Blottr is searching for the best creative photographers from around the United Kingdom in the ‘Your View’ competition. There are three categories including best home view, best office view and best workplace view. To submit a photo, entrants must register and log into the Your View page on the blottr.com website. Another way to easily upload images to the site is by using the Blottr iPhone app, PaparAPPzi. The submission period starts on 12 September 2011 and runs to 11 November 2011. Blottr will provide a £250 prize to three winners – one from each category –, whilst the overall winner will receive an extra £750. Note that according to the Terms and Conditions, entrants give Blottr.com unreserved permission to use any images, photos and details submitted as part of the competition as they see fit.

Fujifilm has announced a major re-launch of its Instax range of instant cameras and accompanying films. There are four cameras in the range - the Instax Mini 7S, the Instax Mini 25, the Instax Mini 50 and the Instax 210. Each ‘Mini’ camera produces wallet-sized 62mm x 46mm prints while the larger 210 model prints at 62mm x 99mm. The first three cameras capture photos on Instax Mini film, while the Instax 210 uses the wider Instax Wide film. For more information, visit the website below.

In Japan, Canon’s and Nikon’s combined share of the interchangeable-lens camera market has shrunk by an estimated 35% due to the onslaught of compact system cameras (CSCs). Citing “estimates at research firm BCN Inc.,” news agency Bloomberg claims that the biggest winner of this market restructuring is Sony, whose share has allegedly doubled. The situation is quite different in places like Europe and North America, where consumers are much less eager to embrace new technologies, allowing traditional SLR camera makers to continue enjoying healthy profits. Nevertheless, Bloomberg quotes a Nikon spokeswoman as saying, “Nikon has completed development of a next-generation camera” - although for the time being, it remains a secret if that “next-generation camera” is a CSC or not.

Source: Bloomberg via 1001NoisyCameras

Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) is reminding interested photographers that the deadline for entries for the 2011 competition is getting closer and closer. TPOTY 2011 has four portfolio categories – Cultures & Traditions, Exotic, Natural Elements and Spirit of Adventure – two single image categories, Wild Moments and Work, Rest, Play, plus a New Talent award, Diary of a Destination, for students or those looking to kick-start a career in photography. For younger photographers there’s Young TPOTY, with awards for 14 and under and 15-18 age groups. The submission deadline is 9th October.

Adobe has announced Adobe Carousel, a set of photo viewing, browsing and editing applications and cloud-based storage service for MacOS and iOS. “Setting up Adobe Carousel is easy,” Adobe says. “Customers will just download the apps, set up a subscription plan on their iPhone and iPad, and they are ready to go.” When users import their photo library into Adobe Carousel, or take new photos using Carousel on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, those photos become automatically accessible on any supported device through Adobe’s cloud-based smart mesh technology. Once imported, any edits, deletions or additions to the library made on one device are automatically updated across all devices linked with the account. The Adobe Carousel apps will be available later this month. Through 31 January 2012, Adobe plans to offer Carousel for a special introductory price of US$59.99/year or US$5.99/month. Anyone subscribing at that price will be able to renew at that same price for an additional two years. At the conclusion of the introductory offer, Adobe Carousel will be US$99.99/year or US$9.99/month.

Fujifilm Japan has announced the discontinuation of several film products. The decision concerns Fujichrome Sensia III 100 (35mm, both 24- and 36-exposure rolls), Fujichrome T64 (35mm, 36 exposures), Astia 100F (120, 220, 4"x5”, 8"x10” and 4"x5” quickload versions), Velvia 100F (4"x5” quickload type only; note that Velvia 100F is a different emulsion to Velvia 100, which remains in production), Fujicolor Pro 160NC (in 4"x5” and 4"x5” quickload versions) and Fujifilm Neopan SS (35mm, 36 exposures).

Source: Fujifilm Japan

Nik Software has just announced its Color Efex Pro 4 filter suite offering up to 55 different filter effects, stackable filter combinations and visual presets. New effects include Detail Extractor, Vintage Film Efex, and Image Borders. The release also includes a new History Browser, improvements to imaging algorithms, greater performance, and enhanced usability. Color Efex Pro 4 will be available directly from Nik Software in October 2011. The Color Efex Pro 4 Complete Edition contains all 55 filters with a suggested retail price of $199.95. The Color Efex Pro 4 Select Edition contains 26 filters with an SRP of $99.95.

