LATEST ADDITIONS

The promise of digital imaging is that you can get one-touch corrections on
your photographs, making it easy to create the best images you can from every
picture you take. The phrase: "I won't worry about white balance,
exposure or contrast, etc....I'll fix it in Photoshop" is commonly
heard, but it isn't always the best course. If you shoot in Raw mode you
can fix anything, even exposure compensation, later, but not everyone wants
to go through the steps of working with Raw converters and all those sliders
and options. That's where the supposed magic of "auto" fixes
come into play, and yes, there are times when it can do wonders. Today, cameras
even have auto red-eye fix and amazing adjustments for backlighting problems.

...

DXG USA has announced the availability of the DXG-528, a 5.1 megapixel CCD
digital camera. The DXG-528 features a slim aluminum housing, 2.4" LTPS
LCD screen, Pentax 3X optical zoom (with three aspherical lenses), built-in
32MB flash memory, SD/MMC card slot, MPEG-4 video with sound and Direct Print
capability. The camera also offers voice recorder and MP3 functionality, as
well as TV-Out capability for viewing pictures on a television. The DXG-528
is available immediately with an MSRP of $199.

...

Lowepro
has introduced a new line of camera bags designed for sports photographers,
photojournalists or anyone who needs quick and easy access to their cameras
and accessories. The unique design of the new SlingShot 100 AW and 200 AW camera
bags allow photographers to go from "carry mode" to "ready
mode" in seconds. Without removing the bag, simply rotate or "sling"
the bag toward the front of the body. The SlingShot AW then provides complete
access to cameras, lenses, memory cards and other accessories. The Full Access
Lid with reverse open design allows photographers to safely and easily work
out of the bag and zip stop buckles keep equipment from falling out.

...

Firing at 8.5
frames per second for up to 48 full-resolution JPEG images in a burst (vs. the
same firing rate and a 40 JPEG burst for the 1D Mark II model), the new Canon
EOS-1D Mark II N camera ups the ante while retaining the superb CMOS Sensor of
the 1D Mark II model, with its convenient 1.3x lens conversion factor. Along with
its improved burst rate, the 1D Mark II N digital SLR adds a new 2.5-inch, wide-angle
view LCD/TFT monitor. Startup time on the new camera has also dropped to 0.2 seconds
(from 0.3) with the help of Canon's DIGIC II Image Processor.



The EOS-1D Mark II N camera shares with the EOS-1 series family its all-metal
body and chassis and weather-resistant construction with its shutter durability-tested
to 200,000 exposures. And perhaps best of all, the price of the new camera, $3,999,
is actually $500 less than the initial price of its predecessor.



Along with the new, 2.5-inch LCD wide-angle view display are several significant
improvements in image playback. For starters, the user can have a magnified view
from any selected AF point. Previously, magnified views took the center of the
image as the starting point, but a new menu item enables the user to select a
specific AF point and magnify the image in 15 steps with the press of a button.
Another new feature on the camera is magnified view during Quick Review. When
an image is displayed on the LCD monitor immediately after capture, the user can
immediately magnify the view to check focus right away. Other improved playback
functions include a last displayed image remembered feature and a more complete
INFO display which now shows file size and includes notations for monochrome (B/W)
and color (R/G/B) when the RGB histogram is enabled.



An improved image processing sequence and a better memory management method in
the EOS-1D Mark II N digital SLR has ramped up its burst capability with the camera
now able to shoot up to 22 RAW frames and up to 48 full-resolution JPEGs in burst.
The camera can also shoot 19 frames of RAW+JPEG (JPEG quality: 8, Picture Style:
Standard, ISO 100); and at 59 frames or better at the JPEG Middle 1 setting, 77
frames or better at JPEG Middle 2, and 135 or better at JPEG small, a substantial
increase. Additionally, the EOS-1D Mark II N digital SLR now creates new folders
automatically when file numbers reach 9999, making the new camera more responsive
in fast-moving news and sports photography situations. Photographers can even
customize the first four characters in filenames, enabling superior image organization
and camera identification capabilities.



Just like on the EOS-1D Mark II model, the EOS-1D Mark II N digital SLR lets the
user save the same image simultaneously in both the CompactFlash (CF) and SD memory
card slots, a highly effective backup mechanism. Photographers can also record
to slot one until it was full and then go to slot two as a reserve. Now, with
the EOS-1D Mark II N in RAW+JPEG mode, it's also possible to save the RAW and
JPEG images separately in each memory card. The RAW images can be saved in slot
one and the JPEGs, in any of ten quality levels, in slot two, or vice versa. Since
CF cards tend to be larger, currently, than SD cards, the RAW files will be likelier
to go on the CF card in slot one, but this is not required. The new option allows
images to be recorded separately according to usage, finally realizing a great
potential benefit of the dual slot configuration.



A new feature called Picture Styles combines processing parameters and color matrix
settings into easy settings designed to obtain the desired effect, almost like
choosing a type of film to obtain a specific result.



www.usa.canon.com.