The winner of the “Everyday Smiles” photo contest from Sony and Reuters will have their photos displayed on a Times Square billboard. Aspiring U.S. photographers are invited to submit photos of themselves, their friends and their families smiling. Entries for the Everyday Smiles contest must be received between now and June 16th 2008.

Kodak Gallery members can now buy a Kodak digital picture frame preloaded with up to 100 of their favorite photos. Kodak will load the pictures on the frame and ship the package directly to you or your friends and family members. “KODAK Digital Pictures Frames are very popular and we’re thrilled to build on that popularity by offering an easy way for people to share pictures with the people they love, and the best part is that we do the work for you,” said Madhav Mehra, General Manager of KODAK Gallery.

ViewGenie Photo Explorer can build a map from photos of a scene and visually explore an environment. ViewGenie is unique in its ability to recognize specific visual detail in an image. “You can upload a bunch of photos from a vacation, or perhaps even a collection of similar photos, place direct tags on the images themselves–and then ViewGenie takes this all, links it together and ultimately tries to match the buildings and the objects using artificial intelligence.” says Parham Aarabi, President and CEO of ViewGenie, Inc. The ViewGenie Photo Explorer application can be embedded in any Web site or blog.

Olympus have released firmware updates for their FE- range of entry-level digital compact cameras. Firmware version 1.1 is now available for the FE-350 Wide (pictured), FE-330, FE-310, FE-290 and the FE-270. There are two improvements:

- The camera’s stability improves during operation.
- Changes have been made to the Korean version.

Website: Olympus Software Downloads

The Transcend StoreJet 35 Ultra is a new actively cooled eSATA external hard drive. The StoreJet 35 Ultra offers transfer speeds of 3.0Gb/s via its eSATA interface, or 480Mb/s via USB 2.0. It features an active cooling system that includes an extra-quiet 80mm high-flow fan to keep its internal drive running cool and stable. The StoreJet 35 Ultra is now available with either a pre-installed 500GB SATA hard drive, or without a drive.

The Nikon Discovery Awards 2008 offers students across the UK and Ireland the chance to win a share of £50,000 worth of prizes. Selected colleges and universities offering photographic courses have been invited to join the Nikon Academy, making them eligible to enter the competition. Entries for the competition must be submitted by 31st October 2008, when a panel of independent judges will select a shortlist of entries. To view the winning entries from the Discovery Awards 2007, visit www.nikon.co.uk/gallery

The Sixties: Photographs By Robert Altman is a new photo exhibition at the Idea Generation Gallery. Running from 16th July – 29th August , the exhibition brings together 60 of the most powerful images from the chief staff photographer of Rolling Stone magazine. “The passion for what he was shooting is wonderfully clear, but there’s more to it than that. It’s almost as if he’s distilled the essence of the era - you get a real sense of the drama, excitement, hope, anger, idealism of the time. It makes for some iconic images.” commented Hector Proud, managing director of Idea Generation Gallery. Entry to the exhibition at the Idea Generation Gallery in London is free.

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W150, an 8.1-megapixel camera with 5x optical zoom lens and 2.7 inch LCD screen.

“As with past models, the W150’s overall image quality is good. I saw very little edge softness in our outdoor photos, and it seems the AE (Auto Exposure) system does well with sky detail (not over exposing the sky, leaving nice looking clouds.) I did see some small traces of noise in lower contrast areas when viewing images at 100%, even at ISO 100. However, this is something you will not likely see in your typical 4x6 or 8x10-inch prints. Colors are more natural looking (which I prefer), not as vivid as some manufactures models.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W150 Review

The name of a brand new Canon DSLR camera, the EOS 1000D / Rebel XS, has been leaked by Canon. The EOS 1000D / Rebel XS was referenced in the help file of the latest version of Digital Photo Professional, Canon’s RAW converter software. Listed in the compatibility section, no other concrete details about the EOS 1000D / Rebel XS are available. We’d surmise that given the model number, this model will follow in the footsteps of the EOS 1000 film SLR and become the new entry-level Canon DSLR, below the current Rebel XSi / EOS 450D (pictured).

Website: Bob Atkins -  Canon EOS Rebel XS/1000D and DPP 3.4.1.1

Nikon have applied for a patent for a new double viewfinder, where a small electronic display is visible through the optical viewfinder. According to Patent Application 20080084484, the photographer can switch between the optical viewfinder and electronic display, and even zoom in and out. Nikon state that this system will be of use for things like tracking a sports game, and will possibly featured on both professional and consumer DSLR cameras.

