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September 30, 2006

Nikonians News Flash #21

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Tune in as Jessica tells you the latest from the Nikonians Community, including where to find information about Photokina happenings, and what's new in the Forums!

Download Nikonians News Flash #21 (NPC-NF-2006-09-30.mp3; 9:55; 9.1MB; MP3 format)

Nikonians News Flash #21: September 30, 2006

In The News:

It's all about Photokina! Find out more about what Nikonians have to say about Day 1 Announcements, and check out the Nikonains blog for all the latest information!

Want to learn more about taking panoramic photograps, and creating panoramas from digital pictures? Listen in to the latest episode from The Image Doctors!

From The Forums:

Nikonian hotshots is looking for information on part-time work in the So Cal area! Find him here !

Tonight's Sunset is always worth a look!

Nikonians racepics is looking for information on Sydney, Australia. Please give him any help you can on his thread.

Resources:

Need to know what books would be best for your photographic needs? Check out our bookshelves!

Email me at newsflash@nikonians.org

Posted by odle2 at 12:00 PM

Photokina update - The Team is busy

Half-way through the Photokina 2006 show in Cologne, Germany our hearty Nikonians Team has been busy greeting visitors to their booth and rewarding a lucky winner daily.

The Nikonians Booth (Hall 2.1 A015) has been the focal point for demonstrations of Nikon equipment, Gary Fong's LightSphere, Markins, Kirk and Katz-Eye, and model and portraiture shooting tips from our very own Pascal Baetens.



Kristina Nessl and Nikonians co-founder J. Ramón Palacios draw the first winner of a brand new Q3 Emille Ball Head on the first day of the Photokina. A new winner was chosen on each day.



The lucky winner of the Q3 Emille Ball Head on day one was Nikonian George Ridener.



Magdalena cheerfully helps distribute information at the Nikonians Booth.



Nikonian Arnold Crane, whose long list of credentials includes Honorary Chairman of the White House News Photographers Association, grabs a quick phone call while visiting with JRP. Arnold was recently featured in a Behind The Lens podcast interview with Jason Odell.



A friendly Nikonian from Germany (on the left) meets JRP and LetsGoDigital editor Dennis Hissink.



Keep up to date on Photokina show news with our colleagues LetsGoDigital and Imaging-Resource.

Posted by flashdeadline at 12:44 AM

September 28, 2006

The Image Doctors #24

The Image Doctors are on location in Aspen, Colorado. Jason and Rick spend a chilly morning in the Rocky Mountains photographing a major Colorado landmark, the Maroon Bells. Afterwards, listen as the Image Doctors give their tips on shooting panoramas.
Click here to download the Image Doctors #24 (NPC-ID-2006-09-28.mp3; 33:01; 11.6MB, MP3 format)

Show Notes:
0:09: On location at the Maroon Bells
09:49: Shooting Panoramas

Images from our shoot (click for a larger image)
Maroon-bells.jpg

_JPO1482.jpg

Rick&Jason.jpg

Useful links
Information about the Maroon Bells
Nikonians Shooting Panoramas Discussion Forum
Pano gear from Really Right Stuff

Stitching Software
Arc Soft's Panorama Maker
Panorama Factory
Real Viz Stitcher Pro

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Image Doctors directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add the Image Doctors feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically to you.
[Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley!

Posted by drjay32 at 4:28 AM

September 27, 2006

See Photokina 2006 Through Nikon's Eyes

See Photokina 2006 through a series of Webcams set up at Nikon's booth. Once the intro completes (or you can skip it), click on the Webcam link on the bottom menu bar.




If you're wondering how the Nikonians Booth looks, here's a shot by JRP taken yesterday.

Posted by covey22 at 4:05 AM

September 26, 2006

So much News-So Little Time

Nikonians attending the 2006 Photokina in Cologne, Germany have already been swamped with late-breaking product unveilings and sharing the news with our friends.

LetsGoDigital editor Dennis Hissink took a few minutes to say hi to Nikonians co-founder Bo Stahlbrandt (of course he's the one sporting the latest in Nikonians fashions).

Be sure to visit us at Hall 2.1 A015 - we'll be having plenty of demonstrations of Nikon equipment, Gary Fong's LightSphere, Markins, Kirk and Katz-Eye, as well as model and portraiture shooting with our very own Pascal Baetens and more! And of course, you can keep up to date on Photokina show news with our colleagues LetsGoDigital and Imaging-Resource. We hope to see you there!

