Lomography has announced the Diana F+ Cai Guo-Qiang special-edition medium-format film camera. Limited to 1,000 pieces, the Diana F+ Cai Guo-Qiang features the work of renowned Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang and commemorates the artist’s first solo exhibition at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar. Bundled with a flash unit, the latest Diana F+ clone launches in Lomography Gallery Stores on 28th March but you can already buy it in the Lomography Online Shop for €99.

Olympus has issued firmware updates for a number of its Micro Four Thirds cameras (including the PEN E-PM1, E-PL2, E-PL3 and E-P3) as well as the Olympus E-5 Four Thirds DSLR. For all of these cameras, the firmware update improves compatibility with SDXC cards of 48GB capacity and higher. Additionally, wireless flash control using RC capable Olympus flashes has been enhanced in the case of the Olympus E-PM1 and E-PL3. You can update your camera’s firmware through the Digital Camera Updater software.

Website: Olympus Japan

Pentax Ricoh has launched the smc Pentax-DA645 25mm F4AL [IF] SDM AW ultra-wideangle lens for the Pentax 645D medium-format DSLR camera. First announced over a year ago and originally intended for an April 2011 launch, the lens features a 35mm equivalent focal length of 19.5mm, maximum aperture of f/4, a supersonic direct-drive auto focus motor, two high performance aspherical elements, exclusive lens coatings applied to all optical elements, and a dustproof, weather-resistant construction. Additionally, the lens comes with a built-in, pull-out-type filter holder in its barrel. By placing the 40.5mm circular polariser included as an exclusive accessory on this holder, the user can easily rotate the filter to obtain the desired polarising effect. The smc DA645 25mm f/4 AW lens will be available from mid-April 2012, at a recommended retail price of £3999.99.

SmugMug and UK-based pro lab Loxley Colour have announced a new alliance offering a turnkey online business solution, enabling photographers to easily and cost-effectively showcase and profit from their work. Said Ian Loxley, managing director at Loxley Colour: “This integration means that photographers will never again have to manually take and fulfil orders for high quality prints. This new ecommerce solution gives customers the ability to sell prints and digital downloads for their photo and video inventories.”

Win a brand new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 digital camera in our exclusive competition!

We’ve teamed up with creative specialists JMS to offer you this fantastic prize that’s suitable for every degree of photography experience.

The Panasonic FZ45 is simple to use and comprises a whole host of features to help improve shots. Experience aside, these features allow novices and pros alike to capture the perfect shot.
Boasting 14.1 megapixels, the FZ45 offers photography enthusiasts a 25-27mm wide-angle, 24x optical zoom lens.
The FZ45 has HD recording facility, Intelligent Resolution Technology and 32x Intelligent Zoom. It also has intuitive manual operation for complete creative control.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning a brand new Panasonic DMC-FZ45 digital camera is click on this video production link (this one on your left) and leave your answer to the following question.

Q. Describe your favourite photo you’ve ever taken in no more than 100 words.

It can be of absolutely anything you like. A family photo, a holiday snap, a sporting event, a city skyline, a geographical wonder - you get the gist!
The winner will be the answer that best captures the imagination of the panel of judges. If they can picture your picture, you’re in with a great shot!

Click here for our full review of the Panasonic FZ45.

Entries close at 23:59 on April 8th 2012. Good luck!

The winners of two great SLR camera bags, courtesy of Lovecases.co.uk, have been announced.

Mick Cant wins the Case Logic SLR Camera / Laptop backpack, worth £119.99.
Matt Chadwick wins the Capdase mKeeper 300a SLR Camera and Laptop Backpack, worth £69.99.

Check out Lovecases’ camera bags and DSLR camera bag range.

This contest closed on Thursday 22/03/2012.

Facebook has announced a few enhancements to its photo viewer, including support for high-resolution photos and full-screen viewing. Now the photo viewer will automatically display photos in the highest resolution possible, and you can expand the photo viewer to take up your entire computer screen. Note that this functionality enhancement only applies if you are using the latest version of Firefox or Chrome. Additionally, Facebook will now assign a simplified sRGB profile to every image, including thumbnails. You can read about this update at the website below.

Adobe has released Photoshop CS6 beta, available as a free download from Adobe Labs. New features in Adobe Photoshop CS6 include a refined, modern interface and new additions to the Content-Aware tools: Content-Aware Patch allows greater control by letting users select and duplicate an area of an image to fill in or “patch” another, and Content-Aware Move lets users select and magically move an object to a new place in the image. Additionally, the new Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine enables near-instant results from popular editing tools including Liquify, Puppet Warp, Transform and Lighting Effects. Photoshop CS6 beta offers all the features of Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended, such as new 3D editing features and quantitative imaging analysis capabilities. These features will be included in the shipping version of Photoshop CS6 Extended when it becomes available.

