The Switronix XP-DV-CH is a power adapter cable for Canon’s EOS 5D, 7D and 60D digital SLR cameras. Featuring a regulated 7.9V battery paddle and an inline female p-tap connector for 12V DC, housed in an enclosure, it also includes both red and green LED indication to display battery power status. The cable can be used in association with a Switronix accessory or used solo with a PRO-X series lithium-ion battery product.

Panasonic has developed a new-generation 1/2.33” type 14-megapixel MOS image sensor boasting best-in-class sensitivity for low noise. Intended for use in digicams, camcorders and camera phones, the new sensor provides a sensitivity of 3050 el/lx/sec/?m², while the new light-focusing structure employed “significantly expands the incident light angle, ensuring uniform and high picture quality” and enables the production of slimmer cameras, the company says. Mass production is scheduled to start in December.

Apple has issued a Camera RAW compatibility update to add support for five - mostly - new digital cameras. These include the following models:

Fujifilm FinePix X100
Nikon D5100
Olympus E-PL2
Olympus XZ-1 (pictured)
Samsung GX-1S

These and all previously added digital cameras benefit from system-level raw file support in Mac OS X v10.6.

Website: Mac OS X v10.6: Supported digital camera RAW formats

Rocky Nook’s newest title, Painting with Light: Light Art Performance Photography, is now available in the UK. Released last month in the USA, Painting with Light introduces readers to the art of LAPP, or Light Art Performance Photography. Unlike other types of light painting, LAPP doesn’t just involve illuminating existing objects; it also requires the photographer to create and capture new subjects constructed entirely of light. Real-world surroundings are combined with transient, light-based elements to produce spectacular effects. This book describes the evolution of LAPP, while the middle section goes on to present a gallery of images. The final section offers some basic steps and tips to give you a starting point for creating your own artworks. The 224-page book is available now for £27.50.

Canon has once again been voted Europe’s ‘most trusted’ camera brand by readers of Reader’s Digest. The Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brands Survey is an annual pan-European survey of consumer attitudes to brand products and services. Canon came out on top in 13 of the 16 countries surveyed. This is the eleventh consecutive year that Canon has been voted as Europe’s top camera brand.

Point of Interest is an upcoming exhibition of images taken by Magnum photographer Peter Marlow. The twenty-seven colour photographs and ten black-and-white prints are from a body of work comprising several thousand photographs that have been made alongside major projects. “It is photojournalism turned inside out, where the geography of where he is in the world, and the narrative context, becomes an irrelevant and unnecessary detail,” the organisers say. “The title Point of Interest is surely ironic – these images capture the overlooked, the abandoned, the derelict and the detritus of contemporary life and would rarely be the focus or centre of anyone’s point of interest. It is Marlow who places them centre stage in a sequence of masterly but disturbing photographs.” Running from 24 May - 2 July 2011, the exhibition is hosted by the Wapping Project Bankside gallery, 65a Hopton Street, London, SE1 9LR.

“Full Exposure: Images to Change the Future” is a photography symposium featuring acclaimed photographers Daniel Beltrá and Molly Steinwald, presented by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and sponsored by National Camera Exchange and Tamron USA. The lecture-style symposium will meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, 11th June, in the Arboretum’s Oswald Visitor Center. The symposium fee is $40 for Arboretum members and $50 for non-members. To register, visit the website below.

Photowrap is a brand new series of online workshops on documentary photography. The three-week course begins on 6th June and goes on until the 26th. Participants from around the world can log in on the private Flickr Photowrap group to take part in live discussions, upload their photographs and follow the tasks given every other day. Skype will be used for a series of one-to-one sessions that will regularly take place to tailor the tutoring around the students’ needs and time-schedules. In addition to that, special-guest reviewers will provide feedback on participants’ images. Once the course is finished, the photographers’ photo-essays will be published in the ever-growing Photowrap website, through which they will receive international exposure. The cost of attendance is £500.

Website: Photowrap

The London Street Photography Festival launches this summer to celebrate the time-honoured genre. Taking place from 1st-31st July 2011, the festival features curated exhibitions alongside a diverse events programme. Highlights include the first UK exhibition of the incredible archives of mysterious Chicago street photographer Vivian Maier at the German Gymnasium, as well as a newly discovered body of work by previously unknown British photographer Walter Joseph. (Chicago nanny Vivian Maier died in 2009, leaving behind an incredible archive of over 100,000 negatives, prints, and home-made films only discovered shortly before her death, while Joseph was a Darmstadt-born Jewish refugee and a dedicated amateur and semi-professional photographer who photographed London markets and street traders
after the Second World War.) The festival will also present the first ever International Street Photography Award, alongside a student category, celebrating the best work undertaken today from thousands of submissions received from around the world.

GeoPhoto 2.0 is an iPad app that lets users virtually travel around the world by finding geotagged pictures. It’s just a matter of selecting an area of the world map and clicking the search button. Shortly afterwards the screen will be filled with the best images found in that area. Version 2.0, which adds a brand new user interface and sharing options, is available on iTunes for $0.99.

