Nikon today announced the development of three new 1 NIKKOR lenses. The new lenses being developed are a 32mm medium-telephoto fixed focal length lens with a fast maximum aperture of f/1.2, a vibration-reduction (VR) equipped 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 ultra-wide-angle zoom lens, and a compact and lightweight 10x zoom lens covering the 10-100mm range of focal lengths with maximum apertures of f/4-5.6. An on-sale date, suggested retail price and further specifications will be announced by Nikon Corporation at a later date.

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR is a new FX-format zoom lens with versatile 70-200mm focal range and constant f/4 aperture. The Nikon 70-200mm f/4 is the first NIKKOR to be equipped with Nikon’s next-generation Vibration Reduction system that allows for up to 5-stop compensation. The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR costs £1,172.99 / €1,430.00 / $1399.95 and will be available from 29th November, 2012.

BosStrap has announced a new Ultra Light Hand Band (ULHB). “It attaches to the right camera strap lug, without the cumbersome bulk of a typical had strap,” the company explains. “Like all BosStrap product, the ULHB does not use the tripod socket as an attachment point, so does not need to be removed to when connecting a camera to a tripod.  The unobtrusive ULHB can be used with or without the BosStrap Sliding Sling Strap System, since the ULHB attaches to the right camera strap lug only.” The BosStrap Ultra Light Hand Band is available for $11.95.

The Fujifilm Student Awards 2013 is now open for entries. Run in conjunction with ChooseFilm.com and Metroprint, the theme for this year’s Award is ‘The Colour Of….’ with students being briefed to capture an image that that illustrates how colour lights up their world. In a new twist to this year’s awards, entries are open to all students in the UK, not just those undertaking courses involving photography. This decision was taken following several requests from students who are keen photographers but not actually studying photography. For further details and examples of previous winners, visit the website below.

Cokin has announced a new Snap! Kit for Compact System Cameras (CSCs). Including an adaptor ring, a filter holder, a full Neutral Density filter (ND4) and a graduated Sunset filter, the kit is available in five different sizes: Ø37, Ø40.5, Ø43, Ø49 and Ø52. The Cokin Snap! Kit will be available in stores early November 2012.

Cokin’s new Pure Harmonie filters are billed as the smallest and lightest photo filters in the world. 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 Gray (ND X), Cokin Pure Harmonie filters are super-lightweight and cause no vignetting. The new line-up will be available in stores by the end of the year, in a variety of sizes.

Transcend today launched its “Ultimate” series 1000x CompactFlash cards. Fully compliant with CompactFlash revision 6.0, these memory cards operate in Ultra DMA (UDMA) transfer mode 7 and implement the Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-20), which enables professional-quality video capture at sustained write speeds of at least 20MB/s without dropping frames. Available in up to 128GB capacity, these cards are also capable of delivering read speeds of up to 160MB/s. Transcend’s 1000x CompactFlash cards are now available in 16GB (US$109.99), 32GB (US$229.99), 64GB (US$459.99) and 128GB (US$749.99) capacities.

Swedish company Memoto has introduced a micro-camera that captures every moment of your life in “photo keyframes.” “Imagine if you could capture and re-live every memorable moment of your life” said Martin Källström, CEO of Memoto. “With Memoto, you can effortlessly travel back in time to that moment when you met the love of your life, the day your daughter took her first step, or that night you laughed the night away with friends.” Capturing a 5-megapixel photo every 30 seconds, the Memoto camera is about the size of a large postage stamp and features geotagging, a built-in rechargeable battery with a LED indicator, and a micro-USB port for charging and downloading pictures to a computer. Estimated availability for the Memoto camera is early 2013. The unit will be offered in Graphite grey, Arctic white and Memoto orange colors for $279. Starting today, anyone can support Memoto in getting the camera into production through Kickstarter - those offering $199 or more will be rewarded with a camera and a one-year Web Service subscription.

The Apple iPad Mini is a new 7.9-inch tablet. 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad, the iPad Mini has Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance and 10 hours of battery life. iPad mini comes in a new aluminium and glass design that is just 7.2 mm thin and weighs only 0.68 pounds.

The iPad 4 features a 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip that delivers up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip, 10 hours of battery life, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance.

Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features.

The Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro features a stunning Retina display and all flash storage in a new compact design. At a mere 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds, the portable 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is 20 percent thinner and almost a pound lighter than the current 13-inch MacBook Pro. Prices start at £1,449 inc VAT for a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage.

