From www.dpreview.com
Mirrorless Large Sensor Compacts - Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to the digital camera market in quite some years. We have already seen the Micro Four Thirds announcement and so fully expect to see products from Panasonic and Olympus. Samsung have also stuck their oar in the water and stated that they too are working on a compact system which uses an APS-C size sensor.

Full frame sensors - Full frame sensors - This part of the picture is pretty much complete, however at this Photokina there will be more digital SLRs with full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensors than any previous show, and they will cost much less than they have at any time in the past. It’s not inconceivable to think that the future of semi-professional and professional photography will be viewed through a big viewfinder.

DSLR Lenses - Camera resolutions keep getting higher and you can’t help feeling that some of the key lenses in certain manufacturer’s systems - some of which date back to the days of film - are starting to lag behind and are in urgent need of a refresh. We expect to see more wide range (18-200mm type) lenses for crop cameras and we hope to see the major system manufacturers putting as much effort into lens development as they currently put into camera development.

Compact camera complacency - It pretty much goes without saying that we will see a cohort of slightly re-engineered compact cameras with higher pixel counts, larger screens and multiple-color options but little else to excite the market. It really is time for the manufacturers to sit up and realize that this can’t go on for very much longer, the compact market is crying out for some real innovation, and bravery (fewer megapixels, better / bigger sensors, better lenses) in the face of what they (or rather the big buyers) think they we want.

by GoldenHammer

I have been Nikon and Canon DSLR cameras users for the past 7 years from the my first DSLR body Nikon D1x to Canon 5D/ 40D/ 400D. I can’t and I won’t own all digital cameras, but, as most of you, I refresh my brain for the most wanted digital camera, prepare and get ready for that …

I rarely pop-up and do things like pre-order a newly released camera, I would make my own assessment before acquire the next camera - something versatile, reliable that produces great image - good resolution, colors, dynamic range, excellent ISO performance, features and controls like AF capabilities, metering, white-balance to ensure productivity. I also spent some time wondering the higher pixels inspiration, Nikon D700 and Canon 5D Mark II are in my final list.

I would want 21 MP 5D Mark II for additional image crop capability and possible larger prints, the video feature also looks interesting and fun, it is definitely a creative implementation for someone find it useful. Concerning higher ISO performance, I would expect both D700 and 5D Mark II will be pretty close to each other. As a trade-off, I prefer the 12 MP D700 with no video, but better AF, metering, white-balance and control features.

More thought on the video feature on DSLR - I am not surprised to see Nikon would have something similar, but that would a better approach to integrate the video feature on smaller/ consumer grade bodies like the Nikon D90 and keep the high-end DSLRs with the excellent professional configuration.

Yes, I need a versatile work horse this time and that is the Nikon D700 FX.

I got the Nikon D700 on October 6, 2008, my second Nikon DSLR body since the Nikon D1x. That is a package at reasonable price (comes with a handy Nikon brand camera bag, good for D700 plus a long lens or few tiny primes). I skipped the 24-120 kit lens and intended to use the new 50mm f/1.4 G for the D700 in additional to my existing Nikkor prime collections.

First Touch

What a robust electronic machine! The D700 comes excellent LCD display and viewfinder. It got a much taller body than others in the same class, the handing touch and feel is fine (however, I prefer the handing experience from my D1x - soft and gentle, though it built like a tank).

I don’t like some shortcuts design which makes the D700 look less secured - no lock for memory card slot cover. And the rubber covers for terminals at the right side, that is simply not in a fashionable design (the classic covers on my D1x may easy to miss, but that makes the Nikon appears more smart and professional). The green dots on the QUAL and beside the “+/-” buttons look a bit odd in my eyes … the AF assist light helps when focus in low light, it could be annoying however set to on as default, I turned it off and would make it on again when I need that.

I found the D700 image quality and size is not set default to the highest quality possible. For my style, I quickly changed the D700 setup to shoot RAW+JPEG fine, Large size, FX format, Optimal quality for JPEG compression, Lossless compressed NEF in 14-bit depth and turned on Active D-lighting. With these configuration, D700 reports 429 available shots after loaded with a 16GB CF memory card. If you care about that, make sure you check all these before go for any serious work.

I attached my beloved Nikkor 28/1.4D and 45/2.8P on D700 and managed to make some test drive shots. With some initial tests, the D700 produces very nice result at iso3200, the iso6400 image is still usable after some further noise reduction processing. At iso12800 and iso25600, details and colors are washed out substantially and may only for emergency cases, for my eyes, D700 is about one stop better in higher ISO performance over my Canon 5D.

