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Bold cuffs dominate 2007 American Music Awards

Los Angeles—Some of the biggest names in the nation's music industry chose bold cuffs and black or gold dresses as the top look for the 2007 American Music Awards, held last night at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

Beyoncé Knowles sported both trends, upping the wattage on her golden gown with multicolored sapphire and diamond "Caviar" bangles, blackened carved sapphire and diamond earrings, and a blackened diamond ring, all by Lorraine Schwartz. Actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens followed suit in a sparkly gold dress and Amrapali of Jaipur bold gold cuff and gold earrings. Singer Avril Lavigne chose the golden touch too, wearing a metallic dress but keeping jewelry minimal to simple rings and earrings.

Black ensembles were also popular. Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist Fergie wore a flirty black mini, nicely contrasted with a gold cuff, while Favorite Female Soul/R and B Artist Rihanna decked out in a black and silver dress, opting to wear diamond studs to finish off the look. Singer Alicia Keys chose to keep her neck bare like Beyoncé, wearing instead a cuff and drop earrings against a glittery black dress.

Darkened metals made frequent appearances too. In addition to Beyoncé, presenter Christina Applegate wore darkened diamond and platinum ball jewels from Neil Lane's "Hollywood" collection, including a ball bracelet, leaf earrings and ring.

Diamonds, never to be outdone, were also out in force, as seen on singer Celine Dion, who wore a Lanvin dress paired with two Van Cleef and Arpels diamond clips—the "Camelia" (left) and a 160 "Tourbillion" estate clip—for the red carpet, and a white dress and Van Cleef diamond ribbon bracelet for her performance.

News from the 6Sight Conference

What are the emerging imaging trends we'll all be talking about in the months and years to come? PopPhoto.com news correspondent Aimee Baldridge attended last week's 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference in Monterey, California to find out.

Perhaps not unexpectedly, advances in imaging quality and compression continue, meaning cleaner photos being processed quicker and more compactly, particularly in the camera phone market.

PureDepth showed off multi-layered displays, which can give a feeling of depth, along with increased Dynamic range -- look for multi-layer displays to show up in navigation systems, handheld gaming consoles and computer monitors in the future!

Not surprisingly, much of the future of imaging involves real-time collaboration, and customization and personalized micropublishing.

Interestingly, too, is the Eastman House wiki, which will bring the history of imaging to the web, in full-on web 2.0 style.

And perhaps the most controversial of the emerging imaging technologies displayed at 6Sight is Seam Carving, which can quickly and effectively rescale images with or without altering the image content. This technology is a page designer's dream, but will probably send cold chills down the spines of photojournalists everywhere.

Stay tuned to PopPhoto.com for updates and these emerging technologies in the coming months, and for all your photo news.

6Sight: Apeer Unveils Image Sharing and Collaboration Platform 6Sight: PureDepth Shows Multi-Layer Display Tech 6Sight: Visan Demos RocketLife Online Photo Product Technology 6Sight: Seam Carving Demonstrated 6Sight: Eastman House to Develop Imaging Technology Wiki 6Sight: Scalado Speeds Up Camera Phone Performance 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference Opens

Bold cuffs dominate 2007 American Music Awards

Sigma 4.5mm EX DC Circular Fisheye HSM

Sigma has for the first time marketed a true fisheye optic for crop sensors, projecting a circular 180° image onto APS-C sensors. The new lens sports a focal length of 4.5mm and maximum aperture of f/2.8, HSM silent focusing and SLD low-dispersion lens elements. Aside from the 'edgy' skateboarding shots and frankly unflattering portraits often seen, circular fisheyes are actually quite useful for astrophotography and scientific applications. Pricing and availability is yet to be announced.

Press Release:

The first Circular Fisheye Lens exclusively for use with APS-C size digital SLR cameras

4.5mm F2.8 EX DC CIRCULAR FISHEYE HSM

The first 180 degree circular fisheye lens designed specifically for APS-C size digital SLR cameras
Fast F2.8 maximum aperture making it ideal for low light photography
Minimum focusing distance of 13.5cm and a maximum magnification of 1:6
SLD glass minimizes color aberration
Equipped with HSM with full-time manual focus override
Equisolid angle projection method is possible for art and scientific use

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 4.5mm F2.8 EX DC CIRCULAR
FISHEYE HSM lens.

This autofocus circular fisheye lens has an angle of view of 180 degrees in all directions. It is exclusively
designed for digital SLR cameras with the APS-C size image sensor. When used in conjunction with digital
SLRs with APS-C size image sensors, it produces circular image within the frame.

