Hama has introduced a new addition to its DCC System: the IR Light Sensor Remote. This light /motion sensor is now the fourth type of remote release in the DCC system, joining cable, radio and timer remote shutter releases. Its main areas of use include sports and wildlife photography. The product consists of a transmitter and a receiver, the latter of which connects to the camera via an adapter cable that matches the brand of your camera. The transmitter has to be set up opposite - and at the same height as - the receiver. Both can be mounted on a tripod courtesy of integrated tripod sockets. The remote is priced at €99.00, with extension cables available for €14.99 each.

Timed to coincide with the exhibition, Eyewitness: Hungarian Photography in the 20th Century, Metro has announced the opening of submissions for the Eyewitness abstract, fashion, portrait and street photography competition. Each category is based upon an individual photographer from the Royal Academy’s exhibition: Brassaï for his classic portraits, Capa for street photography, Moholy-Nagy for abstract photography, and Pécsi and Munkácsi for fashion photography. The competition will be judged by leading figures in the fields of photography and journalism: Colin Ford CBE – Curator of Eyewitness exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, Jon Levy – Editor of Foto8, Steve Macleod – Creative Director of Metro Imaging and Laurence Earle - Executive Editor of the Independent on Sunday. The closing date for entries is 26th August. The overall and category winners will be announced 9th September.

The Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G is a new, affordable 1:1 macro lens for use on Nikon DX digital SLR cameras. Weighing in at approximately nine ounces, the extremely compact and lightweight lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 0.53 feet (6.4 inches). For fast and quiet autofocus operation, the new Nikon 40mm Micro lens also features Nikon’s exclusive Silent Wave Motor technology that allows full-time access to manual focus. The Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G employs Nikon’s Close-Range Correction System in which the lens elements are configured in a “floating” design wherein each lens group moves independently to help achieve critical focus. Additionally, Nikon’s Super Integrated Coatings are applied to help reduce instances of lens flare and ghosting. The Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G will be available in August for an estimated selling price of $279.95 / £249.99 / €290.

Sony has introduced its first-ever range of external hard drives. The Sony HD-PG5 series of 500GB portable drives feature USB 3.0 connectivity, and even if you’re connected via USB 2.0, the pre-loaded Data Transfer Accelerator software promises to double effective transfer rates. The supplied USB adapter cable also allows easy ‘PC-free’ transfers of video footage from compatible Handycam camcorders with Direct Copy function, including the new DCR-SX21E and DCR-SR21. PlayStation 3 users can connect the hard drive via USB and view stored AVCHD videos and photos via the ‘Filmy’ application – again with no PC needed.One of the models, the Sony HD-PG5U, can even be hooked up to a compatible Sony Bravia HDTV set. The drives are available from mid July 2011 in United Kingdom, France and Germany only.

The Sony Handycam DCR-SX21E is an easy-to-use standard-definition digital camcorder with 57x optical zoom and SteadyShot image stabilisation. New to entry-level Handycam models, Intelligent Auto mode recognizes up to 18 different scene combinations – from portraits and landscapes to night views. Focus, exposure, colour and other settings are adjusted automatically in this mode.. Menus and settings are adjusted via a joystick next to the flip-out 2.7” Clear Photo LCD. A conveniently-placed button switches on the built-in LED video light to illuminate indoor scenes or night-time shots. The Sony Handycam DCR-SX21E will be available from early September 2011. Pricing to be confirmed.

The Sony Handycam DCR-SR21E is an easy-to-use standard-definition digital video camera with 57x optical zoom and SteadyShot electronic image stabilisation. Distinguished from the also-new Sony DCR-SX21E through different looks and the use of an 80GB hard disk drive (rather than a memory card( as the recording medium, the Sony Handycam DCR-SR21E also boasts an Intelligent Auto mode that analyses the scene in front of the camcorder’s lens to choose the most appropriate of 18 scene modes ranging from Portrait and Landscape to Night View. Focus, exposure, colour and other settings are adjusted automatically, while menus and settings are accessed with a joystick located next to the articulated 2.7” monitor. The Sony Handycam DCR-SR21E will become available in September 2011, with pricing to be confirmed.

Photographer Tim Hans presents his new exhibition Camden Town Skateboarders at East London’s leading gallery, theprintspace. “Camden Town Skateboarders features local athletes and is the first exhibit of an on-going global project in which Hans brings a fresh and atypical style of photography to the skateboarding world through stripped-down portraits in place of flashy action shots,” the organisers aay. The opening reception is 4th August, 7-9:30pm at theprintspace gallery on 74 Kingsland Road, and the exhibition will run until 31st August 31st. Admission is free.

