Kodak has announced a comprehensive settlement agreement with the UK Kodak Pension Plan (KPP), its largest creditor, providing for the spin-off of Kodak’s Personalised Imaging and Document Imaging businesses to KPP for $650 million. The Personalised Imaging business includes still camera film products, photographic papers, retail print solutions and souvenir photo products sold at theme parks and other venues. The Document Imaging business provides a portfolio of scanners, capture software and services to enterprise customers. At present it is unclear what KPP intends to do with these businesses.

Canon has released a new firmware update for the Canon EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR camera. Version 1.2.1 - which was first announced in October 2012 - incorporates no less than 15 improvements and fixes including uncompressed HDMI output, auto-focus capability with lens-teleconverter combinations whose combined maximum aperture is f/8, improved focus acquisition when using a Canon Speedlite’s AF-assist light, lens compensation data for the EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens, improved communication with the WFT-E7 wireless file transmitter, and much more. You can download the firmware upgrade from the website below.

Sony has launched a new range of accessories for its HDR-AS15 Action Cam. These include the AKA-WM1 wrist mount strap, the AKA-SM1 surfboard mount, the AKA-FL1 float - which prevents the Action Cam from plummeting into the depths if you drop the camera while swimming -, the ADP-BH1 ball head, the AKA-SF1 skeleton frame - which is claimed to be ideal for secure tripod mounting - and the AKA-DM1 dog harness. There’s also a new firmware update that powers up Action Cam with extra features and a new High Frame Rate mode. The new range of sports-focused mounting accessories and firmware update for the HDR-AS15 Action Cam Full HD video camera are available from June.

Image Centric Media has launched a new business model that promises to increase the revenue of photographers. Key features of the business model include: unplugging middlemen to redirect revenue to the photographers; revenue sharing that extends to advertising, services, and content licensing; and a marketing machine that aligns and multiplies the influence of member photographers. The company operates multiple branded websites and a stock agency where members set the price and get 60% of the revenue. Click through for the details.

Wacom today announced that it is bringing touch control to its Cintiq 22HD interactive pen display. Combining multi-touch with Wacom’s renowned pen technology, the new Cintiq 22HD touch offers a 21.5" Full HD display, an ergonomic rotating stand and 16 customisable ExpressKeys. Multi-touch is supported in Windows 7/8 and Mac OS as well as in touch savvy applications such as Corel’s latest Painter 12.2 update and Autodesk’s Mudbox and Sketchbook Pro. The Cintiq 22HD touch is priced at £1899.99 including VAT.

Transcend has unveiled its next-generation 1000x Compact Flash cards designed specifically to meet the demands of professional photographers and video DSLR filmmakers. Transcend’s “Ultimate” series 1000x Compact Flash cards implement the CompactFlash revision 6.0 specification and operate in UDMA transfer mode 7, the fastest interface speed available for CF cards. Fully compliant with the Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-20) and boasting read/write transfer rates of up to 160MB/120MB per second, these cards are ideal for fast-action burst mode shooting. Transcend’s 1000x Compact Flash cards are now available in 16GB (US$99), 32GB (US$199), 64GB (US$379) and 128GB (US$699) capacities.

PNY Technologies is offering one lucky person the chance to win a number of prizes to inject some speed into your workflow: a XLR8 Pro 120Go SSD, Pro Elite Plus 16GB SDHC and a 3in1 HDMI Cable.

The lucky winner is Justin Roush. Congratulations!

PNY manufactures imaging solutions, and its XLR8 Pro SSD range is built especially for multimedia enthusiasts and semi-pro photographers. SSDs allow seriously quick data transfers and therefore an optimised workflow. The XLR8 Pro SSD series boasts a 2.5” SATA III, 6Gbps interface, supports 128-bit AES encryption and is powered by the SandForce 2281 controller, offering up to 550MB/s sequential read speeds, 520MB/s sequential write speeds and 85,000 random read/write IOPS.

The PNY Pro Elite Plus offers read speeds of 95 MB/s and write speeds of 90 MB/s - perfect for photographers who take full advantage of their camera’s burst mode. Certified Class 10 and UHS-1 (Ultra High Speed), the cards are also ideal for full-HD video; even in the most extreme conditions.

We’re giving away three olloclip 3-in-1s for the iPhone 5!

The lucky winners are Patricia Halliday, Barb Robertson and Michael Wheeler. Congratulations!

