Camera and Printing Trends


By Ron Leach, Publisher

When industry mavens put on their thinking caps in an attempt to gauge the
future direction of the photographic industry, they typically start by analyzing
trends in camera sales. Then they quantify the resulting data into various demographic
segments and product categories. In that regard,t...

Image Trends has announced the Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In. This Adobe Photoshop Plug-in
compatible filter renders an aesthetically pleasing and natural view of people.
Human faces and bodies are natural and undistorted, even on the edges. Fisheye-Hemi
corrects the extreme distortion of people, which is common with rectilinear methods.
Fisheye-Hemi preserves more of the original resolution, displays the intended
composition and framing as seen in the viewfinder, and straightens vertical lines.

For users who need a quick and easy way to protect their valuables in transit,
Pelican Products, Inc. is now offering a ready-made custom foam solution that
sets up in seconds.

...

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced its call for entries
to the seventh annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA). The program honors
and recognizes the most talented and promising student designers, photographers,
illustrators, animators and digital filmmakers from the world's top design,
film, interactive and Web higher education programs. This year, the competition
will accept entries from 30 participating countries.



Now in its seventh year, this world leading design competition has been expanded
to include more students from across the globe by adding Croatia, Czech Republic,
Hungary, India, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. These students are invited
to join students from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the
United States in submitting projects. The nine submission categories include:
animation, digital illustration, digital photography, interactive and Web design,
live action, motion graphics, environmental graphics and packaging, multiple page
print design, and single page print design.



The designers of the 2007 ADAA marketing campaign were a collaboration of winners
and finalists from the 2006 competition. A team of seven submitted the unique
concept "Going Places," which reflects their personal experiences
of the ADAA program. The "Going Places" design will appear on all
ADAA collateral, including competition posters, postcards, and advertisements.



Also new this year, Adobe will be accepting submissions online through April 27,
2007. Entries will be judged digitally in May and semifinalists will be asked
to mail in their entries for the final phase of judging. Students must submit
projects based on the use of Adobe design environments, such as Adobe Creative
Suite, Adobe Production Studio, and Macromedia Studio. Projects are reviewed and
scored by an independent panel of six distinguished judges, including Carole Guevin,
publisher of Netdiver.com; Jan Wilker, co-founder of karlssonwilker inc.; Armin
Vit, founder of UnderConsideration; Sande Scoredos, executive director of Sony
Pictures Imageworks; Andrew Lin, vice president at Paramount Vantage; and Gaby
Brink, co-founder of Templin Brink Design.



Judges will select the winners and finalists, based on originality and effectiveness
in communicating project objectives. Finalists will receive a trip to San Francisco
to participate in the awards ceremony, and an opportunity to showcase their work.
Finalists will also receive a selection of Adobe software products, meet with
leading industry professionals during studio tours, and have the opportunity to
participate in internships such as the 2007 SIGGRAPH Guerilla Studios. Award winners
will be announced at the awards ceremony on August 2, 2007 at the DeYoung Museum
in San Francisco. Each winning entry will receive a US$5,000 cash prize.



Corporate sponsors of this year's competition include Xerox Corporation
for print communications and Toppan Printing Co., America Inc. for printing services.




For additional information about the 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Awards or to
submit an entry, visit www.adobe.com/go/adaa.

Digital imaging software developer Nik Software, Inc. has announced an arrangement
with digital asset management pioneer iView Multimedia Ltd., a wholly owned
subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., to offer a software bundle of Nik Color Efex
Pro 2.0 Select Edition and iView MediaPro 3.0. This bundle combines two leading
software solutions for improving digital imaging workflow to provide solutions
for busy professional photographers.

...

Microtek has announced that it is developing the ArtixScan M1, a combined flatbed
and film scanner for 35mm, 6cm, and 4x5-inch film formats that also offers additional
functionality to scan reflective art or prints as large as 8.5 by 14 inches.
Equipped with Microtek's patented Emulsion Direct Imaging Technology (E.D.I.T.),
4800-dpi optical resolution, 16-bit digital output per channel, auto focus,
and new film holders with tension technology, the Microtek ArtixScan M1 is said
to offer extraordinary value to photographers, photo enthusiasts, and graphic
designers in need of high-quality scans.

...

Digital SLR Price Drops, with More to Come

by George Schaub

The recent announcement of the $599 D40 from Nikon (http://www.shutterbug.com/news/101606nikon/)
is just the beginning of an anticipated flood of announcements from DSLR makers
about morereaso...

Affordable "8x" Eight Slot Smart Charger from Powerex Maha Energy,
the maker of Powerex batteries and chargers, has introduced a new, affordable
eight cell smart charger for AA and AAA batteries. The "8x" is for
users who need to charge more than four batteries offered by the typical charger.
The new MH-C800S features eight independent slots that can charge one to eight
AA or AAA batteries in any combination around one to two hours. The unit also
incorporates a large LCD screen featuring the charging status of each battery.
This new charger uses the same precision microprocessor as its professional
sister model MH-C801D.

...

First announced earlier this year, ILFORD HARMAN selenium toner will be available
this November 2006 availability, along with a new leaflet 'Selenium Toner Tips'
in English, French, German or Spanish.

...

Pelican Products, Inc. has unveiled the 1690 Transport Case. Boasting more than
12,000 cubic inches of possible storage space, the 1690 is ideal for safely
transporting heavy equipment. Transit-friendly features include two double-hand
side-grips for easy team lifting, two heavy-duty sets of polyurethane wheels
with stainless-steel ball bearings and nylon hubs for long wheel-life and an
extension handle (with effortless release latch) for easy transport.

...