More update and assessment to come.

This is a very first JPEG sample direct output from D700, 28mm f/5.6 1/50s at iso3200.

by ctesti

I’d like to thank GoldenHammer and all the wonderful community on Photos-of-the-Year.com. My picture “Beam of light in Antelope Canyon”, which won the second prize 2 years ago, just got sold to a german magazine. They contacted me after seeing my picture on this website!!! That was such a great surprise, see Make Money! Get Photo Sales at Photos-of-the-Year.com.

I started to work with Stock agencies in January 2006. The year went pretty well and this is a review of 9 stock place where you can sell your work.

The revenue per picture greatly depend on your portfolio content; mine was travel oriented and then I started to focus on stock images such as every day objects isolated on white background.

Also I’d like to emphasize that I believe Microstock and Regular Stock are two different markets with different customers. I would never sell my “better” (or I should say my “rarest”) pictures with micro for just a quarter.

I sell newly taken “microstock oriented” (i.e everyday object on white background) or travel shots that did not meet Alamy technical requirements (due to lower resolution).

If you check my portfolio with Alamy and with any Micro Stock you’ll see what I mean. I obviously prefer to sell a unique picture for a decent amount of money, but I also enjoy getting paid for my “not as rare” pictures.

More than 80% of my revenues came from 4 agencies:

Shutterstock - $5.30/picture/year - 22.7%
iStockPhoto - $5.20/picture/year - 22.3%
StockXpert - $4.95/picture/year - 21.4%
Alamy - $3.70/picture/year - 16%

I made actually a lot more money with Shutterstock alone because I have twice the number of pictures that I have on other sites (in part because they are the only micro accepting Editorial).

The remaining 20% came from another 5 agencies:

Fotolia - $1.43/picture/year - 6.1%
Dreamstime - $1.42/picture/year - 6.1%
123rf - $0.69/picture/year - 3%
BigStockPhoto - $0.40/picture/year - 1.7%
LuckyOliver - $0.18/picture/year - 0.7%

The great thing about the RF model and Microstock is that you can keyword and edit your image once, and then upload it with batch ftp on all servers. Then for most of them you just need to add categories et voila! So submitting the same image to 8 different places does not really take much longer than just one.

In case you’d like to sign up to give it a try I’d appreciate if you’d use one of my referal link: you would still get paid the same but I would get a small commission on each sale… which means more money for us photographers and less for the Microstock companies!

Check my blog on the details review on stock photography agents.
http://ctesti.blogspot.com

By Courtney Dentch

Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) — Eastman Kodak Co., the photography company remaking itself in the digital age, said revenue may rise as much as 2 percent this year as sales of electronic cameras and printers compensate for a drop in film demand.

Revenue was projected to rise to $10.4 billion from $10.3 billion, the average of six analyst estimates in a Bloomberg survey, after a 22 percent drop in 2007. Digital camera and printer sales will increase as much as 10 percent while traditional film may fall 14 percent, Rochester, New York-based Kodak said in a statement. Shares rose in New York trading.

Chief Executive Officer Antonio Perez said today he will bring out 50 percent more digital products than last year. Demand for inkjet printers, one of the devices unveiled in 2007, may double to triple. Perez said he wants to convince investors that the four-year restructuring he concluded in December will create a lasting flow of revenue from accessories and supplies.





“He’s done a good job of fixing some bad parts,” said Rusty Robinson, president of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Robinson Investment Group, who said he is considering adding to his firm’s 24,000 shares of Kodak. “He’s going to have to accelerate getting out of the low-margin businesses. Ten-dollar ink cartridge refills is the way to go.”

Kodak rose 63 cents to $19.29 at 4:02 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock lost 28 percent in the past 12 months.

Forecasts

Sales for 2008 will be little-changed or rise as much as 2 percent and earnings from continuing operations will be $250 million to $275 million, the company said, without providing a per-share forecast. In 2007, Kodak posted a loss from continuing operations of $205 million, or 71 cents a share, and net income of $676 million, or $2.35 a share.

Perez has spent $3.4 billion on the transformation and cut 28,000 jobs since 2004 to focus on digital products instead of traditional film and processing supplies. Restructuring costs may reach $150 million this year, the company said Jan. 28.

Kodak plans to boost digital-product introduction by more than 50 percent from last year, Perez told investors and analysts at a meeting today in New York. That includes new additions to the inkjet line, commercial printing and digital cameras that produce clearer pictures in low light.

