Corel has just announced Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3, which brings advanced photo management, editing and creative tools together to deliver everything the photo enthusiast needs in one package. Highlights of the new version include an all-new Organiser, batch photo editing, Smart Carver technology for seamlessly and realistically removing objects and scaling without distorting the image, new additions to the Express Lab, an Object Extractor tool to quickly, easily and precisely mask fine image details that are otherwise difficult to preserve, and a Project Creator that lets users produce photo books, collages, cards, calendars and photo slideshows including HD video in a few clicks. In addition to these new and enhanced features, Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 continues to offer the advanced photo editing power of favourite features including HDR Photo Merge, Local Tone Mapping, Curves and Levels adjustments and Perspective Correction. Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 also includes Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 to get started with digital art. Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 is now available at a suggested retail price of £79 for the full version or £59 for the upgrade. The product can be purchased as an electronic software download today. Boxed software will be shipping across Europe, Middle East and African retailers in February.

Website: Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3

Nikon UK is preparing for its annual appearance at the Focus On Imaging photography show which will be held at the NEC, Birmingham from 7th-10th March. Visitors to the show will have the chance to check out Nikon’s complete range of products on the Nikon stand (D40, Hall 9 and 10), including their new professional camera, the D3s (pictured). This newest addition to Nikon’s FX family will be on display along with the D3000, D5000 and D300s models. Nikon’s expert team will also be on hand throughout the event to answer any questions. Along with the chance to handle Nikon’s products, an exciting seminar schedule has been lined up to include well known names such as; wildlife photographer Andy Rouse, aerial photographer Jason Hawkes and Mike McCartney who will be talking about his photography career; covering high profile celebrity events to his more recent book of the north highlands. Finally, visitors to the stand will also have the chance to win a Nikon D90 camera kit.

Website: Nikon UK

The existing Lastolite RayD8 c5600 continuous lighting kit now features a new reflector dish assembly. Thanks to a new extension tube that allows the use of a more compact reflector, this kit is now shipped in a single box. The Lastolite RayD8 c5600 lighting kit with the new reflector is available now from JP Distribution, at a suggested retail price of £287 including value added tax.

The Ilford Galerie Smooth Lustre Duo is a photographic paper that is billed as “the ideal product to for creating the all important wedding album or holiday album”. Printing on the new Galerie Smooth Lustre Duo is simple and straightforward. Detailed printing instructions are included in the package. Thanks to the resin-coated properties, the media remains robust throughout the entire double-sided printing process. The Ilford Galerie Smooth Lustre Duo is compatible with both dye and pigment printers. You can see the entire Galerie range of papers at the Ilford stand at Focus On Imaging (Stand B1).

Tamron USA announced the first in its series of four photo contests for 2010: Dusk till Dawn asks entrants to submit sunrise, sunset and nighttime images by 31 March 31. The “Dusk till Dawn” photo contest entries will be evaluated and selected by a guest judge, Ken Hubbard, who specializes in landscape and travel photography. Hubbard, Field Services Manager for Tamron, is a pro photographer who has had nationwide gallery showings of his landscape photography. He regularly teaches enthusiasts how to take better photos at dynamic seminars around the country. You can see his work at Ken Hubbard Photography. Email your lo-res images to [email protected], Subject line of email must read Tamron Dusk till Dawn Photo Contest. Winner & Finalists will be contacted for hi-res photos. The Grand Prize Winner will receive his/her choice of one of these Tamron lenses: SP AF60mm F2 Di-II 1:1 Macro; SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di-II; SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 Di-II VC (pictured); or AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC. As always, we suggest that you read the rules at the website below before entering your work.

Website: Tamron Photo Contest

The <0.4” thick Jobo Nano 8 Pro and 10 Pro digital photo frames are now available. The new Nano 8 Pro and Nano 10 Pro feature an 8” and 10” (respectively) high-resolution TFT-Colour-LCD screens with LED backlighting. This eco-friendly technology provides low power consumption and enables the frame’s extremely slim design. And the LED backlight technology provides consistent illumination of the display screen as well as lifelike and contrast-rich image presentation. Both the Jobo Nano 8 (pictured) and 10 Pro versions feature touch-activated buttons on the front of the frame for intuitive operation of all important functions. Buttons become visible by simply touching the bottom front of the digital picture frames. Both frames come with SVGA resolution screens of the 4:3 aspect ratio, and both offer Dual-Mini-USB 2.0 high speed capability for connecting a card reader or USB jump drive and support SD, MMC,  SDHC and MS memory cards. The Jobo Nano 8 Pro and and Nano 10 Pro are now available in the US. They come with an AC adapter, remote control, and manual for $159 and $189 MSRP, respectively.

