Two Pilots have released a new version of Exif Pilot, a program that allows users to view, edit or even create EXIF data. In the new version of Exif Pilot, the list of supported image formats is significantly expanded. Now the program allows reading and editing the following file formats: JPEG, TIFF, PNG, DNG, NEF, PEF, CRW, and JP2. Read-only support is provided for these formats: PSD, RAF, CR2, MRW, ARW, and many others. The program also allows you to export data to an Excel table for analysis and storage. Batch editing is available with the Pro version. Exif Pilot Lite is free, Exif Pilot is $29.95, while Exif Pilot Pro costs $39.95. All three versions are Windows only.

Fujifilm announced that effective 1 January 2010 it is creating a new organisation, Fujifilm North America Corporation. The new corporation will merge Fujifilm U.S.A., Inc. and Fujifilm Graphic Systems U.S.A. Inc. Fujifilm Canada Inc. will become a subsidiary of the new company as of 1 April 2010. Fujifilm North America will bring together five operating divisions: photo imaging products including digital photo processing equipment and services supplying commercial and consumer customers; graphic systems products and services supplying the printing industry; consumer digital cameras; motion picture films; and the Canada Division which markets multiple Fujifilm products.

Somerset-based professional photographers Anita Corbin and John O’Grady have photographed eleven British scientists, and the portraits are now on display in London, for the first time ever. Anita Corbin of Corbin O’Grady Studio in Wellington, explains, “The colour portraits were taken in 1989 for the series ‘Science in Profile’ commissioned by The British Council. The pictures were taken by my partner John O’Grady and me over a three month period. There were 24 in total and the resulting set of portraits was exhibited in the early nineties all over the world but never in Britain. The large colour prints will form part of the photographic archive of significant Britons at The National Portrait Gallery and are currently on display at the Gallery.”  The display, entitled “Science in Focus” runs until 17 January 2010.

Website: National Portrait Gallery

Build a Better Photograph, a new book by Rocky Nook, is an excursion into the creative process of an experienced professional photographer. Author Michael Stern demystifies the creative process he has successfully employed for over two decades in the fields of environmental portraiture, product photography, 3D scanning, and compositing techniques. How do artists conceptualize? Where do they get their ideas? How do they incorporate those ideas into their work? These questions and others are explored during actual assignments, along with discussions about the technical and business skills needed to succeed in commercial photography. Build a Better Photograph is available for $34.95 / £22.99.

Swains International has introduced shop4filters, the first dedicated website for purchasing your Tiffen filters online. The shop4filters website will include the full Tiffen filter range, and will also feature several ‘centres of excellence’, selected Swains stockists that will provide the same special offers and prices as the website. There is also a range of interesting articles on using filters. The website will also provide great before-and-after shots using the Tiffen filters which will help to show you the effects you can achieve.

Website: Shop4filters

Retired Kodak research scientist Bryce Bayer, whose invention of a colour filter array enabled digital imaging sensors to capture colour, is today being honoured by the Royal Photographic Society with its Progress Award at a ceremony in London. Bayer invented the colour filter array that bears his name (the Bayer filter), which is incorporated into nearly every digital camera and camera phone on the market today.  The red, green, and blue colors of the Bayer filter are fabricated on top of the light-sensitive pixels as the image sensor is manufactured. In addition to his work on digital colour imaging, Bayer developed widely cited algorithms for storing, improving, and printing digital images.

Pandigital today announced the addition of two new portable photo scanners to its PhotoLink line. The new Pandigital PhotoLink One-Touch 5x7 Scanner allows consumers to scan 5x7-inch (13x18cm, or smaller) traditional prints onto a memory card or directly to a PC. The Pandigital PhotoLink Personal Photo Scanner (see picture above) enables consumers to digitise slides, negatives and smaller prints. The digitised photos have a resolution of 1800x1200 pixels. Both scanners can output the files onto a variety of memory cards, and both come complete with a 512-megabyte SD card. The PhotoLink One-Touch 5x7 Scanner has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $129.99 and is available now at various retail locations. The PhotoLink Personal Photo Scanner also has an MSRP of $129.99 and is available exclusively on QVC through December 5, 2009.

