If you own an Eye-Fi card check out this new feature just released today called Selective Share. Now Eye-Fi users can choose which photo or videos to wirelessly upload to sharing sites – like Facebook, Flickr, Snapfish or Picasa – before it leaves their camera.

Just click the Protect or Lock button on your camera for the files you want to send to the Web, and let Eye-Fi do its magic; in the meantime, Eye-Fi will send all your files to your PC or Mac for safe-keeping.

Here’s a link to get more information about Selective Share: www.eye.fi/blog/selective-share.

On Friday 20 November it will be the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC),  - to mark this occasion the World Photography Awards and UNICEF are joining together and asking for photo pledges portraying one of the 5 fundamental rights of a child from members of the public to show their support of the UNCRC.

The awards will put out the call for photo-pledges on Friday 20 November and to launch the campaign we have photos and written pledges from some of the world’s leading photographers (who are part of the World Photography Awards Academy programme) and UNICEF Ambassadors.

Photographers already signed up include Reza, Mary Ellen Mark and Bruce Davidson while UNICEF Ambassadors include Jemima Khan, David Beckham and Ewan McGregor.  A document with their written and photographic pledges is attached so that you may see the types of images we have.  None of the images from the UNICEF Ambassadors have been used in the press before.

All images which are pledged to support the UNCRC will be shown on the World Photography Awards website and a commended selection will be shown at the World Photography Awards festival in Cannes in April 2010.

EXILIM G – Waterproof and Dustproof, in a .78-inch,*2 Smart Design

DOVER, NJ, November 18, 2009 — Casio America, Inc. and its parent company, Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced today the release of the EX-G1 shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof digital camera—the first in the company’s new EXILIM® G brand of digital cameras. With its smart design featuring functional beauty, the EX-G1 embodies Casio’s endurance-minded features and specifications in a sleek 0.78-inch*2 low-profile camera.

Casio first introduced the shock-resistant G-SHOCK® timepiece to the world in 1983. The G-SHOCK brand remains extremely popular among consumers and adventure enthusiasts around the globe thanks to its distinctive, unique design, rugged toughness and practicality, even under severe environmental conditions. In 2000, Casio launched the G’zOne®, a durable, water-resistant mobile phone.

Casio is positioning the EXILIM G brand in an “endurance” category, which demonstrates its determination to create digital cameras suitable for top athletes and adventurers. The endurance category caters to those who never quit challenging both extreme conditions and their own limits. The new model was developed to embody this brand concept, using Casio’s years of experience creating technologies for shock resistance, waterproofing and slim-line design.

The EX-G1 is designed with shock-resistant elements throughout the camera, both inside and out, creating a smart look in a slim-line camera with functional beauty. In addition to capturing high-resolution 12.1 effective megapixel images, the EX-G1 also features modes such as interval shooting and multi-image capture which utilize the camera’s endurance qualities. The interval shooting function can automatically take still photos or movies at fixed intervals, enabling users to capture great shots while engaged in active sports such as snowboarding or cycling*3.

“Whether it is the lifestyle that you have chosen or your career path that requires you to carry a camera tough enough to endure life’s elements, the EXILIM G EX-G1 offers an endurance level that will withstand the demands of your daily routine,” says Toshi Iguchi, senior general manager of Casio’s Digital Imaging Division. “The EX-G1, Casio’s toughest camera to date, is a prime example of Casio’s constant devotion to creating cameras to accommodate all levels of photographers.”

Through rigorous testing, the EX-G1 has been designed and created with a shock-resistant shell which passes drop tests including multiple falls from seven feet.*4  Featuring a two-layer construction with a stainless steel outer-casing, the EX-G1 inner body withstands shock and water damage. The camera’s intelligent design is constructed with a resin cover to protect the body side near the shutter and a resin lens ring to protect the lens.

The technologically-advanced design features waterproof performance and corresponds to IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 (IPX8) waterproofing. The EX-G1 can be used at depths at 10 feet for 60 continuous minutes*5. Water will not penetrate the camera even when directly sprayed with jets of water from every direction corresponding to Protection Class 6 (IPX6). Capable of withstanding temperatures as low as 14°F*6, Casio’s EX-G1 boldly captures images where any adventurer goes.

