The new Velbon Ultra Rexi L tripod is ultra compact (36cm) when folded, but gives a full-size extended height of 153cm and boasts a maximum load capacity of 4kg. Featuring a magnesium alloy collar construction, the Velbon Ultra Rexi L weighs in at only 1.3kg and sports multi-angle legs making it especially useful for macro photography and for use on uneven surfaces. Compatible with the Velbon PHD-64Q, QHD-61Q and FHD-61Q tripod heads, the Ultra Rexi L comes complete with a case and carries a suggested retail price of £149.99.

RigWheels are a simple way to add motion to your HDSLR footage utilising support equipment that you may already own. They can mount directly to your camera rig and can easily be configured as a pipe-dolly, skate-dolly, slider and so on. RigWheels feature four high-quality bearing wheels per carriage, giving you a very smooth roll and enabling each carriage to carry a load of up to 50lbs. “RigWheels along with a nearby piece of pipe, glass, plexiglass, laminate, track or other smooth surface can give you the same seamless smooth motion as other options that cost hundreds more,” the company says. A kit of four RigWheels costs $125, and there will also be a rail kit available for $100.

Website: RigWheels

The Nikon ME-1 is the company’s first stereo microphone. The unidirectional ME-1 microphone offers crisp, clear sound with no unwanted operational noise. The ME-1 is equipped with a vibration reduction mechanism that suppresses unwanted operational noise which can come from autofocus. The Nikon ME-1 will be available from 21st April for £119.99 / €139.00.

The Seagate GoFlex Slim drive, billed as the world’s slimmest portable external hard drive, is now available through the manufacturer’s website and at retail. Equipped with a 7200RPM drive and a USB3.0 interface, this 9mm thin, 2.5” drive has a storage capacity of 320GB, and allows for use on both Windows and Mac computers, interchangeably, without formatting or performance loss. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $99.99.

TLPro’s “Stage Zero” is an affordable time-lapse photography solution that combines a motion rail of up to 2 metres in length with a controller for precision movement and triggering your camera. The rail system can be mounted on any standard tripod, while the controller supports “all popular makes and models of camera”, the company says. Moreover, the controller is fully user upgradeable via USB with built-in support for a secondary axis motion system due for release as an upgrade later this year. The “Stage Zero” system has a complete series of training videos featuring how to setup, operate, and finally produce time-lapse videos and is priced at £699.

Lowepro today announced the launch of a new shoulder bag series, the ILC Classic; purpose-built to address the growing number of photographers with compact system cameras. The ILC Classic 50 fits a camera with its attached kit lens and a spare memory card. The ILC Classic 100 (pictured) fits the camera with lens, plus an additional lens and flash and two extra memory cards. Both shoulder bags are available in black.

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.

Genius today released its MousePen M508W 5” x 8” wireless graphic-design tablet in the USA and Canada. The MousePen M508W comes complete with a stylus that is tilt-sensitive ±60 degrees and has 1024 pressure levels. The stylus moves across the 4000 LPI high-resolution contact area “as if the screen and tablet were the same”, making operation smooth and accurate, the manufacturer claims. The suggested retail price for the Genius MousePen M508W is $149.

Zacuto USA has just announced the Point’n'Shoot Pro external camera grip for those wishing to shoot steady video with their compact cameras without mounting them on a tripod. “The Point’n'Shoot Pro is my favorite Zacuto product. I originally made it just for me,” says Zacuto owner, Steve Weiss. “I love to use point and shoot cameras to shoot video, especially now that you can
shoot full 1080 24p. Trying to hold one of those tiny cameras steady is impossible but the Point’n'Shoot makes it the steadiest camera in the world. Having the quick-release makes it so I can put the camera in my back pocket and the Point’n'Shoot in the other.” The Point~n~Shoot Pro is available for $89.

Today marks the international launch of the Apple iPad 2. In addition to the USA, the tablet is now available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. In the United Kingdom, the cheapest 16GB Wi-Fi model costs £399, while the most expensive 64GB Wi-Fi+3G configuration sells for £659 including VAT. The iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April, and in many more (unspecified) countries around the world in the coming months.

