Rangefinder Magazine
March 2005

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Industry News…

2005 Photography Hall of Fame Inductees
Each year the International Photography Hall of Fame (www. iphf.org) recognizes outstanding photographers that have made major contributions to the art, science and history of photography. The 2005 inductees are Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Harold Edgerton and Beaumont Newhall.

Manual Alvarez, “Optical Parable,” 1934

Manuel Alvarez Bravo purchased his first camera at age 20 and soon won first prize in a local photographic competition. He quickly became a very successful freelance photographer at the Mexican Folkways magazine, drawing on his appreciation of the outstanding photographers of the day, including Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Paul Strand.

	Harold Edgerton, “Shooting the Apple,” 1964

Harold E. Edgerton (born 1903) began his career in photography by setting up a home darkroom in Fremont, Nebraska. He carried his interest in mechanics and photography to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he developed very high-speed lighting techniques to visually record sudden changes. That research culminated in 1931 with the world’s first electronic stroboscope. Edgerton also shot for Life magazine and was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1973.

Beaumont Newhall, “Chase National Bank,” 1964

Beaumont Newhall (born 1908) documented the history of photography as the librarian at the Museum of Modern Art and by publishing a textbook called The History of Photography. He was the first Curator of Photography at the George Eastman House and the first to set up a doctoral program in the history of photography. His books include Masters of Photography, The Daguerreotype in America, Latent Image, The Discovery of Photography and Focus: Memoirs of a Life in Photography.

An exhibit of this year’s inductees is currently on display at the Omniplex Hall of Fame and Museum in Oklahoma City. The exhibition runs through April 3.

In Memorium: Dean Collins
Dean Collins passed away at his home in San Diego on February 2. He was 51 years old. Dean is known worldwide for his lifetime of photographic education tours, seminars, video education and computer-based instruction. His vision for a new generation of professionals in the world of imaging arts was predicated upon making the highest quality education available in the most easily accessible forms. With his company, Software Cinema, he ventured into efficient new ways of delivering high-quality training worldwide.

Dean was a brilliant educator who became one of the most celebrated teachers of photographic lighting and camera technique. He began lecturing in his early 20s after beginning his career at Dunlap-Tierney Studios in the Los Angeles area, subsequently spending several years in Europe working with advanced commercial photographic studios. His audiences were treated to sophisticated multimedia presentations that predated the revolution in digital imaging by more than two decades. His uncanny way with words and his precise analogies entertained thousands of photographers and designers for almost three decades.

In the early 1980s he founded Finelight Publishing with partner Gary Burns and refined the publishing of photo lighting materials over the years, while conducting seven world tours. He was in demand as a speaker on every continent and was often called upon to photograph heads of state, many of the world’s best athletes and some of the most famous entertainers. He developed several easily understood methods of controlling light and understanding its behavior , single-handedly raising the level of competency among a generation of professional photographers. The lighting in his photographs captured the attention of many. He produced hundreds of virtual seminars and live “training camps,” as he called them, bringing together the brightest teachers, the biggest brand names in photography, and enthusiastic crowds of practitioners in the U.S., Europe and Asia. In 1990 Dean began experimenting with electronic imaging, culminating in a very close association with Adobe Systems for over 10 years. Today, Software Cinema produces a comprehensive collection of Photoshop training resources.

Dean was recently bestowed the prestigious ASP Award for Lifetime Achievement. Previously he was awarded an honorary degree from Brooks Institute by Ernie Brooks.

Dean is survived by his wife, Linda, his children, Hannah and Dean Jr., his mother, Marie, sister, Sharon, and brother, Kip. A memorial foundation for the furtherance of education in the imaging arts will be announced on his company’s web site soon (www.software-cinema.com).

Dean was to be a speaker at WPPI 2005. Instead, a Dean Collins Tribute will be presented by a group of Dean’s close friends and associates, including Tony Corbell. The program will be presented on Tuesday, March 22 at 9:00 p.m.

Epson’s Online Experience Lectures Available at Photo Retail Outlets
Epson America (www.EpsonOnlineEx perience.com) is offering a series of more than 60 recorded lectures that give participants an insider’s perspective of how pro photographers generate their award-winning prints. Entitled “The Online Experience,” the lecture series is hosted by musician and photographer Graham Nash.

