FocalPoint from onOne Software is a selective focus and vignetting plug-in designed to help photographers easily blur and/or vignette areas of an image. This new plug-in eliminates the need for photographers to purchase, carry and use special selective focus or tilt-shift lenses, filters or vignetting hoods. “It’s just like having a lens inside of Photoshop. Users set the location of their ‘sweet spot’ of focus directly on their image and then control the amount, kind of blur used and even lighten or darken the edges quickly and easily.” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. The FocalPoint plug-in will be available in April 2008 for $159.95.

Sid Vicious: No-one is Innocent is an intimate photographic exhibition of the most infamous and tragic of punk icons. The exhibition features exclusive, never-before-seen pictures from key punk photographers from the late 1970s. Sid Vicious: No-one is Innocent runs from 4th June - 12th August 2008 at Proud Galleries in London.

PocketWizard high precision wireless control devices for the professional photographer are now available in the UK through JP Distribution. The technically advanced PocketWizard range wirelessly synchronizes cameras, flash lighting and light meters. The Flash Centre has successfully distributed the PocketWizard range for many years. They will now be available from JP Distribution as from 1st April 2008.

jill-e designs has launched a new line of creative and stylish Point-n-Shoot Pouches for the serious female photographer. These new pouches currently come in four styles, including two suitable for the surf and sand.  “...our new pouches are specifically designed for that extra digital camera – the bulkier ‘point-n-shoot’ that a lot of women like to carry in certain situations or to make sure they don’t miss a shot” said jill-e designs Owner/Partner Jill Wight.

Fashion photographer Claudio Basso is teaching a workshop at Calumet Photographic’s New York store. Basso has created editorial for prestigious magazines such as American Vogue, New York Woman, French Elle, Italian Vogue, Vanity, Bazaar, Amica and Grazia. The two-day weekend event covers the secrets, tips and tricks of successfully shooting supermodels and celebrities. The Claudio Basso workshop takes place on April 28-29 at Calumet Photographic’s New York store on 22 W. 22nd Street.

onOne Software Essentials 2.1 now supports Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh. Essentials 2.1 provides Photoshop Elements users with four important plug-in solutions to solve common digital imaging problems. Version 2.1 also features a new version of Enlarge it!, based on the award-winning Genuine Fractals 5 engine. onOne Software’s Essentials 2.1 is available as a free upgrade for all current users of Essentials 1 or 2. It costs $59.95 for new users.

PhotoShelter has introduced a new brand logo to coincide with the end of the beta period for its open-but-edited image marketplace, the PhotoShelter Collection. The new PhotoShelter icon represents the company’s established position as a trusted partner within the photography community. Approximately 2,000 new photographers and 2,000 new image buyers are joining the PhotoShelter Collection every month, with over 100,000 new images uploaded monthly from photographers in 120 countries.

Shoot! The Blog is a new editorially-independent community blog focusing on all aspects of the photography industry. Updating two to five times a day, “Shoot!  The Blog” resident blogger, Rachel Hulin, will offer industry insight and knowledgeable commentary. “My goal is for ‘Shoot! The Blog’ to become a daily destination of avid discussion, news, practical advice and fabulous, discussion-provoking images. We’re looking to create a dialogue between all members of the photographic community including photographers, art lovers and buyers,” says Hulin. “Shoot! The Blog” is hosted and sponsored by PhotoShelter.

Megapixel.net have reviewed the Olympus mju 790 SW, a new shockproof, waterproof digital camera.

“Outdoor photos captured with this Olympus model were sharp and had good color fidelity. Although its handling of dynamic range in shots—the shift between dark and light areas—wasn’t perfect in every frame captured even with its shadow adjustment features turned on, more often than not, it produced photos worth printing when shooting in situations that were challenging to a digital camera’s contrast rendering capabilities.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Olympus mju 790 SW Review

Kubota Artistic Tools V.4 features over 40 new Photoshop image enhancement actions. Highlights include the 3-dimensional vividness of “Enter the Dragon” to the rich, cinematic palette of “300esque”, as well as cool new interactive black-and-white converters for the perfect tonal blend and richness.  “These new Actions provide a fresh collection of modern image-enhancing tools for producing the hottest looks that are in demand in today’s marketplace. And the exclusive Kubota Action Dashboard provides photographers with a lightning fast way to search for one of our Actions and then launch it instantly.” said Kevin Kubota. Kubota Artistic Tools V.4 retails for $149.

