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« November 2005 | Main | January 2006 »

December 31, 2005

Nikonians Wishes You A Happy New Year!

To all our members across the world, the Nikonians Team wishes you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Posted by covey22 at 10:08 PM

Fujifilm Europe: 256 MB Upgrade for S3 Now Available

Fujifilm announces the availability of the 256MB Buffer Upgrade for the S3 Pro to the European market. Previously available only in Japan, the upgrade will cost 390 Euros and will commence in January 2006. For details see the press release in English and German.

Posted by covey22 at 10:00 PM

December 29, 2005

Nikonians Talk Radio: The Image Doctors #3

Image-Doctors.png In this week's edition of the Image Doctors, Rick and Jason answer questions from listeners (yes, real listeners!), offer their review of the Lensbaby 2.0, and discuss the challenges and excitement of winter photography. To have your question answered on the show, or to suggest a show topic, email the Image Doctors Download The Image Doctors podcast for December 29th, 2005; NPC-ID-2005-12-29.mp3 (34:42, 8.3Mbyte, mp3 format).

Posted by drjay32 at 2:00 PM

December 28, 2005

New Website Creation Forum at Nikonians

In addition to our Turning Pro Forum where we discuss what it means to become a professional photographer, we have now added a forum on discussions around creating your own website or weblog. The new Website Creation forum is open for everyone. Enjoy!

Posted by bgs at 1:39 PM

NikoScope with more Nikon sites

Our NikoScope.com photography search engine now has more content on Nikon, digital imaging and color management. Try the "www" tab and find what you are looking for.

Posted by bgs at 1:01 PM

December 24, 2005

Nikon Coolpix S6 WiFi Leaked

The Engadget newsletter has just leaked pictures of a potential new Nikon Coolpix called the S6. As expected, this model continues the use of WiFi pioneered in the Coolpix L and P series. In addition, it features a 6MB sensor, SD slot and 22MB onboard RAM with a 3x lens.

Posted by covey22 at 4:54 AM

December 23, 2005

Happy Holidays From Nikonians!

The Nikonians Team wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday! We'll see you all in the New Year!

Posted by covey22 at 3:54 PM

AnandTech 1GB CompactFlash Roundup

AnandTech posts a roundup on 1GB CompactFlash cards. Interestingly enough, the roundup does not involve read/write operations on a digital or video camera. Rather, the test is strictly focused on read-write operations on a PC. They also rate the "Endurance" factor of the cards.

Posted by covey22 at 3:12 PM

ATP Announces ProMax Line of CF Cards

ATP Electronics has announced their ProMax line of CF cards. In addition to it's 150x speed rating, the cards are water and shock resistant. Available in 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB versions. A 4GB capacity card will be made available in 1Q 2006. ATP will display these cards at CES 2006 in Las Vegas from January 5-8.

Posted by covey22 at 3:03 PM

December 22, 2005

Nikonians Podcast #3: Interview with Chris Weston

Podcast-Logo.png Chris Weston is a professional wildlife photographer in the United Kingdom who specializes in photographing large mammals, especially big cats. Chris is a phenomenal photographer and Nikon user who also runs many photography workshops, and he has published several books. Our very own Brian Tilley recently sat down with Chris and talked about wildlife photography, Chris' adventures, and his foray into becoming a professional photographer.

Download Nikonians Podcast #3, Interview with Chris Weston: NPC-2005-12-22.mp3 (52:11, 12.3Mbye, mp3 format).

In our third podcast, Chris Weston talks about his adventures in Africa photographing wildlife from inside the animals' "circle of fear." Chris has published over ten books, including guides to the Nikon F5 and D70 cameras, and "Digital Wildlife Photography". He runs several photo safaris each year to fantastic locations, including Africa and India.

After listening to our interview with Chris, you can find out more about him and his photography at his website.

_dsc4323.jpg _dsc0870.jpg _DSC1548.jpg

Photographs on this page © Chris Weston, courtesy of the photographer.

Posted by drjay32 at 10:15 PM

PhotoBert announces D200 Photo CheatSheet

PhotoBert has announced the availability of its Photo CheatSheet for Nikon's D200 DSLR. CheatSheets are laminated, two-page cards that contain a condensed version of all the main features and controls of specific cameras and flash units. The D200 CheatSheet is available for $9.95 USD plus shipping.

Click Here for more information about PhotoBert CheatSheets.

Posted by drjay32 at 6:30 PM

DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition

DxO Labs, Boulogne, France, announces DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition is on sale via the company's e-store. DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition will be available through selected retailers starting late in January 2006.

Specifically designed for advanced digicams, also known as "ZLR", "SuperZoom" or "Bridge" cameras, DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition supports digital cameras including: Sony DSC-H1, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1, Canon PowerShot Pro S2 IS, Kodak P850, Olympus SP-500, Nikon Coolpix 8800, Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6, Panasonic DMC-FZ30, Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2, Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200, and Sony F-828. More camera support will be added in the future.

DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition can be thought of as a "camera upgrade." The software processes JPEG images and incorporates the same image enhancement technologies as DxO Optics Pro Standard and DxO Optics Pro Elite editions.

DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition is available for Windows and Macintosh. DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition is priced at $79 (excluding VAT and sales taxes).

Posted by covey22 at 5:21 PM

December 21, 2005

Seagate Buys Maxtor for 1.9B USD

In one of the last big merger moves of 2005, hard drive manufacturer Seagate has purchased it's closest rival, Maxtor, to the tune of USD 1.9B. The merger is expected to close in the 2nd half of 2006 and the new company will continue to operate under the Seagate brand and management. Digital photographers contemplating additional storage options (and who isn't - given the prolific nature of digital), may want to take this development into consideration when making their purchase decisions.

Posted by covey22 at 9:08 PM

Sigma Confirms AF Bug with HSM Lenses and Nikon D200

Sigma Japan has confirmed that their current batch of HSM equipped lenses will not function correctly with the Nikon D200 when using the AF-ON button. The lenses will have to be sent back to the manufacturer to have a firmware update installed in order to be corrected.

Posted by covey22 at 3:52 PM

December 20, 2005

Epson Print Academy 2006 Kick Off

The Epson Print Academy kicks off it's 2006 Tour beginning January 14th in Dallas.

The Epson Print Academy will now offer two different full-day tracks: Track One is designed for photo enthusiasts, advanced amateurs and other digital SLR camera owners to learn how the pros get great prints from their digital SLR cameras. Track Two is designed by working professionals exclusively for working professionals to learn advanced digital printing techniques that will help them advance their businesses to the next level in both quality and productivity.

More information is available in the Epson press release.

Posted by covey22 at 9:08 PM

NikoScope now with even more Nikon content

Our own search engine NikoScope (www.NikoScope.com) now indexes even more content than ever before. Use the new "www" tab to search for content hosted on both Nikonians own sites and on other high quality sites.

Our fast search engine NikoScope is based on latest technology and its index is updated several times per week. The Nikonians team is continously adding more content and functionality to it.

Try www.NikoScope.com and find anything on Nikon in an instant.

Posted by bgs at 4:27 PM

December 19, 2005

Nikonian eZine #29 Available

Our latest edition of the Nikonian eZine, number 29 is out. You can download your free, personal copy in PDF format from the Nikonian Portal.

This issue contains a travel report by Nikonian Björn Olin. Björn took his Nikon D70 with him to Greenland and the resulting images are worth seeing! Furthermore, an article by Nikonian Noel Holland teaches you how to camouflage yourself and your gear when you're out photographing wildlife. Talking wildlife; we also have an article with behind-the-scenes shots from one of our wildlife workshops held by Claus Brandt, plus much more.


Picture by Nikonian Björn Olin


Iceberg captured with a Nikon D70 by Nikonian Björn Olin (essingen)

Posted by bgs at 2:42 PM

Microsoft Updates RAW Image Viewer and Thumbnailer

Microsoft has updated their RAW Image Viewer and Thumbnailer to version 1.0 (Build 50), usable in Windows XP. For Nikonians, the utility now supports the newer cameras like the D50, and addresses the TIFF file-locking issue. D200 support is not specifically addressed in the documentation.

Posted by covey22 at 2:37 PM

Transcend Releases 120x 8GB CompactFlash Card

Transcend USA has announced the release of their latest 120x 8GB CompactFlash card, capable of storing up to 500 pictures in RAW mode or 4,000 7MP JPEGs.

Posted by covey22 at 2:32 PM

Adobe Plans Cuts

PMAI's Newsline International reports that Adobe will be cutting approximately 10 percent of their workforce following the acquisition of Macromedia.

Posted by covey22 at 2:26 PM

December 16, 2005

D200 Has Shipped

As expected, the big news is that the D200 has begun to ship - members who ordered in advance are reporting having received their shipments. The conversations are heating up in our forums - join today!

Posted by covey22 at 4:12 PM

December 15, 2005

Nikon USA Digital Firmware Consolidation Page

Nikon's KnowledgeBase has a page consolidating all current firmware versions for all their current and past digital imaging products (DSLR, Coolpix, Scanners, Storage and Accessories).

Posted by covey22 at 3:48 PM

The Image Doctors #2: Nikonians Talk Radio

Image-Doctors.png
In this week's episode of the Image Doctors, Rick and Jason discuss the latest imaging news from Nikon, holiday gift ideas for the photographer in your family, and the recent "Super-wide Shootout" lens comparison on Nikonians.org. The Image Doctors will broadcast every two weeks on Thursdays.
Download the Image Doctors podcast for December 15, 2005; NPC-ID-2005-12-15.mp3 (53:15, 12.5 Mbyte, mp3 format).

Posted by drjay32 at 3:48 PM

Nikon Digitutor Opens D200 Section

Nikon has now updated the Digitutor Site with a D200 section.

