August 19, 2010 – TOKYO, Japan – Ricoh Co., Ltd. (helmed by president and CEO Shiro Kondo) today announced the release of the new CX4 compact digital camera. This new design offers high-power (10.7x), wide-angle 28-300 mm optical zoom and improved image-sensor-shift image stabilization in a workman-like yet stylish package.

The new CX4′s evolved image-sensor-shift image stabilization reduces blur on average by the equivalent of about 3.7 EV – 3.7 shutter-speed stops – for improved performance under dim indoor lighting and at high zoom ratios.

The camera also offers a new “subject-tracking AF” autofocus system that automatically tracks your subject, ensuring that photographs are in focus and correctly exposed whenever you choose to release the shutter. You’ll find this feature indispensable for moving subjects and close-ups.

In addition, Ricoh has further developed features designed to enhance the photographic experience, including a “night landscape multi-shot mode” that combines four exposures into a single photograph for reduced image noise, and a “creative shooting mode” that brings out the artist in everyone with soft focus, cross process, and toy camera effects. With portability enhanced by a newly-designed body featuring molded curves that make it easier to slip the camera into your pocket, the CX4 compact digital camera represents another advance in Ricoh’s philosophy of designing “A tool you will want to use every day.”

Principal Features of the New CX4 Compact Digital Camera

1. High sensitivity, low noise photography using improved blur reduction and high-performance noise reduction for clear, high-quality results at high zoom ratios and under low light

• The CX4 offers completely reworked image-sensor-shift image stabilization, which reduces blur caused by camera movement—a phenomenon that is particularly likely to occur in close ups, at high zoom ratios, and in other similar situations. The effect is equivalent to increasing shutter speed by an average of about 3.7 stops.
• The camera’s noise reduction algorithm processes the image signal as it is output from the CMOS image sensor, reducing noise without affecting resolution, tone, or color. Setting noise reduction to “MAX” enables variance-estimation noise reduction that analyzes the distribution of noise in the data captured by the image sensor and optimizes processing for individual areas of the image.
• The back-illuminated, 10-megapixel CMOS image sensor offers improved low-light performance.

2. A portable, easy-to-use design featuring 10.7× optical zoom (28–300 mm)

• Ricoh’s unique retracting lens system allows a wide-angle, high-power (10.7×) zoom lens to be incorporated into a compact camera body only 29.4 mm thick.
• With picture angles that range from 28 mm (wide angle) to 300 mm (telephoto), this high-power zoom lens is adapted to almost any situation. Choose wide angles for landscapes or cramped interiors that limit the distance between camera and subject, or zoom in for compelling telephoto shots.

3. An autofocus system that automatically tracks the subject (subject-tracking AF)

• Subject-tracking AF automatically tracks the subject selected when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway, ensuring that photographs are in focus and correctly exposed whenever you choose to release the shutter. This feature is ideal for shots of active children and pets, as well as for photographs of flowers and other subjects that demand careful composition.

4. A “creative shooting mode” that offers a choice of six artistic effects

• Choose “soft focus mode” for an effect similar to that produced by soft-focus lenses. The strength of the effect can be selected from “weak” and “strong.”
• Select “cross-process mode” for colors that differ markedly from those in normal photographs. Choose a color scheme from “basic,” “magenta,” and “yellow.”
• “Toy camera mode” replicates the sharp contrast and saturated colours associated with toy cameras, together with their characteristic distortion and vignetting.
• The CX4 also offers the “dynamic range double shot,” “miniaturize,” and “high-contrast B&W” modes made popular by the CX3.

5. High-quality results over a wide tone range

• An output pixel interpolation algorithm with dedicated Smooth Imaging Engine IV logic circuits reduces loss of detail in highlights to faithfully recreate beautiful high-contrast scenes exactly as they appear to the naked eye.
• Multi-pattern auto white balance produces colors close to those seen by the human eye in portraits shot in a mixture of sunlight and shade or with both the flash and natural light. High-contrast scenes like these often prove challenging for other, less advanced white-balance algorithms.

