Canon U.S.A. has issued a product advisory to users of its EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR camera. According to the company, “when the LCD panel illuminates in extremely dark environments, the displayed exposure value may change”. Canon says that this change in exposure value will not noticeably affect the captured image, but if you would like them to inspect your camera, they will provide this service free of charge upon request beginning in mid-May.

Beyond Point-and-Shoot by Darrell Young is a new title from Rocky Nook. Assuming little to no knowledge of photographic terms, techniques, or technology, this book is intended to help smooth the transition from photographic newbie to “real” photographer who is experienced, in-control, and passionate about their craft. Additionally, the author takes an in-depth look at camera types, lenses, aperture, shutter speed, sensitivity, metering and shooting controls, colour spaces, interpreting histograms and more. You can pre-order the print edition for $29.95 or buy the electronic version now for $13.95.

Canon has posted a firmware update for its EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR camera. According to the company, Version 1.1.2 incorporates the following improvements and fixes.

1. Supports a new accessory, GPS receiver GP-E2.
2. Fixes a phenomenon where a pink cast may develop over the image when the shutter is completely pressed with the camera’s power turned off (by the auto power off setting).
3. Fixes a phenomenon where the camera operation stops after one shot when shooting in High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode.
4. Fixes a phenomenon where the Shooting Date/Time in the EXIF data of the image shows a later time than the actual shooting time.
5. Fixes the time zone for the Samoa Islands.
6. Corrects errors in the Finnish menu screen. (Products for the Japanese market do not display the Finnish menu.)

Website: Canon U.S.A.

Coolirish has launched a completely redesigned LiveShare that combines photo sharing, text messaging and other communication features into a “visually exciting experience across mobile and Web”. The new version allows the user to easily reply to conversations from any device using email without even having to launch the LiveShare app. In addition, the multi-shot camera mode enables the user to capture rapid action photos and immediately upload the burst of photos into a beautifully organised collage. The full-featured Web version optimises for the desktop experience with full-screen viewing and drag-and-drop bulk uploads. The all-new LiveShare is available today for free in the iTunes App Store and on the Web at the website below.

The Lomographic Society has announced a trio of new, special-edition cameras. Comprising the Diana F+ Neptune Green (£89), the Diana Mini Coral Fusion (£99) and the Fisheye 2 Faded Denim (£79), the Monochrome Editions are aimed at devoted Lomographers as well as film photography aficionados in general. The range also includes a whole selection of matching camera cases and straps. The Lomography Monochrome Edition is available from the Lomography Online Shop.

Adobe today launched its subscription-based Creative Cloud service. Touted as “a new option for purchasing and experiencing Adobe software innovation,” Adobe Creative Cloud integrates Adobe’s creative tablet applications, such as Photoshop Touch, into everyday work, and provides users with access to download and install every new Adobe CS6 application announced today. Creative Cloud membership also includes access to Adobe Muse and Adobe Edge preview and new tools for HTML5 design. Members will receive ongoing updates to Creative Suite applications as well as other new products and services as they emerge. Adobe Creative Cloud membership will be available qithin 30 days. Pricing for individuals is £38.11 per month based on annual membership and £57.17 per month for month-to-month membership. A special introductory offer of £22.23 per month for CS3, CS4, CS5 and CS5.5 individual customers is also available. Note that the quoted fees do not include VAT.

Adobe has launched Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CS6 Extended. New features include Content-Aware Patch, a Blur Gallery that allows users to quickly create photographic blur effects, a set of new and re-engineered Design Tools and new video tools to create and enhance any video clip. The new Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine takes advantage of the graphics processing unit in modern hardware to speed up imaging and editing tasks. Additionally, Photoshop CS6 Extended includes new 3D controls and effects as wells as Mercury Graphics Engine for 3D, which offers increased power and speed via engine optimised for 3D imaging. Scheduled to become available within 30 days, Adobe Photoshop CS6 and CS6 Extended can be pre-ordered now for for£556 (ex. VAT) and £794 (ex. VAT) , respectively.

Mamiya Leaf today introduced a newly designed medium format digital camera back platform - the Leaf Credo. Available in three different models, the Leaf Credo 80, Credo 60, and Credo 40 digital camera backs feature sensors with 80, 60 and 40 megapixels of resolution, respectively. The flagship of the Leaf Credo platform is a 53.7 x 40.4 mm 80-megapixel CCD imager with a dynamic range of 12.5 f-stops. New to Mamiya Leaf is a similarly sized 60MP CCD sensor with 3:4 aspect ratio providing great detail, colour and tonality as well as low noise. Also available is a smaller 40MP CCD sensor which offers the fastest capture speed in the Leaf Credo platform at 1.2 frames per second. All Leaf Credo backs come with a large, high-resolution multi-touch screen with 16 million colours, a fast dual-core processing unit and a new, intuitive graphical user interface. Pricing for the Leaf Credo 40 starts at 14,995/$19,495. The Leaf Credo 60 is listed at 24,995/$32,495 and the Leaf Credo 80 for 29,995/$38,995.  Shipping is planned for June.

