- Tuesday, 2 February 2010 -

Olympus introduces the Mju Tough 6020 and 8010 Digital Compacts
Waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof, the new Olympus Mju TOUGH-6020 and 8010 let you take outstanding pictures and film HD movies in the harshest conditions. Available from March 2010, the new 14 Megapixel cameras are the perfect accessories when out mountain biking, snowboarding or diving.

Razor sharp images, which can be blown up to poster style prints are easily captured thanks to the host of clever in-camera features. A 5x wide zoom function is great for group shots and close-ups of distant subjects. Advanced Face Detection for up to 16 people allows for perfectly focused and exposed faces. An intelligent i-Auto option allows the camera to automatically adjust to five common scene modes. Read on...

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- Monday, 25 January 2010 -

Pentax introduces the Optio I-10
PENTAX U.K. is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX Optio I-10 digital compact camera. In addition to a compact body and with the look of a traditional film SLR camera, it offers a wide range of advanced functions — including an upgraded Face Detection AF & AE function and Sensor-shift Shake Reduction. Read on...
 

Pentax introduces the Optio E90
PENTAX U.K. Imaging Systems Division is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX Optio E90 digital compact camera. Offering a host of convenient, user-friendly features — including an upgraded Smile Capture function that automatically and accurately detects and records the subject’s smiling face — this new entry-class model simplifies high-quality digital photography for everyone — even for new photographers. Read on...

Pentax introduces the Optio H90
PENTAX U.K. is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX Optio H90 digital compact camera, combining a functional, no-frills design with essential user-friendly features - including a high-performance wide-to-telephoto 5X optical zoom lens, approximately 12.1 effective megapixels and a large, easy-to-view LCD monitor - all within a compact, lightweight body that fits comfortably in the photographer’s hand. Read on...

- Tuesday, 5 January 2010 -

Canon introduces the PowerShot A495 and A490
United Kingdom, Republic or Ireland, 5th January 2010 – Canon today announces the launch of the new PowerShot A495 and PowerShot A490 – a duo of affordable and user-friendly compact digital cameras designed for fun, everyday use. Replacing the popular PowerShot A480, the new models combine a subtle, soft-edged design with a genuine Canon lens and a range of intelligent automatic features – packing impressive performance into a small, lightweight body.

  

Available in silver (both models), red and blue (PowerShot A495 only), both new models offer a 10.0 Megapixel sensor and genuine Canon 3.3x optical zoom lens, producing large, detailed images. Smart Auto mode takes care of picture settings automatically, and a bright, vivid 6.2cm (2.5”) LCD display makes it simple to frame, capture and share images. Read on....

Canon introduces the PowerShot A3100 IS and the A3000 IS
United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 5th January 2010 – Canon today launches the PowerShot A3100 IS and PowerShot A3000 IS, two new digital cameras that are compact, great looking and extremely easy to use. Packed with a range of clever and user-friendly features, the new models make photography more enjoyable than ever, helping users get great shots with the minimum of effort.

  

With genuine Canon lens technology and DIGIC III processing, the PowerShot A3100 IS and PowerShot A3000 IS offer excellent performance and great value. Both sport a new, slim and lightweight body with an attractive exterior design, combining stand-out looks with a range of intelligent technologies. The PowerShot A3100 IS is available in a selection of bright, attractive colours, offering a choice of blue, red and silver variants, while the PowerShot A3000 IS comes in silver with a subtle black trim. The new models will succeed the current PowerShot A1100 IS, and mark a true step forward for the PowerShot A series line. Read on...

Canon introduces the updated EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens
United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland 5th January 2010 – Canon today adds to its acclaimed L-series with the launch of the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto zoom lens. This new lens launches as the successor to the immensely popular EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, offering improved performance in every area.

True to the L-series’ heritage, the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM delivers optical excellence in the most challenging situations. As well as a revamp of the internal optical system, the lens has also been structurally re-developed as a direct result of user feedback, making it as robust and reliable as it is optically advanced. Read on....

