UK-based camera accessories store Rigu is now stocking the latest camera straps from !mo. “The straps are quite a bit more colourful than most standard camera straps, but they are also very functional, the ‘normal’ style straps have been stress tested to 180lbs of weight and the quick release straps (which are backed by neoprene for extra comfort) can take 120lbs of weight, so they can handle pretty much any camera and a lot more whilst being more comfortable than the standard strap that is supplied with a camera,” store owner Andrew Bowness says. “The regular cotton straps are £14.99 each, the neoprene backed are £16.99 each, and all UK orders have free postage with cheap flat rate postage for Europe and the rest of the world.”

The Terry O’Neill Award is now open for entries. Running since 2007, the Terry O’Neill Award is aimed at finding new talent and creating a platform for up-and-coming photographers. It is a unique competition in that it is based around the series or the narrative — photographers must enter a minimum of 3 (maximum of 6) pictures that tell a story. The entry fee is £5 per picture for students and £7 per picture for non-students. The closing date for entries is 22nd November. The top ten shortlisted series will be exhibited at The Strand Gallery in London from 17-31 January 2013. The overall winner will receive £3000, with the second and third prizes being £1000 and £500, respectively.

Fotodiox has launched its new PRO line of ten neutral density filters and the WonderPana 145 and WonderPana 66 Filter Systems. Claimed to be ideal for panorama, nature, architectural, fashion and event photographers as well as analogue and digital filmmakers, Fotodiox’s WonderPana lens hood systems are designed for Super Wide Angle (SWA) and Ultra Wide Angle (UWA) lenses. “By introducing the WonderPana Systems, we are offering photographers and cinematographers the ability to capture images with the right lighting balance and skip the HDR software post production process,” said Drew Strickland, vice president of Fotodiox. “With the new Wonder line, we are bringing more innovative, quality products to the market and giving photographers the tools they need to capture amazing shots.” Click through / read on for a list of compatible lenses.

Kenro has announced the UK availability of the Tokina Reflex 300mm f/6.3 mirror lens. The 600mm equivalent Micro Four Thirds lens measures only 66x66mm (length x diameter) and weighs in at less than 300 grams, making it remarkably small and lightweight for a super-telephoto optic. Like the vast majority of mirror lenses, the Tokina Reflex 300mm f/6.3 is a manual-focus lens with a fixed aperture. The lens takes 55mm filters, focuses down to 0.8m and offers a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:2. In the UK, the Tokina 300mm f/6.3 Compact Super Telephoto lens is available for an RRP of £339.00 (excluding VAT).

Mastering the Nikon D800 by Darrell Young is a new title from Rocky Nook. Published in the Nikonians Press series — a joint venture with the Nikonians community —, this book explores the features and capabilities of the Nikon D800 (read review) in detail, surpassing basic user manuals by providing step-by-step menu setting adjustments coupled with illustrations and logical explanations for each option. The 576-page volume is distributed internationally by O’Reilly Media and costs US$39.95.

The Pentax X-5 is a digital bridge camera with a 26x optical zoom lens. Offering focal-length coverage from 22.3mm ultra-wide angle to 580mm super telephoto, the Pentax X5 also features a 16 megapixel BSI sensor, 3-inch tilting LCD screen, electronic viewfinder, full 1080p HD video, and 10fps burst shooting. Price and availability of the Pentax X-5 are to be confirmed.

The Olympus SP-820UZ is an AA battery powered digital ultra-zoom camera with a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor and 40x optical zoom starting at 22.5mm (equivalent). Other highlights include Full HD movie recording, iHS technology, simultaneous photo and video capture, mechanical image stabilisation for stills and “Multi-motion IS” for movies. Compatible with SDXC and SDHC memory cards including Eye-Fi media, the Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ also offers a 3” rear screen with a resolution of 460,000 dots, Intelligent Panorama and Backlit HDR functionality, improved Shadow Adjustment Technology and a Hand-Held Starlight mode for tripod-free shooting at night. The Olympus SP-820UZ is scheduled to go on sale from the end of September 2012 priced at £279.99/€349.00.

The Olympus Stylus VH-410 is a 16-megapixel compact camera with a 26-130mm equivalent zoom lens, CCD-shift image stabilisation and a Touch Focus feature. Other highlights include 720p high-definition movie recording, nine “Magic Filters,” in-camera Panorama Merging, Eye-Fi memory card support and a 3” touchscreen with a resolution of 460,000 dots. The Olympus VH-410 will hit the shelves in October, with pricing to be confirmed.

Nikon has posted five full-resolution sample images and a reduced-resolution movie captured with the new Nikon Coolpix P7700 high-end compact camera. Taken at sensitivity settings of ISO 80/20° and ISO 200/24°, the five Nikon P7700 samples are presented as ~4MB downloadable JPEGs, while the video can be watched online using a Flash plug-in.

