British music producer Bibio has partnered up with Lomography for a project that celebrates the release of his new album, ‘Mind Bokeh’. The idea of bokeh is infused throughout the kaleidoscopic new album – particularly in the sound and artwork. In Bibio’s own words; “I’m a lover of photography so I discovered the word bokeh through a photographer friend. The word sounded unusual in itself which attracted me, but I liked the idea of applying its context to something other than photography.” His Lomography collaboration starts with a series of his shots using Lomography’s Diana F+ camera and equipment, and a guide to achieving the bokeh effect on film. For more information on the project, follow the link below.

According to Sony’s Japanese website, the Sony SLT-A33 digital camera has been discontinued. Given that the A33 was announced in August 2010, it’s had a rather short lifespan of only seven months. The eagle-eyed Arturo Fukuda of FotoActualidad, who spotted the notice, speculates that a replacement might be imminent.

Source: Sony Japan via FotoActualidad

Special thanks to Mr Arturo Fukuda for calling our attention to this piece of news.

The new Canon IXUS 310 HS / PowerShot ELPH 500 HS is an impressive compact camera, on paper at least. It offers the usual IXUS style, a 3.2 inch touchscreen LCD, 12 megapixel back-illuminated sensor, fast f/2.0, wide-angle 4.4x lens, and full 1080p HD movies. Read our in-depth Canon IXUS 310 HS review to find out if it can live up to its eye-catching headline specifications.

Tamron USA has just launched MyPhotoExhibits, an innovative way for photographers looking to showcase their favourite images in a unique, free online venue. Photographers simply set up a user avatar and bio, upload their favourite high-resolution images, and create a personalised exhibit space with a three-dimensional effect. After organising the exhibit and captioning the photographs, users can put the finishing touches on their exhibit space, choosing from a variety of gallery spaces (wall and floor textures and colours), photo frames, furniture, and lighting options.

Macphun has updated FX Photo Studio to version 3.2, offering six new filters, faster image processing and the ability to capture edit images taken directly from the Apple iPad 2. The new filters form the basis of a new category called Sketches. FX Photo Studio 3.2 is only $0.99 for iPhone and $1.99 for iPad and available worldwide exclusively through the iTunes App Store.

During the NAB Trade Show in Las Vegas from 9-14th April, Carl Zeiss will present two new mounts for its interchangeable-mount Compact Prime CP.2 lenses. These include the Micro Four Thirds mount, which is available now, and the Sony E mount, which is expected to hit retail in June. The Carl Zeiss Compact Prime CP.2 lenses are the first cine lenses with interchangeable mount developed specially for filming with HDSLRs and compact system cameras.

With help from Swiftspin, aerial photographer Kevin Allen has produced interactive 360° spins of St Paul’s Cathedral and Canary Wharf Tower. Shot using a Canon 1Ds Mk III camera with a 35mm f1.4L lens and a twin squirrel helicopter flying at about 1000ft, the St Paul’s spin is made up of 72 individual photos. The animation part was done by Swiftspin. Since completing the St Paul’s project, Kevin has also produced a similar spin of Canary Wharf Tower (One Canada Square), which you can view by visiting the website below.

O2 Stories is a collaborative photography-based storytelling project and photo competition. O2 has commissioned Alexis Kennedy of Failbetter Games to write two stories, inspired by photos taken by the public. One story is a journey in sunlight, a happy tale of a far off land, while the other is a dark and hard-boiled thriller, set in shadows. Each tale begins with a single picture and from there, it’s up to the audience how the stories twist and turn over the next eleven chapters. To become part of the story, all you have to do is read what has been written so far, take a photo that you think could tell the next part, and then tweet it via twitpic, yfrog, plixi, or twitgoo with the hashtag for the story (either #o2sunlight or #o2shadows). Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening, the author will choose a photo that inspires him to write the next chapter for each story. If your picture is chosen, you will win a printed book of the complete story, featuring your photograph.

Website: O2 Stories

Intel is running a photo-video contest on Facebook as part of its Visual Life campaign. The orgainsers are looking for submissions of original photographs and movie clips in six categories including Things, Moments, Northern Lights, Remastered, Places and People. Facebook members can either upload a file from their hard drive or select a photo from their Facebook albums. Please note that this competition is open to UK residents aged 18 or above only. As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Website: Intel Visual Life Photo-Video Contest on Facebook

PhotoHide.com provides a free service to anyone who would like to blur the face of the subject in personal photos. “In a time where privacy becomes increasingly important PhotoHide obscures your face or the faces of people who do not want to appear in photos,” the creators say. Although this is pretty easy to accomplish in any decent photo editor, the service can still be of interest to those who do not use such programs. You can upload a photo of 3MB or less, draw a selection around the part of the face you would like to blur, click ‘Hide’, and download the modified photo to your computer. The PhotoHide team are saying they do not store any of the originals, which are automatically deleted at the end of your session.

