The first UK show of photographer Philippe Shang, ‘Saint-Tropez To London’ is now on display at the ImiTate Modern gallery in London. “Aimed to provoke unexpected emotion in it’s audience, ‘Saint-Tropez To London’ offers a fascinating visual cocktail of drugs, sex and death, immersed in provocative colour,” the organisers say. “It’s first the shock of the photos, then the surprise of the controversial themes that captivates the eye. After the surprise, various details unveil themselves…his pieces are like watching a movie in seductive technicolour!” The Imitate Modern gallery is located at 27a Devonshire Street, London W1G 6PN.

The EyeTime 2012 competition finalists have been announced. Sixteen finalists have been selected in each category: Emerging Talent and Future Voices..To view the finalists and contribute your “EyeTime” now for your favourite entrant, you need to download the EyeTime iOS app from the website below.

Samsung UK has announced a new promotion. Those who buy a camera from the new Samsung “Smart” NX range (the NX1000, NX210 and NX20) between 9th November and 9th January will be rewarded with a free 7” Galaxy Tab 2 tablet. The offer will run in conjunction with the current Samsung Smart range cash back deal, offering £50 cash back on the Samsung NX1000 and £100 on both the Samsung NX210 and Samsung NX20. Note that you must be a UK resident in order to be eligible to participate in the promotion.

Eighty-seven photographs have been shortlisted for the Made in Britain Photography Awards 2012, a nationwide competition run by the EEF, the UK manufacturers’ organisation. The organisers received over 800 images that celebrated the best of British design and manufacturing in three categories: professional, amateur and young person aged 14-19. An overall winner from each of the three entry groups will be awarded £5,000 worth of photographic equipment by sponsor Canon at a National Awards Ceremony in Westminster on 4 December 2012.

Out There People have announced a new Mountain Landscape Photography course set in Eden, Cumbria. An Out There People mountain leader escorts photography enthusiasts into the mountains around Ullswater. Here, they spend two full days exploring and discovering vantage points and locations that would be inaccessible to most people. Priced at £229 per person including the course fee, course notes and a 12-month period in which to have e-mail questions answered by the tutor after the course has ended (but no accommodation), the course is described in detail at the website below.

Founder of enlight photo, James Madelin, has launched ioShutter for Nikon. A simple-to-use and versatile shutter release appcessory for SLRs, ioShutter connects the photographer’s iPhone, iPod touch or iPad direct to their SLR. The ioShutter app then offers extensive shutter control features, making long exposures and time-lapse sequences easy. ioShutter for Nikon is available now for $69.95. The ioShutter Light app is free, while the more versatile ioShutter Pro costs $9.99.

Switronix has released a new power cable for Nikon cameras. The XP-DSLR-EL15 cable can be used with any Switronix accessory or with a PRO-X series lithium-ion battery product. Featuring a regulated 9.2v battery paddle that fits all Nikon digital SLR cameras accepting the EN-EL15 battery, the cable also has an inline female P-Tap connector for 12VDC, housed in an enclosure. “We’re so excited to offer a Nikon power related product. We get calls everyday looking for Nikon power options, and it’s a segment of the DSLR video market that few have entered,” says Vinny Duwe, account manager, Switronix. “We’re talking HOURS of runtime from any V-mount or 3-Stud battery for your Nikon, with this cable.”

Happiness Engines have launched Colorized, a “social sketching” app for the iPhone. Colorized lets users snap a picture with their phone and then convert it into a pencil sketch. “Colorized helps turn that creative vision into a sharable sketch – to post to Facebook or Twitter, or to just share through the app itself in the stream of the community’s doodling,” the company says. “Colorized is the modern, social way to doodle. It lets you turn the world around you into a canvas or a coloring book, and more importantly prompts a great visual conversation with your friends.” The Colorized app is available as a free download from iTunes.

Magix has released PhotoStory on DVD Deluxe 2013. The software allows users to transform their photos and videos from digital cameras, smartphones and camcorders into movies easier than ever before, the company says. Novelties include automatic image optimisation, 500MB of online storage space in the Magix Online Album. The program is available at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of £69.99. Click through / scroll down for a comprehensive list of features and improvements.

Samyang Europe has announced the release date of the Samyang T1.5 85mm AS IF UMC lens. Featuring a fast maximum aperture, an internal focusing system and an optical formula that comprises nine elements in seven groups, the Samyang T1.5 85mm AS IF UMC is part of the manuafacturer’s VDSLR lens range. Like Samyang’s other VDSLR lenses, the aperture and focus rings have been designed in a way to ensure compatibility with professional follow focus devices. The Samyang T 1.5 85mm AS IF UMC will go on sale in late November / early December in Canon, Nikon and Sony versions. Those that wish to lay their hands on the new lens before the official launch can take part in a competition organised by Samysng Europe for a chance to win one of the first copies. For details visit the website below.

Adobe has posted Lightroom 4.3 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.3 as “release candidates.” These updates add full support for the Nikon D600, Canon PowerShot S110,
Canon PowerShot G15, Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, Casio Exilim EX-ZR1000, Casio Exilim EX-FC300S, Olympus PEN E-PL5, Olympus PEN E-PM2, Olympus Sylus XZ-2 iHS, Panasonic DMC-GH3, Pentax K-5 II, Pentax K-5 IIs and Pentax Q10 (pictured). Additionally, they incorporate various bug fixes and new profiles for one Canon, one Pentax and twenty-four Leica lenses. Furthermore, Lightroom 4.3 RC adds support for HiDPI displays within the Develop module.

Website: Adobe Camera Raw 7.3 RC
Website: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.3 RC

Transcend has released a new Wi-Fi SD memory card that adds wireless capability to an SDHC-compatible digital camera. The Wi-Fi SD card operates in two modes: Direct Share or Internet Mode. Ideal for use on outdoor photo shoots and vacations, Direct Share Mode is automatically activated as soon as the camera is powered on, allowing peer-to-peer connections between camera and mobile device in any location. Thanks to the exclusive Wi-Fi SD App, users can quickly switch to Internet Mode, which allows the Transcend Wi-Fi SD card to connect to a nearby Internet hotspot or even use the personal/portalbel hotspot feature of smartphones and tablets. Featuring the SDHC Class 10 speed rating, Transcend Wi-Fi SD cards are available in 16GB (US$69) or 32GB (US$99) capacities.

Fuji has issued a firmware update for the Fujifilm X-Pro1 compact system camera. Version 2.01 incorporates the following improvements and fixes:

1. Adds full compatibility with the Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R.lens

2.Improves the auto-focus accuracy of the Fujinon XF60mm lens and fixes a couple of bugs with the M- Mount Adapter and magnified view in manual focus mode.

Website: Fujifilm

Fuji has released a firmware update for the Fujifilm X-E1 compact system camera. Version 1.01 incorporates following improvements and fixes:

1. Adds full compatibility with the Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R.lens

2.Improves the auto-focus accuracy of the Fujinon XF60mm lens and fixes a bug with the M- Mount Adapter

Website: Fujifilm

OmegaBrandess and Phottix have announced a new Phottix Odin TTL Flash Trigger set comprising one transmitter, two receivers, six AA batteries plus several cables and adapters. Available for Canon, Nikon and Sony, the Phottix Odin TTL Flash Trigger set enables photographers to wirelessly trigger their system flashes while retaining full TTL functionality, as well as remotely control power and flash zoom settings. The four-channel, 2.4 GHz, transmitter and receiver units work at ranges of more than 100 metres and accept standard AA batteries.