News / Other Product News

Corel has announced PaintShop Pro X5, the latest version of its photo management and editing software. This latest update includes more extensive image tagging and management tools, including improved geotagging and face recognition, allowing the creation of geographically-related slideshows and tagged uploads to Facebook. Pro X5 also gains a series of 'Instant Effects' presets allowing different 'looks' to be achieved simply. The software's HDR features have also been improved, including better handling of changes between the images being combined. The software will cost $79.99, or $99.99 for the 'Ultimate' edition which includes ColorEfex Pro 3.0.

DxO Labs has created DxO ViewPoint - a piece of software to remove geometric distortion from images. As the name implies, ViewPoint is designed to remove the distortion introduced by the position of the shooter, whether that be the distorting effect seen at the edge of wide-angle images shot close-up, or the correction of converging verticals caused by perspective.ViewPoint is available either as a stand-alone tool or as a plugin for Adobe PhotoShop (CS3 or newer) or Lightroom (version 3 or newer). It is available for both Mac and PC.

Carl Zeiss is displaying a 28-80mm T2.9 cinema zoom lens at the IBC trade show in Amsterdam, that will complement the 70-200mm T2.9 optic it announced earlier this year. Designed for use on 35mm full-frame format video-capable SLRs, as well as HD video cameras and professional cine cameras, the Compact Zoom CZ.2 28-80/T2.9 will be available in Canon EF, Nikon F, Micro Four Thirds, Sony E and Arri PL mounts. It will be available in the second quarter of 2013 for €14,900 or US$19,900 (excluding VAT).

Carl Zeiss has announced the Compact Prime CP.2 25/T2.1 cinema lens. It's a replacement for the existing CP.2 25/T2.9, offering a whole stop greater light-gathering ability. The CP.2 25/T2.1 uses the company's interchangeable lens mount system, with Arri PL, Canon EF, Nikon F, Micro Four Thirds and Sony E options all available. It will start shipping on October 1st, 2012, with an expected retail price of €3,300 (excl. VAT) or $4,500 (excl. VAT).  

DxO Labs has updated its DxO Optics Pro software to version 7.5.4. The latest version adds Raw support for the Sony DSC-RX100 and the Pentax K-30. In addition, the company has added 400 lens-optimizing Optics Modules for a variety of cameras and lenses, taking the total to over 8000. The upgrade is free to existing Optics Pro 7 users and those who bought Pro 6 after September 1st 2011. A trial version is available from the DxO Labs website.

Canon has officially announced the EOS C500, the professional 4K video camera output that it promised at the NAB trade show in April. A continuation of the concept of the C300, it can capture Raw 4K video footage and offers frame rates of up to 120fps in compressed 4K. It also captures 2K footage (2,048 x 1,080 pixels) at 12-bit, with 4:4:4 Y'CbCr chroma sub-sampling for high colour resolution. The company has also confirmed four cinema EOS lenses alongside it - the EF mount CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 L S and CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L S, and the same optics in PL mount (known as the CNE15.5-47mm T2.8 L SP and CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L SP respectively). The C500's price will be in the region of $30,000.

Canon has announced a the EOS C100, a 'budget' addition to its Cinema EOS range of professional video cameras. Designed for independent videographers, the C100 offers the same core technology as the C300, including its 8.3MP Super 35mm image sensor, in a smaller package. Its EF lens mount means it's compatible with all of Canon's SLR lenses, as well as the company's specialist Cinema EOS optics. The C100 records 1920 x 1080 Full HD movies to SD cards at a bitrate of 24Mbps, offers an ISO range of 320-20000, and can output uncompressed video directly to external recorders. It will be available from November 2012 at a price of $7,999.

Adobe has announced 'release candidate' versions of Lightroom 4.2 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.2. The latest near-complete versions add support for a series of hotly-anticipated cameras, including the Sony DSC-RX100 and Canon EOS 650D / Rebel T4i. The Lightroom update also corrects a series of bugs present in the current version of the software. As usual, release candidates are considered well tested but not final. Camera Raw 7.2 also adds the option to change the 'as-shot' image crop, if the camera has recorded the whole sensor's data.

Adobe has announced an update to Revel, its cloud-based storage, editing and browsing service. Available as an app for Mac users and iOS device owners, version 1.5 offers the ability to organize your pictures into photo abums and share these privately with friends and family online in galleries hosted by Adobe. Images can now be captioned and the updated UI includes a 'Library' grid view for easier image browsing. Subscription pricing for the service remains at US $5.99 per month. Revel software is available in Apple's Mac and App Stores.

