Photography News

Adobe just announced the the third version of their masterful photo editing tool "Lightroom" has officially been released today.

The non-destructive photo editor allows you to make changes to your photos without altering the underlying RAW or JPG files. Full retail versions will run $299 and upgrades $99.

 [MORE]

Adobe has posted a cool video of adventure photographer Tyler Shackelford not only doing a photo shoot from a vertical wall of ice, but he's processing those image with the upcoming Lightroom 3 (using Beta 2 that is available for public trial).


He demonstrates his workflow with Lightroom 3 that allows him to process up to 3000 photos per session (gasp!) quickly and efficiently.

Check out the video here:

The people at Zoner Software have informed us that they have released "Zoner Photo Studio Free", an introductory version of their Photo Studio editing and management software. You can download the fully free copy at http://free.zoner.com/ via the LINK below.

Full details on the Zoner line of editing software follows: [MORE]

Owners of the Spyder3 color calibration tool will be thrilled to learn the software has been upgraded to an all new version 4.0. At a reasonable upgrade price of only $19 for an instant download, the new version offers the following features:

• New Workflow Features


• Software Brightness Control


• Automated Brightness Adjustment


• Iterative Gray Balance Option


• Display Graphing


• Monitor Quality Analyzer

The full press release can be read after the jump. [MORE]

At the stroke of midnight, Adobe formally announced the latest edition of their Photoshop series, the all new CS5. It features internal HDR toning, content aware fill and something called puppet warp. For more details, read on. [MORE]

This has got to be one of the coolest features for Photoshop CS5 I've seen so far. Content-Aware Fill allows you to remove items from your screen, and have Photoshop intelligently fill in the space they left behind. Quite amazing. Check this video on Youtube.

Topaz Labs has issued a free upgrade to v4.0 of their Adjust tool. The update includes new presets, a new user interface, and algorithm enhancements.

If you're not yet a Topaz Adjust user, then you can buy now for a special $10 off price.

For more details, see below... [MORE]

Panasonic unveiled details on thee new slim cameras due mid-March 2010. They are the DMC-T52, DMC-ZS7, and the DMC-ZS5 and retail between $299.95 and $399.95. [MORE]

Interested high-school seniors who are pursuing a photo-related degree have one more weekend to get their submissions in for Sigma's scholarship competition. One winner will received $5,000 in college money and $1,000 in Sigma gear. Entry deadline is this Monday, February 15 2010. [MORE]

Tripod manufacturer Induro has announced a new line of tripod heads that take a departure from traditional pan- or ball-heads. A gimbal head "has some unique characteristics enabling it to do things other heads can’t. The camera and lens, because of this unique weightless state, can be tilted up or down and stay in that position without the need to be locked in place."

Three new gimbals are offered, ranging from $200 to $489. [MORE]

Owners of Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D cameras now have the option of transmitting their shots immediately via wireless network connection using one of three new devices designed specifically for these models.

The WFT-E2 II A, WFT-E4 II A and WFT-E5A transmitters provide "professional photographers with a range of innovative wireless connectivity options for all photographic disciplines".

Additionally the units can link more than one camera, allowing for simultaneous synchronized shots from different angles.

The "E4" and "E5A" are available immediately for $699.99 while the "E2" is slated for first quarter 2010 and the price is not yet set. [MORE]

Delkin announced their newest speed jump in CF card technology, the 420X Compact Flash PRO series. The cards reach speeds up to 63MB/second and are available in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. [MORE]

Vivitar, now owned by Sakar International, announced their 2010 line of budget friendly digital cameras at CES this week. Read on for full details on these models! [MORE]

Entry level photographers have two new cameras to choose from in Olympus' FE line. The FE-4020 and FE-47 short-zoom cameras feature 14 megapixel resolution, SD compatibility, in-camera art filters and more. The 5x FE-47 will be available this month for $119.99 and the 4x FE-4020 ships in February for a street price of $149.99. [MORE]

Three new pocket zoom cameras from Olympus were announced at CES, the 7x Stylus-7040 and Stylus-7030 and the 5x Stylus-5010. The 14 megapixel cameras feature HD Video and SD card compatibility. Look for them in February 2010 for $249.99 for the 7040 and $199.99 for the other two. [MORE]

Olympus announced several cameras at CES, including the Stylus TOUGH-3000 model that is "as smart as it is durable". New to Olympus is the integration of the popular SD card (up to 32 GB) - finally. The TOUGH-3000 will retail for $229.99 and will be available this spring. [MORE]

Casio today announced four new cameras for their EXILIM series, the high-speed 10.1 megapixel EX-FH100 and three 14.1 megapixel models: EX-H15, EX-Z2000 and EX-Z550.

