The Hasselblad H4D-200MS medium-format digital SLR camera, which is capable of creating 200-megapixel files thanks to its multi-shot technology, is now available. In 2008, the company announced its first integrated multi-shot camera - the H3DII-39MS - which was followed more recently by the H3DII-50MS and the H4D-50MS. As a further development of the H4D-50MS technology, the H4D-200MS utilises Hasselblad’s patented piezo frame module, which now captures 6 shots and combines them into a 200-megapixel file. Designed for studio photographers, the Hasselblad H4D-200MS is ideal for capturing images of stationary items such as cars, jewelry, artwork and other high-end products. The H4D-200MS is available now for €32,000+tax. H4D-50MS owners have the option of upgrading their systems for €7,000+tax.

Tenba has just announced the new Discovery collection of lightweight bags for photographers with an active outdoor lifestyle. This new collection includes an adventure-friendly Photo/Hydration Daypack and a camera Shoulder Bag (pictured) that provides quick access to a large camera system. The Photo/Hydration Daypack weighs only 2.4 pounds and features a hydration-ready rear compartment that fits a reservoir up to 72 ounces. This rear pocket can also be used for a slim tablet or laptop up to 11 inches. A pop-out, padded camera insert fits any size DSLR with 4-6 lenses and accessories, and the insert can be removed to convert the bag for non-photo use. Weighing less than 2 pounds, the Shoulder Bag provides quick access to 1-2 DSLR bodies and 5-7 lenses, plus flash and accessories. An overlapping top zipper closure protects against the elements, and padded side cargo pockets have cutaway openings for easy retrieval of equipment. The new Discovery bags are available now at suggested retail prices from $119.95 to $129.95 for the Shoulder Bag and Daypack, respectively.

The Photographer’s Guide to Silver Efex Pro 2 is a new e-book from Luminescence of Nature Press. This PDF guide, written by photographer Jason P. Odell, includes detailed screen shots and examples of every control in the plug-in, as well as how and why you use them. It also covers workflows for users of Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and Nikon’s Capture NX2. In addition to the PDF manual, Dr. Odell has also produced a set of companion videos which reinforce the concepts described in the eBook. The Photographer’s Guide to Silver Efex Pro 2 is available from Luminescence of Nature Press for $24.99, or $44.99 together with the Mastering Silver Efex Pro 2 video companions via direct download from the website below.

Adobe has released version 3.4.1 of Lightroom and version 6.4.1 of Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). The update comes after a revelation by Adobe that there’s a “potentially severe bug” in Lightroom 3.4 and ACR 6.4. The newly released versions contain a fix for this bug.

Website: ACR 6.4.1 for Mac | ACR 6.4.1 for Windows
Website: Lightroom 3.4.1 for Mac | Lightroom 3.4.1 for Windows

International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) is reminding interested photographers that the deadline for entries for the spring edition of its 4Seasons competition is 31st May. The theme is ‘New Mornings’ and the organisers are looking for fresh images illustrating new life, growth, and energy. To enter the competition, visit the website below. Do note that entries cost £10 for 4 images.

Lomographer Francesco Capponi has created what he calls the ‘Pinhegg’ - a pinhole camera made of an egg. “Since I started pin-holing the world, I have had the strong desire to make a special camera, with the purpose of shooting just one photograph,” he says. “The purpose was to sacrifice the camera in the process of photo creation – I wanted the camera to become the photograph.” It took him a lot of time and effort to produce the ‘Pinhegg’, but through trial and error he “finally found the right recipe” for his invention. If you want to know how he did it - and how you can make your own - visit the website below.

Website: Lomography Magazine

Dreamix Studios have updated their Album App to version 2.0.  The app lets you scale, rotate and move photos with a single touch, add pages to your album and get creative with the layout or use one of the 30+ predefined templates. With only a single tap you select a photo from your photo library and it will auto position on the spot you tapped on. Version 2.0 brings a range of new features to edit albums and share pages on Facebook or Twitter, and the ability to e-mail complete albums. Album App 2.0 is $1.99 on iTunes.

Photoshelter has announced a new free webinar entitled, “How We Hire Photographers”. Building on Photoshelter’s recent guide, What Buyers Want from Photographers, this webinar sheds light on what potential clients love and hate about photographer promotions. Attendees will learn how to create effective promotions that capture attention and turn into new business, where they go to find new talent, and how to avoid common mistakes that drive them crazy. Taking place tomorrow, 25th May, from 4pm to 5pm EDT; the “How We Hire Photographers” webinar consists of two thirty-minute interviews with Erin Fagerland, Martha Stewart Living’s Assistant Picture Researcher & Special Projects Photo Editor and Kat Dalager, Manager of Print Production at advertising agency Campbell Mithun. Interested readers can register at the website below.

Website: How We Hire Photographers Webinar Registration

Ilford has announced that ICC profiles to maximise results when using the Ilford Galerie range of print media on the latest Canon printers are available for free at the Ilford website. Thanks to the Ilford ICC profiles, professional photographers using Galerie media with the new Canon printers (to wit, the imagePROGRAF iPF6300S and iPF8300S models) can take full advantage of the colour possibilities. The wide colour gamut achieved includes superb blacks, clear whites and rich jewel tones for sharp contrast and vivid images, the company says.

