Aptina has signed a patent cross-licence agreement with Sony, which provides each company with access to the other’s patent portfolio. “Patents and innovation are a critical component of Aptina’s strategy, and Aptina’s patent portfolio is the largest and strongest in the image sensor industry,” said Bob Gove, President and CTO of Aptina. “We believe that this powerful blend will advance technology to realise our goal of enabling consumers to capture beautiful images and visual information.”

Sigma has announced pricing and availability for the Sigma DP3 Merrill in the US. As the final camera in the Sigma DP Merrill lineup, the DP3 Merrill features a high-performance 50mm f/2.8 lens, whose angle of view is equivalent to that of a 75mm telephoto optic on a 35mm camera. Like the previously released DP1 (19mm f/2.8) and DP2 (30mm f/2.8) Merrill cameras, it is equipped with a 15.4[x3]-megapixel Foveon X3 direct image sensor measuring 23.5×15.7mm. The Sigma DP3 Merrill will be available in early March for an estimated street price of $999.

Pentax Ricoh have released firmware updates for the Pentax K-01 system camera and the Pentax K-30 dSLR (pictured). Version 1.03 fixes a bug related to contrast-detect auto focus, which was introduced by firmware version 1.02. You can download the updates from the websites below.

Website: Pentax K-01 Firmware Update 1.03
Website Pentax K-30 Firmware Update 1.03

HP is holding an exclusive Ellie Goulding gig as part of its collaboration with Universal Music Group, and they have teamed up with Talenthouse to find the official gig photographer for the night. Interested photographers have until 7th March to submit an artistic and energetic shot taken at a festival, party or any environment where people and friends are connecting with music. The judging panel are looking for artistic and powerful shots that show them you have what it takes to capture the energy of the show. The winning photographer will be chosen by Ellie and HP and will also receive £1,000, an HP Envy notebook and promotion of their photography across Ellie’s and HP’s official online channels. For further details on how to enter, visit the website below.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Schneider Kreuznach is holding a photo art exhibition under the heading “Photo Art V – Andreas Gursky.” The exhibition is being held on the premises of Jos. Schneider Optische Werke, Ringstrasse 132, in Bad Kreuznach. “We have converted a historic building on our premises especially for this exhibition and are delighted to be able to present work by world-famous photo artist Andreas Gursky,” says Dr. Josef Staub, CEO of the Schneider Group. On show until 31st March, the exhibition is open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m on Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is free.

Nikon UK has announced its seminar schedule for this year’s Focus on Imaging trade show. Speakers include Olympic Photographer of the Year Mark Pain; representatives from Timeslice, the leaders in frozen-time photography and celebrity and fashion photographer, John Wright. Further seminars will be led by Nikon experts covering topics such as Nikon technology, the FX system and expert talks on software. For more information, visit the website below.

Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) has announced its schedule of educational seminars to be held at its annual conference and expo. “During the week-long WPPI Conference and Expo, attendees will not only get to meet the world’s finest photographic instructors, they’ll learn superior technical skills and new shooting styles and discover competitive and affordable ways to grow their photography business,” said Jason Groupp, Director of WPPI. All WPPI 2013 classes, events and the expo will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, from 7-14 March 2013.

HP has rolled out its HP Live Photo service and iOS app. “Experienced directly through an iPhone, the HP Live Photo app allows users to create, view and share images using augmented reality powered by Aurasma, an HP Company,” HP said in a statement. HP Live Photos can be shared by email, Facebook or by printing to any AirPrint-enabled printer. The app is currently available in the US for iOS 5.1 devices. It is expected to be available later this year for other mobile operating systems.

Gitzo has announced two new promotions in the UK. Photographers who purchase a Gitzo 2 Series Systematic tripod will receive a free Gitzo Series 2 Aluminium Monopod, while those buying a Gitzo Explorer tripod will get a Series 2 Mag Off Centre Head free of charge. The promotions will be running in Gitzo’s Five Star Dealers until 31 March 2013.

The rugged Optrix XD5 wide-angle camera case designed for use with the Apple iPhone 5 is now available for purchase in the US. Optrix’s XD5 camera case is made with a thinner, lighter and stronger body when compared to the Optrix XD Sports Case, but boasts a higher waterproof rating of up to 15 feet. In addition, the XD5 incorporates a second door to access charging connectors and headphone jack, has an interchangeable conversion lens system and can be removed from the mounting system. The phone’s 1080p HD video is captured through our three layer, all glass, wide-angle lens. The kit includes the ultra-rugged main housing, iPhone 5 sled, 2 mounts (curved and flat) and the quick release rail system to securely mount the XD5 “just about anywhere.” The XD5 is available for $129.95.

