The new AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED lens offers 1:1 reproduction of objects at just 18.5cm away. Designed for for micro or close-up photography, the AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm includes Nikon’s new Nano Crystal Coat and ED glass elements for outstanding image quality. The AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED measures just 73 x 89mm and weighs 425 grams. Estimated pricing for the AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED is £379.99/ €567.00 / $549.95, available in March.

The PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED is a new Tilt/Shift Lens ideal for studio, architecture and landscape photography. The lens offers a tilt/shift capability range of up to +/-8.5º and shifting +/-11.5mm and can be rotated a full 90° degrees left or right with convenient clicks-stops at 30° intervals. “The very first 35mm tilt/shift lens was pioneered by Nikon in 1961 and the incredible image quality and class-leading levels of movement offered by the PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED tilt/shift lens demonstrates the NIKKOR heritage of innovation and optical quality,” said Robert Cristina, Manager Professional Products and NPS, Nikon Europe B.V. Estimated pricing for the PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED is £1099.99 / €1642.00 / $1929 and it will be available in March.

Nikon have also announced that two further PC-NIKKORs are now in the final stages of development, adding PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED and a PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D to the range of tilt/shift lenses. These new lenses are planned for availability in the summer 2008.

The Nikon Coolpix P60 is a new 8 megapixel compact digital camera with 5x zoom (36mm-180mm). The Nikon P60 also offers a 2.5 inch LCD screen, electronic viewfinder and vibration reduction technology. “Its ergonomic design, powerful zoom lens and advanced features make the Nikon P60 a great choice for people who want to take outstanding pictures with a compact camera.” said Martina Beckmann, Manager Communications & Marketing Services for Nikon Europe. The price for the Nikon Coolpix P60 is £199.99 / €292.00 / $229.95, available in March.

The Nikon Coolpix S600 is a new 10 megapixel compact digicam with a 4x wide-angle zoom lens. The Nikon S600 offers a 28-112mm lens, Optical Vibration Reduction and the fastest start-up time for any camera in its class. Sporting an all-metal body in Slate Black, the Nikon Coolpix S600 will be available in March 2008 for £249.99 / €366.00 / $299.95.

The Nikon Coolpix S550 is a new 10 megapixel compact camera with 5x zoom lens. It features two new modes that enhance portrait photography, Smile Mode and Blink Warning. “We are excited to enhance the consumers’ photography experience by incorporating Smile Mode and Blink Warning into the new Nikon S550,” says Bill Giordano, General Manager, Marketing, COOLPIX for Nikon Inc. “With these two features, it will be easier than ever to take perfect portraits of friends and family.” The Nikon Coolpix S550 will be available in plum, cool blue and graphite black for £199.99 / €292.00 / $229.95, available February 2008.

The new Nikon Coolpix S520 is a slim, ergonomic camera with a a streamlined profile. The Nikon S520 features 8 megapixels, 3x zoom lens, Optical Vibration Reduction, and an aluminum body. “The COOLPIX S520 is a solid contribution to the COOLPIX Style Series line, and we hope that its slim and stunning design, color options, unique technology, and powerful capabilities continue to appeal to the street-savvy trendsetters at which the Style Series is aimed.” said Bill Giordano, General Manager, Marketing, COOLPIX for Nikon Inc. The Nikon Coolpix S520 will be available in March 2008 in plum and graphite black for $229.95.

The new Nikon Coolpix S210 is a super-thin entry-level camera with 8 megapixels, 2.5 inch LCD screen and 3x zoom lens. “With the Coolpix S210, Nikon has created an affordable compact camera that boasts both style and power” says Bill Giordano, General Manager, marketing, COOLPIX for Nikon Inc. “The gentle contours of the S210’s small camera body will fit comfortably in the user’s hand providing greater mobility.” The Nikon S210 will be available in March 2008 for £179.99 / €263.00 / $179.95.

The Nikon Coolpix L18 is a new compact and affordable 8 megapixel digital camera. The Nikon L18 features a 3x zoom lens, large 3 inch LCD screen and new Easy Auto Mode. “The COOLPIX L18 carries on the tradition of previous L-Series cameras, as it is user friendly, ultra-portable and a tremendous value for consumers.” says Bill Giordano, General Manager, Marketing, COOLPIX for Nikon Inc. Available in March, the Nikon Coolpix L18 will be offered in Navy and Ruby Red for $139.95.

The Nikon Coolpix L16 is a new compact and affordable 7 megapixel digital camera. The Nikon L16 features a 3x zoom lens, large 2.8 inch LCD screen and new Easy Auto Mode. “The Nikon L16 is all about cameras that are fun to use and help consumers experience the joy of taking great pictures,” said Martina Beckmann, Manager Communications & Marketing Services for Nikon Europe. Available in March, the Nikon Coolpix L16 will be offered in Black or Grey for £99.99 / € 146.00 / €119.

