Photography Blog and HiFi-Tower have teamed up to launch a brand new giveaway. The prize is a Klarstein Mini Projector, and we’ve got ONE to give away to a lucky reader!

This contest has now closed - the lucky winner is Alan Newington.

The Klarstein YX4B is a compact mini projector that beams images up to 60” in size. The projector is perfect for photo slideshows at home or on the go. It has an AV jack input for connecting a range of typical devices, as well as a USB port and micro-SD slot, so there’s definitely no lack of input options! For photographers, the Klarstein YX4B handles JPEG files with ease, along with audio/video files like MPEG4, FLV, MP3, and FLAC. The projector comes equipped with a long-lasting LED lamp, ensuring you’ll be proudly projecting your photos for years to come. The Klarstein YX4B and a selection of LED, LCD, and HD projectors are available online at hifi-tower.co.uk.

Hall Place, situated in Bexley, Kent, is this autumn welcoming a unique photography exhibition; Illuminated World. Opening October 6, it showcases local man, Arthur Boswell’s (1880-1966) rare collection of early Victorian photography. Visitors will be taken on a fascinating journey of people and places from African plains, Norwegian fjords to Italian cities, contrasted with Bexley and the local area all as they were a century ago. Illuminated World will provide a magical encounter of life in Victorian times and an appreciation of the customs and cultures that would have enchanted observers during an era when people were travelling more than ever before. Visitors can also learn about photographic techniques of the time with original apparatus on display. Unearthed from the town’s local archive, this is the first time the images created from original glass lantern slides have been on show to the public and the selection represents only a fraction of the total of some 14,000 images. Admission is £7 for adults, £5 for under 16s and £20 for families.

Benro today announced its new MeFOTO Transfunctional Travel Tripod Kits. This new tripod provides photographers with a reliable camera support for sharp photos while allowing them to express their individual style when choosing from a selection of red, green, blue, gold and titanium metallic colours. “These colourful, well-built and modern new Transfunctional Travel Tripods are the perfect addition to the MeFOTO product line,” said Jan Lederman, President of MAC Group. “While the Compact MeFOTO Travel Tripods are ideal for any general picture-takers using lightweight point-and-shoot digital cameras and compact interchangeable lens digital camera systems, this new Transfunctional model provides photographers with dependable support for larger camera bodies and lenses.” Utilising a reverse folding leg system based on the Benro Travel Angel kits, the new MeFOTO Transfunctional Tripods are only 15.4” when folded yet 61.6” extended. The MeFOTO Transfunctional Travel Tripod weighs 3.6 lbs. and can securely support up to 17.6 lbs, the manufacturer claims. Suggested retail price for the new Tripod Kit is $229.

Issue 20 of Landscape Photography Magazine is now available to download. This edition includes a guide to shooting the aurora with Lee Pengelly, a review of David Noton’s book “Full Frame” by David Hay, the portfolios of Anld Heitmann, Jose Sanchez Figueras and Andy Fox, an interview with Jonathan Chritchley, and more. Also, starting this month, LPM will accommodate regular columns from Jonathan Chritchley and Keith Wilson - the latter is the founder of both Outdoor Photography & Black+White Photography magazines. Do note that the full contents of Landscape Photography Magazine are available to subscribers only.

Photocrafty by Sue Venables is a new fun and quirky ‘how-to’ book aimed at digital SLR camera users who have yet to venture away from their auto setting. Available from 8th October, the book offers new and exciting ways of making the most of a DSLR, like a photography course which can be taken at the reader’s own time and pace. “What excites me about photography,” says Sue “is that the possibilities are endless – yet most people don’t even begin to explore beyond the basics. I see Photocrafty as an approach, rather than just a book. It’s about embracing the unknown and being a bit experimental. I want people to be saying ‘what would happen if I try that?’ rather than being stuck with the ‘point-and-shoot’ approach to photography.” Published by Punk Publishing, the 224-page paperback is available to pre-order from Amazon UK for £14.95.

