Sony have added a 4Gb model to its Micro Vault Tiny range of ultra-portable USB storage media. The pre-loaded Virtual Expander data compression software allows users to store up to 3 times more data than the native capacity of the drive. The Sony 4GB Micro Vault Tiny is compatible with Windows Vista and is available now.

Hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl (320 gsm) is a new fineart inkjet photo paper particularly well-suited to black and white photography. This natural white paper is 100% cotton and features a high Dmax and large colour gamut. Hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl is extremely age resistant and conforms to the highest conservation requirements.

CameraTown have reviewed the Zap-Shot ZS-2 wireless RF remote.

“The ZAP-SHOT ZS-2 is a new wireless RF remote for Canon Digital Rebels, Pentax DSLRs and select Sony Cyber-shot digital cameras. Like the original ZAP-SHOT, the new ZS-2 uses Radio Frequency (RF) technology to provide a 100’ range and operation without needing line-of-sight (through walls, windows, floors, etc.). The ZAP-SHOT ZS-2 is a step-up from the original ZAP-SHOT ZS-1 and offers all of the features found in the original while adding a new 3-button remote (the original remote had 2-buttons) with added functionality and a bright activity LED on the receiver.”

Website: CameraTown - Zap-Shot ZS-2 Review

CameraTown have reviewed the Trekpod walking staff, monopod and tripod.

“The Trekpod is a combination Monopod, adjustable-height Walking Staff, and Tripod designed to support cameras, spotting scopes, binoculars, and virtually any tripod-mountable device. The best way to test a product is to use it in the environment that it was designed for. Since the Trekpod was designed for photographers that hike, sightsee, and love to photograph nature and wildlife I decided to test it on a recent trip to Utah and Nevada. The Trekpod was tested in a variety of settings from downtown Park City, UT to the roadside vistas of Bryce Canyon, inside the walls of Antelope Canyon, and while hiking near the Vortexes in Sedona. Read the review to find out how the Trekpod did during this week of testing.”

Website: CameraTown - Trekpod Review

PMA 2007: Crumpler were proudly showing off their pro photography Brazillian Dollar Home bag on what was the most distinctive booth of the whole show. Constructed entirely from recyclable cardboard (the booth, not the bag), apparently they had to have security guards present throughout the night, just in case it caught fire! Anyway, the Crumpler Brazillian Dollar bag is the result of a lot of consultation with pro photographers. With a price of $280, Crumpler’s new top-of-the-range shoulder bag holds 2 SLR bodies, up to 5 lenses and 3 flashguns. The Brazillian Dollar Home is available in two different colour schemes, gun metal/orange or black/orange. Strangely, there are actually 2 separate Crumpler companies, one in Europe and one in USA / Australia, which create and market different products. The Crumpler Brazillian Dollar Home bag on show at PMA will therefore not be available in Europe.

PMA 2007: German company Jobo were showcasing their new mid-range Jobo Spectator portable storage device, plus a clever new Loupe function for their professional level Giga Vu Evolution. There was also an early prototype of a GPS unit designed to fit to the hotshoe of a DSLR. Unfortunately the unit is on the large size, and Jobo don’t currently plan to make it smaller.

The SanDisk 8Gb SDHC card has been unveiled at the CeBIT in Germany.  This new 8GB SDHC card adheres to the SD Speed Class 2 rating, which guarantees a minimum data-transfer rate of 2MB/sec. The SanDisk 8GB SDHC card will come bundled with a SanDisk MicroMate USB 2.0 reader at no extra charge and will cost $189.99 / £82.66, available in April.

PMA 2007: The Quik Pod, the world’s first handheld extendable tripod, allows you to attach a camera and properly frame photos and videos without the help of strangers. It even has a built in self-positioning mirror to help frame each shot! The Quik Pod can be purchased in the USA or ordered online.

Harman Photo FB Mp Warmtone Paper is the second product in the company’s professional inkjet media range. Warmtone products are generally manufactured for a black and white market, enhancing the tonal qualities of an image. “The HARMAN PHOTO FB Mp WARMTONE paper will still be suitable for colour images, and we have noticed in our testing that it is particularly effective in enriching skin tones on colour portrait images.” commented Howard Hopwood of Harman Photo. The Harman Photo FB Mp Warmtone paper is due for launch in May this year.

The new Creative Live! Cam Optia AF webcam offers auto focus technology, a true 2.0 megapixel sensor, precision glass lens and dual microphones. The CMOS sensor allows video content to be captured in very high resolutions up to 1600x1200, whilst Smart Face Tracking keeps the speaker in the centre of the video. The Live! Cam Optia AF will be available in early April for around £80.

