GigaPan Time Machine is a system that enables viewers to explore gigapixel-scale, high-resolution time-lapse videos. Created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, GigaPan Time Machine allows you to pan or zoom in and out of high-resolution panoramas while simultaneously “moving back and forth through time”. Viewers, for instance, can use the system to focus in on the details of a booth within a panorama of a carnival midway, but also reverse time to see how the booth was constructed. Or they can watch a group of plants sprout, grow and flower, shifting perspective to watch some plants move wildly as they grow while others get eaten by caterpillars. And so forth. You can view a few examples created with this system at the website below. Do note that you need Google Chrome or Apple Safari to take advantage of this technology.

The Toshiba Camileo BW10, recently launched in the USA, is a water- and dustproof pocket camcorder that records 1080p Full HD video. The BW10 comes in silver and yellow and features a rubberised coating for waterproofing down to a depth of six and a half feet. Featuring a 2” monitor, electronic image stabilisation and easy YouTube uploading, the Camileo BW10 weighs in at 3.5 ounces, and is available at an MSRP of $149.99 in the USA. (In the UK, the camcorder sells for around £100-110.)

Gigapan has issued a firmware update for its Epic Pro robotic camera mount. The latest update adds support for exposure bracketing for HDR capture, a dedicated mirror lock-up setting, additional aspect ratios and a new time display that shows the time it will take the Epic Pro to capture a panorama, based on your settings. It also allows you to capture a sequence of panoramas over a set period of time with a new timer, for time-lapse panoramic photography.You can learn more about the update bv visiting the website below.

Website: Gigapan Epic Pro Firmware Upgrade

There is a firmware update available for the Fujfilm FinePix HS20EXR (read review) digital superzoom camera. Version 1.02 fixes a bug related to temperature warning. You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm Finepix HS20EXR Firmware Upgrade

Adobe has released a document intended to help Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended users make the most of the program. The eleven-page PDF is divided into two sections, Essential Hardware and Key Steps to Optimise Photoshop CS5 Performance. The paper discusses topics like scratch disk allocation, hard disk defragmentation, setting the RAM percentage used by Photoshop, and more. The document can be downloaded from the Adobe website.

Website: Adobe

MyPhotoCreations today introduced an array of pre-paid wedding album kits that enable anyone to easily create high-quality professional albums using personal shots or digital photographs from professional photographers. Designed primarily as a resource for couples who only receive digital images from their photographers, these packages provide couples with access to the same premium products and superior materials and craftsmanship available to pro photographers, the company claims. All images in the album are individually manually color corrected. For more information and pricing visit the website below.

Quantum has released the a 26” octagonal softbox and a 10x24” strip softbox for the Quantum Qflash range. The lightweight and easily collapsible QF75 Octagon (£225+VAT) creates beautiful and even light, perfect for portraiture, fashion, children, glamour and product photography, while the QF76 Strip Softbox (£119+VAT) is a versatile light source for use as a main light or fill-in in commercial and product photography. Both products are available from Flaghead Photographic in the United Kingdom.

The new BenQ E1465 is a 14-megapixel digital compact camera featuring an easy-to-use panorama mode, 720p HD video recording and a super macro mode. Also on board is a 27-108mm equivalent wide zoom lens, a 2.7” LCD screen and an SD memory card slot that can handle today’s high-capacity SDHC and SDXC cards- Offering effects like Lomo, Fisheye and Colour Accent, the BenQ E1465 will be available in May. Pricing to be confirmed.

Impossible has launched the Impossible PX 680 Color Shade FF instant colour film. Compatible with all Polaroid 600 cameras - as well as all Polaroid SX 70 cameras equipped with a neutral density filter -, the Impossible PX680 “introduces a magical new colour palette within the classic white frame”, the company says. Available in packs of eight, the film retails for €18.00 / $21.99.

Topaz Labs have just released Topaz Lens Effects, a new Photoshop plug-in designed to help photographers quickly and easily achieve a wide range of lens, filter and specialty camera effects. With Lens Effects, users can create realistic enhancements for emphasising focal points, creating bokeh to blur distracting backgrounds, adding vignettes, and balancing color tone - in just a few clicks.“In addition to a novel approach of creating accurate depth maps for the most realistic depth-of-field simulation, Lens also uses brand new architecture that gives us the unparalleled agility to enhance our software’s capabilities and functionality with new ideas and suggestions that we constantly receive from the Topaz user community,” said Jawad Malik, project leader for the new Topaz Lens Effects. The application retails for $79.99, but is being offered at a special promotional price of $49.99 until 1st June.