BODA DRY is a fully weather proof line of camera bags created for professional photographers. BODA DRY is available in two sizes - the primary bag holds up to 4+ lenses, batteries and all the necessary accessories.  BODA DRY JR, is simply a smaller version and will hold 2-3 primary lenses. In the near future, BODA will be releasing a third size of the BODA DRY which will be called the MINI BODA DRY.

Blubox 4 claims to be the world’s most advanced software compression application for digital images. It can apparently compress photos by up to 95% without sacrificing picture quality. Blubox 4 can also encrypt and protect pictures using 256-bit AES encryption technology. Blubox V4 is available now for £19.99.

DxO Optics Pro v5 (Standard and Elite Editions) now supports the Nikon D300. Support for the Nikon D3 and the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III will be added in early February in the Elite edition.

At first glance the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200 looks like a fairly run-of-the mill compact camera, with an understated, compact silver body, 3x zoom lens (35-105mm) and 2.5 inch LCD screen. Look a little closer though, and you’ll find that there are some more impressive stand-out features. Most obvious is the headline-grabbing 12 megapixel resolution, now the standard for any self-respecting top-of-the range compact like the W200. Next up is true optical image stabilisation via Sony’s Super SteadyShot technology, which combined with the extensive ISO range of 100-3200 promises to make blurry photos a thing of the past. The Sony W200 also offers a true Manual shooting mode which allows you to set both the shutter speed and aperture, and there’s also an optical viewfinder for ease-of-use in bright sunlight. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200 is therefore a mix of humdrum and rather more exciting features, on paper at least. Mark Goldstein tested the W200 in the short, dark days of an English winter to find out how it coped out in the real world.

Website: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200 Review

The new Hydrophobia 300-600 rain cover from Think Tank Photo is the first rain cover specifically designed to be pre-mounted for quick deployment. When the weather threatens, simply unroll the rain cover over the rest of the lens and body, securely protecting both. The Hydrophobia rain cover fits onto a 300 f2.8, 400 f2.8, 500 f4, and 600 f4 lens. The fabric used on the Hydrophobia is ten times as waterproof as normal fabric.

The new ClickFree HD 700 device and DVD Photo Backup disc backup all your photographs and images automatically. Plugged in via USB port, the ClickFree HD 700 automatically launches, searches and backs up all pictures and photographs. Weighing no more than a Blackberry, the ClickFree HD 700 costs $169. The ClickFree DVD Photo Backup disc disc holds up to 2,000 pictures in over 70 different file formats.

Nikon have just released a firmware update for the 10 megapixel Nikon D80 DSLR camera. The following improvements have been made with firmware version 1.10.

- The D80 is “Certified for Windows Vista”
- Support for the new USB Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) has beenadded. The PTP option in the setup menu’s USB item will be modified to MTP/PTP.  The icon will also be modified.
- The effects of noise reduction processing performed at shutter speeds of 1 - 8 s with shutter speed set to “bulb”, when On is selected for Long exp. NR in the shooting menu, have been improved.

Website: Nikon D80 Firmware Update 1.10 (Windows)
Website: Nikon D80 Firmware Update 1.10 (Mac)

Colour Confidence has launched a new monitor calibration and colour correction software package, the PANTONE huey and PhotoTune Bundle. “The PANTONE huey and PhotoTune Bundle has been created with accuracy and usability very much in mind”, comments Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director of Colour Confidence. “The combination of the two products makes perfect sense; any image adjustments, no matter how carefully made, can be rendered useless if you are working with an uncalibrated monitor. ” The PANTONE huey and PhotoTune Bundle is priced at £77 / €115 ex. VAT.

PNY will be showcasing three different 32Gb products next week at PMA - the PNY 32GB SDHC Memory Card, PNY Optima Pro™ UDMA 32Gb CompactFlash, and the PNY 32GB Attaché USB Flash Drive. “The expansion of PNY’s photography solutions continues to build upon the need for bigger, faster storage devices to capture, store and display images and video, including High-Definition content,” said Tony Gomez, vice president of sales and marketing, PNY Technologies.  “The new lineup includes several, removable storage formats that meet the most demanding speed and capacity requirements for today’s newest digital cameras and camcorders.”

Olympus has released three new types of compact lens elements to improve image quality and zoom power. They are the DSA (Dual Super Aspherical lens), EDA (Extra-low Dispersion Aspherical lens) and SHR (Super High Refractive index lens). Each element represents a breakthrough to ensure picture-perfect results and imaging flexibility. These new types of lens elements are incorporated in the latest Olympus compact cameras, announced this week.

Travel Photographer of the Year are running a range of photography courses this year in the UK and internationally. TPOTY can help photographers strengthen their compositional and editing skills, get the most out of their camera, or really get to grips with Photoshop. To give a taste of what’s offer on TPOTY courses, TPOTY founder Chris Coe is giving free image critiques at Intrepid Travel’s London Store on Sunday, February 17th.