The EX-G1 will hit shelves in December 2009 with an MSRP of $299.99 and will be available in black and red.

*1.    As of November 18, 2009, based on a Casio survey of shock resistant digital cameras (excluding protruding parts).

*2.    Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) standards.

*3.    A commercially available mount is required to support the camera.

*4.    In accordance with Casio’s own standard with reference to the US MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5-Shock, the camera passed a test in which it was dropped from a height of 2.13 meters (7 feet) onto lauan plywood at 26 different angles. However, the camera is not guaranteed to withstand all shocks in terms of damage, malfunction and performance. Moreover, camera shock may result in inability to retain waterproof performance.

*5.    Based on testing conditions established by Casio.

*6.    Battery life will be shorter than under normal temperature conditions.

EXILIM G EX-G1

Shock-Resistant, Waterproof, Dustproof, Slim-line Digital Camera

Slim-line Design with Toughness Construction

Shock Resistance

The EXILIM G EX-G1 offers the world’s thinnest profile*1 of .78 inch (excluding protruding parts) in a shock-resistant digital camera. The camera passed multiple drop tests of seven feet based on Casio’s own standard*2.

Waterproof/Dustproof

The EX-G1 offers waterproof performance corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 (IPX8) waterproofing, and can be used for 60 continuous minutes at a water depth of 10 feet*3. It also withstands water jets corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 6 “IPX6” waterproofing, and can be directly rinsed under running water. The EX-G1 is also impervious to dust, with performance corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 6 “IP6X” dustproofing.

Freezeproof

Withstanding ever the coldest of temperatures, the EX-G1 endures through temperatures as low as 14 °F*4.

Shock resistant/waterproof construction and design

Exterior

The outer body of the EX-G1 is made from stainless steel to withstand external shocks while a polycarbonate cover absorbs shocks to the body side near the shutter. The camera’s wrist-strap holder is made of die-cast zinc to withstand drops while a rotating lock secures the external memory slot cover. For additional protection, the EX-G1 comes with two types of detachable protectors to absorb shocks.

Internal construction

The waterproof inner body of the camera is made from polycarbonate reinforced with fiberglass while a buckle-lock construction is added to absorb impact, using fewer screws to secure the inner body. Additionally, the camera’s frame comes equipped with speaker and microphone filters to prevent water from penetrating the camera.

Lens

To prevent damage to the camera’s lens, a resin ring as been added around the glass casing to ease shocks to the lens area. With the addition of a reinforced, glass lens cover, the EX-G1 is tooled with a multi coating that is water-repellent and prevents light reflection from ruining pictures. To further protect the camera from impact, high-performance damping material has been added to protect the lens unit from external shocks.

LCD panel

The acrylic plate to protect the LCD from water pressure and shocks is 1.5 times thicker than conventional point-and-shoot cameras. The LCD panel features a resin mount to ease shocks to the LCD panel area.

BEST SHOT® functions befitting a waterproof, shock-resistant camera

Interval shooting

The interval shooting function allows users to automatically take still photos or movies at fixed intervals while engaged in action sports such as cycling, snowboarding, and wind surfing*5. With the EX-G1, users can take powerful photos from inside the action, the kind which are usually almost impossible to capture. The shooting interval can be set at 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 3 minutes, and the capture time for movies may be set at 3, 10, 20, or 30 minutes.

Great for a variety of outdoor photography scenes

The BEST SHOT function enables users to take beautiful photos just by selecting the desired subject scene. The EX-G1 includes additional BEST SHOT settings suitable for various outdoor situations, such as “snow” and “beach” scene settings, which automatically adjust to prevent subject underexposure due to the brightness of snow or sun. There is also an “underwater” setting to control the tendency of underwater photos to come out looking too blue.

12.1 effective megapixels

This thin stylish model features a large 2.5-inch monitor with 230,400 dots of high resolution and a non-extending 3X zoom lens ranging from 38-114mm (35 mm film camera equivalent).

Intelligent AF

When the camera is pointed at a desired shot, the Intelligent AF function automatically detects the photo subject even if it is not a human face and determines the focus and exposure area accordingly.

