Getty Images has just launched a new online Artist Digital Toolbox for its contributors. The toolbox was created exclusively for Getty Images’ contributors following their requests for tools, apps, logos and web banners they could use to help steer traffic to their images from their websites, Flickr accounts, blogs and social media channels. Getty Images is also launching the Contributor Affiliate Programme, offering contributors the opportunity to earn commission as a result of directing traffic from their personal websites and social media channels to GettyImages.com which then results in purchases. Contributors can sign up to the programme quickly online and can then earn 15% commission for new users or 7% for existing Getty Images customers on all sales.

FotoWeek DC, the premier photography festival in Washington, DC, is reminding interested photographers that the submission deadline of the FotoWeek DC 2010 International Awards Competition is 20 September. Images are judged in 12 different categories, with cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each category. There is also the Spirit of Washington Award, which honours the photograph that best captures the essence of the US capital and includes a top prize of $5,000. The competition is open to all photographers, both amateurs and professionals. Entry fees apply.

Website: FotoWeek DC

The sixth annual Cowboys & Indians photography contest is now open for entries. There are five categories, including portrait, landscape, wildlife, action and equine. The subject of each photo - irrespective of which category it falls into - has to have something in common with cowboys, indians or the areas lying west of the Mississippi river. Five category winners will be selected, one for each category. The winning entry and runners-up will be published in the Cowboys & Indians 2011 Photo Essay issue. The 2011 Photo Contest winner will receive $1,000. The winners of each of the five categories will receive $500. The submission deadline is 14 October 2010. As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

The LaCie Minimus (pictured) and LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 are new USB 3.0 hard drives for your desktop or pocket that are claimed to be the world’s smallest in their class. The Minimus is a 1TB/2TB desktop hard drive that measures 110.7x29.4x172.8mm and weighs in at 850 grams. The LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 is a mobile hard drive with a tough aluminium casing and a light weight of just 176 grams, available in 500GB and 1TB capacities. Both new devices are theoretically capable of delivering industry-leading 5Gb/s transfer speeds, and both are backwards compatible with the USB 2.0 standard. Pricing for the LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 starts at £89 for the 500GB model, while the LaCie Minimus is available in 1TB/2TB capacities starting at £109.

The 39-megapixel Achromatic+ monochromatic digital back is in the focus of Phase One’s latest newsletter. While not exactly a new product, the Phase One Achromatic+ still counts as a rather unique offering: with no colour filter array, its sensor records 39 true megapixels of pure black-and-white data, with no interpolation of any sort. The range of sensitivity with the Achromatic+ back extends beyond the visible spectrum into the infrared wavelengths in a single product. Filters are used to limit the Achromatic+ back to specific bandwidths required for scientific study and process control. Interested readers can sign up for a camera demo via the Phase One website.

At Photokina 2010 in Hall 4.2 / Booth C-028 Sinar will introduce the Sinar eVolution86 H, a new high-resolution multishot digital back with 48.8 megapixels. In the 4-shot mode, the CCD sensor’s pixel matrix is shifted three times laterally or vertically by exactly one pixel width from one exposure to the next, so that every image point is covered by every primary colour (red, green and blue), with no need for Bayer interpolation. Like several other Sinar backs, the eVolution86 H features a unique adapter concept. With only a few flicks of the hand, these adapters easily allow the Sinar eVolution86 HY back to be mounted on almost any desired camera platform. Sinar offers adapters for Sinar p3, Sinar Hy6, Mamiya RZ 67, RB 67, 645 AFD Pro, Fuji GX 680, Contax 645, Hasselblad V and H. Due to ship in October 2010, the new multishot back is priced at CHF 24,800.

Nikon has posted a number of sample images taken with the new Coolpix P7000 premium compact. Two of these - a portrait and a landscape - are full-resolution, 10-megapixel images taken at ISO 200 and ISO 100, respectively. The portrait was shot as a JPEG, while the landscape photo was captured in raw mode and converted from NRW to JPEG for Web display and download.

Website: Official Nikon Coolpix P7000 Sample Images

The 10-megapixel Nikon P7000 is a premium compact with 7.1x optical zoom, Vibration Reduction (VR), manual exposure control and a 3-inch, 920,000-dot LCD screen. The 28-200mm equivalent f/2.8-5.6 zoom lens is constructed of 11 elements arranged in 9 groups, including two ED and four aspherical lens elements plus a built-in neutral density filter. A sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 3200 (expandable to ISO 6400), a variety of bracketing options, D-Lighting and a Virtual Horizon are all on board to expand the possibilities of the camera. Raw support is provided in the form of NRW+ raw files, which are compatible with Nikkon’s bundled ViewNX 2 software as well as the separately sold Nikon Capture NX2 program. Still image capture is complemented by an HD video recording option (720p/24fps) with stereo sound. The Nikon Coolpix P7000 will hit the shops on 23 September, at a price of £489.99 / €580.00 / $499.95.

Update: We have just added a gallery of large product images supplied by Nikon Europe.

