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Although digicams with built-in lenses still outsell D-SLRs by 10 to 1, market research indicates that 20 percent of consumers are planning to upgrade to an interchangeable-lens camera. As a result, most manufacturers are devoting significant R&D efforts to the D-SLR category, and we found some really desirable new cameras at photokina. The trend was toward more of the high-tech...

onOne Software, Inc. announced the availability of holiday-themed frames, textures, layouts, backgrounds, and adornments for their award-winning Photoshop® plug-ins, PhotoFrame 3 and PhotoFrame 4. The new content adds the perfect finishing touch to holiday cards, portraits or albums and is immediately available as free downloads from the onOne Exchange www.ononeexchange.com. These free elements are in addition to the 1000+ frames, backgrounds, textures, and adornments included with PhotoFrame 4 and are compatible with Essentials 2 for Apple iPhotoand Essentials 2 for AdobePhotoshopElements
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“In the spirit of the holidays, we wanted to give our PhotoFrame users free content to add to their frame, texture and adornment library,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “This is just the first of many free frame packs that we intend to provide to PhotoFrame users so they continue to get extra value out of their software.”

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DxO Labs has unveiled www.dxomark.com, a new website delivering key objective metrics of sensor performance for a variety of cameras measured directly on the RAW image. Available as a free online resource, dxomark.com makes it possible for the first time to assess the intrinsic quality of a camera before the impact of any RAW conversion.

“There are many valuable resources reviewing the image quality of digital cameras, but none of them consider the actual RAW signal straight from the camera sensor,” explains Nicolas Touchard, Vice President of Marketing, DxO Labs Image Quality Evaluation business. “Demanding photographers who shoot in RAW should only care about the genuine quality of the RAW image, yet until now they have had to rely on measures based on converted RAW images, obviously biased by the processing applied to them, whether embedded or performed offline with a software RAW converter. Furthermore, as RAW converters evolve and improve, the latent potential of RAW images can only be gauged by analyzing the RAW images themselves, projecting the potential quality achievable with the ultimate RAW converter. This is why we believe that our approach will dramatically change the way photographers evaluate digital cameras.”

dxomark.com provides in-depth measurements of all the relevant characteristics of a sensor: actual ISO sensitivity (which generally differs from the value reported by the camera), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), dynamic range, tonal range, color depth and sensitivity, metamerism, etc. dxomark.com already covers 50 popular cameras, including Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLRs) and high-end bridge cameras offering RAW image format. The site will be updated on a regular basis with new cameras.
dxomark.com RAW image quality database relies on DxO Analyzer, the world’s leading turn-key laboratory solution for image quality evaluation. Thanks to its accuracy, completeness, and reliability, DxO Analyzer has become the reference tool for numerous leading imaging industry players, photography magazines and websites.

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Adorama is pleased to announce recently added workshops to their lineup, all designed to give photographers at all levels, insights from some of the world's most prominent photographers and photo educators.

Monica Cipnic, Adorama's program director, has added new and exciting seminars by leaders in the field, including ones on the newest models from Nikon (D90 and D700) and Canon (EOS 5D Mark II).  Both seminars charge a $25 fee but each registered participant will receive a $25 coupon good for 30 days on any purchase in the retail store or at www.adorama.com.  Among others that are sure to attract interest include classes in the latest technology including Adobe Photoshop and mastering the world of digital SLR.

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For years, Fujifilm’s professional-grade Instax instant photo system has enjoyed great success among customers in Asia and Europe, who consider it unmatched in terms of quality and character. As availability of instant film has declined, Fujifilm has received an influx of requests from photographers in healthcare, law enforcement, insurance, real estate and other industries to make the complete Instax instant photo system available to U.S. customers.

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The E-30 fits in the spectrum of the E-System lineup above the E-520 as a mid-range advanced DSLR, while the E-3 remains at the top as the flagship Olympus DSLR. As with all Olympus DSLRs, the new camera provides advanced Dust Reduction and in-body mechanical Image Stabilization so that every Four Thirds lens is stabilized. The new camera also offers TruePic III+ Image Processor and Full Time Autofocus Live View. These features are coupled with a new 12.3-megapixel high-speed Live MOS image sensor to capture breathtaking images.

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Nikon Inc. has  announced the D3X, an FX-format digital SLR featuring extreme 24.5-megapixel resolution and superb low-noise capabilities, which provides professional photographers with commercial-quality image performance in a familiar and extraordinarily versatile D-SLR form factor.  In conjunction with the groundbreaking Nikon FX-format D3, the D3X tops off a collection of flagship level, rugged, professional caliber digital single lens reflex cameras engineered to excel in all types of professional photographic disciplines from photojournalism and sideline sports, to commercial in-studio applications.

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