Conurus and Metabones have released a so-called Smart Adapter that allows Canon EF mount lenses to be mounted on Sony NEX camera bodies. Described as the first fruit of a strategic partnership between the two companies, the new Canon EF-to-NEX adapter allows electronic aperture control via the camera body - but no AF. This adapter is marketed under the Metabones brand name and may be ordered directly from conurus.com or from a Metabones distributor in Japan, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong or China for US$399.

Hamburg, Germany-based codeSTREAM has just released Timelapse Video Recorder, an iOS app that enables users to create time-lapse videos at up to 1080p resolution. Offering a clean, non-cluttered interface to simply adjust settings like video length and speed up factor, Timelapse Video Recorder is available on iTunes for $0.99.

The new Micro Vault MACH is the first family of flash memory drives from Sony with SuperSpeed USB 3.0 technology.. Available in capacities from 8GB up to 64GB, Micro Vault MACH offers data speeds up to 120 MB/s (read) and 90 MB/s (write). Backward-compatible with USB 2.0, the Sony Micro Vault MACH series of USB 3.0 SuperSpeed flash memory drives is available now.

Corel has released version 12.1 of Corel Painter. The update offers new brush sharing and management options, workspace management, and Photoshop plug-in support, along with the enhanced Live Brush Stroke Preview that now enables artists to quickly view and select brush attributes on the fly. Version 12.1 is a free upgrade for owners of Corel Painter 12, and can be downloaded from Corel’s website.

Olympus are running a teaser advert in the UK magazine Amateur Photographer which hints at a new OM branded camera. Taking up the entire back page of AP, the letters O and M in the opening and closing lines “Oh! My Goodness! are in bold, suggesting to us that a digital OM model is on the way, especially as 2012 is the 40th anniversary of the Olympus OM system.

Furthermore Photo Rumors have pointed out that Olympus registered the trademark, OM-D, at the start of January, perhaps strongly hinting at the full “Olympus OM-D” name of the new camera.

With the Japanese photography show CP+ just around the corner (it opens on February 9th), we’d expect to see the official announcement sooner rather than later. In the meantime you can pre-register for updates and exlcusive pre-launch events by texting “Olympus” to 88802 or going to http://bit.ly/olympusOMG. All very mysterious…

Click through to see the full advert.

Rollei has unveiled two new digital picture frames. The Rollei Designline 5130 comes with a remote control and features a 13.3” LED panel with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and offers additional functions such as a clock and a calendar. The Designline 5160 has a 15.6” display with 1366x768 pixels and offers an automatic slideshow function with background music and ten different transition effects. Both frames can be wall-mounted in either landscape or portrait orientation, and both are capable of playing back HD videos. The Rollei Designline has an RRP or €149.90, while the Rollei Designline 5160 carries a price tag of €199.90. Availability is slated for March.

Mamiya and Leaf have created a new, worldwide Mamiya Leaf brand that integrates both companies’ product lines into a single medium-format digital camera system. “Creating a new Mamiya Leaf brand represents a win-win situation for photographers” said Dov Kalinksi, Leaf General Manager. “Not only will photographers be able to immediately benefit from a highly advanced, fully-integrated medium format system from the industry’s leading suppliers, but they will also be able to enjoy powerful new products emerging from a unified R&D effort.” Cameras and lenses made by Mamiya and backs manufactured by Leaf will retain their respective Mamiya and Leaf labels and they will still be sold as individual components. For more information, visit the website below.

Redeye, a photography network based in Manchester, is launching an annual bursary with leading professional photographic printer Rob Sara. The bursary will involve two days of directed hand printing to produce a series of images for a photographer’s portfolio. To enter, applicants must be Redeye members. They will be judged on a body of work that can be uploaded on the members’ portfolio page of the Redeye website or send in a maximum of six printed images. This should be accompanied by a paragraph explaining why they wish to take part, what they hope to gain from the bursary, a summary of experience to date and any words supporting the images. The deadline is 20th February. For details, visit the website below.

Swann today introduced its first Full HD wearable video camera: Swann Freestyle HD. Housed in a sturdy case that is waterproof to 20 metres, Swann Freestyle HD can be worn on the body or mounted to bikes, cars, helmets, skateboards and more via a range of included interchangeable mounts and brackets. In addition, the Swann Freestyle HD can be used as a standard point & shoot camera for taking 8-megapixel stills. Real-time viewing is made possible by the detachable 4cm LCD screen, so you immediately see if you’ve captured the shot. Swann Freestyle HD also allows you to watch your footage afterwards on an HDTV via an HDMI cable or you can transfer your recording to the computer via a MicroSD card or the included USB cable. Swann Freestyle HD retails for £279.99-

Jessops’ customers can now order prints from photos stored on their smartphones by connecting them directly to the in-store photo kiosks. “Printed photos are still the best way to enjoy treasured images but it’s often hard to get your photos from your phone to print,” said Stephen Cochrane, Head of Jessops Photo. “Now it couldn’t be easier, come into any Jessops store, connect your phone to our photo kiosks using the supplied mobile adapter and we’ll do the rest.”

