Perhaps the most bizarre product on display at last week’s Photokina show was the Sony Alpha computer game for Playstation 3. “Harnessing the synergy” between the different divisions of the vast Sony empire, a 20 level version of the Alpha game is apparently available in Japan, although Photokina visitors had to make-do with the 2 levels that had been converted to English. From our brief glimpse of the game, players had to work their way through the Sony Alpha camera ranks by completing a serious of photographic challenges, starting off with a Konica Minolta Dynax camera and going on safari. This largely educational game is based upon a tie-in with National Geographic magazine, featuring stills and video from the NG archives, so is particularly well-suited to the younger members of your family. No word on when or if a full version Sony Alpha game for Playstation 3 will be released outside Japan.

Update: We have a gallery of photos of the Sony Alpha game for Playstation 3 - click the continue link below…

The Kodak Z1485 IS is a new 14 megapixel camera with 5x optical zoom lens. Quietly making its debut at last week’s Photokina show, the Kodak Z1485 IS features a focal length of 35-175 mm with optical image stabilization, ISO 100 to ISO 1600 (with 3200 and 6400 available at lower resolution), new Smart Capture feature which adjusts the camera settings for great pictures in just about any environment, a Manual mode that lets you choose both the aperture and shutter speed, and HD quality video recording. Available in black, blue and pink, the Kodak Z1485 IS costs $299.95 and is available now.

Update: We have a gallery of photos of the Kodak Z1485 IS - click the continue link below…

The 500GB HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA backups photos from memory cards on the go, without the need for a computer. Hyper fast UDMA 40MB/s backup speed ensures short waits between transfers, and ultra long battery performance allows 250GB of backups before recharging. The HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA features a 3.2” QVGA color screen and allows you to playback JPEG and true RAW images. Built-in memory card data recovery tools recover deleted, lost, formatted or corrupted data. When connected to a computer’s USB 2.0 port, the HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA operates like a normal hard drive. The 500GB HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA will be available from October for $599.

Update: We have a gallery of photos of the HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA - click the continue link below…

The Smartparts SP3200WF is the world’s largest WiFi digital picture frame. Fully compatible with Windows Live Photo Gallery, the SP3200WF has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels and is surrounded by a beige museum quality mat and natural wood frame with an espresso finish. “Smartparts is proud to bring WiFi capability to the SP3200,” said Stefan Guelpen, president and co founder of Smartparts. “When we first introduced the SP3200 to the world at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, a new standard was set in both engineering and design, something by which all manufacturers would be measured. The frame received a lot of praise and was well accepted by the market - we expect the same positive reception to the SP3200WF with its new wireless functionality.” The 32 inch SP3200WF will be available through specialty retailers nationwide in the US.

The 8-inch SPX8WF is the first WiFi digital picture frame from Smartparts. The new SPX8WF boasts unparalleled ease-of-use introducing a pre-assigned email address, one-touch internet setup, automatic image correction, and on-frame photo album organization. Featuring an elegant espresso wood frame, the Smartparts SPX8WF gives consumers the ability to view their digital images in remarkable clarity on an eight inch, 24-bit LCD screen, featuring a resolution of 800x600 and 16.7 million viewable colors. The Smartparts SPX8WF will cost $149.99 and be available in November 2008.

Sony has released a 16GB, high-speed UDMA compact flash card. The 16GB Sony 300x Compact Flash offers a uper-fast 45MB/second write speed. This makes it the perfect partner for UDMA-enabled cameras such as Sony’s ? DSLR range, letting you to record more frames per second in continuous shooting mode. The card also comes with a 5 year warranty and image recovery service. Price and availability of the 16GB Sony 300x Compact Flash to be announced.

Eye-Fi has made the upload of digital photos from camera to computer using its wireless memory cards twice as fast. “Faster wireless uploads and the ability to add new services to your Eye-Fi card are significant advancements in making it more convenient and rewarding to save and share digital memories,” said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. “Even better, we’re able to offer this new convenience and flexibility to current users as well as new customers.” Beginning October 5, new and existing Eye-Fi card owners can easily add features that are not already included on their cards and renew annual services.. Eye-Fi has also announced plans to expand its distribution internationally to Japan and Canada by the end of the year.

Leica and Phase One have agreed to enter into a long-term strategic alliance in the technical development and marketing of professional photography products. Close cooperation has also been decided upon for the expansion of effective service and marketing structures. ‘Our two companies are an outstanding match for each other due to the similarity of their corporate cultures, their extraordinary innovative strengths and their dedication to absolute quality. Together with Phase One we will soon be able to begin offering professional customers a new range of products and services.’ commented CEO of Leica Camera AG, Dr Andreas Kaufmann.

FotoTV, the largest online archive of films about photography of its kind, launches its English site FotoTV.com. ‘FotoTV’s unique and qualified online archive offers every enthusiast direct access to a host of artists, photographers and knowledge. What is unique about FotoTV is that viewers have access to a large number of films from just one site’ explains FotoTV founder, Marc Ludwig. FotoTV are offering new registered users 15 films free of charge in addition to a special introductory offer of €29.90 (approximately 42.60 $) for a year’s subscription, including more than 40 films at launch.

