For the photographer who has an interest in creative lighting, Lastolite have launched the black velvet collapsible 5’ x 6’ background. Versatile enough to fulfill a range of photographic needs, the specially designed crease-resistant velvet material eliminates the need for time-consuming steam ironing. The background is fitted with a top loop and side ties to allow a background stand to be fitted at every angle. This background is perfect for ‘low-key’ style photography, absorbing light to give a deep rich black background. The 5’ x 6’ black velvet background is available immediately at an SRP of £109.99.

Camera Module for Windows is a new photographic tool calculates various optical equations such as depth of field or hyperfocal distance. The Camera module solves optical equations such as angle of view for selected lens and film format combination, depth of field, including near focus, far focus, total depth of field and hyperfocal distance as well as image width and height, and covers 37 digital formats including 9 digital backs and 12 conventional film formats. Camera module for Windows runs under Windows 95 or later and costs $39.

PopPhoto have reviewed the new 12 megapixel Sony A700 DSLR camera.

“During our first introduction to the A700, we suppressed a sneer when Sony told us the A700’s Super SteadyShot could counteract shake for up to a 4-stop gain in handholding—that is, after all, what every sensor-shift maker claims, though it rarely, if ever, holds true. But our blur-factor tests with our DxO Analyzer 2.0 showed an average gain among five shooters at more than 2.5 stops, with a top gain of slightly more than 3 stops.”

Website: PopPhoto - Sony A700 Review

PhotoReview have reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS, an 8 megapixel camera which offers a 28mm 3.8x wide-angle zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer.

“Low-light performance was very good for long exposures between ISO 80 and 400, when traces of image noise became visible. With this setting – and at ISO 800 – noise would be unlikely to interfere with print quality at enlargements up to A4 size. At ISO 1600, image noise was very obvious in night shots and most fine detail was lost. Blocked-up shadows were also apparent at this setting.”

Website: PhotoReview - Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the new Canon S5 IS ultra-zoom compact camera, which features a 12x optical zoom lens equivalent to 36-432mm, optical image stabilizer and 8 megapixel sensor.

“The Canon S5 IS has all the components to attract both experienced shooters who want control over their images and novices who want to hone their digital photography skills, most notably a well-rounded, advanced feature set with a respectable number of bells and whistles, a long zoom, and effective optical image stabilization. The Canon S5 IS is one of the better megazooms on the market, but image quality issues may take it down a notch.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Canon S5 IS Review

Website: Read our Canon PowerShot S5 IS Review

Announced at the end of August, the new Nikon Coolpix P5100 camera arrives just 6 months after the P5000. Aimed at the enthusiast photographer who wants some control over what the camera is doing, the 12.1 megapixel Nikon P5100 offers Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, and full Manual shooting modes. There’s a flash hotshoe which accepts external flashguns, 2.5 inch LCD screen combined with an optical viewfinder, optical image stabilization for blur-free images, and a 3.5x zoom lens (35-123mm). Billed as a backup to a DSLR, the Nikon P5100 costs £299.99 / €450 and competes with the likes of the Canon Powershot G9. Gavin Stoker took the Nikon Coolpix P5100 all the way to Japan in the 200th PhotographyBLOG review (!).

Website: Nikon Coolpix P5100 Review

The JOBO GIGA Vu extreme is a new digital image storage and viewing device with a 3.7” VGA resolution LCD screen and support for more then 100 RAW formats. Available in hard disk capacities up to 160 GB, the GIGA Vu extreme includes an SD/SDHC adapter and is compatible with JOBO’s new photoGPS unit. “JOBO understands the workflow needs of today’s digital photographers and the JOBO GIGA Vu extreme picks up where our award-winning GIGA Vu PRO evolution left off,” said Johannes Bockemuehl-Simon, JOBO’s CEO. Available with three different storage capacities - 80GB, 120GB and 160GB - the retail prices are $599, $749, and $899 respectively.

The Eye-Fi Card is the world’s first wireless SD memory card for digital cameras. Eye-Fi uses home wireless networks to eliminate the time-consuming chore of dealing with cables, card readers or software plug-ins associated with uploading photos. The Eye-Fi Card works with existing and new SD-compatible digital cameras and stores photos like a conventional SD memory card. “The Eye-Fi Card removes the barriers and lets users get to the fun part of sharing and printing their memories. We’re putting the magic back into photography.” said Jef Holove, chief executive officer of Eye-Fi. Priced at $99.99 with 2GB of storage, the Eye-Fi Card is available now.

Olympus is offering a free HLD-4 power grip and E-System pro backpack with the purchase of a new E-3 DSLR camera. All owners who register their new Olympus E-3 before 31 December 2007 are eligible to receive the free power grip. All purchasers of the new E-3 who sign on to express their interest between now and 30 November 2007, and then register their new camera by 31 December 2007, will be eligible for the free E-System pro backpack. Sales of the new Olympus E-3 will start in late November 2007.

Olympus are launching six new E-410 and E-510 digital SLR kits customised for the needs of specific types of photography. The Olympus DSLR kits are: E-410 Underwater Pro Kit, E-510 Medical & Macro Pro Kit,  E-510 Architecture Pro Kit, E-510 Travelling Pro Kit, E-510 Reportage Pro Kit, E-510 Nature Pro Kit. Pricing ranges from £1199 to £3459.

