The Panasonic DMC-FX77 is a new stylish and compact hybrid digital camera. The FX77 (also known as the Panasonic FX78) features Smart Touch operation on a 3.5-inch LCD screen, 24mm ultra wide angle 5x optical zoom lens with F2.5 brightness, 12.1-megapixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor, 1920 x 1080 full-HD movie recording, 3D Photo Mode and 3.7 fps burst shooting. The price and availability of the Panasonic DMC-FX77 are still to be announced.

The Panasonic DMC-FT3 is a new rugged digital compact camera. The 12.1 megapixel FT3 (also known as the Panasonic TS3) is waterproof to 12m, shockproof to 2m, freezeproof to -10 degrees C and dustproof. The FT3 also has a 4.6, 28mm wide-angle zoom lens, 1920 x 1080 full-HD movie recording, 3D photo Mode, GPS functionality, a compass, altimeter and even a barometer. The price and availability of the Panasonic DMC-FT3 are still to be announced.

Precorder is an iPhone app that perpetually buffers video so that whenever you start recording a clip, you’ll have a few seconds of footage captured before you hit Record. This means you’ll never miss an interesting moment, be it a fleeting smile on a baby’s face or something cute your pet does (at least as long as the iPhone camera is pointed in the right direction when it happens, of course). The idea itself is not new - we have seen it implemented in some compact cameras as well as camera phones - but apparently Precorder is the first app that offers this functionality for the Apple iPhone. The app is available now for $1.99.

Nikon has issued a firmware update for the Nikon D3100. Version 1.01 fixes various bugs related to autofocus, image playback, an error message and a magenta tint seen in the bottom of photos captured at high sensitivity settings after the camera had been in Live View mode for an extended period of time. The update can be downloaded from the websites below.

Website: Nikon D3100 Firmware Version 1.01 - Mac
Website: Nikon D3100 Firmware Version 1.01 - Windows

BuyMyTronics, a company “created to offer a quick, simple and friendly solution” for people looking to unload used gadgets, now accepts and pays for digital cameras and lenses.To submit an item to BuyMyTronics.com, all a customer needs to do is search for his or her item, and select the condition and accompanying accessories. An immediate price quote will be given, and if the price is agreeable, one simply sends the gadget to BuyMyTronics and gets paid in return.

Create Great iPhone Photos is a new title from No Starch Press. Written by technology guru Allan Hoffman, this 224-page book covers a number of photography apps, and explores topics like producing panoramas, HDR imaging, and general post-processing on the iPhone itself. The book can be pre-ordered from O’Reilly at a price of $29.95.

Phase One has announced its new IQ series digital camera backs, including the 80-megapixel Phase One IQ180. The imager inside the IQ180 measures 53.7x40.4mm, which is so close to the dimensions of the classic 645 format film frame that Phase One terms it a “full-frame” sensor. The IQ180 is also the first product of its kind to feature a USB3 connection, facilitating faster image transfers in the future. For untethered shooting, the IQ180 digital back’s new memory card interface is so fast that it eliminates buffering delays, supporting continuous shooting - at 0.7fps - until a card is full. The IQ180 digital back features a newly designed 3.2-inch retina type, multi-touch screen with 1.15 million pixels, described as “the highest-resolution and largest display of any SLR type camera available today.” Phase One also introduced the IQ160 and IQ140 digital backs, which offer resolutions of 60.5 and 40 megapixes respectively.

Parallax is a photography magazine designed exclusively for the iPad. Published by Bedouin Ventures, Parallax Magazine was founded “to provide a new, fresh viewpoint on photography that takes advantage of the dynamic nature of the iPad platform”. Taking the form of an Apple iPad app priced at $2.99, Parallax is an ad-free interactive magazine offering slide-shows, movies and hyperlinks. Topics covered in the first issue include building an inexpensive DIY studio, new perspectives on wedding photography, the best places to shoot in Big Sur, and more.

Samsung has launched 100 SD cards into space, loaded with personal messages from people around the world. This campaign will see the world’s highest paper planes released at 125,000 feet. Each paper plane carries a memory card containing photos, songs, videos and text messages compiled by members of the public. Anyone finding a plane with a memory card attached is encouraged to visit the website below.

Website: Project “Space Planes”

Kubota Image Tools have introduced two new Photoshop ‘Action Paks’, Viva la Vintage & Pow Wow!. The first of these contains 24 time-warping effects to recall the most popular looks of recent decades including cross-process, old paper, and many more. Pow Wow! also contains 24 image enhancements including “BW Museum”, “Pearly Shells” etc. Viva La Vintage and Pow Wow! are available through the Kubota Image Tools website at a price of $109 each or $179 as a discounted bundle.

