The Aquatica Team has unveiled the Aquatica A5D Mk III underwater housing for the Canon EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR camera. Featuring a newly designed camera tray that smoothly and precisely positions the camera in the housing, the Aquatica A5D Mk III is aimed at professional photographers and videograpers. “Given the immense impact its predecessor, the Aquatica 5D Mk II, had on the underwater video industry, it was deemed absolutely important that this new housing be optimized even more for this task, all video controls where redesigned for easier reach and smoother operation, without sacrificing nothing to the still image side of the housing operation,” the company claims. Also, the new housing has the same standard 90m/300ft depth rating and can still be upgraded to 130m/425ft. The Aquatica A5D Mk III is priced at $3,199.

Datacolor has announced that its SpyderCheckr now supports Hasselblad’s Phocus software. “Spectrally engineered with 48 colour patches and user-friendly profiling software, Datacolor SpyderCheckr enables photographers to achieve consistent, predictable colour control from capture to edit,” the company says. “The only colour reference system that supports Hasselblad’s Phocus software, SpyderCheckr allows photographers to obtain consistent, accurate colour within a standard raw processing workflow.” The SpyderCheckr Pro bundle, a bundle package that includes both the SpyderCheckr and the SpyderCube, is now available for a special promotional offer of $139 (regular price $179).

OmegaBrandess and Phottix have announced the revolutionary Phottix Odin TTL Flash Trigger for Nikon. Consisting of an on-camera transmitter and control unit (TCU) and receivers for hot-shoe flashes, this accessory lets Nikon photographers wirelessly trigger their system flashes, retaining full TTL functions, as well as remotely control power and flash zoom settings. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the TCU and Receiver sets is $350 USD and $140 USD for individual receivers.

Available from camera care specialists Just Ltd, Lens Bands are a new solution to zoom creep. “Some manufacturers fit zoom locks to their products, but many don’t. Of course, some lenses are fine when new but develop a bit of creep as they age and the zoom mechanism wears a little,” said Just’s Peter Brogden. “The obvious solution is to use a Lens Band and banish lens creep forever!” Available at £5.95 each, Lens Bands come in a choice of colours, and fit all SLR zoom lenses regardless of brand.

Ilford has announced that it is adding an enthusiast-oriented Ilford Premium product category to live alongside its recently announced professional-grade Ilford Prestige range. This new range includes several legacy offerings along with the newly introduced Galerie Premium Gloss 270 gsm and Lustre 270 gsm. Both products are intended for photographers seeking superior inkjet media for home and studio printing projects.

BosStrap has recently expanded it line of Sliding Sling Straps with the introduction of two new Light Weight versions and a unique Ultra light Hand Band. The new LT line is aimed at digital and video cameras weighing up to about 3 pounds. The BosStrap LT One Piece strap remains attached to your camera, just like the strap supplied with your camera. The Patent Pending Generation 3 style can be detached from your camera. Both new LT BosStraps use a 1” wide smooth nylon strap with a custom 1” nickel plated slider. The LT line differs from the standard BosStrap line only in a narrower width of the strap. The Ultra Light BosStrap Hand Band attaches to the right side strap lug on your camera and does not interfere with the operation BosStrap Sling Strap. BosStrap LT products and the Ultra Light Hand Band are now available via the BosStrap website. They will also be available in stores in July.

The Rollei Fotopro EP2 is a small tripod for camera phones without a tripod socket. Weighing in at a mere 80g, the Rollei Fotopro EP2 has a maximum load capacity of 700g and comes with a rotating head as well as a special cell phone holder which ensures that any mobile phone model can be used with the tripod. Available from July 2012 at a recommended retail price of €19.99, the Rollei Fotopro EP2 is offered in red, titanium and blue colours.

Rollei has unveiled a 2-in-1 tripod / bag combination called the Rollei Fotopro TT-1. Comprising a compact X4i travel tripod and a waterproof, padded B1 bag, the Rollei Fotopro TT-1 kit is available for €199.95. Weighing in at 1kg including a ball head, the X4i aluminium tripod has a maximum load capacity of 5kg and a total height of 1.44m, folding down to 32mm for storage. The B1 bag, which can accommodate both the tripod itself and a small dSLR camera with two lenses and other accessories, has a scratch- and dustproof inner lining, and can be carried on your back as a rucksack or to one side as a holster.

Gary Fong has announced the launch of its new Gamma Diffuser. Designed specifically for the Sony HVL-F43AM and HVL-F58AM flashes, both of which feature Sony’s Quick Shift Bounce system, the Gary Fong Gamma Diffuser softens the harsh light emitted by the flash for more pleasing results. Carrying a list price of $32.95, the Gamma Diffuser is currently available from the Gary Fong eStore for $29.95. Click through / scroll down for a video demonstration released by the manufacturer.

