Friday, July 22, 2011

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 is a new super-zoom compact camera with a 24x optical zoom lens. Other standout features of the FZ48 include a 12.1-megapixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor, Sonic Speed AF, manual operation, 1920 x 1080 full-HD video recording, 3D Photo mode and new Creative Controls with Miniature Effect mode. Pricing and availability of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 are still to be announced.
Panasonic UK Press Release
Panasonic introduces new Super-Zoom Digital Camera LUMIX DMC-FZ48 featuring High Quality 24x Optical Zoom Lens and Full HD Video Recording
This summer, Panasonic is pleased to welcome a new addition to its award winning range of LUMIX cameras, DMC-FZ48, boasting a powerful 24 x optical zoom and attractive options including manual operation, full-HD video recording capability and new Creative Control with Miniature Effect mode.
With a 25mm ultra wide angle lens and 3.0-inch Intelligent LCD, which now has 460,000-dot high resolution to dramatically improve visibility during recording and playback, the FZ48 offers exceptional creative freedom – perfect for beginners through to serious photographers
Outstanding Image Quality 
The high quality 25mm ultra wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens benefits from Panasonic’s Black Box Nano Surface Coating technology, to minimize light reflection that causes ghost and flare. Whilst the powerful 24x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 25-600mm) makes it easy to capture family or group portraits as well as expansive landscapes or action packed sports shots.
The lens unit comprising of 14 elements in 10 groups, including 3 ED lenses and 2 aspherical lenses with 3 aspherical surfaces, ensures an outstandingly compact body while passing Leica’s stringent standards to deliver exceptional optical performance, suppressing distortion at wide end and colour bleeding at tele end.

