StudioLighting.net

Bogen Hosts Free Adventure Sports Photography Webinar with Michael Clark

Chris Malinao — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:43:10 +0000

Bogen Imaging will hold a free webinar titled “Adventure Sports Photography: Round Table with Adventure Photographer Michael Clark” from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT, on Friday, July 17th. This is part of the company’s Bogen Café series of free instructional webinars. In it, adventure photographer Michael Clark and David Fisher, Bogen Imaging’s webinar host, [...]

JOBO AG Introduces Curve 7, Curve 8 Digital Photo Frames

Chris Malinao — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:24:30 +0000

JOBO AG has announced two new affordable digital picture frames, the Curve 7 and Curve 8, featuring rounded edges, a stylish design in black or white varnish finish on the frame, and screen displays of 7 inches and 8 inches diagonally. The Curve 7 has an elongated 480x234-pixel display, while the Curve 8 model has a [...]

Nikon, Fujitsu Create New Nikon Imaging Systems Inc

Chris Malinao — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:02:46 +0000

Nikon has teamed up with Fujitsu to form a new company, Nikon Imaging Systems Inc, to take care of firmware development for Nikon digital cameras. The objective of the company will be to proceed with the establishment of firmware platforms and to accelerate the speed and quality of firmware development by merging the long experienced mechatronics [...]

Lexar Launches 34-Nanometer SDHC Memory Cards

Chris Malinao — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:26:58 +0000

Lexar Media is trumpeting two new high-capacity memory cards, the Lexar Platinum II 32GB SDHC and the Lexar 16GB microSDHC, featuring Micron Technology’s new 34-nanometer architecture. The newly architected 32Gb multi-level cell (MLC) NAND chip is 17 percent smaller than Micron’s first-generation 32Gb chip. The 16Gb MLC NAND chip, at just 84 square mm, provides high-capacity [...]

Call for Entries: Viewbook PhotoStory 2009

Chris Malinao — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:01:06 +0000

Amsterdam-based Viewbook Photostory is calling for entries – documentary and conceptual photos – for inclusion in their Photostory 2009 book. It’s open to all photographers around the world. The first prize winners will receive international publications and lifelong subscriptions worth about $12,000. The best photo series get published in the Viewbook PhotoStory 2009 book. The photo essays [...]

Manfrotto Introduces 523PROi, 521PROi, 521i LANC Controllers

Chris Malinao — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:13:49 +0000

Manfrotto has launched its new LANC remote controls that offer improved internal electronic components and firmware. They support the newest Sony and Canon camera features such as speed zoom and focus control. Part of the i-family controllers line, the 521Pro-i and 523Pro-i are compatible with auto focus and AF/MF switch functions of the latest video cameras. [...]

Plawa USA Rolls Out AgfaPhoto DC-600uw Underwater Camera

Chris Malinao — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:29:49 +0000

The new AgfaPhoto DC-600uw is a compact digital camera that claims to be waterproof down to a depth of 10 meters. That’s deep – about 33 feet. You usually need to use underwater housing costing about $1000 to go that deep. But this $200 camera can do that on its own, no housing, no fuss. It [...]

Leaf Imaging Emerges as New Phase One Company

Chris Malinao — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:14:58 +0000

Phase One A/S of Copenhagen has created a new entity, Leaf Imaging Ltd, to purchase certain assets of the Leaf camera business. The assets include the “Leaf” brand product names, engineering design and production tools. The new entity will also enter into an intellectual property license with Eastman Kodak Company that is royalty [...]

Pentax Unveils Optio W80 Rugged Digital Compact Camera

Chris Malinao — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:42:02 +0000

Pentax today unveiled their new Optio W80 shock- and water-proof digital compact camera. The company said the Optio W80's waterproof design withstands depths of up to 16 feet (5 meters) to protect from rain and spills, as well as allowing full underwater photos and video for up to two hours. On dry land, the rugged, [...]

SanDisk Announces Fastest 32GB Extreme SDHC Card

Chris Malinao — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:01:03 +0000

The 32GB SanDisk Extreme SDHC memory card claims to be the world’s fastest in its size and class category with 30MB per second read and write speeds. It also guarantees operation at extended temperatures ranging from minus 13 F (minus 25 C) to 185 F (85 C). “The market for entry to mid-level DSLR cameras is [...]

Blurb Launches PDF to Book Utility with Creative Control

Chris Malinao — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:39:40 +0000

Blurb.com introduces PDF to Book, a workflow that allows creative professionals to design books using the design program of their choice and upload directly to Blurb for printing. Blurb has created pre-made templates for Adobe InDesign users and has developed guidelines and specifications for users of other design programs. PDF to Book gives creatives the ability [...]