Advanced Dynamic Photo function

Casio’s original Dynamic Photo function, which creates composite moving images using the camera’s own high-speed image processing technology, now does even more. When a moving subject is cut out of a number of images and combined with a different still shot that forms the background, the size of the subject can be changed to suit the background image. Additionally, the Dynamic Photo video can easily be converted in-camera into a motion JPEG movie file. Moving graphics such as hearts and bouquets of flowers are included so that users can have fun decorating their still images using the Dynamic Photo function. Casio not only allows users to have fun taking and viewing photos, but also provides innovative new ways for them to create original images, right on the camera.

Wide Screen Movies

The camera also features a wide format (16:9) Movie function. Just press the dedicated Movie button to take beautiful movies at 848×480 pixels.

*1. As of November 18, 2009, based on a Casio survey; *2. Established with reference to the US standard, MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5-Shock; *3. Based on test conditions set by Casio; *4. Battery life will be shorter than under normal temperature conditions; *5. A commercially available mount is required to support the camera.

EX-G1 Specifications

EXILIM G

EX-G1

Toughness Construction

Shock Resistance

Passes drop test of 2.13 meters (7 feet)*1

Waterproof

Up to 3 meters (10 feet) *2

Dustproof

Yes*3

Freezeproof

-10 °C (14 °F) *4

Number of Effective Pixels

12.10 million

Image Sensor

1/2.3-inch square pixel CCD

Total Pixels

12.39 million

File Format

Still Images

JPEG (Exif Version 2.2, DCF 1.0 standard, DPOF compliant)

Movies

AVI format, Motion JPEG, IMA-ADPCM (monaural)

Audio (Voice Recording)

WAV format (monaural)

Built-in Flash Memory (Image Area)

35.7MB*5

Recording Media

microSDHC Memory Card, microSD Memory Card

Number of Recorded Pixels

Still Images

12M (4000 x 3000), 3:2 (4000 x 2656), 16:9 (4000 x 2240), 8M (3264 x 2448),

5M (2560 x 1920), 3M (2048 x 1536), VGA (640 x 480)

Movies

WIDE: 848 x 480 (30 fps) / STD: 640 x 480 (30 fps) / LP: 320 x 240 (15 fps)

Recording Capacity

(Maximum Image Size Setting)

Still Images

(JPEG)

microSD Memory Card 4GB*6

Approx. 490 shots (Fine) / 935 shots (Normal) / 1399 shots (Economy)

Movies

Recording Time

Maximum Recording Capacity per File: 4GB*7

microSD Memory Card 4GB*6

Approx. 39 min. 57 seconds (WIDE)

High-speed Continuous Shutter

Approx. 3 frames per second at 1600 x 1200 pixels (Up to 8 shots)

Lens

Construction

11 lenses in 9 groups, including aspherical lens

F-number

F3.9 (W) to F5.4 (T)

Focal Length

f=6.66 to 19.98mm

35mm Film Equivalent

Approx. 38 to 114mm

Zoom

Optical Zoom

3X

Digital Zoom

4X (12X in combination with optical zoom)

HD Zoom

18.7X (image size: 640 x 480 pixels)

Focusing

Focus Type

Contrast Detection Auto Focus

Focus Modes

Auto Focus, Macro Mode, Pan Focus, Infinity Mode, Manual Focus

AF Area

Intelligent, Spot, Multi Tracking

Focus Range*8

(From Lens Surface)

Auto Focus

Approx. 10cm to infinity (W)

Macro

Approx. 10cm to 50cm (W)

Infinity Mode

Infinity (W)

Manual Focus

Approx. 10cm to infinity (W)

Exposure

Exposure Metering

Multi-pattern, center weighted, spot by imaging element

Exposure Control

Program AE

Exposure Compensation

-2EV to +2EV (in 1/3EV steps)

Shutter Type

CCD electronic shutter, mechanical shutter

Shutter Speed*9

Auto

1/2 to 1/1250 second

Night Scene

4 to 1/1250 second

Aperture*8

F3.9 (W) to F8.9 (W)*10

White Balance

Auto WB, Daylight, Overcast, Shade, Day White FL, Daylight FL, Tungsten, Manual WB

