News Archive - August 2006 Return to: Current News Archive Index Thursday, August 31, 2006 PRESS RELEASE: Livebooks|EDU Educational Initiative Places Powerful Professional Web Marketing Tools In The Hands Of Students 12:47 EDT - Students Can Go From No Website to a Fully-Functional Site in Minutes San Francisco, CA. - August 30, 2006 - LiveBooks, Inc., a leading provider of Web based image portfolio management and marketing software, has announced it will provide a new subscription based package for students and teachers of photography for its award-winning Web-based portfolio software. The new package, called LiveBooks|EDU,... (More) Wednesday, August 30, 2006 Pentax K100D Hands-On Preview posted! 2:39 EDT - Pentax invokes a familiar name to replace the old brand for their sixth digital SLR, and the K100D seems to be worthy of borrowing the legendary Pentax K1000 moniker. The Pentax K100D's small build and 6 megapixel sensor are enhanced by a large LCD and an impressive stabilization feature for clearer images from lower shutter speeds. White balance and AF speed could use some improvement, but overall... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Major ViewMinder update released 14:34 EDT - ViewMinder Ltd announces the release of Version 3.10 of its flagship program for image management, Expert ViewMinder. "We've added many new features for journalists, news organizations and the other professionals who are our core users," said Pat Humphreys, head of Cambridge-based company. "But we've done it in a way that won't spoil the enjoyment of other photography enthusiasts. As digital picture... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Project: Photoshop and Lightroom Education Road Show Begins September 5 12:35 EDT - Photography students in the US experience Adobe® Photoshop® and Lightroom(tm) first hand with world-renowned photographer SAN JOSE, Calif. - August 30, 2006 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that the U.S. leg of its Project: Photoshop and Lightroom education road show will begin on September 5 at over 25 colleges and art schools across the nation. In collaboration... (More) Tuesday, August 29, 2006 July Picture of the Month Winners 00:19 EDT - We chose "Hannah's Eyes," "Two Zebras," and "Peaceful Morning" as Photo of the Month contest winners for July. Congratulations to Alejandro Cerdena, David S April, and T K Wei! We just love this part of the job, but we got quite overwhelmed this month with hot new camera announcements and didn't get to writing about these July photos until almost the end of August! Quite embarrassing,... (More) Monday, August 28, 2006 Test results for two Canon lenses posted on SLRgear.com! 16:01 EDT - Uber-tester Jim has cranked out test results for a number of lenses, but Dave and Shawn have been too crazed dealing with the SLR announcements (and all the other review backlog) this month to get the results posted... Test tech extraordinaire Jim has been busy in the lab this last month, and has generated test results for a fair number of lenses. The hold-up this time has been that Dave and Shawn were kept pretty frantic,... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Kodak Ranked Highest in J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Digital Camera Satisfaction Study for 3rd Straight Year 08:36 EDT - KODAK EASYSHARE ranked highest brand in the $200-$399 range; price segment represents nearly 50 percent of the U.S. digital camera market * ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 25 -- For the third consecutive year, KODAK EASYSHARE digital cameras in the $200-$399 price range have ranked highest in customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Digital Camera Satisfaction StudySM. Since the J.D. Power... (More) Friday, August 25, 2006 Canon Rebel XTi Preview Update! 22:27 EDT - Some of the promised goodies: More photos of the camera, menu screenshots, detailed callouts for the rear panel LCD and viewfinder, and more... We've digested some of the photos, screenshots, and illustrations we brought back from our visit to Canon's US headquarters, and have expanded our preview accordingly. Check out our Canon Rebel XTi preview... (More) Accessory Review: SanDisk Combo SD Card/USB Drive 18:13 EDT - Is it the ultimate Secure Digital card -- or the best little USB pen drive ever? Or, just possibly, could it be both? And just exactly how do you get the included keychain open? Some very interesting things can fly under a reviewer's radar. (Perhaps not surprising, given just how *much* seems to perpetually be churning in the digital photography world.) SanDisk's Secure Digital... (More) PRESS RELEASE: New eBook Reveals Nikon D200 Secrets 17:48 EDT - DigitalSecrets announces the release of the latest and most elaborate eBook in the DSLR series. The new eBook, DSLR: Nikon D200 by Peter iNova