Akvis Updates ArtSuite Software to Version 5.0

Chris Malinao — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:35:27 +0000

AKVIS ArtSuite has been updated to Version 5.0, available as a standalone program and as a plug-in to an image editing software. The Standalone version offers new Hand Painted Photo Frames which have been designed by artists especially for ArtSuite. Also new to version 5.0: new interface design; improved compatibility of the plugin with Photoshop CS3, [...]

Adobe Releases Final Lightroom 2.4, Other Updates

Chris Malinao — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:29:42 +0000

Adobe today released the final Photoshop Lightroom 2.4 and Camera Raw 5.4 updates, available for immediate download from their website. Both updates bring additional raw file support to 31 camera and camera back models including the Canon EOS 500D, Nikon D5000 and 18 Hasselblad models. Adobe also released an update to its Digital Negative specification (DNG), [...]

Tokina Releases AT-X 124 PRO DX II AF 12-24mm F/4 AF Lens for Entry-Level Nikons

Chris Malinao — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:17:41 +0000

The new Tokina AT-X 124 PRO DX II AF 12-24mm F/4 wide angle lens is now available for Nikon D40, D60 and D5000 DSLRs with silent wave bodies. Tokina said the new lens has a built-in AF motor drive that operates smoothly and quietly due to a DC motor that uses a new AF control [...]

US Embassy in Philippines Opens Picturing America Exhibits in Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro Cities

Chris Malinao — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:32:16 +0000

Picturing America exhibit runs from June 23 to July 6 at the expansive Atrium of The Block at SM City North EDSA in Quezon City, Metromanila. The exhibit will later move to Baguio City on July 9-22 and to Cagayan de Oro City from July 25 to August 13. US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney [...]

HP Launches Photosmart Premium Web-Connected All-in-One Inkjet Printer

Chris Malinao — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:31:13 +0000

The new HP Photosmart Premium all-in-one inkjet printer is billed as the world's first web-connected home printer, with a TouchSmart Web control panel and a generous 4-33-inch touchscreen display through which users can download and interact with applications from the HP Apps Studio that allow a variety of web content to be printed. Partners offering such [...]

Goodbye, Kodachrome, It’s Been 74 Years!

Chris Malinao — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:40:53 +0000

Kodak is saying goodbye to its venerable Kodachrome color film after 74 years of iconic service. Since 1935, Kodachrome has been creating Kodak moments for families and professional photographers and over the decades it has become the film of choice for a number of great photographers who worked for magazines like Life and National Geographic. But [...]

SIGMA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM Available for Sony, Pentax Mounts

Chris Malinao — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:41:10 +0000

Sigma’s new 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM is now available in Sony and Pentax mounts, priced at $800 US. This lens incorporates a Hybrid Optical Stabilization system which allows photographers to use the lens’ OS function even if the camera has a built in anti-shake system. If the photographer chooses to use the lens’ OS function, [...]

Transcend Releases SSD25D Drive with 64MB DRAM Cache

Chris Malinao — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:05:14 +0000

Transcend USA has released its latest ultra-speed SSD25D Solid State Drive, a 2.5" SATA II SSD equipped with 64MB of built-in DRAM cache. Transcend claims the SSD25D far outperforms standard 2.5" hard drives by delivering sustained transfer speeds of up to 230MB/s read and 180MB/s write. The company said a computer equipped with a Transcend SSD25D [...]

Seagate Releases 640GB FreeAgent Go Portable Hard Drive

Chris Malinao — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:50:35 +0000

Seagate has introduced its 640GB FreeAgent Go portable drive, along with smaller-capacity drives in 250GB, 320GB, and 500GB. This is one of the first 2.5-inch external drives that go beyond 500GB capacity. The FreeAgent Go series boast a a convenient desktop dock accessory that lets the user pop his drive into the dock – no [...]

Tamron Introduces New AF60mm F/2 Macro Lens

Chris Malinao — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:33:45 +0000

Tamron has a new lens, the SP AF60mm F/2 Di II LD (IF) MACRO 1:1 (Model G005), a life-size macro lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C size image sensors. The new lens offers a fast maximum aperture of F/2.0 and is available in mounts for Canon, Nikon (with built-in AF motor) and Sony. [...]

Flip Video Introduces Flip Channels Video Site

Chris Malinao — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:29:07 +0000

Flip Video’s on-board FlipShare software now gives users the ability to publish personal video channels online with Flip Channels, in addition to easy uploading to popular sites like MySpace and YouTube, and one-click private video emailing capabilities. The company said the new Flip Channels feature enables users to easily share their favorite Flip content with groups [...]

