Photoshop® CS3 Extended Plug-in for Google 3D Warehouse is a free plug-in that enables you to search and download 3D models from Google 3D Warehouse™ directly from Adobe® Photoshop CS3 Extended. Once you have downloaded the plug-in, you can search Google 3D Warehouse from Photoshop CS3 Extended by going to File>Automate>Search Google for 3D Model.

Google 3D Warehouse is a Google service that lets you search, share, and store 3D models. The models in the 3D Warehouse include everything for your 3D world: buildings, houses, bridges, statues, sculptures, couches, cars, people, pets, and much more.

• From within Google SketchUp or using a standard web browser you can launch a search of the thousands of models stored in the 3D Warehouse.
• You can download the 3D models you like best to use in your SketchUp models.
• If the model has a location on earth, for example, a building located in Boulder, Colorado, you can also download it and view it in Google Earth.
• You can also share your favorite 3D models by uploading them from Google SketchUp into the 3D Warehouse.

Website : Photoshop CS3 Extended Plug-In for Google 3D Warehouse

Website : Check out Google 3D Warehouse signature buildings

At the time when computers didn’t have fancy graphics, they used the ASCII characters “|”, “\”, “/”, and “.”. You can simply go to Photo2Text and upload your picture and convert your picture to ASCII characters, just like the old days. You can also choose what type of character set you like and what kind of brightness you are looking for.

There is Firefox add on available to convert any image to ASCII art with just one right click. Photo to Text Convertor Add on for firefox. High-contrast photos work best, and your file has to be smaller than 200K. Make a few high-tech adjustments, then take it low-fi at Photo2text.

Website : Convert Photos to ASCII Art at Photo2Text

For photographers using long-heavy tele-zoom and telephoto lenses such as the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens, gravity is a problem. The lens puts stress on the lensmount and camera body as it pulls the camera in a downward direction–unless it is supported. Typically, this has meant photographers simply would hold the lens by its to take stress off of the camera body (if they remembered). Dowell Enterprises has come up with a clever solution: the Lens Cradle.

The Lens Cradle is designed to fit any lens with a tripod mount. It supports the camera and lens horizontally by utilizing the tripod mounting ring on the lens. Thereby, substantially reducing if not eliminating, the damage and stress that occurs to the camera body at the lens mounting junction. The Lens Cradle gives horizontal balance and stability that a camera strap alone does not provide. You no longer need to support the weight of a large lens with your hands. The natural horizontal position keeps the camera poised to be ready for the next elusive shot and prevents lens creep on push pull lenses. It is selling for $25.

Website :  LensCradle Support for long DSLR lenses

Pentax Corp., Tokyo, Japan, agreed to a takeover offer by worth up to about ¥105 billion (US$864 million) by rival Hoya Corp. on Thursday, a move that underlines the growing influence of shareholders, says The Associated Press.

Hoya is offering ¥770 (US$6.34) a share for the Pentax shares, and plans to start the tender offer to shareholders in early June, with the goal of making Pentax a wholly owned unit, both sides said. Details, including the deadline for the offer, will be announced later, the companies said in a joint statement.

Pentax management had resisted a stock-swap offer last year from Hoya, a Tokyo-based optics and glass maker, which had coveted Pentax’s medical equipment expertise, says the AP.

The companies originally agreed to merge in December 2006, but Pentax scrapped the plan in April. Under pressure from shareholders, Pentax released a mid-term business plan, but that failed to convince investors and analysts, and the latest announcement ends more than a month of wrangling.

Hoya President and Chief Executive Hiroshi Suzuki said the tender offer is Hoya’s biggest acquisition ever. Suzuki said he plans to make Pentax a wholly-owned unit by November, and will maintain Pentax’s camera operations. The tender offer will be a friendly one, but a hostile takeover had been a possibility had the two companies failed to agree, he continued.

The offer comes amid increasingly tough competition as more traditional camera makers, including Pentax and Nikon Corp., are struggling against electronics companies such as Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. to gain the lead in digital cameras, says the AP.

Download : Pentax agrees to $864 million takeover offer by Hoya (PDF Joint Statement)

SanDisk, together with Supply Consultants Limited, are holding a contest in Hong Kong where those who purchase their Extreme IV 8GB CompactFlash or UltraII 4GB SDHC cards in marked packages could win solid gold versions of the cards.

First prize is a gold version Extreme IV Compact Flash weighing in at 150g and worth about $38,800 HKD. The second prize is Ultra II SDHC golden card weighs in at 35g worth around $18,000 HKD. The contest runs from now until June 22 in Hong Kong.

Website : SanDisk Gives Gold Memory Cards Away in Contest (in Chinese)

Paul Monckton from PersonalComputerWorld reviewed the Sigma SD14 DSLR camera. Here’s the conclusion: “One area where the SD14 trounces its predecessor is in image noise. Push an SD10 up to the higher settings and images very virtually unusable. The SD14, however, fares rather better, producing very serviceable pictures right up to ISO 800. A semi-hidden extended mode lets you shoot at ISO 1600, where there’s certainly a fair amount of noise, but images are still useable after some image processing.

So while the SD14 isn’t for everyone, its sensor technology, good build quality and ease of use make it an exciting creative tool for keen enthusiasts and those who want full control and a film-like response.

Most importantly, the image quality from the SD14 at its best is simply superb. It’s right up there with the best you can get from digital SLRs today and capable of producing stunning, professional results, albeit without some of the advanced features found on top of the range professional cameras.”

Pros: Superb professional-level image quality; 14-megapixel sensor; big improvement on SD10
Cons: No image stabilisation; basic features; some software issues
Overall: A vast improvement over the SD10, the SD14 delivers stunning image quality but is not for everyone

Website : Sigma SD14 Review by PersonalComputerWorld

According to MacWorld, Adobe Systems has announced the forthcoming release of Camera Raw 4.1, an update to the plug-in the company offers to enable its Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Elements 4.01 software to manipulate raw digital camera files. New to this release is support for 13 additional models, including Canon’s new EOS-1D Mark III, Fuji’s FinePix S5 Pro, models from Nikon, Olympus and more. Also new to this version is improved noise reduction and sharpening tools.

An updated version of Adobe’s Digital Negative (DNG) Converter is also available. Version Cue an Bridge will also be updated; an update for Lightroom is also anticipated.

Website : Camera Raw 4.1 from Adobe

Here’re the comments from PopPhone: “Sports shooters and photojournalists may not use the Live View mode very often, but portrait, nature, and architectural photographers will find it convenient. The AF system doesn’t work in Live View mode, but the 5X and 10X zoom function lets you manually focus precisely on macro subjects without interfering with ambient light.

We also liked the function that darkens or lightens the display to mimic exposure settings. But beware: Live View runs down the battery (CIPA ratings drop from 2200 to only 350 shots).

In all, if you’re a pro who craves speed and can’t tolerate failure or even slightly out-of-focus images, get in line for this Canon now.”

Website :  Hands On: Canon EOS-1D Mark III by PopPhoto