Canon U.S.A. has announced the 2013 “Project Imaginat10n” Film Contest, which will provide the public with a unique opportunity to showcase their cinematography skills. Helmed by Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard, filmmakers of all skill levels will each have the chance to embark on the same creative exercise as five celebrity directors – Eva Longoria, Jamie Foxx, Biz Stone, Georgina Chapman and James Murphy – all of whom are directing short films inspired from ten Project Imaginat10n winning photographs. Selecting from the same pool of 91 winning photos, the challenge is to create a short film inspired by ten crowdsourced photos and based on ten storytelling themes: Character, Mood, Goal, Backstory, Setting, Obstacle, Relationship, The Unknown, Time and Discovery. Submissions will begin on 4th June at the website below.

The MAC Group has launched a new promotion that offers a free PocketWizard AC3 ZoneController ($79 value) to photographers who purchase a new PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 or two FlexTT5 radios for either Canon or Nikon. The PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 radios can be used to trigger any combination of TTL or manual flash units placed wherever desired, to illuminate the subject or scene being photographed. The PocketWizard AC3 ZoneController is the finishing touch that provides simple, finger-tip control of light output from three separate zones (A, B, C) of flashes or groups of flash units mounted on Flex TT5 transceivers, in either automatic-exposure or manual control. Running until 19th April, the MAC Group's mail-in programme is available only in the USA. For more information, check out the website below.

The Fujifilm Finepix JZ700 is a new 14-megapixel compact camera with a stabilised 24-192mm equivalent lens,  8fps continuous shooting (for a maximum of 8 frames) and Full HD movie capture. The body is only 18.6mm deep at the thinnest point, making the Fuji JZ700 an eminently pocketable shooter. Other highlights include a 360°Motion Panorama mode, 200fps video recording for slow-motion playback, high-speed multi-frame processing for high-dynamic-range imaging and a number of advanced filter effects. Pricing and availability have yet to be communicated.

Intro2020 has announced availability and pricing details for the Samyang T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC tilt-shift lens in the United Kingdom. Manufactured in Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony A. fittings - with Canon M, Fujifilm X, Samsung NX, Pentax and Sony E-mount versions coming soon -, the lens has an optical formula comprising 16 lens elements in 11 groups, including two aspherical lenses and two Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements. Each optical component has been covered with multi-layered, anti-reflective UMC coatings, which are claimed to provide superb light transmission, high contrast and natural colours. The tilt-shift function in the Samyang T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC allows for tilt and swing movements up to +/-8.5° and enables shift, rise and fall movements of up to +/-12 mm. The Tilt-Shift section may be rotated left by 90° (with 30° adjustment), while the lens mount may be rotated both ways by 90° (in 30° increments). The Samyang T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC tilt-shift lens will be available from mid-May, at a suggested retail price of £949.99 including VAT.

Now available from D.A.P., Lee Friedlander's Nudes: A Second Look includes several images that were not published in the first edition. "The Nudes significantly expands on the Cape edition (itself long out of print), with a total of 84 nudes, plus a new layout and design by Katy Homans and new separations by Thomas Palmer," the publisher says. "As such, it offers the most lavish presentation of this key series in Friedlander's massive oeuvre." The book is available for $49.95.

Manfrotto School of Xcellence (MSoX) has announced a new webinar,“Cold Places – From the North Pole, to the Antarctic, and in between” by renowned expedition photographer Sue Flood. Taking place from 4pm - 5pm BST on 7 May 2013 the webinar is completely free and provides a behind-the-scenes peek at Sue's adventures as an expedition photographer working on Planet Earth and The Blue Planet. For more details and to register, visit the website below.

PielFort Albums have created a new series of hand-made mini albums inspired by a range of classic cameras. The idea came from a collaboration of PielFort Company with designers and bloggers - each blogger came up with a concept inspired by a classic camera, and the best desings were turned into actual products by PielFort's craftsmen in their Ubrique, Spain-based workshop. For more information, visit the website below.

Delkin's new Snug-It Pro DSLR camera skins are now available for the Canon EOS 6D and the Nikon D5200 digital SLR cameras. Claimed to "protect cameras from being damaged in any environment or situation," each Snug-It model is made out of a high-quality silicone material that makes it easy to put on and take off, as well as protect your DSLR against bumps, scratches, sand and dust. All models are molded around the camera's hot shoe attachment, buttons and lens in order to provide maximum coverage, while allowing for quick setting adjustments & lens changes. In addition, each Snug-It Pro skin contains openings for all of the camera's closed compartments, such as the memory card slot, HDMI port, and battery; allowing for easy access when needed. Snug-It Pro skins for the Canon 6D and Nikon D5200 are now available and can be purchased at the retail price of $34.99 via delkin.com or any Delkin authorised retailer.

Fantasea Line has launched a new waterproof housing for the Canon PowerShot G15 digital compact camera. Depth tested to 80m and certified to a maximum depth of 60m, the Fantasea FG15 housing protects your Canon G15 camera from damaging elements including water, sand, dust, snow, ice and pollutants. Supported by a full line of optional accessories including wide-angle and macro lenses, colour correction filters and lighting sets; the FG15 is available for $575/€550.

Nikon has issued a firmware update for the Nikon Coolpix P7700 digital compact camera. Version 1.1 incorporates the following modifications and fixes:

Display accuracy for the virtual horizon has been increased according to the direction in which the camera is pointed.

The interval between shots with uninterrupted shooting when Auto bracketing is set to Exposure bracketing has been reduced.

An issue that prevented shutter speeds slower than one second for the second and subsequent shots when shooting with Auto bracketing set to Exposure bracketing has been resolved.

Website: Nikon P7700 Firmware Update 1.1

Fujifilm has posted a firmware update for the Fujifilm X100S large-sensor compact camera. Version 1.02 fixes a bug related to the brightness of the shooting frame within the optical viewfinder. In Fuji's words, "the phenomenon is fixed that the brightness of the OVF bright frame doesn’t change according to a surrounding brightness in case of ISO 1600 and higher." You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Fuji X100S Firmware Update Ver.1.02

Olympus China has posted a teaser for a new PEN series Micro Four Thirds camera, According to the text, the new model will be on display at various trade shows held in four Chinese cities - including Shanghai - between 11th May and 1st June. The company has not revealed anything about the uocoming camera's specifications yet.

Source: Olympus China via Engadget

Want to see exactly what the new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50 travel-zoom compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50 compact camera, including a side-by-side comparison with the HX300 and WX300 models, and with the optional electronic viewfinder fitted.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50 is the World’s smallest camera with a 30x zoom lens. In addition to the 24-720mm lens, the new Sony HX50 travel-zoom also boasts a 20.4-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, ISO range of 80-12,800, full P/A/S/M  manual controls, built-in wi-fi connectivity, and Full HD (50p) movie recording capability. The HX50 has a dial to adjust exposure compensation plus a mode dial for other manual shooting settings, a Multi Interface Shoe for attaching a compatible electronic viewfinder, flash or microphone, and a Multi Terminal for using a remote controller. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50 will be available in the UK from May 2013 priced at around £350.