Raw-image viewer gets new camera support

A new update expands the range of cameras supported by a program that can ease the pains photography buffs often have when viewing images stored in hard-to-decode raw image formats.

Michael Tapes released Instant JPEG from Raw 1.1 on Wednesday, a month after the IJFR debut. The software extends file-browser software to show thumbnail views of raw images, doing so by extracting the JPEG that's typically stored within the raw image.

Photo enthusiasts and pros like raw files for their flexibility, but because each camera has its own format, handling them can be a pain. IJFR extends Mac OS X and Windows file browsers so it can show a rough-and-ready JPEG preview version of a raw file, which often is enough to sort or identify images.

The new version supports Sony raw files and a number of new cameras, Tapes said: Canon's 50D, the Panasonic LX3, the Sigma DP-1, and Leica's M8.

Via CNET News

Adobe's Lightroom 2.1 brings fixes, camera support

Adobe Systems on Wednesday plans to release an update to its Lightroom and a related Photoshop CS4 plug-in for processing raw images, bringing the software up-to-date with many of the latest SLR cameras and fixing some bugs.

"The release and release notes will go live later today," Lightroom Product Manager Tom Hogarty said. Specifically, 9:01 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Adobe added.

The new software has support for several new SLRs, Adobe said: Canon's newer entry-level EOS 1000D and brand-new midrange EOS 50D, Nikon's freshly released midrange D90 and full-frame D700, Pentax's newest entry-level model, the K2000, and Sony's ambitious 24-megapixel full-frame Alpha A900.

Lightroom is used to edit, catalog, print, and export photos, especially the flexible but labor-intense raw photos taken directly from camera image sensors with no in-camera processing. The new support in version 2.1 go hand in hand with Camera Raw 5.1, the processing engine used in the brand-new Photoshop CS4.

In addition, Lightroom 2.1 fixes a keyword problem for people who had upgraded from Lightroom 1.x, cuts down on crashes while using the Web module on 64-bit Windows Vista, and speeds performance on Mac OS X machines, Adobe said.
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Sony extends photo frame line with 4:3 frames

More digital photo frames for your holiday shopping pleasure. These two are from Sony and are the first of the company's frames to feature a 4:3 aspect ratio. That allows you to see more of your pictures, because chances are you're not shooting in 16:9, which is what the rest of Sony's lineup is designed for.

The new 10-inch and 8-inch digital photo frames (models DPF-D100 and DPF-D80) have high-quality SVGA resolution (800x600 pixels) LCD screens; advanced image processing; an auto orientation sensor (it lets you stand the frame vertically or horizontally without having to flip all your pictures); and support more than just Sony's proprietary Memory Stick flash media (SD, CompactFlash, xD-Picture card, MMC, and Microdrive included).
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Leica announces prices for S2 and M8.2

Famed camera-maker Leica has announced the price for its Photokina offerings, and our verdict: It's not cheap. However, that didn't stop us from swooning over the elegant M8.2 or the new S-system shooter, the S2.

The 37-megapixel Leica S2 is the German company's venture into the medium-format segment. The newly developed CCD made by Kodak is 56 percent larger than full-frame 35mm sensors. It utilizes the Afrika bayonet mount, and the firm told us it will introduce more optics for this system soon. The S2 will be available in late 2009, and Leica has said there will be no major changes made to the specifications from now till then. Pricing was not available at press time, but we were told it would be competitive to Hasselblad and Leaf's digital medium-format system.
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All-seeing Third-Eye camera makes finding Wally easier

According to myth, the third eye is usually acquired when a person attains enlightenment and is able to reach into levels of consciousness that common folks like us would never even imagine.

Designers Kijin Shin and Youngbin Lim were probably intrigued by this idea, which was why they came up with Third Eye, a concept camera that shows you the information of whatever subject it is pointed at. Not only is it able to tell you more about the history of the place, it can also call up relevant information around the area. The creators claimed it would be akin to having an encyclopedia, GPS system and virtual tour guide all rolled into one device. Before I forget, the Third Eye snaps shots, too.

This idea will certainly appeal to holiday makers who want to travel light. As for myself, I'd definitely buy it if it can solve the entire Where's Wally? collection that I have shelved for years.

Via Yanko Design

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