Wednesday News Bites

Digital Camera News

• For anyone that is wanting to hit the ground running when they get their new Nikon D3 or D300, you probably want to head on over to Nikon and pick up the just released on-line manuals for these new cameras. To grab your D3 manual, click here, for the D300, try here.

• There have been a lot of sample images posted from the new Nikon D3 but almost nothing from the new D300. That has now changed thanks to the folks over at Imaging Resource. These are not "pretty" pictures but are images of a house at different ISOs and resolution charts. Still pretty telling from a technical standpoint. To see the images, click here, and for a full preview of the D300 and all its features, check out the story over at Imaging Resource.

• Canon has released a firmware update for the 40D. For a detailed description of the update, go check out the story over at DSLR Dad and you can download the upgrade here.

• It could be time to check those old boxes in the attic. In a recent auction, an 84 year old Leica fetched around £240,000 (that would be $467,331.00 to those of us in the States). The camera is not the most expensive ever sold at auction. That honor goes to an 1839 Daguerreotype. But it still makes you wonder what's in that old box from GranPa's house that you have never looked in. To see more on this story, click here.

• Nikon introduced the new versatile AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens that offers Nikon’s proprietary Vibration Reduction (VR) technology to help consumers snap sharper photos than ever before, even while shooting handheld. Compact and lightweight, this affordable lens is an optimum lens to use with Nikon DX-format digital SLR cameras and is the ideal focal length as a “first lens” to faithfully capture life’s day-to-day moments, or a welcome addition to a Nikon D-SLR photographer’s already-established lens assortment. To see the complete press release, click here.

Tips for Black Friday -

Are you planning on mingling with the masses this coming Friday? If so, here's some information to help you buy what you want and find the best deals. Good Luck and be careful out there!

• 2007 Holiday Digital Camera Buying Guide
• Digital Camera Buying Guide
• CompUSA opens Thanksgiving, 9PM to Midnight
• Black Friday Digital Cameras
• Digital Cameras: How to buy the right one
• Black Friday 2007 Deals
  

Software and Hardware News -

• The folks over at xTrain are offering some free online classes. Courses like Exposure Modes, Black and White Experiments, Portrait Retouching, and more are all available at the xTrain website.

• Corel has released Corel Paint Shop Pro® Photo X2 which will provide full integration with the Microsoft HD format. For more information, check out the Corel.com site.

• Wacom has introduced a new line of tablets that they are calling Bamboo. The pad comes in two flavors, Bamboo and Bamboo Fun. The tablets are priced from $79 to $199. For more information, check out the Wacom products page right here.

• DxO Labs today announced the immediate availability of DxO Optics Pro v5 for Windows, the latest version of its award-winning flagship automatic image quality enhancement software application for Digital SLR camera users. Headlining the new features in DxO Optics Pro v5 is a brand new RAW conversion engine including a breakthrough demosaicing algorithm which produces images with much more detail and fewer unwanted artifacts. For more info, check out the DxO website.

• If you are thinking of creating your own holiday cards this year then you need to go check out All Day I Dream About Photography. They have posted a great collection of free Photoshop Christmas card templates. While you are there, you also need to check out the 300+ Christmas Photoshop brushes they have available. You can find the templates here and the brushes right here.
  

Tidbit Tuesday

- With the holidays looming large, many of us are starting to plan out our gift buying lists. If you have tech gear on yours, you might want to try out this new search engine for gadgets. It's called Retrevo and it's not like any search engine you have used before. With a user interface unlike any you've seen before, you are sure to plow your way through the hipe and advertisements to find just what you want, and where to get it. For a full review of the site, check out this story over at VentureBeat. To dive head long in to shopping nirvana, head right on over to Retrevo.

- JSOnline has an incredible time-lapse video of the Packers - Vikings game that was made entirely from still images captured by a Canon EOS Mark II camera. The entire process captured 1,194 images and was compressed down to two minutes. It's definitely worth a look. Check out the video and the technical specs here.















- eStarling has released a WiFi digital picture frame that has its own email address. This new model comes in a black or white finish, with an 8-inch frame that offers the highest resolution screen available at 800 by 600 pixels, and has an on-board Flash memory of 128M and is compatible with Windows 2000/XP/Vista & Mac OS X. Just use the individualized email address and your family and friends can enjoy your pictures on their frames. The retail price for the 8-inch black photo frame model is $269. A 7-inch model is also available. The frames are available from Amazon.com.

