Nikon to Showcase Photo and Video Content for Austin Festival

MELVILLE, N.Y., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital imaging leader Nikon Inc. announced today that it will offer a unique social platform for the music, technology and film community to post content in a dedicated gallery on yfrog, the only photo and video sharing service available for Twitter. The Nikon gallery (www.yfrog.com/Nikon) will feature photos and videos from bloggers and attendees at the interactive, film and music festival taking place in Austin, March 12-21, 2010.

In addition to viewing content and posting comments, site visitors can use yfrog to upload images and videos to the Nikon gallery by using the hashtags "#SXSW," or "#SXSWpics," and share content through their own social networks and follow a real-time Twitter feed on the site. The Nikon gallery will enable thousands of members of the music, interactive and film community to offer updates, share photography and video content and participate in a dialogue about emerging trends with friends and peers.

Nikon has enlisted five bloggers from various communities, including music, pop culture, film and photography to serve as photography and video ambassadors at the festival in Austin. They include:

• Sarah Austin, lifecaster and pop culture blogger, Pop17.com (Twitter: @pop17)
• Chris Brogan, author and founder of New Marketing Labs (Twitter: @chrisbrogan)
• Marko Slavnic, Nikon Festival winner and aspiring filmmaker (Twitter: @markoslavnic)
• Brooklyn Vegan, music blog (Twitter: @brooklynvegan)
• Jeff Pulver, author and tech expert, JeffPulver.com (Twitter: @jeffpulver)

Each blogger will be equipped with Nikon digital cameras to capture their experience for the Nikon gallery, showing their perspective on festival news and events through images and HD video. They will attend screenings, musical performances, interactive panels and local parties in Austin during the festival.

Photos and videos can be uploaded to yfrog via computers and smart phones, and the site supports the most common photo and video file formats, including jpeg, bmp, gif, mov, flv, mpeg and more.

"Nikon is always looking for new ways to meet the needs of our consumers, whether it's delivering excellent image quality or providing a platform to share photos and videos in a unique way," said Lisa Baxt, Senior Communications Manager for Nikon Inc. "We're excited to deploy Nikon cameras to bloggers for capturing their personal experiences at events throughout the next few weeks."

"The use of tools for photo-sharing through social and micro-blogging communities like Twitter will continue to rise, and we're excited to work with Nikon to enhance the user experience," said Jack Levin, Chief Executive Officer for ImageShack, the parent company of yfrog. "We recognize the need for simplifying the social content-sharing process and respect the full line of Nikon's award-winning products that offer both photo and HD video capabilities."

The Nikon Gallery on yfrog will remain active for uploading new content throughout March, and will remain live for viewing indefinitely.

About Nikon

Nikon, At the Heart of the Image™. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights and system accessories; Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras; COOLSCAN® digital film scanners; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics. For the second consecutive year, Nikon D Series digital SLR cameras are recognized as "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with digital SLR cameras, Two Years in a Row, Tied in 2008." according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 and 2008 Digital Camera Usage and Satisfaction Studies(SM). For more information, dial (800) NIKON-UX or visit http://www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the Web's most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities.

For J.D. Power and Associates award information go to jdpower.com

About yfrog

Yfrog requires no registration and is free to use. It is the first Twitter-enhancing service to combine the ability to stream video files from both the browser and mobile devices. Yfrog's use of the advanced H.264 codec makes it possible for users to enjoy high quality video on their personal computer or iPhone. Videos uploaded to yfrog can also be viewed on Apple iPhone or iPod. Yfrog users now can share any video file type to Twitter by visiting yfrog.com or any application that supports yfrog's APIs. Yfrog was launched in February 2009 by Imageshack on top of the same infrastructure that supports its hosting service.

With more than 62 million monthly unique visitors, ImageShack is the largest independent image hosting website. ImageShack is headquartered in Los Gatos, California and is backed by Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, and Felicis Ventures. ImageShack launched in 2003 and was founded by Jack and Alexander Levin. For more information on yfrog or ImageShack visit www.imageshack.com.

SOURCE Nikon Inc.