Fujifilm has been declared one of the top 100 global innovators in the prestigious Thomson Reuters list. Peter Wigington, Marketing Manager for Fujifilm Photo Imaging Group commented on the announcement: "It is a huge honour for Fujifilm to be named as one of the world's most innovative companies and this accolade is testament to the quality of the products we design and manufacture." 2013 is the second successive year Fujifilm has received the accolade.

Worldwide demand for digital cameras is forecast to decline by as much as 24% this year, but the interchangeable-lens camera segment - which comprises mostly SLRs and CSCs - is expected to grow. "Interchangeable-lens cameras will account for one in every four digital cameras shipped this year," says Arun Gill, Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. "That's up from less than one in every five in 2012 and - of greater significance - for the very first time the segment will account for more than half the total digital camera trade value. Here at Futuresource we expect the interchangeable lens segment to grow 5% in 2013, to reach close to 21 million units shipped." While CSCs will represent almost half the interchangeable-lens camera market volume in Japan, DSLRs remain by far the most popular format globally, with 80% volume share expected for 2013 within the segment.

On Monday, Leica finalised the acquisition of Sinar Photography, the Swiss manufacturer of view cameras, lenses, digital backs and shutter systems. Marketing, product management, support, development and production will remain in the hands of Sinar in Switzerland. Sales and distribution of the product portfolio will be handled by Leica and the worldwide dealer network of Sinar Photography. Leica now possesses a complete product portfolio from a medium format digital camera system to digital view cameras and, as a result of the takeover, is now the only full-range provider of digital camera systems in formats larger than 35mm full frame. The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Emerson Roberts, the newly-appointed MD at Bowens International has pledged to invest heavily in new product development and expand the photo-lighting equipment manufacturer’s global market share. Since his official appointment two months ago Roberts has already implemented an exclusive distribution deal with the MAC Group in the USA. Now he plans a 2014 launch of a brand new range of highly advanced ‘radio-tech’ monoblocs and promises to expand the company's research & development team in the UK. 

EIZO and Magnum Photos have announced a global collaboration to establish a programme in which 14 ambassadors from Magnum will integrate EIZO’s ColorEdge monitors into their colour management workflow and provide EIZO with objective feedback on their experiences. The line-up of ambassadors includes Carl De Keyzer, Elliot Erwitt, Jim Goldberg, Paul Hayward, Alex Majoli, Enrico Mochi, Matt Murphy, Trent Parke, Martin Parr, Paulo Pellegrin, Gilles Peress, Jonathan Roquemore, Alec Soth and Donovan Wylie.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has agreed a global five-year partnership with Getty Images. Under the agreement, Getty Images will represent BBC Motion Gallery, BBC Worldwide’s prestigious video clip sales business. “Our footage sales business is very successful, with over 100,000 clips available online and innumerable hours of content available through the BBC’s vast and rich catalogue. We now have an opportunity to grow BBC Motion Gallery even further by partnering with a truly international player,” said Marcus Arthur, Managing Director, BBC Worldwide UK & ANZ. “The deal with Getty Images allows us to tap into their wealth of experience and global footprint in this sector.”

Project Gado, a technology startup building sustainable models for archival digitisation, announced today a strategic partnership with Getty Images. Since 2010, Project Gado has developed an open source archival scanning robot that small archives, museums, and libraries can use to digitise their photo collections with little to no upfront cost. The Gado 2 can autonomously scan and save a photograph every 42 seconds, allowing archivists to focus on more important tasks than manual digitisation. The new partnership allows Getty Images to licence historic photographs digitised using this revolutionary scanning technology to the media. “The historic photos digitized by Gado lend valuable perspective and context to our world today, and we are delighted to make them available for licence so a wide audience can access them,” said Matthew Butson, VP, Archive at Getty Images, “As innovators in the digital media space, we find Project Gado’s efforts to enable archives -- regardless of size -- to preserve their visual history nothing short of amazing, and we are excited to partner with them.”

