Ricoh has posted a firmware update for the Ricoh GXR system. Version 1.18 resolves an issue with the CA-1 wired remote release, and provides bug fixes for each of the currently available lens modules. Specifically, it cures a problem with the focus limiter of the A12 module,. fixes a bug with the autoexposure lock function of the S10 unit in shutter speed priority mode, and deals with audible noise heard in movies captured by P10 module when the VF-2 electronic viewfinder is attached. You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Ricoh GXR Firmware

Imagine Publishing and Samsung are joining forces to launch the fourth annual Digital Photography of the Year awards. Digital Photographer magazine anticipates record a number of submissions for the competition in 2010, with the overall winner receiving a Samsung NX10, three lenses and a flashgun kit. Six category winners will each receive a Samsung EX1 camera. The six categories include The Big Picture; Strike a Pose; Wild at Heart; Location, Location; Capture the Action and Get Creative. For all the details on how to enter, look out for Digital Photographer issue 98 on sale now throughout the UK, or head online to the website below.

Website: Digital Photographer

Sharp has introduced the VR-100BR1 triple-layer write-once Blu-ray Disc, the world’s first medium that conforms to the BDXL format specification, the new multi-layer recordable Blu-ray Disc format. This specification extends the storage capacity of Blu-ray Discs to 100GB, twice the 50GB storage capacity of existing dual-layer discs. The new Sharp VR-100BR1 expands the range of applications for Blu-ray Discs to include recording and saving long-duration HD videos and HDTV programmes. Availability is slated for 30 July, pricing to be announced. Note that there is no guarantee that this disc will function when used in equipment or PCs not supporting the BDXL format.

New test results for the Sony A330 and Nikon D300s digital SLR cameras have been posted to the DxOMark website. The Nikon D300s has been tested with 21 different lenses, and the Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 with 16. For the results, visit the website below and select Sony A330 or Nikon D300s as brand/model in the corresponding camera filters.

Website: DxOMark - All Tested Lenses

Sony has released an official sample video shot on a Sony Handycam NEX-VG10 large-sensor interchangeable-lens camcorder, announced yesterday. The five-and-a-half-minute sample movie, entitled ‘Beautiful Bali’, was captured using a variety of lenses. You can watch video, which is hosted on Vimeo, after the break.

Canon UK today announced that for the second consecutive year it is to sponsor The Times newspaper’s search for The Times Young Photographer of the Year. Now in its 9th year, the competition seeks to find the UK’s best young photographer. The eventual winner will secure a 6 month placement with The Times newspaper where they will be trained in the skills of a photojournalist.  In addition to the placement the winner will also receive an award-winning EOS 5D Mark II camera body (pictured), EF 24-70 f/2.8 lens, EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens and a Canon 580EX II Speedlite flash. The competition will be launched in The Times on 16th July and will run until 31st August 2010. In order to be able to enter, you need to be between 18 and 26 years of age and a legal resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland.

The LaCie XtremKey is a rugged USB key that offers “industrial-strength” protection for your data. Available in capacities of up to 64GB, the LaCie XtremKey is shielded inside a 2mm metal pipe casing. Sealed with wear-resistant screw threads and a rubber O-ring, it is watertight up to 100 metres. The LaCie XtremKey is also resistant to 5-metre drops, fierce heat (200 °C) and bitter cold (-50 °C). Equipped with the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface, the LaCie XtremKey will be available in August through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, and LaCie Reseller+ starting at £42.99 for the 8GB variant..

Pentax has launched a “Classic Silver” variant of the Pentax Optio I-10 digital compact camera in Japan. The Pentax Optio I-10 is a very distinctive compact camera that looks just like a retro SLR from yesteryear. In addition to its unique styling, the Optio I-10 also offers a 5x zoom lens with a 35mm eqivalent focal range of 28-140mm, 12 megapixels, 2.7-inch LCD screen, triple anti-shake protection, 720p HD movie recording, and wireless remote shooting. The Classic Silver variant will start shipping next month in Japan, but there is no word on international availability.

