The HD Pentax-DA 560mm F5.6 ED AW is a new super-telephoto lens for Pentax K-mount digital cameras. When mounted on a Pentax K-mount digital camera body, this super-telephoto lens offers an equivalent focal length of approximately 859mm in 35mm format. Since the lens’ unique telescope-type optics require fewer optical elements than conventional lenses, it delivers sharp, well-defined images, particularly of distant subjects, the company claims. The HD Pentax-DA 560mm F5.6 ED AW lens is treated with HD Coating, a new high-grade multi-layer lens coating developed by Pentax. A new addition to the AW (All Weather) series, this lens also features a dustproof, weather-resistant construction with 29 special seals. The HD Pentax-DA 560mm F5.6 ED AW will be available from early December for £5,999.99/$6999.95.

The smc Pentax-DA 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 ED SDM is a new superzoom lens for Pentax’s K-mount digital cameras. This 15x zoom lens offers a quiet “supersonic drive” AF motor, a minimum focusing distance of 0.49m over the entire zoom range, a rounded diaphragm to produce a smoothl bokeh, and an optical formula that incorporates two extra-low dispersion (ED) elements. The smc Pentax-DA 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 ED SDM will be available from early November, priced at £699.99/$799.95.

The next Magnum Professional Practice seminar will be held from13-14th October in Brighton, England. In this two day event, leading figures of the photographic industry will deliver presentations and advice on the best means in engaging with and the realities of working in their sectors. Confirmed speakers include David Birkitt, Jessica Crombie, Celia Davies, Harry Hardie, Diane Smyth, Rebecca Swift and Peter Marlow. The tuition fee is £200+VAT including lunch but excluding transport & accommodation. Bursary places for photographers aged 16-25 years are available via IdeasTap for the subsided rate of £50 +VAT.

Transcend today announced the company’s first 128GB SDXC memory card. According to the company, each 128GB SDXC card can store a full 32 hours of 1080p Full HD footage (based on 1920x1080 9Mbps H.264 AVC compression) or over eight thousand fourteen-megapixel raw images. These cards comply with the SD 3.0 Class 10 speed rating, which guarantees write speeds of at least 10MB/s but can even achieve read/write speeds of up to 22/16MB per second. Aside from the 128GB (US$169) version, Transcend SDXC cards are also available in 64GB (US$79) capacity.

At Photokina 2012, the LensPen Group will introduce five new lens, filter and display cleaning pens and an improved design on their sensor cleaning loupe. The new SensorKlear Loupe (pictured) features eight LEDs, which is double the four of the original model, and they’re powered by just two AAA batteries. Also, it’s easy to use; just remove the camera lens, place the Loupe on the aperture ring and turn on the light to inspect the sensor. Dry dust can be removed by the Hurricane Blower, while the SensorKlear II pen - which features an angled tip that can be inserted through the access window on the side of the loupe - allows users to “safely and easily” get rid of sticky particles.

The Samyang T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC is a new tilt-shift lens for Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony. The optical formula comprises 16 lens elements arranged in 11 groups, including two aspherical lenses and two Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements. Each optical component has been covered with multi-layered, anti-reflective UMC coatings, which are claimed to provide superb light transmission, high contrast and natural colours. The tilt-shift function in the Samyang T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC allows for tilt and swing movements up to +/-8.5° and enables shift, rise and fall movements of up to +/-12 mm. The Tilt-Shift section may be rotated left by 90° (with 30° adjustment), while the lens mount may be rotated both ways by 90° (in 30° increments). The Samyang T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC tilt-shift lens will be available later this year, with pricing to be confirmed.

The Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 2/135 is a new manual-focus telephoto lens for Canon and Nikon SLR cameras. Based around Carl Zeiss’s proven “floating elements” design, the Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 2/135 has a focal length of 135mm, maximum aperture of f/2, close-focus point of 80cm and a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:4. As with all other SLR lenses in the ZE and ZF.2 series, the Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating as well as the sophisticated treatment of the elements’ edges with a deep-black special lacquer make the Apo Sonnar T* 2/135 resistant to reflections and stray light. When moving from the lens’ close-focus point to infinity, the focus ring turns by 268°, which enables ultra-precise focusing. The Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 2/135 will begin shipping in December 2012 at a recommended retail price of approximately €1.600+VAT or $2.000.

At the Photokina 2012 trade show, Carl Zeiss will present a full-frame manual-focus 55mm f/1.4 lens for SLR cameras (pictured), a sneak peek of a new family of auto focus lenses for CSCs, at least one fast lens with M bayonet mount, alongside the new Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 2/135 telephoto lens. The latest Nokia smartphone models with built-in Zeiss optics will again be on show at Carl Zeiss’s stand (hall 2.1, stand B011). Visitors will be able to try out all the products right on the spot, from high-quality SLR lenses, Sony cameras with Zeiss optics, Zeiss lenses for Sony system cameras to the new Nokia 808 PureView smart- phone with 41-megapixel camera sensor.

Ilford has announced a major new creative photography project with the Chrome-Camera, a room-sized camera based at the Ilford site in Marly, Switzerland. The finished camera will measure 6m in length, 2.5m in height and 2.5m in width and features a lens specially sourced by German photographer Heino Heimann from Italy. The Chrome-Camera will be used to create prints using direct exposure on Ilfochrome (formerly known as Cibachrome) media, which produces images using a dye destruction positive-to-positive process. “My two great passions in photography are to use my art to push boundaries and to educate the younger generations,” Heimann says. “Therefore the Chrome-Camera project is a fantastic opportunity for me.”

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.