6 Countries, 6,000 People in Canon Photomarathon

This October, 6,000 of Asia's passionate photographers will gather to answer the call of Canon's Photo Marathon Asia 2009. Back for its third consecutive year, the Canon Photo Marathon Asia is one of the region's largest and most recognised photo competitions. Created for anyone with a passion for photography, the Canon Photo Marathon is open to amateur and professional photographers alike. The event will be held in six countries includes Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and India.

Canon Photomarathon Indonesia 2009 will be held on October 10 at Taman Fatahillah, Kota Tua, Jakarta. The event will be a photo session, photo competition, short presentation from Don Hasman as well as model photo session themed on Classic. The photo competition is open for public and divided into two categories: DSLR camera and compact camera.

In order to join in the photo competition, participants are required to pay register fee. The grand prize will be trip photo clinic to Japan for 9 days guided by professional photographer Triston Yeo. The judges for the photo competition are Hector Niam (Canon South & South East Asia Regional Headquarter), Candrian Attahiyyat (The Head Officer of Kota Tua Jakarta Management), dan Kristupa W. Saragih (professional photographer). canon-asia.com

Pos Indonesia Photo Contest Awards Rp 45 Millions

PT Pos Indonesia and Air Photography Communications have arranged a national photography activity, entitled "Pos Indonesia Photo Contest 2009." The total awarded prize is Rp 45 millions; Rp 13 millions for the first winner, Rp 9 millions for the second and Rp 6.5 millions for the third. There will be three additional winners who will win Rp 2 millions each, also seven nominee winners with Rp 1.5 millions each.

Everyone can join this contest by following the established theme: "To Preserve the Indonesia's Forgotten National Heritage." Everyone with an attempt to bring in the Indonesia’s work of art and culture can be your photo object.

Digital imaging is allowed in this contest, except for adding or lessening any element in a photo. All of the submitted photos will be the right of PT Pos Indonesia, but the participating photographers will still perform the legal copyright. You can submit your photos until December 1, 2009, and the winners will be announced on December 13. For more detail information, visit www.posindonesia.co.id atau www. fotografibergerak.com.
cindy

43 Photographers in "Greening Citraland, a Photographic Celebration"

Clean does not mean "free from dirt," but means "neat, organized and maintained." Green does not mean "trees," but means "environmentally-friendly, recycleable water and pedestrian friendly." This affair becomes the main concern of "Greening Citraland, a Photographic Celebration" - the third book published by CitraLand (PT. Ciputra Surya Tbk.).

There are 43 Indonesian photographers – professional, amateur, hobbyist, photo journalist, staff, and even the citizens of CitraLand– who are involved in the project. Some of them are Hubert Januar, Arbain Rambey, Fu Yung, Budi Darmawan, Kristupa W. Saragih and Beky Subechi. While the curators are Budi Darmawan, Yuyung Abdi, Dodo Hawe and Mamuk Ismuntoro.

This book was launched to commemorate 16 years of the development of CitraLand that it now becomes "The Singapore of Surabaya," or namely a "modern" city. At the same time, it is intentionally launched to coincide with the birthday of Mr. Ciputra, the maestro who founded CitraLand who was born on August 24, 78 years ago. cindy

A Photo Hunt and Contest on "Kalimantan Selatan Photo Contest"

A photo contest aimed to increase the number of tourist visit in South Borneo is arranged by South Kalimantan local government. It is called as "Kalimantan Selatan Photo Contest 2009." The photo contest is packed with photo hunting around Banjarmasin area. It will be held on October 16 to 18, 2009 and open for public. The location for photo hunting will be at Kuin floating market, Pendulangan Intan, Martapura market, Mandi Angin and Murjani square.