6. Eleven scene modes that make it easy to adjust settings to suit your subject

• The CX4 features a new “night landscape multi-shot” mode that creates clear, beautiful photos of night scenes by automatically and precisely combining a series of exposures shot at high sensitivities to reduce the blur and noise normally associated with pictures taken under low light, allowing photographers to taste the joys of hand-held, tripod-free night photography.
• The eleven scene modes that were so well-received by users of the CX3—including “pets mode” for portraits of your favorite pet cat—are also included in the CX4.

7. A 920,000-dot, 3.0-inch high-definition VGA monitor

• The large, high-resolution LCD monitor boasts high contrast and a wide viewing angle. A fluorine coating keeps the monitor free of stains, while a hard coating and anti-reflection coating prevent scratches and ensure that the display in the monitor is clearly visible even outdoors in bright sunlight.
• Wide-gamut color reproduction (100% of sRGB) ensures that colors are displayed vividly and with high fidelity.

8. Many other features that reflect Ricoh’s design philosophy: “A tool you will want to use every day”

• The CX4 offers high burst rates of about 5 frames per second (fps) during continuous shooting.
• Macro mode can be used to take photos at distances as close as 1 cm when the camera is zoomed out to a focal length equivalent to 31 mm in 35 mm format, or at distances as close as 28 cm when the camera is zoomed all the way in.
• “Scene auto mode” offers the ultimate in “point-and-shoot” photography: just point the CX4 at your subject and let the camera optimize settings for best results.
• The camera can record HD movies with a frame size of 1,280 × 720 pixels.

CX4 Options

Rechargeable battery: DB-100
Battery charger: BJ-10
Soft case (black): SC-90BK
Soft case (brown): SC-90BN
Neck strap: ST-2
Cable switch: CA-1

* All focal lengths in this news release have been converted to 35 mm format.

* All instances of “MP files” refer to “Extended MP files” in a format that conforms to the CIPA “multi-picture format” standard (extension “.MPO”). The CX4 can extract selected frames from MP files and save them in JPEG format.

CX4 Principal Specifications

No. of Effective Pixels (Camera):

Approximately 10.00 million pixels

Image Sensor:

1/2.3-inch CMOS (total pixels: approx. 10.60 million pixels)

Lens:

Focal length: f=4.9–52.5 mm

(Equivalent to 28–300 mm for 35 mm film cameras. With Step Zoom set, focal lengths can be fixed at eight steps: 28 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, 85 mm, 105 mm, 135 mm, 200 mm, and 300 mm)

F-aperture: F3.5 (Wide)–F5.6 (Telephoto)

Shooting Distance: Normal shooting: Approx. 30 cm–infinity (Wide), approx. 1.5 m–infinity (Telephoto) (from the front of the lens)

Macro: Approx. 1 cm–infinity (Wide), approx. 28 cm–infinity (Telephoto), approx. 1 cm–infinity (Zoom Macro) (from the front of the lens)

Lens Construction: 10 elements in 7 groups (aspheric lens: 4 elements and 5 surfaces)

Zoom Magnification:

Optical: 10.7x zoom (equivalent to 28-300 mm focal length for 35 mm cameras)

Digital: 4.8x up to 51.4x (equivalent to 1440 mm) when used with optical zoom

Auto Resize: 5.7x*1 up to 61.0x*1 (equivalent to 1710 mm) when used with optical zoom

Focus Modes:

Multi AF / Spot AF / Face-priority Multi AF (Contrast AF method with AF Auxiliary Light), Subject-tracking AF / Multi-target AF (Contrast AF method), MF / Snap / ∞(fixed focus)

Motion Blur Reduction:

Image sensor shift method image stabilizer

Shutter Speed: *2

Still image: 8, 4, 2, 1–1/2000 sec. / Movie: 1/30–1/2000 sec.

Continuous Shooting:

Continuous shooting speed: *3 approx. 5 frames/sec. (10M 4:3F shooting time; shooting speed after 12 pictures is approx. 3 frames/sec.)