Canon, HP, Samsung and Xerox today launched the Mopria Alliance, a global non-profit membership organisation formed to promote, simplify and increase accessibility of wireless printing from smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. The Mopria Alliance will focus on breaking down barriers between brands by eliminating the need for users to download multiple print drivers, creating a better – easier and more accessible – user experience for mobile printing, introducing the Mopria brand and using the brand as a vehicle to educate consumers and businesses on the  ease-of-use of mobile printing, providing an open environment and tools for software developers to incorporate print into mobile applications and influencing the development and adoption of standards for mobile printing.

The management of Ilford Imaging Switzerland GmbH announced that it has identified a path forward for the company that ran into financial difficulties at the end of June. The Management Team, namely Paul Willems, Chief Executive Officer and Jean-Marc Metrailler, Chief Financial Officer, have acquired the Ilford Imaging and Ilford Property companies. A significant part of the land owned by Ilford Property is being sold and the proceeds will be invested into the ILFORD Imaging business. This investment will provide the Management with the necessary funding to execute the strategic business plan. In addition JetGraph, a distribution partner in the Japanese and Chinese markets, will enter into the share capital of the company in partnership with the Management Team.

Do note that Ilford Imaging, which develops and manufactures consumables for inkjet printing and other coated products, is not to be confused with Ilford Photo, a UK-based company that produces black-and-white photographic film, papers and chemicals.

Hasselblad's firat-ever retail outlet will open for business in Tokyo's fashionable Harajuku area on 14th September. The new store - a one-stop-shop of all things Hasselblad - is located adjacent to the Hasselblad Japan offices and close to a number of well-known retailers and trendy fashion boutiques. ""This is the first time in our history that we will be providing direct sales in store as opposed to the standard commercial protocol with partners, distributors and dealers," says William Penrice, president, Hasselblad Japan. "This store launch is a brand new challenge for the company and we are all very excited and enthusiastic about its future. We want people to just drop by whenever they can and browse, not just our latest cameras, but also enjoy a snapshot of our heritage and history."

Limelite has appointed MAC Group as its exclusive distributor in the US. Under the new agreement MAC Group will become a shareholder in the UK-based lighting company. Jan Lederman, President of MAC Group, has been appointed President of Limelite USA. He said: “Limelite is a new and exciting challenge for us. With new and innovative products in the continuous lighting field, Limelite represents the future of the lighting business whether it is for filmmakers or photographers. Our goal will be to establish it as a leader in the advanced LED, fluorescent and tungsten lighting business.”

The United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has initiated proceedings against Olympus and its UK subsidiary Gyrus Group. Former president Michael Woodford had discovered a lot of "strange goings-on at the company" as early as 2008, including some aspects of the Gyrus acquisition, and after being promoted to CEO, he started to seek answers to questions related to a number of other "questionable" transactions, leading to his dismissal on 14 October 2011. After his ouster, Woodford offered to speak to authorities in the UK and Japan, which prompted an investigation that revealed a cover-up of huge losses dating back twenty years, causing three high-ranking Japanese officials of the company to be sentenced to suspended jail terms. Having completed its own investigation, the SFO has now decided to bring a prosecution against Olympus and Gyrus. The charges allege that certain representations made to the auditors of Gyrus in the documents related to the company's financial accounts for the fiscal years 2009 and 2010 were misleading, false or deceptive in a material particular, contrary to Section 501 of the UK Companies Act of 2006. Commenting on the news Olympus noted that "the potential financial impact of this prosecution on Olympus Group’s business is unclear."

SanDisk today commemorates its silver anniversary by ringing The NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell. SanDisk’s anniversary celebrations also include the company’s 5,000-person workforce volunteering in charitable programmes throughout the year in all countries in which SanDisk operates. “When Eli, Jack and I started SanDisk in 1988 we knew flash memory had great potential,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, SanDisk’s co-founder, president, chief executive officer.  “The company’s growth and impact have far exceeded our expectations. While we reflect upon the many achievements and milestones, SanDisk’s employees are focused on creating the technology and solutions that will drive the next 25 years of industry transformation and value for our shareholders."

