The Shutterfly Gallery is a new community platform for sharing and connecting with others. “Shutterfly Gallery adds the power of social networking to our vibrant community and marks the next great chapter in establishing Shutterfly as the industry leader in storytelling,” said Jeffrey Housenbold, president and chief executive officer of Shutterfly. To learn more about the Shutterfly Gallery, visit http://community.shutterfly.com

Neocamera have reviewed the Canon A720 IS digital camera, which offers 8 megapixels and optical image stabilization.

“Image quality is the most important aspect of camera performance and the A720 does very little to disappoint in that area. Its 8 megapixel sensor produces images with below average image noise. Below ISO 400, images are quite clean. Noise starts appearing at ISO 400 but is not significant until ISO 800 for bright subjects and ISO 400 for dark subjects. Compared to most non-Fuji compact cameras, the Canon A720 produces very clean ISO 400 results in good light. Higher ISO settings are quite noisy though and ISO 1600 should generally be avoided.”

Website: Neocamera - Canon A720 IS Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Canon A650 IS camera, which has a 12.1 megapixel sensor and a 6x optical zoom with optical image stabilization.

“The noise at ISO 200 is disturbing. That boils down to the 12.1 megapixel sensor. Still, you have to consider that this is a 12-megapixel camera, and the printed results pretty much guarantee excellence up to ISO 400 at 8x10 (the practical maximum most people can print at home, and good quality in the ISO 800 to 1,600, both of which produce a fine 5x7 and 4x6, respectively. Add that better-than-ever quality to the Canon A650’s articulated LCD, fill flash control, and Custom modes, and you have a great camera for photo enthusiasts without breaking the bank.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Canon A650 IS Review

The Ricoh Caplio GX100 Creative Set is a new bundle for Ricoh’s professional zoom compact camera. It includes the camera, the exclusive electronic LCD viewfinder (VF-1), the wide angle converter 0.8x (DW-6), the lens hood with adapter (HA-2), the leather case (SC-45) and the strap (ST-2). The Ricoh GX100 Creative Set will be available at the end of February 2008, price to be announced.

The Transcend StoreJet 25 mobile is a new shock-resistant high capacity portable hard drive. Lightweight (206g) and easy to carry around, with compact measurements of just 134mm by 80.8mm by 18.8mm, the Transcend StoreJet 25 mobile can store up to 250GB of data. It uses a high-speed USB 2.0 interface, which provides data transfer rates up to 480Mb per second. The StoreJet 25 mobile meets U.S.military drop-test standards with advanced two-stage anti-shock technology. The “OneTouch” Auto-Backup button and bundled StoreJet elite software offer intelligent backup scheduling, security, and file compression functions.

The Transcend 32GB JetFlash V60 is the company’s latest high-capacity USB flash drive. About the size of an AA battery, the JetFlash V60 is small and light enough to be taken anywhere, and is available in an assortment of bright, pearl-accented colors. The JetFlash elite software suite can be installed to run directly from the JetFlash drive when you plug it in, and includes seven time-saving data management functions.

The Transcend 16GB JetFlash V85 is a new high-capacity USB flash drive. It measures just 49.5mm long by 15.8mm wide, and is thin enough (7.4mm) to slide into tight-fitting stacked USB ports. Each JetFlash V85 comes with a classy metal carrying chain and has a compact zinc-alloy body. Transcend’s JetFlash elite software package includes seven useful tools specifically developed to help you manage your mobile data more efficiently.

The Assignment is a new European photography competition from Canon which challenges amateur photographers to submit their best work. There are four categories - Portrait, Landscape, Sport and Macro - and 19 European countries are taking part. “The Assignment will help amateur photographers across Europe to realise their ambitions,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “Canon EOS has revolutionised D-SLR photography, and with this high-profile competition we hope to inspire even more people to take up this rewarding, creative hobby.” Pre-registration for The Assignment begins on 18th February, and the competition opens on 17th March and runs until 1st May.

DPReview have reviewed the Canon SD850 IS (also known as the IXUS 950 IS), an 8 megapixel digital camera with 4x zoom, image stabilized lens equivalent to 35-140mm.

“Minor quibbles aside, the SD 850 IS is hard to fault; it does exactly what’s expected of it and does it reliably and with a dash of style. It is fun to use, and I found myself carrying it around with me most of the time while I was working on this review. It is small and well built. It is responsive and easy to use and most importantly produces very good results for a camera in this class.”

Website: DPReview - Canon SD850 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS Review

The Ricoh R8 is a new 10 megapixel digital camera with a 7.1 wide-angle zoom lens. The R8 offers the Smooth Imaging EngineIII image processing engine, CCD-shift vibration correction, face recognition and 1cm macro mode. Other new features of the Ricoh R8 include a large 2.7-inch, 460,000-pixel HVGA LCD, 1:1 aspect square format function, and a complete redesign when compared to the previous R7 model. Available in silver or black and two tone, the Ricoh R8 will be available in March for £249.99.