The EX-FH100 will shoot up to 40 9MP images per second and sports a 10X optical zoom.

The 14.1MP trio of camera feature the new "Engine 5" processor which Casio boasts increases processing speed by 30%. [MORE]

Casio has unveiled their new photo frame, the "Digital Art Frame" which takes your photos and displays them as work of art using a new "snapshot to painting conversion" technique. It will recognize facial features to insure your loved ones and subjects remain recognizable in the resulting art.

It is slated for Spring of 2010 and its current design is a 10.2" screen, 2 GB internal memory and can receive images via SD/SDHC or through a wireless network connection. [MORE]

The LaCie company has revealed their hot new LaCinema Mini HD media center. The device allows you to copy and store your images and video on its internal harddrive and display in full 1080p on a HD ready television. This will allow photographers new and creative ways of presenting portfolios to their clients, even in their own homes.

The LaCinema Mini HD is currently available in Europe in the 500GB model and expected to be available worldwide during the first quarter of 2010. It retails for $299. [MORE]

Nik Software is helping to train current and future customers on the joys of photo-editing with their software tools. Beginning today, they are offering three webinars per day, Monday-Friday via their niksoftware.com website.

"Webinars cover basic installation, usage tips and other information to help photographers achieve maximum success with the Nik Software product line. To further enhance the learning experience, attendees can pose questions to the educators during the webinars." [MORE]

Griping about the gripping of your mouse for hours at a time as you edit photos? Jelfin may have the solution with the new Gel Mouse, an ergonomically designed ball-shaped that is "ensconced in a soft, luxe gel covering that hugs the entire surface area and sets a new standard for comfort".

"Jelfin has kept both eyes on the ball with the introduction of the world’s first ball-shaped, gel-cushioned mouse, the Jelfin Mouse. Jelfin’s intelligent new design fits perfectly the curvature of your hand, providing a more natural and comfortable feel than a traditionally for longer periods of time at the computer and put less tension on wrist and forearm. One part cushiony stress-relief ball, two parts cool computer mouse, Jelfin is undeniably soft and tactilely enticing to the touch."

The corded USB mouse is available in five vibrant colors: cobalt blue, crimson red, cadmium yellow, electric green and hot pink. It's available now for $34.95 from Amazon.com.

Nik Software, the maker of high-end, high performance plugins for photo editing tools has released the latest version of their Viveza product, version 2.0. Viveza 2 allows photographers to selectively adjust lighting and color with precise selection controls without the need for layer masks or in-host selections.

Viveza 2 is available now and retails for $199.95. Upgrades are available for $99.95 and free if you purchased the previous version after September 22, 2009. [MORE]

Phototech sends along camera maintenance tips for the Christmas season. Not a bad refresher and especially important reminders for those that might be receiving cameras for Christmas. [MORE]

Olympus sends word that they've updated the Olympus Master software to v 2.3 to allow for "the development of E-P2 RAW files using the Diorama and Cross Process Art Filters and iEnhance picture mode using the Windows 7 and Mac OS X v 10.16 (Snow Leopard) Operating Systems."

The update can be downloaded at: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/oima_softwaremaster.asp

Through December 31, 2009 if you buy a Wacom Intuos4 Tablet from Wacom you get your choice of a NAPP produced training DVD. This is good in the United States only on the medium size or larger.

You can choose from the following:

• Mastering Layers in Adobe Photoshop CS4 with Matt Kloskowski
  
• Adobe Photoshop CS4 Design Effects with Corey Barker
  
• Photoshop CS4 Beauty & Portrait Retouching Kit with David Cuerdon
  

Full details at: http://direct.wacom.com/NappOffer/?contactID=122688778&gwkey=D3WUQJIH9D