Cosina has released a Canon version of its Ultron 40mm f2 SL II Aspherical “pancake” lens, which has hitherto only been available for Nikon and Pentax. The Ultron is a manual-focus lens made up of six elements in five groups, and has an angle of view of 57° on full-frame and film SLRs. The release of the Canon version makes it the most compact EF mount lens ever made. The lens can currently only be purchased in Japan, for the price of 53,000 yen. N.B.: The illustration above depicts the Nikon version.

Website: Ultron 40mm f2 SL II Aspherical (Google translation)

The Color Skopar 20mm f3.5 SL II Aspherical is a remarkably compact ultra-wide lens for modern SLR cameras. Previously only available in Nikon (pictured) and Pentax versions, the Color Skopar 20mm f3.5 SL II Aspherical is a manual-focus lens that has now also been released for Canon. The lens is constructed of 9 elements in 6 groups and delivers an angle of view of 94° on full-frame and film cameras. Currently, it can only be purchased in Japan, for 58,000 yen. The optional LH-20 lens hood costs another 2,000 yen.

Website: Color Skopar 20mm f3.5 SL II Aspherical (Google translation)

Two new and diverse photography exhibitions opened yesterday at Aperture Gallery, New York. Photographs, depicting subjects from across 12 genres, by the winners and finalists of the 2009 Sony World Photography Awards will be exhibited alongside photos from the Sony Artisans of Imagery programme. The Sony World Photography Awards Global Tour 2009/10 exhibition includes images by U.S. photographers David Zimmerman and Dustin Humphrey. In the Sony Artisans of Imagery exhibition showcases six professional photographers’ collections. Each photographer will display select images exclusively shot with Sony’s A900 digital SLR camera during the last year all over the globe, including England, India, Madagascar, Thailand and the United States. The exhibitions will run until 30 October.

The SNIPER-STRAP is a new secure camera strap that means your camera is always ready to shoot. Available in two versiosn, the ONE and more secure STEEL, both incorporate a shock absorber which compensates for the growing weight of modern SLR cameras, while the camera and the strap are worn diagonally and therefore never get in your way. The camera is protected by a steel wire insert and the carabiner slides freely along the strap. If a thief should manage to cut your SNIPER-STRAP “STEEL“ with a knife and steal your camera, you are insured for up to $500.00 / 400.00 EUR. The SNIPER-STRAP ONE”costs 49,00 EUR and the SNIPER-STRAP STEEL costs 59,00.

Nikon have released version 1.5.0 of their ViewNX software, which adds support for the Nikon D3s digital SLR camera. Moreover, the program now also runs on Mac OS X version 10.5.8 and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and can interpret various GPS log formats. In addition, the software now supports Epson E-Photo.

Website: Nikon View NX

Kubota Image Tools have announced the newest addition to the Kubota Lightspeed Workflow family – new Kubota RPG SpeedKeys 2.0 for Lightroom 2. Kubota RPG SpeedKeys 2.0 for Lightroom 2 is a customisable wireless USB keypad with preset one-button access to: essential adjustments such as brightness, exposure, fill light; the most popular Kubota Lightroom presets; and advanced tools such as paint with light, burn, soften skin, and hand-colour. In addition, the Kubota RPG SpeedKeys 2.0 now offers 48 new key options for completely customisable functionality. The price of Kubota RPG SpeedKeys 2.0 for Lightroom 2 is $349.00. It is available as a free upgrade to customers who purchased the first version of the Kubota RPG SpeedKeys.

Epson’s P-6000 and P-7000 photo viewers can now be tethered to a DSLR camera. Images are then automatically saved onto the camera’s memory card while a backup copy is also saved to the viewer’s hard drive. The viewers’ high resolution, 4-inch color-accurate LCD can be used to preview images and confirm any adjustments to be made on the spot. “The new tethering feature in the Epson P-6000 and P-7000 Photo Viewers can dramatically enhance the workflow of any photographer, and is yet another demonstration of our commitment to developing products that meet the needs of the professional photography marketplace,” said Rick Day, senior product manager, Epson America. The new Epson P-6000 and P-7000 Multimedia Photo Viewer tethering feature will be available in late-October as a free download.

Viveza 2 is a new version odf Nik Software’s award winning plug-in for selective color and light control. Available in December, Viveza 2 includes new global adjustments and precise selective controls.  “New features such as shadow recovery, structure control, increased precision of selections, and user interface improvements together give users ultimate control, enabling truly spectacular results.” said Michael J. Slater president and CEO of Nik Software. Viveza 2 retails for $199.95, with upgrades for existing Vivez owners priced at $99.95. Customers who have purchased Viveza after September 22, 2009 will be eligible for a free upgrade to Viveza 2.

