Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) has announced that the first-ever ‘Photographers Ignite’ presentations will take place on Thursday, March 11th from 9am to 11am at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Hosted by professional photographer Kevin Kubota, the premiere of Photographers Ignite at the WPPI 2010 trade show will feature 15–20 experienced and upcoming photographers sharing their cool techniques, trends, ideas and inspirations as they relate to photography as a profession.  During Ignite Presentations, a speaker shares ideas by showing exactly 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds—so each presentation lasts five minutes. Presentations are designed to be concise, creative and educational. Registration for WPPI 2010 is available via WPPI’s newly redesigned convention and trade show website.

Zoner Software has just released its flagship product, Zoner Photo Studio 12, in four additional languages. Zoner Photo Studio is now available in the German, French, Italian and Russian. The English version was launched, alongside a Czech variant, back in 2009. The product is available in two editions: Zoner Photo Studio 12 Home is handy for point-and-shoot photographers looking for flexibility and one-click editing, but also a way to creatively share photos — to present them using calendars, panoramas, and more. Zoner Photo Studio 12 Professional offers advanced photographers and avid hobbyists a broad selection of features designed for the way they work, covering everything from organising to editing to publishing. Get your free trial at the website below.

Website: Zoner Software

The Fujifilm GF670 professional medium-format folding camera, which is marketed in Europe as the Voigtländer Bessa III, will shortly be launched to the US market. The GF670 features 6x6 and 6x7 dual-format shooting for use with120 and 220 roll film, has manual shutter speed control and offers a setting for aperture priority automation. With manual film advancement, exposure counter display, an ISO setting dial, the camera also provides -2/+2 exposure compensation and includes a hot shoe flash mount and a PC sync connection socket. The “whisper quiet” shutter mechanism is an electronically controlled leaf shutter with speeds ranging from 4s~1/500s including Bulb with flash sync at all speeds. Fujifilm will showcase the GF670 at the upcoming PMA 2010 trade show in Anaheim, California. Retail availability is slated for the second quarter of 2010. The price is $2,199.

Along with the E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds camera announcement, Olympus have revealed some extra information - including pricing - on the M Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 and M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 lenses announced three months ago. The extremely petite M Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 will feature a collapsible barrel similar to that of the 14-42mm lens that is usually sold in a kit with Olympus’ Micro Four Thirds cameras, and offer an ultra-wide 100° angle of view at the wider end of its range. Priced at $699.99, the M Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 is scheduled to go on sale in May. The 14-150mm travelzoom will hit the shelves in June priced at $599.99. Both lenses are optimised for movie shooting with low focusing noise, and Olympus also claims “extremely fast high-speed contrast AF” performance with both.

Olympus have just launched the Olympus E-PL1, a new, affordable Micro Four Thirds camera with a built-in flash, sensor-shift image stabilisation and one-touch HD video recording. Sporting a stabilised 12.3-megapixel LiveMOS sensor, the Olympus E-PL1 weighs in at only 296 grams without a lens, battery or memory card. Speaking of which, the Olympus E-PL1 is compatible with SD and SDHC cards, just like the existing Micro Four Thirds offerings from Olympus and Panasonic. Other highlights include a Supersonic Wave Filter for automated sensor cleaning, a sensitivity range of ISO 100-3200, 3fps continuous shooting for up to 10 raw images, HDMI and USB 2.0 connectivity, and auto gradation adjustment to prevent blown highlights and blocked-in shadows. The Olympus E-PL1 also features an easy-to-understand, non-technical Live Guide with simple direct control over key image effects. Available from March 2010 at a retail price of £549 for a single lens kit and £699 for a twin zoom kit, the Olympus E-PL1 is the most affordable Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus to date.

