Photokina 2006

The bi-annual Photokina show is in full swing in the city of Cologne in Germany. For Photographers and Digital Imageers in Europe this is the photo centric event. There are about 1600 suppliers represented at the show with about 160,000 visitors expected to attend. There have been new products aplenty both released and announced to coincide with the show.

Hardware wise, new cameras, tools and accessories to make any chance you had of wanting to save money, a tough task indeed. The best of the crop in my mind to date are the new Leica M8 and The Hasselblad H3D 48mm full frame DSLR. The Leica M8 with its 10+ megapixel sensor and compatibility with existing glass will make this a very popular model with many photographers who have already invested in Leica based rangefinder cameras and glass. The Hasselblad H3D looks like a really sexy piece of kit and most like something which would cost as much as a decent car. Not for the casual photographer unless you happen to have won a lottery or are loaded.

Other cool gear included a new wooden bodied compact camera from Olympus, which look like it was style by a child of the 60's. On the memory card front we have seen 12Gb and 16GB CF Cards and external storage solutions aplenty.

Software wise, one of the big things that seems to be the focus of software companies from all over, has been the abundance of solutions for RAW image handling and workflow. Adobe and Apple lead the pack with releases of their RAW based software solutions. Apple announced Aperture 1.5 which should be out this week. Seeing as I don't have a Mac I can really comment, but the new features look promising. Adobe have also fired several volleys this week with the release of Beta 4 of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 and Adobe Camera RAW 3.5.

Software from other companies includes; Capture One PRO, DxO Optics Pro, Bibble 4.9 and Lightzone 2.0. Other offerings include image editing and processing solutions like Corel PaintShop Pro XI, Ulead PhotoImpact 12 and ACDSee 9 Photo Manager.

Other products include: iPod accessories, portable image storage and viewing solutions, specialised image correction software of all kinds. high resolution webcams, digital photo frames, DLP projectors, camera bags, printers, scanners and tripods.

For the most comprehensive coverage of Photokina go to Photokina Show from Lets Go Digital.

Other coverage can be found at the following sites: DPReview, Rob Galbraith, Digital Camera Info and Imaging Resource

Digital Outback Photo Preview Lightzone Public Beta.

Lightzone is a RAW converter with a difference. LightZone is based on photographic principles and on Ansel Adams' Zone System. Lightzone works via a unique visual approach that focuses on what you want to do with your photos. It allows you to retouch your photos in a simple and natural way. The new Beta is being made available to the public in a growing trend of public beta programs aimed at getting real world feedback. The new features look interesting and it's worth a visit to DOP to see what they have to say. DOP are also acting as advisors to Light Crafts Inc. in the development of LightZone 2.0. Visit DOP to take a look at Lightzone 2.0.

Canon Updates DPP and Other Digital Photo Apps

Canon has released updaters for both the Mac and Windows versions of their Digital Photo Professional which update the program to version 2.2. Other updates include ImageBrowser 5.7.2 for Mac, ZoomBrowser EX 5.7.0 for Windows, EOS Utility 1.1 for both Mac & Windows and CameraWindow DSLR 5.3.2 for Windows.

Bibble Labs release Bibble 4.9

Bibble 4.9 has been released in both Pro and Lite editions. These updated versions, which run on Windows, Mac, and Linux introduce a Clone/Spot Healing tool and adds support for the Sony DSLR-A100, the Nikon D80, and the Canon 400D (Rebel XTi). Bibble 4.9 cost US$129 for the Pro edition and US$69 for the Lite edition, they are free upgrades for existing owners of Bibble 4.XX. Visit Bibble Labs for more info.

Bibble Labs have also announced that development has commenced on Bibble 5, which will be the company's next major release. No availability date has been stated.

