SD Association today announced the Wireless LAN SD standard that allows users to transfer pictures, videos and other content wirelessly from most existing digital cameras and digital video cameras to web-based cloud services. This standard is applicable to full size SD/SDHC/SDXC and microSD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards. The Wireless LAN SD memory card standard defines two interface types, including the Web interface, which supports server upload and peer-to-peer functions, and the home network interface, which supports server upload and home network communication functions.

Epson today introduced the Epson Artisan 1430 wide-format printer. Offering brilliant, Ultra Hi-Definition prints as large as 13”x 19”, wireless networking and mobile printing, the Artisan 1430 delivers professional-quality photos by leveraging Epson’s exclusive Advanced MicroPiezo print head with DX5 technology for accurate ink placement and smooth gradations, the company says. The Epson Artisan 1430 also allows PC-free printing and sharing of photos from a smartphone or tablet, and offers image enhancement tools for automatic colour correction red-eye removal etc. The printer will be available in February for $299.99.

Casio America today announced the release of the 16-megapixel, 7x zoom EX-ZR15, a new addition to its EXILIM lineup of digital compact cameras. The Casio EXILIM EX-ZR15 boasts a start-up time of 0.99 seconds, 0.13-second high-speed auto focus, and shot-to-shot speeds of just 0.29 seconds in single-shot mode. Other highlights include a background blur effect that accentuates the subject and softens the background, and the new Wide Shot function that lets users create ultra-wideangle shots by panning the camera (equivalent to 21mm or 17mm wide-angle when converted to 35mm film format). Also capable of recording Full HD movies, the Casio EX-ZR15 will be available in Black, White, Red and Gold and will ship in April for $329.99.

The Canon PowerShot G1 X is a new compact camera with a large 14.3-megapixel CMOS sensor and a metal body. Measuring 18.7x14mm, the sensor of the PowerShot G1 X has a 4:3 aspect ratio but is marginally bigger than a typical FourThirds imager. Utilising Ultra high refractive index Aspherical (UA) elements and precision glass moulding technology, the fixed-mount lens of the Canon G1 X offers a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 28-112mm. Catering to the needs of professionals and advanced amateurs, the Canon PowerShot G1 X offers full manual control with shooting mode and exposure compensation dials for quick and intuitive access to a range of settings, and supports 14-bit raw capture for smooth gradations. Other highlights include an optical viewfinder, vari-angle screen, built-in Speedlite, flash hot shoe, High Dynamic Range mode and Full HD movie recording capabilities. The PowerShot G1 X is available from late February, priced at £699.00/€799.00/$799.99 RRP.

Click through / scroll down for a 2-minute introductory video released by Canon Europe.

The 10-megapixel Canon Ixus 500 HS is a metal-bodied ultra-compact camera with 12x optical zoom, while the 16-megapixel Ixus 125 is a similarly slim camera with a wide, 24-120mm equivalent lens. Both cameras feature a Smart Auto mode that can recognise up to 58 different scenes and shooting situations, a Full HD movie mode and high-speed shooting. The new Face ID feature works with Smart Auto to ensure that your loved ones “always look their best in photos,” the company says. By registering a person along with their age in the camera’s memory, the face will then be recognised and Smart Auto will automatically apply the most appropriate settings to capture a great shot, based on their age and activity, as well as the ambient scene. Other highlights include a 3-inch, 460.000-dot rear screen, a “Super Slow Motion Movie” mode, an improved Movie Digest mode and a range of fun effects. The Ixus 125 HS is available from late February, priced at £229/€259, while the Ixus 500 HS is expected to hit the shops early March, priced at £309/€349 RRP.

Note: in the USA, the Ixus 125 and Ixus 500 will be marketed under the names Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS and ELPH 520 HS, priced at $249.99 and $299.99 respectively.

Canon today unveiled its updated entry-level range of Full HD Legria camcorders with the launch of the new Legria HF R38, Legria HF R36 and Legria HF R306. The Canon Legria HF R38 is a Wi-Fi enabled model with MP4 support, 51x “advanced” zoom, a 3” touch-sensitive screen and 32 gigabytes of internal memory in addition to an SDXC memory card slot. The Canon Legria HF R36 is a very similar camcorder except for the size of its built-in memory (8GB). Both models offer intelligent optical image stabilisation, a Smart Auto mode that can recognise up to 38 different scenes and shooting situations, Face Detection, Touch Decoration, and Cinema-look filters. The least expensive model in the line-up, the Canon Legria HF R306, lacks the Wi-Fi connectivity and on-board memory of its higher priced siblings but offers and otherwise identical feature set.

Canon has updated its Legria HF M-series with the addition of the new Legria HF M52 (pictured), Legria HF M56 and Legria HF M506 Full HD AVCHD camcorders. Each one of these models comes equipped with an advanced Canon HD CMOS Pro sensor, a 10x zoom lens with an iris diaphragm, intelligent optical image stabilisation, “instant” AF, audio scene selector, a 3” touchscreen. SDXC support and a range of creative cinematic features. The Canon Legria HF M52 and the Canon Legria HF M56 also feature wireless connectivity and on-board memory (32GB for the HF M52 and 8GB for the HF M56). The Canon Legria HF M506 is a cheaper model that nonetheless has all the major features of its more expensive stable-mates, sans the built-in memory and Wi-Fi.

Lexar today introduced new Lexar Professional 600x and 400x SDHC and SDXC UHS-I memory cards, including the industry’s first 128GB SDXC UHS-I card.  The cards include the latest version of Image Rescue 4 software to help with the recovery of lost or deleted photo and video files. The Lexar Professional 600x UHS-I cards are offered in capacities of 16GB (£69.99), 32GB (£119.99), and 64GB (£229.99), and the new Lexar Professional 400x UHS-I cards are available in capacities of 8GB (£34.99), 16GB (£47.99), 32GB (£79.99), 64GB (£179.99), and 128GB (£299.99).  The 16GB and 32GB Professional 600x UHS-I cards and the 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB Professional 400x UHS-I cards will be available in February, while the 64GB 600x UHS-I card and the 128GB 400x UHS-I memory card will be available in March.

