News

PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the PENTAX K100D, which combines 6.1 effective
megapixels with a host of advanced technologies including a Shake Reduction
(SR) system to deliver high-quality digital SLR photography and user-friendly
operation to all levels of photographers. The PENTAX-developed Shake Reduction
(SR) system in the K100D effectively offers a two-stop advantage for sharp,
blur-free images even under difficult shooting conditions, such as using a telephoto
lens or shooting in low light without a flash.



The SR mechanism is designed to minimize camera shake by oscillating the CCD
image sensor vertically and horizontally at high speed using magnetic force,
while adjusting the speed of oscillation in proportion to the amount of camera
shake detected by a built-in sensor. As a result, the system does not require
special anti-shake lenses and can be used with almost all existing PENTAX interchangeable
lenses.



Also announced is the PENTAX K110D, an entry-level digital SLR camera, which
has all of the features of the K100D with the exception of Shake Reduction.
Both models reflect a new digital SLR naming system that references the reverse
compatibility that each body has with the legacy of PENTAX K-mount lenses. The
PENTAX K100D will ship along with the smc 18-55mm lens in July 2006 for $699.95
US, while the PENTAX K110D will ship along with the smc 18-55mm lens in August
2006 for $599.95 US.



Along with the two new SLR models, PENTAX announced the smc PENTAX DA 21mm F3.2
AL Limited interchangeable wide-angle lens. Previewed at PMA 2006 in Orlando,
the lens features a versatile angle of view and an ultra-thin, pancake design
that offers go-anywhere portability that is ideal for casual, day-to-day snapshot
photography. The latest lens inherits all the attributes of the acclaimed PENTAX
Limited lens series including high-quality image reproduction, distinctive visual
description, and high-grade lens-barrel finish. The smc PENTAX DA 21mm F3.2
AL Limited lens will ship in July 2006 for $549.95.



www.pentax.com

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Photogenic Professional Lighting announces the launch of the company’s new PL625DR/PL625DRC Powerlight monolights.

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DxO Labs has announced DxO Optics Pro v5, the latest version of its flagship software
application for automatic image quality enhancement for Digital SLR camera users.
Due to be released later in the fall, DxO Optics Pro v5 is said to set a new standard
for image quality with its new RAW conversion engine. All purchasers of DxO Optics
Pro v4.5 on or after August 1st, 2007 are eligible for a free upgrade to DxO Optics
Pro v5.



DxO Optics Pro v5's RAW conversion engine includes a completely new demosaicing
algorithm which produces images with much more detail and fewer artifacts. Demosaicing
is the crucial step of RAW conversion during which the camera's image sensor
pattern is reconstructed as a visible image for the human eye. Inherently, demosaicing
involves trade-offs between image sharpness, details, noise, processing time and
conversion artifacts. The quality of demosaicing determines the amount of detail
and artifacts in the final image. These artifacts, particularly visible and unsightly,
are compounded at high ISO settings and are in large part responsible for what
is deemed the unnatural look of digital images.



The other key characteristic of DxO Optics Pro's new RAW Engine is that
instead of applying noise reduction techniques after demosaicing, a newly-developed
noise reduction is performed upfront, before noise has a chance to be amplified
by the RAW conversion process and absorb important fine details.



Combined with other proprietary techniques, DxO Optics Pro v5's new RAW
Engine is said by the maker to produce both the most detailed and most natural
looking images yet -- its very fine and homogenous grain translating into
subtle shades and textures. DxO Optics Pro v5's new RAW conversion engine
has been fine-tuned and optimized with the rest of the software's automated
image enhancement features (optical corrections, color rendering, exposure optimization,
highlight recovery, etc.) to produce best-in class results.
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Epson America announced its next generation of professional ink jet printers – the 24-inch Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and the 44-inch Epson Stylus Pro 9900. This Epson Stylus Pro series incorporates Epson’s latest achievements in photographic ink jet technology, including Epson’s MicroPiezo TFP print head with new Epson UltraChrome HDR Ink technology, to deliver a higher level of print quality, increased performance with speeds almost twice as fast as previous models, and the widest color gamut ever from Epson Stylus Pro printers. 

Based on unique high-density pigment chemistry, Epson UltraChrome HDR ink technology offers all-new Orange and Green inks, and when combined with Epson’s innovative AccuPhoto™ HDR screening technology, delivers the industry’s most advanced ink jet printing technology. The result is greatly enhanced photographic print quality with exceptionally fine photographic blends and transitions, and highly accurate highlight-to-shadow detail. In addition, Epson UltraChrome HDR offers excellent print permanence ratings for color and black-and-white prints and outstanding short-term color stability for a broad range of mission-critical proofing applications.

Also new to the Epson Stylus Pro series is an optional high performance, in-line spectrophotometer for commercial proofing applications. Developed by Epson in partnership with X-Rite, the SpectroProofer incorporates a high performance X-Rite ILS20 spectrophotometer for extreme measurement accuracy. When driven by the latest front-end RIP software, Epson’s SpectroProofer can automate virtually any color management process in today’s printing workflows. 

Whether producing sellable color or black-and-white photography, fine art reproduction or producing color accurate commercial and flexographic proofs for client approvals, the new Epson Stylus Pro series offers a range of features and next-generation technologies that allow creative professionals to produce their vision without compromise.  Key features and benefits include:

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Pacific Image Electronics has announced PrimeFoto 2.0, the latest version of
the product that creates picture album CDs from photos stored on digital camera
memory cards. PrimeFoto 2.0 now includes an automatic orientation feature that
rotates pictures automatically for users whose digital cameras have an auto
rotation function, rather than checking each image one-by-one. Users can also
now generate picture albums from a CD. Just select the desired images and press
"Make CD" on the remote control.

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onOne Software, Inc. has announced the spring 2007 availability of Genuine
Fractals 5. In addition, anyone who purchases Genuine Fractals 4.1 or Genuine
Fractals Print Pro 4.1 on or after December 18, 2006 will receive a free upgrade
to Genuine Fractals 5 once it becomes available.



The new version of onOne Software's flagship product Genuine Fractals
will feature several new improvements and workflow enhancements including:

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Sony introduced two new cameras (models SLT-A55V and SLT-A33) that adopt Sony’s newly-developed Translucent Mirror Technology, which achieves the highest-level of auto focus speed for both still image and movie shooting.

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