Getty Images today announced the four photojournalists that have been selected to each receive a grant of US$20,000, as well as collaborative editorial support from Getty Images, to pursue their documentary photography projects. The winning photojournalists and corresponding projects are Bharat Choudhary from India for The Silence of Others, Kosuke Okahara from Japan for Fragments/Fukushima, Paolo Marchetti from Italy for FEVER – The Awakening of European Fascism and Sebastian Liste from Brazil for The Brazilian Far West. In addition, a grant of $20,000 has been presented in partnership with the Chris Hondros Fund, in remembrance of Getty Images’ photojournalist Chris Hondros, who was tragically killed last year in Libya.

X-Rite has announced its schedule of September 2012 webinars. The first online seminar, Landscape Image Edits and Enhancements in Lightroom 4 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM EDT),will see professional photographer Joe Brady explore both basic and advanced image editing techniques, while the second webinar, Step up to i1Pro 2 (Thursday, September 13, 2012, 12:00 PM EDT). will provide an in-depth look at the new X-Rite i1Pro 2 Upgrades.

Blackmagic Design today announced a second model in the Blackmagic Cinema Camera range, featuring a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lens mount. The new Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT model supports every Micro Four Thirds lens with manual iris and focus, and is also easily adapted to other lens mounts such as PL via third party adapters. The main features of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera include 13 stops of dynamic range; a refrigerated 2.5K sensor; a built in SSD recorder that has the bandwidth to capture open standard CinemaDNG RAW, Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD files; a built-in capacitive touchscreen for direct metadata entry; standard jack audio connections; built in high speed Thunderbolt connection and 3 Gb/s SDI output. Supporting both 2.5K and 1080HD resolution capture in 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 fps; the Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT will be available December 2012 for US$2,995 including a. copy of DaVinci Resolve for colour correction and Blackmagic UltraScope software for waveform monitoring.

The Contour+2 is a new hands-free, Full HD action camera with GPS and smartphone connectivity. Other highlights include120fps recording for slow-motion playback, a waterproof casing that will withstand the pressure at depths of up to 60m, and an external microphone jack. In the United Kingdom, Contour+2 is available from £359. In addition, Contour UK are giving consumers the chance to win a Contour+2 Camera, by simply ‘liking’ their UK Facebook page where they can be one of the first to get hold of the details of our upcoming Treasure Hunts coming soon.

Imaging Without Boundaries is an exclusive event for Photokina 2012 taking place in Hall 6.1, Stand C009 – A009. Organised by Ilford and Imago 1:1, the event gives seven cutting-edge artists and organisations from around Europe the opportunity to demonstrate techniques that challenge the boundaries of photography and image making. Each participant has been allocated their own stand, where they will showcase image results produced by their creative approach to photography technique, image capture and image output. Visitors to Photokina are invited to learn more about the techniques featured in Imaging Without Boundaries in a daily programme of seminars hosted by each of the event participants. The seminar timetable can be downloaded from the website below.

Corel has just released the Home & Student version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6. Featuring a dedicated range of learning tools, enhanced photo editing and advanced text support, this latest version of CorelDRAW® Home & Student Suite entitles users to up to three installations per household for £99.99 VAT included. Note that the use of this edition is for personal, non-commercial purposes only.

Western Digital has introduced its newest version of My Passport line of portable hard drives for PC and Mac with the debut of the USB 3.0 compliant My Passport Edge family. The My Passport Edge for Mac portable hard drive complements MacBook computers and MacBook Air computer designs with an all-aluminium exterior and Adobe Time Machine compatiblity. The My Passport Edge (PC-version) incorporates WD SmartWare continuous and automatic backup software to create a copy of users’ computers’ content to ensure personal digital files are backed-up and protected in the event of computer loss or theft. Western Digital’s My Passport Edge and My Passport Edge for Mac come in a capacity of 500GB and carry recommended retail prices of $109.99 and $119.99, respectively.

The Tiffen Company is now shipping the Lowel Blender 3 Light Kit. This new kit combines three color-changing Lowel Blender LED fixtures, with stands and AC adaptes, to bring further creative options and a faster way to light ‘Run and Gun’ interview setups. “Many interviews take place in mixed light source environments, such as offices with fluorescents in the ceiling, tungsten table lamps and daylight coming in the windows,” comments Steve Tiffen, president and CEO, The Tiffen Company. “Until now, this has been a real challenge for the shooter to deal with quickly. But with Blender’s high powered LED output, and ability to change color with the twist of a knob, you can easily correct your lighting color to match the room.” The Lowel Blender 3 Light Kit is available through Lowel dealers worldwide.

Fuji has posted 24 full-resolution sample photos captured with the new Fujifilm X-E1 compact system camera. Taken with the XF18mm f/2 R, XF35mm f/1.4 R and XF60mm f/2.4 R Macro lenses, the Fujifilm X-E1 samples were shot at low to medium sensitivity settings (ISO 200/24° through ISO 800/30°), and depict a variety of subjects including animals, people, city- and streetscapes, architecture, and more.

