In addition to launching a 120mm tilt-shift lens for Mamiya, Schneider Kreuznach will also release two perspective control lenses for Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony digital SLR cameras. The PC-TS Super-Angulon 2.8 / 50 HM and the PC-TS Makro-Symmar 4.0 / 90 HM are predominantly targeted at product and macro photographers, and allow 12mm of lateral shift plus 8 degrees of tilt. The lenses will be officially unveiled at Photokina next week.

FotoTV has released its 1000th film – a photo shoot with master Lucien Clergue. Photographing his model Natalia on a beach near Arles, France, the artist commented, “Nudes in water is a theme for me that has practically followed me my entire life”, says Clergue. “The motifs are a recurring inspiration for me every time and I hope that connection will be well apparent in this film. I’ve been working with Natalia for years. We have created wonderful, stunning images together, and I can’t wait until our next shooting together.”

Epson and Thinxtream Technologies have announced a new mobile printing application – PrintJinni for Epson – that allows Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users to easily print JPEGs, PDFs and other files from an e-mail account to any Wi-Fi-enabled Epson all-in-one. Providing simple set-up and e-mail attachment support for Gmail, Microsoft Exchange, Apple MobileMe, AOL and other IMPA-based e-mail accounts, PrintJinni for Epson prints over Wi-Fi without the need for an intermediate PC. Those who purchase the software - which is available now for $6.99 on the iTunes Store in the US and Canada - are entitled to a free upgrade to the upcoming iPad-native printing support scheduled for release later this autumn.

Website: PrintJinni on iTunes

According to Nikon, the total production of Nikkor lenses has reached fifty-five million. Out of these, 20 million are auto-focus lenses equipped with a Silent Wave Motor. The first F-mount Nikkor was the Nikkor-S Auto 5cm f/2, released in 1959 along with the first-ever Nikon SLR camera, the Nikon F. The 55 million lenses have thus been produced over the course of the last 50 years, with the last 5 million being manufactured over the past year.

The new Hama Daytour range of camera backpacks comprises two models, the Hama Daytour Backpack 230 (€139) and the slightly more compact Hama Daytour Backpack 180 (€99). These backpacks can accommodate an SLR camera with an arsenal of eight to eleven lenses. The variable hook-and-loop connectors inside the backpack also allow for carrying a mixture of photo equipment. Both backpacks offer direct access to the camera from above, and the larger “Backpack 230” also features a quick-access on its side. When worn on the front, both versions present themselves as an excellent support when taking photos, the manufacturer says.

Sigma Japan has announced the release date of the Sigma DP1x large-sensor compact camera. In Japan, the Sigma DP1x - an updated version of the DP1s incorporating the TRUE II image processing engine and the QS button from the DP2 / SD15 - will be released on 30th September 2010. The price of the camera has still not been announced.

The Rogue FlashBender system of flexible light modifiers has just been launched in the UK market. The system uses built in positionable rods which allow FlashBenders to be moulded and held firmly in place so that light can be directed to exactly where it’s needed. Constructed from tough Cordura nylon, FlashBenders fit quickly and easily to a wide range of shoe mount flash units using the integrated Velcro fastening strap, and when not in use the FlashBenders will fold flat and fit into a camera bag. There are three models available, the large reflector measures 25x 28cm, the small 25x 18cm and the bounce card/flag, which includes a black fabric attachment so that light can be blocked rather than reflected, measures 13x23cm.

Canon UK has released a time-lapse video shot during London Fashion Week with a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. The sequence captures the set up of the British Fashion Council (BFC) show tent at London Fashion Week between 5pm, 5th September until 7pm, 8th September. To create the video, over 4000 frames were taken on a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV with a TS-E 24mm f/3.5L tilt-shift lens. Click through / scroll down to view the footage.

Pitched as the world’s first USB 3.0 RAID storage, the LaCie 2big USB 3.0 offers speeds of up to 205MB/s. Available in up to a 4TB capacity, the LaCie 2big USB 3.0 featues two 7200rpm hot-swappable hard disk drives and three RAID modes, and is backward compatible with USB 2.0. Pricing starts at $349.99.

Digital Foci has announced its plans to launch Picture Porter 35, Photo Safe II and Photo Book into European markets. Picture Porter 35 is a 250-500GB portable photo manager for professional photographers, featuring a 3.5-inch LCD screen, fast copy speeds of 1GB of data under 90 seconds, RAW image support with zoom capability and EXIF/histogram viewing, and a multi-format memory card reader for CF, MMC, SD/HC Card, miniSD, Memory Stick, MS PRO, MS Duo, and xD-Picture cards. Photo Safe II is a lower-cost alternative available in the same capacities as Picture Porter 35, whilst Photo Book is an elegant portable digital photo album with an 8-inch 800x600-pixel LCD screen and 4GB of internal memory.

Acronis has launched Acronis True Image Home 2011, including the Acronis True Image Home software and some extras. The extras include the ability to recover to different hardware if a user’s PC or laptop is lost, stolen or damaged plus support for dynamic disks which offer features such as multi-partition and fault tolerant volumes. Acronis True Image Home 2011 is available through select retailers for £49.95.

