What's New And Notable In Photography
And Computers
Segue
To SLR Konica
Minolta’s
Maxxum 5D Digital
SLR camera offers
easy-to-use advanced
features in a
small and light
SLR system. Sporting
a 2.5-inch LCD
screen for comfortable
viewing and a
6-megapixel sensor,
the camera employs
Anti-Shake Technology
that limits camera
blur, allowing
you to take pictures
in low-light
situations. List
Price: TBD. Contact: Konica Minolta,
(800) 285-6422,
www.konicaminolta.us.
Back Me Up!
Don’t
panic when
your hard drive
crashes. Be
prepared by
creating an
exact copy
of your important
files and programs
with the Kanguru
PC Clone Kit. The system
includes an
IDE hard drive
and Acronis
Migrate Easy
7.0, a simple-to-use
program that
duplicates
your hard drive
information.
Just store
the duplicated
files, and
if your computer
ever crashes,
you’ve
got instant
and complete
backup. The
Clone Kit offers
storage capacities
ranging from
80 GB up to
250 GB. List
Price: $120
(80 GB); $150
(120 GB); $190
(200 GB); $230
(250 GB). Contact: Kanguru, (888)
KANGURU, www.kanguru.com.
FotoFun
Customize calendars
with your
photos, family
vacation
dates and
birthdays
or apply
quick edits
and special
effects to
your photos
with ACD’s
FotoSlate
4.0. This
updated version
has creative
new image
templates
and page
backgrounds.
In addition,
a printing
option automatically
configures
different-sized
photos on
one page
so you don’t
waste paper.
List Price:
$30 (Full
Version);
$20 (upgrade
from FotoSlate
3.0). Contact: ACD Systems,
(800) 579-5309,
www.acdsystems.com.
Stylin’ 8MP
Compact Camera
Somehow they
figured out
a way to pack
8 megapixels,
a 2.5-inch
LCD, 19 Scene
modes, manual
exposure and
more into the
compact, all-weather,
curvy body
of the Olympus
Stylus 800
camera. Bright
Capture Technology
and a Hyper
Crystal LCD
screen allow
you to clearly
see, compose
and shoot in
low-light conditions.
The Olympus
TruePic TURBO
processor delivers
a fast startup
time of less
than a second
and a Super
Macro Mode
allows you
to shoot subjects
as close as
1.2 inches
away. Estimated
Street Price:
$449. Contact: Olympus, (888)
553-4448, www.olympusamerica.com.
Caught In
the Rain
Don’t
let bad weather
force you to
retreat indoors
with your gear.
AquaTech’s
Sport rain
cover is made
of high-quality,
breathable,
waterproof
fabric to protect
your 35mm film
or digital
SLR camera
and lens. The
cover has large
top and back
windows made
of clear, durable
plastic for
easy viewing,
a durable zipper
for convenient
access to your
camera’s
dials and triggers,
and a neoprene
collar that
adjusts to
fit most lens
sizes. List
Price: $79
(rain cover);
$32 (eyepiece,
sold separately).
Contact: AquaTech,
[email protected].
Hard
Copy
Awaken
the Artist Within by Rick Sammon. Follow
Photoshop CS and
CS2 lesson plans
presented in QuickTime
movie form with this
interactive DVD.
Personal, hands-on
instruction helps
you tap into your
creativity (www.ricksammon.com).
Epson
Complete Guide to
Digital Printing by Rob Sheppard
(Lark Books, 2005;
ISBN: 1-57990-705-9).
Learn all the tips
and tricks you
need to create
professional-quality
prints of your
favorite photographs
from PCPhoto Editor
Rob Sheppard.
Adobe
Photoshop Elements
3.0 A-Z:
Tools and Features
Illustrated Ready
Reference by Philip
Andrews (Focal Press,
2005; ISBN:0-240-51989-2).
Discover the latest
features, tools and
functions to take
the guesswork out
of using Elements
3.0.