Website: Fujifilm

The Fujifilm X-E1 is a sixteen-megapixel compact system camera with a 2.36-million-dot EVF, fast auto-focus and a built-in flash. Other highlights include in-camera raw conversion, a range of film simulation modes, multiple exposure and panoramic shooting modes, a number of auto bracketing options and Full HD video recording capabilities. Featuring the same Fujinon XF lens X mount as the X-Pro 1, the Fujifilm X-E1 is compatible with the 3 existing XF lenses available, with 2 more arriving this year and 5 further additions in 2013. In the US, the Fujifilm X-E1 will be available in November for around $1,000 (body only) and ~$1,400 in a kit with the new 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS lens. In the UK the Fujifilm X-E1 will cost £749.00 body only and will be on sale at the end of October.

Fujifilm has added two new models to the Fujinon XF Lens range bringing the total number of lenses available to five. The 21mm equivalent Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R ultra-wideangle prime lens is constructed of 10 elements in 7 groups, including 2 aspheric and 3 extra low dispersion elements, and a seven-blade rounded diaphragm. The lens features distance and depth of field scales on the barrel, making it suitable for zone focussing. The other lens, the 27-84mm equivalent Fujinon XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS, is a compact standard zoom with optical image stabilisation and a linear motor-driven focussing system that allows the camera to lock focus on the subject in a matter of 0.1 second. In the US, the Fujinon XF14mm f/2.8 and XF18mm-55mm f/2.8-4 lenses will be available in November for $899.95 and $699.95, respectively. Availability and pricing for the UK have yet to be communicated.

Fujifilm has announced a firmware update for the Fujifilm X-Pro1 compact system camera. Version 2.00 promises a “significant improvement” in auto focus speeds in challenging lighting conditions, and also makes it easier to focus the camera manually. The firmware upgrade also enables the Fujifilm X-Pro1 to “write to memory card twice as fast as before.” Firmware Version 2.00 will be available to download on 18th September.

DxO ViewPoint is a new software solution dedicated to correcting problems with keystoning and the deformation of subjects located on the edges of photos. “Based on DxO Labs’ exclusive geometric correction technology, DxO ViewPoint allows photographers to easily and efficiently restore the natural proportions of the subjects in their images as an integral part of their workflow,” the company says. DxO ViewPoint will be available from September as a standalone application for Mac and Windows, and also as a plugin for Adobe Photoshop CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6, as well as Lightroom 3 and 4. The suggested retail prices are £69/€79/$79.

onOne Software has announced Perfect B&W, a brand new product that is claimed to offer photographers the easiest way to convert their images into black and white. “The ability to master black and white photography with a camera and darkroom techniques has been a long respected art form that has required much knowledge and practice to achieve,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “We wanted to develop a black and white image creation product that would deliver amazing, professional caliber results in a simple to use application. Perfect B&W offers presets designed by industry experts for one-click results, along with manual controls that replicate time-honored processing techniques and offer photographers the ability create their own looks quickly and easily.” The new Perfect B&W is now available for pre-order as part of the Perfect Photo Suite 7 for $299.95, which will ship in late October. It will be available later this Fall as an individual plug-in and standalone product for $99.95.

onOne Software has announced the upcoming availability of Perfect Photo Suite 7. This version offers new easy-to-use, yet powerful tools to develop black-and-white images, enhance, stylise and correct images, retouch portraits and prepare all images, including mobile snapshots, for enlargement and print. Perfect Photo Suite 7 includes the brand new module Perfect B&W, Perfect Effects 4, Perfect Portrait 2, Perfect Layers 3 and Perfect Resize 7.5 Pro­–powered by Genuine Fractals technology, Perfect Mask 5.2 and FocalPoint 2. The new Perfect Photo Suite 7 will ship in late October 2012 for $299.95.  Owners of Perfect Photo Suite 6, Perfect Photo Suite 5, and Plug-In Suite 5 or earlier can upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7 for $149.95. For those who have purchased Perfect Photo Suite 6 on or after August 1, 2012, onOne Software will issue a complimentary upgrade.

SF Photo School have just released ‘The Big Picture’, a downloadable photography course featuring ten of the United Kingdom’s leading photographers and trainers. The course includes over throrty-five hours of webinars, tutorials and videos on portrait and wedding photography. For a limited time only, this course is availalble for only $147, a 60% discount on the normal price, via the website below.

Epson has announced the Expression Photo XP-850 and XP-750 Wi-Fi enabled A4 photo printers. Both new models use Epson’s new six-colour Claria Photo HD Ink Set (black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta), which is claimed to deliver smooth tonal gradations, deep blacks and rich, vibrant colours. The Expression Photo XP-850 and XP-750 also feature a motorised control panel and output tray, which open automatically before printing so all users have to do is collect their printouts. The key differences between the two models include the scanner resolution (4,800dpi for the XP-850 and 2,400dpi for the XP-750) and duplex ADF for double-sided scanning, copying and faxing, which is only offered by the XP-850. The Expression Photo XP-850 and XP-750 are available from November, priced at £249.99 and £229.99 respectively.

Hasselblad UK has just launched a new webstore listing the full range of Hasselblad and Broncolor equipment. Chris Russell-Fish, Managing Director Hasselblad UK said: “Our customer research tells us that this online purchase option will benefit our customers - especially those that might live many miles away from a dealer and need certain accessories and small items quickly.” The new site can be accessed via the link below.