Website: Press Release (Japanese)

The Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 EX DC OS HSM standard zoom for DSLR cameras with an APS-C sized sensor is now available in the US. This lens has two FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements, plus two glass mold and one hybrid aspherical lens that are claimed to provide excellent correction for all type of aberrations. The Optical Stabiliser (OS) allows you to take longer hand-held exposures than would otherwise be possible, while the inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 particularly suitable for use with the supplied petal-type lens hood and circular polarising filters. The lens is currently available in Canon mounts at all authorised Sigma dealers for the MSRP of $980, and it will be available in Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax mounts in the coming weeks.

The Leaf Capture Remote 2.0 remote viewing application adds native iPad support, a new pause/play functionality, flip-through image browsing, support for the Mamiya RZ33 and all DM series models as well as the iPhone 4’s retina display, and improves image playback at 1:1 viewing. While shooting tethered to a Mac, the new Leaf Capture Remote 2.0 app enables one or more iPad or iPhone devices to act as remote image viewers. Clients can view images from a photo shoot from the comfort of a photographer’s Wi-Fi enabled client room. Assistants can instantly check focus and details even when at a distance from a photographer’s main computer. And stylists can see what the camera sees—all without crowding around the photographer or main computer area. The Leaf Capture Remote 2.0 client app for the iPad/iPhone can be downloaded for free from the Apple iPhone App Store. The Leaf Capture Remote server and all related instructions can be accessed via the website below.

Website: Mamiya Customer Service

The Mamiya DM22, DM28 and DM33 digital backs are now available worldwide, either as standalone products or in a bundle with a Mamiya 645DF body and Capture One software, at “affordable” prices. Do not rush to sell your DSLR just yet though - the term “affordable” is meant relative to other medium-format digital offerings. The Mamiya DM22 bundle, for instance, will retail for $9995/€6995 - some other products in the range cost even more. Meanwhile, the company - which has just turned 70 - has quietly changed its logo too (see image above), although many Mamiya websites around the world still carry the old one.

Hama has unveiled a portable standalone photo scanner that scans prints up to 10x15cm in size, and saves the results on SD cards. The scanning resolution is 300 dots per inch, the colour depth is 24 bits, and the digitised images are saved in JPEG format. The scanner can be connected to a digital frame using the supplied USB cable. The device is available from Hama at an SRP of €77.

Entry for the fourth annual Take a view - Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards closes tomorrow, so now is the time to visit the website and upload your pictures to see if you can win the prestigious title ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year 2010’ and the top prize of £10,000. Unlike many other photographic competitions, ‘Take a view’ celebrates the United Kingdom only, offering photographers worldwide the opportunity to showcase their images of this richly diverse country. Entrants may submit up to 15 photographs of the UK’s landscape across four categories, Classic View, Living the View, Your View and Urban View. There is also a separate class for those under 16, with a chance to win a place on a photographic workshop with awards founder and landscape photographer, Charlie Waite. All entries must be uploaded via the competition website. Please note that entry fees apply.

Website: Take a view

Gary Fong has announced an extension of its Flip-Cage line with the introduction of the Pro-Series designed to accommodate larger point-and-shoot cameras. The Flip-Cage provides protection from accidental drops or general wear and tear and swings out to provide a stable table-top platform that locks a point-and-shoot camera in a vertical or horizontal orientation, enabling the photographer to step out from behind the lens and become part of the shot, or to capture macro photographs. Accommodating cameras up to 3” x 4-1/4” x 1-3/4”, the new Flip-Cage Pro-Series is available for $19.95.