The new BosStrap is a camera sling system that offers a unique approach that relies on a 1-1/2” wide nylon belt to distribute the weight of the camera on your shoulder, and a BosTail that remains attached to the camera. A TriggerLoc on the BosStrap attaches to a metal ring on the BosTail.  In use the camera slides smoothly up to your eye; at rest the camera sits at your hip.  BosStraps use the left camera strap lug as an attachment point which is safer than attaching to the tripod socket, the company claims.  Since there is no screw to remove from the tripod socket, moving between hand-held shooting and a tripod is easy. The BosStrap System includes the BosStrap and one BosTail for $39.95. BosTails are also available separately for $6.95 each.

The Pentax 645D medium-format digital SLR camera has been selected as Camera of The Year at the Camera GP Japan 2011 Awards. The annual Camera Grand Prix Awards are one of the most prestigious camera awards in Japan and are sponsored by the Camera Journal Press Club (CJPC), a group of photography writers from the top 11 photo and camera magazines in Japan. The panel concluded that, as the first medium-format digital SLR camera launched by Pentax, the 645D represented “the perfect combination of many advanced and photographer-friendly features”, including an extra-large CCD image sensor housed within a highly dependable dust-proof, weather resistant body.

Lowepro has launched its brand new Compact Courier Series, consisting of the Compact Courier 70 and 80. Ideal for compact system cameras, the Compact Courier Series is a lightweight and flexible carrying shoulder bag solution. Both bags feature padded interiors with contrasting brushed tricot lining,  a built-in memory card pocket on the outside flap, a built-in microfiber cleaning cloth to protect a lens and LCD screen from dust and smudges, an extra-wide dual-zippered opening for easy access to the main compartment, hook/loop fasteners on the flap;,  an adjustable shoulder strap, a built-in belt loop, sturdy hardware; and durable water-resistant materials that protect from impact and moisture. The Compact Courier 80 and Compact Courier 70 (pictured) are available in Black (with Red piping) and Grey (with Arctic Blue piping) both sizes are $39.99.

The BenQ P1410 digital compact camera is BenQ’s first model to feature a 7x optical zoom. Other features include a fourteen-megapixel imager, a clear 460k-pixel 3” LCD display, powerful double anti-shake system, special shooting effects and an ultra-slim casing. Powered by BenQ’s latest HDR II image enhancement technology, the P1410 is able to self-adjust the darkest and the brightest parts in a photo in order to faithfully reproduce the wide range of brightness levels present in an outdoor scene under extreme lighting conditions. The camera can also capture HD movie clips at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The new BenQ P1410 digital camera will be available worldwide in May 2011. Price to be announced.

The Nauticam NA-XZ1 is an underwater housing for the Olympus XZ-1 advanced compact camera. This housing puts all of the important controls on the camera within easy reach. Shutter Release, Zoom, Movie Record, and both control dials are placed for easy access. The housing back is sealed with an easy to operate rotary latch that securely locks in place. A safety release button must be pressed in order to begin rotating the clasp, eliminating the chance of accidental opening. The housing body is machined from solid aircraft grade aluminium, then hard anodised making it impervious to salt water. Depth rated to 100 metres, the Nauticam NA-XZ1 is available now for $950.

Jill-e Designs has been chosen by Canon U.S.A. to create a high-fashion, high-function bag ideal for photographers on the go. The new Canon Deluxe Gadget Bag, available in rich, black faux leather, has been exclusively designed for a Canon DSLR photography set-up. The new bag features padded walls, configurable dividers, plenty of pockets, secure straps and “head-turning good looks”. The Canon Deluxe Gadget Bag by Jill-e Designs, priced at $109.99, is available exclusively at the Canon Online Store.

In June, Think Tank Photo will release its redesigned Speed Demon V2.0, Speed Freak V2.0, and Speed Racer V2.0 as shoulder bags in its new Speed Convertible Series. Each Speed Convertible bag features a “disappearing” belt that tucks away into the sides of the bag. Other features include a flip-top lid that folds away from the body for rapid and convenient access to gear, a fully padded shoulder strap, built-in modular rails for attachment of Think Tank’s Modular, Skin or Multimedia components, and a soft kidney-shaped design. The smallest bag, Speed Demon V2.0, can carry a standard size DSLR with a standard zoom lens attached (hood reversed) and a wide angle zoom lens beside. The medium size Speed Freak V2.0 also carries a standard size DSLR with a zoom lens attached and is tall enough to accommodate a 70–200 f2.8 lens in the bag. The Speed Racer V2.0, the most spacious of the series, effortlessly fits in the main compartment a pro size DSLR with a standard zoom lens attached and a separate 70–200 f/2.8 telezoom.

Canon has issued a firmware update for the Canon EOS 600D digital SLR camera. Version 1.0.1 clarifies the feature guide description of the digital zoom function for movie-shooting and fixes a bug which, in rare cases, prevented computers from recognising the camera when connected via a USB cable. The firmware upgrade can be downloaded from the websites below.

Website: Canon EOS 600D Firmware 1.0.1 - Mac Version
Website: Canon EOS 600D Firmware 1.0.1 - Windows Version

Sony’s newest Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX card boasts data transfer speeds of up to 50MB/sec. 1.6x faster than previous Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX cards – and available at the same price – it’s quicker than today’s fastest commercially available UHS-I SD cards when used with devices by Sony, the company claims. Available in capacities from 8GB to 32GB, the newest Memory Stick is optimised for sustained burst shooting with today’s high-resolution cameras. The card is backed by a 10-year warranty by Sony and comes with free File Rescue and x-Pict Story software.