LPA Design, the manufacturer of PocketWizards, has filed a complaint for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont against Phottix and Eternal Fortune. The Vermont-based company says that the Phottix Atlas wireless flash trigger produced in China infringes upon two of its patents. These patents were issued for Microprocessor Programmable Digital Remote Radio Photographic Control and Wireless Camera Flash Synchroniser System and Method. “LPA was an early and ground-breaking contributor to the technology and market for professional quality wireless flash triggers,” said Tim Neiley, CEO and President of LPA. “LPA has worked hard to bring its patented technologies to market through constant innovation and improvement always with a view to the needs of the professional photographer. This lawsuit is necessary to protect our investment in innovation.”

etty Images today unveiled the new Photos.com website. Developed for value-conscious small business owners, marketers, graphic designers, web designers and other creative professionals, Photos.com offers millions of photos at competitive prices. Single images are priced from $1.99 and image packs in quantities of 5, 10, 25 or 50 are priced from less than $1 per image.

Nikon will soon start selling the Nikon Coolpix S8100 in Europe and South Africa. Introduced in the US in September 2010, the 12-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S8100 is a 10x zoom digital compact camera that can capture photos at up to 10 frames per second. Equipped with a back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a 30-300mm equivalent zoom lens that can be used even while recording 1080p Full HD videos, the Nikon Coolpix S8100 also features in-camera HDR imaging, whereby several different exposures are taken in rapid succession, to be immediately blended in-camera for a single HDR photo rich in tonal gradations. Additionally, the S8100’s advanced Night Landscape mode combines a series of five consecutive shots taken at a fast shutter speed into a single image with reduced noise for handheld night photography. Pricing to be confirmed (the Coolpix S8100 currently retails for $220-$300 in the USA, with the typical price hovering around $270). In the UK, the red and black versions of the camera will be exclusive to Jessops.

The PMA 2011 trade show, scheduled for 6-11 September, has been renamed. Held in Las Vegas, the show is now officially called CliQ 2011 but is still presented by PMA International. Besides being the new name of the largest annual international convention and trade show, CliQ is also “a community united by the passion of photography, images and motion”. For $25 a year, anyone can be part of this community and get a pass into the exhibit floor at CliQ 2011, 20% discount on ACDSee Photo Manager 12 and certain subscriptions to the Lynda.com online training library, and more.

Website: CliQ

Sony demoed a 5-inch external monitor for its latest Alpha DSLRs and SLTs at CES. The CLM-V55 display, which connects to the camera via the HDMI port and sits in the flash hot shoe, provides a better LiveView experience than the onboard rear screen. A forthcoming firmware update will enable the Sony Alpha A33, A55, A560 and A580 camera models to output the live view feed through their HDMI ports in order for full compatibility with this display (and any HDTV). The Sony CLM-V55 external monitor also has a headphone jack for monitoring audio while recording a movie clip. The display will be available in March for $399.

Via Amateur Photographer, Pocket-Lint and Photography Bay

The Canon XF305 and XF300 (pictured) Full HD camcorders have now been added to the BBC list of approved HD cameras. This means that they can be used to produce an entire HD programme for broadcast on the corporation’s HD channels. Following recent testing, the broadcaster has opted to buy XF305 camcorders, the first of which were delivered in December 2010, Canon said in a statement.

Laplink Software today released Laplink DiskImage, an advanced backup and recovery package that protects users from unforeseen data loss. “Using Laplink DiskImage doesn’t just secure data, but the entire PC, including the operating system,” the company says. The package also features PCmover Image Assistant. This allows users to restore the hard drive contents of an old PC to a new one without overwriting anything, even the new operating system. Laplink DiskImage is available now for £29.99 from Amazon UK and play.com.

To raise the final portion of funds to transform its Ramillies Street Gallery, The Photographers’ Gallery will stage a charity auction at Christie’s South Kensington on Thursday, 17 February 2011. The event will comprise a Live and Silent Auction, offering nearly 70 lots. From Helmut Newton to Rineke Dijkstra, Sebastião Salgado to Corinne Day, the works on sale will reflect some of the extraordinary talents who have exhibited at the Gallery during its 40 year history. The works will be on public display at Christie’s South Kensington from Saturday 12th until Thursday 17th February. Christie’s South Kensington saleroom is located at 85 Old Brompton Road, London.