Posted by flashdeadline at 4:47 PM

Photokina Day One Updates

As we noted earlier, updates have been coming in fast and furious from the show floor. It would seem some vendors have been waiting for Day One to reveal some of their best stuff. While not a comprehensive report, here's what's been seen to date, courtesy of our colleagues at LetsGoDigital and Imaging-Resource.

Sigma has been saving up a lot of buzz energy for today - the SD14 Digital SLR specs were finally revealed and the good news is the camera is no longer a RAW only device - there's three JPEG recording modes. The 14MP Foveon X3 sensor should put the company back in the playing field. The new sensor also makes an appearance in the Sigma DP1 digital compact camera, featuring a 16.6mm/f4 fixed lens which gives a 28mm field-of-view. On the lens front, Sigma updated several lenses to the Four-Thirds family mount - the 18-50mm f2.8 DC lens with macro, the 24mm/f1.8 EX DG wide angle also with macro (7.1" at 1:2.7), the APO 135-400mm/f4.5-5.6 telephoto zoom and the supertele APO 300-800mm/f5.6 EX DG HSM lens. But the kicker came last - Sigma's second Optical Stabilization (OS) lens: The 18-200mm/f3.5-6.3 DC OS appears to be a direct competitor to the Nikkor 18-200 VR!

On the storage front, SanDisk updates their Extreme III family to a whopping 16GB CompactFlash card, and Pretec responds with their 80x version. SanDisk also made inroads in the Secure Digital segment with their new 4GB SDHC (High Capacity) card rated at Ultra II speeds. Epson updates their image tank/viewer line with the 40GB P3000 and the 80GB P5000, both have an enormous 4.0" LCD and fast USB 2.0 connectivity.

Finally, if you can't make the show, then enjoy some of the sights of the event from ground level with Imaging-Resource's roving reporter Mike Pasini.

Posted by covey22 at 3:12 PM

Photokina 2006 Begins!

The world's largest and most famous Imaging Fair has opened it's doors, and Nikonians is there to represent our great, knowledgable and helpful community! Be sure to visit us at Hall 2.1 A015 - we'll be having plenty of demonstrations of Nikon equipment, Gary Fong's LightSphere, Markins, Kirk and Katz-Eye, as well as model and portraiture shooting with our very own Pascal Baetens and more! And of course, you can keep up to date on Photokina show news with our colleagues LetsGoDigital and Imaging-Resource. We hope to see you there!

Posted by covey22 at 3:39 AM

September 25, 2006

Photokina 2006 Updates T Minus 1

With one day to go before the official opening of Photokina 2006, a last burst of announcements has hit the streets.

First off - the big news that many of our members have been waiting for - the Fujifilm S5 Pro Digital SLR has been announced. While not a complete product offering, the fact that it's in the queue has relieved much anxiety over the S3 Pro's successor.

Olympus took the covers off their E-1P prototype DSLR as well, but fans here will have to wait as this too was a product development announcement.

Canon has jumped on the "me-too" image tank bandwagon with the M30/80 series portable photo storage. Featuring a 3.7" TFT wide-angle viewing screen, CF/SD slots and kudos to the manufacturer - the ability to share BP-511 batteries with the Digital Rebel and EOSD series cameras.

In software news, Bibble 4.9 is released, with the much requested cloning/healing tool and Nikon D80 RAW support. Light Crafts Inc. updates LightZone to version 2.0 in beta format. Our friends at Nik Software have bundled all three of their popular programs; Color Efex 2.0 (Complete Edition), Sharpener Pro 2.0 and Dfine 1.0 into the Nik Professional Suite. And just hot off the presses, DxO Labs announced the immediate availability of DxO Optics Version 4 for the PC.

On the business front, it appears Leica is making moves into the medium and large format segment with it's majority share purchase into Jenoptik's Sinar division - known for it's manufacture of digital backs. No immediate plans were announced other than "This is a first step on the strategic path towards growing the business of Leica Camera AG," said the firm.

And the strange-but-true: Olympus reveals a digital camera body made entirely of cypress wood to showcase it's advances in molding technology. While stylish and unique, one would have to wonder how sturdy such an item would be. The good news - it would float on water...

Posted by covey22 at 4:29 PM

Adobe Posts PhotoShop Lightroom Beta 4

Adobe has posted the latest updates to their workflow program and given it what appears to be the official moniker - Photoshop Lightroom. The download requires registration and there's a fair amount of release note information.

Posted by covey22 at 3:16 PM

September 23, 2006

Nikonians News Flash #20

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On the Autumnal Equinox Jessica announces the final winner of the T-Shirt giveaway, as well as information on seminars by the American Society of Media Photographers, new products by SEA&SEA and Lensbabies, and more!

