The Leica Super-Elmar M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH.is a new, compact ultra-wideangle lens for the M system. The lens’ retrofocus-like construction comprises 8 elements including one element with two aspherical surfaces and four lens elements made of glass types with anomalous colour dispersion (partial dispersion). The aperture range goes from f/3.4 to f/16, and is set with a traditional aperture ring with click-stops at half-stop increments. The lens’ closest focusing distance is 0.7m. As with other recent M-mount lenses, 6-bit lens identification is provided for digital bodies. The suggested retail price of the lens is £2025.

Creative Review Magazine is running a Photography Annual competition. The contest, which is open to professional photographers and agencies, aims to be the “definitvie collection of the best work of the year in commercial photography”. There are several categories including Personal, Advertising, Conceptual, Design, Editorial and Moving Image. The deadline for entries is 22 August 2011. Please note that entry fees apply (£50 for a single entry, £70 for a series of up to 6 related images).

Website: Creative Review

Brett Ratner, one of Hollywood’s most successful directors, producers and photographers is inviting aspiring photographers to work with him on a photo shoot with Treats! Magazine in Los Angeles. If interested, submit one original portrait photograph displaying your creativity through the Talenthouse website. The submission deadline is 25th July. Online voting starts the next day and lasts until 1st August. Brett Ratner and Treats! Magazine will choose the winner from all qualified submissions with special consideration for the top-voted entries. As always we suggest that you read the terms and conditions and submission guidelines before entering your work.

Website: Talenthouse

Apple today announced Final Cut Pro X, a new version of its professional video editing software. Completely rebuilt from the ground up, Final Cut Pro X is a 64-bit app that uses multi-threaded processing and the GPU on the graphics card for fast background rendering and real-time playback. The new Magnetic Timeline lets you edit on a flexible, trackless canvas; while Content Auto-Analysis categorises your content upon import by shot type, media and people. Moreover, Final Cut Pro X also includes powerful tools for audio editing and colour correction.  The program is available today for £179.99 from the Mac App Store. Two companion apps, Motion 5 for professional motion graphics and Compressor 4 for advanced media encoding, are available from the for £29.99 each.

CyberLink today released PhotoDirector 2011, a brand new photo editor for Windows that allows users to efficiently manage, enhance and share their digital photographs. PhotoDirector 2011 introduces a fast, intuitive workflow and a wide array of dynamic adjustment tools that can be applied in a non-destructive editing environment. Additionally, it offers several other features, such as “native rendering” of raw image files from Canon and Nikon cameras and the ability to share user-defined presets through CyberLink’s online community, DirectorZone. CyberLink says that over 75,000 people from all over the world participated in the three-week Beta programme, giving PhotoDirector 2011 an overall product satisfaction score of 4.2 out of 5. The software is available for £79.99/$99.95.

The MAC Group has announced the collaboration of Mamiya, Leaf, Phase One and Schneider Kreuznach in the US market. New Mamiya DSLRs and digital backs range from 22 megapixels up to the exciting 80 megapixel version. Mamiya / Leaf digital backs, also available separately, are compatible with Mamiya 645, Mamiya RZ, Hasselblad V and H series, Contax 645 and most view cameras. Camera bodies and lenses are manufactured by Mamiya, digital backs are manufactured by Leaf under the Mamiya/Leaf name, Capture One software is made by Phase One, and new leaf shutter lenses are designed and certified by Schneider Kreuznach. Both customer and repair service for Mamiya and Leaf products will be provided by factory-trained technicians at MAC Group.

The Nokia N9 is a new smartphone / camera phone with an 8-megapixel image sensor and a Zeiss-branded wide-angle auto-focus lens. Nokia claims the N9 has “the fastest camera on any phone ­– from launch to focus to capture”, with features like Touch AF, a 3.9” AMOLED screen and an f/2.2 maximum aperture. In addition to capturing eight-megapixel stills, the integrated camera can also record HD-quality video with smooth continuous AF. Running on the MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan operating system, thee Nokia N9 will be available in three colours - black, cyan, and magenta - with 16GB and 64GB storage options. The N9 is scheduled to be in stores later this year, with availability and local pricing to be announced closer to the sales start..

Canon U.S.A. has launched the Canon EOS Rebel T3 + EF 18-55 IS II Lens Kit in three new colour variations - red, brown and metallic grey, in addition to the standard black version. Available exclusively at the Canon Online Store, the new kits are priced at $599.99, but an $50 instant rebate lowers the price to $549.99.

