The winners of the January 2012 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for January was “Technology” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Always Keep In Touch by Barry John

Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

Neil Maughan and Andy Sloan are the two lucky winners of a fantastic new Manfrotto Lino Pro Photo Vest.

To celebrate the new Manfrotto range of Lino Pro Apparel, Manfrotto is giving away TWO Pro Photo Vests for Photography Blog readers! Each Manfrotto Pro Photo Vest is worth £380 RRP!

The Pro Photo Vest is the ultimate photo working tool combined with the comfort and sleek design of an everyday vest. This dynamic shooting vest compliments your shooting experience while comfortably holding and supporting your camera gear and accessories.

This contest closed on Saturday 31st December 2011.

For more information or to buy Manfrotto products online visit: http://www.manfrotto.co.uk

Manfrotto - Imagine More

The winners of the December 2011 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for December was “Ice” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Stalag-Ice by nrshapiro

Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

The lucky winner of a fantastic Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S smartphone, courtesy of Sony Ericsson and Photography Blog, is Georgina Bean.

We’ve teamed up with Sony Ericsson to give away an Xperia arc S smartphone and a live dock to one lucky winner.

The Xperia™ arc S at a glance:
- Super fast 1.4 GHz processor
- 3D and 2D sweep panorama photography
- 8.1 MP camera with Exmor R™ for mobile image sensor
- 4.2“ Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
- Latest Android™ platform Gingerbread 2.3

This competition closed on 19/12/2011.

Who would have thought that a digital camera inspired by the almost-bygone era of film would become an instant best-seller for a company that has been mostly absent from the higher-end of the market? That’s what the X100 achieved for Fujifilm in 2011, a retro product with a very modern twist that has proved to be by far the biggest surprise of the year, and a clear winner of our Camera of the Year 2011 award.

“The X100 delivers all of the goods and more in terms of its overall handling and image quality. Fujifilm have married the best of the past, in the multitude of external controls, leaf-shutter, optical viewfinder and stunning appearance, with some cutting-edge features, most notably the hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder, which really is a revelation to use.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Fujifilm and the X100!

Our penultimate award is for the DSLR Camera of the Year 2011. Somewhat overshadowed by the rise of compact system cameras, DSLRs are still the staple product for the big two of Canon and Nikon. But it’s the young upstart Sony that most caught our eye in 2011 with the launch of the A77, the premium product in the company’s innovative range and the deserved winner of our 6th award for 2011.

“The Sony A77 is a big leap forward for Sony’s DSLR range, offering a feature-set, handling and performance that beats its main rivals. The new 24.3 megapixel sensor offers greatly increased resolution without impacting on low-light performance or operational speed, while the OLED viewfinder is simply the best EVF that we’ve ever had the pleasure of using. The inclusion of full 1080p movies, built-in GPS, 12fps burst shooting, dual control dials, top-panel LCD and an excellent 3-way rear screen make the A77 our new favourite prosumer DSLR.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Sony and the A77!

Get 2 full-price adult tickets for the price of 1 for IWM London’s new exhibition, Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin.

Shaped by War is the largest ever UK exhibition about the life and work of one of the world’s most acclaimed photographers Don McCullin. The exhibition features around 250 photographs, contact sheets, objects, magazines and personal memorabilia.

Download and print this voucher to redeem your 2-4-1 Adult Tickets for the Shaped by War exhibition at IWM London, Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast. The offer runs until 31st Jan 2012.

Our fifth award is for Compact System Camera of the Year 2011.

So new that there’s still no standard name, compact system or interchangeable lens cameras are currently the hottest-sellers in terms of growth, hitting the sweet spot between the portability of a compact and the feature-set of a DSLR. It’s difficult to believe that this market simply didn’t exist a few years ago, especially when products as accomplished as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 are carrying off our Compact System Camera of the Year 2011 award.

“For us, the new G3 offers the best balance between the even tinier GF2, the slightly better handling G2, and the videographer-friendly GH2, adding the best still image quality of all G-series cameras, and it’s also a cheaper and for many users simply a better alternative to a full-fledged DSLR. Essential!”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Panasonic and the Lumix DMC-G3!

