The Samsung WB5000 is a new compact 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. The 12.5 mega pixel WB5000 records HD video in 1280x720p resolution at 30 frames per second using the latest H.264 format. The Samsung WB5000 will be available in the UK from September 2009, pricing to be announced. In the US the Samsung HZ25W will be available in October for $399.99.

The Canon EOS 7D is a new 18 megapixel digital SLR camera. Incorporating a new APS-C CMOS sensor, the Canon 7D features dual DIGIC 4 processors, an ISO range expandable to 12,800, and a 19-point cross-type AF sensor. There’s also continuous shooting at 8 frames per second, 3 inch LCD screen with 920k dots, viewfinder with 100% magnification, and Focus Colour Luminance metering system (iFCL) which measures focus, colour and luminance across 63 zones. The Canon EOS 7D will be available from early October 2009 priced at £1699.99 / €1999.99 inc. VAT. The Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers at the end of September, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $1,699.00. It will also be offered in a kit version with Canon’s EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $1,899.00.

Canon has unveiled two new kit lenses for everyday use, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS and the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. The high-quality EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is equivalent to a 24-136mm focal length lens. It offers a 4-stop Image Stabilizer as well as a close focusing distance of just 0.35m throughout the zoom range. The EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is a powerful all-in-one lens with a 4-stop Image Stabilizer and a 7.5x super zoom range. The EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is available from early October 2009 priced at £529.99 / €619.99 inc. VAT. The EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is available from mid October 2009 priced at £849.99 / €989.99 inc. VAT. In the US the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is scheduled to be available at the end of September and sell at an estimated retail price of $499.99. The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM is scheduled to be available in late October and sell at an estimated retail price of $799.99.

The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is the first Canon lens to feature Hybrid image stabilisation. The new Hybrid IS system features up to 4-stop correction, compensating for the effects of camera shake during normal shooting and shift movement which is problematic when shooting up close. The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM will be available from early October 2009 priced at £999.99 / €1199.99 inc. VAT. In the US the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is scheduled to be available at the end of September and sell at an estimated retail price of $1,049.00.

The Olympus E-600 is a new entry-level DSLR camera. The 12.3 megapixel E600 is heavily based upon the E-620 model, dropping the backlit buttons, 3 art filters (Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, and Grainy Film), multi exposure mode and aspect mask control of the $100 more expensive E-620. “With the E-600, Olympus has answered the call for a more affordable and creative camera that has everything you could need to get great results,” said John Knaur, senior marketing manager, Digital SLR, Olympus Imaging America Inc. The Olympus E600 DSLR will be available in early November 2009 for $599.99 with the 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko lens.

New Leica cameras will be unveiled in a live webcast on Wednesday September 9th.

Announced in a Youtube / Vimeo video, Leica’s CEO Rudi Spiller commented “On September 9th Leica will introduce a collection of ground-breaking new products designed and manufactured for all photographers, novice and professional alike.”

You can signup for the live webcast here - the global times are:

9am New York City
2pm London
3pm Berlin
5pm Moskow
9pm Beijing
10pm Tokyo

Bogen Imaging is holding a free webinar called “Capturing the Brilliance of Fall: Roundtable with Adam Barker.” Professional photographer and special guest, Adam Barker, and David Fisher, Bogen Imaging’s webinar host, will discuss how to take amazing photos of the beautiful Autumn foliage. Part of the company’s Bogen Café series of free instructional webinars, the seminar will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT, on Friday, September 18th.

A big Gigapan photo shoot is taking place tomorrow on London’s Southbank. Timed to coincide with the launch of a new campaign called 10:10 (http://www.1010uk.org/), the Gigapan shoot will be outside Tate Modern on Tuesday evening. Gigapan ss the same technology that created incredible images from President Obama’s inauguration (http://gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15374). Everybody is welcome to come and join in.

