Panasonic has just announced the Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH, a fast standard lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. Comprising 9 elements arranged in 7 groups (including 2 aspherical elements and 1 ultra-high-refractive-index lens element), the Leica DG Summilux 25mm f1.4 ASPH features Nano Surface Coating to minimise ghosting and flare, and an iris diaphragm with seven rounded aperture blades for pleasing bokeh. The lens weighs in at approximately 200 grams and takes small, 46mm filters. With its maximum aperture of f/1.4, the Leica DG Summilux 25mm f1.4 ASPH is currently the fastest auto-focus lens with a native Micro Four Thirds mount.

The Reflecta ProScan 7200 is a new super-fast CCD scanner. The ProScan 7200 scans slides and negatives with optical resolutions as high as 3600 dpi, and optical density of 3.8 Dmax, in just 1 minute 35 seconds for a colour scan with 3600 dpi and 48 bit colour depth. The scanner comes supplied with holders for four mounted 35mm slides up to 3.2mm thick and film strips up to six exposures. The unit also comes with Photoshop Elements and Reflecta’s in-house scanning software, Cyberview X. The ProScan 7200 is available now with an RRP of £449.99.

Leaf Raw Converter 1.2.6 adds support for Leaf Aptus-II 12, Leaf Aptus-II 12R, Leaf Aptus-II 12 for AFI/HY6 and continues to support files from all of Leaf’s older models. The Leaf Raw Converter enables you to convert the non-standard files created when shooting images to Compact Flash card on Leaf back to a standard Leaf format which can be read by other applications such as the Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in. The Leaf Raw Converter supports both Macintosh® and Windows® operating systems, including Windows 7 32 and 64 bit.

G-Technology have launched the Driven Creativity Competition 2011. Winners and runners-up will be awarded stylish G-Technology hard drives and the overall winner will receive €5,000. To enter, simply upload a photo with a brief description. Using an online peer voting system, a shortlist of 15 professional and amateur finalists will be compiled before being judged by a panel of creative experts

Escalate LIVE “Be Boutique” is a new techniques film featuring five presentations by successful, respected professional photographers, a lively panel discussion lead by Dane Sanders and intimate tours of two thriving studios. Escalate LIVE “Be Boutique” is designed to help portrait photographers center their value and brand on their distinctive talents and signature style. The DVD series can be ordered today, or downloaded, for $99.

Metz has announced a software update for the mecablitz 58 AF-1 digital and 48 AF-1 digital flash models. The update, which can be downloaded from the Metz Germany website and installed via the units’ integrated USB interface, adds a function previously only available on the 48 AF-2 digital and 58 AF-2 digital flashguns. To wit, it enables the older units. to be used as an additional creative light source in a room, with a camera without a master function. In addition to the increased functionality for the 58 AF-1 digital and 48 AF-1 digital flash devices, a further software update has been made available for all Metz system flash devices equipped with a USB interface. This update adds compatibility with the Canon EOS 600D digital SLR camera

Raven-App has released Eye-Share for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. The app makes it easy for users to import, store, transfer, organise, personalise and share photos and videos, individually, in specially created albums, or as slideshows with music. Eye-Share is free and available now on iTunes.

Sigma has released Sigma Photo Pro 5, the latest version of its proprietary raw developer and photo viewer/editor for Mac OS and Windows. Version 5 adds support for raw image files produced by the Sigma SD1 digital SLR camera, and comes with a new user interface that offers more convenient operation. Sigma SD and DP series digital camera owners can download the software from the website below.

Website: Sigma Photo Pro

Fujifilm has just announced a television special feature entitled ‘Standing Up, Moving Forward’, which introduces the efforts of all the people involved in relief and reconstruction activities in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The special feature is being broadcast from June 10-12 by Japan International Broadcasting. UK viewers can see the ‘Standing up, Moving Forward’ programmes on NHK (SKY channel 518) today, tomorrow and on Sunday at the times listed in the announcement below.

The Big Issue in the North Trust is inviting photography enthusiasts living in Liverpool and Manchester to take part in its Photo Marathon challenge. Photographers will have eight hours to take eight photographs, on two sets of four topics that are being kept secret until the day of the marathon, Saturday 2 July in Manchester and Saturday 16 July in Liverpool. Entrants are being asked to make a donation of £15 to The Big Issue in the North Trust to enter the marathon. Prizes include a two day photography workshop courtesy of Manchester Academy of Photography, alongside theatre tickets, art prints and more.

