The Olympus SP-820UZ is an AA battery powered digital ultra-zoom camera with a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor and 40x optical zoom starting at 22.5mm (equivalent). Other highlights include Full HD movie recording, iHS technology, simultaneous photo and video capture, mechanical image stabilisation for stills and “Multi-motion IS” for movies. Compatible with SDXC and SDHC memory cards including Eye-Fi media, the Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ also offers a 3” rear screen with a resolution of 460,000 dots, Intelligent Panorama and Backlit HDR functionality, improved Shadow Adjustment Technology and a Hand-Held Starlight mode for tripod-free shooting at night. The Olympus SP-820UZ is scheduled to go on sale from the end of September 2012 priced at £279.99/€349.00.

The Olympus Stylus VH-410 is a 16-megapixel compact camera with a 26-130mm equivalent zoom lens, CCD-shift image stabilisation and a Touch Focus feature. Other highlights include 720p high-definition movie recording, nine “Magic Filters,” in-camera Panorama Merging, Eye-Fi memory card support and a 3” touchscreen with a resolution of 460,000 dots. The Olympus VH-410 will hit the shelves in October, with pricing to be confirmed.

Nikon has posted five full-resolution sample images and a reduced-resolution movie captured with the new Nikon Coolpix P7700 high-end compact camera. Taken at sensitivity settings of ISO 80/20° and ISO 200/24°, the five Nikon P7700 samples are presented as ~4MB downloadable JPEGs, while the video can be watched online using a Flash plug-in.

Website: Nikon Coolpix P7700 Sample Photos & Movie

The Nikon Coolpix P7700 is a premium compact camera with an f/2.0-4.0 Nikkor 7.1x zoom lens, a 1/1.7-inch, back-illuminated 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, lens-shift vibration reduction, Full HD movie recording capability, raw (NRW) file format and a 3-inch vari-angle LCD monitor. Two ED glass elements minimise chromatic aberration, a Neutral Density filter enables greater exposure control and the seven-bladed rounded iris aperture allows for a nice rendering of the out-of-focus highlights. PSAM exposure modes enable greater creative control, and three user modes let you recall your preferred camera settings instantly. Two customisable function buttons mean you can bypass the menu and set shortcuts to your favorite camera settings, while front and rear command dials offer easy access to key camera settings. The Nikon Coolpix P7700 will be available in September for a suggested retail price of $499.95/£499.99.

The Nikon Coolpix S800c is an Android-powered, Wi-Fi enabled compact camera with a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, 10x optical zoom, built-in GPS and a 3.5” OLED touchscreen. The 25-250mm Nikkor lens with ED glass comes with Vibration Reduction (VR) for blur-free photos and stable Full HD video, even while handheld. The camera’s connectivity features allow users to upload photographs and movies to their social networks, including Google+, Facebook and Twitter. Just like a smartphone or tablet device, the camera has the opportunity to run camera-specific photo and video apps while providing features that can’t be found on a typical cell phone. The Nikon Coolpix S800c will be available in September in white and black for a suggested retail price of $349.95/£379.99.

The Nikon Coolpix S01 is a 10-megapixel ultra-compact with 3x optical zoom, 2.5” touchscreen, 7.3GB of internal memory, built-in battery and a body that’s smaller than a credit card. Other highlights include 720p HD movie recording, an Easy Auto mode with Scene Auto Selector, and Nikon’s EXPEED C2 image processing system. The Nikon Coolpix S01 will be available in September for a suggested retail price of $179.95/£149.99 in a variety of colours including red, white, silver and pink.

The Nikon Coolpix S6400 is a 16-megapixel compact camera with 12x optical zoom and a 3” touchscreen, in a body that’s only 19.8mm thick at the thinnest part. Other highlights include lens-shift Vibration Reduction (VR), Easy Panorama, Auto HDR technology, Full HD video capture, a dedicated movie-record button and a Record Pause function that lets you pause and then continue filming, with the camera creating one movie file for smooth playback. The Nikon Coolpix comes in five colours: black, red, silver, purple and blue priced at £229.99.

The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS and the PowerShot SX160 IS are two new superzoom compact cameras. The PowerShot SX500 IS is the world’s smallest 30x optical zoom camera, while the PowerShot SX160 IS features an impressive 16x optical zoom in a compact body. The Canon SX500 IS is available from August, priced at £279/€349/$329.99, and the Canon SX160 IS is available from September, priced at £159/€199/$229.99.

Tim Hunt, a 23 year-old photography student at University College Falmouth, has been named as the recipient of this year’s IPC/Sophie Smoliar Scholarship award. The awards ceremony will take place at Photokina, Professionals Stage, Hall 4.1. Booth I-50 on Thursday, 20th September at 3.30pm.