Continuous shooting capacity: 999 pictures

Exposure Control:

Exposure Metering Mode: Multi Light Metering (256 segments) / Center-weighted Light Metering / Spot Metering

Exposure Mode: Program AE

Exposure Compensation: Manual Exposure Compensation +/−2.0EV (1/3EV Steps), Auto Bracket Function (−0.5EV, ±0, +0.5EV)

ISO Sensitivity (Standard Output Sensitivity):

AUTO, ISO100 / ISO200 / ISO400 / ISO800 / ISO1600 / ISO3200

White Balance Mode:

Auto / Multi-pattern Auto / Outdoors / Cloudy / Incandescent 1 / Incandescent 2 / Fluorescent / Manual, White balance bracket function

Flash:

Flash Mode: Auto flash (fires automatically in low-light conditions and when the subject is backlit) / Anti Red-eye / Flash On / Flash Synchro. / Flash Off

Built-in flash range: Approx. 20 cm–4.0 m (Wide), approx. 28 cm–3.0 m (Telephoto) (auto ISO with a maximum of ISO 1600, measured from the front of the lens)

Flash compensation: +/−2.0EV (1/3EV Steps)

Monitor:

3.0-inch Transparent LCD (approx. 920,000 dots)

Shooting Mode:

Auto shooting mode / Movie mode / Scene auto mode / Scene mode (Portrait / Discreet Mode / Night. Port. / Night Landscape Multi-shot / Sports / Landscape / Zoom Macro / Pets / Skew Correct Mode / High Sens / Text Mode) / My settings mode / Continuous mode / Creative Shooting Mode (Dynamic Range / Miniaturize / High Contrast B&W / Soft Focus / Cross Process / Toy Camera)

Picture Quality Mode: *4

F(Fine) / N(Normal)

No. of Pixels Recorded:

Still image/multi-picture: 3648×2736, 3648×2432, 2736×2736, 3648×2048, 2592×1944, 2048×1536, 1728×1296 (multi-picture only), 1280×960, 640×480

Movie: 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240

Text: 3648 x 2736, 2048 x 1536

Recording Media:

SD memory card, SDHC memory card (up to 32 GB), Internal memory (approx. 86 MB)

Storage Capacity (Pictures/Time): *5 (internal memory approx. 86 MB):

Still image/multi-picture: 3648×2736 (F: 22, N: 37), 3648×2432 (F: 24), 2736×2736 (F: 29),

3648×2048 (F: 29), 2592×1944 (F: 34), 2048×1536 (F: 53), 1728×1296 (N: 127) (M-Cont Plus), 1280×960 (F: 96), 640×480 (F: 394), 640×480 (N: 691)(Speed Cont)

Movie:*6 1280×720 (16 sec.), 640×480 (49 sec.), 320×240 (1 min. 59sec.)

Recording File Format:

Still Image: JPEG (Exif ver. 2.21) *7

Multi-picture: CIPA DC-007-2009 Multi-Picture Format

Movie: AVI (Open DML Motion JPEG Format compliant)

Compression method: JPEG Baseline method compliant

Other Major Shooting Functions:

Continuous, Self-Timer (operation time: approx. 10 sec. / approx. 2 sec. / custom self-timer), Interval Timer (Shooting interval: 5 sec.–1 hour, 5 sec. steps), Color Bracket function, Focus Bracket function, AE/AF Target Shift, Histogram, Grid Guide, Electronic Level

Other Major Playback Functions:

Grid View, Enlarged Display (maximum 16×), Resize, Level Compensation, White Balance Compensation, Trim, Flag, Slideshow, DPOF Setting

Interface:

USB 2.0 (High-Speed USB) Mini-B, Mass storage compatible*8 / AV Out 1.0Vp-p (75Ω)

Video Signal Format:

NTSC, PAL switchable

Power Supply:

Rechargeable Battery: DB-100×1

Battery Consumption: *9

Based on CIPA Standard: Using the DB-100, approx. 330 pictures (when LCD Dim is on) *10

External Dimensions (W × H × D):

101.5 mm × 58.6 mm × 29.4 (24.4 mm at thinnest part) (according to CIPA guidelines)

Weight:

Approx. 205 g (including the supplied battery and SD memory card)

Approx. 184 g (body only)

Operating Temperature Range:

0ºC–40ºC

*1. VGA image size

*2. Shutter speed upper and lower limits vary depending on Shooting Mode and Flash Mode.