and Uwe Steinmueller tackles the 10 MP Nikon D200 camera, revealing its many secrets and disclosing the numerous cutting edge features of the camera in a way professionals and advanced enthusiast photographers will appreciate. Unlike prior eBooks, the Nikon... (More) Thursday, August 24, 2006 Canon Rebel XTi Preview Posted! (Yikes - See update) 06:03 EDT - After a looong night, Shawn and I have a pretty comprehensive preview of the new Canon Digital Rebel XTi ready for your perusal. There's lots to see, so come check it out! While the public will most likely focus first on its 10.1 megapixel resolution, the relatively modest 2-megapixel jump over the previous Rebel XT model is really the least exciting news about Canon's latest... (More) Wednesday, August 23, 2006 Hamrick Software Updates VueScan 15:50 EDT - The new release focuses on improvements to the image preview. Hamrick Software has updated VueScan, its scanner application, to version 8.3.60. The latest release improves cropping in the preview of multiple images, adds support for scanning four photos at a time... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Extensis Launches Online Forum Discussion Site 15:41 EDT - New Extensis Forums site is looking for your two cents PORTLAND, Ore., August 23, 2006 - Extensis, a division of Celartem Inc., today officially launched its new online forums site for open discussion on all things related to Extensis and its product lines. The Extensis Forums can be accessed at http://forums.extensis.com/ and community members are encouraged to post tips, tricks, questions and general... (More) Tuesday, August 22, 2006 PRESS RELEASE: SVA to Offer Master Program in Digital Photography 12:36 EDT - On July 19, School of Visual Arts was authorized by the New York State Education Department to offer a Master of Professional Studies in Digital Photography beginning in the fall of 2007. The new one-year degree program addresses the technical needs of experienced photographers who are looking to advance their skills in digital image capture, management and high-quality output, or make a career change... (More) Monday, August 21, 2006 Review posted for the Fujifilm Finepix F30 09:53 EDT - As if to prove that there's more to a camera than pixel count, you have to look closely on the Fujifilm Finepix F30's all-metal body to find its resolution. Instead of splashing its megapixel power all over the chassis, the F30's 6.3MP imaging capability is discreetly etched along the front fingergrip. Rather than hitting the usual chords, Fujifilm plays up... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Photoshop World Conference & Expo Has Industry's Biggest Names For Its Sold Out Tech Expo 08:01 EDT - Photoshop World Conference & Expo - Las Vegas - September 7-9, 2006 Tampa, FL - Friday, Aug. 18, 2006 - Organizers of the Photoshop World Conference & Expo are pleased to announce that its Tech Expo hall is sold out. The biggest names in the industry - Microsoft, Wacom, CDW, B&H, Dell, Canon, Adobe, Xerox, iStockphoto, and many more - will be showcasing their latest Photoshop-related technology for... (More) Smartparts: new 8.4" digital photo frame 07:54 EDT - Englewood, New Jersey-based Smartparts Inc. has announced a new LCD display-based digital photo frame that is priced at just $200. The Smartparts SPDPF84 has a walnut-finish wood frame with dimensions of 11" x 9", and contains an 8.4"-diagonal LCD display. The device accepts JPEG images on Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard,... (More) Friday, August 18, 2006 Full review posted for Panasonic Lumix LZ3 12:28 EDT - The Panasonic Lumix LZ3 is a nice little camera at a very affordable price, particularly considering that it sports a 6x, optically stabilized zoom lens. Panasonic is justifiably proud that they've managed to bring optical image stabilization to their entire product line, from top to bottom. The Panasonic LZ3 did quite well overall in our testing, delivering... (More) Thursday, August 17, 2006 Full review posted for Canon PowerShot A530 posted 15:42 EDT - With a 5.0-megapixel CCD a 4x lens and a full range of exposure control, the Canon PowerShot A530 is another fine addition to Canon's A-series of digital cameras. Built on the same long-tested design as many A-series predecessors, the Canon A530 offers a lot in its compact package. Its combination of automatic and manual features make the Canon A530 very approachable... (More) Wednesday, August 16, 2006 Printer Review: HP Photosmart 7160 00:45 EDT - It's fast and it's quiet. But that's not the whole story. The HP Photosmart D7160, based on what HP calls its "scalable printing technology," is a $149 six-color inkjet that prints high quality photos that "last for generations." Solidly built with a new ink... (More) Tuesday, August 15, 2006 Polymer "muscle" offers stabilization potential 