The Photographic Museum of Humanity has announced its 2013 Grant, an international photographic contest that aims to discover new talents. Photographers are invited to submit a series of maximum 15 photos before 18 February 2013. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize guarantees respectively $2,000, $1,000 and $500 in cash. There will also be a New Generation Prize of $500 dedicated to photographers under 25 and a Public Favourite Prize (also $500). In addition, the winners will be granted an exhibition in the photographic museum of Humanity. The contest has no entry fee.

Custom SLR has announced the general availability of its latest product, the Custom SLR ProDot.  A textured, press-on dot, the ProDot easily adheres to a range of surfaces to provide more finite control and vibration dampening. “While initially designed to be placed on top of a camera shutter button to offer photographers a more seamless shutter-release, free of residual vibrations, the ProDot is a remarkably-simple and convenient accessory for virtually any push-button experience,” the company says. “The emphatic response from the Kickstarter community, has not only enabled us to bring the product to market, but has proven that there is a demand for such a dynamic little accessory.” Available in low-profile black, high-visibility red, and clear colorface the ProDot is sold in packages of two for $9.95.

CyberLink recently unveiled a new video contest entitled “Create Video Challenge” that will encourage PowerDirector users to hone and improve their video editing skills. Consisting of a series of engaging and interactive video editing contests that will run for a period of nine months until 5 September 2013. CyberLink will provide a sample video with an accompanying demo that describes how it was made while encouraging participants to use the same techniques when creating their own videos.This month’s challenge involves the creation of a “tilt-shift” video. For detailed information about CyberLink’s “Create Video Challenge,” visit the event page at the website below.

Sony’s ?PlayMemories Studio application has been updated to include the ability to output images on Sony’s 4K TVs. This enables users to enjoy high resolution photos taken with their digital camera on Sony’s 4K-enabled Bravia KD-84X9005. Available from today, version 2.00 of PlayMemories Studio also offers improved editing functions, a choice of 10 new background music tracks and 29 extra sound effects. In addition, photo and video files which have been stored on PlayMemories Online can now be accessed via PlayMemories Studio. PlayMemories Studio is priced at €15, with a 30-day trial available free of charge.

Lowepro has announced some new colour-ways to the range of camera bags available as well as a new version of one of its most popular sling bags. The new Lowepro Passport Sling II (£50, pictured) is available in two new colour combinations – Black & Red and Mica & Green.  The Passport Sling II is an updated design, based on the popular Passport Sling bag – and now features 30% more storage space using a flexible camera storage box inside – which can be adjusted to fit your kit. And just in time for Christmas, there’s a new ‘little black number’ in the Lowepro range: the Lowepro Event Messenger series (priced from £37) is now available in black as well as the original Mica design.

Canon USA has launched a television campaign that “shows how images can magnify the subtle feelings in everyday life.” Designed to popularise the company’s PowerShot line of digital compact cameras, the campaign also involves the launch of a unique Facebook application that identifies the emotions of a user’s photo collection. The application scans a chosen photo album for a variety of emotions – including passion, love and nostalgia –then creates a unique visual summary of the specific feelings that reside in the image collection. Users can then share this visual summary with their Facebook friends and discuss the emotion they’ve captured through their own photography. The application, and more information on the Power of a Shot campaign, can be accessed at the website below.

BeFunky has launched a new campaign called “My Photos Are Mine,” promising a free premium BeFunky account to all Instagram users who do not agree with the latter’s new terms-of-service update. “BeFunky believes that photo-editing and sharing should be fun, which is why their users have full control over their photos,” the company said in a statement. “People are not required to register when using the service, and where they share the photos is completely up to them and easy to do… Now BeFunky is offering free access to even more features by giving away the premium account to anyone who has cancelled their Instagram account.”

Boinx Software has released iStopMotion for iPad 2.0, with new audio options that make use of the iPad’s capabilities. “In the 10 years since we launched iStopMotion for the Mac, we have crossed boundaries and pushed ourselves and the available technology to the limit,” said Oliver Breidenbach, CEO, Boinx Software. “The launch of iStopMotion for iPad 2.0 is the next step in our success story, adding the second most important moviemaking feature to the app - sound.” To celebrate the 10-year annniversary of the iStopMotion product family, for a limited time only, iStopMotion for iPad 2 is available from the iTunes App Store for $4.99 USD (regularly $9.99) or as a free upgrade for existing users. Its companion app, iStopMotion Remote Camera, is also available now from iTunes for free.

DxO Labs have launched a new measure of lens sharpness, dubbed “Perceptual Megapixel,” on their DxOMark website. Designed by DxOMark experts, Perceptual Megapixel attempts to quantify the sharpness “perceived” by the photographer while taking into account all the characteristics and defects of the lens and the camera. “This new unit of measure replaces the MTF scores that we have been publishing up until now. Perceptual Mpix weights MTF measurements with the sensitivity to detail of the human visual system, thus providing a score for the sharpness perceived by our eyes. We think this new measurement will be more understandable and practical for photographers who use our website,” explained Frédéric Guichard, Chief Scientific Officer for DxO Labs. The company also points out that the perceived resolution for a camera can be significantly different from the native resolution depending on the lenses with which it is coupled.