*3. Values measured under Ricoh measurement conditions using a Panasonic PRO HIGH SPEED 8GB SDHC memory card. The continuous shooting speed and number of pictures will vary depending on the shooting conditions, the type of recording media used, the condition of the recording media, etc.

*4. The picture quality modes which can be set vary depending on the image size.

*5. All figures are approximate.

*6. Individual movies can be up to 4 GB in size. Approximate maximum length is 12 minutes for movies with a frame size of 1280×720 and 29 minutes for movies with a frame size of 640×480 or 320×240.

*7. Compatible with DCF and DPOF. DCF is the abbreviation of the JEITA standard “Design rule for Camera File system.” (Full compatibility with other devices is not guaranteed.)

*8. Mass storage driver is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OSX 10.1.2–10.6.3

*9. Shooting capacity was measured using CIPA-standard parameters. This is only an estimate, and performance may vary according to usage conditions.

*10. When LCD Auto Dim is off: approx. 310 pictures

We are pleased to announce the release of Black Rapid’s RS-W1 as the world’s first camera strap designed specifically with the female in mind. It provides comfort, speed and durability along with graceful styling.

JP Code 430010 – SRP £65 Inc VAT

What

The grand prize winner will be offered a one year spot on the SanDisk Extreme Team and the grand prize winning photo will be exhibited in the “Winner’s Circle” gallery showing during the PhotoPlus Expo in New York City. The four finalists, the winners of each category, will each receive a $1,000 cash prize and their photos will be featured in the online Winner’s Circle gallery. Eight runners-up will receive $250 worth of SanDisk imaging cards and their photos will be featured in the online Winner’s Circle gallery.

Who: Anyone eligible can enter, but the contest is recommended for professional photographers. Simply complete an official entry form and submit a photograph to the SanDisk Extreme Team Facebook page. See Official Rules for eligibility restrictions and entry details.

When: The contest begins June 8 with a submission deadline of July 31 at 11:30 p.m. PT. SanDisk Extreme Team Facebook Fan users can vote for their favorite photos from August 1 through August 31. The ten most popular submissions in each of the four categories will proceed to the final round of the competition where a panel of professional photographers from SanDisk’s Extreme Team will pick the finalists and then select the winners for each category as well as the grand prize contest winner. The winners will be announced on or around October 31 and the grand prize winner’s photo will be showcased at the Winner’s Circle gallery showing during PhotoPlus Expo in October.

Where: SanDisk Extreme Team Facebook page. [Editorial Note: the PR people did not supply the URL so I Googled it - if it is not the right place, I'm sorry!]

About SanDisk

SanDisk Corporation is the global leader in flash memory cards, from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk’s product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.

© 2010 SanDisk Corporation. All rights reserved. SanDisk, the SanDisk logo and SanDisk Extreme are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder (s).

This media alert contains certain forward-looking statements, including applications, markets, and customers that are based on our current expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include among others: market demand for our products may grow more slowly than our expectations or there may be a slower adoption rate for these products in new markets that we are targeting, and the other risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to update the information contained in this media alert.

Hi Decisive Moment. I just discovered your blog. Great work! I thought you might be interested – I’m working on a very exciting book project (Bicycle Portraits – everyday South Africans and their bicycles; a photographic book in the making) at the moment and I wanted to share it with you.

Please have a look at out Kickstarter pledge/reward page – we are using an alternative way of raising funds by essentially taking pre-orders (with benefits, depending on the pledge amount) from an online community who want to see the project succeed. It’s an interesting concept – truly independent, community based and very inspiring. Check it out!

