Nikon has launched a new advertising campaign throughout Europe, featuring commercials filmed with the Nikon D3S itself. The TV spots, which premiere in the UK over the Easter weekend from 2nd – 5th April 2010 on ITV, Channel Four and Channel Five, were shot on location in Egypt, Germany and Spain over nine days by Ralf Schmerberg. The print advertising campaign was shot by Sven Jacobsen on location in South Africa using Nikon D3X camera, with NIKKOR 35mm, 85mm and 28-70mm zoom lenses.

Website: I AM Nikon

Lowepro has introduced the feature-packed Lowepro Pro Runner AW Series backpacks and roller backpacks. The Lowepro Pro Runner AW Series incorporates the Pro Runner 300 AW which is an upgraded version of the Mini-Trekker AW, the x350 and x450 rolling models featuring spring-loaded trolley handles (see picture above), replaceable wheels and an inventive harness system which quickly converts the roller to a backpack with two easy attachments. Available in black later this month and Pine Green in the summer, the Pro Runner AW Series will store a DSLR with attached lens from a 70-200mm f/2.8 plus 3-4 lenses or flash and accessories to a pro DSLR with attached 300mm lens, three to four extra lenses or accessories.

The next Bing homepage photography contest is centred around the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Kicking off on 29 March, the Earth Day anniversary photo contest from Bing is asking students to submit Earth Day-related photos. The grand prize for the winning photo is getting displayed as the Bing homepage image on Earth Day. Prizes for other winning contestants include a trip to Seattle, in addition to photo equipment for the winners and their schools. For more info, head to the Bing blog via the link below.

Website: Bing Blog

ArcSoft has announced a partnership with Pentax to provide ArcSoft MediaImpression for Pentax’s compact cameras. MediaImpression provides users with intelligent ways to organise, view, and edit their photo, music and video. It also provides easy access to share the media to popular online sharing sites such as YouTube, Flickr and Facebook. Pentax has recently launched a range of digital compact cameras including the Pentax Optio E90, H90, I-10 and W90 models, and the Pentax X90 superzoom with a 26x optical zoom lens (pictured).

Marketing Essentials International (MEI) has recently announced “Skip’s Summer School 2010”, open to professional photographers of all levels, including those just breaking into the business. Taking place August 8-11, 2010 at the MGM Grand Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, Skip’s Summer School 2010 will feature 15 renowned speakers/educators covering a wide range of photography topics such as weddings, portraiture, pets and children, portfolio creation, high school seniors, boudoir, Golden Seniors, lighting, business tips and more. “The second annual Skip’s Summer School is all about diversity,” said Skip Cohen, president of MEI. “Attendees will learn how to add significant value to the services they offer, which is very important in this uncertain economy.” Early bird registration to attend Skip’s Summer School is $199 if booked by April 1st. After April 1st, the cost to attend will be $279.

Website: Marketing Essentials International

Photoscala reports that you can still order classic Rolleiflex TLRs and Rollei 35 cameras, as well as the modern Rolleiflex Hy6, from a company called DHW Fototechnik, based in Braunschweig. The German site says that the company now employs 30 former workers of Franke & Heidecke, and plans to raise the number of employees to 50 by year’s end. According to the General Manager of DHW Fototechnik, the future is all about limited editions and made-to-order cameras. The Rollei 35, for example will be manufactured in batches of 1-5, and sold for 4000-4,500 euros each. Rolleiflex TLRs will be produced in three versions, differentiated by the lens used - with a choice of the Super-Angulon 50mm f4, the Planar 80mm f2.8 and the Tele-Xenar 135mm f4 on offer - priced from €3,500 to €6,000. As DHW Fototechnik has access to Franke & Heidecke’s stock of already manufactured Rolleiflex Hy6 cameras, these can also be ordered, and will be delivered with all early production bugs fixed. DHW even has a new lens in its assortment, named the Tele-Apogon 150mm f4 AFD. You can also order the Rolleivision 66 dual P medium-format slide projector, if that’s what you are after.

Website: Photoscala

The New York Institute of Photography (NYIP), America’s oldest and largest photography school, showcases today the top 100 photos chosen as winners of the NYIP Centennial Photo Challenge. “In celebration of NYIP’s first 100 years of teaching photography to everyone, we received an outstanding selection of hundreds of contemporary photographs,” said Chuck DeLaney, director of the New York Institute of Photography. “From those entries, it was not easy to narrow it down to the top 100 but the final selection of images is really a celebration of current photographic styles and now these images have been posted for the entire world to see.” The 100 winners can be viewed in a slideshow on NYIP’s website and YouTube channel.

Website: NYIP’s YouTube Channel

Fodor’s Travel has announced the latest in its series of travel photography contests, “Show Us Your Hawaii,” where North American visitors to the Fodor’s Travel website will have the opportunity to upload their favourite photos of Hawaii. Until March 28, 2010, Fodors.com members are invited to “Show Us Your Hawaii” by submitting their favourite vacation photos, and the stories behind them. One grand prize winner will have his/her photograph featured on Fodors.com and receive a suite of Fodor’s latest full-colour guidebooks. Ten runners up will win two Fodor’s guides of their choice and all winning photos will be featured in an online gallery. As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Website: Show Us Your Hawaii

We got all hands-on with the new Panasonic G2 Micro Four Thirds camera at last month’s Panasonic Convention 2010 in Munich, Germany. Click through for an extensive gallery of photos of the Panasonic G2.

