Nikon D80 Firmware Version 1.11 Available for Download

A new firmware, Version 1.11, for the Nikon D80 DSLR is available from Nikon’s support website. The update resolves an issue with incorrect battery status. Nikon said that in some rare circumstances, the battery indicator in the D80 blinks regardless of actual battery charge. This has now been resolved with Firmware 1.11. To check if …

Canon Revamps Professional Services Program

Canon USA is revamping its Canon Professional Services (CPS) program beginning in the first quarter of 2009. The new CPS program, which will require all existing members to re-apply, will offer three levels of membership – Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each level will be receiving better and more extensive service benefits, according to Canon. The …

ATP Launches GPS Photo Finder Mini

The ATP GPS Photo Finder mini is a portable geotagging device that can record the locations at which pictures were taken and tag the photos with GPS coordinates. The ATP GPS Photo Finder mini performs geotagging function without the need for a computer and complicated software, according to the company. The user simply activates the …

Canon UK Offers Cashback on EOS 1000D, 450D, 40D

Canon UK is offering rebates (they call it cashback there) on three of their EOS digital SLRs: the 1000D, 450D and 40D. Until January 12, 2009, there’s a cashback of £30 or €40 (that’s about $53, US) for buyers of the Canon EOS 1000D, a 10-megapixel entry-level DSLR. The still-new EOS 450D will give back …

Fujifilm Announces 4 New SD, SDHC Memory Cards

Fujifilm has introduced four new SD cards, expanding its flash media line with capacities up to 16GB. The SD cards will be available in the following formats, in compliance with SD Card Association standards: • Secure Digital – 1 GB SD, 2 GB SD • Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) – 4 GB SDHC, 8 …

Fujifilm’s Super CCD EXR Sensor Promises High Resolution, Sensitivity, Wide Dynamic Range

Fujifilm has announced a new image sensor – the Super CCD EXR – which the company describes as a 3-in1 sensor for high resolution, high sensitivity and wide dynamic range. The EXR updates Fujifilm’s Super CCD technology used in their latest digital cameras. The new technology re-arranges the pixels in the sensor, beefs up its …

Hasselblad Makes New Lens Affordable at $7000

The new Hasselblad HCD 4-5.6/35-90mm Aspherical zoom lens will be offered at “a far more affordable price” — $7,000 – when it becomes available beginning January 2009. In Europe, that’s about €4,990 or £3,695 without tax. Hasselblad says the new lens is “aimed at those high-end 35mm DSLR users who are increasingly looking to buy …

Tamron Announces Ultra-Wide SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical Lens

Tamron has announced the new SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) lens, featuring the first 2.4x zoom ratio in its class of ultra wide-angle zoom lenses. The new lens is designed exclusively for Canon and Nikon (with built-in AF motor) digital SLRs with APS-C sized image sensors. Pentax and Sony mount models will …

UK Royal Photographic Society Announces First Winner of £5,000 Genix Grant

The Royal Photographic Society has announced the first winner of their major new bursary for young photographers – the RPS Jeff Vickers Genix Imaging Bursary (‘bursary’ is how they call a grant or scholarship in the UK). Philip Volkers is the recipient of the first RPS Jeff Vickers Genix Imaging Bursary. “Digital technology has inspired …

Hasselblad Unveils New Flagship Camera, Re-Aligns Pricing

Hasselblad is introducing a new pricing strategy and exhibiting a range of new high-end products at Photokina 2008. These include a new flagship camera, the H3DII-50, a versatile zoom lens in the HCD 4.0-5.6/35-90mm, and the HTS 1.5 Tilt and Shift adapter. Hasselblad said the new H3DII-50 is the first camera on the market to …