The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS22 - also known as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 in the U.S.A. - is a new digital compact camera with a touch-screen interface and a Leica branded 28-112mm lens. With a maximum aperture of f/3.1-6.5, the lens isn’t terribly fast but it does feature Panasonic’s Mega Optical Image Stabiliser. The sensor offers 16 megapixels of resolution for stills and is also capable of recording 720p HD videos. The touch-sensitive rear screen has 230,000 dots and provides Touch AF/AE and Touch Shutter functionality. The “Sonic Speed AF” of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 promises focusing speeds up to 45% faster than the DMC-FH3. The camera will be available from July. Pricing to be announced.

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7/FS22

John Swannell, world renowned fashion, beauty and royal photographer, is hosting a public lecture at The Royal Geographical Society on 7th June in order to raise funds for the National Autistic Society. The lecture will take the form of a journey through John’s photographic career, from his first days as an assistant at Vogue Studios through to his time working for publications such as Harpers & Queen, The Sunday Times and Tatler. John Swannell said: “This will be the first time I have talked in public about the early years of my career and I will also be revealing some never-seen before photographs as well as some of my more famous work.” Tickets will cost £15 with all proceeds going to charity. To book tickets visit the website below.

Carousel 1.0 b Mobelux is a third-party Instagram app that allows Mac users to view their feed, popular photos, photos they posted, photos taken at a location and save their photos. “All of us at Mobelux are huge Instagram fans and while we love posting photos and checking our feed on the go, we also wanted a way to explore Instagram while we were working throughout the day on our Macs.” said Jeff Rock, co-founder of Mobelux. “We feel like we’ve come up with a wonderful way to do that while taking up a minimal desktop footprint.” Carousel is available immediately for an introductory price of $4.99 at the Carousel website.

he Artsicle Photography Show in New York City is an opportunity for American artists to show their photographs at a Chelsea gallery. Held at the World Monuments Fund Gallery located in the heart of Manhattan, this week-long exhibition will take place from 4th through 12th August. To take this opportunity, choose the three photographs that best represent your work and upload them to RocketHub - a launchpad and community for independent artists and entrepreneurs - along with a short written description. A panel of judges will then select the five best photographers who will be given an exclusive place in the exhibition and the option to sell at the gallery and to distribute work through Artsicle’s curated marketplace. The entry fee is $5.

Website: Artsicle Photography Show

onOne Software has released a free public preview of its new Perfect Layers application. Inspired by and designed with Scott Kelby, Perfect Layers supports the creation of layered files that can be opened and edited by Adobe Photoshop and can be used directly from within Lightroom and Bridge. The Perfect Layers Public Preview release is available immediately at the website below. This is a time limited release that expires on 30th June. The shipping version will be available, with additional features including Apple Aperture support, by mid-2011.

The 2011 international Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) are now open for entries. TPOTY 2011 has four Portfolio categories, two single-image categories, a New Talent award and the Young Travel Photographer of the Year award. The overall winner of the awards – the Travel Photographer of the Year 2011 – will be the photographer who submits the best entries in two of the four portfolio categories. Images can be submitted as prints or uploaded online. Entries for the 2011 TPOTY awards close on 9 October 2011. Entry fees start at £10 but Young TPOTY is free to enter. For more information visit the website below.

Luxipics is an affordable, subscription-based service that allows photographers to present and sell their photos online. No web skills are needed and photographers can be selling their work as digital downloads or prints within minutes of signing up, the company says. The latest version is now available on a monthly subscription model, with the pro service starting at £7.99 per month. Luxipics software even provides a built-in shopping cart allowing customers to buy photos, downloads or even book studio time using all major credit cards securely via PayPal.

Website: Luxipics

app4cam has released version 6 of its gps4cam app for the Apple iPhone. This program allows iPhone users to geotag pictures taken with any digital camera. The app doesn’t need to connect to a network to be used, and doesn’t require the user to manually synchronise the time and date between his iPhone and his camera, thanks to the use of a QR-Code generated by the app itself. This last version brings ease-of.use improvements such as the addition of an on-board guided tour and an integrated FAQ. gps4cam is now available for $2.99 on iTunes.

Lowepro has launched a new series of camera cases. The first product in the Quick Case series is a classically styled, fitted case that provides streamlined protection and instant access to your camera. The Quick Case series takes its design inspiration from retro-style, fitted leather cases, but is designed with a modern feel. A hybrid nylon and genuine leather shell provides a tough impact-resistant, stylish exterior that helps safeguard gear from moisture, dust and sand. It’s lined with soft padding to protect the fragile lens and LCD screen from scratches and abrasion. The Quick Case series is available in two sizes: Quick Case 120 for DSLRs with kit zoom (pictured) and Quick Case 100 for bridge and ultrazooms and compact system cameras.

The brand new Brighton Photo Festival is taking place on 14th and 15th May as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival. Set in Brighton Marina Square, this will be an open-air event bringing together manufacturers, retailers, service providers as well as photographic exhibition stands. There is also a live stage with entertainment, live talks and demonstrations, whilst over in Eclectia Gallery and studio you can see great local photographers and a few extra special studio lighting and retouching demonstrations throughout the weekend. For more information, visit the webiste below.

