Album of the Damned: Snapshots from the Third Reich is one of the most unusual photographic/textual records ever published about the German people during Hitler’s twelve-year reign. This stunning record includes 400 photographs taken almost exclusively by amateur German photographers—soldiers and civilians—during WWII and covers a wide spectrum of life on both the home front and battle front. Paul Garson, a photographer, writer and teacher in Los Angeles, has viewed more than 100,000 images from more than a dozen countries to create this photographic record of the Third Reich. Album of the Damned: Snapshots from the Third Reich will be published later this year by Academy Chicago Publishers.

The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2008 is a prestigious UK photographic competition for under 19s. Anybody aged under 19 on 1 September 2008 can enter their photographs of any animal, large or small. The competition is divided into four categories: under 12 years, 12 to 18 years, pet personalities and the Olympus portfolio. The RSPCA competition is offering the winners some superb prizes including the opportunity to join the RSPCA on an exclusive photoshoot and top Olympus cameras. The deadline for entries is Monday 1 September 2008.

Leica and Jenoptik have concluded an agreement for digital imaging components comprising optoelectronics and software. Leica intends to further integrate digital technology and optoelectronics into its existing and future cameras and in this way further expand its position as a leader in the premium segment. Jenoptik’s Digital Imaging business unit specializes in the development and manufacture of high-performance imaging systems.

Shoot! The Day is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to replenish the global stock photo supply in areas of the greatest buyer demand. Photographers worldwide are invited to shoot stock images in five key categories – active seniors, youth culture, family and kids lifestyle, business settings and still life. PhotoShelter have also launched The School of Stock. a definitive new online guide to understanding what stock photo buyers’ want and how they want it.

Square Group is hosting a free event dedicated to Apple’s Professional Creative Applications in London, UK. The Square event will focus on the latest offerings from Apple in pro photo, video and audio technology, including Aperture 2. It takes place at The Design Council in London’s Covent Garden on Thursday 3rd July.

The TrekPod, a lightweight, height-adjustable walking/hiking staff with a fully integrated tripod, is now available in the UK. JP Distribution have been chosen as the exclusive UK distributor for parent company Trek-Tech. Prices range from £5.99 for accessories up to £114.95 for the TrekPod Go with the MagMount AR/I quick-release, mount-demount system.

The 1TB Little Big Disk Quadra is the largest capacity, most powerful mobile storage solution currently available. “The Little Big Disk is suitable for multiple in-the-field applications. A professional photographer will take thousands of RAW photos in one photo shoot, while a videographer needs tremendous capacity and transfer rates to edit their footage,” said Arnaud Prezelin, LaCie Product Manager for Creative Pro solutions. The 1TB LaCie Little Big Disk Quadra is available now at the suggested retail price of $659.99/ £399.99.

7 in 10 women have stopped their photo being taken because they didn’t have time to pose properly - with three in ten men doing likewise. The survey of UK adults by Samsung also revealed that Kylie Minogue was thought to look consistently good in photos even when caught off-guard, whilst Londoners are the most image-conscious, with 42% striking a pose for the camera.

The CamGrip is a rubberised grip that provides an easy way to add additional stability and control when handholding your camera. The CamGrip is also available with a CamCase which has inside pockets to hold memory cards, lens cloth and extra batteries etc. JP Distribution have been chosen as the exclusive UK distributor for CamGrip, which retails at £6.99, and with the CamCase, £13.99.

CameraLabs have reviewed the Sigma DP1 compact camera, which packs the full specification of a DSLR into the body of a compact camera.

“This alone should be cause for celebration and Sigma commended for boldly going where no manufacturer has gone before, but there’s trouble in paradise. Sigma describes the DP1 as ‘a compact camera with all the power of a DSLR’, but this statement should come with a long list of caveats.”

Website: CameraLabs - Sigma DP1 Review

Website: Read our Sigma DP1 Review

PCMag have reviewed the HP Photosmart Pro B8850, a new photo printer aimed at advanced amateur photographers.

“File the HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer ($549.99 direct) under pleasant surprises. In theory, it’s the next-generation replacement for the Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer, a model that printed good, but not great, photos and suffered from several limitations. In reality, it has much more in common with the pricier HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer, our Editors’ Choice for high-end photo printers. In particular, the B8850 matches the B9180’s superb output quality, which is enough by itself to make the B8850 worth a look. But the resemblance runs deeper.”