- Camera manufacturers are zooming in on mid- to top-range digital single-lens reflex models for the year-end shopping season. Industry officials expect baby boomers, who began reaching retirement age this year, to take up photography as a serious pastime. Advanced models carry fatter profit margins than entry-level products, which have led to the expansion of the digital SLR camera market. Targeted primarily at experienced amateurs, the cameras offer a resolution of more than 10 megapixels and typically sell for between $900 and $1,800. Nikon Corp. will roll out the D300 high-end model on Nov. 23 at about $2,072. It boasts a resolution of 12.3 megapixels, comparable to that of professional-use models. The camera can shoot up to eight frames per second and capture 100 sequential images thanks to a new image-processing system. In the first six months of 2007, Nikon beat archrival Canon Inc. and grabbed the largest share of the nation's digital SLR camera market for the first time ever. The company's strong showing was led by the D40, a small, lightweight model designed for first-time users, introduced in December. With the November release of the D300 and the D3, a professional-use model, Nikon aims to raise its global market share to 40 percent in fiscal 2009, up from 35 percent in 2006. (Read the rest of the story here)

- In the race to buy the latest and greatest in DSLRs, one big factor always seems to get left out of the discussion. What about the lenses? One of the primary purposes in purchasing a DSLR is to get the advantage of not being a slave to just one lens and yet this important factor always seems to be an afterthought in making a camera purchase. To make sure you are getting the lens you need, check out this article from Wired magazine.

Monday News Roundup

- Fuji has released a sub-$200 digital camera with 9 megapixel resolution. The A920 is the lateset point and shoot model from Fuji that is designed for first-time buyers. The camera incorporates Fujifilm’s signature Super CCD sensor technology, a 4x optical zoom lens and features a 2.7” LCD.

- While most think of camera phones as novelty devices and not serious cameras, the camera makers want to change that perception. Samsung has announced that they will introduce a line of 8 megapixel cameras in the first half of 2008. This falls on the heels of Nokia announcing their N82 camera phone with a 5 megapixel sensor.

- CameraNews has a review of the new Nikon P5100 camera. The P5100 is a 12 megapixel point and shoot with features that will delight serious photographers including; total exposure control, image stabilization, an ISO range from 64 to 1600, and much more. To read more, check out the review here.

- In a previous post I talked about the introduction of the new Kodak TMax-400 B&W film. The folks over at Secrets of Digital Imaging have posted interviews with Kodak’s Scott DiSabato and photographer John Sexton who give insights into why the film was introduced and how it performs. Click here to find the podcast.

Friday News Update

The problem with posting news from the night before is that you run the risk of missing something big the next morning as was the case today. It seems that Adobe decided to make today "Official Update Friday". In an effort to fix numerous little bugs and annoyances within their imaging softwares, as well as update coverage for new cameras, Adobe has released updates for several products in the Photoshop family. Photoshop CS3 gets bumped up to version 10.0.1 to fix some printing issues among other things; Bridge moves to 2.1.1 and adds a high-quality preview; there is one for Camera Raw and DNG Converter, versions 4.3; and Lightroom moves up to version 1.3 with a fix for Mac OSX Leopard. The Camera Raw enhancements will allow users of the new Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, Nikon D3 and D300, and other new cameras to utilize Camera Raw and Lightroom for processing their respective raw images. For more information on what is included in these updates, check out Adobe's own Terry White over at Terry White's Tech Blog. To grab your updates, head on over to the Adobe Download page.

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.

Welcome to the PhotoStreem!

An information stop-over for your photography, Photoshop, and other imaging news. If it's happening, you'll hopefully find it at the Streem. But hey, I don't want to do all the work so if you have something noteworthy, send me an email and I'll get the word out. So without further a do, let's get rolling.

- PDN Online has a review of the new 3d Connexion SpaceNavigator. This small navigation puck is similar to the Logitech NuLOOQ and is compatible with over 100 3D programs including Photoshop CS3 Extended (it has some compatibility with CS2 and CS3 Standard). Check out the review right here.

- Maine Media Workshop has just released their 2008 Winter/Spring class listings. They offer over 250 courses ranging from digital imaging to zone system to Photojournalism. They also have a collection of World class instructors that include the likes of Vincent Versace, Rick Sammon, and Jeff Schewe. To download their brochure, follow this link.

- Are you planning on buying a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, or maybe you are already on the waiting list. Well why not get a jump on things by downloading the user's manual ahead of time. I know, real men don't read manuals but all you real women can get a hold of this and hit the ground running once your camera arrives. Grab yours here.

- Sigma has announced two new fisheye lenses designed specifically for digital SLR cameras. The new 10mm F2.8 EX DC FISHEYE HSM lens autofocus fisheye is designed for use with digital SLR cameras equipped with APS-C size image sensors. The new 4.5mm F2.8 EX DC CIRCULAR FISHEYE HSM lens is an autofocus circular fisheye lens and has an angle of view of 180 degrees in all directions. It is also designed for digital SLR cameras with the APS-C size image sensor. For more information, check out the Sigma-Photo page under the What's New section.

That wraps up this first edition of the PhotoStreem. Check back daily for more news and other imaging goodness. Don't forget, if you have a nugget you want to share, send me an email.