Shutterbug Staff

Our Picture This! assignment this month was panoramas, and readers responded with a host of images made with panoramic cameras, cropped large format and a goodly number of stitched images, multiple shots made with film and digital cameras brought together with various software programs. It strikes us that the panoramic "genre" is back with more power and grace than...

Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. has introduced the latest edition
to the Maxxum line of digital Single Lens-Reflex (SLR) cameras -- the Maxxum
5D. This interchangeable-lens digital SLR camera inherits the technology of
the award winning Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D -- the world's first digital
SLR with built-in Anti-Shake technology and CCD Shift mechanism that is compatible
with all Maxxum autofocus (AF) lenses, including Konica Minolta's soon
to be introduced Digital Technology "DT" lenses.

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Corel Corporation has kicked off the "Summer of Painter" with two announcements
regarding Corel Painter IX. The Corel Painter IX 9.1 update is now available as
a free download for all Painter IX customers. The update provides customers with
new features and enhancements including:



Dual Monitor Support for Windows Customers running Windows 2000 and Windows XP
can now also experience the same level of dual monitor support enjoyed by Mac
OS X customers. Palettes, toolbars, and the toolbox can now be moved outside the
application window and dialog boxes appear on the same monitor as the active canvas.




New Art Pen Brushes Following the introduction of the Corel Painter IX Art Pen
Brush Pack this spring, Corel has introduced five additional brushes to take advantage
of the powerful realism and control of the Wacom 6D Art Pen. Customers who download
the 9.1 update will receive 10 brushes in total, which include the five brushes
previously introduced in the Art Pen Brush Pack.



Enhanced Dab Type Support for 'Rotation' Expression In addition to adding new
brushes to take advantage of the Wacom 6D Art Pen, Corel Painter IX 9.1 offers
rotation expression with the following Dab types: Circular, Captured Dab, Artists'
Oils, Camel Hair, Flat, Liquid Ink Camel Hair, Liquid Ink Flat, Watercolor Camel
Hair, Watercolor Flat, Palette Knife, Liquid Ink Palette Knife, and Watercolor
Palette Knife.



Enhanced Support for Mac OS X Tiger Corel Painter IX 9.1 now provides even better
overall performance when running on Tiger. This enhancement complements the Corel
Painter IX Spotlight plugin introduced earlier this spring that enables customers
to take full advantage of Tiger's advanced searching capabilities with their Painter
files.



To download the Corel Painter IX 9.1 update and to access a full list of included
enhancements, please visit www.corel.com/painterix/91update.



Corel has also introduced the Corel Painter Open Upgrade Program for customers
in North America and the United Kingdom. Until August 31, 2005, the Corel Painter
IX upgrade policy has been broadened to include any graphics or imaging software
package from the following companies: Adobe, Macromedia, ACD Systems, Corel (including
Corel Painter Classic, Painter Essentials, and any previous version of Painter),
Microsoft, and Apple. For a limited time, Corel Painter IX is available through
Corel and participating resellers at the upgrade suggested retail price of $229
a savings of $200 off the full suggested retail price of $429. Resellers may sell
for less. For more details, please visit www.corel.com/painter/openupgrade.
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Editor's Note: We received the following from the Ilford team and report
their release verbatim:

The news that the remaining aspect of the Ilford Imaging Group, the UK arm of
which went into administration in 2004, has been settled with the takeover of
Ilford Imaging Switzerland by Oji Paper of Tokyo, a leading paper manufacturer
in Japan for over 130 years, has been welcomed by ILFORD Photo and HARMAN technology.




Although HARMAN technology, the parent of ILFORD Photo, is a totally independent
company with no corporate ties to the old group, as a gesture of goodwill given
the history of the group, the UK company's directors have been assisting the
Swiss company and the administrators, Grant Thornton, to keep its operation
in a viable state.



The result is that the takeover has been successfully completed for an undisclosed
sum, and that Ilford Imaging Switzerland GmbH will operate as a wholly owned
subsidiary of Oji Paper Company under the continued direction of managing director
David Jones.



Other Ilford Group member companies around the world which also went down have
already been individually sold or replaced, resulting in a global network of
independent companies now distributing ILFORD Photo products.

"Judging by some calls we have received, some confusion has arisen due
to the similarity of company names," says ILFORD Photo's marketing director
Howard Hopwood.



"However, the situation is quite clear: it was the old group headed by
Ilford Imaging UK Limited which went into administration in August 2004. Following
this, the UK operation was bought out by the former management team which established
HARMAN technology Ltd as the holding company trading as ILFORD Photo.



"The Swiss company, which was the old group's inkjet paper manufacturing
arm, remained under the control of Grant Thornton until this acquisition by
Oji Paper. It can therefore be seen that this activity has no connection with,
or impact on, ourselves."


For full detail of ILFORD Photo products and services, visit www.ilfordphoto.com.

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