PhotoshopIsland.com offers exclusive designs and elements for anyone who works with Photoshop, from professional photographers to scrapbookers. Three collections are available at launch: Distressed Background Brushes, 2010 Calendar Brushes & EPS Files and Postage-Themed Brushes. To encourage visits during its launch, PhotoshopIsland visitors who sign up for its e-news have a chance to win an Epson PictureMate PM 260 photo printer. Plus, each visitor who signs-up gets a free set of 10 high resolution Photoshop brushes.

Panasonic has released a firmware update for the 45-200mm lens. The 1.1 update for the LUMIX G VARIO 45-200mm / F4.0-5.6 / MEGA O.I.S. lens improves the auto focus performance in AFC mode and the auto focusing and stability of the Optical Image Stabilizer while reducing noise of aperture control for taking movies.

Aurora Quick Fix is a free photo editing, sharing and publishing software application. In just a few clicks, Aurora users can Relight, Retouch, add Punch for color contrast, adjust color strength and warmth, tint, crop, straighten, zoom and adjust red-eye in a simple, intuitive and visual way. Aurora also includes sophisticated tools for organizing, publishing and sharing photos. The software is non-destructive as edited images are saved as a new file. Edited photos are saved at their original size and resolution. Aurora Quick Fix is available immediately at www.lightcrafts.com and is free to download for Mac and PC.

Hireacamera.com, one of the leading rental companies in the photographic market, has announced today that the Nikon D300s is now in stock and the company has a pre-order on the Canon 7D. The Nikon D300s has a range of features including 720p HD video recording, a 7fps continuous shooting mode and Dual Compact Flash and SD card slots.  A new quiet release mode allows the user to discreetly photograph subjects by allowing them to manage the mirror return manually. The D300s also features the same multi-selector as used on the D3 and D700. Hireacamera.com is based in Crowborough, East Sussex and dispatches rental equipment all over the United Kingdom.

Hartblei has announced the Hartblei CAM, which allows you to mate a Nikon F or Canon EF mount lens to a medium-format digital or film back. The Hartblei CAM uses a 35mm lens mount as an interface to support all lenses, no matter whether 35mm or MF. Hartblei claims that you can mount any of the currently available medium format backs, and points out that a combination of a 14mm lens and a Phase One P65+ back will give medium-format users an extremely wide 135-degree angle of view. The Hartblei CAM comes with a built-in shutter boasting a top shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, and offers a motorised slider to move the back back and forth. The camera is available now at €4985 plus shipping and taxes.

Website: Hartblei

Adobe has released Adobe Camera Raw 5.5. The newst version of the ACR plug-in adds support for the Nikon D300s, the Nikon D3000, the Olympus E-P1, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 digital cameras. Please bear in mind that ACR 5.5 is not compatible with Photoshop versions earlier than CS4 or versions of Photoshop Elements earlier than Elements 6.0.

Website: Adobe Camera Raw 5.5 for Windows
Website: Adobe Camera Raw 5.5 for Macintosh

Adobe has issued a new update to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Version 2.5 adds support to several new digital cameras, including the Nikon D3000 and the Olympus E-P1, and fixes a few bugs introduced by previous Lightroom 2 releases. Note to existing users of earlier versions: Lightroom 2.5 will automatically remove the Lightroom 2.0, 2.1, 2,2, 2,3 or 2.4 executable and replace the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom folder with the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.5 folder.

Website: Adobe Lightroom 2.5 for Windows
Website: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.5 for Macintosh

Mobile Mechatronics has announced the Blur tripod adapter and mini tripod for the Apple iPhone. The Blur tripod adapter allows users to mount their iPhone on any standard photographic tripod. The package offered by Mobile Mechatronics costs $14.99, and includes an ultra-portable mini tripod as well as the Blur tripod adapter. The Blur Tripod Software, an iPhone app that enables iPhone users to engage in time-lapse photography,will be available pending Apple’s approval.

Website: Mobile Mechatronics

Professional photographer and Photoshop educator, Stuart Little, has launched a brand new blog entitled ‘A Little Photoshop’. The new online publication is home to free articles, HD screencasts, training and inspiration based around the topics of Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, digital photography and off-camera lighting. Stuart Little is a professional photographer and Photoshop Trainer with over 18 years experience in the field. Over the past 7 years he has lectured in digital photography worldwide for Photo Training Overseas, Fujifilm, The Master Photographers Association and The British Institute of Professional Photographers. He splits his time between commercial, lifestyle photography, blogging, and training photographers worldwide.

Website: A Little Photoshop

Toshiba has introduced a new line of 1.8-inch HDDs with a capacity of up to 160GB on a single-platter, and a slim five-millimeter high profile targeting next-generation digital video cameras and other consumer electronics products. Toshiba’s new MK1634GAL family of 1.8-inch HDDs offers consumer electronics manufacturers a thin and light package with a class-leading storage capacity, best power consumption efficiency, highest durability and quietest seek operation of any HDDs on the market, the company claims. Shipping now to consumer electronics manufacturers, the compact 160GB model leads the MK1634GAL family with mass production of the 60GB, 80GB and 120GB models scheduled in late September.

