News

Sony is expanding its (Alpha) digital SLR system with the introduction of the
DSLR-A700 camera, which is aimed at photo enthusiasts or serious photo hobbyists.
The new model features advanced imaging technologies and ultra-responsive operation,
as well as a lightweight, dust- and moisture-resistant, magnesium alloy construction
common to enthusiast-class D-SLR cameras.


Like Sony's mainstream DSLR-A100 model, the new A700 unit incorporates
Super SteadyShot Inside image stabilization in the camera body and is compatible
with most Minolta Maxxum mount lenses in addition to Sony lenses. The camera's
new 12.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor conducts analog-to-digital (A/D) signal
conversion and dual noise reduction right on the sensor itself. Noise reduction
is applied to analog signals before A/D conversion and the resulting digital
signals are then subject to a second round of noise reduction.

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Bogen Imaging is proud to announce a new education program entitled Bogen Café,
www.bogencafe.com. The Café is a workshop environment offered to college
students that explores imaging topics in actual situations that are rarely discovered
within the confines of a classroom.



To kick-off each workshop there will be an evening lecture that showcases the
work of Steven Katzman, a self-taught photographer, author, and professor of photography
at Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD), Sarasota, FL, one of the top four-year
accredited art schools in the country. This highly motivational lecture will be
open to the entire student body and the local photographic community. The next
day will be comprised of two workshop courses that have been selected by the college
and is open only to the student body. The workshop will be followed up the next
day with a program at a participating photographic dealer.



The Bogen Café is a program that will highlight a special selection of
products from Bogen and the program's sponsors through a menu of scheduled
workshop presentations. The daylong workshops emphasize the importance of developing
alliances with companies that are defined by their products and customer relationships.
The co-sponsors include Hewlett-Packard Company, Hahnemuhle USA, Datacolor, Lensbabies,
Adobe, Wacom Technology, and Rangefinder.



Katzman is a living example that corporate sponsorships can enable someone to
remain at the forefront of digital technology. His workshops at RCAD have had
fruitful results for the faculty, students and the photo department's digital
imaging workflow. Katzman's first hand knowledge, expertise, and examples
are valuable assets for this new program. Never losing sight that the journey
is more important than the destination, Bogen Imaging and its co-sponsors are
there to provide the photographer with the tools that enable them to concentrate
on their creative vision, while Katzman provides first hand experience and examples
of his personal photographic journey.



Institutions and their students are at a point where they need to develop an alliance
with companies that are defined by their products and customer relationships.
Katzman believes that the relationship can continue to be developed, creating
new markets in the educational environments, perpetuated by associated resellers
and their customer base. With educational workshops at the site of the institutions/resellers,
such a relationship will be further strengthened and solidified, enabling students
to become users of the Café's sponsors' products throughout
their professional careers.



The Bogen Café intends to target 20 colleges and 20 dealerships per year
for the next four years, beginning August 2007. Anticipating a reach of hundreds
of photographers at each location, participating schools will be able to select
from the Bogen Imaging Workshop Café Course Menu, regarding which specific
programs they would like presented. Workshop topics include advanced lighting,
location lighting, fine art digital printing, large scale pigment printing, fine
printing, Adobe Lightroom, and more.



In recognition for achievement, each institution will select an individual scholarship
recipient. The scholarship recipient will have a selection of their work profiled
on the Café website, www.bogencafe.com. Each scholarship winner will also
receive a stable of equipment donated by the event sponsors, including a $1,000
Bogen Bux Gift Certificate good towards the purchase of Bogen Imaging distributed
products; a copy of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CS3; a Datacolor Spyder 2 Pro
colorimeter; sample packs of Hahnemuhle photo paper; a Lensbabies 3G selective
focus SLR lens; and a Wacom Intuos3 tablet (4X6).



The Bogen Imaging Café Course Menu is as follows:



Bogen Imaging Workshop Café Course Menu

Schools will be able to select from the following course menu:



Steven Katzman; Developing a Personal Vision, While Negotiating the Interpretive
Portrait, Thursday night's lecture, and Workshop



Advanced Lighting; Creative Solutions and Possibilities (Studio)



Less is More; Location Lighting with Portable Flash Units



Bend it Baby; Free your Mind and Your Body Will Follow, using the Lens Baby in
the studio and on location.



Defining the Social Landscape; On location at points of interest (relevant to
the area's social and historic community) using available and portable lighting
and edited in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.



The Digital Darkroom; Up to speed with Adobe Photoshop CS3, and Adobe Photoshop
Lightroom.



The Large-Scale Pigment Print; Creative Solutions using Multiple Captures, Stitching,
and Sharpening for Inkjet and Prepress Environment. This workshop will include
creating ICC profiles for monitor and printer.



Portfolio Review; Shooting Strategies for the Personal Voice, Pre-visualization
and Interpretation for creating the Fine Art Portfolio.



The Bogen Imaging Café confirmed schedule is:



Bogen Café Fall Schedule of Confirmed Schools and participating Photo Dealers



Art Institute of Florida August 23-25 Dale Laboratories



Daytona Beach Community College September 27-28 Kingston Photo and Studio



Foothill Community College, Palo Alto October 4-6 Keeble and Shuchat Photography



Heron School of Art October 11-13 Robert's Distributors



Community College of So. Nevada October 18-20 Casey's Camera



Art Institute of Chicago October 25-27 Calumet Photographic



Santa Monica Community College November 1-4 Samy's Camera



Austin Community College November 15-17 Precision Camera & Video



Ohio University November 8-10 Midwest Photo Exchange



For more information, visit www.bogencafe.com...

Who would have thought that back when I bought my Olympus C-2100, which then boasted a 2-megapixel CCD, that one day I would be writing about cameras a fraction of its size with 10-megapixel imaging sensors? Interestingly, that camera sported a 10x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilization (both courtesy of Canon). The cameras currently under discussion don't have 10x...

Nik Software Inc. has announced that its noise reduction software tool Dfine
2.0 is now available for sale from specialty camera retailers in the U.S. or
direct from Nik Software (www.niksoftware.com) at a suggested retail price of
$99.95. Designed to improve image quality, Dfine 2.0 now includes Nik Software's
patented U Point technology for selective editing control and a completely new
user interface that is easier to use and improves workflow for busy photographers.



When capturing images, all digital cameras inherently create unwanted imperfections
known as noise. High ISO speeds and low light conditions can also contribute
to noise. Dfine 2.0 addresses the issue of digital image noise with unprecedented
selective control and a revamped image processing core, which provide superior
noise reduction while maintaining detail and sharpness in an image. A re-designed
user interface, new automatic camera profiling system, and the addition of U
Point powered Control Points help photographers quickly and easily improve the
quality of virtually every digital photo.

...

Nikon has introduced its most advanced DX-format digital SLR camera, the D300.
Engineered with pro-level features and performance, the 12.3 effective megapixel
D300 combines brand new technologies with advanced features inherited from Nikon's
newly announced D3.

...

Nikon has introduced the D3 -- a new digital SLR camera with a 12.1 effective
megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, measuring 23.9 x 36mm, which is nearly identical
to the size of 35mm film. With the fastest startup time, shortest viewfinder
blackout time, and shortest shutter lag of any digital SLR camera as well as
the capability to shoot up to nine frames per second at full FX-format resolution,
the D3 is said to be the world's fastest digital SLR camera in its class.
Designed with sports photographers and photojournalists in mind, the Nikon D3
introduces a new EXPEED Image Processing System that is central to the speed
and processing power needed for many of the D3's new features.

...