The new Dual Harness from OP/TECH USA is a comfortable and versatile way to carry one or two cameras. The unique U-shaped neoprene neck pad evenly distributes the weight of your gear while absorbing the shock of your movements. As the Dual Harness uses your normal connector attachments, your gear remains safely in the upright position at your sides. This keeps the camera stabilised and secured within your view and grasp. By also maintaining the camera in the upright position, no stress is put on your camera, lens or shoe-mount flash units. Your cameras can be quickly and easily brought to the proper shooting position with the self-gliding connectors. The interchangeable design enables you to convert from a dual to a single system, and the removable chest strap gives you that extra meaure of security. In the UK, the Dual Harness is available from Newpro UK Ltd., for £34.99.

Green Clean has developed a special cleaning system for optics, touchscreens and many other sensitive surfaces. This system is claimed to be both dast and safe, and to provide a long lasting effect to prevent dirt build-up and static electricity. Among other things, you can use it on lenses (both coated and un-coated), LCDs and digital photo frames. The Green Clean Silky Liquid and the Green Clean Silky Wipe kit is available from Flaghead at £8.95 including VAT.

Think Tank Photo has announced its first-ever camera bag system dedicated solely to multimedia DSLRs. In their words, a “multimedia DSLR” is defined as a DSLR that has the ability to take still photos, video, and audio required to create a multimedia presentation. The company says that after numerous expert interviews, it became evident that one of the biggest challenges was managing the numerous cords and cables that need to be “wired up” between the various devices. Think Tank Photo thus created a system of “cable ports” or holes in the sides and bottom of the bags that allows the devices to be connected together and managed to minimise exposed wires and cables. The products developed so far include the Multimedia Wired Up 10 and 20 belt systems, the Multimedia Mic Drop In modular component, the Multimedia Recorder modular case, the Wired Up Big Audio case and a Wired Up Wireless Mic Kit. Read on / click through for the details.

The digital spirit level from Kaiser Fototechnik is now available in an audio-visual version. In addition to five coloured LEDs indicating the level of the camera, there are different beep sounds that can be connected to the LED signalling system thus providing an audio-visual control of the Kaiser Action Level. There are now three display modes to choose from: visual-only with five coloured LED lights in a traffic light style arrangement, or with beep sounds either indicating exact level or minor and greater deviations from exact level using different tone pitches. Sensitivity and brightness can be adjusted as well as calibration of the zero level point in case that viewfinder level and mounting level of the spirit level are nonparallel. The Action Level “Sound” fits onto any standard hot shoe and can be used with most of today’s SLRs (except Sony/Minolta).The unit is powered by two CR 1220 batteries and is supplied with four spare batteries. It weighs only 5 grams.

Hama has unveiled a wallet that has both an insert for an external 1.8” hard drive and a USB stick compartment. Since you always have your wallet with you anyway, you can now keep your USB stick, memory cards and hard drive (not included) handy and access personal data anytime and anywhere. The insert for the storage media can be removed from the wallet for easy handling. Price and availability to be announced.

Hama has revealed a range of HDMI accessories. The 83012 Swivel Adapter (pictured) can be hinged up or down in multiple increments; the 90° Adapter, available in the 82990 Twin Set, leads the cable downwards at a right angle. The 83006 Adapter makes it possible to connect a type A HDMI cable to an end device that has a type C socket. The 3in1 HDMI Centre easily converts VGA, component and S-video signals into HDMI signals. The Matrix Switcher 4x2 offers greater possibilities for end devices that have only one HDMI output. Click through / read on for more HDMI accessories from hama.

Hama has introduced a mid-sized digital photo album. A smart leather binding encloses a high-resolution 7” TFT LCD with an integrated card reader for SD, SDHC and MM cards. Digital image files in 800 x 480-pixel resolution can be transferred directly to the high-quality display either via the card reader or via the USB port with USB OTG. They can also be stored in the photo album’s 4 GB memory. The hama digital photo album has an integrated lithium polymer rechargeable batter that provides power for up to 2.5 hours of continuous viewing. The new album will be displayed at the upcoming IFA show in Berlin, in Hall 7.2c.

In the run-up to the IFA show that will kick off on 4 September 2009, hama has announced a huge, 15” digital photo frame. It has an aspect ratio of 4:3 and a resolution of 1024x768 pixels. The contrast ratio of the screen has not been published yet. You can take a look at the new premium digital photo frame yourself in Hall 7.2c at the IFA show in Berlin.

Made by Grin & Stir, and distributed exclusively by LightwareDirect, the new FourSquare portable lighting kit is designed to be used with any combination up to four speedlights mounted as one. FourSquares are sold as a complete kit, including the mount and an aproximately 30"x30” softbox (though not the stand shown in the illustration above). A stand adapter is available as an optional accessory, with other accessories - such as a hand grip - coming soon. The FourSquare, which has been test driven by photographer Dave Black, is available now at an introductory price of $249.95.

Website: LightwareDirect

Today (17 July 2009) at TeeFury.com, they are selling a T-shirt for photographers. The scene shows a man with a camera who becomes a part of the moment he is capturing on film. Titled Another Point of View, this design was created by artist Willy Piva. Like all shirts at Teefury.com, this design will only be sold for 24 hours.