Ricoh today announced the development and release of the CX3, a new, 10-megapixel digital camera featuring a high magnification 10.7x (28-300mm eq.) optical wide-angle zoom lens, a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, and an enhanced noise reduction function. Promising “dramatically improved image quality performance when shooting low-light scenes”, the Ricoh CX3 benefits from a number of function enhancements, such as the addition of high & low luminance priority settings for “dynamic range double shot mode” dynamic range expansion effects and the ability to record 720p HD video. The suggested retail price of the Ricoh CX3 is £299.99.

Nikon UK today announced the world’s slimmest wide-angle 10x zoom camera, the Nikon Coolpix S8000, which also boasts a “DSLR class” autofocus system. This stylish, high performance 14.2-megapixel camera with HD video measures just 27.3mm thin. The high-definition movie function with stereo sound offers a resolution of 720p and a frame rate of 30 frames per second. The wide angle 10x optical zoom Nikkor lens features extra-low dispersion (ED) glass elements and vibration reduction (VR), while the 3”, 921000-dot LCD monitor enhances booth shooting and playback with minimal reflections, even in bright sunlight. The Nikon Coolpix S8000 will be available from mid February priced at £249.99 / €300.00 (RRP).

Nikon unveiled today the Nikon Coolpix S3000, a super-slim and “ultra-stylish” yet affordable compact camera that packs a wide-angle 4x Zoom-Nikkor lens and a 12-megapixel sensor in a 19mm thick aluminium body. Unlike the S8000 also announced today, the Nikon Coolpix does not feature in-lens vibration reduction (VR), only a form of electronic stabilisation called eVR. Highlights include a 2.7” rear screen, a scene auto selector with 16 modes, Smile Timer, subject tracking, face-priority autofocus and a skin softening function. Available from mid March, the Nikon Coolpix S3000 is expected to retail for £109.99 / €135.00.

The Nikon Coolpix S4000 is a 12-megapixel camera with a 3” touch screen and HD movie recording capability. Equipped with a 27-108mm equivalent 4x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens, the Nikon S4000 features a Touch Shutter to take a picture, automatically setting the correct focus and exposure for the touched item. In-camera editing options and 720p movie recording round off the features list. The Nikon Coolpix S4000 will be available from March, priced at $199.95 in the USA. The UK pricing is yet to be determined.

The Nikon Coolpix P100 is an SLR-styled superzoom camera with a Full HD movie mode, a 10.3-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a 26x Zoom-Nikkor lens featuring ED glass elements. The lens spans a focal range of 27-678mm in 35mm equivalency and features vibration reduction (VR). The optical zoom and autofocus can also be used while recording 1080p/30fps high-definition videos, with stereo sound to boot. Other highlights include a dedicated video record button, a conventional top-mounted mode dial and a 3” vari-angle LCD screen. Available from March, the Nikon Coolpix P100 is priced at £349.99 / €415.00 / $399.95.

Nikon is launching a new AA-powered superzoom camera, the Nikon Coolpix L110 with a 15x zoom Nikkor lens and 720p HD movie recording with stereo sound. Successor to the L100 we reviewed last year, the Nikon Coolpix L110 boasts a 12.1-megapixel imager, a 28-420mm equivalent zoom lens with vibration reduction (VR) and a three-inch LCD monitor with anti-reflection coating and a resolution of 460,000 dots. Available from mid February in a choice of black or red, the Nikon Coolpix L110 is priced at £199.99/ €240.00 / $279.95.

The Nikon Coolpix L21 and Coolpix L22 (pictured) are two new, highly affordable AA-powered digital compact cameras from Nikon. The L21 and L22 differ from each other in their sensor resolution, lens and LCD screen, but are quite similarly styled. The Nikon Coolpix L21 is an 8-megapixel model with a 40-145mm equivalent zoom lens and a 2.5” rear LCD screen, while the L22 boasts 12 megapixels, a 37-134mm equivalent lens and a 3” monitor. Both cameras feature Nikon’s Smart Portrait System and Scene Auto Selector. The Nikon Coolpix L21 is priced at £69.99 / €85.00, whereas the Coolpix L22 can be yours for £79.99 / €95.00. Availability is slated for mid February.