Adobe
Photoshop CS2 for
Photographers:
A Professional Image
Editor’s Guide
to the Creative Use
of Photoshop for
the Mac and PC by
Martin Evening (Focal
Press, 2005; 0-240-51984-1).
This comprehensive
guide will teach
you the ins and outs
of Photoshop CS2.
A CD-ROM with movie
tutorials is included.
Bye-Bye
Blur
The Fujifilm
FinePix F10 digital
camera features
Anti-Blur technology,
which allows
you to take pictures
in low-light situations
with reduced noise
and blur. The F10
quickly fires off
a shot with
virtually no lag
time, ensuring you
won’t
miss that all-important
picture. In addition,
the camera powers
up in just over a
second,
can take 500 pictures
on a single battery
charge and sports
a 6-megapixel sensor.
List Price: $399. Contact: Fujifilm, (800) 800-FUJI,
www.fujifilm.com.
Field
Computer Imaging
Bag
The Tenba
PG-17C Gemini Case carries
both photo equipment
and a laptop. The
laptop side features
Tenba’s Location
Station work area,
which has a drop-down
surface, glare/privacy
shield and a pass-through
cord port for efficient
field work. The other
side holds a camera,
multiple lenses and
accessories. Separate
the two sides and
carry them independently
or zip them together
to make an all-in-one
case. List Price:
$278. Contact: Tenba/RoadWired
(MAC Group), (914)
347-3300, www.tenbagear.com.
Photo-Friendly
Backpack
Don’t just
carry any old backpack
for your photo
gear. Put your
SLR, up to four
extra lenses, flash
units, a laptop
and accessories
in a photographer-specific
backpack—the
Lowepro
CompuRover AW. Design features
include a tripod
mount for added
stability and balance,
a removable accessory
pouch and an all-weather
cover to protect
your gear from
harsh conditions.
List Price: $229.
Contact: Lowepro,
(800) 800-LOWE,
www.lowepro.com.
Light,
Bright And Powerful
With dimensions
of 7.6x10.9x2.7
inches and weighing
less than four
pounds, the Epson
Powerlite 760c
and 765c projectors are compact,
lightweight and
convenient for
on-the-go digital
slideshows. Both
units offer a
high resolution
of 1,024 x 768
and up to 2,500
Ansi lumens so
your images will
be bright and
colorful. The
765c has WiFi
capabilities
and supports
USB memory devices.
List Price: $2,309
(760c); $2,399
(765c). Contact: Epson, (800)
GO-EPSON, www.epson.com.
All In One
Perfect for
your home
office, the
Lexmark
P4350 All-In-One
Printer is
a flatbed
scanner,
copier and
color photo
printer that
can produce
inkjet prints.
Its 1.7-inch
color LCD
screen lets
you view
your images
clearly for
easier editing.
The unit
supports
xD, SD, CompactFlash,
MultiMedia
and SmartMedia
cards. List
Price: $129.
Contact: Lexmark,
(800) 332-4120,
www.lexmark.com.
Click And
Print
Print different-sized
pictures on
one page, create
a photo collage
or print a
frame from
your favorite
home video
with ArcSoft’s
PhotoPrinter
5 software. Image-editing
tools include
red-eye removal,
auto-crop,
auto-rotate
and a Color
Profile Wizard
to help you
choose the
best printer
setting. List
Price: $50.
Contact: ArcSoft,
(800) 762-8657,
www.arcsoft.com.
Make
Movie Magic
Major movie studios
may be scrambling
to hire you as
a director of
photography after
they’ve
seen your smooth
footage shot
with the Steadicam
Merlin from Tiffen. An ultra-lightweight
camera stabilizer
at 12.8 ounces,
the Merlin is
designed to keep
your camera steady
as you move about,
thus preventing
a shaky image.