The Nikon Coolpix S80 is a 14-megapixel digital compact camera that combines ultra-slim, elegant design with easy-to-use touch-screen functionality and HD movie recording. Its multi-touch, Organic LED (OLED) screen allows you to focus and take a picture or video simply by touching the relevant area on the screen, and makes on-camera retouching simple. The 5x zoom lens has a 35mm equivalent focal range of 35-175mm and features Vibration Reduction (VR). Nikon’s Smart Portrait System, Motion Detection technology, Best Shot Selector, D-lighting and Scene Auto Selector are all on board to help you take better pictures. In addition to shooting stills, the Nikon Coolpix S80 can also capture 720p HD videos with stereo sound at a frame rate of 30 frames per second, and allows you to use the zoom while filming. The recommended retail price of the Nikon Coolpix S80 is £329.99 / €391.00 / $329.95, and availability is slated for 7 October.

Nikon USA has just announced the 12-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S8100, 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 when taking handheld shots. In the US, the Nikon Coolpix S8100 will hit the shelves late September 2010 for $299.95 MSRP, but will not be available in Europe.

From the 4th quarter of 2010, the Zeiss Compact Prime CP.2 cine lenses will be available for F-mount cameras. Developed primarily for shooting with video-enabled digital SLR cameras, the CP.2 lenses have a compact and robust build so that they can handle any demand on the film set. Carl Zeiss also announced that it will soon also be offering the Compact Prime CP.2 lenses with Micro 4/3 and A-mount.

The Digital Imaging Websites Associtation (DIWA) has two new members. These include Norwegian website Akam.no and Portuguese portal Fotodigital-online.com, which is an online extension of an established printed magazine. Akam.no was formed through a merger between Digitalkamera.no and Videokamera.no, and is today the largest digital imaging website in Norway. Fotodigital started out as a monthly print magazine in 2008, and moved online in 2008.

Lastolite today launched its new TriFlash Sync shoe lock bracket, which features a built in sync system allowing the photographer to fire up to three flash guns from one triggering device. Featuring a built-in slave cell, the Lastolite TriFlash Sync can be adjusted to allow for none, 1, 2 or 3 pre flashes if required. Included with the TriFlash Sync are a 3.5mm to 3.5mm mono jack cable and a 3.5mm mono jack to PC Sync cable to attach third party triggering systems. A dummy cold shoe is also included to allow photographers who work with one or two guns to slide their trigger receiver (i.e. Pocket Wizard) onto one of the spare shoe mounts. Compatible with most flashguns - except those made by Minolta and Sony -, the Lastolite TriFlash Sync is available now priced at £100.

Rollei is presenting a new product family in the digital picture frame category with its ‘Pictureline’ range at the IFA and Photokina 2010 trade shows. With a screen measuring 15 inches diagonally, Rollei’s Pictureline 3150 (€149.95, pictured) is the largest digital picture frame in the new product range. Designed to be wall mounted, the Rollei Pictureline 3150 boasts a resolution of 1024x768 pixels and an aspect ratio of 4:3. Its Auto Slideshow function enables the frame to start displaying a slideshow immediately after a memory card (CF/MS/SD/XD) is inserted. Its smaller brother the Rollei Pictureline 3104 (€79.95) has a 10.4-inch display with a resolution of 640x480 pixels and comes with a swivelling stand plus a remote control. Both models support video playback. The 7-inch Rollei Pictureline 3070 and Pictureline 3071 digital frames round off the new product range, offering a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 480x234 pixels. These slim design picture frames will be available from early-October 2010 at a price of € 39.95 each in black and white colours.

Rollei’s new Designline digital photo frames double as E-book readers, and offer extended functionality including music and video playback. The Designline 3106 (€149.95) has a 10.4-inch screen and features Wi-Fi connectivity for e-mailing pictures and listening to Internet radio stations. A particularly convenient feature is the special battery docking station, which also doubles as the frame’s stand. The ultra-slim frame offers a resolution of 800x600 pixels.The Rollei Designline 3085 (also €149.95, pictured) offers the same resolution on a 8-inch screen, and comes equipped with stereo loudspeakers and touch-key controls. The portable Designline 3086 (again €149.95) has a similar display and closely resembles an E-book reader. This portable picture frame plays slide shows in different speeds and with ten different picture transition effects. Last but not least the Rollei Designline 3080 (€69.95) is a stylish black frame with an 8-inch display that has a battery which lasts for up to five hours.

The SD Association announced today it has defined a new, dual-row pin memory card design achieving bus interface speeds of up to 300 megabytes per second for SDXC and SDHC devices and memory cards. New high speed interface signals will be assigned on the second row of pins of select SDXC and SDHC memory cards offering the new speed. This option will be available in both full-size and micro form factors and does not change the physical size or shape of the cards. This design will be part of the forthcoming SD 4.0 specification, expected in early 2011.

The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) is celebrating the centenary of infrared imaging with a small international exhibition of infrared photographs and thermograms. Running from 1st through 28th October, ‘Infrared 100’ represents the work of photographers including renowned artists Abe Frajndlich, Elliott Landy and Simon Marsden, as well as Society members including Tim Rudman, Clive Haynes and Alan Lewis. The opening hours are 9.30am – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday; admission is free.

Canon will be present at IBC 2010 with a larger, redesigned stand and a range of professional imaging products. Canon has invested in a 220m² stand and additional space in the Production Village area. The stand highlights will include the newly launched XF100 camcorder, the EOS 7D and the XEED HD Theatre. The HD theatre will present showreel footage from Canon products, with projections in both 2D and 3D. Additionally, Canon will also display a 3D shooting rig using two newly-announced XF105 camcorders. IBC 2010 will take place in Amsterdam from 9th to 14th September.

Website: IBC