23:52 EDT - Osaka, Japan-based tech startup Eamex Corp. has developed an extremely compact new optical image stabilizer device targeted at use in camera phones. The prototype module is just 14mm across and 1.5mm thick. Inside, the company has crafted a 12mm polymer actuator with a mass of just 0.024 grams, sandwiched between two electrode plates that provide for... (More) Photo Talk Radio: Nikon D80 and other SLRs 19:01 EDT - Imaging Resource Founder and Publisher Dave Etchells will be making a guest appearance once again on Photo Talk Radio, a live Internet talk show hosted by Howard Lipin and Michael A. Garcia. Topics of discussion for the show will include Nikon's new D80 digital camera, and other new SLRs. Listeners will also have the opportunity to call and talk with Dave during the show (which broadcasts... (More) EISA award winners announced 14:37 EDT - The European Imaging and Sound Association will soon make official the results of its 2006 - 2007 EISA Awards official at a gala event scheduled for September 1st. Although the award show (which is timed to coincide with the start of the world's largest Consumer Electronics tradeshow, IFA Berlin) is still a couple of weeks away, today marks the lifting of embargoes... (More) Monday, August 14, 2006 PRESS RELEASE: Adorama Academy Debuts Do-It-Yourself Special Effects Photography Mini-Site 10:26 EDT - Consumers can learn how to create classic special effects in-camera or with image-editing software by following free in-depth expert articles at Adorama.com New York, NY (PRWEB) August 14, 2006 -- For many photo enthusiasts, "straight" photography is fine, but the fun begins when they start manipulating reality to create other-worldly, stunning images. In its ongoing efforts to help its efforts to... (More) Friday, August 11, 2006 PRESS RELEASE: O'Reilly Releases 'Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography' 11:12 EDT - The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Your Digital Tools From a Photography Pioneer SEBASTOPOL, Calif. -- No doubt about it, the allure of the digital camera seduced us all. Yet many photography enthusiasts and professionals still don't know how to tap into the power and range of today's digital tools to create compelling photos. That is, until now. In the joyful and long-anticipated "Stephen Johnson on... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Callisto Announces PhotoParade Share Sweepstakes 00:35 EDT - Photoparade Share sweepstakes Offers Participants the Chance to Win a Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera and Many Other Great Prizes Natick, Mass. -- August 11, 2006 -- Callisto Corporation today announced the launch of the PhotoParade Share Sweepstakes. Photography enthusiasts who sign up for a free trial at PhotoParade Share (http://share.photoparade.com/homesweeps) and upload 5 photos now have a chance... (More) Thursday, August 10, 2006 PRESS RELEASE: Photoshop Elements Techniques Announces 2006 Scrappy Awards Winners 14:02 EDT - TAMPA, FL - Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006 - Photoshop Elements Techniques newsletter and website (http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/) announces 11 winners of its 2006 Scrappy Awards, the first Photoshop Elements design competition for digital scrapbookers. Judges selected winners in 10 subject categories, and picked a Best of Show award for the grand prize. More than $10,000 in prizes will be distributed... (More) Wednesday, August 9, 2006 Iridient Digital Releases RAW Developer 1.5.2 22:53 EDT - Features include support for 10 new cameras, embedded ICC profiles from Raw files, default camera white balance presets and more. Iridient Digital has released RAW Developer 1.5.2, a maintenance update to its critically acclaimed RAW image conversion software for Mac OS X. Version 1.5.2 adds support for over 10 new camera models... (More) Fuji's Big Gun 15:50 EDT - Law Enforcement Officials Hail New FinePix S3 Pro UVIR at New York City's Police Museum Fujifilm brought out the big guns at the Police Museum in New York City today, officially unveiling the company's new FinePix S3 Pro UVIR digital SLR which is specially designed to capture images at Ultraviolet... (More) In-Depth Hands-On Preview of Nikon D80 posted 03:20 EDT - We've only looked at a prototype sample of the Nikon D80 thus far, so can't comment yet on image quality, but man, this is some camera! Given that it uses a close variant of the CCD sensor employed in the D200 though, it seems safe to assume that the Nikon D80's basic imaging characteristics will be at least roughly comparable. Taking... (More) Monday, August 7, 2006 Are WiFi Digicams a Security Vulnerability? 