DZED Systems have announced Dragonframe 3.0.4 for Mac OS X, The program simplifies stop motion animation, motion graphics, and visual effects, with integrated USB control of Nikon and Canon DSLRs. The application supports lip-sync, automated lighting via DMX, 3D stereoscopic capture, and camera motion control. Previously called Dragon Stop Motion, Dragonframe 3.0.4 offers support for the latest DSLRs from Canon and Nikon, including the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 1D X and 60Da as well as the Nikon D4, D800 and D800E. The update is free to Dragonframe 3 users.

Nik Software has just released HDR Efex Pro 2. New features include an improved tone mapping engine, full GPU processing and multi-core optimisation, a new depth control function, chromatic aberration reduction, graduated neutral density control, and more. Available now, HDR Efex Pro 2 installs as a plug-in to Photoshop CS5 & CS6, Aperture 3, Lightroom 3 and later, and sells for for €99.95.

Nikon has posted a firmware update for the Nikon D4 digital SLR camera. According to the company, version 1.02 incorporates the following modifications and fixes:

The BenQ G1 is a new digital compact camera with an f/1.8-4.9 lens and a swivelling rear screen. Billed as the world’s slimmest camera in its class, the BenQ G1 is built around a 14-megapixel sensor and a 24-110mm equivalent lens that features optical image stabilisation and an ultra-bright f/1.8 maximum aperture at the wide end. Constructed of seven elements - including one aspherical lens element - in six groups, the lens was designed by BenQ themselves and is built using a high-transmission and part-glass lens material. The articulated, 3-inch screen offers a resolution of 920,000 dots and a wide colour gamut for more saturated colours and realistic images. Other highlights include full HD video capture, a mode dial with manual and semi-automatic shooting modes, a ‘Handheld Night Shot’ mode, a ‘Background Defocus’ filter, several creative filters and a continuous shooting mode of 6 frames per second. The price has yet to be communicated.

Manfrotto School of Xcellence has announced a one-hour webinar exploring the use of light shapers hosted by lighting master Joe McNally. In Adventures in Light Shapers of All Sizes and Sources, he will explain the importance of a light shaper to individual images. Attendees of the webinar will have access to the tips and tricks of the trade of how to approach wide lighting in their own photography. The webinar is free and open to all. For more details and to register, visit the website below.

AKVIS today announced SmartMask 4.0, its latest selection tool designed to make image area selection simple. With a few mouse clicks SmartMask v.4.0 helps select fluff, hair, fur, tree branches, glass, or a transparent veil as well as remove unwanted colour shades left on the cutout object by the environment. Now the software is accessible in two editions: as a standalone program and as a plugin to photo editors. The new version also adds compatibility with Adobe Photoshop CS6. SmartMask 4.0 is available for purchase with a Home license for 2 computers ($90), Home Deluxe license ($120) and Business license ($160).

Nikon has announced a milestone in its company history as it celebrates its 20th year as patron of The Open Championship. To mark this anniversary Nikon will be hosting number of local activities during the event, including the PGA Coaching Area which invites keen golfers to have their putting stroke analysed by a PGA professional. A Nikon COOLPX P310 compact camera, fast enough to capture 120fps, will be used to record your movement and which will then be evaluated by the coach in order to suggest improvements to your technique. Additionally, Nikon will be hosting the Time Challenge Gallery competition, giving entrants the chance to win a share of £6500 worth of Nikon prizes.

The British Journal of Photography has launched a radically redesigned new edition, custom made for the Apple iPhone. Rather than simply shrinking existing print or iPad pages onto the screen the magazine’s staff completely recreated the magazine in a format designed for the iPhone. “Most iPhone magazines simply aren’t very readable”, said Art Editor Mick Moore. “Uploading print pages into an app is easy for publishers, but the result is a page that you have to keep pinching and zooming to read. Last year we released an iPad App, with each page custom-made for the tablet, so we wanted to do the same for the iPhone: make a magazine that really works on the small screen.” British Journal of Photography: iPhone Edition is available today. Issues are free for a limited time, and reader feedback on the new edition is being sought. Weekly publication will commence this Autumn, with issues priced at £0.69, with discounts for subscribers.

