The winners of the 2007 International Travel Photographer of the Year competition are on display at a free-to-enter exhibition at London’s Exposure Gallery from February 5th-28th. The overall winner was Cat Vinton from London, seeing off photographers from 51 countries. Entrants from Australia, Canada, Finland, India, Poland, Switzerland, the UK and USA were amongst the category prizewinners. The Exposure Gallery is at 22-23 Little Portland Street, London.

A report by the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) states that over 100 million cameras were shipped in 2007. Sales of DSLRs were particularly strong, up 43% from 2006 to 12.51 million units. In stark contrast, the total shipment of film cameras for 2007 was approximately 0.79 million units. For the future, continued overall growth at a gradually declining sales growth rate is predicted for digital cameras. Sales of SLR cameras with interchangeable lens are forecasted to grow at a faster rate than sales of digital cameras with built-in lens.

iNovaFX Photoshop Actions is a new 248-page interactive eBook and set of 600 original Photoshop actions. You can use iNovaFX Photoshop Actions to quickly convert any image into convincing oil paintings, airbrush art, watercolors, wood block prints, graphic cartoons and outrageous abstracts. “This is a new work from the ground up,” said iNova, ” and all of these Photoshop Actions are for digital images 6MP and larger. Each brings a special treatment to the image that will correct, enhance or transform the shot.” The CD Standard Edition of iNovaFX Photoshop Actions is $64 and the USB Thumb Drive Premium Edition is $69.

The Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot and C702 Cyber-shot are new 5 and 3.2 megapixel phones packed with the latest camera technology. The Sony C902 features a 5.0 megapixel camera with Face Detection and Auto Focus. It also incorporates the latest in lighting technology – Photo Flash – giving you better quality pictures even in low-light conditions. The C702 Cyber-shot integrates GPS and a range of location-based imaging services that add a new dimension to taking and managing your photos. “The two new Cyber-shot™ phones that we have announced today share certain characteristics. Both phones place ease-of-use and best-in-class picture quality at the heart of their designs,” said Sven Totté, Head of Imaging Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “Yet both appeal to different audiences. One is engineered to let you take more pictures in more places and the other is designed to look as stunning as the pictures it takes.”

Unibind has partnered with Kodak to offer professional quality, lay-flat photobooks and calendars in the US. “These books are a combination of Unibind’s binding technologies and Kodak’s commitment to image preservation.  The books can be made in retail using any type of photographic print.  Books lay flat, are easy to assemble, and are high-quality in appearance.” said Rusty Redecker, Vice President of Photo for Unibind North America. The Unibind service went live at Kodak kiosks around the United States in December 2007.

Ilford will showcase its Galerie Gold Fibre Silk paper at the Focus on Imaging show this month. Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk is a 310gsm inkjet media featuring a traditional barium sulphate (baryta) base, which gives the creamy whites and velvety blacks that form part of the unique look and feel of a true fibre print. “The optimum combination of the base and the coating, together with the media’s excellent archival properties makes ILFORD GALERIE GOLD the perfect complement to the ILFORD GALERIE Smooth and Classic ranges,” said Andrew Stewart, Sales and Marketing Director, ILFORD Imaging Switzerland GmbH. Focus on Imaging runs from 24th – 27th February at the NEC in Birmingham, UK.

Kodak are planning to release 50% more digital products than in 2007, as digital camera and printer sales rise by up to 10%. In a report by Bloomberg, Kodak are targeting a rise in revenue of 2% for 2008, compared to a 22% drop in 2007. New digital products will include more inkjet printers, commercial printing and digital cameras that produce clearer pictures in low light.

“The company expects 70 percent of revenue and 60 percent of profit to come from digital products. We have a proven ability to create digital products. We are No. 1 or No. 3 in market share in all of our businesses.’’ commented Chief Executive Officer Antonio Perez

Website: Bloomberg - Kodak Says Sales May Rise 2% on Digital-Camera Demand

Panasonic have this week demonstrated a new sensor technology that captures up to three times more dynamic range than a conventional sensor. According to the report by CNET News, Panasonic’s Tokayoshi Yamada has demoed a 177x144 pixel image sensor that takes three photos at different shutter speeds and combines them into a single image that can span a dynamic range of 140 decibels (“ordinary” sensors achieve 60 decibels).

“In his presentation, Yamada showed a resulting image taken of a regular incandescent light bulb. With conventional sensor technology, a few of the words printed on the bulb were visible, but most were washed out in a blown-out white patch near the bulb’s filament. In the Panasonic sensor’s image, not only were most of the words visible, but also the helical coil of the filament was.”

Website: CNET News - Panasonic sensor tackles key photo problem—dynamic range

Wacom will be showcasing the newly launched Cintiq 12WX at this year’s Focus on Imaging photography show in Birmingham, UK. The Intuos3 pen tablet system, Special Edition Intuos3 A4 and Intuos3 A5 Wide tablets, Cintiq 21UX and 12WX Interactive Pen Displays, and Bamboo Fun will all be on display. For the duration of the show, Robin Preston, Wacom’s senior evangelist, will be hosting twice daily presentations on the Wacom stand. The Intuos3 range, Cintiq 21UX, Cintiq 12WX and Bamboo Fun are available now from Computers Unlimited.

