Want to see what the new Kodak Hero printers look like in the flesh?

Here’s a gallery of hands-on photos of the four Kodak Hero printers, which claim to offer the cheapest running costs on the market.

Kodak have launched the new Hero all-in-one printer range. The Kodak Hero printers are all wireless compatible and are Google Cloud Print Ready and KODAK Email Print Ready. There are four models in the new Hero line-up - the HERO 5.1, HERO 7.1 and HERO 9.1, and the KODAK OFFICE HERO 6.1, with prices ranging from £99 to £199.

Redrock Micro has announced the immediate availability of microTies, an accessory for managing all cables on video camera or HDSLR rigs. “microTies work with almost all cables (video, audio, power, data) and reduce the chance of snags, accidental disconnects or cable fatigue due to bending or repeated insertions,” the company says. Available now, microTies are sold in a pack of three for $24.50.

Iridient Digital has released RAW developer 1.9.2 for MacOS X. This update adds support for a number of new digital cameras including the Nikon D5100, Olympus E-P3 / E-PL3, Panasonic G3 / GF3, Pentax Q, Sasmung NX11, Sigma DP2x, Sony NEX-C3 / NEX-5N / SLT-A35 / SLT-A65 / SLT-A77, plus the Leaf Aptus-II 12 medium-format digital back and the Ricoh GXR Leica Mount Module. Non-raw DNG format images, including DNG files from many scanners, are also supported in the new version.

Using an approach similar to that of Vimeo/YouTube, SoundCloud and Scribd, a new service called Picuous allows people to present their pictures in an interactive HTML5 player that makes it easy for their audience to share them with one-click simplicity. At the same time, the photographers are provided with detailed traffic statistics so they can keep track of their pictures online. “Some plateforms, such as Tumblr, already have picture “reblogging” and “liking” features,” says Martin Pannier, Cofounder & CEO, Picuous. “In fact, half of the the 14 million daily posts on Tumblr are picture posts, and these posts are the most shared, reblogged, and commented upon. But these features are only available inside the platforms, while Picuous makes them available cross-platform.”

The British Journal of Photography (BJP) is now available free as a quarterly app, created bespoke for the Apple iPad. “The BJP app gives readers the highlight features of our print editions together with extra features, photos and a raft of new multimedia and video content, including a moving image cover created by New York-based artists Reed+Rader,” BJP says. The first issue, available now on iTunes, includes exclusive interviews, a special report on the role of photojournalism since 9/11, a trend report on the new fashion for “character culture”, a Q&A with legendary South African photographer David Goldblatt, and more.

Reallusion has just released Visualize; an iPad app that “combines the power of free-hand cutouts, visual templates and layered compositing”. The program creates instant PNG cutouts by importing and editing images directly from the iPad camera or the Internet. Cutouts may then be saved in the onboard gallery folders, to expand the current collection, or be retouched for further layering and compositing. Visualize sells for $2.99 on iTunes, with a trial version available for free.

CineStories’ upcoming Get In Motion Tour teaches photographers how to leverage digital SLR technology for filmmaking. Participants will learn to make Web commercials, wedding videos, birth-announcement films, family movies, and more. The Tour, which has 37 stops in cities across the US and Canada, will also teach you how to record your audio properly and how to mix it in post productions. Tickets start at $49 with a $10 discount if using the coupon code BLOGVID. For more information including exact dates and locations, and to register, visit the Get in Motion Tour website.

Epson has introduced the Epson Stylus NX430, an all-in-one printer-copier-scanner that is the first model in the company’s new Small-in-One range. The space-saving, ultra-compact Epson NX430 can print up to A4 size and comes complete with a 2.5” colour LCD touch panel. Other highlights include 4-colour (CMYK) drop-on-demand MicroPiezo inkjet technology, 1200dpi optical scanner resolution, and Wi-Fi connectivity. “Consumers will be amazed with the compact size and powerful performance of the Epson Stylus NX430,” said Kristi Lanzit, product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America, Inc. “The name Small-in-One says it all; no other printer offers such great performance in a small size – guaranteed.” The first Epson Small-in-One is available for $99.99 in the US.

In the UK, the device is marketed under the name Epson Stylus SX445W Small-in-One and carries a recommended retail price of £99.99.