In the UK, Samsung has teamed up with iBluBox to offer a free version of BluBox 5.0 with every Samsung camera purchased. The BluBox application quickly and easily compresses digital images, so they can be uploaded and shared faster. Additionally every time a BluBox archive is created, all photos are BluBox secured with Government standard 256-AES encryption. Archives can even be password protected to ensure only authorised people can view or share the images. Usually retailing at £19.95, Samsung and BluBox are offering this software complimentary to all consumers who purchase specific Samsung cameras from UK retail partners until the 31st December 2010.

The LaCie Wireless Space is the first network attached solution of the company to feature Wi-Fi. Leveraging this technology, the Wireless Space can connect to your existing Wi-Fi network, allowing you to access files wirelessly throughout the home, and can serve as a central storage solution for all your backups. Additionally, the Wireless Space is Time Machine compatible, so Mac users can use it as a target for their automatic backups and be confident that all important files and media are safely protected. The LaCie Wireless Space is available as of today, in 1TB and 2TB capacities starting at £179.90.

Tokina’s new AT-X 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX lens will be on display at the company’s Photokina booth. Constructed of 15 elements in 13 groups, this ultrawide-to-wide zoom was first shown at PMA 2010,and the Nikon version reportedly went on sale last month in Japan, priced at 123, 900 yen. Incorporating a fixed lens hood and a quiet focussing motor coupled with a new GMR magnetic AF sensor, the Tokina AT-X 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX has a large, multi-coated aspherical glass optical element in the front lens group, two additional aspherical elements in the rear group, and three super low-dispersion elements that reduce aberrations. Tokina’ s exclusive One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism allows the photographer to switch between AF and MF simply by snapping the focus ring forward for AF and back toward the camera to focus manually. You can view ten full-resolution samples taken with this lens mounted on a Nikon D3X body at the website below.

Website: Tokina AT-X 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX Samples

Schneider Kreuznach has announced a tilt-shift lens for Mamiya and Phase One system cameras. The PC-TS Apo-Digitar 5.6 / 120 HM Aspheric is an apochromatically corrected lens that “combines exceptional reproduction quality with a large image circle and excellent adjustability which is restricted only by the camera’s bayonet mount,” the manufacturer claims. Pricing and availability have not yet been announced.

The Nissin MF18 is a feature-rich ring flash with a guide number of 16 in metres at ISO 100/21°. Featuring wireless functionality, high speed sychronisation and a My TTL custom setting, the Nissin MF18 comes with macro lens mount adapters ranging from 39mm to 77mm. It has a colour display that will automatically rotate from horizontal to vertical as the flash is rotated, while the user friendly six-icon interface gives access to all modes of operation including Auto, TTL, Manual, Multi, Wireless TTL (Master/Remote) and Custom Setting. TTL exposure control is available with Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony cameras. The Nissin MF18 supports the Nissin Power Pack PS300, which can be used to shorten the recycling time of the flash. Pricing and availability to be announced.

Nikon says it has created its most spectacular booth ever for this year’s Photokina. Located in Hall 2.2, the Nikon booth will play host to a series of talks from the world’s leading photo visionaries including award-winning commercial photographer, Chase Jarvis, who will be making a keynote speech on the first day of the show. The company’s new star products ranging rom the D3100 to the D7000 digital SLR cameras will be on display, while a daily programme of movies, stills and product films will be playing on the Nikon Video Wall, showcasing work by Nikon Pros from all over the world including Vincent Munier and Bill Frakes. At the heart of the stand will be a giant, interactive installation which enables people to get hands-on with Nikon’s latest products and innovations. Called the Nikon Key Cube, this installation symbolises the past, present and future of the company.

Westcott’s new Green Screen Kit allows anyone to add special effects to photos easily. The kit includes PhotoKey Lite software, 100 digital backgrounds and a 5‘ by 7‘ green screen with 2 wall hooks. PhotoKey Lite will automatically extract the Green Screen from behind your subject and with a few clicks, you can insert any one of the 100 digital backgrounds included or upload your own background image. The software also features editing and positioning tools enabling you to provide finishing touches to your images. The Green Screen Digital Photography Kit is available for £69.99 and is marketed by Johnsons Photopia in the UK.

At Photokina, Minox will unveil a new 3D camera called the Minox PX3D. Described as “revolutionary” by its manufacturer, the Minox PX3D allows one to take “fascinatingly realistic” 3D photos that can be viewed without the use of special glasses. Apart from that, precious little information has been released on the camera so far. Visitors to the trade show will, however, be able to see it with their own eyes at Stand D-010 in Hall 2.1.

Website: Minox press release in German

The Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC is a bright wide-angle lens for manual-focus enthusiasts. Constructed of 12 optical elements arranged in 10 groups (including one aspherical and two highly refractive elements), the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC uses a system of floating lens elements in order to preserve high image quality even at the lens’ close focus point of 30cm. The new 35mm lens from Samyang will be available in Canon EF, Four Thirds, Nikon F, Pentax, Samsung NX and Sony fit. The price has not yet been revealed.