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.

Vanguard USA has announced mail-in rebates on two of its series of tripods and camera bags. Consumers who purchase any Alta Pro tripod between May 1, 2012, and June 30, 2012, will receive up to a $50 mail-in rebate—$50 for carbon-fibre models, $25 for aluminium—and those who purchase any The Heralder series messenger style camera bag will receive a rebate of $25. Rebates can be claimed by completing the official rebate form.

Redrock Micro has ultraCage DSLR and ultraBase hand-held support rigs for video-enabled digital SLR cameras. The ultraCage secures the camera body at three points: screws into the camera base, fastens to the top hot shoe and locks the camera in place with the anti-rotation pin. The cage surrounds the camera with 22 mounting holes and adds industry-standard 15mm bottom rails for accessories such as a mattebox, follow focus or lens support. The ultraCage DSLR and ultraBase are shipping starting mid-May, and are available from Redrock itdelf and from authorised Redrock Micro resellers worldwide. ultraBase starts at $299, ultraCage DSLR starts at $595.

Adobe has released the final version of Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) 6.7 for Photoshop CS5 users. This version adds support for 21 new digital cameras, including the Canon EOS 1D X, 5D Mark III, PowerShot G1 X and PowerShot S100V, the Fuji FinePix F505EXR, F605EXR, F770EXR, F775EXR, HS30EXR, HS33EXR and X-S1, the Nikon D4 and D800/D800E, the Olympus E-M5 (pictured), the Pentax K-01, the Samsung NX20, NX210 and NX1000, the Sony Alpha NEX-VG20 and A57. Note that ACR 6.7 is not compatible with versions of Photoshop older than CS5.

Website: Adobe Camera Raw 6.7 for Macintosh
Website: Adobe Camera Raw 6.7 for Windows

The Lomographic Society has launched a range of limited-edition La Sardina film cameras. Wrapped in ten various fabrics, the La Sardina Beach Edition comes in two flavours: the La Sardina St Tropez ships without a flash and is available for £59, whilst the La Sardina Capri comes bundled with a matching flash gun for £99.

The inaugural Eye International Photography Festival will take place from 29th June - 1st July at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Aberystwyth, Wales. A department of Aberystwyth University, it is situated at the heart of the University campus with stunning views over the coast of Cardigan Bay. Tickets are £50 per person for the whole weekend, £40 concessions (students, seniors) / Groups of 10 or more, £35/ £30 concessions Day Tickets for Saturday /Sunday. A limited number of self-catering rooms have been reserved in the University Residential blocks and are available at the discounted rate of £24.50 per person.

The winners of the April 2012 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for April was “Black and Blue” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
The blue galaxy by czardases
Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

Verbatim has just launched its new Store ‘n’ Go V3 USB 3.0 Drive. Compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems, the sleek USB drive works with all USB ports (including USB 2.0/1.1) and comes in storage capacities ranging from 8GB-64GB. Featuring a retractable USB connector, the Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go V3 USB 3.0 drive is fully backed by Verbatim’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and is now available from $19.99 in seven different colours.

The Association of Photographers (AOP) has announced the launch of Exposure 2012, a range of photography related events beginning on 17th May 2012. “Exposure will be taking place in a fantastic exhibition space nestled alongside the Students Awards exhibition and will run on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th May, whilst the Students Awards will run from Wednesday 16th May through to Saturday 19th May,” the organisers say. Hosted by the Hoxton Gallery, 12-18 Hoxton Street, N1 6NG, Exposure 2012 will see some of the most talented speakers in the industry giving talks, demonstrations and workshops on topics as varied as fashion photography, using Hasselblad cameras, self-publishing and disseminating your work online. Click through / scroll down for the detailed schedule.

Boston-based Litl has released version 1.3 of Woven, a free photo viewing app for iOS devices. “Woven weaves together all of a user’s photos,” the developers say. “After users link the app to their online photo-sharing sites, they can effortlessly glide through their photos in a single, consolidated photo album, whether on or offline. A built-in uploader additionally makes photos stored locally on the iPhone itself available for convenient viewing within the app.” Woven 1.3 for iOS is available through the iTunes App Store in the Photo & Video category. The app has also been released for Kindle, Nook and Android devices.

Later this month, Think Tank Photo will be releasing the Airport series, a new line of travel-specific, high-capacity camera backpacks. The three backpacks – the Airport Accelerator, Airport Commuter, and Airport Essentials— integrate quick access pockets for a laptop and tablet, a top pocket for boarding passes, and three robust handles to ensure easy placement and retrieval from overhead bins. The three sizes allow photographers to select the best fit for their needs. The largest of the three, the Airport Accelerator accommodates two pro-size SLRs, 6 to 8 standard zooms, a 500 f/4.0, a tablet, and up to a 17” laptop. The smaller Airport Commuter fits one pro-size SLR, 4-6 zooms, a tablet and a 15” notebook, while the even smaller Airport Essentials accommodates a standard DSLR, 4 to 6 standard zooms, a tablet, and up to a 13” laptop.

XPro Software has posted a release candidate of GeniuX Photo EFX 3. Boasting a 32 bit colour graphics engine, GeniuX Photo EFX 3 ensures smooth tonal gradations with no dithering artifacts, supports a number of camera raw formats as well as PSD files created with Adobe Photoshop, and offers real-time corrections and short processing times. You can download the release candidate free of charge by clicking on the link below.

Renowned photographer Alison Jackson has created a short film, putting her own modern take on iconic British films to encourage entrants to Virgin Media Shorts 2012, the UK’s biggest short film competition. Alison drew inspiration from Hitchcock’s Psycho and The King’s Speech, directing a short film to tell the story behind the process. Commenting on her involvement, Alison Jackson said: “When asked to create a short film to inspire the next generation of film makers, I wanted to juxtapose the old with the new and suggest how they may be interpreted today, fusing my style of work with the techniques of the greats like Hitchcock.” Film makers wishing to take part should upload their films to the website below for the chance to win a Grand Prize of up to £30,000 film funding, as well as mentoring opportunities with some of the UK’s top film experts. The winning films will be announced at an exclusive red carpet awards ceremony in central London, later this year.