Samsung have just unveiled the world’s slimmest cameras with 15x zoom and 24mm equivalent wide angle - one of the two even features built-in GPS and a 3” AMOLED screen. The new compacts are called the Samsung HZ30W and HZ35W, with the latter being the GPS/AMOLED model. The HZ30W has no GPS unit and makes do with a more traditional 3” LCD screen. The two cameras are otherwise identical: both sport 12-megapixel sensors, 24-360mm equivalent Schneider-Kreuznach lenses and 720p HD video recording capabilities. Both the Samsung HZ30W and the Samsung HZ35W offer semi-automatic and full manual exposure control, optical image stabilisation and HDMI ports. The HZ30W and HZ35W are called WB600 and WB650 in Europe and will be available from March 2010, priced at £249.99 and £299.99 respectively.

Zenfolio has recently debuted the next generation of its offerings to create a singular destination for photographers seeking to affordably and professionally manage all aspects of their photography business. With the new release, Zenfolio users can create portfolio sites, take full control over the visual design using the Zenfolio Theme Designer, and increase online exposure with enhanced search engine optimization positioning of all user web pages. At no additional cost, these improvements are available to all Zenfolio photographers including Basic, Unlimited and Premium users.

Website: Zenfolio

Jobo AG has announced several new multi-card readers/writers. New today are the Jobo Cube CF and Jobo Cube HUB and the 70-in-1 Standard High Speed Jobo USB multi-card reader/writer. Both the Jobo Cube CF and Jobo Cube HUB are available in choice of black or white and feature a unique internal space capable of safely storing several media cards in one convenient location. Each Cube unit is compatible with all major Memory Stick, Secure Digital and Smart Media cards. In addition, the new Jobo Cube CF features compatibility with all major Compact Flash cards and is capable of storing up to six CF cards or 10 SD cards. The new Jobo Cube HUB features 2 USB HUB ports instead of the CF card slot. The Jobo Cube HUB is capable of storing up to eight SD cards.  The Jobo Cube CF and Cube HUB will be available for €19.99. The 70-in-1 Standard High Speed Jobo USB Multi-card reader/writer will be available for €14.99.

The Renault MSA young photographer of the year award has been scooped up by 19 year old midlands based photographer, Dom Romney. The judging panel particularly liked the unusual composition and strong use of colour, as evidenced in the photo that accompanies this article. Not only does Dom get to join the prestigious ranks of winners of the Renault MSA Young Motor sport photographer of the year, but he also gets £1,000. To view Dom’s entire award-winning work, check out his website.

Website: Dom Romney

Sony Ericsson has unveiled the global winners of a worldwide camera phone competition called Smile Hunter. Ioana Proca, aged 20 from Bacau, Romania beat off tough competition from thousands of entrants in 32 participating countries across Europe, India, Africa, Latin America and Asia, to be crowned the winner of Sony Ericsson Smile Hunter 2009. Ioana will be jetting off to a selection of the world’s coolest destinations. Visitors to the Smile Hunter website were also able to vote for their favourite smile photo to crown the People’s Smile Hunter 2009. Meglena Kolaksuzova, aged 41 from Petrich, Bulgaria was a clear winner. She has won a bundle of Sony Ericsson goodies. To see the global winner’s images, visit the interactive gallery on the global website.

Website: Smile Hunter

Launched today, the free iPhone ProPhoto app opens up a world of options to teach you how to become a self employed professional photographer. Kit Sadgrove, Director of the Institute of Professional Photography which has developed the app, said: “A keen app browser myself, I realised that there was a huge potential to promote new skills through the iPhone. And there was absolutely nothing out there to help photographers hone the professional skills vital to establishing and maintaining a successful business. The Institute is so confident they can set their students on the road to a new and successful career, they guarantee that if after some initial marketing those who enrol don’t earn at least the cost of the course within 90 days of completing it, they’ll refund the course fees. The ProPhoto app is available to download from the iPhone and iTunes app stores and the website below.

