Transcend today launched its “Ultimate” series 1000x CompactFlash cards. Fully compliant with CompactFlash revision 6.0, these memory cards operate in Ultra DMA (UDMA) transfer mode 7 and implement the Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-20), which enables professional-quality video capture at sustained write speeds of at least 20MB/s without dropping frames. Available in up to 128GB capacity, these cards are also capable of delivering read speeds of up to 160MB/s. Transcend’s 1000x CompactFlash cards are now available in 16GB (US$109.99), 32GB (US$229.99), 64GB (US$459.99) and 128GB (US$749.99) capacities.

Swedish company Memoto has introduced a micro-camera that captures every moment of your life in “photo keyframes.” “Imagine if you could capture and re-live every memorable moment of your life” said Martin Källström, CEO of Memoto. “With Memoto, you can effortlessly travel back in time to that moment when you met the love of your life, the day your daughter took her first step, or that night you laughed the night away with friends.” Capturing a 5-megapixel photo every 30 seconds, the Memoto camera is about the size of a large postage stamp and features geotagging, a built-in rechargeable battery with a LED indicator, and a micro-USB port for charging and downloading pictures to a computer. Estimated availability for the Memoto camera is early 2013. The unit will be offered in Graphite grey, Arctic white and Memoto orange colors for $279. Starting today, anyone can support Memoto in getting the camera into production through Kickstarter - those offering $199 or more will be rewarded with a camera and a one-year Web Service subscription.

The Apple iPad Mini is a new 7.9-inch tablet. 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad, the iPad Mini has Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance and 10 hours of battery life. iPad mini comes in a new aluminium and glass design that is just 7.2 mm thin and weighs only 0.68 pounds.

The iPad 4 features a 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip that delivers up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip, 10 hours of battery life, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance.

Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features.

The Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro features a stunning Retina display and all flash storage in a new compact design. At a mere 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds, the portable 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is 20 percent thinner and almost a pound lighter than the current 13-inch MacBook Pro. Prices start at £1,449 inc VAT for a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage.

Canon have announced that a new firmware update for the Canon EOS 5D Mark III will be available in April 2013. The firmware update enables the use of uncompressed HDMI Output support, making possible more efficient video editing and monitoring procedures.Additionally, the upgrade supports the advanced needs of photographers through improved AF performance when capturing still images.

Professional landscape photographer, author and PhotographyBLOG reader Nick Taylor has recently sent us an email with a surprising piece of news. “I was in the market for a new camera,” Nick says. “I was undecided with the D800E… or a DMF [Digital Medium Format].” Nick finally went for the D800E, and called Nikon USA asking where he could find it in stock. Their reply was shocking: “The D800e [is] no longer supported by Nikon,” meaning “they are not going to stock or make anymore.” After finishing the conversation Nick checked Nikon USA’s product page for current DSLR cameras, and found that the D800E was indeed no longer listed (the D800, without the “E” designation, continues to be on offer).

Upon receiving Nick’s email we contacted both Nikon UK and Nikon USA. The former company has confirmed this morning that “the D800e is still a current product in the UK.”

A Nikon Europe spokesperson has now confirmed that this is a false alarm, and the D800e is very much supported both in the US and globally:
“I’m happy to confirm that the D800E is a current Nikon product globally – we’re looking into where the misunderstanding might have come from.

With regards to the link not showing the D800E… because it is a variation on the D800, the D800E is not listed as a separate product. However, there’s plenty of information about it when you click through to the D800 product page:
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Digital-SLR-Cameras/25480/D800.html”

Jong Afrikaner: A Self-Portrait is a new book featuring portraits by South African photographer Roelof Petrus van Wyk. Tracing the ongoing transformation and change of the “white tribe of Africa,” the book contains head-and-shoulders portraits of young white Afrikaners – including the strangely beautiful Yo-Landi Vi$$er from the rap group Die Antwoord. “Both a provocation and a statement of artistic intent, the body of work challenges preconceived ideas and beliefs about Afrikaners,” the publisher says. “These individuals… are connected to each other through share values, preferences and tastes and express themselves in diverse cultural and creative activity, rather than any supposed national identity.” Published by Fourthwall Books, Jong Afrikaner: A Self-Portrait will be available for purchase through the website below.

Manfrotto has just launched a new family of carbon fibre camera supports called 290 Carbon. Designed for enthusiasts, the Manfrotto 290 Carbon range aims to fill the gap between cheap and non-upgradeable “first tripods” and expensive fully-featured professional mounting equipment. Highly portable yet durable and built for heavy-duty use, the 290 Carbon Fibre Series comprises three tripod&head kits, a monopod and a standalone 3-section tripod sold without a head. For more information, visit the website below.

