To celebrate the launch of the new, 12.1-megapixel Sony Ericsson Satio handset on Vodafone, photographer Jillian Edelstein has been commissioned to capture the beauty and individuality of 121 eyes in only 12.1 hours. While Julian Edelstein has become famous for her portraits of celebrities, the Eyes Wide Open project “takes her gaze from the world of famous faces, and looks to delve into the realm of visual communication through the exploration of eyes”, the organisers say. Sony Ericsson are searching for people from all over the United Kingdom and all walks of life to be part of Eyes Wide Open. Jillian will be personally selecting the 61 participants from all applicants and inviting them to an invitation only Satio studio photoshoot. Members of the public can find out more and win the chance to be involved by visiting the website below.

Website: Eyes Wide Open

Actor and photographer Aaron Eckhart, will join Julia Dean, founder of the Julia Dean Photo Workshops, for an exhibit and silent auction of more than 100 iconic images taken by leading photographers from around the world. The auction, which will take place at the Stephen Cohen Gallery in Los Angeles on 20 February 2010, will feature images from such nationally and internationally known photographers as Alex Webb, Art Streiber, Brian Lanker, David Hume Kennerly, Don Barletti, Douglas Kirkland, Gerd Ludwig, Greg Gorman, Mary Ellen Mark, Nevada Wier, Phil Borges, Robert Farber, Ron Haviv and Sam Abell. The auction will benefit Project 5: Photography for Social Change, which supports talented photojournalists and builds documentary photography through grants, exhibits and publications. Photographs will be available for pre-viewing on Friday and Saturday (19 & 20) prior to the auction.

Website: Silent Auction

Lexar have unveiled a new 600x Compact Flash card with a guaranteed minimum write speed of 90MB/s. Available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities,  the Lexar Professional 600x CF card works with the latest UDMA 6 enabled cameras, including the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and the new 1D Mark IV, and the Nikon D3x, D3s and D300s.

Lexar’s 600x card also offers increased image transfer speeds from card-to-computer with minimum sustained read speeds of 533x (80MB/s), or faster when paired with the new Lexar Professional ExpressCard CompactFlash Reader. This is a portable, high-performance reader that requires no cables and connects directly to a PC or Mac laptop computer’s ExpressCard slot.

The Lexar Professional 600x CF cards will begin shipping on October 22nd in 8GB and 16GB capacities for £149 and £219 respectively. The 32Gb version will be available in November for £399. The Lexar Professional ExpressCard CompactFlash Reader will cost £29.99.

Lexar Image Rescue 4 is a brand new version of Lexar’s popular image recovery software. Image Rescue 4 enables photographers to recover most lost or deleted images and videos from any memory card form factor, from any manufacturer, and is compatible with all mass storage-compliant card readers.

New features include an easy-to-manage one-step recovery interface, automatic updates to ensure the software’s compatibility with new RAW images and operating systems, and expanded language support. The software also allows photographers to perform low-level formatting of their cards, enabling them to restore the card’s factory settings.

Lexar Image Rescue 4 software is included for free with any Lexar Professional CompactFlash and Secure Digital High Capacity memory card, and can also be purchased online.

Lexar today announced an agreement with Adobe to provide special discounts on Photoshop Elements 8, Premiere Elements 8 and Photoshop Lightroom 2. All Lexar Professional CF memory cards will offer $100 off the purchase of Lightroom 2, and $30 off Photoshop / Premiere Elements 8. “Our aim is to provide our customers with complete, end-to-end photography solutions to maximize their digital experience from capture to production, and enhance the photos and videos that matter most to them,” said Jeff Cable, director of marketing, Lexar Media, Inc. These new offerings and promotions from Lexar and Adobe will begin in November.