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- Friday, 1 January 2010 -

Happy New Year - Welcome to 2010
The past decade has ended that started by seeing the demise of the film based cameras and the popularisation of the digital format for the masses by compact cameras like the Canon IXUS with its 2mp image sensor and desirable design. The introduction of the 5mp sensor provided image quality suitable enough to leave the film camera in the draw. Image quality has improved over the last 10 years and cameras have got considerable faster at processing the images and far better battery life.

2010 starts with video capability being almost standard for both compact and DSLR cameras and some with HD resolution. Features such as face detection, intelligent auto shooting modes, movie mode, large LCD screens and powerful optical zoom lenses have improved the simplicity and versatility for compacts. For the DSLR, they continue to become cheaper, more responsive with more features than most will use.

The micro 4/3 shows a lot of promise with cameras like the Olympus E-P1/2, Panasonic GF1 and GH1 as they permit more compact camera designs with interchangeable lens and larger image sensor (to rival DSLRs). They potentialyl point the direction the industry will go as no doubt APS-C based cameras will appear to compete for this new market segment.

Interesting times ahead for all photographers both enthusiasts and professionals.

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- Sunday, 27 December 2009 -

Olympus E-30 DSLR Review
The 4/3 format Olympus E-30 DSLR brings many of the features of the top of the line E-1 in a smaller and lighter body. The full weather resistive body may have gone but the E-30 has many of the features a photographers require including, fast AF, tunable AF, wireless flashgun control, 12 megapixel sensor, and customisation. Can the E-30 with it's smaller sensor produce convincing results? Read the review.

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- Saturday, 26 December 2009 -

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS Review
The PowerShot SX200 digital compact camera is featured packed with the latest technology. Boasting a 12x optical zoom lens in a compact body, 28mm wide angle view, face detection, full exposure control, 3" LCD screen and a wealth of other features. Does the PowerShot SX200 IS make a good all round camera that is suitable for the vacations with the required image quality and flexibility expected? Read the review.

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- Friday, 25 December 2009 -

Merry Christmas
Seasons greetings to one and all. RWI would like you wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

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- Friday, 4 December 2009 -

Sigma Corporation announces the the new Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM
This large aperture standard zoom lens offers an aperture of F2.8 at the 17mm focal length and is ideal for many situations such as portraits, sports, macro and general photography. The OS (Optical Stabiliser) function offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. For Sony and Pentax mount, the built-in OS function of this lens can be used even if the camera body is equipped with an anti-shake function. As the compensation for camera shake is visible in the view finder, the photographer can easily check for accurate focus and ensure there is no subject movement. The maximum aperture of F2.8 produces an attractive background blur and improves autofocus speed. Read on...

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- Tuesday, 23 November 2009 -

Olympus introduce the Dazzling Olympus Pen Swarovski
Packed full of the latest technologies for crisp and sharp digital SLR quality images, the retro styled Olympus PEN digital camera has received a dazzling makeover by Crystal Roc. Covered in hundreds of sparkling Swarovski crystals it will be available exclusively to order from Micro Anvika in the Harrods Sound & Vision department on the 3rd floor. The stunning camera is presented in a special limited edition wooden box, which includes two lenses and a matching flash. It is priced at £1,999.99*  Read on....

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- Thursday, 5 November 2009 -

Olympus announce the E-P2
Building on the success of the Olympus Pen, the new Olympus E-P2 in stylish black includes a host of new features for sharp, creative digital SLR quality images in a compact and easy to use, manageable design. Available from January 2010 at the price of £849, including an electronic viewfinder, the new Olympus E-P2 allows you to record seven minutes of HD quality footage, as well as capturing high-resolution still shots at the touch of a button. A new port allows you to plug in the electronic viewfinder or external microphone and an optional matching black leather body jacket and strap will also be available. Read on...