Fujifilm has announced the launch of its exclusive X100 Black Premium Edition box set at London department store Harrods. The sleek black presentation box contains the X100 Black, lens hood, adapter ring and protector filter, as well as a bespoke black and red leather case.The X100 Black Premium Edition is limited to just 10,000 units globally, each camera will have a number to denote its position in the run and once these are sold out, no more will be made. The exclusive Harrods presentation box is limited to just 16 units and contains a letter of authenticity from Fujifilm UK. The box set can be yours for £1,795.

Four artists have been shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. Pieter Hugo (b.1976, South Africa) is nominated for his publication Permanent Error, published by Prestel (Germany, 2011). Permanent Error centres on a vast dumping ground for technological waste on the outskirts of Ghana’s capital city. Rinko Kawauchi (b.1972, Japan) is nominated for her publication Illuminance, published by Editions Xavier Barral (France, 2011). Illuminance spans fifteen years of her practice and results from both personal projects and commissioned work. John Stezaker (b.1949, UK) is nominated for his exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (29 January – 18 March 2011), while Christopher Williams (b. 1956, USA) is nominated for his exhibition Kapitalistischer Realismus at Dum umení Ceské Budejovice, Budweis, Czech Republic (5 May - 12 June 2011). The winner will be announced at a special ceremony at The Photographers’ Gallery on 3 September 2012.

Manchester-based Eposure is a new business which has been set up to support professional photographers by promoting its members to photography buyers, and raising the profile of commercial photography. The business will be supported by a website, launching at the end of April. “We are very aware of the challenges that professional photographers face these days, such as competition from amateurs and a general devaluing of the profession,” says co-founder and director Gabrielle O’Haare. “With a senior level background in photography and marketing at blue chip client level, we’ve valuable experience of many clients, and the problem often stems from the fact that many brand/ad agencies and clients, don’t understand photography and therefore don’t get the best out of it.” To tackle this issue the directors will be working with and providing content for the buying community. An example of this approach can be found on their blog.

Barclays has teamed up with renowned street photographer Nick Turpin to find camera keen cyclists who can capture the adventure, inspiration and beauty of cycling in London. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or simply a cycling enthusiast with an eye for a good shot, the London by Bike competition is your chance to share your skill and passion. The two top snappers will receive a deluxe London cycling weekend prize package including £1,500 of cycling equipment, sumptuous five-star hotel stay and a visit to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London plus their iconic shots will be displayed for fellow Londoners to see in a special exhibition at a London gallery this summer. To enter, all you have to do is visit the Barclays Facebook page, complete the form and simply upload your best photograph..As always, we recommend that you read the Terms and Conditions before entering your work.

Fujfilm has issued a firmware update for the Fujifilm X100 large-sensor compact camera. Version 1.20 turns the RAW button into a second customisable function button, improves AF and autoexposure performance while shooting video, adds more options for ISO selection and the engagement of the built-in neutral density filter, among other improvements. You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website Fujifilm

Fujifilm has posted a firmware update for the Fujifilm X-S1 digital superzoom camera. Among other improvements, Version 1.01 is claimed to reduce the blooming (white disk) phenomenon which can be observed in EXR Auto mode, adds compatibility with MacOS 10.7, reduces the greenish cast noticeable in specular highlights when shooting macro with the built-in flash, and enhances the face-tracking AF function. You can download the firmware upgrade from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has launched the 2012 RHS Photographic Competition, open to all amateur and professional photographers worldwide. Adult categories range from wildlife and people in the garden, to plant portraits. The overall winner will be crowned RHS Photographer of the Year and win £1,000. Note that entry fees apply (£5 per photograph for RHS members, £6 for non-members). Children and young photographers are also invited to compete for the RHS Young Photographer of the Year title, and prizes include a digital camera and photographic vouchers. There are no entry fees to enter the under 18 categories. Photographs can be submitted online at the website below.

Bron Imaging Group and Hasselblad have announced that Los Angeles will be the host of Shoot LA, a professional photography forum held on 28th April at Smashbox Studios.  Top industry professionals will host workshops and hands-on seminars in an array of subjects, while Broncolor and Hasselblad will demonstrate a range of photographic tools designed for the working pro. Smashbox Studios are located at 1011 N Fuller Ave Los Angeles, CA 90046. For more information, check out the website below.

esDot Development Studio has announced the free “Lite” version of PicShop - Photo Editor, a mobile editing suite for iOS devices. Also available for Android, PicShop - Photo Editor offers a user interface created with Adobe AIR. Some of the more interesting features include the ability to emulate a shallow depth of field effect, replicate some of the results achievable with a tilt lens, remove blemishes from a portrait, change the saturation/brightness/contrast of an image, and more. PicShop Lite - Photo Editor is available from iTunes, with the Android edition being downloadable from the Google Play Store.