Korean accessory maker Gariz has introduced a leather half-case for the Sony RX100. Setting it apart from the other examples on the market is its metal base plate. This not only allows the attachment of the company's 'Gun Shot' strap system but also repositions the tripod mount into line with the lens's optical axis. The cases can be bought directly from the company, though it's not clear what additional shipping costs will add to the Korean price of 76,000 Won (around $67). (From DCWatch)

Metabones has announced an updated version of its Canon EF adapter for Sony NEX E-mount. The second version of the Smart Adapter will feature a screw-on Arca Swiss-style tripod mount, improved anti-reflection shieding and a mode that releases the aperture and stops image stabilization to reduce battery consumption. As with the original version, the Second Edition Smart Adapter offers aperture control, image stabilization and EXIF reporting compatibility with most EF and EF-S lenses. It will be available from August 2012 at the same $400 list price as the existing version.

Chinese accessory manufacturer Kipon says it has developed mount adapters to use Canon EOS lenses on Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX bodies with full electronic control of the aperture setting. There's no word on whether other functions such as image stabilization or autofocus have any chance of working, and as yet Kipon is only showing unfinished-looking examples on its website. There's also no information on availabililty or pricing, but we'd expect it to be very competitive. 

Accessory maker Richard Franiec has unveiled his design for a custom grip for the Sony RX100. As usual for one of Franiec's grips, the anodized aluminium accessory is held in place with 3M VHB tape, which holds it firmly in place but can be removed, without damage, later. The design follows the pattern of his existing grips and doesn't protrude beyond the camera's retracted lens barrel, so that pocketability isn't reduced. The grip will be available from August 2012 at a cost of $34.95, plus shipping.

ACD Systems has announced updates bringing support for 14 additional cameras to ACDSee Pro 5 and ACDSee 14 for Windows. ACDSee Pro v5.3 and ACDSee v14.3 both gain support for recent cameras such as the Nikon D800, Olympus OM-D E-M5, Canon PowerShot G1 X, Sony Alpha SLT-A57 and Pentax K-01. The latest builds, featuring the expanded Raw format support can be downloaded from ACD Systems' website now.

Fujifilm has published a brochure giving more details of the lenses and accessories it has planned for the X-Pro1 and and any future X-system cameras. The brochure gives more details about the forthcoming XF lenses previously included on the company's lens roadmap, including images and specifications for the XF 14mm F2.8 R and XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 OIS. A revised version of the lens roadmap also includes ghosted images of the promised 23mm and 27mm lenses. It also reveals that the XF 14mm will have a focus distance scale - suggesting it may eschew the system's troubled focus-by-wire system.

Memory card maker Lexar has announced it will start to offer XQD format cards later this year. The company says the cards will support the Nikon D4 and 'future XQD-based camera models,' and will be available from the third quarter of 2012. The XQD format was developed by companies including Sony and has been promoted through the Compact Flash Association. Despite this, Nikon is the only camera maker to have made use of the format so far. The format's popularity is likely to be defined by the level of manufacturer support seen at the forthcoming Photokina trade show in Cologne, Germany, this September, around which major models are usually launched.

DxO Labs has released DxO Optics Pro v7.5.2, with this latest update adding support for the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic DMC-GF5. The addition means the software can now process files from all Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds cameras. In addition, v7.5.2 brings support for Panasonic's CMOS-based DMC-FZ150 superzoom. As usual, a 30-day free trial is available and the update is free for all Optics Pro 7 customers and anyone who bought Optics Pro 6 after September 1st 2011.

Canon has announced three lower-end Pixma all-in-one printer/scanners - the MG4220, MG3220 and MG2220. All three are capable of 4800 x1200 dpi printing at up to 5 pages per minute (ISO) and scanning at 1200 x 2400 dpi. The MG4220 includes an integrated SD/MS card reader and 2.5" LCD screen, and is Wi-Fi compatible. The MG3220 keeps the Wi-Fi capability but loses the card reader and screen. Like the 4220, it can be used with both the Google Cloud Print service and Apple's AirPrint system. Finally, the MG2220 is a low-cost, non-Wi-Fi model. The models will sell for around $130, $80 and $70 respectively. No equivalent models have yet been announced for Europe.

Canon has unveiled the Selphy CP900, a Wi-Fi-enabled dye-sub compact photo printer. The CP900 can print borderless 4x6" photos in as little as 47 seconds. The built-in screen and control interface allows you to browse computers on the same Wi-Fi network to locate your images. There are also iOS and Android apps that allow direct printing to the CP900. In addition to it Wi-Fi capabilities, the CP900 is also smaller and lighter than the existing CP800 model. An equivalent model has not been announced for Europe (though a non-Wi-Fi CP810 variant exists). The CP900 will cost around $100.

Nik Software has announced HDR Efex Pro 2, an update of its high dynamic range software package. The latest version features a range of updates, including an improved tone-mapping engine that promises better color rendering. The user interface and workflow have also been re-worked to make the process simpler, with a host of features added to provide increased control and image quality. HDR Efex Pro 2 will cost $99.95/€99.95, with upgrades around half that price and free upgrades for customers who bought version 1 after June 9th.