Posted by covey22 at 3:44 PM

Pro Shop last day of free shipping for Christmas

Our free shipping offer for Nikonians PhotoProShop.com ends today. Take advantage of our free shipping for Christmas.

Posted by bgs at 8:27 AM

December 14, 2005

Nikon Capture 4.4 Now Available!

As an impending sign of the D200 arrival on store shelves, Nikon has released Capture 4.4 Full Version Trials and Updaters. Macintosh Users, take note - you must upgrade additionally to Capture 4.4.1 if you are running OS 9 and wish to print from the program directly.

Posted by covey22 at 4:23 PM

December 13, 2005

Digital Outback Photo - The Aperture Review

Digital Outback Photo has posted a review on Apple's new Aperture suite. The results appear to be rather mixed.

You are well advised to test Aperture thoroughly before embedding your images into the (rather) closed Aperture environment. Maintaining some projects inside and others outside of Aperture may be a good idea for some time.

Posted by covey22 at 4:40 PM

HP Snaps Up PIXACO

Newsline International reports that Hewlett-Packard has purchased bilderservice.de, the operater of PIXACO - one of Europe's leading provider of online photo printing and services. HP will reportedly extend many of Snapfish's popular features to the European service.

Posted by covey22 at 4:34 PM

December 12, 2005

Nikonians Workshops 2006 Schedule Now Available

Our wildly popular Nikonians Workshop Series has been updated with the schedule for 2006. We feature some of the finest in-depth workshops, all conducted by Nikonians Pro Mike Hagen, on topics such as Adobe Photoshop for Photographers, Nikon Capture, iTTL Flash, and the D70 DSLR. Nikonians Gold and Platinum members receive a significant discount when purchasing a workshop package. Space is limited and the classes are going quick, so sign up now to reserve your spot!

Posted by covey22 at 6:50 PM

Control Freak: Digital Color Management Seminar

Nikonians Member Bob Johnson has posted a note on our forums about the "Control Freak" Digital Color Management Seminar, sponsored by GIA/GretagMacBeth.

Posted by covey22 at 6:40 PM

Capture One 3.73 Now Supports Native Nikon WB

Capture One 3.7.3 LE and Pro now support native Nikon White-Balance settings (pre-defined, auto and custom). This includes cameras like the Nikon D2Hs, D2X and D50. Download the upgrade here.

Posted by covey22 at 4:30 PM

December 9, 2005

Creative Reveals The ZEN VISION:M

SINGAPORE - December 8, 2005 - Creative Technology Ltd. (NASDAQ: CREAF), a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products and the number one manufacturer of MP3 players with music subscription support, today introduced the Zen Vision:M, Creative's premier 30GB video player, photo viewer and MP3 player. Designed with a stunning, 2.5-inch, high-resolution 262,144 color LCD screen, the Zen Vision:M displays rich, vibrant digital video, and photos, full-color menus and album art. The Zen Vision:M will be available in gorgeous high-gloss black, white, blue, green or pink this month for US$329.99 at www.asia.creative.com.

The full press release for the Zen Vision:M can be found here.

Posted by covey22 at 3:54 PM

Hurricane charity art auction runs through Dec. 12

Newsline International - Until Dec. 12, art lovers can bid on photography, illustrations and even a commission from a famous portrait artist at an auction hosted by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), Oldsmar, Fla., USA. All the money raised will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and the Salvation Army to help those devastated by the hurricanes this year.

For many people, an original print from legendary photographers and artists like Moose Peterson, Bert Monroy or Vincent Versace is beyond reach. However, thanks to the charitable donations of these artists, artwork that usually sells for thousands of dollars will be available to bidders with starting prices as low as $100. All prints are unframed and range in size from 13-by-19 inches to 24-by-28 inches. For more information, visit www.photoshopuser.com/auction.

Posted by covey22 at 3:51 PM

MyPhotopipe announces 4-by-8 foot photo print made from digital camera

myphotopipe.jpg

Newsline International - MyPhotopipe.com, Atlanta, Ga., USA, announced "the Web's largest, standard photo print": a 4,608-square-inch, 4-foot by 8-foot print made on standard Fuji Crystal Archive photographic paper. The first was installed at the headquarters of the Atlanta Falcons football team.

"The media talks a lot about a 10-cent snapshot at a big box retailer but the high-end of the market is the other half of the digital photography story," says David Ragland, chairman. "These photographs are powerful moments in sports and they need to be big to have the full impact.

According the Pete Casabonne, MyPhotopipe president, the company offers 94 print sizes. "The professionals and the serious amateurs don't fit into neat little boxes," he said.

MyPhotopipe.com was launched in April, 2005, when the founder and the former CEO of US Wireless Online Inc. partnered to acquire a controlling interest in Color Genesis, a 26-year-old Atlanta pro lab.

Posted by covey22 at 3:42 PM

December 8, 2005

Nikonians Podcast #2: Interview with Dave Black

Podcast-Logo.png

Nikonians.org recently sat down with pro sports photographer and Nikon "Legend Behind the Lens" Dave Black for an in-depth interview. Hear all about Dave's experiences shooting professional and amateur sports around the world in our podcast exclusive.