Snap 1.40 for iOS

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CodeCrop’s Snap camera app for iOS devices has been updated with a new interface. The application allows users to snap a photo, jot down as many notes as they want, move them over the image and save the photo with the notes overlaid on it. Version 1.40 brings a new interface to add notes directly on the image with live changes. Snap Camera! 1.40 is available now on iTunes for $0.99.
Codecrop Press Release
Snap Camera App Updated - Interface makeover
CodeCrop today announces Snap 1.40, an update to their popular camera app for iOS devices. Snap turns the iPhone camera into a productivity tool: snap a photo, write as many notes as you want, move them with your finger and the picture is saved with the notes overlaid on it. Easily share on Facebook, Twitter and more. Version 1.40 brings a new interface to add notes directly on the image with live changes. And now you can add the address of an image using the symbols keyboard.
Sao Paulo, Brazil - CodeCrop today is pleased to announce Snap 1.40, an update to their camera app for iOS devices. Snap turns the iPhone camera into a productivity tool: snap a photo, write as many notes as you want, move them with your finger and the picture is saved with the notes overlaid on it. Easily share on Facebook, Twitter or email. Version 1.40 brings a new interface to add notes directly on the image with live changes. And now you can add the address of an image using the symbols keyboard.
Snap is a camera app designed to turn the iPhone camera into a productivity tool: Snap a photo, write as many notes as you want, move them with your finger and the picture is saved with the notes overlaid on it. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Evernote, Flickr, Instagram or email is just a touch away. Other apps can also do this but only Snap has a beautiful, fast and intuitive interface that makes all this easy and fun. Snap is so fast and easy to use that it can be a great replacement for the iPhone’s built-in camera app and be used in a number of situations:
* You’re shopping for a new couch and taking a lot of pictures of your choices but later on you don’t remember all the prices? Just write the prices on your picture. You can also write the dimensions, name of the store, name of the salesperson, anything!
* Just moved to a new house and need to remember the size of your rooms so you can shop around? Just take a picture and write down all you want.
* Want to remember how this great wine you’re drinking tastes like and how much it costs? Snap a picture of the bottle and write it all down!
* Want to document your kid’s homework? Take a picture and write the date, grade, description and keep them forever!
* Just met a few people and are afraid to forget their names? Take a group picture and label everyone.
* Traveling? Write the names of all the places you’ve been so you don’t forget when showing them to your friends.
* Want to have some fun? Take pictures from your friends and family and add captions, subtitles and labels. Kids love to play with Snap’s intuitive interface.
All this in a very easy to use app with a beautiful and intuitive interface very similar to the iPhone’s built-in camera app. See Snap in action in a 1 minute video.
What people are saying:
“... the app does what it says! If you’ve ever come across a need to annotate photos, or think you could use something like this, then grab Snap!” - Christine Chan, AppAdvice
“Snap! Was Extremely Easy To Use And So Practical. I Can Definitely See Myself Putting This App To Use In My Home.” - The iPhone Mom
“I like using Snap! because it is one of those apps that does a task efficiently and cleanly, and does it well. The simplicity of use is fantastic and once you start using it, you’ll find that you can’t help but annotate before you fire pics off to FaceBook or Twitter.” - AppleBitch
“Overall Impressions: Marvelous and I would highly recommend this app to a friend or colleague.” - iApp4 US user review
“This app is awesome and very easy to use…. So helpful…. Thanks!” - Tina K US user review
“Brilliant tool! - This thing is seriously good - it has a simple interface but there is lots of power. ... Easy to use for casual use, but actually powerful enough for research and professional work!” - loblolly New Zeland user review
“I’ve always wanted this” - iAddicted 2010 US user review
Other great features include:
* Exclusive: Insert symbols: A special keyboard with lots of symbols. No other app has this keyboard. You can also add the current date, time and GPS coordinates (real address coming soon)
* Zoom: Digital zoom just like with the built-in camera. You can zoom using the pinch gesture
* Color: Now you can change the text and box color as well as the font and size of the text
* AirPrint: Print your annotated photos from your iPhone
* Photo Library: Write on ANY image of the iPhone’s photo library, not only on the pictures taken with the app
* Auto save: Users don’t have to worry about saving pictures. Snap saves everything in the background so the user can keep snapping and taking notes
* Geotag: Picture’s location are saved on the image file, just like on the iPhone built-in camera app (iOS 4.1 or greater only)
* Touch to focus: Touching on the screen sets the focus anywhere (iPhone 4 or 3GS)
* Touch for exposure: Touching twice sets the light exposure (iPhone 4 or 3GS)
* Flash: Control the flash on the iPhone 4 just like on the built-in camera app
* Front Camera: With the iPhone 4, it’s possible to take pictures with the front camera just like on the built-in camera app
* Picture quality: Choose from high quality or low quality pictures
* Pinch and zoom: Users can add notes to specific areas with a different font size
* Orientation: Portrait and landscape orientation when adding notes
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch (4th generation)
* iPad 2 Wi-Fi, and iPad 2 Wi-Fi 3G
* Requires iOS 4.0 or later
* 7.7 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Snap Camera! 1.40 is $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photography category.
CodeCrop is a software company designing iPhone and iPad applications. Our focus is on the user and how to make the experience of using our apps as pleasant as we can. CodeCrop is located in Brazil but we have partners and collaborators all over the world. Copyright (C) 2011 CodeCrop. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Lensbaby Portrait Kits & Photography Competition

