Insight Guides have announced a Travel Photography Master Class, to be held in London’s Covent Garden at Stanfords. The event, which begins on Tuesday October 25 at 7.30pm, is timed to coincide with the announcement of the winners of Insight Guides’ own annual travel photography competition, run in association with the Independent on Sunday. To reserve a place at the Master Class, speak to a member of staff at Stanfords, or email your details to [email protected] . Tickets cost £2.

PicBlitz Virtual Photo Manager is a fast, full-featured image viewer and organiser for Windows. Boasting instant search, mouse hovering, slide show, batch resize, brighten, rotate, colorize and quick rename functions, PicBlitz supports JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, ICO, and GIF formats as well as certain raw image files. A fully functional, time-limited trial version is available through the website below.

X-Rite has announced the October theme for its Colour Perfectionists Unite Photo Contest. The theme is “Fall Colour”, and the deadline for entries is 15th October. The winner will be featured on the X-Rite Photo blog and will receive one of X-Rite’s new display solutions – either a ColourMunki Display or an i1Display Pro – and a ColourChecker Passport (pictured). The top 20 finalists each month will be featured in a monthly gallery at X-Rite Photo on Facebook and Color Perfectionists Group on Flickr. Click through / read on to learn how to participate in the competition.

Nik Software has released updates to HDR Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro 2. HDR Efex Pro 1.2001 is a Mac-only update that provides compatibility with OS X 10.7 Lion. Silver Efex Pro 2.002 is available for both Windows and Mac, and contains bug fixes as well as improvements to processing multiple images at a time in Lightroom and Aperture.

Website: Nik Software Downloads

Cooliris has released an update to LiveShare. The new version offers a live news feed, allowing users to see updates from their friends, new streams they are invited to, and comments/likes on their photos. Additionally, LiveShare now features more robust geo-location features including an ability to explore public groups created in your vicinity by going to LiveShare.com using your smartphone’s Web browser. This enables users, even those without the app on their phones, to connect with like-minded people in their vicinity.

onOne Software has just announced a new version of Photo Essentials for Adobe Photoshop Elements. Supporting the new Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, onOne’s Photo Essentials 4 offers five tools to improve your photographs including “Make It Better”, a colour, brightness and contrast adjustment tool; “Cut It Out”, a solution for isolating complex subjects and removing unwanted backgrounds; “Make It Cool”, a complete library of one-click effects; “Frame It”, a collection of over 1200 professionally-designed textures, adornments, edges and frames; and “Enlarge It”, an upsizing tool that maintains sharp edges and crisp details in interpolated images. onOne Software’s Photo Essentials 4 is available for $69.95 and upgrades are available for $39.95.

Fujifilm are set to enter the compact system camera market in the Spring of 2012. According to reports from attendees at an X10 press event in Japan, a prototype of a new mirror-less Fujifilm X camera will be shown at CES 2012 in January, ahead of a full launch later in the Spring. Optimum image quality is the intended aim, as “The clear objective in the development of lenses, sensor and processor technology (is) to achieve the highest image quality.”, according to a translated press release from the German website Photoscala. The new camera follows hard on the successful heels of the incredibly popular X100 (pictured).

Fuijfilm are also planning to release the XS-1 superzoom camera, which has a 2/3” EXR CMOS sensor and a 26x zoom lens, with a mockup on display at the aforementioned press event in Tokyo.

UPDATE: Mr Komori from Fujifilm Japan gave an overview yesterday of the future X series roadmap. It has been confirmed that Fujifilm will announce an interchangeable ‘mirrorless’ system camera. It will be launched in the UK in the first half of 2012. Specification, launch date and pricing are to be confirmed.

Fujifilm will seek to create another new market segment with the introduction of a truly high end bridge camera, the X-S1, which will feature a 2/3” X series sensor and a new high resolution, 26X zoom lens. The X-S1 will be launched in the UK in early 2012. Precise specification, launch date and pricing will be confirmed shortly.

Finally, the price of the recently announced Fujifilm X10 will be £529 in the UK.

Sigma has announced the release of the Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM lens. Successor to the 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM “Mark I”, Sigma’s newest superzoom lens features FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements, which have the performance equal to fluorite glass, and SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements for the correction of colour aberrations. Additionally, the manufacturer’s Super Multi-Layer Coating is also there to reduce flare and ghosting throughout the entire zoom range. An iris diaphragm with seven rounded blades and an Optical Stabiliser promising approximately 4 stops’ worth of image stabilisation round off the features list. The Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM lens will be available in Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Sony fit (the last two do not incorporate optical stabilisation), for an SRP of £499.99.

The Rollei Flexipod 300 is a flexible camera tripod featuring rubberised legs, a small spirit level and a smartphone adapter. Available in a range of different colours, the Rollei Felxipod 300 is a compact and lightweight (35g) accessory that nevertheless boasts a maximum load capacity of approximately 1kg. The recommended retail price is €39.90.

PhotographyBB has released the 44th issue of the free PhotographyBB Online Magazine. This month’s edition explores the ways that photographers can use the different elements of composition, colour, and lighting conditions to create a sense of ‘mood’ and evoke an emotional response with their images. Additionally, the magazine has teamed up with Data Robotics for a promotion, allowing one lucky reader to win a Drobo device. You can download the latest issue of PhotographyBB Online Magazine from the website below (registration required).

