Olympus America has just launched the Olympus Store, a new e-commerce website that helps consumers find the right product by giving them access to knowledgeable customer care representatives. Features of the new e-commerce site include an account dashboard to keep track of multiple orders and view past order history, a product finder and a wish list that enables visitors to choose and highlight their ideal Olympus presents. The Olympus Store is found at the website below.

Website:: Olympus Store

The Underwater Photography Guide (UWPG) is now accepting entries for the first annual Ocean Art Photography Competition. The contest has 11 categories, including a Novice DSLR category, and 3 compact camera categories – giving underwater photographers of all levels a chance to win a prize. Unique categories include Supermacro, Nudibranchs, and Divers / Fashion – a category that will allow pool shots. There are over $63,000 worth of prizes including over 25 live-aboard and scuba diving resort packages, dive equipment and more. Grand prizes include 12 days on the Arenui boutique live-aboard, 9 days on the Solmar V, and 18 nights in Papua New Guinea including a stay on the Febrina. The submission deadline is 14 November 2010. As always we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Website: UWPG Ocean Art Photography Competition 2010

Duckrabbit Digital has announced the winners of its inaugural Portfolio Project contest, naming ten photographers from across the U.S.A. the best of a large submission pool. Duckrabbit Digital is an artisan black-and-white printer, providing high-quality prints to photographers and artists from all over the world. The 2010 Portfolio Project was the first in what the printer plans to be an annual series of competitions meant to encourage the creation and visibility of black-and-white art. The call for artists produced an unexpectedly large response, with submitting artists from almost every US state, as well as from Canada and Europe. The ten winners include Erin Goldberger (for “South of France” - reproduced above), Craig Blankenhorn, Lucas Cotterman, Vivienne Maricevic, Guillermo Martin, Michael Knapstein, Allan Ayres, Yu-Chen Chiu, Arlo Valera and Danielle Baudassi. You will be able to buy limited-edition prints of the ten winning works via Duckrabbit Digital’s website in the coming weeks (the photo above can already be ordered).

iStockphoto today unveiled a redesigned version of its website. The new site offers a clean, contemporary look and feel, and reflects more than a year of customer-focused usability research and design, the company says. A revised navigation scheme, with a renewed focus on the customer, divides the site into three distinct segments: shop, participate and help. Also, the work of exclusive contributors will be more prominently featured throughout the site via large “hero images”. To celebrate the relaunch, iStockphoto is offering its members 25% off all credit-pack purchases throughout this week.

The Plustek SmartPhoto P60 is a compact and easy-to-use photo scanner designed to digitise 4x6-inch prints quickly and effortlessly. This 600dpi scanner offers one-button operation and scanning times as low as 18 seconds per print (at 100dpi). Compatible with both Macs and PCs, the Plustek SmartPhoto P60 photo scanner draws power from the computer via USB, alleviating the need for an extra mains socket. Measuring 2.3“x6.9"x1.5” and weighing approximately 0.4lbs, the Smart Photo P60 is available now from Plustek itself.

US camcorder manufacturer DXG has announced that select styles of its high-definition, affordable pocket camcorders are now available to Canadian consumers. DXG’s high-fashion Luxe Collection line of HD camcorders is the first DXG product range being sold in Canada through The Shopping Channel, with additional camcorder models and Canadian retailers to be announced in the coming months. All Luxe products record video in high definition (720p), take up to 8-megapixel still photos, capture up to 8 hours of video on a 16GB card (sold separately), and feature a 3-inch LCD screen on a slim1½-inches-thick casing. The camcorders also ship with a matching clutch case, HDMI cable, AV/USB cable, and video editing software. Each camcorder in the DXG Luxe range is priced at $139.38 according to the manufacturer.

Corel has released a free Service Pack for CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5. Service Pack 1 (SP1) includes new functionality to Corel CONNECT that enables users to instantly browse millions of free and for purchase stock images on leading online photo sites including Fotolia and iStockphoto from within the CorelDRAW creative environment. The update also extends file import support for the latest Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Illustrator CS5 formats as well as raw support for new Canon, Casio, Pentax, Fuji and Sony models. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Service Pack 1 is available as a free download from Corel’s website.

Daemgen.net has recently released version 2.8 of ProCamera. The app has been modified to support all features of the iPhone 4 smartphone (switching cameras, using the LED flash) and to use multitasking features of the iOS 4 software update. Furthermore, ProCamera is ready to take a snapshot the second you open the app, upgrading the iPhone to the fastest point-and-shoot camera available, the developer claims. The ProCamera iPhone application is available in the App Store priced at $2.99.

Trailblazer Media has announced the launch of the “Photography Trainer” app for iPhone and Android. Photography Trainer is designed to teach photographers how to operate their D-SLRs when they’re out with their cameras and taking pictures. The app is an interactive step-by-step guide on how to set the camera to capture photos with impact – users tell it the type of subject being photographed and the lighting they’re in, and the app guides them on how to set items like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focus and so on. In other words it helps users get out of “Auto Mode” to allow for more creative photography.Photography Trainer is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android devices for $0.99 by searching on “Photography Trainer” in the App Store or Android Market.