From 20th May to 3rd June, 100 images of Japan taken over a period of 13 years by award-winning photographer Jason Hindley, will be exhibited at theprintspace gallery in Shoreditch, London. ‘Familiar and Distant’ is a compilation of Hindley’s personal photographs taken during his various trips to Japan. ” Seemingly familiar views of backstreets, public spaces, and people going about their daily life reveal subtle details in an intimate and yet reserved manner,” the organisers say. Admission is free, and there is an opportunity to purchase the exhibited prints at an affordable charity price, with all proceeds from the print sales going British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. The gallery is located at 74 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DL, and is open Monday-Friday from 9am till 7pm.

Nikon Japan has announced the discontinuance of the recently released Nikon Coolpix S4100 digital compact camera. The company says that in the wake of the devastating March earthquake, it encountered problems with parts procurement that prevent it from being able to maintain stable production and guarantee a steady supply. At this point in time, it’s unclear if the camera will ever be re-launched.

Source: Nikon Japan via NR

Update: Nikon Imaging Asia Pacific has issued a notice saying both the Nikon Coolpix S4100 and the Nikon Coolpix S6100 have been discontinued in Asia, but this may not apply to other markets.

Update 2: PDN Pulse is reporting that the cameras are - and will remain - available in the Americas.

Fujifilm has released a firmware update for its FinePix Real 3D W3 digital compact camera. Version 1.20 enables the camera to play back MP-format image files created with certain unspecified third-party devices. You can download the firmware upgrade and the transfer program for Windows and Mac OS from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Firmware Update

Phase One today released Media Pro, a new version of the digital asset management program once known as Microsoft Expression Media. Phase One acquired this software product a year ago. This new release brings seamless integration with Capture One, meaning photos and adjustments made in Capture One are updated in Media Pro and the two applications offer integrated exchange of the metadata that describe images, and convey ownership and licensing information. Media Pro is available now via download for €139 / $199 through Phase One’s Online Store. Current Expression Media 2 customers can upgrade to Media Pro for €39 / $59.

The three Adobe Photoshop Touch iPad apps announced a few weeks ago – Adobe Colour Lava, Adobe Eazel and Adobe Nav – are now available on iTunes. These apps enable users to create custom colour swatches, paint directly onscreen and drive popular Photoshop tools from tablet devices. Pricing for the applications is £2.99 for Adobe Eazel, £1.79 for Adobe Colour Lava and £1.19 for Adobe Nav.

Five UK politicians have been announced as winners of the ninth annual Jessops All-Party Parliamentary Photographic Competition. Over 450 entries were received from MPs and Lords from across the country who were invited to submit up to ten images each. This year’s winning MPs are Peter Luff MP with “Cretan Sea”, Tim Loughton MP with “Isfahan Market” and Nick Raynesford with “Leather Seller”. Winners from the House of Lords are Lord Allenby with “Foraging” and Lord Crathorne with “Bridesmaids Bus”. The winning entries will be available for public viewing from 16th May to 20th May at the Jessops All-Party Parliamentary Photographic Exhibition in The Robing Room.

Foto8 and Host Gallery have announced that the deadline for entries to the 4th Foto8 Summershow, a photographic award, exhibition and print fair, has been pushed to 31st May. The organisers have also unveiled the names of the judges - the panel comprises Charlotte Cotton, Creative Director National Media Museum Bradford, Emma Morris, Director of Photoworks, James Reid, Director of Photography: Wallpaper, and photographer Richard Billingham. Additionally, Foto8 have confirmed that the winner of the ‘Best in Show’ prize will be awarded £2000 rather than the £1500 mentioned in their original call for entries. Note that there is an administration fee of £20 for entries submitted before 5pm on 15 May 2011, while entries submitted after that date will incur a higher fee of £30. As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Website: 4th Foto8 Summershow

Travelshooters is a new UK-based travel photography holiday company offering photo holidays and workshops in India. Ladakh Monks & Mountains (September 2011) is a two-week photo tour which will take shooters to remote Himalayan high places in the Jammu & Kashmir region of India, combining landscapes, social documentary, wildlife and more. Pushkar Camel Fair, Diwali in Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle (October-November 2011, 15 days) centres on the annual Pushkar Camel Fair, and includes shooting from a hot-air balloon. More tours are under preparation right now, in India and in other countries, the company says.

Website Travelshooters

Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 4.0 is a program that helps recover your lost photos from memory cards & hard drives. Sunil Chandna, CEO of Stellar Data Recovery, comments, “Our brand new version of Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery is specially designed for home users and brings back lost picture memories in 3-simple steps. The new version is vastly improved to support all consumer & professional cameras and recovers over 50 different image, video & music file formats.” The software is available in English, German, Spanish, French & Italian language editions and works on Windows and Mac computers. The price is €31/$39, and the company is offering a 30-day money-back guarantee on the product.