Download Nikonians News Flash #20 (NPC-NF-2006-09-23.mp3; 7:30; 6.9MB; MP3 format)

Nikonians News Flash #20: September 23, 2006

In The News:

The American Society of Media Photographers announces upcoming seminars with 18 photographers at various Apple Stores! The first set of seminars starts Monday, September 25.

SEA&SEA has annouced an underwater housing for the D80. Check out the press release here.

Lensbabies has announced a Wide Angle/Macro Conversion lens as well as a Wide Angle/Telephoto Lens kit. LetsGoDigital has a review of both.

Nikonians at Photokina:

We will be in Hall 2.1, Booth A015.

We have live model shooting with Fine Art Photographer and Nikonian Pascal Baetens
Thursday 28th at 14:00 and 16:00
Friday 29th at 14:00 and 16:00
Saturday 30th at 14:00 and 16:00

We also have award winning wildlife photographer and Nikonian Claus Brandt holding presentations at the Nikonians booth on Tuesday 26th and Sunday 1st

We have daily raffles of Markins ball heads, Gary Fong Lightspheres and NikSecure insurances.

From The Forums:

The winners of Segment #4 of the Photographers of the Year contest have been announced. Check them out here!

Finally, the 31st edition of The Nikonian is avaliable for download. Highlights include a how-to on D200 white balance and how depth of field works.

Email me at newsflash@nikonians.org

Posted by odle2 at 10:49 AM

September 22, 2006

Seitz Produces 300MB Scan Back for Panoramas

Seitz Phototechnik AG will be showing three new products at Photokina 2006: a 300MB D3 Scan Back that claims to be 100x faster than the competition, and two cameras; a 6x17 Digital and the Roundshot D3 Panoramic. The makers claim the D3 will revolutionize digital panoramic captures, with speeds of one second for a 160-million pixel 6x17 and two seconds for a 470-million pixel 360 pan.

Posted by covey22 at 4:10 PM

September 21, 2006

NIKONIAN eZine 31 now available

The Nikonians publishing team has prepared our largest eZine to date, and has followed the suggestions of our readers who have asked for a horizontal format.
NIKONIAN eZine 31 is now avalable for download.

The new eZine 31 is available for download by clicking here

Highlights in this edition include:

Editorial
Gary Fong Lightsphere II Review
A NikSecure Story
How to use Nikon D200 White Balance
Nikon D2X vs. D2Xs
Behind the Nikonians Blog
The Nikonians Team - Profiles of 3 team members
Depth of Field - How it works
What Monopod to chose?
DxO Optics Pro V4 Beta Reviewed
New Nikon Products

Posted by flashdeadline at 8:27 PM

Lensbabies adds Macro and Wide accessories

Lensbabies announced today the launch of two new Lensbaby branded accessory lenses.
The two additions are a Lensbaby Wide Angle/Macro Conversion Lens and a Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Lens kit.

Details on the new lenses are provided in the following press release:

Most notable about the new wide angle accessory lens is that it is optimized for use with the Lensbaby - no other wide angle accessory on the market preserves the size of the sweet spot of focus the way the Lensbaby wide angle lens does. When a photographer uses an industry standard wide angle conversion lens with a Lensbaby it shrinks the size of the Sweet Spot. The shrinking Sweet Spot makes it harder to shoot wide open at f/2.0 or f/2.8, because the Sweet Spot reduces to quite a small percentage of the photo. Our new Lensbaby wide angle conversion lenses solve the problem of the shrinking Sweet Spot.

Full product description:

The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle/Macro Conversion Lens]

The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle/Macro Conversion Lens includes a 0.6X attachment that converts the 50mm focal length of the Lensbaby lens to a wider angle 30mm, while keeping the Sweet Spot the same size as a Lensbaby photo taken without a wide angle conversion lens. This lens also has the bonus feature of allowing photographers to unscrew the rear lens element for use as a macro lens that focuses as close as 2" to 3" from their subjects. The rear element of the Lensbaby 0.6X. The Wide Angle/Macro Conversion Lens is comparable to using a Lensbaby with the +4 and the +10 lenses from the Lensbaby Macro Kit stacked together.

The 0.6X wide angle conversion lens weighs 2.1 ounces and measures 1.25" x 1.8" – with macro attached. The macro element weighs .6 ounces and measures 1.5" x .75". Both are 37mm threaded for ease of use.


The Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Kit

The new Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Accessory Lens kit includes the Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens and the Lensbaby 1.6X Telephoto Conversion Lens. The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens changes the effective focal length to 30mm while keeping the Sweet Spot the same size as a Lensbaby photo taken without a wide angle conversion lens. The Lensbaby 1.6X Conversion Lens converts the Lensbaby to 80mm and slightly increases the size of the sweet spot of focus. Both conversion lenses simply screw onto the 37mm threads on the front of the user's Lensbaby lens.

The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens weighs 2.1 ounces and measures 1.25" x 1.8". The Lensbaby 1.6X Telephoto Conversion Lens weighs 1.9 ounces and measures 1.2" x 1.8".

Our friends at LetsGoDigital have photos posted in their Photokina Report

Lensbabies will be exhibiting in Hall 05.2, booth D028, at the 2006 Photokina in Cologne, Germany.

Our Nikonians Team will be nearby, in Hall 2.1, booth A 015.

Posted by flashdeadline at 4:18 PM

More Zeiss Goodness for Nikon

Zeiss has released four more ZF mount prime lenses compatible with the Nikon F mount: a 25mm/f2.8 that close focuses to an amazing 2.4"/6cm, a 35mm/f2.0, a 50mm/f2.0 normal optic and a very fast 100mm/f2.0 macro featuring a 1:2 magnification ratio. The latter is also the very first ARRI/ZEISS Master Prime brand optic - a set of lenses well-known for gracing some of the finest movie-making cameras in Hollywood.

Posted by covey22 at 4:04 AM

September 20, 2006

Drown your D80 in style

The underwater imaging folks at SEA&SEA have announced they will soon offer an underwater housing for the new Nikon D80. The housing, called the DX-D80, should be available later this year.

According to the the company press release:

"Our new DX-D80 compact housing is aimed squarely at professionals, but is easy enough to use for photographers at any level. It's packed with sophisticated features that include a leak sensor, a shutter lever that detects halfway presses, and an ergonomic grip for a comfortable hold. It accepts an interchangeable pickup viewfinder (optional) for vision correction, and its carefully designed controls make it easy for anyone to use the camera intuitively underwater."


Our thanks to SEA&SEA USA's John Davy for permission to reproduce the product shot. By the Way-- John tells us that Nikonians Corporate sponsor Berger Brothers carries the SEA&SEA line.

The price has yet to be officially announced but we're taking an educated guess that it should be within the same ballpark (perhaps even lower) than the Sea&Sea DX-70 Housing for NIKON D-70.

Posted by flashdeadline at 8:59 PM

September 19, 2006

Wither Olympus and Fujifilm?

Missing from the latest round of DSLR/major camera announcements are Olympus (not counting the E-400) and Fujifilm. True to the rumor mill, Olympus claims they will be showing a prototype of the E-1 successor at Photokina. The Fujifilm S5 (apparently the S4 title is a victim of superstition) has been rumored as well, with a potential pairing of a Nikon D200 body with the latest chipset that improves on the S3's performance.

Posted by covey22 at 7:57 PM

Corel Paint Shop Pro XI Announced

Our colleagues at Imaging-Resource bring us word of Corel's latest Paint Shop Pro release...

Posted by covey22 at 7:52 PM

ASMP Seminars at Apple Stores

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) will host 18 well-known photographers' seminars at a variety of Apple Stores across the nation. An upcoming session in NYC's location will feature Jay Maisel.

At each session, the presenter will show slides and talk about portfolio marketing, assessing the needs of photo editors, and ways of succeeding in this challenging field. Admission is free and open to the public; space is on a first-come first-served basis.

Posted by covey22 at 7:45 PM

Capture One© expands Nikon RAW support

Nikonians seeking RAW support for their D2Xs and D80 bodies have a downloadable answer.
Phase One©, producer of the RAW workflow software leader used by thousands of photographic professionals and enthusiasts worldwide has just released version 3.7.5 version of their Capture One© RAW workflow software.

Here's the condensed version of their press release.