Color Confidence has confirmed the UK availability of the latest 30” SpectraView Reference and MultiSync additions to the NEC monitor range.The new NEC SpectraView Reference 301 LCD widescreen monitor (£2915) offers professional standard colour accuracy, and boasts features like a 10-bit P-IPS wide format display, a 14-bit Look-up-table for each RGB channel and a picture-in-picture system that allows you to work on two images simultaneously. The MultiSync PA301W option also offers excellent levels of colour accuracy and many of the features of the SpectraView Reference but carries a lower - if still eye-watering - price tag of £1519.

Thanks to one of our readers, we have just learned of what must be the first Compact Flash memory card reader for the Apple iPad 2. Available in the M.I.C. Store for $29.90, this is a 2-in-1 device that is backwards compatible with the original Apple iPad. According to M.I.C. Gadget, this memory card reader supports both UDMA and non-UDMA cards and is capable of achieving transfer speeds of up to 133MB/s.

Thanks to our reader Chris Chang for tipping us on the news.

On Monday, 28th March, Gary Fong will be launching a Micro Four Thirds version of the Gary Fong Puffer pop-up flash diffuser. Affixing directly to the camera’s hot-shoe, the variable-position Puffer is adjustable for centre positioning on camera models with off-centre flash placement, such as the Olympus E-PL1 and E-PL2 or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 and GF2. The Micro Four Thirds Puffer Pop-Up Flash Diffuser will be available from Monday at a price of $21.95.

The Nissin Di866 Professional Speedlite is now available in a Sony fit. With a guide number of 60 (in metres at ISO 100) the Di866 features Nissin’s original ‘My TTL’ user adjustable TTL light output level and is firmware upgradable thanks to an onboard USB port. It also features high speed synchronisation and a fill in sub-flash, which is activated while the main flash is bounced and also has a built-in wide angle diffuser and catch-light reflector.

Lastolite has just launched the Triflector Speed-Lite, a beauty lighting accessory for Ezybox Hotshoe users. The kit includes three reflective panels and a stand, which in turn incorporates an overhead arm to support the Ezybox Hotshoe. Bundled with a carry case, the Triflector Speed-Lite is available now at £265.

The new 4GB and 8GB Class 10 Kingston microSDHC cards are now shipping, priced at £8.91 and £14.90 + VAT, respectively. Joining the previously released 16GB Class 10 card, these speedy memory cards guarantee a minimum sustained write speed of 10MB/s. In addition to the Class 10 cards, Kingston currently ships the microSDHC card in a Class 4 specification as both a standalone and part of the Multi-Kit in capacities up to 32GB. The cards are backed by a lifetime warranty and 24/7 live technical support.

Nikon’s new FSB-8 digital camera bracket has been specifically designed to connect the new Nikon Coolpix P300 digital compact camera with the manufacturer’s range of Fieldscopes, spotting scopes and EZ Micro products. By positioning the FSB-8 bracket between the camera and a Nikon scope, P300 owners can use the camera to take close-up shots of birds and wildlife. Bundled with a long cable release, the Nikon FSB-8 bracket will be available from April at an RRP of £119.99.

ExpoImaging today announced availability of the Rogue Grid, the newest addition to its Rogue FlashBender product line. Weighing just 3.5 ounces, the Rogue Grid is uniquely designed to produce three different honeycomb grid angles. A 25? grid and a 45? grid align and stack to create a 16? grid, producing three distinct levels of spot lighting control in a compact and lightweight package. The Rogue Grid is available now for $49.95.

JP Distribution today announced the new range of Parabolic Umbrellas from Westcott. The line includes a White Diffusion, a White/Black and a Silver model, with each being 7’ in diameter and weighing in at 2.5 pounds. These parabolic umbrellas are constructed using 16 durable fibreglass ribs composite that offer added strength and durability over standard steel or aluminium frames, the company says. Each model costs £110 including VAT and a heavy-duty nylon carry case.

Magnum Photos and Caseable have teamed up to create a line of limited edition laptop cases with select Magnum images. Interested readers are encouraged to vote for their favourite pictures on the Magnum Photos Facebook page. The top 3 images will be printed on Caseable cases. Voting is open until the end of April.

Website: Magnum Photos - Facebook