Nikon Foundation Competition closes tonight

We've been supporting the Nikon Foundation Competition (see here for details), but as a reminder the deadline for entries closes tonight at 11:59 BST.

Adobe Demonstrates Photoshop For The iPad

Photoshop World is in full swing at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida and yesterday during their Keynote, Adobe demonstrated Photoshop for the iPad and it has layers, unlike Photoshop Elements for the iPad.

Layers are only found in professional applications and this demonstrates Adobe's commitment to this app and to the iPad, for photographers on the go.

There's no news yet on release dates or a full feature set but watch this space, as soon as we hear anything we'll let you know. We can't wait.

Cameras supporting SDHC UHS-I

We were sent a list of cameras that support the latest SDHC UHS-I standard some months ago by Kingston Technology, but it wasn't in a format we could easily post. But after checking the list today to confirm support for the Olympus XZ-1 we decided it might be useful for our readers. The list was correct as of 10th Feb, since then they'll likely be more new cameras that support the cards.

Canon

Casio

Nikon

Olympus

Panasonic

Pentax

Sanyo

Sony

Toshiba

Please help support the DJP by visiting our affiliates; Jessops, Warehouse Express, Adorama Camera and Amazon. Note; sales through these links may benefit this site.

Related posts


Kingston out 233x speed SDHC
Panasonic announce SDHC UHS-I cards

Adobe Flex for BlackBerry PlayBook: Tutorial

Research In Motion® (RIM®) has formed a great partnership with Adobe®, in which both are dedicated to providing developers with an exceptional development experience using the tools and technologies that you have grown to love. Supporting the community is one of the biggest priorities for both companies; for example, along with our BlackBerry® Developer Zone, Adobe has dedicated a page on their Developer Connection portal. Adobe evangelists have been quick to create content and tutorials, a great example of which can be found on the BlackBerry Developer Zone – Christophe Coenraets has created a tutorial on developing Flex for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in 90 minutes.

If you are new to Adobe Flash and Adobe AIR development, getting started can be easily overwhelming. There are lots of tooling options and technology options to consider before beginning. The above article walks you through all of the necessary steps to get you set up and started. Christophe also shows how to get started developing your application using the new Flex Hero Mobile framework, which features many new components that are specifically targeted for mobile and touch screen devices. The tutorial also covers common tasks that most applications will need to perform, such as communicating with a web service and saving data locally.

This tutorial is an excellent first step into developing applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with Adobe AIR. Afterwards, you should feel comfortable with the tools and deploying applications to the simulator so you can begin writing your own applications.

Don’t forget that the deadline for submitting your application to BlackBerry® App World™ is March 31st, 2011 in order to qualify for the free BlackBerry PlayBook tablet offer.

Read the Tutorial here

New - Photo & Video OS X App - Poster

Reinvented Software released Poster 1.1 for Mac OS X today. Poster is an application for posting photos and videos to the web. Version 1.1 adds support for posting to SmugMug, posting videos to Facebook, improves the app's plug-ins for iPhoto and Aperture, people tagging and more.

Poster is a Mac OS X application for uploading photos and videos to multiple sites and accounts with a sleek design that makes posting photos and videos a truly enjoyable experience. In version 1.1, it's now possible to post photos and videos to SmugMug. Poster 1.1 also adds videos to its existing support for posting photos to Facebook.

For each site, Poster takes a tailored approach that makes the most of each site's unique features. Poster can post both photos and HD videos with captions and keywords to SmugMug, create new public, unlisted or password-protected galleries or post to any existing galleries.

When posting to Flickr, Poster can upload both photos and videos, auto-complete tags, create and use existing sets, submit photos to groups, tag people and choose moderation settings all within the app.

For Facebook, Poster can not only post photos and videos to personal profiles, but also post photos to any Facebook pages that you administer, making it ideal for anyone whose business, band or cause takes advantage of Facebook's massive user community.

Poster includes export plug-ins are provided for iPhoto and Aperture to launch Poster with the exported files, including any titles and keywords set in those apps, but as a standalone app can works with all photo editing and management applications. Poster can even perform some tricks of its own, such as rotating and resizing photos before uploading.

