Press release from National Geographic Communications.
Calling all photographers:
National Geographic Logo - International Photography Contest 2009
Enter the 2009 National Geographic International Photography Contest. There are three categories — people, places and nature — and you can enter a total of six photographs. Images can be black and white or color, digital or shot with conventional film, but they must be submitted digitally to http://www.ngphotocontest.com. The contest ends Oct. 31. The entry fee is $12 per photo for entries received on or before Oct. 15, and $22 per photo for entries received between Oct. 16 and Oct. 31, and winners will be announced in early December. Three international grand-prize winners will win a trip to National Geographic’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., a new camera kit, and have their image printed in National Geographic magazine. Below are some submissions from South African and abroad. Enter your photos at ngm.com, or view some winners from the past.
Attention all travelers and aspiring photographers — National Geographic wants your photographs. Readers of National Geographic around the world are invited to take part in the 2009 National Geographic International Photography Contest. Readers of the English-language edition in eight countries, as well as readers of 20 of the magazine’s international local-language editions, are eligible to participate. The international grand-prize winners will receive a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., a digital camera kit, and their winning entries will be published in all participating editions of National Geographic magazine. But act soon — the submission deadline is Oct 31, 2009. Full details can be found at http://www.ngphotocontest.com
"Vultures" by Mitchell Krog - South African entry into the National Geographic Photo Contest 2009
"Woman" by Paul Freinkel - South African Entry into the National Geographic Photo Contest 2009
The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge, the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 370 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 9,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com.
"Couple" by Gemma Collier - International Entry into the National Geographic International Photo Contest 2009
Tamron has announced the availability of the its 60mm F/2 Di macro lens in Sony mount, to join the Canon and Nikon versions which are already shipping. The lens features a built-in AF motor, and provides 1:1 magnification with an unusually fast maximum aperture for a macro lens. It's designed excusively for APS-C sensors, and will vignette when used on full-frame camera such as the Alpha 850 and 900. The lens will start shipping from October 2009.
Hasselblad has introduced two new cameras to its H System of medium format cameras. First comes the H4D-60 with a 60MP sensor. It features the 'True Focus' AF system that can measure the movement of the camera when recomposing after focusing to ensure that focus remains on the target - a system Hasselblad calls Absolute Position Lock. Along with the H4D-60, the company has also launched the H4D-50 with a 50MP sensor, replacing the H3DII-50. The H4D-60 will start shipping from November 2009 at a retail price of €28,995 and the H4D-50 will ship in the first quarter of 2010 at a retail price of €19,995.
Wacom has refreshed its Bamboo line of interactive tablets to include multi-touch and gesture-based control. First up are the Bamboo for office users and Bamboo Fun aimed at photographers and artists. They use either a pen or a multi-touch option that allows finger gestures to zoom, flip and rotate documents and images. There is also a less-expensive touch-only model called the Bamboo Touch. Beyond these three core products Wacom has also launched regional models including Pen-only models.
Just Posted! Our review of the Sigma DP2. Sigma was the first company brave enough to put a large sensor in a compact body and its DP1 was an interesting, if flawed creation. The DP2 is its second attempt - featuring a 41mm equivalent F2.8 lens and a series of improvements derived from the company's experiences with the DP1. However, it is no longer the only compact camera claiming to offer 'the power of DSLR' so can the DP2 see off the interlopers and does its unique sensor design give it hidden depths?
Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 2.5 and Camera Raw 5.5. These are final versions of updates which were originally posted as ‘release candidates’ on the Adobe Labs site, and are now available for immediate download. Both provide additional Raw support for Nikon D300S, Nikon D3000, Panasonic DMC-GF1 and Olympus E-P1. Although support is offered for Panasonic DMC-FZ35, it doesn’t extend to the Japanese and European version of the camera (the FZ38). In addition, the ACR update also includes corrections for sensors with non-conventional color filter arrays (as introduced in the most recent DNG specification).