Website: ProPhoto

The nice folks over at Photocrati have launched the first round of competition for Photocrati Fund, which will give $5000 grants to non-professional photographers working on important humanitarian and environmental projects. The goal is to identify outstanding, up-and-coming photographers and give them the resources necessary to pursue projects that will have a tangible and positive effect on the world. The application deadline is 11pm GMT, 15 March 2010, and the award will be announced in June 2010. Awardees become Photocrati Fellows for the calendar year from the announcement of their award until the announcement of the following year’s award. Applicants must be non-professional photographers who derive less than 50% of their income from photography or photography-related activities. The grant is open to photographers over 21 years of age from any country worldwide, but applicants should have a proven ability to produce outstanding imagery, as well as the background necessary to carry out their proposed project. Read the rules in their entirety on the website below.

Website: Photocrati Fund

Canon has launched “The Story Beyond The Still Contest,” allowing photographers and videographers to showcase their creativity in a new style of filmmaking that blends still and video images into a continuous cinematic piece. The contest, sponsored by Canon and hosted by Vimeo, the online video sharing site hosting one of the largest collections of HD content on the Web, invites participants to use the HD video capability of their camera to create short, two to four minute videos. To kick off the contest, Vincent Laforet collaborated with Grey New York to bring his interpretation of a still image to life in a short film entitled “The Cabbie,” which serves as the first installment of a seven chapter collaborative work in which each participant will be asked to interpret the previous winning photographer/filmmaker’s final still image to start their vision for the subsequent chapter. Six winners will be chosen (one for each chapter) based on their submissions and will join Laforet on location to collaboratively film the final chapter of the film. In addition, winners will receive a choice of prizes including Canon EOS 7D and 5D Mark II DSLR cameras or select Canon lenses. For complete rules and to submit “The Story Beyond the Still” videos participants can visit http://vimeo.com/groups/beyondthestill/

CameraBits, makers of Photo Mechanic software, have announced its exclusive sponsorship of the WPOW: Women Photojournalists of Washington travelling photography exhibit, LAUNCH. The exhibit will soon travel to a variety of photojournalism schools across the U.S.A. Over the course of the next six months, LAUNCH will travel to universities specialising in photojournalism, such as Boston University, Temple University and Western Kentucky University, where the participants’ works will be detailed and displayed. As the exclusive sponsor of LAUNCH, Camera Bits has donated funds to the WPOW organisation, as well as several copies of Photo Mechanic. “It is a real pleasure for us to be able to support an exhibit like LAUNCH,” said Dennis Walker. “It’s very important to use the talents of successful female photojournalists and photographers to inspire others, and we’re proud to have been able to contribute to that cause.”

Kata has launched the Dream Bag Challenge, a global competition to create the ultimate ‘dream bag’ for one lucky photographer. The competition winner will see their design brought to life by Kata’s team and hand built exclusively for them. Not only that, but their personalised bag will be packed full of around £3,000 worth of photographic kit including a Canon 5D Mark II with two constant f/4 zooms, Gitzo Traveler kit and Litepanels MicroPro. The best design will be selected by Kata’s head of R&D and a selection of professional photographers. The competition is now open and closes on 1 March 2010. Budding designers can find more information on the website below.

The team at Annabel Williams’ Contemporary Photographic Training has launched a competition to win their biggest prize ever, worth more than £9,000. This is not a cash prize, but a place on their prestigious 12 month Bespoke Training Programme. The programme includes 14 modular training sessions at the Annabel Williams Studio in the Lake District, together with intensive ongoing support from the training team and business mentors. The modular nature of the Bespoke Programme also means that it can be fitted around an existing job, or family commitments – until you’re ready to make that big step to running your own photography business. Six finalists will be shortlisted and invited to attend an interview at the studio on 19 June – with one overall winner then chosen to take up this opportunity. Entries are open now and close on 31 May. To enter, submit two prints of your best shots in which you feel you have captured the emotions of your subjects. For full details visit the website below.

Website: Annabel Williams Blog

Swann Seurity has introduced the ActionCam, a camera designed for high impact, high intensity, extreme sports and recreational use. Durable and able to withstand vibrations, knocks and bumps while still capturing all your activity, th ActionCam comes bundled with a 2GB microSD card. Simply connect the ActionCam to the side of your helmet, the frame of your bike or any other equipment you are using. Accessories included are rubber helmet strap, bicycle stand and stand with suction cup. The Swann ActionCam has a SRP of £89.99 and is available from Maplin Stores.

