What's New And Notable In
Photography And Computers
SLR Functions, Simple
Operation The Pentax *ist DL digital
SLR features a 6.1-megapixel CCD image sensor, with
a large 2.5-inch LCD screen that allows you to easily
see and edit your images. A user-friendly guide
screen gives you detailed descriptions of shooting modes,
white balance and flash settings accompanied by sample
photos to help you take great-looking photos. Weighing
only 16.6 ounces, the *ist DL is a light edition to
your pack. List Price: $699 (body only); $799 (body
and 18-55mm lens kit). Contact:
Pentax, (800) 877-0155, www.pentaximaging.com.
New Intuitive Interface Organize and optimize your
images with Corel Paint Shop Pro X and Photo Album 6.
The software has a redesigned interface that’s
now easier to use, and integrating a Learning Center
in the Tools palette provides quick access to tools
and simple instructions. A new Browser palette lets
you organize images, and advanced editing tools provide
one-touch editing for color and exposure correction,
and retouching. Photo Album 6 has new features that
automatically download, organize, find, label and even
rotate vertical images to horizontals for faster editing.
List Price: $129 (Paint Shop Pro); $49 (Photo Album
6). Contact: Corel,
(800) 772-6735, www.corel.com.
Dual Functionality: Printer
With Storage Capabilities With 1.5 GB of internal memory,
the Hewlett-Packard Photosmart 475 GoGo Photo Printer
serves as memory storage as well as a portable printer.
Easily view and edit your images on the unit’s
2.5-inch LCD color display and create prints up to 5x7
in color or black-and-white. With dimensions of 9.8x4.5x4.8
inches and weighing only 3.3 pounds, the Photosmart
475 GoGo is portable and has a handle for convenient
carry. A USB port allows connection to a CD burner or
an external hard drive. List Price: $249. Contact:
Hewlett-Packard, (800) 752-0900, www.hp.com.
Peace
Of Mind
Feel secure knowing your files are safe. Buffalo
Technology’s TeraStations provide high-capacity storage
and consistent, automatic backup. The 0.6TB TeraStation
includes four 160 GB drives and the 1.6TB TeraStation
includes four 400 GB drives. Both provide a simple-to-use
utility that allows you to automatically back up important
data. Operational modes include Raid 5, which spreads
data across the four separate drives with uniformity so
you have four copies for that extra feeling of security.
List Price: $799 (0.6TB); $1,999 (1.6TB). Contact:
Buffalo Technology, (800) 456-9799, www.buffalotech.com.
Tone
It Down Quick and simple, PictoColor’s
iCorrect Portrait color-correction plug-in offers a point-and-click
method for correcting skin tones. A single-panel
interface provides tools for setting tonal range, color
balance, brightness and contrast, plus settings can be
modified to your liking. For batch-processing, just record
an iCorrect action into Photoshop. List Price: $99. Contact:
PictoColor, (952) 894-8890, www.pictocolor.com.
A Powerful Grip Hoodman’s PowerGrip provides
extra power for your camera, allowing you to shoot for
longer periods of time without having to change batteries.
Made for the Nikon D70 and the Canon EOS Rebel XT and
EOS 20D, the units incorporate a vertical shutter release
so you can hold your camera easily without straining your
waist. PowerGrips take two Nikon OEM batteries and come
with a six-AA battery adapter at no extra charge. List
Price: $179 (Nikon D70, Canon EOS 20D), $129 (Canon EOS
Rebel XT). Contact:
Hoodman, (800) 818-3946, www.hoodmanusa.com.
Digital Fine-Art Quality Get beautiful digital prints
with Hahnemühle’s Photo Rag Satin 310 gsm and
Photo Rag Bright White 310 gsm papers. The Satin’s
surface works with your printer’s inks to take on
a satin or luster look where there’s a printed image
while remaining matte on the perimeters. Bright White
provides a whiter base to make your color and monochrome
prints pop, and the coating offers optimum color gradation
as well as water-resistance. The papers come in a variety
of sheet sizes and rolls. List Price: $38-$240 (depending
on size and count). Contact:
Hahnemühle, (815) 502-5880, www.hahnemuhle.com.
Hard Copy
The Speed
of Light: Joe McNally and the Nikon Creative Lighting System
(Nikon Corporation, 2005). This DVD demonstrates the Nikon
SB-800 and SB-600 Speedlight units in 10 different shoot locations.
Professional photographer McNally shares his technique with
the portable lighting system.
A Comprehensive Guide to Digital
Glamour Photography by Duncan Evans (AVA Publishing,
2004; 2-88479-047-0). The digital age has allowed glamour
photography to take new form, eliminating barriers of cost,
location, even perfect subjects. This guide to composing erotic
stills includes tips for lighting, adjusting skin imperfections
and slenderizing models.
Digital Video Hacks: Tips &
Tools for Shooting, Editing, and Sharing by Joshua
Paul (O’Reilly Media, 2005; 0-596-00946-1). Learn to
photograph with homemade shooting accessories and do in-camera
effects. Then read up on post-production techniques like special
effects, correcting audio and creating smooth transitions.