There will be two categories for the photo contest. The first one is 'Langsung Dinilai' means that the photo taken during the day will be judged directly and the winner will be announced at the end of the hunting day on October 18, 2009. The second one is "Digital Imaging" - participants are allowed to edit by adding some digital imaging effects as long as the location are not changed and no photo merging. Photos must be submitted by uploading it to Inifotoku.com (www.inifotoku.com). The closing date will be on October 31. Winners will be announced at Fotografer.net and Inifotoku.com on November 9, 2009.
Randy Rakhmadhany

Airport TakeOff: New Bag from Think Tank

Airport TakeOff, a new bag from Think Tank is designed truly for your convenience when you need to bring almost all you photography gear in a flight. You can convert it to and from a rolling camera bag to a comfortable backpack easily. Tucking away your strap and start rolling immediately!

In the inside, you can bring up to one pro-sized photography gear, including two pro or regular size DSLR bodies with or without lenses attached. It can holds up to a 300mm f/2.8 and other assorted lenses. The other features are quickly deployable and concealable backpack straps, front cable and lock to secure laptops, lockable zipper sliders, and you can also transport your tripods or monopods easily.

This product is 13x18.4x5.25-6.75 inches in the inside, 14x21x8 inches outside and weighing 8.6-10.3 pounds (depending on accessories used). It is now available at a retail price of US$ 299.00. photographybay.com

Pentax K-x for Entry Level User

Pentax has announced an upper-entry level DSLR, the Pentax K-x with a one-handed shooting design and simple, easy-to-use operation. Based on the K2000 (K-m) body, the K-x adds a number of features including a 12.4 Mp CMOS sensor, 11-point autofocus, Live View function with Face detection of up to 16 faces and HD video mode at 1280x720 pixels. The K-x also offers a choice of three different focusing modes in Live View.

The K-x features a new Cross Process mode that automatically and randomly adds finishing touches to exposure to create eye-catching images with unique, intriguing colors. The K-x's digital filter function allows users to process recorded images in a variety of creative ways within the camera and produce highly creative visual expressions. With a choice of 16 different filters including Color Extract, Retro, Soft, Starburst, Toy Camera, and more (including a custom filter for building multiple effects), photographers may apply multiple filters to a single image for customized effects.

It will be available in a choice of colors - black, white, and limited editions of red and navy - from October 2009 at a price of $649.95 with the 18-55mm DA-L kit lens. To accompany the K-x Pentax has also released a budget 'L' version of its 55- 300mm F4-5.8 telephoto zoom lens. dpreview.com

New Book, New App, New Online Community for iPhone User

World-renowned photographer and director Chase Jarvis has announced the availability of his newest book, The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You: iPhone Photography by Chase Jarvis, together with an iPhone app called Best Camera and an online community, thebestcamera.com. The book, which is a collection of his iPhone photography, reveals what is possible with an iPhone camera. Each page displays a beautiful image taken with his iPhone, with Chase sharing inspiring anecdotes. Available now from Peachpit, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders and other retailers worldwide, The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You: iPhone Photography by Chase Jarvis is priced at US$ 19.99.

The Best Camera App allows users to creatively edit and share iPhone images more simply than ever before. There’s a unique set of filters and effects that can be applied at the touch of a button. Best Camera App is available for US$ 2.99 from the App Store on iPhone or at www.itunes.com/appstore. The Best Camera App also allows users to share their images directly with the world via Twitter, Facebook, email, and www. thebestcamera.com, a new online community where iPhone users can contribute to a living, breathing gallery of iPhone photography from around the globe. This virtual exhibition displays images uploaded by Best Camera App users and lets them vote for the images they like. photographyblog.com

Textured Glossy Inkjet Paper

To escape the same old look and feel, inkjet printer users are seeking media that are different and add an extra dimension to their prints. To meet this demand, Red River Paper, a Dallas based specialty paper company, recently introduced Cordovan Textured Glossy inkjet photo paper.

