Apple has released a new version of Aperture 3. Version 3.0.3 improves overall stability and fixes bugs. Click through / read on for the list of improvements and fixes.

Website: Apple Aperture 3.0.3 Release Notes

Samsung has announced the ten winners of its World Creative Imaging Competition (WCIC). The competition involved selecting students from some of world’s most famous and influential colleges, who were asked to convey their ‘creative moment’ through the use of the new Samsung NX10. Following an online vote which allowed the public to become ‘fans’ of the entrants, images created by the ten winners were unveiled at the Photo and Imaging Exhibition 2010 in Seoul, Korea. The images from the final ten winners are available to view at the website below.

Website: World Creative Imaging Competition

BenQ has announced the expansion of its digital camera lineup with the 12-megapixel BenQ E1260 “HDR camera”. Equipped with a 28-112mm equivalent zoom lens and a 2.7-inch rear screen, the BenQ E1260 comes with an assortment of scene modes including Landscape; Portrait; Backlight; Backlight Portrait; Night Scene; Night Portrait; Macro; Sunset; Text; Foliage; Snow and Still Mode. Other features which are included in the E1260 include: Auto Face Tracking; Blink Detector; Self/Love Portrait; Beauty Enhancer; Smile Catch; Smart Focus; File Management; Auto Rotation and 3 Second Prerecording. As to the much-touted HDR capabilities, the company says precious little about how they work - we supect it’s some kind of a shadow enhancement feature like Nikon’s D-lighting, Canon’s i-Contrast or Olympus’ Shadow Adjustment Technology. Besides taking 12-megapixel photos, the BenQ E1260 is also capable of capturing 720p high-definition video. Availability is slated for May 2010.

Website: BenQ E1260

amsung has announced the fastest external hard drive yet in its STORY Station product portfolio – the Samsung STORY Station 3.0 with the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface. The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface offers a theoretical maximum transfer rate of 5 gigabits per second compared to 480 megabits per second in USB 2.0. The new interface is backward-compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 interfaces. The STORY Station 3.0 drive is available in capacities ranging from 1TB to 2TB, and comes preloaded with Samsung Auto Backup, SecretZone and SafetyKey software for data encryption and password protection.

Fujifilm has issued a firmware update for the Fujifilm Finepix HS10 ultrazoom camera. Version 1.01 corrects distortions that may occur when shooting with AR bracketing enabled, produces sharper JPEGs in RAW+JPEG mode, addresses image softness experienced when using certain D-range settings, and fixes a problem with “unclear details” appearing in images. You can download the firmware upgrade from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm FinePix HS10 Firmware Upgrade

Samsung will apparently launch a limited-edition white variant of the Samsung NX10 on 7 May. According to SamsungImaging.net, the white NX10 will be sold in a kit with the 30mm f/2 prime lens in what seems like a slightly odd selection of markets including China, Korea, the Netherlands and the USA. Apart from the colour, the white edition will be the same as the more widely available black version, though it will come bundled with a leather case, SamsungImaging.net says.

Source: SamsungImaging.net via 1001NoisyCameras

PhotoShelter has just published The Photography Blog Handbook, the latest in their popular series of free research reports for photographers. Providing 35 pages of direct, actionable suggestions to help photographers get the most from their blogs, this e-book demonstrates how to use a blog to both attract new website visitors and connect with existing clients. PhotoShelter deconstructs the anatomy of a successful photo blog to make photographers aware of must-have elements that influence a blog’s success. The e-book is filled with case studies and examples of smart blogging tactics used by photographers from a diversity of specialties. “Many people conceive of blogs as online journals, but a blog can be a powerful tool for serious photographers to connect with clients, potential clients, and fans online.” says PhotoShelter CEO Allen Murabayashi. “This free e-book is required reading for any photographer interested in using their blog as a platform to attract more website traffic, get more business, and sell more photography.”

Website: The Photography Blog Handbook

The Polaroid 300 is a new instant film camera featuring a built-in automatic flash and four scene settings. Using Polaroid 300 instant film, which is available in a 10-pack that retails for $9.99, the Polaroid 300 camera is the product of a new partnership between Fujifilm and the Summit Global Group, the exclusive worldwide licensee for Polaroid branded imaging devices (hence the similarity to the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S). Available with a suggested retail price of $89.99 including a wrist strap and batteries, the Polaroid 300 instant camera can be purchased via Bloomingdales, J&R and Polaroid.com.

Website: Polaroid 300 Instant Film Camera

The Royal Ontario Museum will be hosting an interesting exhibition entitled House Calls with My Camera, a poignant series of photo essays capturing the lives of the patients of Toronto physician Dr. Mark Nowaczynski. Running from 15 May to 11 October 2010, House Calls with My Camera features 36 black-and-white photographs taken in black and white using a 4x5 large format camera, and printed traditionally on silver gelatin fibre-based paper. Visitors will experience a photographic journey into the lives of four patients captured by the lens of Dr. Nowaczynski during his House Calls visits, including John L. (pictured), a Korean War veteran, and three other patients. Admission to House Calls with My Camera is included with general Museum admission. House Calls with My Camera will be on display on Level 2 in the Hilary and Galen Weston Wing.

CTPhoto Workshops at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Connecticut, is now registering students for its one-day photo workshops to be held on select Saturdays in May and June. Scheduled to run on May 8 & 22 and June 12 & 26, these one-day classes provide hands-on instruction on Mac and Windows platforms in Photoshop use, while courses in digital photography include How to Take Better Pictures and How to Use Your Digital Camera. The cost per class is $99, and course participants qualify for student discounts on Adobe software products. For more information or to register online, visit the website below.

