Lens makers Samyang are making their UK debut at Focus on Imaging, with their full range of manual focus lenses on display. This includes the new Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC, a bright wide-angle lens for manual-focus enthusiasts, the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED MC and lenses for the Samsung NX system. On show behind glass was the recently announced Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fish-Eye CS VG10, a manual-focus fish-eye lens designed for the Sony NEX-VG10 interchangeable-lens camcorder, and a world first, a concept version of a new 7.5mm Micro Four Thirds fisheye len providing 180 degree field of vision.

The Sony HX100v, HX9v and WX10 are three key products in the Cybershot range for 2011. At around £400, the HX100v is literally the big draw, with a 30x zoom lens and a tilting LCD screen. The HX9v, priced at around £340, is a serious rival to the Panasonic TZ-series, with a 16x zoom in a pocketable body. The WX10 at £280 is the best-specified member of the slim and stylish W-range. All three cameras share exactly the same 16.2 megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor. The HX100v and HX9v will be available in the UK from April, and the WX10 will be in the shops by the end of March.

Samyang has modified the design of the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC lens by adding a DOF scale at the request of photographers. Originally announced on 16 September 2010, this ultra-fast moderate wide-angle manual-focus lens has also seen a reduction in size, Samyang says. Available in Canon, Four Thirds, Nikon, Pentax, Samsung NX and Sony Alpha fit, the lens is priced at €379 including taxes.

Panasonic has announced a range of new SDHC UHS-I Memory Cards with read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 80MB/s, respectively. The new Gold cards will be globally introduced in April 2011 with 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB capacities. Pricing to be announced.

Global Delight’s Camera Plus Pro app has been updated to Version 3.3. This latest update allows users to add attractive borders such as stamp, polaroid, torn, grainy and more to their collection of photos, and adds 18 new photo effects for iPhone 3G users. And the app now also supports gestures such as pinch, pan and swipe while editing for better viewing of the applied effects on your iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 and iPod touch. Camera Plus Pro 3.3 is $1.99 in the App Store.

Phase One and Profoto today announced the availability of a unique image capture and light control solution that allows photographers to capture images and to control lighting from within Capture One Pro 6, when using Profoto lighting equipment. The new light control solution requires installation of Capture One Pro 6, a Profoto Studio plugin, and the Profoto Air USB transceiver to wirelessly control the Profoto lighting equipment. “Prior to this solution, photographers would have to either switch between Capture One and Profoto Studio to get the optimal light on their set or they had to adjust the light manually,” said Carsten H. Olsen, senior product manager, Phase One. “Now photographers can stay focused on the scene and get their desired captures much faster.“ The solution is currently available on the Mac platform only.

The DreamLabo 5000 commercial inkjet printer marks Canon’s European entry into production photo printing. The device offers the production photo printing market a viable alternative to silver halide technology and, according to Canon, “will revitalise the photo printing market”. Incorporating Canon’s FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) technology, the wide print head enables the printing of high-quality photos and detailed text to support a variety of high-value-added output, from premium photo albums, photo books, photo calendars, photo collages and other merchandise. The DreamLabo 5000 will be available to photo shops across Europe from early 2012.

The New York Institute of Photography (NYIP) has launched its own blog. Promising ‘eclectic content’, the official NYIP blog has something for every photographer, the editors say. Contributing authors include NYIP Student Advisor Chris Corradino who specialises in nature, photojournalism, and multimedia; and other staff members including the Director of the School, Chuck DeLaney. The school encourages open dialogue with its readers by sharing and discussing content via Facebook, Twitter, blog comments, and forums.

Photodex has just announced a partnership with SmugMug to offer new, integrated solutions for creating and sharing HD video slideshows online. ProShow Web now seamlessly pulls photos and video clips from SmugMug galleries to create fully custom video slideshows online from any Mac or PC. Videos can be easily shared across a number of platforms and sent back to SmugMug to view in full 1080p HD video.

MakeRetro.com is a website that allows anyone to upload photos and apply different “retro” effects to them. Currently in Beta, MakeRetro.com offers the following effects: Lomo, Chrome, Diana and Vintage. Some of these effects can be customised further to suit your tastes. The service is free.

Website: MakeRetro

Wignut has announced the immediate availability of Lo-Fi, a retro photo effect application for MacOS and Windows. The application allows users to mix a wide range of effects from the film world, such as grain, cross-processing, lens blur, light leaks, and frames. The program sells for $29.

This year Panasonic returns to the Focus On Imaging show to showcase its Lumix and Lumix G series digital cameras, HD camcorders and 3D imaging products. All new products will be available to explore including the TZ20 Travel Compact (read review), the GF2 and GH2 compact system cameras and Micro Four Thirds lenses. There will also e an extensive collection of HD Camcorders to sample, including the HDC-TM900, HDC-HS900, HDC-SD900, HDC-SD800 and HDC-SD90 models.

Lastolite has just launched the new Hotrod Strip Softbox. Available in two sizes, 30cmx120cm and 40cmx120cm, the Hotrod Strip Softbox has been designed for use with battery-operated flash units and features a ‘cold shoe’ for simple flash attachment. The smaller version costs £120, whilst the bigger one is available for £132 including VAT.

On 22nd March Brian Griffin, one of the most influential UK photographers, will deliver a lecture on how to survive financially while pursuing creative photography. “In 2001 I decided that I would never take photographs again purely for money, and would find ways to survive purely on my creativity,” he says. Organised by London Independent Photography (LIP), the lecture “is a fantastic opportunity to hear first-hand how an internationally recognised photographer has managed to develop their creative vision - and pay the bills,” says LIP’s Chairman, Adrian Capps. The event will take place from 7pm on 22nd March at the following location: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London. Tickets are £8 in advance or £10 at the door.

Corel has announced its participation at the Focus On Imaging 2011 show. The Corel team will be hosting a range of photo and video editing demonstrations and workshops at regular intervals throughout each day and invites attendees to meet the team of experts at its interactive Digital Darkroom stand E9, 6-9 March at Birmingham’s NEC. The company is also going to offer a number of online deals during the show, including a 25% discount on Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 and Corel Painter 11.

Samyang has announced a manual-focus fish-eye lens designed for the Sony NEX-VG10 interchangeable-lens camcorder. The new lens comes with a native Sony E bayonet mount and promises easy and smooth - perhaps stepless, but it’s unclear from the wording of the product announcement - diaphragm control. The Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fish-Eye CS VG10 lens will be on display at the Focus On Imaging show in Birmingham. Pricing and availability to be announced.