The company expects 70 percent of revenue and 60 percent of profit to come from digital products, Perez said. “We have a proven ability to create digital products,” he said. “We are No. 1 or No. 3 in market share in all of our businesses.”

Printer Supplies

Consumers buying Kodak’s inkjet printers are buying three times as many refill cartridges as those for competing devices, and printing twice as much, Chief Operating Officer Phil Faraci said. Revenue from the ink and supplies is forecast to match that from the hardware by 2011, he said.

While the traditional film sales will decline 12 percent to 14 percent this year, Perez said investors are underestimating the value of that business. Asia and Latin America are leading demand for paper and film products, and most television and movie production hasn’t switch to digital media.

“We are signing multi-year contracts with customers who want film products,” Perez said. “Why you don’t believe us that this business will be there for the next 10 years, I don’t know.”

Kodak cut costs in the film business last year, said Shannon Cross, an analyst with Cross Research in Livingston, New Jersey, who rates Kodak a “sell.”

“Now we’ll see how margins hold up as volume declines,” Cross said.

The photography company said today it expects to generate $400 million to $500 million in cash before dividends and other items this year, with a target of $1 billion a year by the end of 2011. Perez plans to use the money to invest in products this year, and may consider acquisitions, though he declined to name potential targets.

Kodak is rated below investment grade by Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s. With the company’s progress, that may change, one investor said.

“I see Kodak as a `AAA’ company; it will be investment grade again,” said Joseph Kosinsky, president of the New York- based Joseph Kosinsky Inc. “They’ve done all the hard things.”

Kosinsky bought a stake in Kodak when the stock was trading near $24, and plans to add to his position. He declined to say how much he owns.

To contact the reporter on this story: Courtney Dentch in New York at cdentch1@bloomberg.net .

Thursday, 10 January 2008 10:50 GMT
Press Release:

No. 1 Selling Consumer Photo-Editing Software Combines Power and Simplicity*
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jan. 10, 2008 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the highly anticipated Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 6 software for Macintosh® is now available for pre-order at www.adobe.com/go/buyphotoshop_elements_mac. Photoshop Elements 6 software for Mac® combines power and simplicity so consumers at all experience levels can easily achieve outstanding results with their digital photos. In advance of its early Q2 2008 ship date, the Macintosh community will get its first peek at the new product features during the Macworld Conference & Expo, Jan. 14-17, 2008 in San Francisco (Booth #S1302).

“We’re excited to showcase a brand new version of Photoshop Elements at Macworld,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. “In this release, we’ve focused on going beyond the basics to make everyday and advanced tasks even easier to achieve. Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh allows people to organize and find photos quickly, unleash powerful editing tricks without any heavy lifting, and creatively share photos that give them all the bragging rights.”


Make Photos Look Their Best
Photoshop Elements 6 software helps photo enthusiasts achieve desired results quickly and easily. New features based on proprietary Photomerge® technology let users easily combine the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots to create a single, perfect group shot. The new Quick Selection Tool reduces a once time-consuming select-and-adjust task to a single click. Photographers - beginner to expert - can choose from one of three edit modes, each geared toward a different experience level. A new Guided Edit mode helps walk users through the steps of improving a photo. Photoshop Elements 6 software streamlines editing with clean, uncluttered screens that draw focus to the photos, with new tabs providing simple access to the many capabilities of the program. Additional enhancements include an improved conversion tool that dramatically converts color images into elegant, nuanced black-and-whites.

Create and Share Photos in Fun, Unique WaysPhotoshop Elements 6 software offers creative options to tell stories in fun and engaging ways. Customizable layouts let users create scrapbook pages, photo books, greeting cards and burn to CD/DVD for high impact sharing which requires no previous experience. Additional sharing options include ordering prints, creating personal online albums for sharing photo creations on the web, printing photos into real U.S. postage stamps, and showcasing creations on a CEIVA Digital Photo Frame™.

Pricing and AvailabilityAdobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh will run on Leopard, (Mac OS X v 10.5), as well as previous versions of Mac OS X starting with 10.4.8., and is immediately available for pre-order at www.adobe.com/go/buyphotoshop_elements_mac for an estimated street price of US$89.99. The software will later be available at Amazon.com, or from one of the following retailers: Apple Stores, Best Buy, Staples, Costco.com, Fry’s, Circuit City, Microcenter, J&R, Buy.com and NewEgg.com. Information about other language versions, as well as pricing, upgrade and support policies for other countries is available on www.adobe.com/go/photoshopelmac

*Source: The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service (April 2002 to November 2007) based on units sold.