Corel Painter 11 is the newest edition of the world’s leading painting and illustration software.  With more than 40 new and enhanced features, Painter 11 provides the most inventive drawing and painting tools available. “With the enhancements in brush technology and the expandable color palette introduced in Painter 11, I now have an even more powerful toolbox with which to express myself on the digital canvas!” said Jeremy Sutton, Portrait Artist. The English version of Corel Painter 11 is available now as an electronic download, priced at $399 for the full version and $199 for the upgrade.

The SanDisk ImageMate card readers have been updated and are now available in North America. The ImageMate All-In-One memory card reader can reach speeds of up to 34MB/s, and the ImageMate Multi-Card reader is capable of up to 30MB/s read and 27 MB/s write data transfer rates. Sporting a stylish glossy black and metallic silver design, each reader’s tripod base is detachable, and each has a dedicated transfer button that automatically launches a user-defined application or web site. The ImageMate All-In-One reader costs $29.99, and the ImageMate Multi-Card reader is $19.99.

Delkin Devices are offering 20% off their range of photographic products until the end of February. Simply enter the Coupon Code “PMA09” when you place your order to qualify for the discount.

Website: Delkin Devices 20% Sale

Hitachi has announced that it has agreed to acquire storage solution company Fabrik, whose brands include G-Technology and SimpleTech. Fabrik’s business will continue intact and form the core of Hitachi GST’s newly-formed external storage business, with the the G-Technology and SimpleTech product lines continuing. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Closing of the acquisition is expected to occur early in the second quarter of 2009.

ZIO Pro are giving away a free Photoshop training DVD to every person who registers. The DVD is worth $60 and is shipped right to your door (including free shipping within the US). Plus, there’s also the chance to win a complete Creative Editing Workstation, including Adobe CS4 Production Premium, a Canon XH A1S HD camera and a HP Personal Computer.

The Olympus E-620 is the world’s smallest and lightest creative DSLR camera with built-in image stabilisation. The 12 megapixel Olympus E620 features a custom 7-point Twin autofocus system, 2.7 inch free-angle LCD screen, Live View, 4fps continuous shooting and Supersonic Wave Filter dust protection. The E-620 also offers the same Art Filters, Multi Exposure mode and five different aspect ratios as the more expensive E-30 model. The Olympus E-620 will be available at the end of April 2009 for $699.99 / £619.99 body-only.

Pentax USA have reduced the price of the Pentax K20D by $200. Effective immediately, the K20D is now available at these prices:

K20D body only - $799.95
K20D with DA 18-55mm II lens kit: $879.95
K20D with DA 16-45mm lens kit: $1199.95

Pentax are also extending the free Three Year Warranty on all K20Ds purchased by March 31st 2009.

US retailer Ritz Cameras has today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Chief Restructuring Officer Marc Weinsweig commented “The loss of revenues and profit margins from the diminution in the photo-finishing business proved too much of a burden, coupled with the losses experienced by the Boater’s World business in 2008.” Ritz are attempting to obtain $85 million of financing to keep operating.

Website: Ritz Camera files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The Quik Pod Explorer and Precision are two new handheld extendable tripods. The Quik Pod Pro Precision features a Universal Two Axis Leveling Adapter, which can be used for handheld and tabletop tripod use. The Quik Pod Explorer is the longest compact handheld extendable, extending to 38.5” (98cm).

The 13th edition of PhotographyBB Online Magazine is now available for free download. The February 2009 release features techniques on shooting concert photography along with issues to consider when shooting in concert environments, a photographic view of skiing in Italy, and an article for the aspiring pro-photographer entitled “How to Get Your Photos Published.” “This issue marks a major milestone for PhotographyBB; our one year anniversary issue. Our team has worked so hard over the past 12 months with their informative and thoughtful contributions to the magazine, and the reader feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.” commented Editor in Chief, Dave Seeram.

Aaduki Multimedia Insurance is offering 10% off their insurance policies for photographers. The 10% discount will only be available from the Aaduki or SWPP stands at the Focus on Imaging show, and will be valid on quotes issued at Focus up to the end of March 2009. Vince Brown, Sales Manager said, “ We are offering the additional discount to attract photographers that may have seen our name but never received a quotation off us to come and get a price to see how it stacks up against their renewal. We are confident that not only do we offer good value for money in these times of economic hardship, but we have a great service too.”