Cordovan Gloss features a unique textured surface similar to a fine leather finish and is a great solution for portfolio pages, greeting cards, photo books, and any project where you want to engage others with a unique visual experience. This paper is compatible with any inkjet printer, comes in a number of not card sizes as well as 8.5x11, 13x19, 4x6, and 5x7 sheets. You can buy it at www.redriverpaper.com/cordovan.
imaging-resource.com

Crucial SSD Reads Up To 250 Mbps

The result of collaboration between flash memory maker Lexar and RAM manufacturer Crucial, this SSD (Solid State Drive), is impressive. With a 250 Mbps read speed and a 200 Mbps write speed. There is an also reportedly faster boot time during startup and blazing load times when launching app. For photographers, this means a cooler, quiter and more durable laptop computer that works faster.

This Lexar Crucial SSD is relatively easy to use, since it uses the standard 2.5-inch form factor and a SATA 2.0 (3 Gbps) interface with relatively common MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash components. You can get this 256GB SSD at US$ 599. To get more information, please visit www.crucial.com. pdngearguide.com

Horseman's Conversion Lenses

Horseman released some conversion lenses for your DLSR cameras. With this converter, you need not to change your lenses for different necessities. They are easily and quickly attached in front of the lens, much like attaching a filter.

Depending on the model, street pricing is expected to range from US$ 60-120; visit www.komamura.co.jpg. The first one is the Horseman 0.7 Wide, which is designed exclusively for 18-55mm zoom lenses. Another is the Horseman 0.6 Wide/ Macro, a 0.6x wide conversion lens that also serves as a macro lens. The Horseman 0.25x Superwide/Macro is a 0.25x superwide conversion lens that enables you to enjoy super-wideangle photography just like a fish-eye lens. Both the Horseman 0.6x Wide and the 0.25x Superwide conversion lens turn into a macro lens when its front part is removed. The Horseman 0.45x Wide conversion lens serves as a wide lens when it’s used as is, but it turns into a macro lens when you remove the front portion.

Other models include the Horseman 08x Superwide conversion lens that lets you make the most of a fish-eye lens' barrel distortion, the Horseman 4.0x Macro that is designed primarily for medical applications, and the MiniDigi AF5.0 that allows you to have super-wide and macro photography on the Rollei MiniDigi AF5.0. pdngearguide.com

Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S Instant Goes to USA

Fujifilm USA has announced the availability of the Instax Mini 7S Instant Camera and Instax Mini Instant Colour Film to the U.S. market. The Instax Mini 7S is a compact and lightweight instant film solution for the on-the-go photographer or photo enthusiast. With its sleek and stylish design as well as high end Fujinon optics, the Instax Mini offers customers a great looking camera that produces great looking, highquality, credit-card sized, instant prints.

The new Instax Mini 7S has an electronically controlled shutter and sports a built-in flash for low-light shooting. The Instax Mini Instant Film has a sensitivity rating of ISO 800/30° and an image area of 1.8"x2.4". Camera and film will be available at retail locations beginning in September, 2009. MSRP for the Instax Mini 7S Instant Film Camera is US$ 95.99 while MSRP for a 10-Pack of Instax Mini Instant Film is US$ 19.99.
photographyblog.com

Photographers from 5 Countries Joining Crossing Bridges 6 in West Sumatera

Nowadays Crossing Bridges (CB) 6 is establishing in West Sumatera. Friendship and cooperation is what to be the two main topic of this event. Formerly, CB is a regional photography community in South East Asia that unites Singapura (Club SNAP), Malaysia (PhotoMalaysia. com), Vietnam (Photo.vn) and Indonesia (Fotografer.net). Each club is the biggest photography community in each of the country. The Philippines (FPPF) has joined for the first time in this CB 6.

