CamRanger from Intro2020 is a stand-alone device that connects to select Canon or Nikon DLSR cameras with a provided USB cable to create an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network that your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch can then connect to. Together with the associated free iOS app, CamRanger allows users to control their cameras remotely see the live view feed when their camera is placed in remote locations. “For macro photography the touch screen focus facility gives amazing control that can be fine-tuned with manual focus adjustment, all via your iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch) screen,” the company says. Where exposure control is important, you can adjust your aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings via the touch screen and add exposure compensation where required. The CamRanger device is about the size of a smartphone and is powered by a rechargeable, replaceable battery. Its size and portability allows CamRanger to be used in a variety of settings and it does not need any wireless networks to operate as it creates its own virtual network to communicate wirelessly with the app installed on your Apple iOS device. CamRanger is available from early December and carries a suggested retail price of £269.99. The associated app is free.

The Samsung HMX-F90 is a 720p camcorder with 52x optical zoom and a five-megapixel CMOS sensor. The affordable new camcorder comes with a 2.7” TFT LCD display. time-lapse recording and One-Touch movie sharing. Users can simply connect their cameras to their PC via the USB cable, select videos to upload and the intelli-studio software will launch automatically to take the user through the upload process. Weighing in at 267.9 grams with a battery, the Samsung HMX-F90 records videos in MPEG-4 format and stores them on SD cards. Although the 1/3.2-type CMOS sensor has a pixel count of 5 million, the camcorder can only record stills at a resolution of less than 2 megapixels. Availability and price have yet to be communicated.

Photography education and entertainment site PhoozL has announced its latest “super-judged” photo contest: ‘The Portrait’. ‘The Portrait’. The judge is world-renowned commercial and fine-art photographer Albert Watson, who will pick the top three winners and Honourable Mentions. Now open for submissions, the contest runs until 16 December 2012. Entry is free and open to all logged-in members of Phoozl.com. For more details and to enter your work, head to the website below.

Last week Sony hosted the world’s first real time digital photography exhibition, allowing visitors to appreciate the work of three photographers - Lee Strickland, William Daniels and Paul Sullivan - from the moment the shots were taken. Each photographer was armed with Sony’s latest NEX-5R camera, complete with built in Wi-Fi allowing them to send photos directly to the gallery in London from their separate locations across Europe. As the night developed, 14 screens on the gallery walls were filled with over 200 images sent through in real time demonstrating parallels and contrasts between each city and the people that live there. Now Sony has released a two-and-a-half-minute video capturing the spirit of the event.

Moleskine has created a very original gift voucher for the upcoming holiday season. Users can send a personalised stop-motion film to someone they love – anywhere in the world. The gift film recipient gets to make their very own Moleskine Photo Book or Album. They can upload photos, images, text and video, share a digital version and invite friends to collaborate on it with them. The stop-motion film itself is easy to make: all you need is an image of yourself and the recipient. You can check out a sample movie at the website below.

ArcSoft has released the “Whip Social Album” mobile application. The free app allows users to quickly create and share photo albums, using customised templates. Whip allows users to choose up to 24 photos for each album. Once the photos are selected, the album is automatically generated with just one tap.  After that, users can select one of nine available templates that include background music from “indie” bands, and offer the opportunity to caption and edit each photo. Additionally, ArcSoft’s proprietary image editing technology built into Whip enables users to enhance their photos in a number of ways. Downloadable from iTunes, the app is also available on the Windows 8 platform.

From today until 28 February 2013, BeFunky will provide free access to their premium effects, frames, filters, goodies and other features available on their online photo editor to anyone under the age of 21. Users must have a Facebook account so that their age can be verified in order to access the free premium features on the BeFunky website. “We want to offer students from all over the world the opportunity to experience all of our premium editing capabilities and create amazing and fun photos—for free,” said Tekin Tatar, CEO of BeFunky. “Our mission is to bring easy-to-use, professional photo editing to the masses and encourage people to have fun with their pictures, and we think this is a great way to do that.”

PHYX Cleaner 2 is a collection of fast GPU-accelerated plugins designed to repair footage suffering from banding, random noise or aliasing. “We have seen numerous comments in internet forums asking; how to repair DSLR footage, how to make it look better. PHYX Cleaner 2 is our definitive answer, and may also be used to repair or enhance other digital footage or 3d renders,” noted Justin Bendo, President and CEO of PHYX. The plugins support Apple Final Cut Pro (X), Apple Motion, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Premiere Pro. PHYX Cleaner 2 is available for $99 via the website below.

