News

DxO Labs has revealed details of the next version of its flagship application
DxO Optics Pro software which improves the image quality of Digital Single-Lens
Reflex (SLR) cameras and advanced digicams. DxO Optics will be available on
Macintosh and Windows platforms in September 2006, It includes four main areas
of exciting new functionality:

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DxO Labs, a software company focused on research in image processing, has announced
that future versions of its flagship RAW converter DxO Raw Engine will support
Adobe's recently announced DNG (Digital Negative) specification.

DxO Labs has launched the latest version of its Raw convertor/editor/organizer: DxO OpticsPro 10. The follow-up to DxO Optics Pro 9, which we reviewed earlier this year, DxO OpticsPro 10 adds the new ClearView feature, that's designed to reduce atmospheric haze in images.

DxO Labs is pleased to announce the immediate availability of DxO Optics Pro version 6, its award-winning software solution for demanding photographers. This new version provides the best-ever images from extreme ISO shots and further extends optical fault correction, while increasing both accessibility and productivity.

DxO Optics Pro 6 will be offered with an exceptional 33% introductory discount through December 31, 2009.

While camera manufacturers keep competing for high ISO performance, DxO Labs now offers the image processing technologies which are critical to delivering top-notch image quality from such extreme ISO shots.

In low-light conditions, photographers must choose between using low ISO and risking unnatural flash lighting or camera shake, or using high ISO settings with its typical image noise and loss of colors and details. But now, thanks to a new technological approach, DxO Optics Pro 6 sets a new bar for RAW conversion: photographers can push their cameras to the ISO limits and even beyond - as much as one to two stops above their usual ISO settings! - and still get great photos without any noticeable loss in image quality.

DxO Labs' new de-noising technology significantly extends the effective dynamic range and best leverages the higher bit-depth that modern sensors provide. Cleaning noise out of dark regions of the images allows photographers to digitally relight them (e.g. using DxO Lighting tool).

DxO Optics Pro has long been recognized for its unrivalled automatic optical fault correction based on DxO Optics Modules - laboratory-grade mathematical models characterizing the optical faults of each particular camera & lens combination which are computed for each focal length, each aperture, each focusing distance, etc. More than 1600 DxO Optics Modules are available today and can now be automatically detected and downloaded to the application - and this number is growing at an accelerated pace.

Also, for photographers who desire to adjust optical correction for a creative purpose, or to handle lenses that are not calibrated yet, DxO Optics Pro 6 now provides controls to manually adjust distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberrations, and sharpness (USM) for any lens.

As DxO Optics Pro expert users always look for more precise controls, DxO Optics Pro 6 features an additional fine detail adjustment which specifically deals with the preservation of high spatial frequency texture and details of the images - another demonstration of DxO Labs' consistent effort to bring the best to the optical faults correction so photographers can obtain the most perfect images.

DxO Optics Pro 6's user interface has been revamped to ease the first hands-on experience for beginners, providing them with the easiest RAW Conversion tool delivering best quality without the pain. For experts and professional photographers, productivity and control levels have also been improved.

Both the Standard and Elite editions of DxO Optics Pro 6 add support to the Olympus D-SLR family, along with latest Sony and Nikon cameras:

• Olympus E3, E30, E410, E420, E450, E510, E520, E620,
• Sony A230, A330, A380,
• Nikon D300s.

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DxO Labs has announced that DxO Optics Pro v3.0 Digital SLR and lens
automatic image quality enhancement software is available on the company's
e-store (http://store.dxo.com)
and via selected resellers. DxO Optics Pro v3.0 incorporates optics, noise and
exposure corrections in an all-new, easy-to-use, feature-rich application for
both Mac and PC users.



DxO Optics Pro v3.0 now also includes support for two additional Nikon digital
SLR camera bodies: the Nikon D70s and Nikon D2X. DxO Optics Pro v3.0 provides
support for the Nikon D70s and the same range of lenses as currently supported
for the Nikon D70. And new to DxO Optics Pro v3.0 is support for the Nikon D2X
and an initial selection of compatible lenses with more to come over the coming
weeks and months.



DxO Optics Pro v3.0 was subjected to rigorous, in-the-field testing by tens
of thousands of professional and advanced amateur photographers during worldwide
public beta testing."The photography community got incredibly involved
in the beta test. Their feedback was invaluable and we would like to publicly
thank all of them," explained Luc Marin, Vice President of the Photography
Business unit at DxO Labs. "Several thousand photographers also answered
a follow-up questionnaire and confirmed, once again, the value that DxO Optics
Pro delivers."



At the core of DxO Optics Pro v3.0 is the award-winning DxO Optics Engine which,
together with the associated DxO Lens modules, automatically removes lens distortion,
vignetting, lens softness and lateral chromatic aberration. The DxO Raw Engine
in DxO Optics Pro v3.0 has also been completely redesigned to offer photographers
full control of the RAW conversion process.



DxO Noise Engine is based on a set of unique algorithms developed by DxO Labs
and on precise camera sensor modelization. The all-new DxO Noise Engine automatically
achieves a reduction of up to two f-stops in image noise while preserving maximum
detail. DxO Lighting Engine is a brand new DxO technology included in DxO Optics
Pro v3.0. A unique local exposure and dynamic range optimizer, DxO Lighting
Engine brings out the shadow detail of digital image files while preserving
highlights, textures, colors and a natural look. DxO Optics Pro v3.0 offers
a choice of three operating modes to meet every demanding photographer's
needs. All modes are fully batch-oriented for the greatest productivity. Users
can switch between modes at any time.



DxO Optics Pro v3.0 is offered in two versions with the same functionality but
different levels of camera support: DxO Optics Pro v3.0 (US$159) for prosumer
and expert amateur Digital SLRs and DxO Optics Pro v3.0 Elite (US$ 249) for
all supported cameras, including professional Digital SLRs.



DxO Optics Pro v3.0 is available in six languages: English, French, German,
Italian, Japanese and Spanish, for both Macintosh and Windows (full system requirements
on www.dxo.com).



All purchasers of DxO Optics Pro 2.2 on or after April 20th, 2005 are eligible
for a free upgrade to DxO Optics Pro v3.0. For all other users, upgrade to DxO
Optics Pro v3.0 is offered at US$ 49).



For more information, visit DxO Labs online at www.dxo.com
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DxO Labs has announced the immediate availability of the Windows PC release
of DxO Optics Pro v4 on the DxO Labs Web site (www.dxo.com).
A free, fully functional demo version is available in addition to the commercial
version. DxO Optics Pro software is said to improve the image quality of Digital
Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras and advanced digicams. The Mac and Intel Mac
release of DxO Optics Pro v4 is expected to be available for download at the
end of October. Purchasers of the current Macintosh version (v3.55) are entitled
to a free upgrade when version 4 Macintosh ships.

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