News

While the Rebel appellation hints at amateur status, the $799 price of the Canon T1i (body only; $899 with kit lens, suggested retail) seems to put it in a bit higher (price) class.

The Olympus E-P1 is said to be the world’s smallest 12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens system camera that blends the high-quality still images of a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) with High Definition (HD) video, stereo Linear PCM audio recording and In-Camera Creativity within an ultra-portable body.

Olympus has a long history of miniaturizing camera technology. The first-generation Olympus PEN appeared in 1959 and led the way to high-quality images in a small package, matching SLR cameras’ performance of the era.Today, Olympus utilized its miniaturizing and engineering expertise to create a slimmer body, removing the optical viewfinder and mirror box found inside a traditional DSLR, to create a small but high-quality interchangeable lens camera. By reducing its lens mount diameter, Olympus also enabled the production of smaller and lighter lenses to match the E-P1’s body size.

 The camera’s retro-style metal body design is available in either silver or white with accompanying new small and lightweight Olympus M. ZUIKO Micro Four Thirds lenses: 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 (28-84mm equivalent) and 17mm f2.8 (34mm equivalent).

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Blurb, the creative publishing and marketing platform that enables anyone to design, publish, share and sell bookstore-quality books, announced the release of Blurb BookSmart 2.0, and introduced its new 12x12 Large Square book offering, available immediately. The 12x12 Large Square book is available in Hardcover and Hardcover ImageWrap, and can be ordered with Premium Paper. BookSmart 2.0 is available for download now at www.blurb.com.

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Texas-based manufacturer EZPnP has announced that it will add a photo-viewing feature to its popular EZDigiMagic line of stand-alone desktop DVD burners. The addition of photo-viewing for the desktop series is a direct outgrowth of the strong consumer acceptance this feature achieved after it was first introduced on the company’s portable line of DVD burners.

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Nik Software has announced its Summer 2009 Webinar schedule. These six free hour-long educational webinars, continuing through mid-September, will cover a range of photography topics including weddings, wildlife, portraits, landscapes, and fine art while offering basic information, insights and tips on using all Nik Software’s award-winning image enhancing products. Additionally, the webinars enable attendees to pose questions to the live educators.

“These free online webinars are designed to show how all Nik Software products can be used to enhance any photographer’s work within all types of photography while dramatically reducing editing time and complexity,” said Tony Corbell, Nik Software’s senior manager for product education and planning. “Education is so important to today’s digital photographer and Nik Software is committed to empowering everyone to get the most out of their photographs with our products.”

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ACD Systems International Inc. has announced that ACDSee Pro 3, a new version of its three-year-old software, is now available for public beta testing. Anticipated for full release in the fall, ACDSee Pro 3 retains the same fast and flexible features photographers rely upon for their creative work and incorporates an enhanced user experience that delivers a professional level of support at a tremendous value.

ACDSee Pro 3 is now open for beta testing by photographers all over the world. The company expects several thousand professionals to participate in the beta period and lend feedback in the development process, much like the 2,500 testers who helped shape the Pro 2 version. Beta downloads are available at www.acdseepro.com.

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