Ricoh has issued a firmware update for the Ricoh GR Digital IV digital compact camera. According to the company, Version 1.17 incorporates the following improvements and fixes:

1 Improved flash firing for backlight conditions when the flash is set to [Auto].
2 Changed the focus bar display of the external AF. When the shutter release button is pressed half-way (focus lock), the focus bar for the external AF will stop at the position where the focus is locked.
3 Changed the image stabilizer control. Using [P] / [A] / [S] mode, the camera will take a picture without the image stabilizer function when the shutter speed is less than 1 second, even if [Camera Shake Correction] is set to [On].
4 Corrected the phenomenon below. A black line may appear at the top of the image taken with [Hi-Cntrast B&W] for [Image Settings].

Website: Ricoh GR Digital IV Firmware

Manfrotto has introduced a new range of LED lights. With six different models divided into continuous and hybrid LED lights, each one offers unique characteristics to adapt to the different needs of both enthusiast and professional photographers, the company says. Manfrotto’s new LED lights are available now, priced from £39.95.

Our penultimate award is for the DSLR Camera of the Year 2011. Somewhat overshadowed by the rise of compact system cameras, DSLRs are still the staple product for the big two of Canon and Nikon. But it’s the young upstart Sony that most caught our eye in 2011 with the launch of the A77, the premium product in the company’s innovative range and the deserved winner of our 6th award for 2011.

“The Sony A77 is a big leap forward for Sony’s DSLR range, offering a feature-set, handling and performance that beats its main rivals. The new 24.3 megapixel sensor offers greatly increased resolution without impacting on low-light performance or operational speed, while the OLED viewfinder is simply the best EVF that we’ve ever had the pleasure of using. The inclusion of full 1080p movies, built-in GPS, 12fps burst shooting, dual control dials, top-panel LCD and an excellent 3-way rear screen make the A77 our new favourite prosumer DSLR.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Sony and the A77!

Want to see exactly what the new Fujifilm X-S1 bridge camera looks like in the flesh?

Then check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of Fujifilm’s premium super zoom camera.

Lodz-based Lucky Clan has released Noise Master, noise reduction app for iOS devices. Billed as the “fastest and most effective” iOS app to remove noise from photos, Noise Master is claimed to use sophisticated algorithms to eliminate noise “without sacrificing detail”. The app is available on iTunes at the special introductory price of $0.99. The regular price will be $2.99.

Jessops has launched a new range of camera bags.  The Tecno range consists of seven products: two Tecno Shoulder Bags; two Tecno Rucksacks; a Tecno Holster Case; a Tecno Compact Case and a Tecno Gadget Bag. The bags range in price from £15.95 for the small Tecno Compact Case to £49.95 for the Tecno Gadget Bag (pictured). “Featuring a combination of instant accessibility, lightweight materials and modern design, this range of Tecno bags has been designed to meet the needs of today’s photographer and includes a bag for every type of camera and every environment,” said Lisa Pool, Head of Accessories, Jessops UK.

Leica has posted a firmware update for the Leica S2 medium-format DSLR camera. Version 1.0.2 has been developed to ensure optimum functionality of the camera with the new Leica Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH lens. Registered users of the Leica S2 camera can download the firmware upgrade from the Leica Owners’ Area at the website below.

Website: Leica Owners’ Area

DxO Labs today released DxO Optics Pro v7.1 for Windows and Mac. The new version adds support for five new cameras, including the Sony Alpha A65, the Panasonic G3, and the Olympus E-P3, E-PL3, and E-PM1. Additionally, more than new 150 DxO Optics Modules have been added in DxO Optics Pro,  allowing surpassing the landmark milestone of 5,000 DxO Optics Modules. Version 7.1 also includes many enhancements to DxO Optics Pro’s image processing engine, making it faster and more efficient for certain configurations. The upgrade to version 7.1 is free for all DxO Optics Pro 7 owners as well as for photographers who acquired a license for DxO Optics Pro 6 on or after 1 September 2011.

AllPhotoAdventures.com is a new and unique website which has quickly become the most comprehensive global directory for photographers seeking landscape, nature and wildlife photographic workshops & tours on a worldwide level.

Searching for photographic workshops/tours has never been easier with our friendly search page boasting a geo map and further narrowing down results by keywords and/or relveant dates. All workshops/tours are displayed with full details, tesimonials, real participants’ reviews, sample photos and are linked directly to the company who operates them for immediate booking.

Some of the more interesing features the website offers photographers include a personal favorites list to which photographers can bookmark the workshops/tours they have located for future referral. AllPhotoAdventures will also save automatically all executed queries allowing photogrpahers to re run searches from previous visits at no effort. These features are invaluable and save precious time.

