The Sony Action Cam HDR-AS20 is an all-weather video camera that records Full HD movies at a bit rate of 28Mbps. Key highlights include a CMOS sensor, an ultra-wide lens with an angle-of-view of 170° and built-in Wi-Fi that connects Action Cam with the wearable RM-LVR1 Live-View Remote. Available as an optional extra, this waterproofed wrist-mount accessory makes it easy to check shots and control up to five cameras with Action Cam mounted in hard-to-reach places. Battery life is approximately 130 minutes with Wi-Fi and 150 minutes without. The new HDR-AS20 Action Cam from Sony is available to pre-order now from Sony UK. Availability is slated for late June 2014.

Canon has posted a firmware update for its EOS-1D C digital SLR camera. Version 1.3.5 fixes a phenomenon in which the line-level audio input function of some EOS-1D C cameras does not operate as expected with Firmware Version 1.3.4. For the details, head to the website below.

Website: Canon Product Advisories

If you’re not directly aware of Maidenhead, UK based photographic distributor Intro2020, you’ll certainly be au fait with most if not all of its 28-strong brand offerings. These include lens brands: Samyang photo and video lenses, Tamron photo lenses and Tokina Cine Lenses. Filters from Hoya, Kenko and Cokin and many other leading brands such as Velbon tripods, Metz flash, plus photographic bag ranges including Tamrac and Interceptor.

With responsibility for distributing all these in the UK, Intro2020 is constantly in touch with product developers in Japan and the Far East, and decided to share some of its current and future offerings with PhotographyBlog across a recent press trip to Amsterdam and back.

Lytro has decided to open-source its code for the light-field Living Picture player, bringing interactive imagery anywhere on the Web. The Lytro WebGL Player allows developers to seamlessly integrate galleries of "living pictures" taken with the Lytro Illum light field camera into their websites. Living pictures are the product of light field photography ­ a transformative way to experience digital images. Audiences can alter the appearance of the images by adjusting perspectives, focal points and dimensions. 500px will be the first to integrate the Lytro WebGL Player. The open source code for Lytro's WebGL Player will be available on 15th July, at the website below.

Jessops has announced that a new Motorsport Photography Experience will take place at Snetterton Race Course on Saturday 21st June. Hosted by Jessop’s motorsport partners, Volkswagen Racing UK, this will be a ‘behind the garage doors’ experience photographing the action at one of the UK’s more prestigious racing circuits. You’ll have comprehensive tutoring from a Jessops Academy trainer on the most challenging techniques of photographing high-speed cars during the races and be taken to the best vantage points at the track. The price is £199 including breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. To book your place, visit the website below.

BiteMyApple has released Nova, a wireless off-camera flash for the Apple iPhone. Nova is a separate piece that pairs to your phone via Bluetooth. "Simply connect to the free Nova app, point, and shoot," the company says. Nova boasts 40 points of light diffused behind a white panel, yet weighs only an ounce. The flash is now available for $59.99 at the website below.

Alien Skin Software has just released Exposure 6, the latest version of its flagship photography effects software. “With Exposure 6, not only have we worked to enhance the rich feature set available to photographers, but also to streamline the software to help them focus on creating extraordinary images faster than ever,” said Alien Skin CEO, Finley Lee. “It’s about understanding a user’s workflow and helping photographers realize their artistic vision as quickly and easily as possible”. Exposure 6 can be used as a plug-in with popular host software or as a stand-alone program for even greater flexibility. The application is available for $149. Owners of any version of Exposure may upgrade for $69. Free upgrades will be automatically sent to everyone who purchased Exposure 5 directly from Alien Skin Software in March 2014 or later.

IP Guard, a service website for photographers, has added USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) copyrighting services to its proactive suite of protection services that include proprietary right-click tracking, 24/7/365 image monitoring, as well as DMCA Take down notices and other service s and tools specific to tracking, protecting and acting on authorised image alterations and usage. IP Guard uses proprietary technology to capture a digital “fingerprint” of those who try to download photos and images online without permission, and specialised staff monitor for illegal use of images around the clock. With the addition of USPTO copyright registration, photographers have greater intellectual property protection, giving them full legal recourse for recovery of their stolen and misused images and much greater chance of fair compensation, the company says.

AMS Software has announced a major upgrade to its SmartSHOW 3D slideshow app. Version 4.0 features a variety of new slide effects, a convenient start-up wizard, ready-to-use slideshow themes, dozens of new transitions and more. Slideshows made with SmartSHOW 3D can be burned to DVDs or exported to 30+ video formats. Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8; SmartSHOW 3D comes in two versions: Standard ($39.90) and Deluxe ($59.50).

