Voigtländer Lenses for Nikon and Pentax

Cosina has announced two Voigtländer-branded lenses which it will be making available for Nikon and Pentax DSLR mounts. The Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SLII Aspherical - to give its full title - is a 'Pancake' type lens protruding a mere 24.5mm from the lens mount. The optical design comprises six elements in five groups including a double-aspheric element and high-refraction glass.

The Nokton 58mm F1.4 SLII meanwhile is based on a Topcor design with seven elements in six groups and when mounted on an APS-C camera replicates the angle of view of an 85mm making it an ideal choice for portrait photography. The Nikon-mount examples are Ai-s specification and feature a CPU to allow metering on modern bodies whilst the Pentax mounts are KA compatible. Only Japanese pricing and availability has been announced thus far with both lenses expected to retail for around ¥50,000 when they arrive on shelves over the next two months.

HD Photo to become JPEG XR

A new attempt to provide a higher-end sequel to the ubiquitous JPEG image standard is officially under way.

The multiple countries participating in the Joint Photographic Experts Group, which created the JPEG standard, have approved an effort to make Microsoft's HD Photo format a standard called JPEG XR, said Bill Crow, who has led Microsoft's HD Photo effort and who just took over the company's Microsoft Live Labs Seadragon imaging project. XR stands for "extended range," a reference to the format's ability to show a wider and finer range of tonal gradations and a richer color palette.

"The country vote is done, and it passed," Crow said. "That means the International JPEG committee has decided to go ahead and create the standard. Now it's just a process of doing that work," a process that will begin later this month in a meeting in Kobe, Japan.

The move is an important step in the transformation of the photo format from an in-house technology called Windows Media Photo to a neutral format more likely to be palatable to companies that don't want to be beholden to Microsoft.

However, the move also means that Microsoft will have to be more patient with its hopes to get HD Photo to catch on more broadly. Standardization "typically takes around a year," Crow said.

The wait is worth it, said Josh Weisberg, director of digital imaging evangelism for Microsoft's Rich Media Group.

"As much as I would love to have more support for it, I think it's logical for people to wait for there to be a standardized version of it," he said. "If we weren't going through the standardization process, we'd be pushing much harder for people to support it."

In Microsoft's view, HD Photo also offers better compression and support for in-camera image processing. It's built into Windows Vista, but Microsoft offers the software development kit to implement the technology free and with no royalty constraints. Image-editing powerhouse Adobe Systems has voiced support for the format.

provided by CNET News.

White Stripes Lomo Cameras

In an interesting if somewhat obscure marketing mashup, rock band, The White Stripes is now offering its own Lomography cameras. The funky little cameras are two classic models in a red and white color scheme. The (Jack) Holga and (Meg) Diana+ cameras have been around for years, but The White Stripes have put a twist on them with a unique package and an additional ringflash or fisheye lens. Both cameras come with a “Peppermint Lens Filter.” Perfect for fans of the band and Lomo collectors, a novelty for everyone else. The cameras are a limited edition of 3,000 each, and are on The White Stripes site for $180.

Bling It! Software Released By Vertus

Vertus has introduced a new software program designed specifically for easily transforming snapshots into professional-looking product shots for use on online sales and auction sites. Bling It! uses the same image-masking technology that Vertus provides in its advanced Fluid Mask software, but presents it in a simple interface that takes users through four steps.

In the first step, the user deletes the background by using brush tools. Then, in the Compose Picture step, the user selects a background from an included library and moves the object to the desired position in the image frame. A palette for selecting background colors is available, and the image size and shape can be adjusted manually or by selecting preset specifications for popular sites such as eBay. In the third step, Add Effects, the user can add shadows, sharpen the photo, brighten highlights, and add a logo to the image. The final step lets the user specify a maximum file size for the image to be saved at. To preserve the quality of the product shot at small file sizes, compression can be adjusted to higher levels for the background and lower ones for the foreground object.

Bling It! is available now for $49.95 in Windows and Mac versions. Go to Vertus's Web site for more information.

