The new Giotto’s MTL8251B, 8261B and 8271B carbon fibre tripods are now shipping. With a weight capacity of 5kg and maximum operating height of over 160cm the MTL8251B weighs in at only 1.25kg. The MTL8261B weighs in at 1.6kg, will support up to 8kg and has a max height of 167cm. Finally the MTL8271B has a max operating height of 177cm, weighs 1.85kg and will support up to 10kg. All three models have a 5 year warranty. These three new tripods are available from all good stockists across the UK.

Six teenagers from across England are after your vote in the RSPCA’s prestigious Young Photographer Awards (YPA) after being shortlisted for the competition’s People’s Choice Award. The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) organises this competition every year to give children and adolescents a chance to win one of a number of prizes with their pet photographs. The six young photographers shortlisted for the People’s Choice Award have been picked from thousands of entrants. You can see their phorographs at the website below, and you can submit your vote by texting ‘RSPCA 01’ through ‘RSPCA 06’ to 81400 (click through / read on to find out which code belongs to the photo you like the most).

Website: RSPCA’s People’s Choice Finalists on The Daily Express Website

Sixtyone North & Chicago Photo Safaris have announced an adventure photo workshop that involves a journey to the pristine southern coast of Alaska. Led by Dave Taylor and Gary Gullett, the eight-day workshop is taking place from 11 through 18 June 2010. Group size is limited to a dozen photographer participants plus spouses and non-photographer friends (limited to one “tag-along” per photographer). The cost is $3990 (Double Occupancy) / $4690 (Single Occupancy) per photographer, and $1990 per non-photographer (Double Occupancy). The - non refundable - reservation fee is $750 per participant. For more information and registration, head to the website below.

Website: Alaska’s Southern Coast

Jessops has unveiled their latest line in camera accessories – the Acme Made Fuzz Ball. The Fuzz Ball is a fun yet highly protective little case for digital compact cameras. Featuring a synthetic fur exterior, quited satin tuxedo lining and a stylish wrist strap, the Acme Made Fuzz Ball is available exclusively to Jessops in both brown and white, priced at £15.

Clickfree today announced the availability of their Transformer SE (Special Edition) backup solution. The Transformer SE allows users to automatically backup their irreplaceable digital photos, videos music and other data files onto the excess storage space of any external USB hard drive, iPod or iPhone. It can also be used to automatically import music from any iPod or iPhone to any computer - Windows or Mac. Backup starts automatically simply connecting your USB hard drive, iPod or iPhone to the Transformer SE. Only the excess capacity of your device will be used: none of the existing content will ever be overwritten. The Clickfree Transformer SE retails for £59.00 and is available now at www.clickfree.com.

With just over a month to go until the first Canon Pro Photo Solutions show, the countdown has begun until doors open. To be held on 27th and 28th October 2009 at the Business Design Centre, Islington, final details of the show content have just been released. The show is aimed at moving and still image professionals and will highlight how Canon can provide a complete workflow solution from image capture to output. 39 seminars will be held over the two days from 18 industry experts, and photographers will be able to book one of over 80 portfolio reviews with a distinguished panel including Canon Ambassador Lorenzo Agius, Getty Images, Professional Photographer Editor Grant Scott, and Canon UK Envoy Annabel Williams. Online registration for the event is free in advance at the website below.

Website: Canon Pro Photo Solutions ‘09

Epson has announced the Epson Red Sea 2009 event, which will take place on November 9-14th in Eilat, Israel. The competition is open for all underwater photographers, including amateurs, professionals, videographers and more, and consists of two main categories. The first is called Images of the World, in which participants are invited to submit images that were shot anytime and anywhere around the world, without even attending the competition. The second category is called Eilat Shoot-Out, in which participants submit only images that are taken during the three days of this competition in Eilat. Prizes this year are valued at more than $80,000 and include luxurious diving trips in exotic destinations, expensive diving gear, professional underwater photography equipment and cash prizes. The first prize this year, one of many others, is a $10,000 check plus a trip for two to Papua New Guinea for 3 weeks including airfare.