Download the Nikonians Podcast #2, NPC-2005-12-08 (32:55, 15.9MByte, mp3 format)
All Nikonians Podcasts are standard MP3 files and are compatible with most Windows and Mac media players.

Dave Black is a professional sports photographer who has received international acclaim. He started shooting professionally in the mid 1980's, when he covered the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Many of Dave's photographs are instantly recognized. He has covered such athletes as John Elway, Michelle Kwan, and Phil Mickelson. Dave believes firmly in sharing his photographic knowledge with others, and he offers monthly tips at his website: www.daveblackphotography.com.
Dave's clients include Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, and ESPN. Download our free podcast to hear our interview at Dave's Colorado studio.

Masters2004.jpg
2004 Masters

MichelleKwan.jpg
Michelle Kwan

DerbyDoubleExposure.jpg
Kentucky Derby

NightClimbing.jpg
Night Climbing

All photographs on this page ©Dave Black, courtesy of the photographer.

Posted by drjay32 at 10:16 PM

Nikon and Canon Go Solo in Korea

The Korea Times is reporting that Nikon and Canon have decided to end their relationship with subsidiaries within South Korea and are planning to establish direct sales and support operations.

Posted by covey22 at 9:33 PM

Breakthrough Chip Delivers Better Digital Pictures For Less Power

The next advance in cameras is becoming a reality at the University of Rochester. Imaging chips revolutionized the photography industry, and now the chips themselves are being revolutionized. A pair of newly patented technologies may soon enable power-hungry imaging chips to use just a fraction of the energy used today and capture better images to boot—all while enabling cameras to shrink to the size of a shirt button and run for years on a single battery. Placed in a home, they could wirelessly provide images to a security company when an alarm is tripped, or even allow mapping software like Google's to zoom in to real-time images at street level. The enormous reduction in power consumption and increase in computing power can also bring cell-phone video calls closer to fruition.

The team of Mark Bocko, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Zeljko Ignjatovic, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has designed a prototype chip that can digitize an image right at each pixel, and they are working now to incorporate a second technology that will compress the image with far fewer computations than the best current compression techniques.

"These two technologies may work together or separately to greatly reduce the energy cost of capturing a digital image," says Bocko. "One is evolutionary in that it pushes current technology further. The second may prove to be revolutionary because it's an entirely new way of thinking about capturing an image in the first place."

The first technology being developed integrates an oversampling "sigma-delta" analog-to-digital converter at each pixel location in a CMOS sensor. "CMOS" is a common semiconductor fabrication process used in most chips manufactured today. Previous attempts to do this on-pixel conversion have required far too many transistors, leaving too little area to collect light. The new designs use as few as three transistors per pixel, reserving nearly half of the pixel area for light collection. First tests on the chip show that at video rates of 30 frames per second it uses just 0.88 nanowatts per pixel—50 times less than the industry's previous best. It also trounces conventional chips in dynamic range, which is the difference between the dimmest and brightest light it can record. Existing CMOS sensors can record light 1,000 times brighter than their dimmest detectable light, a dynamic range of 1:1,000, while the Rochester technology already demonstrates a dynamic range of 1:100,000.

Traditional image sensors use an array of light-sensitive diodes to detect incoming light, and transistors located at each photodiode to amplify and transmit the signal to an analog-to-digital converter located outside of the photodiode array. Other designs can convert the signal to digital at the pixel site, but require high precision transistors, which take up considerable chip space at each pixel and reduce the amount of surface area on the chip devoted to receiving light. The new design not only uses smaller transistors at each pixel, and thus can allow more light to be detected, but the transistors can be scaled down in size without diminishing the sensor performance as advances in semiconductor fabrication technologies allow the size of transistors to shrink. This means that much denser, higher-resolution chips can be developed without the prohibitive problems of the existing sensor designs. When transistors are reduced in size, they also become faster, allowing incoming light to be sampled more frequently and accurately.

What makes Bocko and Ignjatovic's method work so elegantly is its feedback design. Traditional CMOS image detectors apply a voltage to charge up a photodiode, and incoming light triggers a release of some of that charge. An amplifying transistor then checks the remaining voltage on the diode, and the diode is recharged again. Bocko and Ignjatovic's design also begins with a charged photodiode that discharges when light reaches it, but the discharge is then measured against a one/zero threshold and the resulting bit is delivered off the chip. If the result of a measurement is a one, then a packet of charge is fed back to the diode, effectively recharging it. The design also uses significantly less power than existing sensor designs, which is especially important in smaller devices like cell phones and digital cameras where battery size is restricted.

The second advance has taken many researchers by surprise. Called "Focal Plane Image Compression," Bocko and Ignjatovic have figured out a way to arrange photodiodes on an imaging chip so that compressing the resulting image demands as little as 1 percent of the computing power usually needed.

