Another busy 6 months has passed in the digital photography world, and right on cue, the Ricoh CX4 appears as the replacement for the already out-of-date CX3 compact camera. New features include a reworked body, improved image stabilisation system, subject-tracking auto-focus mode, and some creative filters. The CX4 retains the 10.7x lens, 720p HD movies, 3 inch screen, and 10 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor of its predecessor. Read the World's first Ricoh CX4 review to find out if it can keep up with the travel-zoom competition.

“Above Scotland: Cities” is a new book containing aerial photographs of Scotland’s six cities from the 1920s to the present. Published by The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), the book is authored by Rebecca M. Bailey, James Crawford and Allan Williams. “From the air, you can read a city and work out puzzles of its development that can be confusing at ground level,” Crawford said: “Rooftops become like geological layers, architectural timelines of social, economic and political history.” Including a 3D viewer for a set of never-before published three dimensional photographs, the book will come out on 1st October 2010 at a price of £25.

The new Benro Quick Lock tripods are now available in the UK. Kenro, the official UK distributor for Benro tripods, introduced this new range of accessories in May this year with the launch of the Travel Angel Series, this was followed by the FlexPod Series in July. Quick Locks are available in four different models, two made from eight-layer carbon fibre and two constructed in high grade aluminium. The carbon fibre tripods cost £249.99 or £299.99 with the aluminium versions having a recommended retail price of £99.99 or £119.99. Each model comes complete with an integrated spirit level to ensure a level base and also a compass that provides coordinates for recording locations.

Leading British photographer and film-maker Brian Griffin returns to Birmingham for Face to Face, his first major retrospective in his birth city. Known for the extraordinary composition and lighting of his portraits, Griffin’s distinctive style was developed during his early career as a staff photographer at Management Today. Joining the magazine in 1972, Griffin’s unique approach, with his witty and surreal touches, changed the face of corporate portraiture, leading to a series of significant commissions for leading companies around the world. Opening on 30 September and running till 21 November, Face to Face will take place in two adjacent locations in Birmingham’s Colmore Business District. A large-scale outdoor retrospective will showcase Griffin’s portraiture over the last 38 years, including many of his most prominent portraits of leading musicians, politicians and celebrities. Two accompanying indoor exhibitions will feature Griffin’s award-winning series’ Team and The Water People.

Nikon UK has launched a promotion offering students 10% cashback on Nikon equipment. The offer is valid through 31st October, and all full-time students, lecturers or technicians attending or teaching a higher education photographic or media course in the UK and the Republic of Ireland are eligible. All claims must be received by 30th November 2010. For terms and conditions and information about how to claim your cashback, visit the website below.

Website: Nikon Student Cashback

Toshiba has announced the imminent launch of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB SDHC UHS-I cards that it claims will be the world’s fastest SDHC cards to date. With a maximum read speed of 95MB per second, and a write speed of 80MB per second, the products introduce a new level of ultra-fast read and write speeds to NAND flash based memory cards, the company says. In addition to these products, Toshiba also unveiled new microSDHC UHS-I memory cards with read/write speeds of 40/20 megabytes per second, respectively. The expanded new card series will be featured both at IFA and at Photokina.

Hama has announced a new range of “Katoomba” photo backpacks / sling bags. There are four models in the line-up,.ranging in price from €89 to €129. All of them feature a single shoulder strap and can be quickly pulled forward in front of your body using a handle. This means everything is ready at hand in an instant without having to take off the bag. The smallest model, the Hama Katoomba 150, comes in two versions, the 150R and 150L, which are meant to be worn on the right and left shoulder, respectively. The two larger models, Hama Katoomba 170RL and 190RL, feature a “two-shoulder sliding system” that allows you to move the carrying strap to the left or right. The Hama Katoomba camera bags will be showcased at the Photokina trade show later this month.

Olympus has updated its Micro four Thirds (MFT) and E-system lens roadmaps. Compared to the earlier MFT roadmap, which we published on 6 November 2009, the only novelty is the inclusion of the newly announced M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6 telezoom and 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 lenses, the latter of which actually featured in the original lens roadmap as a “Super Telephoto Zoom”. The three primes (fisheye, wide-angle and macro) that were promised for spring 2011 are still there, still marked as “Planned for spring 2011”. As to the E-system lens roadmap, the only change we were able to spot is that the elusive 100mm telemacro is now gone for good, and the chart now features existing lenses only (which makes one wonder why it is still called a roadmap). You can view both charts after the break.

Olympus UK has announced the new recommended retail price (RRP) of the Olympus E-PL1 single-lens kit. The camera bundled with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens is now priced at £449.99, which is approximately £100 pounds less than the initial RRP. The Olympus E-PL1 is a 12-megapixel Micro Four Thirds camera with a pop-up flash, one-touch HD video recording and sensor-shift image stabilisation.

Review: Read our in-depth expert review of the Olympus E-PL1

At Canon EXPO 2010 New York, Canon has showcased a range of future technologies including a working prototype for a multipurpose digital camera that supports both video and still image capture with ultra-high definition 4K resolution. 4K is a collective name for several new standards of digital video capture, including Full Aperture 4K (4096x3112 pixels), Academy 4K (3656x2664 pixels), and Digital Cinema 4K (itself coming in different flavours such as 4096×1714 and 3996x2160 pixels). Given that Canon’s new prototype has a 2/3”, 8-megapixel CMOS sensor, we assume it shoots one version of Digital Cinema 4K, as both Full Aperture 4K and Academy 4K require more than 8 million pixels. The camera shoots video at 60 frames per second, and comes equipped with a large 4K LCD screen. Speaking of which, Canon is also exhibiting LCD panels with up to 8K resolution as part of their future technology showcase at the expo.