Canon have unveiled the 16-megapixel Canon EOS 1D Mark IV professional digital SLR camera boasting a completely new 45-point autofocus system. No less than 39 of these are cross-hatched AF sensors, sensitive to both horizontal and vertical detail. Moreover, the all-new AI Servo II AF mode gives still photographers the power and performance to track and focus a fast-moving subject at speeds up to 10 frames per second (fps). Canon is also making bold claims as to the high-ISO performance of the camera - the “regular” ISO range stretches from ISO 100/21° to ISO 12,800/42°, but expansion settings push this all the way up to ISO 102,400/51°. The Canon EOS 1D Mark IV is also geared toward videographers, as it offers full manual exposure control and selectable frame rates when shooting 1080p HD video. The EOS 1D Mark IV is equipped with a sixteen-megapixel “APS-H” sized sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors with approximately six times the processing power of DIGIC III for full 14-bit A/D conversion at 10 fps. Other new features include a large three-inch solid structure Clear View II LCD screen with 920,000 dot/VGA resolution and a wide 160-degree viewing angle. The new in-camera copyright information feature helps professionals secure control over images by setting copyright data directly into the camera and appending that information to each image file in the EXIF metadata. Additional features include a fluorine coating on the Low Pass Filter to further repel dust and enhance the EOS Integrated Cleaning System. The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in late December, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $4,999. In the UK and the euro zone, the 1D Mark IV will be priced at £4499 / €5499 respectively, including VAT.

Canon today announced the launch of two new Wireless File Transmitters: the Canon WFT-E2 and the Canon WFT-E4, designed for the newly-launched EOS-1D Mark IV and the award-winning EOS 5D Mark II, respectively. These devices allow photographers to transfer image files securely to a computer or server, control the camera remotely and connect to WiFi enabled devices to view images directly from the camera. Both the WFT-E2 II and WFT-E4 II support high security WPA2-PSK authentication and AES encryption over wireless networks. Also, the new wireless file transmitters allow up to ten slave cameras to be wirelessly connected to a master unit up to 100m away. The master camera will then trigger the slaves, allowing specialists like wildlife and sports photographers to capture a subject from a multitude of different angles. Both units will be available from late December. The WFT-E2 II will be priced at £699 / €849, whilst the WFT-E4 II will cost £649 / €799.

Canon have issued a statement saying that they are currently developing a firmware update to the EOS 5D Mark II to enable the recording of high definition 1080p video at 24 and 25 frames per second (fps). The decision to develop new firmware to support these features has been taken following feedback received from cinematographers and photographers, the company notes. Currently, the frame rate for HD video on the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is 30fps, whereas motion picture cameras tend to shoot at 24fps.

Neon Mesa: Wonders of the Southwest is a new book by celebrated photographer Rob Atkins. The Four Corners is a unique region where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet. Rob Atkins’ photos capture the irony and pathos of the place in icons of the American Dreams, be they those of the Nuclear Age, the Frontier, the Cowboy, or the Native American, all caught in the stark majestic images of a present already passing, in rusting road-signs, flickering neon light, and derelict motels, set against some of America’s most awe-inspiring natural scenery, the publisher says. The 144-page hardcover book goes on sale on 25 October 2009 for $39.95 ($33.95 if purchased via the publisher’s website, see below).

Website: Bunker Hill Publishing

Samsung has announced the imminent launch of its first consumer memory cards. According to AVING, the Korean electronics giant will debut a range of cards in Taiwan later this month, in Compact Flash (CF), Secure Digital (SD) and microSD formats. The cards range in capacity from 4GB to 16GB. The SD versions are Class 6, whereas the Compact Flash varieties are 233x speed models.

Via AVING

Kingston has announced the MobileLiteG2, a second-generation mobile card reader for microSD SD and SDHC memory cards. MobileLiteG2 has retractable covers on each side to make it compact and protect the USB connector and the Flash memory cards from damage. It includes a dongle, a USB extension that allows you to plug the MobileLiteG2 into USB slots that are harder to reach. When in use, MobileLiteG2 appears as two drive letters (i.e. E:\, F:\) and data transfer is as simple as drag and drop. MobileLiteG2 is available separately or with a 4GB or 8GB Class 4 SDHC card. The Kingston MobileLiteG2 card reader will become available in late November starting at $11.