Capture One RAW workflow is once again one of the very first RAW workflow software products to offer RAW files support for new DSLR cameras such as Nikon's new flagship, the D2Xs and Nikon D80 and Canon EOS 400D. The 400D is not supported tethered in Capture One.
RAW files from Leica's brand new digital rangefinder camera, the M8, Epson's R-D1s as well as Sony's first DSLR camera: the Alpha DSLR-A100 are also supported in Capture One 3.7.5.
Trine Voss, VP Sales & Marketing for the Capture One product line says: "Time to market is essential in a fast moving business. Therefore, it is our objective to always be first with camera and RAW file support for new professional DSLR and rangefinder cameras as we know that this is appreciated by our customers, and we are of course committed to meet these demands. The same goes for new operating systems etc."
Capture One 3.7.5 PRO/DB version also includes a variety of enhancements that benefit Phase One's digital back users. The capture rate performance when shooting in RAW IIQ-L mode on Mac has improved. This performance enhancement allows professional photographers to maintain a high capture rate, which can be very useful at fashion shots.
Phase One constantly improves the existing color profiles in Capture One.
In Capture One 3.7.5 a range of new Easy Gray profiles has been included. These profiles are available for Phase One digital backs and are particularly useful for product shots as they create a consistency in neutral tones.
"Phase One is committed to providing the best and most reliable RAW color management workflow for our customers. Therefore, we constantly adjust and improve Capture One's color profiles in order to provide our customers with profiles tailored for their work requirements," Trine Voss continues, "It is essential that colors are accurate and pleasing to look at. Therefore, the color profile enhancements are based on a combination of customer feedback and own color expertise."

Prices and availability:
Capture One 3.7.5 is free of charge for existing Capture One users and can be downloaded at www.phaseone.com/download. Capture One is available through Phase One's world wide network of resellers www.phaseone.com/reseller and through the Phase One on-line store at www.phaseone.com.
At the moment, the SanDisk Corporation, the world's largest supplier of flash storage card products, includes a full version of Capture One LE for FREE as part of a SanDisk CompactFlash Extreme III card purchase.
Read more at www.phaseone.com/sandisk or contact your SanDisk reseller to learn more about this opportunity.


About Capture One:
RAW Workflow Capture One RAW Workflow software is used daily by thousands of photographic professionals and enthusiasts worldwide.
It is recognized as the most efficient, fully color-managed RAW Workflow image-processing solution for delivering the highest possible image quality from the new generation of digital SLR cameras and Phase One digital camera backs.
About Capture One license policy:
Capture One PRO is a cross-platform application and includes two computer activations and two free updates. Capture One LE includes two computer activations and one free update. Capture One LE is available as a Mac or Windows version. Phase One is the world leader in digital imaging solutions for professional photographers.
Its primary products are high-end digital camera backs and the Capture One RAW workflow software.
Phase One is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. For more details visit the Phase One website at www.phaseone.com.
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.

PHOTOKINA UPDATE:

Our Nikonians Team will be joining the Phase One Team at Photokina in Cologne, Germany -- September 26th through October 1st 2006. Visit the Nikonians booth in Hall 2.1, booth A 015.

Check for details on Phase One's schedule at: www.phaseone.com/Content/PressInfo/Events.aspx

Posted by flashdeadline at 5:06 PM

September 16, 2006

Nikon Backing Photo Rights Grab?

An article in the Editorial Photographers (UK and Ireland) website takes Nikon UK to task for endorsing travel firm Opodo's Reflections Photography Contest, citing excessive rights-grabbing terms.

The terms and conditions for Opodo's Reflections competition demands that all entrants grant them a licence to use the photographs forever for no fee. The terms also ask that photographers give up their moral rights in the photographs, and that they assign their rights in any other 'derivative' works, such as montages.

Rather helpfully, Opodo reassures entrants that they "can submit as many photos as they like", with each photograph entered being available for Opodo to use forever.

Posted by covey22 at 4:17 PM

Nikonians News Flash #19

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Join Jessica as she announces the winner of the third Nikonians t-shirt, and how to win the final shirt. Listen in for news about the Nikon World Customer information leak, new blog space on Nikonians and an up and coming pot-luck in Massachusetts!

Download Nikonians News Flash #19 (NPC-NF-2006-09-16.mp3; 8:47; 8.1MB; MP3 format)

Nikonians News Flash #19
September 16, 2006

In The News:
Information about the leak in customer information from Nikon World can be found in this article from Associated Press. Customers who are at risk were sent a notification letter, so if you recieved on, please check to make sure your credit was not accessed without your permission!

Personal Blog space in the Nikonians Community! Are you interested in this feature? Please let us know what you think in this poll. The concept is to offer members 100MB of blog space with a gallery function.

Adobe is at it again! Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 is announced! The upgrade will be avalible in October 2006, and has some handy features such as Color Curves capability.

From The Forums:
Mike B, Nikonian benveniste, is holding a potluck for Nikonians on the 14th of October in Northeastern Massachusetts! RSVP if you can make it, or if you need more information.

Resources
Need help with some photography software? Check out the Software section of the Community's resource pages. Get some helpful information on things such as how to use some Adobe filters, and Adobe Digital Workflow.

Thanks to DJ Ron in Germany for my theme music!

