Zoner Software has released a new version of its standalone Zoner Photo Studio Free software, which is based on Zoner Photo Studio 13. Features new to this release include an improved Catalog, easy bullets and arrows with Insert Symbol, and a postcard maker. It also has improvements under the hood, like better utilisation of multicore processors. Regarding the new release, Ales Hasala, Director of Development noted, “We’ve been looking forward to providing users of the free edition with the benefits of version 13 ever since we released it. We are very pleased that this day has come. Personally, I anticipate catching eyes with the postcard maker.” Yoiu can download the new Zoner Photo Studio Free from the website below.

Pentax has announced the addition of a new Shiny Orange version to its Optio WG-1 GPS waterproof digital compact camera range. The company says the new version was designed in response to strong demand by outdoor enthusiasts. It features a high-quality finish in brilliant orange with an aluminium-alloy front panel to give the camera a vibrant, glossy appearance. A gunmetal-grey rubber coating has also been applied to the edge of the camera body to further accentuate the brilliance of the sparkling orange colour. The Shiny Orange Pentax Optio WG1-GPS will be available from the beginning of August 2011, at the recommended retail price of £299.99.

Delkin has announced new upgrades as well as a cleared patent on their award winning SensorScope DSLR Sensor Inspection Device and Cleaning System. Two new components have been added to the line-up of cleaning tools that are designed to tackle various types of sensor debris.  A recent partnership with LensPen resulted in a custom designed polishing and edging tool inspired by DSLR camera technicians. The SensorPen by LensPen features a non-carbon triangular tip for cleaning the edges of the sensor and polishing the sensor surface, as well as a slide out soft DSLR body brush that safely removes dust and debris from the camera body. A dual sided lint free cleaning cloth has also been added to the system, with a white microfibre side designed for sensitive exterior optics and a grey terry side for the removal of fingerprints and oils from the SensorScope and camera body.

HP has announced a free, downloadable application for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that enables photographers to generate large-format photo negatives for the production of high-quality, black-and-white silver halide photo prints. Available in September, the Large Format Photo Negative software package includes a paper preset for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that allows photographers to print a digital negative from a film, scanned or digital capture file onto a transparent substrate. Once printed, these large-format photo negatives can be used as masters to produce high-quality black and white fine art prints through a contact process HP is showcasing the Large Format Photo Negative solution for the first time at Les Rencontres d’Arles 2011 in Arles, France, during a conference titled, “The Best of Both Worlds: Digital Negatives for Black & White Silver Prints” on Tuesday, July 5 at 6 p.m. in Cour des Rencontres, Rue Fanton.

General Imaging has unveiled three new 14-megapixel compact cameras, including two superzooms. The GE G100 Power Pro offers 15x optical zoom, optical image stabilisation, 10fps burst shooting, 1080p Full HD video recording and an HDMi port. A 3” rear screem. Multi-Exposure, Object Tracking and HDR with image blending can also be found in the G100, available in October 2011. The GE E1410SW boasts 10X optical zoom and 1080p Full HD video in a thin and stylish design, and is also available from October. Finally, the GE J1456W (pictured) is an entry-level model with a 28-140mm 5x zoom lens, Smile, Face and Blink Detection; red-eye removal; 720p HD video capabilities and a Pan-Capture Panorama shooting mode. Although the exact price has not been revealed, General Imagigng says the “GE J1456W will be one of the most affordable 5X Zoom, Li-on cameras on the market and is set to launch in August”.

The Tokina AT-X 17-35mm f/4 Pro FX is a new constant-aperture wide zoom lens for 35mm full-frame SLR cameras. Available in Canon and Nikon fit, from July and September respectively, the Tokina AT-X 17-35mm f/4 Pro FX has an optical formula that comprises 13 elements arranged in 12 groups, and comes with a nine-bladed iris diaphragm. Notable features include an angle-of-view range of 103.96° -64.74°, a rubber seal around the lens mount, and Tokina’s exclusive one-tocuh focus clutch mechanism that allows the photographer to switch between AF and MF simply by snapping the focus ring forward for AF and back toward the camera to focus manually. Both the Canon and the Nikon versions come with a silent, high-precision AF motor, just like the bigger and faster AT-X 16-35mm f/2.8 Pro FX (read review). The Tokina AT-X 17-35mm f/4 Pro FX lens will be available for 98,000 yen in Japan, including a hood. Currently, there is no word on international availability or pricing.

Source: Tokina via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Afghanistan is a new exhibition of film-based photographs by Ruvan Wijesooriya. The photos were shot over two weeks in April 2011 while on varying assignments for Roots of Peace and in transit between Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Bamiyan. The pictures - on view from today through 30th June at Rogue 58, 555 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, New York - reveal details of Afghan life, including women in private places, landscapes, children at school, men at work, and more.

Sony Digital Network Applications have released Photo Movie Creator, a smartphone application for the Android platform. The app allows users to create slideshows by selecting groups of photos (by date, event, or location), rather than picking them one by one. In addition there are several templates to choose from, and the program also enables users to add their own captions and background music. The app is available in the Android Market for €1.99 / £1.99. A trial version can be downloaded free of charge.

Photogenic Professional Lighting has announced it is sponsoring Rangefinder’s Seeing the Light Lighting Photo Contest. The contest offers professional and novice photographers the opportunity to showcase their best images. The three entry categories include available light, studio and small flash. Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality and effectiveness in expressing the contest theme. Each of the three category winners will receive the new Photogenic PowerLight PL625DR 250 Ws Monolight with a PLIRC-2 Wireless Remote Control and a PLDIR-2 Infrared Receiver. The contest deadline is 1st July. For more information on the contest or to submit an entry, visit the website below. Note that entry fees apply. As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Nik Software has released version 1.1.0 of Nik Snapseed, an image editing app for the Apple iPad. The new version brings enhanced performance, raw data support for files transferred to the iPad via the Camera Connector Kit, and the ability to save files with the EXIF preserved. Some minor interface improvements are also included in this release. Snapseed for iPad is available for €3.99 on iTunes.

