Friday News Bites

- Flickr has just reached their 2 billionth image online. So what to do with all of those images. Well if you are a member of the research team at the University of Washington, you take all those pictures of buildings and create 3D models of world landmarks. By taking multiple photos of the same structure and identifying where they were located when they were taken (the camera position), they can then combine all of the images together to create a 3D model that is accurate to within .128 meters. To read more, check out this story over at ZDNet.

- Photo District News (PDN) is currently accepting entries for their Annual Photo Contest. The entry deadline is 12/20/07 with entry fees of $45 for a single entry, $55 for a series, and $25 fo students. To see all the details, click here.

- Phase One and Mamiya Digital Imaging are forming an alliance to develop innovative, open platform-based medium format digital camera systems and solutions for professional photographers. The agreement includes technology-sharing and intellectual property assets as well as sales and marketing co-operation. The first new camera system will be introduced in the first quarter of 2008. To read more, check out the full story over at CameraTown.

- Nikon announced that it will expand its support of music and music culture by signing on as an inaugural sponsor for RCRD LBL, the first online music label ofering free, sponsor-supported MP3s from established and emerging artists and labels across a variety of niches and genres.
As a sponsor, Nikon will offer a custom designed photo widget on RCRD LBL's pages, allowing visitors of the web site to view images taken of, and by, their favorite artists and musicians. Images displayed in the photo widget will be updated constantly, often by musicians who want to share their experiences from the road while on tour.

- Kodak announced today the introduction of a new T-MAX 400 black and white film. The new film is reported to deliver finer grain and more sharpness. The new T-MAX 400 is added to the still existing B&W film offerings that include T-MAX 100, TRI-X, BW400CN, Plus-X 125, and T-MAX P3200. Check out all of the Kodak film products here.

- The Canon EOS 40D is making a lot of noise in the DSLR world. If you are contemplating the possibility of adding this new rig to your stable, go check out the top to bottom review over at Shutterbug. Look here for all the details.

That's a wrap for this week. Check in Monday to see what's new in the PhotoStreem.