Website: TeeFury.Com

PocketWizard has released the latest ControlTL firmware update; version 4.300. This update addresses several performance issues, especially with the Canon 5D Mark II camera and is recommended for all MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 owners. To install this update, simply connect your product to the PocketWizard Utility and click “check for updates” under the “maintenance” tab. If you do not have the Utility installed on your computer, it can be downloaded for free at www.PocketWizard.com/support/downloads.

Verbatim has announced its new SureFire line of portable combo FW800/USB2 hard disk drives. Available now with capacities of 250GB, 320GB and 500GB, the rugged palm-sized drives combine power, convenience and the reliability of the Verbatim brand with a compact, sleek design, says the company. The bus-powered drives are equipped with one USB 2.0 port, and one FireWire® 800 port to deliver high-speed transfer rates of up to 800MB/s for FireWire 800 connections and 480MB/s when connected with USB 2.0—without requiring an AC power adapter.  Ready to use right out of the box, all cables are included. Verbatim SureFire Portable FW800/USB HDDs are ready to use with Mac OS X Leopard’s Time Machine™ backup application and can be easily reformatted for PCs. The suggested retail pricing is US$109.99 for the 250GB version, US$139.99 for the 320GB version and US$179.99 for the 500GB drive.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies today unveiled the SimpleTOUGH portable USB drive, the stylish and colourful SimpleDRIVE Mini portable USB drive; and the SimpleNET network storage adapter. The SimpleTOUGH is billed as the “industry’s only water-resistant and shock-resistant external hard drive from a global hard drive manufacturer”. The MSRP is $99.99 for 250GB, $119.99 for 320GB, and $149.99 for 500GB. The SimpleDRIVE Mini comes in a choice of three colours and is priced at $89.99 for 250GB, $109.99 for 320GB and $139.99 for 500GB. The Hitachi SimpleNET is a small network adapter that allows you to share and access existing USB hard drive content over a home or small business network. The price of this adapter is $79.

Sony has launched the largest-ever capacity Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX, crowning the range with a massive 32GB model. Camcorder users can shoot in Full HD mode (1920 x 1080) for 225 minutes using a single 32GB Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX. Alternatively, anyone with a Sony digital camera who simply never wants to worry about filling up the memory now has the ideal solution, Sony claims. The Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX range also includes 4GB, 8GB and 16GB models, and all versions are supplied with a free USB adaptor. Pricing is to be announced.

Artist Reece Ward has designed “an iconic T-shirt for every notable photographer”. The ‘flasher’ T-shirt is available from redbubble.com for approximately $24.

Website: Flasher T-Shirt

Creative Light offers a full range and ever-expanding line of softboxes, reflectors, umbrellas, stands and other accessories, all made with a Swedish design. The equipment is for use in studios and on location and will be distributed by Creative Light distributors worldwide. Equipment currently being shipped to dealers include: recessed and flat-front softboxes, softgrids, speedrings, umbrellas in white, silver, translucent and “softbox” styles, reflectors, both deluxe and regular in a variety of gold and silver surfaces, reflector holders, stands and light sheds.

Website: Creative Light

LaCie has announced that its LaCinema Rugged multimedia hard drive is now available in High Definition – LaCinema Rugged HD. Allegedly the LaCinema Rugged HD is the first multimedia player in its class to allow users to store and play High Definition content, on any HDTV in Full-HD 1080p resolution. Compatible with both Windows and Mac environments, the LaCinema Rugged HD requires a single USB 2.0 cable, connected to the computer for bus-powered multimedia loading. Once the media content is transferred to the LaCinema Rugged HD, it is ready to be viewed on any display with an HDMI connection. The HDMI cable is included. The LaCinema Rugged HD is available through the LaCie Online Store at the suggested retail price starting at $349.99USD. The UK price is £259.99, incl. VAT.

Datacolor has announced it is offering a special summer rebate on its Spyder3 Elite (pictured) and Spyder3 Pro monitor calibration systems as well as its SpyderCube colour management and white balance tool. The new rebate, which takes effect immediately, will run through August 31 and offers savings of up to $30 on the purchase of Datacolor’s Spyder calibration products. You need to download a rebate form to participate.

Peartree has announced the European launch of the Apple Juicz external battery for the MacBook Pro, which is aimed at photographers working on location. This new product charges and or powers MacBooks with up to 10 hours of energy. The Apple Juicz has been engineered to integrate with the MagSafe power port on the MacBook Pro. An official Apple MagSafe connector is included with every kit. The Apple Juicz is available from Peartree and dealers for £450 +VAT.

Bogen Imaging has announced the Gitzo 5 Star Summer Tour, which will showcase the latest technologies and innovations from Gitzo. The 5 Star Summer Tour will take place from July to October with 17 scheduled stops at photo specialty dealers across the US. The Tour is free of charge and open to all consumers interested in learning about the latest Gitzo support products and accessories.

Website: Gitzo 5 Star Summer Tour