A shortlist of twelve outstanding international photographers, from which one will be selected later this year to receive the Prix Pictet, the world’s photography prize for environmental sustainability, was announced yesterday. The twelve artists will now prepare their work for the finalists’ exhibition to be held at the Saatchi Gallery in London in October. The twelve photographers are Robert Adams, Daniel Beltrá, Mohamed Bourouissa, Philippe Chancel, Edmund Clark, Carl De Keyzer, Luc Delahaye, Rena Effendi, An-My Lê, Joel Sternfeld and Guy Tillim. The winner of the fourth Prix Pictet will be announced by Kofi Annan, Honorary President of the Prix Pictet, on Tuesday 9th October.

Juicy Bits have announced that their latest app, Layout, is now available for the Apple iPad.  Layout uses touch to split frames into sections and populate them with images from the photo library, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr. Photos are enhanced with built-in filters and effects, captions can be added to tell a story, and borders are styled using 100 built-in patterns. Layout supports sharing via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, and projects can be stored in iCloud, making them easy to open on multiple iOS devices. The Layout App is available for $2.99 from the iTunes App Store.

iPrintagram is a new iOS app that allows Instagram users to have their pictures printed and delivered to their door in a matter of days. Billed as “the most convenient way to have an Instagram image printed and delivered from a mobile device,” iPrintagr.am gives every user the ability to keep their images not only in digital format, but as a real, hard copy print. The app itself is a free download from the iTunes App Store.

Panasonic has announced its support for The Getty Gallery, Stratford, a special Olympic-themed photography exhibition taking place over the duration of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Based in Westfield Shopping Centre, the Gallery will host the biggest collection of photographs from London 2012 and previous Olympic Games, which will be displayed in both 2D and 3D. John Dixon, Director of Brand Communication, Panasonic UK said: “We are very pleased to be working with Getty Images who share our excitement and enthusiasm for the Olympic Games. London 2012 is set to be one of the most recorded sporting events ever and, as a Worldwide Olympic Partner, we want to share the passion of the Olympic Games by treating visitors to the Gallery to this exclusive content, shot by Getty on our LUMIX G cameras.”

Lomography has just launched its first 110 format colour negative film. Featuring a sensitivity of ISO 200/24°, the Lomography Color Tiger 110 is suitable for all 110 format film cameras including Lomography’s own Fisheye Baby 110. Note that unlike the black-and-white Orca 100 the Color Tiger has a backing paper and a frame counter so you can see at any time at which frame you are. This makes it convenient to use with 110 cameras that don´t stop automatically at every frame. The Lomography Color Tiger 110 is available from the Lomography Online Store for €6.90.

Nauticam has announced a new underwater housing for the Olympus OM-D E-M5 compact system camera. Weighing in at 1.1kg (2.4lbs), the Nauticam NA-EM5 housing boasts a 100m depth rating, and features Nauticam’s patented port latching system, a threaded bulkhead port, a new rear mounted housing o-ring as well as a rugged machined aluminium case. To make the most of the E-M5’s high-resolution EVF, Nauticam has crafted an optional rear acrylic display window that encompasses a mount for installation of Nauticam’s 45º and 180º magnified viewfinders. In the USA, the Nauticam NA-EM5 housing is available for $1350-

Jessops has just relaunched its customer training programme. The courses on offer include Introduction to DSLRs, a one-day course designed for the first time DSLR user, as well as intermediate and advanced DSLR courses (each course is priced at £119.00 or £79.00 when bought with any digital SLR, CSC, lens or flashgun). In addition, there are specialised courses focussing on wedding and studio photography, birds of prey and more. Click through / read on for more details.

Hasselblad is set to centralise its Danish and Swedish production and service functions in Gothenburg, Sweden. “We plan to implement strategies that will continue to provide our customers with the premium quality service they expect from Hasselblad,” said Hasselblad CEO Dr. Larry Hansen. “Regrettably this relocation means we had to make redundancies in Copenhagen but we ensured resources for providing needed care to our customers.”