Manfrotto has won two prestigious accolades at the 2012 Red Dot Design Awards. The two winning Manfrotto products include the modular SYMPLA Rig System designed for video-enabled digital SLR cameras and the 502HD telescoping video kit incorporating the MVH502A fluid head and the MVT502AM tripod. In addition to Manfrotto’s accolades, the Imaging & Staging Division of the Vitec Group was honoured with a prize for the Gitzo Systematic tripod range, having introduced a completely redesigned range of supports in January 2012.

Land Rover North America has launched on Tumblr with “Five By Five,” an innovative photography project that “reflects a unique approach to the creation and distribution of content”. The company selected five socially-connected photographers in five different cities and granted them access to different Land Rover models. “Land Rover is excited to launch on Tumblr with Five By Five because it is such a unique project that highlights our vehicles in a creative and artistic way,” said Ken Bracht, Marketing Communications Manager, Land Rover North America. “We chose to maximize Tumblr as our new social media channel because it fosters engagement, and with this project, allows enthusiasts to share and follow the journeys of each photographer as they experience our vehicles through the eyes of a lens.” To view the photos visit the website below.

SmugMug has announced a major update to its Camera Awesome app. Currently the #1 iPhone photography app in 55 countries, Camera Awesome allows users to “awesomise” their photos and then instantly share them on Instagram with one simple tap. Additionally, the Camera Awesome app now comes with an in-app getting started guide, easier and more intuitive pinch-zooming, a white balance lock feature and a smoother way to set the self-timer. Plus you can now purchase all add-on filters as a single package for $9.99. If you’ve already bought a few effects, the company will bill you the difference rather than the full amount.

Canon today announced that the Canon EOS C300, the first model from the new Cinema EOS System, has met the standards the BBC requires from cameras tested to the EBU recommendation EBU R118. The approval allows both internal and external BBC production teams to use the EOS C300 for the production of a variety of programmes to be broadcast on the BBC’s range of HD channels. The EOS C300 is the third professional camcorder from Canon to be approved by the BBC since the start of 2011, joining the XF305 and XF300 Full HD camcorders, which were approved for use in January last year.

proDAD has announced that Corel is including 3 video effects technologies from proDAD with its newly announced VideoStudio Pro X5 Ultimate software. The proDAD technologies with Corel VideoStudio X5 Ultimate include the Mercali V2 Pro post-capture video stabiliser, TravelRoute Designer and VitaScenee V2 LE professional-grade effects. “We’re thrilled to once again be chosen by Corel to provide video effects technology for VideoStudio” said Andreas Huber, managing director for proDAD.

North Carolina based Carve Gybe Software today introduced SuperPhoto, a new iOS Universal App designed for ease-of-use. The app simplifies the iOS camera to just three buttons and also follows Apple’s Accessibility standards. “We created SuperPhoto for everybody - kids, parents, and grandparents who want to enjoy the moment and share it,” says founder John Alexander. SuperPhoto is available on iTunes for $0.99.

Canon U.S.A. today announced that the Canon Pixma MG8220 and MG6220 Wireless Photo All-In-One inkjet photo printers now support Google Cloud Print. This service allows users to print from Gmail and Google Docs on a mobile device and from the Google Chrome browser for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome devices. A third printer, the Canon Pixma MX892, is also scheduled to provide the same support in May.

Custom SLR has today launched the M-Plate universal camera tripod plate. Billed as the world’s first universal tripod plate to offer built-in Manfrotto RC2 and Arca-Swiss connections as well as attachment points for accessories, the M-Plate enables quick release from virtually any tripod head. “Crafted in the USA from aerospace grade aluminium, the M-Plate is sturdy, steady and lightweight, and works with any camera strap system including the Custom SLR C-Loop strap mount, BlackRapid,  Spider Holster, Sun Sniper, Cotton Carrier and virtually any system that would typically occupy the camera tripod socket,” the company claims. The M-Plate is available starting today for a MSRP of $74.95. You can buy the M-Plate through the website below.

The 17th annual Project Competition recognises gifted photographers working on documentary projects or fine-art series. The 2012 prize package offers a two-person exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Art. The Project Competition and Project Launch winning work will be on view at the NM Museum of Art, June – August 2012 during Center’s flagship portfolio review event, Review Santa Fe, where many renowned curators, editors, publishers and collectors will be in attendance. This year, the award attracted hundreds of entries from 34 countries, with the first prize being awarded to Anastasia Taylor-Lind of the UK.

