Akvis has released MultiBrush 7.0, offering many improvements, more flexibility and new features. Billed as ” a real digital creative workshop,” Akvis MultiBrush runs on Windows XP/Vista/Win7/Win 8 and on Mac OS X 10.4-10.8, both 32 bit and 64 bit. The software can be used as a standalone program and as a plug-in to an image editor. Users who own old versions of the product can upgrade to MultiBrush v.7.0 free of charge.

Oloneo have updated their HDRengine and PhotoEngine applications to include support for 28 new camera raw formats. Newly supported cameras include the Canon EOS 6D, EOS 650D, EOS M, PowerShot G15, PowerShot S110 and PowerShot SX50 HS, the Fuji X-E1, XF1 and F800EXR, the Nikon D600, 1 J2, 1 V2 and Coolpix P7700m the Olympus E-PL5, E-PM2 and XZ-2, the Panasonic FZ200, G5, GH3 and LX7, the Pentax K-5 II, the Samsung EX2f and NX1000, as well as the Sony RX1, RX100, NEX-5R, NEX-6 and A99. Those who buy PhotoEngine today are entitled to a $30/€26 discount.

Corel Painter Master Jeremy Sutton will be hosting Painter Live! London; a free event aimed at digital artists. Held at the High Commission of Canada, Grosvenor Square, from 18:30 – 21:30 on 13th February; the event will involve live digital painting demonstrations as Jeremy uses Corel Painter 12 with a Wacom tablet to create artworks in a variety of styles and media. Jeremy will share his digital art experience of working from photographs as well as painting from life. Guests must register individually directly with Jeremy and spaces are strictly limited. Click through / scroll down for more information on the registration process.

Magix has released Magix Photostory Easy, a new easy-to-use program that allows users to transform their photos into movies including music and special effects. “The integrated Slideshow Maker makes the process simple by automatically combining the photos with transitions, music and dynamic camera movements,” the company says. “Users can also make use of the clearly designed interface to create their own customized slideshows and the one-click photo optimization feature, including red-eye removal, makes it possible to include photos in the slideshow that normally wouldn’t make the cut.” When the slideshow is finished, it can be exported with an animated menu to DVD or Blu-ray, mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPad or Android smartphones and tablet PCs. Users can also share their slideshows on social networks by exporting directly from the program to sites like Facebook and YouTube. Magix Photostory Easy is now available online and in stores for £39.99.

Available in 120 and 135 formats, Lomography’s new LomoChrome Purple 400 is a speciality film that transforms “every green element of your photo into radiant purples.” Although inspired by Kodak’s discontinued Aerochrome emulsion - an infrared-sensitive, false-colour reversal film -, the LomoChrome Purple 400 is actually a C-41 process negative film with a sensitivity rating of ISO400/27°, allowing it to be used in virtually any weather conditions with no need for filtration at the capture phase. The first film rolls will be available in July at a price of £8.90 (35mm) or £9.90 (medium format).

Want to see exactly what the new Olympus XZ-10 premium compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Olympus XZ-10 compact camera, including a side-by-side comparison with the previous XZ-1 model.

Although equipped with a much smaller sensor than the Olympus XZ-1 and Stylus XZ-2, the new Olympus XZ-10 may still be of interest to serious photographers owing to its bright lens, full set of manual controls, 120fps high-speed HD video recording capabilities and 40% smaller size.

Casio Japan has announced two new 16-megapixel models in its High-Speed Exilim line of digital compact cameras. The Casio Exilim EX-ZR700 comes equipped with a 25-450mm equivalent lens, a 3-inch, 920,000-dot LCD monitor. The Exilim EX-ZR400 has a 24-300mm equivalent zoom lens and a powerful battery rated for 515 exposures on a single charge. With the adoption of the latest EXILIM Engine HS Version 3, these two new models combine responsive operation and high-speed burst shooting. A new Triple Shot function allows the user to responsively capture three successive images with a single press of the shutter, while a new inset display enables the user to review shots shown in part of the LCD while taking photos. Both new models come with Premium Auto Pro, which automatically combines images taken with high-speed burst shooting according to the shooting conditions. International availability and pricing have yet to be confirmed.

The Fujifilm Finepix F850EXR is a new travelzoom camera with a 16-megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor and a 25-500mm equivalent lens. While the F850EXR lacks the 11fps burst mode and ultra-fast auto focus of the F900EXR, it’s still a highly responsive compact, with focus times as short as 0.21sec and a maximum continuous shooting speed of 9fps. Other highlights include full-manual controls, a sensor-shift image stabilisation system, Full HD video capture at a smooth 60fps with optical zoom, EXR-Auto, a 360° Motion Panorama mode, Film Simulation, Advanced Filters and Scene Recognition.

Fujifilm USA is launching three new 16-megapixel bridge cameras into its spring 2013 range, the Fuji FinePix S6600, S6700 and S6800 (pictured). Outfitted with 26x, 28x and 30x zoom lenses, respectively, these cameras all offer a 24mm equivalent wide angle setting and are all armed with sensor-shift image stabilisation. Other standout points include full manual controls, tilting 3-inch LCD screens with 460,000 dots, an autofocus speed of 0.3 second, start-up times of 1.0 second, a 0.5-second interval between shots and a continuous shooting speed of 10fps.

Pentax Ricoh is developing a new clip-on flash and fixed-focal-length mount cap lens for its Q-mount system cameras. Tentatively named the Pentax AF360FGZ II, the new clip-on type P-TTL flash unit has a guide number of 36 (in metres at ISO 100/21°) and a tilt-swivel head. The “mount cap lens” appears to be the same product that first appeared on the Pentax Lens Roadmap back in February 2012. Both the flash and the mount cap lens will be on display at the CP+ show beginning tomorrow in Yokohama, Japan. Availability for both products is slated for summer 2013, with pricing to be communicated.