Website: Read our Wacom Cintiq 12wx Review

The new Calumet Genesis Lighting Kits are affordable but sophisticated self-contained flash units for studio photography. The Genesis 200w/s and 400w/s monolights provide you with all the power and lighting control that you will need to create professional-looking portraits. Each model features digital, variable flash-output controls that allow you to adjust power levels over a 5-stop range. Various Genesis Lighting Kits are available now, starting from $169.

Filter Forge Freepack 2 - Photo Effects is a free collection of 7 filters for Photoshop. ‘Dreamy’ filter gives photos a sunny, somewhat ethereal style; ‘Grunge’ works best on warm-colored images and produces a ragged, harsh look; ‘Old Photo’ automatically ages the image, giving it an authentic old-time feel. A 20% discount is currently available for all editions of Filter Forge. The plugins currently work under Windows only.

AKVIS SmartMask is an efficient masking tool that saves you time on complex selections. Available for both Windows and Macintosh, SmartMask enables you to spend less time on the selection of objects and more on creativity. Registered users who have bought at least one AKVIS plug-in get a 20% discount on AKVIS SmartMask. Customers who have purchased all AKVIS plug-ins get a 50% discount. A 10 day trils version is also available.

Kodak Gallery’s 60 million members can now showcase their Gallery photos on their favorite social networks. Kodak has teamed up with Slide to allow member to turn their Gallery photos into portable slideshows with music. “We partnered with Slide because they’re pioneers in turning photos into tools for self expression and storytelling on social networks. We’re very excited that we can extend all the great sharing benefits of the Gallery to include this new product.” said Madhav Mehra, chief operating officer and vice president of product marketing and management, KODAK Gallery. The co-branded service, located at www.slide.com/kodakgallery, is the first phase of a deeper Slideshow product integration.

Viveza allows you to precisely control and adjust the color and light in your digital images. Based on Nik Software’s U Point technology, Viveza provides easy-to-use methods for correcting and enhancing images without the need to create complicated selections or layer masks. Users place U Point powered Color Control Points directly on colors or objects in an image (such as sky, skin, grass, etc.) then adjust easy-to-use sliders for brightness, contrast, color and more. The suggested retail price of Viveza is $249.95, available in the first quarter of 2008.

Professor Kobré’s Lightscoop instantly improves photos taken with the pop-up flash in 35mm SLR cameras. Professor Kobré calls his Lightscoop “an ideal intermediary lighting tool for beginners who can’t yet afford an external strobe”. More advanced users who own an external flash will appreciate the Lightscoop as a lightweight, simple alternative for casual shooting. Professor Kobré’s Lightscoop costs $29.95 and is available in two versions, one with a standard mirror and another with a gold-tinted mirror to provide a warming effect.

The Norcent DCS-1050 ia new 10 megapixel digital camera with Face Detection and Anti-Shake technology. The DCS-1050 also features a large 3”, scratch-resistant, TFT-panel color LCD display, 3x zoom lens, 22 scene modes and MPEG-4 video clips. The Norcent DCS-1050 has an estimated street price of $179.99.

Work side by side with a renowned photographer at a Miami photo shoot and receive a camera valued at $3,000 in the MyShot08 photo contest. Open to all U.S. registered college students, MyShot08 aims to find the best images in three digital printing applications – personalized photo books, greeting cards or calendars. “The contest is giving young people a way to liberate their digital images from their computers and cell phones and make printed products that capture their personalized memories,” said Quincy Allen, president, Xerox Production Systems Group.  “We are hoping to open the eyes of talented college photographers about how easy and fun it is to create these kinds of specialty products.” All entries need to be submitted by March 31, 2008.

jill-e designs is introducing a new range of camera bags aimed at female photographers. jill-e designs camera bags use materials as leather and suede, are designed with the flare of stylish purses and carry bags, and aare vailable in a variety of fashionable colors. In addition, they incorporate features important to women, such as additional pockets and a detachable personal pouch. The newest products in jill-e designs range will be available this spring and summer.

The new Photo StudioCruzer 1510 camera case from Pelican is the toughest airline-legal carry-on case available today. The StudioCruzer case features metal reinforced padlock protectors, modular interior with closed cell foam adjustable sizers, 17-inch retractable extension handle and lid compartment for a laptop. The Photo StudioCruzer 1510 case costs and is available now.

WD My Passport Essential Portable USB Drives put almost a third of a terabyte of digital storage in the palm of your hand. Weighing in at less than 5 ounces, My Passport Essential Drives are light and compact to carry because they are bus powered. “The newly designed My Passport Essential drives are the perfect travel-friendly storage device to hold the rich media content generated by higher resolution photos and HD videos and music,” said Jim Welsh, vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products group. The WD Passport Essential USB Drive 320 GB is $199.99.