UK Digital Cameras Blog

A new review of Fuji’s long zoom camera offering has been posted by Digital Photography Review.

The Fuji S8000fd offers a range of features, although the latest review states that it is “trying pretty hard to be all things to all people”.

Among the features on the camera is the option to control the camera manually, although a more convenient automatic offering allows users to simply point and shoot.

High speed shooting is also available, as are some high-sensitivity modes so that photos can be taken in low light conditions.

The Fuji S8000fd comes complete with an 18 times optical zoom, with an eight megapixel sensor as well as face detection, so that portraits remain sharp.

However, the latest review states that although the offering is an ambitious package, the success of trying to pack so many features into one camera remains to be seen.

The camera also has image stabilisation technology, to help reduce the chances of blurry photos.

Winners of this year’s Discovery Awards, offered by Nikon, in conjunction with the British Journal of Photography, have been announced.

Entrants form a total of 20 different colleges provided images for the competition, with their work being displayed throughout the two-day long Solutions Expo.

Commenting on the competition, Nikon’s professional business manager Chris Hoare said: “The first Discovery Awards competition has been a great success, we are really pleased with the efforts of each of the students.”

He added that all the winners were deserving of their prizes and should go on to success within the industry.

Both the prizewinners and the colleges they attend were given prizes and new camera equipment.

Michal Honkys, from Thames Valley University won the grand prize at this year’s award ceremony, which was the first the company has held.

In related news, Nikon are set to release two new DSLR cameras in the coming weeks.

A new winter kit has been released for use with the Olympus mju 790 SW.

The camera, which is designed for people who lead a rugged outdoors lifestyle and partake in action sports, now comes with a range of features that make it ideal for the ski slopes.

Complete with a new neoprene case and a variety of non-camera related items such as a snow tube, the camera is built for fun on the slopes.

The freezeproof, waterproof, shatterproof little model comes complete with 7.1 mexapixels and a three times optical zoom, meaning that even the sportiest of images can be taken.

Olympus’ recent model has been built to tackle extremes and will continue to work in temperatures down to minus ten degrees C and will survive in water depths of up to three meters.

Other features the camera has include a 2.5 inch hypercrystal LCD and face detection technology, so that people always appear in focus.

Canon has released a new version of the firmware for one of its DSLR cameras.

The Japanese firm has released a software update for the Canon EOS-1D Mark III DSLR.

Included in the update is improved autofocus tracking, as well an increased transmission speed, if certain SD cards are used.

A number of glitches in the older software have also been fixed in the new offering.

Firmware version 1.1.3 remedies the problem where the shutter was unable to be released, as well as a range of other errors.

If a high speed SD card is used then improved transmission speed will be available.

Designed for users of the camera with older versions of the firmware, the update allows a number of improvements to be made compared to the older version.

Previous changes made in earlier versions of firmware are also included in the new version, so any other updates will remain in place.

A new review of the Pentax Optio T30 has been released, with the camera’s three inch touch screen being highlighted.

The camera also has a number of features over its sister model, the Pentax Optio M30, including better metering and a range of different modes.

In a review for Imaging Resource, the camera is cited as a good example of a tool that has been reduced to its bare essentials.

It has all the features that the user might need, but without any complex extras.

Pentax’s young offering provides the user with both automatic and manual settings, as well as what the firm calls a Digital SR mode.

The Pentax Optio T30 is a “pretty friendly companion wherever you take it” and is small enough to be taken anywhere, the review states.

With a simple design and aluminium alloy body, the functionality of the camera is immediately visible, the review states.

Overall, however, the image quality of the camera is not as good as other models offering 7.1 megapixels, although its attractiveness and compact size may make it an appealing option.

Canon digital cameras look set to be one of this year’s top sellers, with British online shoppers reportedly queuing up to buy them.

New figures from money savings site Savebuckets .com about the Christmas shopping habits of British web users places Canon digital cameras as the fifth most popular buy.

Digital cameras are also placed ninth in a list of the most popular weekly searches on the website, with more Britons going online to make savings on new technology than ever before.

