Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 is the latest version of the No. 1 selling consumer photo-editing software. The new Photomerge feature combines the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots to create a single cohesive group shot. Guided Edit mode helps walk users through the steps of improving a photo. Online galleries based on Adobe Flash provide an interactive experience for friends and family. Photoshop Elements 6 for Windows has an estimated street price of £69.99, or as a bundle with Premiere Elements 4 for £99.99. Photoshop Elements for the Macintosh platform is expected in early 2008.

Adobe Premiere Elements 4 is a major upgrade to the best-selling consumer video-editing software. New features include an Organiser to help find and sort video clips, one-click movie themes and an improved easy-to-use interface. “Video editing is a part of that process and users demand ease, speed and the ability to make professional-quality movies that grab the attention of viewers.  Premiere Elements new user experience does all the heavy lifting, with templates and drag-and-drop effects that will leave a lasting impact and the ability to make every day tasks easier like direct upload to the Web in Adobe Flash® Player compatible video, the ‘YouTube ready’ format.” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. Premiere Elements 4 for Windows has an estimated street price of £69.99, or as a bundle with Premiere Elements 4 for £99.99.

The Association of Photographers (AOP) have joined in the protest against Getty Images plans to sell web stock images for $49. Photographers who currently have work with Getty will see a cut of around 95% on a like for like basis as a result of the new license. One AOP member shared their recent sales figures: ‘I had three web sales on Getty’s Stone brand last month, grossing $3361.00. Better than $147!’ This member would have to sell these images around 23 times to break even under the new web use model. The AOp have joined with partner organizations in calling for Getty to remove RM image collections from this business model.

Ricoh have released a new firmware update, version 1.20, for the R7 digital camera, which includes the following changes.

- Improve accuracy of the AF algorithm.
- Modified the following phenomenon. If you set F3:2 in picture quality/size, and if you take a picture with [WB-BKT] or [CL-BKT], a recording area will shift to the bottom and instead, the slight black line will be recorded in the top of the image.

Website: Rioch R7 v1.20 Firmware Update

The BenQ T800 is a 8 megapixel digital camera with a 3.0” touch screen LCD display. Measuring just 14.9mm in depth, the T800 has a 3x smc PENTAX optical zoom lens, Face Tracking function and maximum sensitivity of ISO 2000. Available in red, black, silver and white, the BenQ T800 is planned to be available in Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific starting from early October.

Qimage 2008 is a new version of the professional printing software, now supporting stitched panoramas and super high resolution scans. Qimage is designed to make image printing easy and painless by eliminating the need to resample images to higher resolutions, manually place images on printed pages, make touchups and apply filters in separate photo editors. The new version includes minor bug fixes and substantial improvements to memory management. Qimage 2008 is now available in 3 different versions - Lite Edition ($34.95), Professional Edition ($49.95) and Studio Edition ($89.95).

Northlight Images has just published an excellent two-part beginner’s guide to black and white photography, covering everything from taking the image to printing it out.

“When I’m thinking of black and white images, the absence of light can be as important as the highlights. Good deep shadows can give a depth and solidity to an image. If you look at old black and white movies you can see a completely different way of lighting sets. The lighting directors knew how different colours and lighting would show up on film, and made use of the knowledge…Lots of pictures of things that don’t look very good in black and white will help you decide what looks better in black and white. It also has the beneficial side effect of making you think about colour much more when you use it. My black and white photography has really benefited from the switch to digital. I take more pictures, I experiment more and –many- more of my images get printed.”

Website: Northlight Images - Black and white digital photography

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Kodak EasyShare V803 camera which offers 8 megapixels, a 2.5 inch LCD screen, 3x optical zoom lense and up to ISO 1600.

“The Kodak EasyShare V803 is a cute, fashionable camera. It will likely attract consumers more interested in a camera’s look than its functionality. While there are commendable upgrades with this 8-megapixel edition, including the 1600 ISO maximum and new customizable Maintain Settings mode, the EasyShare V803’s substandard performance and ineffective button design will leave many pretty irritated.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Kodak EasyShare V803 Review

Website: Read our Kodak EasyShare V803 Review

CNET have reviewed the Canon EOS 40D digital SLR camera, which offers a 10.1 megapixel sensor, 6.5 fps continuous shooting and 3 inch LCD screen.

“For Canon devotees, the EOS 40D is a great camera and remains an excellent choice compared to most of the dSLRs in and around its price class—with one exception. Despite its many attractions, the Canon EOS 40D doesn’t clearly outshine the Nikon D80, which costs a lot less. Though the 40D has the obvious advantage for action shooting—almost double the burst rate and a higher top shutter speed—the D80 generally feels a bit faster and more responsive for single-shot photography.”

Website: CNET - Canon EOS 40D Review

Website: Read our Canon EOS 40D Review

PCMag have just reviewed Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2.

“Aside from confusing upgrade numbering (how does X2 follow XI?), the most immediately noticeable change Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 (PSPX2) brings is its excellent “graphite” interface. In addition, a new Express Lab greatly speeds photo editing, and an added Layer Styles feature strengthens the program’s already-powerful graphics-creation capabilities. The combination, along with other improvements, creates a potent image-editing and graphics application.”

