Adobe has announced several release candidates for updates to its RAW and DNG file utilities, Photoshop Camera Raw 5.6, Lightroom 2.6 and DNG Converter 5.6. The updates extend file support to 19 new camera models including Canon's EOS 7D, Powershot G11 and S90; the Nikon D3s, Olympus E-P2, Pentax K-x, Sigma DP1s, Sony's A500/550/850, and several others.
Apple on Monday released a wide range of new printer drivers for Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The drivers add compatibility for many printers and scanners manufactured by Canon, Brother, HP and Lexmark. Users with devices not supported by the drivers included on the original v10.6 installation DVD can use Software Update to automatically check for new drivers after the printer or scanner is connected to the Mac.
The flyer for Best Buy's Black Friday/Thanksgiving sale has been leaked on the Internet ahead of its official release thanks to a copy posted today. Among the 'doorbusters' are a $300 PS3 bundle that includes two games, while an Xbox 360 bundle with six games will carry the same sticker price. Another front-page deal involves a 46-inch, 120Hz LED-backlit Samsung HDTV with free home delivery, hook-up and recycling for $1,600, or $1,000 off.
Canon tonight finished its last major DSLR update of the past year and launched the EOS 1D Mark IV as its highest-end camera. The new model jumps from a 10-megapixel APS-H (near full-frame) sensor to a 16-megapixel, 1.3X crop unit and upgrades to twin DIGIC IV processors. The boost gives it 1080p video at 30 frames per second, or 720p at 60 frames per second, while still shooting full-quality still images at up to 10 frames per second. It can also match the Nikon D3s' ISO 102,400 light sensitivity and so can shoot in extremely low light without invoking flash.
Canon's long rumored replacement for its EOS 1D Mark III pro DSLR could show as early as tomorrow but with multiple surprises in store, more than one source said today. A post from pro photographer Philip Bloom as well as an unnamed source for Canon Rumors both say Canon will use events celebrating the 50th anniversary of its DSLRs to unveil the EOS 1D Mark V, skipping IV due to Japanese viewing it as an unlucky number. Controversially, it would also opt for a crop-frame sensor instead of full-frame, opting for a 16-megapixel image so it can reach a maximum shooting rate of 11 or possibly 12 frames per second.
Canon has released Easy-PhotoPrint, a new dedicated printing app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Users can send photos to a nearby PIXMA printer when connected via local Wi-Fi. Several photos can be queued for printing at a time, with a maximum of 20 copies.
onOne has launched DSLR Camera Remote Server 1.2, an update to its Canon EOS and Nikon DSLR remote-control software that works with an iPhone or iPod touch. The app provides tools for controlling the camera settings such as shutter speed or aperture, as well as the ability to view images shot on the camera from the user’s mobile device. Version 1.2 offers a series of bug fixes that deal with issues involving the Canon Rebel T1i not working properly on Windows, and the old Nikon Camera models causing an error when set to manual focus on a Mac.
Canon USA on Tuesday said it has added two new multimedia projectors to its REALiS lineup. This includes the WUX10 Mark II and SX80 Mark II, both of which use Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) technology. Canon has introduced a new feature on the pair, which is called Photo Image Mode and allows users to perform advanced color management adjustments to account for ambient light conditions. Settings include choice from three types of lighting, light and color intensity, as well as color temperature.
Canon today confirmed recent rumors and said it had chosen not to have a presence at the 2010 PMA (Photo Marketing Association) trade show in February. A spokeswoman for the camera maker argued to PDN that the company's product line is showing too much "convergence" for it to go to the expense of attending a speciality show. Future shows will only involve those that have the "broadest reach," the representative said.
Canon's rumored replacement for the Rebel XS, the Rebel T1, gained support today through a new rumor. Although conflicting rumors had the camera launching earlier this year, a new and more detailed tip for Canon Rumors says the camera is "very close" to a launch and will be an unusual hybrid of older and newer technology. It would use the DIGIC 4 processor of most modern Canon cameras but use the 12-megapixel sensor of the older Rebel XSi.
