The palm size 6x4 inch Plustek SmartPhoto P60 photo scanner turns your prints and photographs into digital files in seconds. The Plustek P60 needs no warm up time or any complicated software and has a simple pop up user interface. Plustek’s SmartPhoto P60 is a simple way of digitizing your files so that they can be shared, or maybe transferred onto a digital photo frame for home or as a gift. The Plustek SmartPhoto P60 Scanner is available now for £89.99.

Canon USA has just launched the “Why Do You Love Football” Photo Challenge. Football fans are invited to express their love for football through photography and submit their best youth football photos, which could earn the winning photographer a trip to attend Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida. The amateur photo contest features two categories; “Action” and “Feature.” The “Action” category focuses on any image that captures football action during game play, while the “Feature” category comprises any football imagery outside of game action on the field. The closing date for entries is December 2, 2009.

The Master Photographers Association (MPA) has announced two workshop events with renowned wedding and portrait photographer, Yervant. The first three-day intensive tutorage workshop takes place in Dublin between 30 September and 2 October, followed by a London event which starts on 6 October and runs until 8 October. The cost for the Dublin event is 1,140 Euros while the London workshop costs £975.

The Nissin Di866 Professional Speedlite flashgun is now available in either a Canon or Nikon fitting. The Canon version is compatible with Canon Digital SLR and Powershot hotshoe cameras using ETTL and ETTL-2 systems, while the Nikon model fits Nikon Digital SLR and Coolpix hotshoe cameras using i-TTL. With a guide number of 60m (ISO 100 @ 105mm) the Di866 features Nissin’s original ‘My TTL’ user adjustable TTL light output level and is firmware upgradable thanks to an onboard USB port. The Nissin Di866 Professional Speedlite costs £369.95 in the UK including VAT.

The Portraits of Love Project is a volunteer effort aimed at sending 10,000 free family portraits to soldiers around the globe this holiday season. The project is utilizing the talents of over 275 volunteer photographers across the USA who are opening their studios this September, to offer free family portraits to military family members who have a soldier deployed overseas. The goal of the project is to send 10,000 free family portraits during the month of September. Those photographers interested in volunteering their time can sign up online at www.pmdaportraitsoflove.com .

The Epson Perfection V600 Photo is a new energy-efficient scanner for photographers. The Epson V600 has low power consumption for maximum efficiency and no warm-up time for instant scanning, plus 6400dpi optical resolution and 3.4DMAX optical density for film scanning. It also features a built-in Transparency Unit (TPU) that supports full panoramic medium format film and supports both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard. The Epson V600 will be available from 5th October 2009 for £259.99 / $249.99.

The Samsung NX series of cameras will be launched in either late 2009 or early 2010. Samsung’s Michael Zoller revealed that the NX series is still in the “field test stage” at today’s Samsung IFA press conference.First announced in March 2009 and slated for release in the second-half of 2009, the NX Series utilizes an APS-C sized image sensor and replaces the mirror box of a DSLR with an electronic viewfinder, rivalling the likes of the Olympus E-P1 and recently announced Panasonic GF1. It also seems that the NX series will use interchangeable lenses, as Samsung were briefly showing 3 prototype lenses behind glass here at the IFA show in Berlin, Germany, alongside an NX body.

Samsung haven’t announced any more new cameras at IFA, but we were able to briefly try out the WB5000. As a reminder, the Samsung WB5000 is a new bridge camera with a 26mm wide angle lens and 24x optical zoom. The WB5000 (also known as the HZ25W) offers RAW shooting, aperture priority, shutter priority and two User defined Modes as well as full manual shooting modes. Click through to see a gallery of shots of Samsung’s first entry into the mega-zoom market.

Sony are showing their newly-announced PM1 camcorder at the IFA show, a new hand-held device that provides quick photo and video uploads to the web. A direct rival to the popular Flip Video range, the Sony PM1 features a unique 270 degree swivel lens, 1080p video and 5 megapixel still images. Click through for some close-up photos of the Sony PM1.