Microsoft have released the second version of Pro Photo Tools, a set of tools for photographers to perform various tasks with their images. The highlights of Microsoft Pro Photo Tools 2 include:

- Support for reading and writing metadata to/from XMP side cars so that metadata will interoperate with Adobe products. This is in addition to reading and writing from the file.
- Users can convert from RAW to JPEG, TIFF, and HD Photo using “As Shot” settings. This includes the ability to resize the image.
- Users can view actual RAW image in addition to thumbnails
- Support for 64-bit Windows
- Support for international locales
- Improved UI for geotagging your photos

Website: Download Microsoft Pro Photo Tools 2

The Seattle Sling is a new waterproof camera bag from the makers of Camera Armor. The Seattle Sling features complete protection from the elements, featuring interior dry-bag technology that provides weather-proof protection in addition to impact safety. Zipper-free with a sealed dry bag that is proven to hold air-tight even when fully submerged in water, the Seattle Sling is available now for $149.95.

HP Baryte Satin Art Paper delivers the look and feel of traditional argentic baryte papers. HP Baryte Satin Art Paper is designed with an acid buffered fiber base substrate, an authentic baryte smooth surface coating and a high-performance inkjet layer, which delivers long-lasting prints and exceptional image quality. HP Baryte Satin Art Paper is optimized for black and white and color prints, portraits, vintage photo reproductions, restorations and style renderings. Expected to be available worldwide ffrom Oct. 1, 2008, pricing for HP Baryte Satin Art Paper starts at $130 for a 610mm x 15.2m roll.

Samsung have introduced NaBee, a wirelss USB connection for digital cameras. Samsung NaBee allows for a simple, high-speed wireless communication between a digital still camera and PC. Plug the miniature dongle into the camera USB connector, and its matching dongle into the PC and it connects just like a standard USB cable. NaBee will be available in December 2008.

Nikon have just released a firmware update, version 1.11, for the 10 megapixel Nikon D80 DSLR camera. Version 1.11 resolves an issue which, in rare cases, causes the battery indicator to blink whilst shooting regardless of the level of charge in the battery.

Website: Nikon D80 Firmware Update 1.11 (Windows)
Website: Nikon D80 Firmware Update 1.11 (Mac)

Pentax’s Sales & Marketing Director of Imaging Systems, Mr. Toshiaki Iue, who recently joined the company in July, has stated that “Pentax’s relationship with Samsung is not perfect – there are some issues”, but went on to say that the two companies would continue their technology partnership for at least the near future. In a wide-ranging round-table interview held at Photokina, Mr Iue candidly answered questions on a wide range of topics, including Pentax’s future plans for their long-delayed digital 645 medium format camera, the potential impact of Micro Four Thirds, and their relationship with parent company Hoya.

The new AgfaPhoto DC-1338sT camera has a 3” touch screen LCD display. A gentle touch – either with a finger or a stylus – of the display is all it takes for the user interface to open. The AgfaPhoto DC-1338sT also features a 3x optical zoom, 10-megapixel resolution, sensitivity up to ISO 3200 and 22 scene modes. The AgfaPhoto DC-1338sT will be available from the end of October for 179 euros.

Kodak has introduced two new all-in-one printers, the ESP 9 and ESP 7. Featuring an intelligent paper tray system which automatically adjusts settings based on paper type, size and amount, the Kodak ESP 9 and Kodak ESP 7 also offer Wi-Fi printing and a 10” one-touch control panel on the ESP 9. Both models promise to save consumers up to £75 a year on ink, compared to other leading consumer inkjet printers. The Kodak ESP 7 and ESP 9 AiO printers will cost £199.99 and £299.99 respectively, available from November.

Ilford Galerie Graphic is a new inkjet paper for professional photographers seeking more specialised media. Available in rolls from 17” to 44”, the Galerie Graphic product line includes Self adhesive vinyl, backlit transparency material, pop-up display media, heavyweight matt paper and ultra white pearl and gloss finishes. Ilford Galerie Graphic will be available in the UK from October 1st through JP Distribution.

Canon USA is revamping its Canon Professional Services (CPS) program in early 2009. The new CPS program, which will require all existing members to reapply, will offer three levels of membership – Silver, Gold and Platinum. “A day without a camera is a day without revenue. It is with this sense of urgency that Canon U.S.A. is upgrading the level of service provided by our CPS program to better support our Canon professionals in the field,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. CPS Silver level membership will be offered free-of-charge. CPS Gold level membership will have an annual fee of $100, and CPS Platinum $500.

Leaf and Sinar are expanding their strategic alliance to include sharing of digital imaging technology. The first step of the planned cooperation will provide access for Sinar AG to the new Leaf AFi-II medium format system. “Our intention is to combine the extraordinary image quality and digital technology of Leaf products with Sinar’s vast knowledge and experience in creating superior medium format cameras,” said Dov Kalinski, general manager of Leaf. “As we expand our strategic cooperation with Sinar, we expect to see more new products that enhance the offerings of both companies.”