Last update 05 May’09 – Review by CreativePro

Overall Rating: Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it. | Lowest Price

Review Index – (updated 05 May’09)

CreativePro
“Pros: Beautiful design, great feel. New buttons, TouchRing, and Radial menu are useful additions that let you drive a huge number of functions from the tablet.

Cons: No way to access menu items using the Mac driver; no way to share settings among multiple machines.”
Rating:  

PhotographyBlog
“The new Intuos 4 is a strong upgrade to the Wacom lineup. The ability to work well for left or right hand users, the OLEDs, Touch Ring, and increased sensitivity have made this new tablet into a must have for the serious artist or photographer working in Photoshop. It’s pretty darn useful in other applications with handwriting support, including Mac OS X and Vista too.”
Rating:  

PDN Gear Guide
“If you’re the type of photographer who feels more comfortable with a pencil in your hand than a mouse, the new Intuous4 tablet is a vastly improved digital palette from Wacom that will get you making Photoshop edits like a true artist. But if pen tablets were never really your thing to begin with, you might find you still don’t have room in your life for this well designed though somewhat intrusive editing peripheral.”

About.com
“Less-expensive graphics tablets are available from other manufacturers, but Wacom is deservedly the leader in this field. Wacom’s advancements in technology, technical support, software features, and longevity as a company are unequaled. All in all, I feel the Wacom Intuos4 is a significant improvement over the Intuos3, and while it’s not quite perfect yet, this fourth generation brings it mighty close.”
Rating:  

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Specifications

[Specifications]

Latest – Review by CrunchGear (added 05 November ’07)

Reviews – (updated 05 November ‘07)

CrunchGear has taken the Eye-Fi wireless card for a test drive and here is an excerpt from their review conclusion -
All-in-all, this is a solid device. It is comparable to any 2GB SD card on the market but it gives you the ability to upload your pictures in a much cooler fashion. And if you can’t wait, if you plug a loaded card into the USB reader, it will automatically upload your pictures to your photo service via USB. Yay, all-around convenience.

[Read the full review here]

Latest – Review by DPReview (added 01 November ’07)

Reviews – (updated 01 November ‘07)

The recently announced Eye-Fi WiFi capable SD card has been reviewed by DPReview and here is an excerpt from their review conclusion -
Once configured and in a ‘home’ environment it is arguably easier getting images from your camera back to your computer, but you really wouldn’t want to use it as a mass transfer alternative to a card reader. If you really want a card reader and wire free solution to getting your images onto your computer then you could just get a SanDisk Ultra II USB SD card which has a built-in USB connector, for $50. Lastly it’s probably worth pondering the point of this product, do people really have problems plugging their cameras into a USB cable / placing the card in a card reader / placing the camera on a dock?

[Read the full review here]

The Pantone Huey Monitor Color Calibrator designed for calibrating and profiling all types of monitors – LCD and CRT. Each individual package includes a huey measurement device (emission only colorimeter) with ambient measurement capabilities, and software for monitor calibration.

Latest Review Update – 07.03.07

Photography Blog – Huey Pro
Photo Review
Photo-i
Adorama
IGN
MacCompanion
Shock Gadgets

Photography Blog – 07/03/2007 – reviews the Pantone Huey Pro and reports, “Pantone took a good product and made some important changes with the Huey Pro. The original version is still available, but I recommend the Pro model for the higher quality profiles and multiple monitor support. Current Huey owners can upgrade for about $40. There are other options available, such as the ColorVision Spyder lineup, and the X-Rite EyeOne Display, but it’s hard to beat the Huey Pro for ease of use and features. This is my standard monitor calibration solution when traveling with a laptop as I find myself frequently working in different lighting conditions, and I appreciate the tiny size of the device. The bottom line is that if you’re considering monitor calibration devices (and you should be if you are at all serious about your image quality), then the Huey Pro should be high on your list of options.”
Photo Review – 05/15/2007 – reviews the Pantone Huey and reports, “Although serious photographers will probably be frustrated by the over-automation of the calibration process and the lack of meaningful controls, Pantone’s huey should suit photo hobbyists who are just starting to need colour management. However, we have a few reservations about the product, even for this target market because the only help provided is perfunctory and there’s no information about colour management and monitor calibration is disappointing. A great opportunity to educate novice users has been missed.”
Northlight Images – 04/29/2007 – reviews the Pantone Huey and reports, “Very easy to use and set up. Profiles produced a noticeable improvement in displays.

