for PC. LivingPicture enables users to take any digital image human, animal or even an inanimate object and transform it into an animated, 3D talking picture. Making a LivingPicture is quick and easy and LPP images and sound can be saved for future use. Send... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Photoflex Introduces Tabletop Strobe Tent 14:27 EDT - Watsonville, Calif. -- Photoflex (http://www.photoflex.com) has introduced the LiteRoom, a tabletop-sized shooting tent for photography of small products using either flash/strobe or continuous lighting sources. While the new LiteRoom works effectively with strobe and flash for nearly shadow-free lighting, it creates even softer, more diffused and dramatic light when paired with Photoflex's Starlite... (More) Monday, August 16, 2004 Pentax announces Optio750Z digital camera 18:59 EDT - Pentax USA has today announced the seven megapixel Optio750Z digital camera, making the company the second to announce a compact camera at this resolution (after Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-P150 was announced last month). The Optio750Z has a classic look with a leather-like textured rubber panel on the front, but under the skin is a modern camera with a 5x optical zoom lens, hybrid AF system, a selection of automatic and... (More) Pentax announces Optio S50 digital camera (UPDATED) 14:36 EDT - Pentax USA has today announced its new Optio S50 digital camera, a 5 megapixel model that is closely related to the current S40 model, but is a couple of millimeters slimmer, 5 grams heavier, and features a slightly larger LCD display. Planned to ship in September, the new camera has essentially the same layout as its predecessor, but has been restyled somewhat with a brushed metal finish, a new silver bezel around the base of the lens,... (More) Friday, August 13, 2004 PRESS RELEASE: PictoColor Releases iCorrect EditLab Pro High Speed Professional Color Correction and Color Management Software 10:07 EDT - iCorrect EditLab Pro combines the highly-acclaimed, easy-to-use iCorrect technology with automated processes for fast and easy color correction and color management. August 12, 2004-Burnsville, MN, USA, PictoColor Corporation has released iCorrect EditLab Pro color correction and color management software that enables photographers and photo labs to accurately color correct images with speed and precision.... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Canon Receives 2004 Insight Award for Most Innovative CMOS Image Sensor Technology 09:39 EDT - LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 12, 2004-- Canon EOS 10D Recognized as One of the First High-End Digital SLR Cameras to Take Advantage of the Innovative CMOS Technology Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), today announced that it has received Semiconductor Insights's 2004 INSIGHT Award for Most Innovative CMOS Image Sensor Technology. Semiconductor Insights (SI),... (More) Wednesday, August 11, 2004 Software Review: 93 Photo Street 12:54 EDT - When Transmutable Software released its $30 93 Photo Street a few days ago, we yelled, "Eureka!" Plenty of prospectors have perished with a map in their hands looking for the spot where the treasure is buried. Trevor F. Smith's program eschews the X for an image. And that's worth a thousand words. 93 Photo Street lets you download a free map of any place in the U.S. where you've taken a few pictures. You drag virtual thumb tacks onto the map where you took the pictures. And you then link your images... (More) Tuesday, August 10, 2004 Kodak almost doubles digicam sales, grows market share 15:35 EDT - An article on USA Today looks at the US digital camera market in the first half of 2004, courtesy of a new report from market research firm IDC. According to the USA Today item, Eastman Kodak Co. is the big winner thus far this year, with sales a whopping 80% above the same period in 2003. The company's EasyShare digital camera lineup, priced from... (More) Monday, August 9, 2004 New memory card format from Taiwan 16:45 EDT - Taiwan's Open Mobile Internet Alliance (OMIA) is working to set standards for a two new memory card form factors dubbed "μcard" and "RS μcard", planned to be launched at the Taipei International Electronics Show in October, and to begin mass-production early next year. Regular readers of this site will know we're not the biggest fans of new and untested flash formats. There are already a huge array of form factors in existence or on the way - CompactFlash Type-I and... (More) PRESS RELEASE: PictureCode signs 450 leading camera stores as resellers 15:04 EDT - August 4, 2004 (Austin, Texas) -- PictureCode, developer of the popular Noise Ninja image noise reduction software package, has entered into a distribution agreement with the PRO buying group, the largest cooperative buying group for United States camera stores. The deal adds more than 450 leading camera stores to the list of authorized resellers for Noise Ninja. The agreement grew out of a successful... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Casio's EXILIM Digital Cameras Win Prestigious Awards From PC Magazine and American Photo 14:07 EDT - Stylish, Compact EX-P600 and EX-Z40 Digital Cameras Are Named 'Editor's Choice' Winners DOVER, N.J., August 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Camera buffs in the market for stylish and compact digital that offers award-winning performance, features and value may want to take a recommendation from two leading industry publications and choose one of Casio's affordable EXILIM(R) digital cameras. PC Magazine and American... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Express Digital & Academic Superstore offer discounted pricing for photography students & schools 13:56 EDT - Englewood, CO - August 9, 2004 - Express Digital, the leading provider of professional digital imaging workflow, e-commerce and lab connectivity solutions for the digital photographer, announced today that it is teaming with Academic Superstore to provide special educational pricing of Express Digital Darkroom for qualified students and schools. Express Digital Darkroom for Windows provides all... (More) Sunday, August 8, 2004 PRESS RELEASE: Pentax introduces two compact, lightweight macro lenses: first models of high-performance smc Pentax-D FA series optimize digital SLR image quality 14:02 EDT - GOLDEN, Colorado (August 8, 2004) PENTAX Imaging Company will bring the best of both worlds to photographers with two smc PENTAX-D FA interchangeable lenses − the smc PENTAX-D FA Macro 100mm F2.8 and the smc PENTAX-D FA Macro 50mm F2.8. The latest series is designed to optimize image quality in both digital SLR and film photography. Each lightweight macro lens features an image circle to accommodate... (More) Friday, August 6, 2004 PRESS RELEASE: Lexar Unveils New Corporate Identity To Reflect Expanding Innovative Product Portfolio 13:52 EDT - FREMONT, CA, August 5, 2004 -- Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), a company known for digital media products and accessories, unveiled today a new corporate identity reflecting its growing worldwide popularity, leadership in digital media technologies and expanding portfolio of innovative products. Moving forward, Lexar Media will be known as Lexar, more accurately depicting its broadening market opportunity... (More) Wednesday, August 4, 2004 Konica Minolta Europe: new Dynax 7 Digital details 13:39 EDT - An email sent out by Konica Minolta Europe today to customers interested in the upcoming Dynax 7 Digital SLR (tentatively known as the Maxxum 7 Digital in the USA) contains some interesting new details about the camera. The interview with Keiichi Ishizuka, General Manager of the Konica Minolta Development Center, is not currently available on Konica Minolta Europe's website, but a few of the interesting points from the... (More) Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Kodak announces EasyShare DX7590 01:10 EDT - Eastman Kodak Co. has today announced a new digital camera model based on its existing EasyShare DX6490 model. The new Kodak EasyShare DX7590 looks essentially identical to its predecessor externally, but replaces the older model's 4.2 megapixel (4.0 megapixel effective) imager with a 5.36 megapixel (5.0 megapixel... (More) Kodak announces new printer dock 01:07 EDT - Eastman Kodak Co. has today announced a new printer dock that will take a place alongside its existing $150 EasyShare Printer Dock model. The new Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Plus adds a built-in SD / MMC card reader, IrDA v1.1 / optional Bluetooth wireless receiver (for printing from devices such as cellphones without a cable), audio/video... (More) PRESS RELEASE: New KODAK EASYSHARE Software Version 4.0 Makes Organizing, Sharing, and Printing Digital Pictures a Snap 01:01 EDT - Available for Free Download at www.kodak.com/go/easysharesw KODAK EASYSHARE software is the simple, all-in-one way for any digital camera owner to organize, share, and print their digital pictures. New features in version 4 for WINDOWS and MACINTOSH OS ― including album uploading and synchronization with Ofoto, optional VCD and DVD burning, and free Ofoto-powered e-mail ― make it easier... (More) Monday, August 2, 2004 Nikon USA announces Coolpix 3200, 8700 rebates 14:43 EDT - Nikon Inc. has today announced two new rebates for its Coolpix 3200 and 8700 digital cameras. The Nikon Coolpix 3200, which we described in our May 2004 review as "a great choice in a digicam, as it does most everything else right, with great-looking color, an excellent white balance system, exceptional... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Software Release Announcement: PhotoFirst™ Version 1.2 Mac OS X Edition 14:29 EDT - Groton, MA - Pixingo LLC announces the release of the latest version (1.2) of PhotoFirst™ on Wednesday, August 4, 2004. About PhotoFirst™ PhotoFirst™ is powerful digital photography workflow software. It is designed by, and for, professional photographers to simplify, streamline and save time in the management of their digital photographs from camera to client presentation. This... (More) PRESS RELEASE: ViewMinder now offers better handling of large picture collections 14:23 EDT - The new version of ViewMinder, for organizing and managing digital pictures, is better than ever at handling today's large image collections. Version 2 will be available later this month (August 2004). The program consists of an image editor, a browser, a metadata editor, a database and a search engine. The browser can display pictures by date or by group. The metadata editor can record more detailed... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Digital Photography Workshop Cruise Sailing To Mexican Riviera In December 14:20 EDT - Professional Digital Photographers Will Share Techniques With Attendees An 8-day Digital Photography & Imaging Cruise featuring workshops for beginning and intermediate photographers will embark from San Diego on December 3, 2004, aboard Carnival's luxury superliner SPIRIT. The cruise is the fifth of a highly successful series offering instruction on photodigital technologies in a relaxed learning... (More) Return to: Current News Archive Index