Website: United States Patent Application 20080084484

Website: PhotographyBay - Nikon’s New Viewfinder Does Double Duty

The specification for the Adobe DNG RAW file format has just been updated. Version 1.2.0.0 includes the formalization of the concept of a “camera profile” and a metadata tag to validate your image data.

Website: LightRoom Journal - DNG Specification and Vista DNG Codec

Adobe have released a DNG codec for Windows Vista, allowing DNG files to be viewed within the operating system. The DNG Codec provides a method for Windows Vista users to view DNG files in the Windows Explorer and Photo Gallery. Available as a free download from Adobe Labs, this is a nearly complete Release Candidate version.

Website: DNG Codec for Windows Vista

The PT-E05 is an underwater case for the new Olympus E-520 DSLR camera. Waterproof up to a water pressure equivalent to a depth of 40 metres, flash connectors allow optional use of up to two UFL-2 underwater flash units. Five interchangeable lens ports allow the optional use of the 14-42mm, 14-45mm, 11-22mm, 14-54mm, 7-14mm, 8mm Fisheye, 35mm and 50mm Macro lenses.

Gitzo Center Ball Heads are a completely new and innovative range of center ball heads. The Center Ball Heads offer smoothness, light weight, low gravity center, greater tilt angles, ergonomics, and minimized drift angle. The quick release plate features a new lever operated locking for increased safety and compactness. Gitzo Center Ball Heads are available now, pricing starts from $210.53.

PhotoZone have reviewed the Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA, a wide angle 24-70mm zoom lens with a large f/2.8 aperture.

“The Zeiss ZA Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 SSM will surely find many fans. In terms of resolution is may well be the hottest cake around in this class and neither distortions nor vignetting are problems to worry about (all within the APS-C scope). Lateral CAs may be visible at times in wide-angle images but it’s a non-issue in the middle to upper zoom range. The only sour aspect of the lens is the quality of the bokeh (character of the out-of-focus blur) which could be better @ 70mm f/2.8 - this may cause headaches for some users.”

Website: PhotoZone - Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA Review

Buy-n-Shoot have reviewed the Leica M8 digital rangefinder camera, which has a 10 megapixel sensor, focal factor of 1.33x and an ISO range of 160-2500.

“The Leica M8 is a precision photographic tool that provides professional results. SLR shooters may take a little while getting accustom to shooting with a range finder. However, the Leica M-series camera is very easy to use. Experienced photographers will have no problem getting the most from the M8. In fact the only problem you are going to have is deciding if you want the silver or black model.”

Website: Buy-n-Shoot - Leica M8 Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Canon PowerShot SD770 IS Review, a 10 megapixel cameras with 3x zoom lens and optical image stabilizer.

“Canon has created another successful ultra-compact digicam with the release of the PowerShot Digital ELPH SD770 IS. It features a 2.5” PureColor II LCD screen, optical image stabilization and motion detection technology. This combined with all the usual features that you have come to expect from an ELPH like face detection, VGA movie mode, full auto and various pre-programmed scene modes make this camera incredibly easy- to-use for anyone.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon PowerShot SD770 IS Review

The Olympus E-520 is a new DSLR camera with built-in image stabilisation for razor-sharp results. The E-520 is the successor to the E-510 and incorporates a built-in image stabiliser, full contrast AF performance in Live View, 3.5fps continuous shooting, 10 megapixels, wireless flash control, and a 2.7” HyperCrystal II LCD. The Olympus E-520 will be available from June 2008 and costs £479.99 body-only, £529.99 with the 14-42mm lens, £629.99 with the 14-42mm and 40-150mm lenses, and £759.99 with the 14-42mm and 70-300mm lenses.

The ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm 1:4.0-5.6 is a new extreme wide angle lens equivalent to 18-36mm. The super-compact and light-weight 9-18mm lens is ideal for anything from sweeping desert landscapes to broad shots. The ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm 1:4.0-5.6 (18-36mm)* lens will be available from September 2008, price to be confirmed.

Microsoft and Hoya Pentax have signed a patent cross-licensing agreement to further the development of each company’s current and future product lines. The agreement covers digital cameras made by Pentax and a broad range of other consumer products from each company. “We believe that this contract will further solidify the alliance between the two companies,” said Ko Torigoe, general manager of HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division. “We also expect that it will bring considerable benefits to consumers in the near future, as we should be able to shorten the time required for product development because of technological advancement by both companies, and therefore deliver higher-quality products to the market.”