News

Lexar has announced that new Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) flash memory
cards will be available as part of the company's Platinum II and Standard
lines of products. Lexar SDHC cards satisfy market demand for reliable SDHC
cards that are ideal for storing and sharing digital images, video, and music
and are offered at varying price and performance levels. SDHC cards from both
Lexar product lines will be available next month in 4GB capacity, and later
this year in 8GB capacity.

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Adobe Systems Incorporated(Nasdaq:ADBE) has announced that Adobe Photoshop(r)
Lightroom(tm) 1.0 software is now available for pre-order and is expected to
ship in mid-February 2007. Photoshop Lightroom enables professional photographers
to import, manage and present large volumes of digital photographs, helping
photographers spend more time behind the lens and less time at the computer.
With more than 500,000 photographers participating in the public beta program
over the last 12 months, Photoshop Lightroom now includes a wealth of innovative
features that streamline digital photography workflows. Recognizing the photography
community for their efforts, Adobe is offering Photoshop Lightroom at a special
introductory price of US $199 through April 30, 2007 at the Adobe Store. Photoshop
Lightroom will later sell for an estimated street price of US $299.



Photoshop Lightroom includes new functionality added since beta 4.1, with significant
changes to the Library and Develop modules complementing improvements to the
Slideshow, Print and Web components. While in the Library module, new advanced
keywording tools help photographers filter through large collections, and an
improved import dialogue with more flexible file handling allows more choice
when determining file location. The new Key Metadata Browser provides quick
access to key information tags with an improved ranking and rating system that
now incorporates color labels and a pick/reject system that sorts and locates
photographs faster than ever. New to the Develop module, Virtual Copies and
Snapshot tools help present multiple versions of the same image, providing the
most choice to clients without the confusion of saving separate physical versions.
Additional tools added include a Hue, Saturation and Luminance targeted adjustment
tool for precise and intuitive image edits. Clone and Healing features provide
non-destructive edits to eliminate sensor dust across one or many images.



Photoshop Lightroom leverages Adobe Camera Raw technology and supports over
150 native raw file formats, in addition to JPEG and TIFF, bringing raw conversion
into a single workflow experience. The latest camera models supported include
the Nikon D40 and D80 and the Pentax K10D. This support means that photographers
can use Lightroom with even the newest cameras on the market, knowing that the
image files will be recognized today and in the future. Upon import, files can
be converted to the Digital Negative specification (DNG) or renamed and segmented
by folder or date. DNG is an industry-wide initiative to create a universal
file format for solving workflow and archiving issues. It aims to eliminate
barriers to new camera adoption while giving professional photographers the
confidence that their digital body of work is securely archived and will remain
accessible as digital imaging technology evolves.

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PictoColor has announced the release of CorrectPhoto 2.0 featuring OneClick
Color (http://www.correctphoto.com).
CorrectPhoto for Windows utilizes a new one-click color correction technology
that takes the guesswork out of making the color right. PictoColor's newest
point-and-click software automatically fixes the white balance, corrects the
exposure, and improves the vibrancy of any digital image with a single click.
Until now, this capability has only been available to advanced users and professional
photographers through PictoColor's iCorrect line of Photoshop plug-ins.
Plus, CorrectPhoto also has an integrated Windows Explorer, so users have direct
access to all the digital media features of the operating system at the click
of a mouse. With CorrectPhoto and Windows, users can easily transfer, perfect,
organize, manage, view, share, and print their digital photos.

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Fujifilm U.S.A., Inc. has unveiled two high-speed digital photo printers for
professional photographers, the ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 Digital Printers. The
ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 Digital Printers allow studio, wedding and event photographers
to quickly and easily provide customers with 4 x 6 inch prints in 8 seconds
and 8 x 10 inch prints in 40 seconds. Onsite printing also eliminates the need
and expense of organizing, printing and mailing photos in the days following
an event. By simply connecting the printers to a laptop via a high-speed USB
2.0 interface, professional photographers can leverage the ASK-2000 and ASK-4000
dye-sublimation thermal transfer technology to produce prints onsite at client
events. Both printers feature color-correction software incorporating Fujifilm's
Image Intelligence™ technology, giving photographers lab-quality prints
regardless of their location.

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Freestyle Photographic Supplies announced that it has finalized an agreement with
the Slavich Manufacturing Company, of Pereslavl-Zalessky, Russia, officially naming
Freestyle the exclusive United States distributor of Slavich brand photographic
papers.



Slavich is a Russian film and paper company that has been in existence since 1931.
For many years, Slavich was not only the principal supplier to the Soviet Army
and Navy of black and white photographic products, but also the first manufacturer
of motion picture film in the U.S.S.R. In fact, many of the masterpieces of Russian
cinema were shot and edited on Slavich product. Through Freestyle's efforts,
Slavich's black and white fiber-based graded paper, called Unibrom, is now
available in the United States for the first time in both double-weight and single-weight.



Freestyle's introduction of the new Slavich black and white photographic
papers in the United States will be immediate. "Given the ongoing concerns
regarding the future availability of silver-based photographic materials, Freestyle
is excited to offer yet another line of unique quality products, which further
supports our commitment to the long-term future of traditional black and white
photographic processes," comments Gerald H. Karmele, Freestyle's President
and Chief Operating Officer. "The addition of Slavich to our extensive lineup
of films and papers is an important component of our corporate mission to continue
fulfilling the needs of educators, enthusiasts and students with quality photographic
products from every part of the world."



Established in 1946, Freestyle Photographic Supplies is a leading international
retail, mail order and internet provider of photographic cameras, equipment and
supplies nationwide, as well as the exclusive United States distributor of Kentmere
black and white photographic papers, Foma black and white photographic papers
and films, Efke black and white films, Varycon/EMAKS black and white papers, Fotospeed
specialty chemicals, Holga cameras and accessories, Cachet archival storage boxes,
Image Mechanics fluid mount trays, LegacyPro accessories and Rollei/Maco black
and white films.



www.freestylephoto.biz
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Longtime Shutterbug contributor Howard Millard is offering his "Travel Photography
in the Digital Age" workshop in Italy May 12-19. While staying in a country
villa nestled in the verdant hills of Tuscany, participants will photograph evocative
landscapes, a vineyard, an outdoor market, and the exquisite towns of Florence
and Siena to learn techniques to make stunning images for personal, editorial
and fine art use. While film will be covered, the emphasis will be on shooting
and processing digitally. Howard gives personal, hands-on instruction and reviews
of your work to help refine your personal vision, maximize your photographic and
digital skills, and energize and stimulate your image-making process. Topics include
photographing people, architecture, interiors, landscapes, nurturing a personal
style, natural and artificial light, equipment, working with Photoshop, and printing
options including fine art papers.
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Hasselblad has launched the Hasselblad H3D-31, the 31 megapixel version of the
H3D-39, the world's first 48mm full-frame DSLR camera system. Featuring
near full-frame capture, the H3D-31 uses a 44×33mm sensor enhanced with
micro-lenses to boost ISO rating one stop to a new maximum of ISO 800. The system's
new high-speed capture architecture, which is common to all H3D models, gives
the H3D-31 a capture rate of 1.2 seconds per image in either mobile or tethered
mode. These features give the H3D-31 the highest burst rate of the H3D family
and make it the camera of choice for the professional mobile photographer.
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