Interfit, a manufacturer of photographic lighting, has announced the new Monstar 3 continuous studio light, available as a single softbox kit complete with a carry case. The Monstar 3 has a uniform light source of 3 lamps, with each lamp delivering 150 watts of light, which is equivalent to 600 watts of Tungsten lighting. Therefore the three lamps deliver the equivalent of 1800 watts, Interfit says. The Monstar 3 is claimed to be ideal for group shots and product photography, and is marketed as “an affordable solution to modern studio lighting”. The kit, comprising the head, the three lamps, the carry bag, a softbox and the necessary power cables will be available from July, starting at £379.99.

Website: Interfit

Buffalo Technology has launched a new DVD Reader/Writer for netbook users and those who travel frequently. Available in both black and white, the Buffalo Portable DVD MultiDrive comes with a Buffer Under-run Prevention feature that allows users to work on simultaneous applications whilst reliable writing takes place. The DVD drive also features CyberLink Software that allows users to write content to CD-Rs and DVDs. The Portable DVD MultiDrive is available from May 2009 from Amazon, Dabs, Insight, Misco and other leading resellers. The suggested retail price is £59.99 Inc VAT.

NEC Display Solutions is expanding its NEC SpectraView series with a widescreen 24” model offering hardware calibration and two wide-gamut reference LCD monitors. The displays in question are the NEC SpectraView 2490, the NEC SpectraView Reference 2690 and the NEC SpectraView Reference 3090 (pictured). The IPS panel for the 2490 satisfies the requirements of top quality professional image processing, as do the H-IPS (horizontal in-plane switching) panels of the 2690 and 3090 models, as IPS is claimed to be the best panel technology for colour-critical applications. The monitors offer up to 107 percent AdobeRGB colour space coverage, a contrast ratio of 1000:1 and a viewing angle of 178 degrees. The new NEC SpectraView displays are available now. MSRPs range from £1,255 for the NEC SpectraView 2490 to £2,369 for the NEC SpectraView Reference 3090.

Other World Computing (OWC) announced today the new OWC USB 2.0 Display Adapter, an easy way to add an additional display to Macs and PCs via any standard USB 2.0 port. Functioning like a bus powered “external video card,” the OWC USB 2.0 Display Adapter adds an additional monitor to desktop and laptop computers that offer only one built-in display/video-out port.  In addition, the adapter also eliminates the cost and hassle of installing a video card into a computer. The OWC USB 2.0 Display Adapter connects to HDMI, DVI, and VGA equipped displays in full 32-bit colour at resolutions of up to 1600x1200 pixels. Up to 6 adapters can be configured to either clone a user’s primary screen or extend the desktop, allowing visibility of more applications at the same time on up to 6 individual displays.

The LaCie Data/Share is a new way to access the data from SD and microSD cards. It converts SD card and microSD information into the more accessible USB format, instantly creating a USB-ready storage key. The two sides of the Data / Share allow you to keep personal data on one side, while using the other side for shared data. Both sides have the advantage of High-Speed USB transfer rates of up to 480MB/s. The LaCie Data/Share is available now for £9.90 / $9.90.

Seagate Technology LLC has announced the Seagate Replica PC backup system. The Seagate Replica continuously stores up-to-date copies of everything on your PC, including the operating system, programs and settings – without you doing any of the work. The device connects to the computer via USB, and requires no installation or configuration. In the event of a computer crash, users can restore their PCs quickly and effortlessly, without having to spend countless hours manually installing and copying files. The storage capacity is 250GB. A Multi-PC version is available for homes with two or more PCs. The Multi-PC version has twice the storage space (500GB). Plus, the Multi-PC version includes a convenient dock to hold the Replica backup system vertically, which saves valuable desk space. The 250GB solution costs $129.99 (MSRP), whereas the 500GB Seagate Replica Multi-PC will set you back $179.99.

Cosina has announced the Voigtländer VM adapter, which allows M mount lenses to be attached to Micro FourThirds bodies. It is a simple spacer with no electrical contacts of any kind. The Voigtländer VM, which will cost ¥19,800 according to the Japanese Cosina site, is apparently not the first such adapter, as CameraQuest has, for some time, been selling what seems like a different one to us.

Website: Voigtländer VM Adapter at Cosina’s Japanese Site
Website: CameraQuest M to Micro FourThirds Adapter

Redrock Microsystems have announced the Redrock Micro DSLR 2.0 line of cinema accessories for video-enabled DSLRs and the Panasonic Lumix GH1. Redrock Micro DSLR 2.0 delivers cinema support & accessories for hybrid still and cinema shooting with DSLRs, which, on their own, are not stable enough nor provide the features for cinema-style production. Redrock’s previous Cinema Bundles were already aimed at resolving these problems, but the DSLR 2.0 accessories provide a more portable, lightweight solution and are more affordable too, as the individual components can be purchased separately, starting at $195. The Redrock Micro DSLR 2.0 products are available now.

Website: Redrock Micro

Samsung have unveiled a new, rugged hard drive for mobile computing, available in capacities of up to 500GB. The Spinpoint M7 is available in 250-, 320-, 400-, 500-GB capacities. A new controller has been adopted to reduce power consumption in seek mode to up to 25 percent over conventional 2.5” drives. The Samsung Spinpoint M7 hard drive features a 5400rpm spindle speed, 8MB cache, native command queuing and a 3.0Gbps SATA interface. Global shipments in the United States and Europe began in April with shipments to other regions to follow accordingly. Pricing is to be confirmed.

