Canon has issued a firmware update for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera. Version 2.0.7 brings about the following changes:

  1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the aperture exhibits abnormal movement when shooting movies in manual exposure mode and Aperture Priority AE (Av mode) using some Canon lenses.
  2. Fixes a phenomenon in which the exposure level shown in the LCD panel differs from what is shown in the viewfinder when shooting still images in manual exposure mode.
  3. Fixes a phenomenon in which the Wireless File Transmitter (WFT-E4 or WFT-E4 II) may not automatically power off when used for FTP transfers.

Website: Canon EOS 5D Mark II Firmware Update

The 28th edition of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine has just been released. This issue features techniques for improving photography at auto-shows, a portraiture tutorial on skin softening, and how to create digital frames for showing off web gallery photos with style. Additionally, photographers will learn how their peers are using personal blogs as a means for acquiring photography related jobs and freelance work. In their Photography Around the World series, the editors take readers to New Zealand for a photographic exploration of the Otago Rail Trail, a popular biking trail for outdoor photo enthusiasts. PhotographyBB Online Magazine is available for free download through the PhotographyBB website.

Website: PhotographyBB Online Magazine

Fujifilm has issued a firmware update for the Fujifilm Finepix HS10 ultrazoom camera. Version 1.02 fixes the following issues:

1. In Raw data a line is visible where colors slightly change when developed by Raw File Converter.
2. Battery indicator turns on too early.
3. When “Image Disp.” in set-up menu is set to “Zoom”, sometimes image corrupts.

You can download the firmware upgrade from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm FinePix HS10 Firmware Upgrade

Arctic explorer and photographer Martin Hartley has recorded historic images with an LEICA MP camera during a 60-day trek to the North Pole. “I carried the Leica MP around my neck in a thin waterproof bag to stop the moisture from my breath landing and then freezing on the viewfinder. The camera was instantly accessible all day every day, no matter how cold it got. Every time I wanted the camera to work, it did” Hartley commented.

The Mini Bounce is designed to fit onto the pop-up flash built into Nikon and Canon Digital SLR cameras, giving a boost to flash output and softening the light at the same time to give better results. The Mini Bounce sells for £12.99 including postage and is available from www.speedlightprokit.co.uk and stockists.

PocketWizards have unveiled the PowerST4 receiver and the AC9 AlienBees adapter, which bring the benefits of their ControlTL system to studio photographers. The PowerST4 receiver (pictured) is designed specifically for Elinchrom RX series lights, and provides remote power control capabilities when paired with an on-camera MiniTT1 Transmitter or FlexTT5 Transceiver. The AC9 AlienBees adapter slides into the top shoe of a FlexTT5 Transceiver and then attaches to an AlienBees or White Lighting studio light via the remote jack on the light. Both products are in final firmware testing now. According to PocketWizard, production of the PowerST4 is almost complete and will be shipping in June. The AC9 AlienBees adapter is scheduled for production in June and should be available in July.

National Geographic and Energizer have teamed up for the third annual Energizer Ultimate photo contest. Through Wednesday, 30 June, aspiring photographers can visit the website below to enter one photo in each of six thematic categories: animals/wildlife, nature, travel, people/cultures, weather and action/energy. The winner will have their photo featured in the December issue of National Geographic magazine in an ad for Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries, and they’ll also be awarded the trip two to the Greek Isles.

Website: Energizer Ultimate Contest

Digital Foci is now shipping the Pearl White version of its Photo Book, a portable digital photo album with an 8-inch 800x600-pixel colour screen and a 4GB of internal memory. Announced in March, this “Wedding” version is billed as an elegant photo album that makes an attractive first impression, matching perfectly with wedding themes. Built-in memory card slots provide native support for CF, SD/SDHC/MMC, xD, MS and MS PRO memory cards. Available today, Photo Book Pearl White “Wedding” Version is priced at $189 SRP through Digital Foci and major retailers such as Amazon, B&H and Adorama.

Website: Digital Foci

Zeiss Images is a free online photo gallery for hosting pictures taken with Zeiss lenses. Members can upload pictures captured with any camera - be it a Canon, a Nikon, a Leica or a different brand -, as long as the lens used to take the shot was made by Zeiss. Besides being a gallery, Zeiss Images is also an image forum.where participants can comment on and discuss the photos uploaded by members. Most interesting is the feature that allows anyone to search for photos by the specific lens used to take them.

