Double Oscar winning actor Kevin Spacey is to star in an Olympus PEN TV campaign in the UK. You can catch the first showing on TV during “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” on Monday 16th November. The Olympus PEN ad was directed by Duncan Jones, who was recently at the helm of the acclaimed movie “Moon”. The new Olympus E-P2 will be available in January 2010.

9 out of 10 people in the UK share their photos, according to a survey by Futuresource. “The survey found that on-camera and via email are the most popular methods of sharing pictures. However, nearly half of all respondents are still sharing physical prints with friends and family, though this behaviour varies widely depending on the age of the respondent. Females are also more likely to share physical prints than males” commented Simon Bryant. 70% of all respondents said that they shared video. The Futuresource consumer research study was carried out online with a UK sample size of more than 1,000 respondents aged 16 and over.

The Páramo Dark Cloth provides a clear viewing screen in all conditions and is practical and comfortable to use in wet and windy weather. Although designed primarily for large and medium format, a number of photographers have used the Dark Cloth successfully with Digital SLR to slow down the process, thereby improving composition and the visibility of the LCD screen, especially for fine focusing among live view users. The Páramo Dark Cloth is available now for £90.

Eye-Fi have added FTP upload support to their Share, Share Video, Explore Video and Pro memory cards. “Due to popular demand, the FTP upload feature many of you have requested is now live. We have added FTP and FTPS support for photos (JPEG only) and videos. The new FTP option is listed alongside other online destinations and selecting it is as easy as choosing any other supported Online photo or video destination.”

Website: Eye-Fi Support

A new range of Orkio Urban Bagz has been launched. Small DSLR Bagz, Laptop Backpackz, Laptop Sleevez and Pro Sleevez have all been added to the Orkio collection. Orkio bags are beautifully finished, feature rich and made from high quality materials with original designs that make them stand out from traditional specialist bags. These bags are available now, prices from £19.99.

imphoto for pc reveals the details in photos, bringing detail out of the shadow areas whilst respecting brighter zones and maintaining colour balance. “imphoto is orders of magnitude faster than any existing solution and produces unmatched quality so that everyone can see the pictures they want, whether for sharing with friends or for publishing professionally” commented CEO of imsense, Philippe Dewost.  imphoto pro edition views, processes and save any type of image in their natural format and resolution. In addition to the core features this version provides batch processing, handling of linear 32-bit per channel HDR images and the ability to save in multiple formats. imphoto retails at $29.99 for the home edition and $99 for the professional edition.

The opening title sequence of NBC’s Saturday Night Live was shot using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D digital SLR cameras. The concept behind the opening sequence was portraiture as the director and crew looked to capture “living” portraits of the city, the cast and the unique characters that make up the New York City nightlife. The entire segment was captured and edited in a week’s time, incorporating 30p footage from Canon’s 5D Mark II as well as 60p footage used for slow-motion segments shot with Canon’s EOS 7D Digital SLR camera.

The new Lastolite TriFlip 8:1 Kit includes the acclaimed Lastolite TriFlip, TriGrip bracket, a flash gun attachment arm, and an air cushioned stand and shoulder bag. The ball joint connector of the TriGrip bracket enables you to position the TriFlip on the stand exactly where you want leaving your hands free to operate the camera. The Lastolite TriFlip 8:1 Kit is available now for £179.99.

SF Digital have launched a downloadable eDVD that explains how to take stunning portraits. This 45 minute DVD by portrait and wedding photographer Uzair Kharawala showcases various scenarios on-location and how to setup and shoot. The eDVD can be downloaded straight to your computer and is available now at the special pre-launch price of £15 (RRP £25).

Pentax has announced an instant rebate programme on the Pentax Optio W80 and Optio P80 digital compact cameras. U.S. customers who purchase a W80 can save $30 instantly through 21 November. Those who buy a P80 receive $20 instantly through 2 January. The Pentax Optio W80 is Pentax’s most water-, shock-, dust- and cold-proof digital camera ever, while the Pentax Optio P80 features HD video capture in a slim, lightweight body with a 27.5-110mm equivalent 4x zoom lens. The rebates are valid on U.S. purchases only.