The F2.8 large aperture value produces a bright image in the viewfinder and allows photographers to take pictures in low light conditions, making it an ideal lens for Astrophotography and Aurora photography. Due to the quantifiable angle/area relationship it produces, this lens can be used for scientific and arts applications such as solid angle measurements of cloud distribution over the sky or vegetation distribution of the forest.

The minimum focusing distance of 13.5cm/5.3inch and maximum magnification of 1:6 make it particularly
useful for close-up photography. SLD （Special Low Dispersion） glass provides effective compensation of
chromatic aberration. Sigma’s Super Multi-Layer Coating minimizes flare and ghosting. It is equipped with
an inner focusing system that creates high definition and good image quality over the whole frame. The HSM （Hyper Sonic Motor） ensures fast and quiet autofocusing and allows full-time manual focus override by rotation of the focus ring.

4.5mm F2.8 EX DC CIRCULAR FISHEYE HSM specifications

Lens construction	9 Groups 13 Elements
Angle of view	180°
Number of blades	6
Minimum Aperture	F22
Minimum Focusing Distance	13.5cm/5.3in
Maximum Magnification	1：6
Filter	Insertion-type gelatin filter into rear of the lens
Dimensions (Diameter x Length)	Ø 76.2mm X 77.8mm / 3in. X 3.1in
Weight	470g / 16.6oz

Jewelry makes a quiet entry at New York Fashion Week

By Mary Wisniewski

New York—Models strutted down the catwalks at the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City wearing clothing that broke new ground in apparel, but when it came to the jewelry trends, there were a number of holdovers from 2007.

Long, layered necklaces, colorful beads, bangles and cuff bracelets made many repeat appearances; that is, if the fashion designer chose to accessorize with jewelry at all, which frequently did not prove to be the case.

Helena Krodel, associate director of media for the Jewelry Information Center, says there was a moderate showing of jewelry for spring, with necklaces popping up the most. Although jewelry wasn't everywhere on the runways during the Sept. 5-12 event, she says, jewelry-inspired looks surfaced in many of the designs.

"Fine jewelry is making an impact on fashion," she says.

The runways were a tale of two styles, with romantic or vixen themes vying with menswear-inspired looks.

Designers generally opted to show clothing with movement, but belts tapered in any billowing dresses or shirts. High-waisted shorts and pants, puffed sleeves and long dresses accompanied by floppy hats and gloves appeared frequently.

As for color, greens, beiges, grays, blues and metallics were regulars, as were floral prints.

There were three major themes overriding Fashion Week, according to Krodel. One she refers to as "rich hippie," which in the jewelry world translates into the use of pearls, coral, bones, wood, feathers and oxidized metals—organic pieces that are fitting for the season, she says.

"It works well for spring because everything is blooming and there's lots of color," Krodel says, characterizing the look as under the radar but still hip.

She also observed a "color-blocking" trend that was best complemented by pop art-inspired jewelry. This included free-form necklaces that managed to remain architectural though abstract, as well as pieces made from artifacts.

"American prepster" is the third category Krodel observed, with slimmer skirts and shrunken jackets highlighting the trend. The jewelry pairings were thick, chunky necklaces and bracelets, crests and all-metal rings.

"Thick, precious-metal rings are the news," Krodel says.

Whatever the theme, the models wearing jewelry were hard to ignore.

Marc Jacobs' avant-garde apparel collection included much of the designer's own attention-grabbing jewelry, including statement-making necklaces and colorful beads.

Vintage stone necklace from H. Stern's archive paired with a crinkle-chiffon "Riberia" dress in pale lilac by Diane von Furstenberg. Diane von Furstenberg did not shy from jewelry either, but stuck with more traditional pieces such as long necklaces and the occasional bracelet, using her alliance with H. Stern to get the job done. The most impressive piece was a long, multicolored vintage stone necklace.

Tracy Reese, Anna Sui and Vera Wang sent some stunning jewelry down the runways too, including long chains, bangles and oversized gemstone necklaces. The boldest of the bunch came from Vera Wang, who sent several models down the catwalk in the designer's own huge, statement-making necklaces.

Kara Ross designed pieces for the J. Mendel show, including a series of base-metal cuffs with stones of a more esoteric bent, such as lapis, malachite, hematite, tiger's eye and white jade, giving the clothing an extra edge.

Fashion and jewelry designer teams extended outside the mayhem of the Bryant Park tents too.

For a show held inside an HSBC bank, designer B. Michael joined forces with jewelry designer Color Story for a symbiotic pairing that brightened up an already vivid catwalk. Pink, gold and print apparel was paired with jewelry studded with colorful gemstones.

Australian South Sea pearl company Autore teamed with Maticevski for the brand's Spring/Summer 2008 show in downtown New York. The jewelry ranged from drop earrings to intricate cocktail rings.

