The Opposite House, Beijing and The Upper House, Hong Kong have collaborated with Leica, commissioning four local photographers to photograph the hotels with the themes of “Beijing Opposites” and “Hong Kong Views” from the Top, using a Leica camera of their choice. The result is a diverse and eclectic mix of new perspectives on the Houses, seen through the lenses of different Leica cameras (film and digital). A photography contest focused on the same themes has also been announced to photographers worldwide, with the deadline for entries being 30th October. Prizes include a Grand Prize (a Leica X1), a First Prize for Hong Kong (a Leica D-LUX 5) and a First Prize for Beijing (also a Leica D-LUX 5). The runner-up prize for Hong Kong is a one-night stay in a suite at The Upper House, and the runner-up prize for Beijing is a one-night stay in a suite at The Opposite House. For full details of the contest, visit the websites below.

FotoDC has announced the programme of the upcoming fourth annual FotoWeek DC photography festival, taking place from 5-12 November in Washington, DC. This year FotoWeek DC programming can be found at FotoWeek Central, the designated festival hub, four satellite locations including FotoSpace, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design, George Washington University, and Pepco’s Edison Gallery Place, as well as numerous partner venues.  All programming is open to the public and most is free with registration. Click through / read on for an overview of FotoWeek Central and the four satellite locations.

Boston gallery owner Jason Landry has launched a Kickstarter project aimed at raising funds for a large-format hardcover restrospective of Harold Feinstein’s classic black-and-white photographs. “Harold Feinstein is a living legend in the world of photography”, the project owner says. “We want Harold’s photographic legacy to be documented and available for everyone to appreciate his contribution to American 20th century photographic history.” In order for the book to go in print if at least $35,000 is pledged by Sunday 23rd October. Those who would like to help are encouraged to visit the website below.

Website: Kickstarter Photo: Harald Feinstein

The Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum has issued a call for entries for the Best of Nature Photography Show. The entry fee is $25 for the first three photos submitted. Each entry after that is $10, with a limit of 10 entries total. The submission deadline is 27th October. The Best of Nature show will include approximately 70 works, selected by two rounds of judging. For entry instructions, visit the website below.

Sony Japan has officially announced the discontinuance of the Sony A900 full frame digital SLR camera. The 24-megapixel Sony A900, which we praised for its high resolution, excellent viewfinder, robust build and intuitive controls, has been in production for three years, and is still available new on Amazon for $2,699.

Source Sony Japan via Foto Actualidad

PDN and Rangefinder Magazine have teamed up to launch an online magazine for professional and advanced amateur photographers - Pix, The Photographer’s Field Guide. Launching on 8th December and free to subscribers, this new online magazine will feature over 100 pages of editorial providing photographers with the latest information on photography gear, how-to’s, news on photography workshops, lighting tips, photographer profiles, and more. Pix will be available via e-mail to subscribers, and through the iTunes App store as well as on the PDN and Rangefinder websites for everyone else.

Insight Guides have announced a Travel Photography Master Class, to be held in London’s Covent Garden at Stanfords. The event, which begins on Tuesday October 25 at 7.30pm, is timed to coincide with the announcement of the winners of Insight Guides’ own annual travel photography competition, run in association with the Independent on Sunday. To reserve a place at the Master Class, speak to a member of staff at Stanfords, or email your details to [email protected] . Tickets cost £2.

PicBlitz Virtual Photo Manager is a fast, full-featured image viewer and organiser for Windows. Boasting instant search, mouse hovering, slide show, batch resize, brighten, rotate, colorize and quick rename functions, PicBlitz supports JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, ICO, and GIF formats as well as certain raw image files. A fully functional, time-limited trial version is available through the website below.

X-Rite has announced the October theme for its Colour Perfectionists Unite Photo Contest. The theme is “Fall Colour”, and the deadline for entries is 15th October. The winner will be featured on the X-Rite Photo blog and will receive one of X-Rite’s new display solutions – either a ColourMunki Display or an i1Display Pro – and a ColourChecker Passport (pictured). The top 20 finalists each month will be featured in a monthly gallery at X-Rite Photo on Facebook and Color Perfectionists Group on Flickr. Click through / read on to learn how to participate in the competition.