Email me with comments, questions, or announcements at newsflash@nikonians.org

Posted by odle2 at 11:52 AM

September 15, 2006

Leica's One-Two Punch: M8 Digital and Digilux 3

Leica's latest announcements deliver a one-two punch that lands very solidly, just in time for the last week of pre-show disclosure frenzy leading to the opening of Photokina 2006. The previews are courtesy of our colleagues at Imaging-Resource.

Leading with a jab is the Leica Digilux 3, a copy of Panasonic's Lumix L-1 which features the Four-Thirds mount system and a Live-View MOS secondary CCD that enables live previewing through the rear LCD like most compact digital cameras.

But the real devastation is wreaked from the right - yes, Leica Rangefinder lovers, your ship has finally come in. The Leica M8 digital rangefinder features a 10.3MP CCD, 2.5" LCD and in absolute keeping with the product line's leadership in ambient-light shooting, an astounding ISO2500 rating (unboosted). The focal length conversion is a much more generous 1.33, so wide-angle traditionalists will not be impacted too much. Also in keeping with the Leica line is the price, a very steep USD4800. Nonetheless, this may be the camera that converts the many Leica film holdouts to digital.

Posted by covey22 at 4:32 PM

September 14, 2006

LetsGoDigital's Olympus E400 Preview

Continuing their pre-Photokina coverage, our colleagues at LetsGoDigital have had an opportunity to preview the latest arrival to the 10MP DSLR scene; the Olympus E400.

To get down to business: the Olympus E-400 is small, super small even, and combined with its weight of merely 380 grams for the housing, this ensures the new Olympus E-400 is the smallest and most light-weight digital SLR camera in the world.

The preview is also available in German, Dutch and Turkish.

Posted by covey22 at 3:08 PM

Nikon World Customer Info Exposed

Nikon has become the latest victim in the rash of customer exposure incidents plaguing the online world. Members in our forums first reported the incident when they received a notification letter from the company indicating that as a Nikon World magazine subscriber, "personal information...has been made available to unauthorized persons." An Associated Press article states that a link in a status e-mail to potential subscribers of the magazine led to pages of customer information, including addresses, telephone numbers, credit card numbers and expiration dates of current subscribers. The site was subsequently shut down and Nikon would only indicate a "small number of subscribers were affected." No details were provided on how the breach occurred. Customers who received a notification letter from Nikon should take steps to ensure their credit has not been accessed inappropriately by contacting the three major credit reporting bureaus as soon as possible.

Posted by covey22 at 2:41 PM

The Image Doctors #23

All about sharpening.
Jason and Rick take on the challenge of sharpening digital images. Learn what the USM tool does, how "unsharp mask" got its name, and more.

Download The Image Doctors #23 (NPC-ID-2006-09-14.mp3; 56:12; 19.7MB; MP3 format)

Show Notes
Image Sharpening Resources
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2, by Bruce Fraser
Photokit Sharpener (Pixel Genius)
Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 (Nik Software)

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Image Doctors directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add the Image Doctors feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically to you.
[Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley!

Posted by drjay32 at 3:44 AM

September 13, 2006

Stay Current with Photokina 2006 News

The clock is counting down to the biggest photo show in the world and our colleagues at Letsgodigital have all the scoop on the latest developments in the industry. Be sure to visit Photokina 2006 Report and keep the page bookmarked for breaking news and previews on all your favorite photographic products!

Posted by covey22 at 8:13 PM

Coolpix Walks The Runway at NY Fashion Week

Nikon continues their marketing campaign for the Style series of Coolpix digital cameras by integrating them into Daniel Franco's wardrobe display at New York's Fashion Week show. Franco, a recent contestant of the hit reality show "Project Runway," claims he was inspired by the features of the camera line when creating his latest apparel.

Posted by covey22 at 3:42 PM

September 12, 2006

Olympus Expands Product Recall of Film Cameras

Olympus is adding two more models to it's previous recall notice for the same overheating and burn danger due to a faulty circuit affecting the built-in flash. In March of this year, Olympus announced a voluntary recall of the following models: the Infinity Twin, AF-1 Twin, Infinity Zoom 200 series, AZ 200 series, and Quantary Infinity Zoom 222 Olympus-brand 35mm film cameras. Added to this list are the Infinity Zoom 76 and the Promaster Infinity Twin models. The model names can be found on the face of the camera and were sold through major department, electronic/camera stores as well as mail-order retailers between January 1989 and December 1995. Affected consumers should contact Olympus at (800) 480-1247 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or go to www.olympusamerica.com for information on receiving a free repair or, if necessary, replacement.

