A beta version of DxO Optics Pro v5 for the Apple Macintosh platform is now available. The free public beta, available in English only, will run for several weeks. “Although both the Mac and PC versions are identical in terms of functionalities, Mac users will be especially pleased with the consistency of DxO Optics Pro v5 in the Mac environment,” says Cyrille de La Chesnais, Sales & Marketing Director of the Photography Business at DxO Labs. “For instance, the palette and tab icons follow Mac OS X toolbar guidelines and the select tab reproduces the three viewing modes that Mac users are accustomed to using.” DxO Optics Pro v5 is available in Standard and Elite editions for $169 and $299 respectively.

The new Digital Photo Grey Card from Perfect Pixs helps you get better exposures and tonal balance in your photos. Using a grey card is the ideal way to start with a correctly exposed image for the lighting conditions you are shooting in. Priced at £10.95 in the UK, the Digital Photo Grey Card is 9"x7” in size and uses an industry standard reflectance value and low glare matte finish.

Schneider B+W Infrared Filters allow anyone to create infrared images using the right digital SLR camera. Schneider Optics offers two B+W Infrared Filters for digital SLRs; the IR 092 and the IR 093. The B+W IR 092 is nearly opaque, and creates infrared images that also include a portion of the visible red spectrum. The completely opaque B+W IR 093 Infrared Filter blocks the entire visible spectrum, resulting in pure infrared photographs. B+W Infrared Filters 092 and 093 cost $105.00 each and are available with screw-on mounting rings to fit a wide range of DSLRs.

The latest update to Filter Forge has added support for Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 and Corel Photo-Paint X4. Filter Forge is a Photoshop plugin that allows users to create their own filters. Version 1.012 also includes fixes for a number of bugs. This update is free for registered users.

iCorrect Online is a new a web-based color correction and color editing application from PictoColor. The initial launch of iCorrect Online features PictoColor’s OneClick Color technology, which automatically removes any color cast, corrects the tonal range, and adjusts the overall brightness and saturation with a single mouse click. “By seamlessly integrating iCorrect Online with photo sharing communities, social networking sites and a growing list of web-based photo services, we intend to offer users around the world the fastest and easiest approach to improving their digital photos.” said Craig Huelskoetter, president of PictoColor.

Sony’s new ‘Foam City’ advert for its digital cameras tramsforms the downtown area of Miami, Florida into a foam-filled wonderland. The world’s largest foam machine was built especially for the ad, with over two million litres of foam being produced every minute. The foam theme is being used across all of Sony’s digital imaging advertising activity - the DSLR advert focuses on the challenge of capturing the perfect bubble. To view the advert online, visit http://www.sony.co.uk/images

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 970 IS, a 10 megapixel camera which features a 5x optical zoom lens and enhanced optical Image Stabilizer.

“Colour reproduction is superb, with good detail even in very bright yellows, something that can be a problem. The lens performs well, with excellent centre sharpness, although it does produce quite a lot of barrel distortion at the wide-angle end, and there is some visible chromatic aberration in the corners. I did find the 37mm-equivalent wide-angle setting to be a bit restrictive after reviewing several 28mm wide-zoom cameras recently, but the 185 telephoto end is very useful for a bit of extra magnification on more distant objects.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon Digital IXUS 970 IS Review

Amateur Photographer are reporting that Samsung are currently working on a full-frame DLSR camera. Rivals Canon and Nikon already have full-frame DSLRs available, with Sony unveiling a full-frame prototype at the PMA show back in January. So it makes perfect sense for Samsung to join in if they’re serious about becoming a major player. The news that Samsung will also continue its close relationship with Pentax could mean that we’ll actually see two very similar full-frame cameras released at the same time, as with the GX-10/K10D and GX-20 (pictured) /K20D cameras.

“The news emerged during an informal discussion with a high-ranking Samsung official at an industry event in Seoul, Korea, attended by Amateur Photographer (AP) technical writer Barney Britton. Kyong-Kook Shin, assistant manager for Samsung’s digital camera marketing planning group, suggested that the firm is actively pursuing development of a full-frame CMOS sensor intended for use in a professional camera.”

Website: Amateur Photographer - Samsung hints at full-frame camera

TechCrunch have revealed that a Mac version of Google’s desktop photo editing software Picasa will be launched later this year. Picasa 2.1 for Windows is currently available as a free download.

“After explaining that I’d been told by their colleague that Picasa for Mac was coming and all I wanted now was the release date, they said that they wouldn’t confirm or deny the fact, saying that the use of the logo was part of a promotion for Picasa Web Albums, but said all of this whilst smiling like Cheshire cats.”

