Lensbaby has announced the availability of its Pro Effects Kit, which bundles the Lensbaby Composer Pro with Sweet 35 Optic, the Edge 80 Optic, Macro Converters, Lens Cleaning Cloth and the Lensbaby System Bag.  “The Sweet 35 & Edge 80 will give you versatility and flair, ensuring whatever Lensbaby look you desire, it will be achieved,” said portrait photographer Holli True. The Pro Effects Kit is available now for $750.

Novoflex has unveiled thirteen new mount adapters for the Fuji X-Pro 1. The company is now offering adapters for the Canon FD, Contax/Yashica, Leica M and R, M42, Minolta MC/MD, Nikon F, Olympus OM, Pentax K, Sony Alpha, T2, Novoflex A and 39mm screw-mount lenses. The adapters are scheduled to go on sale within the next two months, at prices ranging from €70 to €170.

Via Photoscala

Nikon has posted firmware updates for the Nikon 1 V1 and J1 compact system cameras. Version 1.12 addresses an issue that caused some frames to be duplicated in slow-motion movies recorded at a frame rate setting of 1200fps. You can download the firmware upgrades from the websites below.

Website: Nikon 1 J1 Firmware Update 1.12
Website: Nikon 1 V1 Firmware Update 1.12

Adobe has posted ACR 7.1 and Adobe DNG Converter 7.1 as release candidates. Camera Raw 7.1 adds new Defringe controls to help address chromatic aberration. Defringe is available as part of the Lens Correction panel. Camera Raw can also now read 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit HDR files. Supported HDR formats are TIFF and DNG. It also adds support for 22 new cameras (including the Nikon D800 pictured above) and incorporates five new lens profiles. Note that ACR 7.1 is only compatible with Photoshop CS6.

Website: Adobe Labs

On 17th May, Manfrotto School of Xcellence (MSoX) will be hosting the renowned photographer Drew Gardner for a webinar devoted to celebrity portraiture. During the hour long webinar Drew will share some insider tips based on working on a large number of high profile shoots, which can be applied to all portraiture photography. Free and open to all, the webinar will take place from 7pm to 8pm BST. For more details and to register, head to the website below.

Getty Images has released its newly redesigned The Curve: Technology and Telecommunications, a multimedia research report on visual trends shaped by the “democratisation” of technology and the rise of social media. No longer a static landing page, this updated presentation of The Curve features a dynamic, changing interface of industry findings that permits commentary and collaboration from readers as well. The first issue of The Curve centred on social photography is now live, and the second issue - slated to go live later this month - will examine connectivity, identity and creativity providing insight on the cloud, content management, the personal information economy and more. To read the first issue, visit the website below.

The Olympus Tough TG-1 is the toughest Olympus camera ever released. The 12 megapixel TG-1 is waterproof (12m), shockproof (2m), freezeproof (-10°C) and crushproof (100kg), and has an f2.0 aperture high-speed lens that can capture excellent quality images even 12 metres underwater. You can also attach waterproof fisheye and telephoto converters to the TG-1 using an optional adapter.

The Olympus Tough TG-1 comes in silver and costs £359.99. The fisheye converter retails at £129.99 and the tele converter at £129.99. The converter adapter is available for £19.99. An additional housing will be available soon that will enable the TG-1 to be taken to a depth of 45m together with a powerful flash attachment to boost onboard illumination at depth.

The Fujifilm FinePix XP170 is the latest addition to the tough XP series of cameras. The14 megapixel XP170 is waterproof to 10m, shockproof to 2m, freezeproof to -10°C and dust and sandproof. It also features a 5x optical zoom (28-140mm) with sensor shift image stabilization, wireless image transfer to both Android and Apple devices, full HD movie capture, and an ISO range of 100-3200.

The Fujifilm FinePix XP170 will be available in June 2012 for $279.95 in blue and orange. An accessory kit for the new XP170 containing an adjustable float strap, protective silicone skin and a neoprene sports case will also be available at launch.

Canon has created a new partnership with two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard for year two of the brand campaign, “Long Live Imagination.”  The partnership comes on the heels of Ron Howard and Canon U.S.A.’s “Project Imagin8ion” photo contest designed to ultimately inspire a Hollywood short film. For year two of “Long Live Imagination,” a new television commercial will debut on 14 May 2012 and will showcase the eight winning photographs of “Project Imagin8ion,” teasing “Ron’s Next Project.” “The success of the ‘Project Imagin8ion’ campaign was unprecedented and we are thrilled to align once again with Ron Howard for the next iteration of this journey,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.

