News

The latest senseless photographer shooting occurred last night in Ohio when a Clark County Sheriff Deputy fired at local photojournalist Andy Grimm while he was setting up a tripod because “I thought it was a gun.” Grimm, who works for the New Carlisle News, was hit once in the chest and another bullet grazed his shoulder, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

Oloneo announced the immediate availability of Oloneo HDRengine, designed for the HDR photography enthusiasts and novices and comes with ready-to-use contents to jump start the photographer’s creative process. Oloneo HDRengine v1 for Windows is available now at the special introductory price of US$59 through the Oloneo online store at www.oloneo.com. A full-featured, 30-day-limited trial version of HDRengine can be freely downloaded from the company’s website as well.

Olympus has announced its inaugural "Photographers of Tomorrow"
photo contest, which is specifically designed for aspiring professional photographers
or photojournalists, and will enrich the resumes and portfolios of the participating
students.



Starting January 14, 2008, students will submit their best work captured with
the Olympus E-3 digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera in three categories:
Speed, Travel and Environmental Issues. Student entries will be judged by a
panel of award-winning photographers, comprised of Olympus Visionaries. The
winning images will be announced in April 2008. Complete rules and regulations
can be viewed at www.olympusamerica.com/e3photocontest.



Participating schools include Texas A&M University at Commerce, The University
of the Arts Philadelphia, Art Institute of Colorado, Brooks Institute, Rochester
Institute of Technology, Hallmark Institute of Photography, University of Texas
- Austin, Rockport College, and Academy of Art University San Francisco, among
others.



"The Olympus competition is our way of helping the next generation of
professional photographers and photojournalists to showcase their work nationally,
as the winning submissions will be visible on the Olympus Web site," said
John Knaur, senior marketing manager, Digital SLR at Olympus Imaging America
Inc. "The students will connect with the three distinct categories of
speed, travel and environmental issues."



Photo Submission Categories

Olympus has selected the following categories for contest submissions to inspire
the budding photographers and to best represent the capabilities of the new
Olympus E-3 digital SLR camera.



Speed: Images capturing the essence of speed and movement of
life;

Travel: Images depicting exotic, exciting, or extreme journeys
or adventures, showing the color and temperament of the local culture; and

Environment Issues: Images showing the impact of man and global
warming, or natural settings of landscapes, flora, and fauna.



The Prizes

The students who submit the three winning images (one for each of the three
categories) will be awarded the following prizes. The three students'
respective professors will also be awarded the camera, lenses and accessories.

· $5,000 Scholarship

· Olympus E-3 Digital SLR Camera

· Two New ZUIKO Digital Lenses -- the ED 12-60mm (24-120mm equivalent)
f2.8-4.0 SWD and ED 50-200mm (100-400mm equivalent) f2.8-3.5 SWD

· Olympus Travel Bag and Lens Cloth



Contest Camera and Lenses

The Olympus E-3 provides the high-precision performance demanded by professional
and enthusiastic photographers to capture exceptional images every time. When
coupled with the ZUIKO digital 12-60mm SWD (Supersonic Wave Drive) lens, the
E-3 offers the fastest autofocus system in the world.[1] Body-Integrated Mechanical
Image Stabilization to stabilize every lens, a 10-megapixel Live MOS image sensor,
and the reliability of a high-endurance, dust-proof and splash-resistant magnesium
alloy body join the impressive innovations developed for the E-3. Olympus pioneered
Full-Time Live View and Dust Reduction Technologies for digital SLR cameras,
leading where others have followed.



The Judges

An esteemed panel of judges, comprised of Olympus Visionaries, will evaluate
the student submissions and vote for the top winner in each category. The Olympus
Visionary program celebrates the work of some of the most talented still photographers
of the day, who use E-System equipment for travel, news, documentary, fashion,
food, people, nature and landscape, commercial and fine art photography.



Olympus Web site: http://www.olympusamerica.com.

...

Olympus Imaging America Inc. has introduced the new Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F3.5
Full Frame Fisheye Lens. The Zuiko 8mm fisheye is designed to be digital specific
and render sharp edge-to-edge images, in an easy to handle size, and with a close
focus of less than 5 ½ inches.



Along with its many attributes this 8mm fisheye promises to set a new professional
standard for ultra wide-angle underwater photography because it can be used in
conjunction with the EVOLT E-300 digital SLR and the new PT-EO1 underwater housing
and PPO-E04 lens port at depths of up to 196 feet (60m).



This full frame fisheye lens has a 180º field of view diagonally to the Four
Thirds image sensor, and a focal length of 8mm (equivalent to 16mm in a 35mm camera).
Because of this it can be used to create extremely dramatic photographic images
that cannot be seen unaided with the human eye. Because this lens is specifically
designed for digital cameras and conforms to the "Four Thirds System,"
it will provide reliable photographic performance even at the edges of the images.




With a minimum focusing distance of 5.3 inches (0.79 inch from the front of the
lens to the subject), this lens can be used to approach the subject aggressively
for wide-close-up photography. This feature is the key to the creation of images
with exaggerated perspective effects.



Because of the different refractive indexes of light in air and water, the angle
of view underwater will be reduced to approximately 153º, and since it is
often more difficult to capture light underwater, it is necessary to get closer
to the subject. To remedy the problem, the super-close-up capability of this lens
allows photography of the subject just 0.79 inch from the front of the lens to
achieve the wide-close-up effects for which fisheye lenses are famous.



The new Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f3.5 Fisheye will go on sale in January 2006.



Estimated Street Price: $799.95

www.olympusamerica.com
...

Olympus just announced that it is bringing its compact and wireless Olympus Air A01 camera device to the U.S. in July and Canada in August. The Olympus Air A01, which was introduced in Japan earlier this year, is a small, cylindrical gadget with a 16-megapixel Live MOS image sensor that can wirelessly connect Micro Four Thirds lenses with mobile devices such as smartphones.

Olympus has announced the development of what they dub the world's fastest
"Designed for Digital" interchangeable fixed-aperture wide zoom
lenses. Designed for use with Olympus E-System digital SLR cameras, including
the E-1 and EVOLT E-300, these three new Digital Specific lenses -- Zuiko
Digital ED 14-35mm f2.0, Zuiko Digital ED 35-100mm f2.0 and Zuiko Digital ED
90-250mm f2.8 -- feature fixed apertures through the entire zoom range.
These three lenses are due to go on sale in fourth quarter of 2005.

...

There's lots to like about the new Olympus C-7000 camera, including the
size of the image files it puts out and the "seamless" 30X zoom
(5X optical and 6X digital combined) that delivers better quality digital zooms
than many cameras we've worked with in the past. The C-7000 is aimed at
those who like to get involved with their photography, and offers as many options
and modes as you could desire. They certainly make this a camera that allows
you to flex your creative muscles. Granted, you have to delve into the menu
to get at most of the options, something that helps streamline the body but
can hold up spontaneous changes.

Olympus C7000 camera from file (PMA)

...