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- Monday, 2 November 2009 -

Canon announces Cash Back Offers
Cashback offers: Get closer to the action with Canon’s Super Zoom Range of Cameras

• Products: PowerShots SX1 IS £50/€55
• PowerShots SX20 IS £50/€55
• PowerShots SX200 IS £40/€45
• PowerShots SX120 IS £30/€35

Timing: Start: 28th October 2009
End: 24th December 2009 (Claim by midnight 1st February 2010)

Readers enquiries:
For further details and full terms and conditions please visit www.canon.co.uk/powershotcashback & www.canon.ie/powershotcashback.

PENTAX Launches Christmas Cash Back Offer
PENTAX is pleased to announce the launch of a European-wide cash back promotion valid on the whole range of PENTAX products throughout the seasonal period.

Up to £250 cash back can be claimed on the purchase of any PENTAX kit bought between 2nd November 2009 – 15th January 2010. Full details of the cash back values can be found below;

• £50 cashback on purchases of £650
• £100 cashback on purchases of £1,000
• £150 cashback on purchases of £1,500
• £250 cashback on purchases of £2,000

Customers wishing to make a claim should visit www.pentax-cashback.com, to download the claim form and see full promotion terms and conditions.

All claims must be received by 31st January 2010 at the latest.

Canon launches new photo printing application for iPhone users
United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland 2nd November 2009: Canon today launches the “Easy-PhotoPrint for iPhone” application (Canon iEPP). Free-to-download, the simple application prints photos from the iPhone or iPod touch wirelessly to Canon PIXMA MP990, PIXMA MP640 and PIXMA MP560 printers.

The user-friendly application is compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (OS 2.2.1 or later) devices and produces excellent quality Canon prints in three easy steps: from opening the application, to image selection and printing. Once the Canon iEPP application is installed from the iTunes App Store, it takes care of all the hard work – automatically detecting printers on a WiFi (for automatic detection to work a LAN connection and Bonjour service must be enabled on the printer ) connection so users can quickly enjoy printing their images.

Utilising the intuitive iPhone and iPod touch technology, users can review an index of thumbnail images with a simple flick of their finger. With an effortless pinch of the fingers, shots can be enlarged for a clearer print preview - a handy feature that cuts down on unnecessary printing. A swift touch then sends the selected image directly to the PIXMA printer.

Photos downloaded from online photo sharing sites or taken on the iPhone can be printed effortlessly. Furthermore the Canon iEPP application incorporates the ‘camera’ button so new shots can be seamlessly captured and printed. Supporting various Canon media types and sizes (Canon media types supported by the iEPP include Plain Paper, Photo Paper Plus Glossy II, Photo Paper Pro II, Photo Paper Pro Platinum and Photo Paper Plus Semi-gloss), with options for bordered or borderless printing, the Canon iEPP grants users the freedom to easily print and enjoy their images.

The Canon iEPP application will be available for download from early November.

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- Thursday, 22 October 2009 -

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta Now Available
London. — October 22, 2009 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 3 beta software for Macintosh and Windows®, a public preview of new and improved functionality to be delivered in the next major release. Lightroom is the essential digital photography workflow solution, helping serious amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, enhance, and showcase all their images from one application. Available as a free download on Adobe Labs, Lightroom 3 beta delivers a preview of new tools that will be in Lightroom 3, including more intuitive importing, unparalleled noise reduction and sharpening tools and enhanced slideshow capabilities.. Adobe encourages photographers to test this early selection of new features and provide the product team with their feedback. Read on...

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- Wednesday, 21 October 2009 -

Panasonic Updates Lumix LX3 Firmware
A new firmware update is released for Panasonic’s premium manual compact camera DMC-LX3. Firmware version 2.1* supports several new functions and improves various performances to elevate shooting convenience and fun. The firmware also rectifies several minor issues to enhance operation.