A variety of web reports suggest Canon Sweden has begun sending out press invitations regarding a secret product launch. In the short and secretive message, Canon promises that it will announce "one of the biggest and most important releases in the history of the company." The two-hour lunchtime event is scheduled for September 29th, and it's widely expected that the product in question is Canon's upcoming 1D Mark IV digital SLR.
As promised, Canon tonight launched the EOS-7D, its most advanced crop-frame digital SLR camera to date. The camera not only shoots at 18 megapixels, one of the highest resolutions for a camera that isn't full-frame, but also gives it two DIGIC 4 processors that help it shoot more quickly than other cameras in its class. It can shoot bursts of 8 frames per second for up to 15 shots in RAW or 126 shots in JPEG. The advanced processing also gives it video advantages over even the EOS-5D Mark II: it can record 720p at up to 60FPS or 1080p at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second, letting filmmakers capture at native speed without having to convert later.
Just hours ahead of the expected official launch of the Canon EOS-7D, final details and even an apparent press release have surfaced that now not only confirm details of the DSLR but expand on its video capabilities. Unlike even the EOS-5D Mark II, the 7D is now expected by Neutralday to support recording 720p video at 60 frames per second (50 in some areas) and produce much more fluid video. It's still claimed to be supporting 1080p at 30 frames per second and will also reportedly get basic in-camera editing.
More definitive specs and pricing have surfaced for Canon's EOS-7D DSLR for the upper mid-range. A combination of a seemingly authentic product poster as well as sources for Canon Rumors points to the camera actually being a crop-frame (APS-C) unit rather than the full frame of the 5D Mark II but getting high-end features. It would have an 18-megapixel sensor (versus the 5D's 21) but, with dual processors, would support shooting at up to 8 frames per second.
Nikon may be readying its first full-frame DSLR with video features if a rumor from a camera repair service proves accurate. Southern Photo Technical Service claims that an upgrade simply titled the D700s should come in the same price range as the existing D700. What other features are involved aren't clear, but it's implied this will mirror some of the changes brought in the D300s and add at least HD video with autofocus as well as faster still image autofocusing and continuous shooting. It's less than clear whether a second, SDHC-based card slot or a dedicated live view button will appear, as both are targeted more at high-end hobbyists than the D700's usually professional audience.
onOne has released DSLR Camera Remote Professional v1.1, adding support for Nikon DSLR cameras and the Canon EOS Rebel T1i along with new features. The app requires the Canon or Nikon DSLR camera to be linked with a WiFi-enabled computer running DSLR Camera Remote Server software, a free download. DSLR Camera Remote can remote fire the camera, can adjust settings like aperture, shutter and ISO and offers image review and Live View preview for cameras that support live view, all from an iPhone or iPod touch.
A previous rumor that had Canon's future EOS-7D DSLR camera releasing on September 1st is now being corroborated by a recent German Kamera & Bild report, which maintains Canon has invited press to an event on September 1st but without adding any more details. It is expected full specs of the new 7D will be announced at the press conference. Thus far, observers are still uncertain as to whether it would use a full-frame sensor or else a crop-frame sensor like the EOS-50D.
Canon on Tuesday introduced two new high-speed business scanners that mark the company's first to be Mac-compatible. The two add to Canon's imageFORMULA DR series and include the DR-2510M and DR-2010M. Both have the TWAIN driver necessary for use with Macs, as well as Canon's CaptureOnTouch software that lets users quickly scan to e-mail, printers, shared folders or specific apps such as iPhoto.
An image has surfaced that allegedly shows the top shell of an unannounced Canon camera, potentially the EOS-7D, according to a forum post on Digital Photography Review. The component closely resembles the top of Canon's EOS 5D Mark II, although the button arrangement and left-side dial are both slightly different.