Panasonic UK has announced three Lumix G promotions. The company is offering consumers a free battery grip and Leica DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 fixed focal length lens when they purchase a Panasonic GH3 compact system camera (pictured). Those buying a G6 or GX7 can pick up a Lumix G Vario 45-150 mm telephoto lens for free. And for photographers looking to purchase a GM1, Panasonic is offering a £100/€120 cashback and stylish free leather case. The free products and cashback are all claimed via consumer redemption to Panasonic from 10th June - 31st August 2014.

The year 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of Canon's EOS-1 series. The company's first professional EOS single-lens reflect camera, the Canon EOS-1, was introduced in 1989 - two years after the launch of the EOS system itself. Created to meet the advanced demands of professional photographers, the EOS-1 boasted cutting-edge technologies, class-leading levels of performance, new levels of ergonomics, high durability and reliability, and marked the inaugural model of Canon’s EOS-1 series. Subsequent milestones included the launch of the EOS-1N in 1994, the release of the EOS-1N RS with its fixed pellicle mirror, 6ms shutter lag and 10fps burst mode in 1995, the introduction of the EOS-1V in 2000, the release of the digital EOS-1D in 2001, and the launch of the full-frame EOS-1Ds in 2002. Canon’s current flagship professional digital SLR camera, the EOS-1D X (pictured), was brought to market in June 2012, and marked the EOS-1 series’ 13th model.

Lytro has published full specifications for its Illum light-field camera. Back in April, when the Lytro Illum was announced, only the headline specs were released, including a 40-megaray light field sensor, 8x optical zoom lens (30mm-250mm equivalent) with a constant aperture of f/2, 1/4000 of a second high-speed shutter, articulating touchscreen and a flash hotshoe. Now Lytro has published a detailed spec sheet that includes data on sensor format, crop factor, native resolution, maximum reproduction ratio, shutter type, and much more, Click through / scroll down for the details.

BBC Wildlife Magazine has issued the final call for entries for its 2014 Camera-trap Photo of the Year competition. This year’s awards fall into two areas: Camera-trap Research Project of the Year and Camera-trap Photo of the Year. A maximum of 12 camera-trap images can be entered into one of the competition categories. Open exclusively to research projects using camera-trap technology, the winners of one of these three categories will be eligible for the overall award of Camera-Trap Research Project of the Year, with a prize of £3,000. The closing date for entries is 30 June 2014.

AKVIS has released version 3.5 of its MakeUp application for MacOS and Windows. This update adds a Share button, which allows you to quickly post images from the program to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Google+, fixes some bugs and promises improved raw file processing. Registered customers can upgrade to version 3.5 for free.

The Lomographic Society has launched a free LomoMag app for iPad. The app will regularly release free issues via a push notification. Each issue will feature a LomoGallery and an array of articles grouped under LomoFocus, LomoPlaces, LomoTechnique and more. The LomoMag app is now available on iTunes.

Schneider Kreuznach reports that the Schneider Group's consolidated sales reached 71.8 million euros in 2013, down approximately 7.9% compared to the previous year. "This was mainly due to the negative performance of the market for compact cameras," the company said in a statement. On the other hand, Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH in Bad Kreuznach itself contributed 44.3 million euros to the Group’s sales and delivered positive results," says Dr. Josef Staub, CEO of the Schneider Group. “We are in the middle of a transitional and restructuring process. High demand for our full-frame lenses for videos with DSLR cameras shows that we are on the right track.” In future, the company intends to focus even more on high-quality photographic lenses. In particular, Schneider Kreuznach plans to expand its range of “Xenon FF-Prime” full-frame lenses for video shooting with DSLR cameras to seven lenses by autumn 2014.

The 14th Annual Review Santa Fe Photo Festival, a juried portfolio review conference for photographers, is taking place from 27-28 June 2014. Every year, 100 photographers travel from all over the world for this internationally-renowned event where photographers meet with top publishers, editors, curators, gallerists and others. Many now well-recognised photographers launched their careers at Review Santa Fe. Participants will arrive from 26 U.S. states and 13 countries, including Israel, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, Finland, Columbia, China, Germany, UK and Italy.Additionally, over 40 leading photo professionals will serve as reviewers at the event to seek out new talent. There are several events free and open to the public surrounding Review Santa Fe including a portfolio review, artist presentations and exhibitions. Click through / scroll down for the details.