Pentax has posted firmware updates for the Pentax K-5, K-r and 645D digital camera models. The updates were necessitated by the launch of the new Pentax O-GPS accessory. In order for the cameras to work properly with the O-GPS unit, users need to download the respective firmware upgrade from the website below.

Website: Pentax Firmware Updates

A new exhibition of Norman Parkinson’s images of childhood, ‘Age of Innocence’, is currently on show at Dimbola Lodge, Isle of Wight. Running until 3rd July, the exhibition offers a fresh insight into his development as an artist and his eclectic choice of subjects. In her introduction to the catalogue, Fay Weldon writes: “Parkinson, like his confrères Bailey, Duffy and Donovan, is mostly known for his spectacular fashion photography, but as with these other great photographers, ‘the fashion shoot’ was only a part of their work. That was what earned them money: not necessarily what most satisfied the keen aesthetic eye of the photographer. In this particular collection of images, all relating one way or another to childhood, Parkinson combines the techniques of photojournalism – catch the moment as it flies – à la Cartier Bresson and Lartigue, with an Irving Penn-like sense of formality.”

Acme Made has launched three new camera bags. The Union Photo Messenger (pictured) is an understated messenger bag for DSLR cameras with a durable, waterproof cover; hidden exterior lens cap pocket and accessory pockets. The smaller Union Kit Messenger “offers the long-wearing comfort of a big messenger bag without the bulk”, the company says. Finally, the Union Ultra-Zoom is a compact camera bag for ultra-zooms and compact system cameras.

Leica has released a firmware update for the Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera. Enhancements in version 1.162 include an “improvement of the sensor homogeneity for wide-angle lenses”. There is an additional colour calibration for all wide-angle lenses, which minimises chromatic deviations between image centre and image corner, especially in critical shooting situations. Additionally, internal software processes have been optimised in order to improve overall system stability. You can download the update from the website below.

Website: Leica M9 Firmware Version 1.162

Leica has issued a firmware update for the Leica M8 digital rangefinder camera. Version 2.014 adds support for the new Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 lens and optimises internal processes for better overall stability. The Leica M8 firmware upgrade can be obtained from the website below.

Website: Leica M8 Downloads

Canon has won the accolade of “Best Photography Brand” at this year’s Which? Awards. The awards were launched in 2007 to reward the very best businesses in the UK and publicly recognise those companies that consistently ‘get it right’ for consumers. Over the last year Canon has won 22 Which? Best Buy awards across the EOS, Legria, IXUS, Powerhot and Pixma ranges and during voting, Which? members scored Canon highly in both customer satisfaction and reliability. They were “impressed by the Canon HS-System which helped to deliver exceptional image quality with the IXUS 300 HS and IXUS 1000 HS - the former received the highest overall picture quality rating that Which? had ever given to a compact camera”.

Epson America has announced a new version of Epson iPrint, an iOS app optimised to print photos and web pages from an Apple iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to any wireless Epson All-in-One device. Advanced features include the selection and batch printing of multiple photos, borderless printing, easy switching between colour and greyscale printing and more. Epson iPrint is free and available worldwide on the Apple App Store.

Light & Land has announced a one-day workshop to be held on location in the Cotswold lavender fields with landscape masters Charlie Waite and Antony Spencer. The company has been granted special permission to shoot at Snowshill, right in the heart of the Cotswolds. The workshop will run from 11am, right through to sunset, on 5 July 2011 – in order to capture the best of the day’s light. The cost of attendance is £149, which includes hands-on tuition, teas, coffees and light lunch. You can find more information at the website below.

PhotoShelter today released the newest e-book in their ongoing series of business and marketing resources for photographers, The Photographer’s Guide to Selling Like a Pro. “Through a series of in-depth interviews with veteran salesmen from across various industries, this e-book offers solid sales advice and concrete tactics, giving photographers an in-depth look at how to succeed in sales using the proven strategies of the pros,” says PhotoShelter’s Deborah Block. You can download the e-book free of charge from the website below.

X-Rite has announced a new trade-in programme available to customers in the US and Canada who purchase a new X-Rite ColorMunki Display or i1Display Pro. Running until 30 September 2011, the promotion enables photographers and other imaging professionals to receive up to $40 cash back when they trade in their old monitor calibration system, be it an X-Rite, PANTONE, competitor or private label colorimeter. Those who send in a colorimeter and buy a ColorMunki Display receive $25 cash back, while the $40 offer is valid on purchases of the i1Display Pro.