World-class photographers will gather in Merida, Mexico, during the 9th World Wilderness Congress (WILD9) to present and discuss their work and its contribution to conservation efforts. They will join writers, filmmakers and conservation experts at the inaugural WiLD SPEAK, a Conservation Communications Symposium Nov. 9-12 organised by the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). WiLD SPEAK provides a forum for media professionals to discuss environmental issues and themes, share strategies and technologies, and explore how their work can raise awareness and realize conservation objectives. WiLD SPEAK will include plenary sessions and discussions on strategies and issues relevant to conservation communications including trends in photojournalism, building partnerships with non-governmental organizations and leveraging new social media platforms. You can register at the website below.

Website: WiLD SPEAK

Fantasea Line has announced the WP-DC34 underater housing and other accessories for the Canon Powershot G11 digital compact camera. The WP-DC34 housing weighs in at 13.1 ounces and measures 5.5x3.6x3.4 inches. Other Fantasea Line accessories include G series BigEye wide-angle conversion lenses, the SharpEye M67 close-up lens, the RedEye filter G10/G11, the Remora and Nano Single Pro and Nano Double Pro lighting sets. The WP-DC34 underwater housing for the Canon G11 is available for preorder on Amazon for $199.99.

Correction - 7 September 2009
The WP-DC34 housing is actually a Canon product. The Fantasea announcement concerns the availability of the above listed accessories (G series BigEye wide-angle conversion lenses, the SharpEye M67 close-up lens, the RedEye filter G10/G11, the Remora and Nano Single Pro and Nano Double Pro lighting sets) for the Canon G11 and the WP-DC34 housing. We apologise for the confusion.

Fujifilm has announced its support for, and sponsoring of, the Reinforest Allience’s second “Picture Sustainability” photo contest. Fujifilm will be providing Fujifilm FinePix digital cameras as part of the prizes that winners will receive. “Fujifilm is pleased to support this meaningful event as part of its ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Lauren Restuccia Fujifilm’s Corporate Communications Manager. The contest will run until November 1, 2009 and winners will be announced on December 15, 2009. Photographers can enter by visiting the website below. Do note that all photos are considered donations to the Rainforest Alliance to be used in the organisation’s publications and Web site.

Website: Rainforest Alliance Photo Contest

PhotographyBB announced today the release of the 19th edition of the PhotographyBB Magazine Online. The August 2009 edition features a theme of “How-to” related articles. Readers have their questions answered in the continuing FAQ series where real questions from the magazine’s readers are anonymously and thoroughly answered. In the new “Portraiture Photography 101? series, the August edition also examines portrait lighting techniques for the importance of form in portraiture work. The magazine editors also have a look at two of America’s most famous and spectacular national parks; Yellowstone and Grand Teton, which have provided awe-inspiring subjects for some of the most famous photography. PhotographyBB Online Magazine is available for free download through the PhotographyBB Website.

Website: PhotographyBB Magazine Online

Imagenomic has announced the release of Portraiture 2 for Adobe Lightroom. This latest Portraiture 2 product edition from Imagenomic delivers all of the productivity benefits of fast and accurate skin retouching to the Lightroom user community, and complements earlier introductions of Portraiture 2 for Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture. Portraiture 2 versions for Lightroom include native 32 and 64-bit support for Windows Vista, and support for the latest Mac Intel platforms and OSX releases for Apple computers. All of the familiar features and controls that have made Portraiture 2 popular with Photoshop and Aperture users are now available in the new Lightroom edition. Lightroom users also benefit from two Portraiture workflow usage modes, using both the Edit In and Export techniques for individual and batch image editing and processing. For new customers, the Lightroom edition is available for purchase at $199.95.  For registered users of Portraiture 2 for Photoshop or Aperture, the Lightroom edition is available at the discounted price of $99.95.

