Skyclock Lite is a free app for the Apple iPhone that shows, on an analogue clock face, twilight times, in addition to the sunrise, sunset for any location on any day - a useful resource for landscapists and other “magic hour” photographers. “Skyclock helps you plan your activity by letting you know (easily) when sunrise/sunset is, but more importantly, how much light is available before sunrise, and after sunset,” says Skyclock developer Rob Baxtresser. Skyclock Lite can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store.

Epson will be launching three additions to its professional printing range on Stand B13 in Hall 2.2 at Photokina this year. The printers will join Epson’s existing professional printer line-up that will be showcased through a variety of demonstrations during the exhibition. Epson will draw from its relationships with high profile nature photography initiatives; ‘Red Sea 2010: World of Underwater Images’ and ‘Wild Wonders of Europe’, by printing selected photos using Epson large format and professional photo printers. Epson will also support the Photo Industry Association in its world record attempt to construct the world’s largest globe created from photographic images, which will take place during the show.

Idan Shechter of DigitalPhotographyWriter has just posted two concept images of what Canon’s EVIL camera might look like, should the Japanese giant decide on launching one in the first place. “I have decided to become a concept design artist for one day, in order to try my photo editing software skills, and see what I can come up with,” Idan says. “I have tried to come up with a unique concept design that is based on current Canon DSLR models.” While we have no idea if / when Canon plans to enter the compact interchangeable-lens camera market, we have enjoyed reading about Idan’s efforts and seeing the results.

Website: DigitalPhotographyWriter

Innova Art promises to offer “truly astounding adventures in image making” at this year’s Photokina. Highlights on the Innova Art stand (C31, Hall 6.1) include an exhibition of Josh Cole’s ‘Physical Graffiti’ portfolio, demonstrations of the company’s Jetmaster Display System as well as its Décor Art ES papers and IFA-36 Photo Canvas Ultra Gloss media, and more. Innova Art will also feature in the “See me, feel me, print me”exhibition in Hall 2.2, which will be showcasing various inkjet paper manufacturers papers. This special exhibition encourages visitors to compare and contrast image output on a range of digital fine art papers, including papers from Innova Art where visitors will be encouraged to scrutinise the products of nine specialist paper manufacturers and even to try them out via the on-site printshop.

SnagFilms is now featuring for free, instant online streaming, “Shooting Robert King”, a film about a Tennesse-based war photographer that has previously only been available to select film festival audiences. King has spent the last fifteen years of his life in conflict zones such as Bosnia, Chechnya and Iraq, and the makers of the documentary say that he is “a uniquely fascinating figure to study as he grows and evolves in so many ways over the course of his journeys”. Recommended for photography and war buffs alike, “Shooting Robert King” can be viewed online at the website below.

Website: Shooting Robert King

Ten years ago Rick Norsigian, a painter for the Fresno school district, bought a set of 65 large-format glass negatives at a garage sale for $45. Experts now say the collection is worth $200 million, as the photographs turned out to have been taken by none else than Ansel Adams himself. A team of art and forensic experts conducted an exhaustive examination to determine the origin of the photographs and concluded that the negatives are early works of the virtuoso landscape photographer, most probably taken between 1919 and the early 1930s. The final report for the investigation was released at a press conference held yesterday in a Beverly Hills gallery. However, the dispute is far from being settled, as a recently published AOL News article quotes Adams’ grandson as saying, “I think it’s irresponsible to claim that they’re Ansel’s… We think it’s a very significant claim and we think it’s not accurate”.

The Samsung ST80 is a new Wi-Fi enabled, 14.2 megapixel point and shoot camera. The ST80 supports Wi-Fi and Samsung’s AllShare (DNLA) connectivity, as well as offering a 3 inch wide touch-screen LCD, 3x optical zoom, and 720p HD video recording. The Samsung ST80 will be available in September for $249.99 / £199.99.

The Samsung HMX-E10 is a new point-and-shoot camcorder offering full-HD resolution, 8 megapixel still images and a 270-degree swiveling lens. The HMX-E10’s swiveling lens also brings a new sense of fun to recording video, and gives users the ability to step out from behind the camcorder and put themselves in the frame with their friends and family. The built-in USB port connects the HMX E10 directly to any computer, and can also be used to charge the battery. The Samsung HMX-E10 will be available in September for $199.99.

Timed to coincide with the announcement of the world’s first 3D consumer camcorder, Panasonic has also unveiled its plans to release an interchangeable 3D lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. This compact twin lens features two optical systems installed within the diameter of the lens mount, creating stereo images from the left and right lenses that are then processed with a 3D image processing system. Panasonic plans to release this new lens for sale before the end of the year.

Panasonic has announced the world’s first 3D consumer camcorder. The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 includes a 3D conversion lens that enables the camcorder to shoot true-to-life 3D video content. In addition to shooting 3D, the SDT750 can record full 1080p High Definition in AVCHD, when the 3D conversion lens is not attached, and boasts features such as a 3MOS system, a Leica Dicomar lens and 12x optical zoom. Note that in order to properly view 3D content produced by the camera, you will also need a TV that is capable of side-by-side method 3D playback, 3D Eyewear, and HDMI cable connection. The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 will be available in October 2010 with a suggested retail price of $1,399.95.

