December 16: Apple & Jobs announce they are pulling out of MacWorld: Apple today announced that 2009 will be its last MacWorld and that Steve Jobs would not give the keynote. Whatever you think of the Mac and Apple, this is definitely the end of an exciting decade long tradition since "Steve" returned to Apple and re-launched the Mac and then the iPod and the iPhone. Apple claims it has outgrown tradeshows but of course there is speculation about possible health and/or product issues being an underlying reason.
December 12: Nikon clarifies confusion over "Sony" sensor in the D3X: Nikon watchers have wondered if the $8,000 D3X was an expensive way to get a Sony sensor they could get more cheaply in a Sony camera. Nikon more or less laid that to rest this week revealing that while Sony did do the final fabrication (production) of the Nikon sensor, the design of the sensor is unique to Nikon and optimized exclusively for the D3X and EXPEED chipset--and therefore different and presumably superior to the version Sony is using.
December 10: Photodex introduced ProShow Producer 4.0, an updated version of the industry's most powerful slideshow and DVD production software with a slew of new features for professional slideshows. Highlights include new Slide Styles with a library of 75 pre-defined styles and lots of other features, especially for audio and video. You can download an evaluation copy.
December 2: DPS nikondigital.org Newsletter 6-11: The Magic of High Dynamic Range Imagery is now available online.
November 30 / December 1: Nikon D3X announced. Essentially a 24.5MP 5fps version of the D3, the camera is positioned to go head to head with medium format cameras. But the resolution comes with some costs--a lower 5fps (7fps in crop mode shooting 7MP), less low light sensitivity (100-1600 + ISO step ups to 6400, so sounds like 1-2 stops less) and higher cost. The new camera is priced at 900,000 yen in Japan and $8000 in the US. The other good news is that the price on the D3 has dropped below $4200 at B&H (it shows as $4999 but once you click on it you'll see the new price).
November 30: Lower prices on Nikon D700--now $2496 at B&H. The Nikon D300 is holding fairly steady at $1485 at B&H.
November 29: FREE High Speed Compact Flash Cards! Seriously: If you order 3 Sandisk Extreme III 4GB cards for $20 each from B&H you qualify for a $60 rebate, making the net cost $0! Or get 3 8GB cards for $30 each and a $70 rebate for a $1/GB net cost. If this is any sign of the pre-Christmas deals it should be a good one for photogrpahers. Thanks to reader Mike Ouye for finding this deal.
November 26: Adobe Releases Camera Raw 5.2 for Photoshop CS4. Adds support for Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon Powershot G10 and Panasonic G1, FX150, FZ28, LX3. You can get it easily from the Help->Updates menu in Photoshop. New features:
- Targeted Adjustment Tool for on image adjustments
- Output sharpening for print or screen output
- Snapshots for saving all settings in a single reference
- Camera Profiles for enhanced raw file interpretation now available in the Calibration panel
November 26: National Geographic Announces International Photo Competition Winners. You can see them online.
November 21: Digital Railroad shutdown winds sloppily to an end. All images on their servers have been destroyed, no money will be refunded, and any royalties paid to DRR will not be forwarded to photographers (they've gone to the lenders). The only silver lining is that any licenses collected in the next month will be split 70% with the photographer. We'll hope for eveyone's sake that no one lost any irreplaceable images or large chunks of income.
November 19: Nikon releases firmware 5.02 for the SB-900--This has got to be another milestone for the industry. User-upgradeable firmware for a speedlight! You can download it from Nikon. The update addresses two issues:
- With uninterrupted shooting with the SB-900 set to i-TTL mode, images captured just before the flash ceased firing were sometimes overexposed.
- When the SB-900, set to TTL auto flash mode, is used with a camera not supporting the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS), flash mode automatically changes to A mode as needed. Now it is restored to the original mode when used with a CLS camera again.
November 17: RED introduced its long awaited hybrid Video/Still camera late last week. If money is no object (and I really mean no object!) and you are shooting in a studio or don't mind walking around with something that looks more like a movie camera than a D-SLRs these are the cat's meow!
November 12: In a disappointing ending for revolutionary camera and sensor maker Foveon, Sigma has purchased the company for an un-disclosed amount. Their radical "three-layer" sensor design never caught on with any of the major camera makers so it is not surprising they have been purchased by their largest customer and partner.
