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The Handbook of Bird Photography by award-winning wildlife photographers Bence Máté, Jari Peltomäki and Markus Varesvuo is a new title from Rocky Nook.Written in an easy-to-follow style, this book offers fresh insight and practical tips that will broaden horizons for nature and bird photographers. The authors share their stories and showcase photographs for which they have received multiple awards in major international wildlife photo competitions. Topics covered include the bird photographer’s equipment, shooting techniques, field knowledge, using light, composition and cropping, the best locations for finding and photographing birds and the most effective ways of promoting and selling your photographs. The 388-page volume is available for $49.95.

Pentax Ricoh have posted a firmware update for the Pentax Q compact system camera. Version 1.12 corrects a bug related to the Smart Effect, "Tone Expansion." This effect is supposed to produce a dramatic, "quasi-HDR" image but users who have updated their camera firmware to version 1.11 when that update came out have found that the effect was no longer applied. This issue is resolved in version 1.12, which you can download from the website below.

Website: Pentax Q Downloads: Firmware Update

The second issue of the recently revived English/French language Camera magazine is now available for purchase. This edition showcases a portfolio of photographs taken by Malick Sidibé, the famous Malian photographer and recipient of a Hasselblad Award. "Photographer of Mali’s joyful, post-Independence years, this generous African has been around the world — just like his portraits — and yet roots are what he’s all about," says Brigitte Ollier, editor-in-chief, Camera magazine. The 76-page magazine is available in print form, priced at €9 (plus shipping if purchased online). You can order your copy through the website below.

Aptina has announced a new 14-megapixel CMOS sensor for digital cameras, the AR1411HS, which is capable of providing 4K Ultra HD video at 60fps, in either the Quad HD (3840H x 2160V) or the wider Digital Cinema 4K format (4096H x 2160V). This is a 1"-type sensor, i.e. the same size as the 'CX' imagers found in the Nikon 1 System cameras. The AR1411HS is actually capable of outputting the full 14MP resolution at up to 80fps for an amazing 1.1 gigapixels/sec, 40 percent faster than its 10-megapixel predecessor. It can also record 1080p Full HD movies at 120fps, which is ideal for slow-motion playback. “The AR1411HS image sensor delivers superior image quality and the ability to capture still shots and video very fast, in virtually any environment,” said Sándor Barna, Vice President and General Manager of Aptina’s Consumer Camera business. “This 1-inch sensor effectively bridges the performance and price gap between the smaller 1/2.3-inch sensors commonly used in compact digital still cameras and the larger APS-C and full-frame sensors that are used in DSLR cameras." The sensor is already "in mass production," which means we may see it in an actual product fairly soon.

New Artists are bringing the work of photographer Sean Smith to the eerie setting of a crypt in Kensal Green Cemetery for an exhibition entitled "Sean Smith: On the margins." The exhibit focuses on images of marginalised people such as junkies, prostitutes and children caught up in war zones. “I’m interested in people on the edge of society”, says Smith. "They are usually either unrepresented or misrepresented.” The exhibition opens on 24th May and runs until 26th June.

From Fleeting to Forever: A Guide to Enjoying and Preserving Your Digital Photos and Videos is a new e-book that outlines how you can organise a vast and growing collection of photos and how to bring those digital images out of your phone and computer and into the real world in the form of unique products such as prints on glass and bamboo, canvas wall art, 3D prints, photo merchandise and much more. Each chapter combines a comprehensive overview of the subject as well as specific recommendations and links to service providers so that readers can immediately begin creating the products they've been reading about. From Fleeting to Forever: Enjoying & Preserving Your Digital Photos and Videos is available now for $6.99 at Amazon, Sony and Kobo bookstores. It will be available at Barnes and Noble, Apple and other e-book sellers by the end of April.

Pentax Ricoh have issued a firmware update for the Pentax K-5 II and K-5 IIs digital SLR cameras. According to the company, Version 1.04 corrects the following bug: "Switch operation may not rarely work during displaying Status screen in firmware version 1.03." You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Pentax K-5 II Downloads : Firmware Update

The new Reflecta HD Digital Slide Duplicator is a transparency digitisation attachment for your digital camera. Distributed by Kenro in the United Kingdom, the Reflecta HD Digital Slide Duplicator features a high-quality achromtatic close up lens, a mounted slide holder and a diffuser; and attaches directly to your digital camera's lens by way of an appropriate stepping ring. Included in the package are adapter rings for lenses with 37mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm and 62mm filter threads. TheReflecta HD Digital Slide Duplicator can be yours for£87 including VAT.

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM is an exciting new standard zoom lens for APS-C DSLR owners. Offering a short focal length of 27-52.5mm in the 35mm format, the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM’s most interesting innovation is its constant aperture of f/1.8 throughout the zoom range. Whereas most standard zoom lenses, even the more expensive optics, offer a maximum aperture of f/2.8, Sigma’s new lens offers a faster shutter speed and even shallower depth of field. The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM could effectively replace a fast 28mm, 35mm and 50mm prime lens in your camera bag, although it doesn’t offer the mild telephoto reach that a lot of standard zooms offer.