Transcend has launched the JetFlash 300, the newest member of its USB flash drive family. Drawing inspiration from black obsidian — a mineral known for its deep luminous black color and intense polished shine, the JetFlash 300 has a smooth gloss-black finish embellished with a colour band indicating its storage capacity. In addition to its stylish contoured design, the JetFlash 300 features up to 18MB/s data transfer rate and true plug-and-play functionality. Offering versatile features at an affordable price, the JetFlash 300 is now available in three capacities: 4GB Green, 8GB Purple and 16GB Lavender.

Gavin Bond’s newest exhibition, Music, will be held in the Idea Generation Gallery between 23 February and 21 March 2010. This new exhibition of music photography brings never before seen images to the UK, allowing music fans to get up close and personal with contemporary rock greats. Bond’s distinctive style gets beneath the skin of his subjects to reveal personalities, emotions and moments usually unseen in public. The extensive portfolio brings together ‘behind-the-scenes’ shots of bands on the road, images of live performances at some of the world’s biggest music events, innovative studio shots and intimate personal portraits to create a visual record of the last ten years in music. The Idea Generation Gallery is located at 11 Chance Street, E2 7JB. With a soaring 50 foot wall and over 200 square feet of gallery space, the Idea Generation Gallery is one of Shoreditch’s biggest exhibition spaces.

Jon Canfield held a workshop on fine art digital printing at the annual summit of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). The focus of the workshop was on preparation for printing-resizing, sharpening, creative borders, media selection, and colour management-and then the actual printing of sample large format prints. The HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer used during the workshop created quite a stir at the workshop. “The prints from the HP printer were extremely popular,” said Canfield. “Comments from participants were that the prints looked better than anything they had tried before. The black and white prints on HP Baryte Satin Art Paper were the most neutral they had ever seen. People were impressed.”

Organised by The Art Institute of Chicago, Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage is a new exhibition to be hosted by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. On view from 2 February through 9 May 2010, Playing with Pictures is the first exhibition to comprehensively examine the little-known phenomenon that long before the embrace of collage techniques by avant-garde artists of the early 20th century, aristocratic Victorian women were experimenting with photocollage. Whimsical and fantastical Victorian photocollages, created using a combination of watercolour drawings and cut-and-pasted photographs, reveal the educated minds as well as accomplished hands of their makers.  Featuring approximately 50 works from public and private collections—including many that have rarely or never been exhibited before—Playing with Pictures will provide a fascinating window into the creative possibilities of photography in the 19th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located at 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028.

Now’s your chance to do a photo shoot with one of the most recognisable international faces in fashion, Naomi Campbell. Hosted by Talenthouse.com, this exciting Creative Invite encourages you to submit up to 4 of your best photos within the theme of ‘glamour’. All photos will be posted on Talenthouse for voting after the submission deadline. One lucky winner can shoot - no, not Naomi Campbell herself, but “a model selected by Naomi” - for Glamour Magazine. The deadline is 12 February 2010.

Website: Talenthouse

Voies Off has issued a call for entriesfor the 2010 Voies Off Prize. For the past 15 years, the Voies Off Prize has been awarded by a jury of renowned professionals to an artist for the clarity of his vision and the high quality of his work. Voies Off night projections during the opening week of the Rencontres d’Arles festival (first full week in July) have become an international reference for the discovery of emerging authors and the alternative venue that it creates for international photographic creation. You have until 15 February to enter the 2010 contest, whose overall winner will receive €2,000. As always, you are encouraged to read the rules beforehand. Note also that there is a €25 fee to be paid.

Website: Voies Off Online Registration Page

Clickfree have launched the new C2N backup drive series featuring their BackupLink technology. With these drives, backing up multiple computers across your home or office network is now completely automatic. True to the company’s name, setting up a backup drive is truly click-free. “Our C2N brings a new level of simplicity to network backup for the home or office. To take away any set-up or configuration requirements to perform multiple computer backup on a network is truly a breakthrough,” said Bryan McLeod, CEO Clickfree Automatic Backup. “Imagine your mother, sister or brother now able to set-up a home network backup by simply plugging in our device once into each of the computers. We believe this takes convenience to a whole new level.” Also unveiled was the Transformer Network Edition Adapter with BackupLink technology. Owners of any external USB hard drive coupled with the Transformer NE can have the same backup experience, features and automatic network set-up function that are in the C2N. Come February, the C2N will be available in 250GB (£119.00), 320GB (£139.00), 500GB (£159.00) and 640GB (£179.99) capacities. The Transformer Network Edition will retail for £79.99.