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

PSKiss has released Skin & Scenery Colour DNG profiles for Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and Photoshop Lightroom. “Every raw developing software uses some kind of colour and tone rendering”, explains Max Penson, Co-owner of PSKiss and chief of product development. “Standard profiles from Adobe contain perceptual data whereas PSKiss Skin & Scenery profiles contain creative data. This means that the image is already applied with creative adjustments before you ever needed to do anything.” Skin & Scenery Colour DNG Profiles are offered at an introductory price of $19.90 per camera (regular price is $29.90).

Ayogo has rolled out Photo Gallery+, a new photo management tool for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. Photo Gallery+ offers important features which the preinstalled iOS “Photos” app lacks. The user can create, rename and delete folders directly on the device, without the need to synchronise it with a Mac. Photo Gallery+ is available now on iTunes.

LaserSoft Imaging is going to release a major upgrade to its SilverFast scanning software next month. Version 8 will be “completely renewed” with a new graphical user interface and a patent-pending new feature called WorkflowPilot. Compatible with Windows 7, Vista and XP as well as MacOS X 10.5 and later - including MacOS X 10.7 Lion -, SilverFast 8 will be provided as a free upgrade to everyone who has purchased SilverFast 6.6 after 1st June. This offer is also valid for SilverFast versions bundled with a scanner device or purchased from a dealer.

The Sony Cyber-shot TX55 is the world’s thinnest compact camera. Measuring just 12.2mm thick, the Sony TX55 also offers a 16 megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, Full HD AVCHD movies, 5x optical zoom and a 3.3”  OLED touch screen. New ‘By Pixel Super Resolution’ technology boosts the zoom range to 10x without any loss of quality, and the TX55 can also capture 12 megapixel-level still photos during Full HD video shooting. The Sony Cyber-shot TX55 will be available in black, pricing and release date to be announced.

The Sony Cyber-shot WX30 is a new super compact, curvaceous camera. The Sony WX30 offers a 16 megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, Full HD AVCHD movies, 5x optical zoom and a 3 inch touch screen LCD. New ‘By Pixel Super Resolution’ technology boosts the zoom range to 10x without any loss of quality, and the WX30 can also capture 12 megapixel-level still photos during Full HD video shooting. The Sony Cyber-shot WX30 will be available in five different colours in September, pricing to be announced.

As part of the Phase One Digital Artist Series (PODAS), Phase One has announced a fashion and portrait photography workshop. Held at a luxurious manor house, Weston Park, UK from 10-14 September 2011, this three-day workshop offers participants the full use of a Phase One IQ series camera (comprising a Phase One 645DF camera body, 60-megapixel IQ160 back and lenses) for the duration of the course. Attendance is limited to sixteen participants. For more details, including schedule and details on how to register, visit the website below.

Lomography has rolled out the limited-edition Lomo LC-A+ Russia Day film camera and announced a competition. The Lomo LC-A+ Russia Day, whose production run is limited to 2,000 units, is dressed in red leather and equipped with a Minitar 1 32mm f/2.8 lens. The camera comes packaged in a special velvet box with Lomo LC-A+ book, LC-A+ ‘toolkit’ instruction manual, cable release and batteries. Also included is a special Russia Day camera strap, a Russia Day emblem for the camera (5 designs available) and Russia Day emblem with the strap (5 designs available). Coinciding with the launch, Lomography has also announced the Car for A Baby contest - couples who take a romantic photo of themselves during September are in for a chance to win an original Russian scooter. And if on June 12th 2012 a baby comes into your world, Lomography will celebrate this with an additional prize: a Russian family van for your new family! As always, we suggest that you read the terms and conditions before entering the competition.

Lensbaby has announced two new portrait kits and a Senior Style Portrait Photo Contest. The standard Lensbaby Portrait Kit ($470, pictured) includes a Lensbaby Composer with a Double Glass Optic and a Soft Focus Optic, wide-angle and telephoto conversion lenses, Creative Aperture Kit 2 and a Lensbaby System Bag. The Ultimate Portrait Kit ($590) includes everything listed above, plus a Lensbaby Scout. The Lensbaby Senior Style Portrait Photo Contest, which opens for submissions on 1st September, 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. The submissions gallery will be hosted by SmugMug.

Getty Images photographers Jerome Sessini and Alvaro Ybarra Zavala have been nominated for the prestigious Visa d’Or awards. Sessini is one of five finalists in the news category, for his work on Libya, while Zavala has been nominated for his work on the conflict in Colombia. Furthermore, Getty Images will be announcing the winners of its 2011 Grants for Editorial Photography at the Visa Pour L’Image festival, which aims to showcase and support powerful and inspiring photojournalism projects. The winners will be announced on stage during the evening screening on Thursday 1 September, with the winning recipients showcasing their chosen projects on Friday, 2 September from 3 - 4pm.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 is a new super-zoom compact camera with a 24x optical zoom lens. Other standout features of the FZ48 include a 12.1-megapixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor, Sonic Speed AF, manual operation, 1920 x 1080 full-HD video recording, 3D Photo mode and new Creative Controls with Miniature Effect mode. Pricing and availability of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 are still to be announced.