Nikon UK has announced a new promotion. Customers purchasing any product from the Nikon EDG range, including fieldscopes and binoculars, from today until 31 January 2013 (inclusive) can claim a free Nikon Coolpix AW100 (pictured) or P310 camera worth £279.99 each. Note that the promotion only applies to products which have been supplied and distributed by Nikon UK within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. For more details, including terms & conditions, visit the website below.

The Consumer Electronics Association’s Board of Industry Leaders unanimously voted to rename ‘4K’ video to ‘Ultra High-Definition’ or ‘Ultra HD,’ and also defined the core characteristics of Ultra HDTVs, monitors and projectors. Minimum performance attributes include display resolution of at least eight million active pixels, with at least 3,840 horizontally and at least 2,160 vertically. Displays will have an aspect ratio with width to height of “at least 16x9.” To use the Ultra HD label, display products will require at least one digital input capable of carrying and presenting native 4K format video from this input at full 3,840 X 2,160 resolution without relying solely on up-converting.

Pictured above is the EOS C500, Canon’s high-end professional 4K cinema camera.

Switronix has just introduced its brand new JetPack power distribution accessory for videographers. The all-aluminium, compact design houses a power regulation board connecting to three LEMO outputs (5v, 7v, 12v), a USB power connection, and 2 unregulated power taps on either V or 3-Stud mount plates. The JetPack is currently available for RED Epic and Scarlet, as well as the Black Magic Camera and F3 configurations, in either V-Mount and 3-Stud.

Michael Freeman will be launching his latest book, The Photographer’s Story, via a live online broadcast on Tuesday 30th October. The event is free to attend, and anyone can submit a question in advance by signing up now via the website below. Before the broadcast, anyone who has signed up will receive an e-mail reminder.

On 5th November at Kings Place, London, conceptual fine art photographer Tim Flach will talk about his latest book More Than Human. In this book, he takes this into new points of inquiry with surprising portraiture of creatures ranging from exquisite pupae, to the world’s largest cat, to intimate scenes of bonobos and other primates. The lecture starts at 7pm, tickets are available online for £9.50.

The event is part of the PhotoVoice Lecture series and the ‘Words on Monday’ series.

Photographs from the UK’s first ever iPhoneography course, run at Kensington and Chelsea College, are being showcased to the public for the first time in an exhibition. A hundred of the best images from the course,‘iPhoneography: An Introduction to Photography with the iPhone,’ are now set to make their debut in the forthcoming exhibition ‘Apped to the Max’, running from November 5-11 at the college’s Chelsea Centre Gallery in Hortensia Road, SW10 0QS. The gallery is open to the public from 9am-7pm Monday to Thursday and 9am-4pm on Friday.

This year, Alvaro Deprit has been named as the winner of the BJP’s annual International Photography Award. Alvaro beat off competition from 168 other entries to win the series category, submitting a story called Suspension which looks at unaccompanied minors who have fled war, poverty and political uncertainty for new lives in Italy. Judges Harry Hardie, founder and director of Here; Jess Crombie, head of film and photography at Save the Children; and Karen McQuaid, curator at The Photographers’ Gallery, were impressed with the strength of the story Deprit had depicted, and the sensitivity he brought to it and his young subjects.

DxO Labs have just released version 5 of DxO Analyzer. Billed as an extensive measurement solution that provides in-depth raw and RGB image quality analysis for any image capture device, whether still- or video-capable, DxO Analyzer v5 offers new video image quality testing features such as motion artefact and image stabilisation system measurements that enable DxO Labs to report extensive video quality test results on dxomark.com.

Fotodiox today announced the immediate availability of its WonderPana 145 and WonderPana 66 Filter Systems. Claimed to be ideal for panorama, nature, architectural, fashion and event photographers as well as analogue and digital filmmakers, Fotodiox’s WonderPana lens hood systems are designed for Super Wide Angle (SWA) and Ultra Wide Angle (UWA) lenses. “By introducing the WonderPana Systems, we are offering photographers and cinematographers the ability to capture images with the right lighting balance and skip the HDR software post production process,” said Drew Strickland, vice president of Fotodiox. “With the new Wonder line, we are bringing more innovative, quality products to the market and giving photographers the tools they need to capture amazing shots.” The WonderPana Systems are available for order now on the Fotodiox website. The WonderPana 66 System starts at $350 and the WonderPana 145 System starts at $200.