Delux Gear announced the Lens Cradle, an accessory that features secure, horizontal lens support providing comfort to the photographer and protection to the gear. Offering a variety of mounting options, the Lens Cradle is fitted with a universal, dual mounting platform for use with any camera and lens with a tripod collar.  Made of a durable, polycarbonate and autograde ABS blend, it supports the heaviest lens, yet remains lightweight and easy-to-use. Retail price for the Lens Cradle is $39.99. A Combo Pack of the Lens Cradle and 4-point Expedition neoprene camera strap is $54.99.

PictoColor has released the Windows version of the iCorrect Portrait 2.0 plug-in for Adobe Photoshop CS5. Based on PictoColor’s point-and-click color correction technology, iCorrect Portrait 2.0 offers professional portrait, wedding, school, sport, and event photographers a fast and easy way to color correct their digital photos. The newest version offers full compatibility with the Adobe Photoshop CS5 in both 32 and 64-bit Windows environments, while remaining compatible with CS2, CS3 and CS4 too. iCorrect Portrait 2.0 may be purchased at PictoColor’s secure on-line store for $124.95 as a software download.

Website: PictoColor

Kubota Image Tools has announced details of the 20th iteration of its Digital Photography Bootcamp and launched an entirely new event to precede Bootcamp, called, SummitUp 2010.  The two events will run consecutively starting on 6th November 6 through 14th November 2010. The Digital Photography Bootcamp helps professional photographers refine their digital photography skill set and marry those key techniques with a core understanding of how to run a successful photography business, while SummitUp is a new, intensive two-day event during which some of the industry’s most business-savvy photographers will lead a curriculum for photographers to investigate technical and creative techniques, and learn new business-driving tactics. The Digital Photography Bootcamp will take place from 7th to 13th November at the Five Pine Lodge in Sisters, Oregon. Tuition, including all meals and lodging, is $3,200 for those that register before 1 September. SummitUp 2010 is scheduled for November 6-7, 2010, immediately preceding the Bootcamp and will also be held in Oregon. Reservations are available for $329.

“A Day in the Life of the Beatles” is a collection of mostly unpublished photographs - a record of one extraordinary day that photographer Don McCullin spent with the Beatles. In September 1968 McCullin, whom the Beatles admired for his war photojournalism, was personally invited to photograph the band in locations ranging from Paul McCartney’s garden to the banks of the Thames. The photos presented in this collection have been culled from twenty rolls of black-and-white film taken over the course of a single afternoon. “A Day in the Life of the Beatles” will be released in December priced at $24.95.

Previously unseen photographs from Nadav Kander’s journeys along the course of China’s Yangtze River will go on display at Flowers from 14 October 2010 to coincide with the publication of a monograph comprising the complete series. “The river is embedded in the consciousness of the Chinese, even those separated from it by thousands of miles,” the organisers say. “It plays a pivotal role in both the spiritual and physical life of the nation.” The exhibition coincides with the publication of a comprehensive monograph introduced by Kofi A. Annan and published by Hatje Cantz. Kofi A. Annan presented Kander with the 2009 Prix Pictet photographic award in sustainability for a selection of photographs from ‘Yangtze – The Long River’.

Epson today launched the Stylus Photo PX820FWD wireless All-In-One (AIO) device. The PX820FWD has a 19.8cm smart-navigation touch-panel with integrated touch-screen that puts all its functionality at the user’s fingertips and enables photos to be printed quickly and directly from memory cards and PictBridge-enabled cameras. Offering integrated wireless and Ethernet connectivity for shared printing, scanning and faxing, the Epson Stylus Photo PX820FWD can print a 10x15cm photo in ten seconds. Available from September, the PX820FWD is priced at £299.99.

ShutterSnitch is an app allows users of Eye-Fi cards to transfer photos from their Eye-Fi compatible cameras to an iPad. Apart from the app,, card, compatible camera and iPad, the solution also requires a mobile wireless router to create an ad-hoc network between the WiFi-enabled Eye-Fi card and the iPad. This allows photographers to pass the iPad to models, the crew, art directors etc. to discuss the photos and make any necessary changes to set up on the spot. Once all parties are happy, photos can also be emailed using the iPad’s mail app, exported to Flickr, an FTP server, or edited by exporting to other photography apps. ShutterSnitch is available in the AppStore priced at £4.99.

The Olympus FE-4050 is a 12-megapixel digital camera with a 27-108mm equivalent zoom lens and six Magic Filters. These include Drawing, Fisheye, Pinhole, Pop, Punk and Soft Focus. Other highlights include Face Detection AF, iAUTO scene recognition system, USB battery charging, AF Tracking, SD/SDHC card support and a range of scene modes. In Japan, the Olympus FE-4050 will go on sale before the end of this month, whereas in Europe it will be available from September.

The Olympus FE-5050 is a 14-megapixel compact camera featuring a 26-130mm equivalent zoom lens and six Magic Filters. Two of these - Punk and Soft Focus - are new, otherwise the camera is nearly identical to the FE-5030 we recently reviewed, with a 14-megapixel CCD imager, 5x optical zoom, TruePicIII image processor, on-board user guide and SD/SDHC support (albeit no mechanical image stabilisation). Olympus also announced the Olympus FE-5040, which is essentially the same camera with a 12-megapixel sensor. The Olympus FE-5040/5050 will go on sale later this month in Japan, and from September in Europe.

