On January 31, 2006, the Open RAW initiative launched an international survey on this Web site to collect information about the experiences, requirements, preferences, and concerns of digital photographers and other interested parties regarding RAW imaging technology and now it published the results in 5 chapters.

More than two-thirds of the 19,207 participants expressed concern that they won’t be able to open or edit raw files created by older digital cameras. The most telling statistic is the 90% of respondents who agreed: ‘Once a digital image is written to a file by a camera, data in all parts of the image file should belong to the photographer who captured the image. Camera makers should publish full and open descriptions of all parts of the raw image files their camera produce.’

• Chapter 1: Who responded to the 2006 RAW Survey?
• Chapter 2: Perceptions of the Advantages and Disadvantages of RAW Imaging Technology
• Chapter 3: Preferences about RAW Image File Conversion and Editing Software
• Chapter 4: Experiences, Beliefs, and Preferences Concerning RAW Imaging Technology
• Chapter 5: Preferences among Camera Features in a Hypothetical Camera Purchase Decision

Apple announced Aperture 1.0 in October 2005 and shipped Aperture 1.1 in March 2006. According to a Mac news site called Think Secret has published an article stating that Apple has disbanded the team responsible for creating Aperture, its flagship imaging application.

According to the article, based on information from unspecified sources and cited in subsequent articles from the likes of CNet, Slashdot and The Inquirer, some engineers have been transferred to different projects inside Apple, while others have left the company altogether. Aperture has drawn mixed reviews, with the software apparently not coming up to Apple’s usual standards, and the quality of Raw image conversion in particular coming in for some criticism.

ThinkSecret speculates that problems hail from Aperture’s underlying architecture, and hence may prove difficult to correct without an extensive rewrite. The issue is said to be troubling enough that Apple is believed to have taken responsibility for the image processing pipeline from the Aperture development team in the runup to the product launch, with the team responsible for Apple’s Shake and Motion products being called in to attempt improvements at the eleventh hour.

Website : Think Secret article

Booming digital camera and color copier sales lifted Canon’s net profit 16 percent in the first quarter to a record ¥108.3 billion (US$942 million), keeping Japan’s top precision equipment maker on track for a seventh year of record earnings, reports The Associate Press. Canon Inc., Tokyo, Japan, said the strong dollar and euro also lifted its group net profit for the quarter ended March 31 well above the ¥93.1 billion it booked a year ago.

Group sales for the period jumped 9.5 percent to ¥923.3 billion (US$8.0 billion). Digital camera and camcorder sales were especially strong, surging 84.9 percent from a year ago to ¥192.1 billion (US$1.7 billion). Sales of copy machines, computer peripherals and other office equipment also posted a 6.3 percent rise to ¥631.2 billion (US$5.5 billion).

Canon also revised upward its projected earnings for 2006 to ¥432 billion (US$3.8 billion) from ¥415 billion for a seventh consecutive year of record earnings, citing robust demand in digital cameras, especially overseas. In 2005, net profit rose 12 percent to a record ¥384.1 billion (US$3.3 billion).

Canon’s profitability has been especially lauded because other Japanese electronics makers, including Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., saw their profits tumble about five years ago as prices on digital gadgets plunged. Competition from cheaper Asian rivals have also chipped away at Japanese makers’ domination on the global market.

Here’s the DSLR sales ranking in Japan up-to-date April 4th week (April 17th - April 23rd). The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT ranks number 1 with Nikon D50 ranks number 2. The new Canon 30D is selling well and won the 3rd ranking right above Nikon D200.

Website : Japan Most Popular DSLR Ranking - Apr 17 to Apr 23

The 2006 TIPA Awards have taken place, with Nikon scooping up three awards — for best entry level DSLR with the D50, best expert DSLR with the D200, and best pro lens with the 105mm f2.8G IF-ED. Canon’s EOS 5D was voted best professional DSLR with the PowerShot SD630 (Digital Ixus 65) picking up best ultra compact. Panasonic was awarded best super-zoom while Fujifilm got best compact award for the F30. Other winners included Samsung, Ricoh, Epson, and Lexar. Olympus snapped up an award for best imaging innovation with the “Live View” system. Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) editors judge on quality, performance and value criteria that are very important to the end user.

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Sony has established a new brand name for its digital single lens reflex (D- SLR) cameras that will be launched worldwide this summer. Meaning “beginning” and “essential,” the symbol a (pronounced alpha) embodies the spirit of Sony’s approach to the D- SLR market. Under this sub-brand, Sony will produce a complete camera system of accessories and lenses to enhance the enjoyment of photography.

The Sony α™ mount system of cameras, lenses and accessories will integrate advanced electromechanical technologies that are key to D- SLR performance, the versatility of the well-established Maxxum® lens mount system, and Sony’s renown in imaging devices and technologies. These include CCD and CMOS imaging sensors, as well as other image processing technologies, in addition to overall product miniaturization. People who have already made investments in many of Konica-Minolta’s lenses and accessories will be able to take full advantage of Sony’s new D- SLR cameras.

Website : Sony Entry into DSLR Camera Market with ‘Alpha’ Sub-Brand

Nikon Corporation announced on 21st February that Capture NX and Nikon View Pro software would be released in spring and in May respectively. However, the release schedule for these products has been changed due to a slight delay in their development schedule.

Capture NX
Initial release schedule : May 2006
Release schedule after change : July 2006

Nikon View Pro
Initial release schedule : May 2006
Release schedule after change : to be announced later

Website : Capture NX and Nikon View Pro software release dates changed

Noise Ninja Standalone 2.1.1 release candidate for Linux, Mac Intel, Mac PPC, and Windows. The latest Noise Ninja Standalone release candidate introduces native support for Linux and Mac Intel platforms. It also includes some minor enhancements for all platforms. The release candidates will be promoted to official release status as soon as we receive feedback from users indicating that they are functioning as intended.Aside from the new platform support, this is a minor update to Noise Ninja. For the last few quarters, we have been working very hard on a significant and exciting new product. Sales of Noise Ninja continue to be strong and growing, and we are taking advantage of this success to strengthen our product line and deliver additional innovative tools to our customers. We will disclose details when things are a bit further along, hopefully in late Q2 or early Q3.

Download: Noise Ninja Standalone 2.1.1 Release Candidate

Website : PictureCode Noise Ninja