Pentax has announced a $100 instant rebate programme effective until 31 October 2009 on the K-7 body and three lens kit configurations. The promotion runs in the U.S.A., and affects the following bundles: Pentax K-7 with 18-55mm WR lens, Pentax K-7 double-lens kit including body, 18-55mm WR and 50-200mm WR lenses, and Pentax K-7 with 16-45mm lens. The offer is also valid on body-only purchases. The rebate amounts to USD 100 in all cases.

Tessera has announced its FotoNation Face Recognition technology, which performs automatic identification of specific human faces in camera equipped mobile devices. This new embedded imaging solution will enable manufacturers to quickly and cost-effectively integrate face recognition capabilities directly into devices such as cell phones, the company says. The FotoNation FaceRecognition technology is available for a number of platforms and requires only moderate computational and memory resources. The performance is claimed to be robust in the presence of various factors that make face recognition difficult such as changes in lighting conditions, facial expression and viewing angle/distance. The FotoNation FaceRecognition solution is available now for licensing from Tessera.

Mamiya have announced four medium-format DSLR cameras, all of which are apparently based on the body developed in collaboration with Phase One. While details are still a bit sketchy, it appears that they are the same camera outfitted with different backs, with the numbers in the product names referring to the megapixel count in each case. The 33-megapixel Mamiya DM33 and the 56-megapixel Mamiya DM56 can take advantage of the 1/1600-second top shutter speed of the three new leaf-shutter lenses developed in close collaboration with Schneider Kreuznach - and thus offer high-speed flash synchronisation -, but can of course also accept the existing 645AF series lenses. The comparatively lower-resolution Mamiya DM22 and Mamiya DM28 models are allegedly going to be priced at “extremely attractive points”, while offering “many of the features found on their higher-end siblings”. At the time of writing, it is unknown if and when the new Mamiya DSLRs will be available in the UK.

Via Imaging Insider | British Journal of Photography

Crayola has announced an application called “Lights, Camera, Color” that lets kids turn their digital photos into personalised colouring pages, and partnered with Olympus to introduce the exclusive FE-46 Digital Camera Colouring Set. The set will include an FE-46 digital camera and case, a 64-ct. box of Crayola crayons, a colourable craft storage box and a unique code for turning your images into personalised colouring pages. The Olympus FE-46 itself is a compact digital camera that combines a 5x optical zoom (36-180mm) with a 12 megapixel CCD. The FE-46 Digital Camera Colouring Set will retail for $99.99.

Website: “Lights, Camera, Color”

The HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault Series is a new family of storage devices that provide a simple and cost effective solution for a small business such as a photography studio to store, secure and share data for under $1000. The X500 provides you with automated backup for up to 10 PCs and Macintoshes clients on the network while providing additional background features like folder duplication and data deduplication. It comes with two or three empty bays (depending on the model) for internal storage expansion and also offers external USB and eSATA ports for additional external expansion. The HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault Series is available now with pricing starting at $699.99.

Website: HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault

Matty Martin, an industrial design student at the California College of Arts, has come up with an unusual concept camera. The “Punch Camera”, as it is called, combines an imaging chip, an LCD screen and a hole-punch system to capture photos and output a rasterised image made up of holes of different sizes. To achieve this, it uses a fixed number of pins that come in four different sizes. As the output medium is a regular piece of paper, the rasterised “prints” cost virtually nothing. “This is a camera which was inspired by the loss of tangible memories. It is meant to connect both physical and digital while minimizing excess materials and the hardships in sharing images,” Martin explains. “I wanted to allow users to create a hardcopy image but minimize the use of inks and paper cartridges.”