Sensitivity (SOS/REI)*11

Still Images

Auto, ISO64, ISO100, ISO200, ISO400, ISO800, ISO1600, ISO3200

Movies

Auto

Other

Recording Functions

Make-up Mode

Yes (12-level steps)

Landscape Mode

Yes (Vivid Landscape: 2-level steps / Mist Removal: 2-level steps)

Lighting Function

Yes

BEST SHOT

Yes: 25 scenes

Dynamic Photo

Yes

Interval Snapshot

Yes

Interval Movie

Yes

Underwater

Yes

Beach

Yes

Snow

Yes

Multi-motion Image*12

Yes

YouTube™ Capture Mode

Yes

AUTO BEST SHOT

Yes

Voice Recording

Yes

Face Detection

Yes

Auto Shutter

Yes

Self-timer

10 seconds, 2 seconds, Triple Self-timer

Built-in Flash

Flash Modes

Auto, Flash Off, Flash On, Soft Flash, Red Eye Reduction

Flash Range*8

Approx. 0.1 to 2.4m (W), approx. 0.5 to 1.1m (T)

Recording Light

Yes

Monitor Screen

2.5-inch TFT color LCD, 230,400 dots (960 x 240)

Timekeeping Functions

Date and Time

Recorded with image data

On-image Time Stamp Function

Yes

Auto Calendar

To 2049

World Time

162 cities in 32 time zones, city name, date, time, summer time

Input/Output Terminals

USB/AV port

USB

Hi-Speed USB

Microphone

Monaural

Speaker

Monaural

Power Requirements

Rechargeable lithium ion battery (NP-80) x 1

Battery Life

Number of Shots*13

(CIPA Standards)

Approx. 300 still images

Continuous Playback

(Still Images)

Approx. 3 hr. 40 minutes

Continuous Recording

(Voice Recording)

Approx. 6 hr. 50 minutes

Dimensions (CIPA Standards)

103.5 (W) x 64.2 (H) x 19.9 (D)mm (Excluding Projections)

Weight (CIPA Standards)

Approx. 154g (Including Battery and Memory Card*6)

Bundled Accessories

Two detachable protectors, Rechargeable lithium ion battery, lithium ion battery charger,

AC power cord, USB cable, AV cable, strap, CD-ROM

*1. In accordance with Casio’s own standard with reference to the US MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5-Shock. *2. Corresponds to IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 (IPX8) and Protection Class 6 (IPX6) waterproofing. *3. Corresponds to IEC/JIS Protection Class 6 (IP6X) dustproofing. *4. Battery life will be shorter than under normal temperature conditions. *5. Built-in memory capacity after formatting. *6. When using Panasonic 4GB microSDHC Memory Card. *7. Within limits of memory and battery life. *8. Range is affected by optical zoom. *9. May differ according to camera settings. *10. F8.9 is the aperture when an ND filter is being used. *11. SOS: Standard Output Sensitivity. REI: Recommended Exposure Index. *12. Image size 2048 x 1536 pixels. *13. Auto Mode, standard brightness monitor setting.

G-SHOCK, G’zOne, EXILIM, Dynamic Photo and BEST SHOT are registered trademarks or trademarks of CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD. YouTube is a registered trademark of YouTube, LLC. Any other company or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of those companies.

There seems to be a lot of interest in this report. I have added the raw files below. Try the Raw converter test yourself.

Download All Raw Files Plus a Few More (warning large 230mb zip file)

Canon Rebel XSI (450D) vs. Canon 7D Raw Files Zipped

Here are the links to some free downloads of the raw converters used in this comparison:

Adobe Lightroom 2.6RC

Phase One Capture One Pro 5

Canon DPP 3.7

Note of Error: One of the thumbnails was originally posted in error. That thumbnail has been corrected.

Canon 7D worse than Canon Rebel XSI?

Apparently, there are a growing number of people who now believe that the image quality of the Canon Rebel XSI (450D) (12MP) is as good, or better, than the new Canon 7D (18MP). As silly as this may sound on the surface, there are two reports on the internet that lend credence to this belief. The main report was written by a blogger named Darwin Wiggett.  His blog entry had a number of entries similar to the following:

“We were surprised by just how much sharper the Rebel images appeared in the field tests.”