The olloclip is a unique quick-connect lens solution for the iPhone 4/4S/5. It features three lenses — fisheye, wide-angle and macro — in one small, convenient package that fits easily in a pocket and in the palm of the hand. The olloclip connects to the iPhone in seconds, allowing the user to instantly and easily capture photographic images and use various photographic effects.  The iPhone’s camera auto focuses normally through the olloclip and selecting a lens is as simple as flipping it over.  The olloclip for iPhone 4/4S retails for £59.99 and for iPhone 5 retails for £69.99. Both products are available in the Apple store.

Created by Patrick O’Neill and his designer, Chong Pak, olloclip has attracted a legion of passionate users in less than two years, not to mention distribution through Apple retail stores in the UK and internationally and through leading online retailers. More products under the olloclip brand moniker are now in development. More info is available on the official olloclip website http://www.olloclip.com/

We’re giving away 10 copies of the “McCullin” documentary on either DVD or Blu-ray.

The lucky winners are Carol Mears, Heather Knotts, wilbur brown, John McDonald, Hannah ONeill, Debbie Bond, Daniel Madore, Janelle Morte, Lisa Parker, and CHEN YI LEE. Congratulations!

Celebrated photographer Don McCullin worked for The Sunday Times from 1966 to 1983, at a time when the newspaper was widely recognised as being at the cutting edge of international investigative photo-journalism. During that period he covered wars and humanitarian disasters on virtually every continent: from civil war in Cyprus, the war in Vietnam and the man-made famine in Biafra to the plight of the homeless in swinging sixties London.

This new documentary from the producers of the award-winning SENNA and directed by Jacqui Morris / David Morris uses rich, detailed archive footage and incredible in-depth interviews to reveal the truth behind McCullin’s hard-hitting and controversial images, piecing together his remarkable story in truly breathtaking style.

MindGems Inc. is giving away 10 licenses of Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder PRO (VSDIF) exclusively to our readers.

The lucky winners are Hong Ho, reza rezaie golghand, Ales Veluscek, Inga Andersen, mark trnavsky, Kenneth Baillie, Slavko Todorov, Philip Greenwood, Keith Wolstenholme and
Kieran Symons. Congratulations!

VSDIF is rated the best duplicate image finder on major photography and software magazines and technology web sites.

What is so special about Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder?
As the name already suggests this tool can find duplicate and similar images based on content analysis regardless of the image format, size, dimensions, colors and other image attributes. What this means is that even if you have copies of the same image with modifications applied like color correction, crop, retouching, change of file format or watermarks it will still be identified as a duplicate of its original image. This is a task that a standard duplicate file finders cano not handle. The tool supports more than 100 common image formats including Photoshop PSD, plus over 300 RAW camera formats.

The main three benefits from using this tool are:

- Organize your image collection
- Save valuable disk space by removing duplicate images
- Search for similar images inside your image collection by loading a sample image

Processing large image collections is extremely fast using the new cache system. The tool will analyze the image data and collect it in a cache that will be reused in consequential scans. The cache system checks the images for modifications. This means that if a photo is edited it will be re-processed automatically and the updated version will be used for the comparison. The “Image Search” functionality can find images similar to a sample photo. Combining the Image Search with the cache system VSDIF can scan 10 000 images in seconds. A FREE demo is available for download at the company’s web site.

MindGems Inc. provides also a Duplicate MP3 Finder tool that works in a similar way for audio files and the popular FREE Duplicate File Finder and Folder Size tools that will help with the disk cleanup process.

Camera Jungle allows photographers to buy, sell and part-exchange their used digital cameras and lenses. The new website features a unique instant quote system allowing users to quickly realise the value of their digital photography equipment.  All used items carry a six month guarantee as standard.

The Morpholio Project today unveiled seven new design tools for the creative world, with the launch of Morpholio 2.0. Originally initiated by a group of five architects and academics, the Morpholio Project opened to the public in December 2011. The new tools include Portfolio Futures, EyeTime, Crit, Trace, Palettes, Pinup and Printables. Click through / scroll down for the details, including a two-and-a-half-minute introductory video.

