As the end of 2008 quickly approaches, we thought it would be a great idea to round-up all of our ultrazoom compact camera reviews from the past year. There are 12 in-depth reviews in total of cameras that offer at least a 10x optical zoom lens, allowing you to get much closer to the action without having to change lenses. You should be able to find the right ultrazoom compact camera for you from this round-up.

Our third Christmas guest writer, photography website editor Ian Burley from DPNow, considers if the days of the SLR camera are numbered.

SLR cameras are special, aren’t they? The first time you pick up an SLR, peer through the viewfinder and release the shutter, if was the same for you as it was for me (all those years ago!) , it was a watershed experience;  rather like driving a car for the first time. The viewfinder, the mechanical whirr, clunk and click of the mirror and shutter operating in tandem, and the reassuring interchangeability of the lens, they all add up to a feeling that never goes away. An SLR has purpose, a mechanical assuredness, almost infinite potential. It’s exhilarating and satisfying in use and makes one look down upon compact cameras with a sense of diluted respect.

But is the SLR camera era under threat? Will many of us never fulfil long-cherished ambitions to own an SLR? Might existing SLR users abandon their old reflex passion… for something new?

As the end of 2008 quickly approaches, we thought it would be a great idea to round-up all of our advanced compact camera reviews from the past year. There are 26 in-depth reviews in total of cameras that offer at least aperture/shutter-priority modes, which is surprising given the recent trend to de-feature compacts in order to sell more entry-level DSLRs. You should be able to find the right advanced compact camera for you from this round-up.

The Samsung NV100HD (also known as the Samsung TL34HD in North America) is a stylish, full-featured and affordable compact camera. Offering a headline-grabbing 14.7 megapixels, 720p HD video mode, touchscreen interface and high-res 3-inch LCD, the NV100HD certainly offers enough innovations to stand out from the crowd, while still being very well priced at £229 / $329.95. Gavin Stoker discovers if the Samsung NV100HD is either a bargain or a missed opportunity.

Website: Samsung NV100HD Review

Our second Christmas guest writer, world famous photo-blogger David J. Nightingale from Chromasia, shares his top tips for creating great high dynamic range (HDR) photos.

As the end of 2008 quickly approaches, we thought it would be a great idea to round-up all of our DSLR camera reviews from the past year. There are 20 in-depth reviews in total, which is proof of just how quickly the DSLR market is expanding, and how busy we’ve been this year! You should be able to find the right DSLR camera for you from this round-up.

Our first Christmas guest writer, world class photographer Annabel Williams, shares her top tips for taking great photos of children.

People always say, ‘Never work with children or animals’ – where’s the challenge in that!

Capturing stunning images of children is one of the most rewarding parts of my job – and while they aren’t always perfectly behaved, there are many ways in which you can put them at ease and within a great environment in order to shoot the best images possible!

Parents and Grandparents always want beautiful shots of their little ones – and today there are so many different ways to present these – framed prints, albums, on canvass, photobooks and even digital photo frames.

The new Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS (also known as the PowerShot SD990 IS in North America) is currently the highest-resolution Canon compact camera, offering a massive 14.7 megapixels. Even more attractive to all keen photographers is the addition of a manual Mode that allows control of shutter speed and aperture, making the Canon 980 IS the first ever IXUS to allow true creative control. There’s also a new QuickShot mode that uses the optical viewfinder for framing and focusing, virtually eliminating shutter lag. Is the Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS worth the rather steep price-tag of £349.99 / $399.99 / €459.99? Read our 300th (!) product review to find out…

Website: Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS Review

DIWA (Digital Imaging Websites Association) has honoured the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G1 with a prestigious Gold Award. Kai Thon, test manager of DIWA Labs, commented: “Our unbiased, computer generated lab measurements reveal that the G1 delivers premium overall image quality, and the LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. Standard zoom lens outperforms any of its rivals. The G1 may look simple, but it acts and performs on par with most comparable D-SLR’s.”

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX3 compact camera has received a DIWA Gold award. According to Kai Thon, test manager of DIWA Labs, “The LX3 is by far the most powerful compact camera available, even when compared to much larger cameras. Despite its record-breaking 24mm wide angle zoom and f/2.0-2.8 lens speed, lens performance is outstanding.” The Digital Imaging Websites Association (DIWA) is a fast growing group of independent Web-based specialist publications dedicated to digital imaging.