Nik Software Announce Nik Professional Suite

For folks who are familiar with Nik Software's products and who have wanted to pick up some of their plug-ins, Nik Software have created Nik Professional Suite, which bundles complete versions of their award-winning Nik Color Efex Pro™ 2.0, Nik Sharpener Pro™ 2.0 and Dfine® 1.0. All of these products should be an essential part of an imageers arsenal. Nik Software will be presenting this Suite for the first time at photokina in Cologne. Visit their stand in hall 4.1, booth E-011/F-019, between the 26th September and the 1st October 2006.

Nik Color Efex Pro™ 2.0 Complete Edition:
The award-winning Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 photographic filters offer features and functionality that are designed to make creative digital photographic enhancements and digital photography not only easier, but better. Recognized as the leader in digital photographic filters, Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 provides photographers with a wide range of 75 filters and effects that make enhancing and transforming digital images better than ever. More

Nik Sharpener Pro™ 2.0 Complete Edition:
Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 provides the easiest way for photographers and digital artists to optimally sharpen their digital images and achieve the best possible detail in their final prints. Each part of a photo can be sharpened selectively. Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 takes into consideration all of the key elements of a printed image in order to provide photographers with optimal sharpening. More

Dfine® 1.0:
Dfine 1.0 provides a wide range of options for reducing noise and optimizing detail in digital images. Using an easy-to-use four-step process, users can choose to reduce varying types of noise and artefacts including luminance noise, chrominance noise, and JPEG artefacts. A professional plug-in for photographers who attach greatest importance to image details. More

The Suite offers saving of about 41%, and at a price of €499,00 it is a great deal. For more info visit the Nik Professional Suite newsletter page.

Adobe Announce Camera RAW 3.5

Adobe have announced the latest version of their Adobe Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop CS2 or Photoshop Elements 3.0 - 5.0. They have also announced an update to their DNG Converter utility, which converts Raw files into their 'universal' DNG format. New cameras supported by Adobe Camera Raw 3.5 plug-in and DNG Converter include; Nikon D2Xs, Kodak EasyShare P712, Panasonic DMC-FZ50 and DMC-L1, and Sony A100. The DNG Converter is also available as a Mac OS X Universal Binary. For more infoand to download visit the Adobe Camera Raw download page.

Zigview Announce S2

After my post regarding the Proview yesterday, I was pleased to get a release on the Zigview S2 ... although it is not a wireless solution it appears to be far superior to the proview in terms of design and function. I would really like to get hold of both units to do a comparison. The unit comes in three different configurations and features a 2.5inch 230,000 pixel display.

Zigview S2 has a programmable motion detector sensor and intervalometer allowing you to control the shutter over a period of up to 999 days with exposure intervals of between ½ second and 99 days. It also features an NTSC/PAL Video Output jack. The display can rotate 300° and can flip up or down 180° for easy viewing at any angle. The image can be flipped 180° to enhance viewing ease. The S2 should be avaialble at the beginning next month, for a price of US$466 or £249.99. For more info visit either Intro2020, Argraph or Climax Digital

New Leicas Announced

Leica are a company that many photographers swear by. Their cameras are well known for their quality and performance. They also exude style. Earlier this week I was doing some searching to see what new models they had on the market and found nothing within the last six months. This left me wondering; sure enough a few days later they announce several new models for photokina 2006. The three new consumer/prosumer models, which are based on Panasonic technology, are the DIGILUX 3, the DSLR like V-LUX 1 and the D-LUX 3.

The DIGILUX 3 is based on Panasonic's DMC-L1 and features a 7.5 megapixel sensor. The "LiveMOS" based 4:3 DSLR also features an optical image stabilized lens, a supersonic dust filter and a 2.5-inch LCD. The V-LUX 1, which looks like a DSLR and is based on the DMC-FZ50, features a 10 megapixel CCD, a 12x optically image stabilized zoom lens, and a 2-inch LCD. Leica's D-LUX 3 takes on the ultra-compact styling of the DMC-LX2, and features a 10.2 megapixel 16:9 format CCD. It also features a 2.8-inch LCD, and optical image stabilisation.