A lower end complement to the EOS-5D Mark II may be due just two weeks after Canon's PowerShot upgrades today, a combination of leaks appears to show. An image at a Chinese forum (since pulled) shows a photo of a supposed EOS-7D and correlates to a now known-accurate rumor that showed the 7D in Best Buy's retail system along with all the point-and-shoot cameras released today, including the previously unknown S90. A Canon representative is also reported as having given the camera a September 1st launch with both a $2,700 body-only version and a $2,900 kit with a 28-135mm EF lens.
Wrapping up Canon's camera launches today are two high-end PowerShots that include its first touchscreen camera. The SD980 IS puts most of the control on a 3-inch touch display that both simplifies changing settings as well as more precise shooting: like some newer touch cameras and cameraphones, photographers can tap to autofocus on a particular point rather than trust the camera. In playback mode, users can flick through photos with a finger.
Not content to stop with still cameras, Canon today added a lone HD camcorder to its range. The Vixia HF S11 is treated as the new flagship and is regarded as the closest to a professional video camera. It adds a new extra long-range optical image stabilization system that corrects the image across all of the lens' reach, and extra manual controls for focus and gain give veterans more input as to the final image. Internal memory has been given a lift to 64GB and gives the HF S11 enough storage for up to 24 hours of HD with enough compression; SDHC cards are an option for more.
Canon on Wednesday introduced four new printers, including two wireless photo all-in-one printers, the PIXMA MP990 and PIXMA MP640, the PIXMA iX7000 inkjet business printer with PgR technology and the SELPHY ES40 compact photo printer with a new voice guidance system. The iX7000 is meant for small businesses and allows full color pages to be printed on plain paper up to 13 by 19 inches in size. There are five ink tanks, including a clear ink tank as well as five LUCIA pigments, and Canon will provide templates on its Creative Park website for the first time, allowing users to create menus, sales offerings and other office-related signs.
As part of its camera launches, Canon today released two cameras in its PowerShot SX series of very long-range compact cameras. Leading these, the SX20 IS replaces the SX10 IS and steps up the resolution to 12.1 megapixels while adding a 720p movie capture mode. Appropriately, it has HDMI output to preview raw clips at full resolution. A 20X stabilized lens and a swivel-out LCD are carried over from the earlier design. It takes AA batteries for power and will be ready in September for $400.
Canon this morning brought out its higher end compact cameras for the fall and topped these with two semi-professional PowerShots. The G11 is the latest yearly update to its camera for experienced shooters but makes the unusual move of lowering the resolution from 14.7 to 10 megapixels; while not as large, the new sensor is said to be much better in low light and thus reduces both the amount of noise and blur. Also new is the G series' first swivel LCD in recent memory, which lets users compose shots at unusual angles.
The iPhone has become the most frequently used camera for Flickr photos, according to the photo site's Camera Finder. While not providing a timeline for when this happened or its percentage of the market, the Yahoo-owned site shows that Apple's smartphone has just recently overtaken the Canon Digital Rebel XTi in overall popularity for submissions. About 12.4 million photos have been identified as coming from some form of iPhone, with an average of 5,017 users uploading photos every day.
Canon on Wednesday revealed a new type of image stabilization that it hopes will produce even cleaner images for still photography. Nicknamed Hybrid IS, it would include typical shift IS to compensate for vertical and lateral shake but will also have an angular velocity sensor to catch unintended tilt. The change should reduce the amount of blur both in medium- to long-range shooting, where conventional IS works best, as well as in historically difficult macro photography.
Canon on Wednesday added a projector intended for computer use while cracking below the $1,000 mark. The LV-7275 produces a 1024x768 image but is unusually bright for the category at 2,600 lumens, or enough to work properly in a room with existing light. Unlike many other non-movie projectors, it has both DVI and VGA input to directly attach both modern and legacy computers.
Canon on Tuesday announced the release of a pair of new imageCLASS color laser multifunction printers, the MF8050Cn and MF8350Cdn. They are the most affordable color laser MFPs in the range, and are meant for use by small and home businesses. The MF8350Cdn is capable of 21 pages per minute (ppm) printing and copying speeds either in color or black and white. It can also print on both sides of the paper, can photocopy documents and fax them as well.
