3D Photo is an app that transforms ordinary photos taken with camera-enabled iOS devices into “fascinating and fragmented works of art”. The developers encourage users to “experiment with digital photography from a cubist approach”, and discover new ways of seeing their world, “as everyday objects are transformed into beautiful colours, textures and patterns”. Featuring 15 different 3D templates, live visualisation of a range of 3D effects and simple touch-screen controls, 3D Photo also allows users to immediately share their creations over e-mail, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. The application is available now on the App Store for $0.99.

Spider Holster has announced the immediate availability of its Spider Holster Black Widow Camera Holster. Offering a comfortable and secure carrying solution that ensures quick-draw access for entry-level DSLRs, camcorders and compact cameras; the Black Widow Camera Holster secures the camera firmly to the photographer’s hip and eliminates the neck, shoulder and back strain caused by cameras dangling from traditional neck straps or shoulder bags. Retailing for $49.99, the Black Widow Camera Holster easily threads onto any leather belt, including the optional Black Widow Belt ($15.99).

The winners of the January 2011 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for January was “Daybreak” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
A new day by desertpea

Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

The Ricoh GXR Lens Mount Unit is a new interchangeable unit camera system that accepts Leica and other third-party lenses. The GXR Lens Mount Unit will feature a 12.9 megapixel, APS-C size CMOS sensor and a newly developed focal plane shutter. Release of the Ricoh GXR Lens Mount Unit is planned for the autumn of 2011, with a design mock-up on display at the CP+ show in Japan (Feb 9th-12th).

The Sony HX100V and HX9V are two new super-zoom compact cameras with Full HD video. The HX100V has a 30x optical zoom, while the HX9V has a shorter 16x lens. Both models offer 16.2 effective megapixel Exmor R sensors, full HD video at 50 progressive frames per second, GPS/Compass function, 3.0” 921,000-dot Extra Fine LCDs, 3D Sweep Panoramas and 3D Still Images. The new Intelligent Sweep Panorama HR (High Resolution) mode captures huge panoramic images with a 10480x4096 resolution, over 40million pixels. The Sony W520 features a 14.1 megapixel CCD sensor, 5x optical zoom lens with 25mm wide angle, a 2.7” LCD screen, Sweep Panorama and Intelligent AUTO. The Party-Shot IPT-DS2 is a new docking base that automatically shoots smiling, relaxed portraits of everyone in the room.

The Sony W520 will be available from March 2011. The Sony HX100V and HX9V will be available from April 2011 for about $450 and $350. UK pricing to be announced.

California-based Indeeo today announced Camtastic 1.1.1 for iPhone 4, 3GS, and iPod touch. Camtastic lets users take photos using a variety of film style effects, which range from “Vintage” to “Lomo”. Version 1.1.1 brings several new features including photo geo-tagging, randomization of film and frame effects, a new Facebook sharing interface, and a detailed photo information view.Camtastic 1.1.1 is available for $1.99.

Website: Camtastic

Arca-Swiss has launched the d4 and d4m pan-tilt heads that “put an end to setting levers of 3D heads that extend in all directions and always get in the way”. The innovative design unites the pivot points of the X and Y movements at the same point, resulting in identical rotational radii. Every tilt movement has its own fine tuning knob and a lockable free wheel button.. When both knobs are unlocked, the tilts can optionally be carried out in freewheeling modus. The possibility of free movement in both axes using the freewheeling modus then ensures free movements similar to those of a ball head. The Arca-Swiss d4 (800 grams, €790) has separate gear mechanisms for X- and Y-axis movements, while the d4m (640 grams, €490) has no gears.

The shortlist for the 2011 Sony World Photography Awards has been announced. The 2011 competition has attracted more submissions than ever before, reaching all corners of the globe, with over 105,000 entries from 162 counties. The winners will be showcased as part of the World Photography Festival and Exhibitions at Somerset House in London.