Canon USA has launched a new multi-dimensional marketing campaign, “Long Live Imagination,” which centres on a unique collaboration with one of Hollywood’s most influential directors, Ron Howard. Photographers of all levels are invited to submit their most imaginative photographs based on a series of movie themes for “Project Imagin8ion,” the first user-generated photo contest in history to ultimately inspire a Hollywood short film. “I’m known as a narrative storyteller, so when Canon approached me to partner on the ‘Long Live Imagination’ campaign, I was moved by the opportunity to collaborate with the masses, tapping into consumers’ creativity and using their photos as building blocks to produce a film,” said Howard. You have until 14th June to submit photos to inspire eight movie themes:  Setting, Time, Character, Mood, Relationship, Goal, Obstacle and the Unknown.

Kingston today announced it is shipping a 32GB Class 10 microSDHC card, adding to its family of 4GB, 8GB and 16GB Class 10 cards. The cards come as a standalone, with an SD adapter or as a Mobility/Multi-Kit which includes the card, SD adapter and USB card reader. Backed by Kingston’s lifetime warranty, the new 32GB Class 10 microSDHC card costs £80.35 (£80.50 with the SD adapter and £81.90 in the Mobility Kit). These prices do not include VAT.

ACDSee Pro 4 is now available for purchase. Featuring patent-pending LCE (Lighting and Contrast Enhancement) technology, ACDSee incorporates single-exposure HDR imaging algorithms that work on raw image files, allowing photos to more accurately reflect the subject.  Lighting and exposure problems, including high contrast and backlit scenes, insufficient flash, dull images, and under and overexposure are corrected in seconds, the company claims. ACDSee Pro 4 is billed as a complete solution that offers raw conversion, photo editing, file management and easy photo sharing in a single product. The program is available now at $239.99. Those who own an ACDSee product can upgrade for $167.99

Deadly Instinct by Melissa Farris is a new photography book from National Geographic. “[The book] brings readers the ultimate in shocking predatory behaviour through vivid and candid pictures of animals in the wild fighting for survival,” says Carrie Engel, National Geographic Society. Priced at $26, Deadly Instinct features interviews with world-renowned National Geographic photographers such as Chris Johns, Joel Sartore and Brian Skerry who discuss their adventures photographing animals in their natural habitat and the dangers they face to get the best shot. The 192-page hardback is available for pre-order now, and will start shipping on 1st June.

Leaf today announced that its latest release of Leaf Capture software delivers a newly designed touch screen GUI (Graphic User Interface). Designed with the needs of professional photographers in mind, it offers improved workflow processes and quicker access to important tools through its new menu. The new Leaf GUI’s outdoor theme also makes exterior shooting much easier by improving visibility in high glare and reflection situations. The new Leaf GUI is available for all models in the Leaf Aptus-II series.

NoiseControl is a new noise filtering application released by The Plugin Site. Currently available as a plugin to IrfanView, Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Photo-Paint and PhotoImpact (and many other pieces of software), NoiseControl will also be sold as a standalone product. This software solution can be used to reduce noise in photos captured with digital cameras as well as grain and grain aliasing artefacts present in film scans. NoiseControl is presently available for Windows only, but a Mac OS X version is in the making, The Plugin Site says. The plugin is available for $49.95.

BenQ has released a new 14-megapixel, 5x zoom digital camera in its S-series. Featuring a 26-130mm equivalent lens, optical image stabilisation and a 3” monitor with a resolution of 460,000 dots, the BenQ S1430 comes with a range of creative shooting modes, including “Toy”, “LOMO”, “Colour Accent” and “Fisheye”. Functions like HDR imaging, skin softening and “de-blemishing” are also on board to help users capture pleasing photos. Pricing to be confirmed.

The Casio EX-Z3000 is a 16.1-megapixel digital compact camera with 8x optical zoom and a 3.2” touch-sensitive LCD screen. Users can activate the shutter simply by touching the screen: with a single touch, the camera focuses on that point in the scene and captures the image. The Casio EX-Z3000 also features CCD-shift image stabilisation and high-speed autofocus (0.14s at the wide end of the zoom).  The EXILIM EX-Z3000 is available in four colours: silver, pink, brown, and red. Pricing to be confirmed.

Ohanaware has updated its HDRtist Pro software to version 1.0.2. HDRtist Pro is an advanced HDR imaging tool that is able to wield and manipulate 128-bit floating-point images and can work with multiple exposures as well as single raw image files. The new version fixes two display issues that some customers were having, adds support for 16-Bit Photoshop files, fixes a bug with dragging in HDRP files, and brings a couple of other improvements. HDRtist Pro 1.0.2 is a free update for all customers, for new customers HDRtist Pro is $29.99 / £19.99.

Corel has announced CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition, a graphics collection that combines four design essentials to expand the user’s creative toolbox. The package includes the full CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 plus Corel Painter 11, a selection of high-quality and royalty free stock photos and vector images from Fotolia’s vast collection and a Wacom Intuos 4 small tablet. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition is available now in English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Czech and Russian at the SRP of £618 for full version and £366 for upgrade customers. All prices include VAT.