Most digital cameras sport zoom lens. This means that their f-stop is typically over F2.8 or F3.5; i.e. Zooms generally allow less light than their older and more traditional fixed focus lenses. Thankfully, digital cameras can change the sensitivity of ther CCDs at the expense of introducing some noise in the process i.e. move to a higher ISO. This is where tools like Noise Ninja comes in. You can now take all those grainy shots at ISO1600 and pass them through Noise Ninja for mostly impressive results.  Oh course, it works on old scans too. ...

The recently announced and now shipping Photoshop CS2 has features specifically targetted towards (digital) photographers. Those of you with the deep pockets to plonk down the cash for Photoshop CS2 (consider getting an older version on ebay and then getting the upgrade) can look at all the goodies in store for them via this awesome and thorough write up by our very own Photoshop Weblog. Filters  that stand out - a smart sharpen tool the helps reduce lens and motion blur, noise removal helping out high ISO shots and a new lens correction tool - elimnating the need for third party tools to do the same stuff .. atleast for basic actions. Would be interesting to see some comparisons and reviews between the third party (Noise Ninja, DxO) and the built in free tools. Check out this write up at publish.com. RAW tools are improved too! Hopefully Photoshop Elements gets these goodies soon - btw, the handy Photoshop Elements : The Missing Manual is free after rebate ...

Fujifilm has entered the advanced compact digital camera arena with the 9 megapixel S9000 (US name) / S9500 (Europe). LetsGoDigital has gotten their hands on a preproduction model and has written up a preview. Highlights include a thumbs up on reduced noise at higher ISO settings. They atribute this to the 5th generation Super CCD HD sensor. This is a good becuase other advanced compacts have gotten bad marks for noise even at ISO 400. The LCD display is very adjustable, but you have to toggle between the EVF and the LCD. Check out the preview for more information. It looks like a pretty sexy camera. ...

Looks like the curse of Corel (c'mon you know what happend to Wordperfect,  Linux etc) has not affected Paint Shop Pro 9… yet. Tim Adams reviews the latest iteration - version 9 and likes what he sees. A couple of features of interest, built in digital camera noise removal tool, chromatic aberration removal filter - those purple lines on the borders of bright objects… and RAW support - nice bundle.. ...

In a recent test, Popular Photography Magazine took the $8000 EOS-1Ds Mark II head to head against ISO 100 film. While the ISO 100 film did offer slightly better detail in the most ideal conditions, the EOS-1Ds jumps ahead in color accuracy and lower noise levels. ...

Today's DPOD is "Oregon Coast Sunset" by PdxEl :   Exif Info: Camera: Nikon D70 Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320) Aperture: f/8 Focal Length: 31 mm ISO Speed: 200 Exposure Bias: 0/6 EV Photographer's Notes: Image straightened, darkened, de-noised and constrast boosted ("Clarify") in PSP 9. ...

Canon released updates for the 1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II today. Both fix issues with file numbering in Bulb mode and CF support, the 1Ds update also addresses an issue with line noise when P.fn-21 is enabled. You can download directly from Cannon: EOS 1D Mark II EOS 1Ds Mark II ...

Two new announcements from Epson Japan, presumably on their way accross the Pacific soon. First up in the R-D1s. This is an update to the R-1D rangefinder, and features the same 6MP APS-C processor and Leica M and L series lenses. Iprovements include JPEG RAW mode, Adobe RGB color space, film emulation color settings, manual control for sharpness and noise reduction, high speed noise reduction, and 16x magnification for playback. The second product off the line is the Photo Fine Player P-4500. This is the update to the P-2000 and features an 80G hard drive, 3.8" VGA LCD, SD/CF reader, and USB 2.0. New features include support for images up to 30MB, more supported RAW formats, brighter LCD, and EXIF tag grouping. [via dpreview] ...