Lexar has announced new Lexar Professional 400x CompactFlash card capacities, including the industry’s first 256GB memory card. Also available in 64GB and 128GB capacities, the new Lexar Professional CF cards are speed rated at 400x and provide a minimum guaranteed transfer speed of 60MB per second. The new 64GB and 128GB capacities of the Lexar Professional 400x CF memory card will be available in January, with MSRPs of £269.99, and £479.99 respectively, and include the latest version of award-winning Image Rescue software to help recover lost or deleted photos and videos. The 256GB Lexar Professional 400x CF card is expected to be released for consumer purchase in the first half of 2012.

Corel has announced the release of its newest software application, AfterShot Pro, which it says is “based on technology from Corel’s acquisition of Bibble Labs”. Fully multithreaded and optimised for multi-core and multi-CPU computers, Corel AfterShot Pro delivers fast raw processing and colouraccurate images with regular support for a continually increasing number of camera models. Available for Windows, MacOS and Linux, AfterShot Pro sells for $99.99. Users of Bibble Pro or Lite 5 are eligible for a discounted upgrade priced at $79.99.

Kodak has announced the Kodak Easyshare Wireless Camera M750, which features a 16-megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 3” capacitive touchscreen and built-in Wi-Fi. “The launch of the EASYSHARE Wireless Camera M750 marks the perfect union of the smartphone and digital camera,” said Phil Scott, Vice President of Digital Capture and Accessories. In addition to capturing 16-megapixel stills, the Kodak EasyShare Wireless Camera M750 can also record HD videos at a touch of the dedicated movie shutter release. Available in silver, teal blue and red for $169.95 / £129.95 MSRP, the camera will hit the shelves this spring.

Photography Blog launched a competition last November with Autosport International, the world’s greatest motorsport show, to find a talented amateur motorsport photographer. Following an overwhelming response, five finalists have now been selected to attend the show, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC this weekend (14-15 January).

At last week’s UK press launch of the Nikon D4, a stunning video by Corey Rich was shown as part of the marketing presentation, and it’s now available on Vimeo for everyone to enjoy.

Shot exclusively with the D4, incorporating both stills and video, and featuring a mountain biker, climber and kayaker, the Nikon D4 release video is a mouth-watering showcase of just some of the things that this flagship DSLR is capable of.

Definitely worth a look even if you can’t afford the D4’s eye-watering price-tag - so click through for the full 7min 28sec video.

CES 2012 kicked off this evening, Las Vegas time, with Unveiled, a pre-show event featuring over 70 companies.

Sadly there was little to report from a photography viewpoint, the highlight being the Lytro camera, which has been awarded the Best of Innovations Digital Imaging prize. Other highlights included new Thunderbolt hard-drives from Lacie, a Samsung surveillance camera called the SmartCam, and the PowerBag which promises to recharge your camera on the move by the end of the year.

We’ll have to wait until Monday’s press day for the real photo news, when Fujifilm, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony all have press conferences scheduled, so make sure to keep checking back regularly.

Even though it doesn’t officially exist yet, US readers can now pre-order three lenses for the Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera, courtesy of none other than Amazon. Widely rumoured to be Fujifilm’s new compact system camera, the X-Pro1 will probably be announced tomorrow at Fujifilm’s CES 2012 press conference.

In the meantime, you can jump to the head of the queue and pre-order the X-Pro1 18mm F2.0 lens ($499.99), X-Pro1 35mm F1.4 lens ($499.99) and the X-Pro1 60mm F2.4 Macro lens ($599.99), or more conservatively check out the specifications for each one.

Update: Amazon has now pulled the pre-order pages for the lenses and for the X-Pro1 body, which also briefly appeared for an hour. Expect them to magically re-appear tomorrow if the X-Pro1 is officially announced.

The Nikon J1 is currently the most popular compact system camera in the UK. According to figures supplied by Nikon, the J1 was the best-selling CSC model in the week before Christmas, outperforming its nearest rival (the Panasinic G3) by almost two to one.

The Nikon J1 also achieved the distinction of registering the most ever sales for a mirrorless camera in a single week since the category was first established, helping Nikon to become the number 2 brand for compact system cameras in the UK.

Aimed predominantly at people upgrading from a compact camera, the J1 is Nikon’s entry-level mirrorless camera, sporting a 10.1 megapixel sensor and a built-in flash and retailing for just over £500 with the standard 10-30mm kit lens.

Read our in-depth Nikon J1 review here.

Want to see exactly what the new Nikon D4 DSLR camera looks like in the flesh?

Then check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of Nikon’s new flagship DSLR camera.

Nikon gave a detailed presentation of the impressive new Nikon D4 DSLR camera at yesterday’s UK press event.

Click through for all the slides, which are also available in PDF format.

The Nikon D4 is a new flagship D-SLR for photographers who are looking for the ultimate digital SLR camera. This professional FX-format camera brings new levels of image quality, speed and precision to both still photography and video. The Nikon D4 has a 16.2-megapixel FX-format sensor, EXPEED3 image processing engine, 11 fps burst shooting, ISO 50-204,800 and Full HD (1080p) movies. The new WT-5 Wireless Transmitter (£649) features HTTP and FTP connection modes. The Nikon D4 will cost £4,799.99 / €5,658 and be available from 16th February.

The AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G is a new fast aperture medium-telephoto lens.