onOne Software has announced Perfect B&W, a brand new product that is claimed to offer photographers the easiest way to convert their images into black and white. “The ability to master black and white photography with a camera and darkroom techniques has been a long respected art form that has required much knowledge and practice to achieve,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “We wanted to develop a black and white image creation product that would deliver amazing, professional caliber results in a simple to use application. Perfect B&W offers presets designed by industry experts for one-click results, along with manual controls that replicate time-honored processing techniques and offer photographers the ability create their own looks quickly and easily.” The new Perfect B&W is now available for pre-order as part of the Perfect Photo Suite 7 for $299.95, which will ship in late October. It will be available later this Fall as an individual plug-in and standalone product for $99.95.

onOne Software has announced the upcoming availability of Perfect Photo Suite 7. This version offers new easy-to-use, yet powerful tools to develop black-and-white images, enhance, stylise and correct images, retouch portraits and prepare all images, including mobile snapshots, for enlargement and print. Perfect Photo Suite 7 includes the brand new module Perfect B&W, Perfect Effects 4, Perfect Portrait 2, Perfect Layers 3 and Perfect Resize 7.5 Pro­–powered by Genuine Fractals technology, Perfect Mask 5.2 and FocalPoint 2. The new Perfect Photo Suite 7 will ship in late October 2012 for $299.95.  Owners of Perfect Photo Suite 6, Perfect Photo Suite 5, and Plug-In Suite 5 or earlier can upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7 for $149.95. For those who have purchased Perfect Photo Suite 6 on or after August 1, 2012, onOne Software will issue a complimentary upgrade.

SF Photo School have just released ‘The Big Picture’, a downloadable photography course featuring ten of the United Kingdom’s leading photographers and trainers. The course includes over throrty-five hours of webinars, tutorials and videos on portrait and wedding photography. For a limited time only, this course is availalble for only $147, a 60% discount on the normal price, via the website below.

Epson has announced the Expression Photo XP-850 and XP-750 Wi-Fi enabled A4 photo printers. Both new models use Epson’s new six-colour Claria Photo HD Ink Set (black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta), which is claimed to deliver smooth tonal gradations, deep blacks and rich, vibrant colours. The Expression Photo XP-850 and XP-750 also feature a motorised control panel and output tray, which open automatically before printing so all users have to do is collect their printouts. The key differences between the two models include the scanner resolution (4,800dpi for the XP-850 and 2,400dpi for the XP-750) and duplex ADF for double-sided scanning, copying and faxing, which is only offered by the XP-850. The Expression Photo XP-850 and XP-750 are available from November, priced at £249.99 and £229.99 respectively.

Hasselblad UK has just launched a new webstore listing the full range of Hasselblad and Broncolor equipment. Chris Russell-Fish, Managing Director Hasselblad UK said: “Our customer research tells us that this online purchase option will benefit our customers - especially those that might live many miles away from a dealer and need certain accessories and small items quickly.” The new site can be accessed via the link below.

PictureCode today released Photo Ninja, a new professional-grade raw converter and image editor. The result of an intensive R&D effort at PictureCode, Photo Ninja was developed with active participation from a diverse group of professional and enthusiast photographers in an extended beta test. Jim Christian, founder of PictureCode, explains that “After we released Noise Ninja back in 2003, it quickly gained wide adoption and a reputation for excellence. Based on feedback from the beta test, I believe the same thing will happen with Photo Ninja. It has been an incredibly challenging project, but we have managed to develop highly effective technology in several key areas, and users are reporting excellent results and ease of adjustment.”  Licence keys are being sold for $129 with a year of free software updates. Until 15 October 2012, owners of a Noise Ninja licence can purchase a Photo Ninja license for a discount of 25% to 85%, depending on the type and issue date of the Noise Ninja licence.

Adobe today announced the immediate availability of Photoshop Touch 1.3. Offering core Photoshop features in an app specifically designed for iPad and Android tablets, Adobe Photoshop Touch 1.3 adds Retina display support, the ability to work on high-resolution images up to 12 megapixels, two new effects, smoother animation and scrolling, a new three-finger tap gesture to toggle 100%-percent and fit-to-screen view, a new pixel-nudging mode for precise movements, and support for Apple Photo Stream and two new languages, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese. Adobe Photoshop Touch 1.3 is available as a free update for existing Photoshop Touch customers on the iTunes App Store or on Google Play; new users may purchase the app for £6.99.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is a Windows Phone 8 powered smartphone with an 8.7-megapixel camera, 26mm equivalent Carl Zeiss optics with a maximum aperture of f/2, and “advanced optical image stabilisation.”  Also featuring a 4.5-inch Nokia PureMotion HD+ WXGA IPS LCD touchscreen with Touch AF, the Nokia Lumia 920 can capture Full HD videos at 30 frames per second, as well as high-resolution stills. The Zeiss lens comes with “advanced floating lens technology,” while the phone itself ships with Nokia’s largest ever battery (2000mAh) and built-in wireless charging. Do note that while phone boasts the “PureView” designation first used on the Nokia 808, its 1/3-type sensor is much smaller than the latter’s 1/1.2-type imager. The Nokia Lumia 920 will be available in yellow, red, grey, white and black. Nokia will announce pricing and specific roll-out dates country by country when sales are due to begin.

