PCMag have reviewed the CanoScan 8600F, a 4800 dpi scanner which replaces the CanoScan 8400F.

“The Canon CanoScan 8600F ($180 street) has a lot to live up to. The model it replaces, the CanoScan 8400F, was one of the first inexpensive flatbed scanners to scan film—both slides and strips of film—reasonably well. That was enough to make it an Editors’ Choice. Today, however, plenty of inexpensive scanners can handle film well. Quality that blew away the competition in the 8400F’s day is no longer as impressive. On top of that, the 8600F costs 20 percent more than the 8400F, which means it has to do better to match it on bang for the buck. The good news is that the 8600F does do better.”

Website: PCMag - CanoScan 8600F Review

The winners of the May 2007 PhotographyBLOG Competition have been selected by a panel of judges. The theme for May was “Smile!” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
A fine set of teeth by julianora

Prize: 1 x 24x24” or 24x18” Canvas Print of a Photo of Your Choice
Kindly donated by Photo Artistry.
http://www.photoartistry.co.uk

The winners of the May 2007 Prize Giveaway have been randomly selected from the current list of PhotographyBLOG Newsletter subscribers. Here are the 4 winners:

William Schuppe, Sailesh Panchals and Pam Butterfield have each won a copy of Ulead PhotoImpact, which adds innovative features that allow beginners to immediately enjoy success in editing their digital photos.

Sebastian German has won a copy of The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book by Martin Evening, which describes Photoshop Lightroom’s features in detail from a photographer’s perspective.

News has reached us that Hoya have finally bought Pentax, bringing to an end the seemingly interminable rounds of takeover, no-takeover talks. According to a report on the Daily Yomiuri, Pentax will become a subsidiary of Hoya in June.

Daily Yomiuri - Management must heed market, shareholders

Update 1st June: Hoya and Pentax have now issued a press release with full details about the takeover.

The Microtek s450 is a new affordable scanner designed for the home office. The Microtek ScanMaker s450 has a new slim design, built-in 35mm transparency adapter, optical resolution of 4800 dpi and 48-bit color. The Microtek s450 is available now for a suggested retail price of $99.

The LightScribe Photography Kit is a CD and DVD labeling package created specifically for photographers. Professional custom designs integrate clients’ photos with text, so that the discs are personalized and also serve as advertising pieces.  “As a stock photographer that works with models on a regular basis, LightScribe is invaluable. After burning images to CD for my clients’ portfolios, I can add a reference picture from the shoot, my contact information and a note of ‘permission to reprint’ in case they get questioned about printing copyrighted images.” commented istockphoto contributor Bobbie Osborne.

The DXG-711 is a 7 megapixel camera with 3x zoom, 2.5 inch LCD screen and less than an inch thick. The DXG 711 alos records video at 640 x 480, 30 fps with sound, and offers 15 different scene modes. The new DXG-711 is available immediately with a suggested retail price of $149.99.

This weekend Sony are showcasing the winning photography from their Sony Cyber-shot Exposure competition, a European wide competition held in conjunction with MSN. With over 40,000 entries from across 16 countries, the Sony Cyber-shot competition ran for one month and received breathtaking pictures from all over Europe. The winning photographs will be showcased at The Soho Gallery, Charing Cross Road, on Saturday 2nd June. Open to the public, also attending will be the winner from each country who was lucky enough to win a trip to London to see their photographs showcased as well as a Sony T100 camera. The overall winner also received a DSC-H9 camera with a set of lens accessories.

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Canon A570 IS compact digital camera, which offers a 7.1 megapixel sensor, 4x optical zoom lens, Face Detection Technology and Red-Eye Correction, plus an Optical Image Stabilizer to combat camera shake and full manual control.

“In its class, the Canon A570 IS scores above average marks on the things that really matter: startup, shutdown, autofocus shutter lag, prefocus lag, shot-to-shot cycle time, download speed, LCD size and weight. Its 4x optical zoom and 10 second flash recycle time are average, but a long flash recycle time usually indicates a powerful flash and a 4x zoom certainly beats the 3x zooms common in this category.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Canon A570 IS Review

DPReview have reviewed the new Nikon D40x DSLR, which features a 10.2 megapixel sensor, producing 3,872 x 2,592-pixel images, 3D Colour Matrix Metering II system and 2.5 inch LCD screen, all in the most compact Nikon DSLR ever.