Joby has released new versions of the hands-free positioning and camera optimizing case & stands: GorillaMobile Ori and GorillaMobile Yogi for iPad 2. Drawing its inspiration from the folding art of origami, the GorillaMobile Ori (£56.99) is engineered from a superlight German-made aluminium/polypropylene composite which allows the GorillaMobile Ori to be folded into countless positions. The GorillaMobile Yogi (£35.99, pictured) has been designed to stabilise the device on uneven surfaces. The quick-release clip easily detaches the modular legs, allowing the case and legs to be used in landscape or portrait mode. Both products are available form Amazon UK and a number of other retailers.

SoftColor Automata is a workflow automation solution for advanced colour correction, image editing and colour management. “The core of Automata’s workflow automation is SoftColor’s in-house developed spectral illumination detection algorithms which makes it possible to teach the computer to think about colours like a human being,” the developer says. “For the end-user this gives an automatic and fully customizable solution to fix white balance, exposure and contrast problems.” The program is available immediately for $199 through the website below.

Spider Holster has unveiled its modular SpiderPro Pad, which allows photographers to carry two pro-level DSLR cameras without straps or bags. The design places a Spider Holster and pad on each hip, eliminating the back, shoulder and neck strain of carrying cameras on neck straps. The SpiderPro system is fully customizable and those that already own a single-camera SpiderPro Holster don’t need to buy a whole new system. They can simply purchase a SpiderPro Pad upgrade kit for $120 that contains a SpiderPro Pad, SpiderPro Holster, SpiderPro Plate, along with one SpiderPro Pin and adapter screws. In addition, SpiderPro Pad adapter kits are available that will accommodate the SpiderPro system on popular third party photography belts. Newcomers to Spider Holster can purchase a complete SpiderPro DualCam System for an introductory price of $235 via the website below or through retail outlets worldwide.

Opening tomorrow at the Wilmotte Gallery at Lichfield Studios, Stornoway is a new exhibition featuring enigmatic black-and-white triptych photographs by Charlotte Boulay-Goldsmith. Chronicling a jounrey through Scotland, the images are “carefully crafted, framing mountains, waterways, trees and decaying relics to depict a mystical and vacant landscape, imbued with a profound sense of stillness and solitude,” the organisers say Running until 22nd July, the exhibition is hosted by Lichfield Studios, 133 Oxford Gardens, London, W10 6NE.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is calling for young photographers to enter this year’s prestigious RSPCA Young Photographer Awards. This year there are two new categories: the first one is for photos that illustrate how animals make people’s lives better, while the second one is called Garden Wildlife. A brand new website has also been set up to make it easier to take part and stay up to date with the competition. The overall winner of the Awards will go on an amazing three-day photography break with top wildlife photographer Danny Green, courtesy of Natures Images. Olympus cameras worth up to £500 are also up for grabs for the winners and runners up in each category. For more details and to enter visit the website below.

The first ever full-career retrospective of the legendary British photographer Brian Duffy will open July 8th at Idea Generation Gallery. Together with Terence Donovan and David Bailey, Duffy is recognised as one of the innovators of “documentary” fashion photography, a style that revolutionised the fashion industry. He produced an extraordinary body of work but destroyed most of his negatives and transparencies in 1979. “Featuring more than 160 images painstakingly rediscovered by Duffy’s son after years of searching through archives and publications around the world, this exhibition has truly risen from the ashes,” the organisers say. Running until 28th August, the Duffy exhibition is presented by Idea Generation Gallery, 11 Chance Street, London E2 7JB. Admission is free.

Ricoh has announced a new, 16-megapixel dust-, shock- and waterproof digital compact camera called the Ricoh PX. Sporting a 28-140mm equivalent f/3.9-5.4 zoom lens and a sensor-shift anti-shake mechanism, the Ricoh PX is waterproof down to a depth of 3 metres for a duration of up to 60 minutes and can also withstand being dropped from a height of up to 1.5 metres. For low-light shooting, the camera offers a handheld night scene mode that uses pixel binning for improved light sensitivity. In addition to taking photos, the Ricoh PX can also shoot 720p HD video, recording both movies and stills on SD(HC) memory cards. Available in lime green, silver and black, the Ricoh PX has a recommended retail price of £179.99 in the UK, $249.00 in the USA and €199.00 in the Euro zone. A range of add-on protective panels will be available in a variety of colours, priced at €20 apiece. These panels/covers add further protection to the tough little camera, the manufacturer says.

Via Photoscala

Binary Distribution has announced the UK release of Vertus Fluid Mask 3.2. This application is a still-image masking tool that works as both a standalone program and a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Its Visual Image Segmentation technology enables users to create super-fine mask selections with ease, the developers say. Priced around £99, Vertus Fluid Mask 3.2 is available to download immediately from DownloadBuyer.com, and in boxed formats from Amazon.co.uk.