p>Sony has enhanced its 2005 DVD Handycam camcorder line with new technology and design. The five new DVD models incorporate features such as Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround recording, DVD+RW/-RW/-R compatibility and touch-panel displays. DVD recordings can be played back using most current home DVD players and PC drives, as well as later releases of PlayStation2...

Phillip E. Abel has been appointed director of Wedding and Portrait Photographers International. Abel’s background in the photographic industry includes sales with Fujifilm and Oriental Photo, photofinishing with the Photo Factory in San Diego and 12 years as a professional photographer with the U.S. Navy. Most recently, he was field marketing manager for Fujifilm.

The Caroline Mytinger Project has selected Jeff Streich, of First Light Films (firstlightfilms.com) in Portland, Ore., to produce and direct the documentary portion of the project.

Streich’s previous television work includes projects for National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, PBS, BBC, MTV and the first season of CBS’s “Survivor.” He also was the recipient of an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft in News and Documentary Programming for...

Randy Harris, a photographer based in Bellevue, Wash., has been named the grand prize winner of the Nature’s Best Magazine National Photo Contest. The winning photograph was a close-up of an Alaskan grizzly bear fishing for silver salmon.

Harris’ work has appeared in magazines, on television and in advertising campaigns. The award-winning photo can be seen at randyharrisphoto.com.

Pentax Imaging has developed the amphibious OptioWP digital camera with 5 megapixels and a 3x zoom, for use both on land and underwater. Every seam in the camera is protected with rubber sealant and an interlocking design to resist dust, pressure and moisture. The OptioWP can produce high-quality images up to three feet underwater without an additional underwater housing unit.

The camera features a 2-inch, low-reflection LCD, 10MB built-in memory, quick startup and...

Samsung Camera has launched the Digimax V6, a 6-megapixel digital camera — the latest addition to its Digimax V Series of compact digital cameras.

The V6 offers a number of features, including Schneider optics, support for nine different power sources, three customizable profile settings and a super macro feature that lets the photographer shoot subjects as close as six centimeters in manual mode. Also included are 12x zoom (3x optical, 4x digital), auto and manual shooting modes, and the ability to record up to two hours of audio.

The convenient shooting-mode dial allows photographers to choose...

After 20 years as executive director of SF Camerawork, Marnie Gillett died Dec. 3, 2004, following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. During her tenure, Gillett established Camerawork as a launching pad for emerging artists. She also was pivotal in helping raise San Francisco’s profile as an art community leading the exploration of the photographic medium.

Before assuming the leadership of Camerawork, Gillett was curator of exhibitions at the University of Arizona’s...

Sony has introduced its 2005 line of six new Mini DV Handycam camcorder models. Heading the lineup is the DCR-PC1000 model with three-chip complimentary metal oxide semiconductor sensor technology. The enhanced imaging processor allows wide dynamic range for improved picture quality with better lighting details on video and still images. The DCR-PC1000 also...

Canon's new line of Mini DV camcorders is targeted toward entry- and mid-level users. The camcorders allow users to view their home movies from PCs or televisions. The line also offers a high-resolution 16:9 widescreen shooting mode, and operates with both Windows XP and Macintosh OS X.

The new two-in-one Elura 90, Elura 85 and Elura 80 camcorders have the ability to take photos and...

Olympus has released its C-7070 Wide Zoom with a super-wide-angle lens and high-resolution, 7.1-megapixel CCD. Two new autofocus modes enable photographers to shoot fast, sharp photos of subjects in motion.

The C-7070's high-quality glass lens was designed specifically for digital cameras. Its 4x optical zoom ultra-wide-angle is equivalent to 27-110mm, f/2.8-f/8.

For added versatility, photographers can select from three new conversion lenses. The WCON-17c is a 0.7x wide-angle converter that reduces the...