Normally, the light-detecting diodes on a chip are arranged in a regular grid—say 1,000 pixels by 1,000 pixels. A picture is snapped and each diode records the light hitting it. A computer in the camera then runs complex computations to compress the image so that instead of taking up 10 hefty megabytes, it might only take up 100 kilobytes. The common picture type "JPEG," used on the Web and on many cameras and phones, is an example of this. This compression, unfortunately, takes a tremendous amount of computing power, and hence battery power.

Ignjatovic and Bocko of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, came up with a way to make the physical layout of the light-sensitive diodes simplify the computation. The normal way to perform compression includes a computation called the discrete cosine transform, which checks how much a segment of an image resembles a series of cosine waves. Both the image and the cosine waves are sampled at regular intervals and the transform requires that the image and cosine wave samples be multiplied together and added. Since the cosine wave samples can have a value anywhere between -1 and +1, the computation requires multiplication by non-integers, which demands the bulk of the computing power.

But Ignjatovic and Bocko have laid out the pixels to lie at the peaks of cosine waves resulting in a non-uniformly distributed array, instead of an evenly spaced one. By using this trick, the amount of computation required to compress the image is slashed by nearly five-fold. Since each pixel is positioned exactly where each cosine wave has a peak where the cosine value is "one," multiplying by one is unnecessary. With no multiplication and only a little addition, the processor uses less power.

The team members are now looking to build a prototype chip that incorporates both technologies into a single unit to see how much real-world processing power the designs will save. They plan to integrate the technology into wireless security cameras at first.

"Wireless security cameras offer the perfect proving ground for these technologies," says Bocko. "These cameras need to capture, compress, and transmit high quality images as quickly as they can without consuming precious battery power. As we develop the chips further, we'll look more into consumer cameras and cell phones to see how much battery and processing power we can save them as well."

About the University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University's environment gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty. Its College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, and Schools of Medicine and Nursing.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Sherwood
(585) 273-4726
jonathan.sherwood@rochester.edu

Posted by covey22 at 3:51 PM

PDN's Top Knots: Wedding Photography Contest

Wedding Shooters - think you've got what it takes? PDN has launched it's 2005 Top Knots: The New School of Wedding Photography Contest. Deadline is February 21st, 2006, and there are six categories to compete in.

Posted by covey22 at 3:46 PM

December 7, 2005

PHASE ONE P 30 - 31.6 MP Digital Back Shipping

Phase One A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark (December 6, 2005):
Phase One(R), the world leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to announce the shipment of their newest addition to the P-series - the P 30 digital back with an amazing and unmatched 31.6 Million Pixels.

Only a few months ago, many people would not have believed this possible! But yet again, Phase One has broken another barrier in the world of digital photography by developing, producing, and now shipping a 31.6 MP digital camera back-the revolutionary P 30 back!

Fashion photography without limits
The P 30 is aimed at the world's leading fashion, portrait, and social photographers. They will experience a so far unseen and amazing image quality and capture speed. This will help the top photographer to increase his/her level of creativity and innovation. "In fashion photography, speed is equally important to image quality so our main priority has been to combine the two - an unparalleled image quality and a fast capture rate. We have succeeded in obtaining a sustained capture rate of 45 frames/min., which is faster than working with film. On top of this, the image quality is superb. With a 31.6 MP CCD which produces files of app. 93 MB, we can introduce a better quality than ever before. We are proud of the benefits we now can offer to the world's top shooters," CEO of Phase One, Henrik Hakonsson, explains.

By bringing the P 30 back to the market, Phase One has managed to overcome another recurring and very well-known obstacle in the fashion and portrait market - the presence of color Moire in especially hair and fabrics. Due to the small 6.8 um pixel size, the P 30 back produces virtually Moire free images - a feature which has been on most professional photographers' wish list for many years now.

New P 30 Features and technologies:
* 31.600.000 CCD with dual output construction
* 40 Mega pixels/sec.
* New IIQ-DUAL processor based on cutting edge 90nm silicon technology
* Image buffer with blazing fast DDR2-RAM
* Improved display
* Higher battery capacity: 2500mah
* Advanced power management
* Improved interface between back and host computer
* Full speed sustained burst when shooting tethered by using enhanced image buffer
* ISO settings can now be set on the P 30, even when shooting tethered
* EXIF Image information is now transferred to host when shooting tethered
* Battery can be set as power source when shooting tethered
* ISO 800 in full resolution
For more details and information on the new P 30 digital back, please call either of the contact persons or visit Phase One's website at www.phaseone.com.

Note: Phase One is a registered trademark of Phase One A/S. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

For Details, contact:

Kevin Raber
Phase One
200 Broadhollow Road, suite 312
Melville, NY 11747 - 0983
USA
Tel (631) 547-8900
Fax (631) 547-9898
e-mail: info@phaseone.com
www.phaseone.com

Espen Beck
Phase One
Roskildevej 39
DK-2000 Frederiksberg
Denmark
Tel +45 3646 0111
Fax +45 3646 0222
e-mail: info@phaseone.dk
www.phaseone.com

Posted by covey22 at 11:57 PM

ADV: Nikonians Special on Nik Multimedia

Thinking of gifts for the shutterbugs on your holiday list? Nik Multimedia, in cooperation with Nikonians.org, is offering significant rebates on their award-winning Dfine 1.0, Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 and Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 products. Offer ends December 31st, 2005, so hurry to take advantage of this discounted pricing!

