Digital Camera News and Reviews

Updates from the camera world



Month: April, 2008

Creative Suite CS4 gets support for 64-bit but only for Windows

4 April, 2008 (10:20) | Adobe, Software | By: Camera News

The program package Adobe Creative Suite CS4, which includes Adobe Photoshop CS4 among other programs, are planed to get 64-bit support. This means that Photoshop will be able to handle more internal memory in the computer, which means better performance and the possibility to work with larger photo files more effectively.

Mac will probably not get support for 64-bit until Creative Suite CS5 is produced due to technical difficulties.

Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS Zoom Digital Camera review by ThinkCamera

4 April, 2008 (09:06) | Compact Camera, Kodak, Review | By: Camera News

Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS Zoom Digital Camera
Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS Zoom

ThinkCamera has reviewed the Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS Zoom compact digital camera.
Some camera features:
-10 megapixels
-5X optical zoom (35-175mm equivalent)
-Image stabilization
-Face detection technology
-HD video (720p)
-Panorama mode

ThinkCamera ends up giving the Kodak EasyShare Z1085 camera an overall score of 8 out 10 so this seems like a decent compact camera.
There are a few negative things with the camera like a not so perfect panorama mode, some focus issues and macro mode is not really good for macro.

Read the full review of the Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS Zoom camera here.


Sony announces HDR-TG1 Handycam the world’s smallest full HD camcorder

3 April, 2008 (17:24) | Camcorder, Sony, Video | By: Camera News

Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam
Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam

Sony has a announced the world’s smallest full HD camcorder called HDR-TG1 Handycam. This camcorder measures only 1.3- x 4.7- x 2.5-inches and weighs 10 ounces.

Some other Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam features:
-1920 x 1080 HD video
-2.7-inch touchscreen
-4 mega pixels
-Titanium body and premium hard coating
-Face detection technology




Press release:
SONY ROLLS OUT WORLD’S SMALLEST FULL HD CAMCORDER JUST IN TIME FOR YOUR SUMMER VACATION

SAN DIEGO, Apr. 2, 2008 – The new pocket-sized Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam® camcorder’s weighty high-definition capability will appeal to vacationers who prefer to “travel light.”

This diminutive camcorder weighs in at only ten ounces. It has an ultra-portable body measuring just 1.3-inches wide by 4.7-inches tall by 2.5-inches deep.

It is a full-featured camcorder that can record 1920 x 1080 HD video and 4-megapixel digital photos directly to Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo™ or PRO Duo Mark2 media cards. Its size and full recording capability makes it the world’s smallest full HD camcorder.

Another bonus for any traveler is the camcorder’s durable titanium body and premium hard coating that makes it highly resistant to scratches and quite fashionable.

It ships with a supplied 4GB PRO Duo Mark2 media card so it’s ready to go straight out of the box and you don’t have to make space in your travel bag for extra discs or tapes.

“Sony was the first to introduce a travel-sized camcorder with 8 mm technology in the 1980’s, and it revolutionized the travel and electronics industries,” said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. “This new model is a great example of our expertise in miniaturization, as well as advanced imaging technologies with features like face detection.”

Face Detection for the Best Possible Picture

This new model incorporates face detection technology for both video and still images, a technology also shared with select Sony Cyber-shot® digital cameras. It can identify up to eight faces in the camcorder’s 2.7-inch touch panel LCD screen, and automatically adjust focus, exposure, color control for natural-looking skin tones, and when photos are taken, flash control.

The model also allocates more encoding bits to a detected face during the encoding process for the best possible picture when people are the subjects.

Not Just Another Pretty Face

The camcorder features advanced video and audio technologies with simple, intuitive operation. It is equipped with a high-quality Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® 10x optical zoom lens and 2-megapixel ClearVid™ CMOS sensor with Exmor™-derived technology, engineered to minimize picture noise.

The camera’s BIONZ™ processing engine also features noise reduction capabilities in addition to fast processing speeds. This engine powers the model’s dynamic range optimization feature, which automatically adjusts under- or over-exposed areas in a picture. These technologies together produce high-resolution video and photos with natural color reproduction and rich details.

Audio is recorded in Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel surround sound and features a built-in zoom microphone, delivering clear recordings of your subjects along with the video.

Designed to be the perfect travel companion, the HDR-TG1 camcorder will ship with supplied accessories in May for about $900. There is also an optional travel kit (Sony ACC-TCH5) that includes a battery, travel charger and pouch for about $100. Plus, there is a custom-fit case (Sony LCM-TGA) with brushed metal accents available as an accessory for about $50.

All can be purchased, along with other accessory options, direct at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (sonystyle.com/retail), at authorized dealers nationwide, and at military base exchanges. Pre-orders begin on Apr. 4 at www.sonystyle.com.

Adobe announces Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 Beta

2 April, 2008 (21:19) | Adobe, Software | By: Camera News

Adobe has announced that they have opened their popular photo tool Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 up for beta testing.

The beta of Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 is available for download here. The beta will only work for 30 days if you are not an existing Lightroom user.


PRESS RELEASE: Adobe Delivers Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 Beta

SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 2 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta, a public preview of new and improved functionality to be delivered in the next major release. Lightroom is the professional photographer’s essential toolbox, providing one application for managing, adjusting and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. Lightroom 2.0 beta will feature enhancements such as dual-monitor support, localized dodge and burn correction and will be the first Adobe application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Microsoft Vista 64-bit operating systems.

“Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta provides early access to requested improvements over version 1.3 and continues our ongoing dialogue and open communication with the photography community,” said Tom Hogarty, senior product manager for Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw. “We’re excited not only for our existing customers, but also for the general public who will have an opportunity to take Lightroom 2.0 beta on a test run.”

New in Lightroom 2.0 beta

An improved layout in the Library module allows for a more intuitive approach to image organization by simplifying the location of the features needed to find and filter photographs. A new feature called Smart Collections automatically updates collections with images that match desired criteria such as star-rating, keyword or other metadata. “The Suggested Keywords feature eases the task of keywording by making recommendations based upon keyword associations across a catalog as well as the use of keywords in neighboring images.”

Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta includes improved memory handling through 64-bit support for OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Vista 64-bit operating systems. Additional enhancements in Lightroom 2.0 beta include support for a dual monitor configuration that maximizes a photographer’s workspace and can be easily adjusted to meet a particular workflow. Additionally, the Develop module has been updated to provide the ability to correct specific parts of an image without affecting other areas. Now, fundamental photographic techniques such as dodge and burn can be performed using the same non-destructive approach, allowing unprecedented control within the Lightroom program.

Beta Availability

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta is available as a 30-day trial for free download on Macintosh and Windows platforms at http://www.labs.adobe.com/downloads. Existing Lightroom 1.0 customers will be able to test the beta for an extended period until Aug. 31 and can invite friends to take part in this trial period. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4, 10.5 1 GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 or Intel-based processor or Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate or Enterprise, Intel Pentium 4 processor, 1 GBRAM and a 1024×768 resolution screen.


Photography Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory