The Samsung NV20 is a new 12 megapixel digital compact camera featuring the radical touch-sensitive user interface that debuted on the NV range in 2006. As well as the slight resolution increase, Samsung have also added Face Recognition and an expanded ISO range to their new flagship model. The 2.5 inch LCD screen, 34-102mm, Advanced Shake Reduction mode and stylish black metal body of the NV20 are exactly the same as on the older NV10 camera. So has the Samsung NV20 merely undergone a superficial makeover, or is it a genuine improvement compared to its predecessor? Mark Goldstein battled against the inclement British weather to find out…

Website: Samsung NV20 Review

The 8GB SanDisk Extreme III SDHC memory card can store more than 4,000 high-resolution pictures or up to 16 hours of MPEG 4 video. The card has a read/write speed of 20 megabytes per second and is packaged with the SanDisk MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader. Expected to ship within the next 30 days to U.S. retailers, the 8GB SanDisk Extreme III SDHC will costs $179.99.

In a Nikon sponsored white paper from research company IDC, Nikon has been named as the worldwide leader in regards to Wi-Fi integration. The IDC report states “To date, Nikon is the only digital camera manufacturer to consistently and fully embrace wireless photography. IDC predicts that other top vendors will seek to catch up and embrace wireless photography as well, spurring industry-wide adoption.” 60 percent of respondents said that they would be somewhat or much more likely to consider one camera over another if it included wireless connectivity, and that they would pay up to $86 more for a camera with this ability.

So is this true? Would you choose a camera because it had built-in Wi-fi connectivity, and pay more for it? The market as a whole seems to believe nthat you won’t, as Nikon are one of the few manufacturers to really support Wi-Fi - but what do you think?

Kingston Technology have published a 20 question interview with photographer Colin Finlay, known for his photojournalism images as well as his advertising work. Finlay has documented with compassion, empathy and dignity the human condition as it has unfolded throughout the world for the last 17 years. “I appreciate the opportunity to share my work through the ‘Icons of Photography’ Web site,” said Finlay. “The photo critiques are great and I enjoy reading what the other Icons have to say. I’m fortunate to call the other Icons friends and I am proud to be a part of such a great, diverse group.”

Reviews aggregator website Wize has released its list of the top 5 digital cameras. Wize compiles user and expert reviews to deliver definitive ratings for consumer products through its propriety Wize Rank, a product ranking scoring system. The Canon PowerShot SD750 / IXUS 75 (pictured) came out on top of the pile, followed by the Casio Exilim EXZ75, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55, Canon PowerShot SD850 IS and Olympus Stylus 770 SW.

Laptop Magazine have evaluated four sub-$800 digital SLRs based on how well they executed five shooting scenarios: close-up, action, landscape, portrait, and low-light.

“If you’ve only taken pictures with a point-and-shoot before, you’re in for a pleasant surprise with these models; it’s like using an entirely different species of camera. Even the most basic DSLRs have remarkable speed with virtually no shutter lag, along with a range of features, extended battery life, and manual controls. These attributes will not only make you a better photographer, but they’ll also make taking pictures more fun.”

Website: Laptop Magazine - The Best Digital SLRs Under $800

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Samsung S85 entry-level digital camera, which features an 8.2 megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom lens.

“The good news continues when we look at image quality, which is outstanding for such a low cost camera. Exposure and colour rendition were virtually perfect, and even when shooting directly into bright sunlight the sensor managed to capture plenty of shadow detail. The lens may not have the Schneider-Kreuznach brand name, but it is very high quality nonetheless, producing excellent centre sharpness and very little barrel distortion at wide angle, with only a little softness and a small amount of chromatic aberration around the edges of the frame. Image noise was extremely well controlled at all ISO settings, with good picture quality at ISO 800 and a usable image even at ISO 1600, which is a very impressive performance by any standard. For a camera costing under £100 it is nothing short of remarkable.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Samsung S85 Review

The long wait for Olympus DSLR users is finally over, as the much-rumoured professional Olympus E-3 will finally be unveiled at 0.00am CET on October 17th. Olympus have been extremely cagey about the whole thing, with no information at all being sent out about the E-1’s successor ahead of the deadline time. Unless you live in the US, where journalists have been invited to a swanky reception at a New York museum. And unless you got hold of a copy of the much-circulated insider PDF document a couple of month’s ago. The Olympus E3 will be the last new DSLR of 2007 (unless Nikon really are hiding a new full-frame in a Christmas cracker), so you can all finally breathe a sigh of relief and make your photography wish list for this holiday season. We’ll have all the details about the E-3 just as soon as we get them…

Update: The Olympus E-3 will be available in November 2007 and cost $1,699 in the USA / £1099 in the UK - read the full details by clicking the link below.

The Olympus FL-50R and FL-36R are new remote control (RC) wireless flash units, which enable flash photography minus the complication of cords and inconvenient set-ups. The high-performance FL-50R boasts multiple adjustment modes including TTL Auto and manual, and high-speed synchronisation. The lightweight FL-36R boasts power in a compact design. The remote control wireless flash units FL-50R and FL-36R will become available in November 2007 and December 2007.

Olympus are releasing 3 new Supersonic Wave Drive lenses, 1 standard lens and a 2.0x Teleconverter to support the launch of the E-3 DSLR. The SWD lenses are: 12-60mm (24-120mm) 1:2.8-4.0 SWD ($999.99), 50-200mm (100-400mm) 1:2.8-3.5 SWD ($1,199.99) and 14-35mm (28-70mm) 1:2.0 SWD ($2,299.99). The standard lens is the 70-300mm (140-600mm) 1:4.0-5.6 ($479.99).

Datacolor Spyder3 is a new monitor calibration device aimed at photographers needing the most accurate colour for digital editing. The new Spyder3 colorimeter offers the only seven-detector colour engine on the market, with its 27mm aperture, the largest in its class, giving a greater screen sampling area and a 400 per cent increase in light sensitivity. New products in the range include Spyder3Elite and Spyder3Studio. Spyder3Elite enables users to calibrate multiple studio displays to a single target. Spyder3Studio combines the features of Spyder3Elite’s display calibration with a printer profiling tool.

Olympus are releasing a lime green version of the mju 790 SW camera, limited to just 5,000 models in Europe. The mju 790 SW is a 7.1 megapixel shockproof, waterproof and freezeproof digital compact camera. The Olympus mju 790 SW Lime Green edition arrives in shops in mid October 2007.

The popular Nokia N95 camera phone has been upgraded to 8GB internal memory. Other improvements include a has a sleek black cover, 2.8 inch QVGA display and superior speakers. Dedicated media keys allow users to control video on their mobile just as they would on DVD. The new Nokia N95 8GB ships with the movie Spider-Man 3 in Europe and selected countries in Middle East and Africa region.

John Davies, Jacob Holdt, Esko Männikkö and Fazal Sheikh have been selected for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2008. This annual prize rewards a living photographer, of any nationality, who has made the most significant contribution to the medium of photography in Europe between 1 October 2006 – 30 September 2007. The prize is presented by The Photographers’ Gallery, London, which is also the opening venue for the exhibition.

The “Pricey Ink Stinks” contest is a Brickfish campaign from Kodak that invites entrants to put an end to the pain of expensive ink cartridges by submitting clever ideas for repurposing old printers.  The most creative entry will earn the winner their choice of $1000 cash or a $1000 scholarship. The inspiration for the campaign came from the cost of Kodak’s EASYSHARE AiO replacement ink cartridges, priced at less than half of most competitors at $14.99 MSRP for color and $9.99 MSRP for black.  Entrants in the “Pricey Ink Stinks” campaign are asked to submit a photo, drawing, video or blog of how they would creatively repurpose their old printers if they won the Kodak EASYSHARE 5300 AiO.  The grand prize winner will be selected by Kodak staff from the top 20 highest scoring entries.  The best video, best image, best blog and most viral entries will each win a Kodak EASYSHARE 5300 AiO. Anyone can visit http://www.brickfish.com/Lifestyles/KodakPrinter to check out the contest and enter, or just vote for their favorites.

The Royal Photographic Society is offering a range of different bursary schemes to support and encourage young photographers. This follows the RPS 150th International Print Exhibition (launched during the summer), where a print was chosen to be included that was taken by a nine year old - the youngest in the Society’s history. The UK-based Royal Photographic Society was founded in 1853 ‘to promote the Art and Science of Photography’.

The Apogee Photo Online Campus is adding 2 new instructors and 5 new classes coming in November 2007 and January 2008. Professional nature and wildlife photographers Noella Ballenger and Andy Long will teach 5 online photography classes, which aim to make learning this photography easy, interactive and fun. Apogee Photo is an online magazine designed to entertain and inform active photographers of all ages, both amateur and professional, from around the world.

The Travel and Landscape Workflow Action Pack from website That’s My Monkey is a new set of Photoshop actions aimed at photographers who work in the outdoors. The Action Pack includes tools for improving skies, mimicking the effects of traditional filters like polarizers and graduated neutral density filters, and offers several options for monochromatic and toned conversions. The Travel and Landscape Workflow Action Pack is available for $89.95.

“301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques” is a comprehensive, how-to guide to high-quality digital printing. It includes detailed instructions and hundreds of full-color examples from more than 20 professional photographers and other artists. “After using a variety of inkjet printers for more than ten years, I’m very happy to be able to share many of the tips and techniques I’ve been using to make exhibition, portfolio, and personal prints with others who share my passion for photography.” said author Andrew Darlow. “301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers” is available now for US $49.99 / CAN $62.95.

“Life: A Journey Through Time” by Frans Lanting has been printed using the latest Epson Stylus Pro printing technology. This photographic exhibition, which will tour Europe, depicts a journey of photographic discovery that parallels new scientific insights about the story of life on Earth. “We used Epson’s state-of-the-art Stylus Pro printers and UltraChrome K3 Ink with Vivid Magenta to help us achieve prints that will do these natural wonders justice.  I can say that we have more than fulfilled this aim.” commented Lanting.