Manfrotto has just launched KLYP, a special iPhone case equipped with two adaptor clips ready to host its pocket tripods and LED video lights. KLYP will be available in-store from 1st October in John Lewis, selected Selfridges, Calumet, Dixons Travel, Warehouse Express, Amazon and will come in five distinctive kits. including 1) the case with the two adaptor clips, 2) the case complete with ML240 LED light, 3) the case complete with ML240 LED light and Manfrotto POCKET tripod, 4) the case complete with compact ML120 LED light and 5) the case complete with ML120 LED light and Manfrotto POCKET tripod. Prices for KLYP start from £24.95.

ReaSoft Development has released a new version of ReaConverter, its batch image conversion and editing program for Windows. New features include an ability to convert PDF/EPS/AI files with anti-aliasing option, support for a new raw image file format and new cameras, new editing tools and more. The program is available in three editions: Lite, Standard and Pro. The price for a single-user licence starts from $24.95.

Olympus and Sony today announced that the two companies have entered into a business alliance agreement and a capital alliance agreement through a third-party allotment of Olympus’s common shares to Sony. Under the terms of the capital alliance agreement, Olympus will issue 34,387,900 common shares at a price of 1,454 yen per share. The agreements affect both the medical and the camera divisions. With respect to the latter, the two companies’ stated aim is “to enhance their competitiveness, primarily in the area of compact digital cameras, by exploring opportunities for mutually beneficial transactions and collaboration between their respective camera businesses, including the supply of Olympus technologies such as camera lenses and mirror cells to Sony, and the provision of Sony image sensors to Olympus.” As opposed to the medical field, in which Olympus and Sony have agreed to establish a business venture company with a capital ratio of 49%-51%, the two companies’ camera businesses will continue to function as separate entities.

(Pictured above is the Olympus OM-D E-M5 compact system camera, which features a 16-megapixel Sony sensor.)

The Metz mecablitz 52 AF-1 digital is billed as the world’s first hotshoe-mounted flash with a touchscreen-based user interface. Available for Canon, Nikon, Olympus/Panasonic/Leica, Pentax and Sony, the Metz mecablitz 52 AF-1 digital has a tilt-swivel head with a motorised zoom to cover the angle-of-view range of a 24-105mm lens, offering a guide number of 52 (in metres at ISO 100/21°) at the 105mm position. The illuminated touchscreen display rotates by 90° to remain easily readable with the camera in portrait orientation. Other highlights include TTL and manual operation (the latter with no less than 22 partial lighting levels), servo flash mode, high-speed flash syncronisation, 1st and 2nd curtain sync, a maximum recycle time of 3.5 seconds, an integrated flip-out bounce card and wide-angle diffuser for 12mm coverage, a modelling light and a USB port for the easy installation of firmware updates. Availability and pricing have yet to be communicated.

Source: Metz via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Following the news that Hasselblad’s VICTOR magazine is to revert to print format following a period as an online only publication, the first issue is now available for purchase. Issue one of the new look VICTOR includes contributions from a wide range of top photographers, including Anton Corbijn, Marco Grob, Mark Zibert, Edward Burtynsky and Rodney Smith. “I am delighted that VICTOR is now back in print format, as this is the ultimate format to enjoy images,” says Chris Russell-Fish, Hasselblad’s Global Marketing Director. “We hope the long time fans of VICTOR magazine will enjoy this new publication and that it will also attract many new fans and lovers of photography.” The magazine is available from exclusive magazine shops in London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Madrid, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong, priced at £15, €20 and $25, while photographers anywhere in the world can obtain the magazine from www.newsstand.co.uk at the cover price plus shipping costs.

Lytro, creator of the world’s first consumer light field camera, has announced that it will expand distribution to both US and international customers. The Lytro camera captures all the light traveling in every direction in a scene. The camera gives creative photographers unique capabilities like refocusing a picture after it’s taken and creating living pictures. Lytro has also recently announced availability for Windows, added accessories and is now generally available for customers. The Lytro camera will be available online at Target, Future Shop, BestBuy and Amazon starting October 9; in-store through retail in Australia, starting October 10; in-store through retail in Hong Kong and Singapore, starting mid-October; and in-store at CityTarget, starting November.