“That it only took four months for the D40 to leap from six to ten megapixels begs the simple question: why Nikon didn’t just release the D40X in the first instance? Was the ten megapixel sensor not ready in time? Did they have stock of the ‘old’ six megapixel sensor laying around? We will probably never know.”

Website: DPReview - Nikon D40x Review

Website: Read our Nikon D40x Review

DPReview have just reviewed the 15x zoom Sony H9 digital camera.

“I have to say that the H9 was a camera I really expected to like, and I started this review expecting to be able to rave about how a great camera had got even better. In reality my experiences with the new flagship Cyber-shot zoom were decidedly mixed, and at times downright disappointing.”

DPReview - Sony H9 Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the entry-level Canon PowerShot A460 camera, which offers a 2 inch LCD screen and 4x zoom lens.

“You get a lot of camera for just over $100 with the Canon PowerShot A460. It’s a great camera for the kids, and not a bad choice as a snapshooter for just about anyone on your list.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Canon PowerShot A460 Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Casio EX-V7, the world’s slimmest digital camera with a 7X optical zoom lens (equivalent to 38-266mm on a 35mm film camera).

“The EX-V7 is very compact, and considered an “ultra-compact”, but its ergonomics are good. The right hand side of the body is raised slightly to bring the shutter release and power button up, making it much easier to access with your index finger. The space between the 4-way controller and zoom controls allow you to place your thumb without interfering with any buttons. The onscreen menus are easy to navigate and use, allowing you to concentrate on your picture taking without worrying about settings. The durable all-metal body will protect it from everyday bumps and bruises.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Casio EX-V7 Review

Website: Read our Casio EX-V7 Review

Adobe have released Camera Raw 4.1 for both Windows and Mac platforms. Support for the following cameras has been added in this update:

Canon EOS-1D Mark III, Fuji FinePix S5 Pro, Nikon D40x, Olympus E-410, Olympus SP-550 UZ, Sigma SD14, Phase One H 20, Phase One H 25, Phase One P 20, Phase One P 21, Phase One P 25, Phase One P 30, Phase One P 45

Website: Adobe Camera Raw 4.1 (Windows)

Website: Adobe Camera Raw 4.1 (MAC)

HP have unveiled Print 2.0, the company’s strategy for making printing more relevant. HP plans to make it easier to print from websites, extend its digital content creation and publishing platforms, and target high-volume commercial markets. “In today’s world of ‘mashed media’ – words, pictures, video, songs – the question becomes ‘How will people publish this content?’ Print 2.0 is the answer. This vision centers on empowering our customers to create and consume their content, their way.” commented Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP’s Imaging and Printing Group.

A daguerreotype camera dating from 1839 has sold at auction for 588,613 euros, becoming the world’s most expensive camera. An anonymous buyer paid the vast amount for the daguerreotype camera in an auction on Sunday organised by the Galerie Westlicht in Vienna, Austria. The camera lay undiscovered in a loft in Munich, Germany since 1940 and was accidentally discovered by its owner.

Website: Yahoo News - World’s oldest camera auctioned for 800,000 dollars

Microsoft Surface offers interaction with information using touch, natural gestures and physical objects. Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time. “With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology,” Ballmer said. “We see this as a multibillion dollar category, and we envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realizing that vision.”

The 6th Ricoh Caplio and GR Digital Photo Contest is open to all owners of a Ricoh compact digital camera. The theme is “Delightful moments and scenes”, and the contest runs from May 30, 2007 to August 19, 2007. A total of 34 photos will be chosen as winners from among photos submitted, including a grand prize winner. The main prize is a Ricoh GR DIGITAL camera and accessories.

Hahnemuhle FineArt Inkjet Photo Cards are new inkjet photo cards for producing high-end quality prints in a mini format. They are 4x6 inch in size and available in Photo Rag 308gsm and FineArt Pearl 285gsm paper types.

xcavator.net is a visual search portal targeting the stock photography industry. Visual search allows a user to look for similar images within databases containing millions of images based on color and key features. “The visual search capabilities, combined with keyword filtering, create an unbeatable intuitive experience for the user browsing Photovault’s inventory”, said Vern Krutein, President of Photovault.