Uma Paro, Como Hotels’ Bhutanese retreat, is offering the chance to explore the Kingdom of Bhutan, camera in hand, guided by experienced Bhutanese photographer Ugyen Wangchuk. This seven night trip is an in-depth exploration with guided tours each day visiting different parts of the country taking in two distinctly different valleys, Paro and Punakha. Each day Ugyen will help the group, up to 12 people, discover the culture, villages, temples, wildlife, history and Himalayan scenery that go to make up Bhutan. Taking place from 2-9 November 2010, the photography tour ‘Bhutan Through a Lens’ costs £3,360 per person, including 7 nights in Uma Paro and 2 nights in Kathmandu. The tour is organised by Indian Explorations.

Oregon Scientific has launched the ATC9K All-Terrain Video Camera, a waterproof and shock-resistant Full HD video camera can be strapped to a helmet, handlebars, surfboard or snowboard. A laser pointer also helps users line up the camera, while a built-in G-sensor measures the force of gravity during acceleration, deceleration and hang time. Apart from recording Full High Definition video at up to 60fps, the ATC9K also captures 5-megapixel still photographs.The ATC9K All-Terrain Video Camera is currently available for the suggested retail price of $299.99 at the website below. Through September 30th, ATC fans can also participate in a video competition to win a Grand Prize package valued at $750.

Website: Oregon Scientific

PocketWizard has released firmware updates for the FlexTT5 transceiver and the MiniTT1 transmiter for Canon. ControlTL firmware version 5.1 now offers compatibility with the AC3 ZoneController. This new firmware also adds compatibility with the Canon EOS Rebel T2i, extends compatibility with the EOS 7D and EOS 1D Mark IV, and fixes bugs. In order to update your ControlTL firmware, you first need to download the PocketWizard Utility from the PocketWizard website.

Tether Tools has launched the Tether Table Aero series, a new product line designed to help professional photographers meet their tethered photography needs. The Tether Table Aero, available in various sizes and finish options,  is a unique laptop podium support system designed for photographers who shoot tethered or need a stable work surface available during a photo shoot. The lightweight, versatile table attaches to any studio light stand or tripod. The Tether Table Aero is available for purchase online at TetherTools.com and in select retail locations.

Datacolor has announced a price reduction on select products from its Spyder line of calibration solutions. The company will now offer the SpyderCube colour balancing solution for $49, down from $59; the Spyder3Elite display calibration solution for $229, down from $249; and the Spyder3Studio SR complete colour management system (pictured) for $539, down from $599. In addition to the reduced prices, throughout the month of August Datacolor will be offering a limited time $50.00 mail-in rebate with a purchase of a Spyder3Studio SR made at any participating reseller or online.

Leica has released a firmware update for the Leica M9 digital rangefinder camera. Version 1.138 improves automatic white balance in artificial light coming from energy-saving and traditional incandescent light bulbs and ensures better compatibility with SDHC memory cards. On top of that the new firmware update fixes bugs with user settings, date formats and the Auto Power Off feature.

Website: Leica M9 Downloads

Sigma has announced that its new, optically stabilised APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens, which contains the company’s new “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) lens glass, is now available in the United States. Constructed of 22 elements in 17 groups, the lens has a filter thread size of 77mm and has an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades for smooth bokeh. Two FLD glass elements, which have the performance equal to fluorite glass, and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction of colour aberration, the company says. Supplied with a tripod collar and a petal type lens hood, the Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM weighs in at 1,430 grams and is available in the United States for the MSRP of $2,470.

The LizardQ panoramic camera rig allows you to take 360°x180° HDR panoramic images quickly and effortlessly. Comprising a robotic camera mount, a precision aligned fish-eye lens, an on-board GPS receiver and an optional Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera, the LizardQ device can capture highly detailed panoramas in less than a minute. Processing of the source images - including stitching, exposure blending and tone mapping - is automatic using the included Windows/Mac compatible software, supplied on an USB stick. At the capture stage, the camera takes enough pictures at different exposure settings to produce an output image with a claimed 30 stops of dynamic range, when so desired. The “bare-bone” version of LizardQ - which does not include the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera - costs €22,100; while the complete system - which comes complete with the camera, memory card, tripod, AC adapter, battery and an Apple iPod Touch for remote controlling the device - will set you back €25,440. If these prices are too steep for you, you can also hire the device, with or without an expert operator.

Website: LizardQ

Sanyo has just introduced the Sanyo VPC-CA102YL Dual Camera Xacti, a waterproof Full HD digital video camera that can also take 14-megapixel still photos. Using the widespread MEPG-4/H.264 format to record video, the Sanyo VPC-CA102YL is small enough to be carried in a pocket, backpack, or purse. The camera uses a proprietary “double-range zoom” feature for zoom operation while filming video with 12x zoom available from wide angle to telephoto for capturing distant objects (equivalent to 40mm to 480 mm zoom in a 35mm film camera). In addition, the High-Speed Sequential Shooting mode enables capturing up to 22 photos at 7 frames per second. Waterproof down to a depth of 10 feet, the Sanyo VPC-CA102YL Dual Camera Xacti will be available for purchase later this month with an MSRP of $349.99.