Canon this morning revealed a trio of photo printers that bring a handful of noteworthy new features. The PIXMA MP560 is Canon's smallest all-in-one inkjet with both Wi-Fi and duplex printing in the same box. It also centers on a second-generation photo correction feature that can adjust for exposure in different areas of a shot as well as brightness and saturation. A new USB port supports printing directly from a flash drive or similar direct storage without having to first sync with a computer.
Unofficial specs of the upcoming rumored Canon T1 DSLR were released as an update to last week's rumors, which had Canon releasing it on Tuesday, June 30th. The specs put the T1's sensor at 15.1 megapixels, give it a 3-inch non-articulating LCD and 7-point autofocusing.
A rumor floated on Monday by Photo Rumors has provided detailed but admittedly unofficial specs for the upcoming Samsung GX-30 digital SLR camera. The new camera is said to feature a 15-megapixel CMOS sensor (14.6 effective megapixels) housed in an environmentally-sealed magnesium alloy body. There is a 3-inch AMOLED display that swings out and tilts and has a Live View feature with contrast AF, face detection and tracking AF in addition to a viewfinder.
A Wednesday report has Canon announcing a new product on Tuesday, June 30th, and the source believes this will involve the release of the T1 digital SLR camera, which also goes by the name of EOS-2000D. Just as the T1i replaces the XSi entry-to-mid-range model, the new shooter is expected by an anonymous tipster of Canon Rumors to replace the existing Rebel XS at the very start of Canon's DSLR lineup.
Some preliminary (but unconfirmed) specs of the upcoming Canon D1 Mark IV digital SLR camera have been revealed by an alledged camera beta tester, according to a Friday PhotographyBay report. The source claims the shooter will feature a 1.3x crop sensor and be capable of capturing approximately 16-megapixel images. An sRAW1 format will shoot 8-megapixel images which are apparently better than those shot by the 1D Mark III in terms of detail. ISO sensitivity will range from 50 to 26,500, with the tester reporting the 3,200 setting produces very clean images while images taken at ISO 6,400 and 12,800 are responsive to processing.
Nikon's D300s and a replacement for the D60 could be introduced at two separate events if a claim made today is accurate. German photography publication Kamera & Bild says that separate press events on July 30th and August 4th will introduce each camera. No additional news about the cameras accompanies the supposedly confirmed launches.
Canon is rumored by a magazine to be getting set to release two new high-end professional DSLR cameras before the end of 2009. While there are little to no specifications available on either, one is expected to have the same 24x36mm sensor as the 1D Mark III while being even faster in terms of continuous shooting and may simply be called 1D Mark IV. It's reportedly due out in August.
As promised in late May, onOne has released DSLR Remote for the iPhone and iPod touch. When linked through a Wi-Fi network, the software lets users control Canon DSLRs at a distance. The Lite edition simply lets users trigger a camera and see the end result of photos; the more expensive Professional activates precise controls.
Canon on Tuesday announced it will soon be releasing a firmware upgrade for its EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera that will give users control over the manual exposure control in video mode. It gives filmmakers the ability to adjust the camera's ISO, aperture and shutter speed settings while in video mode. Currently, the 21-megapixel camera relies on a fully automatic mode when recording videos and may not necessarily capture low light or the right depth of field.
onOne has submitted a unique new application to the App Store called DSLR Remote. The application will enable the iPhone and iPod Touch to remotely control a variety of Canon's digital SLR cameras. The application works by remotely connecting to a computer running onOne's DSLR Remote Server software that in turn is plugged in through USB.
Sony is bringing its TransferJet wireless data transmission technology closer to production by announcing recently it is now accepting licensing applications from interested companies. A Wednesday report has Sony taking "adopter" membership from companies that are interested in incorporating TransferJet into their products. TransferJet, which operates on a 4.5GHz radio frequency, lets users transfer data between portable devices at up to 375Mbps when they are about an inch apart. It is faster than wired USB 2.0 and FireWire connections and is supported by Japan, the US, European Union members and South Korea.
