Steves Digicams have reviewed the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4, an 8 megapixel update of Panasonic’s TZ2 camera.

“The image quality from our outdoor images are excellent for a camera in this category. Our photos show good overall exposure and natural color saturation. The Leica 10x zoom lens offers a 35mm equivalent focal range of 28-280mm, and is an outstanding feature on this camera. The wide end gives you an extra wide field of view that is great for landscape and large group photography, giving you the ability take pictures that most other digicams can’t. This does give you a more than average amount of barrel distortion however. On the zoom end, you have the ability get very close to objects that are way off in the distance.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4 Review

DxO Optics Pro v5.0 now supports the Samsung GX-20 DSLR camera. Support for the GX-20 camera body and an initial selection of lenses has been added. DxO have also implemented 22 additional DxO Correction Modules for a variety of Nikon lenses, including the 16-85 f/3.5-5.6 and 80-200mm f/2.8. DxO Optics Pro v5 is available in Standard and Elite versions for £99 and £199 respectively.

The 2008 TIPA Awards have just been unveiled. Billed by TIPA as the “Most Coveted Photo & Imaging Awards in Europe”, this year’s winners include the Sony A200, Canon EOS 450D, Nikon D300 and Nikon D3 in the various DSLR categories, the Sigma DP1 for “Best Prestige Camera”, and Casio’s 60fps EX-F1 for “Best Imaging Innovation”. Visit the link below to see all 36 winners.

Website: TIPA Awards 2008

Vanessa Winship from the UK has been named as the Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year. Her entry in the Portraiture category has beaten thousands of submissions to win the esteemed title, accompanied by a $25,000 cash prize. Vanessa Winship said, “Many, many thanks, and these are actually for the little girls of Eastern Turkey.” Vanessa Winship received her award from Honorary Board Member Elliott Erwitt at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.

Nikon have released a new firmware update, version A 1.10 / B 1.11, for the D3 DSLR camera. This version replaces the firmware update released on April 15th that was temporarily withdrawn on April 18th, because it corrupted images captured with continuous shooting at 9 fps and RAW 14-bit recording option.

Samsung are offering up to £100 off the new 14 megapixel GX20 DSLR camera. Buy the GX-20 single (18-55mm) or twin (18-55mm and 50-200mm) lens kit and get £100 cash back. Buy the GX-20 body-only kit and you will be eligible for £75 cash back. This offer is valid in the UK from 1st May until 31st July 2008.

The new WR-100 is both a standard cable release and a wireless remote shutter release with a range of up to 100m. The WR-100 includes a built-in Li-ion battery pack and a dedicated charger and international power adaptor. Models are available for Canon 3 pin and single jack cameras, Pentax, Samsung and Contax single jack, Nikon 10 pin and Olympus cameras, priced at £39.95.

Casio have released a new firmware update, version 1.02, for the Casio EX-F1 camera. The two improvements offered by this update are shorter start-up time and high-speed zoom support during FHD movie recording.

Website: Casio EX-F1 Firmware Update 1.02

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Spyder3 from Datacolor, a new monitor calibration device aimed at photographers needing the most accurate colour for digital editing.

“I’ve always trusted a Spyder to calibrate my main monitors. And at first I was resistant to employing yet another Spyder. Things were fine, why screw them up? But the Spyder3 is a significant improvement over its predecessors. There are the technical improvements like its increased light sensitivity, not to mention the unique seven detector color engine it shares only with the Spyder2. But the improvements I most appreciate are the user ones like the more flexible USB cord, the smaller colorimeter (which is easier to place on an LCD) and the faster and more efficient software.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Spyder3 Review

The Kodak ESP 5 is a small and sleek all-in-one printer featuring a large 3 inch colour LCD display. The ESP 5 has memory card and USB slots to allow users to view, edit and print with or without a computer. It uses Kodak’s pigmented inks that come in a simple two-cartridge setup – a full black cartridge (£6.99) and a five-ink colour cartridge (£9.99). “We are focusing on delivering easy-to-use products that provide superb-quality and save up to 50 percent on everything you print compared to similar consumer inkjet printers.” said Enrico Bradamante, Kodak’s Director of Inkjet Systems, Europe. The Kodak ESP 5 AiO Printer costs £129.99.