A Photographer’s Guide
to Web Site Design by Jan A. Allinder (www.guidetowebdesign.net).
An all-encompassing e-book with video segments explains how
to create a Website. The guide gives a brief explanation of
html and explains how using programs like DreamWeaver, Photoshop
and any text editor can help you design a consistent, interactive
site.
Photoshop CS2 Workflow: The
Digital Photographer’s Guide by Tim Grey (Sybex
Inc., 2005; 0-7821-4396-2). This book outlines a specific
Photoshop workflow for your images, closely examining each
tool and providing time-saving tips to maximize your editing
time.
Thin, Sleek And Cool About the size of a credit card
and just 7�8 inches thin, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5 digital
camera still manages to pack in a lot of features.
With a 5-megapixel sensor and a 3x Carl Zeiss optical zoom
lens, the camera also includes a large 2.5-inch LCD screen
for easy viewing and editing of your images. Ten Scene modes
help you select the proper exposure for various lighting situations,
and a Handshake Alert lets you know if you’re unsteady.
The DSC-T5 is available in red, black, silver and gold. List
Price: $349. Contact: Sony,
(800) 222-SONY, www.sony.com.
Ramped-Up Memory Cards Panasonic’s SD Memory 2 GB
Pro High Speed Series Card has a fast transfer rate of up
to 20 MB/sec., giving you a convenient way to download and
transfer data quickly. Additionally, the 1 GB High
Speed Card and 512 MB miniSD Card transfer data at 5 MB/sec.
and 2 MB/sec., respectively. List Price: $319 (2 GB Pro High
Speed); $129 (1 GB High Speed); $59 (512 MB miniSD). Contact:
Panasonic, (800) 211-PANA, www.panasonic.com.
Fishing For A New Lens? Get creative using the Olympus
Zuiko Digital ED 8mm ƒ/3.5 full-frame fisheye lens.
An ultra-wide-angle lens with a 180-degree angle of view,
the lens lets you fill your frame with the world around you
or shoot close-ups and experiment with extreme distortion.
Designed specifically for the Olympus E system, the ED lens
element helps eliminate chromatic aberrations, and its coating
reduces ghosting and flaring. List Price: $799. Contact:
Olympus, (888) 622-6372, www.olympusamerica.com.
A Stitch IN-Camera Saves TIme
No longer do you have to create panoramas on your computer
solely via software. Now you can
stitch up to five images together and save the panorama directly
in the HP Photosmart R818 compact digital camera. The
camera’s technology allows you to superimpose details
from the previous photo to help you align and take the next
shot. Other features include a 5-megapixel sensor, 5x optical
zoom, 15 different shooting modes and manual controls to give
you control over exposure. List Price: $399. Contact:
Hewlett-Packard, (800) 752-0900, www.hp.com.
Electric Slideshow
Slideshow software that doesn’t need to be installed
on a computer makes it easy to share photos with anyone. With
tvCD 2.0, you can create a presentation of your images complete
with audio, background colors and captions, and burn it to
a CD to be viewed on a home DVD player or a computer’s
CD-ROM. You even can import PowerPoint slides into
your slideshow, as tvCD automatically converts them into JPEGs.
The program also archives your original images on the CD so
you can print them individually. List Price: $32.95 (boxed);
$27.95 (download). Contact:
tvCD.Biz, (515) 270-1114, www.tvcd.biz.
Home Design Software With Photo
Plug-In Design interiors and landscapes
with CAD-PRO 4 Platinum Series software. The new version
has a photo plug-in that allows you to quickly place digital
photos into your designs and documents. Simply open your photos
and trace over them with intuitive tools to create new project
designs or to modify those that come with the software. List
Price: $79. Contact: CAD
Pro, www.cadprosoftware.com.
Versatile Filter System The Cokin Z-Pro filter holder is
designed to fit both film and digital equipment. The
holder’s modular design can be dismantled easily to accept
filters with a 1.6mm thickness (which most photographers use).
Additionally, the adapter ring allows the holder to fit a
variety of lenses. A Pro Grad Filter Kit comes with three
different Graduated Blue filters and a Pro Grad ND Kit includes
three different Neutral Grads; both kits include a storage
wallet. List Price: $45 (Filter Holder); $159 (Pro Grad Filter
Kit); $199 (Pro Grad ND Kit). Contact:
Cokin (OmegaSatter), (410) 374-3250, www.cokin.com.
Wearable
Art
If you love someone, don’t say it, wear it! Egami
Lifestyle can take your favorite picture, process it into
satin nylon and incorporate it in a bag, coat, wallet
or scarf. Not like your typical T-shirt with a
silk-screen picture from the mall, Egami’s products
are made from high-quality materials with meticulous workmanship,
and they offer five styles for your photo: Pop Art, Mod,
Poster, Black & White and Sepia. List Price: From
$120. Contact: Egami
Lifestyle, (203) 253-3400, www.egami-lifestyle.com.
Make An Impact Add a motion trail to a sports
image, enhance backlight in a picture of the sky and
create textured illustrations with the 10 Photoshop
filters in Eye Candy 5: Impact by Alien Skin Software.