Western Digital Now Shipping SiliconDrive III SSD Products

Chris Malinao — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:16:55 +0000

Western Digital has begun shipping its new SiliconDrive III SSD drives based on technology from its March 2009 acquisition of SiliconSystems. The company said their new SiliconDrive III products feature faster read/write speeds and increased capacities, and offer mechanical scalability, making them a perfect storage solution for embedded system and data streaming applications such as multimedia [...]

Adobe Reports 25% Drop in Q2 2009 Revenue, Still Calls It a Solid Performance

Chris Malinao — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:00:20 +0000

Adobe Systems Inc reports revenue of $704.7 million in its second quarter ended May 29, 2009. This represents a 25% drop compared to the $886.9 million reported for the second quarter of fiscal 2008. Adobe’s Q1 2009 revenue was $786.4 million. “We are pleased with the solid profit margin and earnings results we were able [...]

Nik Software Releases Complete Collection Ultimate Edition for Lightroom, Aperture

Chris Malinao — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:46:41 +0000

Nik Software’s Complete Collection Ultimate Edition has been updated to include support for the latest version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2. Which means, all of Nik’s plug-ins – Dfine 2.0, Viveza, Color Efex Pro 3.0, Silver Efex Pro and Sharpener Pro 3.0 – are now accessible directly in Lightroom via the Photo > Edit In… menu. Edits [...]

PocketWizard Introduces ZoneController for Multiple Lighting

Chris Malinao — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:50:36 +0000

PocketWizard is developing the ZoneController to make multiple light set-ups easy to adjust when using their ControlTL system. The ZoneController allows the photographer control over three independent zones of light whether working in E-TTL or manual mode. The PocketWizard ZoneController will be available late summer. The ZoneController slides into the upper hot-shoe of an on-camera MiniTT1 or [...]

ExpoImaging Expands Honl Photo Speed System Products

Chris Malinao — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:59:50 +0000

ExpoImaging Inc is expanding its Honl Photo Speed System line of professional products with new color correction filters, color effects filters, and a Honl Photo products carrying bag. The Honl Photo Color Correction Filter Kit ($30) colors strobes to correct for tungsten, fluorescent or cool daylight lighting environments that can also be used to create a [...]

Kodak Imaging Technology to Capture Moon Features

Chris Malinao — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:43:38 +0000

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launches this week, with imaging technology from Eastman Kodak Company again playing a key role in the exploration of our solar system. Using images captured by KODAK CCD Image Sensors, the orbiter will be used to create a comprehensive atlas of the moon’s features and resources to aid in the design of [...]

Kingston Unleashes 128GB DT200 USB Flash Drive

Chris Malinao — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:55:59 +0000

Kingston Technology has launched DataTraveler 200 (DT200), billed by the company as the world’s first 128GB USB Flash drive. The large capacity along with password protection, Kingston said, gives users the flexibility to carry critical data with them at all times in a very small form factor. “The new DT200’s robust storage capability lets consumers store [...]

Olympus Unveils New MFT Lenses for E-P1 PEN Digital Camera

Chris Malinao — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:42:26 +0000

To go with the E-P1 digital PEN camera, Olympus also announced two new Micro Four Thirds lenses – the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f2.8 wide-angle pancake lens and the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens. The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f2.8 and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 are interchangeable lenses compliant with the Micro Four Thirds [...]

Olympus to Release E-P1 Micro Four Thirds Camera in July

Chris Malinao — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:02:10 +0000

The Olympus E-P1 is now official, after a flurry of initial leaks and pre-launch rumors. The E-P1 is a new Micro Four Thirds camera the size of a point-and-shoot but with DSLR capabilities. The company calls it the Pen, after an Olympus camera which was first launched in 1959, and describes it as “the world's smallest [...]

Kopin Corp Announces Smallest VGA Display

Chris Malinao — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:42:04 +0000

Kopin Corporation says they have developed the world’s smallest VGA (600x480) full-color display. With just 0.27-inch diagonal size, the tiny display is touted as “an important achievement in our previously announced goal to create a 2048 x 2048-resolution display in a size smaller than a typical postage stamp.” To achieve its tiny size, Kopin shrank the [...]

$100 Rebate on Pentax K20D Until June 20

Chris Malinao — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:21:28 +0000

There’s barely four days left for you to avail of a $100 instant rebate on the Pentax K20D DSLR. Promo ends on June 20 and you have two choices of lens kit configurations: one with the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens and another with the 16-45mm f4 lens. The rebate is instant, meaning you don’t have to submit [...]

LumoPro LP120 Review Pt II+

David Griffin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:37:46 +0000

The Prince of Cheap is back! Now its time for the second part of my 2 part review of the LP120 flash by MPEX. What I did was I took them out for a serious spin while photographing a project for a soon to be famous makeup school in Los Angeles, the European School of Makeup. [...]

