Epson will be showing their largest printer, the 64” Stylus Pro 11880 and their smallest, the PictureMate 260, at this year’s Focus On Imaging show. Also the Stylus Photo R1900 will be demonstrated in the UK for the first time. Mike McNamee, editor of Professional Imagemaker and Paul Gallagher, photographer and monochrome specialist who will be doing short talks on the stand. Finally, a media gallery will show the wide range of options, including premium glossy, traditional photo, canvas and fine art which are available to choose from.

Image Compressor 2008 provides everything you need for storing, viewing, retouching and sharing your photos. New features include a powerful image viewer, Photoshop plugin compatibility, and support for all major image types including RAW format. Image Compressor 2008 is available for $99.99 (USD) for the Pro Edition, or $49.99 (USD) for the Home Edition.

Nikon will be showcasing its new professional digital SLRs, the D3 and D300, at this year’s Focus on Imaging photographic show. Visitors will also be able to check out the recently announced D60 and Coolpix compacts. Travel photographer Steve Davey and Photography Monthly Editor, Will Cheung, along with John Clements and Oz Kharawala, will be giving talks throughout the show. The Focus on Imaging show runs 24th – 27th February 2008 at the NEC in Birmingham, UK.

DxO Optics Pro v5 now supports the new Nikon D3 camera body and an initial selection of lenses. Lens correction modules for three popular Nikkor lenses are available for the Nikon D3: the AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D and the AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED. “This SLR is built for demanding professional photographers who will make no compromise in image quality. And that’s what DxO Optics Pro is all about: getting the best image quality possible,” says Luc Marin, VP of the Photography business at DxO Labs. DxO Labs has also reset the demo limitation at “0” for everyone who has demo’d version 5.

REALVIZ will be demonstrating their full image processing software range at Focus on Imaging 2008. Products on show will include Stitcher Unlimited 5.6, ImageModeler 4, VTour 1.2 HDR and the HDR Imaging Studio. Visitors to the show can also obtain a 20% discount off the standard retail price of the REALVIZ software products.

The Moment It Clicks: Photography Secrets is a new book by internationally acclaimed photographer Joe McNally. Part coffee-table book, part educational guide, the book offers a unique “triangle of learning,” featuring McNally’s distillation of important concepts, his images that illustrate techniques, and the inside story of how the shot was taken. The Moment it Clicks can be ordered now at Peachpit.com, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other retailers nationwide.

Sigma UK have today unveiled the price of the new Sigma DP1 compact camera. The DP1 will cost £549.99 in the UK, or £599.99 as a kit with the optical viewfinder. The Sigma DP1 will be available in the UK from April. Sigma US have set an MSRP of $999.99, although it’s already available for pre-order at Amazon for $800.

British photographer Tim Hetherington is the winner of World Press Photo of the Year 2007. His image of a US soldier, resting in a bunker in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, was chosen from a total of 80,536 images. This year, a record 5,019 professional photographers from 125 countries submitted images. Hetherington will receive a cash prize of €10,000 from World Press Photo at an awards ceremony in Amsterdam on 27 April. An exhibition of the prize-winning World Press Photo images will be shown from 29 April to 22 June in the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam.

Got $699 to spare? How about a 32Gb SDHC card from Panasonic?! Announced last month, this is a speedy Class 6 card offering maximum data transfer speeds up to 20MB/s. The new card incorporates an industrial-grade flash memory and works in temperatures ranging from -13°F to +185°F. The Panasonic 32GB SDHC card is scheduled for a global release in April 2008.

Endless Years is a new website aimed at “Baby Boomers” and their families. It features instruction, advice and ideas to help them access, master and enjoy today’s digital photography. Learning to “go digital” is simplified through a series of graduated tutorials delivered in engaging, attention-holding formats – such as screencasts and podcasts. “I see a lot of people who are at a stage in their lives when they have the time, the wherewithal and the interest to get into digital photography. But they don’t because they think all the new imaging technologies are too difficult,” said Elmo Sapwater, the Editor and Publisher of Endless Years.  “But they don’t have to be.”