The best part of Poster is that it is a pleasure to use. Packed with thoughtful touches, its understated design and tasteful animations are both intuitive and easy on the eye and its support for multitouch gestures and full keyboard navigation help make posting your photos and videos as enjoyable an experience as taking them.

System Requirements:
* Mac OS X 10.6 or later
* 3.1 MB

 

Pricing And Availability

Poster 1.1 is $9.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide through the App Store in the Photography category or via the Reinvented Software website.

$9.99/Download

Sigma UK confirm DP2x price

Sigma Imaging UK has confirmed a price of £619.99 inc VAT for the DP2x and the company claim the camera, which features a 14-megapixel Foveon APS-C size sensor and 24mm f/2.8 lens, will be available to purchase at the end of April.

Press release:

Sigma DP2x

Compact digital camera with an APS-C size, 14MP image sensor

 

Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd is pleased to announce that the suggested retail price of the new DP2x is £619.99. This camera is the latest model in Sigma’s DP series and will be available for purchase towards the end of April.

The new Sigma DP2x incorporates AFE (Analog Front End) and faster autofocus. AFE is also used in the DP1x compact digital camera and SD15 digital SLR and converts full color data, which the FOVEON X3® capture system records, into a digital signal. This enables the camera to reproduce high definition and richly colored images. In addition, the new AF algorithm provides high speed autofocus, ensuring convenient shooting.

SLR-sized image sensor
The size of the image sensor used in the DP2x camera is 20.7mm x 13.8mm. It is approximately seven to twelve times larger than sensors used in ordinary compact digital cameras. The large photodiodes deployed capture light efficiently and give the DP2x its high resolution and richly-graduated tones.

Full-colour image sensor
Utilising the special features of silicon, which is penetrated to different depths by different wavelengths of light, this 14 megapixel direct image sensor succeeds in full-colour capture with the full RGB in a single-pixel location.

TRUE II image processing engine
The DP2x incorporates the “TRUE (Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine) II” image processing engine which improves the processing speed and overall image quality. The unique image-processing algorithm provides high resolution and reproduces high definition images with richly graduated tones.

AFE (Analogue Front End)
AFE (Analogue Front End) converts the colour data, which full-colour capture systems record, to a digital signal. This enables the camera to reproduce high definition and richly coloured images.

24.2mm F2.8 lens
The DP2x is equipped with a 24.2mm F2.8 large aperture lens, equivalent to 41mm on a 35mm SLR camera, which has been designed exclusively for DP2 series. Two high refractive index elements and two molded glass aspherical lenses provide superior image quality and allow its compact construction.

More information can be found at www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/news/110208_SIGMA_DP2x.htm

Bibble 5.2.2 update announced

Bibble 5.2.2 Update Now Available
Adding Support for Canon's sRAW and mRAW formats, two additional Sony cameras, and Nikon's D1x

Bibble 5.2.2 is new available for download now, and provides broader RAW file support, improved stability, and resolves minor issues found in previous releases of Bibble 5.  Bibble 5.2.2 add support for Canon's sRAW and mRAW formats, Nikon's D1x, and Sony's a290 and a390 cameras.  This update is free for all current Bibble 5 customers.

Bibble 5.2.2 also improves interaction with plugins that change the size of your photo, like zFrame and zShadow, and seen in the screenshot below.  These plugins allow you to add creative frames and drop shadows to your images - directly within Bibble 5.  Output images will look exactly like the preview in Bibble, ready to publish and share.  You can create Presets with your favorite zFrame and zShadow settings to quickly add your finishing touch to every image in Bibble.

Bibble 5.2.2 is our third free update so far in 2011, and shows our continued commitment to constantly improving Bibble 5, adding not only newer cameras like we did in 5.2.1, but also older, popular cameras, creating one workflow tool for all your digital photography needs.

Click here for the update or download a trial.

Latest Photography iOS App Updates

Here are the latest iOS photography app updates, take a look at these...