LockCircle has announced the new LockPort 5M3 accessory for the Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR camera. Developed to help avoid damaging the 5D Mark III’s miniHDMI connection port, the LockPort 5M3 safely secures a 90° front/rear miniHDMI to full-size HDMI adapter so that you can use stronger standard HDMI cables. Available from June, the LockPort M53 can be pre-ordered now for for $119/€99.

Winning entries from the 2011 Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) are going on display at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London from June 22nd to August 19th 2012. The free-to-view exhibition -  open daily (including bank holidays) - offers a visual journey around the globe, through the eyes of the hugely talented amateur and professional photographers who beat entrants from over 90 countries to take the top places in the awards. Visitors will also be the first to have the opportunity to buy the beautiful new Travel Photographer of the Year portfolio book (£25), Journey Four. This will contain not just the TPOTY-winning images on show at this year’s exhibition, but also the 2010-winning images.

Canon U.S.A: has announced two major additions to the Canon Digital Learning Center (CDLC). Firstly, the company has recently launched a new dedicated mobile site to help make the CDLC’s educational content and resources easily available from any smartphone or tablet. Viewers can even register for Canon Live Learning workshops right from their phones. Secondly, they have added a library of Wireless Files Transmitter setup guides. These easy-to-follow step-by-step PDFs are fully illustrated and include instructions for all WFT modes, network configurations, and popular operating systems.

Vanguard USA has launched a Facebook photo competition entitled, ‘Tripod Required.’ From now through May 23, visitors to Vanguard’s Facebook page can enter the contest by clicking on the Tripod Required Photo Contest tab and uploading the best image they have taken that couldn’t have been captured without the use of a tripod. Examples of “Tripod Required” photography include, but aren’t limited to, HDR, long exposure, panoramic, and macro photography. The winner will be awarded a grand prize package worth more than $500 in Vanguard gear, featuring an Alta Pro 263AGH tripod with pistol grip ball head, The Heralder 38 messenger camera bag, and other photo-video accessories.

Issue 4 of David Noton’s Chasing the Light eZine has now gone live. This month’s issue contains articles from behind the lens whilst kayaking in the Canadian Arctic, island hopping in the Philippines, avoiding the tripod police in Australia and blurring clouds in Italy with associated features on complementary colour, long exposures and composition. The magazine is available exclusively to f11 members. To learn about f11 membership benefits and register for a free trial month, visit the website below.

The new Benro Traveler Flat 2 tripod offers a combination of robustness, high build quality and light weight. Utilising magnesium alloy castings that are up to 30% lighter than aluminium, the Traveler Flat 2 incorporates a dust- and water-resistant design and features a detachable leg that can be unscrewed and used in conjunction with the removable extending centre column to convert into a full sized monopod. Six models are available in the series, each supplied with a matched B Series ball head with quick release plate and fine controls for tensioning the ball movement. Interchangeable spiked and rubber feet and high quality carry case are also included. The price for a Traveler Flat 2 in Carbon Fibre goes from £492 to £552.

OmegaBrandess has announced the new EVO b-grip line of camera accessories. “The b-grip line makes all your camera accessories fully compatible with each other with additional comfort and safety,” the company says. The b-grip HS+ Handstrap (pictured) features a built-in tripod plate that can be mounted on every tripod through the b-grip TA universal tripod adapter. The also new b-grip travel kit allows you to attach your camera directly to your backpack shoulder strap. The included waterproof cover provides useful protection for the camera against rain and dust. A list of dealers carrying the new b-grip EVO line of accessories can be found at the website below.

LockCircle has announced the LockPort 800 accessory, a new product developed to help avoid damaging the miniHDMI port on the Nikon D800 digital SLR camera. The LockPort 800 safely secures a 90° front/rear miniHDMI to full-size HDMI adapter, which has gold plated contacts and a full-size female output that allows you to use the stronger standard HDMI cables. Available from the first week of June, the LockPort 800 can be pre-ordered now for $119/€99 from the website below.

X-Rite has announced its schedule of May webinars that have been developed to address specific colour management topics.  On 14th May, photographers can join X-Rite for an in depth look at the new i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer and the three new professional solutions, including the i1Photo Pro 2, featuring this new hardware device. Next up is a webinar that will walk attendees through the tools that X-Rite, Wacom and onOne Software provide to photographers (15th May). The third webinar, Landscape Photography Enhancements with Nik Viveza 2 and Silver Efex Pro 2, will take place on 24th May at 11am and 1pm EDT. Click through / scroll down for more information and links to the registration forms.