M-ROCK is introducing the fifth generation of its premium camera, camcorder and lens bags, camera laptop & roller bags, camera backpacks and slings. M-ROCK designers focused on what they consider to be the two most critical jobs a camera bag is built to do; protect the delicate equipment and be convenient to use. The M-ROCK range separates itself into eight sections with the flagship category being the SLR camera bags.

Get $1,000 off a a new Mamiya RZ33 digital camera kit by trading in a RZ67 or RB67 camera body. The Mamiya RZ33 is a new large-sensor digital camera kit featuring a high performance 33 megapixel CCD sensor. This trade-in program runs in the US from July 2010 until September 30, 2010 with a limit of one trade-in per RZ33 purchased.

Thames Valley Photo Workshops offers photo training for all photographers. The ten week Foundation and Professional courses will be launched at a welcome evening on September 2nd at 6.30pm at the Images By Kevin studio at the Lamb Arcade, Wallingford, Oxfordshire. The Thames Valley Photo Workshops marry a range of digital capture and post-production techniques with contextual studies and professional practice.

The Swann RemoteCam looks like a car remote control and stealthily records and captures both videos and still images. It records full colour AVI video files with a resolution of 720 x 480, or 1280 x 1024 JPEG still images at the push of a button. The 2GB micro SD card included will store up to 40 minutes of recording at 30 frames per second. The new Swann RemoteCam is now available at £49.99 in the UK from PC World.

Photo Productions have launched brand new Pocket Books to complement their existing range of albums. Starting at only £18.00, these miniature albums are the perfect accompaniment to the larger Photobooks. New features have also been added to Photo Productions’ user friendly website, including the ability for Photographers to supply their own Photobook design and get a 10% discount in return.

We’ve been busy doing some work behind the scenes to help speed-up the site and make it more responsive. Hopefully you should find the latest version of Photography Blog a lot quicker to load than the previous incarnation. There may be a few bugs, so if you do experience anything untoward, please report it in the comments section of this post.

Nikon is planning to release a “new concept” SLR camera according to President Makoto Kimura. Available either this year or in 2011, the new Nikon hybrid may use the same mirrorless structure as rival cameras from Panasonic, Olympus, Samsung and Sony. According to the interview by Bloomberg, Nikon’s entry into the hybrid market will also possibly “have an enhanced function for video recording”.

The Sony Cyber-shot WX5, TX9 and T99 compact digital cameras have been unveiled today. The WX5 and TX9 are the first Cyber-shots to offer 3D Sweep Panorama. The WX5 and TX9 also feature a 12.2 megapixel Exmor R CMOS Sensor for low noise performance, 1080i Full HD movie recording, Superior Auto mode and Background defocus mode. The 14.1 megapixel Cyber-shot T99 offers Sweep Panorama and 720p HD movie recording. The Sony Cyber-shot WX5, TX9 and T99 digital cameras will be available from mid-September 2010.

Color Confidence has launched two powerful product bundles for the photographic market, which deliver a complete, accurate capture-to-monitor-to-print solution. The Color Confidence Profiler Photo consists of the Color Confidence Profiler and the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. “Both ensure that photographers can capture their shots, view their digital images and print them with absolute peace of mind when it comes to colour accuracy and is a further example of our striving to be a true one-stop-shop for all things photographic.” said Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director of Color Confidence. Both packages are in stock and available now.

Nikon has published new images from Space, some of which were captured with the Nikon D3S digital SLR camera. In 2009, NASA ordered eleven D3S cameras and seven AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lenses for use in recording activities aboard the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. The D3S cameras were the same products available to consumers with no special modifications, and they were delivered to the ISS via the Space Shuttle Discovery launched on April 5, 2010. To date, NASA has captured more than 700,000 images with Nikon equipment carried into space.

AKVIS LightShop 3 lets you create an infinite number of amazing light effects. Version 3.0 has improved compatibility with Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6. 64-bit, and now works with Adobe Photoshop CS4/CS5 64-bit. AKVIS LightShop costs $97 USD.

Explore the highlights and hidden delights of the languid and exotic state of Kerala on a new Better Travel Photography photo tour. The tour includes custom tuition from Steve Davey, which takes the form of illustrated talks, group practical sessions and work critiques. The tour departs from Cochin, India on the 24 November for 14 days, and costs £1395 excluding flights.

Lexar have just launched the “Take the Next Shot” sweepstakes on Facebook. One random winner will receive their choice of a Nikon D300s with 16-85mm VR lens kit or a Canon EOS 7D with EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens kit, as well as two 16GB Professional 600x CF cards and the choice of a Professional UDMA Dual-Slot Card Reader of a UDMA FireWire 800 Reader. Ten other winners will be chosen at random and review the choice of a Professional 300x 16GB CF card or a Professional 133x 16GB SDHC card.

To enter, you only need to become a fan of the Lexar Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lexarmedia), enter through the sweepstakes tab, and send your best picture to [email protected]. The sweepstakes runs from July 1 through July 31.

Exposure: England is a photographic exploration of the Yorkshire Dales in England. From September 11-18, roughly a dozen photographers of a wide variety of backgrounds and skills will live together in a small village in Arkengarthdale in order to develop a collective impression of the Dales. Any parties interested in participating as an Exposure: England photographer are invited to complete an application online by 21 July 2010.

GearGuard is a new a series of camera and equipment security devices that provide photographers with a theft prevention system for their gear. The flagship products in this new line include the GearGuard Camera Body Lock and the GearGuard Bag Lock, both of which are designed to safeguard a camera from the constant snatch-and-grab threat faced by photographers. Both the GearGuard Camera Body Lock and the Bag Lock (which is sold as a set of two units) are available for $9.95.

PicTreat.com makes it fast and easy to instantly retouch any photograph. With a single click, PicTreat.com magically removes unsightly skin flaws, like blotchiness and blemishes, removes red-eye and auto-corrects the image color to produce the best photo. PicTreat.com is completely free and no registration is required.

A free software update is now available for the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. Version 1.0.2 is fully compatible with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, improves color extraction for better profile accuracy, and improves patch detection. X-Rite’s ColorChecker Passport device is a powerful “capture to edit” color solution for any photographer looking for more accurate, consistent color and creative flexibility in their digital photography Raw workflow.

Samsung has partnered with leading aerial photographer Jason Hawkes to capture the artistic brilliance of London and its famous landmarks from above after dark, using Samsung’s new EX1 camera. Hawkes travelled across the city by helicopter taking images with the new EX1, using its impressive capabilities for taking shots in low light conditions. Hawkes commented “The EX1 is a very impressive and intuitive compact camera, with a great build. It has a remarkable set of features, such as the bright f/1.8 Schneider lens, which would be valuable for any photography enthusiast, and I was pleased to be able to test the extent of its capabilities during the low-light conditions on the shoot. The swivelling AMOLED screen on the back of the camera is a great feature, and proved useful in the helicopter during the shoot. And finally, the ability to work with RAW files was also a real bonus for a camera within this category – until now this has often remained within the domain of the pro models.”

Read our Samsung EX1 Review

The inaugural Democracy Photo Challenge asks people around the world to complete the phrase “Democracy is…” through digital photos. Entries will be accepted online from July 7 through July 28. An independent jury will announce 36 finalists August 19, and the public will select 12 winners during a global online vote beginning August 19 - August 26.  The winners will be announced on the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Democracy, September 15, with the winning photographs exhibited at the UN in New York.