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Lensbaby has announced two new portrait kits and a Senior Style Portrait Photo Contest. The standard Lensbaby Portrait Kit ($470, pictured) includes a Lensbaby Composer with a Double Glass Optic and a Soft Focus Optic, wide-angle and telephoto conversion lenses, Creative Aperture Kit 2 and a Lensbaby System Bag. The Ultimate Portrait Kit ($590) includes everything listed above, plus a Lensbaby Scout. The Lensbaby Senior Style Portrait Photo Contest, which opens for submissions on 1st September, challenges US photographers to enter their best high-school senior portraits shot with one of the seven creative optics in the Lensbaby Optic Swap System. The submissions gallery will be hosted by SmugMug.
Lensbaby Press Release
Lensbaby Announces Availability of its Portrait Kits and Senior Style Portrait Photo Contest
Lensbaby makes available two popular lens kits to ignite creativity in photographers’ senior portrait sessions
Portland, OR – July 21, 2011 – Just in time for senior portrait season, Lensbaby announces today the availability of two portrait kits, which bundle together all the Lensbaby gear needed to take cutting edge senior portraits that are ideally suited to teens’ contemporary tastes.  The Portrait Kit and the Ultimate Portrait Kit include Lensbaby Creative Effects SLR lenses plus key optics and accessories to provide a wide range of creative, dramatic, and fun in-camera photo effects.
With senior portrait season ramping up over the summer, the Lensbaby Portrait Kits give photographers everything they need for contemporary senior portrait photography in a single package.  Feedback from industry leading senior portrait photographers like Holli True guided Lensbaby’s selection of the gear for each kit.
“I absolutely love using the Double Glass and Sweet 35 Optics in my Composer Pro”, said Holli True.  “The selective focus gives my images a unique and cool effect that has taken my Senior Portraits to a whole new level!  I strive to capture movement and fluidity in my images and Lensbaby helps me achieve that look with dynamic blur, still allowing me to maintain the clarity where I choose.  My seniors are smitten with the modern and stylish look of their portraits. They love having pictures that are unique and original—just like them.”
Portrait Kit- Priced at U.S. $470.00 (click here for detailed information on each product)
Composer with Double Glass Optic
Soft Focus Optic
Wide Angle / Telephoto Kit
Creative Aperture Kit 2
Lensbaby System Bag
Ultimate Portrait Kit- Priced at U.S. $590.00 (click here for detailed information on each product)
Composer Pro with Double Glass Optic
Scout with Soft Focus Optic
Wide Angle / Telephoto Kit
Creative Aperture Kit 2
Lensbaby System Bag

Lomo LC-A+ Russia Day Limited Edition

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Lomography has rolled out the limited-edition Lomo LC-A+ Russia Day film camera and announced a competition. The Lomo LC-A+ Russia Day, whose production run is limited to 2,000 units, is dressed in red leather and equipped with a Minitar 1 32mm f/2.8 lens. The camera comes packaged in a special velvet box with Lomo LC-A+ book, LC-A+ ‘toolkit’ instruction manual, cable release and batteries. Also included is a special Russia Day camera strap, a Russia Day emblem for the camera (5 designs available) and Russia Day emblem with the strap (5 designs available). Coinciding with the launch, Lomography has also announced the Car for A Baby contest - couples who take a romantic photo of themselves during September are in for a chance to win an original Russian scooter. And if on June 12th 2012 a baby comes into your world, Lomography will celebrate this with an additional prize: a Russian family van for your new family! As always, we suggest that you read theterms and conditions before entering the competition.

Phase One Announces Fashion & Portrait Photography Workshop

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As part of the Phase One Digital Artist Series (PODAS), Phase One has announced a fashion and portrait photography workshop. Held at a luxurious manor house, Weston Park, UK from 10-14 September 2011, this three-day workshop offers participants the full use of a Phase One IQ series camera (comprising a Phase One 645DF camera body, 60-megapixel IQ160 back and lenses) for the duration of the course. Attendance is limited to sixteen participants. For more details, including schedule and details on how to register, visit the website below.

Sigma DP1x & DP2x Firmware Updates

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Sigma has released firmware upgrades for the Sigma DP1x and DP2x large-sensor compact cameras. Both models gain the ability to record images in “raw!JPEG” mode, and both firmware updates add a new AF area mode that allows users to position the AF point more freely within the frame. Additionally, you can now change the size of the focus point. The DP1x update also adds a Capture Priority Mode and the ability to magnify into the frame while in AF mode.