The FOTO8 Summershow is back this summer (7th July – 19th August) for its fifth annual celebration of photography. The Show provides an international window for new, emerging and established talent and the stories they have captured. Photographers of all levels are encouraged to enter – the only remit is that the images should provide a window on life, convey powerful stories and evoke questions. The deadline for entries is 14th May. For collectors, the Summershow provides a chance to invest in new photography with prices for prints starting at £75. Of the 3,000 photographs usually entered, just 150 will be carefully selected for display in the Summershow and offered for sale. A panel of internationally respected judges will select an image to be Best in Show for which there is a £2,000 prize. The winner will be announced at the FOTO8 Summershow party, on 6th July.

The annual Center Choice Awards winners have been announced. The Awards recognise outstanding photographers in three categories – Curator’s Choice, Editor’s Choice and Gallerist’s Choice awards. This year, over 6,000 images were submitted to the Choice Awards from 25 countries all over the world. The Curator’s Choice Award goes to Michael Chelbin, the Editor’s Choice Award has been presented to Merritt Hewitt, while Andrea Stultiens scooped up the Galleris’s Choice Award.

Sigma UK has just announced that the new Sigma 19mm F2.8 EX DN and 30mm F2.8 EX DN (pictured) are now available in the UK in both Sony E-mount and Micro Four Thirds fittings. Both lenses feature a telecentric optical design, a newly developed linear AF motor which moves the lens elements directly without the need for gears or the drive of other mechanical parts, and Sigma’s Super Multi-Layer Coating that reduces flare and ghosting. Each lens is available at £169.99 including VAT.

Independent developer Ken Tidwell has released D3S DSLR 2.0 for iOS, another in his series of Min-U Guides to Nikon DSLRs. The opening screen of the Min-U (minimum menu) Guide consists of seven main chapter headings, each including a replica of the icon used on the D3S for that menu. The six Menu chapters include: Playback (modify playback settings and manage photos an movies), Shooting (configure D3S shooting options), Custom Settings (fine-tune camera settings to your liking), Setup (basic camera configuration), Retouch (create trimmed or retouched copies of existing images), and My Menu (your custom menu and options). The seventh chapter, [More], contains miscellaneous info. All new under the hood. D3S DSLR is rebuilt for iOS 5.1, now with iPad SplitView providing enhanced navigation. The app is still a universal binary, and displays in the highest, native resolution on every iOS device. D3S DSLR 2.0 is available on iTunes for $4.99.

Consultant to Photographers, Selina Maitreya, has announced a Facebook promotion that offers photographers multiple chances to win prizes that valued at up to $1,500. The promotion will run for four weeks and each week a winner will be chosen on a random basis. The prize package, valued at $1,500, includes four MP3s with over twenty-eight hours of Clarion Call expert information (plus transcripts), two hundred and eighty “strategies for success” and a two-hour, one-on-one personal consultation session with Selina herself. Additionally, Selina is also offering a free teleseminar tomorrow, 27th March at 4pm EST. You can register at the website below.

The Joby GorillaPod Micro 250 has been awarded a Red Dot design award. “The GorillaPod Micro 250, provides a durable tripod for point and shoot cameras when you need it, and it stows away on the camera when you don’t,” Joby says. “Weighing less than one ounce, the GorillaPod Micro can support compact cameras up weighing up to 250 grams.”

Nikon UK says that due to an internal systems error, incorrect recommended retail prices (RRPs) on the D800, D800E and D4 (pictured) were communicated in the UK and Irish markets at the time of announcement. The correct RRPs for the products should have been D4: £5289.99, D800: £2,599.99 and D800E: £2,899.99. The new prices are £200-£490 higher than the incorrect ones. Nikon will be honouring the original prices to retailers on all customer pre-orders placed before 24th March.

Revolution Mosaic is an iOS photography app that allows iPhone users from around the world to submit their photos to create a gigantic photo mosaic. Scheduled to launch in the App Store this May, Revolution Mosaic invites users from around the world to submit their iPhone photos. Once 360,000 photos are submitted, one of the submitted photos will be chosen to form the final mosaic image. This image will be chosen based on its depiction of the mobile generation. The final mosaic will then be turned into a 48” by 72” mural poster that can be viewed and purchased through the app, the website, or in commercial art galleries.