XPro Software has released version 2.97 of GeniuX Photo EFX. The program is a standalone application for photo editing and digital painting, and offers both one-click operation and over 300 custom settings. Features include support for 20 different image formats, 15 advanced editing tools, 90 filters, 7 artistic brushes, and more. Version 2.97 incorporates a number of new features and a bug fix. GeniuX Photo EFX sells for $99. For more information, visit the website below.

Website: GeniuX Pro EFX

Independent developer Ken Tidwell has announced D200 DSLR v2.0 for iOS, another in his series of Min-U Guides to Nikon DSLRs. The opening screen of the Min-U (minimum menu) Guide consists of seven main chapter headings, each including a replica of the icon used on the D200 for that menu. The six Menu chapters include Playback, Shooting, Custom Settings, Setup, Recent and More, providing clear and comprehensive instructions for each important menu function. The app is a universal binary, and displays in the highest, native resolution on every iOS device. D200 DSLR v2.0 is available on iTunes for $4.99.

Kenro has re-announced the UK release of the Tokina AT-X 16.5-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX lens for cropped-sensor Canon and Nikon digital SLR cameras. This compact zoom lens uses an optical design that benefits from three aspherical elements, one all-glass precision-moulded element and two compound elements yielding high contrast. Additionally two Super-low Dispersion (SD) glass elements correct chromatic aberration. The recommended retail price of the Tokina AT-X 16.5-135mm f/3.5-5.6 superzoom lens has a recommended retail price of £816.

MasteringPhoto.com is a new website offering free content developed from Focal Press’ award-winning books as well as original content from industry contributors. Featuring tips, advice, articles, video tutorials, interviews, and other resources for both hobbyists and professionals, MasteringPhoto.com covers topics ranging from people and landscape to post-production and business practices. Contributors include expert photographers and digital image makers from all areas of photography and graphic art. Focal Press also unveiled a sister site, MasteringFilm.com, which caters to the needs of videographers and cinematographers.

Photobucket has announced Snapbucket, the first of many upcoming additions to its mobile platform. Snapbucket, which complements Photobucket’s existing mobile app, enables users to “snap” photos from their mobile device, personalise those photos through unique filters, effects and frames, and then easily share with their social community. Both the original and personalised photos are automatically stored online in the user’s Photobucket account.

The Reflecta x6 TouchScan is a new device for digitising 135 and 110 format film. Equipped with a nine-megapixel area-array CMOS sensor, a 2.8” colour screen and an SD card slot, the Reflecta x6 TouchScan works without being connected to a computer. The scanner can run on a Lithium-ion battery but can also draw power from an AC outlet. The scope of delivery includes the device itself, a holder for three framed 35mm slides up to 3.2mm thick, another holder for loose film strips of up to six frames, a third holder for up to eight frames of 110 (pocket) format film, an USB cable, an AC adapter, a rechargeable battery and a TV-Out cable. The price of the Reflecta x6 TouchScan is €159 including 19% German VAT.

Website: Reflecta

The Art of Wedding Photography is a new webinar series organised by Calumet and SF Photo School. Presented by Uzair Kharawala, these webinars start on 9 May 2011 and each one is 60 minutes long. A wide variety of subjects will be covered including converting leads into bookings, marketing, promotions, managing your business, off-camera flash, how not to forget key shots, workflow tips & techniques for editing and post-processing, setting your website / blog the right way for higher indexing in search results, and more. Do note that these webinars are not free. There is a special price of £30+VAT for all six webinars, which is valid until 9 May 2011. After this date, the normal price will be £55+VAT. For more information visit the website below.

Starting 18th May, the Colmore Business District in Birmingham will play host to ‘take to the streets’, an outdoor exhibition of street photography showcasing over 100 images by seven of Magnum Photos’ most prolific documentary photographers. The project will culminate in a book and a small touring exhibition and the photographs will be added to Birmingham Library’s Collections within the brand new Library of Birmingham opening in 2013, creating an important new chapter in the history of street photography in the city. For more information, visit the website below.