I’d suggest using gravity rather than the rubber suckers, when calibrating LCDs. I just don’t like the idea of trying to stick things to a LCD screen.

At the price, it’s going to be popular, but I do take serious issue with the degree that the interface/help has been dumbed down, to the point of not including useful information that might help people make better and more consistent use of the product.”
Photo-i – 03/28/2007 – reviews the Pantone Huey and reports, “The huey is very easy to set up and use, it produced a pleasing (but not totally accurate) colouring on my LG LCD screen, you can see a difference in screen display colouring when the huey profile is compared to one created with a Spyder Pro 2. At £59 the huey represents good value for money, and it will appeal to the keen hobbyist who doesn’t want to splash £140+ out on a Spyder. Bearing in mind that is aimed at the hobbyist market I would have liked a few more options, such as being able to calibrate a TV screen as well as a monitor.”
Adorama – 03/11/2007 – reviews the Pantone Huey and reports, “HUEY has finally made it easy and inexpensive for anyone who owns a computer to see accurate image color on their monitor. It is simple to use, and it works.

If you own a compact digital camera, EVF, or consumer-grade DSLR, and you regularly look at your photos on your monitor, HUEY has burst on the scene as a must-have accessory.”
IGN – 02/03/2007 – reviews the Pantone Huey and reports, “So, how did the Huey get us there? For something as technical as color correction, the install process couldn’t have been easier. The manual guided us through the setup in clear steps, the first of which was cleaning our monitor with included wipes and a buffer cloth. After this step we installed the software, and after a restart we were ready to plug in the Huey via USB and let Pantone’s software work its magic.”
Macnn – 01/10/2007 – reviews the Pantone Huey and reports, “After calibration, I found my monitors no longer had a blue and metallic cast (the PowerBook), nor a red cast (the LaCie). Oranges and browns looked warmer and more real, and all of the secondary colors looked better. In the pictures above you can see how off my PowerBook display was at one point. It’s amazing I ever printed any decent looking photos. I spent countless hours color editing, when I needed a monitor color calibration tool. The bottom line is, if you want to edit your photographs, you need to calibrate your monitor, and the PANTONE huey is the best and most cost-effective solution.”
MacCompanion – 01/05/2007 – reviews the Pantone Huey and reports, “Though the PANTONE huey is inexpensive and easy to install and use, it is only the first step in a useful color managed workflow. No booklet or information about the basics of a color-managed workflow is packaged with the PANTONE huey. When huey has been installed and the monitor calibrated, what should be done next? How should users color correct their photos? With what software? Can they use their current software to correct their photos? Do they need Photoshop? If they’re sending photos to be printed, what do they do?”
Shock Gadgets – 01/04/2007 – reviews the Pantone Hue and reports, “I have seen many products fail because they’re impossible to use. I have given up installing games because I know it’s going to be half an hour sat watching a loading bar. Nobody would buy something that looks like it’s about to crumble into dust as soon as you unpack it. Although this isn’t exactly on the same level as a game, the fact that this is a decent simple product attracts me to it. It isn’t everyday you see products that just work, but this does.”

Fantasea Line, distributor of the world’s most popular and affordable underwater photographic products, announces the release of the FD-40X waterproof camera housing dedicated exclusively to the new Nikon Digital D-40 and D-40X cameras. Together, the FD-40X housing and the D-40/D-40X camera offer an excellent combination for entry level underwater DSLR photography at an affordable price. The FD-40X’s interchangeable port system accommodates a wide variety of SLR lenses, allowing photographers to capture the widest variety of superior underwater images. The Fantasea lens system provides the opportunity to use the exact lenses for the best circumstances, including a choice of macro, wide angle, fisheye, and zoom lenses. The FD-40X is easy and instinctive to use and handle.