Kodak has sold its digital imaging patent portfolio for approximately 525 million dollars. The price will be paid partly by 12 intellectual property licensees organised by Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation, with each licensee receiving rights with respect to the digital imaging patent portfolio and certain other Kodak patents; partly by Intellectual Ventures, which is acquiring the digital imaging patent portfolio subject to these new licenses. “This monetization of patents is another major milestone toward successful emergence,” Antonio M. Perez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said. “Our progress has accelerated over the past several weeks as we prepare to emerge as a strong, sustainable company. This proposed transaction enables Kodak to repay a substantial amount of our initial DIP loan, satisfy a key condition for our new financing facility, and position our Commercial Imaging business for further growth and success.”

LPA Design today released a new update to its ControlTL firmware for Canon versions of the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 PocketWizard radios.  Available now, firmware version 6.200 for Canon adds compatibility with the Canon 5D Mark III digital SLR camera.  Any current owner of the ControlTL system can install this version via USB connection and update for free using the PocketWizard Utility (version 1.54 or later). For more information on how to update PocketWizard products via USB connection, visit the website below.

Olympus has issued a firmware update for the Olympus Stylus XZ-2 premium compact camera. Version 1.1 improves image processing while shooting with the ISO bracketing function enabled. To install the firmware update connect your camera to your computer via USB and launch the Digital Camera Updater software.

Nikon has posted a firmware update for the Nikon Coolpix S800c digital compact camera. According to the company, Version 1,2 incorporates the following improvements:

The position information the GPS function attached to images was sometimes incorrect. This issue has been resolved.

If images were captured before the playback mode icon is displayed, the date and time recorded was incorrect. This issue has been resolved.

Website: Nikon Coolpix S800c Firmware Update 1.2

Aquafadas has released PulpMotion 3.5, with support for Mountain Lion. Pulp Motion is a template-based multimedia slideshow creator offering hundreds of themes, which now include a brand new collection specially designed for the holidays. The application’s user-friendly tools can be used to customize slideshows with transitions and animations such as the Ken Burns effect. Finished slideshows can be published directly to YouTube, iDVD and more. PulpMotion 3.5 is available now as a download on the Aquafadas website for $49.

An Australian video of freshwater rotifers has won the first prize in the 2012 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition. Now in its ninth year, the Olympus BioScapes Competition is a premier platform for honoring images and movies of human, plant and animal subjects as captured through light microscopes. Images of any life science subject are eligible. Entries are judged based on the science they depict, their aesthetics (beauty or impact of the image), and their technical expertise. The 2012 winning images and movies reflect the latest advances in neuroscience and cell biology as documented by researchers, along with amazing glimpses of life on a microscopic scale captured by hobbyists, students and other photographers.

In the wake of a far-reaching outcry against proposed changes to its Terms of Use - including a notice issued by National Geographic saying that it’s “suspending new posts” and “may close” its account -, Instagram has announced an upcoming revision to the most controversial section of the text. “Legal documents are easy to misinterpret,” said Instagram’s co-founder Kevin Systrom in a post published on the company’s official blog. “We need to be clear about changes we make — this is our responsibility to you. One of the main reasons these documents don’t take effect immediately, but instead 30 days from now, is that we wanted to make sure you had an opportunity to raise any concerns. You’ve done that and are doing that, and that will help us provide the clarity you deserve. “

The Hasselblad Masters Awards 2014 competition is now open to photographers shooting with cameras of sixteen megapixels and above, regardless of the camera’s brand or format. The internal Hasselblad jury has already begun the process of shortlisting 120 finalists - ten photographers in each category (including the new categories of Project/21 and Underwater). The finalists will be announced in January 2013 and the public has the chance to vote for their favourite image. Winners of the 2014 awards will have use of Hasselblad equipment for a period of approximately four months to create a new set of images for the fourth special Masters Commemorative Book and will receive a trophy at photokina 2014.

DxO Labs have released DxO Optics Pro 8.1.1. Providing support for four new cameras including the Canon EOS M, the Pentax K-5 II and K-5 IIs as well as the Sony Alpha SLT-A99 (pictured), DxO Optics Pro 8.1.1 also adds 298 new DxO Optics Modules to its ever-growing library. This upgrade is free for all owners of DxO Optics Pro 8, as well as for photographers who purchased a license for DxO Optics Pro 7 after 1 September 2012.

Eight months after buying Instagram, Facebook has issued a modification to the service’s Terms of Use, allowing it to sell users’ photos to advertisers. According to the updated terms, you “agree that a business or other entity may pay [Instagram] to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.” Commenting on the news, The Guardian’s Charles Arthur speculates that the move “may give a boost” to Flickr, adding that “[a]lthough Flickr has resale deals in place with a number of companies, it shares revenue from those with users and only uses photos with users’ explicit permission.” Instagram users who do not agree with the new terms may opt out until 16 January 2013 by deleting their uploaded photos and terminating their accounts.

Website: Instagram / Updated Terms

Update: Instagram Backtracks on Terms of Use Update