At the first Microsoft Pro Photo Summit, Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash., USA, launched the “Icons of Imaging” program, designed to celebrate and showcase professional photographers who are recognized around the world as leaders in photography and digital imaging. The company aims to provide inspiration to other digital imaging photographers by displaying a sample of incredible imagery on the dedicated Icons of Imaging website. Initial program members include: Bambi Cantrell, Reed Hoffmann, Denis Reggie, John Shaw, Matthew Jordan Smith, and Art Wolfe. Out of the 6 initial members, 4 of them uses Canon and 2 of them uses Nikon.

Leading e-commerce network Ritz Interactive Inc., Irvine, Calif., USA, will offer Google’s new service, Google Checkout, at its online shopping sites. Google Checkout makes online shopping easy by providing a single log-in that allows consumers to buy across the Web, and by identifying fast, secure places to shop in search result ads. The Google Checkout “badge” will be clearly visible on the AdWords ads of www.RitzCamera.com, www.WolfCamera.com, www.BoatersWorld.com, www.CameraWorld.com, www.PhotoAlley.com, www.eAngler.com and www.OuterBanksOutfitters.com, identifying these Ritz interactive properties as official Google Checkout online-shopping sites.

Website : Google Checkout to make debut, aimed at e-commerce

Website : Ritz Interactive, Inc.

Fireworks are something that evoke a lot of emotion in people as they are not only beautiful and spectacular to watch but they also are often used to celebrate momentous occasions. Of course it’s not just a matter of going out finding a fireworks display - there are, as usual, things you can do to improve your results. With 4 July just around the corner these few fireworks digital photography tips might be helpful:

Tripod and Remote Release - This is especially important in photographing fireworks simply because you’ll be using longer shutter speeds which will not only capture the movement of the fireworks but any movement of the camera itself.

Framing Your Shot - The challenge you’ll face in doing this is that you generally need to aim your camera before the fireworks that you’ll be photographing goes off - anticipation is key. Think about what is in the foreground and background of your shots and make sure you won’t have people’s heads bobbing up into your shots (also consider what impact you’ll have on others also). Take note of where fireworks are being set up and what parts of the sky they are likely to be shot into.

Focal Length - I generally shoot at a wider focal length than a tight one but during a show will try a few tighter shots (I usually use a zoom lens to give me this option) to see if I can get lucky with them. Keep in mind that cropping of your wider shots can always be done later.

Aperture - A common question around photographing fireworks is what aperture to use. Many people think you need a fast lens to get them but in reality it’s quite the opposite as the light that the fireworks emit is quite bright. I find that apertures in the mid to small range tend to work reasonably well and would usually shoot somewhere between f/8 to f/16.

Shutter Speed - Fireworks move and as a result the best photographs of them capture this movement meaning you need a nice long exposure. The technique that I developed when I first photographed fireworks was to shoot in ‘bulb’ mode. This is a mode that allows you to keep the shutter open for as long as you hold down the shutter (preferably using a remote shutter release of some type). Using this technique you hit the shutter as the firework is about to explode and hold it down until it’s finished exploding (generally a few seconds).

ISO - Shooting at a low ISO is preferable to ensure the cleanest shots possible. Stick to ISO 100 and you should be fine.

Switch off your Flash and Shoot in Manual Mode - Auto focussing in low light can be very difficult for many cameras and you’ll end up missing a lot of shots. Once your focussing is set you’ll find you don’t really need to change it during the display

Website : How to Photograph Fireworks - Digital Photography School

Canon recently informed about a phenomenon in which some images captured by the EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM lens appear in insufficient resolution. This phenomenon may be seen at the edge of the frame at the 300mm setting when the camera is held vertically. Canon have been studying the symptoms of this phenomenon in order to determine its precise cause and to develop an appropriate remedy. Canon have now determined the cause and have developed the remedy. This phenomenon affects all EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM lenses with a “0″ or “1″ in the third digit of the (8 digit) serial number. Products that have a third digit of “2″ or higher in their serial number are not affected.

Canon will make inspections and repairs free of charge for customers who are experiencing this phenomenon, so please contact Canon call center. In addition, the call center will start accepting inquiries regarding affected products from July 18, 2006.