At the Flash Memory Summit and Exhibition held in Santa Clara, California, SanDisk issued a statement in celebration of the 25-year anniversary of flash memory. “Companies such as SanDisk have increased the capacity of flash memory by 30,000 times while decreasing its cost by 50,000 times over the past two decades,” the company says. “SanDisk’s first product, a 20 megabyte solid state drive (SSD), sold for £635 in 1991 but would cost only one pence today.” SanDisk expects users to create 2.7 zettabytes (ZB) of digital content such as photos, movies, music and other data in 2012.

Kenro has announced a number of new additions to its line of gift and photo frames The Harmony Elegant Crystal Series Photo Frame features a fine lattice design decorated with clear crystals complete with a matt silver finish and black velour lined back. Available in two sizes to fit 6"x4” or 7"x"5 photographs, the Harmony Elegant Crystal Series Photo Frame is priced at £23.34 and £27.60, respectively. The Harmony Elegant Lace Series Photo Frames (pictured) boast a fine ornate lace design finely decorated with clear crystals and a matt silver finish. Available in sizes to fit 6"x4” or 7"x"5 photographs, this design is priced at £ 26.82 and £32.40. Other additions include two Eden Modern Series Frames (£13.92 and £16.68), various Melllow Gift Frames (£13.98 each) and Rotating Silver Photo Frames (priced £24.96 to £33.72).

CEWE Photobook has launched its “Europe is Beautiful 2012” photo competition. Billed as the largest photo competition in Europe, the contest has four categories including ‘people’, ‘sports’, ‘city and nature’ and ‘culture and nature.’ You can submit up to 5 of your pictures in any of the four categories for a chance to win one of “many spectacular prizes.” The competiton is now live at the website below. The submission period lasts until the end of of they year. As always we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

The Casio Exilim EX-JE10 is a new sixteen-megapixel compact camera that ships with a dedicated ever-ready case. Outfitted with a 1/2.33-type CCD, scratch-resistant 2.7” rear screen and a 26-130mm equivalent f/3.2-6.5 lens, the Casio EX-JE10 is the newest member of the Exilim family. Powered by a proprietary lithium-ion battery, the camera takes microSD(HC/XD) memory cards and comes in three colours including white with golden accents, black and pink, with matching cases (the white version ships with a brown jacket). In Japan, the Casio Exilim EX-JE10 will hit the shelves on 14th September. Pricing and international availability to be confirmed.

Source: Casio Japan
Official Sample Image (ISO 64)

Adore Noir Magazine has announced the winners of its black-and-white photography portfolio contest. The top six finalists who will be featured in Issue 10 of the magazine are Allan Gill, Alexei Krasnikov, Eric Kellerman, Russell Monk, Stan Raucher and Tommy Ingberg. The photograph that will grace the cover of the magazine will be revealed on October 1, 2012.

Twenty-five years after the first Electro Focus (EF) lens launched, Canon announced that it had reached a milestone by producing the 80 millionth lens in the series. The manufacture of Canon’s EF lenses first began in March 1987 alongside the introduction of Canon’s first EOS SLR camera system at the company’s Utsunomiya plant. The range now comprises over 76 different models including two EF lens extenders and models available outside of Japan. In addition to a range of EF and EF-S lenses designed for DSLRs, the line-up now includes an expanding selection of 4K-resolution EF Cinema Lenses. In July 2012, Canon also announced a new line of EF-M lenses developed specifically for the company’s EOS M compact system camera.

Sony are extending their Exmor branding to cameraphones with the launch of three new sensors. Two different 8 megapixel and one 13 megapixel stacked CMOS image sensors are due to be launched in October, along with new f/2.2 lenses, autofocusing system, wider dynamic range and HDR.

Website - Sony Japan (Translated)

Olympus have issued a vague press release that hints at a successor for the E-5 pro DSLR camera. The head of Olympus’ SLR planning team has said that the company is working on a new body for use with its best “Top Pro” lenses, like the 90-250mm f2.8 zoom. Akira Watanabe “emphasise(s) that Olympus is actively developing a solution and will announce more details in due course” - on the back of that statement, we’d expect to see at least an early mockup of the Olympus E-5 successor at the bi-annual Photokina show next month…

The Guardian’s Eyewitness photography app for iPad has re-launched with more visual content than ever before. As downloads of the app approach one million, users will be offered dozens of extra images each month through a new ‘Eyewitness Premium’ in-app subscription service, which costs £1.49 a month (or local currency equivalent). The Guardian Eyewitness photography app for iPad is available to download for free from the App Store.