Canon have announced that a new firmware update for the Canon EOS 5D Mark III will be available in April 2013. The firmware update enables the use of uncompressed HDMI Output support, making possible more efficient video editing and monitoring procedures.Additionally, the upgrade supports the advanced needs of photographers through improved AF performance when capturing still images.

Professional landscape photographer, author and PhotographyBLOG reader Nick Taylor has recently sent us an email with a surprising piece of news. “I was in the market for a new camera,” Nick says. “I was undecided with the D800E… or a DMF [Digital Medium Format].” Nick finally went for the D800E, and called Nikon USA asking where he could find it in stock. Their reply was shocking: “The D800e [is] no longer supported by Nikon,” meaning “they are not going to stock or make anymore.” After finishing the conversation Nick checked Nikon USA’s product page for current DSLR cameras, and found that the D800E was indeed no longer listed (the D800, without the “E” designation, continues to be on offer).

Upon receiving Nick’s email we contacted both Nikon UK and Nikon USA. The former company has confirmed this morning that “the D800e is still a current product in the UK.”

A Nikon Europe spokesperson has now confirmed that this is a false alarm, and the D800e is very much supported both in the US and globally:
“I’m happy to confirm that the D800E is a current Nikon product globally – we’re looking into where the misunderstanding might have come from.

With regards to the link not showing the D800E… because it is a variation on the D800, the D800E is not listed as a separate product. However, there’s plenty of information about it when you click through to the D800 product page:
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Digital-SLR-Cameras/25480/D800.html”

Jong Afrikaner: A Self-Portrait is a new book featuring portraits by South African photographer Roelof Petrus van Wyk. Tracing the ongoing transformation and change of the “white tribe of Africa,” the book contains head-and-shoulders portraits of young white Afrikaners – including the strangely beautiful Yo-Landi Vi$$er from the rap group Die Antwoord. “Both a provocation and a statement of artistic intent, the body of work challenges preconceived ideas and beliefs about Afrikaners,” the publisher says. “These individuals… are connected to each other through share values, preferences and tastes and express themselves in diverse cultural and creative activity, rather than any supposed national identity.” Published by Fourthwall Books, Jong Afrikaner: A Self-Portrait will be available for purchase through the website below.

Manfrotto has just launched a new family of carbon fibre camera supports called 290 Carbon. Designed for enthusiasts, the Manfrotto 290 Carbon range aims to fill the gap between cheap and non-upgradeable “first tripods” and expensive fully-featured professional mounting equipment. Highly portable yet durable and built for heavy-duty use, the 290 Carbon Fibre Series comprises three tripod&head kits, a monopod and a standalone 3-section tripod sold without a head. For more information, visit the website below.

Nikon UK has announced a new promotion. Customers purchasing any product from the Nikon EDG range, including fieldscopes and binoculars, from today until 31 January 2013 (inclusive) can claim a free Nikon Coolpix AW100 (pictured) or P310 camera worth £279.99 each. Note that the promotion only applies to products which have been supplied and distributed by Nikon UK within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. For more details, including terms & conditions, visit the website below.

The Consumer Electronics Association’s Board of Industry Leaders unanimously voted to rename ‘4K’ video to ‘Ultra High-Definition’ or ‘Ultra HD,’ and also defined the core characteristics of Ultra HDTVs, monitors and projectors. Minimum performance attributes include display resolution of at least eight million active pixels, with at least 3,840 horizontally and at least 2,160 vertically. Displays will have an aspect ratio with width to height of “at least 16x9.” To use the Ultra HD label, display products will require at least one digital input capable of carrying and presenting native 4K format video from this input at full 3,840 X 2,160 resolution without relying solely on up-converting.

Pictured above is the EOS C500, Canon’s high-end professional 4K cinema camera.

Switronix has just introduced its brand new JetPack power distribution accessory for videographers. The all-aluminium, compact design houses a power regulation board connecting to three LEMO outputs (5v, 7v, 12v), a USB power connection, and 2 unregulated power taps on either V or 3-Stud mount plates. The JetPack is currently available for RED Epic and Scarlet, as well as the Black Magic Camera and F3 configurations, in either V-Mount and 3-Stud.

Michael Freeman will be launching his latest book, The Photographer’s Story, via a live online broadcast on Tuesday 30th October. The event is free to attend, and anyone can submit a question in advance by signing up now via the website below. Before the broadcast, anyone who has signed up will receive an e-mail reminder.