You can now rent the Hasselblad H3D-39 digital medium format camera through Calumet Photographic for $699 per month. Trade in an 18 megapixel or larger medium format back, and at the end of the 36-month lease, the H3D can be purchased for one dollar. “We’re thrilled to provide this opportunity to own a camera that raises the standard of digital photography to a new level,” said Michael Miller, president of Calumet Photographic. This special trade-in leasing offer is good through August 31, 2007 and is limited to quantities on hand.

The Kodak Inspiration Tour gives consumers the opportunity to touch and use the latest cameras, printers, digital frames and more. “We designed the Inspiration Tour to inspire consumers to be creative and have more fun with photography,” said Michael Korizno, Vice President of Eastman Kodak Company. “Kodak gives amateur photographers the tools right at their fingertips to take amazing pictures and share them in truly innovative ways.” Kodak’s Inspiration Tour visits 12 cities throughout the United States this year.

The Adobe CS3 Master Collection and Production Premium bundles are now available in North America, completing the CS3 lineup. Other language versions - including French, German and Japanese - will be available by mid July. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection costs US$2,499, and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium is US$1,699.

Leica have released four new Nature sets, comprised of the LEICA DIGILUX 3 DSLR camera, telephoto lens and a free set of Leica binoculars. The number of Leica Nature Sets is limited worldwide, with registration required to be eligible for a purchase option certificate.

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Casio EX-Z75, which features a 7.2 megapixel sensor, Anti-Shake DSP mode and other advanced functions.

“It also has extremely good image quality. Casio used to use Pentax or Canon lenses in its compacts, and the lens on the Z75 does look very similar to the lens on the Pentax Optio M30. The level of detail is very good, and overall sharpness is also good although it does drop off in the far corners of the frame at wide angle. There is also noticeable barrel distortion at wide angle, although to be fair it’s about average for a pocket compact.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Casio EX-Z75 Review

DIWA member Digit.no have just reviewed the new 10 megapixel Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX2.

“The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 may look like any other compact camera with a large LCD screen. However, inside its robust exteriour are numerous features and functions that separates the LX2 from the crowd. Not only does it offer a 4x LEICA zoom lens with a wide angle equivalent to 28 mm and 10 MP resolution from a 16:9 CCD image sensor, it also has an option for RAW format and several advanced manual settings for the creative photographer. Thanks to its new Venus Engine III image processor, image noise is better controlled in the LX2 than in its predecessor, the LX1, despite higher image resolution. Allthough optical viewfinder, hot shoe, fast USB interface, face recognition and a few other minor details are missing, the LX2 is one of the most refined and sophisticated cameras in its class.”

Website: Digit.no - Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX2 Review

Website: Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 Review

DigiCamReview have just reviewed the Fujifilm FinePix F20, a 6 megapixel digital camera with a 3x zoom lens, ISO 2000 and 2.5-inch LCD screen.

“The F20, despite being a budget digital camera, has great image quality. Colours are very good and in a very wide range of situations the camera will take sharp, detailed pictures with good exposure. The camera is probably great for events where fast photography is essential. The challenges that this camera will face that most others will fail at will be low light situations where you don’t particularly want to use the flash.”

Website: DigiCamReview - Fujifilm FinePix F20 Review

Website: Read our Fujifilm Finepix F20 Review

FujiFilm have released a new firmware update, v1.08, for the S5 Pro DSLR.

The firmware (Ver.1.06 to Ver.1.08) update incorporates the following issues.
When MB-D200 Multi-Power Battery Pack (introduced by Nikon) is used with S5Pro, sometimes the camera may be stopped suddenly (e.g. freeze) due to the contact failure between FinePix S5 Pro and MB-D200.
Cf. Contact failure is not occurred regularly. Even with contact failure in a short period FinePix S5 Pro will be frozen in some case.
For removing the trouble, new FinePix S5 Pro firmware has been established.

Website: FujiFilm S5 Pro v1.08 Firmware Update

Imaging Resource have reviewed the Nikon D40x DSLR, which features a 10.2 megapixel sensor, producing 3,872 x 2,592-pixel images, 3D Colour Matrix Metering II system and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“The Nikon D40x is a gem. Consumers should want one, intermediate photographers should want one, and pros would do well to carry one too. The Nikon D40x is one of the finest family cameras on the market made even better than its predecessor, which is a tall order.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Nikon D40x Review

Website: Read our Nikon D40x Review

ePhotoZine have reviewed the new Kodak Z712, which is positioned as an alternative to a DSLR, offering a 12x zoom lens (36-432 mm) and 7.1 megapixels.

“The camera has a plastic body, but isn’t light. The build quality feels quite good and the camera is well balanced. It is small, but has a place for everything as the grip will easily fit a hand and a place to position your thumb. The screen for the viewfinder is bigger allowing easier picture taking, but the rear screen is the most favoured option. During bright sunlight, the viewfinder will come into its own as you still see the image to be shot.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Kodak Z712 Review

ePhotoZine have reviewed the Panasonic DMC-TZ3 camera, which fits a 10x optical zoom, 7.2 megapixels and 3 inch LCD screen into a compact, stylish body.

“The camera is made of metal, so the quality feels nice although this does add to the weight of the camera and it does feel heavier than other models. The features are easy enough to get to, the main drawback is that there are so many features it can get overwhelming. The battery compartment has a switch to unlock it and, like the power button, has some resistance meaning it cannot just open by getting caught. This is also where the SD card is housed and these are both snared in so they cannot just drop out.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Review

Website: Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Review

DCResource have reviewed the new Olympus E-410 DSLR camera.

“The Olympus EVOLT E-410 is the smallest digital SLR on the market. Designed as a “step up” for point-and-shoot camera users, the E-410 features a live view LCD, plenty of scene modes, and a relatively easy-to-use interface. The camera has some hits and some misses, and it’s at its best when you tweak the settings a bit. Once you’ve done that you’ll find a camera that holds up well against the entry-level competition. If you get along with the compact size (I don’t), then the E-410 is well worth a look.”

Website: DCResource - Olympus E-410 Review

Website: Read our Olympus E-410 Review

CNET have reviewed the new Sigma SD14 DSLR camera.

“Under the right circumstances, the Sigma SD14 can create very nice images, but once you move up to higher ISOs, the image quality degrades significantly. At ISO 100 or ISO 200, colors look quite accurate and the camera’s white balance is generally neutral. If anything, colors looked slightly oversaturated in our test images, especially reds and oranges. As you increase the ISO, however, not only do you see a increase in noise, but the entire color profile of the camera shifts.”

Website: CNET - Sigma SD14 Review

TrustedReviews have taken a look at the distinctive Samsung NV7 digital camera.

“As might be expected the lens performs superbly, producing excellent sharpness across the entire frame at all focal lengths, with minimal wide-angle barrel distortion. Colour rendition and exposure are also excellent, although dynamic range is somewhat limited, with little shadow detail and some burned-out highlights. However the NV7 does have a major problem with image noise, and I’m not talking about the buzzing OPS system.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Samsung NV7 Review

Website: Read our Samsung NV7 Review

Megapixel.net have reviewed the Samsung L700 camera, which offers several advanced features, including a suite of advanced video and editing functions, in a compact, stylish metal body. It has 7 megapixels, 3x optical zoom and a bright 2.5” LCD display.

“Overall, the Samsung L700 yields very good images, particularly if these are destined to be printed. The L700 reacts quickly to its controls, including its shutter release, and its photos can be printed out to 10.2 x 7.6 inches (26 x 19.5 cm) at 300 dpi easily and with excellent results, placing it on the same footing as most expensive cameras. In fact, the L700 probably has one of the best cost-to-value ratios for cameras currently on the market.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Samsung L700 Review

Nokia has launched a fully integrated mobile printing service in Europe, allowing users to order photo prints directly from their compatible Nokia Nseries device. All orders are is processed by CeWe Color. The Nokia mobile printing service is available - you just need to download the necessary Nokia XpressPrint application for free.

The new MicroSync Digital is the world’s smallest and lightest wireless radio slave flash trigger. Measuring 27x51x11mm and weighing just 30g, the MicroSync Digital fits onto the hot shoe of your camera. The MicroSync transmitter and receiver kit will be available from June for £189.99.

At Intrepid Travel’s photography evening in its London store on July 4th, professional travel photographer Chris Coe will tell you how to improve your people photography. The evening is held in memory of Mike Matsushita, an Intrepid employee who was sadly killed in the London bombings in 2005. The event, which begins at 7pm, is free to attend, but you must book a space through Intrepid’s website.

PMA 2007: The JOBO Spectator is a mid-range, affordable way of backing up, storing and viewing your digital images. Available in Spring 2007, the JOBO Spectator will be available in three sizes - 40GB, 80GB and 120GB - for €249, €299 and €379 respectively. Also new is the JOBO photoGPS, a Global Positioning System (GPS) for digital camera users which writes GPS data to each digital picture’s EXIF file. JOBO photoGPS will be available in Summer 2007 for €149.

Update June 30th 2007: UK pricing has just been announced. Available mid July, the Jobo Spectator will be offered in 40GB, 80GB and 120GB capacities with suggested retail prices of £199, £229 and £279 respectively including Vat.

The Mencap Snap! photo awards took place last Friday night (22 June) at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, with 36 gold, bronze and silver awards to entrants in six categories. Snap! is a competition open to people with a learning disability, their friends and families and is organised by UK learning disability charity Mencap. All 36 images will remain on display at the V&A for one month (until 22 July).