The the Ilford Inkjet Photo Paper Range offers a complete selection of photo papers for home printing. Specially created for the expanding home printing sector, the ILFORD Inkjet Photo Paper Range offers a variety of papers and sizes. Ideal for studio quality portraits, the Premium Plus paper (270 gsm and 290 gsm) is designed to showcase specially selected photos. For photo albums or holiday snapshots, the Premium Photo paper (250 gsm) is the perfect pick, the manufacturer claims. Free ICC profiles are available for both the Premium Photo Plus and Premium Photo ranges at Ilford’s website. The the Ilford Inkjet Photo Paper Range is distributed in the UK through JP Distribution.

Website: Ilford

Dell today introduced the mini-sized InspironTM Zino HD desktop computer, which is versatile enough to handle tasks from basic computing chores to driving a big-screen, high-definition video media centre, the company claims. Starting at £299 including VAT and delivery, the Inspiron Zino HD includes standard HD-capable integrated graphics, HDMI output and built-in networking. The economical Inspiron Zino HD, with optional additional memory (up to 8GB RAM), hard drive storage (up to 1TB), combo Blu-ray Disc player, wireless remote control and Microsoft Windows 7 Media Player, can be configured into a powerful home media centre computer. In that capacity, the Inspiron Zino HD displays high-definition content from the Internet, and stores and delivers music, video and photos. The Inspiron Zino HD is available today directly from Dell with a choice of Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional operating systems.

Website: Dell

Sony has announced the launch of the new Microvault line of ‘keyring’ USB flash drives. The Sony Microvault will hit the shelves in January 2010 offering storage capacities ranging from 4GB to 32GB. Created to combine value with functionality, this Microvault features a retractable connector so there will be no more lost caps. Ease of use is also built in, with drag & drop operation for any type of data format and full compatibility with Windows 7, the company claims. The high-capacity 16GB and 32GB versions are particularly suitable for anyone dealing with large quantities of high-resolution images or large video clips. Pricing to be confirmed.

Lomography has announced a special contest that gives you the chance to turn the Lomo LC-A+, billed as a “classic, iconic snapshot wonder”, into your very own masterpiece The Lomo LC-A is a simple, plastic 35mm film camera that has been around for 25 years. The LC-A+ is an improved version of the original LC-A, and Lomography is now asking you to download the Lomo LC-A+ template from its website, cut it out like a paper camera, customise the paper camera according to your tastes, and either upload your customised templates or send them by post to the Lomography headquarters in Vienna. Submissions must be received by 10 January 2010. The winning design will go to actual production as a limited edition model, and the winner will be awarded with an opportunity to travel to the Lomography HQ in Vienna, with flight and accommodation paid. He/she will also receive five of the limited-edition Lomo LC-A+ cameras they had designed.

Website: The Lomography Blog

Tamrac has launched the ZipShot, a photographic tripod that springs into action in a matter of seconds. The ZipShot quickly attaches to the handles of camera bags, and at 312 grams and just 38 centimetres long when collapsed, it can be taken practically anywhere. Featuring a 360-degree pivoting ball head, the Tamrac ZipShot has a maximum payload of 1.35kg, and can be extended to a height of 112 centimetres. Simply release the two red shock cords, and the legs spring open in seconds. The Tamrac ZipShot tripod is available now via Adorama for $49.95.

