Ilford America has partnered with Canon U.S.A. on the new “Try My Photo” campaign, a limited-time offer exclusive to US residents which will allow them to see one of their favorite images printed on Ilford Galerie media using the select Canon Pixma Pro series printers. To take advantage of this opportunity, photographers can upload a JPEG file via the website below. The free prints will be mailed to the recipient, with a limit of one print per household.

CrashPlan PRO is a new cloud backup service for small and medium-sized businesses including photography studios. “As a professional photographer, forgetting to backup puts your images at risk and could be fiscally disastrous,” the company says. CrashPlan PRO works unobtrusively, delivering automatic continuous backup, both online and to attached drives. The program features cross-platform support forWindows, Mac, Linux and Solaris (both client and server) and multiple destination support. There are two pricing plans available - unlimited storage per computer ($7.49 per month), or an unlimited number of computers for a chosen amount of storage (from 50GB to 4TB). CrashPlan PRO is available immediately to customers in the United States and Canada. Worldwide availability expected is in Q4.

Leica has teamed up with fashion designer Paul Smith to offer two exclusive, limited edition leather cases for the Leica D-Lux 5 digital compact camera. Available from October 2011, just 300 of the premium quality cases will be available – 150 in a smooth chocolate brown calf leather with the famous Paul Smith vintage multi-stripe on the sides, and 150 in a light grey, croc-style embossed leather with a luxurious purple lining. The cases are hand-crafted in England and embossed with Paul Smith for Leica on the back. Both designs also feature an elegant matching shoulder strap.  The cases will retail at £200 including VAT.

In conjunction with Grand Marnier’s Sunset Hour Facebook campaign, the company has released an iPhone app called Sunset Taker. The app lets users to take an ordinary photo and turn it into a “magic hour” shot by manipulating colour saturation and hue and/or adding one of a number of filter effects. Sunset Taker for iPhone is available as a free download from iTunes.

Lomography is set to launch a Pop Up Store at Selfridges from 1st August. Resembling a “retro ship”, the store will take inspiration from one of Lomography’s newest cameras, La Sardina, .which is based on a humble but beautiful sardine can. Open troughout August, the Lomography Pop Up Store at Selfridges will offer camera workshops where you can borrow a camera and shoot a roll of film for £1, ship’s bell discounts, books,  films, and the full range of analogue cameras in Lomography’s line-up. The store will be located on the ground floor of Selfridges, 40 Duke Street, London W1U 1AT.

The Inside Windows Live blog reports that a new Microsoft Camera Codec Pack allows Windows 7 and Vista users to view digital camera raw files as thumbnails natively in Windows Explorer, and edit copies of them with Windows Live Photo Gallery 2011. The author, Brad Weed, notes that “dealing with raw images on Windows hasn’t always been easy” but says that the update will likely make raw shooters’ lives “a little easier”. Unfortunately, the Microsoft Camera Codec Pack supports only an - apparently - arbitrary selection of some 108 raw-capable cameras, excluding a whole range of recent (and not-so recent) models. This may of course change in the future, albeit there is no information on when or if the list of supported models will.be expanded. By clicking through / scrolling down, you can view a short video detailing the benefits of the update.

In addition to the SP-810UZ, Olympus announced two more compacts, the pocketable SZ-11 with 20x optical zoom, and the entry-level VG-145. These models will only be available via select distributors in a few markets. The Olympus SZ-11 has a similar feature set to the existing SZ-10 but comes with a 20x, rather than 18x, zoom lens. The shape of the handgrip and the layout of the controls are more reminiscent of the SZ-30MR, though, albeit without the latter’s mode dial. The VG-145 is a simple compact camera with a 26-130mm equivalent zoom lens and HD movie recording capability. Both new cameras come with 14-megapixel imagers inside.

Source: Olympus Japan

Akvis has updated its ArtWork software, which transforms photos into paintings using various techniques. Version 6.0 introduces the Pastel style. Photos can now be converted into an image with soft, velvety strokes similar to those created by pastel crayons. Also new to Version 6.0 is the addition of batch processing mode for the standalone version. (This was previously only available for the plugin version via a Photoshop action.) Users who own previous versions of ArtWork can upgrade to Version 6.0 for free.

JP Distribution has announced that it has been appointed as the UK distributor of Micromuff, an HDSLR accessory developed to eliminate the wind noise associated with built in camera microphones. Conceived by filmmaker and designer Will Hutchinson, Micromuff attaches directly to the camera body using die-cut Velcro rings. Made using high quality acoustic fur and a unique cutting process, Micromuff sells for £12.95+PP.