Our fourth award this week is for the Compact Camera of the Year 2011.

Not many products earn our coveted Essential award, but the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V is one of the the lucky few. Taking on and beating the market-leading Panasonic TZ-series is no mean feat, but that’s exactly what Sony have done with the HX9V. It’s cameras like this that help keep the compact market alive.

“The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX9V is the best travel-zoom camera that we’ve reviewed to date. The HX9V offers a compelling mix of advanced features, excellent still image quality, and a class-leading video mode, all at a price that is competitive with its main rivals.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Sony and the Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V!

Our third award is for the Lens of the Year 2011.

This goes to the lens that we feel is a must-buy for the particular system that it’s part of, be that DSLR or compact system camera, Canon or Nikon, and so on. Olympus have been a big part of the growing popularity of the compact system camera market, and it’s not surprising when they’re releasing fantastic products like the M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 lens, a fast and unbelievably small portrait lens that every Micro Four Thirds should take a good hard look at.

”“Pancakes” aside, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 is one of the smallest lenses in the Micro Four Thirds system, which is no mean feat considering that this is a fast-aperture telephoto lens. One might think that this miniaturisation may have had some negative side effects on its performance but thankfully, this is not the case. Optically, the lens excellent with centre sharpness being commendable even wide open, and overall sharpness being nothing short of astounding in the f/2.8-f/8 range.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Olympus and the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8!

Our second award is for the Printer of the Year 2011.

In the fast-changing world of photography, printers are one of the slowest-moving sectors of the market, with relatively few major releases each year. Epson updated their A3+ range for 2011 with the new R3000, building on their past successes and hitting the sweet-spot of pro-level features at a still affordable price.

”...the R3000 is definitely the one to choose thanks to the addition of wi-fi and internet connectivity, more intuitive LCD control panel interface, wider range of media handling options, much bigger ink cartridges and the dual installation of both photo and matt black. The Epson R3000 ultimately offers fantastic print quality and a better user experience at a slightly higher price than its predecessor, and is therefore well deserving of our Highly Recommended award.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Epson and the Stylus Photo R3000!

Over the next 7 days we’ll be revealing our favourite products from this year in our first ever annual awards, looking back at the essential photography kit that has helped to define 2011.

Kicking things off is the Software of the Year 2011 award.

There aren’t too many applications that we consider to be a must-have addition to any photographer’s camera bag, but Silver Efex 2 from Nik Software is certainly one of them.

“There are some features that you will be able to do in any editing suite available. The main difference with Silver Efex is the ease in which you can apply the changes and the vast amount of preset monochromatic settings available. If you enjoy playing around with your pictures and you have around 200 euro to spend on a Photoshop plug-in, then this will provide hours of fun.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Nik Software and Silver Efex 2!

The winners of the November 2011 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for November was “Festive Fun” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Jump! by czardases

Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

The fast-paced, glamorous world of motorsport is one of the most exciting and challenging environments for a professional photographer.

Autosport International, the world’s greatest motorsport show, is offering one Photography Blog reader the unique opportunity to experience this thrill first-hand through its inaugural Amateur Motorsport Photographer competition.

The contest is open to any amateur photographer over 18 years old, who is invited to submit an original image on the theme of Motorsport. The winning entry will be selected by a panel of experts to receive a money-can’t-buy prize: photography accreditation for the world-renowned Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The judging panel will feature a professional photographer from LAT Photographic, the largest motoring and motorsport photographic collection in the world, Photography Blog’s editor Mark Goldstein and representatives from Goodwood circuit and Autosport magazine.

Five finalists will be chosen to attend Autosport International 2012, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC, UK, on 12-15 January, where they will enjoy a busy programme of spectacular live racing, race car exhibitions and appearances from personalities including F1’s Paul Di Resta, Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard. For more information visit http://www.autosportinternational.com or follow @autosport_show on Twitter.