The JOBO PDJ077 is a new stylish and modern 7 inch digital picture frame. “As with our entire line of digital picture frames, our newly introduced 7-inch digital picture frame has been designed to make viewing and sharing of digital photographs easier than ever before,” said Johannes Bockemuehl-Simon, JOBO’s CEO. “This elegant and versatile new digital frame is sure to fit in with any décor at home on the family room wall or in the office on a desk.” The JOBO PDJ077 features an 800 x 480 pixel resolution with a contrast ratio of 400:1 and user adjustable brightness. The PDJ077 is now available at a price of €99.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX37 is a new point-and-shoot compact camera with two standout features - a wide-angle, 25-125mm, 5x optical zoom lens, and a 720p HD movie mode. The FX37 offers the widest lens of any camera in its class, yet still manages to squeeze a 5x zoom into its tiny body, providing a versatile focal range. The Lumix FX37 is also the latest Panasonic camera to be able to shoot video at 1280x720 pixels at 30 fps, perfect for playing back on your High Definition TV. Available in silver, black, blue, pink, white and brown, the Panasonic FX37 can be yours for a recommended price of £249 / $399. Read our 299th review to find out if it’s any good…

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX37 Review

To celebrate it’s 10 birthday, everyone who has ever purchased VueScan can now upgrade to VueScan 8.5 for free. VueScan is, the world’s most widely used 3rd party scanning software. VueScan 0.1 was first released in 1998 with support for a single scanner on Windows only. It now supports more than 1200 scanners on 3 operating systems and in 35 languages, has been downloaded more than 5 million times and has been purchased by more than 170,000 people worldwide. VueScan is available in two editions, Standard Edition ($39.95 USD) and Professional Edition ($79.95).

Due to overwhelming demand, Datacolor is extending mail-in rebates on its Spyder color calibration systems. You can now save $15.00 off of Spyder3Pro, $35.00 off of Spyder3Elite, and $100.00 off Spyder3 Studio until December 31st 2008. The rebate program will continue to be offered in addition to any other promotions currently offered by retailers nationwide in the USA.

BuyThisImage! is a new website widget that allows you to sell your online images. The BuyThisImage! widget can be incorporated into personal blogs or websites with a few easy steps. “This new widget gives even casual web posters the opportunity to earn additional income from the sale of their images and artwork,” said Donovan Janus, CEO of ExposureManager. “We realize that not everyone who posts to the web is set up as a business, which is why BuyThisImage! makes sense. We handle all transaction issues and send monthly payments to our subscribers whenever images are sold.” A nominal transaction fee is deducted from each sale.

Acclaimed landscape and travel photographer David Noton has just launched a new website. Over 80 new images from Noton’s collection are now available as prints in several different sizes, and you can also purchase his DVD, Chasing the Light, and book, Waiting for the Light. Prices start at just £10.

The winners of the 2008 Nikon Discovery Awards have been announced. Gina Brocker of University of Wales, Newport, was named as the Grand Prize Winner at an awards ceremony in Olympia, London, winning £5000 plus a D300 camera kit. The Nikon Discovery Awards, in association with British Journal of Photography, was set up two years ago to encourage photographic excellence by offering students and their universities or colleges.

Portraiture 2 is a new version of Imagenomic’s skin retouching plugin for Adobe Photoshop. “Portraiture 2 is the state-of-the-art software for digital skin retouching, and represents the next generation for workflow performance and finishing effects for the photographic, creative, and advertising communities,” said David McDonell, co-founder and CEO of Imagenomic. Portraiture 2 supports both Mac OSX and Windows XP/Vista operating systems and is fully compatible with Photoshop Elements 4/5/6/7, and Photoshop CS/CS2/CS3/CS4 (including both 32 and 64-bit versions), as well as Creative Suite Extended. New pricing of $199.95 for Portraiture 2 will go into effect on January 2nd 2009.

Heritage Images has launched a new print-on-demand website for its collection of Hollywood star portraits. Over 30,000 artworks, photographs, prints and posters selected from the Heritage Images collection are now available as prints in four different formats. Prices range from £4.89 for a photographic print to £195.74 for a 55” canvas print. To launch the new site, Heritage Images are offering consumers a 15 per cent discount when purchasing any print until 24th December 2008.

DxO Labs have just added the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Pentax K200D DSLRs to their www.dxomark.com RAW measurement website. “Our goal at DxO Labs is to cover the widest possible range of digital cameras, from RAW-compatible digital still cameras (DSC) to top-of-the-line DSLR,” said Nicolas Touchard, Vice President of Marketing, DxO Labs Image Quality Evaluation. “We are committed to consistently providing the highest level of RAW image data possible in order to build the most comprehensive database of RAW image information available.” There is also a new Frequently Asked Questions & Answers section.