Western Digital have released the newest addition to their enterprise family of hard drives to include 2TB capacity. Billed as “the largest and only 2 TB enterprise-class hard drive shipping today”, the Western Digital RE4-GP allegedly yields twice the processing power resulting in as much as 25 percent performance improvement over the previous generation. Addressing the growing high-capacity enterprise market, WD RE4-GP 2 TB drives are reliability-rated at 1.2 million hours MTBF (mean time before failure) in high duty cycle environments. MSRP is $329.00 (U.S.).

Visible Dust have launched Zeeion, a new anti-static non-contact dust removal device for DSLR cameras. The new Zeeion compliments Visible Dust’s Arctic Butterfly in the dust removal stage of the sensor cleaning workflow. Zeeion is made from Silicon-RX - a unique compound with an anti-static property. When squeezed, the air emitted is negatively charged – it neutralises the positive charge on the sensor, making dust removal easier and actually helping to prevent re-attraction of dust particles. The new VisibleDust Zeeion is available now at RRP £39.95.

Bogen Imaging has announced the Gitzo Ocean Traveler extra lightweight tripod. Gitzo has developed the world’s first stainless steel tripod casting, and integrated the technology into its popular Traveler series to produce the new Ocean Traveler. The stainless steel casting is made using a production process involving Metal Injection Moulding. The casting is treated in a way that completely closes porosity, even at microscopic levels – something usually associated with the production of surgical equipment – eliminating any opportunity for corrosive substances to attack. The recommended retail price of the Gitzo Ocean Traveler tripod is £799.95 including VAT.

Fameart have announced a range of Camlink COMO Camera Bags. There are seven models, all of them allegedly “designed for maximum protection, weather proofing and style for today’s modern digital DSLR cameras”. The bags are manufactured from high tech Cordura weather resistant nylon, and they incorporate hard cell foam inner construction and full length Velcro hard cell foam dividers all covered in Tricot nylon non-abrasive material. Each bag has a built in sprung loaded camera strap so the bag can be carried like a handbag or you can pull out the internal strap and carry the bag on your shoulder. With the flick of a switch the strap will retract into the case in a matter of seconds. Pricing starts at £29.99 for the simplest model.

The AgfaPhoto AF5135MS is a new, large digital photo frame featuring a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. The AgfaPhoto AF5135MS measures 13.3” diagonally and is less than 1” thick. It accepts SD/SDHC, xD and CompactFlash cards as well as Memory Sticks. Additionally, it has 256 megabytes of internal memory. The recommended retail price is €279.99.

Website: AgfaPhoto AF5135MS Product Page

A. Stepanek GmbH has announced that the SUBAL CD5MII underwater housing for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR is now available for purchase. The SUBAL CD5MII is waterproof to a depth of up to 70 metres, weighs approximately 2.5kg with handles and measures 245x180x145mm without ports and handles.

Website: SUBAL CD5MII for Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Hama has announced a collection of fashionable camera cases from aha:. The aha: brand, known for its trendy laptop cases, is now launching its own collection of camera bags, designed to go with today’s colourful digital cameras. Prices range from €14.99 to€39.99.

LaCie has announced the LaCie Rugged XL hard drive with a capacity of 1TB. Suited for speed-intensive applications or for large-scale backups, the LaCie Rugged XL is compatible with both Mac and PC environments. In addition, it supports two key interfaces: Hi-Speed USB for universal compatibility, and the extreme speed of eSATA 3Gb/s. The new drive also includes a complete software bundle for easy formatting with LaCie Setup Assistant, as well as Genie Backup Assistant software for Windows users and Intego Backup Assistant software for Mac users. The suggested retail price is £139.9 including VAT.

Data Robotics has unveiled the new DroboPro, billed as ‘the first business class storage array that manages itself’. Although the DroboPro is targeted mainly at small and medium enterprises (SMEs), it can also be useful to photographers producing a large bulk of work that has to be stored digitally. DroboPro is currently available starting at an entry price of $1299 MSRP, with multiple configurations to $3999 for a 16- terabyte rack-mountable solution.

SLIK has unveiled the SLIK PRO 340 BH tripod and the SBH-200DQ dual-level ball head. This compact tripod has 4 legs sections to collapse down to just over 20 inches. Padded leg wraps make the tripod more comfortable to carry. The PRO 340 BH has a gearless centre column that unscrews into two pieces converting the top piece into a short column. This feature combined with the adjustable leg angle locks allows the tripod to be lowered to 10 inches for very low angle or macro photography in the field. The removable SBH-200DQ ball head has two built-in bubble levels to help you ensure the camera is perfectly level. The SLIK PRO 340 BH tripod with the SBH-200DQ ball head has a suggested list price of $239.95.

Bogen Imaging GmbH has announced that it had been appointed exclusive distributor of the Litepanels Micro LED camera lights in Germany. Litepanels Micro lights provide a soft, continuous fill light for photographers and videographers alike, and are powered by easily available AA batteries. The RRP is €329 including German VAT.

In the UK, the Litepanels Micro LED lights are already available at retail, costing around £280 including VAT.

Website: Bogen Imaging Deutschland Press Release (in German)