Get creative with your digital images, calendars or
birthday cards with effects like brushed metal, fur
and lizard skin. The software’s natural effects
render smoke, rust, snow and ice. Estimated Street Price:
$99; $49 (upgrade). Contact: Alien Skin Software, (888)
921-SKIN, www.alienskin.com.
Focal Lengths, Long And
Large Take wide-angle and telephoto
landscape shots with ease with the Samsung Digimax Pro815
advanced compact digital camera. Offering big
features, the Pro815 features a high-quality Schneider
7.2mm-108mm ƒ/2.2-4.6 lens (28-420mm 35mm equivalent)
and an ultra-large 3.5-inch LCD screen. A High-Speed
mode automatically increases the ISO to ensure steady
shooting, even in tele-zoom. The optics employ four
LD glass elements to minimize chromatic aberration and
a rechargeable lithium battery can endure up to 500
shots per charge. List Price: $849. Contact: Samsung
Electronics, (800) SAMSUNG, www.samsungusa.com.
Single-Use Video Camera Borrowing the concept of
the disposable still camera, the CVS One-Time-Use Video
Camcorder is perfect for creating quick and spontaneous
video. Easy to use, the lightweight, pocket-sized
camcorder records up to 20 minutes of digital video
and audio on its internal memory while allowing you
to play back and delete unwanted footage. When you’re
finished, drop off the camcorder at a CVS store to have
a DVD burned. CVS takes care of the recycling. List
Price: $29 (camcorder); $12 (DVD processing). Contact:
CVS, (888) 607-4287, www.cvs.com.
Long Live Your Home Videos! Preserve your home videos,
digital photos and other files on Verbatim Video DVD
discs. VideoGard hard-coat technology makes the
media 40 times more resistant to damage compared to
standard discs. Available in 8x DVD-R, 8x DVD+R, 2x
DVD-RW and 4x DVD+RW formats, the discs have an extended
archival life. List Price: $12.99 (DVD+R 10-pack). Contact:
Verbatim, (800) 538-8589, www.verbatim.com.
Big Things In A Small Package Konica Minolta’s DiMAGE
X1 features an 8-megapixel sensor and a non-protruding
3x optical zoom in a slim, elegant body. A 2.5-inch
LCD allows for easy viewing of images, while a newly
developed Anti-Shake system limits blur in low-light
shooting situations and proprietary CxProcess III image-processing
technology means producing true-to-life images. The
DiMAGE X1 comes with a multifunction cradle for quick
uploading and battery charging. List Price: TBA. Contact:Konica
Minolta, (800) 285-6422, www.konicaminolta.us.
Performance Enhancer Improve the quality of your
digital images by limiting noise and chromatic aberrations
with DxO’s Optics Pro v3.0. The software
is designed to fix lens and processing imperfections
associated with digital cameras. Pro v3.0 incorporates
an Optics Engine and Lens Module that automatically
removes lens distortion, vignetting, lens softness and
lateral chromatic aberration. The RAW Engine has been
redesigned to offer more control over RAW processing
and a Lighting Engine helps bring out shadow detail
while preserving highlights. Optics Pro v3.0 is available
for prosumer and expert amateur digital SLRs. In addition,
an Elite version supports professional digital SLRs.
List Price: $159 (Pro v3.0); $249 (Pro v3.0 Elite).
Contact: DxO, www.dxo.com.
Cut! Create an at-home movie studio
cutting room with Memorex’s Director’s Cut
4.7 GB DVD+Rs and DVD-Rs. Packaged in a cool-looking
movie reel tin, the DVDs are ideal for sharing or storing
digital videos and photos. Memorex’s DuraLayer
Technology coats the media to resist scratching and
the tin prevents exposure to light, ensuring your files
will be safe. List Price: $14 (10-pack). Contact:
Memorex, (877) 474-8548, www.memorex.com.
The Big And Tall Of Memory
Cards
It’s frustrating when your pants don’t fit,
but it’s really frustrating when your images don’t
fit on your SD card. The
pants are your problem, but ATP Electronics has made
the SD card its problem and created ProMax Super High
Speed SD cards in capacities of 2 GB, and later this
year, 4 GB. These SD cards are waterproof and
resist extreme temperatures. Additionally, they’re
specifically designed for high-resolution, uncompressed
files and have a read/write speed of 22.5 MB/sec. and
18 MB/sec., respectively, enabling you to shoot, capture
and process quickly. List Price: $350 (2 GB). Contact:
ATP Electronics, (408) 732-5000, www.atpinc.com.
Eight Is Enough Epson’s UltraChrome
K3 inkset utilizes eight pigmented inks to produce consistent
true color from print to print. In addition to
cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta,
the set features three different blacks to create neutral
and toned black-and-white prints with increased contrast
and detail. High-gloss Microcrystal Encapsulation technology
integrated into the chemistry improves the pigment quality
and provides better scratch-resistance. The set is designed
for the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 and Stylus Pro 4800,
7800 and 9800 printers. Estimated Street Price: $69.95
(each); $560 (set of eight). Contact:
Epson, (800) GO-EPSON, www.epson.com.