FS-51 Underwater Housing From Fantasea

Fantasea has released a new underwater housing for Nikon's Coolpix S50, S50c, S51, and S51c point-and-shoots. The FS-51 is rated to protect the enclosed camera to a depth of 200 feet, and features an anti-glare hood to cover the camera's LCD screen, a built-in flash diffuser, and a 41mm lens port. The housing seals all controls with double O-rings.

Controls available on the FS-51 include:• Shutter Release
• Power Switch
• D-Lighting
• One-Touch Portrait
• Flash Mode
• Macro Mode
• Exposure Compensation
• Self Timer
• Delete
• OK Button
• Mode
• Zoom In/Out
• Playback
• Menu

The FS-51 is available for $245 from Fantasea's Web site. It comes with a one-year flood insurance policy for the camera used with it.

Casio Provides Digicam Firmware Updates

Casio has made available firmware updates for ten of the companies cameras. These updates include improvements to movie white balance for seven models and 8GB+ SDHC support for an additional three. The updates are available now via Casio's support site. In order to be able to download the firmware, you must register by providing the product (serial) number marked on the bottom of your camera.

Phoenix Helicopter Photographer's Family Launch Jim Cox Foundation

The parents and sisters of television photojournalist Jim Cox, a KTVK-TV photographer killed on July 27 when two news helicopters collided midair over Phoenix, AZ, and crashed into a city park, killing all four aboard the two aircraft, have started The James Alan Cox Foundation for Student Photographers.

The photographer's sister, Leslie Cox of Austin, TX, today told News Photographer magazine that their family started the foundation in memory of her brother to provide financial support to student photographers of high school and college age. The foundation's mission is to provide funding for scholarships, equipment, college and technical school classes for students who demonstrate interest, talent, and financial need.

Alan G. and Barbara Cox, the photojournalist's parents, and Jennifer Cox-Bracksieck join Leslie as the principal members of the foundation's board of directors. Each year through a juried selection process, several deserving students will be picked to receive equipment or tuition, and each grant recipient will also have the opportunity to display their work in an exhibit in the Phoenix area.

The late photographer was a native of New York who started as a live truck operator before becoming an editor and then a photographer. Before working for KTVK-TV he worked for the Arizona Cardinals NFL team, photographing their practices and games. In addition to being a video photojournalist for more than a decade for Channel 3, his family says Jim was an accomplished still photographer who traveled widely photographing from Hawaii to New York and Texas to Scotland.

The summer crash was between KTVK-TV's helicopter, piloted by Scott Bowerbank who was reporting live while flying and covering a police car chase, and KNXV-TV Channel 15's helicopter piloted by Craig Smith, who was also reporting live and flying. Their passengers, photojournalists Cox from Channel 3 and Rick Krolak from Channel 15, were also killed in the crash.

The crash raised questions about the safety and sensibility of having helicopter pilots do both flying and reporting duties simultaneously, and brought attention to the absence of rules and regulations governing the separation of aircraft in such circumstances.

The National Press Photographers Association called for an immediate stop to the practice of pilot on-air reporting in their Editorial in the October 2007 issue of News Photographer magazine.

Despite the crash, and the following outcry about safety, television news stations in Phoenix have returned to the practice of having pilot/reporters who are reporting live while flying the aircraft. Only Channel 12 in the Phoenix market has a news helicopter pilot whose sole duties are flying the aircraft.

For more information about The James Alan Cox Foundation for Student Photographers, please see their Web site at http://www.jamesalancoxfoundation.org/, or contact the foundation at +1.512.459.8515, or eMail info@jamesalancoxfoundation.org. A scholarship/grant application will also be posted online in the next several months.

Provided by National Press Photographers Association.

FujiFilm Lowers FinePix Digicam Prices

Effective November 4, 2007, Fujifilm reduces the price of the FinePix A900 to $169.95, the FinePix A920 to $179.95 and the F480 to $159.95, all representing even greater value!

The FinePix A900 and A920 cameras pack an incredible punch with 9.0 megapixel power, a 4x Optical Zoom, Fujifilm's Picture Stabilization, and provide the ease of use and versatility of multiple media formats.