Think Tank Photo has released two water-resistant, seam-sealed rain covers for 70-200 and smaller lenses: the Hydrophobia 70-200 and the Hydrophobia Flash 70-200 with built-in flash protector. Featuring side arm holes for focusing and accessing switches, they allow DSLRs to be turned vertically. And now, without exposing their expensive bodies and lenses to the elements, photographers can change memory cards and batteries without taking off the rain covers. A key feature is that the camera can be carried two ways. It can be carried by the strap attached to the camera as it does not have to be removed. And, there is a camera strap attached to the Hydrophobia 70-200 that, combined with a strap that buckles under the lens, allows the camera to be carried by the rain cover. The fabric used on the Hydrophobia is ten times as water resistant as normal fabric. The Hydrophobia 70-200 rain cover is available for $139, whilst the Hydrophobia Flash 70-200 retails for $145.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 (ZS7 in the USA) is a compact ultra-zoom camera featuring an optically stabilised 25-300mm equivalent Leica lens, manual exposure control and built-in GPS. The TZ10 and its brother the TZ8 - also announced today - are the first cameras in the Panasonic TZ series to offer full manual exposure control. The TZ10 is also the first Panasonic ultra-zoom to feature a built-in GPS unit. The location data where the photo was taken is automatically embedded with its latitude and longitude in the EXIF data. These geo-tagged images can be pinpointed on the maps of social media internet maps to be shared with the world. Plus, the TZ10 also shows the name of the town, area and landmarks using an internal database to give users real-time information of the place when taking photos. The Panasonic TZ10 has a 14.5-megapixel CCD and shoots at up to 12.1-megapixel resolution. This enables multi-aspect shooting in any of three aspect ratios - 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 - while maintaining the diagonal angle of view. In addition to taking stills, the camera can also record 720p HD movies in Motion JPEG or AVCHD Lite format, and you can fully utilise the powerful 12x optical zoom in while filming. The TZ10 also features Dolby Digital Stereo Creator to record high-quality audio. SDXC card support and a 3”, 460000-dot Intelligent LCD with anti-reflex coating round off the features list. The Panasonic TZ10 will be available from mid March in a choice of silver, black, red or blue.

Panasonic’s new DMC-TZ8 (also known as the ZS5) with an optically stabilised 25-300mm lens in a compact body offers 12.1 megapixels of resolution and manual exposure control. Comprising 10 elements in 8 groups, including 2 ED lenses and 2 aspherical lenses with 3 aspherical surfaces, and utilising new lens material in its design, the DMC-TZ8’s advanced lens unit realizes the outstandingly slim and compact body while passing Leica’s stringent standards to deliver exceptional optical performance, the company claims. The DMC-TZ8 has a 14.5-megapixel CCD and shoots with up to 12.1-megapixel resolution. This is because the CCD on the TZ8 is multi-aspect and can reproduce images shot with the lens set from 25mm to 300mm in any of three aspect ratios - 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 - while maintaining the same diagonal angle of view. And finally, the TZ8 features A, S and M exposure modes for creative photographers. 720p HD movie recording and SDXC support round off the features list. Availability is slated for mid March.

Successor to the highly regarded DMC-ZX1, Panasonic’s new, 14.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-ZX3 (called ZR3 in North America) offers style and compactness whilst also boasting a powerful 8x optical zoom starting at 25mm (eq.), and newly added AVCHD Lite movie recording function. The 25-200mm lens comprises 9 elements in 7 groups, including 4 super thin aspherical lenses with 6 spherical surfaces. Thanks to the newly incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology, the new Intelligent Zoom is available with the ZX3 which extends the zoom ratio by approx.1.3x maintaining the picture quality even when using a digital zoom. This means the 8x optical can virtually extend to 10x equivalent. With the Intelligent Resolution technology, 3 areas – outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation areas – are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges more clarity while giving a moderate accentuation to the texture areas to look more finely detailed. As a result, images are naturally clear and crisp in both photo and movie recording. The shutter release time lag is as short as approx. 0.005 seconds and the camera’s quick response makes it easier to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities together with the Sonic Speed AF that lets you lock on the subject minimum in approx. 0.26 (wide-end) / 0.31 (tele-end) second when using single-area AF.