The Olympus µ [mju] 7050 is a new, 14-megapixel digital compact camera with 7x optical zoom, HD video recording and six Magic Filters. A successor to the mju 7040, the new mju 7050 gains the ability to apply four of its Magic Filters - Drawing, Pinhole, Pop and Punk/Rock - to movies. Punk/Rock and Soft Focus (the latter of which is only available for stills) are new, inasmuch as they were not available on the mju 7040, though Soft Focus had made its debut already as one of the “Art Filters” available on some of the manufacturer’s interchangeable-lens cameras. Apart from these novelties the Olympus mju 7050 appears almost identical to the mju 7040 (read review). It is scheduled to go on sale in Japan from late August.

The new ‘Portrait Classroom: Baby and Child Photography Tutorials’ App by Kim Binfield teaches camera owners how to take portraits of babies and children like a professional photographer. Available now from the iTunes App Store, priced at $1.99, ‘Portrait Classroom’ expertly describes from start to finish how to create portraits of babies and children. Ten example portraits with detailed tutorial text and ‘before and after’ images describe how users can create similar portraits using their own digital SLR camera.

A UK-based company called Earth’s Beauty Tours has announced a photo tour to the Greek islad of Mykonos. “The landscape of Mykonos with its granite rocks, picturesque windmills and whitewashed houses with blue doors and windows, its merciless sunlight in contrast with the deep-blue sea is interspersed with many chapels,” the organisers say. The tour will take place from 1st - 8th of July 2011 and participants will be guided by Greek born and Scotland-based pro photographer Dimitri Vasiliou. For more information about this tour visit the website below.

Website: Earth’s Beauty Tours

The Rollei DF-S 120 SE film scanner is the smaller brother of the DF-S 190 SE, also announced today. The resolution of its 5-megapixel area-array sensor is broadly equivalent to that of a traditional 1800dpi film scanner, but its speed is much higher. Equipped with a fixed-focus lens and a 2.4-inch colour TFT LCD screen, the Rollei DF-S 120 SE will be available from the end of August 2010, priced at €99.95.

The Rollei DF-S 190 SE is a new film scanner with a 9-megapixel area-array sensor and a 2.4” display. In addition to colour negatives and loose slides, the Rollei DF-S 190 SE can also scan framed slides. Thanks to its special scanning tray, it can digitise up to 20 slides per minute. The digitised photos can be saved on an SD memory card or USB flash drive, or transferred directly to a PC or Mac. Available from the end of August 2010 via specialist retailers, the Rollei DF-S 190 SE is priced at €149.95.

Canon today launched the Canon EOS 7DSV (Studio Version) digital SLR camera, which features four levels of “locking” camera controls for studio environments. The Canon EOS 7D Studio Version allows administrators to disable unwanted features and settings thus providing professional studio operators the comfort of knowing the end result will be both reliable and repeatable. Custom functionality management is also achieved through each level by unlocking individual features according to operator-specific needs. This complete level of control is guarded by a daily password preventing anyone with a different vision from changing the camera settings and disrupting the overall project and workflow. Additionally, the manufacturer has also introduced a Canon Barcode Solution, which links customer data directly with the image file so that it can be maintained throughout the entire workflow process. The Canon Barcode Solution involves scanning a barcode with an optional barcode reader for easy identification when reviewing the completed work. The new EOS 7DSV Barcode Kit will carry an estimated selling price of $ $2599. The body only version will be available for $1829.

Canon today added two wireless All-In-One (AIO) devices with Intelligent Touch System to its Pixma range. The new Intelligent Touch System promises easier and quicker menu navigation thanks to capacitive touch technology which picks up on electricity in the users body when a finger glides across the touch surface. The Canon Pixma MG8120 ($299.99, pictured) offers a built-in Film Adapter Unit and boasts improved photo printing times, while the more affordable ($199.99) MG6120 is almost the same thing sans the film adapter. Both the Pixma MG6120 and the Pixma MG8120 feature the recently upgraded versions of Auto Photo Fix II, Easy-PhotoPrint EX and Easy-WebPrint EX technologies and both are are 802.11n Wi-Fi certified.

In September, leading East London photographic gallery theprintspace will open its doors for SoShowMe, an exhibition showcasing a range of fascinating photography compiled through monthly Facebook competitions and a Flickr group. All the photographs have been chosen by acclaimed photographer and photojournalist judges, over the last year. theprintspace’s Max Munton said, “Social media has provided a great way for the sharing and discussion of photography, provoking passionate live debate and opinion. theprintspace gallery replicates that online network with its unique environment for photography and art lovers to meet.” SoShowMe opens on Thursday, 2nd September at 7pm and continues from 3rd-15th September, Monday-Friday 9am-7pm. Admission is free.

Tamrac has announced its new Evolution Series – featuring two fast access backpacks and a messenger bag (pictured) that converts from a camera bag to a briefcase. The roomy inside of the Tamrac Evolution 4 messenger bag accommodates a DSLR with a lens attached, a flash and 2 to 3 additional lenses, all protected inside a foam-padded compartment called the “shuttle”, which features adjustable, foam-padded dividers. To convert the camera bag into a briefcase, simply remove the shuttle from the bag using the handles. The Tamrac Evolution 6 and 8 backpacks sport a unique harness system which allows them to be carried as a backpack, a sling pack over the right shoulder or a sling pack over the left shoulder.

ViewNX 2 is a comprehensive new version of Nikon’s bundled software package that enables users to easily import, browse, edit and share images and D-movies captured with its digital cameras. In addition to basic data importing and browsing, ViewNX 2 incorporates various frequently used adjust menus and tools such as resize, brightness control, crop and straighten, as well as sophisticated raw image processing and D-movie editing functions. The software allows you to trim and then merge D-movie clips together, apply a variety of attractive transition effects with the addition of still images and soundtracks of music. The free Nikon ViewNX 2 software can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: ViewNX 2