SanDisk has unveiled two 32GB Memory Sticks, the SanDisk Ultra Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo, for use in Sony digital cameras, Handycam camcorders and the Sony PSP system. Based on SanDisk’s internal testing, the Ultra Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo is capable of 30MB / second read and write speeds, although actual performance will depend on the host device. The 32GB SanDisk Memory Stick PRO Duo card is shipping worldwide now priced at $229.99, while the 32GB SanDisk Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo card (MSRP: $279.99) will be shipping worldwide in October.

Datacolor has announced that it will begin shipping its new Spyder3Print SR (Strip Reader) spectrocolorimeter as a separate product skew to support photographers and graphic artists currently using the company’s Spyder3Elite and Spyder3Pro monitor calibration systems. Spyder3Print SR is a new spectrocolorimeter that incorporates significant advancements in ICC printer profile technology and a new software algorithm ensures fast, easy and accurate measurements for outstanding colour and black-and-white prints, the company claims.  The new Spyder3Print SR is currently available at photo retail and specialty outlets and has a suggested list price of $339.

GiSTEQ has unveiled the PhotoTrackr Mini DPL900, a miniature device you can use to geotag your pictures. Unlike the - bigger and slower - original PhototTrackr, the new Mini DPL900 is fully compatible with the Mac and offers raw image support too. With a size comparable to that of a USB pen drive, the PhotoTrackr Mini is less intimidating than its predecessor, and is also cheaper at $69.

Website: PhotoTrackr

If you purchase any Walkabout satchel, backpack or tote from the National Geographic Walkabout range of bags via Bogen Imaging, you will receive a free National Geographic Tundra Monopod worth £29.95. The National Geographic Tundra Monopod features a a quick-release system and a payload of up to 1kg. The offer is available while stocks last, and valid on purchases made via an authorised Bogen Imaging UK dealer.

Bogen Imaging has announced a special offer on the SL700 Arctic Butterfly brush.  With every SL700 Arctic Butterfly brush ordered, Bogen will give you a free Mini Kit worth £29.95 including VAT. The mini kit contains 3 sensor cleaning swabs, and Visible Dust’s VDust Plus formula fluid. The offer is available while stocks last.

Jessops.com celebrates its ten-year anniversary with 10 days of 10 deals across the whole product range. These offers started on Saturday, 24 October and change daily. Today’s deal is a saving of £50 on the new Nikon Coolpix S640 digital camera, billed by Nikon as “the world’s fastest Coolpix”.  Jessops have also shaved £10 off the SANDISK U2 SD HC 8GB memory card. Additionally, Jessops is giving out a £10 discount voucher to anyone purchasing any item from Jessops.com this week, which you can use when you spend over £150.

In addition to the two new optics, Lensbaby has also unveiled a step-up ring / lens hood that allows Lensbaby users to mount 52mm filters, while also taking care of flare. The Lensbaby Step-up/Shade has been developed for use with the Swap Optic System of the Lensbaby Composer. “Screw your Step-up/ Shade onto the 37mm threads on the front of your Lensbaby optic. With no filter attached, the lens shade provides 1.44 inches of depth from the lip of the shade to the optic’s surface. You can screw any 52mm filter onto the Step-up/Shade,” the company explains.

Website: Lensbaby Step-Up/Shade

Lensbaby has released two new optics, the Lensbaby Fisheye and the Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic. Lensbaby’s new Fisheye is their most complex optic to date, featuring a focal length of 12mm, angle of view of 160° and drop-in aperture disks. The Soft Focus Optic creates images with an overall soft and diffused look. In addition to a set of standard round aperture disks, which allow you to take photographs with a classic soft focus look, the Soft Focus Optic also comes with three special multi-hole apertures which combine one large aperture surrounded by smaller holes. This hole pattern creates a sharp underlying image with a soft overlay, the company says.

Fujifilm Professional has moved quickly to dispel rumours that the company is about to withdraw production of its FP-100B and FP-3000B black and white and FP-100C colour instant film. Fujifilm’s Senior Product Manager for Professional Film, Russ Gunn, explained the announcement: “It was brought to our attention that a number of websites were carrying ‘news’ of the discontinuation of some of Fujifilm’s instant film. I would like to confirm that all current formats of FP-100B and FP-3000B black and white instant film and FP-100C colour instant film will remain in production and we have no plans to discontinue any of them.”

Artloco Gallery is looking for amateur and professional photographers resident within the South East of England to submit work for a photography exhibition. Artloco is a new community gallery opening in Ticehurst, East Sussex in December 2009. Their first exhibition will focus on photography by local photographers. If interested, send an email to Sallie Court’s address, [email protected] or visit her website.

Website: Artloco

Canon USA has announced instant rebates, ranging from $20 to $500, on select EF/EF-S lenses and Speedlites. The instant rebate programme runs until 16 January, and eligible products must be purchased by an end customer from a participating authorised Canon USA dealer or reseller in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico. Used or refurbished products are not eligible. The offer is valid for US residents only. Click through / read on for the full list of participating products.

