The five lucky winners of Photo Director 3, courtesy of CyberLink, are mr eastwood, barry wolohan, Moby M Xavier, Hitesh Rathod and Lutz Froenicke.

PhotoDirector 3 is designed to provide all the features photographers need to manage large batches of photos, adjust images to the best quality and showcase work in their own unique style, in a single application. Now featuring People Beautifying tools and a complete range of cutting edge processing features, PhotoDirector 3 not only enables customers to perfect every detail of scenery photos, but also create professional portraits.

This contest closed on Tuesday 24/05/2012.

The high-end Sigma DP2 Merrill compact camera has been delayed until July. Originally slated for release this month, Sigma have explained that “the preparation for this release is taking longer than our original expectation” and “will be announcing further details on our official website when a definite release date is determined.” Given Sigma’s somewhat patchy track record of delivering new cameras on time, we may be waiting for the Sigma DP2 Merrill a little while longer yet.

Website: Sigma Japan

Pentax Spain are teasing a gift-wrapped mystery product on their Facebook page. The opening of a Pentax coloured box is promised for this Friday, 1st June, on Pentax.es. We haven’t heard anything as yet from the UK or US Pentax divisions.

Panasonic have released a new firmware update for the Lumix DMC-FX90 compact camera. With this firmware update, zoom and shutter control of the LUMIX DMC-FX90 will be available while displaying live view image on the smartphone using the apps “LUMIX remote”. The following functions will be available:

- [Wireless Live View] Displaying live view image through the camera on the smartphone
- [Wireless Live Control] Adjusting zoom magnification with the smartphone and releasing the shutter
- [Self-shot Mode] Live view image will be mirror-reversed

Download the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90 Version 2.0 Firmware Update

Olympus Japan has posted three full-resolution sample photographs captured wit the brand new M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 lens mounted to an Olympus OM-D E-M5 body. All three sample images were shot with the lens wide open, i.e. at the f/1.8 setting. You can download the M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 sample images from the website below.

Website: Olympus Japan

Documentary photographer Juliana Edwards (pictured) has published a powerful photographic record of the east London site that will house the 2012 Olympics. She set out to document the human traces before the future Olympic site was vacated in preparation for construction work to begin. Many of the locations photographed have since been razed to the ground, making the book an important historical record. Juliana Edwards says: “I had a sense of elation when London won the 2012 Olympics and immediately wanted to capture the area as it was. I have an intimate connection with the Olympic site, having lived in housing in Temple Mills Lane and Clays Lane which has now been demolished to make way for the Olympic Village. People’s idea of permanence is usually based on the premise that bricks, mortar and concrete will be there forever, but here in this part of east London, all of a sudden they are not.” Copies of ‘2012: The Place That Was’ can be ordered from Amazon UK for £30.

Manfrotto Distribution has announced the Lino Apparel Collection women’s line. Comprising a field jacket, a poncho, a soft shell jacket, a waistcoat and an Air Jacket, this is the first line designed specifically for women. “Each piece allows for active movement and flexibility under various working conditions in the field,” said Kayla Murata, Product Manager Manfrotto Bags and Apparel.  “The entire collection is made from high quality materials and is designed to last for years.” The items are priced from $149.99 to $349.

Facebook has released a free photo editing and sharing app for iOS devices. Billed as “a new mobile app that makes using Facebook photos faster and easier,” Facebook Camera lets users share multiple shots all at once instead of having to post one at a time. A few basic editing tools - such as cropping, rotating and a suite of creative filters - are also included. Facebook Camera is available now on iTunes.

The Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75mm F1.8 is a new telephoto portrait lens for the Micro Four thirds system. Offering an effective focal length of 150mm in 35mm terms, the all-metal Olympus 75mm lens is perfect for portraits, high-speed indoor sports and stage shooting in low light. The Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75mm F1.8 lens will be available from July 2012 for £799. The optional LH-61F lens hood costs £69.90 and the LC-61 lens cap £39.90.

Lastolite has launched its new TriGrip Warm Tone Difflector. Billed as the world’s first dual purpose reflector panel which can be used both as a diffuser and as a soft bounce reflector, the Lastolite TriGrip Difflector features a unique fabric which allows light to pass through one side and bounce off the other side. Now, in addition to the existing cool soft silver, it is available in warm soft gold finish, in three sizes, 18”, 30” and 48” for £50, £65 and £80, respectively.

