Polish software developer Starsoft has released an iPhone app called Exposure Value Meter. Working from 3EV to 17EV, the app measures ambient exposure, and performs shutter speed and aperture calcualations for any ISO sensitivity setting. Measurements are stored, and the results of previous measurements can be retrieved byt he user. The app can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store for $2.99.

Word on the Street is a new book by photographer Richard Nagler. The 128-page hardcover contains seventy photographs that pair isolated words found in Nagler’s environment with random passersby. “It is the culmination of Nagler’s decades-long project of seeking out words that appear in public spaces and waiting until just the right person walks by to capture photos that are sometimes playful, sometimes poignant, and always arresting,” the publisher says. Word on the Street is available now from Heyday, at a price of $25.

Kenro has announced the immediate availability of the Nissin Di622 Mark II flash in the UK. Introduced at Photokina, the Nissin Di622 Mark II is an upgraded version of the popular Di622. New improvements include wireless TTL, and MY TTL. The unit also boasts a useful x-sync socket. Available now, with an RRP of £224.95, the unit comes with either a Canon or Nikon fitting and the relevant versions are compatible with Canon’s E-TTL, E-TTLII system, and Nikon’s i-TTL. Powered by four AA batteries, the flash has a zooming head, and the guide number is 62 in metres at the 105mm setting.

SF Photo School has just announced a series of webinars entitled, ‘The Masters of Light’. Presented by the UK’s top photography trainers including Kevin Wilson, Martin Grahame-Dunn & Uzair Kharawala, this six-session webinar series will cover topics such as composition, lighting, posing, off-camera flash, using video and window light. The first webinar will take place on Sunday, 23rd January, while the sixth will be held on Wednesday, 9th February.The price for this webinar series is £29+VAT for all six sessions. For more details, check out the website below.

The Mead Gallery is hosting a major exhibition of works by photographer Hannah Starkey. Twenty-Nine Pictures “examines the development of a remarkable body of work, and marks the transfer of her image-making from film to digital photography”. The exhibitionm which runs from 15th January until 12th March, is curated by Diarmuid Costello of the Philosophy Department of the University of Warwick. The Mead Gallery is located at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry CV4 7AL.

Hart Codeworks has announcedSmart Shooter v1.1, an update to the digital photography workflow application for tethered shooting, remote capture and advanced camera control. The update adds support for all recent Nikon DLSR cameras, making it possible to now control both Canon and Nikon DLSRs simultaneously from the same application. Smart Shooter is available for both Windows and Mac, and is priced at £32.

Transcend today announced the addition of the new JetFlash 700 USB flash drive to its USB 3.0 product portfolio. The drive enables data transfer rates of up to 70MB/s and features a sturdy structure, smooth surface, and a streamlined appearance. Users of the JetFlash drives can download the useful JetFlash Elite data management tools, which allow users to check their email from any compatible computer, use the JetFlash drive as a key to automatically log on to website accounts, and more. The JetFlash 700 is now available for a suggested price of $29 for the 8GB model, $46 for the 16GB model and $125 for the 32GB model.

The Fujifilm FinePix HS20 is a new 30x super-zoom digital camera. New features offered by the HS20 include a 16 megapixel EXR CMOS sensor, 8fps high speed continuous shooting, 0.16 second autofocusing, an improved user interface, and Full 1080p HD video. The Fujifilm FinePix HS20 will be available in late March, priced at $499.95 / £399.

The Fujifilm FinePix F550 EXR and F500 EXR are two new premium compact cameras. New features include an innovative 16 megapixel EXR CMOS sensor, advanced GPS functions (F550 model), high speed shooting capabilities, a 15x wide-angle zoom lens, Full HD video functionality and an improved user interface. The FinePix F500EXR and F550EXR will be available in mid-March 2011 for $329.95 / £279 and $349.95 / £329 respectively.

The Fujifilm FinePix XP30 is the world’s first water, shock, dust and freeze proof camera to feature built-in GPS. In addition to GPS and its rugged build quality, the XP30 also features a 5x wide-angle zoom lens, 14 megapixel resolution and a healthy range of picture taking functions. The Fujifilm FinePix XP20 is exactly the same camera, except for the omission of GPS. The FinePix XP20 will be available late March 2011 at $199.95 (US only), and the FinePix XP30 will be available in mid-February 2011 at $239.95 / £199.

The Fujifilm FinePix Z90 is a new fashion-conscious digital camera. Successor to the Z70 model, the Z90 features a 3-inch wide LCD touch screen, a 14 megapixel sensor, a 5x Fujinon optical zoom, 720p HD movie and 1080p image capture, and a YouTube/Facebook easy web upload facility. The Fujifilm FinePix Z90 will be available in mid-January for $169.95 / £149.