Anthropics have launched Portrait Professional 10, a new version of their popular portrait airbrushing software. Billed as “the world’s first commercially available software that is trained in human beauty”, the program has analysed thousands of photos to “learn” what makes people look attractive or unattractive. Version 10 offers a new UI, improved face beautification, enhanced slider controls, better Saved Slider presets, improved brushes, a new Child mode and a new Enhance Skin Only mode. Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000 as well as MacOS X 10.4 or better, Portrait Professional 10 is available in three different editions priced from $39.95/?29.95/€34.95.

Datacolor has released a step-by-step guide to using its SpyderCube calibration device. The SpyderCube helps photographers obtain accurate white balance as well as exposure readings and apply these to a series of shots. The white face of the device helps define highlights; the grey face serves as a grey point target as well as a mid-tone reference point; the black face defines shadows in relations to the Black Trap; and the Black Trap defines absolute black. Photographers simply need to take one reference shot with the SpyderCube, adjust the settings in the SpyderCube software and save them as a preset, which can then be applied to an entire series of raw files. The video below guides you through these steps.

Pictinal today released TrueHDR 2.2, an update to TrueHDR, a high-dynamic-range photography app. TrueHDR enables users to take HDR photos on iPhone 4, 3GS, and iPod touch 4G, with two distinct styles - Natural and Enhanced. TrueHDR’s latest release includes geo-tagging, improved image alignment, and improved light metering for automatically setting exposures. To accompany the new release, TrueHDR has been placed on limited time sale for 0.99$, 50% off of its regular price.

Pad Folio is a simple and elegant portfolio program for the Ipad. It allows users to set up unlimited individual portfolios through an easy-to-use back-end. The back-end is password protected, and the user can sync through their computers or the cloud system dropbox. The program allows the user to set metadata, client information and thumbnail selections. Folios can be turned on and off depending on what you want your client to see. Pad Folio 1.3 is now available on the App Store for $9.99.

Website: Pad Folio

A two-day photography workshop run by SF Photo School has just been announced with multi award-winning photographers Kevin Wilson, Martin Grahame-Dunn and Uzair Kharawala. Topics to be covered include posing, composition, lighting, off-camera flash, work flow, editing, simple post-processing and business/marketing concepts. Taking place in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, the workshop costs £150+VAT per participant. Places are limited.

Website: Masters of Light

Practice for Everyday Life is a new exhibition presented by Calvert 22. Opening on 23 March and running until 22 May 2011, Practice for Everyday Life showcases new work from a selection of emerging artists from Russia, including Tanya Akhmetgalieva, Olga Bozhko, Alexander Ditmarov, Julia Ivashinka, Sergey Ogurtsov, Taus Makhacheva, Anna Titova and Arseniy Zhilyaev. The title for this exhibition is loosely derived from the seminal text by theorist, Michel de Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life. “As a way of framing this group of artists, it felt both an appropriate and playful reference point, with the double meaning evoked by the word ‘practice’ nicely conveying both a conviction of intention as well as a sense of ongoing experimentation and development,” the organisers say.

AKVIS has just released Version 12 of AKVIS Sketch for Windows and Macintosh. The software converts photos to colour and black-and-white pencil drawings and watercolour paintings. Version 12 introduces the new Smudging parameter which creates the effect of smearing hatching in midtone areas without affecting the contour lines of the drawing.This technique looks like a result of rubbing across a drawing in soft pencil with a stump tool, smooth paper, or a finger. As the value of the parameter is increased, shading becomes similar to soft graphite. It is a fast and simple way to add a soft and blurred texture to a sketch.  AKVIS Sketch Home Licence sells for $72 or €55.

The Panasonic GF2 is now available at retail. Successor to the popular GF1, the new 12 megapixel Panasonic GF2 is 19% smaller in size and 7% less in weight than than its predecessor. The DMC-GF2 has a touch control 460,000-dot LCD screen and a new Graphic User Interface (GUI) and full HD movies at 1920 x 1080 at 60i (NTSC) / 50i (PAL) in AVCHD format. The Panasonic Lumix GF2 retails at $499 body only, $599 with a 14-42mm lens, or $699.95 including a 14mm “pancake” lens.

Review: Read our review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2