Posted by covey22 at 11:42 PM

Nikon View 6.27 Released

Nikon View 6.27 has been posted to most regional support sites. For US users, you can download the Windows and Macintosh versions.

Changes Include:

This version of Nikon View does not support serial computer connections. However, the memory card from serial-connection Nikon digital cameras (Coolpix 700, 800, 880 serial, 900, 950, 990 serial) can be removed from the camera and inserted in a card reader or PC card slot and pictures transferred to the computer using Nikon View 6.1.0.

What's New

1. Support for RAW images captured with the D200 has been added.

2. The effects of image editing with the Color Aberration Control feature in Nikon Capture 4 Ver. 4.3.0 or later are now reflected when these images are displayed in Nikon Browser or Nikon Viewer. (Nikon Editor has supported this feature since Ver. 6.2.6.)

Posted by covey22 at 11:35 PM

December 6, 2005

Additional Nikon Recall on EN-EL3 Batteries

December 6th, 2005 Melville NY On November 8, 2005, Nikon Inc. announced a voluntary recall and replacement program for certain Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries EN-EL3. (For complete information see this updated notice) However, it has become clear that some applicable lot numbers that were not distributed in the U.S. market were omitted from that announcement. We take this opportunity to add omitted lot numbers to the list of recalled EN-EL3 batteries. The lot numbers added at this time apply only to EN-EL3 batteries supplied with purchase of the Nikon D50 digital-SLR camera and distributed in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Argentina. If you are in possession of one of these batteries now listed in the Recall Lot Number Chart below and you are in the United States please follow the return and replacement instruction posted on this web site. Please accept our apologies for this omission.

Additional Lot Numbers Added 12/06/2005:

51AA, 51AB, 51AC, 51AD, 51AE, 51AF, 51AG, 51AH

53AA, 53AB

54AE, 54AF, 54AH

Posted by covey22 at 4:30 PM

Panasonic to Pilot 50GB Blu-Ray DVDs

Torrance, CA (December 5, 2005) Panasonic has modified its existing pilot production line for single-layer Blu-ray Discs, called BD-ROM, so that it is able to replicate dual-layer BD-ROM discs with 50 gigabytes (GB) of storage capacity. The new pilot replication line is housed within the Panasonic Disc Manufacturing Corporation of America, which is located here in Torrance, Calif. Single-layer Blu-ray Discs have 25 GB of storage capacity for holding video and other data, while current DVD discs have 8.5 GB of storage at most.

The doubling of BD-ROM disc storage capacity is enabled by spin coating technologies developed by Panasonic that create two recorded layers on a single side of a Blu-ray Disc. In the process, readily available inexpensive UV curable resins are used in the creation of the space layer, cover layer and hard-coat, resulting in a reduction in disc replication costs. Video and other data is then embedded in the layers for playback later using a blue laser-equipped Blu-ray Disc player, recorder or BD-ROM drive-equipped PC.

The Torrance pilot production line is able to produce dual-layer BD-ROM discs with the attachment of a dual-layer replication line module to the existing single-layer line. Single-layer BD-ROM discs are currently being produced on the pilot line with more than 80% yield rates. Panasonic expects to provide sample dual-layer BD-ROM discs to the industry for testing by the end of this month.

"Working closely with the movie studios and our replication partners, Panasonic was able to foresee the need for greater disc capacity to give consumers a much richer user experience," said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, director of Strategy & Alliances, Panasonic Hollywood Lab.

Panasonic expects to highlight the new replication process for dual-layer BD-ROM discs at the Blu-ray Disc Association's booth (#9444, Main Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center) during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 5-8, 2006.

The additional capacity will allow movies and other High Definition video titles to be stored, along with value-added features, on a single Blu-ray Disc. The BD-ROM format is expected to succeed DVDs as the preferred medium for High Definition movies and other packaged entertainment content for the home as the nation moves from analog TV to digital and High Definition Television.

About Panasonic

Best known by its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of $81.44 billion for the year ended March 31, 2005. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, New York (NYSE:MC), Euronext Amsterdam and Frankfurt stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at www.panasonic.com.

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Editorial Contacts:

Will Safer

Panasonic

201-392-6124

saferw@us.panasonic.com

Jim Reilly

Panasonic

201-392-6067

reillyj@us.panasonic.com

Posted by covey22 at 4:20 PM

Trade In Your GretagMacbeth EyeOne

For photographers in the UK, ColorConfidence is running a customer loyalty upgrade program for existing GretagMacbeth owners. Trade-in discounts will be on a sliding scale based upon the age of the original system.