Update: We’ve added some real-life close-up shots of the HDC-SDT750 to the image gallery - click through to see them…

Panasonic has introduced the Panasonic HM-TA1, a new Full HD mobile video camera with pocket-sized dimensions. The Panasonic TA1 features an integrated USB terminal and software that allows for easy PC connection and uploading videos to online sharing sites such as YouTube and Facebook. Beyond its HD video-capturing capabilities, the TA1 can also double as a Web camera and microphone, working with IP-based video chat programs such as Skype, by simply connecting the video camera to a computer. Finally, the TA1 also supports the Apple iFrame video format (960x540/30p), which is quick to import and easy to edit on a Mac. The Panasonic HM-TA1 will be available in August with a suggested retail price of $169.95.

Update: We’ve added some real-life close-up shots of the HM-TA1 to the image gallery - click through to see them…

Sigma has released an APS-C lens hood adapter for use on the Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 DG OS HSM telezoom, nicknamed the “Bigma”. This hood adapter extends the length of the lens hood and provides more effective shading when used with digital cameras with an APS-C size image sensor. As of July 2010, the HA1030-01 adapter will be supplied with all APO 50-500mm DG OS HSM lenses. For UK customers who have already purchased the lens, the hood adapter will be available free of charge through Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd. Note that this applies to the “OS HSM” version of the lens.

Pentax has issued a firmware update for the Pentax K-7 DSLR camera. Version 1.10 adds a movie editing function that enables users to split up video clips into multiple segments and erase unwanted segments from a movie, improves autofocus speed, enables Live View AF via a half-press of the shutter release, adds an electronic level indicator to the monitor display and a Reversal Film mode to the Custom Image options, and enables the camera to display both the electronic level indicator and the exposure indicator at the same time in M and X modes.

Website: Pentax K-7 Firmware

Jalbum has updated its iPhone app to include multi-selection of photos, simplifying the picture upload process. So far uploading photos from the iPhone, to any photo service, has been a repetitive task. Users have needed to select one photo at a time. This update to the Jalbum app cuts the time and effort of making a web album to a bare minimum. “Jalbums photo sharing service is primarily based on collections of photos, rather than individual photos. That is why we wanted to make uploading multiple photos in one go an easy task.” says lead developer Daniel Plamann. Jalbum for iPhone is a free download from the App Store.

Hasselblad will present the winning images of the 2009 Hasselblad Masters contest at Photokina 2010. “These images immediately knocked me out in so many ways: through their creative originality, passionate execution and technical perfection”, says Christian Nørgaard, Photographer Relations Manager at Hasselblad. “During the Masters competition, the ten winners prevailed despite a strong challenge from almost 3,000 photographers from all over the world.” The works will be on show in the Visual Gallery in Hall 1 at Photokina. If you like what you see there, you can also buy the book, “Hasselblad Masters Vol. 2 – Emotion”. This 240-page illustrated book published by the renowned teNeues Publishing Group will be unveiled on Tuesday, 21 September.

Sony has introduced three new Alpha A-Mount lenses - the Distagon T* 24mm F2,  DT 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 SAM. The Distagon T* 24mm F2 ZA SSM (SAL24F20Z) is a wide-angle lens for full-frame cameras, or offers a focal range of 36mm on APS-C bodies. The DT 35mm F1.8 SAM (SAL35F18) and the 85mm F2.8 SAM (SAL85F28) are new affordable ‘Easy Choice’ lenses, with the 85mm lens compatible with both full-frame and APS-C cameras. The Distagon T* 24mm F2 will be available in September for €1,250 / £1,100, the 85mm F2.8 SAM for €250 / £220, and the DT 35mm F1.8 in October for €200 / £175. There’s no news yet on US availability.

A group of young Hungarians, sponsored by industry big-shots Epson, Microsoft and Sony, have created the world’s highest-resolution 360° panoramic photograph to date. Shot from a 100-year-old observation tower built on the highest point of Budapest, the stitched panorama is over 590,000 pixels wide by nearly 121,000 pixels tall. In order to take the necessary number of photos in the least amount of time, the creators of the record-breaking image mounted a pair of Sony A900 bodies - each outfitted with a Minolta AF 400mm f/4.5 APO G lens and 1.4x teleconverter - on a sturdy stand complete with a custom-designed robotic head. Even with this setup, the image capturing stage of the project took over three hours to complete. The source images were then stitched with Autopano Giga software on a Dell Precision T7500 Workstation with 2 quad-core Intel Xeon processors, 24 gigabytes of RAM and 6 terabytes of storage capacity. The stitching process took two full days and resulted in a 200GB KRO file, which had to be converted into PPM format and split into three parts for retouching in Photoshop..The final panorama can be viewed at the website below.

Website: 70 Billion Pixels - Budapest (make sure to have the latest version of Silverlight installed)

Apple today unveiled a 27-inch LED Cinema Display with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. Featuring a built-in iSight video camera, microphone and speakers, powered USB 2.0 hub, and universal MagSafe connector, the new LED Cinema Display includes an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the display brightness based on external lighting conditions. Available from september through the Apple Store, the 27-inch LED Cinema Display has a suggested retail price of $999.

Apple’s new Mac Pro line promises up to 50 percent greater performance than the previous generation. Featuring the latest quad-core and 6-core Intel Xeon processors, all-new ATI graphics and the option for up to four 512GB solid state drives, the new Mac Pro is the most powerful and configurable Mac ever made, the company says. The quad-core version will cost £1999, the 8-core configuration will be available for £2799, while configure-to-order options include 12-core versions using 2.66GHz and 2.93GHz Intel Xeon processors. Availability is slated for August.