Kubota AutoAlbum V.3 helps professional photographers create magazine-style album pages in Photoshop. AutoAlbum V.3 includes more than 500 single-page layouts - both square and new rectangular pages - as well as panoramic designs. Also included in this upgrade is the new printed AutoAlbum Book, a handy reference of all of the templates. AutoAlbum V.3, including the printed book, retails for $399.

The new Kubota Formula Book reveals some of pro photographer Kevin Kubota’s secrets for creating stunning images. This compact book features tips such as camera settings, special equipment used and creative capture ideas. The Kubota Formula Book includes over 40 before and after images plus a DVD with video tutorials on the Photoshop techniques and Kubota Actions used on each image. The Formula Book retails for $125.

Bob Atkins has reviewed the Olympus E-510 DSLR camera, which features a built-in image stabiliser in the camera body. The E510 also has a new image processing engine that offers excellent noise performance and 3fps with a seven image RAW buffer in burst mode.

“I’d say the E-510 with the 14-42 and 40-150 lenses would make an excellent starter camera for someone moving up from a digital P&S, especially if cost and size are issues. For around $650 you get the camera along with the two lenses (and both become stabilized via the body). A similar Canon system might be a Rebel XTi plus the EF-S 18-55IS and the EF-S 55-250IS, which would cost around $880. I think the Canon system is probably better and more expandable (there are more lenses available in the Canon system), but if you just want a small camera and a couple of inexpensive lenses, the Olympus is hard to beat in terms of price and features.”

Website: Bob Atkins - Olympus E-510 Review

Website: Read our Olympus E-510 Review

Canon UK is offering cash back across 19 products in its popular EOS range, including £150/€200 off the Canon EOS 5D. Running from 1st March 2008 until 30th June 2008, other savings include £100/€150 off the EOS 40D and £45/€60 off the EOS 400D. EOS accessories and Canon’s Photo Kits are also included in the promotion. To claim their Cash Back, customers need to log on to www.canon-europe.com/2008promotions and follow the step-by-step guide.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.4 and Camera Raw 4.4 are now available immediately as free upgrades for existing users. This update adds raw file support for nine additional digital cameras, including the Canon EOS 450D, Nikon D60 Pentax K20D and Sony A350, and updated printer driver compatibility for Apple Leopard Mac OS X 10.5.

A study by the University of Utah has concluded that widescreen monitors can save up to 76 days in production per year. Moving from a single 18-inch monitor to 24-inch widescreen display reduced the time it took to complete a task from 8 hours to 5-1/2 hours. “The study revealed that large widescreen or dual-monitor configurations are recommended for use in any situation where multiple documents of information are an ordinary part of work,” said Dr. James A. Anderson, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a Professor of Communication at the University of Utah. A summary of the University of Utah study and a Productivity Calculator can be found at http://www.necdisplay.com/gowide

The Ape Case PRO2000 is a new carrying case from Norazza which can hold 2 camera bodies, lenses, 17 inch laptop and flashguns. Featuring a signature yellow interior, the bag is designed to allow the user to easily find accessories. “We designed this bag with both the professional and amateur photographer in mind, and we added features that allow maximum protection for photography equipment.  The ACPRO2000 offers digital photographers peace of mind that their cameras and accessories are safe, secure and easily accessible.” said Tom Sperazza, President of Norazza. The Ape Case PRO2000 can be purchased at Walmart.com for $139.99.

The Photograph: Composition & Color Design explains the elements that are essential to achieving the highest level of visual design in photographs. This book is geared toward the serious intermediate and advanced photographer who strives to create outstanding images. Author Harald Mante explores the principles of line, shape, point, color, contrast, composition, and design in great depth, illustrated with more than 600 images from Mante’s own portfolio. The Photograph: Composition & Color Design is available now and costs $49.95 USD / £30.99 GBP.

Animoto lets users easily create personalized, professional-quality music videos from their own photos and music. Animoto uses high-end motion design and music-analyzing technology to automatically produce dynamic videos. You can also now export your full-length Animoto videos directly to YouTube. “Animoto’s relationship with YouTube is particularly exciting since the integration will finally make uploading video content to YouTube accessible to people who only have digital photos but still want to contribute professional-looking video content to the YouTube community,” said Brad Jefferson, CEO and Co-founder of Animoto.

The new Peli Soft bag range have padded inserts and are made from water resistant nylon ensuring that your equipment is always protected. The Peli Soft Bag range includes rolling and backpack cases, tripod and light stand cases, and bags to protect DSLR’s, lenses and accessories. All Peli Soft Bags include a 5 year limited warranty, with pricing starting at £24.99.