Canon has an array of digital cameras to suit all tastes and pockets on sale this festive season, including the popular Canon Ixus 70, inspired by the first Ixus with a slender, minimalist design and equipped with leading Canon technologies.

At the other end of the scale is the Canon Digital Ixus 960 IS, which provides snappers with 12.1 megapixels, 3.7x optical image stabiliser lens and face detection technology among its impressive capabilities.

Other offerings include the Canon Digital Ixus 950 IS, with a 4x optical image stabiliser lens, the 8.0 megapixel Canon Digital Ixus 860 IS and the Canon Digital Ixus 75, complete with extra large LCD and Digic III processor.

The latest cameras from top manufacturers Nikon and Canon have received a software update that means Windows Vista.

Both Canon and Nikon released software updates this month for their newest SLR cameras and for a number of older Canon cameras as well, CNet reports.

The software updates feature codec software from Microsoft that allows Windows Vista - in addition to any programs using its image-handling capabilities - to read proprietary raw image formats.

Chuck Westfall, a Canon spokesman, said that the company has also adapted its ZoomBrowser EX and ImageBrowser photo-browsing utilities, Digital Photo Professional tool, PhotoStitch software and Picture Style Editor.

Apple has also recently announced the release of its own new image software update.

Final Cut Express 4, a significant upgrade to its video editing software, is complete with support for the latest AVCHD cameras and the ability to import iMovie ‘08 projects.

 Consumers take a number of steps to make sure they look good in photos, with many resorting to using digital software to help them improve their image, a new study has found.

A study undertaken by Canon has revealed that a total of 86 per cent of Britons believe they are unphotogenic, with more than half the population feeling insecure about how their waistline will appear in a photo.

However, over half (53 per cent) of people surveyed admitted that using digital cameras and manipulating pictures with software available on a home computer was helping the nation to appear more attractive.

The research found that people in London are most likely to retouch images of themselves, with residents in the Midlands and Yorkshire also being likely to cheat on their images.

But for those without access to such software, there are a number of tactics that can be employed in front of the camera, including ensuring the lighting is correct, turning slightly to the side or standing with one leg in front of the other.

Canon recently released its new Selphy ES20 printer, which allows consumers to view photos on screen before they are printed, among other things. 

Nikon has confirmed that its new D3 and D300 models will now support a D2X mode, so that the colour reproduction of the older version will be replicated on the new cameras.

The firm has made three picture controls available, emulating the colour modes I to III on the Nikon D2X, Digital Photography Review reports.

Each mode is suitable for different types of shot: the first is ideal for skin tones, the second is suitable for images that are going to be retouched or processed, while the third is designed to cater for the landscape and natural shots, offering more vivid reproduction of green and blue colours.

The three settings are available to download from Nikon and have been designed to allow photographers to upgrade to the new models, without seeing significant changes in the colouration of their images.

Further changes to the settings can be made by consumers, as the three settings have been designed as a time-saving device for people looking to buy a new camera but who still want continuity with their older models.

Canon recently released its new Selphy ES20 printer, which allows consumers to view photos on screen before they are printed, among other things.

Pentax is rumoured to be creating two new models to replace its current K10D and K100D offerings.

Although no official announcement has yet been made, the company could be set to release two new cameras in the early part of next year.

The offerings, which are rumoured to be called the Pentax K20D and the Pentax K200D, will apparently contain a number of upgrades from the versions currently available.

Photography Bay claims that the Pentax K20D will offer 14 megapixels as well as a three inch display, which is larger than the current offering.

Among the other features will be improved body shake reduction and a larger processor.

The Pentax K200D will apparently also offer a range of improved features, including a ten megapixel sensor and a three frame per second shooting rate, as well as a larger display screen.

It also reportedly has a total of 11 different image settings.

The Pentax K100D this year won the Novice Digital SLR of the Year accolade at the Amateur Photographer awards.

Canon recently released its new Selphy ES20 printer, which allows consumers to view photos on screen before they are printed, among other things.