The new Ricoh R50 is a 10 megapixel digital camera with a 5x zoom lens. With a compact body measuring 97.3(W)×56.3(H)×23.4(D) mm, the Ricoh R50’s 5x lens provides a focal range of 36-180mm. 15 different scene modes includes a sports function which captures the split-second movement of a fast-moving subject. Available in silver, the Ricoh R50 will be available in March 2008 at £149.99.

Harman Photo Gloss FB AL Warmtone Paper will be officially available in UK stores at the end of February. To help celebrate the launch, Harman Photo will be giving away 2,500 free sample packs of the paper on its stand at Focusing on Imaging. Harman Photo Gloss FB AL Warmtone is a true fibre base inkjet paper for high quality giclee printing, with a warmtone tint for photographers looking to create black and white prints with creamy whites and velvety blacks. “We are confident its impressive performance and ability to deliver superior results will make it an instant hit with both amateur and professional photographers alike.” commented Harman Photo Marketing Director, Howard Hopwood.

Nikon have released a firmware update, v1.02, for the D300 DSLR camera.

Modifications Enabled with “A” firmware ver. 1.02

- An issue that, in rare cases, caused vertical bands (lines) to appear in images captured at shutter speeds slower than 8s has been resolved.

Website: Nikon D300 v1.02 Firmware Update (Windows)
Website: Nikon D300 v1.02 Firmware Update (Mac)

Sigma have released a new firmware update, v1.06, for the Sigma SD14 DSLR camera. Improvements include:

  1. Accuracy of the custom white balance has been improved.
  2. One-day advance date counter that occurs with X3F images during an intercalary year was corrected.
  3. Review image quality on the camera’s LCD is improved.
  4. Users now have the option to disable the shutter release if there is no CF card in the camera. This option is found in the ‘Preview Style’ menu.

Website: Sigma SD14 v1.06 Firmware Update

Olympus Europa has issued some important information that may affect a small number of ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-60mm 1:2.8-4.0 SWD lens owners. While the manual focus performance of all lenses functions as specified, in some lenses the autofocus may not operate in the intended manner. This is the result of a fault during the manufacturing process of the autofocusing drive. The potential problem only concerns ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-60mm 1:2.8-4.0 SWD lenses with serial numbers ranging between: 230005416 and 230010688. Olympus is offering a free-of-charge inspection and repair service.

Website: Olympus 12-60mm Service Announcement

Wild Wonders of Europe is the continent’s largest ever photography project. Spanning at least 5 years, the Wild Wonders of Europe project will consist of a cutting-edge web site, outdoor exhibitions, books, audiovisual picture shows, TV-series, photo competitions, and events all across Europe. “It is clear that presently, a majority of Europeans are becoming increasingly alienated from nature. Wild Wonders of Europe aims to reverse this trend. We want to touch people’s emotions, excite them about nature, make it cool. We want to re-connect people with our natural heritage…our spiritual home,” says Peter Cairns, photographer and writer from Britain, Business Director of Wild Wonders of Europe.

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Canon MP970, the new top-of-the-range PIXMA All-in-One printer.

“So, the extra £85 you pay for the PIXMA MP970 over the PIXMA MP610 brings you a finer minimum drop size, a built-in transparency scanner, a bigger LCD screen, six-colour print and network connectivity. The machine is at the top of Canon’s range and has the best spec and the best print quality of just about any all-in-one printer on the market. If you ignore its hopeless duplex print speed, it’s an excellent piece of printing, scanning and copying technology.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon MP970 Review

The famous Yashica camera brand has been reborn, with 8 new digital models on the way. Production of Yashica cameras stopped in 2005 when parent company Kyocera withdrew from manufacturing both Yashica and Contax models. Now Hong-Kong based JNC Datum Tech. International Ltd have revived the Yashica name with a new range of 7 and 8 megapixel cameras in the USA. There are even 4 film cameras available for the analog purist. According to Amateur Photographer, 5 of the digital models will make it to the UK, price from £49 - £120.

The shortlist for the Sony World Photography Awards has been announced. 10 professional and 7 amateur photographers have been shortlisted in each category from 44,641 professional photograph entries and 25,934 amateur photograph entries. The Awards will be celebrated in Cannes, France from 21st to 25th April 2008, with a top prize of $25,000 for the Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year.

If you are a sports or wildlife photographer and live in the USA, you could test-drive the new Hydrophobia 300 - 600 raincover from Think Tank Photo for free. The first 150 respondents will be eligible to try-out the Hydrophobia, the first rain cover specifically designed to be pre-mounted for quick deployment., for two weeks at no charge.