Website : Canon confirms problems with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens 

Website :  Canon Service Notice for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens

Google Inc., Mountain View, Calif., USA, today will launch a long-awaited service called Google Checkout, which some analysts said could help online merchants boost sales and convince them to commit more advertising money to the Web search leader, says Reuters. Analysts were mixed on whether the product, initially available only in the United States, puts eBay Inc.’s PayPal online payment system in Google’s competitive sights. The new offering, referred to in news and analyst reports as GBuy or Google Wallet, promises online sellers an easy way to add a checkout to their sites and can be used in addition to other options such as PayPal or a merchant’s own pay system, says Reuters.

Google said Checkout stores names, shipping and credit card information and eliminates the need for consumers to resubmit that data with each purchase. Google is responsible for processing the credit card payments and keeping data safe. “We think we’re making e-commerce a lot more efficient and easier to use,” Salar Kamangar, Google’s vice president of product management, told Reuters.

Google charges merchants 2 percent of the value of each sale plus 20 cents per transaction — a fee that early users said was in line with other options. The company rewards its advertisers by offering them $10 in free sales processing for every dollar they spend on its advertising program, AdWords. “Google is looking at exactly the right problem,” said John Bresee, president of Backcountry.com, which specializes in high-end outdoor gear and had $52 million in revenue in 2005. The company, along with online stores run by Starbucks Corp., Timberland, Levi Strauss & Co., and underwear seller Jockey, is among the first to try Checkout, says Reuters.

Users will be shown in search results next to a shopping cart icon, and Bresee hopes it can convert a higher percentage of shoppers into buyers. “What we may discover is that Google knows a lot about search, but they don’t know a lot about the way consumers are shopping. We just don’t know,” Bresee said. In storing personal data, Google Checkout is reminiscent of Passport, Microsoft’s online wallet, says Reuters, which bumped into security and privacy issues and failed to live up to expectations after its launch about seven years ago.

Website : Google Checkout Shopper Overview

Website : Google Checkout Merchant Overview

NavPix lets you take picture of places you’ve been through an integrated camera on the unit. When you snap the picture, it records the geographical coordinates, so that the next time you want to visit the particular location, you simply tap on the picture. It’s a very intelligent way to get around.

PocketNow review the Navman’s top-of-the-line unit, the brand-spankin’-new iCN 750. Though a very simple concept, picture-navigation has never made its way into any units on the market. Navman plans to extend NavPix to being a guided tourer when you’re in a new town. Imagine logging online, downloading an intinerary for Washington D.C., and having an array of landmark pictures to choose from in your NavPix gallary on the device. To navigate to any place, simply tap on the picture and click “Go”.

NavPix lets you use images to select the destination, which combines a digital image with highly accurate geographical information to create an exact, unmistakeable way to choose a destination when calculating a route with your Navman. What’s more, you can create your own geo-referenced NavPix, so you could use a logo, portrait or even a random picture to symbolise an actual destination.

Website : Navman iCN 750 In-Car Navigation System

Website : Navman iCN 750 Review from pocketnow

Internet photo service Shutterfly filed with regulators Thursday to raise up to $92 million in an initial public offering of common stock. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Piper Jaffray and Jefferies are underwriting the offering, according to a preliminary prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing did not disclose how many shares the company plans to sell or the expected price of those shares.

Launched in 1999, Shutterfly was one of the earliest and most popular digital photography sites and was partially financed by investor Jim Clark, co-founder of Internet browser Netscape. The company competes in the online photo finishing market with sites run by Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, and a host of others, including retailers such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Ritz.

Shutterfly said it will use the proceeds from the IPO for general corporate purposes, including working capital and potential capital expenditures for manufacturing and website infrastructure equipment, and new and existing manufacturing facilities.For the three months of this year, the company reported a net loss of $1.7 million on $16.9 million of net revenues. For the year-earlier period, the company reported a net loss of $683,000 on $13.2 million of net revenues.

Shutterfly intends to list its stock on the Nasdaq under the symbol “SFLY.”

Website :  Shutterfly files for $92 million IPO

Utilizing the eBay Marketplace tool, PMA Marketing Research examined trends in camera lenses for the two week period ending June 27. Under the “Lenses & Filters” category, the most popular search terms included: “nikon,” “canon,” “canon ef,” “minolta,” “pentax,” “sigma,” “nikon af,” “leica,” “nikkor,” and “canon eos.” A look at the top selling camera lenses on eBay reflects the growing popularity of DSLRs. Out of the top 10 lenses, the first four on the list were for DSLRs, and the remaining six listings were for Canon film SLR models. The following is a snapshot of the pricing trends during that time period for the top five lenses.

Popular Camera Lenses