Posted by covey22 at 5:41 PM

PhotoShop Elements 5.0 Announced

Adobe has announced the latest upgrade to their popular entry-level photo-editing program. Adobe PhotoShop Elements 5.0 brings even more editing and publishing capabilities to your still photos, such as a built-in photo service to put your memories online, enhanced RAW editing, a much awaited Color Curves capability, Black & White conversion, animation tools and much more. The upgrade is expected in October of 2006 for both Mac and Windows at an MSRP of USD89.99.

Posted by covey22 at 5:21 PM

Fuji Photo Enters The Beauty Care Market

At first blush, the concept of a photo-industry giant entering the highly competitive beauty care market seems a bit outlandish. But Fuji Photo is claiming that during research for improving film quality, they discovered chemical technologies that could also be used in health care. Company president Shigetaka Komori cited "precision chemistry and precision process control" from years of creating high-quality emulsions that make the transition more relevant in terms of competitive advantage. Fuji Photo appears serious about the cross-over, having bought a 22 percent stake in a Tokyo pharmaceutics startup earlier this year. As for the company's new products, Fuji Photo will start selling skin care items under the brand name f-squared-i (f2i) and dietary supplements called f-cubed-i (f3i) via Internet and mail order at the end of September.

Posted by covey22 at 4:02 PM

Nikonians Personal Blogs

We are considering rolling out Personal Blogs with 100MByte space and gallery functionality for our members. What is your take on this? Please participate in our poll.

Posted by bgs at 9:00 AM

September 11, 2006

Get a Free Nikonians T-Shirt and Cap...

...as well as entry into the most established industry show going, Photokina 2006, when you volunteer to help out Nikonians! Yes, for a manning our booth or helping distribute marketing materials and spreading the word about this great community, we'll get you into the show to see the latest and greatest developments in the photographic world, plus you'll get some snazzy and sharp-looking Nikonians apparel. Volunteer today!

Posted by covey22 at 5:05 PM

Zigview Detachable DSLR Viewfinder

The Zigview-R revolutionized DSLR use by creating a high-fidelity remote-angle viewfinder using a 1.9" TFT LCD display that could be positioned to the photographer's convenience. Now, Seculine has upped the ante with the Zigview S2 Digital Angle Finder - featuring a 2.5" LCD that can be separated from the camera up to 33 feet (10m) via optional cables. The Zigview S2 retains the same remote and intervalometer firing capabilities of the -R, as well as adding remote monitor relay feed via TV output. Availability is expected in October 2006.

Posted by covey22 at 4:47 PM

September 9, 2006

International Internet Photo Community Incubates New IT Solutions Services Company

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Putting people first - Internet-based online photography site takes lessons learned from in-house technology success to form custom software development outsourcing company.

The global business need for efficient, customized software development and supporting IT-services has found a home in the heart of Europe.

A new IT-outsourcing specialist called enprovia Software Engineering s.r.o. has emerged from the in-house needs of Nikonians - Worldwide Home for Nikon photographers.

The Nikonians site was faced with the challenge of responding to over a million daily hits from a base of more than 50,000 members in over 140 countries. New members wanted a reliable search engine that could provide quick access to frequently asked questions.

"We began with existing software," said Nikonians co-founder Bo Stahlbrandt, who founded Nikonians with his partner J. Ramon Palacios six years ago. "But the specialized nature of our community soon had us developing our own in-house software solutions." One of those solutions was a dedicated search engine, NikoScope.com, which helps members quickly find information on the site's nearly 500,000 pages.

See the press release for more details.

Posted by covey22 at 10:10 PM

Nikonians to Exhibit at Photokina 2006

The 1,600 suppliers from 50 countries at this year's "World of Imaging" Photokina in Cologne, Germany will be joined by the fastest growing international community of Nikon-oriented photographers on the Internet.

Nikonians have been attending the world's largest photography trade show for more than 40 years. They just didn't have an internationally recognized name, or a global Internet web-site to help them get organized, until now.

This year, they are not just fans and supporters of the Nikon brand. They are actively promoting excellence in photography by sharing their knowledge through the Nikonians community.

See the press release for more details.

Posted by covey22 at 9:36 PM

Nikonians News Flash #18

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In this week's episode, Jessica announces the winner of the second Nikonians T-shirt, and fills you in on how to enter to win the next two contests! In addition, tune in to learn where you can find information on the new ArcSoft software, the Smithsonian Photography Initiative, and contests and photo assigments in the community.

