DP Review has posted a preview of the Nikon D3 where they write – ‘The professional Nikon D ‘single digit’ series of digital SLR’s started life back in June 1999 with the groundbreaking D1. Groundbreaking because it was the digital SLR which broke Kodak’s stranglehold on the digital SLR market and fundamentally brought prices down to a level which most professionals could afford (around the US$5,500 mark). Since then we have seen a steady progression of this line of cameras, while the core values of a high quality full size body with integrated grip have remained the line split into two halves, one targeted at high resolution photography the other high speed sports type photography (lower resolution but faster continuous shooting); the X and H suffixes. It’s been almost three years since Nikon introduced a completely new digital SLR with a new sensor (the D2X) and there has been much anticipation that Nikon’s next move would be a full-frame chip.’

Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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2,400 images were submitted by over 400 photographers to the Royal Photographic Society’s International Projected Image Exhibition 2007. The addition of an Open Digital Section resulted in a massive 80% increase in entries. The Exhibition will open at the headquarters of The Society, Fenton House, Bath on 14th October. It will then tour the UK and the Republic of Ireland until March 2008.

The Royal Photographic Society 2007 International Projected Image Exhibition – WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT

The Royal Photographic Society’s (http://www.rps.org) International Projected Image Exhibition (formerly The International Slide Exhibition) was renamed this year with the addition of an Open Digital Section.  This resulted in a massive 80% increase in entries, with the Digital section being the largest, whilst entries for the Nature Slides were also increased this year. 2,400 images were submitted by over 400 photographers worldwide and 476 images have been selected for the Exhibition which will open at the headquarters of The Society, Fenton House, Bath on 14th October.  It will then tour the UK and the Republic of Ireland until March 2008.  See the website http://www.rps.org for dates and venues.

The 3 categories are:
General Slide (excluding Nature)
Nature Slide
Open Digital
Gold Award winners (images attached):

General Slide – Chris Robbins MPAGB S.J.
Nature Slide – Paul Keene FRPS MPAGB EFIAP/p Sanderling
Open Digital – Camilla Broadbent ARPS The Betrothal

The Exhibition has been well established within the photographic fraternity for many years and continues to attract many outstanding photographers and the quality of images has remained extremely high. This has been confirmed by the feedback from the shows around the country.

It has always been a great achievement to have an image accepted in this Exhibition and with the introduction of the Open Digital category, there is a greater opportunity to do so.

The Society continues to enjoy the Patronage of the Photographic Society of America (PSA), providing a PSA medal in each category for the best overall exhibitor. The Society’s own Patronage has also been awarded in this Exhibition.

The whole Exhibition is available on a CD, playable both on PC and Mac and in a colour catalogue, both can be purchased from RPS Reception 01225 325733 //’;l[1]=’a';l[2]=’/';l[3]=”;l[22]=’\”‘;l[23]=’ 103′;l[24]=’ 114′;l[25]=’ 111′;l[26]=’ 46′;l[27]=’ 115′;l[28]=’ 112′;l[29]=’ 114′;l[30]=’ 64′;l[31]=’ 110′;l[32]=’ 111′;l[33]=’ 105′;l[34]=’ 116′;l[35]=’ 112′;l[36]=’ 101′;l[37]=’ 99′;l[38]=’ 101′;l[39]=’ 114′;l[40]=’:';l[41]=’o';l[42]=’t';l[43]=’l';l[44]=’i';l[45]=’a';l[46]=’m';l[47]=’\”‘;l[48]=’=';l[49]=’f';l[50]=’e';l[51]=’r';l[52]=’h';l[53]=’a ‘;l[54]=’= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ‘ ‘) document.write(“&#”+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+”;”); else document.write(unescape(l[i])); } //]]>

Awards in each of the 3 categories:

1 RPS Gold Medals
2 RPS Silver Medals
3 RPS Bronze Medals
RPS Ribbons & Certificates
PSA Medal to the Best Overall Exhibitor in each category

SELECTORS (3 for each category):

John Chamberlin FRPS MFIAP
Bob Moore Hon FRPS Hon PAGB
Leo Palmer FRPS EFIAP FPSA
David Cantrille FRPS EFIAP MPAGB

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BenQ DC-C840 : BenQ introduced the BenQ C840 digital compact camera, successor to the C740i, featuring an 8 Megapixel CCD image sensor, smc Pentax lens, Face Tracking function, Shake-Free mode, high ISO options, optical zoom in video recording and 3:2 and 16:9 special output sizes. The new BenQ DC-C840 is equipped with an array of functions including shake-free mode which prevents image blur caused by shaky hands, allowing users to take clear and precise shots without any distortion. The BenQ DC-C840 digital camera also supports continuous movie recording with optical zoom at wide screen format (720×400) at 30 fps. The BenQ C840’s Face Tracking function detects and tracks human faces.
The innovative Face detection function then focus to ensure the faces are perfectly presented in terms of color and clearness in the photos. The Shake-Free and High ISO portrait mode enables users to capture crisp images in low-light condition environment. With the ISO supports up to 1600, the new BenQ C840 is one of the most light-sensitive models in its class. The 3:2 output sizes supports easy printing without trimming edges while the 16:9 mode supports direct display on 16:9 TVs.