Pentax Ricoh have unveiled a compact and highly portable waterproof digital camera called the Pentax WG-10. Waterproof to depths of 33 feet, the WG-10 offers a 14-megapixel backlit CMOS image sensor and a 28-140mm equivalent zoom lens coupled with a ring of LED Macro lights that enable users to take shadow-free, evenly-lit close-up shots. The Pentax WG-10 will be available from March / April for £179.99 / $179.95.

Pentax Ricoh have just introduced the Pentax WG-3 “adventureproof” compact, which comes in two versions, one with GPS and one without. Key components include a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, a newly designed 4x zoom lens with a maximum aperture of f/2 at the wide end, and a Shake Reduction mechanism of the sensor-shift variety. Waterproof down to a depth of 45 feet, shockproof from drops of up to 6.6 feet, coldproof to 14 °F and crushproof withstanding up to 220 foot pounds of force; the Pentax WG-3 also boasts six LED lights surrounding the lens barrel for bright, shadow-free macro images. The GPS model offers enhanced functionality for geotagging images that can be mapped back to your journey and a dedicated second display showing compass direction, elevation or depth below water. Priced at £329.99 / $349.95 the new WG-3 GPS will be available in a choice of purple or green. The WG-3 comes in black or orange for a price of £279.99 / $299.95. Both models are scheduled for a March 2013 launch.

In addition to the enthusiast-focused Stylus XZ-10, Olympus has announced two new models in the Stylus Smart range, the VG-180 and the slimline VR-370. The entry-level, 16-megapixel Olympus VG180 sports a 26-130mm equivalent lens and a 2.7-inch LCD monitor with a resolution of 230,000 dots. The Olympus VR-370 (pictured) also uses a 16-megapixel CCD but comes with a 24-30mm equivalent optic, sensor-shift image stabilisation and a higher-resolution 3-inch rear screen. Both cameras are compatible with Eye-Fi’s range of wireless memory cards.

The Fujifilm Finepix S4800 is a new bridge camera with a 16 megapixel, 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor and 30x optical zoom. Featuring a 24-720mm equivalent Fujinon lens and sensor-shift image stabilisation, the Fujifilm FinePix S4800 comes equipped with a PASM mode dial and a 3-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 230k dots. Features such as Instant Zoom, which shows your composition area as well as the area outside the frame, and Individual Shutter 3D, which creates 3D pictures by merging 2 images, provide an interesting twist for your photos. Powered by four AA type batteries, the Fuji FinePix S4800 will be available from April in black, white and red colours, priced at £149.99.

The Fujifilm FinePix F900EXR is a new slimline travelzoom camera with a 16-megapixel 1/2”-type EXR CMOS II sensor, 25-500mm equivalent lens and new “Intelligent Hybrid AF system” that focuses in as little as 0.05sec when employing the on-chip phase-detect AF sensors. The ultra-responsive compact boasts a start-up time of 1.1sec, shot-to-shot times of 0.5sec and continuous shooting at up to 11fps (albeit only for a maximum of 5 frames). The Finepix F900EXR also offers wireless connectivity, allowing you to back up your photos on your home PC or transfer them to your smartphone or tablet. Other highlights include Full HD movie capture at a smooth 60fps - with Intelligent Hybrid AF and optical zoom also available for videos -, Multiple Exposure, EXR-Auto, a 360° Motion Panorama mode, Film Simulation, Advanced Filters and Scene Recognition. Full manual controls, raw image capture and a 3-inch, wide-viewing-angle LCD screen round off the features list. The Fujifilm FinePix F900EXR will become available in April, at an RRP of £279.99.

The Olympus Stylus XZ-10 is a 12-megapixel compact camera with a 1/2.7-type backlit CMOS sensor and a 26-130mm (eq.) f/1.8-2.7 lens. Although equipped with a much smaller sensor than the Olympus XZ-1 and Stylus XZ-2, the new Olympus XZ-10 may still be of interest to serious photographers owing to its bright lens, full set of manual controls, 120fps high-speed HD video recording capabilities and 40% smaller size. Just like the flagship XZ-2, the Olympus Stylus XZ-10 has a customisable control ring around the lens for adjusting key parameters manually, without taking your eye off your subject. The 3-inch rear display offers a range of touch-based functions such as Touch AF and Touch Shutter. Priced at £349. the XZ-10 is FlashAir-compatible so you can connect to the cloud or a social network using your familiar smartphone interface and an optional FlashAir card. Availability is slated for March.

Olympus has unveiled a redesigned and more affordable edition of its M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 Micro Four Thirds lens. Equivalent to a 150-600mm optic in 35mm terms, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II is now styled to match the distinctive OM-D E-M5, as seen in the photo above. Benefiting from “new and advanced” ZERO lens coating, the new version retains the MSC (Movie and Stills Compatible) auto focus mechanism, extra-low-dispersion and high-refractive-index lens elements and circular iris diaphragm of its predecessor. Weighing 5 grams less than the older model, the new edition carries a much more budget-friendly MSRP of £499.99 (the first version cost £799.99 at launch).

Apple has introduced a 128GB version of the fourth-generation iPad.  The 128GB iPad with Wi-Fi and iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular models provide twice the storage capacity of the 64GB variants to hold even more content including photos, movies, apps and so forth. Like the existing lower-capacity models, the 128GB edition of the fourth-generation Apple iPad features a 9.7-inch “Retina” display with a resolution of 264 pixels per inch, and will be available starting Tuesday, 5th February for a suggested retail price of £639 for the Wi-Fi model and.£739 for the iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular (prices include VAT).