Sort Shots - iPad Edition

Already using tags and keywords in your desktop photo editor? Now photo EXIF keywords and ratings are automatically imported into your Sort Shots library for easy searching. Image keywords and ratings data are currently supported for Adobe® Bridge® and Lightroom® (Mac and PC) and Apple iPhoto® and Aperture®! Plus, image resolution is exactly as you shot it – no more resizing!.

What's New
• Air print enabled to print your photos wirelessly
• Use multi-touch pinch gestures to open thumbnail in full screen
• Close full screen view with pinch gesture
• Two finger tap on a thumbnail or full screen photo to view photo metadata popover
• Three finger tap to Add/Remove Favorite (thumbnail and full screen photo)
• Image rotation with finger gestures on full screen view
• Rotate one or more thumbnails with finger gestures
• View file names with thumbnails
• Display a photographs metadata in full screen view
• New options added to preferences to enable/disable star ratings and file names
• Custom (drag ‘n’ drop) sequence feature added to main navigation bar
• Improved scrolling speed with swipe actions and scroller
• Auto scroll photos during custom sequencing with scroller or by dragging photos to top or bottom of screen
• Fixed a minor bug in the selection of music in landscape mode
• Streamlined navigation bar

$5.99/Download

FX Photo Studio HD

FX PHOTO STUDIO HD makes available the most colossal selection of effects on the App Store for you to wrap your imagination around!

Now with 181 total effects and filters, the possibilities are endless when it comes to editing your photos. For those of you looking to keep it simple, you can also, crop brighten, flip and make other basic changes for quick modification of your photos.

What's new
• New category “Sketches” – 6 new filters
• Full compatibility with iPad 2
• Enhanced tuning for effects
• Minor Bugs Fixed
• Overall functionality upgrade – faster previews, better quality
• Tested with iOS 4.3

$2.99/Download

Camera+

What's new

THE BIG THING
Clarity ~ one tap to awesomeness!

Clarity is one of the biggest breakthroughs to happen to image processing in a long time. Simply put, it can make your photos look truly stunning with just one tap.

We created Clarity to help turn all the shots you take into perfect photos. Clarity analyzes your photos and makes several intelligent adjustments that magically bring out details and breathe life into dull photos. There’s no need to futz with complicated and confusing controls… behind the scenes, we do all that and more for you through innovative “smart-processing”.

And with Clarity, you’ll stop throwing out “bad” photos… you’ll be amazed to see what it can do to photos that you’d typically consider unusable, like shots that came out too dark.

The results are so good that you’re going to think that we sold our souls to achieve them. >:-)

 

SOME OTHER THINGS
✓ we’ve added a ‘+’ button to the touch focus control to enable you to easily split it into focus and exposure controls (you can still use the two-finger tap to do this)… THAT’S what the ‘+’ in the app icon was supposed to represent all along!
✓ multiple photos are now saved to your Camera Roll according to the order they were selected
✓ we’ve made it clearer when your camera is autofocusing
✓ improved Pinhole effect
✓ improved Vintage border
✓ fixed a bug where the shutter button sometimes wouldn’t work
✓ fixed a bug where photos could’ve been saved to your Camera Roll with an incorrect date/time taken
✓ fixed a bug where the timer countdown time could get stuck on the screen
✓ fixed a bug where the Cancel buttons in sharing sometimes wouldn’t work
✓ various minor bug fixes and enhancements

$2.99/Download

Image Upload Pro

Image Upload Pro allows batch uploading of pictures from your iPhone or iPad or iPod to your web site. You can choose to have thumbnails automatically generated and you can control the size and quality of the images being uploaded.

What's new
✓ new image picker interface
✓ image resize bug fix
✓ gps data is now sent with http posts
✓ date picture was taken is now sent with http posts

$1.99/Download

Picture Effect Magic HD

Picture Effect Magic HD features the broadest selection of high-quality photographic effects at the App Store

By pressing one button you can turn your shot into a retro photo or a picture drawn by a pencil or paints, or done in a Modern Art style. Alternatively, you can simply add a pretty frame of flowers or butterflies.

