Want to see exactly what the new Leica X2 digital camera looks like in the flesh?

We spent some time shooting with the new Leica X2 yesterday at an exclusive press event in London.

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Leica X2 digital camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Leica M Monochrom rangefinder camera looks like in the flesh?

We spent some time shooting with the new black and white only Leica M Monochrom yesterday at an exclusive press event in London.

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Leica M Monochrom rangefinder camera.

The Sony A37 is a new entry-level SLT camera. The A37 has a 16.1 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, high-speed shooting up to 7fps with Full-time Continuous AF, 3-cross 15-point phase detection autofocus system, and an ISO range of 100-16000. The new 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 telephoto zoom kit lens offers a generous 8x zoom range in a compact, go-anywhere lens. The Sony A37 will be available from the end of May 2012 for around £530 / $600.

The Sony NEX-F3 is a new entry-level compact system camera. The NEX F3 has a 16.1 megapixel APS-C size image sensor, 180° tiltable LCD for easy self-portraits, full HD AVCHD (50i/25p) video, and a built-in flash. The new Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS LE lens offers a powerful 11x zoom range and superb resolution in an easy-to-carry lens. The Sony NEX-F3 will be available from June 2012 for around £530 / $600.

Phase One is launching a series of free online events entitled “Phase One Live: Your Inspiration Stream.” Hosted by Phase One and some of the world’s leading photographers, each event will showcase a specific photography project, tracking each step in that project’s workflow from conception through completion. The première event on May 23 at 9 am CET features award winning British landscape photographer Joe Cornish. To register, visit the website below.

Leica today announced the opening of its extended retail premises encompassing three buildings in Mayfair, providing Leica customers with a range of premium services. At 27 Bruton Place, located just off Berkeley Square in Mayfair, Leica’s Client Care team offers expert advice tailored to photographers’ specific needs, as well as light repairs for camera and optics customers, and sensor-cleaning for Leica M- and S-System owners. Alongside this facility is Café Optik, providing a relaxed and friendly atmosphere to visitors. Additionally, a new rental service is also available on the ground floor: Rental-S. This service incorporates rental of Leica’s high performance S-System, as well as hire of Studio-S, a fully equipped studio that includes changing and make-up areas, hospitality and digital operator facilities.

Kodak has revealed two all-in-one printers and its new Pic Flick HD iPad app. The Kodak ESP 3.2 all-in-one printer (£79) is the latest addition to the company’s inkjet printer portfolio. “With a refreshed and modern design, it is targeted to photo-centric consumers and families who want great value, quality and simplicity,” Kodak says. “It offers Kodak’s signature easy Wi-Fi set-up and a 6.1cm colour touchscreen for effortless navigation and a better ‘walk up and print’ experience.” The ESP 1.2 all-in-one printer (£69, pictured) provides consumers with an easy way to print and save. It too offers effortless Wi-Fi set up and a 3.8cm intuitive touchframe interface for quick navigation making it simple to print, copy and scan. Coming in June, the free Kodak Pic Flick HD App for iPad lets consumers create personalised photo cards, collages and prints, with the ability to add captions and speech bubbles. For photo prints, Kodak Technology identifies the colours in the photo and automatically generates matching borders for prints and collages.

Insight Guides’ 2012 travel photography competition, run in association with The Independent on Sunday, is now open for entries. Whether professional or amateur, any UK-based adult who has a love of travel photography can enter by submitting three images that have been taken this year and capture the essence of a destination. There’s a separate category for under-18s, too, with the young photographer winning an Olympus Tough TG-820 camera of his or her own.  Photographers have until Friday 14 September 2012 to submit their entries for judging by an expert panel made up of Michael Pritchard, director-general of the Royal Photographic Society, picture editors of the Independent on Sunday and Insight Guides, and high profile photographer Kevin Cummins. As well as scooping a travel photography commission worth £3,000, the first prize winner receives an Olympus E-PL3 (RRP £550, pictured). The second prize is an Olympus E-PM1, whilst the winner in third place will be awarded an Olympus XZ-1 (RRP £400).

Lomography has announced a new 110 format black-and-white film called Orca BW 100. With a sensitivity of ISO 100/21°, the Orca BW 100 is Lomography’s very first 110 film and, as the company puts it “only the peak of a 110 film iceberg that is waiting to be released.” The first production run of the Orca B&W 100, consisting of just 5000 cartridges, is exclusively available for pre-order from the Lomography Online Shop at €6.90 per roll. Pre-ordered films are expected to ship from 25th May. Note that this first Orca edition has a missing back-paper; this means is that each frame will need to be counted manually because the spool does not stop when the film is done. Also, the last 4 photos on each 24 frame roll might have some light leaks.

