Sigma has added a built-in motor to the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro and 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro lenses to make them compatible with Nikon DSLRs. The Nikon D40, D40x and D60 cameras cannot fully support the original Nikon lenses, as there is no AF motor built into these cameras, therefore they require a motor built into the lens to achieve autofocus. The inclusion of the built-in motor in these two new lenses allows autofocus with all Nikon cameras. The 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro lens costs £199.99, and the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro £149.99.

Polaroid has quit the film business, according to multiple news articles across the web. Boston.com reports that Polaroid is closing two plants in Massachusetts, USA, which make large-format films used by professional photographers and artists. Apparently Polaroid has already ceased production of its famous instant camera range. “We stopped making commercial-type cameras about 18 to 24 months ago, and we stopped making consumer cameras about a year ago,” said Polaroid chief operating officer Tom Beaudoin. Polaroid will now be focusing on TVs and digital photography gear. At the time of writing, Polaroid’s global website is unavailable.

Amazon are now listing the Sigma DP1 compact camera for pre-order at $800, due to ship on March 25th. Just to re-cap, the new Sigma DP1 packs the full specification of a DSLR into the body of a compact camera, with a 14 megapixel sensor, support for RAW and JPEG formats, and a 28mm f/4 fixed-focal lens. The External Viewfinder is also available at $149, and the external flash for $70.

Website: Amazon - Sigma DP1
Website: Amazon - Sigma DP1 External Viewfinder
Website: Amazon - Sigma DP1 Flashgun

The Nokia N96 is a new camera phone with a large 2.8” screen, 16 gigabytes of internal memory and support for high-quality video. The dual-slide Nokia N96 suuports MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash Video and can store up to 40 hours of video content. The Nokia N96 also boasts a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, flash and video light. The integrated A-GPS allows you to ‘geotag’ pictures with location data and share them with online communities. The Nokia N96 multimedia computer is expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 for 550 euros.

Swiss Picture Bank is the first permanent, guaranteed online archive for digital photos. Every photo uploaded to the Swiss Picture Bank is encrypted, secured on redundant servers in data centers throughout Switzerland and backed by the Picture Guarantee Foundation (PGF). With Photobot Guardian, Swiss Picture Bank’s free photo-archiving software available to every user, every photo is automatically copied to your account for you. “Our irreplaceable memories are no longer prints that can be stored in a shoebox; they are computer files that can be lost in a second. That’s why we partnered with the data professionals at Swisscom to create Swiss Picture Bank – to give consumers an online savings account that will protect their most treasured memories against everything from accidental deletion to hardware failure to natural disasters.” says James Graham, partner at Tribeca Labs, Swiss Picture Bank’s parent company.

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.