The Nikon Coolpix S6000 is a new, highly responsive 14.2-megapixel digital compact camera with a wide-angle 7x optical zoom lens featuring ED glass elements. The Zoom-Nikkor on the Nikon Coolpix S6000 spans focal lengths ranging from 28mm to 196mm in 35mm equivalency and offers optical vibration reduction (VR). Nikon also claims quick performance with ultra-fast start-up, autofocus and shooting. Sports Continuous shooting enables high-speed shooting at approximately 4 fps for images up to 45 frames (although at reduced resolution only). At the moment, the Nikon Coolpix S6000 appears to be a US-only model, available from March 2010 for $249.95 in Champagne Silver, Red, Black or Bronze colours.

Unified Color Technologies today announced that its hallmark software application, HDR PhotoStudio, is now also available for Mac operating systems. HDR PhotoStudio provides photographers with complete control over the colors within an image and a comprehensive toolbox to address the effects of merging multiple exposures, while simultaneously improving workflow. Available for immediate download, the Mac version of HDR PhotoStudio is being offered for an introductory price of $99 throughout the month of February, which represents a savings of over $50. System requirements include an Intel Macintosh 2.5 GHz dual core CPU with 2GB minimum RAM (4GB is recommended) running Mac OS 10.5.x (Leopard) or Mac OS 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard).

Website: Unified Color Technologies

Liquid Scale, a highly polished, content-aware image resizing application for the Apple iPhone, is now available from the App Store. The program resizes pictures without deforming or cropping the content. Pictures can be transformed to a new aspect ratio in a fast and intuitive way. Plus the intelligent app automatically analyses the important area of an image and recognises the real motif as compared to the background. Images processed by Liquid Scale can be stored in an album on the iPhone or they can be sent by e-mail. Liquid Scale for iPhone is available now for €1.59 through the App Store.

Website: Liquid Scale

MSD Capital, the private investment firm of Michael S. Dell, founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Inc., has bought the entire print archive of Magnum Photos. As a result of this transaction the Magnum Archive Collection, which contains nearly 200,000 original press prints of images taken by world-renowned Magnum photographers, will be preserved, catalogued and made accessible by the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Images of icons from Picasso to Marilyn Monroe, from Sinatra to Gandhi, and from Castro to a young Queen Elizabeth coexist in the Collection with depictions of international conflicts, political unrest and cultural strife. Included are famous photos from the Spanish Civil War, the D-Day landings and the Six-Day War, as well as unforgettable scenes of historic events: the rise of democracy in India, Afghanistan and Iraq and the US Civil Rights movement. While the physical press prints have been purchased by MSD Capital, Magnum’s member photographers will retain the copyright and licensing rights to all of the images in the Collection.

The Olympus SP-800UZ is a new, 14-megapixel ultra-zoom camera sporting a 30x zoom lens with a 35mm equivalent focal range of 28-840mm. Other highlights of the Olympus SP-800UZ include a 3” wide LCD screen, HD movie recording capability, mechanical image stabilisation, high-speed continuous shooting at 10 frames per second, and 2GB of internal storage plus SD card compatibility. The battery of the Olympus SP-800UZ can be charged via USB. Advanced Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment Technology and in-camera panorama stitching round off the features list. The Olympus SP-800UZ is available in Titanium Silver from March 2010 for a retail price of £369.99 / $349.99.

The Olympus SP-600UZ is a new 12-megapixel camera with a 15x zoom lens that spans a 35mm equivalent focal range of 28-420mm. Featuring a 2.7” LCD screen, mechanical image stabilisation, HD movie recording, Magic Filters, Beauty Mode, in-camera panorama stitching, Advanced Face Detection and Shadow Adjustment Technology; the Olympus SP-600UZ comes with 1GB of built-in storage, expandable via an SD card slot. Capable of shooting at 10 frames per second, the Olympus SP-600UZ will be available from March priced at £259.99 / $249.99.