X-Rite has announced ColorChecker Passport, an all-new solution for digital photographers working in a raw workflow to quickly and easily capture accurate colour, instantly enhance portraits and landscapes, and maintain colour control from capture to edit. The new ColorChecker Passport includes the Classic Target, a white balance target, a Creative Enhancement Target, a piece of software for camera calibration and a protective case. “With ColorChecker Passport, you can expect much faster image processing time, improved quality control, all in a cool little package that you can take anywhere,” said X-Rite Senior VP of Sales and Marketing Iris Mangelschots.

Website: X-Rite Photo

Famous French photographer Willy Ronis, a contemporary of Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson, died at the age of 99. Ronis, who originally aspired to be a composer, first got into photography when his father fell ill and he had to take over the family photo studio. After his father’s death, however, he gave up studio photography and became a photojournalist. He worked for a number of prestigious publications including Regards, Plaisir de France and Life. His work, along with that of Doisneau, Cartier-Bresson, Izis and Brassaï, was showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in New Yor City in 1953, as part of an exhibition entitled, somewhat misleadingly, “Five French Photographers” (neither Izis nor Brassaï was in fact French, though both worked in France at the time). Ronis rceived a number of awards, including the Gold Medal of the Venice Biennale (1957) and the Grand Prix des Arts et Lettres (1979). While predominantly a photojournalist and a master of street photography, Willy Ronis was also noted for his nudes and fashion shots. Upon hearing from his death, the office of France’s President Nicolas Sárközy issued a communiqué saying, “Willy Ronis has immortalised for us and future generations a popular and poetic France”.

Website: Obituary in The New York Times

With effect from October 1, 2009, Sinar Photography will take over the Development, Sales, Service and Support divisions for the products of the Sinar brand. Sinar Photography originates from Tekno AG, which has already been marketing the Sinar products in Switzerland up to now. The German and Swiss markets will be served directly by Sinar Photography from Switzerland, with support from an existing service, repair and sales office in the Hamburg region. Additional sales support offices will be announced shortly. The ongoing product development at Sinar Photography will focus predominantly on the tried-and-tested analogue and digital camera systems. This includes the digital backs, the globally renowned Sinar view cameras for studio applications, and the specialist cameras for architecture and document photography. The continuation of the Hy6 medium-format camera is currently under negotiation, but the existing business alliance guarantees long-term technical support.

The ICON line of compact LED flashlights for photographers is now available. The new line comprises two models, both of which have two lumen settings, bright enough to paint and low enough to search your bag without ruining the frame. Ergonomically designed, the ICON lights have an open-architecture structure, allegedly never before seen in the consumer flashlight market. This design provides a solid grip, leaving hands cool and dry. The aerospace-aluminium body means it can be dropped, thrown and rattled around without any damage. The Rogue 1 design is smaller (4.5 inches), requiring only one AA battery, while Rogue 2 is longer (6.5 inches), and requires two AA batteries. The ICON line is available at www.opticsplanet.com and at Fry’s Electronics.

The Nikon D5000 digital SLR camera has won a DIWA Gold Award. The Nikon D5000 managed to convince the DIWA jury simply by its superior image quality, innovative functionality and user-friendliness. DIWA Awards are based on test results carried out in the DIWA Labs, and evaluations on more than 200 different criteria carried out by DIWA members.

Kenro has announced the release of a new 300 watt portable studio flash kit. This new addition to Kenro’s wide range of photographic equipment comprises two flash heads two 180cm air cushioned stands and two 70x50cm soft boxes. Each kit is also supplied with mains and synch cables plus 50 watt modelling lamps. The flash heads each have 300 watt output and feature stepless power adjustment from 1/16th to full power and have a recycling time of 0.8 -2.2 seconds. They also include an infra red sensor for auto synch with other flash heads. The 300 watt portable studio flash kit is available to buy now with an RRP of £369.85.

Stephen Shakeshaft: Liverpool People at the National Conservation Centre 18 September 2009 – 24 January 2010 features about 70 photographs including unpublished gems alongside award-winning images amassed since the 1960s over decades of great social change.In this new exhibition, Stephen also reveals some of the secrets of his personal archive, displaying his talent for immortalising ordinary fleeting moments and reflecting the personalities of his subjects. Stephen says: “Much of my work involved sport and news stories but there were often quieter periods when I might see an everyday scene making a great picture. The passing years have added to the atmosphere of these images.” The exhibition is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and admission is free.

The new JVC HD Everio GZ-HM400 is an HD camcorder that features high-speed video recording at up to 600 frames per second for slow-motion playback, and can also be used to take 9-megapixel stills at up to 15 frames per second. The HD Everio GZ-HM400, which records to an SD/SDHC card and includes 32GB of internal memory, features a 10.3-megapixel CMOS sensor that delivers nine-megapixel still images and 1080 TV lines of horizontal resolution for Full HD video. Optically, the GZ-HM400 features a Konica Minolta HD lens and JVC-developed optical image stabiliser that uses two active prisms to correct camera shake at the lens entrance before the image enters the lens. Three different high-speed recording modes are available for slow-motion video playback: 600fps, 300fps and 120fps. For still image shooting, up to 60fps 5.3-megapixel stills can be shot in a continuous burst of up to 11 images. Or, if preferred, continuous shooting of up to six nine-megapixel stills at up to 15fps is also possible. The JVC HD Everio GZ-HM400 is available immediately at $999.95.