New Releases

With the rise of affordable, ultra compact netbook computers, many companies have struggled to differentiate their products in the market place. Current trends have placed tiny, low resolution screens, sluggish processing, and cramped keyboards into the norm of the new netbook space. Premium models have addressed these issues by offering larger screen sizes and more powerful computing at the expense of portability and a higher cost of ownership. The Toshiba mini NB205 addresses the very same issues without driving up costs and still providing a highly portable and exceptionally satisfying user experience.

For the longest time, the words 'new from Leica' sounded like an oxymoron, but on 9/9/09, Leica's Chief Executive Officer Rudi Spiller, along with Director of Product Management Stefan Daniel and the musician/photographer Seal, announced the introduction of 2 new Leica rangefinder cameras – the Leica M9 and Leica X1 - along with the official debut of the medium-format Leica S2. And they were able to make these announcements with straight faces and without chuckles from the audience. Sarcasm aside, these are truly heady days for Leica and long-time Leica aficionados around the world.

For over a decade, Epson has been producing an ever-improving family of Photo Stylus desktop printers designed to deliver faithfully-rendered, archival-quality digital inkjet prints at remarkably affordable prices. With this in mind, Epson's recently introduced Stylus Pro 3880 is the least expensive 17x22" desktop printer money can buy without compromising image quality.

It's been almost 10 years since Apple brought its first version of Final Cut Pro to market. In that time, the professional, nonlinear video application has seen many improvements and features added. With each subsequent release the software has offered greater stability, reliability, and productivity in the ever-changing moving image space. These updates have always been informed by the latest innovations in both Apple hardware and OS software deployment. Final Cut 7 is no exception.

When word got out we were going to have Olympus E-P1 Micro-4/3 samples at our store a day after it was announced, one Olympus fan drove into Manhattan only to find that the Olympus reps had just left. He spotted them up the block and begged to see the camera. According to reliable sources the guy had tears in his eyes as he coddled the camera.

Sony has introduced successors to its original line-up of compact, APS-C format DSLRs. The new cameras – the Sony Alpha A230, A330, and A380 – are all housed in polycarbonate bodies that are smaller and have lower profiles than the cameras they replace.

Having squeezed more pixels than most of us actually need into DSLRs in every price range, manufacturers are focusing on incorporating cutting-edge features normally reserved for mid and upper-level DSLRs into their less-pricy consumer DSLRs. Nowhere is this clearer than Canon's 6th generation digital Rebel, the EOS Rebel T1i, which is available as body-only or with a Canon 18-55 IS kit lens.