Nik Software has today announced its Fall 2009 Webinar schedule. Comprised of seven hour-long educational webinars covering portrait, sports/action, wildlife, landscapes, weddings, commercial photography and Capture NX2, the webinars run from October to mid-December. In addition to these webinars, Nik Software currently offers over 70 brief online learning videos.

National Geographic is set to release a new title, “Live, Laugh, Celebrate”. This is a collection of photographs and accompanying essays, featuring both never-before-published shots and photos culled from the National geographic archives. The photographs and essays revolve around the themes of celebration and festivities, and include imagery of parades, sporting events and festivals. The book goes on sale on 27 October.

The Sony DPP-F700 is a new digital photo frame with a built-in printer. The Sony F700 allows you to edit images before printing, and it features one gigabyte of internal storage capacity with an auto-resizing adjustment that downsizes photos to store up to 2,000 photos. The DPP-F700 digital photo frame-printer will be available for about $200 in January.

Kenro has launched a new range of telephoto and wide angle converters from Marumi. The converters are designed to attach onto the front of a camera’s existing lens and enhance its telephoto or wide angle capability. “Now everyone can extend their telephoto and wide angle lens range for just a small outlay.” says Kenro managing director, Paul Kench. “These are great for both digital compact cameras and camcorders and fit a wide range of sizes and manufacturer’s models.” Prices range from £47.15 for the 37mm thread model to £105.63 for the 58mm version.

FOTOBOX Plus is a USB device that enables the creation of rich multimedia slideshows from photos and videos. FOTOBOX Plus contains an integrated memory card reader and embedded PC software with Flash memory, and automatically runs without any installation. In Easy mode, users can just import their photos, select their favorite theme template and view their final creation, while Advanced mode is designed for those that want more control over their slideshows. Priced at $79.99, FOTOBOX Plus can now be purchased on Honest Technology’s Web site, and at leading retailers including Amazon.com, Buy.com, Micro Center, OfficeMax and others.

Buy a Kata GDC backpack and get a free Elements Cover worth £54.95. Kata’s GDC backpacks offer unusual looks, unmatched quality, and class-leading harness systems. The E-702 Elements Cover is made from waterproof nylon and clear TPU and fits any DSLR camera with a standard lens attached. This offer is only available in the UK while stocks last.

AsukaBook USA announced today its new AB AlbumOnline service. It is offered as a free service offered exclusively to AsukaBook customers. When an album order is being placed online, AsukaBook customers can choose AB AlbumOnline when submitting their order. They will then receive a URL for an online digital slideshow of the album’s final design. Once they receive the link to the online album, photographers can share the digital version of the book with their customers as a preview before the printed and bound book arrives.

Website: AsukaBook

This weekend, Jessops is celebrating the launch of its Kingston store and dedicated Nikon area. The Kingston store builds on the success of Jessops’ newly redesigned stores in London - New Oxford Street and The Strand, Guildford and Cambridge, where live product displays have been introduced to encourage customers to interact and engage with products in advance of purchase, the company says. To kick off the celebratory weekend, Jessops are offering a number of discounts across their range of Nikon products, available in-store from this Friday 23rd October through to Sunday 25th October.

Award-winning photographer George Logan has created a series of images depicting Glasgow’s iconic Red Road flats in an “unexpected” light. George Logan’s photographs of the buildings, notorious for being uninhabitable and earmarked for demolition, are more than just another series of architectural shots. They re-imagine Red Road as a place where Urban Miracles can, and do, happen. The images were created using students from a drama group as models, super imposed on George’s stunning photographs of the Red Road flats. The images are to be exhibited at a special show on October 22, 2009 at Village Underground in London. They are also available as archival c-type colour prints in three sizes in limited editions of 25.

MOO.com today announced a new version of its MiniCards. New features include two-sided image uploading, new layout options and the addition of a bulk discount. MiniCards were the first product that MOO launched and have become very popular over the past few years among creative professionals and photographers, the company says. Almost 50 million are claimed to have been shipped to 180 countries around the world.

Website: MOO MiniCards

Pentax has released a firmware update for the Pentax K-7 DSLR camera. Version 1.02 addsa “Fine Sharpness 2” option to base image parameters of custom image processing modes, improvesthe processing performance of digital previews for Watercolour and Pastel filters, and improvesoperational stability when using the optional D-BG4 battery grip.

Website: Pentax K-7 Firmware