Kubota Image Tools are now offering a new educational format that combines the business value of their Digital Photography Bootcamps with the convenience of an in-home or in-studio setting. The e:CLASS series will be taught by company founder Kevin Kubota (pictured), who promises to bring his unique learning-style to the online-seminars. The first e:CLASS will kick off at 10am PDT on 21 July, and will focus on the new features found in Lightroom 3. The webinar will last 1.5 hours including a 30-minute Q&A session. This e:CLASS costs $39 to attend and includes access to a recorded copy for download, as well as a $20 coupon for any Kubota Image Tools Lightroom products through 2010.

Kubota e:CLASS

Pixelmator 1.6, codenamed “Nucleus”, is a GPU-powered image editing tool for Mac that provides everything needed to create, edit, and enhance still images. Available as a free software update, Pixelmator 1.6 adds major performance improvements, 64-bit support, layer groups, an Import feature, Flickr, Facebook and Picasa support, redesigned transform tools, and more. The overall performance of Pixelmator increased up to 40%; the launch time is now twice as fast and the ability to paint with Pixelmator is four times faster than it was in the previous version. The new Import feature allows quick and easy importing of images directly to Pixelmator from cameras, scanners, and multifunction devices such as camera/phones, printer/ scanners, and such as iPhones and iPads. Pixelmator 1.6 Nucleus is a free update for current Pixelmator users.

Website: Pixelmator

ImTOO has released the ImTOO Video Converter 6, for Windows and Mac, that is able to convert between AVI, MPEG, WMV, DivX, MP4, MPEG-4 AVC, RM, MOV, XviD, 3GP, FLV files and more, with a grand total of 150 formats supported. The new version of ImTOO Total Video Converter also adds video profiles for the iPhone 4 and enables the output of files to iPod, iPhone, or PSP. New features in version 6 include the ability to add subtitles and soundtracks to output video, insert transitional effects between merged videos or picture items, and switch the zoom mode between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. Users can also customize the program’s interface by resizing the built-in player and by choosing from different skins available for the user interface. In addition to the Windows version, ImTOO is also offering Video Converter for Mac that includes the same capabilities and handles the same files, with added support for QuickTime and other Mac supported files. ImTOO’s video converter software is available in Standard, Platinum, and Ultimate editions, each downloadable as a free trial from the company’s website. The price for the full versions starts at $35.95.

Website: ImTOO

The Canon Legria HF M32 is a Full-HD camcorder boasting a touch-sensitive screen and 64GB of internal memory. Featuring a 3.3-megapixel CMOS imager and 18x Advanced Zoom with image stabilisation, it’s also the first Legria model to support SDXC memory cards. Advanced Face Detection Technology identifies up to 35 faces in a frame, ensuring that friends and family remain in focus and well-exposed at all times – an individual face can even be manually selected to track someone moving around. Canon’s Instant AF technology provides the high-speed, pin-point auto-focus required for HD video. Additionally, the Legria offers an easy way for users to share content online. An in-camcorder HD-to-SD conversion tool combines with an Easy Web Upload feature to allow clips to be transferred to YouTube with the minimum of effort. The Canon Legria HF M32 will become available in September 2010. In the U.S.A., the Legria HF M32 is known as the Vixia HF M32 and is expected to sell for $1000.

The Sony Handycam NEX-VG10E is an interchangeable-lens Full-HD camcorder using the Sony E lens mount - the same as the one found on the new Sony NEX digital system cameras - and an APS HD CMOS sensor. The NEX-VG10E comes supplied as standard with an image-stabilised E18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS lens, optimised for video shooting and offering smooth, ultra low-noise autofocus and stepless diaphragm control. Alongside the three currently available E-mount lenses, users of the NEX-VG10E can mount a wide variety of A-mount DSLR optics by using the optional LA-EA1 mount adapter. The Sony NEX-VG10E comes equipped with a 3”, 921,000-dot LCD screen and a 1,152,000-dot electronic viewfinder. Apart from capturing Full-HD video, the Handycam NEX-VG10E can also shoot stills at a resolution of 14.2 megapixels. Availability is slated for September in the U.S.A. and October in Europe. The price is $2,000 including the 18-200mm lens.