Website: PhotoHide

The Rolleimarin UW2 is a universal underwater camera housing for compact cameras. According to the distributor the Rolleimarin UW2 is compatible with hundreds of digital compact cameras ranging from approximately 8.2x4.6x1.3cm to 10x6.4x3cm in size. Dustproof, shockproof up to a height of one metre and waterproof down to a depth of 40m, this underwater case weighs 380 grams and is available in yellow, black and red for €199.

The Rollei Sportsline 60 Camouflage is a shock- and waterproof digital camera with a 64mm equivalent f/2.8 lens and a tiny 5-megapixel CMOS sensor. Able to survive a drop from a height of up to one metre, the Rollei Sportsline 60 Camouflage is also waterproof down to a depth of 3m. Apart from capturing five-megapixel stills, the camera can also record 720p high-definition movies at a frame rate of 30fps. Powered by two AAA batteries and compatible with microSD memory cards, the Rollei Sportsline 60 Camouflage is hitting the shops today at an RRP of €79.95.

The new Rollei ActionCam 100 is a small and lightweight HD video camera featuring a fast ultra-wideangle lens. Easy to attach to a biker’s helmet or a bicycle’s handlebars, the Rollei ActionCam 100 has a 2.5mm f/2 lens with an angle-of-view of 120 degrees. With a waterproof housing that is depth rated to 30 metres, the camera can even be used underwater. High-definition videos with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels and a frame rate of 30fps (as well as 5-megapixel stills) are recorded on a microSD card (not included). The Rollei ActionCam 100 will be available at retail from 1st June for a recommended price of €99.95.

The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM is a new compact L-series telezoom lens. It offers the usual high build quality of Canon's luxury lenses, optical image stabilisation, a ring-type ultrasonic motor for fast auto-focusing, and an eight-blade circular diaprhragm which promises excellent bokeh. That distinctive white coating doesn't come cheap, though, so read our Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM Review to find out if it's worth the investment.

iPhoto ‘11: The Missing Manual by David Pogue and Lesa Snider is a new title from O’Reilly Media. From this book, you can learn how to organise your collection, use iPhoto’s editing options including its Photoshop-like adjustments panel, publish your photos to Flickr, Facebook, and MobileMe, and create slideshows, gift books, calendars, and cards. The 384-page book is available in print format for $34.99 and in electronic format for $27.99.

Website: O’Reilly Media

Photo Iconic, in conjunction with Strabo Photo Tours, is leading two photographic holidays in Ireland this July. The first one, Ireland - Landscape, People & the Craic (21-25 July 2011, $1545), includes a “special treat” - a specially arranged Irish music session to photograph, at which the course participants will experience the ‘craic’, an enchanting mix of fun, entertainment, and conversation. The second, longer trip, Ireland - A Different View, Landscapes & Panoramas (25-31 July 2011, $2345), promises to be a more intensive photographic experience. It concentrates on the stunning Irish landscape of County Mayo and County Galway, and will include workshops on panoramic photography. The prices quoted include all tuition, transfers from Ireland West Airport Knock, plus accommodation and breakfast and dinner at Hillcrest House near Westport, County Mayo.

Sort Shots is an iPad app that enables users to quickly and and easily locate and assign tags to one or more photographs. The application imports the keywords assigned to photographs via iTunes Folders or FTP using popular photographic software including Adobe Lightroom, Bridge, Elements, Apple Aperture and iPhoto, Nik Software Capture NX and Microsoft Expression Media and Photo Gallery. The latest version, v2.4, incorporates a variety of new features, including wireless printing, metadata display in full-screen view, enhanced gesture support, and more. Sort Shots - iPad Edition 2.4 is $5.99 and available worldwide exclusively through the iTunes App Store.

Leica has issued an appeal to photographers around the world to make a donation for earthquake-stricken Japan. The German company has set up an appeal fund at its head office in Solms and in its representative offices around the world, and is now inviting its fans to make a personal contribution by visiting the website below.

Sigma UK has announced the suggested retail price (SRP) of the Sigma DP2x large-sensor digital compact camera. The successor to Sigma’s DP2 and DP2s cameras will be available for purchase towards the end of April for £619.99. (The US pricing was revealed two days ago.)

Neovoyage has announced its 2011 photography tours. This summer, participants will embark on a fascinating journey across the Andes of Ecuador to explore one of the most diverse places on Earth. The 14-day Ecuador photography tour follows a path lined with volcanic peaks, Inca ruins and cloud-forest reserves between two UNESCO world heritage sites. In the fall,  photographers will visit the remnants of mysterious cultures like the Chimu and the Nasca along the Peruvian coast. The 11-day Peru photography tour takes photographers to places where Peru shows its more authentic side as colonial towns coexist with ruins still being excavated. For more information, visit the website below.