Website: PCMag - Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

TrustedReviews have tested the Canon MP610 PIXMA Photo All-in-One which combines photo lab quality printing with copy and scan functionality.

“Print quality from the PIXMA MP610 is very good, with black print coming through clear and strong and with very little feathering. Graphics print is also well reproduced, with even black print over coloured backgrounds looking clean and well registered. Our photo test prints showed smooth colour gradations in the sky and fine detail in the foreground of the image. There was plenty of detail in darker, shadowed areas, too.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon MP610 Review

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the GE A830 digital camera, which offers 8 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens.

“The GE A830 can currently be found online for less than $150. The A830’s assets include 8 megapixels, a 3x lens, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. The body isn’t very durable and its components are low quality. Even though the GE A830 is inexpensive, there are other digital cameras that offer better quality components and features for about the same price.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - GE A830 Review

Last week saw the press launch of The Art of Lee Miller exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Curated by Mark Haworth-Booth and sponsored by Olympus, the retrospective marks the centenary of Lee Miller’s birth by bringing together photographs, writings, and art from across her life. We were there to witness this artist of the first electric century…

Website: Lee Miller Exhibition

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is Canon’s top-of-the-range ultra-zoom compact camera, with an image-stabilized 12x optical zoom lens offering a focal range of 36-432mm, fast aperture range of f/2.7 – f/3.5 and an Ultrasonic Motor for silent auto-focusing. With an external flash hot shoe for use with selected Canon EX Speedlites, chunky hand grip and mode wheel, the S5 IS is very much styled like an entry-level DSLR camera. The 8 megapixel Canon S5 IS also benefits from a versatile 2.5 inch vari-angle LCD screen, Canon’s DIGIC III processor (as used in their range of DSLRs), Face Detection AF/AE/FE and ISO speeds up to a maximum of 1600. There’s a choice of 22 shooting modes, including Manual mode for creative control, and a 0cm Super Macro mode for extreme close-ups! With a recommended price of over £400, the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is competing directly with a lot of budget SLRs, as well as cheaper high-end bridge cameras, so does it offer enough to compete? Gavin Stoker finds out…

Website: Canon PowerShot S5 IS Review

The BenQ C840 is an 8 megapixel camera with a 3x smc PENTAX lens, 2.5 inch LCD and Face Detection. Replacing the 3 month old (!) C740i model, the BenQ C840 also feature anti-shake mode, high ISO options (up to 1600), and optical zoom in video recording. 15 different shooting modes, including manual mode, 720x400 wide-screen video at 30 fps and support for SD memory cards up to 4Gb round out the specification. There’s no indication yet of price or availability for the BenQ C840.

A survey of more than 9,000 professional photographers in the U.S. found that 75 percent of photographers say they will continue to use film. Black and white photography in particular was a popular reason for sticking with film, with 57% preferring to use film rather than digital to create a certain look and feel. “This survey indicates that film remains an important tool on which professional photographers rely to effectively create their work, so providing choice is of utmost importance. It’s an ‘and’ world where digital and film co-exist and complement each other.” said Mary Jane Hellyar, President, Film Products Group and Senior Vice President, Kodak. A similar survey run by Kodak in Europe also found that more than two-thirds of professional photographers surveyed plan to continue using film.

Does this apply to you - do you still exclusively use film, or a mixture of film and digital?

2,400 images were submitted by over 400 photographers to the Royal Photographic Society’s International Projected Image Exhibition 2007. The addition of an Open Digital Section resulted in a massive 80% increase in entries. The Exhibition will open at the headquarters of The Society, Fenton House, Bath on 14th October. It will then tour the UK and the Republic of Ireland until March 2008.

Epson America has teamed up with Inside Digital Photo to deliver a new weekly podcast series aimed at advanced amateur and professional photographers. The “Passion of Photography”series will take a closer look at what inspires some of today’s top photographers. It will also cover a range of topics impacting the entire workflow, from capture to output, including techniques and technology insight provided by leading creative professionals. In the inaugural episode, pro shooter Jack Reznicki joins Scott Sheppard to discuss helpful tips and advice for taking sharp photos and making breathtaking prints.

A survey by J.D. Power and Associates has found that Canon ranks highest among photo printer brands in providing its customers with a satisfying experience. The survey of 814 customers ranked Canon highest with a score of 728 on a 1,000-point scale. Hewlett-Packard followed Canon in the rankings with a score of 707. “While price continues to be the most important factor to customers in shopping for a photo printer, because of fundamental price parity, other aspects of the product, like quality, ease of use and portability are largely defining brands, and are becoming the critical points of product differentiation between them.” said Steve Kirkeby, executive director of telecommunications and technology at J.D. Power and Associates.

CNET have reviewed the Canon PowerShot SD950 IS digital camera, which features a 12.1 megapixel sensro and 3.7x image stabilised lens.

“For a 12-megapixel compact camera, the PowerShot SD950 IS fares well. But, if you don’t feel you need so many pixels, and unless you plan to print 11x17-inch images regularly, then you can probably get faster performance by choosing a camera with fewer megapixels, such as Canon’s 8-megapixel PowerShot SD870 IS—but you will have to give up the optical viewfinder if you do.”

Website: CNET - Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Review