Website: Kubota Image Tools

In order to demonstrate the quality of the Ilford Galerie range, Ilford will offer a free 16x20-inch print to the first 100 professional photographers who submit their favourite image via the Ilford secure FTP site by 28th January. The free offer is limited to photographers planning to attend WPPI 2011 and prints will only be available for pick-up at the Ilford booth. The image should be transferred as the highest possible quality JPEG, rendered in Adobe RGB or sRGB at a minimum of 300dpi, and not exceed 20 inches in the longer dimension.

AsukaBook USA has announced the free AsukaBook Maker 2 and the AsukaBook InDesign Tool. AsukaBook Maker 2 has a simple and easy to use interface, with many image enhancement tools and the ability to use existing free templates or to save your own design layouts for future use. The AsukaBook InDesign Tool has been created to offer an additional alternative AsukaBook design option and a more efficient workflow for AsukaBook customers who prefer to work in Adobe InDesign. Both applications are free andavailable now as digital downloads from the AsukaBook USA website.

Website: AsukaBook USA

Showtime is an app that allows you to use your iPhone as a remote control as you display your photos on any browser-based device on your wifi network: a computer, internet TV or games console. You can select individual photos or use the navigation controls to move backwards and forwards through your albums. Additionally, Showtime also makes it possible to download a full-resolution version of the current photo straight to your PC or Mac without syncing or cables. Currently retailing at an introductory price of $0.99/€0.79, Showtime will run on an iPhone or iPod Touch with OS4.0 or greater.

Photodex has released a new version of its ProShow plug-in for Adobe Lightroom. The plug-in now supports ProShow Web, Photodex’s new online slideshow service for professional photographers. The service instantly creates video slideshows from any Mac or PC, and the plug-in makes it quick and simple to upload photos to a new or existing show. The ProShow Plug-in for Lightroom is free and can be downloaded directly from the Adobe Lightroom Exchange website.

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), an election-assistance and democracy-promotion NGO, is accepting submissions for its annual photo competition. The contest seeks photographs of individuals taking part in elections or other activities that embody the values of democratic governance and civic engagement. One winner and up to 10 finalists will be chosen, with the winner being awarded $600 for his or her entry. Full contest rules and entry information are available online at the website below.

Website: IFES Photography Contest

The Bibble Survival Guide by Marco Frissen and Andreas FX Siegert is anin-depth guide to Bibble 5.x. Available as a printable e-book in Adobe Portable Document Format, The Bibble Survival Guide explains how to get the most out of Bibble for newcomers but also has in- depth information for more experienced users. The 200+-page e-book retails for $30, and is available for immediate download from the website below.

Website: Bibble Survival Guide

Bibble Labs have released Bibble 5.2 Pro and Bibble 5.2 Lite for Linux, MacOS and Windows.The new version adds support for 14 new raw file formats, including those produced by the Nikon D3100, D7000, P7000 and the Panasonic LX5, GF2 and GH2, and includes significant improvements to Bibble 5’s Selective Editing capability, and many other enhancements. Bibble 5.2 Pro and Bibble 5.2 Lite are available immediately for $199.95 and $99.95, respectively. Bibble Labs customers who purchased Bibble 4 since September, 2006 are eligible for a free upgrade to Bibble 5. Bibble 5.2 is a free upgrade for all current Bibble 5 customers.

Canon will debut a collaborative film, entitled “The Story Beyond The Still,” on 23th January, at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. “The Story Beyond the Still” began as a year-long contest, launched in January 2010 on Vimeo that allowed photographers and videographers to showcase their creativity in a new style of filmmaking that blended still and video images into a continuous cinematic piece begun by Canon Explorer of Light, Vincent Laforet.  The complete short film, including the final chapter starring The Breakfast Club star, Judd Nelson, will be viewed in its entirety at this private event during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It will then publicly première on 7th February on the Sundance Channel and Vimeo.

CraftArtist Platinum is a new digital crafting package from Serif. Aimed at “creative types looking to make professional-looking print projects”, the package may be of interest to anyone who wants to easily and quickly make unique photobooks, wedding stationery, cards, scrapbooks etc. at home. The package contains Serif’s CraftArtist Professional software and four creative kits, Baby Photos, Greeting Cards, Wedding Day and Scrapbooks. “CraftArtist Platinum makes the creativity of a craft store accessible to all PC users,” says Gary Bates, Managing Director at Serif. “It offers a fun, easy and affordable way for everyone to create personalised print projects regardless of their age, experience or artistic ability.” CraftArtist Platinum is compatible with Windows 7/Vista/XP and retails at £39.99.