Website: Nikon Coolpix P7700 Sample Photos & Movie

The Nikon Coolpix P7700 is a premium compact camera with an f/2.0-4.0 Nikkor 7.1x zoom lens, a 1/1.7-inch, back-illuminated 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, lens-shift vibration reduction, Full HD movie recording capability, raw (NRW) file format and a 3-inch vari-angle LCD monitor. Two ED glass elements minimise chromatic aberration, a Neutral Density filter enables greater exposure control and the seven-bladed rounded iris aperture allows for a nice rendering of the out-of-focus highlights. PSAM exposure modes enable greater creative control, and three user modes let you recall your preferred camera settings instantly. Two customisable function buttons mean you can bypass the menu and set shortcuts to your favorite camera settings, while front and rear command dials offer easy access to key camera settings. The Nikon Coolpix P7700 will be available in September for a suggested retail price of $499.95/£499.99.

The Nikon Coolpix S800c is an Android-powered, Wi-Fi enabled compact camera with a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, 10x optical zoom, built-in GPS and a 3.5” OLED touchscreen. The 25-250mm Nikkor lens with ED glass comes with Vibration Reduction (VR) for blur-free photos and stable Full HD video, even while handheld. The camera’s connectivity features allow users to upload photographs and movies to their social networks, including Google+, Facebook and Twitter. Just like a smartphone or tablet device, the camera has the opportunity to run camera-specific photo and video apps while providing features that can’t be found on a typical cell phone. The Nikon Coolpix S800c will be available in September in white and black for a suggested retail price of $349.95/£379.99.

The Nikon Coolpix S01 is a 10-megapixel ultra-compact with 3x optical zoom, 2.5” touchscreen, 7.3GB of internal memory, built-in battery and a body that’s smaller than a credit card. Other highlights include 720p HD movie recording, an Easy Auto mode with Scene Auto Selector, and Nikon’s EXPEED C2 image processing system. The Nikon Coolpix S01 will be available in September for a suggested retail price of $179.95/£149.99 in a variety of colours including red, white, silver and pink.

The Nikon Coolpix S6400 is a 16-megapixel compact camera with 12x optical zoom and a 3” touchscreen, in a body that’s only 19.8mm thick at the thinnest part. Other highlights include lens-shift Vibration Reduction (VR), Easy Panorama, Auto HDR technology, Full HD video capture, a dedicated movie-record button and a Record Pause function that lets you pause and then continue filming, with the camera creating one movie file for smooth playback. The Nikon Coolpix comes in five colours: black, red, silver, purple and blue priced at £229.99.

The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS and the PowerShot SX160 IS are two new superzoom compact cameras. The PowerShot SX500 IS is the world’s smallest 30x optical zoom camera, while the PowerShot SX160 IS features an impressive 16x optical zoom in a compact body. The Canon SX500 IS is available from August, priced at £279/€349/$329.99, and the Canon SX160 IS is available from September, priced at £159/€199/$229.99.

Tim Hunt, a 23 year-old photography student at University College Falmouth, has been named as the recipient of this year’s IPC/Sophie Smoliar Scholarship award. The awards ceremony will take place at Photokina, Professionals Stage, Hall 4.1. Booth I-50 on Thursday, 20th September at 3.30pm.

At the Flash Memory Summit and Exhibition held in Santa Clara, California, SanDisk issued a statement in celebration of the 25-year anniversary of flash memory. “Companies such as SanDisk have increased the capacity of flash memory by 30,000 times while decreasing its cost by 50,000 times over the past two decades,” the company says. “SanDisk’s first product, a 20 megabyte solid state drive (SSD), sold for £635 in 1991 but would cost only one pence today.” SanDisk expects users to create 2.7 zettabytes (ZB) of digital content such as photos, movies, music and other data in 2012.

Kenro has announced a number of new additions to its line of gift and photo frames The Harmony Elegant Crystal Series Photo Frame features a fine lattice design decorated with clear crystals complete with a matt silver finish and black velour lined back. Available in two sizes to fit 6"x4” or 7"x"5 photographs, the Harmony Elegant Crystal Series Photo Frame is priced at £23.34 and £27.60, respectively. The Harmony Elegant Lace Series Photo Frames (pictured) boast a fine ornate lace design finely decorated with clear crystals and a matt silver finish. Available in sizes to fit 6"x4” or 7"x"5 photographs, this design is priced at £ 26.82 and £32.40. Other additions include two Eden Modern Series Frames (£13.92 and £16.68), various Melllow Gift Frames (£13.98 each) and Rotating Silver Photo Frames (priced £24.96 to £33.72).

CEWE Photobook has launched its “Europe is Beautiful 2012” photo competition. Billed as the largest photo competition in Europe, the contest has four categories including ‘people’, ‘sports’, ‘city and nature’ and ‘culture and nature.’ You can submit up to 5 of your pictures in any of the four categories for a chance to win one of “many spectacular prizes.” The competiton is now live at the website below. The submission period lasts until the end of of they year. As always we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.