The PhotoVoice Photographers’ Lecture Series continues into 2008 with legendary British fashion and celebrity photographer John Swannell. On Tuesday 8th April, Swannell will talk about his extraordinary life in pictures: from his subtly lit portraits of the British monarchy to his classically composed nudes and distinctive panoramic rural landscapes. He has also generously offered himself up as a raffle prize - the lucky winner of which will enjoy a one-off opportunity to spend a day with him in his studio.

Tuesday 8th April 2008, 7pm - Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR
Tickets: £10 in advance, £15 on the door
For more information and to book, click here.

Samsung have provided us with some detailed information about their new 14 megapixel CMOS sensor, as used in the recently announced GX-20 DSLR camera (and the Pentax K20D). To recap, the 14.6 megapixel sensor inside the GX-20 has been developed in a joint-venture with Pentax, with Samsung responsible for the fabrication. Click the link below to view the detailed information.

Luminous Landscape have reviewed the new Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper, which offers extraordinary blacks, clean whites and a surface texture that is just like a true black-and-white silver gelatin print.

“As soon as I started printing on it, I immediately noticed that all my prints looked significantly sharper, much more so than I had anticipated. I am sure that this is partly due to the smoothness of the surface, but I believe that there is something else at work here. The prints look as if the interaction of the inks with the coating is such that it produces a higher accutance than I have ever seen before in an inkjet print. This paper delivers without question a new and heretofore unseen level of sharpness and snap.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Epson Exhibition Fiber Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Panasonic DMC-L10, a new 10.1 megapixel DSLR camera with a unique 2.5 inch free angle LCD screen complete with full time live view.

“As an addition to the dSLR market as an “entry level” camera, it is full of features, controls and performance that can be found on some higher level cameras. It provides a full auto mode, program, shutter and aperture priority, full manual, 3 custom program settings and a set of several pre-programmed scene modes to assist you in certain situations. Program mode gives novice users control over many of the other features such as metering, focus, ISO speed and AF settings. Several of the Advanced Scene Modes help you to take creative photos by finding out certain attributes that you want in photograph and setting the camera based on your choices.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Panasonic DMC-L10 Review

Website: Read our Panasonic DMC-L10 Review

Feel like getting back to basics? Well, how about taking part in Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day - you can’t get much more basic than using a simple pinhole camera to create a work of art. Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day is an international event created to promote and celebrate the art of pinhole photography. This year’s event takes place on April 27th, giving you plenty of time to practice your technique.

Website: Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day

The Mac OS X 10.5.2 update released yesterday has added RAW file support for the following cameras:

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, Canon Powershot G9, Hasselblad CF-22, Hasselblad CF-39, Leaf Aptus 75s, Nikon D3, Nikon D300, Sony Alpha DSLR-A700

Website: Mac OS X 10.5.2 Update

Apple’s Aperture 2 photo editing and management software has over 100 new features that make it faster, easier to use and more powerful. Aperture 2 features a more streamlined user interface and completely revised image processing engine. It also offers new imaging tools for highlight recovery, color vibrancy, local contrast definition, soft-edged retouching, vignetting and RAW fine-tuning. Aperture 2 is available immediately for a new low price of $199. The Digital Story has a nice overview post of the new Aperture 2 release.

The new Pentax Professional Services program supports professional photographers with several services and benefits. Membership is complimentary and limited to working professional photographers. Benefits include a 72 hour rush turnaround on most PENTAX digital SLR repairs, short-term equipment loans and direct access to dedicated customer service representatives. Membership may be obtained by completing a Pentax Professional Service program application.

Sigma have announced the 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM lenses in the Four Thirds mount. The wide angle of view of the Sigma 10-20mm lens (94.5°at 10mm on Four Thirds cameras) offers a broader perspective. The 70-200mm lens offers a minimum focusing distance of 100cm/39.4in and maximum magnification ration of 1:3.5. Both lenses will be available in April 2008, prices to be confirmed.

Sigma have announced two new lenses for Sony and Pentax cameras - the 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM and 70-200mm f/2.8 II EX DG HSM. The Sigma 50-150mm is a large aperture telephoto zoom lens designed to match APS-C size image sensors. The Sigma 70-200mm lens is is suitable for taking all type of subjects such as portraits, landscape, and close-up pictures. The availability and price of both lenses is to be confirmed.