Nikon has posted a firmware upgrade for the Nikon D4 digital SLR camera. The new version improves focus accuracy when a lens and teleconverter with a combined maximum aperture of f/8 are used. You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Nikon D4 Firmware Update

The new and restyled VICTOR Photography Book One is now available in print format. Priced at £15, €20 and $25 and sold by exclusive magazine shops in London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Madrid, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong,, the new VICTOR includes contributions from a wide range of top photographers,.Photographers anywhere in the world can obtain the magazine from the website below at the cover price plus shipping costs.

Website: Newsstand UK

We’ve teamed up with PENTAX RICOH IMAGING UK LTD to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a fantastic PENTAX K-30 worth £649.99!

The lucky winner is Paula Hepburn. Congratulations!

The K-30 has been developed to help SLR beginners capture high-quality images with ease. Packed in a compact, weather-resistant, dustproof and lightweight body, the PENTAX K-30 offers a range of advanced features, including a 16 megapixel sensor, optical viewfinder offering almost 100% field of view, high-speed shooting and a full-HD movie function.

The K-30 is available in a choice of three colours: Crystal White and Crystal Blue, with brilliant, glossy finishes; and Classic Black, for a more traditional SLR look.

Triggertrap has just announced that its popular Triggertrap Mobile app for iOS and Android devices - originally priced at £2.99 - is now available as a free download from iTunes / Google Play. The newly free premium version of the Triggertrap Mobile app comes fully stocked with capabilities, including more than a dozen unique and creative triggering functions. The Triggertrap Mobile Dongle, which is used to tether the mobile device to a dSLR or advanced compact camera in order to experience these full capabilities, can be purchased for £20.99 and is compatible with over 280 cameras.

Vanguard UK has announced a cashback offer on its Alta Pro tripods, Up-Rise backpacks and Endeavour ED and Spirit ED binoculars. Those buying a Vanguard Alta Pro Carbon tripod will receive a £30 mail-in rebate, while those purchasig a Vanguard Alta Pro Aluminium tripod are entitled to a £15 rebate. Customers who buy a Vanguard Up-Rise 45, UP-Rise 46 or UP-Rise 48 backpack will receive a £10 cashback. Other offers include £15 mail-in rebate with the purchase of a Vanguard BBH ball head (BBH-100, BBH-200, BBH-300) or a GH ball head (GH-100, GH-200), a £10 cashback with the purchase of a Vanguard Nivelo 244BK or Nivelo 245BK and a £40 mail-in rebate with the purchase of a Vanguard Endeavor ED or Spirit ED. All of these promotions will run until 15 January 2013.

Website: Vanguard

Leash by Peak Design is billed as a complete re-definition of the classic camera strap that offers endless configurations, an elegant quick-connect system, and rugged minimalist design. Eliminating the clumsiness and bulk that typically characterise camera straps, Leash ($40) is built from custom-woven 3Ž4 inch seatbelt webbing that glides smoothly across your shoulder and chest. The quick-connection system utilises tiny anchors made of braided Kevlar and glass-filled resin that attach to any loop on your camera gear. Leash’s simple design allows it to be configured as a neck strap or sling strap. Leash can also attach to your camera to any point on your clothing or gear to act as a safety strap. Peak Design is also offering a smaller version of Leash — dubbed Cuff ($20) — that utilises the same quick-connection system but works more like a wrist strap. Those pre-ordering the products via the project’s Kickstarter page can take advantage of a special limited-time offer ($15 off from the regular price of Leash and a $5 discount on Cuff).

National Geographic has released a stunning slow-motion video capturing every nuance of a sprinting cheetah’s movements, with the animal running at top speeds of 60+ miles per hour. Working in co-operation with the Cincinnati Zoo and drawing on the skills of a Hollywood action movie crew, the National Geographic team used a Phantom camera capable of shooting at 1200 frames per second to film the movements of the magnificent feline. Click through / scroll down to watch the slow-motion footage as well as a behind-the-scenes video released by National Geographic.

An exceptionally rare photographic album of Ethiopian images is to be auctioned in the Travel & Photography, India and Beyond sale at Bonhams in London on 4th December. This particular album, estimated to sell for £600-800 covers, upwards of 180 views and portraits taken in Ethiopia including a number of self portraits of the intriguing character Captain Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy(1836-1910) who learned to speak Amharic and adopted native dress. Another interesting lot going under the hammer is an exceptionally rare set of photographic albums of Java in the Dutch East Indies by the pioneering Victorian photographers, Walter Woodbury and James Page. The two volumes with some 60 topographical views and portraits in Java, mostly around Batavia, are estimated to sell for between £10,000-15,000.

On 23rd November, an 82-year-old Leica Luxus 1 camera was auctioned at a Bonhams sale in Hong Kong, fetching £603,837 (HK$7,460,000) - a world record for this particular rare Leica model. Jon Baddley, Head of Collectables at Bonhams, said after the auction: “This was the first Leica sale in Hong Kong and the results more than justify our belief in the idea of bringing these wonderful cameras to China which has a rapidly emerging market for vintage cameras. We took a bit of a gamble but it has paid off handsomely.” The Hong Kong sale included over 250 lots of Leica cameras and accessories from two major private collections.