A smaller, prototype HDMI connector, appropriately titled mini HDMI, may see its inclusion in future portable devices. Compared to a standard Type A HDMI connector that is 0.55in wide by 0.16in tall, the officially named Type D plug measures just 0.25in by 0.1in but retains the same 19-pin connection. Even compared to a micro USB plug, the Type D is slightly smaller as well and could therefore fit into cellphones and other devices that have the room.
Lensbaby, makers of unusual optics add-ons for DSLRs, continues to evolve the product, as seen with the recently introduced Composer. We've taken a quick look at the system to see how it works as well as to provide some anecdotes from our experience using it in practice. We've also taken a look at the Optic Swap System that lets you tailor the visual effects of the Composer.
Camera buyers should not expect to see OLED displays on any of Canon's cameras in the near future, according to company technical adviser Chuck Westfall. Although the company demonstrated an EOS-5D with an OLED display in 2005, the technology is still said to be in development, and only partly out of a desire to improve performance. "I can't give you a timeline today, but we're a whole lot closer now," says Westfall. The major issue is said to be manufacturing, as the company only purchased a factory for OLED creation in 2008, and it needs to escalate infrastructure in order to handle the sheer number of screens needed.
Canon is working on a high-end, professional HD video camera using the company's 1x APS-C CMOS sensor, CanonRumors claims. The rumored and unnamed camera is said to have a 12.1-megapixel sensor capable of shooting at 120 frames per second, but artificially limited to 60fps. The camera's look should be close to the current H1, and include an EOS lens mount along with full manual controls.
Panasonic today edged closer to a formal launch for the Lumix GH1 by providing details for its Japanese launch. Introduced at PMA, the camera will ship to the country on April 24th and cost the equivalent of $1,535 after both tax and the inclusion of its special 14-140mm lens, which is optimized for the camera's central video recording feature. Colors have changed from the original G1 and will give Japanese owners the choice of gold in place of blue while keeping black and red options.
Canon early Wednesday launched its first-ever entry DSLR with HD video in the form of the Rebel T1i. The 15.1-megapixel camera uses the newer DIGIC 4 chip to record either full 1080p video at 20 frames per second or 30 frames per second at 720p, outpacing Nikon's D90 in terms of both resolution and price. Aside from the 1080p frame rate limit, the T1i has the same image setting adjustments as the 5D Mark II and records as much as 4GB (12 minutes of 1080p) of video in MPEG-4 with HDMI output to preview raw footage.
Canon's next Digital Rebel camera indeed due to be announced at the event scheduled for March 25th, a new source is said to claim. While the event itself has been confirmed, little else about possible announcements has been revealed other than a focus on cameras. The source suggests that the camera will not only be a Digital Rebel, but the EOS-500D, a successor to Canon's main line of low-end DSLRs. The company has more recently digressed with models like the Digital Rebel XSi.
Canon on Tuesday announced the release of three new LV-series multimedia projectors meant for use in classrooms and boardrooms. This includes its first with a native 1280x800 widescreen, the 3,000-lumens LV-8300, along with the 3,000-lumens LV-7370 and 3,500-lumens LC-7375 multimedia projectors, which sport 1024x768 resolutions. The LV-8300's resolution will display the entire screen of widescreen notebooks and computers without any distortion. The three are closely related, as other than the resolution and brightness differences between them, they are nearly identical.
Canon today told the Danish press it would hold a special press event on March 25th that will likely lead to a new high-end camera. The company is deliberately short on details but promises the conference will have something considered "the best" and implies that the event will focus on its central camera business. It's not yet known whether other countries have received similar notices.
Sony is expected to reveal a new, high-feature digital camera at next week's PMA 2009 show, the CyberShot DSC-HX1, says a Thursday report. While Sony is keeping mum, the Internet is rife with rumors of the flagship shooter, which is expected to be capable of recording video in 1080p high-definition just like Nikon's and Canon's latest digital SLRs along with higher-quality sound. There is also said to be a 9-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 20X zoom and a 10fps burst mode with a buffer of 100, although it's not known whether this is at full resolution.
