Mamiya have released an IR Photo filter for the Mamiya ZD Digital back. The IR Photo Filter YD401 is a clear filter that allows the transmission of infrared light as well as visible light rays. “Unlike specialized IR cameras or modified systems the Mamiya ZD Digital Back can be transformed from standard digital to IR digital, simply by changing the user-replaceable sensor filters.” said Jeff Karp, Mamiya Product Marketing Manager. The Mamiya IR Photo Filter is available in mid-January 2008, price to be announced.

Two new Mamiya Lens Mount Adapters allow the use of Hasselblad V-series medium format lenses on Mamiya 645AF series cameras. “The adapters provide the mechanical interface and precise flange-to-film plane distance required for proper focusing of Hasselblad lenses,” said Jeff Karp, Mamiya Product Marketing Manager, “allowing the photographer to use their existing Hasselblad V series lenses on the high-precision Mamiya 645AFD II. The adapters come in black (#404) or silver (#405) and will be available in January 2008.

The Mamiya Sekor Macro MF 120mm F4 Lens has been upgraded with th addition of a 16-bit CPU for enhanced digital communication. “The Mamiya 120mm f/4 macro lens is one of the sharpest lenses available today,” said Jeff Karp, Mamiya Product Marketing Manager, “and it has already been critically corrected for digital imaging. But it needed an upgrade to be fully compatible with the latest cameras, software and digital backs.” The Mamiya Sekor Macro MF 120mm f/4 D Lens is compatible with the Mamiya 645AFD ll camera and is available now.

DroboShare is a companion product for Drobo, the world’s first storage robot, that enables users to easily share files over a Local Area Network (LAN). With DroboShare, users can now access the information stored on the award-winning Drobo from any client on the network, including Windows, Apple or Linux computers. In the USA Drobo retails for $499 and DroboShare for $199.

A photo of an anti-Bush demonstration has won first prize in Woophy’s 3rd international photo contest. The winning photograph by Gabriel Rojas from Bogotá, Colombia, was chosen from more than 3,000 entries. The jury praised the picture by Rojas for its powerful contrast between the police vehicle on the foreground and the vulnerable demonstrator in the back. The winner received an Olympus E-410 SLR camera.

The new JOBO Energy PREMIO battery has been developed specifically for use with digital SLRs, compact digital cameras and camcorders. They provide a constant capacity across many charging cycles (300 to 500 depending on usage). Jobo PREMIO batteries do not have a memory effect, are high current capable and quick charge capable. JOBO is also showing its range of mobile image storage devices and digital picture frames at PMA 2008.

TrustedReviews have just tested the Olympus FE-290, a 7.1 megapixel camera with a 4x wide optical zoom (28-112mm).

“So the FE-290 has virtually no features apart from its zoom range and monitor, overall performance that is merely average, and it costs £30 too much, but much of that could be forgiven if only it had really nice image quality. Sadly however, it does not. In fact the image quality is the weakest point of an already weak camera.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Olympus FE-290 Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Panasonic DMC-LZ7 camera, which offers a 6x zoom lens, 7.2 megapixels, Optical Image Stabilizer and Intelligent ISO Control.

“Ultimately, the Lumix DMC-LZ7 is a good snapshot camera. It has an impressive array of features, and a definite bent toward improving family photography, but high image noise will limit print size. That said, if you plan on making small prints (8x10 inches or less on average) or simply posting photos on the Web, the DMC-LZ7 offers a lot for its small price. Its 6x optical zoom provides greater flexibility, and options like image stabilization and high ISO help you in difficult lighting.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Panasonic DMC-LZ7 Review

The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 is a new photo printer aimed at advanced amateur photographers. The HP B8850 is seamlessly integrated with Adobe Photoshop CS3, features an Electrostatic Drop Detection printhead management system that efficiently self-monitors and self-cleans the printer, and automatically adjusts print settings to maintain color consistency. It also offers truly neutral black-and-white printing with individual HP Vivera pigment inks. The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer is expected to be available for purchase in North America in April for $549.

The BenQ X800 is the world’s slimmest 8 megapixel camera, measuring just 9.8mm in depth. The X800 features a 3” LCD display, 3x optical zoom lens, Face-Tracking and Super Shake-Free mode. Z-lighting provides adjustment of the lighting and balance of a photo in playback mode. The portable media player function also allows you to watch video and listen to MP3s. The BenQ X800 will be available worldwide in Q1, 2008.