PopPhoto has just launched an iPad edition. Popular Photography+ on the iPad features pages that are easy to browse and to read: simple, fluid swiping motions let readers move horizontally through stories, while vertical scrolling allows them to read an article without interruption or distraction. Built on Bonnier’s proprietary Mag+ platform for tablet devices, Popular Photography+ is available now on the App Store for an initial introductory price of $2.99 per issue.

Hasselblad are set to unveil a new camera, digital back and lenses at this year’s Photokina show. According to the invite, the press conference will take place at Photokina on September 22, 2010 at 10am CET. Hasselblad’s CEO and chairman Dr. Larry Hansen will be hosting the press conference, where they will “announce exciting news for the entire photographic community including new lenses, software, digital back and camera.” No further details have yet emerged about the possible successor to the H4D (pictured) or other new products.

The Sanyo Xacti PD1 combines a 10-megapixel digital still camera and a Full HD camcorder in one ultra-compact package. With its 3x optical zoom, integrated USB arm and 2-inch LCD screen, the Dual Camera Xacti PD1 is barely bigger than a cell phone. Supporting Eye-Fi memory cards, the Sanyo PD1 comes with an Easy Upload function to facilitate the sharing of videos on YouTube. Video sequences are recorded using the space-saving MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format, which means, for example, that a 32 GB card can store more than five hours of film material. You can use even higher-capacity cards thanks to the PD1’s compatibility with the latest SDXC memory cards. The pocket camcorder will be available from September 2010 in black, at a price of €169.

Epson is expanding its Signature Worthy line of professional media for photographers and fine artists by offering a wider selection of roll-based products. Citing the growing popularity of Hot Press and Cold Press papers as the main reason, Epson is now offering these products in rolls of 17-inch, 24-inch, 44-inch, and 60-inch widths. The company is also expanding its offerings of Exhibition Fiber Paper to include 17-inch, 24-inch, 44-inch, and 64-inch wide rolls. The new papers are available now through authorised Epson Professional Imaging resellers.

Hahnemühle has just completed new longevity tests for its papers and canvases, and has made the test results for the Digital FineArt Collection and the ‘Harman by Hahnemühle’ product line are available to every customer. Bärbel Manggold, Hahnemuhle Product Manager, explains: “According to the respective testing conditions, our media are certified a lifespan of more than 200 years. The results emphasise our standard to supply top quality, as the market leader.” All the test results and testing conditions can be found at the websites below, under the menu item ‘Longevity’.

Website: Hahnemühle
Website: Harman by Hahnemühle

Kubota Image Tools has launched a new “artist series” of instructional style books and DVDs. The first product in the series is a style book and DVD tutorial from acclaimed children’s photographer Tamara Lackey.  Her step-by-step guide to improving your portrait work through smarter use of Photoshop features before and after comparisons that detail the actions used to create the finished work. In addition to a walk-through of Lackey’s digital workflow, the included tutorial DVD will help photographers with tips on how to manage their youthful subjects. Whether identifying useful poses, inventive tactics to spark a smile or quiet a rowdy child, Lackey’s entire approach to children’s portraiture is on display. “Kubota Artist Series Style Book & DVD Tutorial, Artist: Tamara Lackey” is available through the Kubota Image Tools website at a price of $125.

Canon USA has just launched this year’s “Why Do You Love Football” Photo Challenge. Fans of American football are invited to express their love for the sport through photography and submit their best youth football photos, which could earn the winning photographer a trip to Super Bowl XLV in North Texas. The contest is divided into two divisions, Adults ages 18 and over and Teens 13-17, and consists of two categories. The category Action focuses on any image that captures football action during game play and Feature comprises any football imagery outside of game action. The deadline for entries is 1st December 2010, and the challenge is open only to legal US residents.

Website: Canon’s “Why Do You Love Football?” Photo Challenge

Understanding Motion and Emotion is a new sports photography webinar organised by the Manfrotto School of Xcellence. Taking place on 9th September from 2pm to 3pm EDT, this online seminar is hosted by Sports Illustrated staff photographer Bill Frakes, who will explore how action and feature images are made during actual games from little league tilts to the Super Bowl. Topics for discussion include properly positioning yourself in the right spot to best take advantage of the action and the light, different techniques that photographers should consider when photographing various sports, as well as some gear advice. To register for this free webinar, visit the website below.

Website: Sports Photography: Understanding Motion and Emotion

Canadian photographer Linda Rutenberg’s exhibition Eden at Nightis on show at Cornwall’s The Eden Project. Rutenberg’s current exhibition explores the rarely witnessed life of plants after dark in The Eden Project’s famous biomes. The innovative work leads on from two books, The Garden at Night and After Midnight, which were shot in North American public gardens. The prints were made with help from Shiraz Software, developers of RIP software package Shiraz Focus.

Panasonic has announced its newest 8GB and 16GB SDHC UHS-I memory cards. UHS-I is the new standard for higher-speed Bus interface defined by the SD Association as part of the SD Memory Card Specification Ver.3.01, which provides up to 104MB/s performance. Both memory cards have maximum data transfer speed of up to 60MB/s and Class10 speed specification. Both new incorporate Super Intelligent Controller (SICS), which is designed for high-level data protection.cards. The two new SDHC UHS-I memory cards from Panasonic will become available in November.