Website: Kingston MobileLiteG2

The Summit Photofix SP is a new film scanner that can be used to digitise 110 and 135 format negatives and transparencies even without the use of a PC. Simply place your film into the supplied carrier, insert it into the slot on the Photofix scanner and you can instantly browse through your images on the SP5’s 2.4-inch colour screen. For viewing negatives there is a convenient switch to make the image appear corrected to positive for easy viewing before scanning. Digitised images are saved on SD cards. Featuring a 5-megapixel area-array sensor and a fixed-focus lens, the Summit Photofix SP5 will be available from the middle of November at a retail price of £119.99.

Hama has unveiled its new Canberra line of camera bags that are black on the outside but colourful on the inside.The nine different-sized models in the Canberra series offer something for every taste: three versions for compact cameras and video cameras, two practical colt cases for SLR cameras, and four models that can hold medium-sized camera equipment with varying amounts of accessories. Plus small pictograms show you where to find the empty batteries, where the charged batteries are, which compartment holds the memory card, and where the rain cover is stored. Pricing starts at €19.99.

The new Action Level Cross from Seculine is a compact digital leveling device for any camera with a hot shoe. This new device will work in standard Landscape mode as well as giving level information for portrait photography and when shooting directly vertically for skyscapes or downwards for applications such as flat copy work. The Action Level Cross offers leveling information in the form of a cross over the horizontal and vertical fields with 7 Colour LED lights for each axis showing level information in a traffic light sequence going from Red to Green in the centre when the camera is level. There is also a handy third set of lights showing information for horizontal level when behind the camera. For those looking to use their camera in low angle or overhead, there is also a remote unit available which will show the relayed information via a cable from the unit on your camera. The SeculineAction Level Cross will be available from the end of October for a suggested retail price of £54.99, with the remote slave unit retailing at £34.99.

JP Distribution has announced the availability of the Lastolite Lumen8 SV 400W Soft Box Lighting Kit. The new two head soft box kit comes complete with 2x traditional 60cm x 60cm soft boxes. The kits are supplied in two handy carry cases (one for the heads and one for the stands) which can be carried on the shoulder or by hand. The kit is priced at £469.99.

Readers of National Geographic around the world are invited to take part in the 2009 National Geographic International Photography Contest. Readers of the English-language edition in eight countries, as well as readers of 20 of the magazine’s international local-language editions, are eligible to participate. The international grand-prize winners will receive a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., a digital camera kit, and their winning entries will be published in all participating editions of National Geographic magazine. The submission deadline is Oct 31, 2009. Full details can be found at the website below.

Website: NG Photo Contest

Shutterfly has announced the addition of Digital Download to its Pro Gallery service, a store front for professional photographers to sell their photos. With the new Digital Download feature, professional photographers can now sell high resolution copies of their images to customers directly from their Pro Gallery account. Shutterfly’s Pro Gallery service offers professionals premium service with web presence, top-quality professional photo printing services, full-service order processing and fulfillment and world class customer service.  Pro Gallery photographers also receive online sales reports, photo storage, and image rights protection.

The winners of the International Viewbook PhotoStory 2009 Awards have been announced. Italian photographer Francesco Giusti won the documentary category with an inspiring portrait story of the members of the SAPE, a group of remarkably elegant gentlemen from Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo, Africa. The story reflects the wish of young people in particular not to be left apart by society. Swiss - Japanese David Favrod has won first prize in the conceptual category with a very personal story, ‘Gaijin’. Both artists won prizes with a value exceeding $12.000 including lifelong subscriptions to Viewbook PRO online services and GUP magazine, book publications and an exhibition in the Kahmann Gallery in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

WeSay.com, a news site that features photographs from amateur photographers around the world, pays 30 photographers every month for images chosen by their photo editors. The cash prizes paid to citizen photojournalists range from $25 to $500. There is no fee to enter, and photographers retain ownership of their photos. If you are interested in the prizes offered, or simply want to share your photojournalistic images with the world, head to the website below.

Website: WeSay.com