Epson has won a 2007 ecohitech award for the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 printer in the “Energy Saving and CO2 Reduction” category. ecohitech is Italy’s most prestigious recognition of environmental achievement by a technology company. This is the third time that Epson has received an ecohitech award. The jury stated “In comparison with the previous models, the estimated CO2 emissions during the whole product life are reduced by 44% and the amount of the resources used during the production is reduced by 55%. The printer is EcoLeaf certified.”

DxO Optics Pro 5 will be released in the 2nd half of November 2007, following an extended testing and quality assurance phase. Version 5 of Optics Pro was originally slated for release at the end of October. A revised release date for the MAC version will be provided towards the end of November. DxO Optics Pro 5 will add dust/blemish removal, improved user interface, increased speed and expanded camera support, and is priced from £99. All purchasers of DxO Optics Pro v4.5 on or after August 1st, 2007 are eligible for a free upgrade to DxO Optics Pro v5.

Getty Images has acquired one of the world’s premier collections of imagery depicting the British Royal Family over the last 30 years. The collection, taken by Royal photographer, Tim Graham, spans four generations of the Royal Family and contains over 200,000 images. “Having photographed Royal occasions for three decades, it is now appropriate for me to look to the future,” comments Tim Graham. “I am aware of the historical significance of my archive and I want to ensure that my photographs will continue to be published worldwide for many years to come.” Tim Graham’s collection of 30 years of the best royal photography will be housed at Getty Images’ Hulton Archive in London.

The Fantasea FS-51 underwater housing is fully compatible with the Nikon Coolpix S50, S50c, S51 and S51c cameras. Depth rated to 60 meters/200 feet, this housing also features Fantasea’s latest design and improved construction. The FS-51 housing has a double O-ring seal on all controls, anti-glare hood over LCD screen, and built-in flash diffuser and a 41mm lens port. The suggested retail price of the Fantasea FS-51 housing is US $245.

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Olympus FE-300, a new 12 megapixel entry-level camera with a 3x optical zoom lens, large 6.4cm LCD screen and Face Detection technology.

“The image quality was right in line with the rest of the FE series cameras. It produced good color saturation and had well exposed images. The images are a little fuzzy on the outsides of the picture, but clear in the middle. With a 12-megapixel image sensor, this should still produce good looking images in smaller prints (8x10 and under). When shooting with the Digital Image Stabilization mode, there was noticeably more noise than without due to the camera increasing the ISO settings to eliminate blur from camera shake. Other ways to make up for the camera shake are to use a flash if possible or use a tripod or monopod to help steady the camera.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Olympus FE-300 Review

The Ricoh GR Digital II is a new 10 megapixel compact digital camera with a 28mm, f/2.4 fixed focal length lens. Successor to the Ricoh GR Digital which was launched in October 2005, the GR Digital II offers a 1/1.75-inch CCD with 10.01 million effective pixels, 2.7 inch LCD screen, reduced RAW file writing time and GR ENGINE II image processing engine for better noise performance. Other highlights include a 1:1 aspect ratio for square format photos, electronic level function that indicates if the camera is level, and a much smaller electronic viewfinder (an optional accessory). The Ricoh GR Digital II will cost £399 in the UK.

Sony is releasing a new firmware update to for the 12 megapixel Sony A700 DSLR camera today. An extract from the Sony Electronics blog states:

“Sony is releasing updated firmware for the DSLR-?700 camera, as well as updates for the Image Data Converter and Image Data Lightbox bundled software applications. The camera firmware update improves image sharpness and reduces noise under certain circumstances. It also improves flash control at very short distances with non-ADI control lenses.  The updates for the bundled software applications correct the functioning of such features as image display and file type indication. These updates relate only to early production Firmware “Ver.1” models, which were manufactured through early October.  Firmware “Ver.2” models (press Menu & Display together to check) already include this upgrade. Although these improvements are subtle, it is recommended that customers make the update to improve the camera and application software performance.”

Website: Sony A700 Firmware Update

Website: Sony A700 Firmware Update

Website: Sony A700 Firmware Update

In a letter to UK camera retailers, Canon UK has stopped shipments of the new Canon EOS-1D Mark III DSLR and recalled all unsold units. A quality issue with the adjustment of the AF sub mirror is affecting the AI Servo focusing mode. Canon are apparently offering to repair Canon EOS-1D Mark III’s that have actually been sold to customers, but the letter states that Canon “will not be offering an exchange or return”. A technical helpline number has also been provided (08705 143 723). Canon are set to release an official statement on their website at the end of October/beginning of November.

Website: Rob Galbraith - Canon halts shipments to dealers in the UK

Kingston has increased the read and write speeds of its CompactFlash Elite Pro memory cards. The Kingston CompactFlash Elite Pro cards now offer transfer rates of 25MB/second (read) and 20MB/second (write) and capacities up to 16GB. CompactFlash Elite Pro cards are backed by a lifetime warranty and 24/7 live technical support. Prices range from $62 for the 2GB card to $308 for the 16GB.

A new version of Serif PhotoPlus X2 Studio Pack offers automatic image fixing, photo album sharing and more. “Serif PhotoPlus X2 Studio Pack makes powerful image editing capabilities even more easily accessible to all PC users, thanks to the innovative usability improvements in this latest version,” said Gary Bates, Serif’s Managing Director. Serif PhotoPlus X2 Studio Pack costs £59.99 and is available now.