This time, CB is held from September 27 to October 2 in Bukittingi and Padang, West Sumatera. In this hunting event, participants visit some spots such as Puncak Lawang, Danau Maninjau Ngarai Sianok, Pacu Jawi and the other places. There are 11 participants from each country. They have all made a commitment to learn and share, for this is the main requirement to participate. R.B. Isworo

Perpetuating Pacu Jawi Through A Photo Contest

Tanah Datar Culture and Tourism Department is organizing a photo contest "Lomba Foto Pacu Jawi 2009" as their effort to perpetuate and promote Pacu Jawi tradition. They wish to introduce Pacu Jawi both to national and international public so that many tourists will come and visit Tanah Datar Luhak Nan Tuo Regency, West Sumatera.

The photo contest is open for public and has a theme on "Lomba atau Prosesi Pacu Jawi." The photo is taken during Pacu Jawi contest which will be held on September 30, October 10, and October 17. Each participant is allowed to submit maximum 8 photographs. Photos can be submitted to Sekretariat Panitia Lomba Kantor Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Kabupaten Tanah Datar, or send to www. photowinners.org. The deadline will be on October 23, 2009.

The judges are Makarios Soekojo, Arbain Rambey, dan Alfian Jamrah (The Head Officer of Tanah Datar Culture and Tourism Department). They will choose three winners and five runner-up. Besides receiving cash and trophy, their photos will be exhibited at Komplek Benteng Van der Capellen, Batusangkar, starting on November 12 to 14, 2009. Yulnofrins Napilus

Capturing the Sleepy Jakarta

Photo by Chiko Lie

Every year during Idulfitri, Jakarta is left behind by its inhabitants making the city desolate. The sleepy Jakarta was being used by a group of photographers residing in Jakarta to hold a photo hunting capturing the silent city. This event is a routine activity held every Idulfitri holiday. This year is the fourth year.

Jakarta Sepi IV Photo Hunting held on September 22, at Jln. Thamrin and its surrounding. The business center which is always busy in regular day turned into a quiet one. It became a captivating object for tens of participants attending the event. No theme, no concept, they were free to photograph anything they want. Jakarta Sepi Hunting IV was also providing a place for FNers (members of Fotografer.net) Jakarta to gather. Chiko Lie

Canon and HP Joint Alliance

Canon Inc. and HP have announced an expanded alliance to jointly market and distribute a new range of multifunction office systems that unite the best of both companies: Canon's leading multifunction devices and HP's enterprise printing and imaging assets.

The alliance offers customers a new class of web-enabled solutions that combine Canon's superior multifunction device processing and imaging systems with HP's leading device manageability, IT integration and office workflow capabilities. With the broader range of software and service offerings supported by EDS, an HP company, along with Managed Print Services from HP and Canon's global Services and Support offerings, enterprise customers now have access to one of the most complete offering in the industry, delivering improved efficiencies and greater cost savings.

Masaki Nakaoka, managing director and chief executive, Office Imaging Products Operations, Canon Inc. expects that this will maximize benefits for both companies' customers while also paving the way to increased growth for both Canon and HP.
canon.com

A Hunting Trip to West Sichuan & Jiuzhaigou

Photo by Ratato Daely

Eleven FNers (members of Fotografer. net) from Jakarta had a "Photo Hunting Trip to West Sichuan & Jiuzhaigou" for nine days. Departing on September 16, the participants were then having a great time on a highland atmosphere, being lost and found, shoving to each other and sickening at the nauseous motion in the car when it should speed up on a rocky road for a couple of days.

They visited the Panda Breeding Center, Sichuan Opera, Erlang Tunnel, Luding Bridge, Kangding Love Song National Park, Jiaju Tibetan Village, Huanglong Scenic Park, Jiuzhaigou National Park, Wide & Narrow Alley, etc. Sisy Sin was to be their tour guide when exploring the beauty of West Sichuan and the heritage of Tibetan culture, until finally they had a flight back to Jakarta on September 26. Zulkarnaen Djohan

SanDisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash: Bigger & Faster

SanDisk goes more extreme with the release of Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards with the superfast read and write speeds of up to 90MB/s. The SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards' 16 to 64GB capacity range offers the storage space needed to allow extended shooting sessions without having to reload, while the cards' 90MB/s read/write speeds ensure that professionals can transfer their data quickly. This unique combination of speed and capacity makes the new line of cards well suited for professional usage models involving large amounts of data and tight deadlines.