Bi weekly pro photographers tips, useful articles, monthly polls and informative newsletter complement our extensive resources for photographers.

With more than 500 workshops and tours spanning 65 countries worldwide, every photographer novice or expert may find his/hers next photographic adventure .

To learn more about their services, please refer to http://www.allphotoadventures.com

Get 2 full-price adult tickets for the price of 1 for IWM London’s new exhibition, Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin.

Shaped by War is the largest ever UK exhibition about the life and work of one of the world’s most acclaimed photographers Don McCullin. The exhibition features around 250 photographs, contact sheets, objects, magazines and personal memorabilia.

Download and print this voucher to redeem your 2-4-1 Adult Tickets for the Shaped by War exhibition at IWM London, Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast. The offer runs until 31st Jan 2012.

Our fifth award is for Compact System Camera of the Year 2011.

So new that there’s still no standard name, compact system or interchangeable lens cameras are currently the hottest-sellers in terms of growth, hitting the sweet spot between the portability of a compact and the feature-set of a DSLR. It’s difficult to believe that this market simply didn’t exist a few years ago, especially when products as accomplished as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 are carrying off our Compact System Camera of the Year 2011 award.

“For us, the new G3 offers the best balance between the even tinier GF2, the slightly better handling G2, and the videographer-friendly GH2, adding the best still image quality of all G-series cameras, and it’s also a cheaper and for many users simply a better alternative to a full-fledged DSLR. Essential!”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Panasonic and the Lumix DMC-G3!

Panasonic, Samsung, SanDisk, Sony and Toshiba today announced that they have reached an agreement in principle to collaborate on a new content protection technology for flash memory cards such as SD cards and various other storage devices. This content protection solution, tentatively named “Next Generation Secure Memory Initiative”, will be robust enough to protect HD content, the companies claim. For the details, visit the website below.

Oloneo has unveiled its new HDRengine, a computer program billed as “the fastest and most accessible HDR application to easily create superior HDR photos”. “Based on Oloneo PhotoEngine, the company’s flagship application for professional HDR and image processing, Oloneo HDRengine perfectly answers the needs of the beginners and enthusiasts looking for an accessible yet powerful application to create high-quality HDR photos quickly, without having to trouble themselves with the technicalities of HDR” said Antoine Clappier, President of Oloneo and main developer. “HDRengine is fast, easy to use and comes with many presets and automated tools to be productive instantly.” Available now at the special introductory price of $59 / €59, HDRengine handles over 380 different raw photo formats as well as JPEG and TIFF.

Cyberlink has released a new public beta version of PhotoDirector 3. The software can be downloaded for free and includes a wide array of new and improved features, including a complete set of new editing tools such as the Wrinkle Remover, Tooth Brush, Skin Smoother and Object Removal. All consumers and photographers that participate in the PhotoDirector 3 Beta program, and complete a survey or report a bug will receive MediaShow 5 (UK £29.99), CyberLink’s media management and slideshow tool, for free, and will have a chance to win a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera. Additionally, users who submit a testimonial describing their experience with PhotoDirector 3 Beta will have a chance to win a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera, PowerDirector 10 and the full version of the official release of PhotoDirector 3 when it’s available in early 2012.

Version 17.01 of PhotoLine is now available for download. Improvements versus the previous release include the addition a new Simple Browse window, image trimming, selective colour correction, smart object removal, “Liquid” scaling, new Quick Selection and Border Matting tools, and more. Available for Windows and MacOS X, PhotoLine sells for €59 through the website below. A 30-day trial version is also available.

Website: PhotoLine

PhotoPlace is a new iOS app that sorts geotagged photos by country, state/province and city based on the geographical co-ordinates (latitude and longitude) of the point of capture. The app has both a free and a paid (”Pro”) version, both of which are available on iTunes.

Light & Land has announced a brand new ‘journey of a lifetime’ photography tour along one of the most stunning and dramatic coastlines in the USA - Highway 1: The Famous Pacific Coast Highway. The tour, led by Landscape Photographer of the Year award winner Antony Spencer, will run from 28th May to 8th June 2012 with places limited to 10 guests. For more information or to book, visit the website below.

White Knight Press has just released the Photographer’s Guide to the Canon PowerShot S100, a 283-page guidebook available as a PDF or a 5.5x8.5-inch paperback. This book, written by Alexander S. White, is a follow-up to the author’s earlier guides to advanced compact digital cameras. Illustrated with over 200 photographs, the Photographer’s Guide to the Canon PowerShot S100 explains all operations, features, menus, and controls of the camera in clear language, providing guidance not only about how to accomplish things with the camera, but when and why to use certain features. The PDF version is available now for $9.95, while the paperback edition will retail for $24.95.