What's new
****Add more amazing effects. such as lomo effect,old picture effect scan line effect....

****Undo Function support!

Free/Download

WiFi MediaBox - Photo and video transfer      

Is it too difficult to get your photos and videos in original quality from your iPhone or iPad? Simply access them from any nearby computer or another iPhone/iPod/iPad using Web Browser without need to install any 3rd party transfer utilities.

What's new
Fixed problems with some web browsers

$0.99/Download

Pixamid

Pixamid is the simplest way to share your iPhone photos with the right people. Mostly, we want to share photos with the same people we are with at any event, and not spam all of our Facebook friends.

As you take photos with Pixamid, we share them automatically with the friends you are with (and you will get their photos too, if taken with Pixamid). You can also share your photos with everyone at a certain place, or the whole world.

What's new
New features:
- Upload photo to your timeline.
- Add your friends to an event on your timeline.

Various enhancements and bug fixes.

Free/Download

Leica Camera AG announce firmware update for Leica X1

Press release:

29 March 2011: Leica Camera AG has announced a firmware update for its high-performance digital compact camera, the LEICA X1. The update is available for X1 owners to download from the company's web site today.

 

The new X1 firmware offers the following additional features and benefits:

- Improved manual focusing, with the focus screen showing the image based on an open aperture

- More accurate manual focusing with finer steps, when scrolling slowly with the click wheel

- Two manual focusing speeds for more accurate and faster MF operation

- Manual focusing lock now available

- Enlarged manual focusing scale display

- Depth of field scale displayed in manual focusing mode

- Manual focus settings retained in memory when camera is switched off

- Improved autofocus speed in low light conditions and with low contrast subjects, in particular when shooting
multiple shots of the same subject

- ISO setting is displayed in Auto ISO mode

- Improved JPEG image quality

 

A detailed description of the functionality of the firmware (as well as a link to the update) is available here.

The ideal companion for both amateur and professional photographers, the LEICA X1 features a 12.2 megapixel CMOS image sensor in APS-C format, identical in size to those used in many larger DSLR cameras.  In combination with the camera's LEICA ELMARIT 24mm f/2.8 ASPH. lens, the X1 sensor offers outstanding picture quality comparable with professional models. Each individual pixel has a generous surface area and collects more light, therefore ensuring low noise levels, high dynamic range and accurate colour differentiation. The large sensor size, maximum sensitivity of ISO 3200 and the extremely fast lens also make the LEICA X1 an ideal choice for 'available light' photography.

The LEICA X1 (in steel grey or black) is available in the UK from authorised Leica dealers at a suggested retail price of £1,425. A full list of authorised UK Leica dealers is available here, or call 020 7629 1351.

Related posts

Read our review of the Leica X1 here (with the earlier firmware).

Previously unseen portraits by John Swannell go on display at NPG

The National Portrait Gallery in London has announced a new display which will show previously unseen portraits by John Swannell. The display, Now and Then: Photographs by John Swannell, will run from 22 April until 31 December 2011 in Room 38a of the Gallery.

Press release:

PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PORTRAITS OF SUSAN BOYLE AND TONY BLAIR TO GO DISPLAY AT NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
 
Previously unreleased portraits of singer Susan Boyle, former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and art historian and museum director Sir Roy Strong (in Elizabethan costume), will form part of a new display at the National Portrait Gallery. The display will highlight 16 portraits recently acquired for the Gallery’s Collection by acclaimed photographer John Swannell. The portraits on display range from previously unseen photographs taken in the last year, to portraits taken at the start of his career in the early 1970s. The display, Now and Then: Photographs by John Swannell, will run from 22 April until 31 December 2011 in Room 38a of the Gallery.
 
The photographs of Boyle and Blair are both unpublished images from Swannell’s photo shoots for their respective recent best-selling autobiographies. The portrait of Sir Roy Strong, art historian and former Director of the National Portrait Gallery, was a personal commission in which Strong is depicted in doublet and hose.
 