Casio has launched the Exilim EX-TR150 digital compact camera, which features a rotating monitor, a special “Make-up mode”, 12.1-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a 21mm equivalent lens. Also boasting a high-speed auto focus system that is claimed to lock on the subject in 0.15 second, the Casio EX-TR150 comes with a stylus which, in combination with the camera’s Decoration Function, allows users to clip elements from any photo to paste into another image. Thanks to its variable frame design, the Casio EX-TR150 can adapt to fit the user’s preferred shooting style or to help them capture an image from just about any angle or in any environment. The Make-up mode applies effects to smooth skin and soften facial shadows caused by harsh light, while the on-board Slide Panorama mode makes it easier to take panoramic photos. Pricing to be confirmed.

Harald Johnson has announced the relaunch of his photo education and entertainment site PhoozL. To celebrate this, the new PhoozL launches with two challenging photo contests/assignments. “Seeing the Light” is a “super-judged” contest with two rounds of judging, a theme chosen by Joel Meyerowitz, and the final judging and determination of winners also by him. The “After Dark” photo assignment is the first of a series of more casual photo challenges modeled on traditional assignments that art directors, editors, and publishers have always given photographers. There is an assignment, a limited time period to submit photos, and a final selection of winning images by the Assigner, in this first case by Harald Johnson himself. In addition to the contests and assignments, the new PhoozL also has forums (“Phorums”), a photo-critiquing area, a growing list of Photo Tips, and a Featured Photographer interview that will update regularly. There’s also a site blog and a special Phun section that includes Flash photo games, photo apps, and more.

Nik Software announced today that all of its plug-in products and trial versions have been tested and found to be compatible with the newly released Photoshop CS6, The compatibility testing has been done with the latest versions, which include Dfine 2.110, Viveza 2.007m Cikir Efex Pro 4.002, Silver Efex Pro 2.004, Sharpener Pro 3.008, HDR Efex Pro 1.204 (Mac) and HDR Efex Pro 1.203 (Windows).

GoPro has launched its new GoPro Dive Housing, which features a large, flat glass lens that allows for maximum photo and video sharpness underwater in all resolutions. Compatible with all HD HERO cameras, GoPro mounts and accessories, the new GoPro Housing comes bundled with a protective lens cap, tether string and assorted mounting hardware. It is now available for order at the Gopro Online Store, speciality retailers around the world, as well as Sport Chalet and Best Buy, for an MSRP of $49.99.

Leica has released a firmware update for the Leica S2 medium-format digital SLR camera. Version 1.0.3.3 adds support for the new Leica S-Adapter H and improves flash synchronisation when using the Leica S2’s focal plane shutter at a shutter speed of 1/125th of a second. The firmware upgrade can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Leica Owners’ Area

Fujifilm has posted six full-resolution sample images captured with the Fujfilm X100 camera and the new WCL-X100 wide-angle conversion lens. Taken at f/5.6 and f/8 using the Provia, Velvia and Astia film simulation modes, these sample photos are meant to demonstrate what the new converter is capable of. You can download the Fujifilm WCL-X100 samples from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm Wide Conversion Lens WCL-X100 Sample Photos

PromarkBRANDS is celebrating National Photography Month during May on the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages. The company’s five brands, Photogenic Professional Lighting, Speedotron, Norman, Cool-Lux, and Smith-Victor, are featuring a tip-a-day on their social media pages and are holding five different Facebook contests for the chance to win kits and lights in honour of the month. Contests vary from submitting photographs and explaining the lighting techniques used, submitting top photography lighting tips, to a Photography Challenge, where photographers are asked to shoot and post a specific image every day. Entries will be judged by photographers and lighting professionals and the best two entries for each brand win the prizes.

Data recovery, file repair and PC optimisation software utility company, Yodot Software, has released its latest software to recover lost and involuntarily deleted photos on Mac OS X. The Yodot Mac Photo Recovery application can find a photo even when the file system of a Mac drive is completely damaged and can calculate the exact file size to recover. The preview feature of the software helps in previewing all photo, audio and video files to evaluate the chances of recovery before registering the software. For registration a licence key is sent through email to unlock the trial version after purchasing the software The application can be purchased with a limited-time launch discount for a MSRP of $49 from the official website.

Fujifilm has launched the Fujifilm WCL-X100, a 0.8x wide-angle converter for the Fujifilm X100 large-sensor compact camera. This conversion lens attaches directly on to the camera and converts the lens to a 19mm wide angle (28mm in 35mm terms). The design of the WCL-X100 has been carefully considered to ensure a seamless blend with the camera. It uses the same materials, textures and colours as the X100 itself, plus the optional LH-X100 lens hood and PRF-49S protective filter can be used on the conversion lens. Manufactured in Japan, the Fujifilm WCL-X100 features an all-glass optical construction using four elements in three groups, with Fujinon EBC coating.

DxO Labs have released an update to DxO FilmPack, which adds compatibility with Adobe Photoshop CS6. Allowing users to apply the aesthetic signatures of dozens of films or one of 25 creative renderings to their digital photos, DxO FilmPack v3.2.2 is compatible with DxO Optics Pro 6 & 7, Aperture 3, Lightroom 3 & 4, Photoshop Elements 9 & 10, Photoshop CS3, CS4, CS5 and now CS6. Additionally, it is also available as a standalone application that runs in both 32 and 64 bits under MacOS and Windows.