JP Distribution has added two Phocus Accent iPhone bundles to its portfolio of photographic products. The Phocus body is ergonomically designed, features brass tripod and conversion lens mounting points, and can be held with one or two hands. It also comes with a cold shoe for accessories such as external lighting gear. There are two Phocus bundles available - the £89.99 Phocus Accent 2 Lens iPhone Bundle including the Phocus body plus a macro and a wide-angle converter; and the £124.9 Phocus Accent 3 Lens iPhone Bundle, which includes all of the above plus a telephoto conversion lens.

FlickinAmazing is a full-screen Flickr client for the Apple iPad. Optimised for the multiple cores and Retina displays of modern tablets, this app helps you discover, save and share the most beautiful images hosted by Flickr. “I love Flickr,” says Todd Ransom, founder and lead developer at FlickinAmazing, “It is still the most amazing photography site on the Internet, and it breaks my heart to see them losing ground to services that feature phone photography. The recent Internet campaign to save Flickr shows how passionate the user base is, and we all know what’s wrong. Flickr doesn’t have great mobile support. FlickinAmazing is our way of showing the world what an amazing experience Flickr can be on the iPad.” FlickinAmazing is available on iTunes for $2.99.

Samsung are looking for as many people in the UK called David Bailey as possible to take part in a photography project. They’re giving lots of David Baileys the new Samsung NX1000 Smart Camera to test the theory that it’s so good that it lets everyone take photos like the world’s best photographer. Samsung are also aiming to try and break a world record on Saturday. With just over a day to go for David Baileys to get in touch, visit this site to register your interest: http://wearedavidbailey.com/

ACD Systems have rekeased Version 15 of ACDSee and Version 6 of ACDSee Pro. New features in both programs include a new Smart Blur filter, new Clarity tool, an option to create unlimited keyword hierarchies, the ability to burn images to a Blu-Ray disk, native 64-bit support, improved colour management and sharpening, a dedicated black-and-white mode, and more. In addition to the enhancements that benefit both programs, ACDSee 15 also offers improved red-eye removal. ACDSee Pro 6 is available at a suggested retail price of $99.99. ACDSee 15 retails for $49.99.

Transcend has announced that its high-speed USB flash drives – the USB 3.0 JetFlash 760 and Ultra Speed JetFlash 600 – are now available in new 128GB capacities. Besides offering a huge amount of storage, the JetFlash 760 and JetFlash 600 provide super-fast data transfers and compact mobile convenience. The JetFlash 760 utilises next-generation USB 3.0 technology to provide transfer speeds of up to 80MB/s, and features a handy, retractable USB connector. The JetFlash 600 provides USB 2.0 transfer speeds of up to 32MB/s and features a lightweight, streamlined design. The new 64GB and 128GB JetFlash 760 are available for a suggested price of US$89 and US$199 respectively, while the 128GB JetFlash 600 is available for US$179.

The GE X600 is a new super-zoom bridge compact camera. The X600 has a 26x zoom with a focal range of 26-676mm, a 14.4 megapixel CMOS sensor, 1080p Full HD video recording, 5fps burst shooting, an electronic viewfinder and a 2.7 inch LCD screen. The GE X600 is scheduled for delivery mid-October and will be priced around £149.99.

Photobox, Europe’s Number 1 supplier of photo prints and gifts, has launched its Motographer of The Year competition. According to the company a “Motographer” is a mobile photographer, someone who uses their mobile phone to produce snapshots of the world around them. Using the dedicated Motographer of The Year Facebook app on the Photobox Facebook page, entrants can submit the best shot they’ve taken with their smartphone for a chance to win £500 of Photobox credit, free enrolment on an exclusive iPhoneography course, a brand new smartphone, and exclusive entry to prestigious photography events throughout 2013. By using the dedicated hashtag #MOTY2012, photographers can also submit entries via Instagram and Twitter.