News

You should always shoot with your eyes wide open (at least, the one looking through the viewfinder). But often it pays to shoot with your lens wide open, too.

Wide apertures let in more light, so you can use a faster shutter speed in any given light level. This is handy for anything from low-light photography to action shooting.

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Velbon is expanding its range of carbon fiber tripod choices by offering the
El Carmagne leg assemblies separately. These ultra-light full-size models are
said to be among the lightest, most portable and affordable in their class.
All are constructed of strong, durable, lightweight carbon fiber with magnesium
body, have low-angle adjustment levers allowing extreme grounder capability
with minimum heights mere inches off the ground, and provide heavy-duty 12-pound
load capacity. Other features include robust flip-lock levers for quick leg
adjustment, easy to read leg length adjustment marks, a removable split/lift
center column with accessory hook, and neoprene grips on all legs for comfortable
cold-weather handling.

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DxO Labs, a software developer focused on research in image processing, has
announced the immediate availability of DxO Optics Pro 2.2 software. This latest
version of DxO Labs' flagship product adds: support for the Canon EOS
1Ds Mark II. and the Adobe Digital Negative (DNG) file format as an output option.



With DxO Optics Pro 2.2, DxO Labs is simplifying its pricing structure. DxO
Raw Engine -- previously an option priced at US $119-- is being included
as a standard component of DxO Optics Pro.



www.dx.com

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Paper Anyone?

There are a large number of new papers and inks being shown at PMA this year,
with better archival properties and new surfaces - both traditional RC type
papers and fine art textures. Oriental, long known for their papers in the traditional
film market was showing a new line of inkjet papers, the Graphica Fiber Base
Glossy, ideal for those looking for traditional silver halide print quality,
Graphica RC Professional in gloss and luster finishes, Graphica Designer Art
Canvas, which can either be stretched like traditional canvas or mounted and
matted like traditional papers. The papers are available in cut sheet sizes
for desktop printers and roll sizes up to 42 inches.







MediaStreet was showing their new black only ink set and papers. Currently for
the Epson R series printers, MediaStreet has expanded beyond their Niagra continuous
ink system into what looks to be a very strong entry for dedicated black and
white ink jet printing. Their profiles have several tone curves that mimic traditional
alternative processing. The Niagara system now supports the Epson 4000, R300
and R800 printers as well as the Canon i9900 printers.



Arches, who makes the popular Infinity fine art papers was showing a new line
of papers from Canson. Surfaces include Torchon, Canvas, Mi-Teintes, and Watercolor
for the fine art photographer, and both PhotoGloss and PhotoSatin for a more
traditional look. The Canson line will be available in cut sheet and rolls up
to 50" width.



Hahnemuehle introduced a new series of fine art papers - the White Etching 100%
Rag in both 350 and 500 gsm as well as a new Photo Rag Bright White 308 gsm
paper.



Good news for many though is that Ilford has announced that black and white
film, paper, and chemicals will continue to be available, good news for the
many fans of Ilford film products.



Ferrania has a new line of archival paper out that offers excellent fade protection.
Compatible with dye and pigment printers, the paper is available in gloss and
satin finishes.







Kodak has finally made their Professional line of inkjet papers available in
10", 16", and 24" x 100' roll sizes. These papers have
the look and feel of traditional Kodak gloss (F surface) and luster (E surface)
paper with the familiar Kodak logo on the back.

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Primera Technology's BravoPro Disc Publisher is an automated CD/DVD burning
and printing system. BravoPro copies and prints up to 100-discs per job hands-free
with both Mac and PC compatibility. BravoPro is available with two 52x CD-R
drives or two DVD±R/CD-R combination drives that record DVDs at 16x and
CDs at 32x. A 4800 dpi printer, prints full-color, photo-quality images directly
on the surface of the disc. No labels are required! Bravo II can be used as
a desktop unit or integrated in larger photographic processing and kiosk solutions.

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Tamrac has introduced a redesign of their popular Expedition Series backpacks,
now with "Wing" accessory pockets that allow for quick access to
accessories. The accessory pockets also have Tamrac's exclusive Memory
and Battery Management System that uses red flags to identify available memory
cards and batteries. The packs include dual-foam comfort pads on the back and
air flow channels to keep the werer, and contents, cool and dry. There's
also a QuickClip tripod attachment system with a tripod foot pocket for balancing
a tripod with the pack.

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