onOne Software, Inc. announced availability of Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture. Tackling specific problems within a photographer's preferred workflow, the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 offers simple yet powerful solutions for color correction, image resizing, masking and professional photographic effects in one affordable package. With support for Photoshop CS5, CS4 and CS3, the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 includes FocalPoint 2, PhotoTune 3, PhotoFrame 4.6, PhotoTools 2.6, MaskPro 4.1 and Perfect Resize 7 (the next generation of Genuine Fractals). The Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 will also include the recently announced Perfect Layers, which will be available in early 2011.
The Samsung NX100 is the compact version of Samsung’s new NX-CSC-system. The camera has a retro design that looks like a classical view finder camera but is a modern digital system with a large LCD screen on the back. The superb AMOLED screen uses 614,000 RGB dots and displays a very brilliant image. The camera offers a standard accessory shoe on the top and a special digital interface right below the shoe. Samsung offers a lot of accessories for the N100: The most important attachment are the optional electronic view finder ED-EVF10, the GPS-tracker ED-GPS10 and two flash systems.
Kubota Image Tools announced it has created the new Kubota Creative Tools – The Lensbaby Pak, specially designed to enhance the artistic effects created with Lensbaby optics. Kevin Kubota, founder of Kubota PhotoDesign and the Idea Guy behind Kubota Image Tools, created the set of Photoshop image enhancing tools as part of the Lensbaby Kubota Contest. Winners of the contest, selected by Kubota, were announced previously. The Lensbaby Pak includes 15 brand new Photoshop image enhancement tools Kubota devised to enhance contest-winning images captured with each of the unique six Lensbaby Optics, and includes the Kubota DASHBOARD 3.
Our show report this year is an amalgam of product news and trend spotting, which pretty much reflects what photokina has stood for in our minds. The sense of a United Nations of photography still prevails at this increasingly European-directed show, but the image and its uses is still the universal tie that binds.
From 2nd – 4th September 2011, the Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany celebrates the premiere of the PHOTO+ART BOOK HAMBURG. This new fair focuses on the printed publication as an autonomous form of artistic expression. It accommodates not just a variety of exciting stalls but also offers exhibitions, workshops, lectures and booksignings. The PHOTO+ART BOOK HAMBURG addresses professionals, artists, creative individuals, printers, interested amateurs as well as book and art lovers.
PWD Labs announced that its image processing services are now available to Hasselblad digital photographers. PWD editors have been trained by Hotwire-Digital, a Hasselblad premier partner, to use native Hasselblad digital files in the post-production process. Extending this digital service to the Hasselblad photographic community is a natural outgrowth of the value-added services PWD Labs offers and is available to Hasselblad photographers throughout the world.
Professionally constructed with new design features, the Flashpoint PZ series Softboxes have a unique, patented design that uses a zipper to relieve the pressure on the inner rods making it easy to assemble and close them up. They are available in sizes from 12" X 36" to 40" X 60". The Octaboxes are available in 3’ and 5’ sizes. All Softboxes and Octaboxes come with a baffle, recessed front and a convenient carry bag.
In X-Rite Photo Marketing's Seasons of Color Photo Contest, photographers are invited to submit their original images that they feel best represent the week’s featured PANTONE PLUS SERIES color. The top 10 winners each week, determined by popular vote will receive an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport.
Nikon Inc. today announced the launch of the “Nikon Aspire” Sweepstakes (www.nationalgeographic.com/nikonaspire) offering the chance to win an exclusive photo excursion with renowned National Geographic photographer, Annie Griffiths. The lucky winner will also receive the new award winning Nikon D7000 digital SLR camera and a private tutorial from a Nikon product specialist.
The new Casio Exilim EX-HG20G (list price, about $350) is a pocket size camera that is a traveling companion for those who like to see where they’ve been. Some examples: during my test with the camera we turned down a dirt road and “got lost” in the back areas of Arroyo Hondo, NM. We saw various side roads going this way and that, roads that weren’t on any map we had in the car. We shot a few pictures with the H20G and later plugged the images into Aperture 3.1 in our MacBook Pro, used the Places feature and voila, we saw exactly where we had been and where those back roads led.
The pocket-size Casio H20G sports maps, a memory for places and a GPS tracker that even records locales indoors.
OmegaBrandess announces the exclusive distribution in the United States of the b-grip line of camera belt grips. The b-grip, made in Italy by CPtech, provides a strong safe support for your DSLR. The base attaches to your waist belt (or to the belt provided), while the quick-release plate attaches to the camera tripod socket. A quick release mechanism provides instant access to the camera when required. A simple safety system prevents accidental release of the camera. An additional supplied safety cord can be deployed for extra peace of mind.
PocketWizard has three new accessories for use with its MiniTT1 Transmitter and FlexTT5 Transceiver units for photographers shooting with Canon and Nikon DSLR camera systems.
DxO Labs announced the immediate availability of the latest version of its award-winning image enhancement software for demanding photographers, DxO Optics Pro v6.5. Along with providing photographers with high dynamic range (HDR) capability from a single RAW image, version 6.5 improves accessibility and productivity. DxO Optics Pro v6.5 and upgrades will be offered with an exceptional 30 percent holiday season discount through December 25, 2010.
World Press Photo invites all press photographers and photojournalists around the world to participate in the 54th World Press Photo Contest. The annual competition is the largest press photography contest in the world. The 2011 World Press Photo Contest is now open for entries.