Getty Images have announced that photographers Gwenn Dubourthoumieu and Alex Masi, along with communications strategists from GVA Studio and the Bhopal Medical Appeal, have been selected as the recipients of this year’s Getty Images Grants for Good. Created in 2009, the Getty Images Grants for Good were introduced to help nonprofits use the power of imagery to promote positive change in the world and help communicate their stories more effectively. The project that Gwenn Dubourthoumieu and GVA Studio will pursue is called “Raped Lives”, and it aims to create imagery for a sensitisation campaign organised by the nonprofit association Des Femmes pour la Promotion et le Développement Endogène (AFPDE).  The intent is to inform local communities about their rights, influence them to stop discriminating against sexual violence victims and urge the victims to abandon their silence and to take legal action. “Open Wounds – Bhopal 1984 – 2011” is the project proposed by Alex Masi.. This project will document how the deadly legacy of chemical contamination is now affecting children living within the city.

Fujifilm has posted a firmware update for the Fujifilm Finepix X100 large-sensor compact camera. Version 1.10 incorporates nearly two dozen improvements, additions and bug fixes. Some of the changes are so profound that Fujifilm saw fit to revise and update the user manual too, which can be downloaded from the Fuji website along with the firmware upgrade. Click through / scroll down for a detailed list of all the enhancements and fixes introduced with this update.

The Pentax Q is a new compact system camera that offers the world’s lightest and smallest body. Based around a back illuminated 12.4 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS image sensor, the Pentax Q uses the brand new super-compact Q-mount lens system, which has an outer diameter six millimetres shorter than that of Pentax’s conventional K mount. The Pentax Q also features Full HD movie recording, sensor-shift Shake Reduction mechanism, built-in flash, 5fps continuous shooting, 3.0-inch colour LCD monitor, and an extensive range of Smart Effect modes. An external viewfinder and camera case will also be launched alongside the Pentax Q. The Pentax Q will be available in white or black in mid-September 2011, pricing to be announced in the UK. Anticipated shipping time to the United States is early Fall 2011 at around $800 for the standard lens kit. The shoe-mounted viewfinder will be available at the same time for $249.95.

Pentax have unveiled five interchangeable lenses designed for exclusive use with the new Pentax Q compact system camera. The High-performance series emphasizes image rendition, while the Unique series offers outstanding cost performance and ease of lens changeability. The five lenses are the “PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME” unifocal standard lens (47mm) and the “PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM” standard zoom lens (27.5-83mm) in the High-performance series, and the “PENTAX-03 FISH EYE” unifocal ultra-wide-angle lens (160 degree view), the “PENTAX-04 TOY LENS WIDE” unifocal wide-angle lens and the “PENTAX-05 TOY LENS TELEPHOTO” unifocal telephoto lens in the Unique series. In the UK the price and availability of the Q mount interchangeable lenses is still to be announced. In the US, the PENTAX 02 Standard Zoom will cost $299.95, the PENTAX 03 Fish-Eye $129.95, The PENTAX 04 Toy Lens Wide $79.95 USD and the PENTAX 05 Toy Lens Telephoto $79.95.

Pentax has posted firmware updates for the Pentax K-5, K-r and 645D digital camera models. The updates were necessitated by the launch of the new Pentax O-GPS accessory. In order for the cameras to work properly with the O-GPS unit, users need to download the respective firmware upgrade from the website below.

Website: Pentax Firmware Updates

A new exhibition of Norman Parkinson’s images of childhood, ‘Age of Innocence’, is currently on show at Dimbola Lodge, Isle of Wight. Running until 3rd July, the exhibition offers a fresh insight into his development as an artist and his eclectic choice of subjects. In her introduction to the catalogue, Fay Weldon writes: “Parkinson, like his confrères Bailey, Duffy and Donovan, is mostly known for his spectacular fashion photography, but as with these other great photographers, ‘the fashion shoot’ was only a part of their work. That was what earned them money: not necessarily what most satisfied the keen aesthetic eye of the photographer. In this particular collection of images, all relating one way or another to childhood, Parkinson combines the techniques of photojournalism – catch the moment as it flies – à la Cartier Bresson and Lartigue, with an Irving Penn-like sense of formality.”

Acme Made has launched three new camera bags. The Union Photo Messenger (pictured) is an understated messenger bag for DSLR cameras with a durable, waterproof cover; hidden exterior lens cap pocket and accessory pockets. The smaller Union Kit Messenger “offers the long-wearing comfort of a big messenger bag without the bulk”, the company says. Finally, the Union Ultra-Zoom is a compact camera bag for ultra-zooms and compact system cameras.

Leica has released a firmware update for the Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera. Enhancements in version 1.162 include an “improvement of the sensor homogeneity for wide-angle lenses”. There is an additional colour calibration for all wide-angle lenses, which minimises chromatic deviations between image centre and image corner, especially in critical shooting situations. Additionally, internal software processes have been optimised in order to improve overall system stability. You can download the update from the website below.

Website: Leica M9 Firmware Version 1.162

Leica has issued a firmware update for the Leica M8 digital rangefinder camera. Version 2.014 adds support for the new Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 lens and optimises internal processes for better overall stability. The Leica M8 firmware upgrade can be obtained from the website below.

Website: Leica M8 Downloads