News

Need a portable drive for those massive files you’re making as a content creator? Or perhaps a reliable backup drive to sidestep disaster when your computer melts like a Marshmallow Peep in a 1500W microwave? Two or three big names dominate the external hard drive offerings at online retailers, and it’s tempting to just pick one with the size and price that appeals the most. Here’s a better plan: the Mercury Elite Pro Mini Portable Drive from OWC, a company that’s been providing computer gear for professionals for 33 years.

Pacific Image Electronics has announced PrimeFoto 2.0, the latest version of
the product that creates picture album CDs from photos stored on digital camera
memory cards. PrimeFoto 2.0 now includes an automatic orientation feature that
rotates pictures automatically for users whose digital cameras have an auto
rotation function, rather than checking each image one-by-one. Users can also
now generate picture albums from a CD. Just select the desired images and press
"Make CD" on the remote control.

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The Palm Beach Photographic Centre presents its 14th annual FOTOfusion festival of photography and digital imaging, starting Tuesday, January 27 and continuing through Saturday, January 31.  The internationally-known FOTOfusion is one of the largest photography-oriented events of its kind in the United States, welcoming all levels of shutterbugs.

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Panasonic and Leica Camera have announced that they have launched the development
of a new Leica D large-diameter telephoto zoom lens, specifically designed for
Panasonic's first digital SLR camera, the LUMIX DMC-L1 and other Four
Thirds System compatible digital SLR cameras. The new LEICA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-150mm/F3.5-5.6
ASPH./ lens will also feature Panasonic's MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer)
and become the first Leica D lens with range up to 300mm*.



The new large-diameter 10.7x telephoto zoom lens, which meets Leica's stringent
quality and performance standards will be just as light and compact as the previously
released LEICA D VARIO-ELMARIT 14-50mm/ F2.8-3.5 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. lens, but
provide a considerably longer telephoto range as a result of incorporating four
aspherical lenses in the unit. The aspherical lenses and an ED (extra-low dispersion)
lens will also improve optical performance of the lens by minimizing distortion,
even at the 28mm wide end.



Panasonic's MEGA O.I.S. also allows for slower shutter speed use and the
ability to detect and correct hand-shake accurately using Panasonic's
Venus Engine LSI, which will be incorporated into the lens. Additionally when
the lens is mounted on the LUMIX DMC-L1, or the LEICA DIGILUX 3, photographers
will be able to use the aperture ring provided and enjoy easy, intuitive shooting.
This combination of an extended 28-300mm shooting range, Mega O.I.S., and an
aperture ring for intuitive control makes the new lens perfect for capturing
clear, beautiful, expressive images when shooting a wide variety of subjects
and in a host of conditions.



The LEICA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-150mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. lens will be available
in March for $999.95.



www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

Panasonic announced pricing for the highly-anticipated LUMIX DMC-GH1, the new Micro Four Thirds digital camera with Full-High Definition (HD) video recording ability. The camera will be available in early June for a suggested retail price of $1499.95.  The LUMIX DMC-GH1 includes the LUMIX G VARIO 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens as part of the kit.  The new lens, designed to support HD movie recording, features a silent motor and continuous auto focusing (AF) capability – a differentiator from traditional DSLRs.  

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Panasonic has announced the new Lumix G 42.5mm/F1.7 ASPH./POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) (equivalent: 85 mm) and the Lumix G Macro 30mm/ F2.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. (equivalent: 60mm) lenses. Both lenses are designed for Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds camera systems.

Panasonic has announced a new firmware update for its interchangeable LEICA
D SUMMILUX 25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025) lens, which is compatible with the Four
Thirds standard digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, including Panasonic's
LUMIX DMC-L10. With the firmware update, the LEICA D SUMMILUX 25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025)
adds contrast auto focus (AF) to the single focal length lens, making it more
suitable for taking snapshots and portraits where the photo subject is able
to stand out due to an intentional out-of-focus background.



Panasonic invites all users of LEICA D SUMMILUX 25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025) lenses
to download the updated firmware to enjoy this advanced technology that lets
users take high-quality photos with ease and accuracy. Notably, with the use
of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-L10 digital SLR, this update allows the LEICA D SUMMILUX
25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025) lens to take professional-quality portraits as it combines
Panasonic's Face Detection feature with the contrast AF.



Users will be able to download the latest firmware that allows the LEICA D SUMMILUX
25mm/ F1.4 ASPH.(L-X025) lens to take advantage of contrast AF at 4:00 GMT on
March 12, 2008 at the following link: http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/.



www.panasonic.com/dsc

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