Joby has announced a new range of pocket-sized mobile accessories called GripTight. All products in the line-up have been designed to support camera phones. The range includes three products, the GripTight GorillaPod Stand (£25, pictured) with a maximum load capacity of 325g, the GripTight Micro Stand (£25) with a load capacity of 250g and the GripTight Mount (£13).

Wilkinson Cameras have partnered with Aspire Photography Training to deliver discounts of up to 20% on a range of photographic equipment, accessories and training. Customers will also get ‘hands on’ opportunities to try and test the latest photographic equipment while on Aspire courses and seminars. The benefits of this partnership are open to all new and existing Wilkinson VIP customers and also all clients of Aspire Photography Training.

Datacolor will be hosting its next free webinar, “Holiday Stocking Stuffers from Datacolor,” on 28th November from 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time. The webinar will focus on ideal gifts for photography lovers featuring products that have unique and interesting qualities. Led by Datacolor experts C. David Tobie and David Saffir, the webinar will help people choose the best products from a wide variety of items including Spyder products, lenses, tripods, lens filters, camera bags, memory cards and more. An interactive Q&A will take place throughout the webinar to answer any questions the audience might have. Participants who register in advance will be entered to win a Spyder4PRO (pictured). On a related note, the company has announced a Cyber Monday offer on the product, which will be available for $139.99/€99.00 on 26th November from 12:00am until 11:59pm through the Datacolor website.

Website: Datacolor

MacPhun has announced a holiday promotion. If you buy any 2 of the company’s Mac apps - Snapheal, FX Photo Studio and ColorStrokes -, you get the 3rd one for free. Users simply need to e-mail MacPhun a screenshot of their Mac dock with any 2 of the company’s apps, and they’ll email the 3rd (missing) app for free. Additionally, all three apps are available with at least 50% discount till Monday..

Sinar has launched a new camera for architectural and landscape photographers. The Sinar lanTec is a highly portable technical camera that can be used on a tripod as well as hand-held. The shift range is set effortlessly up to 20mm left and right. In addition, you can raise the lens by up to 25mm, or lower it by up to 15mm, which helps prevent convergent or divergent verticals when shooting architecture. In the event you wish to make stitched, rotational panoramic pictures, it’s good to know the tripod mount is physically located on the optical axis, however, for hand-held use, the tripod base can be removed quickly, thanks to its rapid and secure locking mechanism. As for composing the image, your Apple iPhone or iPod Touch can be connected to the lanTec via a special Sinar rotating adapter. This serves as a viewfinder which can quickly be set for either portrait or landscape orientation. Thanks to a range of optional adapters Sinar lanTec camera is compatible with a number of Sinar, Mamiya and Hasselblad digital back mounts.

JP Distribution has added a range of Hüfa products to its portfolio. The new Hüfa S (£9.99, pictured) is a simple-to-use lens cap holder that clips onto camera bags, backpacks, laptop bags and purse straps. Available in three colours the Hüfa S is smaller than Hüfa’s original lens cap holder and is designed for use with narrow straps such as the sling style straps from BlackRapid. The Hüfa Strap (£29.99) is a quality-constructed camera strap with the Hüfa lens cap clip built right in, featuring a wide, air-comfort strap cushion for added comfort. Hüfa’s newest product is a non-abrasive, lint free camera lens wipe (£4.99 per 24-pack) that offers the convenience of a single-use wipe that leaves no residue behind.

The Lomographic Society is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new Lomo LC-A+ special edition. Limited to 1000 units, the Lomo LC-A+ 20th Anniversary Edition is wrapped in a fine blue crocodile-pattern stamped leather featuring the society’s 20th Anniversary metallic emblem. The camera is available now for €349 from the Lomography Online Shop.

Fitch Ratings have cut the debt ratings of Panasonic and Sony to ‘junk’ status citing “weak demand… as well as continuing price competition from overseas companies.” The ratings agency acknowledges that Panasonic is “in the right direction in its restructuring efforts” but remains “cautious that the benefits of the restructuring may be marred by the weak performance in Panasonic’s electronics products and components businesses and lead to a slow recovery in profitability.” With respect to Sony, Fitch points out “continuing weakness in the home entertainment & sound and mobile products & communications segments will offset the relatively stable music and pictures segments and improvement in the devices segment which makes semiconductors and components.” From a photography point of view it’s interesting that the ratings firm believes CMOS image sensors are among the most profitable products in Sony’s portfolio and finds it “likely that Sony will use its strength in imaging sensors to promote its next range of smartphones as best-in-category for photography.”

Nikon has announced two digiscoping accessories for the Nikon 1 System. Popular among birdwatchers, digiscoping is a form of super-telephoto shooting using a Fieldscope attached to an SLR camera, CSC or compact digital camera. The Digiscoping Adapter DSA-N1 (£219.99/€265.00) and Digiscoping Bracket DSB-N1 ( £169.99/€204.00) have been created exclusively for Nikon 1 System cameras, allowing them to operate in A and M modes. The Nikon Digiscoping Bracket DSB-N1 additionally includes a cable release to prevent camera shake when shooting. Note that Nikon 1 J1 and V1 users may need to update their cameras’ firmware to use the DSA-N1-