Panasonic has posted four full-resolution sample images taken with the new Panasonic Lumix G Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 lens mounted on a Lumix G2 body. The twelve-megapixel samples depict a variety of subjects ranging from the skyline and marina of Venice to a landscape, an image of a tree and - rather surprisingly for this type of lens - a cat portrait. The pictures - along with samples taken with other Micro Four Thirds lenses - can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Panasonic Sample Images by Lens

Mozy, an online backup service, has announced general availability of MozyHome 2.0 and MozyPro 2.0 for Windows on its website. New enhancements include faster upload speeds and decreased bandwidth usage, new convenience and access features, and Mozy 2xProtect – a new feature which allows Mozy users to backup to a local external drive in addition to Mozy’s online data centres at no additional cost. Mozy 2.0 customers can achieve up to 25 per cent faster backups compared with previous versions. Mozy also redesigned the service’s interface to simplify set up and use. Although advanced configuration options still allow power users to maintain the level of functionality they require to protect their data, the new Mozy interface makes it easier for consumers and businesses to verify that files have been backed up and stored securely. MozyHome 2.0 and MozyPro 2.0 are available immediately at the website below.

Website: Mozy

The Master Photographers Association (MPA) has announced details of its 2010 Master Photography Awards. The Awards are open to all qualified members of the Association, plus there are also several categories that are open to all professional photographers anywhere in the world - not just members of the MPA. Categories include wedding, portrait, landscape, scientific and commercial. The entry fee is £8.50.

Website: Master Photography Awards

Auslogics has released BoostSpeed 5 – an all-in-one solution for keeping PCs running fast and error-free. The new Auslogics BoostSpeed 5 has a fresh user interface; it includes innovative optimisation techniques and introduces new features including a System Advisor, a Disk Doctor, a File Recovery tool, a Disk Explorer plus Resource Monitoring and the latest version of Auslogics Disk Defrag. Auslogics BoostSpeed 5 will be available at SRP £30.65 per user.

Website: Auslogics

Sanyo has announced the world’s first waterproof Full HD consumer video camera with optical zoom. The Sanyo DMX-CA100 Dual Camera Xacti has a 14.3-megapixel CMOS sensor capable of capturing full-resolution stills at a speed of one frame per second (fps), and 2-megapixel stills at 7fps. The lens has a focal range of 6.8-34mm, equivalent to 38-190mm in 35mm terms, and an almost constant maximum aperture (f/3.5 at wide angle, f/3.7 at telephoto). Waterproof down to a depth of 3m for up to 60 minutes, the Sanyo DMX-CA100 Dual Camera Xacti can be used underwater while snorkelling. As a video camera, it can shoot Full HD footage while taking advantage of Sanyo’s “Double Range Zoom” technology, which changes the size of the video capture area on the image sensor. Compatible with Eye-Fi and SDXC memory cards, the Sanyo DMX-CA100 will be launched at the end of this month. Pricing to be confirmed,

Canon UK has announced a new cashback offer on its Legria camcorders. Those British/Irish customers who buy a Canon Legria FS or HF R model until the end of July are eligible for a cashback of £30 / €35. Those who purchase a Legria HF M or HF S series camcorder in the same period will get £50 / €55 back. Claims must be received by 31st August 2010.

Website: Legria Cashback UK | Legria Cashback Ireland

Olympus has announced a joint promotion with Novoflex, a maker of lens adapters for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras. Those who have bought an Olympus PEN since 15 April 2010 or are buying one until the end of this month get a 20% discount on one Novoflex MFT lens adapter purchased at one of the participating dealers. To be eligible, register your Olympus PEN online until 30 June 2010 at the website below, print out the voucher, cut out the serial number from your camera box, then present the receipt for your PEN and hand over the printed voucher including attached serial number to the dealer when buying the adapter.

Website: Olympus

The LUMIX G FISHEYE 8mm / F3.5 is a new fisheye lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. Offering a diagonal angle of view of 180 degrees, the LUMIX G FISHEYE 8mm is comprised of ten lenses in nine groups, an inner focus system with a closest focusing distance of 0.1m, and a stepping motor which makes the focusing action smooth and silent for use in both photo and movie recording. The LUMIX G FISHEYE 8mm will be available in the UK from July 2010 priced at approx £729.99.

The Panasonic DMC-FX70 (also known as the Panasonic DMC-FX75) is a new 14.1 megapixel compact camera with a bright f/2.2, 24-120mm wide-angle lens and a touch-screen interface. The FX70 can also record HD movies in the AVCHD Lite format, features a new Motion Deblur anti-blurring function in the iA mode to ensure that more of your photos are sharp, and has a large 3.0 inch 230,000-dot high-resolution LCD with full touch-screen operation. The FX70 / FX75 will be available from August 2010 in black in Europe and silver and black in the USA, pricing to be announced.