BenQ DC-C840 – Flash memory and PictBridge
The 8 Megapixel BenQ DC-C840 camera boasts 15 different shooting modes, including manual mode, shake-free mode, portrait mode and night scene mode, providing users quick setting adjustments for a variety of shooting options. The BenQ C840 comes bundled with the PictBridge function for direct photo printing via a compatible printer and supports Secure Digital flash memory card of up to 2GB and 4GB with the new SDHC cards.

BenQ C840
The Shake-Free and High ISO portrait mode let you capture crisp images in low-light condition environment. With the ISO supports up to 1600, the new BenQ DC C840 is one of the most light-sensitive models in its class. The High ISO is great function to use when you like to capture a moment under dim light condition; such as in a romantic restaurant, a beautiful art gallery or a museum where flash cannot be used.

BenQ DC-840 – Aperture and Shutter
The new BenQ C840 PASM mode gives you quick access to Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority and Manual. Taking control over the aperture/shutter enables you to explore your creativity and imagination. The camera automatically sets the shutter speed and aperture based on the scene lighting. Program mode offers the ease of auto shooting with full access to all menu options. The optical zoom in movie mode allows you to zoom in and out for a sharp and clear view during the video recording. You can easily switch between shooting mode and recording mode at ease.

Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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So there we were, about two-dozen journalists cruising around Frenchman’s Bay in a small charter boat, photographing the spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife off Mount Desert Island in Maine.

The new Sony Alpha 700 cameras we were using were more than up to the task — and that was the problem.

Sure, we were all impressed with the build quality and ruggedness of the new 12.2MP DSLR, and the well-designed control layout. And the shots we were chimping on the fine-grained 3-inch LCD monitor looked wonderful. But come on, we’re shooting scenery from a boat cruising at a stately three knots on calm water, on a perfect blue-sky day. You could get great shots with your kid’s pocket compact.

That’s when the biplane attacked.

“Incoming!” shouted a Sony tech rep. “Switch to continuous AF!”

Source: www.popphoto.com

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A survey by J.D. Power and Associates has found that Canon ranks highest among photo printer brands in providing its customers with a satisfying experience. The survey of 814 customers ranked Canon highest with a score of 728 on a 1,000-point scale. Hewlett-Packard followed Canon in the rankings with a score of 707. “While price continues to be the most important factor to customers in shopping for a photo printer, because of fundamental price parity, other aspects of the product, like quality, ease of use and portability are largely defining brands, and are becoming the critical points of product differentiation between them.” said Steve Kirkeby, executive director of telecommunications and technology at J.D. Power and Associates.

J.D. Power and Associates Press Release

Canon Ranks Highest in Photo Printer Customer Satisfaction

Functions and Capabilities That Make the Photo Printing Experience More Convenient Have a Considerable Impact on Owner Satisfaction

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 20 September 2007 — Canon ranks highest among photo printer brands in providing its customers with a satisfying experience, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Photo Printer Usage and Satisfaction StudySM released today.

The study measures customer satisfaction with single-function photo printer machines by examining four key factors that drive overall satisfaction. In order of importance, they are: performance (37%), connectivity (28%), ease of operation (23%), and styling and appearance (12%).

Canon ranks highest with a score of 728 on a 1,000-point scale and performs particularly well in all four drivers of overall satisfaction. Hewlett-Packard follows Canon in the rankings with a score of 707.

The study finds that photo printer features that make the experience more convenient for customers—such as portability, the ability to print photos directly from a digital camera or a memory card and wireless connectivity—have a positive impact on overall satisfaction. In particular, more than 40 percent of customers who purchased a portable printer did so because of its portability, and satisfaction scores among these owners (729) is much higher than that of printer owners without portability (692). 

“Single-function photo printers are a growing niche market, particularly among customers who value convenience in efficiently producing photo prints,” said Steve Kirkeby, executive director of telecommunications and technology at J.D. Power and Associates. “While price continues to be the most important factor to customers in shopping for a photo printer, because of fundamental price parity, other aspects of the product, like quality, ease of use and portability are largely defining brands, and are becoming the critical points of product differentiation between them.”

The average price for a photo printer in 2007 is $175, and 19 percent of customers cite price as the most influential reason for purchasing a photo printer. Print quality (17%) and brand reputation (14%) follow price as key purchase influencers among customers.

“Bundling photo printers with other products—such as digital cameras or personal computers—is another effective way for brands to differentiate themselves in a market where products are competitively priced,” said Kirkeby. “Customers who receive bundled packages tend to have somewhat higher satisfaction levels than those who do not. While only 20 percent currently receive photo printer/digital camera bundles, purchasers appear to have a bias towards same brand ownership, where the printer and camera brand are the same. Manufacturers can definitely use this preference to their advantage.”

The study also reveals the following:
While 80 percent of customers purchase their photo printers in stores as opposed to purchasing through an online source, customers who purchase online are more satisfied with the overall availability of products and accessories.
Nearly 90 percent of customers report that they would repurchase from the same printer manufacturer. Additionally, 90 percent of customers would give a positive recommendation to a friend. The average number of customer-reported recommendations is 4.1.
Twenty percent of photo printer owners sometimes order their prints online to receive via mail as opposed to utilizing their single-function printer. Kodakgallery.com, Shutterfly.com, Snapfish.com and Walmart.com are among the most frequently used Web sites for photo printer owners.

The 2007 Photo Printer Usage and Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 814 customers who purchased or received a photo printer between June 2006 and May 2007. The study was fielded in July 2007. To view ratings on photo printer brands, visit JDPower.com.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction.  The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.  For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

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