“We were continually dismayed at the soft, muddy files we were getting from the 7D. In test after test, the 7D files were especially poor when using telephoto or wide angle lenses with distant scenes.”

“The G11 gives very vibrant colours even when the RAW files are processed with the exact same settings (auto white balance, standard picture settings) as the 7D. We’re not sure why. Disregarding the colour differences it looks like the little G11 produces files to compete with the bigger sensor on the 7D.”

Then there is this entry on thedigitalpicture:

“The 7D images are softer than the other DSLRs at the same sharpness setting – repeated testing confirms this. There is no focus error here and the examples use an aperture wider than the DLA. A set of examples processed at a DPP sharpness setting of “2″ shows similar sharpness to the T1i and 50D. Also noticeable is that sharpening sharpens the noise which makes it more apparent. Thus, equal sharpness results in the 7D losing some of its lead in the high ISO noise comparison.”

What in the world is going on here? Has Canon finally come totally off the track and introduced a camera with a stellar feature set and stuck a sub-par sensor in the thing?

There seem to be a lot of people ready and willing to believe just that.

Well, I just had to pop-out of semi-retirement (on the camera gear review front) just long enough to have a look into this mystery. Aren’t you glad?

So, I ran on down to my trusty local rental store PPR and picked up the 7D again along with a 35mm f/1.4 lens and set out to do a few quick tests. I just had to know if Canon had officially lost it. What, with their inability to make a camera that can focus and all.

Without further ado, here are the results of these simple tests.

Canon Rebel XSI vs. Canon 7D

Round 1: JPEG Battle (Straight out of the Camera, Neutral Shooting Style, f/5.6)

Hmm, not seeing it. They look very similar to me. The 7D is the clear winner on the packaging. The Auto White Balance on both cameras also performed equally poorly under this single tungsten bulb. So, no great color difference to see.

It looks like this round goes to the higher res 7D camera. It will also be sharper upon down-sampling or cropping.

Round 1 JPEG Winner: Canon 7D

Round 2: Raw Files Processed in Canon DPP

Ok. So, we corrected for white balance this time using the gray card included in the shots. DPP does seem to be rendering the reds in the 7D image incorrectly. The reds appears almost orange on the backdrop and the bag. However, I’m definitely still seeing more detail in the 7D images. The Canon XSI (450D) image processed in DPP 3.7 almost looks worse than the JPEG straight out of the camera. The colors are improved due to the manual color balancing, but the detail doesn’t appear any higher.

The Canon 7D is the winner using raw and Canon DPP 3.7 at default settings.

Round 2 RAW DPP Winner: Canon 7D

Round 3: Raw Files Processed in Adobe LR 2.6RC

Now both files look sharper and seem to show more detail. This is due to the default contrast, sharpening and other relevant settings being higher in LR by default than in DPP.

However, the Canon 7D reds are a bit out of control here. Adobe needs to work on the profile for this camera. When doing our original testing on LR 2.5 the color rendition was much worse (all the reds were a bright orange color). They’ve obviously improved the situation, but it still needs work, imho.

This round looks like a tie, except the color rendition is better for the XSI when using LR 2.6RC.

Round 3 Raw Lightroom Winner: Tie (with the edge to Canon Rebel XSI for better color rendition in this raw engine)

Round 4: Raw files processed in Capture One Pro 5

Well, it looks like Capture One Pro 5 really shines with both cameras. The default settings for this raw conversion tool outshine both of the other major players.

The colors for both the Rebel XSI (450D) and 7D look very good. Obviously, Phase One still has the edge in their camera color profiles and “out of the box” image quality with these two cameras. It is too bad their workflow isn’t as good. I’m afraid I rarely use C1 anymore (although, I used them for years before LR came out). Perhaps I will have to give them another look.

It is clear that the 7D is resolving more detail in this example.