JP Distribution has announced the UK availability of the PermaAIR aerosol, which has been designed primarily to help maintain and keep inkjet printers dust free. “Fine art printers in particular will find this product extremely useful in removing loose fibres by air blowing directly over the surface of the material prior to use as there is a tendency to leave fibres within the printer or on the rollers - with PermaAIR the problem goes away,” the company says. Suitable for all desktop and wide-format printers, PermaAIR retails at £7.95.,

Arca Swiss has announced the RotaMount, a brand new rotating back designed for use with the Arca Swiss R-Series as well as with F and M Line view cameras. Allowing users to switch seamlessly from landscape to portrait format in just a couple of seconds, this safe and secure system guarantees total flexibility, the company says. The RotaMount is available for €390.

CT Distribution is set to launch a new flash head range to its Bowens Hallmark dealer network across the UK. The multi award-winning Gemini range now includes new 200Rx and 400Rx units, and provides built-in radio triggering for the first time in the company’s compact, lightweight models. “Until now the built-in radio triggering option has only been available in the Gemini Classic, Gemini R and Gemini Pro ranges, via an optional plug-in Pulsar radio receiver card,” says Robert Cook, Bowens’ marketing director. “Now we have introduced this option in our compact and lightweight 200Ws and 400Ws models - plus, we’ve gone one step better and integrated the Pulsar radio receiver right in to the circuitry to ensure the most reliable connection. The two units can be triggered via the ‘Gear of the Year’ award-winning Pulsar Tx Transmitter, mounted on the user’s camera.” The new Gemini Rx models are available as individual units or as a bundled lighting kit, which includes a Pulsar Tx radio transmitter, lighting stands, softboxes and a newly designed rolling kit case. Pricing for the kits starts from £799.

Panasonic is launching a new series of memory cards. The new P2 F Series cards are designed for broadcasting and professional video production use. These tough memory cards withstand impacts up to 1,500 G and vibrations up to 15 G, operate in temperatures from -20°C to 60°C, and can be stored in temperatures from -40°C to 80°C. All P2 cards contain a flash memory error correction system, which is equivalent to RAID system, to greatly strengthen the data retention reliability. Additionally, as the P2 card complies with the PC card standard (Card Bus Type-II), it can mount directly to the PC card slot of a laptop PC to read or write recording data.

Contour has introduced a range of mounting kits for their hands-free digital video cameras. The range includes the ContourROAM Watersports Kit as well as mount kits for snow, bike, moto, outdoor and helmets. “These kits make it easier to purchase the right accessories for your preferred activity and offer the optimum mounting combinations in one easy package as well as save you money,” the company says.

Rollei has revealed four new add-on add-on lenses for the Apple iPhone 3G/4/4S. The new range includes the Rollei 12x Tele (€49.99), 9x Tele (€39.99), 0.5x Super Wide (€29.99) and 0.28x Fisheye converters (€19.99), which can be affixed to the iPhone via the supplied hard case. All of the new Rollei conversion lenses are available now.

Canon has unveiled the new “Photo Paper Pro Luster” (255 gsm) professional inkjet paper. Optimized for use with the Canon family of Pixma professional printers - the PRO-1, Pro9500 Mark II and Pro9000 Mark II - the Canon Photo Paper Pro Luster delivers vivid colours, reproduces sharp details, and produces black and white output with rich blacks and smooth tonality. With an expected availability of late June, Canon’s Photo Paper Pro Luster will come in two sizes, 8.5 x 11 and 13 x 19 inches, with an estimated selling price of $34.99 and $99.99 respectively.

Trygger has announced its new crowd-funded iPhone case, which incorporates a sliding polariser for the built-in camera. Made of optical-grade glass, the adjustable Trygger Polarising Filter wheel has a rubberised edge to give you accurate control. The slim fitting cases will be available in 4 different colours through Trygger’s Kickstarter page.

Induro has announced the July 2012 availability of its new Dual Range (DR) Hi-Hat Tripod Set. Shown for the first time at NAB 2012, the new Induro DR Hi-Hat Tripod Set, designed with both photographers and videographers in mind, is a unique support system that provides a range of capabilities that makes this tripod compatible with the requirements of still cameras as well as video platforms. Boasting a surprisingly high load capacity of 220lb, the new DR Hi-Hat Tripod Set consists of both a short Aluminium Alloy tripod with 100mm Bowl, and a 100mm Half Ball Adapter. The Induro DR Hi-Hat Tripod Set will be available for $279.

Sekonic has announced that the L-308DC DigiCineMate is now available in the U.S. with a special Protective Orange Skin. Now available at time of purchase, the colourful, sure-grip orange skin makes the DigiCineMate easy to find in any gadget bag, comfortable to operate, and adds a degree of safety when placed on surface.

Kenro, the official UK and Ireland distributor for the Benro range of tripods, has announced the availability of the new Benro Classic Series Kits. Kenro Managing Director, Paul Kench commented on the release: “The Benro Classic Series Kits are the Bear Grylls of tripods! They’re ideal for the photographer who likes to push themselves and who needs a tripod that will take on any environment and a couple of the extra innovations like the built-in spirit level and compass have both been included to appeal to dedicated outdoor photographers.” All tripods in the Classic Series are supplied with a Benro N Series Ball Head which, incorporating Arca-Swiss style quick-release system, have been designed to facilitate both smooth movement and stable camera positioning. The range comprises of five models, ranging from £119.94 to £185.94, all featuring anti-rotation legs incorporating twist locks with dust and water-resistant design.