November 11: DPS 6-10: Making the Ordinary Extrarodinary, DigitalPro 5 Announcement and New Product Reviews is now online.
November 11: Digital Railroad servers to be wiped clean & auctioned. Read the depressing current news. SAA still working to get photographers paid.
November 3: Photorescue Update is now Available for Download. Version 3.1.7 adds support for new Raw file formats and reduces the memory needs when recovering data from large cards. Still a bargain at only $29!
November 1: Look for RED, makers of some blow-away video cameras to announce a convergence D-SLR + Video camera on November 13. After the enthusiasm for the Nikon D90 and Canon 5D Mark II which both add video to D-SLRs this segment of the market seems to be heating up quickly!
October 31: Hard on the heels of Digital Railroad shutting its doors and leaving photographers who had pre-paid up to a year in advance in the lurch, Livebooks has cleverly announced financing options for its photographer clients. It doesn't remove the financial risk, but certainly lessens it.
October 29: URGENT: Digital Railroad is shutting down and photographers with images only have 24-hours to get their images off before they are lost. This is a shame for the industry as DRR was hoping to re-invent stock photography in a photographer-centric way--but like previous efforts they had an unrealistic notion of what was possible and of course the economic downturn didn't help their chances. But in any case, if you have images there, please get them copied to somewhere else! PhotoShelter is offering a discount to DRR photographers looking for a new home for their images.
October 28: Nikon releases major firmware update for the Nikon D300. Version 1.1 includes more control over Auto ISO, adding Copyright info to images, faster AF, improved Auto White Balance, and a host of minor bug fixes. You can download for Windows or for Mac (serial number needed).
October 28: Penn State profession is able to photgraph coughs, gunshots and other invisible effects. This very cool technique & amazing images are profiled in the New York Times today.
October 27: Genuine Fractals tries for a comeback. The grand-daddy of professional upscalers, GF has languished for many years as inexpensive Photoshop actions and even Photoshop itself have caught up. Today OnOne, who bought LizardTech & its GF product line have introduced Genuine Fractals 6 promising that with new texture mapping and other features it'll once again be worth the hefty price tag of $299 for the Pro version. It also includes capabilities for splitting images and making them work well with Gallery Wraps.
October 24: Don't know what to do with your old digital camera? Check out David's new article in PC Magazine for some fun projects you can build with it.
October 20: Adobe releases Adobe Camera Raw 4.6, with support for the Nikon D90, Nikon D700, Coolpix P6000, Canon 50D and Canon 1000D. Download for WIndows or for Mac. This is the last update for Photoshop CS3, so all new cameras from here on are likely to require CS4 to get Raw image support. Camera Raw 5.1 (for Photoshop CS4) is expected later this week and will add all the new cameras to CS4. You should be able to snag that simply by using the Update feature in CS4.
October 13: D-SLR Video Update: The Nikon D90 has come in for some criticism on its video from Luminous Landscape. Now dpreview has posted some sample videos from the Canon 5D Mark II. Let us know in our forums whether you think Video in D-SLRs is a real tool or just a gimmick?
October 10: Delkin ships an SD to CompactFlash Adapter. This device may be a godsend for those with both SD & CF cameras, or who merely want to take advantage of the lower cost of SD cards. It is SDHC compatible and worth a try at $30. Previously the only SD to CF adapters were hard to find and very slow, so thanks Delkin for bringing this product out!
September 29: Orphan Works bill sneaks through the Senate--on track for passage in the House. This bill severely limits the rights of small copyright holders. Read what ASMP, SAA, NPPA and APA say and how they want you to help stop its passage!
September 29: Photokina is over and DP Review has posted Previews of the Canon 50D, the Nikon D90 and the Sony Alpha A900 for those deciding what they want next for a D-SLR. Pretec has also unveiled 100GB CompactFlash cards which will be shipping later this month.
September 25: Nikon releases Updates to Capture NX2, Control Pro & Transfer. nik updates Dfine 2.1 to include Smart Filter & Aperture support.
September 24:nik Sharpener Pro 3.0, Can Sharpening get any better? Plus a new Photoshop CS4 Learning Center from NAPP. All in issue 6-09 of DigitalPro Shooter the nikondigital.org newsletter.
September 23: Details are emerging on Adobe Creative Suite CS4. PC Mag goes over all the different Suite options to help you choose. They've also got a preview of Adobe Photoshop CS4.