Sony Ericsson has launched a Facebook competition to find “the most creative, cutest or crazy photos of all things miniature”. After an entrant has uploaded their photo and it has been approved they can share it on Facebook and Twitter to encourage their friends and followers to vote. The top ten photographs will be chosen by Sony Ericsson on 17th January. Each winner will receive either an X10 mini pro or an X10 mini handset.

Website: Sony Ericsson Mini Magic Facebook App

FORMAT 2011, the UK’s leading international festival of contemporary photography and related media, has announced its programme for its 5th edition. Taking place at various venues in and around Derby, from 4th March until 3rd April, FORMAT 2011 is curated around the resurgence of street photography. The Festival is organised in two strands, FOCUS and EXPOSURE. FOCUS will show curated exhibitions and new commissions by leading international artists, whereas EXPOSURE will feature work by some 50 of the most exciting new photographers from around the world.

Cypress Innovations has released piRAWnha 1.1, an iPad app that enables raw image file processing. piRAWnha features both raw developing and post?processing options, including exposure compensation, white balance correction, highlight recovery, denoise operations, gamma correction, saturation?hue?brightness adjustment, contrast adjustment and sharpening. The update brings about a host of new features, including the ability to import photos via iTunes, the ability to set and save presets for faster processing of raw images, support for JPEG/PNG/TIFF editing, the ability to create thumbnails when not automatically generated by the iPad, and more. piRAWnha is available in the App Store for $9.99.

Polaroid have unveiled the Polaroid GL30 Instant Digital Camera and GL10 Instant Mobile Printer at CES 2011. The GL30 Instant Digital Camera is an all-in-one digital camera, instant photo printer and digital display that uses next generation ZINK Zero Ink Technology. The GL30 Instant Digital Camera will be available later this year, at a price to be announced. The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer uses ZINK’s second-generation thermal technology, delivering image quality that rivals a photo-lab. The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer will be available in May 2011 for $149.99.

The JVC GS-TD1 is the world’s first consumer camcorder to offer 3D recording in Full HD. The new GS-TD1 uses two camera lenses and two 3.32 megapixel CMOS sensors – one for each lens – to capture three-dimensional images. JVC have developed a high-speed processor that can produce two simultaneous Full HD images. JVC’s other new HD Everio with 3D capabilities is the GZ-HM960, which turns any 2D footage into 3D. The JVC GZ-TD1 Full HD 3D camcorder will be available in March for $1,999.95, and the HD Everio GZ-HM960 will be available in February for $949.95.

JVC have unveiled ten new HD Everio Camcorders at CES 2011. The new line includes technologies that deliver outstanding low light performance, superior image stabilization and advanced scene analysis for optimum image quality. Other features found on most models include 40x optical zoom and touch panel LCD screens. The line’s top model, the JVC_GZ-HM960, offers on-the-fly 2D-to-3D conversion for 3D viewing on the camcorder’s LCD screen or any compatible TV. Prices range from $229.95 to $949.95.

Want to see exactly what the new Olympus XZ-1 premium compact camera looks like?

Then check out our hands-on photo gallery of the Olympus XZ-1.

The Olympus E-PL2 is a new interchangeable lens compact system camera. The EPL2 features a larger 3 inch display, Live Guide access in HD Movie mode, handy Live Wheel feature selector and a faster, lighter, virtually silent M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm 1:3-5-5.6 II lens. The E-PL2 is available from January 2011 for around £500 / €599.

The Olympus XZ-1 is a new flagship compact digital camera. Targeted at amateurs and professional photographers looking for a second camera, the XZ1 features a 10 megapixel 1/1.63 inch CCD sensor, fast f/1.8-2.5, 4x wide-angle i.ZUIKO DIGITAL lens, 3-inch OLED screen and 720p HD movies. To further boost the quality of stills and movies, users can add an external flash, electronic viewfinder or external stereo microphone, with more accessories still to come. The Olympus XZ-1 will be available for £399 / €449 from January 2011.

The Olympus SP-610UZ is a new ultra-zoom digital camera. Sporting a 22x, 28mm-616mm zoom lens, the SP610UZ features a 14 megapixel sensor, 720p HD Movie recording, 3 inch LCD screen, Dual Image Stabilisation, and Eye-Fi Card compatibility. The Olympus SP-610UZ is available in black for £180 / €189 from February 2011.