Website: Canon USA Promotions

Mamiya have officially announced the Mamiya 645DF medium-format single-lens reflex camera body. The camera’s prototype was first showcased at the Photo Imaging Expo (PIE) held earlier this year. The final version is quite a bit different to the prototype, being essentially the same thing as the Phase One 645DF announced last month. It features the same selectable dual shutter system with available flash sync speeds of up to 1/1600 of a second, when one of the three new leaf-shutter lenses developed in cooperation with Schneider Kreuznach is mounted. The built-in focal plane shutter, on the other hand, can be used with any of 15 existing Mamiya 645AF system lenses. The Mamiya 645DF camera body is compatible with digital backs from Leaf, Mamiya, Phase One and Sinar. The suggested retail price for the 645DF camera (body only) is $5,990.

Professor Graham D Finlayson, founder and Chief Technology Officer of Cambridge-based computer vision company imsense, has been awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s Davies Medal for 2009. Instituted In 1998, the Davies Medal is awarded for a significant contribution in the digital field of imaging science. Professor Finlayson, holder of numerous patents for his work on image analysis and enhancement, including Dynamic Range Compression,  founded imsense as a spin-out from the University of East Anglia in 2006, and has developed computer and embedded versions of his algorithms into what is now branded as eye-fidelity technology and incorporated into camera devices and photo software. Professor Finlayson will be presented with the award at the Royal Photographic Society’s annual awards dinner in November.

Epson has added seven new video interviews to its Focal Points website dedicated to the Epson’s Stylus Pro 900 series professional printers. The list of the newly interviewed experts includes Bambi Cantrell, John Paul Caponigro, Douglas Dubler, Greg Gorman, Jay Maisel, Steve McCurry and Jeff Schewe. The videos provide an insight into how and why these professional photographers use these printers and the UltraChrome HDR ink set.

Website: Epson Focal Points

Today at PhotoPlus Expo 2009, HP unveiled ARTtrust, a simple self-certification system that allows artists to provide individual identity to any Digital Fine Art Collection Pigment Print produced on an HP Designjet Z series printer using HP Vivera pigment inks and any compatible media. ARTtrust is specifically designed to meet the needs of the art market including creators (photographers, designers, digital or traditional artists), printmakers (artists who print themselves, photolabs, specialized fine art printers, print service providers), retailers (galleries, auction houses) and private or public art collectors. The solution is comprised of BubbleTags, a translucent polymer containing random and self-generated air bubbles affixed to the artwork itself that references the certificate of authenticity filed by the artist. ARTtrust is available for existing and new prints and any Digital Fine Art Collection Pigment Print can be retrofitted on demand.

The winner of the UK’s “Take A View” awards has been named, and the finalists’ works will appear in a free exhibition at London’s National Theatre between 5th December 2009 and 24th January 2010, with over 100 stunning images on public view. Epson has teamed up once again with professional photo lab, Bayeux, to produce the exhibition display panels on Epson Premium Photographic Paper using the Epson Stylus Pro 9900 Large Format Printer. The Take A View – Landscape Photographer of the Year 2009 Exhibition will be open Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 11pm (except for bank holidays) .

PhotographyBB announced today the release of the 21st edition of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine. The October 2009 edition features Halloween themed tutorials such as “How to Photograph Ghosts” and “Digital Pumpkin Carving in Photoshop.” Additionally, this issue explores a sneak peek at the new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta release, and some of the exciting new features that Adobe has to offer. Other topics covered include outdoor portrait shooting techniques and HDR imaging, while their Photography Around the World feature showcases photographs of Ireland’s countryside, mountains, churches, and forts. Issue #21 is downloadable from the website below.

Website: PhotographyBB Online Magazine

Kodak’s finest-grained colour negative film, Kodak Professional Ektar 100, has turned one year old, and Kodak celebrates its birthday by announcing a photography contest. The competition, which seeks the best images captured on Kodak Ektar 100, will be officially announced at the annual Photo Plus trade show in New York City. Film enthusiasts are encouraged to shoot Ektar 100 film, scan their results and upload them to the website below. First Place winner will receive one year’s supply of Ektar 100 film up to 1200 rolls; an all-expense paid “Adventures by Disney” travel package in North America for two people; feature on kodak.com, and feature of their image on Kodak’s New York City Times Square Gallery. Note that the contest is open to 18+ legal residents of the USA only.

Website: Kodak Ektar Contest

The winners of the prestigious Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition 2009 have been unveiled. Americans Thomas Haney from Austin, Texas, Rob Palmer from Colorado and Kevin Schafer from Seattle are among the winners of the 46th annual competition, which attracted a record 43,135 entries from 94 countries. Thomas Haney won the One Earth Award with his moving image, ‘The Lone Fir’ (see above). Rob Palmer won the Behaviour: Birds category with his action shot, ‘Opportunist Snatch’, depicting a bald eagle catching a blackbird. Kevin Schafer was also announced a winner with his playful image, ‘Boto Water Polo’, which shone through in the Behaviour: Mammals category. The image shows a pair of wild Amazon river dolphins, or botos, playing with a floating macucu seed in a tributary of the Rio Negro in Amazonian Brazil.

Tamron has announced the imminent launch of the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 Di II VC lens for Canon. The VC abbreviation in the product name stands for Vibration Compensation, which is the name of Tamron’s proprietary tri-axial optical image stabilisation mechanism. The lens, whose Nikon version has already been available for some time, is only sutiable for use on cameras with an APS-C sized sensor. The Canon iteration will go on sale on 29 October 2009 in Japan.

Website: Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f2.8 Di II VC