Kata Introduces Photo Reporter Bag Series

Chris Malinao — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:51:33 +0000

The new Kata Photo Reporter bag bills itself as the perfect balance between gear protection and light-weight design. This series comes in three models, the PR-420, PR-440 and PR-460, designed for photographers who are always on the move – reporters, travel photographers and photojournalists. Each bag can be adapted to each person’s individual needs by allowing [...]

Casio Introduces Exilim Hi-Zoom EX-H10 Compact Camera

Chris Malinao — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:40:57 +0000

Casio has launched the new EXILIM Hi-Zoom EX-H10 compact digital camera, featuring what it calls an ultra-wide angle 24mm lens with 10x optical zoom. The 12-megapixel shooter also boasts ISO sensitivities from ISO 64 to ISO 3200. A large 3-inch LCD screen is used for framing the shot or viewing the photos; there is no optical [...]

Fujifilm Touchscreen FinePix Z300: A Real Point-and-Shoot

Chris Malinao — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:28:35 +0000

The Fujifilm FinePix Z300 debuted in Tokyo yesterday, touting a large 3.0" touchscreen display with a new touch shutter control. With the new feature, users can just touch the screen to select a focus area and to actually take the picture. The Z300 packs a 10-megapixel CCD sensor and a 5x optical zoom lens (36-180mm). The [...]

Western Digital Unleashes 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Dual Drives

Chris Malinao — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:57:42 +0000

Western Digital has introduced the new 4-Terabyte My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage system, designed for creative professionals working on Mac computers. Compatible with Apple Time Machine automatic backup feature and formatted for Mac computers, the new 4TB My Book Studio Edition II external storage system’s dual-drive RAID 0 configuration and high-speed interfaces deliver high [...]

HP Releases New Affordable All-in-One Printers

Chris Malinao — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:44:47 +0000

There are two new all-in-one printers from HP: the HP Photosmart Plus All-in-One at $150 and the HP Photosmart C4700 All-in-One Series at $130. Both new models can wirelessly print documents and photos even without a PC, their built-in Wi-Fi support takes care of that. HP said the Photosmart Plus All-in-One includes photo printing features that [...]

Canon UK Launches Selphy CP790 Dye-Sub Photo Printer

Chris Malinao — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:08:22 +0000

The new Selphy CP790 from Canon is compact dye-sublimation photo printer that can print archival quality photos that last a hundred years, according to the company. The CP790 boasts a large 3-inch LCD and can print postcard size photos in 47 seconds. “Canon has always made it easy to produce lab-quality photos,“ said Rainer Feuhres, head of [...]

Fantasea Line Unveils New Underwater Camera Housings

Chris Malinao — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:52:34 +0000

Underwater housing maker Fantasea has announced two new camera housings for the Canon PowerShot A480 (FA-480) and the Nikon Coolpix L19 and L20 compact cameras (FL-19/20). The FA-480 and FL-19/20 are depth rated to 60 meters or 200 feet and provide full access to all camera functions via push-button controls. Fantasea housings feature a double O-ring [...]

Eye-Fi Rolls Out 4GB Eye-Fi Pro Wireless SDHC Memory Card

Chris Malinao — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:34:11 +0000

Eye-Fi Inc today launched its 4GB Eye-Fi Pro, a new wireless SDHC memory card that lets you upload photos automatically from your camera to your computer or straight to the Internet. You don’t need a router to do that, the uploading is done via the Eye-Fi wireless technology that’s built into the card. The new Eye-Fi [...]

Unified Color Releases PhotoStudio Version 2.12

Chris Malinao — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:42:01 +0000

Unified Color has released HDR PhotoStudio Version 2.12, updating its color management and workflow software that promises users more control over image editing. HDR PhotoStudio is billed to be modeled after human vision and claims to be the only imaging software featuring accurate color, full color gamut and HDR editing capability. Explains Dr. Sergey Bezryadin, Unified Color's [...]

Canon Goes for Nagasaki Expansion, Sees Rosy Days Ahead for DSLR Cameras

Chris Malinao — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:21:22 +0000

Canon will begin construction of its factory in Nagasaki prefecture next month, with a plan to start producing digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras in April of next year. Construction was originally planned for January 2009, with operations to start in December 2009, but was shelved due to a sharp decline in digital camera sales as a [...]

Photodex Releases ProShow StylePack Volume 2

Chris Malinao — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:58:20 +0000

The new ProShow StylePack Volume 2 from Photodex Corp is a collection of pre-made slide enhancements for use in ProShow Producer slide shows. It features 25 new styles, including styles like Old Film Projector, Slot Machine, Merge Madness and Blow Out Cascade. Photodex says with just a few clicks, images and videos are instantly transformed into [...]

Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.6 from Apple

Chris Malinao — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:07:18 +0000

There’s a new Raw compatibility update from Apple, for users of their Aperture 2, iPhoto ’08 and iPhoto ’09. Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.6 adds support for the Raw files from the Canon Digital Rebel T1i (EOS 500D in Europe and EOS Kiss Digital X3 in Japan), Nikon D5000 and Olympus E-30 digital SLRs. Users may [...]

Hasselblad Bundles H3DII-50 with New Lens for Under 30 Grand

Chris Malinao — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:21:03 +0000

Hasselblad is offering the H3DII-50 with the new HCD 4.0-5.6/35-90 zoom lens at a price of $29,995, available only in the U.S. for the month of June – this month only. This bundle promotion represents savings of about $3000 (the price of a new full-frame DSLR) and includes Hasseblad’s new zoom lens that normally sells for [...]

Lensbaby Introduces Muse PL Selective Focus Lens for Movies

Chris Malinao — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:58:33 +0000

The new Muse PL selective focus lens from Lensbaby is specially designed for movies, for use with PL mount motion image capture cameras. It complements Lensbaby’s existing motion picture camera lens, Lensbaby 3GPL, which remains in Lensbaby’s product line. The company said the Muse PL allows for highly creative focusing effects on any 16mm or 35mm [...]

Sharp to Roll Out 5-Primary-Color Display

Chris Malinao — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:12:24 +0000

Sharp says they have developed an LCD monitor that can display five primary colors: Red, Green and Blue (RGB), plus Cyan and Yellow. What this means, Sharps says, is that their new monitor can render real surface colors the way humans see them. A prototype of this display will be exhibited at the international symposium of [...]

New Transcend PF730 Digital Photo Frame

Chris Malinao — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:31:56 +0000

The latest Transcend PF730 digital picture frame boasts customizable slideshows: users can view photos one by one or in a tiled thumbnail view. It can take in your hi-res photos as they were taken and display them instantly – no resizing or adjustments necessary. The 7-inch photo frame has a 4:3 screen with 800x600 resolution. Transcend [...]

Call for Entries: The 2010 Sony World Photography Awards

Chris Malinao — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:00:31 +0000

The 2010 Sony World Photography Awards is now open for entries from photographers around the world. With categories for both professional and amateur photographers, the Sony World Photography Awards is one of the world’s largest photographic events. The awards are a platform for both established and emerging photographers and in 2009 the competition attracted over [...]

Photo Mechanic Reports 35,000 Licenses Sold

Chris Malinao — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:48:02 +0000

Camera Bits is celebrating a milestone: 35,000 copies sold of their Photo Mechanic photo management software since its release more than 10 years ago. Despite competition from the newer Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple’s Aperture, Photo Mechanic reports continued brisk sales among professional photographers. Camera Bits reported record sales of Photo Mechanic in its most recent [...]

Nikon Rigs 50 D700 DSLRs to Capture 3D-Like Perspective at MTV Awards

Chris Malinao — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:13:53 +0000

Nikon is the Official Camera Sponsor of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards and tomorrow, May 30, at 8pm EDT, MTV will telecast the “MTV Movie Awards Confidential presented by Nikon,” an exclusive pre-show special that highlights top movie award moments and gives a first ever behind-the-scenes look at the Fashion 360, Powered by Nikon. The Fashion [...]

Anthropics Releases Portrait Professional 9 Retouching Software

Chris Malinao — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:45:30 +0000

Anthropics Technology Ltd has released Version 9 of their portrait retouching software, Portrait Professional, offering a redesigned user interface and new retouching capabilities. For example, Anthropics' new ClearSkin technology can recreate skin texture in image areas where blown highlights and skin blemishes need correction. The Skin Touch-Up Brush has been enhanced and automatically fixes areas indicated [...]

New Photoshop Marketplace Has 300+ Offerings

Chris Malinao — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:29:04 +0000

There are now more than 100 companies and organizations who have submitted over 300 individual offerings to the Photoshop Marketplace. Users can now search and browse this comprehensive collection to find specific plug-ins, locate local Photoshop workshops, events, or user groups or discover new learning materials. Photoshop Marketplace is community driven with all content provided [...]

Snapizzi Photo Site Adds New Features for Selling Photos

Chris Malinao — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:07:38 +0000

Snapizzi is an online photo site that enables you to manage, market and sell your images directly to customers. The process of marketing the photos is made easy by using the company’s proprietary IZ Tag technology, a digital barcode and tagging technology that automatically captures and manages photos for sale. The photo site recently added a [...]

PhotoTools 2 Lite, Free from onOne Software

Chris Malinao — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:46:32 +0000

onOne Software is giving away PhotoTools 2 Lite, a free version of its PhotoTools 2 image enhancement plugin for Photoshop CS2/CS3/CS4. Based on the exact same feature set as PhotoTools 2 Standard Edition, PhotoTools 2 Lite includes 14 of the most popular effects found in both PhotoTools 2 Standard Edition and PhotoTools 2 Professional Edition. “We are [...]

