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.

Billed as the world’s smallest and lightest interchangeable-lens camera with an APS-C sized sensor, the new Sony NEX-C3 is a tiny compact system camera offering a resolution of 16.2 megapixels. Weighing in at 225 grams, the Sony NEX-C3 is approximately 6% lighter than last year’s NEX-3. In addition to capturing high-resolution photographs, the NEX-C3 can also record 720p HD video. A new in-camera ‘Picture Effect’ setting lets users add extra impact to stills or HD video during shooting. Options include Partial Colour, Retro Photo, Pop Colour, High Contrast Monochrome, Posterisation, High-key and Toy Camera. There’s also a ‘Soft Skin’ effect that removes wrinkles and blemishes from portrait subjects. Improved energy efficiency boosts battery stamina to 400 still shots per charge – over 20% more than the NEX-5/NEX-3. The new NEX-C3 will be available this August in silver, black and pink with an 18-55mm kit zoom and will cost about $650.  It will also be offered in black only with a 16mm lens for about $600.

Sony has announced a new 1:1 macro lens for the NEX system. The Sony E 30mm f/3.5 Macro is a native E-mount optic that is claimed to be the world’s lightest life-size macro lens for interchangeable-lens cameras. Despite its extremely compact size and low weight of only 138 grams, the Sony E 30mm f/3.5 Macro employs one ED glass and three aspherical lens elements and offers smooth, quiet autofocus operation during photo and video shooting. The lens is supplied with a matching hood. In the US, the Sony E 30mm f/3.5 Macro lens will be available this October for about $250. UK pricing to be confirmed.

The Sony HVL-F20S is a new external flash unit for the NEX system that clips onto the Smart Accessory Terminal of NEX-C3 and other E-mount cameras. This flash unit has a guide number of 20 (in metres at ISO 100/21°) and is powered directly by the camera, requiring no additional batteries. The flash head can be tilted upward for bounce flash effects. The Sony HVL-F20S will be available this August for about $150.

Available from June 20th, a firmware upgrade for the Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras adds the new ‘Picture Effect’ function as introduced on the new NEX?C3. It also adds a Peaking function to assist with more precise manual focusing. Available free to registered users, the latest Version 04 firmware update will be available from these websites:

NEX-3 Windows | NEX-3 MAC OS
NEX-5 Windows | NEX-5 MAC OS

The Sony A35 is a new, lightweight 16.2-megapixel system camera featuring a semi-transparent mirror and full-time continuous auto-focus. The SLT-A35 also boasts two continuous shooting modes - 5.5 frames per second at full resolution and 7 frames per second at a 1.4x crop for sports shooting. In addition to stills photography, the Sony Alpha A35 allows you to record HD videos in AVCHD format. A range of new ‘Picture Effects’ is available for both stills and video, including Retro Photo, High-key, Toy Camera and Posterisation. Weighing in at 415 grams, the Sony A35 is compatible with 32 A-mount lenses and comes with an integrated Xtra Fine EVF with 1.15 million dots and 100% frame coverage. The Sony ?35 will be available this August with an 18-55mm kit zoom for about $700. The body (without kit lens) will sell for about $600.

Available beginning 20th June, a firmware update for the Sony ?33 and ?55 cameras adds several creative and operational enhancements. Support for the ‘Picture Effect’ function featured on the new ?35 model has been added. High-speed synchronisation is now supported during wireless operation with a compatible external flash (Sony ?55 only). 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 upgrades can be downloaded beginning 20th June from www.esupport.sony.com

Digisky is the new compact high-precision exposure meter in the Gossen range of products for flash light and ambient light. It is the world’s first exposure meter equipped with a colour graphic display, which allows all values to be read clearly and easily. Another integral part of the Digisky’s design is a ring controller, which lets users select various functions in a simple and straightforward manner. Moreover, the Gossen Digisky has a built-in remote radio trigger compatible with Elinchrom’s SkyPort technology. A rotating, retractable diffuser allows easy switch-over between flat & spherical 180° measurements. The suggested retail price is £399.99.

Marketing Fine Art Photography by Alain Briot is a new title from Rocky Nook. The author is a leading contemporary landscape photographer and teacher, who offers practical, up-to-date, tried and tested marketing techniques to fine art photographers eager to learn how to sell their work to make a profit. “Briot’s approach is based on offering quality not quantity; and offering something unique, rather than something that is mass-produced,” the publisher says. “Though directed toward selling fine art, this method can be applied to other products.” The 320-page book sells for $44.95.

The new Sidekick from Lenspen is a screen cleaner for the Apple iPad. It cleans fingerprints easily using the patented Lenspen carbon cleaning compound. The cleaning pad is re-charged each time it is put back in its case and offers 150 cleanings per pad. The suggested retail price of the Lenspen Sidekick is £14.99, with replacement pads available separately at £9.99 for a pack of two.