Website: TechCrunch - Google Developing Mac Version Of Picasa, Due To Be Released This Year

The Canon PIXMA iP100 is a new compact and portable printer offering exceptional print quality. Available in two different versions, standard and with a rechargeable battery, the Canon iP100 features a 9600 x 2400 dpi FINE print head with 1pl ink droplets, 5 ink system and can print a borderless 10 x 15cm photo prints in 50 seconds. The Canon PIXMA iP100 will be available from mid-May 2008 priced at £199.00 / €299.00 / $249.99. The iP100 with a battery pack will cost £249.00 / €359.00.

The professional finalists of the Sony World Photography Awards have been announced. Three professional photographers in each of the eleven categories will find out if they have won at the Awards Presentation in Cannes on 24th April. The overall winner will be awarded the L’iris d’or and receive a $25,000 prize. “The World Photographic Academy has had a challenging assignment to select the finalists from such an expansive selection of high quality work. The 33 professional finalists should be rewarded with the knowledge that they were chosen from a total of 44,641 professional entries internationally – the calibre of photographic entries is a testament to the industry in itself.” commented Scott Gray, Founder of the Sony World Photography Awards.

The Pentax Photo Gallery website has been nominated for the 12th Annual Webby Awards. Dubbed the “Oscars of the Internet”, the Pentax website is up for the Best Use of Photography in a website for 2008 award. “The Webby Awards honors the outstanding websites that are setting the standards for the Internet,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. “PENTAX’s virtual photo gallery Webby Award nomination is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.” From now until May 1st 2008, fans may cast their votes for The Pentax Photo Gallery website.

Take part in Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day this year using one of the new Corbis ReadyMech pinhole cameras. Featuring five very distinctive designs from the New York based graphic design firms FWIS, you can download a Corbis ReadyMech for free, then print and build your own pinhole camera. This year Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day takes place on April 27th.

Picture This is a new photography community site from the UK broadcaster Channel 4. Members can take part in weekly project challenges, get feedback on photos, share knowledge and inspire others to produce better work. Picture This works in conjunction with Flickr and currently has about 5,000 users and 9,000 pictures.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.4.1 and Camera Raw 4.4.1 are now available immediately as free upgrades for existing users. Lightroom Product Manager Tom Hogarty has announced the release, which corrects problems found in Lightroom 1.4 and Camera Raw 4.4.

The AgfaPhoto DV-5000Z is a new compact digital video camera that’s no bigger than most still cameras. The DV-5000Z features a Micron CMOS sensor with five megapixel resolution and videos are taken in 16:9 wide screen format. Up to four hours and 20 minutes of film in HD format can fit on an 8Gb SDHC memory card, plus there’s a 3x optical zoom and 2.5” rotating and pivoting LCD display. The new AgfaPhoto DV-5000Z will be available in Russia from the end of April at the recommended retail price of 249 Euro.

Carl Zeiss have announced a limited special edition of lenses in three different focal lengths for the Hasselblad V system. This special series covers three of the most popular focal lengths of this system: the wide-angle classic Distagon T* 4/50 ZV, the universal macro lens Makro-Planar T* 4/120 ZV and the Sonnar T* 4/180 ZV, popular for portrait photography. Each lens receives a certificate with the edition number and is delivered with a leather case and an attractive presentation box. The lenses of the ZV Classic series will be available from May.

Filter Forge Freepack 3 - Frames is a free plugin comprised of seven effect filters, each capable of framing any photo in a creative way. For example, Painting Frame generates realistic wooden frames with paint flaking off, and Film Frame produces a black film-like vignette. Additionally, starting on April 12th 2008, a 20% discount is available for all editions of Filter Forge.

Nikon is introducing the latest version of my Picturetown, a smart and state-of-the-art photo sharing and storage service. New features include the ability to upload RAW (NEF) files viewable as JPEGs, a new rating system, and full-screen slideshows. My Picturetown’s new features will launch end of April 2008. Two gigabytes of storage will be free with the option to purchase up to 200GB through a my Picturetown Gold Account.

Version 6 of AKVIS Noise Buster offers a new improved algorithm for noise suppression. A new Microdetail parameter has been added, which reveals small detail without bringing back the suppressed noise, and there’s a new Unsharp Mask option. The Macintosh version of Noise Buster is now compatible with Photoshop Elements 6. AKVIS Noise Buster sells for $49 USD. Registered users can upgrade to version 6 for free.