Lectures cover color management, papers and inks and the basics of printer drivers. They also feature the latest Photoshop CS techniques, while providing rare glimpses of how professional photographers work on-location and in the studio.

The lecture series includes segments by celebrity photographer Greg Gorman, nature photographer John Shaw, and Jay Maisel. Also included in the lecture series are fashion photographer Douglas Dubler, Photoshop expert and fine art photographer Vincent Versace, Photoshop expert Julieanne Kost, and Mac Holbert.

For the first time since its creation, the Online Experience can be purchased at authorized photo retail outlets, including B&H Photo & Video, Calumet Photographic, Inkjet Art Solutions, Pro Photo Supply, Samy’s Camera, Showcase Photo & Video and WB Hunt Photo. It’s also available at www.EpsonOnlineExperience.com. The list price is $29.95.

New Company Headquarters
Gross National Products (888/372-6346), www.gnpframe.com) has moved to new headquarters at 7825 Fay Ave., Suite #102, La Jolla, CA. GNP products include frames, mats, moldings, G-Mounts, and the company’s FrameWorks software.

Yellowhouse Debuts
Yellowhouse (www.yellowhouseonline. com) is a new support group dedicated to making photographers better printmakers. It’s designed to fill the critical needs of artists and photographers, while giving them all the resources they need to build a solid foundation for the production of the finest quality prints possible.

Vincent Van Gogh formed the first Yellowhouse in Arles, France, in 1888, as a post-Impressionist commune. Today’s Yellow House will duplicate Van Gogh’s efforts by providing artists and photographers with the tools they need to produce digital prints that fully capture each image’s unique artistic message and visual effect. Yellowhouse will serve as a virtual repository of resources for the digital photographer and artist.

The new support group expects to raise the quality of digital imaging by drawing on its experience, knowledge, and skills to enhance the industry. Members will receive IT technical support (online and toll free phone), PC hardware and operating system support, Photoshop support, and peripherals and printer support. Yellow-house will include technical support for products released by supporting companies, in addition to an online knowledge base. Its members will also have access to Ergosoft’s StudioPrint RIP software.

Tiffen Opens New Technical Center
Tiffen (818/843-4600) recently opened its new Technical Center & Steadicam Facility in Glendale, CA. The new facility is designed to serve the special needs of the motion picture and television industries, while including a state-of-the-art plant that manufactures the well known Steadicam. The new facility also includes a showroom where imaging professionals can gain hands-on experience with the entire range of Tiffen imaging products, including Tiffen optical filters, Domke bags, high-end pro Davis & Sanford tripods, Stroboframe brackets, and Kodak professional products such as Wratten filters and calibration scales. Also on display is the entire Steadicam line, including the new Steadicam Flyer.
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Product News...

Epson’s Perfection 4990 Scanners
Epson America’s (Long Beach, CA, www.epson.com) newest flatbed scanners, the Perfection 4990 Photo and Perfection 4990 Pro, feature the versatility of a flatbed with the DMax and high resolution of a dedicated film scanner. Both models have a built-in 8x10-inch transparency unit with a moving carriage and lamp optimized for film scans. Their transparency units, which are almost 50 percent larger than previous models, include film holders that support eight 35mm mounted slides, four 35mm film strips up to 24 frames long, three to six medium-format frames or two 4x5-inch frames. They also accept transparencies and proof sheets without the need for film holders. Both models support a maximum hardware resolution of 4800x9600 dpi, 48-bit color and a 4.0 DMax. The Perfection 4990 includes Epson’s ColorTrue® II Imaging System, which integrates the scanner’s hardware, optics and image processing to achieve accurate color reproduction and reduced noise.

Both units feature the Digital Ice advanced image restoration technology from Kodak/ASF, which automatically repairs physical defects like scratches, tears, bends and dust. Additional image restoration capabilities are provided by Epson’s Easy Photo Fix technology. Easy Photo Fix in-cludes one-touch color restoration and dust removal for damaged color photographs, slides or negatives.
The Perfection 4990 Photo and Perfection 4990 Pro include a new scan progress indicator, USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connectivity and support for both Mac- and Windows-based computers. Both scanners will be available in early March for estimated street prices of $449 and $599, respectively.