Piaget's jewels took a turn at Marchesa's Spring 2008 presentation too, which was held at the Chelsea Art Museum. The opening look, a little black dress, featured Piaget's "Miss Protocole" black and diamond watchstrap worn as an evening bracelet. The designers also dressed models in three Piaget "Possession" bracelets in white gold and diamonds, as well as a yellow gold ring with diamonds and a black sapphire and diamond band.

10mm F2.8 EX DC Fisheye HSM

The other type of fisheye lens available is the diagonal variety which squeezes a 180° angle of view into a standard rectangular format. This new 10mm F2.8 EX DC Fisheye HSM from Sigma is just such a lens. That said, it captures a true 180° vista only when mounted in front of a Nikon DX sensor - users of Canon and Sigma DSLRs make do with 167° and 154° respectively. A built-in lens hood and HSM focusing are here and the lens will focus down to 1.8cm (0.7 in) from the front surface of the lens giving a reproduction ratio of 1:3.3.

Press Release:

Fisheye lens with close up ability designed exclusively for use
with APS-C size digital SLR cameras

10mm F2.8 EX DC FISHEYE HSM

Fisheye lens designed specifically for APS-C digital SLR cameras
13.5cm minimum focusing distance and 1:3.3 maximum magnification allows close up
photography
Equipped with HSM allowing full-time manual focus override
Equisolid angle projection system is possible for art and scientific use

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 10mm F2.8 EX DC FISHEYE HSM lens.

This autofocus fisheye lens is designed for use with digital SLR cameras equipped with APS-C size image
sensors. The Nikon version produces a diagonal angle of view of 180° （154° for Sigma, 167° for Canon）.
The diagonal field of view of this fisheye lens produces striking images with exaggerated perspective and
distortion. The minimum focusing distance of 13.5cm/5.3inch, and maximum magnification 1:3.3 allows
subjects to be as close as 1.8cm/0.7inch from the lens’ front element. This close focusing capability allows
close-up photography and also it is possible to make use of large depth of field that covers wide range of
subjects. The Integral hood blocks out extraneous light and the Super Multi-Layer Coating minimizes flare
and ghosting, creating superior image quality. The HSM （Hyper Sonic Motor） ensures fast and quiet
autofocusing and allows full-time manual focus override by rotation of the focus ring. This lens is supplied
with a gelatin filter holder at the rear, allowing the use of gelatin filters.

10mm F2.8 EX DC FISHEYE HSM specifications

Lens construction	7 Groups 12 Elements
Angle of view	154° (180° for Nikon, 167° for Canon)
Number of blades	7
Minimum Aperture	F22
Minimum Focusing Distance	13.5cm/5.3in
Maximum Magnification	1：3.3
Filter	Insertion-type gelatin filter into rear of the lens
Dimensions (Diameter x Length)	Ø 75.8mm X 83.1mm / 3in. X 3.3in
Weight	TBA

Italy’s trend seers forecast a craving for color

By Pooja Agarwal

Vicenza, Italy—Italian jewelry designers have long taken a center-stage role in reinterpreting the world of luxury, and buyers from all over the world faithfully continue to tap in.

At this year's Vicenzaoro Autumn edition, held in Vicenza, Italy, from Sept. 15 to 19, the designs were out in big, bold style, with yellow gold taking the lead as the metal of choice, and pink gold following at a close second.

Florence-based designer Orlando Orlandini, whose atelier is famed for its modern jewelry crafted using Old World techniques, was among those showcasing new designs, including the latest versions of the company's "Rugiada" and "Sole" collections.

"While still maintaining our characteristic jewelry—light, soft, wearable—we introduced to our American customers impressive geometric-shaped pieces with a big look and significant movement within the piece," said designer Paladino Orlandini, son of Orlando Orlandini.

Adding a sense of movement and fluidity to jewelry design appears to be among the season's most compelling trends.

Colored gemstones and black and brown diamonds in combination with white diamonds were additional designer trends at the show.

Zydo, whose jewels are distributed in the United States by New York-based IJA, has lately crafted diamond designs that are a bit atypical.

"We did pieces using fancy-shaped diamonds like marquise, princess and hearts," said Davide Zybert, founder of Zydo. "Especially for the United States, we introduced these autumn colorful rings with various colors of sapphires. This was a big hit."

For Bonato Oliviero Gioielli, big colored gemstones—green amethyst, citrine and rhodolite—set in pink gold spoke volumes for the company, which owner and chief executive officer Bonato Oliviero attributes in part to a revival of 1940s style.