Flixel Photos have announced that supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks  has invested in the company through Fierce Capital, the investment arm of The Tyra Banks Company. Flixel photographic images add an innovative element to traditional photographs by incorporating a seamless element of motion across an otherwise still image known as a “cinemagraph.” As a result of the new relationship, Flixel-branded cinemagraphs will be seen during Cycle 20 of ANTM, which premiered August 2 on the CW Network. "“Cinemagraphs combine the best of both worlds – the passive-viewing aspects of photography and the captivating aspects of video,” said Philippe LeBlanc, Flixel’s CEO. “We are very excited to partner with Fierce Capital and The Tyra Banks Company to introduce this exciting artform to... the millions of amateur and professional photographers and others worldwide who will create extraordinary works of art using Flixel technology.”

Sony and Panasonic have signed an agreement with the objective of jointly developing a next-generation standard for professional-use optical discs. Intended for long-term digital data storage, these archival discs should offer a recording capacity of at least 300GB and be available by the end of 2015. Optical discs have excellent properties to protect them against the environment, such as dust-resistance and water-resistance, and can also withstand changes in temperature and humidity when stored. They also allow inter-generational compatibility between different formats, ensuring that data can continue to be read even as formats evolve.

Canon have opened their new Canon Americas headquarters in Melville, N.Y. “The official opening of the Canon Americas Headquarters is an exciting time for our Company and we are grateful for all of the local support we have received along the way,” said Joe Adachi, president and CEO of Canon U.S.A. “Canon's dedication to the environment and the community is an integral part of our corporate culture. The headquarters, which is designed to meet LEED gold certification, will serve as a symbol of this commitment.” The 700,000-square-foot building is five stories tall and cost $500 million to complete.

X-Rite has entered into a long-term partnership with Color Confidence to form X-Rite Photo Europe. The creation of X-Rite Photo Europe establishes a dedicated team, solely focussed on the X-Rite range of photo products, which from July 1st will manage the sales, marketing and support to partners and end user customers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia. X-Rite Photo Europe’s product portfolio includes the ColorMunki range, the i1 range and the ColorChecker line-up. Existing X-Rite partners, and prospective resellers looking to learn more about X-Rite’s photo portfolio, can begin trading with X-Rite Photo Europe immediately.

Pentax Ricoh Imaging today announced that it is changing its company name to Ricoh Imaging, effective from 1st August. The company has also unveiled its future product brand strategy: both Pentax and Ricoh products will remain in the market with Pentax becoming the brand for all DSLR, interchangeable lens cameras and binoculars, and Ricoh becoming its brand for compact cameras and "new technological innovations."

Jennifer Karády and Elley Ho, alongside agencies Fraser Communications and Heward Jue, Inc., have been selected to receive this year's Getty Images Creative Grants. In the project Healing our Hidden War, Brooklyn-based photographer Jennifer Karády and agency Fraser Communications will collaborate with Volunteers of America, Los Angeles (VOALA) to tell the stories of military veterans returning from deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, revealing the invisible trauma of war and how it affects them. Educating Children | Transforming Worlds, by California photographer Elley Ho and Creative Director Heward Jue will utilize video and print to demonstrate how the Asante Africa Foundation's education programs for children are profoundly transforming lives and communities in East Africa.

Canon has launched a new advertising campaign using the creative theme ‘Power to your next step.’ "‘Power to your next step’ is a campaign that brings to life Canon’s commitment to empower consumers to take their ‘next step’ in imaging” said Nigel Taylor, Consumer Imaging Marketing Communications Director, Canon Europe. “We want to inspire and support everyone in taking their ‘next step’, whether it be in photography, shooting video or printing special moments. Canon has a product suitable for every step, whether you’re a beginner or a professional.” For more information, visit the website below.