The biggest news has to be about the Leica M8 rangefinder based, 10.3 megapixel digicam. This baby, which has an enormous £3,000+ price tag, will attract a lot of interest, but may be more of a curiosity for many photographers than it is a practicality. Still, Leica are known for their glass and I have seen many photographers preferring to use them with all their supposed disadvantages, over using SLR based cameras. The Lens encoding support plus the ease of focusing are going to be big draws to many existing Leica users.

DPreview have produced some excellent previews of these cameras, so please visit them at dpreview for more info.

Pentax Announce The K10

Pentax, the company who created my first SLR, have announced their first high-end digital SLR. This camera is a compact but high-quality model well suited for use by serious amateurs, art photographers, semi-pros, and professionals.

The new camera is called the K10 "D" and features a 10.2-megapixel CCD APS-C-sized sensor with an FOV Crop of 1.5x. Features include: 22-bit A/D conversion which is the highest of all existing DSLRs. Native support for DNG RAW files which allows the shooting of up to 9 Adobe DNG RAW images at 3 images per second or an unlimited number of JPEGs at the same speed.

Full weatherproofing with seventy-two weather seals and gaskets in the body, which effectively make the camera virtually waterproof. A Built-in Shake Reduction (SR) System and combatibility with all Pentax lenses, including all manual-focus lenses. There is also a removeable battery grip: The D-BG2 battery grip doubles the life of the camera’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It is also weatherproof like the camera, and, features full vertical-hold controls: a vertical shutter-release button, preview lever, two control dials, AE-lock button and the green button which enables instant return to program mode from aperture- or shutter-priority, as well as instant return to a metered setting while in metered-manual mode.

The Dual dust-elimination system, uses both a vapor-deposited fluorine compound coating on the sensor to repel dust, and high-speed physical vibration of the sensor itself to shake off the offending particles. The large glass pentaprism provides Ninety-five percent coverage and .95X magnification, there is also a diopter adjustment.

Other features include a stainless-steel body, 11-point autofocusing, and sensitivity to ISO 1600. There's also a dedicated button which allows you to toggle between RAW and standard modes. The K10 weighs 28 oz. loaded with battery and a card and should retail for US $900 in a body only package or for $1000 with a kit lens. The battery grip should cost US $190.

Pro-View - a remote viewfinder.

Pro-View has announced the launch of their wireless remote display for DSLR Cameras. The Pro-View Wireless Remote Display (WRD) uses a micro-color video camera and a 2.4 GHz transmitter in a custom enclosure that slips over the viewfinders eye cup.
This is similar in concept to the zigview but designed for remote as opposed to on camera viewing. I can see that with some kind of movable remote mount this would be great even for the purpose of surveillance. Wildlife photographers would definitely benefit from using the Pro-View WRD and with a remote release they'd be completely out of sight of the wildlife. Pro-View appear to have taken a page out of Zigviews book and are even using very similar language in their marketing. I do hope that the images of the product are based on a prototype, as they need to have some serious industrial design work done on the casing, because it is really ugly. At US $475, here's hoping ... visit http://www.proviewsite.com/ for more details.

Adobe Elements 5 and Paint Shop Pro XI announced

This week both Corel and Adobe announce new digital imaging solutions, Paint Shop Pro XI and Elements 5, which would both appear to be aimed at the consumer. I haven't had the chance to play with Elements 5, but I did get a tour of PSPXI. OK I'm going to be honest here, Corel have released their latest version of Paint Shop Pro, and Version XI is quite user friendly with lots of power, but it is more than just a consumer centric application. There are many pros, who could look at this solution, as a viable alternative to Photoshop. I've even installed it on my machine and taken it for a spin and I can tell you it's no lightweight. The application has been upgraded with some excellent new features and the integration with their new imaging platform, Snapfire, is something to explore.