"The buyers of high-end jewelry, such as Cellini [Jewelers]—which has three boutiques in New York—Gragg from Houston and Fran Lippy [Jewelers] from [Livingston] New Jersey, shopped for these goods," Oliviero said.

Italian company Picchiotti reported strong buyer interest in colored diamonds and gemstones as well.

"In our 'Star Collection,' the U.S. customers picked combinations of black and white diamonds, which is something new for our company," said owner Giuseppe Picchiotti. "We also did well with top-quality Colombian emerald and Burmese ruby set in the hot metals: platinum and yellow gold."

Centoventuno also garnered U.S. interest in new color combinations, with the company's collection of black and brown diamonds in pink gold generating buzz.

Roberto Coin presented bold designs with textured gold finishing on the jewels.

"We have made a lot of jewelry in pink gold," said owner Roberto Coin. "This is unique and a new introduction into the U.S. market, where we would normally sell white gold and diamonds well."

Several of Roberto Coin's top U.S. clients, including Saks and Bailey Banks and Biddle, were flown into Italy for the show. In addition to viewing the designer's latest baubles, the retailers took in the launch of the brand's new advertising campaign featuring model Christy Turlington Burns.

HP Photosmart R937 review

HP Photosmart R937 digital camera review : During HP labs event in Lisbon every participant received a digital compact camera to play with for one week. Of course this is an ideal way to get acquainted with the latest top model of the American brand. Certainly an experience that asked for more, so right after this we requested a model to put to the test and to offer you an extensive HP Photosmart R937 review.

HP Photosmart R937 - Huge touch screen
One of the extraordinary features on the HP R937 camera is its touch screen. Of course HP are not the first to apply a touch screen but it being such a huge screen is a unique experience. It should not surprise anyone that HP is offering a touch screen. The brand is aiming at the consumer. And the consumer wants an easy to operate camera that has not too many buttons and settings. HP is getting better and better at it. The user's needs are met; he or she can take pictures without having to think too much. This is excellent for the target group the camera is aiming at.

HP R937 - 8.15 Megapixel camera resolution
The resolution of 8.15 Megapixels is sufficient to offer good enlargements. Most pictures will not even be printed in a size that big. Naturally HP's adaptive exposure is available. It is one of the most sensible functions HP has been integrating in cameras. Furthermore a 3x optical zoom, clear program settings, ISO 1600 and a large 3.6-inch screen enable photographing in most circumstances. The way of sharing a picture with friends or family is quite remarkable too. The R937 is a unique camera in its class so it is time to put the HP Photosmart R937 to the test.

6Sight: Scalado Speeds Up Camera Phone Performance

Monterey, CA--Scalado CTO Sami Niemi unveiled a new encoder for camera phones at the 6Sight conference in Monterey, CA. The SpeedView encoder promises to enable fast image browsing, viewing, magnification, and panning on camera phones, as well as to speed up image processing to greatly reduce shutter lag. SpeedView is based on the company's RAJPEG codec, which Niemi called the "world's fastest imaging format."

According to Scalado, RAJPEG combines standard JPEG files with additional metadata in order to reduce the amount of RAM memory the files use by a factor of 25x, increasing performance without compromising image quality. Scalado says its RAJPEG format has already been implemented for decoding images in 100 million phones. With the addition of the encoding technology, which SpeedView applies when an image is processed after capture, the company claims that camera phone images can be processed up to 50x faster than current technology allows.

PGI reveals innovative pieces at lower prices

By Mary Wisniewski

New York—Dispelling the myth that buying platinum jewelry always means spending big money, Platinum Guild International (PGI) showcased pieces with price points of $5,000 or less at its Editor Preview Day in Manhattan yesterday.

The "Platinum for Everyday" selection showed that although the price of platinum continues to soar, creative designers are manufacturing lighter-weight pieces to combat the metal's escalating cost. Some of these pieces include long platinum-chain earrings with 14 diamonds by Ricardo Basto, which sell at a suggested retail price of $3,650, and platinum eternity bands by OGI that come with diamonds or diamonds and sapphires at suggested retail price points from $1,790 to $4,450.

Even platinum body jewelry was highlighted with Tummytoys platinum belly rings. The company's "Circle of Life" belly ring with diamonds sells at a suggested retail price of $1,695.

The preview in its entirety revealed the newest platinum jewelry and watch designs, ranging from total glam to more casual, and featured designers such as Gurhan, Hearts On Fire, Neil Lane and Oscar Heyman and Bros.

Superfit platinum tie accent with diamonds; suggested retail price is $4,600. Other notable platinum jewelry trends included blackened platinum, platinum with black diamonds and platinum men's jewelry, such as a platinum and diamond tie accent by Superfit (right).