First Interactive Pen Display With a Seamless Surface, Express-Keys, and Zoom/Scroll Touch Strips
Wacom Technology Corporation (Vancouver, WA, www.wacom.com) recently introduced the new Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display. Designed to allow users to work with a pen directly on a 21.3-inch color-accurate LCD, the 21UX delivers more screen area, pressure sensitivity, pen control and resolution than previous models. The Cintiq 21UX gives users the advantages of a professional quality LCD display and the control, comfort, and productivity of the company’s patented cordless, battery-free tablet technology. Its 21.3-inch display supports UXGA (1600x1200-pixel) resolution, a 170° viewing angle, anti-glare and hard texture coatings, 24-bit color with ICC color profile, a 400:1 contrast ratio, and 250 cd/m2 brightness.

The tablet delivers 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, a resolution of 5080 lines per inch, and pen tilt sensitivity. The Cintiq’s stand can be rotated 180° in either direction and tilted to any angle between 10–65°.

Wacom pens are supported by a number of leading imaging applications, including Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, Macromedia Flash, Corel Painter, Discreet Combustion, Apple Motion, and Alias Maya, SketchBook Pro, and StudioTools. MSRP is $2499 with delivery in March.

Digital Camera Backs From Creo
Creo (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, www.creo.com/leaf), creator of the world’s first digital camera back, is marketing the Leaf Aptus 22 (22 megapixels) and the Leaf Aptus 17 (17 megapixels) digital camera backs. Both backs include a built-in 6x7cm display, which supports practical image evaluation, focus confirmation and editing. Aptus digital backs can generate an image every 1.2 seconds in the continuous non-stop burst mode and lossless RAW HDR files. Both models are portable and easy to use, yet robust, and they easily fit into the imaging workflow professional photographers require.

Creo is also marketing the Leaf Valeo Wireless digital camera backs featuring Bluetooth wireless technology. Although wireless, Valeo Wireless backs have the same fast capture rate of 1.2 frames per second as the Aptus backs. Additional Creo products include Capture 10, a user-friendly application that supports image capture through final output and the creation of color profiles.

Ergosoft Introduces d’Vinci Hi-Fi Jet Fine Art Printing
ErgoSoft RIPs, a worldwide leader in the production of fine art, photography and sign making, will introduce the d’Vinci Hi-Fi JET Fine Art Printing System at the 2005 PMA Show in Orlando, Florida. Incorporating the company’s StudioPrint RIP and Roland DGA Printers, the new printing system offers a 12-color 54-inch wide fine art reproduction solution. The d’Vinci System significantly increases print production volume. It achieves at 1080x1080 bi-directional, without a loss of quality, what other solutions require 1440x1440 unidirectional. That cuts production time by more than half. Its 54-inch format enables printmakers to produce larger prints and impose more images on a single page, which also decreases production time while minimizing consumable waste.

The d’Vinci unique ink configuration and color rendering architecture enables printmakers to realize the benefits of a wider color gamut using orange and green ink without loss of color fidelity in deeper, more saturated colors and finer image quality with the smoothest gradations. d’Vinci’s unique ink configuration supports dotless black and white prints with the flexibility to vary the tone with colored inks. It can print on a wide variety of media, from fine art matte finish to photographic gloss.

PentaWare Releases PentaSuite DigiPhoto
PentaWare, Inc. (Las Vegas, NV, www.pentaware.com) recently PentaSuite DigiPhoto, a program designed to meet the needs of digital photographers. The new release is designed to manage the overrun of image files that hinder a computer’s performance and eat up storage.

PentaSuite DigiPhoto is divided into tools that allow users to open, compress, encrypt, view, upload or download, store and send files. The PentaWhiteBoard program, for example, saves frames captured from movies (AVI, MPG and MOV) and common graphics files. PentaRename gives users the ability to rename single or multiple image files at one time. It also lets users copy or move files from a CD or DVD to a hard drive and make the renaming changes at the same time. PentaPDF-PRO creates PDF format files for all documents and graphic files that PentaView supports, including the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, JPEG, TIF, JFIF, HTML, DWG, RTF, Digital Photography RAW file formats, among other. PentaEXIF both displays EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) information and searches, using EXIF data.