Posted by covey22 at 4:13 PM

Adobe Buys Macromedia; Creates Product Bundles

Adobe has completed it's acquisition of Macromedia, the well-known maker of content delivery methods. As a result, Adobe has created some very attractive bundles of both companies' products; such as Creative Suite 2 with Professional Flash 8.

Posted by covey22 at 4:04 PM

December 5, 2005

Bob Johnson's D2X Firmware Update Experience

Our very own Bob Johnson relates his D2X update experience on his EarthBound Light website.

Posted by covey22 at 4:21 PM

December 2, 2005

Quantum Introduces Turbo AC

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ALL-DAY, CONTINUOUS POWER FOR QFLASH, SHOE & HANDLE MOUNT FLASH AND DIGITAL CAMERAS

Quantum's new Turbo AC (TAC) supplies photographers with reliable power for all-day studio and location shooting wherever AC power is available. Small and lightweight, take the Turbo AC anywhere in the world, it can be adapted to AC mains power from 100 to 240 VAC.

Mounting is fast and easy; the Turbo AC has a self-contained thread that screws into the socket on the bottom of a camera, and it accepts tripod threads for mounting to a tripod. An included Quantum clamp allows for mounting to a tripod or light stand leg.

Use the Turbo AC in the studio to power your Qflash, shoe or handle mount flash and digital camera simultaneously, with one power source. For location work, leave your studio lights home and pack light with Qflash and Turbo AC units. Use the Turbo AC for the Qflash room lights and your Turbo, Turbo 2x2 and Turbo Compact Batteries for the portable Qflash, shoe or handle mount flashes.

QUANTUM INSTRUMENTS PRODUCES QUANTUM BATTERIES FOR LONG LASTING FLASH POWER, QFLASH(R) PROFESSIONAL FLASH, QPAQ(R) PORTABLE POWER PACKS, RADIO SLAVE, AND PHOTOMETERS. DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.QTM.COM, AT PROFESSIONAL PHOTO DEALERS, BY FAX 631 656 7410, OR BY CALLING 631 656 7400.

Posted by covey22 at 4:43 PM

Altoids tin transformed into a pinhole camera for competition

PMA Newsline - December 2, 2005 - The company that makes a famous brand of mints, Altoids, invited customers to enter its "Tin Million Uses" competition, CNET News.com reports. The idea? Challenge people to come up with the most innovative way to reuse the ubiquitous tins.

After receiving nearly 200 entries, the company decided to award the $1,000 grand prize to Jon Lennon of Ithaca, N.Y., USA, for an electronic musical device he built inside a tin of ginger Altoids. Other top choices were a wintergreen tin that switches music from PC speakers to headphones, a code reader and a pinhole camera. Click here to see all six winners of the "Tim Million Uses" competition and their inventions.

Posted by covey22 at 4:33 PM

2006 World Press Photo Contest Open

The 2006 World Press Photo Contest has just opened. All entries must be received by 12 December at WPP Headquarters in Amsterdam. The contest is open to all professional photographers, with photos made in 2005 and intended for publication. Judgement will be made on February 10, 2006. No entry fee is required. The previous winner, Reuters shooter Arko Datta, submitted the very moving photo of a woman mourning the loss of a relative on a beach in South Asia during the infamous Tsunami incident.

Posted by covey22 at 4:23 PM

December 1, 2005

Introducing The Image Doctors #1: Nikonians Talk Radio

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Nikonians.org is proud to announce a new regular podcast: "The Image Doctors". Hosted by Nikonians Rick Walker and Jason Odell, this half-hour show brings listeners up to date on the Nikonians community, Nikon equipment, and more. Send Rick and Jason your questions or a topic to discuss.

Download Image Doctors Show #1, NPC-ID-2005-12-01.mp3 (24 minutes, 11.4MByte, mp3 format)

In their inaugural podcast, Rick and Jason discuss some of the new features on Nikonians.org including the D200 forum and Photo Insurance. They also discuss their experiences on the Annual Nikonians Photo Adventure Trip (ANPAT). Join Rick and Jason every two weeks for another exciting show, or email them at talkradio@nikonians.org to get your photo question answered on the air.

Posted by drjay32 at 11:39 PM

Jobo Introduces the GIGA Vu Pro Evolution

Gummersbach - JOBO AG Germany introduces with GIGA Vu PRO Evolution the next generation of mobile storage devices with exciting photo features for every consumer and prosumer. The resolution of digital cameras increases day by day. As technology advances, camera manufacturers offer higher and higher resolution at lower and lower prices. However, along with this advance in resolution and quality comes the need for more digital storage capacity. Fast, large memory cards work for today but soon even their storage capacity is too small.

To allow you to store your images comfortably, safely and economically, JOBO offers an alternative: the GIGA Vu PRO Evolution.

