What's New And Notable In Photography
And Computers
Block
The Glare
Shooting with the sun behind you makes it difficult to see
your digital camera’s LCD screen. The Kaiser
Fototechnik digiShield for LCDs uses no tape or Velcro
and blocks out light to enable clearer viewing of your image.
The shield conveniently attaches to the tripod thread in the
base of your camera and is engineered to adapt to all camera
models. List Price: $25 (small); $30 (large). Contact: HP
Marketing Corp., (800) 735-4373, www.hpmarketingcorp.com.
Home
Photo Lab
Intended specifically for photo printing, the Hewlett-Packard
Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer uses nine
different-colored inks for more precise and vibrant color.
Light and dark gray cartridges in the ink system help achieve
high contrast and smooth transitions in black-and-white photographs.
The printer can create prints up to 13x19 inches and, with
the use of thermal dye technology, there’s no dry time
or smudging. Estimated Street Price: $500. Contact: Hewlett-Packard,
(800) 752-0900, www.hp.com.
Adobe Update Adobe has announced the latest version of
Photoshop, CS2. New features include advanced
batch processing, updated controls for sharpening, noise reduction,
lens-distortion correction and one-click red-eye elimination.
A new tool called Vanishing Point allows you to automatically
adjust new elements in your image to the correct visual perspective.
CS2 also features updated versions of Illustrator, InDesign,
GoLive, Acrobat and Adobe Bridge visual file browser. Bridge
now allows you to process RAW images while you continue to
work in Photoshop, with access to all of the full Creative
Suite programs. List Price: $599 (Photoshop)—$149 (upgrade);
$1,200 (CS2 Premium)—$549 (upgrade). Contact: Adobe,
(800) 833-6687, www.adobe.com.
7-Megapixel Compact Camera
The two-inch swivel LCD on the Samsung Digimax V70
compact camera makes capturing images at low or high
angles easy. Reasonably priced, the camera sports a 7-megapixel
sensor, with full-featured capabilities, including exposure
controls. The V70’s zoom lens is equivalent to a 38-114mm
(35mm) and a macro mode allows you to shoot as close as four
inches. List Price: $399. Contact: Samsung, (800) SAMSUNG,
www.samsungusa.com.
Correct
Calibration
Keeping your monitor and printer calibrated is an important
aspect of digital darkroom printing. ColorVision’s
Spyder2 Plus Digital Darkroom software bundle includes
a color sensor that calibrates your CRT, LCD and laptop display,
and its printer utility uses your existing flatbed scanner
to load paper profiles, enabling you to color-manage your
prints. List Price: $249. Contact: ColorVision, (800) 554-8688,
www.colorvision.com.
EASY Burn Sony’s PhotoVault Mini CD-R Station
enables you to burn mini-CDs of your images right from your
camera or USB memory device. Each 200 MB mini-CD-R disc holds
50 to 200 images, depending on file size. Weighing only eight
ounces, the PhotoVault eliminates the need for a laptop and
is convenient for travel. List Price: $200. Contact: Sony,
(800) 222-SONY, www.sonystyle.com.
Hard
Copy
Fun with Photoshop Elements 3: Foto-Fakery
for Everyone by Linda Grossman (Sams Publishing, 2005;
ISBN: 0-672-32730-9). Have a great time manipulating your images
in some outrageous ways. This guide provides you with fun and useful
techniques while teaching you valuable Elements tools.
PCPhoto Digital Zoom Camera Handbook by
Rob Sheppard (Lark Books, 2005; ISBN:1-57990-653-2). Fully explore
the use of advanced digital cameras. By covering the camera techniques
and terminology to digitally manipulate your images in the computer,
this book will help anyone grasp the technical and artistic potential
of digital photography.
Pro Digital Photographer’s Handbook
by Michael Freeman (Lark Books, 2005; ISBN: 1-57990-632-X). Get
a full range of digital imaging knowledge from a professional photographer.
This book features chapters on lighting, editing and workflow, image
software techniques, marketing and copyright information.
Professional Techniques for Black & White Digital
Photography by Patrick Rice (Amherst Media, 2005;
ISBN:1-58428-149-9). Use new technology to capture and print the
timeless style of black-and-white photography. Chapters guide you
through composition, workflow, filters and digital effects, as well
as printing techniques.
Vital Skills for Photographers Using Photoshop CS/7.0
with Suzette Allen (MAC Group). Learn easy techniques to efficiently
optimize your images in Photoshop. This 88-minute DVD shows you
how to successfully manage your image files, set up your workspace,
preferences and presets, and quickly navigate shortcuts.
3-CCD
Technology
The compact, 5-megapixel JVC GR-X5 MiniDV Camcorder
records images to a Microdrive instead of tape so downloading
takes minutes instead of the long hours that tape recording
can require. Simply drag and drop your files from memory card
to hard drive. The GR-X5 features three individual CCDs, each
one specifically dedicated for red, green and blue, which
together produce true-to-life color. A Megabrid imaging engine
separately processes video and still images, limits noise
and enables clear, high-resolution images to be captured.
With its lightweight design, the GR-X5 fits in the palm of
your hand. List Price: $1,500. Contact: JVC, (800) 252-5722,
www.jvc.com.