Website: Zeiss Images

Unified Color Technologies has announced the cycle one winners of its Unified Color True Vision HDR Photo Contest. Unified Color sought out truly creative and technically beautiful HDR images to be judged by its panel of HDR experts and renowned photographers. The winners include Jose Alvarez (Architecture), Dan Hartford (Landscape/ Nature) and Josh taylor (Freestyle). Each of them will receive a photography kit including a Nikon D90 with 18-105mm VR lens, a Lowepro Slingshot 202 AW case, a Gitzo carbon fibre tripod and a Lexar Professional Class 10 8GB memory card. Unified Color’s True Vision HDR Photo Contest will be held in two more cycles throughout the remainder of the year for a total of three cycles. The next round of awards and prizes will be presented in early-August.

Website: True Vision HDR Photo Contest

ViewSonic has introduced the world’s first 27” Full HD monitor with a 1ms response time. The viewSonic VX2739wm packages a 1080p Full HD panel and 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio into a sleek design. Although primarily targeted at gamers, the new monitor could be potentially interesting to photographers and videographers as well. The VX2739wm comes with ViewSonic’s strongest pixel performance guarantee as well as a three-year limited warranty, and is offered at a special introductory price of $349 at Amazon.com, Newegg.com and PCMall.com.

Kodak has recently announced a new colour reversal film available in the Super 8 mm format. In the past, Super 8 used to be an amateur format, but according to Kodak, it is now “a viable option” for professional filmmakers and students too. The American company argues that Kodak Ektachrome 100D “offers filmmakers image quality far beyond that of the familiar home movie format of the 1960s”. Ektachrome 100D is a daylight-balanced 100-speed colour reversal film that offers “bright saturated colours and fine grain with excellent sharpness”, the company claims.

FileTagSleuth from Ulfwood Ltd. enables photographers to search all of their various photo files by shutter speed, exposure, and anything else stored in the EXIF. Paul F. Wood of Ulfwood said, “Cataloguing and searching [...] photo files can be incredibly time consuming. FileTagSleuth lets you search thousands of files quickly - even if you don’t know the entire name of what you’re looking for and just have a small bit of the text. FileTagSleuth will unlock the secrets of your files, and quickly show you what you’re looking for and which file it’s in.” The program is available as a free download from the website below.

Website: FileTag Sleuth

Luminescence of Nature Press today released The Photographer’s Guide to Digital Landscapes, a new eBook from photographer Jason P. Odell, Ph.D. Available as a printable PDF, the book is a modern review of landscape photography in the digital age. The Photographer’s Guide to Digital Landscapes addresses digital photography head-on with a comprehensive discussion of modern DSLR technology and techniques. Available now from Luminescence of Nature Press, this eBook can be yours for $24.99.

Website: Luminescence of Nature Press

Harman Technology has announced the winners of its student competition. Photography students across North America and Canada were invited to enter the contest, which supported the launch of Harman’s Crystaljet RC photographic inkjet media.The overall winner is Shaun Robinson of the School of Photographic Arts, Ottawa, for his image entitled “Double Bike”.

The Cosina Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 90mm F3.5 SL II manual-focus lens, which was announced back in February, is now available in Canon, Nikon and Pentax fit. Constructed of 7 lens elements arranged in 5 groups, the APO-LANTHAR 90mm F3.5 SL II has 9 diaphragm blades, and comes with a lens hood and an add-on close-up lens that allows the photographer to focus down to 32cm and achieve a magnification of 1:1.8. The Cosina Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 90mm F3.5 SL II is priced at €549.

Website: Voigtländer

Induro has announced a new series of panheads that provide photographers “with freedom for camera positioning never before available in a single product”. Offering dual tilt, base and top plate rotation and an Arca-Swiss style quick release system, these panheads allow photographers to have full repeatable indexing on five axes for maximum control and flexibility. Available in two sizes, the new PHQ panheads have load capacities of 11.5kg and 16kg. In Europe, the two versions are priced at €379 and €479, respectively. For more details or to find a dealer, visit the website below.

Website: Induro

The 2010 international Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards are now open for entries. To be more precise, print entries are now being accepted for the 2010 awards, and online image submissions can be made from July 1. TPOTY 2010 features three portfolio categories for amateur and professional photographers aged 19 and over. The category titles are Encounters, Amazing Places and World in Motion. In addition to portfolio winners, awards will be given for the best individual images in each of these categories. The overall winner of TPOTY 2010 will be the entrant who is judged to have submitted the strongest two portfolios. Also, there are two single image categories - One Shot (theme: Adventures), which is for experienced amateurs and professional photographers, and First Shot (theme: Festival of Colour), which is aimed at adult beginners. The New Talent award (theme: Sell It!) is for aspiring professional photographers, and the Young Travel Photographer of the Year is divided into two age groups for the first time - 14 and under and 15-18.  Each portfolio category costs £15 per entry, One Shot and First Shot cost £10 to enter, and New Talent £20. Young TPOTY is free to enter. Entries close on October 9th 2010 and the results will be announced in December.