LockCircle has announced the new PrimeCircle XT 15mm f2.8 Custom ZF.2 Series professional lens for Canon and Nikon. Built around the world-class optics of the Carl Zeiss T* 15mm f/2.8 Distagon ZF.2 lens, the PrimeCircle XT 15mm f/2.8 features a specially engineered double front mount (95mm and 114mm) offers the choice to use film-style standard accessories, matte-boxes and filters. The exclusive X-Circle EF Mount shows the focus and aperture scales on the side (Side Index View)  for comfortable focus-puller work. The PrimeCircle XT 15mm 2,8 can be ordered now with a 4 weeks delivery schedule.

Corel today launched Paint Shop Pro X5, the latest version of its photo editing application for Windows. This release includes updates and refinements to features like layer styles, brushes and HDR imaging tools. PaintShop Pro X5 also boasts new creative tools including Retro Lab, an Instant Effects palette and a Graduated Filter effect. Also new to X5 are the social media integration and organisational tools like face recognition and Share My Trip, which gives users the ability to share map-based interactive slideshows. PaintShop Pro X5 is available now in English, French, Italian, German and Dutch for £59.99. Users of PaintShop Pro X3 or higher are eligible for upgrade pricing of £44.99.

Ilford has announced a diverse range of activity during the 2012 Photokina World of Imaging trade show. The company’s stand D.011 – E.010 in Hall 6.1 will host a gallery of works by renowned photographers and amateurs alike, with exhibition-quality prints made with Galerie Prestige inkjet media. The stand also features the work of Timothy Allen, the photographer for the BBC’s Human Planet series. The culmination of the ILFORD activity at photokina will be a major expansion of the five star Ilford Galerie Prestige range, comprising a total of five new inkjet photo papers.

The new Mac version of iStopMotion allows users to create high-definition stop-motion and time lapse videos using their iPhone as a camera via the free iStopMotion Remote Camera iOS app. Fully optimised for the MacBook Pro’s new Retina display. iStopMotion 3 also has enhanced app security by being sandboxed and signed with DeveloperID. It is localised in English, German, French, Japanese and Russian. Offering all this plus every feature from the previous iStopMotion 2 Pro (formerly priced at $499.99), iStopMotion 3 is available through the Mac App Store in the Video category for $49.99.

The new MagFilter circular polariser from CarrySpeed presents a simple, clean, and effective solution to mounting filters on high-end compact cameras. A very thin metal ring is first adhered to the front of the camera lens and still allows the lens to expand and retract back into the camera body. The Carry Speed MagFilters quickly connect to the metal ring with strong magnets embedded in the MagFilter body. A grooved bevel design prevents slippage and ensures a secure bond to lock the MagFilter in place. There are two filters to choose from; a 36mm Polariser MagFilter ($24.99), designed for small compact cameras like the Canon Powershot S95/S100, and a 42mm Polariser MagFilter ($26.99) that fits on cameras like the Sony HX9V, Sony HX20V, Sony HX30V, and Sony RX100. For more information, visit the website below.

Website: CarrySpeed

PermaJet will arrive at Photokina 2012 with their biggest range of products to date. New additions to their line-up include the Mercury Ultra White Matt 405gsm inkjet canvas, 5-metre-length inkjet trial rolls of the PermaJet Oyster 271gsm and Ultra Pearl 295gsm media, an all-new Image Block Print Display System, a range of fast drying canvas protective varnishes in 2.5-litre cans, an anti-curl roller device and more. PermaJet’se full product range will be available to view at Photokina 2012, Hall 06.1 Stand D-020.

German software developer Jürgen Habenstein has unveiled his AppCam OS-II, a new graphical user interface for DSLR cameras. Aimed at making cameras more intuitive and easy to use without the need to delve into complicated and long-winded menu systems, the AppCam OS-II doesn’t require camera manufacturers to add any extra buttons or setting wheels to established control layouts, and works without a touchscreen. Whether the major camera companies are ready to adopt the new OS remains to be seen but we believe Jürgen definitely deserves kudos for his creative efforts. For more information on the AppCam OS-II, visit the website below.

Website: AppCam OS-II

Nik Software has just launched the ‘Nik Focused’ online photo contest. Linked to the homonymous online event that runs parallel with the Photokina trade-show, the ‘Nik Focused’ photo contest invites photographers to submit up to five vintage-styled or -themed images to win one of 20 prizes. The submission deadline is 24 September 2012. You can enter your photos via the website below.

The winners of the August 2012 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for August was “Stars” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
My shot of the galaxy! by bloopiers
Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/