The Steadicam
can support camcorders
from 0.5 to five
pounds and has
a Folding Caliper
hinge that instantly
folds up to a
comfortable shoulder
mode. List Price:
$849. Contact: Tiffen, (800)
645-2522, www.tiffen.com.
Design
Yourself
Forget writing
on your DVDs
with a marker
or using sticky
labels. With
a DVD/CD-compatible
inkjet printer
and TDK’s
PrintOn DVD media, you can create
DVDs with a professional
look. Like printing
paper, the media
comes in three
types of surfaces—Photo
Quality for
sharp color
photos,
White Matte
for a softer
look
and Color Matte,
which features
red, blue,
gold, green
and silver
surfaces to
add a colorful
twist
to your projects.
All DVDs are
sold as singles
or in a set
of 50. List
Price:
$4 (each);
$170 (set of
50).
Contact: TDK,
(800) 835-8273,
www.tdk.com.
Digital Black-And-Whites
Create black-and-white
prints with
better tonalities
and detail
with InkjetMall’s
new Piezography
Neutral K7
Black and
White ink
set. The
set now incorporates
seven dilutions
of gray pigments,
and because
they’re
all used
at the same
time, the
result is
a print that
has smoother
tonal transitions
and increased
detail in
shadow areas.
It’s
designed
for use with
the Epson
Stylus Photo
2200 and
supports
the Epson
Stylus Pro
4000 and
7600 printers.
List Price:
$17 (per
cartridge);
$119 (set
of all seven).
Contact: InkjetMall,
(888) 426-6323,
www.inkjetmall.com.
Watertight
Rolling Case
You can rest
assured your
expensive photo
gear is safe
and dry in
Pelican’s
1560 Case. Designed with
a hard, durable
exterior, the
case incorporates
a Gore-Tex® purge
valve that
prevents moisture
from getting
in, and balances
interior and
exterior air
pressure. Having
outer dimensions
of 22.1x18x10.4
inches, the
1560 is a practical,
midsized case
that provides
2,800 cubic
inches of inner
storage space
and has strong,
ball-bearing
wheels for
easy transport.
List Price:
$229. Contact: Pelican (BKA),
(847) 821-0450,
www.bkaphoto.com.
Thin
And Phat!
Barely bigger
than a credit
card, the Casio
S500 Exilim Card
Digital Camera still manages
to pack in a
lot of features.
The camera has
a 5-megapixel
sensor, MPEG-4-quality
movie recording
for up to one
hour (when using
a 1 GB SD memory
card) and an
Anti-Shake Digital
Signal Processor
that helps limit
blurry pictures.
With a start-up
time of one second
and a 0.008-second
shutter lag,
missing a fast-action
shot is a thing
of the past.
The camera features
a 3x retractable
zoom lens and
a large 2.2-inch
color LCD screen.
List Price: $399.
Contact: Casio,
(800) 435-7732,
www.casio.com.
Have
Digital Gear,
Will travel
If you shoot
digitally today,
you more than
likely have a
laptop included
in the mix. The
Tamrac
CyberPro Flyer
Rolling
Photo/Computer
Briefcase (#5261) offers convenient
storage for a
laptop and up
to three lenses,
your camera,
a flash and gadgets.
With wheels and
a retractable
handle, the case
is ideal for
travel. List
Price: $290.
Contact: Tamrac,
(800) 662-0717,
www.tamrac.com.
Show It!
Incorporate
your digital
video clips
and still
images into
a movie-like
show with
Simple
Star’s
PhotoShow
4. While
Express and
Deluxe versions
both offer
easy menu
options and
wizards that
intuitively
guide you
through the
process of
editing and
creating
a show, the
Deluxe version
adds additional
features
like text
overlays,
artistic
scene transitions,
special effects,
clip art
and music.
Import your
own songs
or choose
from a music
library included
in the software.
List Price:
$50 (Deluxe);
Express version
is free.
Contact: Simple Star,
www.simplestar.com.