17:41 EDT - Informit emulates a Nikon P1 wireless transfer to a Windows computer to send an executable file as a JPEG. But many other WiFi digicams use the same PTP/IP transfer code as the P1. Is it a problem? Informit, a site devoted to information technology, has published "Wireless Gadget Vulnerabilities: The Nikon Coolpix P1," a report (http://www.informit.com/guides/content.asp?g=security&seqNum=211&rl=1)... (More) PRESS RELEASE: M:Metrics: Captured by Cameraphones 10:31 EDT - Photo messaging climbs as cameraphones snap up market share SEATTLE—August 7, 2006—Cameraphone ownership and usage is climbing across the U.S. and Europe, reports M:Metrics, the mobile market authority. With summer vacations in full swing in America, photo messaging has increased 32 percent since February, while in Europe, it has increased 20 percent in France and 16 percent in the United... (More) Friday, August 4, 2006 Accessory Review: Lensbaby 2.0 20:03 EDT - A 50mm equivalent lens on a bellows that can only focus on part of the frame? It's just the thing -- and more often than we thought! The Lensbaby is a nicely engineered lens on a stiff bellows that can be manipulated with two fingers to change focus within the frame of your scene. Aperture is controlled by changing discs (which look... (More) DxO opens Optics Pro v4 beta 16:38 EDT - French software company DxO Labs has announced a new public beta release of their unique photo-enhancing tool, Optics Pro. DxO Optics Pro v4 beta is a major update over the previous version. The company has improved speed and workflow, added some unique color management and manipulation tools, and broken new ground in distortion... (More) Ben Long Updates Photoshop Action Pack 12:58 EDT - The new collection of Photoshop Actions for the Mac adds 11 actions and supports Raw file workflows. Ben Long has released Photoshop Action Pack 3.0, a free set of 85 actions that can control Photoshop from OS X's Automator. The new release includes a 70-age manual, sample workflows and a batch manager.... (More) Google Releases Mac Uploader for Picasa Web Albums 12:40 EDT - The package provides easier uploads directly from iPhoto or just by dragging and dropping image files on the new Uploader. Google today released two free Macintosh utilities to upload images to its Picasa Web Albums service. Picasa Web Albums Exporter addresses the needs of iPhoto users while Picasa Web Albums Uploader uses... (More) Thursday, August 3, 2006 PRESS RELEASE: Varioptic Extends Its Portfolio Of Autofocus Solutions 13:43 EDT - Lyon, France - August 3, 2006 - To respond to the growing market demand for small, reliable and inexpensive autofocus solutions, Varioptic today announced the release of a new member in its ARCTIC Series of variable focus lenses: The SMIA-compliant ARCTIC 416 enables camera module and camera phone manufacturers to leverage the advent of higher resolution sensors, and provide enhanced mobile imaging... (More) Wednesday, August 2, 2006 PRESS RELEASE: The National Park Foundation And Casio Launch "Share The Experience" Photo Contest 13:40 EDT - Point and Shoot Photo Contest Encourages Summer Travelers to "Share the Experience" While Benefiting Federal Recreation Lands Washington, DC, July 31, 2006 - Millions of Americans will visit America's parks, forests, fishing holes and monuments this summer-most of them with camera in hand to capture their adventures on film. The National Park Foundation and Casio invite all of these summer travelers... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Pixel Magic Imaging Names New Chief Executive Officer 13:13 EDT - Executive Brings Experience and DNP Record of Success to Digital Imaging Leader San Marco, Texas (August 1, 2006) -- Pixel Magic Imaging (Pixel Magic), the leading provider of store-branded digital imaging solutions for the photo retail market, announces the appointment of Brett Cameron as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Cameron brings significant sales, marketing and technical expertise to Pixel Magic... (More) Tuesday, August 1, 2006 Microsoft previews Photosynth 14:05 EDT - Microsoft Live Labs has released a preview of its upcoming Photosynth application, apparently created in conjuction with the University of Washington. Photosynth defies a description that really does the technology justice, but in essence it allows you to takes large collections of related photos, automatically find similarities between them, and then... (More) PRESS RELEASE: Adobe Lightroom Adventure 2006: The Ultimate Photographer's Road Test 12:37 EDT - SEBASTOPOL, Calif. -- Renowned photographer and author Mikkel Aaland is the quintessential early adopter, always one of the first to master new digital photography software -- and to wring every bit of functionality out of it in the process. Shortly after the public beta release of Adobe Lightroom software, a digital imaging workflow solution for professional photographers, he devised the ultimate... (More) Return to: Current News Archive Index