Known for his photographs of the Royal family, the display includes Swannell’s portrait of HRH The Princess Royal, commissioned for her 60th birthday. Spanning Swannell’s career since the 1970s, the display also includes portraits of musician Phil Lynott, co-founder and musician with Thin Lizzy, fashion icon Iman, singer George Michael, broadcaster Jeremy Paxman, actor Bill Nighy and film director Christopher Nolan. Swannell is particularly celebrated for his fashion photography, reflected in his portraits of Victoria Beckham, fashion designer Betty Jackson and actress Sienna Miller, modelling one of her sister’s designs for their jointly owned fashion label twenty8twelve.
 
Born in 1946, John Swannell left school at sixteen and first worked at Vogue Studios, assisting photographers such as Cecil Beaton. He worked for David Bailey from 1969 to 1973, including on Bailey’s book, Goodbye Baby and Amen (1969), before establishing his own studio. He spent the next 10 years travelling and working for magazines including Vogue, Harpers & Queen, The Sunday Times and Tatler. In 1993 Swannell was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society. His work was first exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in the group exhibition, Twenty for Today: New Portrait Photography (1985), and a solo exhibition of his work, Twenty Years On, was staged at the Gallery in 1997. The Gallery first began to acquire Swannell’s work in 1983, and now holds over 100 of his portraits covering the years 1970 to 2010. He has published numerous books, including Fine Lines (1982), Twenty Years On (1996), I’m still standing (2002) and Nudes 1978-2006 (2006). Swannell’s work is also held in collections at the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, and the Royal Photographic Society.

EVENTS
John Swannell will be giving a lecture at the Royal Geographical Society on 7 June at 7pm in aid of the National Autistic Society. This is a rare opportunity to see a personal collection of his work and hear of his travels and extraordinary career. Tickets £15
For further information please visit here.

For futher information about the NPG, please click here.

Susan Boyle, 2010 by John Swannell © John Swannell

Sir Roy Strong, 2010by John Swannell © John Swannell

Tony Blair, 2009 by John Swannell © John Swannell

Lastolite unwrap Baby Posing Coat

Press release:

Lastolite Announce New Baby Posing Coat
 

March 28th 2011, Lastolite Limited, the world’s leading manufacturer of backgrounds and lighting control systems for the photo, video and cinema industry, has announced the launch of the new Baby Posing Coat.
 
The new Baby Posing Coat is made of soft velvet-like, light absorbing fabric. It effectively becomes the background of the shot without it being obvious the parent is involved. The hood can ‘disguise’ the head of the parent for ‘over the shoulder’ shots, whilst the large sleeves allow the parent’s hands to be hidden or exposed. The coat reduces the child’s stress and anxiety by

allowing the parent to hold them, thus helping the shoot to run smoothly. Available in one size, the coat is secured with hook and loop fastenings.
 
         Main Features and Benefits:
 
1.                Made of soft, light absorbing fabric
2.                Hood and sleeves to disguise head and hands of parent
3.                One size fits all

Pricing and Availability:
 
The Baby Posing Coat is available now at SRP £70.00 Inc.

More infomation can be found here.

Fuji resume X100 production

Fujifilm halted production of the highly anticipated X100 compact after the Tohuku disaster on March 11. The company has a production line for the X100 located in Yamato, Miyagi Prefecture, close to the area of the destruction. But despite fleeting supplies of water and electricity from the imposed rolling blackouts, Fujifilm has confirmed that X100 production will go ahead. Whether that is in the same plant or outsourced using some of the equipment rescued from the production line, as some pundits have claimed, isn't clear at this time.

Press release (auto-translation)

Digital camera "FinePix X100" Notice of resuming shipments

March 28, 2011
FUJIFILM Corporation

March 11, 2011 (Friday) by the earthquake that occurred off the northeastern Pacific Ocean "FinePix X100" production plant (Yamato Town, Kurokawa-gun Miyagi) but have always suffered from the earthquake to cease operations for one o'clock Orimashi This time the production line can be recovered or will contact you, so now more likely to be sold in early April.
We will notify us so that we ship to customers starting in Itadai reservation.