Red Bull Reporter and Dave TV have announced a special assignment giving aspiring photojournalists the chance to report on each regional heat of the Red Bull X-Fighters Jams Tour and the London Final at Battersea Power Station. Red Bull Reporter is a nationwide search to find the best young music, culture and sports writers, filmmakers, presenters and photographers, giving them the chance to use their skills and realise their passions as a Red Bull Reporter. This summer Red Bull X-Fighters Jams will stop in four cities across the UK, including Newcastle, Notthingham, Brighton and Leeds. The search is now on for 8 reporters, who will make up 4 separate teams - 2 with a photographer and writer, and 2 with a filmmaker and presenter. The selected applicants will be partnered up with another Red Bull Reporter to cover one of the regional stops of the Red Bull X-Fighters Jams tour in the UK.

Website: Red Bull X-Fighters Jams Tour Assignment Page

Sigma has released firmware updates for the Sigma DP2 and DP2s large-sensor digital compact cameras. Version 1.05 for the DP2 and version 1.01 for the DP2s incorporate the same improvement, namely, better image quality at ISO 400/27°. The firmware updates are accessible via the links below.

Website: Sigma DP2 Firmware Version 1.05
Website: Sigma DP2s Firmware Version 1.01

Sony has developed a super-flexible 80 ?m-thick 4.1” 121ppi OTFT-driven full colour OLED display which can be wrapped around a thin cylinder. This display can reproduce moving images while rolled-up and stretched over a thousand times. The main benefit of a rollable screen is improved portability - but it will take some time until the technology becomes commercially available.

The Casio Exilim EX-FH25 is a new hi-zoom camera with a 26-520mm equivalent lens and a high-speed, high-sensitivity 10-megapixel CMOS imager. Featuring sensor-shift image stabilisation, the Casio EX-FH25 can capture photographs at up to 30 frames per second (fps) and a resolution of 9 megapixels. And those who press the shutter a little too late no longer need to get annoyed: the pre-record mode starts the recording as soon as the shutter is half pressed. With the aid of high-speed film recording with up to 1000fps, the EX-FH25 can capture fast movements that the human eye cannot see. The user can choose between different recording speeds. In-camera exposure blending, High-speed Anti Shake and High-speed Night Mode are all on board to help users make the most of the camera’s capabilities. The Exilim Ex-FH25 is available immediately across Europe for €399.

The Casio Exilim EX-H5 is a 12-megapixel digital compact camera sporting a 24-240mm equivalent zoom lens. Equipped with a sensor-shift type image stabilisation system, the Casio EX-H5 is a small and lightweight “tag along” camera featuring a 2.7” LCD screen, improved Dynamic Photo function and numerous Best Shot modes. The Exilim Engine 5.0 processing chip promises better colour and noise suppression. 720p high-definition movie recording rounds off the features list. In Europe, the Casio Exilim EX-H5 is available now priced at €199.

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Mykindofphone.com has launched an online competition offering the winner an opportunity to participate in a six-night Kenyan photo safari tour. To enter, you need to submit a photo telling a personal story which they have taken with their mobile phone to a photo sharing site; provide a short, snappy explanation of the emotional journey behind the image; and tweet about it alongside the competition’s hashtag ’#snap @mykindofphone’. The competition, which is open to UK residents only, begins today and runs until Thursday, 3 June 2010. The winner and a frined will be taken on a £6,000 Kenyan photo safari tour from 26th June to 4th July 2010. For full entry details, visit the website below.

Website: My Kind of Phone Photo Contest

AKVIS turns 6 this year, and they are organising a raffle in celebration of the company’s birthday. Taking place on Monday, 31 May, the raffle gives participants a chance to win AKVIS gift certificates, which give the recipients the right to get an AKVIS photo editing program of their choice. You can register online at the website below.

Website: AKVIS Raffle 2010

Tamron has just announced a full-day seminar series led by award-winning nature and landscape photographer Sandra Nykerk. The events will take place in Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York on the 13th & 15th of July and the 10th & 12th of August respectively. Seminar topics include “Learning to See the Light”, “Using Lenses to Enhance your Creative Composition”, “Understanding the Histogram”, and many more. All events are scheduled for 9:00-4:30, and the cost for a full-day seminar is $59 per person. This includes a special welcome package, refreshments, raffle chances for prizes that include a lens, and a $25 bonus rebate with the purchase of select Tamron lens within two weeks of the event date at specified Tamron dealers. Advance registration required.

Website: Tamron Events