We got all hands-on with the new Panasonic G10 Micro Four Thirds camera at last month’s Panasonic Convention 2010 in Munich, Germany. Click through for a gallery of photos of the Panasonic G10.

Interested in how the new Panasonic G2 and G10 compare side-by-side with the current G1 model? Wonder no more as we bring you a hands-on side-by-side comparison of all three cameras - click through to see the gallery of Panasonic G2, G10 and G1 photos.

We first saw the Panasonic G2 and G10 cameras a month ago in Munich, with an exclusive Behind the Curtains presentation and the opportunity to briefly try out the new models. Here are the presentation slides which provide a lot of extra detail about the G2 and G10.

Along with the Lumix DMC-G2 and G10 Micro Four Thirds cameras, Panasonic has introduced a new standard zoom, the Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. Constructed of 12 elements in 9 groups, the Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 features an aspherical lens element and optical image stabilisation. Accepting filters of 52mm in diameter, the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens has 7 rounded aperture blades for pleasant bokeh, and weighs in at only 5.82 ounces. This lens will be available in a bundle with the Panasonic Lumix G2 and G10 cameras from June 2010.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 is the world’s lightest system camera with an eye-level viewfinder. Weighing in at only 11.85 ounces without a lens, the 12.1-megapixel Panasonic G10 boasts Panasonic’s newly developed Venus Engine HD II processor, and has a sensitivity range of ISO 100 - ISO 6400. Bundled with a new, stabilised 14-42mm kit zoom, the Panasonic Lumix G10 shoots HD videos in MJPEG format, and provides a continuous Live View feed even when taking stills in burst mode. Compared to the DMC-G2, which was also revealed today, the Panaonic G10 has a smaller (1.04x) and lower-resolution (202,000-dot) eye-level electronic viewfinder, and lacks the AVCHD Lite movie mode touch operation and LCD articulation offered by the more advanced model. Powered by a proprietary Lithium-ion battery, the Lumix DMC-G10 takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards and has both a pop-up flash and a hot shoe for external flashes. Finished in black, the Panasonic G10 will be available in the UK from June.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 is a 12.1-megapixel Micro Four Thirds camera with an articulated touchscreen that provides touch-based functions like Touch AF/AE and Touch Shutter. Armed with a newly developed Venus Engine HD II processor, the Panasonic G2 shoots AVCHD Lite movies at a resolution of 1280x780 pixels, and has a port for an optional stereo microphone. In stills mode, the articulated touchscreen allows the photographer to pick the AF point they desire to use via a simple touch, which makes for quick and intuitive use in the field. In manual focus mode, a touch of a finger allows you to magnify into the live image to help with accurate focussing. You can even release the shutter using a single touch. Other novelties versus the G1 include an expanded sensitivity range that now extends to ISO 6400/39°, and uninterrupted Live View feed during burst shooting. Carried over from its predecessor, the 1,440,000-dot eye-level electronic viewfinder of the Panasonic Lumix G2 provides 1.4x magnification with a 50mm lens focussed at infinity. Bundled with a new 14-42mm kit zoom with boasting Panasonic’s Mega Optical Image Stabiliser, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 will be available from June 2010.

Apple has announced the retail availability of the Apple iPad. In the US, the Wi-Fi models will go on sale on 3 April, followed by the WiFi+3G models in late April, the same time as all models of iPad hit the shelves in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Featuring a 9.7-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, the Apple iPad boasts 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132ppi, and comes with 16, 32 or 64GB of built-in storage capacity

Adobe today announced that third-party application developers now have access to the Photoshop.com Mobile for Android 1.1 editor. A new developer site now allows Android developers to leverage the Photoshop.com Mobile for Android 1.1 editor in the creation of other application workflows. The Web site provides access to Adobe technology and promotes an ecosystem where developers have more creative freedom when developing their software.

Website: Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile Editor for Android Developers

PhotoWorks has launched Studio Books, a revolutionary new line of photo books that allegedly allows consumers to create a beautifully designed and personalised product in as little as 15 minutes. Four styles of Studio Books will be available at launch: Wedding, Baby, Travel and Everyday. Additional themes, new designs and editing features are planned for rollout later this year.

Website: PhotoWorks Studio Books

AgfaPhoto has unveiled two slimiline, 12-megapixel digital cameras with wide zoom and HDR image capture. The AgfaPhoto Optima 104 has a 3” touchscreen and features smart scene mode technology as well as face and smile detection. The AgfaPhoto Optima 103 boasts a High Dynamic Range mode, in which the Optima 103 takes multiple shots with different exposures and blends them into a single photo. Both feature a 29-116mm equivalent zoom lens and come with a proprietary Lithium-ion battery and charger. The AgfaPhoto Optima 104 is available for €189, while the AgfaPhoto 103 can be had for €10 less.