Leica is looking into producing compact system cameras (CSCs) to compete with the mirrorless systems of Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. In an interview given to Amateur Photographer (AP), Leica CEO Alfred Schopf and chairman Dr Andreas Kaufmann revealed that the company is planning to announce a compact system camera featuring “an imaging sensor at least as large as an APS-size” at Photokina 2012. The news comes as a surprise, especially given that a number of Leica-designed (and -branded) Panasonic lenses are already available for the Micro Four Thirds system, including the Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH. Mega O.I.S: (read review) and the brand new Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH. From the interview, you can also learn - among other things - whether Leica is still considering the introduction of a digital R system and whether they are outsourcing the production of Leica lenses to China.

Source: Amateur Photographer

At the launch of the Leica M9-P in Paris, Leica presented a new project resulting from the company’s cooperation with Magnum Photos. “It is an account of a young gondolier in Venice shot by Magnum photographer Alex Majoli, who has been a full member of the prominent photographers’ co-operative since 2001,” Leica said in a statement. “The images are much more than the simple documentation of a profession steeped in tradition, which still plays an important role in everyone’s image of the city today. They tell a vivid story. Vital, authentic and brimming with the essence of real life – it is a story captured with the Leica M9-P.” A video showing the making of this portfolio can be viewed on the Leica website.

The Leica M9-P is a new, re-styled variant of the Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera. Billed as the “new ultra-discreet version of the Leica M9”, the Leica M9-P loses the famous Leica ‘red dot’ logo and M9 lettering that decorate the M9’s front plate but the top plate is now engraved with the Leica name in classic script form. In addition, the Leica M9-P includes a scratch-resistant, sapphire crystal covering on the LCD screen. As a result, the sapphire glass LCD cover is extremely resistant to wear and almost unbreakable. The external covering of the body of the Leica M9-P, finished in vulcanite leatherette, features a more coarsely-textured finish that ensures a steady grip when shooting. Otherwise the new model is identical to the M9. The Leica M9-P, which will sit alongside the Leica M9 in the company’s rangefinder camera portfolio, is scheduled to be available in the UK from June 2011 from authorised Leica dealers at £5,395 including VAT.

The Leica Super-Elmar M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH.is a new, compact ultra-wideangle lens for the M system. The lens’ retrofocus-like construction comprises 8 elements including one element with two aspherical surfaces and four lens elements made of glass types with anomalous colour dispersion (partial dispersion). The aperture range goes from f/3.4 to f/16, and is set with a traditional aperture ring with click-stops at half-stop increments. The lens’ closest focusing distance is 0.7m. As with other recent M-mount lenses, 6-bit lens identification is provided for digital bodies. The suggested retail price of the lens is £2025.

Creative Review Magazine is running a Photography Annual competition. The contest, which is open to professional photographers and agencies, aims to be the “definitvie collection of the best work of the year in commercial photography”. There are several categories including Personal, Advertising, Conceptual, Design, Editorial and Moving Image. The deadline for entries is 22 August 2011. Please note that entry fees apply (£50 for a single entry, £70 for a series of up to 6 related images).

Website: Creative Review

Brett Ratner, one of Hollywood’s most successful directors, producers and photographers is inviting aspiring photographers to work with him on a photo shoot with Treats! Magazine in Los Angeles. If interested, submit one original portrait photograph displaying your creativity through the Talenthouse website. The submission deadline is 25th July. Online voting starts the next day and lasts until 1st August. Brett Ratner and Treats! Magazine will choose the winner from all qualified submissions with special consideration for the top-voted entries. As always we suggest that you read the terms and conditions and submission guidelines before entering your work.

Website: Talenthouse

Apple today announced Final Cut Pro X, a new version of its professional video editing software. Completely rebuilt from the ground up, Final Cut Pro X is a 64-bit app that uses multi-threaded processing and the GPU on the graphics card for fast background rendering and real-time playback. The new Magnetic Timeline lets you edit on a flexible, trackless canvas; while Content Auto-Analysis categorises your content upon import by shot type, media and people. Moreover, Final Cut Pro X also includes powerful tools for audio editing and colour correction.  The program is available today for £179.99 from the Mac App Store. Two companion apps, Motion 5 for professional motion graphics and Compressor 4 for advanced media encoding, are available from the for £29.99 each.

CyberLink today released PhotoDirector 2011, a brand new photo editor for Windows that allows users to efficiently manage, enhance and share their digital photographs. PhotoDirector 2011 introduces a fast, intuitive workflow and a wide array of dynamic adjustment tools that can be applied in a non-destructive editing environment. Additionally, it offers several other features, such as “native rendering” of raw image files from Canon and Nikon cameras and the ability to share user-defined presets through CyberLink’s online community, DirectorZone. CyberLink says that over 75,000 people from all over the world participated in the three-week Beta programme, giving PhotoDirector 2011 an overall product satisfaction score of 4.2 out of 5. The software is available for £79.99/$99.95.