Round 4 Raw Capture One Winner: Canon 7D (Real Winner is Capture One)

Conclusion from first 4 Rounds: These reviewers were testing a Raw Converter (DPP 3.7, not the Canon 7D)

Hopefully, these first four rounds have shown you that you shouldn’t always believe what you see, or read, on the internet. The two reviews mentioned at the outset have managed to create a mini firestorm on the forums by pointing out their findings. They purported to pass judgment on the image quality of the Canon 7D. What they were really doing was testing out the DPP raw conversion engine (and associated color profile). As you can see from the simple tests above, DPP is the worst of the bunch for “out of the box” pleasing images. Why they chose to test in Raw and in DPP, I don’t know. But, you the reader should be aware that Raw Conversion software has a lot to do with what you can get out of a camera. DPP has never been the quality leader (sorry, Canon).  The Canon 7D is the clear overall winner in both raw and jpeg. Capture One will provide the most pleasing files “out of the box.” Lightroom works pretty well and comes in a close second (except for the color issues). DPP is a distant third, as usual.

But, but there must something more to it than that you say. What about Diffraction and Subtraction and all the other scientific stuff I’ve been reading about?

Why didn’t you shoot at f/16 like one of the other reviewers? Well, I did. Just for fun. Although, the shots above were enough to convince me this wasn’t going anywhere.

Outdoor Shots at f/16

I don’t see the XSI resolving a lot more detail than the 7D. They look pretty similar. Especially considering the higher MP count of the 7D.

What I do see is a lot better looking color rendition for the 7D image. Both of these shots were taken using Auto White Balance.

How about another tree shot?

Colors still look better on AWB with the 7D. Don’t see any more mushiness here in the 7D shot either.

How about a building shot?

Again, the colors look better in the 7D shot. No mushiness here, either.

Overall Conclusion: The Canon 7D easily bests the Canon Rebel XSI

All smoke, no fire. Time to go home folks, nothing to see here.

Keep in mind there are many, many variables involved with processing raw files. If you want the best results from raw I would suggest a quick purchase of Capture One, or LightRoom 2.6. Canon DPP just doesn’t cut it, at least not for these cameras.

Drew Strickland

Adobe today announced the Photoshop Camera Raw 5.6, Lightroom 2.6 and DNG Converter 5.6 Release Candidates, available for immediate download on Adobe Labs. The term ‘release candidate’ means this update is well tested but would benefit from additional community testing to provide the highest quality experience for customers working on a variety of hardware and software configurations.

The updates add raw file support for 19 new popular camera models, including the Canon EOS 7D and Nikon D3s, with additional DNG support added for the Leica M9 camera model. A full list of the newly supported cameras is below. The Release Candidates also provide a fix for an issue affecting PowerPC customers using the final Lightroom 2.5 and Camera Raw 5.5 updates on the Mac. The issue, introduced in the demosaic change to address sensors with unequal green response, has the potential to create artifacts in the highlight area while using the Highlight Recovery tool in raw files from Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and various medium format digital camera backs.

Photoshop Lightroom 2 software is today’s digital photography workflow solution, allowing photographers to quickly import, process, manage and showcase images. The Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in provides fast and easy access within Photoshop to the raw image formats produced by many leading digital cameras, and Adobe’s Digital Negative (DNG) format is a publicly available archival format for the raw files generated by digital cameras.

Pricing and Availability

The Lightroom 2.6 Release Candidate is available as a free download for existing Lightroom 2 customers, and the Photoshop Camera Raw 5.6 Release Candidate is available as a free download for existing customers of Photoshop CS4. The DNG Converter 5.6 Release Candidate is also available as a free download for all customers. Click here for more information and to test out the updates: http://labs.adobe.com/. Feedback can be provided on the Adobe User to User forum (http://forums.adobe.com).

Newly Supported Camera Models

Canon EOS 7D
Canon PowerShot G11

Canon PowerShot S90

Leaf Aptus II 5

Mamiya DM22, DM28, DM33, DM56, M18, M22, M31

Nikon D3s

Olympus E-P2

Pentax K-x

Panasonic FZ38

Sigma DP1s

Sony A500

Sony A550

Sony A850

Leica Camera AG, Solms presents a new, limited special edition – the LEICA M7 Edition ‘Hermès’. As the successor to the ‘LEICA MP Edition Hermès’ launched in 2003, this is now the second series of cameras created in cooperation with Hermès, the Parisian company renowned throughout the world for its exclusive products.  This strictly limited LEICA M7 Edition ‘Hermès’ offers a total of 200 silver chrome LEICA M7 cameras finished in exclusive calfskin leather supplied by Hermès. The colors of this exclusive ‘Veau Swift’ leather are particularly extravagant. Connoisseurs of items that are extraordinary in both quality and style may choose between two eye-catching varieties in ‘Ètoupe’ and ‘Orange’. Only 100 cameras are available in each of the two leather colors.