The Sony Cyber-shot T700 is a stylish 10 megapixel compact camera with a massive 4Gb of internal memory. Available in red, champagne gold, pink, dark gray and silver, the Sony T700 is almost completely controlled via its 3.5 inch, 921,600 dot, touch-screen LCD panel. Other stand-out features of the Cybershot T700 include intelligent scene recognition, Smile Shutter and face detection with child and adult priority, high sensitivity shooting (up to ISO 3200), anti-blink function, and optical image stabilisation. Zoltan Arva-Toth finds out if the Sony Cyber-shot T700 is worth the £290 / $400 asking price.

Website: Sony Cyber-shot T700 Review

The Samsung TL320 is a new 12 megapixel camera with a 5x, 24mm wide-angle zoom lens and 3 inch OLED screen. The TL320 (also known as the Samsung WB100) has a a 3 inch, 460,000 dot HVGA AMOLED screen, offering a high contrast ratio of 10,000:1 which produces darker black levels, more vibrant colors, and a brighter display that can be reviewed at any angle. The Samsung TL320 also features high-definition video recording at a resolution of 720p and HDMI connectivity, plus aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual shooting. Available in black or silver, the TL320 will be available in May 2009 for $379.99. In the UK the Samsung WB100 will be available in black and silver for £329 from April 2009.

The Samsung HZ15W is a new 12 megapixel camera with a 10x, 24mm wide-angle zoom lens. The step-up model from the HZ10W, which was introduced in January, the Samsung HZ15W (also known as the Samsung WB550) offers a larger 3 inch LCD screen. Just like the HZ10W, the HZ15W model has a 24-240mm lens, Dual Image Stabilization, Smart Auto, Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection, Self Portrait and Beauty Shot modes. It can also record high-definition video at a resolution of 720p and connected directly to an HDTV via the HDMI port. The Samsung HZ15W will be available in March 2009 for $329.99. In the UK the Samsung WB550 will be available in black and dark grey for £299 from April 2009.

The Samsung PL10 is a new 9 megapixel multimedia digital camera. The PL10 (also known as the Samsung Samsung CL5) features a 2.7 inch LCD screen and PMP (Personal Multimedia Player) with integrated MP3 player. Other standout features of the PL10 include Face Recognition, Perfect Portrait System, Smart Auto and Frame guide. In the UK the Samsung PL10 will be available from April 2009 in silver, royal black, arty red, candy pink and purple for £179.

The Olympus X915 and X890 are new digital cameras exclusive to UK retailer Jessops. The Olympus X915 (pictured) is a 12 megapixel camera with a 5x optical zoom and 2.7 LCD screen. The Olympus X890 has 10 megapixels, 3x optical zoom and a 2.7 LCD screen. The Olympus X915 and X890 are available now from Jessops stores or online for £299 and £259 respectively.

The Leica SF 58 is a new powerful flashgun for the M, R and S systems. The SF58 has a guide number of 58 and can cope with everything from subtle fill-in and indirect flash light using the tilt reflector, to decoupled flash operation in slave mode. It features a main reflector that is responsible for the indirect flash, and a secondary reflector that can be used to lighten up the dark areas. The Leica SF58 also has an integrated USB port for firmware updating.

The winners of the Urban Encounter competition, organised by Lonely Planet and Pikeo, have been announced. The four winners each won free trips to India, Russia, Morocco or Kenya. The twenty seven runners-up also received a selection of prizes. From 10th-14th March 2009, the free Urban Encounter exhibition will be displaying the winning images, runner up images and judges’ choice images at Host Gallery in Shoreditch, London. Special guest and professional photographer Pete Seaward will be giving a short talk at the opening night on ‘capturing the urban environment’.

The PDML Photo Annual is comprised of artwork from 59 photographers from around the world, with 100% of the profits being donated to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation. The PDML (PENTAX-Discuss Mail List) is an email list of photographers all over the world. This project brought together 59 artists in 15 countries to create the PDML Photo Annual, which was assembled electronically and uploaded to the online publishing site Blurb. The PDML Photo Annual costs from $32.95.

Nikon UK is set to increase its prices for the second time in 2009. Effective from 1st March, the price increase is being blamed on “the relative weakness of Sterling and the continued strength of the Yen”. Better news for photographers is that Nikon’s Coolpix compacts and some DSLRs won’t see an increase.