Want to see exactly what the new Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 lens, which is the first zoom lens ever to have a constant aperture of f/1.8 throughout its 27-52.5mm equivalent range.

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM is the first zoom lens ever to achieve a maximum aperture of f1.8 throughout the zoom range. Offering a focal range equivalent to 27-52.5mm in the 35mm format, the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM is standard zoom-lens for digital single lens reflex cameras with APS-C size sensors. The 9 blade rounded diaphragm creates an attractive round bokeh at large-aperture settings, while the HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a silent, high-speed AF function. The price and availability of the new Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM lens are still to be announced.

Getty Images today announced that applications for its 2013 Grants for Editorial Photography are now being accepted. Five photojournalists will be selected to receive grants of US$10,000, intended to provide the funding and freedom to pursue projects of personal and journalistic significance. The Grants for Editorial Photography were created in 2004 to provide emerging and established photographers with the means, creative freedom and collaborative editorial guidance to pursue projects of personal and journalistic significance. Previous grant recipients include Bharat Choudhary for “The Silence of ‘Others’,”  Paolo Marchetti for “FEVER – The Awakening of European Fascism,” Sebastian Liste for “The Brazilian Far West” and Kosuke Okahara for “Fragments/Fukushima.” Grants applications are open until 1 May, 2013 before midnight GMT. Winners will be announced in September 2013 at the Visa Pour l’Image photojournalism festival in Perpignan.

Following visits to cities in China, Phase One is now visiting Hamburg with Profoto and Production Paradise, as part of a 22-city World Tour. Each event on this tour is unique, with locally-based professional photographers who will share valuable insights to their work styles and techniques. Attendees at each event will have the opportunity to ask questions of key developers of the new Phase One IQ2 digital backs and check out the services offered by Production Paradise After Hamburg, the tour continues to Toronto, New York, Miami, Chicago, Washington DC, Mexico City and Sao Paulo, with more stops to be announced. All events are free—but space is limited to 150 seats in each city. For more information and to register, visit the website below.

Kenro has launched a new range of Benro camera bags. Specifically designed to meet the needs of the travel and sports photographer, the new ‘Cool Walker’ range consists of 13 variants of backpacks, shoulder bags and zoom bags. The Cool Walker Backpack is available in six sizes, the smallest being able to carry one SLR, two lenses and one flash and the largest designed to carry two SLRs, six or eight lenses, two flashes and a 15 inch laptop. Also available within the Cool Walker range are a choice of modern shoulder bags (pictured) which come in three sizes; the smallest size being able to fit one SLR and one lens, to the largest size fitting one SLR, two lenses and one flash. The range also includes a zoom bag, available in four sizes. The Cool Walker Backpack’s SRP (including VAT) ranges from £101.94 to £154.20, the Cool Walker shoulder bags are priced between £37.80 to £47.40 and the Cool Walker zoom bag starts at £36.60, rising to £57.

The 2013 international Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards are now open for entries. The overall winner of TPOTY will receive the Cutty Sark Award; £5,000 plus a complete set of Cutty Sark’s award-winning range of blended whiskies - Cutty Sark Blend, Storm, Prohibition, 12 years old, 18 years old and the highly collectable Limited Edition Tam o’Shanter. In addition, they’ll receive a true one-off - a bespoke, personalised Cutty Sark surfboard. The Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2013 wins the new Fujifilm X20 plus £250 and a personalised Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio book or iFolio. Entries close on October 1st, with full details at the website below.

Pentax Ricoh have released half a dozen high-resolution sample photos taken with the new, large-sensor Ricoh GR digital compact camera. All of these official Ricoh GR sample pictures were captured at the camera’s base sensitivity setting of ISO 100/21°, at f-stops ranging from f/2.8 to f/8. According to the data provided on the Pentax Ricoh website, they were all shot raw and developed in-camera. You can download the full-resolution Ricoh GR samples from the website below.

Website: Pentax Ricoh Japan - Ricoh GR Sample Photos

Fujifilm has released 9 sample photos taken using the brand-new Fujinon XF55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS lens. Shot on the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and X-E1 cameras at a variety of f-stops ranging from f/4.5 to f/9, these official Fujinon XF55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS samples are available as full-resolution JPEGs. You can download the sample pictures from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm - Fujinon XF55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS Sample Photos

With the high-end digital compact market expanding at an exponential rate (up by over 160%), Ricoh have decided to come back and reclaim their crown as the kings of prosumer cameras. But the competition is ferocious with the big guys on the battlefield, such as Canon and Nikon. We went to see Ricoh to have a chat about the new GR and see what tricks it has up its sleeve. With an SRP of £599.99, the GR will be available around May 2013 and in black.