September 22: Nikon introduces new 50mm f/1.4 AF-S (G) lens to celebrate 75 years of Nikon Optics. With one of these and a D3 who needs light:-) The lens is priced at $439 and will be available in December.
September 18: Photodex releases ProShow Producer 3.5--adds Blu-Ray support, integrated audio ripping and more extensive keyframe support into their industry leading slideshow and DVD production package. Available immediately for $249, upgrades start at $89.
September 17: Canon introduces 5D Mark II -- 21MP update to the 5D which also captures full 1080p HD video for $3499. 3.5fps stills.
September 15: Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Bibblelabs Bibble 5 to be introduced next week at Photokina. After Johnny L's sneak preview at Photoshop World there is a lot of anticipation about CS4. And today Bibble let us know they'll be announcing the world's fastest Raw processor, Bibble 5, next week at Photokina also. So lots of great new tools for photographers coming up this fall. We'll keep you informed as they ship.
September 15: Delkin introduced new pop-up LCD protectors for the Nikon D3, D300, D60 and Canon Rebel XSi.
September 9: Sony a900 D-SLR aims right at the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III and Nikon D700. A 24.6MP full frame camera with built-in image stabilization, the a900 is priced at $2999 and is capable of 5 fps at full resolution. The a900 will also have an anti-dust system but still weigh in at a remarkably light 30 ounces. The Sony a900 will use either memory sticks (why don't they give up on the memory stick?) or CompactFlash cards. They have also introduced 16-35mm and 70-400mm Zeiss zoom lenses. The camera is due in November, the lenses in January. Read the Sony a900 product release.
September 8: Want to get more from your Canon Powershot? Learn how Andrei Gratchev's CHDK open-source project of hacks can enable Raw capture, motion detection and lots of other hidden features on your camera.
September 8: Photrade launches first free photographer centric online site for sharing, licensing & selling images at DEMO 2009. You can read the full press release & details in our Photo Business Forum, and let us know your thoughts about how their solution compares with others like Digital Railroad, PhotographersDirect and ZenFolio, or even with traditional stock agencies they are hoping to replace.
September 4: Canon fills out D-SLR line with impressive EOS 50D: At 15MP and 6fps and chock full of other pro features including lower high ISO noise than the 40D, the 50D does a great job of going head to head with the Nikon D300. Read Chuck Westfall's interview in PDN about the 50D and Canon's thinking. The 50D will be available in October for $1399 or $1599 with a new 28-135mm lens.
September 3: Strut your Stuff--Advice on Great ways to Share your Images is the feature article in the latest issue, DPS 6-08, of our Free DigitalPro Shooter online newsletter.
September 1: New "Checkpoint-Friendly" Laptop bags. A Gimmick or a godsend? TSA is now allowing laptop sleeves to be used when sending laptops through security. This is good news for those worried about their machines getting cracked or dinged. However, the sleeves can not have any pockets, straps or other obstructions so we're very sceptical about the rush to new bags like the very popular one from Skooba since a sleeve with pockets & a strap is really much more useful the rest of the time.
August 28:Nikon agrees to pay Microsoft to cross-license patents, allowing both companies to share and use each others innovations. This is pretty standard practice for computer companies, and mostly just goes to show how much the photo & computer industries have converged.
August 27: Nikon introduces the exciting D90: A break-through in "convergence" the D90 can capture both 12MP still images and HD video clips (in 720p which Nikon calls D-Movie Mode). Like the D300 it also features Live View, 11-point AF & a high-rez 3" LCD. At 4.5fps the camera is quick, and it comes with the new 18-105 AF-S/VR lens. MSRP will be $999 for the D90, $1299 for body plus lens--both available in September. The D90 will work with the new GP-1 GPS unit, available in November. See NikonUSA for more details.
August 14: DPS 6-07 is now online: "Back to Africa" Safari Notes & Announcement, Nikon's new Raw file Format, plus update on Nikon D700 & SB-900
August 7: Nikon introduces flagship Coolpix P6000--featuring integrated GPS, optical viewfinder and tons of other features and a new Raw format (NRW) for use with Nikon ViewNX software & in-camera Picture Control. It will be available in September for $499 MSRP. Read all the details on the Nikon Coolpix P6000.
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