The adoption of new algorism makes it possible to speed up the AF time by reducing it approx.20% to 0.50 sec at wide-end. Now the 1:1 aspect ratio recording mode is added as a shooting option in addition to the conventional 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The white balance bracket shot is available. The new scene mode High Dynamic is newly incorporated in the scene mode, which helps to capture a scene with moderate exposure even though the scene contains both bright and dark area together. You can select either of 3 options, Standard, Art, or B/W, depending on the desired effect and personal taste to make the photo look natural to artistic. The white balance adjustment performance is greatly improved especially under fluorescent lights, daytime sunlight and low light.

As well as those mentioned above, the new firmware incorporates attractive advancements for enthusiastic photographers. The exposure compensation range as well as its bracket setting is widened. The fixed composition guidelines are now movable to the intended position with the control of cursor or joystick for free framing. Over exposure part of the picture is shown not only in the preview but also in the playback mode. The lens position of zooming and manual focusing is memorized and resume at the position.

The photographer’s name can be embedded to the EXIF information of the picture and it can be confirmed via the updated PHOTOfunSTUDIO ver.2.1.

Panasonic invites all users of DMC-LX3 to apply the updated firmware. The new firmware will be available worldwide at http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/, at 09:00 BST (UK time) on 21st of October, 2009.

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- Tuesday, 20 October 2009 -

Canon introduces the EOS 1D Mark IV DSLR
United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland, 20 October 2009 – Canon today announces the launch of the new EOS 1D MARK IV – a high-speed, professional Digital SLR (DSLR) camera designed to empower photographers to capture split-second moments in high resolution, under the most challenging of conditions. Ideal for shooting action, sports, news events and wildlife photography, the Canon EOS 1D MARK IV delivers speed, power and high-resolution images, creating the perfect camera for photographers who require reliability in fast-paced, high-pressure situations.

Read on...

Canon Launch two Wireless Controls
The WFT-E2 II, designed for the newly-launched EOS 1D MARK IV (firmware updates will provide compatibility for the EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III) and the WFT-E4 II, designed for the award-winning EOS 5D Mark II, allow photographers to transfer image files securely to a computer or server, control the camera remotely and connect to WiFi enabled devices to view images directly from the camera.

Read on....

Canon EOS 5D Mark II: Statement on Firmware Development
Canon today announces that it is currently developing a firmware update to the EOS 5D Mark II to enable the recording of high definition 1080p video at 24 and 25fps. The decision to develop new firmware to support these features has been taken following feedback received from cinematographers and photographers.

Introduced in September 2008, the multi award-winning EOS 5D Mark II was the first DSLR product to offer full frame 1080p HD video recording, opening up a multitude of new creative possibilities for photo journalists, news photographers and amateur filmmakers. Since then, Canon has continued to develop its groundbreaking EOS Movie functionality, firstly with the firmware update to the EOS 5D Mark II that enabled manual exposure control, and more recently by introducing a choice of video recording frame rates with the EOS 7D and EOS 1D MARK IV.

Canon currently expects the firmware update to be made available during the first half of 2010. An announcement regarding details of the update and its availability will be made closer to the release date.

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- Wednesday, 14 October 2009 -

Nikon Introduces the AF-S 85mm VR DX Macro Lens
Nikon Europe is pleased to announce the launch of a new compact and lightweight DX format Macro lens with high quality optics, the AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR. Implementing Nikon’s second generation Vibration Reduction (VR II) system and a 1:1 reproduction ratio, it’s the perfect choice for exploring the world of close-up photography.

Read on...

Nikon launches D3S for professional news, sports, and wildlife photographers
Nikon has announced the introduction of the D3S, the camera that enables professionals to take control of the unpredictable and extends the possibilities for action photographers everywhere. Built upon the widely acclaimed Nikon D3, the D3S advances low light photography to another level and sets in motion new creative options for multi-media movie shooting.

Read on...