FotoNation’s new SmileCheck technology detects smiles in portrait photos taken by digital cameras and camera phones. An extension of Fotonation’s FaceTracker product line, the camera’s shutter is not engaged until smiles are detected on all faces within the frame. With two out of every three digital cameras sold today containing FotoNation’s embedded Technology, expect to see SmileCheck appearing in a lot of 2008 cameras.

The NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter connects any hard drive to any computer for easy file transfer. It’s useful for upgrading an internal hard drive, backing-up and storing file archives, and for data access from stored backup drives. The adapter provides a USB 2.0 transfer speed of up to 480Mbps and is also backwards compatible with USB 1.1. The NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter costs $29.95 and is compatible with Mac OS 9.2 or higher including Mac OS X, Linux 2.4.X, and Microsoft Windows 2000/XP.

The Eye-Fi wireless memory card now allows photo uploads directly into iPhoto. The new downloadable Mac upgrade will enable iPhoto to automatically import photos uploaded wirelessly to the Mac. It will also allow Mac users to use the Safari 3 browser to access the Web-based Eye-Fi Manager for managing card settings and upload preferences. The downloadable upgrade is free to current Eye-Fi Card users and will be included in new Eye-Fi Cards. The Eye-Fi Card retails for $99.99 USD.

iPhoto ‘08: The Missing Manual is a new book that everything you need to know to start using this popular digital photography software. “iPhoto 08 is the best release of Apple’s consumer picture management application to date,” says co-author Derrick Story. “I enjoyed learning about the new features and writing them up for the Missing Manual. I’m particularly excited about the improved Adjust palette with better controls to fine-tune our images.” iPhoto ‘08: The Missing Manual by David Pogue and Derrick Story costs $34.99 USD, £24.99 GBP.

The broncolor Mobil A2R is a new portable battery-operated power pack with 1200 J flash output and higher capacity. The Mobil A2R has sufficient power for around 130 flashes at full output and normal recharging time. It also features a built-in radio receiver for flash release up to 300m away. Pricing and availability for the broncolor Mobil A2R to be announced.

VistaQuest will market the AgfaPhoto Brand in North America, showing AgfaPhoto digital cameras and digital video products at the 2008 PMA show. The AgfaPhoto DC-8330i is an 8 megapixel digital camera costing $129.00, with a 3x optical zoom, 3” LCD display, Face Tracking and picture stabilization. Michael Roessler, plawa CEO remarked: “With VistaQuest we have gained an experienced specialist for distribution in North America. VistaQuest possesses extensive product and market knowledge. This experience and ever-increasing trade relations are essential for success in the extremely fast-moving digital camera market.”

The Rainforest Alliance ‘Picture Sustainability Photo Contest’, sponsored by Fujifilm, aims to raise awareness around issues of sustainability and conservation. Open to residents of the USA, the winner and a guest will receive a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Also part of the prize package is a mysterious Fujifilm FinePix SLR-style professional model digital camera, that is worth approximately $800 and will be announced at PMA at the end of this month. To qualify, photos must be submitted to http://www.raphotocontest.org/ by March 15, 2008.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac will be demoed at Macworld this week and is now available for pre-order. “Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh allows people to organise and find photos quickly, unleash powerful editing tricks without any heavy lifting, and creatively share photos that give them all the bragging rights.” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac will cost £55 in the UK and will be available in early Q2 2008.

The total prize pot of cash and vouchers for the International Garden Photographer of the Year 2008 competition is more than £25,000. “The prize fund of more than £10,000 cash recognises flower and garden photography as the equal of landscape, travel and natural history photography, which already have their own competitions.” said Andrew Lawson, Judge and Director of the Garden Photographer of the Year. Entries close on 31st January 2008 and participants can enter single images or themed portfolios in five different categories. The top 100 winning and commended images will be shown at a purpose-built outdoor exhibition in Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, London from May to September 2008.

Olympus Europe have extend their E-3 HLD-4 Power Grip promotion until the 31st of March 2008. All current E-System owners who purchase an E-3 until 31st of March, will receive an HLD-4 power grip free of charge. For more information, visit http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/dslr_powergrip.htm