Panasonic has just announced the Lumix DMC-FT2 (called TS2 in North America), a successor to the Lumix FT1 shock-, freeze- and waterproof camera we recently reviewed. Featuring High Definition video recording capability, in the AVCHD Lite format, the new 14.1-megapixel Lumix FT2 further strengthens its toughness when compared to its predecessor and is waterproof to 33 feet (10m), shockproof from a height of up to 10 feet (2m), freezeproof to 14° F (-10 °C) and dustproof in accordance with the IEC60529 standard. Furthermore, the FT2’s cover panel for the LCD is thickened by 1.3x compared to its forebear. The Panasonic Lumix FT2 features Sonic Speed AF, which enables a super-fast response time, and a shutter release time lag as short as approximately 0.005 second and lets users lock on the subject in approximately 0.24 second at the wide end and 0.28 second at the telephoto end when using 1-area AF. The Panasonic FT2 will be available from March 2010. Pricing will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date.

The Pentax Optio I-10 is an eye-catching SLR-shaped digital compact camera. The flash unit and speaker are positioned in the upper middle section of the I10 body, the centre section of the camera’s front panel is textured, and the near-centred lens and Pentax logo just above it have all been carefully designed to enhance the SLR image. The Pentax I-10 also offers a 5x zoom lens (28-140mm), 12 megapixels, triple anti-shake protection, HD movie recording and wireless remote shooting. The Pentax Optio I-10 will be available in mid-February for £199.99.

The Pentax Optio H90 is a stylishly under-stated new compact digital camera. Developed under Pentax’s new “functional beauty” concept, the Optio H90 offers a functional, no-frills design. The Pentax H90 also features a 5X optical zoom lens (28-140mm), 12.1 megapixels, 2.7 inch LCD and HD movie recording.  The Pentax Optio H90 will be available in mid-February for £129.99.

The Pentax Optio E90 is a new entry-level digital compact camera. The Pentax E90 is a 10 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and 2.7inch LCD screen. The E90 also offers Automatic face detection with Smile Capture function, Auto Picture mode, double anti-shake protection and a range of digital filters. The Pentax Optio E90 will be available at the end of February for £79.99.

Sony and the World Photography Organisation (WPO) have announced that the city of Cannes will once again provide the location for the annual Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) and World Photography Festival. Welcoming professional and amateur photographers, photography students and the general public, the Awards and Festival is a five day celebration of the craft of photography, running from 22-27 April 2010. At the heart of the week long event is the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards prize ceremony. Taking place on 22 April inside the Grand Lumier Theatre of the Palais des Festivals, it is here that winners of the professional, amateur and student categories receive their trophies and the overall winner of the 2010 L’Iris D’Or for Photographer of the Year will be announced. Tickets to the 2010 Sony World Photography Awards and World Photography Festival are priced from £15 and are available now at the website below.

Website: Sony World Photography Awards

The new f/stop range from Billingham has been designed for those occasions when you want to travel light, but without compromise. The f/stop bags provide you with the level of protection, style and craftsmanship you’d expect from a Billingham, but in compact form that allows you to adapt them – inside and out, to suit your specific needs. The f/stops come in two sizes; the f/2.8 and – in keeping with lens f/stop convention – the larger f/1.4. Both are available in Black FibreNyte with black leather trim and nickel plated brass fittings or their most recent combination; Khaki FibreNyte with chocolate leather trim (see picture above). The f/2.8 bag retails for £149.99, while the f/1.4 model can be had for £159.99. Both are available from JP Distribution in the UK.

HireACamera has announced the arrival of the new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV to their equipment portfolio. The 16-megapixel Canon EOS 1D Mark IV boasts a completely new 45-point autofocus system with AI Servo II AF mode. The camera’s “regular” ISO range stretches from ISO 100/21° to ISO 12,800/42°, but expansion settings push this all the way up to ISO 102,400/51°. The Canon EOS 1D Mark IV is also geared toward videographers, as it offers full manual exposure control and selectable frame rates when shooting 1080p HD video. Guy Thatcher, Managing Director of Hireacamera said, ”The new 1D Mark IV is a welcome addition to our stock and is already proving popular after its first outing at the SWPP Convention in January. We are sure this is going to be a great addition to the Canon family and are offering great hire prices on it at the moment so photographers can really try before they buy.” The Canon 1D Mark IV is available to hire now and can be booked by calling 01892 603440.

Annabel Williams Contemporary Photographic Training (CPT) invites you to an Open Day held in Staveley, the Lake District on 29 January. Attendees will have an opportunity to see the facilities that are now available to them at the new Annabel Williams CPT Studio as well as join in their free “Get in tune with your photographic destination” sessions. There will be two sessions, one from 9.30am till midday, and another one from 2pm to 4.30pm. Spaces are limited, and advance registration is necessary. To register your interest, drop a line to [email protected] stating your preference for either the morning or afternoon session.