The 20D firmare 2.0.2 has been released by Canon. The release fixes bugs encountered when using the EOS Capture software. Other fixes from previously releases will also be included. These fixes include support for the wireless file transmitter WFT-E1, increased reliability with certain kinds of CF cards, and a horizontal noise issue at high ISO. So if you have not had a chance to upgrade your 20D now is a good time to do it. ...

ACD Systems announced today that they will be debuting their new professional workflow and portfolio manager ACDSee Pro this week at PhotoPlus. This upgrade to the popular utility will include a number of industrial strength enhancements incliding ICC and ICM profile management, updated tagging for faster sorts, cmoprehensive RAW support and advanced RAW processing features including white balance and noise reduction, batch processing (including metadata editing), full IPTC support (for Photoshop caption integration, among other things), automatic watermarking, built-in fixes for lens distortions (barrel, pincushion, fisheye), customizable key bindings, integrated CD and DVD buring, and automated contact sheet creation. ...

The next version of Apple's Aperture (1.1) to be released sometime this month will offer more than supporting Intel based Macs. At the PMA 2006 trade show they demonstrated numerous refinements - improved RAW handling greater control over contrast, sharpening and noise reduction Support for Nikon D200 Nefs improved functioning of Lift and Stamp tool and adjustment sliders Export settings to include a DPI setting Viewer thumbnail size increased from 256 to 512 pixels Improved clarity during magnification reliability and performance improvements to the histogram, soft-proofing, cropping and printing areas ...

The new Fuji FinePix F30, replacing the FinePix F10, has similar resolution at 6.3 megapixels but improves with a new CCD and Imaging Processor They have put in a sixth generation 1/1.7 inch Super CCD and matched it with a second generation of the Real Imaging Processpr. The F30, they claim, has 25 per cent less noise than the F10. The ISO rating is also increased to ISO 3200. The LCD screen has double the resolution on the same sized unit. Planned release is May with a $399 price tag.   ...

DIWA (the Digital Imaging Website Association) announced its latest Gold Award Winner today: the Fujifilm FinePix F10. According to the press release:   With the FinePix F10, Fujifilm has elevated mini-compact digicams to a new level. With the low-noise, high sensitivity Super CCD HR, the camera is exceptionally versatile for any subject and lighting condition, adding boost to flash photography. Also, the F10 is extraordinary fast and features one of the best auto focus systems available. That's pretty high praise for a 6.3MP compact. The testers also liked the Fujinon lens with its 2cm macro, even though at 3x optical there are more flexible cameras in the same range, and the quality of the video capture. ...

The LuckyPix blog has compiled a personal list of the best Online Photography Magazines (Thanks to Chris for the tip) I am rather taken with the Ball-Saal site that compiles images from 50 mainly European photographers; a new gallery is publised each month - the March edition is now online.  Engadget has details of the Hasselblad 503CWD with its classic styling, 16 megapixels and an equally impressive price tag ($14,000) only 500 are going to be made. Personal Computer World has given the ACDSee Photomanager a four out of five rating siting power, good batch processing and a good price ($99/£68) but thinks the interface is clunky with too many wizards.  Bibble Labs has released  version 4.6 of its Raw Workflow software using a direct integration of 'Noise Ninja Technology' which is an advanced noise reduction facility, RAW conversion has also been speeded up. A free limited time download is available. Food photo challenge Foodography moves ...

Today is the official launch of Scoopt, the online photo broker that allows individuals to sell pictures to news organizations. Think of it as Getty for the masses. They way it works is this: You snap a pic of a breaking story with your digital or camera phone. You upload it to Scoopt as quickly as you can and grant them a three-month exclusive license. They start their marketing machine rolling, calling as many media outlets and wire services as they can think of. If somebody buys your pic off of Scoopt, you get a cut. After that, whether your pic was published in the original frenzy or not, it goes into their permanent stock gallery, and you get residuals every time somebody buys the rights. Not a bad deal, although I can't see any individual making a killing off of it: if it takes off there will just be too much background noise in the archives. Still, it's a nifty way to get name recognition if you're in the right place at the right time. ...