Website: PCMag - HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Review

Pentax have released a new firmware update for the 14.6 megapixel Pentax K20D DSLR camera. The following issue has been improved in version 1.01:

- Minimize the noise when taking picture with 2 seconds self-timer mode.

Website: Pentax K20D Firmware Update 1.01

The MINOX DCC Rolleiflex AF 5.0 is a miniature version of the classic 6x6 camera complete with modern features. Weighing just 100 grams, the MINOX DCC Rolleiflex AF 5.0 includes an autofocus lens, a 1.1“ inch monitor, and an image resolution of up to 5 megapixels (square format). The camera is mechanically prepared for the exposure of the next shot by turning the mechanical metal hand crank. Many individual features have been reproduced in explicit detail and to scale, making the miniaturized MINOX DCC Rolleiflex AF 5.0 a sought after item for collectors and users.

“Time Line: Sheila Metzner” is a retrospective exhibition of the work of acclaimed photographer Sheila Metzner. The exhibition will include approximately 100 images, drawn from Metzner’s personal collection, and will feature highlights from her work in several genres - fashion, still life, landscape and portraiture. “Time Line: Sheila Metzner”  will be on view at the Visual Arts Museum, 209 East 23 Street, New York City, from September 3 – October 4, 2008.

You can now print images taken using your digital camera in a traditional way in your darkroom using a new service from UK mail-order photographic specialist Firstcall. They use a PCR8 CCG Film Recorder to write JPEG or TIFF files to 35mm film using a precision (3 pass) laser, which then creates negatives equal to the original resolution of the film. Send a CD to Firstcall containing up to 36 images, and an unprocessed black and white Ilford film is returned for developing and printing. The compete service, including postage, costs £15 and the CD with “burnt” film is returned by next day post.

DIWA member Digit.no have reviewed the Canon EOS 40D digital SLR camera, which offers a 10.1 megapixel sensor, 6.5 fps continuous shooting and 3 inch LCD screen.

Website: Digit.no - Canon EOS 40D Review

Website: Read our Canon EOS 40D Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Pentax Optio S12, a new ultra-compact 12 megapixel digital camera.

“The level of fine detail is very impressive, as good as any of the more expensive 12MP compacts. I found that it did tend to under-expose slightly, but this had the effect of preserving highlight detail, especially in the case of very bright saturated colours, something which has been a problem on some high-res compacts. Lens quality is also good for an ultra-compact, although there was some barrel distortion at wide angle, as well as some corner blurring and a little chromatic aberration at the edges of the frame.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Pentax Optio S12 Review

Wacom has significantly reduced the UK prices of the Cintiq 21UX, PL-720 and PL-521 interactive pen displays, as well as the Wireless Pen Tablet. The Cintiq 21UX is now priced at £1,799.99 including VAT, the 17” PL-720 at £999.99, the 15” PL-521 £799.99, and the Wireless Pen Tablet at £149.99. All Wacom products are available from Computers Unlimited and Gem in the UK.

Paragon Drive Backup 9.0 offers a new approach to file-level backup along with a powerful system restore functionality. Available in Personal and Professional Editions, Paragon Drive Backup 9 utilizes a file-level protection system that allows the product to backup open and “in-use” files. “Drive Back up 9 users can rest assured that, in the event of a system crash, they will always have the ability to restore their PCs to their original, problem-free state, in one of many recovery environments.” commented Konstantin Komarov, CEO of Paragon Software. Paragon Drive Backup 9.0 costs £15.95 for the Personal version and £39.95 for the Professional version.

Delkin are now shipping the first archival Blu-ray (BD-R) disc guaranteed to preserve data safely for over 200 years. They also feature a market-leading 4x write speed, enabling users to burn 25GB of data in only 23 minutes, and ScratchArmor scratch-proof coating protect the discs over fifty times better then typical coatings found on other optical discs. “Now that the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray media has come to an end, we are excited to offer an archival Blu-ray (BD-R) product that exceeds our customers’ expectations and fits in with our current line of Archival Gold media.” commented Delkin CEO Martin Wood.