Bogen Imaging has announced the launch of eight compact, lightweight yet reliable Manfrotto ball heads. With a payload range that goes from 2kg to 8kg, The Manfrotto 492, 494, 496 and 498 all feature a simple plate and the Manfrotto 494 RC2, 496 RC2, 498 RC2 and 498 RC4 all feature a quick release plate. The new aluminium family of ball heads from Manfrotto incorporate a new innovative design with elliptic holes for reducing weight. In addition to the existing series, the new ball head family (except the small 492 head) features a completely new friction control which allows a safer and precise movement of the camera without totally releasing the camera. The professional heads of the family which include the Manfrotto 498, Manfrotto 498RC2 and Manfrotto 498RC4 have a panoramic independent movement with reference ring. The new Manfrotto ball heads will become available in September/October 2009, at RRPs ranging from £32.95 to £59.95, depending on model.

Following the successful launch last year of the M-Y family, a range of easy and compact tripods, Manfrotto has announced the new carbon version: the M-Y carbon tripod, 732CY. The payload of the M-Y Carbon (3,5Kg) is the highest among the M-Y range and includes an innovative new feature - the Expander, a new mechanical fixing of the first leg section to the collar that allows the M-Y carbon to be even more reliable and stable. This expanding system allows tightening the leg to the collar, always keeping a high rigidity and assuring a long lasting performance to the user. Together with lightness and portability: when folded the 732CY reaches a compact size of 42,5cm, with an opened height of 134,5cm and a total weight of less than 1kg. The new Manfrotto MY Carbon tripod is available from September 2009 for £169.95 RRP.

Sony has officially announced the 24.6-megapixel Sony A850 full-frame DSLR, and offers it at an attractive price. Ruggedly built for unflinching pro-style handling and performance, the Sony A850 shares the same 24.6 megapixel sensor and virtually all features of the flagship DSLR-A900, introduced last year. The main differences are in the continuous shooting speed, viewfinder coverage and price. The Sony A850 has a maximum burst rate of 3 frames per second (fps) versus the A900’s 5fps, and its viewfinder coverage is 98% against the older model’s 100%. The cost reductions associated with these modifications have made it possible for Sony to offer the Sony A850 at a price that is unprecedented among full-frame DSLRs. The body-only SRP is €1999, and the camera will also be offered in a kit with the new 28-75mm f/2.8 lens for €2688. Availability is slated for September (Sony A850 body) and November (lens / kit).

Update: We’ve just added 10 product shots taken at today’s UK press launch.

Along with the Sony A850 full-frame DSLR, Sony also introduced a new standard zoom with a constant f2.8 maximum aperture. Weighing in at 565 grams, the compact Sony SAL2875 28-75mm f2.8 SAM lens is among the lightest in its class. The new, bright standard zoom has 16 lens elements in 14 groups, offers a maximum magnification of 0.22x, and takes 67mm filters. The SAL2875 lens will be available in November for about $800.

Sony have just revealed the 12.3-megapixel Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and 14.2-megapixel A550 digital single-lens reflex cameras with enhanced Live View, Auto HDR functionality and high-speed continuous shooting capabilities. At the heart of both cameras is a new, unique to Sony, Exmor CMOS sensor that ensures crisp low-noise images, according to the manufacturer. Sustained shooting speeds of up to 4 frames per second (fps) can be achieved in Live View Mode, rising to 5 fps with the optical viewfinder. The new Speed Priority mode on the Sony A550 model raises the bar further still, shooting at 7 fps (with AF and AE setting maintained from the first frame ). Creative options are broadened by the new Auto HDR mode that captures a huge range of shadow and highlight detail in landscapes, interiors and other scenes. The Sony A500 and A550 use powerful algorithms to combine and optimise two successive frames in only 2 seconds, correcting any misalignment between frames when shooting handheld, which is Sony’s unique technology. The result is a single HDR image emulating the huge natural tonal range of human vision – with no PC or tripod needed. The Quick AF Live View of the A3x0 series has been carried over, and is joined by a new Manual Focus Check Live View mode, which assists with fine-tuning your composition and focus. The live image offers 100% field coverage, assisted by framing grid lines for precise composition. There’s also a selectable 7x/14x zoom function for a close-up confirmation of focus. The Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and DSLR-A550 will be available from the end of October 2009 for €699/$750 and €849/$950, respectively (RRP, body only).

Update: We’ve just added 29 product shots taken at today’s UK press launch.