Stan Engelbrecht
Director / PhotographerDay One Publishing, South Africa
+27(0)82 928 6586
dayone@me.com
silencebegan (Skype)
@bicycleportrait (Twitter)
www.dayonepublications.com
www.bicyclepotraits.co.za

I have had a look at the photos – see what you think: www.bicyclepotraits.co.za

According to Paul Gallagher, founding member and aspect2i tour leader, “You don’t learn photography by simply being taken to beautiful places. You learn photography when supported by knowledgeable and helpful leaders who are dedicated to you, your time, and your specific needs whilst on the workshop. That’s where we stand apart. Our classroom and field-based workshops are virtually tailor-made for participants, with the emphasis on individual education and progress.”

Aspect2i is answering the growing demand for quality tuition and experience in producing strong and satisfying photographs with the increasingly capable equipment that enthusiasts and novices alike now have to hand. The company’s aim is not only to help photographers to use their equipment effectively, but very much to develop their ability to “see” and create excellent images.

Aspect2i believes in covering the entire photographic journey – from capture to finished print. Photographers at all levels can quickly develop skills and confidence whilst enjoying a rewarding workshop experience at excellent and carefully selected venues.

Trevor Waldron adds, “The photography workshops we now offer are the ideal mix of practice and learning. Participants will leave feeling much more confident about using their cameras and seeing creatively, and will be increasingly satisfied with their images.”

Aspect2i launches with a highly-experienced team of leaders and tutors who embrace digital, film, colour, and black and white imaging. Additional leaders will broaden the range of locations and skills that will be provided.

Michael Pilkington comments on the core values of aspect2i: “Personal experience tells me that dedicated tuition and guidance, by leaders who truly want to help you, makes all the difference. That is our byline, and we invite everyone to try aspect2i’s fresh approach.”

To learn more about aspect2i’s extensive portfolio of workshops, visit: www.aspect2i.co.uk

The AC3 ZoneController is the gem of the Control TL product line. Add it to your on-camera Mini TT1 Transmitter or Flex TT5 Transceiver and you instantly have three zones of flash control. Whether working in E-TTL or manual mode, you now have control over all your flashguns directly from the camera’s position. Put your flashguns wherever you want without worrying about having to access them during a shoot. With the AC3 ZoneController, you are in total control of your flash.

Three clearly labelled dials allow you to increase or decrease power to three zones of flash in 1/3-stop increments, with a range of up to six stops. Three switches allow you to change zones between Manual, Auto (Power Tracking E-TTL II) or OFF. Best of all, the design is simple with an intuitive interface.

When matched with the new Power ST5, you can also control Elinchrom RX heads from the camera position.

Key Features:

• Three independent zones of flash control.
• 6-stops of flash control in 1/3-stop increments.
• Works in PowerTracking E-TTL II or Manual mode.
• Turn zones On & Off remotely.
• Works with Canon Speedlites, Elinchrom RX Alien Bees flash. Nikon coming soon.
• Put your flashes where you want, without worrying about accessing them during a shoot.

The price… £59.99 inc VAT

The enhanced locking ridges on the FastenR-3’s underside ensure that solid connection between your camera and FastenR is strong, secure and confident.

If you are not already familiar with their products, it might be worth a visit to the BlackRapid website.

JP Code 430009 – SRP £14 Inc VAT

"Victoria (b. 1977), Crown Princess of Sweden, 1986" Copyright: Hans Hammarskiöld

As part of Sweden’s Bernadotte Year, Nationalmuseum is presenting an exhibition of black-and-white portraits of the House of Bernadotte, from King Karl XIV Johan to the present royal family.

The emphasis is on 20th-century photographs, but some 19th-century works will also be on display. Together, they show how the art of portrait photography has evolved in Sweden over the past 150 years. Alongside the photographs, Nationalmuseum will present a selection of graphic art and drawings, mainly depicting early generations of the House of Bernadotte.

The featured photographers from the mid-19th century include Mathias Hansen and Bertha Valerius, who were practising at the time when portrait photography was becoming established as an art form and means of expression.