The Sony PM1 camera provides quick photo and video uploads to the web. Capturing 5 megapixel still images and recording 1080p HD video in MP4 format, the Sony PM1 features a unique 270 degree swivel lens that instantly switches on camera when rotated. The Sharemark button and built-in Picture Motion Browser (PMB) Portable software enable wuick and easy Web uploads. The Sony PM1 is available now.

The Kodak ESP 5250 and ESP 3250 are new All-in-One (AiO) printers which save an average of £75 a year on ink. Offering print speeds of up to 30 pages per minute in black and 29 pages per minute in colour, the Kodak 5250 and 3250 both feature colour LCD display screens, memory card slots, intelligent paper tray systems and a simple two-cartridge set-up. The ESP 5250 is enabled with built-in Wi-Fi and a a 2.4” colour LCD, while the ESP 3250 features a smaller 1.5” colour LCD. The Kodak ESP 5250 retails for £129.99 and the ESP 3250 for £89.99.

Corel Digital Studio 2010 makes it fast and fun to enjoy and share your favorite photos and videos. “With its simple, elegant design and intuitive, all-in-one approach, Corel Digital Studio removes barriers, inspires creativity and gives everyone the ability to create and share something memorable in just minutes.” commented Nick Davies, Corel’s Senior Vice President, Product Management and Product Marketing. In the US and Canada, Corel Digital Studio 2010 is available now for $99.99. Corel Digital Studio 2010 will be available globally starting in mid-September 2009.

We spent some quality time with the new Panasonic GF1 Micro Four Thirds camera at yesterday’s European Launch, held in sweltering Berlin, Germany.

Click through to see 24 up close and personal photos of Panasonic’s brand new rival to the Olympus E-P1.

The new Panasonic DMC-GF1 is the world’s smallest and lightest system camera with a built-in flash. Based on the Micro Four Thirds standard, the Panasonic GF1 weighs just 285g body-only and is 35% smaller than the DMC-G1. Standout features include the 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor, a built-in flash, 3 inch LCD with 460k dot resolution, Venus Engine HD image processor and in-built Dust Reduction system. The DMC-GF1 offers 8 artistic effects via the My Color mode, plus nine Film modes and 16 Scene modes, including a new Peripheral Defocus mode that keeps the subject in sharp focus while softening the focus around it. It can record 1280 x 720 high-definition video in the AVCHD Lite or Motion JPEG formats, and the GF1 can focus in 0.3 seconds via its contrast AF system. The Panasonic DMC-GF1 will be available in October. In the UK pricing is still to be announced. In the US the GF1 will ship in two kits, one with the new LUMIX G 20mm/F1.7 ASPH pancake lens, and the other with the existing 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. zoom lens, both priced at $900. An optional electronic external viewfinder is also available for $200.

The Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm / F1.7 ASPH is a new interchangeable pancake lens. Featuring a bright maximum aperture of f/1.7, the Pansonic 20mm lens is very compact and lightweight. Seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractively smooth effect in out-of-focus areas when shooting at larger aperture settings. Comprised of seven lenses in 5 groups, the versatile 20mm focal distance is equivalent to 40mm on a 35mm film camera. The Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm / F1.7 ASPH will be available in October as one of the DMC-GF1 kit lenses, pricing to be announced.

The Panasonic LEICA DG MACRO-ELMARIT 45mm / F2.8 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S is a new macro lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. Offering a 35mm camera equivalent focal length of 90mm, the Panasonic 45mm lens uses both an aspherical lens and an ED lens in its fourteen lenses in ten groups to realize outstanding compactness. It incorporates an inner focus direct-drive linear motor with three groups of floating structure for focusing, and the inclusion of stepping motor makes the focusing action smooth and silent for use in both photo and movie recording. The closest focusing distance can be instantly changed to 15cm or 50 cm(0.5 ft to 1.64 ft) with the switch on the lens barrel. Availability and pricing of the Panasonic 45mm macro lens are still to be announced.

In addition to the DMC-GF1 camera and two new lenses announced today, Panasonic have also announced their Micro Four Thirds lens roadmap for 2010. Three new lenses will be launched - the 100-300mm f/4-5.6 OIS, 8mm f/3.5 fisheye, and 14mm f2.8 prime lens.