Nik Software has released updates to HDR Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro 2. HDR Efex Pro 1.2001 is a Mac-only update that provides compatibility with OS X 10.7 Lion. Silver Efex Pro 2.002 is available for both Windows and Mac, and contains bug fixes as well as improvements to processing multiple images at a time in Lightroom and Aperture.

Website: Nik Software Downloads

Cooliris has released an update to LiveShare. The new version offers a live news feed, allowing users to see updates from their friends, new streams they are invited to, and comments/likes on their photos. Additionally, LiveShare now features more robust geo-location features including an ability to explore public groups created in your vicinity by going to LiveShare.com using your smartphone’s Web browser. This enables users, even those without the app on their phones, to connect with like-minded people in their vicinity.

onOne Software has just announced a new version of Photo Essentials for Adobe Photoshop Elements. Supporting the new Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, onOne’s Photo Essentials 4 offers five tools to improve your photographs including “Make It Better”, a colour, brightness and contrast adjustment tool; “Cut It Out”, a solution for isolating complex subjects and removing unwanted backgrounds; “Make It Cool”, a complete library of one-click effects; “Frame It”, a collection of over 1200 professionally-designed textures, adornments, edges and frames; and “Enlarge It”, an upsizing tool that maintains sharp edges and crisp details in interpolated images. onOne Software’s Photo Essentials 4 is available for $69.95 and upgrades are available for $39.95.

Fujifilm are set to enter the compact system camera market in the Spring of 2012. According to reports from attendees at an X10 press event in Japan, a prototype of a new mirror-less Fujifilm X camera will be shown at CES 2012 in January, ahead of a full launch later in the Spring. Optimum image quality is the intended aim, as “The clear objective in the development of lenses, sensor and processor technology (is) to achieve the highest image quality.”, according to a translated press release from the German website Photoscala. The new camera follows hard on the successful heels of the incredibly popular X100 (pictured).

Fuijfilm are also planning to release the XS-1 superzoom camera, which has a 2/3” EXR CMOS sensor and a 26x zoom lens, with a mockup on display at the aforementioned press event in Tokyo.

UPDATE: Mr Komori from Fujifilm Japan gave an overview yesterday of the future X series roadmap. It has been confirmed that Fujifilm will announce an interchangeable ‘mirrorless’ system camera. It will be launched in the UK in the first half of 2012. Specification, launch date and pricing are to be confirmed.

Fujifilm will seek to create another new market segment with the introduction of a truly high end bridge camera, the X-S1, which will feature a 2/3” X series sensor and a new high resolution, 26X zoom lens. The X-S1 will be launched in the UK in early 2012. Precise specification, launch date and pricing will be confirmed shortly.

Finally, the price of the recently announced Fujifilm X10 will be £529 in the UK.

Sigma has announced the release of the Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM lens. Successor to the 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM “Mark I”, Sigma’s newest superzoom lens features FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements, which have the performance equal to fluorite glass, and SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements for the correction of colour aberrations. Additionally, the manufacturer’s Super Multi-Layer Coating is also there to reduce flare and ghosting throughout the entire zoom range. An iris diaphragm with seven rounded blades and an Optical Stabiliser promising approximately 4 stops’ worth of image stabilisation round off the features list. The Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM lens will be available in Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Sony fit (the last two do not incorporate optical stabilisation), for an SRP of £499.99.

The Rollei Flexipod 300 is a flexible camera tripod featuring rubberised legs, a small spirit level and a smartphone adapter. Available in a range of different colours, the Rollei Felxipod 300 is a compact and lightweight (35g) accessory that nevertheless boasts a maximum load capacity of approximately 1kg. The recommended retail price is €39.90.

PhotographyBB has released the 44th issue of the free PhotographyBB Online Magazine. This month’s edition explores the ways that photographers can use the different elements of composition, colour, and lighting conditions to create a sense of ‘mood’ and evoke an emotional response with their images. Additionally, the magazine has teamed up with Data Robotics for a promotion, allowing one lucky reader to win a Drobo device. You can download the latest issue of PhotographyBB Online Magazine from the website below (registration required).

Website: PhotographyBB