"Gustav V, King of Sweden, 1950" Copyright: Lennart Nilsson

From the modern age, the featured photographers include Bruno Ehrs, Hans Gedda, Hans Hammarskiöld, Mikael Jansson, Denise Grünstein and Lennart Nilsson. The Bernadottes in Black and White offers an opportunity to reflect on the significance of photography and graphic art to the role of monarch, and on how art depicts the pillars of society. To illustrate how widely distributed royal portraits are, examples of reproductions on china and textiles will be exhibited.

The exhibition runs from 16 June 2010 to 23 January 2011.

Copyright: Edward Verosky

I have just finished reading Ed Verosky’s e-book, in which Ed offers sound advice based on his experiences for pro and semi-pro photographers wishing to start in, or expand upon boudoir photography.

It’s not a huge book (44 pages, approximately 50% text) but it is well written and not at all tiresome to read. The advice offered and tips given are largely common sense and many could, I’m sure, be found on the Internet with some judicious Googling. Some of the tips may even seem a little obvious to some photographers, perhaps.

However, I have to say I really enjoyed reading this book and I feel Ed has done a solid job of taking all the things you would learn for yourself over a few sessions and distilling them into a nicely filtered cup of knowledge. It’s clear (from my personal experiences) that Ed has done this, learned the lessons and sorted the most important bits into an expanded checklist to save the rest of us some time.

What Is Boudoir?

“First, let’s define what boudoir photography is, for the purposes of this book.

Boudoir might easily be classified as a subset of glamour photography. Both genres generally feature a female subject with an emphasis on sensual, sexy, and flirtatious looks and poses.

But while glamour photos tend to feature women in sexy outfits, exaggerated poses, and slightly unrealistic situations, boudoir is more about lingerie, seduction, and relatively plausible scenarios.”

Ed keeps it all pretty simple and not at all patronizing. He assumes you already know how to use your gear – the book is really about the communication between you and your client.

“Good communication is probably the single most important factor when it comes to making your client happy with the entire photo shoot experience. It is the foundation for everything from building rapport, to sharing expectations and goals for the pictures, to keeping things fun and productive during the shoot.”

Copyright: Edward Verosky

The book is well illustrated with Ed’s photographs, including three pages of posing examples to be printed and shown to the client for ideas of what she might like or as inspiration during the shoot.

There is also a couple of sample checklists which, if you are like me and find starting these kinds of things difficult, will get you on the right road quickly. It’s usually a lot quicker to amend than creat from scratch.

Available from Ed’s website as a downloadable PDF, the cost is $9.95 (that’s USD – about £6.75 at time of writing). Is it worth the price? If you are semi-pro and have little or no experience of studio portraiture of any kind, then without a doubt. The time it could save you in terms of preparation also makes it a fair price; depending on your hourly rate, how many minutes do you need to save to cover seven quid (or ten bucks)?

Perhaps the most significant outcome of Ed’s book for me, is the side effect that I am now seriously thinking about advertising boudoir photography as a service.

Then, I get an email from “What the Duck“, offering their new, personalized camera strap and I thought surely this must be related to the earlier email from Tom. I was right. None of this matters, particularly, other than it gives me the opportunity to say “I was right” and they don’t come along all that often.

Anyway, I have had a proper look at the site now and I really like what they are doing. The site is fairly simple (by which I mean not over-complicated) and friendly in its tone, which works for me. In their own words:

HighKey was founded in early 2009 by Tom Baker & Andie Haugen, two students from Brooks Institute of Photography who wanted more than the average, dull looking camera straps we, and millions of other photographers were wearing. We had an idea to create style, and ran with it, in hopes that everyone else was just as desperate as we were for cool camera straps.

Essentially, there are about twenty-something strap designs to choose from, or (and this is the best bit and probably the whole point!) you can design your own. Beyond that, there is not a lot to say (again, I mean this as a good thing).

Being slightly negative for a moment (sorry), I have one small grumble, which is that you have to use the shopping cart/checkout to work out whether your part of the world is delivered to and, perhaps more importantly, how much that will cost. I’m personally never too patient with stores that make me work a little too hard to find out whether I can give them my money!

If you are interested, the HighKey website URL is www.highkeycamera.com

A Decisive Moment camera strap? Hmmm…