The Fujifilm FinePix S4000 / S3200 / S2950 are three new super-zoom digital cameras. The 14 megapixel S4000 / S3200 / S2950 offer 30x, 24x and 18x zoom lenses, respectively, as well as dual image stabilization. These cameras also have large 3 inch LCDs, with the S2950 and S3200 at 230K and the S4000 at 460K, an Electronic Viewfinder, 720p video, Motion Panorama shooting mode, Smile and Blink Detection, Face Recognition (FinePix S3200 and S4000 only) and Image Searching. The Fujifilm FinePix S2950 will be available in January priced at $229.95, the S3200 in February at $249.95, and the S4000 in March at $279.95.

The Fujifilm FinePix T300 and T200 are a new range of ultra-compact digital cameras. The T300 and T200 have 14-MegaPixel CCD sensors, FUJINON 10x long-zoom lenses, 720p HD video, and are 18.5mm* thin. The T300 has a 3.0inch LCD, while the T200 has a 2.7 inch LCD. The Fujifilm FinePix T200 will be available in March at $179.95 and the Fujifilm FinePix T300 in April at $199.95.

The Fujifilm FinePix JX350 and JX300 are new slim and stylish digital cameras. The fashionable and highly-portable JX350 and JX300 offer a slim, trend-setting design with powerful features, high resolution sensors, powerful FUJINON 5x zoom lenses and 720p HD movie capture capabilities. The Fujifilm FinePix JX300 will be available in mid-February at $129.95, and the JX350 in April at $159.95.

The Fujifilm FinePix AX300, AV200 and JV200 are three new entry-level compact digital cameras. These easy-to-use cameras contain robust features that include high resolution sensors, powerful zoom and HD movie 720p capabilities, all at an affordable price. All three cameras will be available in February 2011. The AX300 will be available in silver for $99.95, the AV200 in black at $89.95 and the JV200 in black for $109.95.

The Samsung SH100 is a new Wi-Fi enabled digital camera. The SH100 built in Wi-Fi wirelessly connects to other devices, automatically back up your shots to your PC, or wirelessly connect to your HDTV. The Wi-Fi capability on the SH100 also allows you to use your smartphone as a remote control and viewing device for your camera. The Samsung SH100 will be available in March for $199.99.

The winners of the December 2010 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for December was “Frozen” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Frozen Patterns by mortong

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

Lexar today announced the innovative Echo MX and ZX backup drives, designed to automatically protect essential files for on-the-go netbook and notebook users. The Lexar Echo MX back-up drive provides 128-bit AES encryption with built-in Lexar Echo backup software, along with an easy-to-read, always-on capacity meter that displays available backup space, even when disconnected from a computer. Available in capacities of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, the Echo MX offers speeds up to 28MB/s read and 10MB/s write on lower capacities and speeds up to 30MB/s read and 17MB/s write for the 128GB capacity. The Lexar Echo ZX is an always-ready, low-profile drive can easily plug into a notebook or netbook and remain there for ongoing, automatic backup of essential files when both stationary and on the go. The Echo ZX drive comes in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities. RRPs for the products range from £24.99 to £299.99 for the Echo MX and £24.99 to £84.99 for the Echo ZX.

The BenQ M31 is a Full HD video camera sporting a 10x zoom lens and a 10-megapixel sensor. The camcorder Touch AF Lock, Face Exposure Tracking and an Electronic Image Stabiliser, as well as time-lapse recording. A 3-second pre-recording feature saves the video three seconds before the user actually presses the record button. To facilitate sharing, the M31 features a Dual Stream recording function that simultaneously creates two different video files as videos are being filmed.The Dual Stream offers the flexibility for a quick upload on Youtube, Facebook or a Full HD viewing experience on a widescreen TV in your living room. The BenQ M31 comes in Slick Grey with a shade of blue and Exotic Red (pictured), and will be available in China in January 2011, and Asia Pacific and Latin America in February 2011. There is no word yet on EU/US pricing and availability.

Lexar has unveiled a range of Class 10 SDXC memory cards, including the world’s first 128GB model. Speed rated at 133x, providing a minimum guaranteed transfer speed of 20MB per second, the newSDXC memory cards are compatible with all SDXC-enabled devices and include the latest version of Lexar’s Image Rescue software to help recover lost or deleted photo and video files. The 128GB version retails for $699.99, while the 64GB model is $399.99. Both memory cards will become available in the first quarter of 2011.