This JVC HDTV Monitor is for Professional Photographers

Chris Malinao — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:30:29 +0000

The new JVC Xiview LT-42WX70 is a 42-inch class (42.02 inches diagonal) 120Hz 1080p LCD TV monitor aimed at digital imaging professionals and enthusiasts using high-end digital SLR cameras. JVC said the new monitor features expanded color space capacity encompassing 100 percent of HDTV broadcasting's (sRGB.904) color space and a coverage rate of 96 percent for [...]

Sigma DP2 Compact has a New Firmware

Chris Malinao — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:36:23 +0000

Sigma DP2 owners may download a new firmware, Version 1.01, for their large-sensor compact digital camera. The new firmware improves autofocus accuracy of the DP2 and reduces the intermittent freezing of the camera that can occur under certain conditions. The Sigma DP2’s Foveon X3 image sensor measures 20.7mm x 13.8mm, 7x to 12x larger than the 1/1.8-inch [...]

ACDSee Pro 3 Workflow Software Available for Beta Testing

Chris Malinao — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:20:21 +0000

Photo management software ACDSee Pro 3 is now available for beta testing by professional photographers worldwide. The new version emphasizes four areas of activity – manage, view, process and online – that optimize photography workflow from start to finish in one application. ACD Systems said ACDSee Pro 3 retains the same fast and flexible features photographers [...]

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Firmware to Allow Full Manual Exposure Controls While Shooting Video

Chris Malinao — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:51:53 +0000

Canon is releasing a firmware update for the EOS 5D Mark II to allow manual control for exposure when shooting video. The new firmware may be downloaded from Canon Japan’s support site beginning June 2, 2009. Once the new firmware is installed, EOS 5D Mark II owners will be able to have full manual control of [...]

Atlantic Light Works Introduces PercepTool Plugin for Photoshop

Chris Malinao — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:27:13 +0000

Atlantic Light Works has released PercepTool, a software plugin for Photoshop CS3 and CS4, that duplicates the percept of the human brain from a black-and-white 2D image and make it more like the real thing. This capability is demonstrated in the before (left) and after (right) images above. Unlike other HDR software, PercepTool takes the luminance [...]

LaCie Rolls Out Core4, Core7 Designer USB Hubs

Chris Malinao — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:16:56 +0000

The new LaCie Core4 designer USB hub adds 4 USB ports to your PC while the Core7 adds (good guess!) 7. Well, it’s really more like 3 + 1 and 6 + 1 -- 3 or 6 regular USB 2.0 ports plus one mini-USB cable built right in for convenience, for charging mobile devices and [...]

Review: The Twitter Book by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein

Chris Malinao — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:15:30 +0000

What is Twitter all about and why is everybody in it? They say you can use it for business too? These are the questions foremost on my mind when I started to notice that Twitter is getting a lot of attention lately. My interest peaked when cable TV network CNN recently went head-to-head against Ashton Kutcher [...]

Panasonic Releases New Firmware for Lumix 14-45mm Lens

Chris Malinao — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:27:03 +0000

Panasonic has issued Firmware Version 1.1 to improve the performance of their Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Micro Four Thirds camera lens. The new firmware offers the following enhancements: • Improved Auto Focus performance in AFC mode. • Improved Auto Focus performance in Motion Picture recording. • Please note that Auto Focus in FHD does not work. • Improved [...]

Gitzo Announces Support for Wild Wonders of Europe

Chris Malinao — Mon, 25 May 2009 03:19:22 +0000

Gitzo announces its support to the Wild Wonders of Europe - a photographic project set to reveal the amazing natural treasures of our continent to over 700 million people Worldwide. The project celebrates the joy of wildness, reminding us all about why nature matters in our lives, and more important, why we need to protect [...]

Samsung Rolls Out New SPF-87H Digital Photo Frame

Chris Malinao — Mon, 25 May 2009 02:39:51 +0000

The new Samsung SPF-87H digital photo frame offers an 8-inch wide screen and 1GB of internal memory that can store up to 3,000 photos. This, in a stylish body that’s only 23mm thick (less than an inch!). “With the SPF-87H’s 1GB internal memory, people are no longer limited to the photos they can have because of [...]

Release Candidate of Adobe Camera Raw 5.4 is Available

Chris Malinao — Mon, 25 May 2009 01:42:21 +0000

The latest release candidate of Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 5.4 is available for download from the Adobe Labs website. The new version adds support for 26 more cameras and camera backs. Among the new cameras supported are: • Canon EOS 500D (EOS Rebel T1i) • Epson R-D1x • Hasselblad CF-22, CF-22MS, CF-39, CF-39MS, CFH-22, CFH-39, CFV, 503CWD, H2D-22, H2D-39, [...]