White Knight Press has released its newest camera guide book, Photographer’s Guide to the Nikon Coolpix P520: Getting the Most from Nikon’s Superzoom Digital Camera. This 402-page book is a complete guide to the operation and features of the Nikon Coolpix P520. The book explains all shooting modes, menus, functions, and controls of this superzoom camera in clear language, accompanied by more than 300 full-colour illustrations and sample photographs. In addition, the book goes beyond the realm of everyday photography, and provides introductions to more advanced topics such as infrared photography, street photography and macro photography. The book is available now for $9.95 in PDF format for download through the website below. A paperback version will be available for $24.95 from Amazon by early May.

The lucky winner of a Case Logic SLR Camera Sling Backpack is Steve Forster. Congratulations!

This 5 star rated SLR Camera backpack is a great way to carry your camera with ease whilst keeping it safe from drops and bumps. The sling case from Case logic uses a patent pending hammock system which suspends your SLR above the bottom of case, providing superior impact protection. This backpack not only provides storage for your camera but also additional accessories. A large zippered compartment in the sling stores an additional lens or flash and the 3 zippered pockets allow you to store memory cards, cords, light meters, chargers and additional accessories.

This backpack is not only a great way to carry your all your SLR equipment safely but the unique design allows quick and easy access for those all-important easy to miss shots, as this SLR camera bag is worn like a backpack but can simply be swung around to your front and you’re ready to shoot. The list of handy features goes on as the fully adjustable shoulder strap with waist strap prevents the sling from jostling around during activity and the memory foam on the interior helps protect your camera and accessories. This is a must to protect your camera delicate LCD screen, sensor and lens.

We’ve teamed up with Arcsoft to give away 5 copies of Low Light NR.

The 5 lucky winners are: caroline scott, Jo Young, Carl Berger, DAVID HAIG and Piero Orzalesi. Congratulations!

ArcSoft Low Light NR is an innovative image noise reduction application based on the latest Multiple Frame NR technology (MFNR). Using sophisticated algorithms, Low Light NR combines multiple frames to produce one high-resolution image, acquiring more graphic information than it is available from any single photograph. Therefore, it greatly reduces the visible noise while improving the image quality efficiently by processing sets of photographs taken in burst mode.

ArcSoft Low Light NR is featured in its easy use, fast processing and decent results. With 3 simple clicks, noise can be reduced in seconds with high quality, even further improvement could be achieved for cameras with good noise reduction function like the Canon 5D Mark III/Nikon D600/Nikon D3S etc.

Arcsoft are also offering our readers a 20% discount on all of their products.
Coupon code: photographyblogall, get 20% off for all ArcSoft products.

We’re giving away a fantastic Vanguard Alta Pro 263 AGH tripod!

The lucky winner is MIKE NORMAN. Congratulations!

By popular demand, we merged our award-winning Alta Pro tripod with our popular GH-100 grip head.

Alta Pro tripod has unmatched flexibility and stability and enables more angle possibilities than ever before. Its innovative Multi-Angle Central Column (MACC) System allows users to move the central column from zero to 180-degree angles in variable vertical and horizontal positions, making macro-photography and special wide-angle shots a breeze. The Instant Swivel Stop-n-Lock (ISSL) System quickly and securely repositions the central column in one simple movement while maintaining the tripod’s stability.

AGH model: combined with a GH-100 grip head: the GH-100 pistol grip-style ball head has a Grip Position Release System with a handle that allows 360-degrees of panning movements and -32 to +90 degrees of side-to-side tilt and -8 to +0—degree back to front tilt movement all around.

Photo Canvas are giving away a free printed canvas, up to 50x50cm, which can be printed with any image you want.

The lucky winner is Andrew Chapman. Congratulations!

Photo-canvas.com print your digital photos onto heavy weight woven canvas (500gsm) using dye sublimation techniques, stretch it over an anti warping sustainable forest pine frame, then despatch in with same day despatch if you order before 2pm. This means that the end result is durable, has great colour reproduction, and won’t crack, warp or go shiny over time - in fact, they do all a lifetime guarantee against it.

The Society of International Nature & Wildlife Photographers (SINWP) have announced the winners of the ‘Springtime competition’ 2013. The winner was chosen from just under 300 entries and a panel of esteemed judges chose the winner for its beautiful, tranquil moment of serenity depicting a fleeting moment captured with elegance. Andrzej Bochenski from Poland has won 12 months membership to The Society of International Nature & Wildlife Photographers and The Society of International Travel and Tourism Photographers, plus a Trektech Optera 230 Gorilla Pod.