Olympus America has also announced availability and pricing for the Olympus E-PL3. Also called the Olympus PEN Lite, the 12-megapixel E-PL3 is the latest Micro Four Thirds model, offering speedy auto-focus, a tiltable rear screen, flash hot-shoe, accessory port, in-body image stabilisation and a selection of Art Filters. The camera will be available from September in two different configurations; a zoom kit including the M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm lens and a prime kit including the 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens (read review). The estimated street price for each kit is $699.99. The news comes after similar pricing announcements by Olympus UK and Olympus Europe.

The twelve-megapixel Olympus E-PL3 Micro Four Thirds camera, which boasts a tilting LCD panel and ultra-fast auto-focus, has now been priced for the Euro zone. Following a similar announcement by Olympus UK, the Japanese manufacturer’s European branch has announced that the Olympus E-PL3 PEN Lite will be available in August for €599 including a 14-42mm zoom lens.

Olympus has officially launched the VF-3 add-on electronic viewfinder. Priced at £179.99 in the UK and $179.99 in the US, the Olympus VF-3 is cheaper than the existing VF-2 - no wonder given that this is a lower-specified model offering a lower resolution (922,000 dots), magnification (0.97x) and eye-point (17.4mm). Fortunately, the 100% frame coverage remains, and unlike the VF-2, the VF-3 comes with a shoe lock mechanism that should prevent the finder from slipping out of the camera’s hot-shoe. The Olympus VF-3 is compatible with the XZ-1 compact and all digital PEN cameras except the E-P1.

The Olympus SP-810UZ is a new 14-megapixel camera with 36x optical zoom. Successor to last year’s SP-800UZ (read review), the Olympus SP-810UZ inherits its predecessor’s three-inch, 16:9 rear screen and 720p HD movie capture but adds a new 24-864mm equivalent lens, 3D shooting mode and “pet detection” mode. Also on board are 10 “magic filters”, intelligent Auto and beauty modes and features like AF Tracking and in-camera panorama stitching. Compatible with SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards including Eye-Fi media, the Olympus SP-810UZ will be available in black or silver from the start of September for £229.99. In the U.S. it will only be available in black, also from September, for $329.99.

Want to see what the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 looks like in the flesh?

Here’s a gallery of hands-on photos of the Panasonic FZ48 super-zoom compact camera.

Sony has announced new additions to its S-Frame Gift series of digital photo frames. Available in a choice of panel sizes from 7” up to 10”, Sony’s three new S-Frames offer easy and intuitive operation, slideshow and clock/calendar display modes, and an energy-saving timer. The Sony S-Frame DPF-C1000, C800 (pictured) and C70A models are compatible with Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD(HC) memory cards and come with WSVGA-, SVGA- and WQVGA-resolution viewing panels respectively. The new S-Frame Gift Series models will be available from September 2011.

Sony is launching two new models in its S-Frame Innovation series of digital picture frames. The S-Frame HD1000 and HD800 can play HD videos shot in AVCHD format, and are also capable of playing back MPEG4, MPEG1 and Motion JPEG videos shot with a wide range of cameras and camcorders, including the latest Cyber-shot and Handycam models from Sony. Both picture frames can of course display still photographs as well, and each comes with two gigabytes of built-in storage. The HD800 is a 8” frame with a WVGA-resolution panel, while the HD1000 is a 10” model boasting WSVGA resolution. Both of these spny digital picture frames will be available from September.

Canon has announced a new photo inkjet printer and a new all-in-one device. The Canon Pixma iP4920 Photo Inkjet Printer ($99.99) utilises the ChromaLife100 + ink system with five individual ink tanks, and produces a 4”x6” borderless photo in approximately 20 seconds. The Pixma MG5320 Wireless Photo All-In-One device ($149.99, pictured) uses the same ink system and is capable of a similar printing performance, but can additionally be used as a photocopier and a scanner. Both new products feature significant upgrades to Canon’s Easy-PhotoPrint EX and Full HD Movie Print software.

Adobe has launched the Photoshop & You experience at 550 Sutter Street in San Francisco.. Open to the public through 6th August, Photoshop & You is a place for visitors to explore the world of digital imaging with leading photographers, renowned teachers, industry influencers and the Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop Elements teams. After a quick photo shoot, guests can visit the Extreme Imaging Lab hosted by popular Photoshop Evangelist Russell Brown, which also features a printing station for guests to have their favourite critter letterform, created by distinguished illustrator Craig Frazier, printed on Y-shirts. Visitors can also reserve individual sessions with Photoshop experts to learn how to make photos look their best. All presentations, classes and other activities are free to the public.

Glidetrack has announced a video competition / promotion. Known for its portable camera sliders/dollies, Glidetrack is offering visitors to its website a chance to win a Glidetrack voucher worth $750. To take part all you have to do is vote for your favourite video made using a Glidetrack and you’re entered into a draw. As always, we suggest that you read the terms & conditions before casting your vote.

Website: Glidetrack