Panasonic Announces 32GB Class 10 SDHC Memory Card

Chris Malinao — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:59:14 +0000

Panasonic will release Class 10 SDHC memory cards, the Panasonic Gold line series, in Europe at the end of this month. Class 10 cards are designed to meet the requirement for higher resolution consecutive shooting and large-sized high definition video shooting. Class 10 cards are rated to be able to write about 10MBps. As an example [...]

New from Rocky Nook: Mastering the Nikon D700 by Young & Johnson

Chris Malinao — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:18:36 +0000

Rocky Nook’s latest photography book release, Mastering the Nikon D700, explores the features and capabilities of the professional D700 DSLR in detail much better than basic user manuals by providing step-by-step menu setting adjustments coupled with illustrations and logical explanations for each option. The new book was written by Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell), an information technology engineer [...]

Epson America Introduces 4 New All-in-One Inkjet Printers

Chris Malinao — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:13:19 +0000

Epson America has introduced four ink jet printers to its Stylus NX series – the entry-level Epson Stylus NX115 ($70), Epson Stylus NX215 ($90), Epson Stylus NX415 ($100), and the flagship of the series, the Epson Stylus NX515 (150). The $90 Epson Stylus NX215 claims to be the industry’s first all-in-one at its price point with [...]

Pentax Introduces Weather Proof Lenses

Chris Malinao — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:06:39 +0000

The Pentax K-7 DSLR is weather-resistant – it’s sealed from dust, moisture and temperature. So Pentax also came up with two weather-resistant zoom lenses to go with the new K-7. The smc PENTAX-DA18-55mmF3.5-5.6AL WR and the smc PENTAX-DA50-200mmF4-5.6ED WR are two standard zoom, kit grade lenses offered with the new Pentax K-7 DSLR. They both feature [...]

Pentax Officially Announces the K-7 Digital SLR Camera

Chris Malinao — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:49:27 +0000

Now it’s official: the Pentax K-7 mid-range DSLR signals to the world that the venerable Pentax name (under Hoya management) is still very much in the game dominated by Canon and Nikon. The 14.6-megapixel Pentax K-7 offers novel features like video recording, in-camera HDR and automatic horizon correction. Likewise, its standard dustproof feature has been upgraded [...]

Olympus Releases Firmware Updates for 4 Zuiko Lenses

Chris Malinao — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:03:58 +0000

Olympus has posted new firmware updates for four of its lenses. The updates are designed to improve performance during sequential shooting on the E-3 and E-30 DSLRs in Continuous AF mode. The new firmware are for the Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F3.5 Fisheye, ED 18-180mm F3.5-6.3, ED 70-300mm F4.0-5.6 and ED 90-250mm F2.8. Olympus and Panasonic [...]

Fantasea Unveils New Line of Fantasea Eyes Accessories

Chris Malinao — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:41:59 +0000

Fantasea has announced a new line of underwater housing accessories, Fantasea Eyes, which include the BigEye wide-angle conversion air lenses, the SharpEye lenses for sharp underwater macro shots, the RedEye filters to correct for absorption of red light underwater, and a selection of EyeDaptors to hold the lenses and filters when in use, and EyeGrabbers [...]

Review: Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 ASPH LUMIX G VARIO is Good

Chris Malinao — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:10:58 +0000

The review from SLRGear.com on the Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 ASPH LUMIX G VARIO lens indicates a very capable lens, offering images that are very sharp all the way to f/11. The minor complaint about chromatic aberration can easily be corrected in digital post-processing, it said. The review notes that the Panasonic 7-14mm is small and light, [...]

Sony Unveils 4 New Lenses

Chris Malinao — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:51:32 +0000

There are 4 new SLR lenses from Sony: the DT 50mm F1.8 SAM dubbed by the company as a portrait lens, the standard DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM and DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM kit lenses, and the DT 30mm F2.8 SAM macro lens. Sony describes its 50mm lens (75mm equiv.) as a light, bright portrait lens [...]

Sony Introduces HVL-F20AM Affordable Flash

Chris Malinao — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:55:51 +0000

Debuting with Sony’s new DSLRs, the HVL-F20AM compact external flash weighs just under 100g. Sony says the new affordable ($130) flash is an ideal add-on for anyone who wants an extra light source to supplement their camera’s pop-up flash. It has a Guide Number of 20 (GN20) and can be used to bounce light off the [...]