Movie Magic
Video editing is even easier with Ulead’s VideoStudio
9. The Movie Wizard guides you through the software
quickly and easily, and the Video Studio Editor option gives
you tools to produce movies with Flash animation overlays,
pan and zoom on video, plus a variety of filters. For automated
functions, you can use the software’s two-step option,
which automatically turns your work into an edited video,
a real asset to a beginner who feels overwhelmed by video-editing
software. List Price: $100 (full version); $50 (upgrade).
Contact: Ulead Systems, (800) 85-ULEAD, www.ulead.com.
Fast Pro Prints
In 90 seconds, Kodak’s Professional 1400 Digital
Photo Printer will produce a photo print up to 8x12
inches in size—and do it again and again. The printer’s
ribbon is created to provide consistent color density for
every print. Dry thermal dye-sublimation technology allows
for zero dry time and prevents smudging. List Price: $549.
Contact: Kodak, (800) 235-6325, www.kodak.com.
Large-Aperture Digital Lens
The very fast Sigma 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM lens
allows you to shoot in low-light conditions, at a faster shutter
speed, to eliminate camera shake and prevent blurred images.
The lens is specifically designed for digital cameras, with
an APS-C-sized image sensor and special glass elements that
compensate for chromatic and color aberrations. Price: TBA.
Contact: Sigma, (800) 896-6858, www.sigma-photo.com.
Smart Sharpener
Make your images pop in the right places. nik Sharpener
Pro 2.0 is a Photoshop-compatible plug-in that allows
you to sharpen your images in specific areas by use of brush
or color selections. This new version can work with 16-bit
images and can be told what printer you’re using to
create more precise sharpening. List Price: $329 (Complete
Edition); $169 (Inkjet Edition). Contact: nik Multimedia Inc.,
(619) 725-3150, www.nikmultimedia.com.
Digital B+W Darkroom
It can be difficult to create consistently beautiful black-and-white
digital images with neutral tones. Media Street
has collaborated with a fine-art photographer and digital-imaging
consultant in developing an archival black-and-white
inkjet solution that produces exhibition-quality
prints. The inks can be used with an entry-level $100 Epson
printer, making it affordable to have a unit dedicated to
your black-and-white images. The set uses black and warm,
light, cool and dark gray inks to generate rich tonalities.
List Price: $262 (for initial setup); $22 (per cartridge).
Contact: Media Street, (888) 633-4295, www.mediastreet.com.
Break
The Shake
The new digital cameras from Panasonic feature
Mega Optical Image Stabilization to detect and correct shaking,
an asset for shooting in low-light conditions. The Lumix
DMC-FZ5 and DMC-FZ4 boast 5- and
4-megapixel resolution, respectively, and a 12x Leica DC Vario-Elmarit
zoom lens equivalent to 36-432mm (FZ5) and 35-420mm (FZ4)
on a 35mm film camera. List Price: $500 (DMC-FZ5); $450 (DMC-FZ4).
Contact: Panasonic, (800) 211-PANA, www.panasonic.com.
Portable Printing
The Selphy CP600 printer from Canon enables
you to print instantly straight from your Canon or PictBridge-compliant
digital camera. The printer weighs less than two pounds, operates
on AC power or a rechargeable battery, and supports four print
sizes (up to 4x8 inches). Because of its size, the CP600 is
easy to take with you anywhere. List Price: $349. Contact:
Canon, (800) OK-CANON, www.usa.canon.com.
Color Control
Fixing the exposure and color of your images can consume valuable
time. Eliminate this tedious task with the Sekonic
X-Rite Digital Suite. The package features the new
Sekonic L-558R multi-function, wireless, radio-triggering
light meter for accurate exposure readings and the MonacoOPTIXXR
colorimeter calibration tool for calibrating CRT and LCD monitors.
Together, the tools ensure that you capture and see a correct
image, in addition to helping speed up your workflow. List
Price: $700. Contact: Sekonic (Mac Group), (914) 347-3300,
www.sekonic.com.
Small Camera, Big Features
Weighing only 5.3 ounces at a size of 3.5x2.4x1.4 inches,
the Nikon Coolpix 7900 compact camera sports
a resolution of 7.1 megapixels and a focal range of 38-114mm
(35mm equivalency), and its large, two-inch LCD allows you
to easily see your shots. Along with seven white-balance settings,
the camera features enhanced focusing accuracy for portraits
and D-Lighting, a function that fixes lighting problems in
pictures after they’ve been taken. List Price: $450.
Contact: Nikon, (800) NIKON-UX, www.nikon.com.
Wide Zoom
With a 35mm focal length equivalency of 17-28mm (for APS-sized
sensors), the Tamron SP AF 11-18mm ƒ/4.5-5.6
Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) (Model A013) is designed
specifically for digital SLR cameras with smaller-sized image
sensors. Special optics minimize on-axis and lateral chromatic
aberrations. List Price: $982. Contact: Tamron, (631) 858-8400,
www.tamron.com.
Free Download
Shooting in RAW used to mean extended hours of conversion
time in the digital darkroom. RawShooter Essentials
2005 from Pixmantec is a free download that lets
you edit in a full-screen slideshow mode, with tools to prioritize
and group your best images. Essentials converts RAW files
quickly and offers functions for exposure compensation, white-balance
correction and noise reduction. The download is also available
from the Corel Website. Price: Free. Contact: Pixmantec, www.pixmantec.com;
Corel, (800) 772-6735, www.corel.com.
Home
Photo Lab
Correct
Calibration
3-CCD
Technology
Break
The Shake