The SanDisk 32Gb, 2.5 inch solid state drive is launched as a drop-in replacement for hard disk drives in laptop computers. SanDisk now offers both 1.8 and 2.5 inch drives, covering the entire notebook market. “The SanDisk 2.5-inch SSD brings the extreme durability, outstanding performance and low power consumption of solid-state flash memory to the entire notebook computer market,” said Amos Marom of SanDisk. The 32GB, 2.5-inch SanDisk SSD is available now to computer manufacturers, with initial pricing of $350 for large volume orders.

The Peli 1495 laptop case protects all laptops up to 17 inches in size. Providing peace of mind for the travelling photographer, the Peli 1495 is unbreakable, dustproof, chemical resistant and corrosion proof. To combat theft, it features a programmable combination lock and stainless-steel-reinforced padlock protectors. The The Peli 1495 laptop case costs £179.99 with foam inserts, or £163.99 without.

PMA 2007: The Medium Format Lensbaby 3G is now available for Mamiya 645 and Pentax 67 camera bodies. The Lensbaby 3G for Mamiya 645 has an 80mm fixed focal length and apertures from f/3.4 to f/39.  The Lensbaby 3G for Pentax 67 cameras has a 100 mm fixed focal length and apertures from f/4 to f/45. Lensbaby 3G medium format lenses can be ordered now (and will ship by the end of March) for $390.00.

PMA 2007: Lexar have increased the capacity of their Platinum II flash memory card line-up by introducing a 4GB CompactFlash and 2GB and 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. A free software suite comprised of Image Rescue 3, Corel Snapfire Plus SE and Backup n Sync can be downloaded by Platinum II 4GB CF owners. Lexar 4GB Platinum II CompactFlash and Lexar 2GB and 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo cards will be available in late March.

PMA 2007: The 8Gb SanDisk Ultra II SDHC card features write speeds of 9 MB per second and read speeds of 10MB and can store over 4,000 high-resolution pictures. The SanDisk MicroMate USB 2.0 reader is included for free, which works with both SDHC and SD cards. The $239.99 8Gb SanDisk Ultra II SDHC Card bundle will cost $239.99 / €121 and be available in June.

PMA 2007: The 4Gb SanDisk Extreme III SDHC Class 6 card has a read/write speed of 20MBs per second and can store more than 2,000 high-resolution pictures. A free SanDisk MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader is included. The SanDisk Extreme III SDHC Bundle 4GB + MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader will cost $179.99 and be available in April 2007. SanDisk are also introducing a 4Gb Memory Stick PRO Duo card.

PMA 2007: Delkin Devices have announced their new eFilm ExpressCard 54 CF and eFilm ExpressCard 34 mm 6-in-1 readers. The Delkin ExpressCard 54 CF reader is the first UDMA enabled ExpressCard reader, whilst the ExpressCard 34 6-in-1 reader offers transfers from Secure Digital and SDHC memory cards. The eFilm CompactFlash ExpressCard 54 will cost $59.99, available in early April, 2007. The eFilm ExpressCard 6-in-1 reader is $59.99, available immediately.

PMA 2007: The Kingston DataTraveler Reader is a USB 2.0 Flash memory drive that provides up to 4GB of storage and includes an onboard SD/MMC expansion slot for reading nine different Flash memory card formats (including SDHC). Available in storage capacities of 1GB, 2GB and 4GB, the Kingston DataTraveler Reader is compatible with both Mac (OS 10.x or higher) and Windows. Prices are $19.99 / £11.60 for 1GB and $34.99 / £19.60 for the 2GB DataTraveler Reader (price of the 4Gb version to be confirmed). Kingston’s DataTraveler Card Reader will be available by the end of March.

PMA 2007: Kingston introduces three new 8GB cards available in Class 2, 4 and 6 speed ratings as well as two new 4GB SDHC cards in Class 4 and 6 speeds. “Today’s higher resolution image devices require larger memory card capacity and faster Data Transfer Rate (DTR) to maximize overall performance,” said Jean Wong, Flash product manager, Kingston. “Our new 8GB SDHC cards, as well as the 4GB Class 4 and 6 cards, satisfy the growing demand to help consumers get the most out of their advanced digital devices.” The new Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 2 card will cost $109.99 / £65.25, Class 4 $114.99 / £71.80 and Class 6 $129.99 / £79.80.

PMA 2007:Norcent announces new additions to their current line of flash media products. New Secure Digital and Compact Flash memory cards plus its SD Duo, SD Trio cards, Micro SD Reader/Adapter and USB Drive products will be at the PMA show this week. The CF, SD, SD Duo and Trio formats provide our customers with dependable media for almost every device,” stated Dennis Robinson, Norcent CFO.