DxO Labs have just released DxO Film Pack 3, a collection of photo effects designed to simulate the look of various film emulsions. The company says it has “worked with world class film processing facilities, Picto in Paris and Duggal in New York, to develop a unique film profiling process that ensures the most precise film simulation available on the market today”. Version 3 adds ten new film looks, additional colour filters and black-and-white conversion controls, a completely revamped user-friendly interface and multiple plug-ins for better workflow integration. Compatible with Mac and Windows, DxO FilmPack 3 is available in two editions, Essential and Expert, which differ in terms of available film renderings and features. A free 31-day trial version of DxO FilmPack 3 is available on DxO Labs’ website.

Camera PRO Real is a new camera app for the Apple iPad 2. Featuring a graphical user interface (GUI) that resembles the control layout of an SLR camera, Camera PRO Real allows you take photos directly from within the app and comes with five different effects for your photos that can be applied separately or combined. The app is available on iTunes for $5.99.

Karen Sperling, a well-known Corel Painter Master and author of several Painter manuals and books, has recently released Painting for Photographers Vol. 2: Landscapes, a DVD featuring art lessons and Corel Painter steps for turning landscape photos into paintings. Compatible with Corel Painter versions X, 11 and 12, the DVD includes over ninety minutes of video plus two bonus tutorials and three sets of bonus brushes that simplify the painting process and provide exquisitely rendered oil and watercolour style brush-strokes master crafted by Karen Sperling herself. The Painting for Photographers DVD Volume 2: Landscapes is available at the Artistry website fro $139.95.

Getty Images has announced that five photojournalists have been selected to each receive a grant of US$20,000 to pursue their documentary photography projects. The recipients include Alvarro Ybarra Zavala for ‘Colombia, in the eternity of sorrow’, Walter Astrada for ‘Violence against women in Norway’, Stanley Greene for ‘The E-waste Trail – China/ Pakistan/ Nigeria’, Liz Hingley for ‘The Jones family’ and Joan Bardeletti for ‘The KILL (the African Gays) BILL’. For more information about the grant recipients and their winning projects, visit the website below.

Douglas Software has announced version 3 of the Douglas Photo Calculator software The program gives a comprehensive range of easy-to-use options for optical calculations including depth of field, hyperfocal distance and angle of view. This new version includes calculations showing the effect of diffraction upon aperture.

Hasselblad will present a series of Master Studiodays celebrating this year’s finalists in major cities around the world with the Masters Finalists 2012 Tour beginning in London this September and continuing on to Los Angeles, New York City and Berlin. Each event and session is open and free to anyone. The Masters Studioday will kick off at 11am with a variety of activities. Attendees will have a chance to experience the H4D camera system and accessories in a hands-on fashion shoot alongside former Masters winners and to explore the latest products and technology from Hasselblad Masters Partners including Broncolor, Epson, and SanDisk. To register for one of the Master Studioday events, visit the website below.

Lensbaby’s Senior Style Portrait Photo Contest, which challenges US photographers to enter their best high-school senior portraits shot with one of the seven creative optics in the Lensbaby Optic Swap System, is now open for entries. Lensbaby staff will choose 50 finalists and post those images to a special folder on their Facebook page in October.  Then, a panel of judges will choose three winners. Each winning photographer will score significant prizes that will allow them to outfit or upgrade their senior portrait tools and studio. The submission deadline is 30 September 2011, 2pm EDT.

On 24-25th September, Sony UK will be hosting a unique event called “Sony Alpha Live” at its headquarters in Weybridge. This will be the first opportunity for UK photographers to try out the new Alpha range of digital SLT cameras and NEX compact system cameras in person. Paul Genge Technical Field Sales Manager for Sony UK commented on the experience: “We wanted to open up a unique experience to the fans of our product. We feel that we have pushed the boundaries of what is possible with Compact System Cameras and SLT models with the new Alpha range and we cannot wait to see the public’s reaction.” The cost of attendance is £150, including transfer from the local train station, participation in up to three training workshop sessions, a chance to explore the entire Alpha range, a Sony Live goodie bag, a choice of lunch and refreshments throughout the day and sensor cleaning for your camera. For more information and to book your place visit the website below.

Manfrotto today announced the winners of its ‘Imagine More’ photography competition. The seven winning photographers are Yongping Chen from, China, Emma Cross from the UK, Jana Erb from Germany, Jana Benjamin Navratilova from the USA, Ilaria La Preziosa from Italy, Marion Ruszniewski from France and Yim Kam Wai from Hong Kong.