To our customers, we keep pace with production from first launched, it will be delivered very late, I apologize.

Original text:

デジタルカメラ「FinePix X100」出荷再開のお知らせ
2011年3月28日
富士フイルム株式会社
2011年3月11日（金）に発生した東北地方太平洋沖地震により「FinePix X100」の生産工場（宮城県黒川郡大和町）におきましても震災の被害を受け、一時操業を停止しておりましたがこのたび生産ラインが復旧でき、4月上旬より販売できる見通しとなりましたのでご連絡いたします。
ご予約いただいているお客さまから順次お届け出来るよう出荷を行ってまいります。
お客さまには、発売当初より生産が追いつかず、お届けが大変遅くなりましたことを、深くお詫び申し上げます。

More information about the camera can be found at the special X100 site here.

Pre-order yours here at Adorama.

Pre-order at B&H Photo

Pre-order at Amazon UK (£899 inc VAT and free delivery)

Quantum announce Basic Trio

Quantum Instruments has announced a new 'Basic' version of the Qflash Trio. The new TRIO BASIC has all the same features of the standard TRIO, but without the build-in transceiver for wireless operation (and a saving of around £100).

Press release:

QUANTUM QFLASH TRIO BASIC

Flaghead Photographic, the exclusive UK & Ireland distributor for Quantum products, are pleased to announce a new Quantum Qflash: The TRIO BASIC.

The TRIO BASIC has all the same sophisticated features of the standard TRIO, but without the build-in transceiver for wireless operation. This reduces the retail price by £100.

TRIO BASIC features:
•    TTL dedication for Nikon or Canon DSLR's
•    Hot Shoe mounted
•    Fully interchangeable reflector system
•    High Speed Sync
•    Non-Stop shooting all day, no over-heating problems
•    Manual, Auto, Auto-Fill, TTL & Program (Pre-Sets) Modes
•    Powered by any Turbo battery
•    Removable long or short power cable
•    User replaceable, low cost flashtube

The TRIO BASIC is aimed at photographers that shoot a high volume of images, often in fast sequences, with a hot-shoe mounted flash unit.

The Trio Basic is available now with an RRP of £690 inc VAT (£575 ex VAT).

For more details please click here.

RayFlash intro new Rotator flash bracket

RayFlash the creator of the popular RingFlash Adaptor has announced the new FlashRotator, a flash-bracket with 360-degree rotating mount for easy positioning of a portable flash around the lens. It's available now with a RRP of £154.99 inc VAT (£129 ex VAT).

Please click on the following links to buy the Ray Flash Rotator at the following retailers:

Amazon (all countries)
Adorama US

Warehouse Express UK/DE

For more information please visit UK distributor Flaghead or visit Ray Flash.

Ray Flash is distributed by ExpoImaging in the US.

Press release:

Press Release:

The revolutionary RayFlash FlashRotator

From the inventor of the RayFlash ringflash adapter comes another unique product:

A 360° rotating flash bracket with fast, continuous positioning around the lens.

No shadow or Monster shadow: your choice!

- Revolutionary design
- Quick & easy mounting without tools
- Fast positioning anywhere around the lens
- Use with Nikon & Canon cameras for full TTL use

The RayFlash Rotator is the first rotating flash bracket in the world with full TTL capabilities (Nikon & Canon). It allows the flash unit to be positioned anywhere around the lens to avoid harsh side shadows normally associated with an on-camera flash in the vertical position. OR, for very dramatic light effects, use the flash position to create monster shadows!

Mounting the Rotator is easy, no need for tools. The package comes with a set of mounting brackets to suit different camera heights.

Diameter: 138 mm Weight: 495 g

The RRP for both Nikon and Canon models is £154.99 inc VAT.

The Rotator is now available from imaging retailers, see here for more details.

Please help support the DJP by visiting our affiliates; Jessops, Warehouse Express, Adorama Camera and Amazon. Note; sales through these links may benefit this site.

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Ray Flash Rotator flash bracket review