On 7th June, Manfrotto School of Xcellence will be hosting renowned filmmaker and photographer Phil Coates for a webinar entitled “Adventure Film & Photography From Pole To Pole.” Phil Coates will share stories from a life behind the lens filming and photographing explorers and adventurers in some of the most remote and hostile parts of our planet. Taking place from 4pm to 5pm, the webinar is free and open to all. For more details and to registe visit the website below.

Single malt whisky brand The Macallan has commissioned Annie Leibovitz for the third edition of its Masters of Photography series. The Macallan Masters of Photography series features exclusive collaborations, conjoining the art of whisky making with the artist’s interpretation of the world of The Macallan.  Previous editions were authored by iconic photographers Rankin and Albert Watson. “This year, Annie Leibovitz, chosen for her exceptional skill and inimitable style, has interpreted four single cask variants released for the first time, resulting in four powerful images,” the company says. “Shot against dramatic backdrops in and around New York City, Annie Leibovitz captures the brilliance of a moment where everything comes together, showcasing the stature of whisky as an icon of taste and masculinity.”

Fujifilm M Mount Adapter enables the X-Pro1 compact system camera to be used with Leica M mount lenses. The M Mount adapter comprises three parts; an aluminium mount for the body, a stainless steel mount for the lens plus an aluminium central tube, which accurately maintains a 27.8mm distance from lens mount to sensor. A new firmware version, 1.10, will be made available to support the new adapter. The Fujifilm M Mount Adapter will be available in June and will cost approx. £179 in the UK.

DxO Labs have released DxO Optics Pro v7.5, which functions as a native 64-bit application under both MacOS and Windows. Thanks to this, DxO Optics Pro 7.5 can handle much larger files, among them those of the Nikon D800. Additionally, the interface of the Windows version has been enhanced with numerous new features-

Omnivision has annonced two new, 1/2.3” type16-megapixel sensors that are capable of recording 4K video at 60fps. Built on OmniVision’s 1.34-micron OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture, the OV16820 and OV16825 sensors are capable of operating in full resolution (4608 x 3456) at 30 fps, 4K2K (3840 x 2160) video at 60 fps, and 1080p HD video at 60 fps with extra pixels for electronic image stabilisation.

Via Engadget via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Apple has posted a new Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update to Apple Aperture 3 and iPhoto 11. Version 3.13 adds support for raw image files generated by the new Canon EOS-1D X, Nikon D800E, Nikon D3200, Olympus OM-D E-M5, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 and Sony Alpha SLT-A57 cameras. You can download the upgrade from the website below.

Website: Apple

Last Sunday marked the 35th anniversary of Kodak’s filing its first patent for a digital camera. It was on 20 May 1977 that the company submitted a patent application for an “electronic still camera,” 1.5 years after a group of employees had put together a working prototype at its Elmgrove Plant in Rochester. Research scientist Steve Sasson who, as the project leader, is credited with inventing the device, described the prototype as “a rather odd-looking collection of digital circuits that we desperately tried to convince ourselves was a portable camera.” Consisting of a Super 8 movie camera lens, a “highly temperamental” new area-array CCD imager, an A/D converter, dozens of circuits and circuit boards, with a cassette recorder thrown in for storage, the world’s first digital camera used no less than 16 NiCd batteries and captured images that could only be viewed on a TV set with the help of a dedicated playback device. The patent (US4131919) was granted on 26 December 1978. Sasson was voted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame in 2007 and received an Innovation Award from The Economist in 2009.

Website: Kodak - Plugged In

Casio Japan has just announced the Exilim EX-ZR300, a compact travelzoom camera with a 24-300mm equivalent lens, 16-megapixel sensor and fast auto focus. Successor to the Casio EX-ZR200, which was announced a few months ago, the EX-ZR300 boasts the same headline specifications and adds support for Toshiba’s new FlashAir range of Wi-Fi enabled memory cards. The exact price has yet to be communicated (the EX-ZR200 cost 45,000 yen at launch).

Source: Casio Japan via 1001 Noisy Cameras