Advanced Professional Features
At last there is a portable storage device developed specifically to meet the needs of the professional photographer. The JOBO GIGA Vu PRO evolution is the ultimate multi-media, photo copier and image viewing system. This high-quality digital album with hard drive storage and a built-in memory card slot for CompactFlash and MicroDrive (all other memory card types via adapter), was designed for digital camera users that want the most advanced digital storage and display features. The JOBO GIGA Vu PRO Evolution offers optimized professional photo functions including real RAW file decoding, super Hi-Speed downloading of files to and from your computer, and razor sharp image viewing capability. With vast storage options up to 120 GB, this unique, compact, one-of-a kind digital accessory is a must have for serious minded photographers. Instantly free up precious space on your memory card. When you’re on location or traveling, this digital camera companion is ideal as a permanent secure storage system for your professional pictures. It is also an easy-to-use portable media player that you can take anywhere, enjoying your favorite photos, videos and music anytime. The JOBO GIGA Vu PRO Evolution is the choice of professionals than want the very best.

Brilliant Colors with Enhanced Detail
The JOBO GIGA Vu PRO evolution features a big 4" Color TFT display allowing you to instantly view your digital pictures with power zoom and in many formats, including RAW. Enjoy your photos in bright brilliant color and vivid detail. In addition, this unique digital player offers TV-out for showing and controlling pictures directly on a television (including plasma or HDTV) or projector. When used as a media player, even MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, DVIX and MP3 music files can be played on the JOBO GIGA Vu PRO evolution with video and sound. It is also WAV compatible. Copy, store, view, print and present your photos easily and without a PC. You can even use the OTG feature to connect the JOBO GIGA Vu PRO evolution to other stand-alone USB devices such as digital cameras, printers, MP3 players, card readers, etc. Get the JOBO GIGA Vu PRO evolution today because your professional photos deserve to be captured with the absolute highest quality photo storage system.

Special Photo Features

The JOBO GIGA Vu PRO Evolution is the only portable storage device that offers real RAW File Decoding indicating not only the JPEGs of a digital photo, but actually displaying the real and true RAW data. And with its power zoom feature, a photo pixel can be indicated perfectly as a screen pixel. When sharing your photos with family and friends, adding background music or creating a stunningly vivid slideshow is quick and easy. Your pictures will look better than traditional prints, even in bright sunlight. In addition, the JOBO GIGA Vu PRO Evolution conveniently displays histograms and channel views as well as highlight detection. No doubt, this is the ultimate tool for professionals!
The prizes will be around 499 EUR for 40 GB and 699 EUR for 80 GB. The product will be available in January 2006.

Company Profile:
JOBO is a family owned company now in its third generation of family leadership. Having been founded in 1923, it has built up a reputation for quality, professionalism, and commitment. These core values remain our keys for continuous success in times of vast technological changes, growing markets, and globalisation.

Through innovation and ingenuity JOBO has created standards within the imaging industry. For example, JOBO created the product class of small-volume, high-quality photo processors.

Johannes Bockemuhl, photography pioneer and founder of the company, first presented JOBO equipment at the trade show "Leipziger Messe".

Interaction with our customers and end users has been an important key for making JOBO a market leader in the world of photography. JOBO is present at all major international and national trade shows – never losing touch with the customers. Effective dialogue enables us to build our success on our customer’s success and satisfaction.

NASA pictures of the first flight to the moon (Apollo 11) were processed using JOBO equipment.

A modern, lean corporate structure, the change from a family-owned business to a Corporation and offices in Germany and Ann Arbor, MI, USA are all evidence of our dynamic approach to the global markets in which we compete.

Posted by covey22 at 11:01 PM

Manfrotto Launches 'Local Heroes' Photography Program

Bassano del Grappa, Italia (PRWEB) November 30, 2005 - Manfrotto, the world's leading manufacturer of support products for pro video and photography, is proud to announce the launch of the "Local Heroes" project, designed to acknowledge photographers who bring a different perspective to the world of photography.

Photographers selected as "Local Heroes" are not necessarily famous photographers, however, are those that give back to his or her community through membership in groups and associations or dedicate time to the world of photographic education, whether by teaching in schools or by contributing to journals and magazines.

Selected "Local Heroes" are presented with Manfrotto equipment for use and their work is presented on a dedicated website, accessible through www.manfrotto.com. Their work will be showcased on the site, with each photographer having an individual web page with a biography, commentary and a photo gallery.

"Local Heroes" from around the world will help spread photo culture and act as "teachers" for the younger generation of photographers.

About Manfrotto
Gruppo Manfrotto are world leaders in the manufacture of professional camera and lighting supports for photography, video, broadcast and entertainment. For 35 years, Manfrotto has been building the world's widest range of tripods, heads and dedicated accessories to support professional and semi-professional still cameras, from the traditional small, medium and large format to the latest digital camera. Every product in the Manfrotto range is designed to provide a perfect combination of important features such as: load capacity, size, stability, transportability, interchangeability and construction quality - guaranteeing unique inimitable reliability and longevity.

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Press Contact: Melissa Aiello
Company Name: R&J PUBLIC RELATIONS, LLC
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 908-722-5757
Website: www.manfrotto.com

More Information: https://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/11/prweb316622.htm

Posted by covey22 at 10:43 PM