Download Nikonians News Flash #15 (NPC-NF-2006-09-09.mp3; 12:29; 11.5MB; MP3 format)

Nikonians News Flash #18: September 09, 1006

In The News:

MacWorld gives us great information on ArcSoft's new PhotoStudio Darkroom. The software is a non-destructive RAW editing package that works with Nikon, Canon, and Panasonic files.

Search 13 million pictures from the Smithsonian! The Smithsonian Photography Initiative is a searchable database of images. You can tag images to share with friends, and create your own sequences.

From The Forums:

The Nikonians Cafe' is now multi-lingual! Check in for chats in Dutch, German, Spanish, Filipino, as well as English.

Segment 5 of the Nikonians Photographer of the Year 2006 is now taking submissions in the categories of Pets, Still Life, and Night Time. Enter before Halloween!

September's online photo assignment is all about Motion, Action, and Speed!

Check out the Film and Film Processing Forum for the lists of good labs! The third iteration of the list can be found here

Resources
You never know what you're going to find! Check out a Brief Love Story

Tune in to find out the contest winner from last week, as well as the information about the next two installments of the t-shirt giveaway!

Email Jessica at newsflash@nikonains.org!

Posted by odle2 at 1:49 PM

September 8, 2006

Accidental Exposure? ZF 35mm/f2 Revealed

A case of accidental exposure or yet more subliminal advertising? A recent blog posting by well-known industry pundit Herbert Keppler at Popular Photography's website shows a previously unannounced 35mm f2 for ZF Nikon mount shown side-by-side with a ZM equivalent lens for Zeiss' latest Ikon. Perhaps more word will be heard at Photokina 2006...

Posted by covey22 at 7:52 PM

September 7, 2006

Browse the Smith's Photo Archives

The Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC has just launched their latest initiative; an online searchable collection of their photo archives. The aptly-named Smithsonian Photography Initiative aims to put the collective museums' 13 million photos at your fingertips. The search engine is not particularly user-friendly, but you can tag your favorite finds and even create your own sequence of finds that you can share with others.

Posted by covey22 at 4:44 AM

ACDSee 9 is Coming?

PhotographyBlog brings us word that an update to the popular ACDSee photo filing program is in the works.

Posted by covey22 at 4:40 AM

September 5, 2006

PhotoStudio Darkroom for RAW Editing

MacWorld brings us word on ArcSoft's PhotoStudio Darkroom which promises non-destructive editing of RAW files from Canon, Nikon and Panasonic. It also features fixes for perspective and lens corrections and chromatic abberation.

Posted by covey22 at 4:43 PM

September 3, 2006

How Do You Say Nikonians In Dutch?

Or many other languages? Nikonians has opened up new language-specific forums at the request of our members. Brew up a cup of your favorite coffee and join in the discussion; exchange ideas, tips and any other topics not only in Dutch, but in our German, Spanish and Tagalog Cafes as well.

Posted by covey22 at 7:00 PM

September 2, 2006

Nikonians News Flash #17

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This week, Jessica announces the winner of the first free Nikonians t-shirt, and the next installment of the contest. Volunteers are still needed for Photokina later this month. Also, find out about the latest from Nikon and T-Mobile!

Download Nikonians News Flash #17 (NPC-NF-2006-09-02.mp3; 9:49; 9.0MB; MP3 format)

Nikonians News Flash #17: September 2, 2006

Winner of the first t-shirt is announced!

In The News:

Volunteers are still needed for Photokina this month. The show runs from 26 Sept through 01 Oct, and volunteers get a free t-shirt, cap, and day pass to the show!

The latest update to Nikon's Capture NX software is avaliable! Download your updates to version 1.01 here: US Mac, US Windows, and Europe, and Asia.

LetsGoDigital has a preview out of the new CoolPix S10, which can be seen at Photokina.

T-Mobile and Nikon have teamed up with each other and CoolPixS7c users to provide CoolPix Connect.


From The Forums:

The Family and Pets Photos Forum is a great place to post pics of your most loved, but can also be a place for good help and feedback, so don't leave us hanging! Check out my canine pal, Loki!!


Listen in for the next installment of the t-shirt giveaway contest, and email me at newsflash@nikonians.org.

Posted by odle2 at 12:02 AM

September 1, 2006

Capture NX Update Version 1.01

Capture NX has been updated to version 1.01. Changes include:

* D80 Raw files are supported
* Batch processes have been improved
* Browser menu, File Directory palette, Camera Settings palette and Control Points have been improved
* Print Layout Dialog has been improved
* Lasso & Marquee tools have been improved
* Edit List has been improved
* Options from the View menu have been improved

US Mac and Windows versions are available. Europe and Asia have the updates as well.

Posted by covey22 at 5:32 PM