Website: PhotographyBB

The fourth issue of Adore Noir Magazine is now out. Adore Noir is a fine art photography magazine available exclusively in digital format. Featuring almost surreal, “neoillusionist” pictures by Polish photographer Dariusz Klimczak, dramatic weather photography by Mitch Dobrowner, captivating city-, land- and streetscapes by Ronny Behnert, deeply emotional, disturbing and often shocking photos of Cambodian children by Swedish photojournalist Peppe Arninge, and more, this issue reinforces the magazine’s commitment to high-quality black-and-white imagery.Adore Noir magazine is available for $2.95 from the website below.

Website: Adore Noir

In addition to the iPhone 4S, Apple has also announced that iCloud, a set of free cloud services including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, will be launched on October 12. Designed to work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC, iCloud allows you to automatically and wirelessly store your content - up to 5GB - and sync it with all your devices (if you have more than one of the above). “iCloud is the easiest way to manage your content, because iCloud does it all for you and goes far beyond anything available today,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “You don’t have to think about syncing your devices, because it happens automatically, and it is free.” iCloud will be launched on October 12 in the form of a free download to iPhone, iPad or iPod touch users running iOS 5 or a Mac running OS X Lion with a valid Apple ID. Using iCloud with a PC requires Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Apple has just announced the iPhone 4S, featuring an all-new camera module. The Apple iPhone 4S has an 8-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a 35mm (eq.) f/2.4 auto-focus lens comprising 5 precision lens elements, and features improved white balance, face detection and 1080p Full HD video capture with audio. Additionally, the new iPhone 4s inherits the LED flash and tap-to-focus functionality of the iPhone 4. The first 7 countries - including the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, France and Germany - will get the iPhone 4S on 14th October. The device will be launched in 22 additional countries on the 28th. In the US, the 16GB version will cost $199, the 32GB model will be available for $299, while the 64GB iPhone 4S can be had for $399, all on a 2-year contract.

Toshiba today introduced a trio of Full HD camcorders. The Toshiba X416 ($319.99) is a top-of-the line CAMILEO camcorder that offers 23x optical zoom, electronic image stabilisation, 16GB of built-in memory and SDXC memory card support. The Toshiba CAMILEO X400 ($279.99) offers a similar feature set sans the 16GB on-board storage. Both camcorders come equipped with a 5-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor that’s also capable of capturing stills. The third model, called the Toshiba CAMILEO X200 ($229.99, pictured), offers 12x optical zoom, an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor, 128MB of built-in memory and SDXC support. The CAMILEO X400 and X200 camcorders are now available for purchase, while the X416 will be available starting on 10 October 2011.

Lowepro has expanded its Fastpack line with the release of the DSLR Video Fastpack AW series. Developed for fast-moving multimedia photographers, the series consists of three dual-compartment models that fit a wide-ranging capacity of pro-sized gear, plus a laptop and accessories. The lower compartment of each pack protects a pro-sized DSLR or HD video-enabled DSLR within padded and adjustable compartments. A fast-access, side-entry pocket allows the photographers to quickly get to his or her gear by rotating the pack to the front and unzipping the camera compartment. A separate and padded compartment accommodates a laptop and keeps it within easy reach. The Fastpack 350 AW is the biggest model, measuring 26x17x24.5cm, while the Fastpack 150 AW is the smallest at 20.5x12.5x23cm.

The Lowepro DSLR Video Fastpack 150 AW sells for $119.99, the 250 AW for $149.99, while the 350 AW is available for $169.99.

Sigma has issued a firmware update for the Sigma SD1 digital SLR camera. Version 1.03 improves auto white balance accuracy, image quality at ISO 3200 and ISO 6400, the accuracy of evaluative exposure metering and flash output control, and fixes bugs. The firmware update can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Sigma SD1

HP has announced the availability of free, downloadable software applications for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that enable professional photographers to generate large-format photo negatives for the production of high-quality, black and white silver halide photo prints. Available now, the Large Format Photo Negative software package includes a paper preset for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that allows photographers to print a digital negative from a film, scanned or digital capture file onto a transparent substrate. Once printed, these large-format photo negatives can be used as masters to produce high-quality black and white fine art prints through a contact process. The HP Large Format Photo Negative solution for silver and platinum processes will be shown on the Picto booth at Le Salon de la Photo, 6 -10 October, Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, Paris.

At its MAX 2011 technology conference, Adobe unveiled Photoshop Touch, a new app for Android tablets running Honeycomb 3.1. “Adobe Photoshop Touch lets users transform images with core Photoshop features in an app custom-built for tablets,” the company says. “With simple finger gestures, users can combine multiple photos into layered images, make popular edits and apply professional effects… With Refine Edge technology from Adobe Photoshop, even hard-to-select areas with soft edges, such as hair, are easily captured when making selections.” The app will be available shortly, priced at $9.99. An iPad version is also in the making, although it will only be released after the Android variant.

Website: Adobe Photoshop Touch

DxO Labs have published their detailed findings on the raw sensor performance of the new Nikon 1 J1 and V1 cameras. Although the two models share the same 10-megapixel, CX-sized sensor, the overall DxOMark Sensor Scores are slightly different (56 for the J1 and 54 for the V1). The company notes that “these differences are so small that they are well within the limits of measurement uncertainty and variances in manufacturing quality”. Interestingly, the Nikon 1 J1 achieved the exact same score as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, despite having a significantly smaller sensor. A look at the individual components of the overall score reveals that the Panasonic G3’s imager has a lot better high-ISO performance but the Nikon sensor boasts a somewhat wider dynamic range and a slightly greater colour depth.

Website: DxOMark