Sigma UK has announced availability and pricing for the Sony versions of the new Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro HSM and APO Macro 180mm f/2.8 EX APO DG OS HSM lenses. The 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro HSM superzoom is now available in Sony mount with a suggested retail price of £499.99. The Sigma APO Macro 180mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM will also be available in Sony fit in two weeks time with a suggested retail price of £1499.99.

Kingston today announced a new 64GB Kingston microSDXC Class 10 memory card. Fully compliant with the latest SD Association specification, Kingston’s new microSDXC card operates on the exFAT file system, which is designed to handle extremely large volumes of data, such as files bigger than 4GB. All cards are 100-percent tested and are backed by a lifetime warranty as well as free live technical support.

Masterclass: Professional Studio Photography by Dennis Savini is a new title from Rocky Nook. Covering an array of photographic subjects, including still life, industry, technology, food, jewelry, portrait photography, the book provides a comprehensive workshop on studio photography for professionals and aspiring professionals, and reveals the tips, tricks, and secrets the author has discovered throughout his career. The 240-page hardback is available for $59.95.

Photipherals has launched a variety of camera gear to keep outdoor photographers more comfortable and their photography equipment more protected. The Pho-Reel and Pho-Reel Plus camera strap systems offer many hours of comfort to hike with camera(s), tripod and photographic accessories, the company says. The Pho-Pod is a padded “scabbard” tripod case that attaches to the Pho-Reel Plus camera shoulder strap and provides a more comfortable and balanced means to carry tripods up to five-inches in diameter when folded. Finally the PhorMat ground mat, made of durable heavy-gauge, waterproof camouflage-coloured polyester, allows wildlife photographers to stay clean and dry during a shooting session. To learn more about these products visit the website below.

Multiblitz USA has announced special deals for the upcoming Black Friday – Cyber Monday weekend.  The promotion will start on 23rd November (Black Friday) at 0:00 a.m. ET and will end on 26th November (Cyber Monday) at 11:59 p.m. ET, and will include special discounts on Multiblitz studio lighting kits and monolights. Lighting kits range from $1049 to $2049, monolights start at $399. Click through / read on for the details.

Rogue Photographic Design has introduced three new accessory kits for photographers looking for a compact and flexible lighting system. The Rogue Starter Lighting Kit (£90) is an entry-level collection of versatile light modifiers designed to improve the quality and variety of lighting choices available to enthusiasts using speedlights - on or off camera. The Rogue Portrait Lighting Kit (£150) is a larger collection of light modifiers - providing greater light control for portrait and event photographers shooting with multiple flashguns. Finally, the Master Lighting Kit (£170) has been designed for more advanced speedlight photographers looking to create multiple lighting setups using combinations of the kit?s soft box, bounce flash reflectors, flags, honeycomb grids and coloured gel kits.

Epson America has come up with a list of “gift ideas” for the holiday season. Naturally, the company is using the occasion to promote some of its newest products, including the Epson Expression Premium XP-800 printer ($279.99), MegaPlex MG-850HD projector ($799.99) and Epson Connect mobile printing solutions. “Whether you’re rocking around the Christmas tree, spinning dreidels or sharing a family holiday meal, chances are the fun and warmth of the holiday spirit will be captured on someone’s smartphone or tablet. Sharing those photos and videos with other friends and family members has never been easier,” said Patrick Chen, product development, mobile printing, Epson America. “Epson’s mobile printing solutions and versatile MegaPlex projector add an entirely new dimension to the way people think about printing photos and documents, or sharing videos and slideshows.”

Nikon Europe has posted an announcement on the compatibility of its software products with Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system. The company intends to test Windows versions of ViewNX 2, Capture NX 2, Camera Control Pro 2, Short Movie Creator, Nikon Message Center 2, Wireless Transmitter Utility and Thumbnail Selector as well as its NEF and NRW codecs, PC-PJ Transfer and GP-N100 Utility, IPTC Preset Manager and Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro 3.0 for compatibility with the new OS. However, there’s a number of applications for which the company does not plan to provide Windows 8 compatibility. Among these are Nikon Scan, PictureProject, myPicturetown Utility, and more - click through / read on for the complete list. Also note that the company will not provide compatibility with products utilising a serial or SCSI interface (including a number of old Nikon Coolscan models).

Lowepro’s new Rover Pro AW series of backpacks are now available in the United Kingdom. The series includes two backpacks (35L & 45L) specifically designed for adventure photographers. Constructed of 210D triple-ripstop nylon with PU coating for improved durability, these backpacks provide an optimal load transfer when trekking over varied terrain. The Rover Pro 35L AW fits a pro SLR with attached 24-70mm zoom lens, one extra lens or flash, a tripod or monopod. a sleeping pad and other personal gear. The 45L version additionally features a compartment for a laptop up to 15” size and 3-4 extra lenses.