Canon USA has announced a call for entries for the third annual Canon Photography In The Parks Photo Contest. You can enter the competition from April 22nd to September 30th 2008 by submitting images from any park or monument in America. The theme for this year’s contest is “Inspirational Nature Images”. The winner of the Photography In The Parks contest will receive a trip to a park of their choice, and a full suite of Canon photographic equipment.

Production of Canon’s EF lenses has just passed the 40 million mark. EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (autofocus) single-lens reflex cameras were first made in 1987 at the company’s Utsunomiya Plant. Canon’s proprietary EF lens, born in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system, marked a new direction in the future of AF systems. Canon’s current EF lens lineup comprises more than 60 models, with two new high-performance L-series telephoto lenses being added this Spring.

The LG Secret is a new 5 megapixel camera-phone that can also shoot DivX video at 120fps. At just 11.8mm thick, the LG Secret is the slimmest 5 megapixel camera phone on the market. Photo and video editing features include facial editing and SmartLight, a feature that automatically adjusts the picture’s light settings. After its European launch, the LG Secret will be launched in Asia and South America, followed by the rest of the world.

Total Image Nation is a new website which aims to bring photographers together. Total Image Nation features jobs, competitions, work experience, exhibition opportunities, member’s exhibitions, events, online portfolios and more. There are two different types of membership to Total Image Nation, Basic (free) and Full (£18 per year).

Three Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography will be given away to photojournalists in September this year. Getty Images awards five grants each year to fund, inspire and support the best global talent in photojournalism. Each grant consists of $20,000 plus project execution support from Getty Images editors. Applications should include a short written proposal to explain the photographer’s chosen project, and a supporting portfolio from the applicant’s previous work. The closing date is May 15th 2008.

The New Classic Nude Art Competition aims to identify and expose today’s version of the classic nude. Sponsored by the Christiania Art Foundation, the winner of the New Classic Nude contest will have their work featured on a prominent billboard in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District and other major cities later in the year. The competition will be overseen and critiqued by a panel of art-world luminaries and collectors, including Lydia Fenet, auctioneer at Christie’s Auction House. The deadline for entry is 15th May 2008.

Realphotoprint.com is a new website that focuses on the conversion of digital images into photographic prints. Topics will include Internet broadband, digital file conversions, color management, pixels versus DPI, retouching, and resizing. Owners myPhotopipe.com has also launched the first in a series of video tutorials on YouTube.

ImagingResource have reviewed the 8 megapixel Pentax Z10 camera, which has a 7x optical zoom, Face Recognition for improved portraits and ISO 3200 mode.

“Though it has no manual control and is a little thicker than some, the Pentax PZ10 is quite simple to use and does a good job at all but the highest ISO setting. Its interface is straightforward, and its zoom is smooth and accurate, without a lot of fiddling to get the right framing. Pincushion distortion at telephoto is a bit off-putting, bending straight lines unnaturally. That’s not surprising considering the long zoom, but it’s also unappealing. So while we were impressed with the print quality, the zoom mechanism, and like the idea of a 7x zoom in such a small package, the pincushion distortion prevents a strong recommendation.”

Website: ImagingResource - Pentax Z10 Review

Website: Read our Pentax Optio Z10 Review

Fluid Mask 3 from Vertus Software is billed as the number one application for cutting out images from tricky backgrounds. Available either as a standalone program or plugin, Fluid Mask claims to offer more powerful and easy-to-use masking tools than either Adobe Photoshop or the other third-party competition. Fluid Mask 3 is available for both Windows and Mac platforms for £159 / $239 / €209. Jon Canfield found out just how clean he could make his edges with Fluid Mask 3.

Website: Fluid Mask 3 Review

The BenQ C850 and C750 are new 8 and 7 megapixel compact cameras with 3x zoom lenses and Super Shake Free system. Both the C850 and C750 also feature an elegant front to back leather handle, Smile Catch mode and video recording with optical zoom. The C850 has a larger 2.7” LCD display than the C750’s 2.5 inch screen. The BenQ C750 and C850 will be available in select countries in Asia Pacific and Europe in April.