Website: Pentax Instant Rebate Announcement on Facebook

The new Baryta FB from Hahnemühle is a fiber-based, 100% alpha-cellulose paper that features a whiter, smoother, glossier surface than other offerings in the Baryta line. This bright white paper with its ultra-smooth surface texture, glossy coating and substantial, 350gsm weight, corresponds to classic silver-gelatin baryta media in both structure and feel.

Website: Baryta FB 350gsm

Ohanaware announced the immediate availability of a free update to their new HDR Photography software HDRtist. HDRtist is easy to use HDR software that creates HDR (high dynamic range) photos and tone maps them in a single step. Version 1.1 includes some bug fixes, speed gains and a new feature, Automatic Image Alignment.  At a click of the button, HDRtist is able to align images. This feature allows HDR photographers to shoot HDR images without a tripod. HDRtist requires a Power Macintosh G5 or Intel based Macintosh computer, running Mac OS X v 10.4 or later. It is recommended to have at least 1 GB of RAM.

Website: HDRtist

Plustek’s new, high-resolution dedicated 35mm film scanners are now available from Jessops. The Plustek OpticFilm 7400 and the Plustek OpticFilm 7600i are the successors of the OpticFilm 7300 and 7500i (read review), respectively. Both feature 7200x7200dpi hardware resolution, multisampling, software-based smart removal of defect and auto adaptive contrast optimisation. Additionally, the OpticFilm 7600i has an infrared channel for hardware-based dust and scratch removal. Both scanners boast a new white LED light source for more vivid results and precise colour rendering. The OpticFilm 7400 comes bundled with SilverFast SE Plus, whereas the OpticFilm 7600i can be bought with either SilverFast 6.6 SE Plus (Multi-Exposure) or SilverFast 6.6 AI Studio.IT8 (Multi-Exposure), the latter of which offers fully automated IT8 calibration. The OpticFilm 7400 is available for £199, the OpticFilm 7600i SE for £269, and the OpticFilm 7600i AI for £379 from Jessops.

Aptina has announced the launch of the MT9F001 camera image sensor whose high resolution, high speed snapshot and HD video modes, flexible interface and pre-processing options reflect the new “must have” features manufacturers are looking for in their premier cameras. The new 14-megapixel camera sensor captures high quality, full HD video (1080p/60fps), and features electronic image stabilisation too. The MT9F001 will be in mass production in the first quarter of 2010.

Website: Aptina

The Ricoh GXR is a completely new kind of digital camera - the World’s first “interchangeable unit camera system”. The GXR’s lens, image sensor, and image processing engine are all integrated into an individual camera unit, so the camera body itself does not contain an image sensor, unlike conventional DSLRs. The camera units are then changed by using a slide-in mount system to attach them to the GXR body. Since the image sensor is not exposed when lenses are changed, it’s virtually impossible for dirt and dust to get inside. The Ricoh GXR is also the World’s smallest and lightest digital camera with interchangeable lenses, even smaller than the Micro Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus.

Two camera units are being launched with the GXR. The A12 50mm F2.5 MACRO camera unit uses a 12.3 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor, while the S10 24-72 mm F2.5-4.4 VC camera unit features a 10 megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor. The innovative Ricoh GXR will be available in December priced at £419 / €459 / $550 for the body, £600 / €670 / $550 for the 50mm camera unit, £330 / €370 / $440 for the 24-72mm camera unit, £239 / €269 for the external flashgun and £219 / €249 for the electronic viewfinder. There are no kits available on launch, with more camera units promised for 2010.

We were at the first ever press launch of the GXR last week in London, and can exclusively bring you some full-sized Ricoh GXR photos (see story above), plus hands-on product shots in this article’s gallery.

Interested in how the new Ricoh GXR compares to one of is main competitors, the Panasonic GF1? Well, wonder no more - we have a gallery of photos comparing the GXR to the GF1, and also to Ricoh’s CX2 compact camera. Carry on reading to find out just how small the Ricoh GXR actually is in the flesh…