HandlePod is a hand-supported camera stabiliser featuring a 3-axis rotating camera mount attached to a comfortable handle backed by 4 rubber-tipped feet. The simplest way to use it is to hold the HandlePod against any solid surface, aim the camera and shoot. “Light hand pressure and the four high-friction rubber feet assure a stable, non-slip camera platform that eliminates motion blur just like a tripod,” says inventor Mike Kolito. “HandlePod also helps in situations where a support object isin’t available. Its handle provides a firm grip and improved leverage for hand-held photos in low light. The handle extends to the side of the camera for more steadying power and a solid, two-handed grip.” HandlePod is available for $39.95 plus S&H from the website below.

byMac Inventions have announced a range of remote releases designed for time-lapse photography. The company offers infra-red remotes for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony cameras with IR support at $69 + S&H each, and a mechanical intervalometer that is claimed to work with practically every camera, available at an introductory price of $149 + shipping. For more information, visit the website below.

Website: Tempus

Five years ago, New York based writer and musician Chris Kennedy discovered the lost, never-before-published colour photo collection of popular 1950s Cleveland radio DJ Tommy Edwards, and decided to write a book on the find. The richly illustrated book, published by the Kent State University Press, is now available for purchase. The 264-page hardback includes more than 200 colour photographs from the collection that consists of over 1,700 Ektachrome slides of rock-and-roll legends, country music superstars, Hollywood celebrities and “hopeful unknowns”.

Website: 1950s Radio in Colour on Amazon

“View” is an art photography magazine developed exclusively for the visual possibilities of the iPad. Curated by photographer Alon Koppel, View Magazine features little-known photographers from around the world, most of whose work was discovered online. View’s inaugural issue launched in March 2011 and the second issue has now been released. The magazine directly supports English, Bokmål, Norwegian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian. View Magazine is currently free and available on iTunes.

Hasselblad has posted a major firmware update for its H4D-60 medium-format DSLR camera. The update includes many functional enhancements such as one-click focus check, a bi-directional (pitch and roll) electronic spirit level, the ability to display camera grip information on the rear monitor, Live Video for more efficient workflow and Schneider and Rollei support. For more information, visit the website below.

Vend.Love.Win is a new Facebook-based photo-video contest hosted by the National Automatic Merchandising Association. Entrants are asked to upload a photo or video of their favourite vending machine or vended product, along with a short description explaining why they love the given machine or product. On the last day of each month, the top 20 entries with the most votes will each win $200 for a charity of the photographer’s choice, or a $200 Visa gift card, or a $100 cash prize. You can only win once per month, but you can enter as many times as you want each month. The organisers are also giving away a $5,000 annual prize for the absolute best entry before 30 March 2012. The entry with the most votes overall will win the grand prize. As with every photo competition, we suggest that you read the rules before submitting your work. Do note that this contest is open to residents of the U.S.A. only.

Website: Vend.Love.Win.

UK based JPY Consulting has announced that GeoPhoto 2.0 has entered the top 10 free photography chart in the US, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and many other countries. GeoPhoto 2.0 is an iPad app that lets users virtually travel around the world by finding geotagged pictures. It’s just a matter of selecting an area of the world map and clicking the search button. Shortly afterwards the screen will be filled with the best images found in that area. Version 2.0, which adds a brand new user interface and sharing options, is currently available on iTunes as a free download. Note that this is a limited-time offer - the app normally retails for $0.99.

Reallusion has announced that this year it is once again hosting an all-out Animation Competition for general and educational users. The contest is open to users of the company’s CrazyTalk Animator software, who can showcase their talents by uploading their videos to Youtube, Vimeo or any other free video sharing platforms to compete for over 10 award-winning categories including; Best Picture, Best Director, Most Popular, Campus Special, Best Original Character and others. To compete, simply fill-out the submission form with your video title, video description, credits, contact information and uploaded video URL. As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Panasonic Japan has announced that it is about to start shipping the Panasonic Lumix Phone P-05C, the world’s first camera phone featuring optical image stabilisation. Equipped with a multi-coated, bright f/2.8 wide-angle lens, the Panasonic Lumix Phone P-05C offers a so-called My Colour Mode with digital filters such as Miniature, Soft focus and Pinhole. In addition, the phone is also capable of shooting Full HD video. There is a dedicated website for the phone, but it’s available in Japanese only.

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Kenko-Tokina has acquired the famous French filter manufacturer Cokin SAS. Renowned for its square filter system, Cokin SAS will be renamed Cokin France S.A.S.U. but will remain an independent company keeping its own manufacturing, marketing and worldwide distribution network. Marc Heintz, Cokin’s Director of Sales, said: “Kenko brings to us a strong backing of finance and supply of raw materials, which will allow us to expand and bring new innovative products to the market once again.”

Sigma Japan has announced a new Sigma SD15 Twin Zoom Kit, available from 15th July. The bundle includes the Sigma SD15 digital SLR camera body, a 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM standard zoom and a 50-200mm f/4.5-5.6 DC OS HSM telezoom lens. Currently there is no word on the price of the kit or whether it will be available outside Japan.