The FinePix F480 offers 8.2 megapixel power, a 4x Optical Zoom and an extra-large 2.7" LCD; along with Fujifilm's Picture Stabilizaton technology, Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and slim design.

For more information, please go to Fujifilm USA.

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Service Notice

Canon has now posted a service notice on its US website, detailing its plans to solve a potential AF problem on the EOS-1D Mark III digital SLR.

This issue is said to affect cameras with serial numbers in the range of 501001 to 546561, you might want to read our earlier coverage. The problem relates to the camera's AF mirror mechanism, and can result in poor or jittery autofocus, particularly in high temperatures when using the AI-Servo AF and continuous shooting modes. The fix requires an adjustment to the mirror, and a free repair campaign is expected to start in late November.

More details can be found in Canon's service notice.

Photo Assistants Put To The Test

Being a photo assistant is a notoriously grueling job -- and often a thankless one. But for the five members of the winning team at Sunday's Assistant's Hexathlon in New York, all the backbreaking work and sleep-obliterating hours paid off in a very tangible way.

The top team -- Steve Zadrozny, Esteban Aladro, Zach Callahan, Gabriela Herman, and Anthony Cunanan -- won a bag of prizes that included a Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph, a Lenbaby 3G, and a $100 Fotocare gift certificate. The second- and third-place teams took home smaller prizes. And, of course, all participants received their very own roll of gaffers tape from Set Shop.

Read more about this interesting contest.

Layers Magazine Face-Lift

The following is provided by Photoshop Insider.

We’ve just totally updated the online home of Layers Magazine (The how-to magazine for everything Adobe; available on newsstands nationwide) with an all-new look and feel. But beyond that, the new site features some very cool things, most notably a brand new daily blog from LayersTV co-host RC Concepcion; a new Photoshop Killer Tip video tutorial posted each day from Photoshop guru Matt Kloskowski, and it’s also the home of the Adobe Creative Suite how-to show; Layers TV (you can watch each weekly episode of LayersTV right there on the home page).

Besides the fresh new look, LayersMagazine.com has loads of tutorials on all the Adobe Creative Suite apps, including InDesign, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Photoshop and more! It’s really pretty slick, and RC’s blog and Matt’s Killer Tips make it worth a daily stop for sure. Check it out today; here’s the link.

Hands-On Look At New Olympus E-3 DSLR

If the Olympus E-1, the company's first high-end DSLR, never caught on among pros, you can blame its painfully slow, insensitive autofocus system. But one look at the new Olympus E-3 ($1,700, estimated street, body only) was enough to convince Popular Photography & Imaging that, this time around, Olympus has come up with not just a much better AF system, but a much better camera all around.

Read their Hands-On Review of the new Olympus E-3 digital SLR.

Photographers On The California Fire Lines

San Diego NBC 7-39 photojournalist Phil Ige has written about his experiences covering the California wildfires and posted some images in a slideshow on the station's Web site. His story and images can be seen here.

And even though it was written for photographers covering wildfires in California a couple of years ago, the information in Sedda Kreabs' "What's In Your Fire Kit?" is still good advice today.

A gallery of images by Los Angeles Times photographers who have been covering the wildfires from the first day is online here.

Sony Already Releases A700 Firmware Update

Sony has already released updates for the Alpha DSLR- A700 firmware and Image Data Converter and Image Data Lightbox software. The camera firmware and software updates apply to the 12.2-megapixel Sony A700 flagship model, specifically units manufactured until early October that contain firmware version 1.

Cameras with firmware version 2 already include the upgrades, according to a company press release. The Sony Alpha firmware version 2 promises improved image sharpness and noise reduction. It also allows for more short distance flash control with non-ADI control lenses. The software updates correct image display and file type errors. “Although these improvements are subtle, it is recommended that customers make the update to improve the camera and application software performance,” stated a company press release today.

Users can download the Alpha DSLR A700 camera firmware updates from the Sony Customer Support site.

Popphoto.com Reviews New Sony A700 DSLR

I can't get enough information about the new Sony Alpha 700. Popular Photography & Imaging has provided an in-depth, favorable review of the new 12MP digital SLR. Read the entire online review on popphoto.com.