The Association of Photographers is reminding interested photography students that the AOP Students Awards deadline is fast approaching. Entry is open to photography students studying a BTEC HND or higher within the UK. Each entrant can submit an unlimited number of photos but do note that entry fees apply. The submission deadline is 27 January 2012. As always, we suggest that you read the Terms and Conditions before entering your work.

Website: The AOP Awards

Kodak has filed a lawsuit against Fujifilm, alleging infringement of certain patents related to Kodak digital imaging technology. Specifically, the complaint alleges infringement of the following five patents: “Single Sensor Color Camera With User Selectable Image Record Size”, “Electronic Camera For Initiating Capture of Still Images While Previewing Motion Images”, “Electronic Still Camera For Capturing Digital Image and Creating a Print Order”, “Electronic Camera With Quick Review of Last Captured Image” and “Electronic Still Camera Providing Multi-Format Storage of Full and Reduced Resolution Images”-

With 1.861 million net square feet of exhibit space and over 3,100 companies, CES 2012 is the largest in the show’s 44 year history, and it certainly felt like that as we made our way around the crowded hallways.

The sheer scale of the show hasn’t prevented us from bringing you 97 CES stories and literally hundreds of hands-on photos during the last couple of weeks. As CES 2012 has now officially ended, we’ve taken a quick pause for breath and looked back on the show to choose our Best of CES products.

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Despite a seemingly endless series of leaks before the show even began, the Fujifilm X-Pro1 is our pick of CES 2012. It’s a serious mirrorless camera aimed at professionals, with an innovative new sensor, optical and electronic viewfinder, and perhaps most importantly of a range of fast prime lenses from day one. Confirmation that an X-Pro1 Leica M adapter will also be released is even sweeter music to many photographers ears. The X-Pro1 is sure to continue the recent success that Fujifilm has previously made with the X100 and X10 models, a remarkable turn-around for a company that didn’t have a high-end camera just a couple of years ago.

Sony is expanding its range of SD cards with a new flagship UHS-I series. The Sony UHS-I cards offer significantly higher transfer speeds up to 94MB/s (read) and 45MB/s and maintain Class 10 speed when used with non-UHS-I supported hardware. Available in capacities of 32GB (SF-32UX), 16GB (SF-16UX) and 8GB (SF-8UX), the Sony UHS-I SD cards will be available in March, starting at $44.99.

A virtual tour of the PMA @ CES hall.

Usually held in March each year, for 2012 PMA has moved to join CES, occupying its own hall in the Venetian hotel. With most of the larger imaging companies moving to the main CES site, Pentax Ricoh are the biggest manufacturer in a rather small area Other interesting brands include Lensbaby, Think Tank Photo, Gigapan, Tamrac, Novoflex, Datacolor and Blackrapid.

Take a closer look at the PMA @ CES hall in our extensive photo gallery.

A virtual tour of Pentax Ricoh’s CES 2012 stand.

The recently formed Pentax Ricoh haven’t announced any new products at CES, but they are by far the largest company in the PMA@CES zone.

On display were two separate areas showcasing the Pentax and Ricoh product ranges, including the Pentax Q compact system camera and the Ricoh GXR A12 camera module with a Leica lens fitted.

Ricoh have a clever peaking-like system for the A12 which very clearly shows when the subject is in focus (check out the last photo in our gallery to see it in action).

Take a closer look at the Pentax Ricoh CES booth in our photo gallery.

A virtual tour of Tiffen’s CES 2012 stand.

Tiffen have a large booth at CES that’s home to a number of different accessory brands, including Lowel lighting, Domke bags, Tiffen Filters, Tiffen Dfx filter software, and Steadicam camera stabilizing systems.

Take a closer look at the Tiffen CES booth in our photo gallery.

SanDisk and Lexar have both confirmed that they have no plans to release XQD memory cards in the near future. Speaking to Photography Blog at CES, representatives from both companies stated that they’re committed to Compact Flash, which is still popular with photographers. Lexar additionally pointed out that their new 1000x UDMA 7 is actually faster than the first XQD card from Sony, offering a guaranteed read speed of at least 150Mb/s, and that the current CF specification goes up to 167Mb/s, providing additional headroom for even faster CF cards.

In addition neither company is set to release an open-format wireless SD card, following the SD Association’s announcement last week. SanDisk already have a wireless card in Europe with Eye-Fi (but not in the US), while Lexar had a similar partnership that has now elapsed.

Adobe says it will offer special introductory upgrade pricing on Creative Suite 6 to customers who own CS3 or CS4. “This offer will be available from the time CS6 is released until December 31, 2012,” the company announced in a statement. “More details on this offer, as well as any introductory offers for existing customers to move to Creative Cloud membership, will be announced when CS6 and Creative Cloud are released later this year.”