Corel has released PaintShop Pro X4, the latest version of its award-winning photo editing software. Claimed to deliver “dramatic improvements in speed and performance”, Corel PaintShop Pro X4 includes over 75 new and enhanced features - such as a completely redesigned HDR engine -, enhancements to the user interface and convenient ways to share through social media. PaintShop Pro X4 is available now in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch and Polish for £59.99 including VAT.

Nikon has announced a new, red version of the Nikon D3100 digital SLR camera. Featuring the same 14.2-megapixel sensor, Guide mode and Full HD video recording capability as the original D3100, the red version is Nikon’s first foray into the realm of colourful DSLRs. Aimed at families and young photographers, the red Nikon D3100 will be available across Europe and the US starting 22nd September.

Review: Read our in-depth review of the Nikon D3100

Want to see what the new Kodak Hero printers look like in the flesh?

Here’s a gallery of hands-on photos of the four Kodak Hero printers, which claim to offer the cheapest running costs on the market.

Kodak have launched the new Hero all-in-one printer range. The Kodak Hero printers are all wireless compatible and are Google Cloud Print Ready and KODAK Email Print Ready. There are four models in the new Hero line-up - the HERO 5.1, HERO 7.1 and HERO 9.1, and the KODAK OFFICE HERO 6.1, with prices ranging from £99 to £199.

Redrock Micro has announced the immediate availability of microTies, an accessory for managing all cables on video camera or HDSLR rigs. “microTies work with almost all cables (video, audio, power, data) and reduce the chance of snags, accidental disconnects or cable fatigue due to bending or repeated insertions,” the company says. Available now, microTies are sold in a pack of three for $24.50.

Iridient Digital has released RAW developer 1.9.2 for MacOS X. This update adds support for a number of new digital cameras including the Nikon D5100, Olympus E-P3 / E-PL3, Panasonic G3 / GF3, Pentax Q, Sasmung NX11, Sigma DP2x, Sony NEX-C3 / NEX-5N / SLT-A35 / SLT-A65 / SLT-A77, plus the Leaf Aptus-II 12 medium-format digital back and the Ricoh GXR Leica Mount Module. Non-raw DNG format images, including DNG files from many scanners, are also supported in the new version.

Using an approach similar to that of Vimeo/YouTube, SoundCloud and Scribd, a new service called Picuous allows people to present their pictures in an interactive HTML5 player that makes it easy for their audience to share them with one-click simplicity. At the same time, the photographers are provided with detailed traffic statistics so they can keep track of their pictures online. “Some plateforms, such as Tumblr, already have picture “reblogging” and “liking” features,” says Martin Pannier, Cofounder & CEO, Picuous. “In fact, half of the the 14 million daily posts on Tumblr are picture posts, and these posts are the most shared, reblogged, and commented upon. But these features are only available inside the platforms, while Picuous makes them available cross-platform.”

The British Journal of Photography (BJP) is now available free as a quarterly app, created bespoke for the Apple iPad. “The BJP app gives readers the highlight features of our print editions together with extra features, photos and a raft of new multimedia and video content, including a moving image cover created by New York-based artists Reed+Rader,” BJP says. The first issue, available now on iTunes, includes exclusive interviews, a special report on the role of photojournalism since 9/11, a trend report on the new fashion for “character culture”, a Q&A with legendary South African photographer David Goldblatt, and more.

Reallusion has just released Visualize; an iPad app that “combines the power of free-hand cutouts, visual templates and layered compositing”. The program creates instant PNG cutouts by importing and editing images directly from the iPad camera or the Internet. Cutouts may then be saved in the onboard gallery folders, to expand the current collection, or be retouched for further layering and compositing. Visualize sells for $2.99 on iTunes, with a trial version available for free.

CineStories’ upcoming Get In Motion Tour teaches photographers how to leverage digital SLR technology for filmmaking. Participants will learn to make Web commercials, wedding videos, birth-announcement films, family movies, and more. The Tour, which has 37 stops in cities across the US and Canada, will also teach you how to record your audio properly and how to mix it in post productions. Tickets start at $49 with a $10 discount if using the coupon code BLOGVID. For more information including exact dates and locations, and to register, visit the Get in Motion Tour website.