Autosport International will unveil the overall winner of the competition at the LAT Photographic exhibition stand, who will be presented with their prize: one-to-one tuition from a professional LAT photographer at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 29 June - 1 July 2012.

To enter the competition, simply submit your photograph along with your name, address and contact telephone number to asi-pr@rsm-live.com no later than Sunday 1 January 2012.

Caitlin Rakers, m sos and Peter Curno are the three winners of the Manfrotto Photo Travel Kit.

To celebrate the exciting launch of the Manfrotto Interactive Photo Lab in London (November 18th to 20th) Manfrotto UK is giving away THREE Fantastic Photo Kits which include the new Manfrotto Stile Unica Messenger Photo Bag and new Manfrotto Compact Tripod! Each kit is worth £135.00!

The new Manfrotto Unica VII Messenger Bag is the perfect everyday companion for carrying your camera gear, laptop and personal gear. Gain quick access to your DSLR with lens attached, 17” Macbook (15.4” laptop) and personal effects in the upper compartment by using the top opening. The Compact Photo Kit is the most compact full size support in the market. The five section legs and the unique reversible column provide maximum compactness for storage and transportation, and yet, when fully extended it is a full size tripod with no compromise on height. The quick action intuitive ball head allows you to simply and quickly set the position of your camera in any situation so you don’t lose the right moment.

This contest is now closed.

For more information or to buy Manfrotto products online visit: http://www.manfrotto.co.uk

We've selected our top picks for this year's Holiday season, all the way from the cheapest digital compact up to the most expensive DSLR and everything in between. So no matter what your budget, make sure that you consult the Photography Blog Holiday Gift Guide for 2011 before splashing out your hard-earned cash.

The winners of the October 2011 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for October was “Flash” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Fire by miliu

Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

Annaloa Hilmarsdottir, Alan Thomas, Tom Truong, Fadhul Ramadhan and Ketlan Ossowski have all won a copy of Fluid Mask 3.2, courtesy of Download Buyer.

Fluid Mask 3.2 is a still-image masking tool that works as both a standalone application and a plug-in to Adobe’s Photoshop or Elements. The Visual Image Segmentation lets you see exactly how your image is made up of segments of similar properties, enabling you to create super-fine mask selections with ease. The Targeted Edge Detection and Blending lets you isolate difficult areas and apply alternative selections, whilst the intelligent blending gets the closest to extracting the true character of the image.

The onscreen help and guidance make Fluid Mask 3.2 quick and easy to use. The stored workspace setting allows you to tailor the default settings to your needs and process complete studio runs effortlessly. Fluid Mask 3.2 is ideal for photographers, image editors, graphic designers or for those who are interested in digital image editing. One of the fastest masking tools available today, Fluid Mask 3.2 is as easy as ‘see, click, cut’!

This contest is now closed.

The winners of the September 2011 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for September was “Little and Large” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
An Illusion of Scale by archipirata

Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

Ian Whiting is the lucky winner of a B3 personal server worth £295!

Whether you are a serious photographer or just a shutterbug, you’d want to keep your photos safe and share them with the world without too much fuss. This is where the B3 personal server can come in rather handy. You can use this nifty little machine to store your photos in one central location and access them from any computer on the local network or even on the Web. The built-in photo album software lets you easily generate slick web-based galleries from JPG and PNG images in a matter of minutes, and you can limit access to the galleries to specific users or open them to the entire world. B3 features a built-in and user-friendly backup tool which you can use to easily back up your photos and other data to an external disk or a remote storage solution.

If the built-in photo album software is too basic for your needs, you can easily deploy a third-party solution like Piwigo (http://www.piwigo.org) or Gallery (http://gallery.menalto.com/), as B3 comes with Web and database servers. B3’s minute size means that you can hide the server in any corner you like. Thanks to its fanless design, B3 is virtually silent, and the robust aluminium case ensures that the server survives harsh treatment.

There is, of course, much more to B3 than the described features, and we encourage you to take a look at Excito’s website (http://www.excito.com) and see for yourself what this little guy is capable of.