Additional PentaSuite DigiPhoto tools include PentaConverter, which converts either single or batch files to/from virtually any graphics format, and PentaFTP, a user-friendly application that enables uploading and downloading from FTP sites using the popular and trustworthy File Transfer Protocol. MSRP is $69.95.

Master Printmaker’s Media Solution Improves Standard Giclée Printing
Master Printmaker (Center Moriches, NY, www.jonathan penney.com), a niche-market lab that provides high-end digital printmaking services to wedding and portrait photographers across the country, is offering the new DuraFiber Media Option as part of its product line. The new media option builds on the company’s July 2002 introduction of their black-and-white Platinum Giclée service. The DuraFiber media option provides a number of benefits over traditional Giclée prints, including deeper blacks and improved tonal range. DuraFiber prints don’t scuff or mar like standard Giclée papers, and they are completely waterproof. Their surface provides for a greater choice of display options by eliminating the need for costly and heavy mat/frame/glass protection.

The DuraFiber Media Option, an excellent alternative for photographers who specialize in film-based black-and-white photography, involves a proprietary process developed by company founder, Jonathan Penney. The DuraFiber Media Option, available in semi-matte and textured surfaces, is an add-on for all of the company’s digital printmaking services, including black and white, color, sepia, duo-tone or hand-colored.

Apple’s iLife ’05
Apple Computer’s iLife ’05 suite of digital lifestyle applications includes improved versions of iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand and iPhoto image organizing, editing and sharing software. Photographers will find the imaging application, iPhoto 5, especially interesting. It features advanced editing tools that adjust exposure, black/white points, saturation, tint, color temperature and sharpness. It even has an improved method of straightening images. It can display an image’s histogram and it supports uncompressed RAW image files. It also has an improved slideshow builder, transitions and durations, and it has the ability to create low-cost hardcover and softcover photo books. iLife ’05 has a suggested retail price of $79 and is available at www.apple.com/. It requires Mac OS X v10.3.4 or later, QuickTime 6.5.2 or later, a Macintosh computer with PowerPC G3 (400 MHz or faster), G4, or G5 processor, 256MB or more physical RAM (512MB recommended) and a 1024x768 or larger display. GarageBand requires a 600 MHz G3 processor or faster.

ACI Introduces ACIonline
American Color Imaging (ACI) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, (www.acilab.com) has introduced a revolution in web-based ordering to serve both digital and film portrait studios. The release of ACIonline has created a complete ordering and hosting system at ACI. Building on the success of the popular WEB ordering program, interest for ACIonline has already surpassed expectations.

One component of ACIonline is onWeb, a quick and easy way to create, post and manage image galleries for photographers customers to order from. In fact, with a camera, laptop computer and an Internet connection a photographer could run their studio from anywhere in the world. ACIonline onPage provides an inexpensive way to get a professional web site that the photographer can easily update from anywhere. ACIonline onSize provides photographers with a powerful tool for creating thumbnail images for their online photo galleries. Once additional online orders have been placed by their customers, studios can seamlessly load these orders one at a time or in batches; bridging onWeb (image galleries) and onPrint (image ordering). This flexible service gives photographers multiple options for getting orders to ACI for printing, and even to ship back to their customers.

Epson Introduces Photo R1800
The Epson (www.epson.com) Stylus Photo R1800 is a new photo quality printer designed for speed and saturated color on glossy and matte media up to 13 inches wide. The new printer uses a new UltraChrome Hi-Gloss inkset, including blue and red inks to expand the red and blue color gamuts.

New longevity figures with this inkset range from 104 to 200 years, depending on Epson paper. Print times are radically reduced—4x6 inches in 42 seconds; 11x14 in 111 seconds. The R1800 allows convenient CD/DVD printing capabilities for printing directly onto inkjet printable CDs or DVDs through the printer’s straight-through paper path. Borderless printing is available in all popular sizes.