The best new features are the powerful integrated organizer, the powerful and easy to use Color-Changer Tool, the Depth of Field and Skin Smoothing tools as well as the new film based Time Machine and the Film and Filters tools. Time machine was cool because it provides the user a simple and effective way to stylize their images using effects which are based on historical photographic techniques.

I plan to take a look at Elements in the next week or so, but look for a more in-depth review of PSPXI real soon...

Digital Heritage - Review

Digital Heritage, edited by Lindsay W. MacDonald,
ISBN: 0-7506-6183-6
Reviewed by: Mario Georgiou, September 2006
Published by: Butterworth-Heinemann/Elsevier
Requires: N/A
MSRP: US$110.00, UK£69.99, EUR 102.50

As a designer and digital imaging consultant, the range of technologies I deal with during the course of my work has been constantly changing. The need to keep up with change has meant that the time available for sitting back and resting is in very short supply. Asset management is one of the biggest issues confronting everyone working with large amounts of digital media. But what if your collections, archives or working research materials consist of old books, documents or even ancient artifacts? How do digital technologies affect the way in which we catalog and archive such assets?

Digital Heritage from Butterworth-Heinemann (an Elsevier imprint), explores the issues and technologies which surround the world of our heritage. The book is a reference work aimed at professionals whose job it is to preserve our past and present. The book contains a lot of valuable information and many project-centric case studies. It's organized in three distinct sections: User Requirements, Technology and Applications.

User Requirements looks at specific types of media and how they are handled, digitized, archived and accessed. The chapters in this section look at the way the Victoria & Albert Museum, Octavo, and The British library, amongst other archives, each deal with their specific asset types and workflows.

The Technology section takes a qualitative look at the technologies involved in the world of digital heritage. This includes image capture technologies, image handling, color management, file compression and image quality management. The issue of color management in particular is one which has become increasingly important because of the need for fidelity throughout the entire workflow—from acquisition through archiving and into printing. The presence of this information reaffirms the serious responsibilities borne by professional archivists in the course of establishing and maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the artifacts they are trying to preserve.

The use of TIFF and JPG files is detailed in many cases as standards to follow. The coverage of JPEG 2000 was an eye opener due to the qualitative comparisons demonstrated in the pictured examples. I found it disappointing that there is poor coverage of one area of contention in current digital imaging workflows: the issue of Camera RAW, where images are captured and recorded in a digital camera's native format. The issue exists because each camera manufacturer has their own flavor of RAW, so the potential exists to create a file format mess, especially if a manufacturer either goes out of business or discontinues support for a proprietary format. You could be left with data which will become inaccessible on future computer systems.

Section three, Applications, details specific uses for the technologies and how unique combinations of technologies are helping to bring our historical artifacts and structures to virtual life. Particularly interesting was the use of removal algorithms to digitally erase the bars, screens and metal mesh used to protect stained glass windows. There's no way to avoid capturing the protective bars, screens and mesh during photography sessions, so preservation experts have developed sophisticated techniques to carefully analyze the main subject while accurately removing digital traces of the protective barriers invariably recorded during the imaging process.

Of interest also were the formulas present in the book. They're invaluable to scientists involved in this field and certainly lend to the completeness of some of the information presented in the book. I especially enjoyed reading the chapters dealing with recording architectural and dimensional artifacts as I've had exposure to some of these recording methods and devices. Other essential coverage includes the concept of file naming conventions and the use of off-site storage and redundant backups of data.

Overall, I was impressed by how well everything was presented and by the comprehensive level of detail throughout most the book. I did find several figures in the book which could have benefited from a little more attention with respect to presentation.

Cons: Little coverage of the issues surrounding camera RAW. Text heavy and some of the illustrations needed a little more clarification.

Pros: Professional coverage of specific applications throughout. Well written. Comprehensive. Highly technical and excellent reference listings. Digital Heritage is thought provoking, and is the kind of book in which any digital imaging professional concerned with asset management and digital archiving, should invest. It's a comprehensive look at the specific needs of the archivist, conservator and heritage professional. This is a book which all libraries, art schools and museums should have in their archive. Overall, the book is excellent. Highly recommended.