Webiste: Tamrac

Ceiva Photo Frames announced the release of its newest service enhancements. These include a new photo uploader with advanced scheduled send functionality, frame connection wizard and GPS photo mapping. Ceiva’s line of digital photo frames includes the CEIVA Pro 80 and CEIVAshare models, featuring PicturePlan Photo Delivery Service. They automatically display photos sent from computers or camera phones. Customers can send photos with ease using the photo uploader, and multiple photos can be scheduled to send any day. CEIVA Pro 80 is priced at $147.99, and CEIVAshare is $127.99, both including one year of PicturePlan photo delivery service. Free software includes the CEIVA Snap iPhone application, CEIVA Sender for Picasa and Facebook, and Adobe Photoshop Album and Elements.

Website: Ceiva

Epson has developed a new 0.52-inch high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT colour panel for electronic viewfinders, offering QHD (960x540-pixel) resolution in red, green and blue for a total of 1.56 megapixels. The new panel is currently targeted for use as a widescreen electronic viewfinder in broadcast and industrial camcorders for professionals, though we may eventually see it in digital cameras as well. Epson’s new panel allegedly offers the resolution and fidelity needed to focus the image while providing a number of other benefits such as the ability to recreate smooth gradations and a natural softness. Like the previously announced 0.47-inch SVGA panel, the new 0.52-inch QHD offering is marketed under the Ultimicron brand. Samples are shipping now to camcorder manufacturers worldwide.

Casio Japan has announced two new digital cameras equipped with a 10-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor and featuring a burst mode of up to 40 frames per second (fps) and movie recording at up to 1,000fps. The Casio EX-FC150 is a compact model with 5x optical zoom, while the Casio EX-FH25 (see picture above) is a superzoom camera with a 26-520mm equivalent lens. Casio claims that the back-illuminated CMOS sensor has twice the sensitivity of a traditional CMOS imager. Both cameras feature various high-speed continuous shooting modes and sensor-shift image stabilisation. The Casio EX-FH25 also offers raw image capture in industry-standard DNG format. The cameras are capable of high-speed video recording, with frame rates ranging from 120fps at a resolution of 640x480 pixels to 1,000fps at 224x64 pixels. There is no word yet on international availability or pricing.

Website: Casio EX-FC150 & EX-FH25 (computer translation)

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Carl Zeiss today announced its introduction of a new series of lenses for the semi-professional market: the ZF.2 with Nikon F bayonet for digital SLRs. The lenses have a built-in CPU to transmit EXIF data and to support a range of photographic functions. The CPU also supports manual exposure settings, including those for camera casings that are not AI-compatible. The ZF.2 lenses are available in seven focal lengths, five of which will be available from the end of November (this means a total of eight lenses, as there are two 50mm optics in the line-up): 3,5/18, 2,8/21, 2/35, 1,4/50, 2/50 and 1,4/85. The Distagon T* 2/28 ZF.2 and macro Planar T* 2/100 ZF.2 will be introduced in Spring 2010. The prices for these new lenses will lie between €545 and €1,386+VAT.

Website: Zeiss

Sony World Photography Awards is looking to uncover the best amateur football photographs in the world for the 2010 Campaign Award, and offers the winner tickets, travel and accommodation to a FIFA World Cup game in South Africa. Combining the global love for football and sports photography, the Campaign Award seeks to find an image that captures the emotion and the passion of football from the fan’s point of view. All submitted images will be shown in a gallery the Sony World Photography Awards website and rated by the public.  The top 100 images will then be presented to a judging panel chaired by Delly Carr, one of the world’s leading and multi award winning sports photographers. The competition is free to enter and open to amateur photographers from across the globe.  The closing date is Friday 4 December 2009.

Website: World Photography Awards

Hahnemühle’s Gallerie Wrap Standard (1¼”-deep) stretcher bars can now be purchased in more convenient, more economical Pair Packs. Each pack contains two bars of a given length, two corner braces and two corner holding pins. This will allow a customer who wants to make one 16"x 20” canvas wrap, for example, to purchase only two Pair Packs, a 16” and a 20”, instead of having to purchase a full box of 20 bars each in both lengths, the company says.

Website: Hahnemühle Direct