Digital Camera News and Reviews

Nikon D3 DSLR

Nikon has updated their Capture NX to version 2.1.1. The update includes support for their last high end DSLR, the Nikon D3X camera. The update also include several fixes and improvemenents, including issues with GPS information and error messages when you are setting grey point on several pictures.

Download Nikon Capture NX version 2.1.1 for Windows here and Mac here.

Adobe has just released a new version of their popular Raw file converter, Camera Raw 5.2. Camera Raw 5.2 adds support to seven new cameras including Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Panasonic DMC-G1. The update also includes a new tool called Targeted Adjustment, enhanced color profiles, output sharpening and other updates.

The seven new cameras that Adobe Camera Raw 5.2 supports are these:
-Canon EOS 5D Mark II
-Canon PowerShot G10
-Panasonic DMC-G1
-Panasonic DMC-FX150
-Panasonic DMC-FZ28
-Panasonic DMC-LX3
-Leica D-LUX 4

You can download Adobe Camera Raw 5.2 here for Windows and here for Mac.

Today Adobe has launched version 2 of their popular RAW converter program called Photoshop Lightroom. There are lots of changes and additions from Lightroom 1.4 to version 2.0. One of the most significant changes to Lightroom 2 is that you can do local adjustments to a picture. This means you can select an area of the picture you want to change and use a tool to adjust that area. This feature can be used with the gradient tool and the local adjustment brush which can change exposure correction, brightness, contrast, saturation, clarity, sharpening and toning.
Other new features for Photoshop Lightroom 2 are dual-monitor support, a software development kit (SDK) that allows third party developers to make plugins for the program, new print module and much more.

Personally Lightroom is my most used program when I develop my RAW-files because it makes my work flow very fast. I’m very excited these new changes to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom!

If you are a new user of Lightroom version 2 will cost you £175 / $299, but if you are upgrading from version 1 it will cost you £69 / $99.

Press release:
Adobe Releases Photoshop Lightroom 2

Major Software Upgrade Further Simplifies Photography Workflows

SAN JOSE, Calif. — July 29, 2008 — Adobe Systems Incorporated
(Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe
Photoshop Lightroom 2 software, the photographer’s essential toolbox for
managing, adjusting and presenting large volumes of digital photographs.
With new enhancements such as dual-monitor support, radical advances in
non-destructive localized image correction, and streamlined search
capabilities, Lightroom 2 is a compelling upgrade that simplifies
photography from shoot to finish. As Adobe’s first application to
support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Macintosh computers with Intel
processors and Microsoft Windows Vista 64-bit operating systems,
Lightroom 2 also provides improved memory performance for dealing with
large scale images.

“A worldwide community of photographers provided valuable insight and
feedback, as part of the Lightroom 2 public beta program, ultimately
helping us deliver a better product,” said Tom Hogarty, senior product
manager for Lightroom and Camera Raw at Adobe. “We’ve considered their
requests which helped us develop useful features that make it easier
than ever for our customers to quickly refine, enhance and present
brilliant photographs.”

Photoshop Lightroom 2: Smarter, Faster and More Accurate

The enhanced Library module in Lightroom 2 helps streamline and
accelerate photographers’ workflows. With the ability to visually
organize images across multiple hard drives, Lightroom 2 and its
powerful Library Filter Bar makes it easy for users to quickly find the
images they need. The Suggested Keywords feature helps photographers
keyword their images by making intelligent suggestions based on their
own previous efforts. New dual-monitor support allows users to expand
their workspace, giving them flexibility to edit and organize images in
a way that maximizes an additional display.

In the Develop module, the new Local Adjustment Brush lets photographers
fine-tune specific areas of an image to precisely adjust color, exposure
and tonal range without affecting other areas of the image. The new
Graduated Filter expands the toolbox in Lightroom, allowing for edits to
larger areas by applying gradually diminishing or increasing adjustment
effects such as exposure, clarity, and saturation, alone, or in any
combination. Lightroom 2 also helps photographers print more efficiently
by quickly arranging photos of multiple sizes on one or many pages with
flexible and customizable templates to maximize paper and ink.
Intelligent algorithms automatically determine optimal sharpening for
screen or print, producing crisper images faster. Developers can further
extend the Lightroom workflow with Web, Export and Metadata Software
Development Kits available at the Adobe Developer Connection,
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/.

Ground-Breaking Innovation in Raw Technology

New raw technology gives photographers access to flexible camera
profiles. Camera profiles are the visual starting point for the raw
processing workflow, but image preferences vary for every photographer.
To minimize surprises, Adobe is supplying default camera profiles that
closely emulate the visual looks that photographers are used to seeing
from their favorite camera, while also providing the ability to create
highly customized profiles to suit different tastes. Camera profiles are
available for immediate download on Adobe Labs (http://labs.adobe.com)
for use with Lightroom 2 and Camera Raw 4.5, along with the DNG Profile
Editor for the community to test and create their own profiles.

The Adobe Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in and DNG Converter 4.5 are also now
available on Adobe.com and support over 190 camera models including the
Olympus E 420 and E 520 models.

“One of the big reasons why Lightroom has become such a phenomenon among
serious photographers is that Adobe built it with the input of a very
vocal user community,” said Scott Kelby, president of the National
Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). “Adobe really listens to
the issues and challenges today’s photographers face and they’ve built a
complete solution that not only meets the needs of photographers; it
really feels like it was made just for us. The enhancements to Lightroom
2, combined with the power of Photoshop, give photographers the ultimate
freedom to produce professional images quickly.”

Pricing and Availability

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 is available now through the Adobe Store at
www.adobe.com/store in English, French and German with the Japanese
language version planned to be released at a future date. The estimated
street price is USD$299 for new users with an upgrade price of USD$99
for registered users of qualifying Lightroom customers. 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 GB RAM and a 1024×768 resolution screen. Additional
information on product features, upgrade policies, pricing, and language
versions is available on www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/.

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