Effective April 1, 2012, Pentax has assumed responsibility for the sales and marketing initiatives for Ricoh Americas’ entire line of consumer cameras. The line of Ricoh-branded consumer cameras will now join the Pentax point-and-shoot and compact system cameras, as well as digital SLR models, to create a centralised business subsidiary for marketing, distribution, and sales of all of the company’s consumer cameras. The new strategy will allow Ricoh Americas to focus on its business-to-business markets. Camera maintenance and repair for all Pentax and Ricoh consumer cameras will continue to be handled by theirconsumer camera repair service in Arizona. “We are excited about incorporating Ricoh cameras like the GXR and GRD IV into our current product offering,” said Ned Bunnell, President, Pentax Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation (pictured).  “The addition of these advanced enthusiast cameras will bolster our product line, extend the reach of our brand, and provide new options for our customers and retailers.”

Photoshelter has announced Luminance 2012, a “fresh new conference that will bring leading voices from across industries to explore the intersection of business, technology, culture, and photography”. Speakers at Luminance 2012 will each deliver 20 minute talks (plus Q&A) in their area of expertise. The conference will be held 12-13 September 2012 at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York. Limited early bird registration discounts are available now atthe website below.  An optional, limited attendance photography workshop will also be held on 11 September at Root Drive-In Studios.

Arles Photography Open Salon at Galerie Huit is an International Photography Open Call designed to showcase cutting-edge contemporary and emerging photography from around the world. This is “an exceptional opportunity to exhibit in Arles during and alongside the renowned Les Rencontres d’Arles photography festival, and have exposure for almost 3 months, in the magnificent settings of Galerie Huit,” the organisers say. In 2012 the Arles exhibition in Galerie Huit will run from 2nd July – 23rd September 2012. The theme of this years Photography Open Salon 2012 is ‘An Eye for an Ear‘. The deadline for applications is 10 May. The application fee is £45 for 8 images.

Calumet UK is linking with Tandem Education – the private provider of vocational higher education qualifications - to offer photographers an opportunity to attain HNC/HND in photography qualifications.A spokesman from Tandem Education said: “The idea is simple. Anyone who wishes to gain a serious vocational qualification in photography can sign up to one of these courses. These are not training sessions. This will not be like attending a one-day seminar on Photoshop. Students will be studying to attain a Level 4/5 higher education qualification.” The courses – which will have no more than12 students on each one – are aimed at both undergraduate and mature students who may have no formal qualification in photography. A 120 credit course (full HNC) will cost a total of £3,192 including VAT. A 60 credit course costs £1,596 including VAT, excluding exam fee of around £190

Epson has won two awards from the Technical Image Press Association. The Epson products recognised by TIPA were the Epson EH-TW9000W, named as the ‘Best Photo Projector,’ and the Epson Stylus Photo 1500W, which won ‘Best Expert Photo Printer’ (pictured). The former is a Full HD 3D projector that offers easy-to-use features, while the latter is a wireless, A3+ printer that allows fast, easy printing from laptops, desktops and the latest generation of mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads via Epson’s iPrint app.

Now compatible with square-format photographs, version 1.1 of Decosoft’s Photo Borders iOS app is aimed at Instagram users. “With the option to choose from nearly 60 great looking frames and then customise their colour, Photo Borders will provide those artistic folks with the tools needed to really make their images stand out,” the company says. “With the enormous growth that Instagram has encountered there are bound to be many who find the editing options a bit restricting. Photo Borders V1.1 looks to fill that gap and will be a crucial weapon for any iPhone camera connoisseur.” The app is free and available now on iTunes.

Nik Software has released a new version of Snapseed for iOS. New features in Snapseed 1.4 include the ability to open photos directly into Instagram and additional language support for Brazilian Portuguese and Arabic. Several popular filters within Snapseed have also been updated, and compatibility with the new iPad and iOS 5.1 has been added. Snapseed is available on iTunes for $4.99.

The Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC all-in-one zoom lens for the E-mount of Sony mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera series has been named the “Best Entry-Level CSC Lens” by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA). This light and compact lens delivers the 35mm equivalent of 27-300mm yet weighs a mere 16.2 oz. At the telephoto end, the lens can focus as close as 19.6 inches; to aid in close-up and long-range telephoto shooting it incorporates a specifically designed moving coil Vibration Compensation feature. The AF drive has a stepping motor that is optimized for use with Sony’s contrast-detection AF system.

Nikon has posted seven full-resolution sample photos taken with the new Nikon D3200 digital SLR camera. Shot at ISO 100 at ISO 200, the samples were captured with three low-cost lenses including the AF-S DX 18-55mm kit zoom, the AF-S DX 55-300mm telezoom and the AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G macro lens. You can view the Nikon D3200 sample images at the website below.

Website: Nikon

Update: Nikon France has published additional D3200 samples on Flickr.

Want to see exactly what the new Samsung NX20 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

The Samsung NX20 is a range-topping mirrorless camera with a 20.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor, SVGA EVF and a 3.0” Clear AMOLED swivel display, and a top shutter speed of 1/8000th second.

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Samsung NX20 compact system camera.