Pentax
Next we visited the Pentax booth. They unveiled the long-awaited AF-540FTG Flash for their *ist D Series Digital cameras. Finally, a high powered flash with all of the dedicated features of the lower powered AF-360FTG Flash, such as P-TTL (featuring a pre-flash for more accurate exposures in digital), High-Speed Sync, Rear Curtin Sync, Modeling Lamp and exposure compensation on the flash. Bounce and swivel, an internal auto adjusting zoom head and sliding diffuser panel is incorporated. Size, weight and build quality look comparable to similar units from Canon, Konica-Minolta and Nikon. [pentaximaging.com]

ACD Systems
Terri and I next visited the booth of ACD Systems as they unveiled their new ACDSee 8 Photo Manager. Having written in detail about ACDSee 7 in my last article, I won't go into all the virtues of ACDSee 8 this time around. However, I will mention that version 7 has been my photo editor of choice for this past year.

So what's new in ACDSee 8 Photo Manager? The new Start Up Screen provides you with an introductory overview of basic features to help you get started quickly. You will find your photos faster by typing keywords into the new Quick Search bar. You can create video (VCD) slide shows with custom audio. Also, there's a new burn basket to create CDs and DVDs faster and to eliminate third party burning software. This will also allow you to burn backup files easily. There are new and more powerful editing tools such as one-touch red-eye with a single click, a custom angle rotation feature that allows you to crop quickly with rotation, and new easier access to exposure warnings, zooming tools and photo editing tools. IPTC information is fully integrated for slide shows, data lists and sharing with Adobe Photoshop. You can now easily add text to photos.

With the Sync feature, you can synchronize folders on your PC with network folders or on an external hard drive to protect you from local hard drive failure. There is a new Batch feature that allows you to adjust or move large volumes of photos--this will save you time. A new Photo Repair Toll is useful for fixing common digital photo problems such as light traces and virtual lens scratches. You can now create dozens of thumbnails for contact sheets--this comes in handy for your customers to see your work and for filing purposes. In addition, you can now keep your thumbnails in a virtual file on your hard drive for future reference without loading the actual images--this will save you valuable time and storage space.

Lastly, you can choose from 20 filters for greater editing and artistic effects. Having used ACDSee 7 for about a year, I was able to see some quirts and faults of the program. Some of them were quite problematic. With version 8, it looks like the folks at ACD Systems listened to their customers' complaints and concerns and it appears that they have addressed the issues of 7 and then took 8 even further. [acdsystems.com]

Extensis
Next we visited my friend Nicole at Extensis, Inc., the makers of the feature laden and powerful Portfolio 7 for both Windows and Mac. Portfolio 7 is designed to help individuals and workgroups keep their files organized, find them quickly when needed, and then distribute them to others via email, CD, DVD, over a network and the Web, with as little effort as possible. The program is designed to manage up to hundreds of thousands of files. No wonder some of the largest companies in the USA use Portfolio 7 to manage their digital files. Portfolio 7 will help make your life easier by handling the following tasks: copy and rename files that you transfer from your digital camera, find digital photos and other image files anywhere on your system by typing only a word or phrase, preview an entire CD of stock photography without having to insert the CD, create a slideshow of your favorite images, build a website easily with your collection of photos, burn CDs or DVDs of your images directly with the burn feature, and the ever important batch convert and resize to JPG or TIF file format. Portfolio 7 works in a different fashion than other more amateur image management programs such as Google Picasa. With Picasa, the full resolution of your image is saved in the program. If you have thousands of images like I do every month, your hard drive will be full in no time. With Portfolio, only thumbnail images of your files, not the full images, are stored. Then Portfolio creates pointers to your original files, so the originals are always available for copying to applications, previewing, editing, and so on, while allowing the catalog itself to be fast and efficient. With Portfolio Server, sold separately, in a workgroup setting, you can allow all users full access to all catalog functions, or you can designate catalog administrators to create, maintain and control access to catalogs for the entire workgroup. This is an outstanding feature if you have a network; it will dramatically increase your workflow. With Portfolio 7, I especially like the feature of creating Webpages easily through templates, being able to batch convert and resize to JPG or TIF file format, and, if you are a network user, being able to utilize all the many useful features that it offers. All in all, here's a powerful and professional program recommended for the high-end digital imager. By the time you read this, the new Portfolio 8 should be available. According to Nicole, it will be easier to navigate to your desired image and to all of your files and folders, as well. I will be doing a review of 8 as soon as it is available. [extensis.com]

More Lensbabies!
Our next visit was with Sam from Lensbabies, the makers of the fun and fascinating Lensbabies 2.0 Pinhole effect lens. I've been having a ball shooting with it and I reviewed it in a previous article. New to the show was the Lensbabies Macro Set. This set is comprised of 2 close-up filters in 37mm filter size (commonly used for camcorders) and packaged in a padded filter wallet. You get a +4 and a +10 for incredibly close photos of your subject. This, along with the inherent minimal depth of field of the Lensbaby will allow you to create photos that have an unbelievable, surreal look to it. [lensbabies.com]

Lowepro
Afterwards, we saw my friend Suzanne from Lowepro, makers of fine bags and packs. At the heart of their line is the favorite of pros for years, the Lowepro Magnum AW. It has been an industry standard and has been recently updated. It features an Overlap Zipper and All Weather Cover (AW) for protection against dust and rough weather; a customizable interior, lots of inner and outer pockets (including a NoDrop Pocket for film and filter changes); removable and see-through FilmPack; two detachable Pro AW Side Pockets; thickly padded shoulder strap; and padded leather handle. You can carry two pro Digital SLRs with zoom lenses attached and plenty of accessories in style. On page 14 is a photo of Terri Shepke shooting at Inner Harbor East Marina in Baltimore with the Magnum AW handily on her shoulder. You will notice the optional and useful Lowepro Water Bottle Holder attached in place of the removable Pro AW Side Pocket. [lowepro.com]

Tamrac
My friend Brandon from Tamrac, another longtime favorite bag manufacturer that still makes many of its bags in California, showed me a new product that was not even a camera bag. It's called the Tamrac Micro-Sync and it's a beautifully compact and well executed radio controlled flash remote control. Small enough to hide behind a quarter, this mini wonder has the power that you need to fire your studio strobe without that pesky PC cord. Just snap the transmitter into your hot shoe and the receiver into the strobe via either phono plug or household, and you'll be set free. I'll have an in-depth report on this exciting new product, along with some new Tamrac bags, in my next article. Retail price $299. [tamrac.com]

As you can imagine with a convention of this magnitude, I saw many more interesting and new products for the digital photographer than will fit in this issue's space. In my next article, I will update you with more exciting findings. Attendance for the convention was up over last year and the mood for the industry as a whole is bright. It's a great time to be in digital photography!

--Leo Heppner

Home