In addition to the silver chrome camera, the special LEICA M7 Edition ‘Hermès’ set also includes a matching, silver anodized LEICA SUMMILUX-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH wide-angle lens. The lens is complemented by a classical round lens hood in silver anodized metal manufactured exclusively for the Edition ‘Hermès’. The set also includes a LEICAVIT M rapid winder finished in silver chrome. The finishing touch to the special edition is provided by a real leather carrying strap handcrafted by Atelier Hermès to match the color of the camera chosen.

**The LEICA M7 Edition ‘Hermès’ is available from December.

Stefan Daniel, head of the product management division at Leica Camera AG, said “The LEICA M7 and the fast LEICA SUMMILUX-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH are among the classics in the Leica rangefinder system.  What’s more, the lens is a leader in the field of fast wide-angle lenses and possesses outstanding optical qualities. Together with the LEICAVIT M, that ensures particularly rapid sequence shooting capability in combination with the M7, the LEICA M7 Edition ‘Hermès’ is a set that guarantees that ‘rather special something’ in every respect.  However, not only are its extravagant looks impressive, its ‘inner values’ are also a persuasive argument for every camera enthusiast.”

Compared to the standard production models, the LEICA M7 Edition ‘Hermès’ has numerous differences in the details. For instance, the top deck is engraved with the Leica name in its classic script form. The red Leica roundel was intentionally omitted to preserve the color harmony expressed by its extravagant leather covering. All control elements of the LEICA M7 Edition ‘Hermès’ are manufactured exclusively in metal. The back of the camera is also finished in silver chrome. For the LEICA M7 Edition ‘Hermès’, the usual red of the engraved ‘AUTO’ settings on the shutter speed dial of standard models has been replaced by the color of the camera’s leather. Each individual camera of this special limited edition has a special sequential serial number between 001/200 and 200/200. The technical specifications and the content of the special edition camera set are otherwise identical to those of the standard LEICA M7.

Contest For Side-splitting Videos Featuring ColorMunki On YouTube – Up To 500USD Monthly Cash Awards Plus 2,500USD Grand Prize

Grand Rapids, MI – November 16, 2009 – X-Rite (NASDAQ: XRIT), Incorporated, the world leader in color management and measurement technologies, launches a Show Us Your Munki contest, featuring its award-winning ColorMunki, (www.xritephoto.com) a product designed to deliver color perfection in digital imaging.

“X-Rite invites anyone to create a ColorMunki video, make us laugh, and submit it on our YouTube channel. The grand prize is 2,500USD, so the funnier, the better,” says X-Rite Sr. VP of Sales and Marketing Iris Mangelschots.

The Show Us Your Munki contest (www.ShowUsYourMunki.com), which runs October 1, 2009–March 31, 2010, is simple. Make a side-splitting video with ColorMunki as a prominent “character”, and submit it on the X-Rite YouTube channel. Then the real fun begins.

Show Us Your Munki contest bannerEvery month, prizes will be awarded to videos with the most views: 50USD (to buy your Munki a drink or two,) 150USD (to take your favorite Munki to dinner;) and 500USD (to take your Munki away for the weekend.) All monthly winners are eligible for the grand prize of 2,500USD, awarded at the end of the contest in March.

Don’t have a Munki? No worries; the contest even includes tools and ideas for developing your own hilarious video. To enter or for more on Show Us Your Munki contest details visit: www.ShowUsYourMunki.com

“ColorMunki was designed to appeal to the most creative people on the planet – those who want to obtain accurate color from screen to print in the easiest way possible. We are looking forward to seeing a wide variety of funny Munki videos that showcase a product developed to delight and engage them in the first place,” Mangelschots says.

To see what top professionals in the industry say about ColorMunki, visit www.xritephoto.com.

About X-Rite

X-Rite is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which includes color industry leader PANTONE Inc., develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services, www.xrite.com.