This evening, Nikon released the anticipated FX full frame sensor DSLR, the D700. Its basically a lighter version of the D3 workhorse. They also released two PC-E Micro lenses and the SB-900 AF Speedlight. You can see the details of the release at the Cadco Photography site.
I have used this program for a while now. Its a wonderful way to stay on top of all your applications for their updates. It scans your installed applications and then goes out and compares it to the most current version of that application. If an update is needed, it will report it to you along with a link to download the latest update. Much easier than doing it yourself with each application installed. You can download this free application from the AppFresh site at Metaquark. For now its free but may change in the future once full development is completed.
At today’s WWDC 2008 in San Francisco, Apple made it official. They announced the new iPhone 3G which will be available July 11th. It is now thinner, lighter, faster, and less expensive. It now has 3G for faster online access, GPS, much improved audio quality, version 2.0 of the operating system allowing 3rd party applications, half the price, and now available in black and white. For more details, check out the Apple iPhone 3G site.
Here are some blogs and live streams of where to monitor Apple’s WWDC 2008 announcements:
Ustream.TV feed with Cali Lewis
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/on-location-with-cali
Ustream.TV feed with iPhone Alley
http://www.iphonealley.com/news/wwdc-2008-keynote-live-audio-stream
Engadget’s Blog
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/09/steve-jobs-keynote-live-from-wwdc-2008/
Powerful Tools for Quick and Easy Photo Editing
TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the introduction of the exciting new Capture NX 2 photo editing software. An evolution of the original award-winning Capture NX software released in 2006, Capture NX 2 makes it even easier to make quick and powerful photographic edits so you can spend more time making photographs and less time editing them on the computer.
The original Capture NX software introduced the world to direct on-image editing. This revolutionary new development was the basis of the Color Control Point tool which enabled photographers of all levels to easily adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, color and warmth on specific elements of a picture such as sky, skin, grass, etc. This made it possible to choose any area of a photograph for editing without the need for complicated selections or masking techniques.
Capture NX 2 introduces the all-new Selection Control Point tool, which allows users to carry out nearly any image adjustment to a specific area with just a point-and-click to make the selection. Whether applying an Unsharp Mask to just the eyes in a portrait, a Gaussian Blur to only the background of a photograph or D-Lighting to open up the shadows, the Selection Control Point makes it easy to do. What once was a complex and tedious task now takes just a fraction of the time.
The newly developed Auto Retouch Brush allows you to simply apply a few mouse strokes to clear away spots, blemishes or other unwanted distractions that appear in a picture. Photographers can quickly and effectively achieve the results they are looking for without having to learn all new methods and skills.
The Capture NX 2 interface has been updated by adding “Workspaces” to optimize the screen layout. Four preset Workspaces such as “Browser” and “Edit” can be selected as well as a number of user-defined workspaces that optimize single or multiple monitors for the ideal screen layout. The Edit List has been reorganized to allow easier access to most settings. Further, it maximizes the picture display area while simplifying the editing process by allowing multiple edits to be viewed simultaneously.
With this range of impressive tools many shooters will find Capture NX 2 to be a great stand-alone photo editing solution, while others will discover that it’s a remarkably effective addition to their existing photographic editing workflow and process.
For more details, check out Nikon’s link.