Sony Rolls Out 3 New Alpha DSLRs – A230, A330, A380

Chris Malinao — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:41:50 +0000

Sony has introduced three new digital SLR cameras in its Alpha series – the A230, A330 and A380 – plus 4 new lenses, a flash and accessories. The 10.2 megapixel A230 camera claims to be the lightest, most compact alpha DSLR camera body ever at 15.9 ounces. The 10.2 megapixel A330 and the 14.2 megapixel A380 [...]

Nikon Germany Officially Offers the D90 Fatbox

Chris Malinao — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:14:22 +0000

Nikon Germany is offering the Nikon D90 Fatbox which includes a camera bag, a 4GB SDHC card and an HDMI cable – in addition to the camera body and 18-105mm kit lens. The Nikon D90 Fatbox retails at €1,049 (about US$1420) here. Body and kit lens, the D90 sells for €1164 in Europe; it’s $1300 in [...]

Canon Advisory: Some EOS 1D, 1DS Mark III DSLRs May Show Oil Spots

Chris Malinao — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:38:44 +0000

Some Canon EOS-1D/1Ds Mark III digital SLRs may show ring-shaped spots on the image caused by oil lubricant on the surface of the low pass filter (LPF), located in front of the CMOS sensor. To address the issue, Canon USA has issued a service notice to affected users to contact their Customer Support Center and [...]

Lightware Introduces FourSquare Speedlight Adapter

Chris Malinao — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:14:45 +0000

The new FourSquare speedlight adapter is a clever small strobe mount and softbox combo that allows the photographer to mount up to four flashguns into a 30" X 30" softbox or an umbrella. The FourSquare is made of rugged T6061 hard anodized aluminum and you can put this on any stand you want. The first batch [...]

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Wins "Camera of the Year" in Japan

Chris Malinao — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:53:43 +0000

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera has been named "Camera of the Year" in the Camera Grand Prix 2009 in Japan. The Camera Grand Prix is billed as the most prestigious award in Japan's photo industry. It is under the auspices of the Camera Journal Press Club Japan (CJPC) composed of 13photography and [...]

Apple Rolls Out Mac OS X 10.5.7 Update

Chris Malinao — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:17:32 +0000

Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.7, updating the operating system with a system-level RAW image file support for a host of new camera models including the new Canon EOS 50D, 5D Mark II, Powershot G10, Nikon D3X, Nikon D90, Coolpix P6000, as well as the Sony DSLR-A900 - among others. Mac OS X 10.5.7 also [...]

Samsung Launches WB1000 Compact Camera

Chris Malinao — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:22:54 +0000

Samsung has unveiled its 12-megapixel WB1000 compact camera in Europe. It features a 24mm ultra wide angle lens with 5x optical zoom and a 3.0-inch AMOLED screen. Samsung touts its AMOLED technology – widely used in Samsung high-definition TVs – to deliver an enhanced overall digital imaging experience for the end user. It consumes less power, [...]

Olympus Europe Adds Lensfinder to Website

Chris Malinao — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:04:53 +0000

The Olympus Lensfinder is a new feature on the Olympus website that aims to help you find the right lens for your Olympus Four Thirds DSLR camera. Lensfinder works by showing you the same scene photographed from the same viewpoint, but at different focal lengths. Move the slider to a focal length you want, and the [...]

Wild Magnolia Design Introduces Eco-Friendly Albums

Chris Malinao — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:47:05 +0000

Wild Magnolia Design says their wedding albums are of archival quality and eco-friendly; each album is made completely by hand and incorporates materials such as hemp canvas, vegan silk and tree-free paper. "I wanted to bring photographers and their clients something absolutely unique -- something they hadn't seen before," said Rebecca Shostak, owner and co-founder of [...]

US Photobook Market Sees Rosy Days Ahead

Chris Malinao — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:43:24 +0000

A new US Photobook Market Report from Futuresource Consulting says the US photobook market is expected to post healthy growth this year, with demand projected to reach nearly 17 million units in 2009, up from close to 12.5 million in 2008. “In value terms, the US photobook market is establishing itself as a significant contributor to [...]

Serif PhotoPlus X3 Digital Studio Available Now

Chris Malinao — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:19:13 +0000

The Serif PhotoPlus X3 Digital Studio is a photo editing software that offers powerful image enhancement capabilities at a much more affordable price. Think Photoshop, only cheaper. Serif says the high-end features of PhotoPlus X3 include High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, Raw Photo Studio and 48-bit image editing; the QuickFix, Makeover and other task-focused studios make [...]

LaCie 5big Network Goes Up to 10 Terabytes Capacity

Chris Malinao — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:01:19 +0000

LaCie has upgraded its network storage solutions – the LaCie 2big Network and the LaCie 5big Network – to include improved performance, enhanced features and backup support, and a massive capacity expansion up to 10 Terabytes of storage. The company says their 5big Network takes advantage of a Gigabit Ethernet connection and features five hot-swappable drives [...]