This review has been reproduced in its entirety from Kickstartnews.com

Digital Collage and Painting - Review

Digital Collage and Painting: Using Photoshop and Painter to Create Fine Art, by Susan Ruddick Bloom
ISBN: 0-240-80705-7
Reviewed by: Mario Georgiou, September 2006
Published by: Focal Press/Elsevier
Requires: N/A
MSRP: US$49.95, UK£27.99

Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter IX are programs that you always leave with the feeling that you're just scratching the surface of their capabilities. This book does an excellent job of showing just what these powerful programs are capable of when you've got a specific creative project in mind. The creation of digital collages and paintings are very artistic applications of Photoshop's capabilities and something to which Painter, as a natural media emulation tool, is dedicated.
At over 600 pages, "Digital Collage and Painting: Using Photoshop and Painter to Create Fine Art" is a hefty volume which is bursting with hints, tips, case studies and example based projects. It also features coverage of several third party plug-ins and tools including Nik Color Efex and the AutoFX range which augment the already powerful features of both Photoshop and Painter.

Susan Bloom is well qualified to author this book, being a Professor of Art and Chair of the Department of Art & Art History at McDaniel College in Maryland. She teaches respected courses on the subjects covered by this book and is also a very capable photographer. The book consists of 13 chapters organized into 3 distinct sections. To attempt to cover each chapter in detail is beyond the scope of this review, so I've chosen to focus mainly on how well each section achieves its goals.

In section one, Planning and Inspiration, the reader is taken through concepts, factors for consideration and then through inspirational examples provided by the contributing artists selected for the book. The short introductory chapters are light and easy to follow and only serve to cover the basics. The inspirational sections feature and impressive list of digital artists such as Julieanne Kost, Stephen M. Burns and Audrey S. Bernstein, all of whose work I am familiar with, and as well as many others who are well chosen for their ability to showcase the creative possibilities inherent in Photoshop and Painter. Each artist discusses their equipment, history and their creative process and takes readers through the process of creating one of the selected projects.

The second section deals with the process of working with the featured tools. First a chapter on painting with Photoshop and then one with Painter and then chapters on creating collages with both tools respectively. In all chapters the use of brushes, filters and layering techniques help to build a picture of the very powerful capabilities to be found in both these programs. The chapters also provide some very useful tips on how to create your own edge effects, creating background textures, hand tinting photos and on creating grid based photo-collages.

The final chapter in this section covers the creation of panoramic images, which until I came across this book, I must admit I never really thought of in the context of being collages. The coverage is quite comprehensive and also discusses and provides tips on a whole range of issues that artists and photographers producing panoramas will very definitely encounter.

The final section deals rather grandly with artistic considerations and looks first at the use of filters and effects in your projects. The coverage, even though it is not comprehensive, does succeed in showing what can be achieved with the judicious application of both stock and third party plug-ins. The chapter on experimentation however, was actually one which I enjoyed the most because of its coverage of output techniques and media. The suggestions for paper types were something which I had considered, but now formed a reminder for me to rediscover. The last few chapters are dedicated to exercises you can explore by yourself. The lack of a tutorial CD is disappointing, though the projects can be found via the Focal Press web site.

Cons: No tutorial CD.

Pros: Digital Collage and Painting is yet another reason why Focal Press have become one of my favored publishing imprints. Excellent coverage of Photoshop and Painter. Contributing authors and their featured projects are well selected. Well written. Excellent examples. The book is well written and researched and it provides a wealth of information which is both relevant and useful. The range of projects showcased and each artist's insights are something we can all benefit from. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. For anyone interested in digital painting or creating digital collages, this one is highly recommended.

This review has been reproduced in its entirety from Kickstartnews.com