Luxi is a small diffusion dome that fits securely over your iPhone’s front-facing camera allowing it to be used as an incident light meter on those occasions when you want to take perfectly exposed photos with your more serious camera(s). Although light meter apps featuring an incident mode are readily available on iTunes, the fact that the iPhone wasn’t designed to function as a hand-held exposure meter means there are hardware limitations to their usability. “Luxi is designed to work just like a professional incident light meter which can capture light from a 180° angle,” the inventor says. Funded through Kickstarter, Luxi has already exceeded its $10,000 goal by a very wide margin. The ingenious adapter will retail for $24.95 but you can still get one for as little as $19 by backing the project. The product comes in two versions, one for the Apple iPhone 4/4S and one for the iPhone 5.

Rambus has unveiled a new “binary pixel technology” that promises to “dramatically improve” the quality of photos taken with mobile devices, in terms of dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio. “Today’s compact mainstream sensors are only able to capture a fraction of what the human eye can see,” said Dr. Martin Scott, chief technology officer at Rambus. “Our breakthrough binary pixel technology enables a tremendous performance improvement for compact imagers capable of ultra high-quality photos and videos from mobile devices.” You can read more about the technology at the website below.

Canon has posted a firmware update for the Canon Powershot S110 digital compact camera. According to the company, Version 1.0.2.0 incorporates the following improvements and fixes:

1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the focal length may not change when the control ring’s function is to control the step zoom, and the control ring is turned slowly, click-by-click.
(In AUTO, SCN, or Movie mode, the default function for the control ring is to control the step zoom.)

2. Changes the camera’s specification in accordance with the specification of iOS 5/6 so that the Wi-Fi connection between the camera and an iOS device will not disconnect after one minute, when the PowerShot S110 is set as an Access Point and an iOS device is connected to that Access Point.

Website: Canon Powershot S110 / Canon U.S.A.

Canon has issued a firmware upgrade for the Canon PowerShot S100 digital compact camera. According to the company, Version 1.0.2.0 “fixes a phenomenon in which the focal length may not change when the control ring’s function is to control the step zoom, and the control ring is turned slowly, click-by-click.” You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Canon Powershot S100 / Canon U.S.A.

From 2 March - 26 May 2013, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery will be hosting an exhibition of the works of Edith Tudor-Hart. As one of the most important female photographers to have ever worked in the UK, Edith Tudor-Hart lived through and documented some of the most significant political events of the 20th century,  covering inter-war Vienna, Britain during the Great Slump of the 1930s and post-WW2 child welfare in the UK. The exhibition, “In the Shadow of Tyranny,” contains more than 80 images, many of which have never been shown before, and includes film footage, Tudor-Hart’s scrapbook and a selection of her published stories in books and magazines. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s Robert Mapplethorpe Photography Gallery is located at 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD.

Announced in October 2012, Cokin’s new Pure Harmonie range of filters are now available for purchase in the United Kingdom. Billed as the lightest and thinnest photo filters in the world, Cokin Pure Harmonie filters are multi-coated with EVERCLEAR 5 Coating Technology boasting Water Repellent, Anti-Oil, Anti-Dust, Anti-Soil and Scratch Resistant characteristics. With a thickness of 3.3mm for the Multi-Coated Anti-UV (UV MC), 4.5mm for the Circular Polarizer (C PL) and 9.5mm for the Variable Density Neutral Grey (ND X), Cokin Pure Harmonie filters are super-lightweight and cause no vignetting. Pricing starts at £39.99 for the UV filters, £79.99 for the circular polarisers and £154.99 for the variable-density neutral grey filters.

Adobe has launched a new version of its Photoshop Touch app, optimised for smartphones. Inspired by the existing Photoshop Touch for tablets, the phone app brings core features of Photoshop desktop software to mobile devices and offers similar intuitive, touch-based gestures and features. “Adobe Photoshop Touch for phone offers great depth and value with layering and blending features,” said Richard Gray, mobile photographer, educator and blogger, iphoggy.com. “I’ll be using Photoshop Touch for phone in class with my students this year as we look at the more artistic end of the creative process with dreamscapes and surreal images.” Adobe Photoshop Touch for phone is immediately available in the Apple App Store and Google Play for £2.99.

Canon Europe is participating in a number of initiatives as part of its official sponsorship of London Fashion Week and London Fashion Weekend. Highlights of the Canon initiatives are captured in behind-the-scene insights revealed in a series of Canon video interviews by seasoned fashion blogger Andy Torres from StyleScrapbook.com. Leading professional photographer Clive Booth also explains what it means to be a fashion photographer and the creation story behind British designer Henry Holland’s look book. Canon will also provide a range of photography opportunities and experiences to student photographers and the 2012 winners of the Canon Professional Services’ ‘Best Shot’ competition. London Fashion Week (15-19 February) is the biggest event on the British fashion calendar, with over 5,000 visitors at this year’s event.  It is followed by London Fashion Weekend (21-24 February) London’s largest and most exclusive designer shopping event open to the public biannually.