Website: CTPhoto

Magix has released PhotoStory on CD & DVD 9, a slideshow editor for Windows. This program allows you to import photos and videos, transform them into multimedia slideshows, and automatically burn them to disc with a DVD menu. You can enhance and correct poor-quality snapshots in a non-destructive manner, and add suitable background music, effects and personal text. New features in version 9 include thematic style templates, automated soundtrack creation, Windows 7 support, automatic red-eye reduction and direct access to Flickr from within the program. Magix PhotoStory on CD & DVD 9 is available now, priced at £39.99.

Website: PhotoStory on CD & DVD 9

Canon UK has announced a new cashback offer on the Canon Pixma MP560 all-in-one printer. Legal residents of the UK and Ireland who purchase a Pixma MP560 before 10 June 2010 can claim £30 / €35 cashback. Claims must be received by 10 July 2010. The Canon Pixma MP560 is the most compact Canon inkjet printer to have both wireless capabilities and built-in Auto Duplex Printing, and also is the first Canon Pixma printer to have the ability to print out pictures directly from a USB Flash Memory device.

Lexar has just announced the availability of its Lexar Professional ExpressCard CompactFlash Reader and the Lexar Professional 600x and 300x 32GB CF cards in traditional and online retail channels. The Lexar Professional 600x and 300x CF memory cards offer increased speed and performance, with a guaranteed minimum sustained write speed capability of 90MB/s and 45MB/s, respectively, when paired with an UDMA 6-enabled device. The Lexar Professional ExpressCard CF Reader is a portable, high-performance reader that requires no cables and connects directly to a PC or Mac laptop computer’s ExpressCard slot. The reader is compatible with all UDMA and non-UDMA CF cards, supports read/write speeds up to 133MB/s, and features a design with an extra deep card slot for added card protection. The 300x card is priced at $249.99, while the 600x card costs $499.99.

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) has announced the winners of the 20th round of the TIPA Awards. Among the award-winning products are the Nikon D3s, Pentax K-x, Canon EOS 550D and EOS 7D digital SLRs, the Leica M9 digital rangefinder camera, the Canon PowerShot G11, Casio Exilim EX-G1 and Sony Cyber-shot HX5V compacts and the Fujifilm FinePix HS10 superzoom camera. This year, there were two new categories, “Best Compact System Camera Advanced” and “Best Compact System Camera Entry Level”. The winners of these new categories are the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 and the Olympus E-PL1 (pictured), respectively. To see the entire list of award-winning products, from photo kiosks to backup systems, head to the website below.

Website: TIPA Awards 2010

Today LaCie announced the latest addition to its Rugged family of mobile hard drives – the LaCie Rugged USB 3.0. The LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 provides speeds of up to 110 MB/s – three times the speed of USB 2.0. Housed in the award-winning Rugged casing designed by Neil Poulton, the it features a unique scratch-resistant aluminium shell, internal anti-shock absorbers, and a shock-resistant rubber bumper to better protect files against everyday blunders. The LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 will be available in 500GB capacity through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, LaCie Reseller+ and LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of £139.

Website: LaCie

The Pentax Optio M90 is a 12.1-megapixel digital compact camera with 5x optical zoom and a 2.7” Anti-Reflection rear screen. The lens has a 35mm equivalent focal range of 28-140mm, while the body features a sophisticated metal rubber coated soft-touch exterior. Improved face detection, smile capture and blink detection and 20 scene modes including an auto panorama mode round off the features list. Powered by a Lithium-ion battery, the Pentax Optio M90 will be available from mid-June for a recommended retail price of £119.99.

Gitzo’s new Basalt Collection of tripods, heads, monopod and microphone boom is now available in the UK. With the new collection Gitzo introduces a High Performance basalt fibre tube, created from a radical innovation of the aerospace technology used to manufacture its composite tubes, starting from the raw fibres. The new technology boosts a higher level of resin into the raw basalt fibres to increase the tube performance by up to 22 per cent depending on the tube diameter. The new high performance basalt tubes are 20 per cent lighter than aluminium and offer intermediate performance between aluminium and carbon 6X tubing. The new Gitzo Basalt Collection tripods are available from Gitzo stockists priced from £339.95 to £469.95 depending on model. The Gitzo Basalt Collection monopod GM3860C is £179.95, while the microphone boom costs £159.95. The prices of the new Gitzo centre ball heads have not been confirmed yet.

Website: Manfrotto Distribution

PhotographyBB has announced the release of the 27th edition of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine. This issue features an 11-page special report on the release of Photoshop CS5. Additionally, photographers interested in starting their own photography business will get an overview of the type of business entity they may become, along with important considerations when selecting a business name. The magazine also has an article on simplifying your digital workflow, and for the portrait photographers they have a tutorial on creating drama through subtle selective colouring. PhotographyBB Online Magazine is available for free download through the PhotographyBB Website.

Website: PhotographyBB Online Magazine

X-Rite’s “Image Levitation” Webinar with professional photographer Eddie Tapp will be held tomorrow at 1pm EDT. This webinar will teach attendees how to apply creative and subjective image enhancements that suit their mood or creative vision. In addition, Eddie Tapp will share skin tone enhancement techniques, show how to apply fashion contrast and use edge masking, provide the scoop on “Double Smart Image Processing” and show how to integrate color management to streamline creative vision and get the desired results. For more information regarding this event, visit the website below.

Website: X-Rite Photo