The line supercedes the Extreme IV range and will start shipping this week in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities at a MSRP ranging from US$ 300 to 800. The company has also released another line CF and SDHC cards called the Extreme series (replacing the Extreme III series) offering transfer speeds of up to to 60MB/s and 30 MB/s respectively that will be available from 8GB to 32GB with their price ranging from US$ 130 to 375. SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards are fully compatible with any camera, card reader or other device that supports CompactFlash cards 4. dpreview.com

A Charity Program by KFT

Photo by Albert Safril

As a follow up of the charity photo hunting which held a few weeks ago, Komunitas Fotografer Tangerang (KFT) organized a charity program to an orphanage on September 13. They were having a fast breaking event as well as giving a donation to Maktabul Aitam orphanage in Gading Serpong. An informal gathering was held during the day. Followed by a short preach from ustadz and ended with dinner party.

At the same event, KFT also donated Rp 6.650.000, clothes and ten MP4 players to the orphanage. The donation was collected by member and Rp 1.400.000 was acquired from the previous charity hunting at pasar Lama. The fast breaking was attended by 25 participants. Albert Safril

Free App for iPhone & iPod Touch

You can now download Apple's newest free application that was launched for iPhone and iPod Touch users, in Apple's App Store. This app was created by LifePics: LifePics for iPhone.

You will now have an easy way to upload your photos without necessarily connecting your device to your computer. Additional features include the ability to upload multiple photos simultaneously, upload photos at full resolution and view existing online albums from an iPhone are available for you. Future version of the app will include the ability to order prints and other photo products directly from iPhone through the consumer's favorite retail photofinisher in the LifePics network. For detail info, visit www.lifepics.com.
imaging-resource.com

Minox Launches Leica M3 Mini Look Alike in White

In case your pockets are not deep enough for the recently introduced Leica M9 full frame rangefinder camera, and you are looking for a more affordable model, you might consider the Minox DCC Camera White Edition. The Minox Digital Classic Camera 5.0 White Edition excels with the innovative technology of modern digital cameras and a 5 million pixel resolution. The camera is a miniature model resembling the Leica M3, the first Leica camera - introduced in 1954.

The new digital Classic Camera from MINOX comes in stylish format. This new edition features 1.5 inch TFT color monitor and a memory card slot. As a supplement to the optical viewfinder the display can optionally help the user compose the subject and provides information on the selected specific camera settings as well as on the number of images. In video mode it is possible to shoot film sequences with the wee DCC in AVI format. All data are stored on SD cards with a capacity of up to 4 GB. 32 MB internal memory available for storing files as well.
dcviews.com

Adobe Releases Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows and Mac

Adobe Photoshop Elements version 8 for Windows & Mac brings editing capabilities and simplicity to a new level. With the enhanced Organizer, Windows users of Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 can easily manage media and find photo and video clips even faster than before. The new Auto-Analyzer automatically analyzes and tags media and People Recognition identifies people in photos. With Adobe Photomerge Exposure included in this software, users can simply merge multiple shots of the same scene, with and without a flash, together to create a lit photo that shows every detail.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac allows Mac users to access all the features in Adobe Bridge CS4 software. Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac now includes all of the intelligent photo-editing options as the Windows version. In addition to Photomerge Exposure, Recompose and Quick Fix previews, Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac features Scene Cleaner for brushing away unwanted elements, such as tourists or cars, from a series of photos to create the perfect scene. It also features the Smart Brush and Touch-Up brush. Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows is available now at www.adobe.com, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac will be available in Oct. 2009. Both are available for US$ 99.99.
dcviews.com