While wireless transmission of photos, videos and other types of data is becoming increasingly common, electrical devices still need a mains cable to draw power to operate or charge their batteries - but this may soon change, according to Sony. Their new wireless power transfer system incorporates a form of contact-less electrical energy transmission technology based on magnetic resonance. Using this system, up to 60 Watts of electrical energy can be transferred over a distance of 50cm at an efficiency of approximately 80%. According to Sony, this transfer distance can be extended to 80cm using passive extender units to relay power between relatively small-sized transmitters and receivers. While the theory of wireless energy transfer is not new, and we have seen successful experiments in the past - including Intel’s 2008 demonstration involving a 60W light bulb being powered via a Wireless Resonant Energy Link -, today’s announcement signals that the technology may be finally getting ready for prime time, and that truly wireless homes and offices may eventually become a reality.

Canon USA has decided not to exhibit at PMA 2010. According to a number of online reports, Canon considered both recent changes in the industry and the relocation of the trade show from Las Vegas to Anaheim when taking the decision. The Japanese giant still plans to attend the Consumer Electronic Show (CEs) in January. There is no word on Canon Europe’s attendance at photokina 2010, which bills itself as “the world’s leading fair for photography and imaging”.

Via Amateur Photographer | PDN Gear Guide

The Sigma DP1s is an improved version of the DP1 large-sensor compact camera, which was introduced to market in March 2008. The Sigma DP1s uses the same APS-C sized Foveon sensor as its predecessor, which can output 4.7-megapixel (2652x1768-pixel) digital phototgraphs without Bayer interpolation. The lens, a 28mm equivalent f/4 prime, is also unchanged. Enhancements upon the DP1 include a possibility to allocate the QS (Quick Set) function, which has been adopted by the DP2 and SD14 DSLR, to the digital zoom buttons of the DP1s, and improved performance when shooting backlit subjects.

The GE G3WP is a new, twelve-megapixel waterproof digital camera from General Imaging. Announced back in March along with eight other models, the G3WP has finally arrived in the United Kingdom, ready to hit the shelves in the middle of October. Waterproof to a depth of three metres, the G3WP comes with underwater modes for still and video capture, and features Pan Capture Panorama, ; Auto Scene Detection; Blink, Smile and Face Detection; Image Stabilisation as well as in-camera Red-Eye Removal. The G3WP’s intelligent 2.7-inch LCD automatically adjusts its brightness depending on ambient light levels. The suggested retail price is £140 in the UK and $199 in the US.

Via ephotozine

Blurb has released Blurb BookSmart 2.5, available for download now. BookSmart 2.5 includes many new features that give the Blurb community even more control in the customisation of their book layouts; improved guidance and workflow during book creation; and increased stability of the application itself. New features include content preview in the layout editor, automatic alignment of image and text containers to grids and a variety of design tools to make layout creation quicker. Improved library management, a new contextual library and guidance for trim lines round off the features list.

Website: Booksmart

X-Rite launches a Show Us Your Munki contest, featuring its ColorMunki product, designed to deliver color perfection in digital imaging. The Show Us Your Munki contest, which runs October 1, 2009–March 31, 2010, is simple. Make a side-splitting video with ColorMunki as a prominent “character”, and submit it on the X-Rite YouTube channel. Every month, prizes will be awarded to videos with the most views: 50USD (to buy your Munki a drink or two,) 150USD (to take your favorite Munki to dinner;) and 500USD (to take your Munki away for the weekend.) All monthly winners are eligible for the grand prize of 2,500USD, awarded at the end of the contest in March.

Website: Show Us Your Munki Competition

Pentax Imaging Company has announced plans organised by worldwide Pentaxians for a global photo shoot scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 2009. Forum members at www.pentaxforums.com plan to shoot locally on that day and submit images to a central website. The global shoot “Pentax World Day” is not intended as a competition, but it is designed for the satisfaction of shooting and sharing images with other forum members. Photos may be submitted to the PENTAXForums.com User Photo Gallery. Access the gallery directly by clicking: User Photo Gallery - October 10, 2009. Directions:  Click the “Upload” link located in the navigation bar to add your photo (you need to be a registered user). You may submit up to three photos taken with a Pentax camera (film or digital, SLR or compact). Each photo’s largest dimension should be between 800 and 900 pixels.

Website: Pentax Forums User Photo Gallery - October 10, 2009