The Fantasea FD-40X is more than just an underwater camera housing since it provides protection for the D-40/D-40X against damage from rain, snow, dust, sand and dirt. It is a valuable tool for many commercial, industrial, and medical applications, because it is resistant to most liquids and sprays.

The FD-40X housing is rated to a depth of 200 feet (60m). The main seal between front and back halves is a gasket seal. The lens port attaches with a double O-ring seal for double protection. The camera “slides” into the FD-40X housing on a specially designed tray. Once inside the housing the stainless steel latching buckles on the back door are snapped shut, sealing the system with a sound watertight seal. The housing controls are made from stainless steel shafts and springs and are sealed by double O-rings as is the housing port. The control knobs and buttons are made of sturdy molded polycarbonate. The FD-40X flash sync port is a five-pin Nikonos type system which allows for full TTL coverage especially when using the Fantasea FSB800 Flash housing for the Nikon SB 800 Flash.

Among the key features and controls for the FD-40X housing:

• Shutter Release Control
• Power Switch
• Exposure Compensation/
• Aperture Control
• Shooting Information Control
• Zoom Port Control
• Auto Exposure/Focus Lock / Protect Control
• Mode Dial
• Command Dial
• Multi Selector Control
• Delete Control
• Playback Zoom/Setting Control
• Thumbnail/Help Control
• Menu Control
• Playback Control
• Magnified Optical Viewfinder
• Interchangeable Ports System-including wide angle and macro ports
• Bulkhead and Hot Shoe Connector for Strobe
• Double O-Ring Design on all Controls and Lens Ports
• Standard 5 Pin Nikonos Type TTL sync socket

The retail price of the FD-40X is $1099 (U.S.) which includes the standard (18-55mm zoom lens) port and free flood insurance. Fantasea Line is the only housing company in the world that offers a free pre-paid flood insurance policy for one year, built into the cost.

For more information visit Fantasea.com

BobAtkins has reviewed the Lensbaby 2.0 and here’s the conclusion. “If you’re a Holga fan and own an SLR or DSLR, or if you find low end consumer zoom lenses way too sharp, this may be just what you’re looking for. It’s not for everyone, but I don’t think there’s anything like it commercially available elsewhere. It’s well made and there isn’t a lot that can go wrong with it. You certainly won’t be sending it back because the images aren’t soft enough….”

ePhotozine has reviewed the KATA Hiker Camera Gear Backpack HB-205 and they write, “The Kata HB-205 backpack has proved to be a good purchase. Well designed, good capacity and very comfortable. It surpasses similar sized bags from competitor companies. The whole thing is robust and has a quality feel. The protection it gives is beyond doubt. The normal selling price from major suppliers is just under £170. Not a cheap option, but worth every penny.”

“ThnkCamera has reviewed the VisibleDust cleaning kit and writes’ “As I said right at the start, if you have a DSLR and have issues with dust then buy an Arctic Butterfly. The one on test was a 724, which has a very strong motor and interchangeable tips. For people on a budget there’s the SL 700 which has a less powerful motor so you need to spin it for longer.

It also doesn’t allow you to change the tips but the brush can be washed if it gets dirty (follow the instructions though!). I haven’t tested an SL 700 but assuming it works as well as the 724 you can save a twenty quid by getting one. The SL 700 RRP is £44.95.

I’m less convinced by the swabs and fluid – if you need them they may do a good job and I’d certainly give them a go. However, they aren’t for day to day cleaning and may not be enough for really tough dirt. In the light of this and the fact that you only save about £2 buying the kit, I’d recommend buying either a 724 or SL 700 and then buying swabs and fluid if and when you need them.