The new Sony firmware updates promised for today are now available for download. The ?33 and ?55 firmware upgrades add support for the ‘Picture Effect’ function featured on the new ?35 model. The firmware upgrades also bring revised menus and a new mode that lets users switch shooting parameters overlaid on-screen for clear, uncluttered composition. The Sony A33 and A55 cameras’ Digital Level Gauge can also be displayed when shooting via the optional CLM-V55 external LCD monitor. Frequently used features can now be custom-assigned to the D-RANGE button. The A55 firmware update also enables high-speed synchronisation for compatible flash units during wireless operation. The firmware updates for the Sony NEX-3 (pictured) and NEX-5 cameras adds the new ‘Picture Effect’ function as introduced on the new NEX?C3 and also introduce a ‘Peaking’ function in MF mode.

Websites: Sony A33 | A55 | NEX-3 | NEX-5 Firmware Upgrades

Ricoh has posted a firmware update for the Ricoh CX5 digital compact camera. Version 1.19 improves white balance accuracy and fixes a bug with camera response when you take pictures repeatedly with a full-press of the shutter release. The firmware upgrade is available for download now from the website below.

Website: Ricoh CX5 Firmware

Color Range is a new photography app for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The program lets users modify the color range of an image to highlight a particular colour or range of colours while converting the rest of the picture to monochrome. In addition, Color Range offers 21 more built-in photo effects for free. Color Range is available now in the App Store for $1.99.

Verbatim has announced a new range of Class 10 SDHC memory cards. Offered in capacities of 4GB to 32 GB both in standard and micro size, the new Verbatim cards are available in the shops now and cost £6.99 (4GB), £12.00 (8GB), £24.00 (16 GB), £40.00 (32 GB).

The prize packages for the Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) contest have been announced. Prizes include trips to Marrakech, Oman, Botswana and Cambodia, cash bursaries and a paid photographic commission in England and Scotland. The overall winner of the awards will be given a unique personal showcase within the TPOTY exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in the summer of 2012. The showcase will contain not just their eight TPOTY-winning images but also a selection of their other, non-TPOTY work. For more details, see the full announcement below.

KenigArt has just released Camera Pro, a new photography app for Apple’s iPad 2. The application, which offers 10 tools to improve photos from the device’s built-in camera, features a simple and easy-to use user interface fully optimised for the iPad 2. Camera Pro is available on iTunes for $2.99.

JP Distribution has announced availability and pricing for two new Black Rapid products, the RS-Sport 2 strap and the SnapR 35 strap-bag combo. Available now, the Black Rapid SnapR 35 (£50, pictured) is a combination camera bag and sling strap designed to fit compact system cameras and small camcorders. It allows the camera to slide out of the bag and up the strap to eye level. The RS-Sport 2 (£75), available next month, is a slimmer version of the existing RS-Sport strap, which combines the extra stability of a built-in underarm strap with a lower-profile pad.

Phaidon Press have just released Steve McCurry: The Iconic Photographs, a large-format limited book that includes 165 of his most evocative and famous photographs. Born in 1950, Steve McCurry is one of the world’s leading photojournalists, who attained international recognition in the mid-1980s when he won the Robert Capa Gold Medal for his coverage of the Afghan war and the ensuing humanitarian crisis. His portrait of a young Afghan refugee girl, which appeared on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in June 1985, is widely regarded as one of the most famous photographs of the twentieth century. The new collection features this and many other iconic images by McCurry, including Boy in Mid-Flight (shown above courtesy of Phaidon Press), Flower Seller, Boy at Ganesh Chaturthi Festival, Monk at Jokhang Temple, and Dust Storm, Rajahstan, India. Click through / scroll down for a video of Steve McCurry sharing the story behind the last of these photos.

Brilliant Prints UK has announced a special offer on canvas prints until the end of this month. Customers who order a canvas print from the UK branch of the Australian company will receive a second one for free. Do note that this limited-time offer is open to UK residents only. For details of the promotion, visit the website below.

RL Vision recently released version 4.1 of EXIF Tag remover, an application which allows users to quickly and selectively remove EXIF information from their image files in order to protect their privacy when publishing their photos online. Users can opt to delete all metadata or manually select the tags they want removed from their image files. The company also released version 6.54 of Flash Renamer, an all-in-one batch file renaming utility that can also be of use to photographers.

Website: RL Vision