Tamron USA, Inc. announced that
its new zoom lens, SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF), won the prestigious Hot1
award. The 2004 Hot1 Awards were the biggest ever, with over 200 total entries
in more than 40 categories. This was the sixth consecutive year for the awards,
and the contest has grown in popularity and prestige in each year of its existence.
The awards are designed to evaluate and honor top-grade products for the professional
photography market. Professional Photographer magazine holds an open entry period
during which companies voluntarily enter products in various categories, providing
all pertinent product information directly. Professional Photographer editors
then audit the categories, make any necessary adjustments or changes, and submit
all the information to the panel of expert judges.



The Hot1 judging panel is made up of working professional photographers. These
photographers are selected for their specific knowledge of certain market segments
and asked to vote on product categories that fall within their area of expertise.
The judges are all respected professionals, well recognized in the industry.
To maintain the highest level of fairness, none of the judges are employed by
Professional Photographer magazine. For a variety of reasons, Professional Photographer
does not disclose the identity of the judges, though individual judges may chose
to identify themselves during the judging process. A plurality of votes determines
the winner of a category.



Tamron's new super telephoto zoom lens began shipping this August. The new high-performance
Di model has a telephoto range of 500mm and is a proud new addition to the Tamron
SP-series. Featuring such accessories as a filter effect controller (FEC), which
enables easy control of the PL filter even when a hood is attached, and a detachable
tripod mount, the lens comes equipped with everything necessary for capturing
quality sports and wildlife photographs. In addition, to meet the needs of this
dual-format world (silver-halide and digital), the optical system of the lens
is designed to provide optimum performance when used with the latest digital
SLR cameras that are becoming more popular than ever.

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If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a how-to video must be as good as a book,
especially if it compresses the knowledge contained in a 45-minute lecture into
a concise, well-focused, viewer-friendly 4-minute format you can download to
your iPod or computer and view again and again. That's the exciting concept
behind the incisive, entertaining, and informative new podcasts posted in the
Tamron Pro Learning Center at www.tamron.com.

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Tenba has added two new backpacks to its popular Shootout collection of professional
outdoor photo/imaging bags. The first is a Daypack which offers an expandable
outer compartment that adds 246 square inches of storage space, and the second
is a medium-sized Rolling Backpack. The new Shootout Daypack is a compact, lightweight
photo backpack that features Tenba's exclusive new PackOUT compartment--a
rear panel which expands to provide over 240 additional cubic inches of "soft"
storage space for lighter and non-fragile items like clothing, snacks, first
aid supplies, etc.

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Tenba's Air Case line of lightweight, shippable equipment transport cases
has been enhanced by the introduction of an exclusive Datapanel identification
system that facilitates faster, easier and more reliable shipping, tracking,
tracing and identification. The new feature will be supplied as standard equipment
on those Air Case models and sizes typically used for equipment shipping, rental
houses and similar applications. The Datapanel consists of a durable, rubberized
assembly secured to the case with military-grade, seatbelt-type webbing and
heavily reinforced nylon stitching. Massive #10 YKK zippers on both sides pull
down from beneath a protective Velcro closure flap to open the panel and access
its features. The most prominent of these features is a large, clear vinyl shipping
window that securely holds, protects and clearly presents a standard FedEx or
UPS-type waybill, eliminating the need to tape or otherwise fasten shipping
documents to the case. As a result, preparation time is reduced, the need for
messy and unreliable tape is eliminated, documents are far more secure, and
the overall appearance and presentation of the case is cleaner and more professional.
The shipping window itself is instantly user-replaceable if needed, but--like
the entire Datapanel assembly-- is built to withstand the rigors of regular
shipping, baggage handling and long-term professional use.

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